CHAPTER 319: MIRO (4) FIN

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User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 137

Current Location: Floor 1, Room 105 (Room of Rest) - Miro’s Room

Sage’s Advice: 0

– Han Kain

A very scary story? What could it be?

Miro looked like she was about to open her mouth, but when I approached, she started to hesitate.

“What is it you want to say?”

“A scary story.”

“So what is it?”

Miro, who had been hesitating and gradually stimulating my curiosity, suddenly spoke very quickly, “If the summoned being called out by the Time Borrower dies, the original body dies too!”

“W-what did you just say—“

If the summoned being dies, the original body dies too!

For a moment, my breath caught and I grabbed Miro’s shoulders with both hands.

“Is it true? Why on earth—“

As I was speaking, I understood the reason.

Although we were using the word “summoning” for convenience, as Grandpa pointed out, the function of the Time Borrower was completely different from “summoning”. It literally borrowed our past time and called it out at a future point!

The relationship between the summoned being and the original body was a relationship between past and future. The fact that my past self died but my future self was alive was a contradiction in itself.

“Aaah! W-why did you only say such an important thing now? Did you just realize-—

At that moment, I also realized another way to use the Time Borrower. The owner of the Time Borrower could kill the original body by summoning and killing someone who had lent time even once!

Of course, Miro would have to be able to kill the summoned being.

But the summoned being couldn’t choose when and where they would appear. It was enough if Miro called out the summoned being at a time and place overwhelmingly advantageous to her.

Why did Miro try to hide this information...

“Why didn’t you say this earlier?”

“...”

“Did you think your companions wouldn’t lend you time if you told them?”

“...”

“Or, if we seemed to threaten you, would you immediately—“

“N-no!”

If we seemed to threaten Miro, did she think about secretly harming us with the Time Borrower?

Various thoughts crossed my mind. Among them was the judgment that Miro’s intelligence was indeed considerable. As I felt in the Frozen Hell, apart from her childish personality, her intelligence in these aspects was quite sharp.

I felt something similar to a sense of betrayal. But I also understood. The current situation must be very frightening and confusing for Miro too.

When I first entered the Hotel, I often felt a considerable threat seeing Jinchul-hyung’s physique and was wary that he might use violence, so this kid wouldn’t be any different.

I needed to look at this rationally rather than responding emotionally.

Why didn’t she keep it hidden until the end and tell me now?

The biggest reason would be that the current me would lose the memory related to this conversation as soon as Miro canceled the summoning, but...

If there was an additional reason, it was probably because Miro herself was considering that it might be better to share this information.

This was a moment that needed persuasion rather than anger. I tried to maintain as gentle a tone as possible.

“Were you a bit scared when talking with the Hotel people earlier?”

“...A little.”

“But don’t you think it’s better to share this information?”

“Why?”

I chose the most rational reason I could.

“Our tactics when summoned will differ depending on whether we know this information or not. If we don’t know this information, the summoned being might mistakenly think that even if I die, the ‘future me’ is safe and act overly aggressively.”

“Like Cha Jinchul using the Star excessively while charging?”

“Something like that. In reality, the summoned being should try to survive if possible, right?”

“That’s right.”

“What happens in cases where it’s not death but injury?”

“I’m not sure about that part...”

“We’ll need to check that.”

Silence fell in the room for a moment. Seeing Miro’s somewhat anxious and gloomy expression, I felt the need to reassure her.

“Miro, I fully understand that you might be scared of us or wary. But don’t forget one fact.”

“One fact?”

“Who are the people who saved you from the Frozen Hell?”

Miro answered with a bright smile, “You!”

I was a bit flustered.

“I-I didn’t do it alone, we all did it together. The people outside were praying while suffering from the cold, too.”

“Ah, that’s right?”

“Remember that. This isn’t about saying we bestowed grace, so you should repay it. Just as we trusted you and woke you up, you should trust us, too.”

“I understand. Tomorrow, I’ll tell everyone tomorrow morning!”

There was a bit of a lie mixed in.

Honestly, I didn’t think anyone among us trusted Miro. We just agreed to her revival because it was burdensome even to imagine what Ahri and Grandpa might do if we gave up on Miro’s revival.

But I decided to bury such thoughts now.

As the atmosphere seemed to ease, Miro’s eyes started to redden for some reason. Was all the physical and mental fatigue she felt during the day about to burst out in a moment?

“...How about going to the bathroom?”

Coincidentally, I also remembered something I needed to do alone.

“I-I’ll be right back!”

“...”

I felt anew through this brief conversation.

This girl resembled Ahri, but she was completely different. She wasn’t an “Administration agent” who would sneer even if stabbed with a knife like Ahri.

Like a middle school student, her personality was childish and emotional. Her quick thinking in the moment was quite sharp, but in the end, she lacked experience, so her thoughts weren’t that deep.

So she might seem persuaded in front of me now, but she might change her mind later when she was alone.

I couldn’t leave the problem of conveying such important information to a middle schooler’s whim.

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 137

Current Location: Floor 1, Room 105 (Room of Rest) - Miro’s Room

Sage’s Advice: 0

Inside my shirt, there’s always a special pen that can write on anything in the world as if it were paper.

If the summoned being called out by the Time Borrower dies, the original body in the current time also dies.

After pondering, I added one sentence.

If Miro doesn’t say this fact tomorrow morning, be wary of her.

...This should be enough, right?

As I prepared a minimal safety measure, I felt relieved. From now on, tomorrow’s Kain would handle the problem—

Did

...?

Did Miro summon me with the Time Borrower just now?

A sentence I didn’t write appeared in real-time on the Status Window. The original body was still awake and not asleep.

“...”

Yes.

Did Miro hide that information? Did you persuade her to tell it tomorrow morning?

That’s right.

Heh~ Han Kain! I believed in you~! Well done. By the way, it’s such a strange experience to talk with my past self.

We could use this like a remote communication method.

Right? We could use it in distant places like Room 203.

Conversation with another me in a different Room 105 is...

Extremely unpleasant.

What’s that bastard laughing and making a fuss about? What? He believed in me? Even though he didn’t know I was here?

In the first place, I’m here, so why is there another “me”? Why is someone else looking at my Status Window?

I obtained information here, persuaded Miro, and reduced the possibility of future conflict. But why is the bastard lounging in bed taking all the credit for this—

“Huff!”

I calmed my mind while taking a deep breath.

No, I shouldn’t think like this. The relationship between me and him isn’t something like real and fake. How could the real one die if the fake one dies?

It’s a relationship between past and future. It’s just a kind of time travel created by the Time Borrower!

While I was composing my extremely excited mind, “I” who didn’t grasp the situation, asked.

How’s Miro? Is she doing well?

Why is that guy sending me messages so casually? Doesn’t “he” feel the emotion I’m feeling now?

Remember. You must not meet me.

With those words, I threw the pen on the floor and pushed the Status Window to the corner. “The other me” seemed to ask something in confusion at my words, but I didn’t feel like answering at all.

Around that time, Miro, who had been in the bathroom, reappeared, looking neat again.

“Sorry! I’ve decided now. I’ll tell everyone tomorrow!”

“You thought well.”

“...Kain? Did something happen?”

“What do you mean?”

“No?”

Nothing much happened after that. We talked about the schools we attended and what we’d do when we got outside.

Miro was very curious about the “distant future” or “lost past”, that was, adult Miro, which she herself didn’t know. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much to tell her.

“It’s time to say goodbye soon. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, though.”

“...”

Does she still have something to say?

Her expression was exactly like someone who had more to say...

“S-see you tomorrow!”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

“Today was fun! Tomorrow’s Kain won’t know anything about playing with me today, so that’s a shame.”

When I heard those words, an indescribable emotion filled my heart. The fact that another me rolling around in bed wouldn’t remember the time spent with Miro now...

Strangely, it made me happy. This was the end of my consciousness.

***– Kim Ahri

Suddenly, I came to my senses.

What? Just now, I lent time to Miro—

“...You called me out.”

“Yes!”

In front of me was a girl who looked so much like me.

Well, I should get used to this kind of thing now. It will happen often from now on.

“Do you have something to say? Are you still angry about the bacon I ate earlier?”

“...I’m not angry anymore.”

So you were really angry about that until just now.

When I reached out and tapped Miro’s head, Miro dodged here and there. That sight was funny, so I moved to the side—

“...”

“Ahri?”

“...”

“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly looking at me so scarily?”

“...”

I stared intently.

There were clearly traces of someone much bigger than Miro on Miro’s bed. I was an Administration agent, so I could tell these things at a glance.

Miro, feeling my gaze, belatedly panicked.

“Don’t think strange thoughts!”

“What thoughts? Saying that makes me think all sorts of strange thoughts?”

“Aaaah! Forget it. Empty your strange thoughts.”

“You still think that works on me? Miro, superpowers should be at least this level.”

Partly to scare her, I split a nearby chair in two with the power of Ancient Blood. Seeing that, Miro shrank back in surprise.

“Again! Ahri is trying to scare me again!”

“Kyaong!”

Making a monster sound, I picked up Miro, put her in the blanket, and rolled her.

After giggling together for a while, Miro, who had just poked her head out of the blanket gap, opened her mouth, “Ahaha! But now I really don’t have time. I told you there’s a 1-hour limit on daily summoning time, right?”

“It seems like you were with me for about 10 minutes, but time is already tight? The time used during experiments in the day should have been short... You were with ‘someone’ for 30 minutes?”

“Aaah!”

“Did you have fun playing with Kain?”

“I-it wasn’t Kain!”

“...Just now, I thought you were not a middle schooler but an elementary schooler.”

“...It was Kain.”

“Okay, what did you want to say? It’s probably not just for fun.”

While tidying up Miro’s hair that had become messy while playing, Miro informed me that if the summoned being called out by the watch died, the original body also died.

“I told this to Kain, too.”

“What did he say?”

Miro talked about the conversation she had with Kain. Miro was already persuaded by Kain, and indeed, that guy’s tact wasn’t bad.

I decided to add just a little to this, “Miro.”

“Yes?”

“You resemble me.”

“...”

“Of course, if we consider the order, it would be the opposite. I resemble you. Anyway, I just discovered a point where you resemble me in your behavior just now.”

“What is it?”

“A tendency to keep secrets. If something seems ambiguous, you start to hide it and think.”

“I’ll fix it.”

“No, you should hide what needs to be hidden. Someday when you leave the Hotel and return as an Administration agent, you’ll have more secrets than now.”

“Is that so?”

“But don’t hide information that can’t be hidden.”

“Information that can’t be hidden?”

“If the summoned us die, the original body far away also dies. This is information we’re likely to find out with high probability if Miro uses the Time Borrower just once or twice in the Cursed Room, right?”

“...”

“Let’s say Miro in crisis called me out. If I die protecting you, at that moment the real me far away dies too. Could you hide this?”

“I guess not.”

“So there’s no point in hiding this kind of information. It will only create unnecessary conflict. By the way, could we use that tactic you just mentioned in Room 203?”

“Room 203?”

“If you call me out and kill me, what will happen to me rampaging in the mountains of Room 203?”

“I’m not sure...”

“It’s ambiguous. It seems like I would die, but this kind of death might not release my seal but annihilate me, so I’m not sure what would happen. Figure it out yourself.”

“Okay.”

“Is that all you wanted to say?”

It probably wasn’t. I just knew. Miro still had more to say.

“I didn’t tell this to Kain either.”

“You’re only telling me? That makes me a bit happy. What is it?”

Miro turned around and held the pocket watch close to my face.

“Three sections are filled. Is Morning me? Is Noon Kain?”

“Yes, I’ve used up almost all the time borrowed from Kain, so I’ll fill it again tomorrow.”

“What about midnight?”

Miro wore an expression that was somewhat confused and fearful.

“...”

“Who is it? Jinchul? Mooksung?”

“The person stored at midnight is me.”

...?

“What do you—“

“The midnight section was already filled when I first got the watch. What’s stored at midnight is me. Me from long ago.”

For the first time in a very long while...

I got goosebumps. A fear of someone who didn’t exist anywhere overwhelmed me.