Kumodesu

Chapter 62: Special Status



Yahooo!

This means my workload is going to get lighter now that I've got another helper!

"Don't celebrate too soon!"

Oh, it's you?

Wait, which Will are you again?

"I'm the spider one!"

Tch!

It's that annoying one again. Move aside, I want to meet our new friend.

"Suit yourself, but why don't you take a look at what your new friend is doing first…"

Huh??

Then I entered the Virtual World as he said, and saw the newly manifested Will sitting in a corner, her face turned toward the wall.

What's… going on with her?

"Nah, it's normal."

Normal? Sitting in a corner with your face to the wall is normal??

"Didn't you used to do the same thing?"

When??

I was never this bad!

"Did you forget what I told you…? Every Will inherits a part of the host's personality."

Ah…!

That's…

Now that I think about it, I might have done something like that…

When all the other kids were laughing and playing, I just sat in a corner talking to myself about random nonsense. My teachers and parents got so worried they even took me to see a doctor.

"Exactly."

So this Will inherited my timid personality…?

"You could say this was your core personality at first. But ever since you came here and stopped interacting with others, it gradually got buried. Still, it remains a big part of your soul and was chosen to manifest."

Oh no!

Then what do we do now?

Even if she's shy or reserved, we're all part of the same person…

"She's socially anxious. Doesn't matter who it is, it's still the same."

Eh?? That's no good!

We've got way too much to do.

"Exactly. That's why we need to help this Will get along with us first, then figure things out from there."

Looks like that's the only option.

After that, we slowly approached the second Will.

"Hey there, we're all part of the same person. There's nothing to be nervous about, right?"

No matter what I said, she didn't respond or even move a muscle. She really did turn into a statue.

Oh no.

I know this state.

Whenever I turned to face the wall and started thinking, I'd enter a deep concentration mode where nothing from the outside could reach me. Teachers and parents could only wait for me to snap out of it on my own.

It usually doesn't last long, less than an hour, but I don't have time to sit around waiting right now.

"Isn't there anything we can do?"

I have no idea.

Usually I'm the one doing this, not the one having to wait on someone else!

"This is exhausting. If gentleness doesn't work, then I'll just have to be forceful."

"Hey!"

The first Will walked up and started shaking the second Will hard while shouting.

I didn't think this was going to work, but there really weren't any other options, so I could only wait on the side and see what happens.

After a while with still no reaction, the first Will started to get visibly agitated.

"This isn't working. I need to calm down!

This part of my personality really doesn't mesh with the second Will's, so I'm running out of patience!"

"What are you two doing?"

Just then, a voice rang out behind us—it was Exc.

Nai wa!

How did you get in here?

"What do you mean how? I waited outside for too long, so I figured I'd take a look inside myself."

"Oh? Is this another one of your Wills?" Exc asked, curious.

Yeah, and we're kind of running into a problem with her.

"Let me take a look."

What are you going to see? I don't even understand my own personality, you know.

I wasn't expecting much, but then Exc said something that completely caught me off guard.

"She's in a state of inner enlightenment."

Huh??

What's that supposed to mean? I think I've seen that phrase in some Earth movies, but how does he know about it?

"Back when my master and I were still wandering the world, we came across someone just like this. That guy would always sit there staring blankly—either at the sky or at the ground—and no matter how much you called him, he wouldn't respond."

"Eventually, we asked around and learned that he called it a 'state of inner enlightenment.' Basically, the mind, either by chance or intention, drifts into a different dimension. When we asked what was there, he said everyone experiences something different, so he couldn't describe it."

"At first, we didn't believe it. But then one day, even my master entered that state. Afterward, he saw all kinds of profound things. That's when we finally started to believe. But when I asked him what he saw, he wouldn't tell me either."

"Seriously, what a jerk."

Wow… I had no idea something like that even existed.

But are we really sure the second Will is in a state of enlightenment? What if it's just my social anxiety again?

"So you're saying you've reached this state yourself a long time ago?" the first Will asked.

I don't know… whenever that happened to me, I was just thinking about random stuff, nothing deep or mystical.

"That counts too. That weird guy we met said it's not about what you see—what matters is the feeling you get while you're in that state. That feeling alone can unlock all sorts of things later."

It's like that too??

"I see…"

Right then, a soft voice spoke up—but it wasn't from any of us.

It seemed the second Will had finally come to.

"I understand now!"

"The principles of magic matrices work like this… Depending on the symbols used, entirely new matrices can be formed. The primal matrices were constructed by nature itself, and no symbol created by humans can replicate them. But if we can discover those original symbols, we might be able to reach the pinnacle of magic!"

"Magic is the masterpiece of the entire universe, originating from an ancient era no one remembers. No one knows where it came from… but I saw it! I saw those strange symbols somewhere out in the cosmos! They're constantly creating new forms of magic, and the matrices born from them are completely different from what we know today!"

"What are they?? I need to know! I have to find them! My heart's pounding like crazy. I finally feel like I understand the purpose of my existence. I was born to uncover the origin of magic, and only I can fulfill this responsibility!"

"Even if I have to reach the ends of the world or sacrifice everything, I will find the source of hidden magic!"

Uhh…

She seems very passionate about magic. I don't really understand much of it, but her Will feels incredibly strong.

Though I'm not so sure about the 'sacrifice everything' part, I'll still try my best to help her fulfill that dream.

After her long ramble, I looked more closely at her expression.

Are you okay?

The second Will noticed our eyes on her and froze up completely. She quickly turned her face back to the wall and started quietly sniffling.

Eh?? It's alright, really!

Were you researching magic? Did you discover something new?

"She was able to achieve inner enlightenment about magic?? That's incredibly rare. Kid, you've picked up a real genius this time." said Exc.

Is that really such a big deal?

"First, you should understand that magic is one of the hardest fields for humans to study. Even in the greatest empires, there are fewer than a hundred true mages. A person with actual talent in magic? Maybe one appears every hundred years. And this one even achieved enlightenment."

"Back when I was still roaming the world, there was only one person worthy of being called a true magic genius. If she had just a little more time, she might've unlocked all the secrets of magic itself."

Huh? Who could be that amazing?

"That would be the Sage Valltilas!

It's too early to say anything for sure, but I'd wager this girl could one day stand on equal ground with Valltilas when it comes to magic."

Oh…

Looks like I really did find a treasure this time. And by coincidence, the thing I've been stuck on… is magic too.

I lunged forward and hugged the second Will, who looked completely panicked.

From now on, you're my precious little treasure.

"Look who's talking." the first Will pouted.

Hehe, don't worry, you're also my treasure.

"Hmph! As if I care!"

She's so flustered—it's kinda fun to watch.

"Ugh… hey… I can't… breathe!"

Oops, sorry!

Ahem, I guess I should do proper introductions now. I'm the host, that tsundere over there is the first Will, and this is Exc—a sword.

"I'm not tsundere!"

Alright, alright, I'm not leaving you behind.

I walked over and patted the first Will's head.

"H-hello…" the second Will said shyly.

Don't be afraid. We're all one and the same. We share the same purpose, so let's help each other, okay?

I reached out my hand to the second Will as a gesture of goodwill.

"I-it's… nice to meet you…" she gently took my hand.

Two pieces of great news in one day.

This is amazing!


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