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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A small hand was extended towards Yu-jin, along with a self-introduction.
He was surprised by the gesture, which was clearly an invitation for a handshake.
‘…Winry, she’s initiating a handshake?’
After all, the Winry he knew…
‘What? A newbie? So what?’
‘You want me to make equipment for you? Are you insane? Get lost!’
‘Hey, don’t talk to me, don’t come near me. No, don’t even look at me.’
…was someone who wouldn’t let anyone, except Kali and Grey, approach or befriend her.
To put it nicely, she was a wounded kitten with its heart tightly closed.
To put it bluntly… she was a bratty kid who only grew in age, with terrible manners.
But the Winry in front of him was different.
She was approaching him first, introducing herself first…
The Winry in his memory and the Winry in front of him were completely different.
‘There’s only one explanation.’
The difference between the Winry in his memory and the Winry in front of him…
…was that Winry had been very close to his biological parents…
…and that he was their son.
“Um, my arm hurts…”
“Ah…!”
Was he too lost in thought?
He snapped back to reality at Winry’s voice.
“I’m sorry, I was so overwhelmed with emotion to be here…”
He apologized hurriedly and grabbed her small hand.
“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.”
Winry smiled, a smile he had never seen before, understandingly, and shook his hand.
‘With this level of friendliness, I might be able to ask her to make equipment for me right now, instead of later.’
The reason he called Winry an eccentric alchemist was not only because she called herself a mechanic but also because she could craft equipment like the Academy’s crafting instructor.
And not just ordinary crafting, but ‘fusion crafting’, where she combined items together.
“…No way, Winry is welcoming a newbie? And she’s even smiling?!”
Grey, who had been watching silently from the side, stared at Winry with a shocked expression.
“Did the sun rise from the west… no, is this a sign of the apocalypse?”
He almost nodded in agreement with Grey.
‘It’s understandable that she’s surprised.’
The Winry he was seeing was a far cry from her usual self.
“…Unnie.”
Winry’s pale face flushed red.
It seemed like she also realized that her behavior was unusual.
“…He’s Sung-jin oppa and Ah-ra unnie’s son. He’s different from those other kids I don’t care about.”
Grey nodded at Winry’s words, as if agreeing with her logic.
“You’re right, you practically grew up as their child. I guess Yu-jin is special to you.”
Grey added, “Still…” and patted Winry’s head gently with a kind smile.
“You should pay attention to the other kids too. We’re all comrades on the same ship.”
Winry glanced at Yu-jin and nodded slightly.
“…Okay, I understand.”
“Good girl, good girl.”
Grey patted Winry’s round head as if praising an obedient child.
Winry frowned and swatted Grey’s hand away.
“Unnie, I’m not a little kid. I’m 25 years old, you know?”
“I know, I know, but what can I do? You’re so cute.”
Grey said, reaching out to pat Winry’s head again.
“Ah, Unnie!”
Winry scowled and backed away.
She then dashed towards her room.
Grey hurriedly called out,
“Winry, walk, don’t run! You’ll trip!”
But as soon as she finished speaking…
“…Eek!”
Thud!
…Winry tripped over her lab coat and fell forward.
“I knew she would.”
Grey sighed and shook her head.
“…Sob.”
Her pale forehead was flushed red.
Tears welled up in Winry’s silver eyes as she rubbed her forehead.
As an alchemist with physical abilities no different from an ordinary person, the impact of the fall must have been quite painful.
But it seemed like the embarrassment was greater than the pain.
“Don’t… don’t look!”
Winry, her face as red as her forehead, shouted at Yu-jin.
She then scurried into her room as if running away.
‘…This is strange.’
In the game, whenever he talked to Winry, she would be all tsundere, saying things like “Go away, shut up, look down,” which was very annoying.
But Winry in reality felt very cute, like Asuka.
[Is that what people call tsundere?]
‘I guess it’s something like that.’
As Yu-jin agreed with Terra…
…Grey patted his shoulder and said,
“Yu-jin, even though Winry acts like that, she’s your Noona, so you can’t be rude to her, okay?”
Duh, of course not.
He wouldn’t be rude to the person who would upgrade his equipment.
“Of course, I’ll treat her with respect, like you, Noona.”
“Good boy, Yu-jin.”
Grey nodded with satisfaction and patted his head.
“Ah, right, this isn’t the time for this.”
Grey, who had been patting his head with a beaming smile, grabbed his wrist.
“Yu-jin, let me show you your room.”
She led him down a corridor and they arrived at a room slightly larger than the others.
The name of the resident was written on the doorplate and that name was…
[Lee Sung-jin / Kim Ah-ra]
…his parents’ names.
‘…This room didn’t exist.’
He had been in and out of the 9th Extermination Unit base countless times, even though it was in the game.
He knew all the secret passages, all the hidden areas in the base.
He had practically searched every nook and cranny.
‘Of course, reality and the game are different…’
This was what he could only call a ‘singularity’.
‘…I guess any place related to my parents will be a singularity.’
He sighed inwardly.
Singularities, adding another layer of twists to the already tangled storyline…
…it was impossible not to sigh.
“Yu-jin, are you alright?”
Grey asked, her face full of concern as she caressed his shoulder.
She must have been worried, seeing him staring blankly at the doorplate with his parents’ names.
“I’m fine, Noona.”
He said, forcing a smile.
But instead of easing Grey’s worry…
“…Yu-jin, it’s okay to say you’re having a hard time.”
…it only intensified.
No, he was really fine.
He was just troubled by the appearance of a singularity.
But he couldn’t tell her how he felt, so he could only chuckle awkwardly and nod.
Grey sighed and said,
“…Just like your father, you refuse to admit when you’re struggling.”
‘This feels strange.’
Was it a tingling sensation in his chest?
He scratched his head at the unfamiliar feeling and grabbed the doorknob.
A mechanical voice, the same one he had heard in the parking lot, came from a small speaker on the doorplate.
– Entry denied.
– Unregistered resident.
– What is the purpose of your visit?
Grey answered for him,
“Resident change and registration.”
– Authorization from the captain or vice-captain is required for that… Bzzt!
The voice suddenly cut off.
He wondered if Terra had done it, but…
[No, I haven’t done anything yet.]
…she said she hadn’t.
‘Then there’s only one person left.’
As soon as he thought this…
Yu-jin, I’ve changed the resident registration, so grab the doorknob again.
…Winry’s soft voice, instead of the monotonous mechanical voice, could be heard.
He grabbed the doorknob again as instructed by Winry.
The names “Lee Sung-jin, Kim Ah-ra” on the doorplate disappeared…
…and…
[Lee Yu-jin]
…his name was engraved in their place.
“….”
Grey stared at the doorplate blankly, her expression was filled with sorrow.
“Noona, are you alright?”
He asked, concerned.
Grey’s head turned towards him.
She looked at him for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
What? She wanted him to express his feelings, but she wouldn’t express hers?
Of course, he only thought that, he didn’t say it out loud.
Grey patted his head silently.
He lowered his head to make it easier for her to pat.
“Good boy, good boy.”
Her voice trembled.
A water droplet fell to the floor.
He remained silent, accepting her pat.
For a long time, until she calmed down.
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Click.
He finally entered the room.
“Noona, I’m not sure if it’s alright.”
He recalled Grey leaving the base at Kali’s summons.
She seemed to have calmed down a little after patting his head, but her expression was still filled with sorrow.
Especially when she saw the doorplate with his parents’ names erased, she looked like she was about to cry, even if it was just for a moment.
“…They must have been incredibly respected.”
The captain, the vice-captain, and even the picky Winry…
…to be missed by everyone in the 9th Extermination Unit meant they were truly remarkable people.
As he thought this, he looked around the room.
White walls with no decorations.
A bookshelf filled with books and a desk with only a computer and a queen-sized bed that his parents must have shared.
He sat down on the bed.
“Oh… it’s quite soft?”
It wasn’t as good as his dorm bed, but it was soft enough for a good night’s sleep.
He nodded with satisfaction and got up from the bed.
He then approached the bookshelf and checked the titles.
“On Mana, The Principles of Magic, Approaches to Magic… it’s all about magic.”
He shook his head with a bored expression and walked towards the desk.
[Master, there’s a small box under the desk.]
“…A box?”
He immediately checked under the desk.
As Terra said, there was a small box hidden in a dark corner.
“This room also has an automatic cleaning enchantment like the dorms.”
He had expected the box to be covered in dust, being hidden in a corner but it wasn’t even a speck of dust.
It must have an enchantment, considering no one except the resident could enter the room.
But… he had one question.
“…Did she know? That there was something under the desk?”
The key Grey had given him in the elevator down to the base perfectly matched the keyhole of the box on the desk.
“Haa… I don’t know.”
Everything related to ‘singularities’ confused him.
He sighed, his head throbbing, and took out the key from his pocket.
“What is this made of?”
The key was made of metal.
It looked completely ordinary, like any other key.
But the key he was holding was no ordinary key.
Even an ordinary object without a grade, or even a pebble commonly found on the street, could be appraised and put into his inventory using the System.
But the key Grey had given him… couldn’t be appraised and wouldn’t go into his inventory.
“This must be another singularity related to my parents, right?”
He examined the key and inserted it into the keyhole of the box.
He then unlocked the box without hesitation.
Click.
A clicking sound, signifying the lock disengaging, could be heard and as he carefully opened the box…
“A note… and a key…?”
…he saw a folded note and another key that looked similar to the one he had used to open the box.
He took out the note and the key with a puzzled expression.
He carefully unfolded the note…
…and saw a message written in neat handwriting, instructing him to go to the Grand Temple.
“What’s there?”
Both the real Gaia’s sub quest and this message, which seemed to be written in his mother’s handwriting rather than his father’s told him to go to the Grand Temple?
“Haa… I shouldn’t think too much about it.”
He sighed and folded the note again.
He would find out eventually.
There was no point in speculating now, it would only give him a headache.
“This won’t go into my inventory either, will it?”
He picked up the key from the box and tried to put it into his inventory…
“…This one doesn’t go in either.”
Like the key he had used to open the box, the key inside the box also refused to enter his inventory.
[Master, how about putting it in the box and trying?]
“Putting it in the box?”
That was… an idea he hadn’t considered.
He followed Terra’s suggestion and put both keys and the folded note into the box.
He then pushed the box towards his inventory…
“…Oh! It’s going in!”
Unlike the keys, which had been repelled like magnets the box went in smoothly, without any resistance.
He immediately checked the box’s information.
[Unknown][1]
But… he only saw “Unknown”.
There was no information about the box or the keys and despite ‘Infinite Items’ being activated, the quantity was fixed at 1, instead of changing.
“Well, this is better than nothing.”
He had been wondering where to store these important items and now he could keep them in his inventory.
What a relief.
He smiled and closed his inventory.
“What should I do now?”
He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and stroked his chin.
The words ‘fusion crafting’ popped into his mind.
“I should go see Winry.”
His relationship with Winry had started off very positive thanks to his parents’ reputation so she would probably agree if he offered her items and materials and requested her to craft something.
“…Wow, I’m getting excited just thinking about it.”
What should he fuse to create a legendary item?
He chuckled, lost in pleasant thoughts, and got up from his chair.
Terra, who had been quiet for a while, sent him another message.
[Master, I have a request.]
It was the first time Terra had asked him for a favor.
He looked at the message with a puzzled expression.
“What is it?”
[It is a request that will be very beneficial to you, Master.]
Terra said, and…
[(´・᎖・`)]
…sent a suggestive emoticon.
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[Lmao i fuckin love terra shes cute]
Agreed Terra best girl!
Huh, rather then because of his parents, I would’ve assumed she’s friendly with the MC because everyone thinks he’s some kind of alchemist wunderkind.
No one knows MC wrote 21 recipes and alchemy is not that popular in this world
Terra is the best