In the end, Priyanka didn’t leave me completely alone, which was to be expected.

But in return, I gained the closest thing to privacy.

Beside me, a shy child looked at me from the corner of her eye without saying a word.

She was trying to be discreet, but her piercing gaze was quite obvious.

The condition I had to meet to be away from Priyanka was simple: I had to be accompanied by someone else.

In this house, apart from Priyanka, there were only two possible candidates.

The safest and most trustworthy person was Doug. He had little involvement with the original, and he was also a good person.

However, there were two problems.

The first was that the two of us were practically strangers. Doug was technically my adoptive father, but we rarely interacted.

Even so, it would have been worth the risk—if not for the other problem I mentioned earlier.

Doug’s schedule wasn’t exactly flexible. He was a typical dad—around on weekends, but hard to get a hold of the rest of the week.

This meant that the time I had to focus would be limited to those rare moments.

This left only one other option.

Someone who was available all afternoon and evening and who would rarely interfere with my activities.

My adoptive sister, Connie.

But she also had a crucial problem. Connie was a character closely related to the original and someone I should avoid if possible.

Getting involved with Connie was a bad idea. Nothing good could come from getting tangled up in the main storyline more than necessary.

Of course, I was aware that it was impossible to completely avoid contact with the Crystal Gems. However, there was no reason to jump straight off the cliff with my arms open.

If I continued without getting involved with Connie, the only time I would likely encounter the Crystal Gems would be during the family dinner where Connie's family was introduced in the original.

But if I got involved before that, I would have to go through the rollercoaster that preceded that event—or worse, end up entangled in what came after.

So, ideally, I would maintain a relationship of acquaintance, but nothing too close.

I needed to know if things were progressing as they should, so it was important to know what Connie was doing. But that contact would be limited to just that.

Unless there was a good reason, there was no point in risking more than necessary.

I wasn’t naive enough to think everything would somehow resolve through the power of friendship.

Steven Universe was a children's cartoon, but wars existed in this world, and real people could die in the streets if they weren’t smart.

This world was already subject to the rules of reality. There was nothing to guarantee that things wouldn’t take an unexpected turn at any moment.

There was a series I used to read in my past life, "Steven Universe: Gone Wrong". It was a seven-part story showing various side paths that could occur if certain variables were even slightly off.

What if Steven's bubble ran out of oxygen in space? What if Steven couldn't convince Lapis and she used all the planet's water to escape?

A common assumption was that if even one of these variables was altered, disaster would follow.

I needed to be cautious. If I didn’t act like the most careful Peridot, I would end up destroying this world that was supposed to have a “happy ending".

The truth was that I was an anomaly who should never have existed here. I didn’t intend to get involved in any of this, but from the beginning, I had already come into contact not only with a dimensional Lion but also with the protagonist’s romantic interest.

The situation wasn't good, but I didn't want to make it worse than it already was.

But maybe it was a little too late to think about that. It wasn’t the first time Connie and I had shared a room. Still, it was the first time she’d shown that kind of curiosity toward me.

Normally, she'd go off to do her own thing, leaving me plenty of free time. But after the incident, her attitude seemed to have changed a bit.

It was a very subtle change, but now Connie would take the initiative to say good morning to me.

She would also occasionally sit two seats away from me when I was watching Super Drill or discreetly observe me from a distance when I was drawing.

And all those changes have two events connecting them.

The time when I cut my wrist and the consultation with the psychologist.

Priyanka was staying in touch with Angela, and her actions grew more rigid and harder to read. I constantly felt like this troubled, two-faced woman was scheming behind my back, using Priyanka as one of her pawns while laughing at my efforts.

Still, the situation wasn’t all that bad. Maybe because Connie hadn’t met Steven yet, her behavior was manageable.

I also harbored no animosity toward her; on the contrary, she was, like many others, one of the beloved characters of my childhood. If the circumstances weren't the same, I'd probably want to see Connie in this world and observe everything from a safe distance.

My reason was the only thing stopping me from bonding with Connie.

She was an inherently good person, probably the most normal of the entire main cast.

She was rational enough to tell the Gems to their faces how irresponsible they were towards Steven.

Connie's gaze was uncomfortable, but she wouldn't do anything more. It might be a bit cruel to say, but it was as if I were alone in the room.

I had come up with a simple cryptography system to hide my thoughts, so even if she looked through the notebook, she wouldn’t understand a thing.

'That'll do, I guess.'

I opened my notebook, nearly filled with notes from the last three months, and wrote at the top of a blank page.

[ ⋆˚࿔  Action Plan to Avoid Certain Death 𝜗𝜚˚⋆]

When you're creating an action plan, the most important thing is to establish a clear priority.

Most people struggle with prioritization—not because they don’t know what’s important, but because they’re reluctant to commit to just one course of action.

To identify your top priority, you only need to answer a single question.

‘What is the biggest problem?’

Normally, I’d think it’s about preparing for the original storyline, but there are still about two years left until that happens. And honestly, even if I did something now, nothing would change.

While it was undeniably a significant issue, there were even more pressing concerns.

‘I’m cracked.’

My gem was damaged and overworked. Even now, it was constantly processing all the spatial routes I had recklessly tried to analyze using Appraisal.

Once you begin analyzing something with Appraisal, the process can't be stopped. At this point, my body was like an old, underpowered PC trying to run a high-end FPS game at 60 frames per second.

The system didn’t have the resources to run the "game", but it was already launched. The only available components were outdated and cheap. The more these parts were used, the more they overheated.

The workaround I came up with was to split the processing load into two systems.

One part constantly processed information, using every bit of processing power it could. The other operated only the bare minimum: a basic OS running on low resources, that was my conscience.

I had to find a solution. Otherwise, I’d be trapped in this state forever.

I began to list possible solutions.

➤ 1 - Use Transmutation to repeatedly repair my gem.

The first idea was to use my natural ability, Transmutation, to restore my gem. In fact, I had already fractured it into multiple small cracks to enable parallel processing.

Those fragmented sections allowed me to automate functions like breathing or simulating a heartbeat without conscious effort.

I could repair my gem to some extent. Maybe not fully, but enough to make a difference.

However, there were serious downsides.

First, it would be excruciating—likely beyond anything I could endure. The moment my gem was repaired, all the backed-up energy would surge to process the spatial route data I had accumulated since arriving on this planet.

The repair would increase efficiency—but at the cost of fracturing my gem over and over from the overload. I wasn’t even sure I’d stay sane through the process.

Each time the gem broke, I’d need to repair it again. But for how long?

A month? A year? A decade? A century? No—maybe even longer...

Just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine. I had already spent days enduring pain beyond imagination out there in the desert.

My mind held on to every vivid detail.

The pain was excruciating—so intense it took my breath away. No matter how much time passed, it only grew sharper. I screamed for days in the desert until I lost the strength to move.

Each second felt like a century, but I had to endure it, or death would be certain.

Last time, I chose to endure that pain. Would I have to face it again?

I didn’t want to go through that again.

Never again.

I scratched out that option in my notebook and then looked at the others.

➤ 2 - Use Steven’s healing powers to repair my gem.

Steven had healing powers. In the future, with the help of the Diamonds, he was even able to heal corrupted gems.

At first glance, this seemed like the safest option—but it wasn’t without flaws.

Let’s assume the best-case scenario: the Gems don't see me as a threat, I’m on good terms with Steven, and he’s moved enough by my story to help.

His healing was so perfect that it left no scratches.

But then what?

If it were only physical healing, there would be no meaningful difference between Steven fixing my gem or me doing it myself.

The gem would simply crack again due to overload, plunging me back into an endless cycle of pain.

I could either endure it again, break myself apart, or surrender to death.

And that was the most likely outcome.

In the original series, there was a gem Steven couldn’t heal—Pink Pearl, or "Volleyball."

She had experienced such intense psychological trauma that physical repair wasn’t enough.

My case wasn’t so different from Volleyball’s. I had searched every part of my gem but couldn’t identify the source of my powers.

They didn’t seem to originate from anything physical—it was like a supernatural force.

I knew that because I could still see the part of my gem responsible for shapeshifting. That section had only minor damage. I couldn’t shapeshift freely anymore, just maintain my base form.

But at least I could see it. It existed within the gem.

My powers, however? I could feel them instinctively—but I couldn’t trace their origin. I could only observe their effects.

That’s why I theorized that my abilities came from something non-physical. Something like... a soul.

Of course, that idea wasn’t flawless.

I never had such abilities in my past life. I lived a normal life until the day I died.

However I had some ideas about it.

What if I already had those powers but couldn't use them?

All my powers required the gem as a medium. Without dark energy, they simply couldn’t be used. A human body wouldn’t be able to perceive or manipulate them.

The basic conditions to activate them didn’t exist.

So, if Steven healed me—and I couldn’t block the data from my soul—the overload would just continue.

And the only way I could imagine stopping that flow of energy was...

Death.

A body without a soul wouldn’t receive the data—no overload, no damage.

Unless Steven’s powers could heal the soul itself, nothing would change.

Trusting the protagonist’s power was a gamble.

Which left me with one more real option.

➤ 3 - Delegate data processing to an external compartment.

No matter how many times I ran the numbers, this made the most sense.

My gem was a single core, like a simple CPU. But a modern PC uses multiple components. If I could add more, I could increase processing power. If one brain wasn’t enough—how about one hundred?

Even if my gem was weak, with the right server, I could run anything.

Of course, this came with complications.

The first—and most obvious—was that I didn’t have those components. The equivalent of another brain was another Gem. This meant I might have to sacrifice other Gems to complete the process.

It was extreme—but possible. Deep within this planet was an entity that could provide such parts, though it was currently beyond my reach. And for ethical reasons, I wasn't very interested.

Another idea was to use existing gem technology.

When I analyzed the injectors in the Kindergarten, I discovered a way to extend my gem’s influence.

The injectors on this planet weren’t efficient, but still retained energy.

There were leftover injectors and gem artifacts on Earth. Maybe I could use them for partial restoration.

I wasn’t confident they could fix everything—my overload defied logic. Even the energy of an entire planet might not be enough.

But even a small reduction in strain would help.

I looked over the list again. One more option remained.

➤ 4 - Do nothing. Let the gem heal itself over time.

Just letting things run their course—that was the only other option.

I laughed internally when I saw it.

Did I ever really have a choice?

Gems can live for thousands of years... but how long would my sanity last?

Would I still be me by then?

Probably not.

In the end, listing pros and cons didn’t matter. I had only one real choice.

I crossed off points three and four, then began writing a fifth.

➤ 5 - Find a way to recover your senses, even while cracked, and enjoy life—while delegating data processing to an external compartment.

This step combined my current actions with the hope of a full recovery someday.

I didn’t regret what I’d done.

If I hadn’t made those choices, I wouldn’t be here now.

There was no point in dwelling on it. Just being alive was a miracle. I should be grateful that recovery was even possible.

Honestly, I already had a good life.

When I woke up, someone would say “Good morning” and kiss my forehead.

No shady men knocked on my door at night demanding debts I never owed.

I didn’t have to work until my hands were numb and my body reeked of rust.

The food had no taste—but it was warm.

I couldn’t hear anything, but I could feel their care.

What more could I ask for?

I already had everything I needed.

‘Grandma, I’ll be happy in this life.’

The image of the old woman filled my mind. She always smiled, but I knew she was hiding so much pain.

She had worked harder than anyone to keep me alive—better than my absent parents ever did.

I’d already died once and left her behind.

The least I could do now was be happy and not waste the effort she put into raising me.

I turned the page and wrote another title.

[ ⋆˚࿔  Action Plan to Avoid Certain Death And Live Happily Ever After 𝜗𝜚˚⋆]

[Main Goal: Find a way to recover your senses, even cracked, and enjoy your life while delegating the processing of this data to an external compartment.]

I nodded, satisfied that my action plan was finally taking shape.

Now that I had a goal, I needed to define the first steps to reach it.

I shouldn’t start with something too hard. It needed to be something I could realistically do on my own.

After thinking for a while, I came up with something.

➤ [ ] Sleep without Priyanka’s help.

Becoming independent—step one.

It might seem like a small goal, but everyone has to start somewhere.

And I was no exception.

I closed my notebook, smiling at the progress I had made today.

From now on, I wasn’t the same foolish Peridot.

I was Cautious Peridot—more prepared and efficient than ever.

And with a plan for the future in place, I finally felt ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Whether it was mentally unstable Gems or senseless misunderstandings,

There was nothing Cautious Peridot couldn’t overcome.

‘For a happy life.’

I still remember that moment as if it were yesterday.

Little did I know that in the not-so-distant future, I would come to deeply regret those words.

----------------------------------------

‘For a happy life.’