Global Sign-in: 10x Multiplier with the Strongest System!-Chapter 75: The Weeping Ghost [3]
"After having to repeat the previous levels on and on, I noticed the final remark of Level 8 had nothing to do with love. Instead, it warned me to get a rosary," Pierre explained to the air, sitting in his seat at the middle edge of the class.
"Nothing was blatantly wrong with Hanabira Reina, aside from her interest in the occult, so I didn’t really believe the remark was anything more than a joke.
"Now, when compared to that of the Hidden Story, which says love can transcend the material plane, it’s obvious where the system’s favor lies. It’s not in the Hanabira Reina I see, it’s in that ghost. I started seeing things differently even before the sign-in began because of this."
Roy sat on the floor beside him, nodding in understanding. After leaving the swimming pool, the handsome brat returned to class and began the explanation, not that Roy even asked for it.
’This bastard’s just glazing himself. Tch.’
"And then there’s the title of Main Story #8. The Devil Wears Glasses. I never drew the correlation to the devils of the abyss, and felt it was just a figure of speech. But I was wrong. It’s clear as day now that the Hanabira Reina in this classroom with me is some kind of devil.
"You must have discovered these differences right from the beginning and made me redo my levels as a test of my will."
"Not really," Roy nonchalantly answered.
Pierre smirked.
"Well, I hope you’re not disappointed."
Roy thought for a few seconds and spent five error points on the Code Injector Module.
Before Pierre, the LOVE executable environment glitched and broke open, showing a simple word.
» ƗΜƤŘ€ŞŞƗV€. «
Pierre was taken aback, but a genuine smile appeared on his face, and he said in relief, "Thank you."
He continued, "When I had this idea yesterday, I thought it was stupid. How can there be two entirely different versions of the same person? One living and one dead? It could only mean... one of them was lying about their identity.
"So, my working theory is: Hanabira Reina was investigating an urban legend that made her wear a red dress. And somehow, she got to the school swimming pool, so the devil drowned her and wore her body, taking her memories and all with it. That was why she couldn’t remember anything until she was back in her body, and I asked her how she died. The memory would have probably appeared in her mind as having two points of view, one where she is drowning someone, and the other where she is that someone."
Grrr~
The school bell rang, announcing the end of the last period, and Reina came up to Pierre, blushing and looking away.
"Pierre-kun, I-I read your letter. D-Do you mean it?" she asked, holding the love letter shyly.
Regardless of all the evidence and facts before Roy, he couldn’t just shake the feeling that this shy, loving, and kind soul was a devil. She always only helped Pierre and never asked for anything in return.
He sighed. "Though that could just be because it’s trying to imitate the real version to her to perfection."
Roy observed her despondently but resigned in his attempts to saintize her.
A shadow hovered over Pierre’s eyes, and he got up from his seat and grabbed her hand.
"Let’s go somewhere more private."
She followed him meekly, with her face always flushed. Roy couldn’t help but feel his heart rip.
"Pierre-kun, wh-where are we going?"
Pierre didn’t look back at her and just kept on walking as he answered, "Somewhere we can make this memorable. I want to remember that place as the place I asked you to be my girlfriend."
Reina said in an extremely shy, "Okay," and Roy couldn’t help but hurl insults at Pierre for how much hope he’s giving this fake Reina. No one had to suffer that much.
"Heh. If Master Abe were here, he would wanna do even worse," Roy shook his head, smirking. "If that psycho hates a mere weak beast with the weight of a goddamn train, I wonder how much he would hate devils."
Pierre and Reina got to the indoor swimming pool, but just as he opened the large double door for them to enter, Reina removed her hand from his grip.
He turned back, looking unsurprised as he asked, "Reina-san, is there an issue?"
"Wh-Why here?" she asked, visibly worried. Roy raised a brow at this.
Pierre fell silent, and the dialogue option appeared before him.
[A: Because it’s my favorite spot.]
[B: Th-This might sound awkward, but I want to have a swim experience with someone I care about.]
[C: You know why. You don’t need to fake it anymore.]
Finding the other options too creepy or angry, he went with Option A.
"This is my favorite spot. Don’t worry, I promise Reina-san will be safe. Come on, it’s going to be fun," he said and tried to grab her hand, but she still didn’t allow him.
"I-I don’t feel comfortable," she said.
Roy noticed Pierre gnash his teeth.
[A: Don’t you trust me?]
[B: So do you wanna go?]
[C: *Force her*]
The last option seemed tempting to Pierre, but this was not a NAZI simulation; it was LOVE, and that had to count for something. Hence, he went with Option A.
"I trust you... But, I-I just don’t like this place," she said and affectionately grabbed his hand, "Let’s go somewhere else."
Pierre placed his other hand on hers and voiced, "Trust me."
He turned to enter the pool hall with her, but she still refused to enter. It made sense, though. How could a devil ever truly trust?
This time, Pierre didn’t bother reading the first two dialogue options and just suddenly grabbed her from the side and dragged her in as she violently protested, a different tone of her voice coming out.
"ReLeASe mE, YoU BaStARd!!!"
Reins screamed, her tone utterly deep and foul. You couldn’t believe Roy’s shock.
Pierre was taken aback too, but wrestled with her and pressed on, despite her punches and insults, up until he got close and the black hair of the weeping ghost grabbed her neck and pulled her into the water.
He had learned from his time in the occult club that a soul was attached to the body, and sometimes when the spirit left, the body didn’t really die. This wasn’t astroprojection, as that was something the individual willed to do themselves. An example was an accident that left an individual brain-dead. If a devil was the one who induced such a state in a person, quickly replacing the spirit of the individual and stealing the memories, emotions, and will tied to it, then they could essentially become the person, but a twisted version.
The soul of the original would then wander, eternally stuck to this world, searching for their identity.
So, the only way to reverse it was to redo the process. Have the devil come out, and the original soul will enter the body and regain it.
That was why, at the current moment, Pierre agitatedly watched as Reina drowned while wrestling with an ethereal being that could harm her, but not vice versa.
Devils in human form had one essential weakness Pierre sought to exploit, which was that, due to their new nature, they also had human constraints.
"Aubf... PLEASE! SAVE ME! Aubf... I LOVE YOU... PIERRE-KUN!" Reina screamed for help as she drowned and flailed about, but now, her eyes were pure black with her iris a dark crimson.
Black veins stretched visibly on her pale face, and Pierre and Roy couldn’t help but feel scared.
She had blended in so well. Pierre even kissed her in his multiple redos. And all along, she was a devil playing a part.
’But what’s one of ’em doing in LOVE.exe? Goddammit!’ Roy couldn’t bear to watch and wanted to look away, but he was the grandmaster. He had to know everything.
Roy entered the swimming pool and watched as the ghost of Hanabira Reina wrestled and strangled her stolen body.
The water didn’t affect him. He was truly a mere spectator. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
The stolen body let out a gurgling scream underwater, releasing the remaining air in her lungs.
Roy watched closely as a black, smoky substance ran out of her mouth and nose and remained in the reflective surface of the water. The second before death becomes final, the soul splits from the body.
But as the devilish soul was yeeted out of the dying vessel, at the same time, the weeping ghost dove into her body through her mouth, nose, ears, and even eyes.
Pierre had lost all patience and jumped into the swimming pool.
Splash!
Pierre emerged with Hanabira Reina. She coughed up the water in her lungs while Pierre brought her to the edge of the pool.
He carried her onto the dry ground and was climbing up right after when he glanced down into the pool.
In this partly sunlit hall, he saw his own reflection.
No eyes, nose, ears, or mouth. It had no face!
