"Did you want to see me?" Kaito asked.
"No" Megumi corrected him. "I wanted you to see me."
Kaito looked at her for a second, trying to understand her, but knowing he wouldn't figure out her thoughts, he simply decided to ask.
"What happened?"
"It's a long story. In short, I was summoned into a trial of sin to evolve my race. I was chosen by the sin of envy."
"Envy? I didn't expect that" Kaito said in surprise.
"Neither did I" Megumi agreed. "Anyway, they gave me a new identity in another world, where I had two childhood friends that I grew up with, one rich and one poor.
Contrary to what you'd expect, the rich one was the one who envied the poor one, because the poor one, named Peter, had a great brain. Harry's father, the rich boy, appreciated him a lot because of that, unlike his own son, who didn't particularly stand out."
'Are we talking about Spider-Man?' Kaito wondered upon hearing the names and situation.
"It seems you already know the rest" Megumi realized, perceptive as always.
"Generally" Kaito said.
"Then I'll tell you only the changes I caused. I was also bitten by a spider. Besides improving my reflexes, it gave me invisibility powers. Ironic, right?
After that, I learned how to use them. It wasn't that hard, I only had to think about whether I wanted people to see me or not" Megumi explained.
"I didn't really interfere with the situation much. I felt that since it was a trial for me, I shouldn't change it.
In the end, when Harry died, I wondered, if Harry and Peter had talked from the beginning, would the situation have ended like this? Maybe… if I had done something, could I have prevented it?
But I don't know. I don't understand feelings, so it's impossible to try helping others with theirs. In my mind, it bothers me when people don't see me, but the truth is, I don't even see myself."
"I..."
"It's okay,ñ" Megumi interrupted before Kaito could say anything. "I already understood what I have to do. I really want to see myself. I'd like people to see me, but I'd like them to see a version of myself that I like, not someone who always stays on the sidelines, afraid of interrupting.
At least, for everyone else" she said while shifting her gaze toward Kaito and looking directly into his eyes.
"Apparently, my powers work in such a way that even if someone were stronger than me, they shouldn't be able to see me. So, do you know why you can?"
"Because you want me to?"
Megumi smiled. "That's right, but even though you could see me only because I wanted someone to, even after seeing me, you don't pay attention to me.
Instead of people not being able to see me, knowing someone can and still chooses not to is much more annoying. That's why…" Megumi grabbed Kaito's head and turned it toward her, her eyes fixed on his. "Look at me."
"I know how to make people see me, but I'm scared. I want to change, become the best version of myself before showing myself to the world.
I want everyone to see the result, but… I want you to see the process."
"...That's the strangest confession I've ever received" Kaito said after a moment of silence.
Megumi's usually expressionless face shifted slightly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
"It wasn't exactly a confession."
"Even though it sounded like one?"
"No. I just want to stay by your side in my perfect version… I guess that is a confession" Megumi realized to herself, making Kaito laugh a little.
"Pffft, seeing confident Megumi like this is fun."
"I'm serious, you know? Don't laugh."
"Sorry, haha" Kaito apologized, stopping his laughter. "Then, I really don't know what you mean by your perfect version and I really don't understand what I have to do to help you, but I promise I'll watch you through the process and be there to help or support you whenever you need it."
"That's all I need" Megumi nodded.
"Then let me tell you what happened. After completing my mission, I received two rewards in total: one skill upgrade and one original skill.
The first is an upgrade to my 'void'. Now I can bring people there, but they can't be real people, they have to be semi-real beings."
"Semi-real? What counts as semi-real?" Kaito asked.
"I'm not sure" Megumi admitted. "For example, there were other contestants in the trial. Among them there was a girl who needed help and wanted to come with me, so I brought her into the void. She's some kind of mental lifeform or something, so I could bring her."
"Wait. You just brought a new person because you felt like it?" Kaito asked.
"You bring new people all the time, so I thought it'd be fine" Megumi said, confused.
Kaito said after realizing she had a point.
"Then I guess she counts as semi-real since she has no physical body. I'm not sure. I tried with other participants and couldn't, so maybe people in general can't."
"Wait!" Kaito realized. "If a person without a physical form counts as semi-real, what happens with those whose soul isn't complete?"
"You mean…" Megumi immediately understood what he meant.
Since the spirit from another world she had brought was already in the void, now she could let it out into Gaia.
If that worked with any of the inhabitants of other worlds, they had just found something very convenient.
"Try it with them" Kaito said, pointing with his thumb at the people beside him.
"Who are they?" Megumi asked. She hadn't noticed them before, or rather, she simply hadn't paid attention.
"New subordinates."
"You can bring seven and you're surprised because I brought one?" Megumi sighed and, without waiting for an answer, extended her arm toward the group drinking without noticing anything.
[Transporting 7 people to the void… Error]
[Cause of error: You do not have permission from the targets, targets are not weakened]
[Detected that you have permission from the one to whom the targets are subordinated, permission from targets is unnecessary, repeating process…]
After a few annoying notifications, Megumi successfully transported all seven people into the void.
Then she transported Kaito and herself as well.
...
The void was a completely white terrain with nothing else there. Somehow it seemed like there was a floor beneath them, but the fact that it had the same color as everything else, combined with the absence of shadows or lighting, only made it more confusing, making it feel as though they were standing on air.
Even though their brains told them they were standing on something, their other senses told them otherwise, making them believe they could fall with the next step, that they were already falling, or both at the same time.
"Where…?"
"Don't worry, we're fine" Kaito reassured them before panic spread through the group.
"Kaito, did you bring us here? What is this place?" King asked.
"It's the void, a space outside of… well, everything" Kaito tried explaining. "The point is that the owner of this space is my companion Megumi, not an enemy, so there's no need to panic."
"Who's that?"
"There's someone here."
"Where did she come from?"
"Companion?"
Everyone had different opinions about the companion who appeared out of nowhere and whom they hadn't even noticed until Kaito mentioned her.
"Yeah, she's Megumi. Like me, she's a Lord. Having finished her trial, she can return to Gaia. There she just has to let you out of this special space and that's it" Kaito explained.
"Pretty convenient" Ban said before sitting down on the ground, relaxing.
"Meliodas" Elizabeth said as she approached her lover.
"Yeah, I felt it too" Meliodas nodded before Elizabeth could say anything.
Since arriving here, neither of them had felt the curse binding them together.
"Meliodas, I…" Elizabeth sobbed.
"Yeah, we did it. We'll finally be together!" Meliodas hugged her happily.
"What's going on with them?" Megumi asked as she approached Kaito.
"It's a long story, I'll explain later" Kaito simply said.
"Then, about the skill and the spirit you brought…"
Before she could finish asking, Kaito suddenly disappeared from the place, drawing everyone's attention.
"What happened?"
"Kaito?!"
"Did he… just disappear?"
"He's fine, don't worry" Megumi said. "He was simply summoned by another subordinate who asked for help."
"Summoned? I don't really understand, but as long as he's okay…" King lost interest in trying to understand and returned to resting on his floating pillow.
"Forgive my brother. Can you tell us what happened with Kaito?" Elaine asked politely.
But before Megumi could explain, she was interrupted again.
"Wait! There's something I want to talk about!"
"What is it?" Megumi asked, raising her head to look at Diane without feeling intimidated by her attitude or height.
"Are you one of Kaito's girlfriends?"
"Seriously? Do you think this is the right time for that?" Ban complained.
"Something like that" Megumi answered naturally.
"Then I have something I need to tell you. It's important and it's about Kaito."
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)