Riaru de Reberu Age Shitara Hobo Chītona Jinsei ni Natta

Chapter 32: Lincoln

「That is……No never mind」 (Yurikago Speaking)

Yurikago was about to make some sort of a rebuttal, but she shook her head and swallowed her words back down.

「Abraham Lincoln………America’s former President of the United States, he said a few words which really stuck with me. When someone passes 40 years of age, a person should take responsibility for his own face, that’s what he said」 (Yurikago Speaking)

「Hmm?」(Taiyou Speaking)

Taiyou inclined his neck a little and gave her a look which said, “Why are you suddenly talking about such a thing?” Yurikago was being really roundabout in the way she spoke, this was totally unlike her usual self.

「Don’t look at me with those eyes, it’s not really that Philosophical. I’m not suddenly turning into Sakura, I don’t have an interest in such things. What I am talking about is, the muscles of the face will form wrinkles and such when making familiar expressions he/she has made in their life, that’s what I am referring to」

「An expression one is familiar with?」

I repeated her words like a mechanical parrot whilst having one hand on my cheek.

「Yes, Someone who has been smiling their whole life, will develop strong muscles to make a big grin, people who are quick to get angry on the other hand, will have scary eyes and this will be fixed on their faces, people who like to talk cynically to others will have their mouth distorted…….That kind of thing」

「Ahh, I suppose that how it is」

Taiyou thought that this was the truth.

It is natural that when a part of the body repeatedly does the same motions for their whole life, the body will optimize itself so as to fit a more convenient shape for that person.

「Most of a child’s features if they are new-born babies will come from their parents, however once someone reaches the age of 40, the shape of their face will be made by how they lived their lives. Thus, if you reach that age of adulthood, then you should be able to take responsibility for the choices you’ve made in life, that’s what those words mean」(Yurikago Speaking)

「It’s similar to the words said by Mother Theresa」(Taiyou Speaking)

「In her scenario, it’s about looking towards the future」(Yurikago Speaking)

「Indeed」(Taiyou Speaking)

「Yeah」(Yurikago Speaking)

Yurikago cut their conversation for a little while, and after letting out a sigh she continued.

「Therefore, I plan to thoroughly take care of my face. Although only my face」(TL: “Every man over forty is responsible for his face.” these are the exact words as quoted from Lincoln, the story goes when he was advised to hire a certain man in his cabinet, he refused even though that man could have been a valuable asset. The moral of the story was not the fact that he found the man’s face ugly, but his features showed Lincoln that the man had an ugly personality and a bad disposition)

「Ahh, so you are saying that a person’s face can reflect their personality, right?」

Coming this far into the conversation, Taiyou finally understood what she was trying to say.

「However, in reality as well as metaphorically, a person’s attitude will remain the same for their whole life」(Taiyou Speaking)

「I know that…..」(Yurikago Speaking)

Yurikago lets out a sigh and hangs her head down in dejection. Taiyou could somehow feel grace from her small gesture, and it reconfirmed his beliefs about her being an Ojou-sama from a well-off family.

「Are you that unhappy that I managed to expose your true colors?」

「That much is obvious, but」

「But?」

「More than that I am disappointed in my own worthlessness. If I take the words of Lincoln to heart, I loathe myself who is unable to see my own true nature」

「That is being a little too harsh on yourself isn’t it?」

「……」

Yurikago refuses to comment on Taiyou’s words as she turned her body away, she sealed her lips and stayed quiet after that.

She doesn’t want to say anything more, there was an implicit nuance and Taiyou could read it from her body language, so he also felt no need to pursuit the matter any further.

Knowing anymore about her background, at least in this place and the things they were about to do from here on out, was irrelevant to the task at hand.

What was the most important thing to Taiyou right now, was achieving his objectives and the means to achieve it.

Yurikago has the intentions of obstructing the『Blood Soul Plan』. That was also the main objective that Taiyou wanted to accomplish, and Yurikago’s true colors had no influence that would affect the matter in a negative way.

Even if he took the presumption to its limits and said that Yurikago’s true nature was a 700 year old vampire, or a Martian who came from 100 years in the future, all Taiyou wanted out of her was the fact that she planned to obstruct this project together with him, so that he could regain peace for the three sisters.

Thus, Taiyou decided that he did not want to overstep his boundaries. Having pointed out her true colors, was only because it flowed naturally into the conversation, and he just went with the flow.

He was the kind of guy, which would not ask about it, if a woman did not wish to speak about it. The atmosphere inside the room was becoming a little heavy, Taiyou was still continuing to earnestly gather up experience points.

Before the beginning of the operation, he still had some time left. Until then, if it was possible he wanted to raise at least 1 or even 2 levels.

Pasa, Shuru, Pasa Shuru. (sfx of him taking his jacket off and putting it on)

He continued to whole-heartedly perform his actions, suddenly Hera who was keeping silent watch until now suddenly burst into a dance.

It was the level up dance……He wasn’t really sure if that is what the name of the dance was but, it was the movements he has seen Hera do many times in the past.

Taiyou silently nodded towards her. Before they came into this room, they already predetermined how they would communicate silently with each other.

As per usual, a huge torrent of figures flowed into Taiyou’s brain.

Taiyou became Level 6. His strength value rose up to 42, just as he wished, the fighting power he wanted to increase was definitely higher now.

(Just how strong is a strength value of 42?)

Naturally he had a little bit of doubt.

When his power was at 30, he was already able to bare-handedly pulverize a concrete wall and manage to snap off a steel sword. In this case, just how crazy would a value of 42 be?

He thought that he needed to experiment and find the answer some time in the near future.

Taiyou gave Yurikago a quick glance and she turned her back towards him. Confirming that Yurikago was looking away, he quickly turned towards Hera, and mouthed out the words.

「What–is–the–next–method—to—gain–exp?」

Although his facial expressions were a little strange because he wasn’t able to just speak the words out loud, the message was conveyed successfully.

Hera was just vacantly staring at him momentarily, before long she understood his words.

「Tayiou-chan you still want to continue?? Didn’t you just level up moment’s ago?? 」

「Con-tinue」

「Is that so, I understand. Umm, the next thing is?」

Hera flew towards the window. Though she passed by Yurikago on her way to the window, her existence was completely concealed from Yurikago so she showed absolutely no reaction.

「Over here Taiyou-chan, you need to come here?」

Taiyou headed towards the window side in silence. Taiyou also passed by Yurikago, but this time she was looking at him with suspicious eyes.

He disregarded her gaze and stands next to Hera.

「It’s here?」

He silently watches Hera and gave her a questioning look “Exactly what am I supposed to do here?”.

「Open the window, and then afterwards you need to close it. And after you closed it, open it up again?」

Hera was explaining this to him with a smile.

When he first met her, Taiyou would often object to the ridiculous things Hera made him do and this would unnecessarily prolong his experience gain. Since the time he was made to dig up holes, this is the sixth kind of method in which he needed to perform to gain experience.

After coming this far, he realized that the actions he would have to perform would be ridiculous, and most likely all of the actions Hera would give him hereafter would seem like a “futile” actions.

Piling up those blocks, before smashing them down.

Digging up a hole, and then burying the hole.

Turning a coin repeatedly from heads to tails.

Taking off the jacket and then putting it on again.

And, opening a window, and then closing that window shut.

It was filled with pointless actions, and the one thing that was consistent was that they were all very repetitive laborious work.

Taiyou who was getting accustomed to being thrown into these types of situations, barely had any energy left to give a rebuttal towards Hera and just accepted the situation for what it was.

With the aim of reaching Level 7, Taiyou was accumulating his experience points.

Garagaragara, Garagaragaradon! (Sound of window opening and closing)

The window is opened, the window is closed shut. The moment it was fully closed, he opens it up and then closes it again.

If someone was to watch him do such a thing, they would start to doubt his sanity.

Naturally, Yurikago was starting to become worried.

「You, what are you doing?」

「Please don’t mind it」

「You got a sickness of some kind?」

「The more I close this window, the stronger I become……..Please just think of it like that」

「You aren’t even drunk…..」

Garagaragara, Garagaragaradon!

Whilst replying to Yurikago in a forced smile, Taiyou continued to open and close the window.

Hera was smiling radiantly as she watched Taiyou, but for somebody like Yurikago who had no idea what he was actually doing, she started to knit her eyebrow more and more.

「Hey, that is really annoying, don’t you think you can stop it?」

「Even if I tell you that I will surely get stronger doing this?」

「That’s a load of Bull—」

Yurikago was about to deny him, and Taiyou looked towards her over his shoulders.

She swallowed her words, looking at how serious of an expression Taiyou actually had on his face, she hesitated a little.

「……..Seriously? 」

「I can say with confidence that if you don’t see me getting stronger during the mission, I will gladly let you call me an ambulance to go straight to the mental hospital………Would this answer of mine be sufficient to convince you? 」

「You are really similar to Sakura」

「Didn’t you also say previously that we were alike」

「Ugee…….」 (Ack)

Getting it straightforwardly pointed out to her, she had an unpleasant face.

「Well, even if I say this, it doesn’t mean that you are similar to Sakura」

「That is obvious, I can’t stand being compared to such a person」

She spoke about Sakura as if she was spitting out poison, and then she looked straight at Taiyou again.

「Will you truly get stronger doing that?」

「It’s true」

「In that case, I will endure it」

「I am grateful」

「It’s not like I can complain, the person I am trying to make use of is, increasing his own utility value for me」

「Isn’t it praiseworthy?」

Yurikago let out a smirk, and then she turned her face and body away from his direction.

Although it was good to communicate solutions in a practical manner like he did with Yurikago, on the opposite end of the spectrum, he also did not dislike the conversations he shared with Sakura even if it was slightly more theoretical and roundabout.

Even whilst thinking about such things, Taiyou continued to increase his pace of opening up the window and closing it.

And by the time that the plan was about to be set into motion, and the strategies were about to be discussed.

He had already reached Level 7 and his strength value became 51.