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Multiversal: The Shop Chapter 137: A Contract 2
🕑 Added 2025-02-06 19:01:10 +0000 UTC“...what exactly is happening?” Ai was very, very confused upon waking up. First, the guy who saw her naked, which was quite embarrassing really, was apparently her son!
Now that she looks at him clearly, he has a strikingly similar look to his father, but also hers.
Now clothed, she can't stand being naked, especially in front of her already grown-up children; meanwhile, her daughter was still embracing her while burying her face into her chest, as if wanting to blend with her.
Honestly, she doesn't exactly know the full story yet as she was just given the summary version of what truly happened.
Ai was aware that she died; it was hard to forget; after all, the feeling of being unable to breathe, becoming cold, and then being greeted by eternal darkness was something that she wouldn't forget anytime soon.
But still, her children grew up; they became good-looking as she expected them to, still having to miss for the majority of their left made her heartache.
They are also reaching her age; in just a few more years, they'll be as old as her.
After quite some time of being silent, she finally couldn't stop her curiosity. “Aqua, Ruby, what's happening right? I, for one, knew that the dead can't be brought back to life, so why am I back? While I'm grateful for being alive, what exactly brought me back from the living?”
Ai stared at her daughter and asked. “Do you know the reason?”
To which Ruby shook her head in denial as she had no idea what happened, but to be honest the process doesn't really matter to her that much.
Her mother is now alive, anything else hardly matters, no need to complicate things.
However, since it's her who asked. Ruby looks back at her brother knowing that he had something to do with it.
Noticing that her daughter was looking at Aqua, Ai asked her son for an answer. “Do you know the reason why this happened?”
Her son avoided her questioning look and replied. “Don't worry about it. You're now here, and that's all that matters.”
That wasn't exactly an answer she was hoping to hear, but she knew that her son must have something to do with her resurrection.
Narrowing her gaze upon him, she wasn't satisfied with his answer at all, that's why she pushed the issue once more. “Aqua, what exactly is the reason? Don't try to deflect my question, please answer me honestly.”
Under her pleading, her son's composure cracked, realizing this as his weakness, she decided to break the last of his defense by saying this with a sad tone. “You don't trust me?”
Despite knowing that he was being played, his composure was completely broken. This was Ai, the person he loved the most, even if it's a fake sad tone to manipulate him.
It was very effective, and eventually, he told her exactly how things had happened and the price that he had to pay for it.
—
“You sold your soul to the devil?!” Ai couldn't believe it, her son made a contract with a creature that could only be called a devil.
It means that her son was now a slave to the being, knowing the truth of her resurrection made her regret ever asking him.
“...well, I'm not sure if he's the devil or not, but the contract did indeed bind my soul to him, and I'm going to work at his place part-time for a year, or at least what he told me.”
“I didn't know devils hire part-timers in hell.”
“I'm pretty sure whatever that place was, it wasn't hell after all, no eternal flame or sinners were being tortured there.” Aqua shrugged.
Ai didn't know what to say, but if her son was condemned to eternal damnation, she might as well carry some of his burden.
It's only fair; at this moment,, she decided right there, and now, she would carry his burden as she is his mother. “Aqua, I want to meet this ‘devil’. I also want to make a deal with it.”
“Ai! There's no need for you to make a deal with him!” Aqua immediately refused.
“T-that’s right, mama. Instead, I'll do it!”
Ai shook her head and answered. “It's my decision, and absolutely not Ruby. I don't want my other child to make a contract with the devil, so my son. Take me to that being.”
—
Now that I've sent Aqua back to his own world it's not to fix the issue that was Alaya; I can't believe Emiya would sabotage my business like that.
Oh, the money I could get from her would be immeasurable, as she's literally the manifestation of humanity's will, she should have a lot of good stuff.
To think I've missed that because of Emiya, I can't let him get away without punishment.
Then, as I was about to start working on it, all of a sudden, someone used the employee-only gateway, which was only available to Emiya and her apprentice, and recently Aqua.
Since Ymir and Emiya are here. It means that the person who used this gateway was Aqua.
I thought I said to come back in a week, but why did he go back so quickly?
Then I realized that he wasn't alone, he was with others, then as I saw the extra people he bought I was surprised.
It was Ai and Ruby!
Both are older than my own version of them, although this Ai Hoshino was just a few years older.
Looking at her, she became more beautiful as grew older. Now, I'm looking for my Ai to grow like this.
Then my eyes landed on Ruby, which made me feel prideful as my daughter would grow as beautiful as that.
As expected, my genes are first-rate; suddenly, the older version of my Ai started looking around for something and said. “Where’s the devil?”
What did she say?
Did she just ask where's the devil?
Who is she talking about?
Perhaps she's talking about ‘Actually Satan’?
Then the alternative version of my son pointed at me. “Ai, that's him.”
‘Huh? Did this little shit accuse me of being the devil?’ When I was about to refute that statement, suddenly I realized.
In some way, I am indeed the devil. It was a matter of perspective, especially to what I did to the Kuroinu; in their perspective, I am indeed the devil.
But, why exactly is he accused of being- oh, oooh.
It clicked to me: it's because of the contract, and what little he knew about me, he deduced that I was some sort of devil.
In his eyes, I'm capable of giving him powers and items but in exchange for a contract that bound his soul.
Then Ai was surprised, not expecting that I was this ‘devil’ her son was talking about. “I-it’s him? I know that this is the devil's temptation, but he's really handsome.”
Aqua looked horrified to hear that, while Ruby also agreed with her mother.
While I smiled at that. “Oh, I'm quite happy to hear that from you, Ms. Hoshino.”
Ai blushed a bit because she was hit by my unexpected good looks.
“You're totally different from my mental image of you.”
“Is that so? I'll take that as a compliment, perhaps your son just didn't clarify some things.” I answered her.
Then she bluntly said, “I'll get straight to the point, I want you to break that contract with my son, instead make a contract with me.”
Her son became alarmed at that and said. “Ai! This isn't what we talked about!”
“No, it isn't. But it's my decision.” Ai was determined to free him.
Their reaction, in my perspective, doesn't make sense; I mean, what's so bad about being a part-timer for a year in this shop?
Unless…
“Say, do you know what was agreed in the contract Ms. Hoshino?”
Ai blinked a few times before answering. “An eternal damnation for my son's soul?”
My face twitched at this reply, with a tired sigh. “Ms. Hoshino…. you're wrong; the contract doesn't include eternal damnation for your son's soul. Instead, it's just an ordinary work contract with him; he's going to work here as an assistant in this shop for a year. To clarify, we do not torture anyone. Also, the assumption that I'm a devil is completely wrong. I'm human like you are, and this place is a shop. While it may be a bit different from the usual ones, the principles are still the same.”
Then I stared right at her face, continuing. “Besides, I would never make my son suffer, alternative or not.”
Ai became dumbfounded by my words and replied. “Your son? What do you mean you're not..”
I shrugged at her and answered. “I know I'm not his father, at least in your universe, but in my world, you are the mother of my children, both Aqua and Ruby; here's a picture of us.”
Then I showed her a recent picture of us having a family bonding moment, seeing this irrefutable evidence.
Ai, Aqua, and Ruby were stunned, speechless at this as they could become this at one point in time.
–
Welp, another world-shattering revelation to the Hoshinos once again.
Comments
Ricardo Torres II
Good chapter
KingSpy25i .
This is getting good 🤣🤣 Thank you for the chapter 🙏
