Chapter 11: The Trap is sprung, but which Trap?

*Funyu* (Tired Sigh)

‘L, I know you are busy with the task I gave you, but can you catalog and categorize everything I just read?’

L: ‘Sure, I need a break anyway. Synthesis is harder than it looks.’

‘Thanks, Also I need to warn you, “to memorize” is not the same as “to learn”. If we want to reach perfection, we need to be able to learn and adapt.’

L: ‘No game, No life, right? Stunning example how preparedness, tactics, cunning, and ingenuity can make even the weakest of the races win against those superior to itself.’

‘Yes, while we are nowhere near their level, if we follow their example, even if we fail a few times, as long as we learn from it we should be alright.’

L: ‘Why do I get the feeling you get most of your “words of wisdom” from manga and light novels?’

‘Maybe because I had you memorize everything I’ve read before so all you need to do is a search to see if there is a match?’

L: ‘So it is a classic case of the kettle calling the pot fat?’

‘Close enough. You might want to brush up on your sayings though.’

L: ‘Something to “learn” I guess?’

‘Ha! Well said.'

L: ‘Yep, well I finished your little task and I set it so that if you think of “Royal Road’s Beta Test Rules” everything you just read will come back into your short-term memory.’

‘Nice. Is that a new trick you “learned”?’

L: ‘Yep, but it is what the brain does naturally as you get more proficient in something, I just sped up the process.’

‘Keep on learning, we will need everything you can muster when the time comes.’

L: ‘Understood. Back to synthesizing I go.’

“Robert?” A melodious voice that calls from the kitchen returns me to the outside world.

“Ah Jessica-sempai. Is the food ready?”

“It is, I have been calling you for a few minutes now.”

‘And I didn’t hear you? Something must be wrong with my ears.’

“I am sorry about that Jessica-sempai. I must have been captivated by your voice and unable to respond.”

“I see. Well if you don’t hurry Zash will start before you and there won’t be anything left.”

‘Oh? Is she getting used to my light teasing? Or is she just hiding it better? Either way, I can’t let Zash eat everything.’

“I am coming, give me two minutes.”

I close my laptop, stand up and walk to the kitchen.

* * *

Ah pardon me while I hijack this story for but a moment. My name is [******]. Oh? I am censored even here? Oh well, my name is unimportant. As some of you might have noticed, I am the only one of his ‘personalities’ that doesn’t use ‘’ when I speak.

Some of you might have wondered why, others might have just thought it was simply because the author ran out of ways to distinguish them apart, but most don’t care. Now because I am trapped in his depravity, I cannot influence him like the others can, yet I am still able to watch, but I am getting off topic.

Where was I? Ah yes. For those who like to read between the lines, I offer a little puzzle. As his story progresses clues will be dropped in fact many have already been dropped about my true nature. Now that I am thinking about it, there is probably enough already for the most broad minded to realize it already. But I doubt any of you would have taken this author’s work seriously to read between the lines of what he wrote.

On that note: for who wish to attempt to solve my little puzzle, pm your solution including your reasoning to the author. Random guesses will not be responded to. If you get it right, I’ll have the author do something as a prize. What exactly? I am not sure yet. As I force the author to write these words, I am still undecided on what to do is someone actually does guess my true nature. But I digress.

I shall now restore the fourth wall I so haphazardly broke and leave our humble author to continue to write his story. Do be kind to him though, he is still rather new to all this after all.

* * *

As I entered the kitchen, my nose is assaulted with various appetizing smells. Even if I wasn’t hungry before, after smelling this cascade of smells I definitely would be.

Our kitchen table is a square shape with rounded off corners. Zash was sitting on the south edge, so I sit on the east edge. That way Sempai would be to my right or directly across from me.

The table had been set nicely and most of the dishes are already on the table. Getting back up, I make an attempt to help Sempai carry the remaining food, but I was shooed away.

Dejected, I prepared myself another cup of coffee before returning back to my seat.

‘Maybe she likes to spoil people than being spoiled herself? I will need to ask my soon-to-be Father-in-law. Maybe he can give me some insights on how to crack Sempai’s shell?'

As my idle thoughts continue to accumulate as I sip my coffee, the table slowly became full with Sempai’s dishes.

“Ne, ne, let’s eat?” This time it was Zash who broke me out of my thoughts. Banishing all my idle thoughts, I rubbed Zash’s head.

“Sure. Jessica-sempai? Is it okay if we get started now?”

“That’s fine. I am just about done as well.”

“Itadakimasu.” Both Zash and I say in unison after putting our hands together. Which cause Sempai to let out a small chuckle.

The food Sempai prepared was quite delicious, and thus it vanished at a rapid pace.

“Goshisosama.” Zash and I said in unison as we finished our meal.

As I was clearing off the table, I apologized to Sempai.

“I am sorry Jessica-sempai. Even though I wanted to enjoy the meal you so painstakingly prepared for us leisurely, in the end it was too delicious and we ended up eating everything rather quickly. Right Zash?”

“Hai~”

“Since the original plan went out the window, if you want you can tell us what you and your daughter decided to do right now, you may.”

Sempai took a deep breath and started speaking.

“We have decided that we do not want to impose on your kindness any more than we have too. We humbly decline your offer for us to live with you, but if you have an open apartment we will gladly rent it from you.”

“I see, that works out for me as well actually…”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh nothing, just talking to myself. So when do you guys want to move in?”

“Would tomorrow be too soon?” Sempai asks.

“One second while I check where I have vacancies.”

“Okay.”

‘L. I need you to bring up the floor plan of this apartment complex and cross-check it for vacancies big enough for 2 people to live.’

L: ‘Affirmative. Scanning. Search complete. 5 matches found.’

“I have 5 rooms that are meant for two people. Are there any other requirements that you are looking for? Or do you want to see each room first and choose which one you like best?”

“I would like to see the rooms before I decide if you don’t mind.”

“Very well. Probably around noon tomorrow I will be able to show you the rooms.”

“Thank you very much Robert for doing all this for us.”

“Not at all, for even I am caught up in your father’s plans.”

“Right? My daughter says the strangest of things sometimes.”

"Oh? Such as?”

“She was saying something like how Father’s plan to bring you into our family was actually a reverse trap engineered by you to get me to marry you. You know strange things like that.”

“You don’t say.”

“Strange right?”

“Do you know where you will be staying tonight?”

“Yes Alice managed to convince father to let us stay one more night before we move."

“I see, I did not ask before because it was unnecessary, but now that it is getting darker, how did you arrive at my humble home?”

“I drove, of course?”

“I see, then shall I walk to your vehicle when you are ready to leave?"

“Yes and thank you…”

“Whenever you are ready then.”

I finish transferring all the dirty dishes to the sink when I noticed that sempai wanted to say something.

“Yes Jessica-sempai?”

“Um… are you not going to ask me to stay the night?”

“While I would love to do just that, it is not my place to ask. If you wish to stay the night then I will welcome you with open arms. To you almost everything is permitted, I will not deny you anything as long as it is in my power to do so.”

“Almost anything?” Sempai questions my word choice.

“I would prefer to stay among the living a while longer, so please do not ask for my life to end, for that is the one thing I must refuse. Other than that, everything is allowed, and I am willing to be accommodating.”

“If I do stay the night, you won’t “attack” me will you?”

“If you request for me to “attack” you, I will do so but until then I will wait like a well-trained hound told to stay.”

“I see…”

“Please do not misunderstand. It is not if I don’t want to “attack” Sempai, I am simply afraid that if I do it will cause Sempai to hate me. The one thing I don’t want to do is get hated by Sempai. So all I can do is wait until I receive permission to go ahead, even if I have to wait until eternity.”

“Hmm…” A small smile spread across Sempai’s lips.

‘I wonder what is going through her mind right now. All I did was speak the truth. I would indeed wait until eternity if that is what it took, but once I am turned way, I shall leave because I don’t go where I am unwanted or unneeded.’

“I need to make another phone call.”

“Of course, Jessica-sempai. I will be here in the kitchen washing dishes until your return.”

O: ‘Master. That was very well done.’

‘Maybe, for all my bad habits and grandstanding, I am still a novice when it comes to actual love.’

O: ‘Then perhaps tonight is the night you will finally climb the steps to “adulthood”?’

‘That all depends on Sempai. If she wants me to embrace her, then embrace her I shall, but without permission everything is moot.’

O: ‘I have completed my search into doppelgangers. Not much is known about them besides the most common of information: they are able to change their form but not their size, they can read others thoughts, they are highly self-centered, and despite their frail appearance they are fast and strong.’

'Nothing new then.’

O: ‘Apparently while doppelgangers have their own societies, their half-breed offspring Changelings are without one and are forced to blend into the common races. Changelings also lack the abilities of a true doppelganger, but maintain the ability to change their form.’

‘Hmm…’

O: A final tidbit of information I was able to glean, they are more resistant to sleep and charm magic as to why it is unknown but probably because of their mind reading powers. Also a female doppelganger is unable to change form while pregnant. Finally there is such thing as a greater doppelganger but no further information was able to be gathered from your memory about them.’

‘I see. Thank you for the information. When you get a chance, can you think on what we can do to make our avatar’s body able to endure the body forging we will give it and able to contain vast amounts of Mana?’

O: ‘Yes, Master. I will give it some thought.’

‘Dismissed.'

O: ‘By your leave, Master.’

‘So not much is known about doppelgangers huh? Not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.’

While thinking about what to do about our avatar’s body I finish washing the dishes in silence. As I put the last dish up, a pair of arms wrap around my waist and I fell two mounds of soft flesh press against my back.

“Robert-kun, guess what.”

“What is it Jessica-sempai?”

“Your sempai has finally noticed you.”

“Thank you for noticing me?”

“Ne, ne, you said that I could have you until death do us part, but Robert-kun, your sempai wants you even after that. Is that okay?”

“Depends on what you mean by ‘after that’.”

“Will you love only me even after I’m gone?”

“Only if you promise to have no other if I go first.”

“What if I ask you to never talk to another female besides me ever again?”

“That would be feasibly impossible, because there are female tenants that live in this apartment complex, and as the landlord I cannot ignore them just because you asked me too. I can promise that I would never see them in a romantic light, but I cannot promise that I would never speak to another female.”

“I see.” Sempai says into my ear before removing her arms from my waist and pushing way from me.

My body wanted to continue enjoying her touch, but I wasn’t conditioned to follow what left on its own.

“You pass, Robert.”

“Hmm? Was this a test?” I ask wondering what just happened.

“A real playboy would agree to all my demands even if he knew he wouldn’t obey them just to get into my pants. You however, are different. You denied my demands because you know it was impossible, even if it meant that you couldn’t have me.”

‘Is that how it works?’

“Sempai, I do not understand. I offered myself to you, if you wish to have me or not is all up to Sempai. I will do my best to obey, but I have duties that I cannot lay down that surpass even my desire to obey my Sempai. As long as Sempai’s desires and my duties do not conflict, I am Sempai’s to command.”

“Then come, let us see how much dedication you have to following my commands and fulfilling my desires?”

“You wish is my command.”

I follow Sempai upstairs to my room which we both enter.

O: ‘I guess my ideas on how to build our avatar’s body will have to wait until morning. I guess I’ll take a nice nap.’

Needless to say neither Sempai nor I got much sleep that night.

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