Chapter 83

I couldn’t sleep until late that night.

It was because Kato had been fuming until past midnight, demanding that I turn her body back to normal right away.

But we all knew, vaguely.

Ah, this isn’t going to change back anytime soon.

That for the time being, I had no choice but to imitate Kato.

Having gone through this with Dami and Yunseuli, I was somewhat used to this kind of life, but she was not.

Living in one body with a man she wasn’t even close to.

Kato Mikane was unbearably tormented by the fact that she had to share her senses, in particular.

Listening to her mutter dejectedly that if she had known it would be like this, she never would have accepted such a request, I even started to wonder if this woman was going to develop a mental illness.

But the bigger problem arose that night.

Of course, we had to wash up before bed, and we also had to relieve ourselves, and when Kato Mikane realized this, she let out a strangled sound and threw a fit as if she was going to kill me.

“I get it. I get it. I can just close my eyes. I’ll close them!”

<Closing your eyes isn’t enough-!!>

Saying she couldn’t trust this lecherous man, Kato demanded that I wrap a thick cloth around my face, centered on my eyes, to block my Vision.

Of course, even with that, there was nothing to be done about blocking the… sensations.

This life in one body meant that when the sharer’s emotions reached a certain extreme, I felt them just as keenly.

This was the same back when I was with the kids.

For example, if they were too sad, or overjoyed, those emotions would be transmitted to me. In this case, how should I describe Kato Mikane’s emotions…?

She was about the second most miserable woman in the world.

But there was nothing to be done.

She couldn’t hold in her need to use the restroom forever.

She was twenty-three years old.

For a grown woman to hold it and hold it until she wets her pants—wouldn’t that be its own kind of hell?

In the end, when we had finished preparing for bed in that fashion, she muttered in a voice that had lost everything.

That on the day our bodies switched back, she would burn me to a crisp.

That if she could just escape this endless nightmare, she wouldn’t hesitate to pay the price.

It seemed that breaking her promise to let me live until the end of the year would have a considerable negative impact on Kato Mikane herself.

And yet, she wanted to erase me from the world, even if it meant accepting the Penalty.

<I’m going to kill you… I’m really going to do it…>

Feeling a chill at those words, which were muttered not idly but with true sincerity, I went to bed.

The next morning.

It seemed Kato Mikane had decided not to speak a single word to me.

Still, since we were going to be living together, I thought it would be nice to get along and offered a morning greeting, but I received no reply.

Figuring she must be pretty mad, I decided to quietly wander around the Team House.

As it happened, today was the weekend.

As I went down to the first floor, I could feel Kato flinch.

The cause was a teammate who had run into me.

“Did you sleep well?”

The girl with the bob cut who bowed her head in greeting was the Defender I had seen yesterday.

What was her name again?

I couldn’t remember.

Just as I was thinking that I should memorize all the teammates’ names when I had time, she told me breakfast was ready and led me to the dining hall.

‘Hmm, smells good.’

If the Super Sylph Team House’s breakfast was a buffet-style meal from the hands of a skilled chef, the Kamui team’s breakfast was closer to a neat, home-cooked meal.

The only thing that was a little different from a normal home-cooked meal was the portion size…?

It looked like a bit much for an ordinary person to eat, but for Pro Gamers who frequently moved their bodies with Stamina Training and the like, it was just the right amount.

All the other players were already gathered in the dining hall.

Seeing them all sitting there quietly, it seemed they had been waiting for Kato.

‘Isn’t this a bit too rigid?’

If Super Sylph had an atmosphere where teammates relied on each other, this place seemed like a team that revolved strictly around Kato Mikane.

<Tell them to sit down and eat.>

In the end, Kato spoke up, perhaps worried I would make another mistake.

As I did as she said, the players shouted, “Thank you for the meal!” and picked up their chopsticks.

‘There are… no spoons?’

But there was clearly soup.

There’s miso soup right here, so why are there no spoons?

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

I stealthily glanced around and began my meal.

It wasn’t long, however, before Kato’s scolding erupted, as if she couldn’t stand it anymore.

<Eat quietly! You look vulgar.>

That’s a bit harsh.

No, how am I supposed to eat any quieter than this?

I was already eating consciously because the other players were eating so quietly, but even this didn’t seem to satisfy Kato.

Are you just trying to torment me?

Want me to establish some discipline by slurping down this miso soup?

But doing that to someone who had already suffered a series of severe shocks since yesterday seemed too cruel, so I decided to be the one to endure it.

After finishing the rather uncomfortable meal.

I began the morning training session.

Pro Gamers couldn’t do intense training during the Season, but Saturdays were a little more relaxed.

This was because after a full rest on Sunday, their muscles would be mostly recovered by Monday afternoon.

What was the training regimen of a world-class team like?

I was a little excited at the thought of getting to see the training of the Kamui team, now the world’s number one after their World Championship victory, but once the training began, I was able to quickly regain my composure.

It was because it wasn’t particularly different from Super Sylph’s.

No, if anything, it seemed like Super Sylph’s training volume was even higher.

‘What is this? Does that mean these guys won the championship on pure Talent?’

That question was answered only when the In-Game Training began.

Battlefield: Arcfactory Plant.

Here, the players intensively practiced 1-vs-4 drills.

Naturally, the “1” was Kato Mikane.

The other four formed a team and applied pressure.

Is this even a survivable drill?

Even if it were Seo Dami, she wouldn’t be able to last long alone against the other four teammates.

Just as I was having that thought, Kato spoke.

<Use the power. You won’t last otherwise.>

She said that without using the power of an Onmyoji, it would be impossible to survive a 1-vs-4 battle.

But even if she said that… I didn’t know how to use that power.

And as soon as the training started, a problem arose.

The pressure from the Kamui players was beyond imagination.

The Level of each individual player was already World Class, so they were unusually sharp.

Naturally, I was forced onto the defensive as soon as the battle began, and seeing this, Kato fell into despair again, spewing her gloomy emotions without filter.

A gunshot rang out across the Battlefield with a bang!

A Silence Shot from the Sniper pierced my thigh, and my movements became drastically sluggish.

Should I self-heal and continue to evade?

Or Blink?

While I was contemplating how to continue the fight, an Attacker rushed in to catch me while I was slowed.

In that moment, I saw the opponent’s hand flash with a blue light.

He must have cast a TP Barrier to prevent me from escaping with Blink.

There were countless Skills that used a blue light Effect, but I figured it out based on the situation and my intuition.

In that case, there was no other way but to self-heal.

I braced myself for the Mana consumption and healed my thigh with a healing Skill.

I rolled to the side, evading the opponent’s Rapid Fire.

<Aargh! Don’t roll on the floor!!!>

Rolling on the floor to dodge an Attack seemed to be an extremely vulgar act by her standards.

Give me a break, what’s vulgar about a game?

As long as you win, that’s all that matters.

And right now, the opponent’s Chain Attack was so dense that it was impossible to dodge without rolling on the floor.

As I got up from the roll, I launched a Counterattack at the opposing Attacker.

As the Arclight Rifle fired sharply, the opponent flinched and hid behind Cover.

<Smoke Screen!>

Kato Mikane shouted.

The Attacker who had taken cover threw a Smoke Grenade toward me in an arc.

At first, I thought he was going to use a Pattern I often used myself: throw a Smoke Screen, then use Acceleration to Attack.

But that wasn’t it.

The Sniper’s harassment continued from outside the Smoke Screen, and while I was having trouble moving, the enemy Defender suddenly came at me from the side.

There were four opponents.

Considering their numbers, there was no need to rely solely on the Attacker.

Their plan from the start was to split up and attack me.

As the heavy Shield, wreathed in its own Shield Skill, slammed into me, I had to tumble helplessly to the floor.

“Huh?”

And at the sight of me, the opponent looked even more surprised.

It was clear they hadn’t expected me to be sent flying and rolling across the floor.

“Un-Unni, are you okay?”

<Eee…!>

The player who apologized while checking my reaction, despite having executed a good Attack.

And Kato Mikane, who had boiled up to her limit, unable to stand such a sight.

In the end, I had no choice but to call for a short break and stop the training.

As I took a moment to catch my breath and check my weapon, Kato spoke.

<What is your identity? Are you a spy sent from Korea?>

She poured out a stream of words, saying that Korea was jealous of Japan, the world’s best, and had set a Trap, that they were incomparably insidious.

<That’s right. You’re doing this on purpose to humiliate me!>

‘There’s no way that’s true…’

I said.

If I had lived a long and healthy life, Korea, Super Sylph, would have beaten you anyway, so why would I do something like this?

At that, Kato Mikane scoffed.

<Super Sylph? Beat us? Don’t you know anything about the world?>

Kato then went on a tirade, saying that Super Sylph’s game had completely collapsed and they were currently on a Losing Streak even against Artemis.

And that same Artemis was a team that couldn’t do anything at last year’s World Championship.

So how could Super Sylph possibly be a match for us, Kato fumed.

Well, it wasn’t like team Matchup Compatibility always lined up so neatly, but her words weren’t entirely without merit.

But the point to note here was that, surprisingly, Kato Mikane was well-versed in the goings-on of the Korean League.

Isn’t that strange?

Super Sylph’s struggles against Artemis were a relatively recent development, happening while our team was in a Slump.

So, unless Kato had been deliberately keeping track of the Korean League situation until recently, there was no way she could have said something like that.

‘You talk a big game, but you were pretty concerned, weren’t you?’

<About what?>

‘From the sound of it, it seems you’ve been keeping up with the Korean League.’

<……!>

‘Who could you have been so concerned about? Seo Dami, perhaps?’

<Hmph. I have not! Just focus on figuring out how to switch us back. If the League starts like this, we’re going to be seriously humiliated!>

Kato Mikane was worried that I would tarnish her reputation.

Her Performance was on a level of its own, even globally.

If she, of all people, were to display ordinary play, there was a high probability that the Kamui team’s fans would be quite disappointed.

‘If I had experienced it even once, I could probably imitate it to some extent…’

<Imitate what?>

‘The Sensory Sharing. I mean… the reason you can make those super plays is because of that Power of the Ley Line or whatever, isn’t it?’

<What nonsense are you spouting? Anyone hearing that would think I won the World Championship using only superpowers.>

Kato Mikane strongly denied it.

The Power of the Ley Line only played a ‘supporting’ role for her, and even without it, she was the strongest in the world.

‘I don’t think so…’

Of course, I also acknowledged that her skills were amazing.

Having done the 1-vs-4 training in Kato Mikane’s body, I could tell how much grueling training she must have gone through to build this physique.

If I had to compare her to Dami, she was much stronger in terms of Stamina, and her instantaneous reflex speed was also faster.

I felt that at this level, she could compete with male players even without any special powers.

But this alone couldn’t explain the special quality she possessed.

Her play at the World Championship had a strength that transcended all of this.

‘Anyway, that’s my point. For any Skill I’ve used even once, I learn it quickly because of Sensory Sharing. So if you show me how you use the Power of the Ley Line just once, I should be able to follow along to some extent.’

<Hmph. Dream on.>

‘……?’

Was she saying that since she had practiced for a long time to handle that power, I shouldn’t think I could follow it in an instant?

As I was thinking that, Kato spoke in an eerie voice.

<The day I return to my original body will be the day you cross the river of the dead.>

‘…….’

Kato Mikane, who spoke of killing someone so casually.

I was momentarily taken aback, but I quickly came to my senses and puffed out my chest proudly.

‘Hey. Ms. Kato Mikane.’

<……?>

‘You don’t seem to understand the situation. If you keep threatening me, I won’t just stand by either.’

<What did you say?>

‘How about I make a mess of things on Monday? It would be quite a sight to see the great Kato Mikane ruin a game with consecutive trolling.’

At my bold threat, Kato looked dazed for a moment before erupting in anger.

This is why you should never show kindness to a black-haired beast.

As she let out a roar and threw a tantrum, I felt my own head start to spin.

‘No, I mean, just pick one. Just one. Either you’re my benefactor because you saved me, or you’re the bad guy trying to kill me.’

I didn’t know how much longer we had to live like this, but it would be better to get along amicably than to bicker every day. At my words, she also calmed her excitement for a moment.

The silence stretched on for a bit.

In the meantime, the Kamui team players were practicing on their own, taking turns with One-on-One Training.

And after about ten minutes had passed.

Kato Mikane, having finished her deliberation, opened her mouth.

<Let’s try some simple training.>

‘Training?’

<On Monday, we’re up against the Star Sapphire team.>

Star Sapphire was the number two team in Japan.

She said they were a formidable team that would have won several times if not for Kamui.

Kato Mikane said that at this rate, there was a high probability of losing to Star Sapphire.

<I’m not trying to brag, but I’ve raised the skill level of the Japanese League by several steps. Every team playing in Japan has seen a tremendous improvement in their ability to focus down the Ace.>

That sounds exactly like bragging.

I thought to myself as I continued to focus on her words.

<To be honest, your skills aren’t unwatchable. In fact, considering you came from the Korean League, I even thought your level was higher than expected.>

‘What’s this, a compliment for once?’

<Hear me out. But what I’m saying is, with those skills, you won’t be able to withstand Star Sapphire’s Chain Attack pressure. In fact, you couldn’t handle it in the training earlier and ended up tumbling on the floor, didn’t you?>

‘I’m just curious. When you train yourself, what’s your Win Rate in the 1-vs-4 drill?’

At my question, she answered as if I had asked something obvious.

<A hundred percent, of course. When I train with the kids, I never roll on the floor or anything like that.>

Is that for real?

No matter how good she was, it was a 1-vs-4 drill. They weren’t some neighborhood league team, but players from a team like Kamui. Hearing her say she never loses was hard to believe.

<So, we need to raise our level of play a bit in the time we have left.>

With only a few days left until the match, I was wondering how she planned to improve my Performance in such a short time when Kato proposed a crash course.

<I don’t know if it’ll work, but let’s try training to use the power. The Power of the Ley Line, I mean. If you can learn to use even a little of it, we might be able to avoid being utterly humiliated in the League.>