Scarlett crossed her arms and looked away, her expression full of irritation.
"Then make it quick!" she huffed.
The other woman sighed dramatically, floating lazily in the air as if she had all the time in the world. "I was talking about Sylvania. You should have listened to her."
Scarlett blinked, then scoffed. "Huh? That's what you wanted to talk about? You dragged me here just to waste my time?"
The woman crossed her arms and huffed. "Hmph… I'm not wasting your time. You'd just be sleeping right now anyway!"
Scarlett let out a sigh, rubbing her temples. "Is that so? Then at least tell me your name. Who are you? What are you trying to accomplish?"
But instead of answering, the woman smirked. "Ain't no way I'm gonna reveal myself. The creator is watching everything. Break the creator's will first, and then we'll talk!"
Scarlett clenched her fists, frustration bubbling inside her. "The creator's will… Avion mentioned that too. What even is this 'creator's will'? And why do you all fear him so much?"
The woman simply raised her hands, like she was surrendering. "I already told you, I won't reveal anything until you break the creator's will."
Scarlett gritted her teeth. "Ugh… this is so frustrating! If I ever meet that so-called creator, I'll beat him up and ask him myself!"
The woman shook her head and let out a deep sigh, clicking her tongue like a teacher disappointed in a student. "Tsk tsk. Don't take it so lightly. Pride is good, but sometimes it turns into ego. And ego… makes you regret things later."
Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Regret? Don't act like you're my future self or something! We are not the same person!"
The woman frowned, clearly getting a little annoyed now. "I'm not your future self, but we are the same person!"
"No, we're not!" Scarlett shot back.
"Yes, we are!"
"I said we are NOT!"
And just like that, they started arguing, their voices overlapping in a ridiculous back-and-forth match.
After a moment, Scarlett smirked. "Alright then, let's settle this. We'll compare personal things and preferences. If even one thing is different, you have to take me back!"
The woman narrowed her glowing purple eyes before smirking. "Alright, bet!"
Scarlett took a deep breath. "My favorite color is black and red."
"My favorite color is black and red."
They both said it at the exact same time.
Scarlett frowned but continued. "My favorite sports are cricket and football."
"My favorite sports are cricket and football."
Once again, they spoke in perfect sync.
Scarlett's eye twitched. "My favorite food is grilled meat and spicy noodles."
"My favorite food is grilled meat and spicy noodles."
Now it was starting to get weird.
They continued for dozens of rounds, listing everything from their favorite type of women to childhood memories, and each time—without fail—their answers matched exactly. It was like her own voice was echoing twice.
Scarlett was about to give up, but then—
"I'm satisfied with just three or four women," Scarlett said confidently.
At the exact same time, the other woman declared—
"I can't be satisfied with just three or four million girls!"
A heavy silence fell over the white void.
Scarlett slowly turned to look at her.
The other woman's eyes widened, her face stiffening as she realized what she had just said.
"W-wait… that doesn't count!" she stammered.
Scarlett immediately waved her hand dismissively, smirking. "Hell nah, you're out! I told you we're different!"
"No, no, listen to me!" The woman panicked, waving her hands.
"I'm not listening to anything. We are different, period." Scarlett even plugged her ears for extra effect. "La la la, can't hear you!"
The other woman clenched her fists. "Urgh… fine! I don't want you here anyway!"
With a frustrated stomp of her feet—one, two, three times—
The void around Scarlett slowly started to fade, but instead of light, it was replaced by endless darkness.
A deep, eerie darkness stretched in every direction, but within it, purple flames flickered across the black, cracked ground. The flames burned without ever fading, casting a haunting glow over the scene.
It looked like the ruins of a battlefield—an aftermath of a war that had lasted for thousands of years.
Scarlett shivered.
Before she could react further, her body began floating upward. It felt like an invisible force was pulling her back to reality.
Just as she was about to leave, she managed to speak. "What the hell is this place?"
The mysterious woman's ears twitched slightly at the question, but she only smirked. "Why not ask Avion? He knows everything anyway!"
And with that—SWISH!
Scarlett was yanked out of the dream and back into reality. She shot up in bed, breathing heavily.
"Avion… knows everything?" she muttered, feeling confused.
But then, her eyes narrowed. "No… that can't be right. He didn't even know about me until we met. She's trying to manipulate me!"
She took a deep breath, pushing the thoughts away. Whatever was going on, she was definitely going to ask Avion about that woman.
"Hey, you! Can you say anything in reality?" she called out, hoping to get a response.
Silence.
Scarlett frowned. "Hey! I'm talking to you, voice in my head!"
Still, nothing.
She sighed and shook her head. "I guess it's not working…"
Her shouting, however, did wake someone up.
Irish groggily sat up beside her, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Mmm… what's with all the yelling?"
Scarlett glanced at the window. The sunlight was already pouring in.
Morning had arrived.
"I'll make tea and breakfast!" Irish announced, hopping out of bed and heading toward the kitchen.
Scarlett smiled. "How nice." She reached for her blindfold and put it back on.
But before she could relax—BANG! CLANG! BEEP!
Loud noises erupted from the kitchen.
Scarlett flinched and immediately rushed toward the sound. As soon as she reached the kitchen, she sighed at the sight in front of her.
Irish was completely surrounded by a mess of high-tech cooking equipment, looking utterly defeated. Pots, plates, and utensils were scattered everywhere.
Scarlett groaned and smacked her forehead. "I should've known!"
She walked toward Irish with a pitiful look. "I'll do it. Go rest before you destroy the entire kitchen!"
Irish looked up at her with teary eyes. "I'm sorry…"
Scarlett gently patted her head. "No need to apologize. Just leave it to me!"
She had a clear idea of how to use these appliances. Besides, cooking was something she had learned well from her mother.
Tea? Breakfast? Easy.
Within minutes, the food was ready.
They sat down and enjoyed their meal together. The warm tea and delicious food quickly brightened the mood.
After finishing, they both changed into casual clothes, getting ready to step outside.
Scarlett stretched her arms. "Alright, let's go for a stroll!"
Irish nodded excitedly. "Yeah, let's go!"
And with that, they headed out.
-------
"Woah… so many big houses! Do giants live in there?" Irish asked excitedly, jumping around as she looked at the tall buildings.
Scarlett chuckled. "Umm… no, not really!"
Irish's eyes sparkled as she pointed at something. "Hey, look! That big box is giving food for money! Is it alive?!"
She was pointing at a vending machine.
Scarlett opened her mouth to explain but then paused. "Well… umm…" She had no idea how to answer that.
They continued exploring, going from one place to another. They visited beautiful gardens, walked through malls, and even stopped by a few dating spots, including a karaoke place.
After spending some time having fun, they finally sat on a public bench beside the road, each holding an ice cream cone.
Irish licked her ice cream while watching the cars zoom past with wide eyes. "This world is so strange… A very strange world indeed!"
But then—
She suddenly noticed something.
A middle-aged man in an office suit was crossing the road. He looked tired, his shoulders slumped, lost in his thoughts.
But as he reached the middle of the road—
A truck was heading straight toward him at full speed!
It was clear that the man hadn't noticed it. If nothing was done, he would be hit!
"Scarlett! That man is in danger! I'm going to save him!" Irish said, quickly standing up.
But before she could move, Scarlett grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
"No need," Scarlett said with a smirk. "It's a *canon event*."
Irish blinked in confusion. "Canon event?"
Scarlett nodded. "Yeah. That vehicle is *Truck-kun*. He's a very famous and kind person. He helps people who are lost in life by sending them to another world, giving them a new purpose! He works day and night, 24/7, without rest!"
Irish still didn't fully understand, but since Scarlett was saying it with such confidence, she decided to believe her. She sat back down next to Scarlett and continued eating her ice cream.
"Let's cheer Truck-kun up!" Scarlett grinned. "Go, Truck-kun, go!"
And then—
BAM!
The truck slammed into the man, sending him flying.
Scarlett almost jumped in excitement. "Yay! Another isekai story begins!"
---------
After enjoying a nice "show" of someone getting isekai'd, Scarlett and Irish continued strolling around until they found a quiet garden.
The peaceful atmosphere made it a perfect place to relax. Birds were chirping, a soft breeze was blowing, and the scent of flowers filled the air.
After a few moments of walking, Scarlett suddenly reached out and gently held Irish's hand, making the moment feel… romantic.
Irish blinked in surprise, then gave a small smile. But just as Scarlett was about to take things further—
"Honey, who is that guy?!" Irish suddenly pointed at someone. "He's giving off a really gloomy but also super scary aura!"
Scarlett sighed. "Irish, focus on me—"
But then she turned to look at the person Irish was pointing at.
And immediately, her eyes widened behind her blindfold.
Sitting on a nearby bench was a teenage boy with messy brown hair and green eyes. He was resting his head on his palms, deep in thought, as if he was trying to build a time machine or solve the mysteries of the universe.
Scarlett froze.
"It... it's main character energy!" she whispered in shock.
Irish tilted her head. "Main character energy?"
Scarlett turned to her urgently. "Can't you see it?! His plot armor is overflowing! He could probably kill us in one slap! We need to leave right now!"
At that moment, the teenage boy's ears twitched, and he slowly turned his head toward them.
Then—
"Korebai... Korebai... Korebai, Shintzy, Shinai... no wa."
He started speaking in some mysterious Japanese-sounding language.
Scarlett immediately jumped in fear. "You see that?! You see that?! He's speaking in some ancient protagonist language! Even though I'm Japanese and also the voice of the souls, I still can't understand what he's saying! He's completely overpowered!"
Without hesitation, Scarlett grabbed Irish's wrist.
"We need to run! Now!"
And with that—
They took off running at full speed.
They ran.
And ran.
And ran.
Kilometers passed, and finally, Scarlett stopped.
Irish bent over, panting. "W-Why… are we… running from… a guy… sitting on a bench…?"
Meanwhile, Scarlett wasn't even out of breath. She snorted, crossing her arms. "Tch. I hate plot armor!"
But then, she looked around—
And suddenly, a nostalgic look appeared on her face.
"Wait a minute… we actually ran all the way to the area where I used to live!"