4/8: System Administrator, Multiple Realms, Transmigration, World Hopping
As Shinichi rests in the pure white space between worlds he had since been used to, he calls out to his system, "Hey… Haibara, if I gather enough points, I'll really be able to go back, right?"
Haibara, his system, answers, "... For the thousandth time, yes, that's what it says in the shop: exchange 1 million points for APTX-5141, the resurrection pill."
"Ok, just confirming."
The day Shinichi Kudo met the men in black in Tropical Land that fateful day that is, for him, literally lifetimes ago, he died. When he woke up, what greeted his eyes was this pure white nothingness. He had thought this was the afterlife. A voice quickly told him no, though.
That voice was Haibara's. She had introduced herself as his system: a sort-of intermediary to the powers-that-be that are offering him a chance to go back to that day in Tropical Land, doubling as his assistant, his partner in completing missions in the worlds the powers-that-be throw him into in order to collect points.
It's hard to define her. The closest in his world would be… Siri? Alexa? Sophia? But a million times sassier and saltier.
Sometimes he thinks she's alive. Or was alive. He had asked that once and she had answered then, "I think I'd remember if I had been anyone or anything but this. But I don't, so."
When he asked her again, she had said, "Yeah, right, stop flattering me because I'm not going to help you for free ever again."
Shinichi would like to say he had lost count of how many lives he has lived by now, but he hasn't. He has done 142 now, and he has yet to earn even a half of what he needs to get to go back. When he thinks about his end goal, it makes him unbelievably tired, so he asks the same question, over and over again to Haibara. When he hears her tired too, it makes him laugh. Less tired.
Haibara's voice echoes in his mind as she continues, "I'd tell you if something changed in the shop, so stop asking."
"Can't you just give me the pill?"
"If I could have, I would have—"
"For me? That's so sweet of you!"
"—just to shut you up, since you're getting annoying with all the repeating questions! Are you sure you're not the system between the two of us? You talk like an NPC; download some new dialogue, would you?!"
Shinichi laughs, "Hey, hey, don't be mad. When you're mad you get extra salty. Your virtual wrinkles are getting deeper."
"How would you know, you can't even see it."
"Oh, I do. In my heart."
"Ha ha, very funny, now get your ass moving and do some missions so we can leave this blasted space already."
Feeling rested enough, sadly at the expense of his system, Shinichi switches gears into business mode in a snap, and asks her, "What are the available worlds?"
Haibara, far too used to him by now, not that she ever had difficulties syncing with him, doesn't miss a beat as she replies, "There are three: a futuristic setup with an intergalactic war backdrop, an ancient setting with magical swords and charms and a crumbling kingdom, and..."
"... And? Why'd you stop?"
"And a modern world, suspiciously similar in terms of time period and setting to the one you've come from based on what you've told me."
"Then what are we waiting for? You know what I'll choose, right?"
"The third world has… special conditions."
"Just tell me."
"'Assistance withdrawn' is what it says. No further explanations. … Kudo-kun, this doesn't look good. I advise against it."
"... Haibara, you're still not telling me something are you..?"
"... 100 000 points on completion of mission."
"What's the mission?"
"Redacted."
"That's a tenth of what I need Haibara. I can't pass it up."
"... ... Ready to go, then?"
"Yeah, you'll be there in case something happens anyway, so I'm not really worried."
"The world literally says assistance withdrawn, genius. I'm not sure if I can even if I would want to."
"Which you wouldn't, I know. But you can find a way, I'm sure, if you really need to, since you're the best system, right?"
"Do you think I don't know what you're doing?"
"You're a genius system, right?"
"Argh, shut up already, idiot, let's go finish this quick!"
"You say you want me to do missions to get out of this space, then you say you want to complete missions to get back to this space. Women, really.."
"..."
"Nah, I think it's just you that's so confusing! You're so special, Haibara!"
"... Transfer in 3… 2..."
"Haha, don't worry it'll be fine! I won't run around so much this time since you're worried."
"1..."
Shinichi's vision goes black.
Shinichi wishes he can say he's used to the heavy influx of information the moment he wakes as another life in another world, but he can't. It's as painful as ever and it makes him dizzy and disoriented.
It takes him a while to get a hold of his bearings. He first checks his surroundings—stuck in the woods at night after orchestrating a car explosion is a fairly new situation but really not something so dangerous once you've lived more than a hundred lives in more life-threatening roles.
The silence is something new for Shinichi, though, since usually, by this time, Haibara would be rattling off a list of do's and don't's for this world's mission already.
Thinking she's still mad, Shinichi injects as much seriousness as he can when he asks, "Haibara, what's the mission and what's the quickest way to achieve objective?" Haibara had always caved when they needed to get things done.
When she still doesn't respond, Shinichi… blanks out. 'Assistance withdrawn' echoes in his mind.
He feels nauseous. He calls out to her anyway, "Haibara, let me know if you're there. You don't have to help me. This is not 'assistance', just let me know if you're there."
An hour passes and she still hasn't responded. He's only realized he's been shaking when he notices he had stopped. He says, as loud as possible in his mind, to her, "Haibara, don't stop trying, ok? Let me know, as soon as you can. As soon as possible hopefully."
When Shinichi stands up, an unfamiliar black prompt with green text shows in his vision, "Mission: Take down the Organization." It's not the usual dull gray and black he's used to seeing 142 times now and he hates it.
He accepts.
He's going to get this done and get them back to that damned white nothingness in record time.
Ah, he's never felt so angry before.
