Reincarnated as the Final Villain’s Vessel

"You."

Here I was, asking a girl I had just met about dinner, and she answered with "you." How wonderful... I didn’t know I looked that delicious.

Emeris covered her mouth as though she had only just realized what she had said.

"Oh... I mean, anything you want."

Even though she was pretending it had been a mistake, the amused expression on her face said otherwise.

After a moment of thought, I decided to choose randomly.

I pointed at what looked like the fanciest and most expensive restaurant within sight.

"Let’s try that."

I wasn’t going to pay anyway... Speaking of that, the others still owed me money. Maybe I should call them later and make them pay their debts. I might become a millionaire then.

We walked toward it while Emeris clasped her hands behind her back and hummed a cheerful tune.

Around us, students and couples moved about energetically, drowning our voices in the noise of the crowd.

"So, you said you wouldn’t tell me where you were... But what about how you disappeared?"

I shook my head. "No."

She didn’t look disappointed. Instead, she kept humming as she thought.

"At least tell me how you ended up in my room... Or your former room, of all places."

I simply shrugged. "I don’t know."

At that answer, she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, giving her a cute look. "You’re really mean."

We reached the entrance of the restaurant, while the light spilling from the large glass windows drove away the shadows of sunset.

Emeris entered first.

"Alright, enough questions. Let’s enjoy our da... our dinner."

The waiter greeted us the moment we entered, while my essence moved as I activated my ability.

The next moment, I sensed everything around us, but since there wasn’t anyone particularly strong, it didn’t affect my head.

I didn’t focus on my senses. Instead, I looked ahead as the essence filling the space became visible, along with people’s souls.

The waiter leading us to our table, and more importantly, Emeris.

This girl was strange and cheerful... But none of that was the reason I had called her a weirdo. It was something else.

What I was seeing inside her body now.

That bright, pure glow... She was at Rank 3 Advanced.

Yeah, I hadn’t been mistaken. It seemed she had only reached the Advanced sub-rank recently, but even so, that was still a lot.

Even though I was very close to the Advanced sub-rank, I still hadn’t reached it, neither had Elliot, even after all the constant killing.

And yet here was a strange girl who was stronger than both of us... At least in rank.

But even that wasn’t the strangest thing about her.

It was her soul.

I didn’t know how to describe it... It was just obvious. I felt like it was missing something... Or more precisely, it was incomplete.

And that wasn’t something that should’ve been possible.

Was she someone from the Void System, or what?... Even though there wasn’t any proof or hint of that, it was still a possibility.

Or maybe she was simply a talented person we didn’t know about... Someone who also didn’t exist in those memories inside my head.

The waiter led us to the second floor, where quiet conversations drifted from the reserved tables, accompanied by the faint scent of food.

Emeris pointed at a table beside the glass wall overlooking the outside.

"We’ll take that one."

The waiter nodded politely.

"Please have a seat. Someone will be with you shortly."

The waiter left, and we reached the table and sat across from each other at the luxurious table.

The glass wall was to my right, overlooking the students outside while the lights illuminated the world and filled it with life.

Across from me sat Emeris, resting her elbow on the table and supporting her chin with one hand as she looked outside.

Her silver hair flowed down her back, reflecting the lights, while her gray eyes occasionally shone with a faint blue light.

Noticing my gaze, she turned her head toward me and smiled.

"This is only the second time we’ve met, but it feels strange to me... Have we really never met before?"

"Maybe when we were very young."

When we were very young?

I didn’t remember that period. I barely remembered those days in the laboratory. I didn’t have the system back then, so I didn’t know my exact age, but maybe seven or eight... Around that.

But before that, I literally remembered nothing, as though it had never existed in the first place.

So, if I had lived a different life during that time, then yes, it was possible that we had met... That would explain this feeling too.

I shook my head. "I don’t know."

"Hmm... Why are you so serious? Are you going through a hard time or something?"

I sighed. "I just have a lot on my mind."

Emeris smiled.

"Forget about it. We’re still young, so you can put it off and enjoy yourself."

I almost laughed at that... Maybe she was right, but she wasn’t.

Yeah, we still had long lives ahead of us, but was life going to wait for us so we could do everything at our own pace?... Of course not.

I looked at her and asked something else that had caught my curiosity. "Anyway, you’re very strong, but you only joined the Axis now. Why?"

Emeris smiled in amusement.

"Oh, look who’s asking now... Yeah, it’s the same person who refused to answer everything."

This girl was really something else.

She tilted her head, her hair falling to one side. "But I’m not a mean person like him, so..."

I raised an eyebrow. "So what?"

She leaned back against the chair as a sly expression appeared on her face.

"So if you pay for dinner, I’ll tell you."

I looked at her quietly, but her eyes were laughing at me in silence.

Should I just refuse and pretend I didn’t care? But the answer might contain something useful, even if it was a lie.

I sighed. "Alright."

Her face lit up with victory as she clasped her hands together proudly.

"See... I won in the end."

Her smile faded slightly as she continued.

"Anyway, it’s not a secret or anything, but I wasn’t always strong."

I raised an eyebrow curiously.

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "A few months ago, my talent was average, and so was my rank compared to people our age."

"So when the entrance exams were held, I was Rank 1 Advanced, and I couldn’t join the Axis. But as time passed, my growth speed increased, and now you can see how I ended up here."

Her words came out calmly, as though what she had said was the simplest thing in the world.

But as for me, I couldn’t help being surprised.

Even my expression showed it.

How the hell do you go from Rank 1 Advanced to Rank 3 Advanced in such a short time... This... This was literally broken.

Had life started handing out gifts at random or what... Then why not give me one too?

She looked at me. "That sounds surprising, doesn’t it?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, it’s broken. But how did that happen?"

She tilted her head with a playful expression. "And why should I tell you..."

But before I could say anything, she laughed and waved her hand.

"I’m kidding, I’m kidding... Honestly, I don’t know how or when. It wasn’t sudden. It was more like gradual growth without me realizing it."

She didn’t seem to be lying, but what could I expect... Well, I figured something like that wouldn’t escape Alicia’s eyes or the Axis administration.

So she should’ve investigated it... Or was I the only suspicious one in her eyes?

I leaned back with a sigh while looking outside and hearing her teasing comment.

"Why do you look even sadder now... Are you jealous of me?"

"Kind of." I couldn’t help being honest.

At that moment, a waiter walked toward us carrying the menu... He was so slow, I had almost forgotten we were in a restaurant.

He placed it in front of us before asking,

"Would you like to order now, or do you need a little more time?"

With an eager smile, Emeris picked up the menu and answered,

"Give us a little more time."

The waiter left, while she opened the menu and gave me a strange look before returning her attention to it and speaking loudly enough for me to hear.

"Let’s see what’s the most expensive thing here... I’m not the one paying anyway."

I shook my head and let out a helpless sigh.

How wonderful. My money and my line had both been stolen by a girl I had just met.

But honestly, this was fun and also... relaxing.