Chapter 45 The Main Body in Nineteen Days

Rashomon and I arranged to meet.

We agreed to meet at an alleyway near Lupin Bar, which was close to the bar and easy to get to. However, it might be hard for people who weren't familiar with Yokohama to find, so I specifically asked around, and Rashomon said it was no problem.

I logged into the bartender's account.

When we were still some distance from the alley entrance, we saw someone standing there.

He was a young man with neat, short black hair, except for his stylishly white-dyed cheeks.

He was wearing a very windproof black overcoat, with a white... I can't quite describe what kind of clothing the white was, and he looked rather slender.

I think this is probably what Rashomon is all about.

So I walked over, and when I stopped near him, he finally looked up at me and asked, "Drink more milk?"

"Drink More Milk" is my forum name.

I nodded, smiled, and extended my hand: "Yes. Nice to meet you, you can call me or..."

He lowered his eyes, grasped my hand, and then quickly let go: "My name is Akutagawa."

"Yes, Akutagawa-kun."

As we walked together toward Lupin Bar, I asked, "Does Akutagawa-kun have any concerns about this job?"

He replied, "...Let me think about it."

"It's okay, take your time thinking about it, or I can tell you about our bar and my experience as a bartender first?"

"Um."

Having received their consent, I began my pitch: "Our bar has a great atmosphere, and we generally don't have any troublemakers. At least, I haven't seen any yet."

"...The work at the bar is relatively simple. When there are no customers, the most common tasks are wiping the tables and tidying up the tableware. When there are customers, you just need to listen to their requests. Hmm, do you drink?"

He shook his head: "I won't drink."

"I don't drink alcohol, and I didn't know any types of alcohol before I started working here. I might feel a bit unfamiliar with these things at first, but I'll get the hang of it later. I really like the bar area. The lighting there is quite comfortable, and it's a relatively quiet place."

The image of the Lupin bar counter and its soft lighting immediately came to mind, followed by the scene of Dazai Osamu chatting with me at the bar.

So I continued, "Sometimes you'll meet customers who like to chat at the bar. If they're really enthusiastic, they might even pull you in to chat. But don't worry, just say a few words or make an excuse to leave."

Akutagawa said, "I know."

"Does Akutagawa-kun have any requirements regarding the scheduling? For example, is it limited to weekends or something?"

"No."

"What about the night shift? Bars are usually crowded at night, so the last shift is quite late. Do you have any concerns about that?"

This time, Akutagawa didn't immediately deny it, so I felt that I must have hit the nail on the head.

As expected, after a moment of silence, he said, "I hope to return as soon as possible."

"Then I can ask the store manager for help," I said. "I don't know if your home is close by or not. If it's not close and you need to catch the bus, don't worry, the last bus is definitely not a problem."

"I don't need to take the bus."

I nodded: "Oh, is it because your home is close by?"

Akutagawa: "No, it's quite far."

Me: "...Huh?"

As we talked, the sign for Lupin Bar was already right above our heads.

I pointed to it: "Here."

I led Akutagawa backstage as if he knew the way inside, and some colleagues recognized me on the way.

"Or? You're not working today, are you? What brings you here?" She glanced at Akutagawa as she spoke, "Is this your friend?"

"No, he's here to look for a job. I'll take him to see the store manager. Is the store manager in the break room?"

"It seems so, you should go and take a look."

Before entering the break room, I said to Akutagawa, "The manager might ask you some questions, but they're all very ordinary and trivial, such as your salary expectations and shift schedule. Just answer them truthfully."

“I know,” he said, then glanced at me a few times. “But why do I feel like you value this opportunity more than I do?”

“Because you got hired, it’s easier for me to resign. Otherwise, the bar won’t be short-staffed,” I said. “Akutagawa-kun, you are my hope for resigning.”

He then asked, "Why did you resign? Didn't you say this job was great?"

I replied, "That's great. I'm leaving simply because I don't have time for a part-time job anymore."

Finally, as I wished, Akutagawa was hired by the manager, and I happily led him to the front desk to order two grapefruit juices.

Actually, I initially wanted to order orange juice, but Akutagawa didn't like it. He wanted fig juice, but our bar didn't have that, so it turned into two grapefruit juices.

I was so happy that day that I only realized the next day that although I had brought Akutagawa to the bar, I hadn't finished the process of returning the disguise.

I checked the panel again to make sure the system really didn't give any notifications.

I:?

Surely we don't need to hire another one?

Akutagawa isn't some small pebble that you can just pick up again on a forum.

Of course, this worry didn't last long, because the system notification sounded that very evening.

I guess it's because Akutagawa is already a full-time employee, so naturally there's no need for my alternate account to exist.

[The rewards in reserve number 13 have all been transferred to the host. Please verify.]

As I scanned the string of numbers for the reward, Fyodor was once again in my mind.

I never keep track of the numbers of the compensation I receive, but receiving zero compensation is truly unique.

I don't need to remember it; it's already etched in my mind.

[Verification complete.]

The notification about Fyodor's zero-compensation offer was still in the pending list, so I opened the virtual panel and confirmed it as well.

There was a few seconds of silence around me. I asked the system, "Aren't you going to search for a new identity? Or has the upgrade changed this feature as well?"

It says: [Reporting to the host, IDs 13 and 16 were deleted too quickly; no suitable replacements have been found in the database.]

[Hehe, I'm awesome, right?]

[……Yes. ]

I was just about to close the page when a sudden thought struck me, and I felt like I'd grasped something very important: [Wait, system, I suddenly remembered something.]

[Host, please speak.]

[If I can now use, switch between, and exit my alternate identities without restriction, does exiting all my alternate identities mean I can return to my original state?]

Lately, I've been focusing on dealing with Fyodor while also managing the company and the bar. Plus, I haven't been back to my true self in a long time, so I've almost gotten used to living in Yokohama in a split way.

So it wasn't until now, after Fyodor and the bar had both ended, that I suddenly realized this crucial fact.

Previously, I had no control over the relationship between my main body and my alternate identities, or between my alternate identities. Now that I can control the relationship between my alternate identities, does that mean I can also control the relationship between my main body and my alternate identities?

After a two-second silence, the system said: [This system cannot give a definitive answer, but theoretically, this is the case.]

I was a little excited: [Can you sense my physical presence now?]

It must have sensed it carefully for a while before replying: "[Yes, but the distance is too far, the sensation is very weak.]"

"[That's right, we're in Yokohama, and this is Tokyo.]" I said.

[I'm going to begin now.]

[OK. ]

[Logout.]

[Yes, host.]

****

When my consciousness hadn't fully returned to its original state, I knew I had succeeded.

Because I felt that strange sense of chaos during the process of reunion, as if you could personally feel your soul gradually merging with your body. I had this feeling many times before waking up in my Yokohama apartment.

And this time, I woke up again.

However, it wasn't in the Yokohama apartment, but in the Tokyo Vocational High School.

Because Dazai Osamu had given me advance notice, I was well prepared for my current situation.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the high school ceiling and felt smooth sheets beneath me.

There are also warm blankets.

Wow, the college's warm blankets are so rare!

I propped myself up on the bed sheet, looked around, and quickly recognized the familiar room layout as my dormitory.

The college dormitories are all single-person rooms, very spacious, and definitely a good choice for me... especially since this seems to be my dormitory.

I slipped on my shoes and got out of bed. There was a glass sliding door about a meter away. Through the transparent glass window, I could see a lush, green expanse outside.

I opened the glass door and felt the slow flow of air outside. A gentle breeze swept by, carrying sunlight and the scent of grass and trees.

There are many empty rooms in the college dormitory, but when Teacher Wu arranges the dormitories, he likes to put everyone together because it's lively, and of course we like it too.

Many nights during my first year of high school, I would stand with the glass door open, leaning against the doorframe. If I called out a name, I could see Yigu to the left and Ji to the right.

They would both peek out, but the difference was that Thorn only expressed confusion with his eyes, while Bone would ask me, "What's wrong?"

Then I said with a smile, "Let's chat."

Bone: "..."

Those fragments of memory actually happened only a year ago, but when I think back on them now, it feels like a long time has passed.

Is it the sadness that's getting to me? Or is it simply because I'm far removed from the world of sorcerers?

I also have a hard time distinguishing them.

I closed the glass door, intending to go outside for a walk.

Just as I was about to walk around the bed, I happened to catch a glimpse of a photo frame on the bedside table, with a group photo tucked inside.

This is a group photo of my entire first grade.

But you know, when we say the whole grade, it's really just me, Otsuko, Maki, Thorn, Panda, and the five teachers.

"What? They still keep something like that?"

I felt a pang of emotion, and after glancing at the group photo again, I couldn't help but smile. But then I suddenly felt an urge to cry, though I held it back.

When I left the college, I took a lot of things with me, but there were even more things related to the college that I left behind.

I left the magic item with Maki, and left the photo frame containing the six of us in the dormitory.

Because fond memories of the past cannot be carried to a completely unrelated next stop.

But when I was able to return to the previous station one day, I found that everything was still perfectly preserved.

This dormitory room, in particular, is exactly the same as when I left.

I once considered "I will come back" to be an unspoken lie, but there are still people who have expectations for lies.