This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1259 Hello? & Stop Hitting Me
It turned out that if Lightchaser wanted something, Lightchaser got it.
Rita could have resisted—at first. But then Cinders showed up.
The moment she heard she could call her other-timeline self, Cinders clearly got curious.
The two of them cornered Rita in Lightchaser’s apartment just like back when they had trapped her in that room making Scratch Cards, insisting she hand over the revolver.
In the end, they compromised, letting Cinders go first.
If anyone was likely to answer a call out of curiosity, it would be Cinders.
Rita opened the chamber, dumped the three bullets inside, loaded Brilliance, spun the cylinder a few times, and handed the gun to Cinders.
Cinders’s actions were always more decisive than they appeared. She read the instructions, then pointed the gun at her own head and fired.
Nothing. An empty shot.
Under the watchful eyes of Lightchaser and Rita, Cinders continued pulling the trigger.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The blood-mist cylinder of Foolishness Game spun automatically, increasing the randomness of the next bullet. There was no guarantee that after five blanks, a special bullet would appear.
Rita did not know how much she really understood Foolishness, but from what she had seen, Foolishness Game was exactly the kind of toy its creator would enjoy.
It was unpredictable. Random. Uncontrollable.
And for someone used to mastering everything and knowing everything, it was exhilarating.
The gunshots continued.
Rita and Lightchaser’s eyes widened with anticipation.
Fifteen empty shots later, Cinders raised the gun and asked, "Is there even a bullet in here?"
Rita replied flatly, "Yes."
What luck was this? She didn’t know whether to feel good or bad.
Cinders fired a few more times. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Finally, the muzzle flashed gold, and the music from Foolishness Game rang out.
The tune didn’t belong to BS, but Rita remembered hearing it once in Cinders’s office at Moonlight Marsh.
Both Rita and Lightchaser leaned closer, trying to catch the call, though they didn’t know if anyone would answer.
You are being watched... You are being watched...
Earlier, a god who had switched channels because of an ad sprinted back into view.
...
Cinders was playing Divine Game when the call came in.
She had just entered and was sitting in a circle with other players inside an icehouse. Wildfire was jogging outside the circle. Cinders needed to drop a Death Poker card behind any player.
When the card landed, a number appeared automatically. Wildfire had to run around the circle that many times, while the player who received the card needed to hit her at least three times before she finished, or a game point would be deducted.
And that’s when the call came in.
It was the song Cinders liked.
Above her sword, glowing letters appeared, counting down.
Another Cinders from a different timeline is inviting you to a voice call. Accept/Decline? (30)
Cinders stared at her sword, thinking. How was she supposed to answer? Here? Now?
Suddenly, everything around her fell silent. Even Wildfire and Mistblade, who were chasing each other, paused and stared wide-eyed.
When the countdown reached 15, Cinders chose to answer.
The sword’s hilt glowed, and a calm, gentle voice sounded.
"Hello, is this Cinders? I’m Cinders from BS Rita’s timeline."
It was the first time Cinders had heard her own voice like this. Strange.
Under the gaze of over a dozen players, she kept her composure.
"Yes, I’m Cinders from the undead Wildfire timeline."
"Is it inconvenient to speak? Your voice is a bit quiet, but that’s fine. I can hear you clearly and I’m glad to talk to you."
Cinders’s gaze dropped to the glowing sword tip in the ground. She realized that to speak clearly across timelines, she had to lean close to it.
The thought of bending over in front of all those players to talk into the sword tip was horrifying.
She straightened her back, lifted her chin, and said politely, "Did you call me for something?"
"Oh, the item Rita got lets the two timelines talk briefly. But if your timeline’s player doesn’t pick up, the item goes on cooldown. Lightchaser wanted to play with it, but Rita thought her other self wouldn’t answer, so she only allowed me to. After thinking it through, it seemed I was the only one likely to pick up."
Though only Cinders’s voice could be heard, laughter crept into it as she spoke. Someone nearby had probably said something in response.
Cinders was about to respond when Lightchaser nudged her.
"Tell her to have Lightchaser on that side call me. I’ll answer."
Wildfire, crouched nearby, added, "Tell her to call me anytime. I’ll answer too."
Cinders relayed the list of willing participants. Essentially, every player present was ready. A laugh from her alternate self sounded immediately.
"All right, she’s already enjoying this."
The call ended. The sword dimmed. The game continued.
Cinders looked at Wildfire’s sapphire eyes.
"What will your other self enjoy?"
Mistblade, crouched nearby, sneered.
"This voice call will probably end up sold on the exchange."
Wildfire jumped, avoiding Mistblade’s blade, and ran again.
"Then you don’t have to answer! No, I have to talk to her. I want my share!"
Returning Foolishness Game to her apprentice, Cinders asked, "Are you planning to trade it for resources?"
Rita handed the game to Lightchaser and let her play, but she addressed Cinders directly.
"Some players can, some cannot. And during the call, I have to be present. Not everyone likes this timeline."
Cinders nodded in understanding.
"You always make things feel safe to handle."
Rita looked at her, expression peculiar.
"Our ages..."
Cinders smiled and interrupted.
"Lightchaser!"
It was a clear warning. Rita stayed quiet.
While Lightchaser made her call to her other self, Rita took care of the minor tasks she had put aside.
She asked, "Teacher, have you checked the battlefield rankings?"
Both teachers remained silent.
Rita, confused, opened the battlefield rankings above her head.
Ranking Player Battlefield Title
1 Dawn Cicada Illuminates All Starsea
2 Tiger Ear Queque Strongest Part-Timer
3 Nuclear Flash NightFury Angry Fruit
4 Fury Machine Starsea Arms Dealer
5 Fury Prayer Boss, Guide Me
...
22 BSMistblade Max Defense First
...
86 Winter Sea Frenzied Shark Turn Everything into Fertilizer
...
198 Lania Kaia Wither Not Fighting Means Death
...
233 BS Rita Stop Hitting Me
...
9999 Isolated Isle Lightchaser Battlefield Rookie A
10000 Isolated Isle Cinders Battlefield Rookie B
...
