"So, what was your reason for doing that?"

The idea of them revealing their sad pasts to me just because they wanted me to review them does sound highly amusing, but it's also highly impractical.

So the only logical conclusion is that they must have done it because they saw some value in doing it.

And given the past record of these motherfuckers, I think it would be safe to assume that their reason for conducting this 'revelation event' lies in another one of their misunderstandings regarding me.

"We did it for you." Azell replied.

Yup, just as I expected.

And here I was hoping that they would be more mindful of their conclusions after being scolded by me.

As it turns out, it was just a pipe dream.

"I see. Can you please elaborate on that?"

When I abandon my own perspective and view the overall situation on a broader scale, it becomes much more bizarre than what I initially assumed it to be.

It's almost like they're my students who made a weird project and are now waiting for me to grade it.

Considering that I'm just a 12-year-old child and they're grown adults, this is just wow.

"It was to make you trust us."

Ahhhhh… would you look at these wankers?

Hot damn, they took my little play I acted after creating my Mana Circuits too seriously.

Like bro, calm down. It was just a joke.

"That was just a joke."

"Yeah, sure."

Oh my, I didn't know you were me, Azell. Hold on, let me note it down.

The sheer audacity of this bastard.

It's like, upon learning that I had stomachache, he goes, 'No, your stomach is not hurting. It's your arm.'

Of course, my comparison was different from the actual situation and was made to mislead, but I did make my point.

Also, he's not completely wrong either.

I don't trust them, not even a bit.

But let's be honest. What reason do I have to trust them?

Which, now that I think about it, is exactly what Azell and the others assumed about me, which made them act out this plan.

"Can I be honest?"

"Yes." Azell replied, his body fidgeting a bit.

"It's true that I do not completely trust you guys. And as unfortunate as it is, even after all that you have done, I still cannot place my full faith in you."

"Oh." His head drooped slightly.

"Trust does not work that way. It's not something you can just earn in a single day. Trust is built up over time, after going through several situations together, until you're ready to leave your life in the hands of the one you fully trust."

And as much as I long to do so, I simply am not able to place my faith in someone to that extent. Because even if I do, it will either be betrayed or I will one day lose that person.

The perks of being a Professional Transmigrator.

"I… understand." He slowly nodded.

"As you can imagine, I've had a difficult childhood, so it's really difficult for me to trust anyone."

"We completely understand."

"And to begin with, I have no way of confirming that you haven't lied to me today."

That was a bit of a stretch, but it was still a non-negligible possibility.

"That is…"

"But." I paused, smiled and looked at all of them one by one. "Your actions have given me an incentive to trust you."

"R-really?" His eyes widened as a smile appeared on his face.

All others quietly heaved a sigh of relief.

"Of course. Your… revelations have shown me the trust you put in me, and the extent you are willing to go to earn it back. I respect that."

I admire that. Because that is something I'm not able to do.

Perks of having such a shitty job I mean being a Professional Transmigrator.

"So, once again. I look forward to working with you."

As long as it only slightly inconveniences me, that is.

I mean, yea sure I respect your efforts, but you're not the first to make them, and you certainly won't be the last.

Perks-

Goddamnit, I need to stop.

"Once again, welcome to the guild." A smile beamed on all of their faces. "And thank you for everything you've done till now." Azell bowed his head, and the others followed.

"Think nothing of it."

Why do they have to make such a big deal about everything? Is this the first time someone has sacrificed his life to save their comrade? Move on, mate.

"I will not."

Good grief, I wish they had more productive hobbies, such as being disembowelled by a 7-metre-tall Minotaur.

"Why are you such a pain in the ass?"

"I can say the same about you." He smiled.

What happened to the previous atmosphere?

"Anyway, what's next?"

This touching occasion was a breath of fresh air, sure, but it's about time we moved on to more productive things, like sleeping.

"Well, we'll leave you so that you can rest-"

"After that." I cut Neia off.

I love sleeping, I admit, but I also like doing interesting things, such as making myself a new set of organs.

It's just good, clean fun.

"Azell will tell you that."

Yea, go ahead and put the responsibility on him.

Hmm, if we look back, wasn't most of the talking done by Azell? He was the one who had to begin that Revelation Event, and it was him who had to listen to me when I told them that their efforts weren't enough.

From the start till the end, Azell was the one who handled most of the things. The rest just got carried by him.

Wow, these guys are assholes. Have they ever heard of team-effort?

Or maybe this was just Azell's idea and he had taken full responsibility for it, but that's the mature assumption.

And like I say, maturity is overrated.

"Hey, Samur." Noelle called.

"Yes?"

"What do you, uh, think about it?" Her eyes wavered.

"About what?"

What's there to think about?

"A-about what we told you today. Our pasts."

Ahhh, right. Revealing a tragic past is supposed to be a serious event for people.

"Not much."

Other than the fact that their stories were quite unoriginal.

"Eh?" Her eyes metaphorically turned into buttons. "What?"

"Did you really think nothing about that?" Arteria asked, her eyes half-metaphorical-buttons.

"Well, if I were to say, I was impressed by the… exotic team you guys have formed."

Where else would one find a team as bizarre as this?

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Um, hello?