V. 63 Unread Messages

Modern Earth, 20xx+3

The cabin was not really in an isolated area so cellular coverage was not really a problem. In fact, a cellular tower was built on a neighboring hill. So getting coverage was just as normal as the city. That was why Seria snatched away Fred’s phone at first.

But why did she decide to give it back to Fred?

In a work environment where an employee should dedicate his hundred-percent focus, things like these would only serve as a distraction. She also did not have any form of entertainment on her cabin. It was solely built for drawing out focus of any author she brought there. Yet Fred showed no sign of progress for a whole week. The fact that he hadn’t had any progress was because he was getting mentally exhausted already.

It was the best Seria could offer him.

Now with his phone on his hand, Fred had been staring blankly on it for about five minutes already, not even turning on the display.

“Now… What should I do with this? I’m not very savvy with using this for research purposes. If I only had a laptop like Kyrie does…”

Fred wandered onto his own again while still wasting the precious time Seria gave him, staring at his phone in hand.

He debated himself whether to explore the phone’s internet functions or to just lay it down and continue what he’s currently doing. That had been his comfort zone for the past week. But being on that comfort zone of his, proved that he was getting nowhere.

No no no no no! Seria entrusted me of utilizing this phone so I must not waste that chance.

“Yeah, that’s only the thing I could think of right now. But why now, of all times? She must have known that I’m not really reliant on these sort of things. I can only see myself being distracted with checking who’s looking for me back at Ingrid’s.”

He thought about it hard.

“Well I guess I really miss them that much too…”

So he turned on the screen of the phone and checked his inbox.

63 unread messages

Ingrid

Ingrid

Ingrid

…

…

Ingrid

“Geh— Seriously?”

He started reading the messages. The first ten of them were like ‘where are you?’ and stuff with Ingrid’s seemingly endless worry about where he was. Then it transitioned to stuff like ‘if you’re not going to come home then there won’t be any beef stew left for your dinner’, ‘kyrie had camped at your studio right now, saying she will replace you as a top author if you won’t reply’, ‘ara said she might consider her previous manager’s offer if you won’t come back soon’ and other stuff that would need him to forcefully contact them.

“Heh. That’s just what she says to bring me back… Seriously, that Ingrid.”

Then as he scrolled up he noticed a message with: ‘Seria notified me that she had isolated you from civilization for the meantime. I’m really worried. Are you fine there?’

He took a time reading them one by one. For him, seeing Ingrid lower her guard like that would be a form of amusement. At least, every message has been stored at his phone so he might be able to use them to blackmail her for no reason at all. Just for fun.

“Come to think of it, I’ve really never seen her this worried before.”

Well of course… Come to think of it, I’ve never really been at far places for too long away from them.

That was a very first experience from Fred, at the time he spent on earth. It might be different if he was still the Maou at Mytherion because he had gotten really fond of the people who lived with him. Besides, the mentality he had from Mytherion compared what he had on earth was really different. So spending even a week from the people close to him here posed a different outcome to him than the months to years that he’d be away from the demons from Mytherion.

“Am I really that lovable here? No no no! It’s just the way Ingrid’s been these past months turned 180. That’s right. I can’t let my ego grow.”

Fred had reached her final five messages, which was sent about two days ago. It went as followed:

>You sure are taking your time there, huh? Don’t worry about us here, we’re really just fine without you. In fact, Ara and Kyrie had been helping Anette for the past days. Don’t take too much time there or your assistants might get snatched by your opponent.

>Any progress? Are you still on your slump? Want me to head there and beat the shit out of it until you can finally draw a chapter that’s just like you always do? Just tell me.

>Am I already bothering you too much? Don’t worry this will be my last message. You should focus. Keep it up.

>I’m sorry this will really be the last message I’ll send. Just get over it already, I know you can do it.

>I really miss you… Dummy.

Fred was blushing. He became too embarrassed to read them.

“Really… I’m going to give you a scolding once I got back. How can I even make fun of you if you’re already like that? It’s been just seven days. But for starters…”

He dialed Ingrid’s number. There was a long ringing, the phone must have been unattended.

“What, is she already asleep or something?”

He dropped the call, thinking Ingrid was already sleeping. He wouldn’t want to interrupt her from her slumber, or the role of the scolder-scolded might get switched.

“Well, I think the other two should still be working with Anemone at the moment. I won’t try to bother them.”

And that was it for his usage of the phone. He didn’t really know how to use the phone’s browser, nor do some technical stuff. He also didn’t have any games anymore so he couldn’t at least take a break and relax his mind even for just an hour or two.

“Well I guess I’ll be back at my comfort zone.”

He lay down the phone at the desk and continued reading.

But then five minutes passed and his phone rang.

-Ingrid

“Eh? Seriously?”

He picked up the phone and answered.

“WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT’S THE PLACE CALLED?! I’LL BE THERE IN AN HOUR!!”

“Wha—Calm down! Calm down hey!!”

“BUT!!”

“Ssssh!! I said calm down.”

“O-okay…”

Fred managed to calm her down, but it resulted to a long dead air. Both of them were trying to come up with words to say to each other, or at least Ingrid, who had been out of herself for the longest time since Fred was out of her apartment complex.

“So, why couldn’t you answer earlier?”

“L-l-like I’m obliged to answer that?!”

Unlike most of the cases, Fred took the chance to gain the upper hand on the conversation and he succeeded.

“So I’m going to take it that you had a new tenant while I’m away and had been catering to his needs while I’m away. Is it a boy?”

“Okay fine I’ll tell! Just don’t get any wrong ideas!”

Score!

“I… I was… I…”

“It’s fine by me, just say it.”

“I WAS TAKING A BATH YOU DUMB FUCK!”

Fred heard a [poof] as his face exploded from embarrassment upon hearing that. Forcing a girl to tell a guy that she just got out of bath had been triggering death flags for as long as he could remember from all of the mangas he had read.

“S-sorry. I wasn’t really thinking.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. You would see me out of the bath often anyways when we get married.”

“DON’T DECIDE THAT ON YOUR OWN!—I mean… Whatever.”

“Hmp! So… you’ve got some nerve to pick on me, contacting me after that very long time you’ve been gone.”

Fred had an ‘excuse me what?’ face, nevertheless he explained his situation, and reminded Ingrid of what Seria has already told her.

“Sorry, it really was a short notice. I didn’t expected I’d get locked up too. Not to mention Seria tricked me to handing my phone over to her. As if I could reply to you given my current situation.”

“Hmmmm… Well… if that’s the case there’s nothing much I could do about it.”

“Besides, Seria explained my situation to you, right?”

“I won’t settle down unless I hear it directly from you, though...”

“Well tha—you almost have a point. But can’t you just believe Seria if she says so? Well in any case, I’ll be really locked up here until I get over my slump.”

“How long will it last?”

“I… I still don’t know.”

Fred could only tell the truth, for he’s the only one that would know best how he’s doing at the moment. But he didn’t need to fully elaborate what he’s going through. Just a few words and Ingrid would know.

“I would like you to go home now as much as I need to breathe, but if it’s for the sake of your goals, then I’d be willing to wait for even a week more, or maybe even longer than that. Take all the time you need.”

“I know you would say that. That really made me feel better. I—what I mean is, I’ve already stressed myself enough for the past week, trying to end this slump. It’s really refreshing, having somebody else to talk to.”

“Hey, hey, are you not talking to Seria there? Does she leave you alone for the whole day and go to her office?”

“No, she’s here the whole time. But we really don’t talk much. She really wanted me to focus. Who knows how much time I would tend to waste if I started a long conversation with him.”

“You’re right.”

“Besides, the studio here is really packed with references that I couldn’t help but submerge myself onto reading stuff. And…”

“And?”

“I didn’t notice it’s been seven days already.”

But instead of hearing an answer, there was another dead air.

Fred wondered what happened so he looked at the screen of his phone. The call was still on so Ingrid might be either staring blankly thinking of a response, or doing something.

But instead of an answer, Fred heard a loud FWOOSH!!-ing sound from the other line. It was not a static, but rather, a sound of a loud wind coming from a machine-like source and the phone was near it. Ingrid must have been near an electric fan or something.

“ZZZZZZZz—rry—ZZZZZZ—I’ve—ZZZZZZ—wer”

The sound of the wind was so loud that Fred could only hear parts of what Ingrid said. It then gradually lowered and Ingrid started talking with not a clearer voice.

“Sorry I was drying my hair.”

“Ugh.. Can you not do that when talking to somebody over the phone?”

“Why, it’s you anyways. I’ll act as I like when I’m with you. So…”

Fred gulped.

Ingrid’s tone suddenly changed onto her daily teasing one. Fred was already used to it so he knew when she will be starting to tease him, again.

“Are you imagining me on the bath robe right now?”

“NO! STOP! DON’T STUFF IN ANY WEIRD IDEAS ON MY HEAD! I STILL HAVE LOTS TO FINISH.”

“AHAHAHA!! Just kidding. I’ll stop. Sorry about that.”

“I—It’s fine. As long as you know.”

“Ah, going on, how long will this call last by the way?”

“To be honest, Seria was so generous to give me two hours.”

“Oh really? I guess I’ll have to keep you company.”

“Eh? It’s fine, really. I was just really just going to say hi. It’s because the first thing I saw after I got my phone after a week was a spam on my mailbox. I’m really planning to spend the rest of the two hours thinking again.”

“Eeh? Can’t you just spend the whole two hours relaxing instead of stressing yourself again?”

What Ingrid said wasn’t really intended for Fred to realize something. It was just out of a whim. But Fred stopped talking.

“Fred? Heeeey, are you still there?”

Fred was deep in thought. He had already forgotten Ingrid on the other side of the phone.

“Yoohoo, Fred. If just say so if you’ll be busy again instead of leaving me hanging here.”

“Ah. Sorry… what you said really got me. Perhaps that’s what Seria really intended to do.”

“Eh? You really just figured it out now?”

“I can’t believe that editor of mine… Hahaha! Besides…”

“Besides what?”

“Now that I’m here and this happened, I’ve remembered something similar that happened to me when I was back at Mytherion.”

“Oooh nice is this a story? Come on tell me, I’m getting bored here already.”

Fred remembered something from his past life. He had always been telling Ingrid stories of his experiences back at Mytherion. Some of those stories was used as references for the mangas he had been making.

He lived for more than a century already, if compared to Earth’s timeline. A normal human had a mind that would wear down for just a few decades. But being a demon, living a few centuries would be normal. It was only normal that Fred had tons of experience to share with Ingrid.

Ingrid, on the other hand, chose to believe whatever story Fred had been telling her. Whether everything Fred has been telling her was true or lies from a delusional kid from the very beginning, she still chose to believe it.

Her mind was already set to hearing every story the Fred was about to tell her even if they were composed of stories from centuries’ worth of experience.

“Really, it’s a long story. It would take me a whole night even if I start now. I wouldn’t want Seria to catch us talking about something out of this world. I only got 2 hours you know.”

“Come on? Just a little bit of intro, please?”

“What’s the sense? I won’t leave you hanging with an unfinished story.”

“What’s the difference on waiting for the next volume of the manga I’m currently reading?”

“You’ve got a point. But no. I’ll tell it when I return. Besides…”

“Besides…?”

Fred stopped for a bit.

He really sounded like somebody who couldn’t even accomplish something just about a week ago. But just after speaking for a few minutes with Ingrid over the phone, he now sounded like a newly reformed somebody, ready to face the new horizons.

“Nothing. I’ll tell you when I get back.”

“Eh?!! Seriously what you did is just worse than what we’re talking earlier!”

“I guess you’re going to have to wait until I get back there.”

“You jerk! You don’t even know how much longer you will stay there! When will you even get back?!”

“Soon.”

Fred didn’t say anything anymore. He just dropped the phone. He was quite guilty about what he did, but the he knew it would be better to do something while the thought still lingered on him.

Hmmm. I wonder how much time do I have left?

Fred checked on his phone again, it was just past fifteen minutes since Seria went out of the room. He still had much time.

It just happened that he was able to realize why Seria decided to lend him his phone. But it wouldn’t really happen if he didn’t check on Ingrid’s spam of messages. It was a chain of events that triggered one after another. Perhaps it was just a bet that Seria had to rely on, since they were really reaching nowhere.

Fred felt the need to thank Seria about it later on. But that moment Fred wanted to let out some words; words that he was embarrassed to say directly to Ingrid just a few moments ago.

“Thanks, Ingrid.”

The night sky was clear. It might be because the place was that far from the city that he was able to see the clear starry sky and the moon at the window near his working spot.

“It was a fine night like this too, when that happened. How many decades had it been? I nearly forgot due to how busy things were here. This is only my third year here and I’m that forgetful already? Damn, being a human sure have lots of cons. On my way back to Mytherion I’d like to make a stopover at the void and kick that irresponsible god’s ass for once.”

Fred closed the window.

He went near the drawer and gathered some materials. He was ready to work again.

“It’s been a while since I’ve worked alone. It sure is quiet.”

The faces of those living at Ingrid’s apartment complex flashed at him, Ara, Kyrie and even Anemone.

Lastly a memory flashed within him. It was that time when he was making his award-winning oneshot. He remembered the face Ingrid was making that moment about two years ago. She was looking at no other than Fred. She wanted to help him, but at the same time she couldn’t. Her expression looked painfully worried, like she was saying things like ‘if I could only…’ or ‘isn’t there something I can do?’

Perhaps that time Fred had had the same helplessness as he currently having from the scene he remembered.

“You don’t have to make a face like that. I’ll manage on my own.—is what I said that time, huh? I guess It’s different now… I’ve become too dependent to them. You won’t know the value of somebody when they’re gone, huh?”

Fred started sketching and used the remaining time Seria gave him to unwind.

---

“Whoah… I just left you for two hours. I didn’t expect you to finish these.”

“I’m tired. Do you have something sweet?”

Fred looked at Seria like his soul was about to pop out from his shell.

At the desk were scattered pages with sketches on them.

“These…”

“Sigh… Fine fine.”

Seria walked to the door to head downstairs. Again, she stopped for a bit to say something. This time it was to congratulate Fred.

“See? You can do it if you try. Good job, Fred.”

Fred skipped two meals already. He was already in no shape to talk with Seria. That’s why he asked her to at least give him something sweet. He still managed to rough-sketch several pages of his target chapter so Seria offered him a little service.

After recovering a bit of his energy, Fred managed to arrange the order of the scattered pages and had Seria scan through them.

“What can I say… Well this will absolutely sell. Care to tell me what happened? What did you do?”

“Tcheh. Playing innocent won’t get you anywhere. After you set me up to give Ingrid a call. Of course it should sell. I’d die if it won’t. After a long time, I’ve produced something I could brag with confidence to you.”

“HA HA HA!! You can try to accuse me of anything you want. Well, do you want to take return already? if this is all for your next upload I’ve pretty much approved it. Congratulations, you’ve already gotten over your slump.”

“Nah, I think I’ll stay here for a day more and ink some pages. There’s something I want to try with my style too. Also I might do sudden changes on the last minute. I’d just want to bring home something for them to finish with a very minimal effort, considering the trouble I’ve caused them.”

“Trying to shoulder everything, huh? You can try some things but don’t make any distinct changes that would stand out. I won’t allow it.”

“Fine, fine.”

Seria looked at her author to assess his current condition.

Fred was already worn out. He looked like he thinned and it was way more noticeable than an itsy bit. His eye bags were horrendous too. He was absolutely in no condition to do it any further. He was just being carried by his feelings of accomplishment.

“But I won’t allow you to work anymore tonight. Rest and do it tomorrow.”

“Mhmm…”

Fred laid his head at the desk, half-asleep. It might be the coldness of the polished wooden desk that calmed him down. He was still responding to Seria, but it was only by reflex.

Still, Seria continued to talk to him.

“They say people who just got out of their slump tend to have drastic changes. I say you’ve changed for good. But don’t push yourself to your limits. Take proper pacing.”

“Mhmm…”

“Seriously. All these babysitting you this past seven days drove me at the edge too. I took the slimmest chance. Then you went on and exceeded my expectations.”

“I… did?”

“Yeah. At this point I could already say that I don’t want to lose a talented author like you. I mean it.”

“Thanks…”

Seria still had things to say but she noticed Fred started snoring. He was already deep asleep.

She stood up, approached the sleeping Fred, and gave him a fireman’s carry. He was really in a deep sleep that he wouldn’t bother waking up even at an uncomfortable position. Before she left the room she noticed something at the desk. It was Fred’s phone. She went to get it while still carrying the unconscious Fred.

She knew the password of the phone.

She lit up the screen of the phone and immediately went to the call history. She went out of her way to do it because she needed confirmation.

“So all it needed was a call from you, huh? Maybe I should give you a souvenir or something when we get back as a thanks. Good job, Ingrid.”

---

Fred finished packing up his things, though he didn’t really bring that much with him, these items still fit his small sling bag. Of course they would be a bunch of sketch tools. These were the only things that Fred grabbed because he didn’t have any idea he would be confined and it would last for more than a week.

All was good. It’s time to go.

Fred headed downstairs and towards the living room. The door was already open. It was just a day ago when the door was still locked. But now it was already open, and all he needed to do to get his freedom back was to step outside, smell he fresh air, and bask himself under the sunlight.

He took a step and covered his face with the shade of his hand.

He looked at the place where the car was parked. Seria was at the hood section, checking the car’s engine like she was some sort of mechanic holding a wrench with her left hand.

Fred shouted instead of approaching her and having a normal quiet conversation.

“You just loaned that car and there are already problems with it?!”

“It’s just maintenance! Hey! As long as it runs!”

Seria gave him a smirk.

Fred gave up and just let Seria take the steering wheel both of the car and his life. He then approached the car and lift up the trunk cover. He put his luggage there and slammed the lid down, accidentally triggering the engine to start and make a normally operating car.

“Oops, didn’t mean to. Sorry.”

“Hmmm. Don’t mind it. Anyways, you sure you’ve packed everything already?”

“Yeah, that’s all. I’m good to go.”

Fred looked at the cabin.

“It looks like you’ll be missing this place.”

“I won’t!”

“HA HA HA!! OF COURSE YOU WILL! I’LL BET ON IT! I’LL DOUBLE THE BET ON YOU RETURNING HERE TOO! HA HA HA!! ... Now hop on the car I’ll just give the cabin a final check before we go.”

Fred didn’t argue anymore. He went inside the car and strengthen the cooler. He then lay his body comfortably at the backseat and listened to the sound of the car alone.

“I’m finally coming home, huh? For a human mind, a week sure is a long time, huh…”

Fred didn’t notice that he already fell asleep.