Comet 3

"...That question of yours is seriously strange."

Maza did not answer my question immediately. However, she did not seem to have misunderstood what I meant.

My question had clearly gone beyond her expectations. She seemed to want to conceal her surprise, but reacted too slowly, allowing me to catch the change in her expression.

It looked like she was planning to play dumb... No, she probably wasn't. From her perspective, it was impossible for me to ask such a question. After all, the Doomsday era couldn't possibly have a thriving culture of time-travel novels. So she was probably wondering whether she had misunderstood what I said.

Seeing this, I explained in detail why I had asked that question.

After listening, she slowly composed her expression and fell into thought.

After a long while, she finally responded. "Sorry, but I can't answer that question. I haven't figured out what happened myself."

"How could that be?" I was completely baffled. "Whether you crossed over with your body or only your soul crossed over—wouldn't that be something you could figure out immediately? The former or the latter should be perfectly clear, shouldn't it?"

"You're right, but..." she murmured.

I quickly realized what she meant. Yes, normally, you could sense whether your body had been replaced with another one without even looking in a mirror. You could tell with your eyes closed. There was only one situation in which someone would be "unable to figure it out."

"Can I understand it this way... The body you're using now is extremely similar to your original body, as if it hasn't been replaced at all, but certain subtle differences have made you suspicious?"

"...I can't say anything more for now." Her attitude was highly guarded.

I countered, "Didn't you say you'd answer my questions in exchange for food?"

At that, her expression immediately became somewhat conflicted. Unfortunately, after struggling internally, she still maintained her wariness.

But it didn't seem like she was wary of me learning information I shouldn't know. Rather, she was wary that her own problems might drag me into them.

She had shown the same emotions several times before. Perhaps, in her eyes, the changes happening to her were so bizarre and unknown that she didn't want anyone besides herself to become involved before she could confirm that she was safe. From her perspective, this was perfectly understandable. According to her own account, she had unwittingly dragged others into the disasters she brought with her more than once. As a result, she had become suspicious of everything. The slightest disturbance would set off her sensitive nerves.

"All right... Then at least answer this question. Where did you get your handgun?" I could only change the subject. "You can't say you don't know the answer to this one too, can you?"

"I can answer that." Her expression relaxed slightly. "I stole it from the department responsible for maintaining local public order."

"You stole it from the station?" I was startled. "Why would you take the risk of stealing one?"

"My original purpose wasn't to steal a weapon." She explained calmly. "When I first arrived in this era yesterday, I knew nothing about my surroundings. I desperately needed information to determine whether my current situation was safe, but I didn't know where to investigate. After thinking it over, I simply infiltrated the place responsible for maintaining local public order."

"You infiltrated a place like that right from the start? You really are unbelievably bold..." I regarded her with new respect.

"Since it was responsible for maintaining public order, it was bound to know the most about any dangers that might exist locally. Investigating there was the most efficient option." Her matter-of-fact attitude revealed an air of lawlessness. "Besides, my 'Blessing' is unmatched when it comes to escape. If anything happened, I could relocate in time."

I thought the most efficient method would have been to find an Internet café, but I wasn't even sure whether she knew how to use the internet.

"So, while you were infiltrating the place to investigate, you happened to find the room where the guns and ammunition were stored, and then took advantage of the opportunity?" I asked curiously. "The authorities are hunting you now. Were you discovered while infiltrating the place?"

"...Yes. I wasn't very familiar with the security measures in this era, so..." she admitted reluctantly, seemingly embarrassed that she had been discovered while infiltrating the place.

I continued asking questions. "This morning, you said that you currently can't use your superpower because you forcibly ignored your soul trauma and pushed yourself to use it after arriving in this era. Did you use it to escape the authorities' pursuit?"

"...No." She pressed her lips together. "I'm not at liberty to tell you the specific reason."

Although she had no intention of telling me, she also had no intention of making up a lie to deceive me. Perhaps the true reason was related to the matter of her being covered in blood and collapsed at an abandoned construction site. She had probably judged that the real reason fell under the category of "a disaster that would bring danger to me."

Didn't that make me want to know even more?

I knew I couldn't rush her about this, so I said something else first. "Hmm... So, when I spoke with the police this morning, the reason you immediately understood that the Serial Killer they were looking for referred to you wasn't because you really were that Serial Killer..."

"I've already learned about the basic public-security situation in this era. No matter how you look at it, 'a little girl wandering around nearby with a real gun' has to be referring to me, right? I confirmed that through you afterward." As she spoke, she looked perplexed and rubbed her stomach. "I just don't know why I was mistaken for a Serial Killer."

So she'd actually been fishing for information from me back then, while I had remained completely unaware.

I had underestimated her.

However, perhaps it was time to end the questioning. She was still hungry, after all.

I walked over to the sofa and picked up the remote, turned on the television, and then said to her, "Let's stop here for now. Watch some TV in the living room. I'll have your food ready soon."

"Understood."

Her gaze was immediately drawn to the colorful program on the screen, but she showed no surprise or novelty toward the television itself as a household appliance.

I secretly observed her reaction and committed it to memory, then turned and entered the kitchen.

All I had to do was mix various ingredients together and make simple fried rice, so it didn't take me long. I was only a little worried that it might be too oily or salty and put a strain on her stomach. Should I add more rice to reduce the proportion of oil, salt, and side ingredients? But she had said that her body was fine...

Forget it. I would trust her for now.

Besides, if she developed stomach trouble afterward, I would have an excuse to make her stay in my home and rest for a few more days.

At that thought, I added more side ingredients to the fried rice without hesitation. I also turned back to take some mixed-rice sauce from the refrigerator and added extra to the fried rice.

Soon, I carried two plates of deluxe fried rice out of the kitchen.

Maza had perhaps smelled the aroma drifting from the kitchen. At some point, her gaze had shifted away from the television program, and she was now staring expectantly in my direction.

As the saying went, hunger was the best seasoning. Besides, if she really had been born in a Doomsday era where food was severely scarce, perhaps her resistance to delicious food was much lower than that of someone who had lived in a peaceful era.

I had heard that in the previous century, when material conditions were less abundant, even instant noodles had been considered a rare luxury. Nowadays, however, instant noodles had long since become something people regarded as merely passable.

I invited Maza to sit at the dining table, placed one plate of deluxe fried rice in front of her, and then put a spoon in her hand.

She held the spoon and stared blankly at the deluxe fried rice, not moving a muscle.

"You can eat now," I reminded her. "Be careful, it's hot."

"Huh? Oh..." She came back to herself, but continued staring fixedly at the fried rice.

After a while, she swallowed, then finally moved her spoon. She scooped up some rice mixed with the side ingredients, put it into her mouth, and began chewing slowly.

I stood beside the table and silently watched her every movement.

Halfway through chewing, she seemed to notice my gaze. She frowned, raised her head, and asked suspiciously, "Why do you keep watching me? Aren't you eating?"

At that, I picked up my own plate, took a bite of fried rice, and said, "I just wanted to hear your opinion."

"It's delicious," she replied primly, then continued eating.

I had been expecting her to lose control and cry out in amazement like the otherworldly residents in fantasy novels who tasted modern barbecue for the first time. It seemed I had been flattering myself.

But gradually, I noticed the corners of her mouth curling upward slightly. Her entire body, which had originally been tensed like a wary wild animal, gradually relaxed. Even the knee hidden beneath the table began to sway faintly.

All her attention was focused on the fried rice, and her spoon began moving faster and faster.

"Don't eat so quickly. Chew a few more times, or you might give yourself indigestion," I finally reminded her.

"Mm, mm..." She nodded without taking her eyes off the food and slowed down slightly.

As she ate, she unconsciously let out a blissful smile, and her complexion became rosy.

Seriously, why had I bothered reminding her?

But at that moment, she really looked like an ordinary girl in the prime of her youth, rather than a wary and cold time traveler who feared others hurting her and feared hurting others herself.

I had never thought about how to make her smile, nor had I ever imagined that she could make an expression like this.

This was the first time I had seen her smile.

I sat down across from her and watched her eat for quite a while. For me, this might have been an unnecessary emotion, one that would hinder me when I needed to be ruthless toward her. But a smile this adorable couldn't possibly bring divine punishment just for being admired a little longer.