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Paradise of Infinity: 8
🕑 Added 2021-08-21 19:13:41 +0000 UTCTitle: Forces Converge (1)
"I hoped to keep my word! To train you as such that even in your next life, you will never forget the marks of your teacher but you decided to betray the home that raised you!
Now, look! Pray that in your next life, you learn to be more obedient!"
A loud and coarse female voice bombarded Nik's senses. It was completely dark and by no means should such a coarse voice belong to a woman but he had heard it one too many times. Horrifying laughter attached to this voice echoing from behind the closed lavish door was his nightmare fuel. Is.
As the voice boomed: Now Look!
It echoed. Resounding and crashing into the dark space constantly while forcing Nik to 'look' down.
A large basket. Strangely, of his entire life, he didn't remember too much of childhood but he remembered this short moment. He looked down and saw the metal basket painted brown. The edges and marks on its surface as clear as day within this dark space. Blood, still wet, marring the edges, slipping down the surface while a pool of blood within the basket held one other head. He couldn't look at 'her' face but with her head equally cut through the guillotine and her once long hair now equal to the grizzly mark of her sliced neck.
"You should be happy, right? The one who betrayed you, she is already waiting for you down in—"
---
"Hey—"
Nik's eyes snapped open and his body instantly sat up while Sayoko looked at Nik with a surprised expression.
"Am I scary or something?" She mumbled while Nik looked around for a moment and gradually calmed down. Even amongst his series of nightmares... this was basically top three. Covering his face with the blanket, Nik silently stayed there for a moment. His neck ached for a moment until he felt Sayoko patting his back.
"Getting up can be troublesome... I get it," Sayoko mumbled, "But it probably wasn't waking up that's got you all riled up, right? Yeah, not being able to must suck quite a bit, too..."
Patting his back once again, she stood up and began readying herself for the day. Meanwhile, Nik silently folded his bedding and found his clean clothes, credits to Kurumi teaching him the basic process last night.
'Can't keep on living on short change forever... what good is a new life if I have nightmares and keep on acting like a dumb bitch the rest of my life?'
Nik frowned. His thoughts now slowly gathering into one focus.
Acquiring enough AP for learning the language, at least. Well, this was the only thing he could use his AP on currently but it wouldn't hurt to reach 100 AP and look what good rewards or benefits rank ups have. He needed to take initiative to stuff Infinity with as many things as possible.
"Ah, you're going alone?" Before Nik could even leave as Sayoko and Reiko still ate their breakfast, Mitsuko inquired with her smartphone in her hand as Nik nodded and traced his chin. With a ponderous look, he stuttered.
"A-alright." (Daijobu)
Mitsuko pursed her lips with a short smile, "Seeing you try hard is definitely a pleasant sight."
Looking back and seeing her daughters busy with the breakfast, Mitsuko tiptoed forward with an eager grin. "I will teach you a new phrase today."
"Ittekimasu," Mitsuko tapped the tip of Nik's nose and then straightened his jacket before quickly turning around and furiously typing away on her smartphone. In another moment, she faced Nik once again and pointed at the screen: Leaving and Returning.
"Ittekimasu," Mitsuko smiled as Nik nodded in understanding. There was a similar belief in his world, too. Usually, when leaving a stay, temporary or a permanent one, the person wouldn't just say simple farewell. It will always be similar to: I'll leave and return quickly. Or: I'll be back in some time. Not even Nik had remarked his farewell as simply: I'm leaving.
"Ittekimasu."
'You make it too easy,' Mitsuko narrowed her eyes with a wide smile. Seeing a man saying the most natural thing while leaving, Mitsuko, as a 'traditional' woman felt compelled to do what comes next.
"Go and come back," (Itterasshai,) whispered Mitsuko before leaning in to give Nik a swift peck on his cheek, still unwilling to truly 'handle' him. She wasn't just 'there' yet.
With a sense of ease, Nik began making his way towards the shopping district once again. But this time, he made discreet stops at various spots of trash. This was the only thing he could steal without being noticed or looked out for. Things were clearer now. Nothing like a blast from the past to make someone realize their aims and focus. Nik's aim was to not die again. Not too easily, to be precise. But now, after setting this objective, he began to feel a little empty, too.
But the growing AP made him push his doubts away.
'Infinity' was quite clear on what could net him AP. And what was going in the first place?
There was a specific reason why Nik, a professional... woman pleaser, remarked this transition of life as a simple change of 'job.'
He no longer worked as a whore. That was his job in the previous world. His death brought him the greatest fortune of his existence: A new job.
That's the best way Nik could understand 'Infinity' as. AP became the greatest factor to these.
If one considers Infinity as an organization and not a single, particular entity then Authority Rank is one's place in such an organization. Just like any company would have workers, foremen, office employees, and then higher management and executive-level staff, Infinity had individuals with different Authority Ranks.
But if it was just a 'vertical' classification then Nik wouldn't have referred to this entity as a company.
The twist came in the form of 'Paradise.'
Authority Ranks span from 0-10. Right now, Nik was the scrape of this company belonging to the Transmigration Paradise.
In more mundane terms, in the mighty organization named Infinity Pvt Ltd, he belonged to the 'Transmigration' department as the lowest employee.
Only this was known to Nik. That the paradise(s) were directly below the main chief of everything behind all this: 'Infinity.'
Now, like every organization, Infinity had its own goal that could be crudely stated as collecting things. It would take in even the tiniest offering from its member and grant AP. Once AP reaches the maximum of a current rank i.e. 100 points, then one is eligible for a rank-up and gains a few benefits brought by higher authority. Right now, Nik only has the most basic assistance from Infinity: the ability to purchase language and understand his surroundings.
But as Nik's left palm strangely devoured the trash, he came to realize how hard of a task it really is.
Even the task of devouring things for AP is fraught with restrictions.
First, not a single thing with consciousness can be devoured. This largely categorized every living being but Nik also felt that the specified term 'consciousness' had a more specific tone. This was further signified as the trash bags disappeared, from a few flies or other insects within such things would remain in their previous positions and trajectory as if the trash had disappeared from existence.
This also happened to be the least complicated condition of all. There were a few conditions that stated: Energy still being controlled by a conscious mind cannot be absorbed. Or a few items regarded as one's own until physically separated completely. But even if Nik hadn't tried it yet, he knew that clothes didn't fall under this category.
Now the deeper Nik thought, the more doubtful he felt.
Still, in a day's time, Nik became the worldwide solution to the increasingly larger pollution menace and trash management.
Of course, he had to be mindful of his surroundings while doing all that. Unlike scavenging for water and observing it, the eleven large and full black trash bags he sacrificed for Infinity made him more than he thought it would. Maybe there were a few valuable things in those trash bags but they were still tossed out?
The lavish lives some must live...
Nik shook his head.
---
"Tch, that guy again."
One of the middle-aged storeowners scowled at Nik's appearance. The impact of Yuuko's decision was well for the cosplay shop and her own shop. But overall, the various neighbors were quite conservative on this matter, and seeing their young ones, especially women, fawning over a half-naked foreigner, rightly so, the other men couldn't help but feel bitter.
"Did you take out the trash?!" a cruel voice sounded behind the man as he scowled and mumbled, "No... she's ordering me as we speak..."
"What?"
"Almost done!" the man replied. Nik glanced at the individual and was instantly attracted to the bag of trash but it would be too weird to approach the man for trash when he can't even speak.
"You're here!" Yuuko smiled brilliantly as Nik approached the shop.
---
"I can't believe you're pestering me for a blind date!" Genta mumbled. He wasn't in his uniform but wore more casual clothes. Next to him walked a bespectacled woman. Her short light-brown hair combed to the side and her brown pupils grew stern.
"Stop complaining!" the woman pouted, "Your seniors are kind enough to even cover for you so make good use of this break, will you?"
"if anyone's need of a date, it's you. It's already been a year since you separated."
"I have to run a very successful bakery," the woman groaned.
"And don't I have my own job, too?" Genta snorted.
"Come on, you know what I'm saying," the woman smiled, "And didn't I leave the bakery to get you introduced properly?"
Genta sighed deeply, "Fine, thanks Kaya Nee-san..."
"Ah, before we go for the station, can I make a short stop at Amano Bookstore? I have to check something."
"As long as you promise to be quick..." the woman mumbled.
"Hah! That's my expertise."
"On the date, only make the jokes from the cheat sheet I gave you," Kaya gave her cousin brother an unimpressed sidelong glance as his shoulders slumped, "But this cracked up even Shinto-san back at koban..."
Soon, the two reached the familiar flight of stairs leading to the shopping district and walked up to the entrance. The evening has always been a good time for any store owner, especially in the grocery market due to many housewives leaving to buy stuff for dinner every now and then.
"So? Is this a new case? A troubling teen pickpocketing only for you to lend a helping hand?" Kaya inquired curiously.
"You must have a lot of time to watch these old movies... why not peg me as a ronin putting troubled youths in the proper way of life? That would be so much cooler," Genta scoffed, "No, it's just a strange case of amnesia. There are no cases related to this guy at all which makes things even vaguer for us. Other stations have got nothing, too. But I fear that something this mysterious can't be good—"
"Free hugs! And what a cutie!" Kaya gasped before jogging forward into the small crowd of women that Nik had acquired. This time, he held the board: Free Hugs! 15% Discount on Shoujo Genre!
Wearing a medieval fashioned loop-buttoned robe black and red in color, Nik felt this was way better than standing half-naked in a chill evening. And, he looked quite good in these types of clothing so he didn't mind smiling genuinely as he hugged others.
Genta watched with a peculiar gaze. Nik did look something straight out of a Shoujo rom-com and if there was a frame of roses behind him then he could cosplay not only the character but also a manga panel itself.
"What the hell?" he finally mumbled.
"Quick! Genta-chan, hurry and take a picture!" Kaya giggled, wrapping Nik into a tight hug while waving towards Genta as he protested, "I told you to stop calling me that!"
With a groan, he took out his phone and snapped a picture while Kaya continued to stay there until called out.
"Move it, glasses! We all have to buy some books, too!"
Kaya snorted and entered the shop while pulling Genta into the store as Nik waved at them like usual and nodded at Genta with a smile before opening his arms wide for another woman.
Inside the shop, there were many women and a few men attracted by the large crowd of women itself skimming through books out of interest.
"Amano-san, good evening," Genta nodded while Yuuko's gaze settled on the bespectacled beauty.
"Kaya-san? Ah, good to see you, too, Officer Asagi."
"Heh, Yuuko~ You're finally living it up, huh?" Kaya easily transitioned behind the counter and inquired while leaning against it. Genta shook his head and frowned, "Let me work, Kaya-nee. Amano-san, Nik hasn't been troubling, is he?"
"No, he's perfectly behaved. And he's a quick learner, too. He already understands a few gestures and words."
"Sure, treat a guy like that as a child," Kaya mumbled, "Have you hugged him, Yuuko? I mean, someone must have had the idea of public hugging."
"I haven't," Yuuko snapped before coughing softly, "But I'm thinking of stopping this. Or, at least, have Nik wear a mask outside, too. It's a little dangerous like this."
Genta nodded and looked towards Nik and smiled, "Amano-san, can I borrow Nik and just ask him about his daily routine? Maybe talking in his traditional language will ease him a little."
"Yes, please," Yuuko nodded.
As Genta left, Kaya glanced at Yuuko and nudged her shoulder, "So? Can't you introduce me to him? Genta's going on a blind date... maybe I can, too," she smiled as Yuuko looked down.
"I don't think it's appropriate. He cannot even hold a proper conversation..."
"I think I can find a good place where the conversation isn't a factor," Kaya sighed with a crafty look as Yuuko snorted a chuckle, "You're terrible, Kaya. But—"
"I'm back!"
Megumi mumbled as she entered the store with a tired sigh. Following her was Kurumi who bowed towards Yuuko slightly, "I'm sorry to trouble you again, Aunty. I'm here to check on Nik."
"It's alright, Kurumi," Yuuko smiled, "Megumi hardly brings any friends."
"Because she's not my friend," Megumi snorted softly while entering her house as Yuuko frowned, "Don't be rude, Megumi."
When she looked towards the entrance, a new customer walked in behind Kurumi, and Kaya blinked in surprise at this particular individual, too.
"Welcome... Souma-san," Yuuko smiled. Kurumi instantly flinched and quickly looked back.
Adjusting her glasses, Mitsuko looked at everyone present and then nodded.
"I hope I'm not blocking your business. Ah, if it isn't Asagi-san? How have you been?"
