Keno
She just had the strangest dream. She dreamt of her hero in black; she dreamt of Momon, carrying her bridal style, from the darkness into the light, and her heart jump for joy. She then dreamt of him standing before her, in all of his silent glory, she had given him the brightest smile she had ever given anyone. She felt warm then. The warmest she has ever felt in a very, very long time.
It had been a good dream; it was good to be able to dream again. But when she woke, her head throbbed, her eyes felt as if they were being pricked by needles, her throat was sore, and her lungs burned. Her arms felt like lead and her legs felt like jelly.
Everything hurts.
If only she hadn't wake.
If only she hadn't been born at all! Or had been reborn, rather.
She remembered. She remembered everything, her past life... and her past death.
She could not believe it herself. To have lived for centuries, suffered for most of them, then died and was reborn here, a place called Earth.
Dumb name, really. She doesn't know what the people of her previous world called their home, but she is sure that it would be much better than "Earth".
This place was hellish, to say the least.
She knew this place was not hell, because, in hell, there would be demons.
There were only humans in this world, no demi-humans, no elves, no dwarves, not even heteromorphic beings like demons or undeads. Only humans.
There was no magic either, she tried many times to cast even the simplest tier 1 spell, but nothing worked.
She missed her old world.
She gained, or rather she regained her consciousness when she was four, and came with it, memories.
She recalled memories of a life lived, perpetually in torment. The torment of undeath, the torment of loss, the torment of despair, the torment of helplessness.
She was suffering there, in her world, but it was hers and she missed it nonetheless. She missed her friends, she missed her family. She hoped to see them again, to remember what they looked like. She would gladly trade everything she has just to talk to them again.
She remembered, but she also forgot.
No matter how much she tried, she could not remember them, their names and faces, but their voices that she missed most.
She has forgotten almost all of them; all but two.
The first was Momon the Dark Hero, the one who carries the fate of the world upon his strong, broad shoulders; the one she loved.
The other was Ainz Ooal Gown; the one she hated.
Why did she remember his name and face when she forgot almost everyone she has ever known? Was it because he had no face to forget? Only a bare, deformed skull? Was it because he was the last she saw before her demise?
No, because that would be the spider maid, and she forgot her name and face also.
It was strange, to say the least.
But now isn't the time for that. She needed to figure out where she is.
Fluorescence lights, white bedsheets, and various medical equipment, so a hospital? Why is she in a hospital? Then once again, she remembered. But this time, she did not look upon the memories with fondness.
It was only a few months back that she was living inside Neo Tokyo's dome, inside of luxury and comfort.
Now, she has nothing, no home, no money, no family…
In this new world, she was born as the only daughter of a very wealthy business mogul. Her new parents adored her. And she had come to love them back. They reminded her much of her previous father and mother. What's little of them she remembered at least.
Her new life started out no different from her old one. She was born into wealth and power, being rich in this world was the same as being king. And just like the kingship of her previous world, the rich of this one are always neck deep in politics.
Here, though, the wealthy and the powerful treated politics like a game, a Game of Keiretsu, they called it. And her new parents are avid players themselves.
But when you play the Game of Keiretsu, you win or you die.
And her parents, they didn't win.
Even though they were cunning, and had a keen sense of business, they were too ambitious for their own good. They promised her riches unimagined; they promised her she'll marry the most handsome and the richest man in all of Japan. The best for their little princess, they said.
She should have made them promise not to do anything stupid.
They have overstepped their bounds and reached for fruits that do not belong to them. They wouldn't listen to her telling them to stop, that it was madness what they were doing. So on her twenty-seventh birthday, her present was her parent's corpses, their assets seized, their estates burned down and all of their bank accounts frozen.
In a single night, she lost everything.
She managed to escape with her life intact. But she was lost, she didn't know what to do. Staying inside Neo Tokyo's dome was borderline suicide, the same as leaving it. The air outside the dome was too toxic. She may have the best lung implant on the market right now but even it wouldn't last long processing all of those chemicals.
But what other choice did she have? She could either stay here, where there are cameras on every street. Or go outside, where no one has ever seen her face.
The choice was obvious.
Lucky for her, the moment she left the dome, through the sewer line, the roads were too dangerous, she had scavenged up a relatively intact gas mask, so her lungs would be safe for the moment. But the mask was old, and there are a few tears on either side, where the air filters are, so using it for long was not an option. But with no money and no contact to help her, it would suffice.
With her worry about the toxic air taken care of, for a time at least, she began to explore the outer city, or as her parent called it, 'the slump outside the dome'. And they were sort of right, in a sense.
The streets were clean but the air was not. City block after city block lined neatly one after another, colored in a dull grey. The cars and trucks zoomed by with blinding speed, but the people walked listlessly, their eyes dull and their posture sagged, no life inside them whatsoever. No different than a zombie.
Compared to the decadent, energetic feel inside of the dome, the outside of it was more… monotonous, and dull.
Lifeless even.
The city that never sleeps versus the city that never gets to.
It shocked her when she saw the state the less fortunate had to live in.
But staying and gawking would have gotten her nowhere, she need food, water, and a place to stay, as soon as possible. But to get them, she needed money. And to have money, she needed a job. But no matter where she went, no one would hire her. She either did not qualify or lacked the necessary documentation for the job.
Starving, cold and desperate, she did what she needed to survive. Packages left on the porch? She stole them and pawn them off for money. Drones unloading at the back of a convenience store? No one would miss a box or two of food and drinks.
At night, she found rooftops or balconies high above the smog to sleep, by day, she stalked in alleyways or hidden alcoves on the streets for her next meals. That was how she has been living for the past few months.
Despite all that, she spent most day hungry because the food wasn't even close to filling her stomach. But it did keep her alive. And that is what matter most.
What was she even living for she had no clue. But she kept clinging to this miserable existence nonetheless. Maybe one day she would have a reversal of fate like those plays, TV shows, or stories she grew up reading and watching. Hope was all that she had.
Things were going well, until one day, she was caught while running away after pilfering from a store.
"I'm sorry little lady, I know you must have been quite desperate to do this. God knows how much I wanted to just let you keep the food." The owner of the store said, in an apologetic tone. "But I still have my wife and kids to take care of, I can't let you take food off of my table. I'm very sorry about this." He tried to pry the box of junk food from her.
But she would not let go, no matter what.
"Please, let go, I don't want to do it. Please, don't make me do it." His plead fell upon deaf ears.
With a sigh, he began to kick her, a few times in the arms and legs, a few times in her torso, but she would not let go, she was too desperate for it.
He looked at her, pleading in his eyes, and she answered back with a determined one of her own. Resigned, he kicked her a few more times, in her face, she tried to block but failed. Her gas mask was broken in the process. With what he came for in his hands, the store owner gave one last pitiful glance at her. "May your next life be more fortunate than this one." With that, he walked off.
There she lay, on the street, too tired and hungry to go even get up. Her gas mask was beside her and she could see the smog coming in. Why was she even reborn when her second life was even worse than the first, she asked herself while choking on the toxic smog.
She knew she was about to die, again. But she could help but cling to her life, slipping in and out of consciousness until she could no longer keep herself awake.
Then she woke up here, confused as to why she wasn't dead yet. She was sure that was supposed to be her end.
How did she end up in a hospital? Who brought her here?
But that doesn't matter right now, she should leave before anyone noticed. She may have never been in a hospital before, her parents were rich enough to have private doctors and nurses after all, but she still knew exactly how extravagantly these places charge.
The room she was currently in has a couple of more beds, but none were occupied, and the outside was dark. Good. If she tied the bedsheets together, she could leave through the windows.
But before her plan was completely formulated, the door to her room opened. Coming in was two men. One she presumes is a doctor, based on his white coat. The other was a man in his thirties, with black, unkempt hair, and black, tired eyes, the signature look of an employee for one of the megacorps.
She had never met this man before, and yet he felt familiar, somehow.
And that scared her. Was he a lackey of the one who destroyed her family, coming here to finish the job?
Before she could raise a question, the doctor asked her who she was, what's her job, where does she live and where are her family.
Are they testing her? Seeing if she was stupid enough to tell them her true self?
If they were actual medical professionals, one scan on the Auto Medical Diagnostic Bed would have revealed everything.
Seeing her confused, the man in the white coat said that because her ID chip was damaged, they couldn't find out anything about her. So they needed her to tell them herself.
She lied: Keno, no last name, prostitute, no family, and no place of work.
Both men looked quite bewildered. Did they really not know who she was? Or was that a trick to lower her guard?
"I'm sorry to hear that Ms. Keno." The 'doctor' said, he then showed her a pair of stapled-together papers, as if trying to change the subject. "Based on the assessment, you have contusions and abrasions on your left arm, right hand, both legs, and torso, and your lung implant has been damaged. Fortunately, none of these injuries are serious, and the implant was replaced successfully, so you'll be discharged as soon as you wish."
At least that is good news, and he seems to actually be a real doctor. So maybe he doesn't know who she was yet. But that didn't explain who is the guy next to him.
As if sensing her inquiries, the doctor introduced the man. "He is Satoru Suzuki; he is the one who brought you to this clinic. And also the one who volunteered to cover your medical fees."
But before the doctor could continue, the watch on his wrist, or what she assumed to be a watch, pinged. Glancing at it, the doctor sighed, "I have a patient to tend to, so I will leave you two here for the moment. I will be back as soon as possible." Then he quickly left and closed the door behind him.
She was alone with the man now. "What's your angle?" She asked.
"Eh?" The man responded, stupidly.
"Why are you doing this? What are you aiming for?"
"Huh? What? No! I didn't aim for anything, I saved you because it's common sense to do so!" He sputtered.
Common sense, as if. "Listen here pal, if you think I would be stupid enough to believe that, then you are the dumb one here, now tell me the truth as to why you are here."
Now would be the part where he revealed his true nature.
Imagine her surprise when he, instead, spoke to her softly and patiently, "I know this might sound disingenuous because I would have no idea what it is like in your, um, 'work'. But I know it wouldn't have been an easy life. You are not wrong to be suspicious of me. I would be too if I were in your shoes." He sounded quite sincere. "But please, believe me when I said that I did what I did at the spur of the moment, and I did it because I felt like I needed to, not because I wanted anything from you, I swear."
She mulled over his words. Now that she thinks about it, there was no reason for him to bring her here if he was an assassin sent to end her life. She was about to die on the street anyway.
But that doesn't explain his motive. Why would he have saved her then?
No one in this world would be this generous. She saw the children on the street, she learned history; she knows for a fact that the people of this world could only think for themselves.
She must drill him for more. "Why did you feel the need to pay my charges then, hmm? What on earth could possess a man to pay hospital fees for someone whom he hasn't met before?"
Would he try to appear like a gallant hero, saving the damsel in distress? Would he try to play it off like the money doesn't matter to him? Or would he dodge the question altogether?
Based on what he would say next; she can expose him for the fraud he is.
"I'm not sure why, but I feel like you couldn't pay it yourself."
Eh?
"Eh?"
Did he just… look down on her? Did he seriously just look down on her?
Emotions roil inside of her, confusion, anger, dismay, incredulousness. She was just about to explode on him, to show him a piece of her mind. Then as if sensing the seething inside of her, he blurted out quickly, "Sorry that come out wrong I meant to say that because you have no job and no relative I thought you to be homeless and couldn't pay for yourself."
Oh? Oooohhhhh? This asshole wanted to die!
First, he called her poor, then he called her homeless! Who said something like that to another person? Let alone someone like her. She was vampire lord Landfall, a member of the legendary Thirteen Heroes, and a member of the Blue Roses. She was Evileye, her name carried weight, her name was feared, her name was… her name was… was nothing in this world…
Sobering from her initial anger, she remembered that she was now in an entirely different place. Here, she has nothing right now, no name, no family, no magical powers, not even a place to call home.
Calming down, she must admit that he was right. She was poor and she was homeless. He had done her a favor and she almost spat on his hand.
She must have let her guilt show because he placed a hand on her shoulder, and in an apologetic tone, he said, "Look, I'm not good with words, and I know this must have been an uncomfortable topic for you but trust me, I'm not trying to get anything out of you nor do I want some sort of compensation. I just did what I think was right."
Great, now he apologizes because she was the one being angry. Recalling what was taught to her, she bowed her head, to both apologize and offer him her thanks. The people in this country really obsess with manners for some reasons, even more than the court nobles that she had seen in her previous life.
"Don't mention it." He offered her a tired smile. He seemed harmless. For now, at least.
After a few moments of peaceful silence, he tried to initiate a conversation again. "What happened yesterday? If you don't mind me asking that is."
She thought of a story on the fly.
She told him she was a prostitute, and after she had slept with some guy, he didn't pay her and she stole his expensive watch as compensation. She was chased down and beaten by his goons and fell unconscious on the street.
"That's rough." He said, quietly. "What will you do next?"
"I don't really know." For the first time since she woke up, she told the truth.
"Why not find other work?"
"What work do you think I can do? Hmm?"
"Do you have a neural nano-interface implant in your brain?"
She did have one, the best one currently too, but he doesn't need to know about such details. She nodded.
"See, my department is hiring, one of my coworkers was in a car accident yesterday and was laid off. The position is now open; you could apply there."
But she declined his offer.
She had no paperwork, her ID was broken and she currently has no money on her to have them remade, she said.
He sighed and agreed to help her with them.
Really? He has helped her this much and is willing to do more? Why, she asked.
"Because you are in need, and saving someone who is in trouble is common sense."
What the? Is this guy serious? There is no way a guy like this could exist. He was spending his hard-earned money on her, and his reason for that? Common sense? The common sense of this world is to leave others to die unless it is convenient to you. So why did he-
Oh! Oooohhhhh! She told him she was a prostitute. He must have thought that he might get himself some good nights if he acted like some hero born out of some fantasy book.
But she could use that to her advantage. She'll follow him home, gave him a night of his life, then rob him blind while he sleeps. That'll teach him not to fake being a trying to be a hero. A real hero would save people without asking anything in return, a real hero would do it silently, without needing to be asked. A real hero would be someone like Momon, not this pretentious creep.
"Do you know somewhere I could stay, for a little while at least?" She goaded him.
"Hmm? Well, um… how about… no never mind that." He seemed to be hesitating.
"Well? Out with it, what are you trying to say?"
"Since I don't know a lot of people, the only place I could think of right now is my place. But you probably wouldn't want to stay there, since… you know… yesterday."
"No, actually, I want to stay at your house, I mean you have helped me this much, and I desperately need a place to stay for the moment, so I have no choice but to take you up on your offer."
"Are you sure about this? I mean I can shoulder the cost if you stay in a hotel for a night or two."
That gave her pause, did he truly have no ulterior motive in helping her?
No, he just wanted her to be more indebted to him so when he comes and collects, she has no choice but to do as he said. Better to do this now, when her debt was still manageable.
"No, no, I really shouldn't spend any more of your hard-earned money, just let me stay at your house for a few nights while I get my feet off the ground, then I'll be out of your hair."
He seemed to be evaluating her proposal, if he were to truly be a good person, he would decline.
Sighing, he agreed.
What a farce. Let's get this over with.
"Hey, how about I stay at your place tonight?"
"Tonight?" He asked, stupidly.
"Yes, tonight, if I were to stay here longer, you would have to pay more for my hospital fees, yes? So best if I leave as soon as possible, right now for example."
Before the man could even respond to that, the doctor returned. Good timing, doc.
"Hey, doctor!" She called out, startling both men in the room. "You said I can leave at any time I want, right? How about right now?"
It took a moment for the doctor to regain his bearing. He asked her, "Are you sure, you can stay for a few more days so we could monitor your condition better."
"No, sorry doc, I have spent too much of this kind man's money after all, I would be quite ungrateful if I were to spend more."
"If you are sure about it." He then showed her a piece of paper, "You are suffering from acute malnutrition. You will need to follow this nutritional supplementation plan for the next six to twelve months, depending on your progress. It lists the specific vitamins, minerals, and fluids that you need to consume regularly. I also advise you to come back for a follow-up visit every two months, so I can monitor your condition more closely and adjust your treatment if needed. You are free to go now, but please take good care of yourself and follow the instructions carefully."
She thanked him, then hop off the bed and dragged the one called Satoru after her.
"Okay, okay, I get it, I will let you go home with me. Just let me grab my stuff first." He protested.
She saw no harm in that, but she need to follow him, just in case he figured out her intention and leave, without paying her hospital fees first.
He took her to a locker inside the hospital's main hall. From there, he took out two gas masks, complete with their own goggles, which he gave one of each to her, how kind, and finally a syringe, faintly glowing blue.
"What is that?" She wondered, out loud, like an idiot.
"Oh, this? It's a nano-machine injector, I need it if I don't want my nano-neural interface to glitch whenever I use it for a long period of time."
Is that how it works outside the dome? Back home, it automatically replenished whenever she plugged herself into the Internet.
Still, the syringe looked quite suspicious, better let it stay as far away from her as possible.
After that, he went to one of the terminals in the main hall, paid her medical expenditures, and together, they went back to his home.
The moment he opened the ear-splittingly loud screeching door to his apartment, she cursed herself for not anticipating this situation.
This place was practically empty!
There was nothing of note she could take. The only thing that was worth anything was the couch and table set in the living room, and they were too large for her to carry off.
"You lived like this?" She muttered.
He, somehow heard her muttering, said back, "See, I told you that you should have stayed at a hotel."
Too late to turn back now. Dammit!
He told her to take a shower first, so she did. The feeling of dirt and dust and other nasty bits being washed away after so long felt like she has just entered heaven.
Never before had she felt so refreshed.
It was then his turn in the shower so she waited for him in the living room. Calling it a living room was her being generous. It was just a large hallway with a few doors leading somewhere, a small couch, and a small coffee table. On the walls, there was only a sad old clock, there weren't any pictures or anything.
What a sad state of affairs.
Opening one of the doors, she was led inside of a kitchen. Once again she was reminded of how empty this place was. No cooking utensils, and only a sad few plates covered in dust, it looked like they weren't in use for a long time now. In the corner of the kitchen sat an old, no, ancient-looking fridge. She didn't know how old it was, but she is quite sure it must have been older than her.
The inside of the fridge was even more miserable than outside it. Some bottled water and a lot of different tubes of nutrient paste. She has eaten some before and they were absolutely disgusting, barely edible by her standard. She had wondered who in their right mind would eat them regularly, and here she stood, inside the home of the one who fill his fridge with them.
She wanted to cry about how absurd this situation is, but all that came out was a bitter laugh.
From behind her, the being who called this place home called out. "You really should go and get some rest. You can sleep in the bedroom; I'll stay in the room at the end of the hall."
Eh?
He wasn't going to sleep with her?
Seeing her confused, he said, "Oh, the bedroom door is latched, not locked, there are no keys for me to get inside if you are worrying about your privacy."
And with that, he left her, standing there flabbergasted about what he has just said.
Is he seriously not aiming to have sex with her? Was what he said back at the hospital genuine? Was she the one in the wrong for abusing his kindness and thinking badly of him?
No, it can't be, he was only playing the long game. Only when she has lowered her guard around him would he commit his heinous deeds.
Clever, very clever, Satoru Suzuki, but not clever enough. She was Evileye of Blue Roses, tricking her wouldn't be so easy. She will stay here, leeching from him until he showed his true face, then she would expose him for the fraud that he is. Who did he think he is? Acting like some sort of hero. The only hero she will ever recognize is Momon and Momon only.
With that silent declaration, she left for the bedroom. Latched, as he said. She tested it a few times to make sure it is secure enough.
Confident that it was. She climbed onto the bed and slept.
She once again dreamt of Momon that night. He hugged her and whisper things into her ear that she couldn't quite make out. But she still smiled, for him. Everything for her Momon.
Author note: Thank you guys so much for supporting my first fic. I had thought that this would only gain very little traction and it would be lost forever to obscurity. I certainly didn't expect you guys to actually like it.
I had to rewrite this one a couple of times since the original version was nonsensical at best, and I want to do it right for you guys.
And thanks to your kind words, I have enough motivation to finish it at last.
Spoiler alert, this fic was always meant to be a Satoru x Evileye fic so you have your warning.
Once again, thank you, my kind reader. More chapters will come, I promise you that.