Eternal Adventurer (WN): Chapter 9

 

9

I wake up and immediately check the clock.

4 am on Sunday. I see.

Which means if I don't fall asleep in my dream, I don't have to go back over here.

"That's great."

Ah, but now that I'm awake, I gotta get moving.

First, I gotta find a part-time job.

No, how is a part-time job going to help?

My father got fired from his job.

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I'm going to get a free part-time job form from a convenience store.

Unfortunately, none of them seem to be open on Sundays.

I went home.

"The door is unlocked."

I notice my father's shoes are not at the entrance.

How long has my father been gone?

On my way to my father's room, I noticed my room had been ransacked.

"......My savings!"

I looked for the bank book in the ransacked wardrobe.

It's not there.

The bank book's gone.

"Where is it?"

Stolen? Who took it?

No, my father and I are the only ones who know the PIN code.

No way......

I called him as soon as I can.

"......Hello."

"What up?"

"We've been burglarized. They broke into my room and my bank book's gone!"

"......I see."

"I'm going to the police now."

"You don't have to."

"Eh?"

"I have the bank book."

"You have the bank book...... what do you use it for?"

"What for? I'll think about it now."

"Think about it......"

"I'm not coming home anymore."

"Ha?"

The phone hangs up.

My worst prediction comes true.

"W-what should I do?"

I keep trying to call my father, but I can't get through.

Should I go to the police station?

I don't know what to do, and the sun is setting.

It's dusk, and the doorbell rings.

"Excuse me"

At the door stands the old woman who gave me that bracelet.

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"I'll go home immediately so it's fine."

That's what she said when I offered her a cup of tea.

"You're in a terrible mess."

"......You know?"

"I've been checking the Internet, too."

Silence.

"You. Would you believe me if I told you I was a mage?"

"No."

"I see, but you could feel the effect of the bracelet, right?"

"Yes."

"I expected this to happen to you. I can see a little bit into the future. I just didn't expect it to be this bad."

"......"

Who could have predicted this?

"Was the dream world a good world?"

"So much so that I'd like to be on the other side all the time......"

"If it were to come true. What would you do?"

Saying so, the old woman took out a bracelet.

Not a white stone, but a black stone was sewn into it.

"If you sleep with this bracelet on, you can live on the other side forever without waking up on this side."

"On the other side......"

"There's a price, of course."

"What price?"

"All your encounters in your current dream will cease. And to be precise, you won't enter the dream world. You're going into a world that looks a lot like the one you had."

"......"

"You're skeptical. Well, it's also unbelievable."

"Why me?"

"You're not the only one who I gave the bracelet."

"I'm not the only one?"

"Yeah, I've given it to other people, too, and they crossed over onto a world that looks a lot like the one you've dreamed up."

"What is your purpose?"

What does this old woman have to gain by doing such a thing?

"I can't reveal my purpose. It's just that if you get involved in this story, I will also benefit."

"......"

"Do you still want to stay in this world?"

I don't know.

I don't know what to do anymore.

The old woman's invitation must be the devil's temptation.

A very tempting temptation.

"Well, it's your decision, I'll leave the bracelet. Now you and I will never see each other again."

Saying so, the old woman left.