Volume I - Chapter 16

I felt my body tired, as if it was exhausted, yet I had just woken up. This was quite strange. I tried to get up and, with some difficulty, I managed. It seems no one found me... I was lying in a puddle of blood.

"Seems like even death doesn't want to take me," I thought as I took off my shirt and felt for the wounds Kokabiel had inflicted on me. They no longer existed; I couldn't even feel a scar. "What happened to my body?"

I tried to get up, but it was futile. My body didn't seem to respond, and it hurt so much that, even with pain suppression, I was feeling it. "Ahh... I guess I overdid it."

I leaned against the wall, trying to rest, until a notification appeared.

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『MESSAGE』

Incompatibility detected, multiple internal injuries require attention.

Cursed energy and Mana violently converging in the user's body. Neither of the energies seems to reconcile and are attempting to dominate the body. Attention is necessary.

Possibility of crippling if a solution is not reached.

Resources must be distributed to the player, for their survival.

Analyzing...

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"Just another normal day in this shitty life," I sighed, trying not to think too much about it. "Maybe I should go to some cabin in Alaska? It's quite isolated and I can live well alone."

I looked to the side and saw it was starting to drizzle. The water droplets, in my perception, were so slow, and my eyes burned so much they seemed to be on fire. An absurd amount of information was constantly coming to my mind.

The particles of each water droplet... I could distinguish ridiculous things. I could even see something like a flow, a trail leaking from the blood beneath me, as if my own blood was infused with energy. This amount of information was hurting my brain and making me dizzy quickly.

I felt something wet trickle down my nose and eyes. I passed my finger, with difficulty even lifting my arm. Blood...

"Shit..." I closed my eyes, feeling my head get light, and the information decreased significantly. But, even with my eyes closed, I was able to understand my surroundings, as if it was a vision like in games, something similar to that Eagle Vision from Assassin's Creed mixed with that hacker vision from Watch Dogs. The colors seemed more vibrant, and simply different from before. It seemed I could see spectrums that I simply did not understand. "This is going to be problematic... to get used to." I covered my eyes with my hands to try to help myself, but it didn't make much difference.

When I tried to rest, a new window appeared, pulling me out of the small break from everything.

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『MESSAGE』

Analysis complete.

Due to the user's state, the system proposes an update. Additional options will be added to maintain the bearer's mediocre life.

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"Going to start mocking me now? If you've become cheeky, damn system." I didn't have the energy even to be angry. The rain began to intensify.

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『ALERT』

The System will enter maintenance mode. During this period, the bearer will be on their own. System resource management will be unavailable, as well as access to inventory and other functions.

It is recommended to withdraw supplies of utmost importance from the inventory.

It is also recommended to restrict the use of cursed energy and mana. The use of either energy may cause internal conflicts between them and harm to the user.

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"Ah... What a drag." I stretched out my hand and opened the inventory, pulling out a backpack I had placed there some time ago.

Memories of the time I was with Scarlet at a big retail chain came to mind instantly.

"I knew it would be useful to leave these things in the inventory." I took out a packet of banana candies. "Ahh, I need some sugar to help with this depression."

Struggling, I began to eat little by little while keeping my eyes closed. I raised my hand to my side, taking out most of the things I would need and could carry. There was a lot in the inventory. "What's the point of robbing the damn market if I can't access it in the end? What a drag."

Eating those simple sweets, I felt a pleasurable relief in the extremely artificial and chemical taste of the candy. It reminded me of a calmer, gentler time. I closed my eyes, savoring the candy lightly while feeling my throat hurt as I swallowed.

I stood there for a few hours, waiting for the rain to stop, while regaining some energy. And finally, when the rain began to lessen, I thought: I need to get out of the country as fast as possible before that annoying Scarlet comes after me. I hate to admit it, but she is quite persistent. I'm surprised she hasn't found me before those bastards did.

I picked out a change of clothes I had kept in the inventory. Unfortunately, I only had formal clothes because of Scarlet, who insisted that I should dress more formally. A white button-up shirt with sleeves partially rolled up, over a black t-shirt, black jeans with a belt, carrying the backpack on my back. I took advantage of the still-falling rain to wash the blood off my body, cleaning as much as possible and then putting on the new clothes, which quickly got wet, but that didn't matter much.

"So... where to now?" I reflected on this while catching a bus to the port.

People on the bus stared at me. Well, a kid walking with a large backpack, white hair, and closed eyes draws attention, especially here in Brazil. Maybe they're staring because I dodged the fare, entering from the back of the bus... but that's just a possibility.

I sat at the back and made myself comfortable. The final stop was my destination. It would take an hour and a half to get there, so I checked the backpack for supplies.

'Food, water, some sweets, a small dagger, a camping tent, a stove, a few changes of clothes, a flip phone. And of course, $10,000 and the Breathing Technique Manual.' I closed the backpack and leaned back on the seat. "I need to stop by a currency exchange."

I tried to rest, but man, these eyes are wearing me out way too fast. I opened my backpack, took out the flip phone, and opened it without turning it on. Then, in the reflection, I slightly opened my eyes to take a peek. 'If it wasn't so tragic, I'd look like a cat,' I laughed and quickly closed my eye before anyone noticed.

My eyes were really different from normal. The once monotonous gray that once stained my irises had disappeared, giving way to a spectacular metamorphosis. The pupil, once a simple sphere, now reconfigured into a four-pointed, golden, and lively star, with sharp edges cutting through the indescribable celestial blue of my iris. 'I'm definitely going to attract attention if I open my eyes... better keep them closed from now on... maybe glasses would be a good idea.'

The journey was actually quite quick. I didn't have many unforeseen events. I asked for directions from a few people along the way, so I easily reached a currency exchange and was greeted by a lady who, at first glance, looked at me reluctantly because of my age, until I replied in English and asked to speak to the manager.

"Hello, young man, I heard you wanted to speak with me," he said, responding entirely in English to me, in a tone that seemed to taunt me, not believing that I could reply.

"I see your English is a bit rusty, you have a very peculiar accent, my dear," I smiled with my perfect pronunciation at him, while my eyes remained closed to hide them, and also so I didn't have a breakdown right there. "If you're done with the irrational and childish tests, I would like to talk about business."

The manager's expression changed completely to one of pure surprise and perplexity. My English was not just extremely fluent, but also quite technical, which, honestly, would be quite hard to find here in Brazil. "Of course, young sir, what do I owe the visit?" He guided me to a closed room, then we began to talk more seriously.

"I wanted to request the exchange of some notes and, preferably, if you can, assist me with a request of mine," I said while sitting down in an armchair as he quickly sat in another one facing me.

"And what would be your 'Requests'?" He asked, lifting his hands up, emphasizing the quotes.

"I'm looking for a ticket, either by air or sea, whatever is simpler for someone who doesn't have appropriate documents."

"Sorry, Young Man, but I think you're mistaking us for a travel agency. We only perform currency exchange."

I pulled out the 5,000 dollars and laid them on the table. "I believe I'm not mistaken, and that you can indeed help me, dear sir. I need this urgently and the fewer questions, the better."

Here's the translated excerpt from your fanfic into English:

He stared at the money and pulled the notes towards himself, evaluating them and counted the amount, then looked at me, raising an eyebrow as if he still didn't understand. "I want to leave Brazil, maybe if I put it this way you'll understand what I'm saying," I said in Portuguese this time, while raising my hand pointing at him. "If you can help me, I can arrange for more."

He seemed to ponder for a few seconds and then stood up, grabbing a jug of water and pouring himself a drink. He asked if I wanted a glass, which I promptly refused. "Hypothetically speaking... if I knew someone, what would be your destination?"

I smiled slightly, finally he was playing ball. "The Land of the Rising Sun."

He pondered for a few seconds before finally saying: "You know, even though this country has a good relationship, Japan is strict, especially when it comes to entry."

"Don't worry too much about how I'll get in, just about how to send me," I told him as I stood up, stopping at the door. "Is it enough for a trip there?"

"For a normal trip, it would be more than enough, but since this is an unusual situation..." he fell silent.

I sighed and then said: "I'll give another 3,000, will that be enough?"

"Sure, that'll be enough," he smiled at me.

"Oh, and don't think about double-crossing me... I'm not someone you'd want to upset." I leaned my hand on the door, holding it with some force, slightly pulling it from the wall. "Oops... Looks like the door is broken," I said with a smile on my face and then turned to sit in the armchair. "I'll be waiting here, sir. I hope it won't take too long."

The man seemed extremely terrified by the scene and quickly left the room.

...

A few hours later...

...

That gentleman gave me a ticket and asked me to be at the airport in 2 hours. Now I'm heading there. "It's going to be a long journey, as far as I know it's 28 hours." I sighed, then looking at my phone; it was already 8 PM.

It hadn't been 10 minutes since I arrived at the indicated place when I saw a guy holding a sign with the name of the currency exchange company. I approached him and asked if he was waiting for me. He looked me up and down and quickly checked his phone, reading something.

"Yes, you're the guy, right?" he said, tucking the sign into his backpack.

"Exactly. We're heading to the Land of the Rising Sun, correct?"

"Yes, we've managed to get a commercial plane and a first-class trip for you. For the price you paid, it was the least we could do." He handed me a boarding pass and some documents, and asked me to follow him. "I'll be your 'guardian' during the trip."

"Got it, shall we go?"

We headed straight to the airplane terminal and settled into our seats. The guy fell asleep almost immediately, while I took advantage of the journey to practice water breathing. I was reading about the techniques in the book and making some notes, trying to translate the text. 'Easier said than done' - some instructions were quite confusing, like one that said to breathe and follow the tide's flow.

Hours passed quickly as I read through that manual.

The rest of the journey was basically me trying to focus on breathing, since it was the only thing I could do while the system was under maintenance. I didn't even consider using energies, as the rebound would be lethal.

Upon arrival, it seemed we had gone straight to Tokyo. As we disembarked, the man simply said that the deal was already completed. I handed over the remaining amount I had promised. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, kid. Now, you're on your own."

"I wonder if it's going to be tough to get through customs? Pfff," I said to myself as he walked away. I stretched and surveyed the security. I spotted a gap and saw that there was a platform on the second floor where security was lax. Then, in a moment when no one was looking, I leaped to the second floor. "Easy, now to get an identity and documents here in Japan," I said, grabbing a candy from my backpack and eating it as I headed to the exit. Stepping out of the airport was truly a different sight. I wasn't used to seeing Japanese writing everywhere, and now I had to get used to it.

I walked until I found a currency exchange and converted my dollars to yen. "Now, what to do..." I stopped at a bench and leaned back, deep in thought.

"I kind of came here on a whim. I just wanted to get out of Brazil, and I'm not in the right state to go after those bastards from the Vatican. I remembered what Gojo-sensei had told me, and I ended up coming here. 'Should I stay here? I'm more lost than anything,' I thought for a moment and decided to walk.

Tokyo really is a gigantic city. Everywhere I go, I see the craziness of this place. I passed by some girls handing out flyers, and they stared at me. Then one of them came over and introduced herself, handing me a flyer.

'Hello, we eagerly await your visit, master,' she said with an angelic smile, dressed in a maid outfit and holding a flyer in her hand.

'Hmm, a maid café? Isn't that the weird place where girls do those extremely embarrassing things?' I just smiled and replied in my not-so-formal Japanese, 'Thanks, but that kind of place isn't really my thing.'

The girl seemed not to understand the slang I used, so I rephrased my sentence: 'Sorry, I guess I'm not used to speaking Japanese. I don't really like that kind of place.'

She seemed to understand better and apologized, but said it would be great if I could visit and see what the place was like.

'I really need to improve my fluency,' I shook my head and kept walking until I saw an arcade. I decided to stop and play something to distract my mind; all that noise and people were starting to bother me more than usual.

Upon arriving there, it was really like I saw in some anime. There were games everywhere. I stopped and bought some credits and played for a while. It was really fun; it had been years since I had some fun like a regular kid. The high scores were amazing, but I was finding the games too easy. They were just patterns and sequences, which had always been easy for me. So, after a few tries, my score was already among the top 3. The acronym? KURO.

Before I knew it, it was getting dark, and I was still trying to get used to the time difference. Although I wasn't sleepy, I left the arcade and started walking the streets of Tokyo. It was really beautiful at night, apart from the crowd of people.

"I'm going to have to walk around. Well, Gojo-sensei said that Kanto was a good region to live in, but Shibuya is nearby, right?" I started walking until I ended up on a somewhat deserted street, until I heard some noises, as if something had bumped into something.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I saw the figure of a cat with a very different energy emanating from it. "You can come out, kitty. I can see you already," I said and then closed my eyes again. I didn't react, so I went towards where the cat was hiding, and when I crouched down, I got scratched in the face.

"YOU LITTLE... COME HERE," I said, reaching for where it was and pulling the cat by the scruff. I grabbed it by the skin where the spine is, like most mother cats grab their kittens.

There was a feisty little cat, growling at me. Its fur was white and its eyes were blue, just like mine.

"MEOW!!!" The cat tried to struggle for a few seconds until it gave up after about 2 minutes of squirming.

"Tired?" I said and then opened my eyes, looking the little cat up and down. I felt a different kind of energy coming from the cat, something unnatural; it wasn't the same thing that came from regular humans. "What are you?"

The cat seemed surprised and really made a surprised expression when it looked into my eyes. "Meow." The cat seemed frightened by me staring at it with my eyes.

I stared at it for a few seconds and then realized it was a female, not a male. My eyes started to throb and hurt, so I closed them, and the little cat seemed to calm down. "You're not a regular brat, huh? To understand what I'm saying and still be surprised that I noticed."

She seemed to realize that she had given herself away and made a silly face. "Meow." I laughed at the situation, I found it funny.

"I think you gave yourself away, little one." I tried to poke her, and she immediately tried to bite my finger. I quickly pulled it away and flicked her on the head, and she seemed to faint. "... I think I hit too hard." I stood there, with an abnormal cat in my hands, unconscious. "I'd better find a place to sleep."

I spent some time carrying the cat while looking for a place to pitch the tent. I entered a local park and took advantage of the darkness to set up a tent behind some bushes. I lay down and put the cat next to me. I poked the cat and it just moved, as if it were having a nightmare. "It seems like even you're having bad dreams."

I lay down and turned to the side, staring at the cat, trying to analyze the energy coming from it. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. I ran my fingers through the flow of energy, but they just passed through as if it were just air on my fingers, but it had a beautiful color. The flow was beautiful and very constant, but it seemed disturbed. I stared at it as much as I could until my eyes started to hurt again. "It seems like the flow corresponds to your state of mind and it's very intriguing." I said more to myself than to her.

Then I lay down, until a few minutes passed, and even though I wasn't looking at her, I saw that she had woken up. She then looked around and saw me. A small faint light formed on her body, she took on human form, a little girl with a more childish appearance than mine, long white hair and sharp blue eyes like a cat's, and her nails looked like sharp razors. She looked at me, raised her hand to me as if to attack me, and at the last second she stopped. She looked at me for a few seconds and then returned to her cat form and lay down in the corner of the tent, alone.

'If you had moved your hand more, I would have taken it off, kitty.' I gave a smirk and then tried to rest, since I saw that she wouldn't do anything. 'A cat turning into a human, now I've really seen everything.'