+18 Chapter 16: New Relationship

I was feeling stressed when Blaze suddenly barged into my room with Doctor in tow. He suggested we have a drink to help us relax, but somehow, I ended up passing out.

Now, my head feels fuzzy and hurts. I wonder if this is what they mean by a hangover. The drink was delicious, so I understand why people would want to drink even if they know they'll suffer the next day.

"The ceiling? I don't know."

I've done the classic anime thing again, waking up not in my own room. It’s not the first time, but I had to say it at least once. Unfortunately, my bad habits have caught up with me; this is the first time I've woken up naked in this world.

After gathering my thoughts and feeling a bit better, I looked around. The room seemed plain, lacking anything special.

"Hmmm...?"

I glanced to my side and noticed a bulge under the blanket. Feeling that I might have done something embarrassing while drunk, I cautiously pulled back the blanket to reveal both a naked man, who I recognized as Doctor, and a naked Blaze. This must be Doctor's room, but another question popped into my mind now that I was fully awake.

"What the hell did I do last night?"

Given our state of undress, I could only guess we engaged in something inappropriate, but remembering that many gacha game protagonists tend to be oblivious, I doubted anything too extreme happened unless I or Blaze initiated it.

"Well, for now, I should get up."

Suddenly, I felt pain in my lower body, particularly around my hips, prompting a sigh as I gently patted the sleeping Doctor beside me.

"I never thought I would lose my virginity to Doctor, especially while drunk, so I have no idea what we did. I just hope it wasn't too wild, considering the hentai doujin I used to read in my previous life."

Reflecting on it, I realized I had never experimented with a girl’s body in the past six years—oh wait, it’s actually seven years now since I turned 19 yesterday, on February 14th.

"Still, in Arknights, there was never a mention of Valentine's Day, which is understandable since this is a completely different world. It would feel strange if it existed here."

(But they're both still sleeping. I just hope Amiya doesn’t come in; explaining this would be troublesome.)

As I pondered, the door opened, and Kal'tsit and Amiya walked in. They both stared at me, then at the bed, and back at me again.

"For your information, I was drunk and have no idea what happened, so you should probably question those two instead of me."

After saying that, I headed toward the bathroom to take a bath, but Amiya stopped me, locking eyes with me. The scary part was that the light in her eyes had completely vanished, making it even more unsettling.

"Alisia, why are you, Blaze, and Doktah naked? Why is there a trail of blood down there for both of you and Blaze? What is that white stuff on the bed?"

It seemed like she didn't hear what I said earlier about being drunk, but for now, I just patted her head. She swatted my hand away and stared at me.

"I don't know! But if you really want answers, can you at least wait for me to take a bath? I already feel awful from the hangover, and my body is sore. I want to take a bath first, then I can entertain your questions with whatever answers I can come up with since, like I said earlier, I was drunk."

After saying that, I ignored Amiya and Kal'tsit as they approached the bed and headed into Doktah's bathroom. This bathroom is surprisingly spacious, complete with a large bathtub like the ones you find in hot springs. But first, I needed to take a bath.

While enjoying the soak, I heard a scream coming from the bedroom, which meant Blaze had woken up and was probably being interrogated along with Doktah. Meanwhile, I was relishing the warmth of the hot water, as it had been ages since I had enjoyed such a good soak.

As I was lost in thought, the bathroom door opened, and Blaze walked in with a bruise on her cheek—likely from Amiya. Just then, Amiya, Kal'tsit, and Doktah walked in, one after the other, which surprised me.

(Wait, is it normal for boys and girls to bathe together? Back in Laterano, there was never any mixed bathing, even with the same gender. Is it normal here?)

I had a lot of questions, but for now, I decided to think of it like visiting another country and experiencing culture shock, accepting this as just how things were at Rhodes Island.

While I pondered, Amiya sat next to my right, and Blaze took a seat to my left. What surprised me even more was that Kal'tsit sat next to Doktah. Looking at his expression, I could tell he was just as nervous about all of this as I was.

"But still, I never thought Alisia was that wild."

(Hmmmm? What am I?)

"Oh, can you tell me more, Blaze?"

Wait, I thought you guys were fighting earlier. Why are you already buddies now? I thought women kept their distance after a fight.

"You see, while Alisia looks pure, deep down she’s a sex demon. I mean, I was surprised that the Doctor had so much stamina, but Alisia didn’t back down, and both of them were going wild last night."

(What the hell did I do last night for Blaze to say that?)

As I listened, I turned my gaze to the Doctor, and he quickly looked away, which meant he was probably awake too last night.

"This side of you is still as pathetic as ever, Doktah. I thought you’d be used to this with Theresa, but maybe because you lost your memories, this feels like your first time. I’m not surprised you lasted that long, but I see Alisia can keep up with you."

Kal'tsit said this while resting her head on the Doctor's shoulder, which only confused me further.

(I thought pre-amnesia Doctor was a warmonger, but he already had a thing with Theresa? And looking at Kal'tsit, did he have something with her too?)

So many questions started swirling in my head. What have I wandered into? Just as I was about to leave, Amiya noticed.

"Alisia, next time call me, okay? I feel it’s unfair for you to do it without me."

(GIRL, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I THOUGHT DOCTOR WAS LIKE A FATHER FIGURE TO YOU.)

All this information was starting to make my head spin. I ended up changing my clothes and heading to my room, which I now noticed was rather close to the Doctor's room. But this is the hotel where we stayed the night, so I guess it’s normal.

I was planning my next weapon. For ranged combat, I had the SCAR and railgun covered, but for melee, I preferred to use something other than my fist.

Although I could fight effectively with my body due to my third skill, I wanted to avoid relying on it too much. I had been stuck with a hunger for raw, unprocessed Originium for the next 7.2 days, which wasn’t ideal while in the city. To manage this, I was using Orga to deliver the Originium and eating it in secret.

At least it was better than having my second talent disabled or my body radiating Oripathy, as I couldn’t explain that to anyone; they simply wouldn’t understand.

For now, I was considering a few weapon options. I initially wanted to create a spear, but I realized that using a spear effectively requires knowledge of polearm techniques, which are challenging to learn. Despite its longer reach, I doubted my ability to manipulate it well.

On the other hand, while I wasn’t very skilled with a sword, many Operators used them and had a technique or two I could learn from, so I decided to focus on swords instead.

Currently, I had three sword types in mind, inspired by anime:

The first was a sword made of many fragments that could spread or change shape at my command. While the concept of sword fragments flying to my will was appealing, mastering it would be quite challenging.

The second was a floating sword type, allowing me to summon multiple swords and command them to fly toward my target. However, once the swords left my hand, I would be unarmed, and even though I could summon them back, it would take time. Skilled melee fighters wouldn’t waste a second.

Lastly, there was a weapon that grew stronger each time I fed it Originium. This option was easier to control than the others, but it wouldn’t gain power unless I provided it with Originium, and I wouldn’t know the effects beyond sharpening and hardening it.

All of these options were enticing, and my greedy side urged me to take them all.

It seemed my impulsive nature had won, as I now had several swords in front of me, one of which stood out from the others. In the end, I decided to combine them, resulting in an interesting creation.

I designed my single weapon to resemble a katana because I've always wanted to swing a real katana. However, its shape is just a reference; it actually combines features from both the first and third designs, allowing it to grow after consuming Originium. The blade is made up of a thousand fragments that the user can manipulate to change its shape and size, or control each fragment individually to launch attacks.

During testing, I confirmed that every fragment can absorb Originium, although the absorption rate is slower compared to using the full blade. I haven't yet tested whether it can absorb Originium directly from living beings, but since there are Originium slugs, I might try testing it on them.

Thinking about it, in Arknights, there are various creatures mutated by Originium, ranging from mummies to insects. I've never attempted to absorb their Originium, which makes me curious about whether I can absorb their art. While most creatures can't use art, some can, even if it's only a basic form.

As for the four swords, two are based on claymores, while the other two are inspired by cinquecentis, simply because I like their designs. They can float and absorb Originium, and like the katana, these blades also consist of a thousand fragments that the user can manipulate.

Ultimately, I applied the first design to all of them. Although I don't think i will spread the floating swords fragment widely, they have the potential for surprise attacks. For now, let's focus on testing these weapons.

Waking up, I slowly glance to my side and see a naked Doctor and Blaze, just like yesterday. However, there's an addition this time: Kal'tsit and Amiya. I remember everything clearly since I wasn't drunk, and it seems that Doctor knows my body well, even more than I do. I find myself unsure of how to react to that.

(Does the body remember even if the mind doesn't?)

As I ponder this, I take a moment to heal my body. Doctor had been active all night until dawn, and when I check the time, I realize I've only slept for about three hours. That explains why I'm still feeling sleepy. Although I want to lie in bed and sleep some more, I need to test my weapon.

Just as I prepare to stand up, I’m pulled back and kissed by Doctor. The surprise causes me to instinctively punch him in the stomach, but I hold back; after all, he’s still a normal human.

"You caught me off guard, Doctor. I didn't know you were that kind of guy—or maybe it's my fault. But it's morning now, and you need to snap out of it. I'm heading to the bathroom."

Seriously, this Doctor is acting strange. Almost every alternate universe version of him is odd, but it seems I’m stuck with a lewd one or perhaps a womanizer? He somehow managed to get close to Kal'tsit, and from what I remember, even the original Doctor had a hard time with that.

(At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if every female operator ends up in his bed one way or another. I just hope he avoids those who are already in relationships or married. If that happens, I’ll deal with him myself.)

While I might want to kill him if I find out he's pursuing others, I also don't want to lose Doctor in this alternate universe, especially since I don't know if this is where Amiya awakens as the Lord of Fiends. I suppose I should consider myself one of his lovers.

I thought being a womanizer was just a film trope, but experiencing it firsthand, I understand why those girls fall for him. Just a moment ago, he seemed like the calm type you could trust. Is that his way of making women fall for him?

In the midst of all these thoughts, I completely forget that I need to find a sword teacher. A couple of days have passed, and the L.G.D should now be ready to let Ch'en go. She has been occupied, which is why we’re still here and haven’t left for Chernobog yet.

I hope Misha is safe.

With that thought, I slowly gaze out the window while changing my clothes, preparing myself for the mission to Chernobog once again.