Chapter 738: Crossover Part 5

A few days have passed since that little invader arrived. Most of her interactions around the house have been picking a room and talking to Ayla. Unfortunately, Shizune isn’t interesting to annoy with sexual stuff or other irritating things.

She doesn’t show much of a reaction, probably because unlike Ayla, who’s just a goddess, Shizune is a cosmic deity, a conceptual entity. That means she’s moved past basic senses like shame.

But Ayla remains just as easy to irritate and just as interesting, so I’m not complaining. Besides, Shizune seems fascinating. I’ve usually encountered cosmic beings that don’t directly represent concepts. She is the concept itself, so analyzing her body is entertaining.

"Pandora..."

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever thought about creating a penis?" Shizune asks me out of nowhere, her tone dead serious, as Ayla chokes on a sandwich, nearly spitting it out.

"No," I deny, while Ayla looks back and forth between us.

"What the hell kind of question is that, Shizune? Don’t tell me you’re as messed up as Pandora!! You were being so normal!!" Ayla says, almost desperate for the normalcy that just got thrown out the window.

"Pandora was also a man. Since all of us here were once men, I got curious about why she never tried, even with so much power."

"Heh? Really? No way. This lustful woman?" Ayla looks at me as if that’s more shocking than me being a goddess.

"It’s because it didn’t make sense to me. I completely left the past life I had behind. Besides, I have my tail — it’s better than any penis." I feel a little uncomfortable with the subject.

"Hmmm... for someone so evil, that’s kind of comical. You know, if I were you, I wouldn’t be me, so... yeah, it’d be weird." She says something completely nonsensical that makes me laugh. Ayla, understanding nothing, looks frustrated.

"Urgh... you guys said the past didn’t matter, so why are you bringing it up?" she says critically.

"I just had a brief curiosity about whether Pandora wanted that. I can’t see Pandora’s future — it’s full of senseless deaths, and I can’t even tell when she’ll actually die."

"Also, sorry, Ayla. I had a sexually difficult life. A lot of my mind got distorted, and I think I don’t feel enough weight to avoid intimate questions," she says disinterestedly, stealing the sandwich from Ayla’s hand and biting into it.

"I think all of us here had our difficult sides in life, and it’s interesting for me to meet other people who suffered, even if it was different kinds of suffering." She spins Ayla’s sandwich on her finger and tosses it into the trash.

"..." Ayla just gets up and leaves, anger rising, while I stare at the sandwich in the garbage.

"You didn’t have to throw it away."

"You should have told her what the meat in the fridge is. She wouldn’t like eating that knowing what it is — after all, it’s human flesh."

"...I am a monster, and human flesh has always been something I enjoyed. It was also my first meal when I was born, so... yeah. I guess I’ll try to be nicer to her... wait... fuck, your voice is a pain." I say, rubbing my temples.

Because she’s the literal life of her universe, her voice forces the listener to become reflective when she uses that "friendly" tone, which made me think a little too much about my own actions.

"You’re the first to resist that. Your power genuinely bothers me... but anyway, I have questions about where this house is heading." She changes the subject, getting up and walking to the fridge.

"Honestly, I don’t have an exact route. I’m just moving forward. If something interesting shows up, I’ll stop the house and visit. That’s all. It’s like traveling by plane, except if the plane flies over a cool ’island,’ I jump out with a parachute."

"Hmmm... Pandora, I don’t have offensive power — not enough for my power level — so please don’t put us in danger, okay?"

"Hahaha, I can’t promise anything." She grabs a drink can from the fridge, opens it, and takes a sip.

"You’re fascinating, Pandora. I’ve never seen a human who cast aside every trace of humanity for a goal. You transcend into a new form of existence while still keeping memories of a previous existence. Have you ever had existential crises because of that?"

"You know, I’ve had a few in the past. For the human mind to become something so alien is... stressful. I get that they say faith moves mountains, and that strong determination can topple even divinities."

"But the fact that you endured the existential weight of changing life forms with nothing but determination is more terrifying than anything. It’s a level of sick, obsessive determination, and when used for evil, it produced you. Have you ever wondered what your life would have been like if you’d used that determination for good?" Her question makes me roll my eyes.

"Never, and I don’t care about a future where I could have been good! I chose to be evil, to be a monster, and I liked the result. Envying or wishing for a result I don’t know is stupidity." She tosses a can from the fridge to me and smiles.

"Hehehehe."

"What are you laughing at?" I ask, opening the can and hearing the hiss of the gas inside.

"I had a lot of problems with yanderes in the past. Living close to an insane yandere like you is like seeing a piece of the past returning... I’ve always regretted my past."

"If I had your power... I would have tried to change everything. It’s... it’s funny to see how different people, upon getting the same thing, would use it in such opposite ways."

"You’re consistent — like an animal."

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

"It is one. You had your problems, but you never tried to erase the past and change it into something better. You just accepted it and moved on. I envy that ability of yours. Even today, after millions of years since what happened to me, I still feel like I wish I’d had a different past, a better past."

"Maybe it’s fate that we met? It’s good for me to see another person who suffered in her own way but never gave up the way I gave up on everything." She drinks all the liquid in the can, crushes it, and tosses it in the trash.

"Pandora, one last question... do you miss human life?"

"No."

"...No hesitation at all... Are humans that undesirable to you? I really envy the humanity I lost..."

"Humans are weak, fragile like pieces of paper. Why would I choose to be a piece of paper when I’m the universe where the tree that becomes paper grows?"

"What a disturbing analogy... Humans are fascinating too, and there’s a lot of good in them."

"But what about your mother? She was human..." She brings up my past again.

"Stop talking about my past, okay? Yes, she was nice, and I’ll always respect her, but it’s the past, and the past is just that — the past. If you envy humans, that’s your problem."

"But I will NEVER envy humanity," I say seriously.

"...Living only for yourself, living only to have fun and enjoy life and the power you have... it’s a despicable choice... but I respect it. It’s your choice, and no one can choose for you, Pandora."

"So, Pandora, the most despicable monster I’ve ever met, I hope we get along during this time we’ll travel together." She steals my drink can and walks away.

"...I say the same. May we be excellent housemates." I smack her on the butt for stealing my drink before she gets away.