Chapter 33

"Kotori... what's Lingmeng's affection level for me now? Is it high enough to seal her?"

Not long after Lingmeng left, Shido asked Kotori.

"It's not looking good. According to Fraxinus's computer, Lingmeng's affection level for you has stayed at seventy since the date began. That's just ordinary-friend territory.

It's gone up and down during the date, but it always returns to seventy in the end. Strange, isn't it? Does she have some secret way of controlling how much she likes you?"

Kotori spoke from the Command Seat, a Chupa Chups in her mouth and her legs crossed.

Lingmeng's affection level baffled Kotori. After such a long date, it should have changed at least a little. But it had been stuck at seventy the whole time. What the hell?

"Is that so... What's going on? Did I do something to upset Lingmeng?" Shido muttered with a frown.

Just then, a tremendous noise interrupted his thoughts.

"What was that!?" Shido hurriedly looked toward the sound, only to discover that Lingmeng was responsible.

How had that happened? Let's turn back the clock a few minutes.

"Ah, I accidentally said what I was thinking. Good thing Shido didn't hear me clearly. If he had, he'd probably have kept asking until he got to the bottom of it."

Lingmeng stood in front of a vending machine, muttering to herself. Then she spread her hands and said casually,

"Whatever. No point thinking too much about it. I'll buy a drink. ╮(￣▽￣)╭"

Eyeing the coin slot, Lingmeng hesitated for a while before deciding to spend the last of her money—five hundred yen—on two bottles of cola.

She inserted the coin, pressed a few buttons, and reached into the vending machine's dispensing compartment.

"Huh?" Lingmeng said in surprise. Nothing had come out. The damn machine had eaten her money!

"Caw, caw, caw." Several crows flew overhead. Only after their cries faded did Lingmeng grasp the seriousness of the situation.

"Holy crap! Come on, vending machine! That was the last of my money! How could you just pocket it!? (?д?; )"

Lingmeng pounded the vending machine, her voice trembling on the verge of tears.

"Can you give me my money back? If you can't, at least drop me a bottle of water!"

She kept pounding the machine as she pleaded.

But instead of granting her request, the vending machine began flashing red and sounding an alarm. That made Lingmeng furious.

"You..." Lingmeng clenched her fist, a vein throbbing on her forehead. "You piece of junk! I'll turn you into scrap metal!"

Bang!

Electricity crackled around Lingmeng's right foot. She leaped up and slammed a powerful kick into the vending machine's left side.

A tremendous crash rang out. Black smoke poured from the machine, and its display flickered. The alarm that had sounded so mocking to Lingmeng grew weaker and weaker until it fell completely silent...

Lingmeng's Past ### "Ah... did I go a little too far?"

Coming to her senses, Lingmeng stared at the vending machine she had wrecked, her eyes reduced to tiny dots.

Just then, for some reason, drinks began dropping from the machine one after another.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk... A few minutes later, every drink in the vending machine had fallen out.

"Wow, that's a lot of drinks. A few bottles should be worth five hundred yen, right?"

Looking at the drinks scattered across the ground, Lingmeng briefly considered taking them all and selling them.

Before she knew it, she had bent down and reached for a few bottles.

Soon, she had gathered up every scattered drink.

Good thing nobody's around. It'd be embarrassing if someone saw me kick a vending machine and then help myself to its drinks.

Lingmeng carried the drinks toward Shido, still thinking about it.

Thud! When she reached the bench, Lingmeng set the heap of drinks down with a loud noise.

"Lingmeng... where did these drinks come from?"

Shido pointed at the drinks beside him, looking uncomfortable.

"Oh... these?" Lingmeng paused before answering. "Would you believe me if I said the vending machine took pity on me and gave them to me?"

Even as she said it, Lingmeng didn't believe it herself.

"No," Shido said, scratching his cheek.

"Fine, fine. I lost my temper and kicked the vending machine until it broke. These are the drinks it spat out."

Lingmeng shrugged helplessly and told him the truth.

"Shido, could you ask Kotori to deal with the broken vending machine for me? I don't feel right leaving it there."

"All right... I'll ask." Shido's mouth twitched. Then he quietly asked, "Kotori, can you?"

"Yes, yes. I'll take care of it." Kotori waved a hand and agreed.

A few minutes later, someone who appeared to be a Ratatoskr employee brought several others over. They hauled away the broken vending machine and replaced it with a new one.

"Well, thanks, Kotori." Lingmeng gave the camera a thumbs-up and smiled.

"She's acting awfully familiar with me..." Kotori looked displeased in the Command Seat. Then she picked up the Microphone.

"Shido, Lingmeng's affection level for you still hasn't changed. Ask her why while you have the chance. If we do nothing, it might stay at seventy forever."

"Right... I understand..." Shido nodded slightly and asked Lingmeng, "Did I do something to upset you?"

"Hm? Why would you say that?"

Lingmeng propped her chin on her hand and gave him a puzzled look.

"Kotori told me your affection level for me has stayed at seventy and never changed. So I wondered if I'd done something to upset you."

"Something that upset me? No. The only thing that bothers me is that my first date was with a guy."

Lingmeng smiled and waved a hand, sounding perfectly at ease.

"If it isn't something I did, then is it something on your mind?"

Lingmeng's expression shifted at Shido's question. She narrowed her eyes.

"More or less."

"What is it? I've been wondering about it this whole time."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I do!"

Shido answered with determination. After all, this was the only possible opening he had found to win Lingmeng over.

"Well, if you want to know that badly, I'll tell you. Better to get it over with than have you keep pestering me."

Lingmeng sounded resigned. Unlike last time, when she had teleported Shido away, this time she decided to tell him everything.

"So what is it?"

"Shh. Someone's listening. I'll tell you once they're gone."

Lingmeng smiled and raised an index finger to her lips.

"Huh?" While Shido was still confused, Kotori's voice came through his Earphones.

"She's probably talking about us. Looks like she only wants to tell you," Kotori said with a sigh from the Command Seat. "We'll turn off all the listening equipment. Just listen to what Lingmeng has to say."

"Got it."

After that, his Earphones went silent. The communication equipment had apparently been turned off.

"Lingmeng, Kotori and the others have turned off the equipment. Can you tell me now?"

"Of course." Lingmeng smiled cheerfully, then looked up at the sky. "Hey, Shido."

"What is it?" Shido tilted his head in confusion.

"Let me ask you something. Do you know what day April first is?"

Shido scratched his cheek and answered awkwardly, "If I remember right, it's April Fools' Day?"

"Yep. That's right."

"So what about it?"

"April first is my birthday..."

"..." Shido froze, then gave her an awkward smile. "Really? That's quite a surprise..."

"I don't think so. Just like my birthday, I think my birth itself was a joke."

"Why would you think that...?"

"Well, it all started with a bat," Lingmeng said with a sigh. Shido looked utterly lost.

"Huh?"

"Haha, I'm kidding." Lingmeng laughed, clutching her stomach. But she soon composed herself.

Looking up at the sky as night approached, Lingmeng began speaking, her expression complicated.

"Twenty-four years ago, on April first, a baby boy was born in a hospital in China. Normally, a newborn's arrival would make the whole family happy, but that wasn't the case for him.

His mother died giving birth to him. His father fell into depression after losing his wife, and died too after raising the boy for a few years.

With both parents gone, the five-year-old boy had to live with his grandparents in the countryside. After he arrived, his grandfather developed cancer and died when treatment failed.

That same year, his grandmother went to pick him up from school and was killed by a car that ran a red light.

And so, at just five years old, the boy became an orphan. The government arranged for him to live in an orphanage.

At first, he adjusted well enough. He was cheerful by nature and made many close friends there.

But a little over a year after he moved in, a fire suddenly broke out. Everyone in the orphanage died in the flames except him.

Losing everyone close to him left a deep mark on the young boy. He began to wonder if he was cursed to bring misfortune to those around him.

After all that, the once-cheerful boy barely spoke to anyone. He desperately wanted a good friend to talk to, but he kept that wish to himself.

From then on, he refused to enter another orphanage or join any family that wanted to adopt him. He lived on the small apartment and living allowance the government provided.

Fortunately, the boy was fairly clever and good with money. After his college entrance exams, he got into a decent university and received a substantial scholarship.

The boy grew into a young man. Outside of classes, all he did was play games and watch anime. He never talked to anyone.

When an epidemic suddenly broke out, he had to stay home and play games all day. But then an amateur goddess accidentally struck him dead with Lightning. To make up for it, she reincarnated him in another world.

In that world, the young man became a member of its strongest race—but also became a girl. Because her race had the innate power of a walking nuclear bomb, all kinds of Mecha Girls hunted her down.

She could have killed them instantly, but she hated the thought of anyone getting hurt because of her. So she used her powers only to protect herself, living every day in chaos..."

A Way to Interest Lingmeng? ### "Lingmeng, that story you just told... don't tell me it was about..."

Shido frowned, his expression darkening.

"Think whatever you want. I've told you everything I had to say." Lingmeng shrugged.

"So you're not from this world?"

"That's right. What do you think? Surprised?" Lingmeng asked with a teasing smile.

"Yeah... Crossing into another world sounds pretty unbelievable."

"Haha, fair enough. If I were you, I'd probably think anyone saying that was crazy and run off without another word."

Lingmeng narrowed her eyes. "Hey, Shido. I don't want you telling Kotori or the others about this."

"I understand... Even if Kotori exposed every embarrassing thing I've ever done, I still wouldn't tell them."

Shido nodded slightly as he answered.