Curiosity killed the cat.

Pride is useless.

That was the main lesson Asha had learned in the abandoned world.

Her body had been burned countless times due to the results of her experiments, and rocks often fell on her small frame.

She rolled through her failures like a dog in the dirt until her once-pretty face became unrecognizable, covered in dust and grime.

Things like appearance were trivial and nonsensical.

After all, everyone would eventually grow old, becoming ugly and wrinkled.

Clinging to pride and appearance led nowhere in the long run. It would only create a personal hell.

After repeating these words to herself, Asha looked into the mirror, trying to calm her anxious mind.

Staring back was a girl with white dress, braids, and sandals.

Thanks to her appraisal abilities, which could sense even the smallest details, the reflection in the mirror appeared unnervingly perfect—beyond typical human sight.

After reluctantly agreeing to befriend Connie, Asha wanted to end the uncomfortable situation quickly with a simple introduction.

But Priyanka stopped her, insisting she change clothes to make a good impression.

Initially, Asha refused, but faced with Priyanka's expectant gaze, she gave in.

The result? A vision both destructive and endearing that dangerously triggered paternal instincts.

Just looking at it, memories that never happened flashed in her mind.

She saw a beach in the late afternoon, empty and desolate.

Dressed in casual clothes, she sat alone, gazing at the sea with a lollipop in her mouth and sunglasses perched on her face.

The melancholic adult world haunted her mind as she sat on that lonely beach. What should have been a blue, vibrant sea appeared gray and empty—like her own heart.

But this melancholy was interrupted by a gentle touch on her shoulder.

Asha turned, and behind her stood a girl of the same height and features, dressed in a pure white dress.

Her presence was majestic as the sun lit her face. The sight became even more breathtaking when she smiled and reached out her hands.

"Papa, let's play together!" she said, her voice filled with the innocence only a child could have.

Asha coughed, turning her face away. The girl's purity was too overwhelming.

But she quickly regained her composure, managing a faint smile that washed away the lingering melancholy.

"Hold on tight," she said firmly, clasping the girl's hands.

The girl's feet left the ground as she spun her through the air in circles.

"Hahaha!" she laughed, full of joy, delighted to finally play with her busy father.

Asha watched her, moved.

In her eyes, the sea reappeared, its grayness fading into vibrant colors, painted by the girl's laughter.

The meaningless monotony of adult life began to dissolve, replaced by a newfound sense of purpose.

The once-lonely beach became a canvas of love between a father and daughter.

Asha was grateful for the sunglasses, which hid her watery eyes.

The image of the girl growing up played before her: from the first time she said "Papa" to the moment she left to be with another man.

This delusion ran so deep that the only thing keeping Asha from breaking into tears was the cracked gem on her forehead.

'My Asha...' she thought melancholically, touching the mirror like a narcissist.

She only snapped out of it when Priyanka appeared in the range of Appraisal, holding a notebook.

[Did you like it?]

The moment Asha read those words, her world seemed to crumble.

She realized the girl in the mirror was none other than herself.

The same mind of an adult man trapped in the body of an androgynous alien.

The blurred memory of a human man overshadowed the image of her ideal daughter.

The realization made her stomach churn.

She looked at the paper, unsure how to respond to Priyanka.

Objectively, her ideal daughter was right in front of her. Yet, knowing it was her own reflection made everything infinitely harder.

Asha thought she had adapted to situations like this.

The shame of disguising her gender to fit into human society, being bathed by her adoptive mother, or having her body exposed to strangers.

None of those experiences compared to the agony of seeing herself in a girlish white dress and perfectly styled braids.

Priyanka had created a masterpiece Asha wasn't prepared to face.

She tried to hold the pencil, but her hands trembled with inner turmoil.

She felt another piece of her masculinity shatter irreversibly.

Priyanka, noticing her trembling hands, gently stroked her head with kind, reassuring words.

[I'm sure it will leave a good impression on Connie.]

Words spoken as though to comfort a child with low self-esteem.

Asha couldn't bring herself to care about the new misunderstanding forming in Priyanka's mind.

[Yes.]

It was the only response she could muster.

Asha used her last efforts to press the button that would move her wheelchair.

It was a habit deeply ingrained in her soul to distract herself with actions rather than diving into worries.

Priyanka's efforts to create a good impression on Connie successfully shattered her mind to the point she thought it was better to talk with Connie than face her destructive appearance again.

But before she could escape, Priyanka held her wheelchair.

Asha looked at her, confused by the sudden reaction.

[Do you want me to go with you?]

Priyanka asked with a worried expression.

Her intentions and kindness were clear, but Asha needed to refuse it.

How strange would it be interacting with Connie under the careful observation of her mother?

Asha didn't have any friends, but she at least had common sense.

That's why she shook her head in denial.

[Are you really okay alone?]

[Yes.]

[Don't force yourself because of me if you feel you can't.]

[...]

Asha's hands started trembling as she read Priyanka's words.

A deep feeling of shame began welling up in her soul.

Just how helpless did Priyanka think she was to assume she'd have trouble befriending a child?

She appreciated Priyanka's kindness, but if she accepted help here, she felt it would be better to relinquish her identity as a human and be torn to pieces by the Crystal Gems.

Her strange reaction to the words only fueled Priyanka's determination.

Priyanka watched her trembling hands attentively and then patted her head with a slightly melancholic expression.

[It's better if I go with you after all—]

Before she could finish, Asha covered her face with her hands and firmly shook her head.

If she failed to stop her here, an even more embarrassing situation would happen in the future.

Priyanka looked surprised by her unusual movements.

She tried to hold the pencil again with a worried face, but Asha kept shaking her head until Priyanka finally gave up.

Looking at Priyanka, who seemed to have given up on stopping her, Asha carefully stepped away and headed towards Connie's room alone.

Priyanka's expression was that of someone looking at a tragic heroine, but Asha tried to ignore it.

If she wanted to become more independent, this was the least she could do.

Instead of dwelling on it, the best course was to focus on the task at hand.

Asha analyzed her surroundings using Appraisal.

She dispersed her energy in all directions, trying to locate Connie's room.

The Maheswarans' house was simple, with a total of three rooms, a kitchen, and a living room. By elimination, only a room located between hers and Priyanka's remained.

Asha looked at the wooden door of the unknown room with reluctance.

While she had reassured Priyanka that she could do it alone, she felt a bit tense about meeting one of the main characters face-to-face.

Which words should she use? How much distance should she keep?

Questions like these floated in her mind repeatedly, but she knew they were futile.

If she spent more time overthinking, the situation would only worsen.

In moments like this, the best option was to stop overthinking and go with the flow.

'Sigh... Let's do it.'

Asha approached the door and knocked on it.

She couldn't hear the sound, but based on the strength she applied, it should have been loud enough to alert anyone inside.

Asha waited, slightly tense.

A minute passed, but there was no sign of Connie.

Maybe she just didn't hear that, she convinced herself, applying even more strength to her arm.

"Knock!"

Again, she knocked on the door and waited, well-behaved, in front of it.

Three minutes passed without any reaction.

Her patience was starting to fade, while her anxiety grew.

"Knock-knock!"

Asha tried knocking harder.

Her fingers turned red from the force she applied.

Connie should definitely have heard that, right?

But contrary to her expectations, more time passed without any sign of the girl.

She felt her mood souring with each passing moment.

With even more force, Asha knocked on the door.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!!"

When she finally considered using transmutation to break the door in half, a small figure appeared in her field of view.

A small girl wearing glasses was looking at her with a strange expression.

Asha lowered the fist she had been readying to hit the door with and tried to regain her composure.

She opened her notebook and grabbed her pen.

What should I write here?

The first question that appeared in her mind was how to introduce herself to Connie.

Typically, people would start by exchanging names and then move on to small talk.

Asha was terrible at this—she hated wasting time on trivial matters.

Should she start with a compliment?

In the original story, Connie was a girl who liked physical activities like sword fighting, defeating aliens, and life-or-death scenarios.

Someone like that would likely value physical performance.

[You have some good abs.]

Asha tried to write a compliment based on the mental image she had of Connie.

But something just didn't feel right.

Asha erased the sentence and tried again with a more sincere compliment.

[You have a good grip; killing should be a piece of cake for you.]

Somehow... it got worse.

Maybe commenting on the weather was a better idea.

[Today looks like a good day to beat up some brats.]

'Am I trying to compliment her or pick a fight?'

Asha looked apologetically at her absurd words.

Giving compliments was proving far more difficult than she had expected.

Her head burned as she struggled to find a way to start the conversation. Again and again, she tried to find better topics to start with, but every time she tried to write, her words twisted into something strange.

'What's wrong with me?'

Asha pressed the pen in frustration. How long had she been there, saying nothing, just trying to grasp the first words to talk?

Following the flow was something only careless extroverts could do. For someone like her, an action plan was mandatory.

'I should just be honest.'

It was clear that if she tried to act kindly, the reverse would happen. So, the best option was to be straight to the point.

Asha looked at Connie, who had been patiently waiting all this time, and showed her the notebook, now with only three words.

[Wanna be friends?]

A simple and straightforward request.

It might seem abrupt and overly direct, but for someone who tried to start by praising abs, it was the best she could manage.

She watched Connie's reaction attentively.

In an instant, Connie's patient demeanor broke into something anxious and peculiar.

Her body moved erratically, and her heartbeat seemed to race at an alarming speed.

'What is she doing...?'

Connie's behavior was unsettlingly erratic, almost scary.

Asha observed her for a few minutes, trying to understand her intentions.

Is this some kind of ritual?

The way Connie flailed her hands and arms was disastrous.

Asha had expected the main characters to be a little strange from the beginning, but she hadn't thought it would be this extreme.

Is she trying to communicate?

The way Connie moved her jaw and body seemed to suggest she was attempting to pass a message.

Asha, an introvert since childhood, wasn't used to this kind of behavior.

But she remembered that other kids often acted erratically, making strange noises and nonsensical challenges with their friends.

If Connie was trying to replicate that, this technique was far beyond Asha's level of tolerance.

Thankfully, she had a way to avoid this abstract form of communication.

With trembling hands, Asha wrote another note.

[I am deaf.]

The moment Connie read it, she stopped her strange ritual and became silent.

[Write here: _____]

Asha pointed at the paper as though she were trying to communicate with an alien.

Only then did Connie respond.

[Yes.]

It was a reassuring answer.

Asha felt relieved that Connie was also capable of having a normal conversation.

She had agreed to be friends. Should Asha leave now?

Maybe it was better to extend the chat a little.

But she wasn't good at filling the air with trivialities.

Asha tried to think about her next steps.

Something she often observed at school was how people interacted closely with one another.

Boys would pat each other on the back, exchange incomprehensible banter, and laugh loudly, while girls formed tight-knit circles, talking about topics she could never quite understand.

When she played games with her online friends, simple communication about strategies and enemy positions sufficed. But this situation didn't seem applicable in reality.

'The patterns… I need to analyze the patterns.'

While the topics of conversation still seemed hard to grasp, they weren't the only elements to consider.

If they shared hobbies and stayed physically close, they would naturally grow closer to one another.

Asha looked around Connie's room and started to write a bold question.

[Can I enter?]

[Yes.]

[Thank you.]

Asha moved her wheelchair into Connie's room and examined it without reservation.

Connie's room was vastly different from the simple room of her past life, which consisted only of a bed and a PC.

There were photos, books, and glow-in-the-dark stars, and the room was colored in a calm tone of blue.

The composition itself was interesting, but what captured her attention most was the pile of books in the corner.

Until now, Asha had only watched cartoons, lamenting the often simplistic quality of most of them.

Books, however, were a different matter.

In her previous life, she occasionally read light novels, and if there was one thing she could say for sure, it was that adaptations often failed to live up to the original material.

Maybe she could still find some joy in this world.

Asha approached the books and scanned the titles until one caught her eye.

A familiar title stood out.

[Dogcopter]

This book was a reference to a fictional series from the original story. Connie and Steven were supposed to watch "Dogcopter 3" together.

The show never delved deeply into the plot of the movie, but now that she was in this world, she could experience it firsthand.

She quickly moved closer to Connie, pointing at the book.

[Can I read it?]

[Yes.]

The moment she received permission, Asha isolated herself in a corner of the room and activated Appraisal on the book.

She covered the book with very dispersed and weak energy.

Little by little, a rectangular shape formed in her mind without any details.

This process seemed simple, but it required vast control.

After the event at the hospital, Asha had learned to manage how much information she could handle.

It wasn't perfect yet, but she wouldn't faint like before just to analyze sand.

Before, she would uniformly use energy to analyze any material.

This process was inefficient and dangerous, since she would always receive a large amount of information for each step she took in her analysis.

The key was in how dense or dispersed the energy was and how much area it covered.

Her vision, for example, used very dispersed energy constantly. This process saved more mental strength and could be maintained for a long time.

That's why most of the time she couldn't notice details of her environment. Her vision would often be composed of black silhouettes or basic shapes, as if the energy was just covering the surface of the world around her.

But when she applied more energy to the same place, the substance would condense, and a proper appraisal would be possible.

She just had to be careful not to dive too deeply into the material and analyze only its surface.

The larger the object or area she tried to analyze, the harder it was to maintain control over it.

That's why, when she wanted to fully enjoy an experience, she often had to give up on her surroundings to focus on a single place.

When watching TV, she would focus completely on the surface of it with the maximum level of detail she could with her current skills.

If she analyzed a single object while sacrificing her vision, she could manage even high volumes of data. And if she touched the object, it would be even easier, since it would be closer to her body, avoiding the need to spread more energy.

In the past, she could analyze anything, whether it was far or close to her, but since the overload, the range of all her powers had decreased.

For someone who once analyzed entire spatial routes, she was now limited to a small range around her body.

It was truly a shame.

Asha looked at the book melancholically.

A simple, rectangular image without any details. How different would the past have been if she had known about this, instead of naively analyzing its properties?

She had sacrificed so many things just to stay there reading a book.

Maybe if she had been a little more patient, things could have been different...

'I'm thinking about useless things again.'

There was no meaning in regretting the past. The damage was already done; what she could do now was deal with the results of it.

Also, there were no guarantees that she would be as lucky as she was in the past.

Finding Earth from such a long distance was equivalent to finding a needle in the middle of the desert.

Probably, all the luck of her life had gone with that feat.

She should be satisfied with her current reality.

In the past, she couldn't even imagine having such peaceful moments, where she could open a book and enjoy it.

If she regretted anything, she could only put more effort into her actions from now on.

'What about using this opportunity to practice?'

She could only analyze page by page to read a book if she wanted, but ultimately, she wouldn't learn anything from it.

How could she save energy?

Asha opened the book and stared attentively at the first page while spreading dispersed dark substance over it.

Then, a thin object in the shape of a sheet appeared in her mind.

If she applied a little more energy, she could slightly see the details of the object.

The best strategy was to use this sheet as a reference to gauge how much she could analyze.

Asha tried to apply a significant amount of energy to the substance, increasing its density.

Information like the texture of the page, the flaws in the impressions, the slight asymmetry of the sheet, and even the places where Connie had touched appeared in her mind.

This was her usual uniform appraisal.

But how far could she go if she applied even more energy?

The thought of applying more energy to an already intense spot seemed crazy, but considering it was a small object, it wouldn't cause many problems.

Asha applied a little more energy to the sheet.

What was already detailed became even more detailed, entering the microscopic realm.

She could see the small living beings living on the surface of the sheet and the interaction of the ink with the paper.

An entire world of information entered her mind.

It was as if the sheet was an entire universe on its own.

'Ugh...' Her head started to ache as multiple pieces of information flooded her brain all at once.

She usually would stop this action, but seeing how far appraisal had reached, a dangerous curiosity began to invade her mind.

'More... just a bit more...'

She wanted to dive deeper; she wanted it so much that her mind became blurred imagining what the result of applying even more energy would be.

Going against her natural survival instinct, Asha applied more energy to the sheet.

'A-ah...' A pain, as if a sharp needle was slowly entering her eyes, made her mind shake.

But she didn't stop. The pain she had endured in the desert was far worse than this.

The microscopic space between cells, the microscopic beings, the decompositions present in the surrounding air.

A wonderful world of information was entering her mind.

She looked mesmerized at the image forming inside her brain—an entire new world.

It was... It was so...

'Beautiful...'

At some point, the energy became more unstable, but Asha couldn't care less.

How much energy would be necessary to analyze the atoms? How much would she need to reach the quarks?

And even after that... Could she explore the quantum realm with just Appraisal?

"Shiing..."

Her gem started to emit a strange sound, and her shape began to crumble under the pressure of its energy.

The mechanics of her gem were losing more energy than necessary to make them work.

It was a shame Asha was already out of her mind.

'Was that possible?!' Her hands trembled with the many possibilities.

Even the risk of being exposed was a small sacrifice to her curiosity.

'More! I need to apply more—'

Asha tried to apply more energy, but suddenly something strange happened.

The image of the book suddenly disappeared from her mind.

'No... No! Where?!'

Asha tried to focus on her thoughts again, but her Appraisal had already lost the target.

She tried to disperse her energy to find out who had ended her fun, only to see an unbelievable image.

Connie, who should have been in her bed, was hugging her body tightly while pressing her cheeks against hers.

The sight was so subtle that even her excited mind immediately calmed down.

'What the hell is she doing?'

As if not satisfied by her cheeks, Connie's arms firmly pressed Asha's waist with enough strength to interfere with the position of her organs.

Asha looked at Connie in complete shock, speechless.

Minutes passed in this strange situation until she finally regained her senses.

'What did I just do?'

If Connie hadn't interfered as she did, more than just revealing her identity, Asha could have damaged her gem in an irreversible way.

She obviously wasn't in a condition to push herself as she did, but she had been so excited that she completely ignored logic and dived deeply into her curiosity.

An endless curiosity that could have cost her life.

Asha's hands trembled, and her gem shone in reflex to her unstable mind.

'I lost control. I— I almost died right now.'

An intense fear corroded her mind, but this only made her state even worse.

She had lost so much energy; even the most exciting of her thoughts could be dangerous.

'I need to calm down. Focus on something else!'

She tried to look at her surroundings again.

The image of a girl hugging her body played in her mind.

Connie sniffed her hair and caressed her braids with a stupid expression.

Her hands stroked Asha's head, and her cheeks were consistently brushed against hers.

Minutes passed this way, with Connie becoming bolder after each second.

She really seemed to be enjoying her time.

'...'

At some point, Asha's mind calmed down.

The scene in front of her was just too absurd to worry about anything else.

Was this really one of the main characters?

Asha tried to pinch her arm to signal Connie to stop, but Connie continued her actions, unaware of the world.

Only after pinching her arms three more times did Connie stop.

She quickly pulled away and moved in strange directions.

Asha stared at her attentively, but not long after, her gaze was directed to the book on the ground.

If it weren't for Connie's impulsiveness, who knows what could have happened?

Her actions were eccentric, but it didn't change the fact that her life had been saved twice because of Connie.

The first time was when Connie dropped the book, and the second when she distracted her with a stupid face.

She was in debt.

Asha calmly grabbed her old notebook and wrote the next words.

[Good book, bye.]

Without wasting any time, Asha moved her wheelchair to the door and left the room.

As for how good the book was, she had no idea—she did everything but read it.

But right now, she didn't have the face to show to anyone.

*

Author note

More than 4k words, probably the biggest chapter I ever wrote. Merry Christmas!!