The person standing before me was none other than Lyra, that elven bitch. To think I'd even forgotten about her...
"Come with me," she said again, completely ignoring the stares from the scene she was creating.
"Let go of my arm first," I said firmly, staring right into those emerald eyes of hers.
Would I follow her if she did? Hell no. A capital FUCK NO. Not unless hell freezes over ten times and I'm there to witness it.
"COME. WITH. ME..." She emphasized each word as her grip tightened on my arm. Seems she saw right through me—knew there was no way I'd follow willingly, so now she's trying force to see if I'll bend. Maybe she did some digging into my identity and found out just how strong I am. That would explain her confidence. Either that, or she sensed it from the start.
"Why?" I asked this time, keeping up a tough front even though my wrist hurt like hell. But I can't let it show, or she'll brand me an easy target and get even bolder next time.
"..." She stared at me in silence for a moment, then just... let go and walked away.
Huh? Just like that? I thought she'd push harder, but she actually backed off. Did she sense my mana and figure out what I was planning? I'd been ready to manifest a shadow blade to impale her if she got too forceful... But she just stopped. What the hell is she plotting now?
I watched her walk out of the VR hall, completely ignoring the instructor discussing something with staff members.
Guess it's time for me to leave too. Theory exams are tomorrow, and after that I can finally get out of this damn place. There's so much shit I need to do to survive in this world, and barely any time to do it.
But just as I climbed out of the VR pod—
*Zzzzzzzzzzz*
[MISSION
OBJECTIVE: Score above C+ in the theory exams.
REWARD: A Memory Fragment
PENALTY: Random
TRIALS: 1/1]
An interface popped up in front of me.
Wait... No... Come on, this can't be right... FUCK!
'What the hell is this, you bastard?!'
[WHAT?!]
'What do you mean "what"? You're giving me this mission when you KNOW I don't have the memories of this body!'
[Oh please, don't drag me into your bad luck. Let me be clear in case you're too stupid to notice... I DON'T give missions. I'm just the system's consciousness, and what I can access is limited. Missions come from the Matrix algorithm based on situations, actions, and predicted outcomes. I have NOTHING to do with it. If I did, you'd already be dead.]
As much as I wanted to argue, it actually made sense. The bastard's hated me since I insulted that "beautiful" goddess it keeps going on about, and it's never tried to hide it. So if it could control missions, I'd already have some suicide quest with my life on the line.
'But how the hell am I supposed to do this?' I don't have the memories needed to pass that test. I'm completely blank. How does it expect me to pull this off?
[You're already scared with just this much?]
'If you've got nothing useful to say, shut the fuck up.'
[(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)]
Is this son of a bitch actually taunting me?
'System, can the system consciousness be deleted?'
[Wait, what are you doing?]
Ding!
[System consciousness can be deleted]
[Does User wish to proceed with deletion?]
[WAIT?! Stop! Okay, I won't mess with you anymore, just don't do it!]
Too late for that. I'd be better off on my own anyway.
'Proceed with system d—'
[WAIT!]
Huh?
Was that just me, or did that normally static voice just sound... human?
[...]
'You sounded feminine for a second there... wait, don't tell me...'
A crazy idea hit me.
'ARE YOU THE GODDESS WHO BROUGHT ME HERE?!'
[...No, of course not! Why would a goddess be stuck with a lowly human?]
There it is again—that robotic voice.
No way. Also, what this idiot just said is basically a confession.
'Fine then. Proceed with deletion.'
[Ugh! Don't do it! Wait, I can help you with this mission, just don't delete me!]
I ignored it and headed for the exit where other students were leaving. The instructor had just announced the practical exams were officially over, with results coming tomorrow.
[PROCEEDING WITH DELETION AS REQUESTED]
[DELETION PROGRESS: 1%]
[DELETION PROGRESS: 10%]
[DELETION PROGRESS: 27%]
[DELETION PROGRESS: 38%]
[ALRIGHT, I'M SORRY! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS...! OKAY, I'LL TALK! You're right! I'm her!]
But just as that voice reached me, a hand grabbed my shoulder.