The walk back to the city was exactly as awkward as I'd feared.
Kazuto led the way, his impossible coat billowing with each step, occasionally stopping to point out "the beauty of nature" or share "wisdom from my adventures." Amelia limped beside me, still recovering from the healing potion, occasionally nodding politely at whatever Kazuto was saying.
"I can't listen to this anymore," Klaus groaned. "He's been talking for twenty minutes about 'the bonds of destiny' and I want to exorcise myself."
"At least he saved us?" Vincent offered weakly.
"At the cost of my sanity."
"You're dead. You don't have sanity."
"EXACTLY. And somehow he's making it WORSE."
"Meh," Boris contributed.
"—and that's when I realized," Kazuto was saying, turning to walk backward while facing us, "that true strength comes not from power, but from the heart!"
"I'm going to scream," Klaus said. "I'm a ghost and I'm still going to scream."
"He means well," Masayuki said, though even he sounded tired. "He's just... young. And very, very protagonist-coded."
We finally reached the city gates. The guards took one look at us—bloody, limping, defeated—and waved us through without comment. They'd probably seen this before.
"The Adventurer's Guild!" Kazuto announced, pointing. "We should report your quest completion!"
"We didn't complete it," I said flatly.
"Nonsense! You survived! That's a completion of sorts!"
"That's not how quests work."
"It's how they work in my heart!"
"Please make him stop," Klaus begged.
The guild receptionist looked up as we approached. Her expression went from neutral to exhausted in seconds.
"You," she said, pointing at me. "And you." She pointed at Amelia. "The goblin quest. How did it go?"
"We failed," Amelia said quietly.
"How many goblins?"
"Approximately fifty," Amelia said. "With an Alpha."
"The quest estimate was eight to twelve."
"We're aware of the discrepancy."
The receptionist pinched the bridge of her nose. "So you're telling me we have a colony-sized nest in Whispering Woods that wasn't properly scouted?"
"Yes."
"And you two engaged it anyway?"
"We didn't know it was colony-sized until we were already engaged!"
"But you engaged it. That's twice now you've taken goblin quests that went catastrophically wrong."
"To be fair," Vincent said, "both times the scout reports were wrong."
"That doesn't make us look better," Klaus pointed out.
"Meh."
"We were saved by this gentleman," Amelia said, gesturing to Kazuto. "He eliminated the Alpha goblin."
Kazuto struck a pose. "It was my honor to assist those in need! A true hero—"
"—never abandons the weak, yes, I've heard the speech," the receptionist said tiredly. "You're Kazuto Kirishima. S-rank. You file reports here regularly."
"Indeed! The guild recognizes true dedication!"
She stamped a form with more force than necessary. "Quest marked as failed. No payment. The colony will be escalated to a B-rank subjugation mission with proper scouting." She looked at us. "I'm not banning you from quests, but I am strongly suggesting you stick to gathering missions for a while."
"Understood," Amelia said.
"We'll try again," I said.
Everyone stared at me.
"What?" I said. "I need the money."
"You almost died. Twice."
"And yet I'm still alive. Progress."
"She's got a point," Masayuki said. "Survival is a skill."
"So is knowing when to quit," Klaus added.
"Meh."
The receptionist waved us off. "Just... be careful. I don't want to file death reports."
We left the guild. Kazuto followed us out, still talking.
"—if you ever need assistance, my party would be happy to help! In fact, why don't you join us for dinner? The Gilded Boar serves excellent food, and my companions would love to meet you!"
"I have to work," I said quickly. "At the tavern. Right now. Immediately."
"Oh! A tavern worker! How humble! Truly, you have the spirit of—"
"Yep. Bye."
I started walking. Fast.
Amelia followed. "That was rude."
"I don't care. If I listen to one more speech about 'bonds' or 'destiny' I'm going to use my last Concussive Strike on my own head."
"Mood," Klaus said.
Three days passed.
Three days of brutal, grinding work.
Dawn to midnight. Dishes, floors, tables, storage, food prep, serving, cleanup. Repeat.
Agatha stopped questioning it after day one. She just kept giving me tasks and I kept completing them.
The money added up slowly.
9 silver over three days. After the 95% curse: 45 copper. 45 karma.
[System: Current Karma: -9,999,999,999,999,999,947,733]
[System: Divine debt due in: 26 days]
[System: You need 955 more karma! Keep grinding! ♪]
I was on track. Barely. If I kept this pace, I'd make the payment with a few days to spare.
If nothing went wrong.
Which, given my luck, was a big if.
"You're working yourself to death," Vincent said on the third night.
"I'm fine."
"You're not sleeping enough. Your stamina is constantly low. This isn't sustainable."
"He's right," Masayuki added. "Overwork leads to mistakes. Mistakes get you killed."
"I have twenty-six days. I'll rest after I pay the debt."
"That's what they all say," Klaus drawled. "Then they collapse and die. Or in my case, fall off a roof."
"You were drunk!"
"STILL COUNTS."
"Meh," Boris contributed helpfully.
By the fourth day, I'd fallen into a rhythm. Wake at dawn. Work until midnight. Sleep for five hours. Repeat.
My Yōki reserves stayed full thanks to the spirits' passive generation. 14 per hour added up. I was consistently at 500/500, which made the physical work easier.
[System: Current Yōki: 500/500]
[System: Bound spirits are earning their keep! ♪]
It was evening when the door opened and Kazuto walked in.
With his party.
Oh no.
Three women followed him, each one looking like they'd stepped out of different anime.
The first was a mage in ornate robes—sharp features, twin-tails, arms crossed. She looked at everything with barely concealed disdain.
The second was a healer in white and gold—soft smile, gentle expression, hands clasped demurely. She stayed close to Kazuto.
The third was... concerning. Beautiful, with long dark hair and a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her hand rested a little too casually near a dagger at her hip.
"Tsundere, deredere, and yandere," Masayuki identified immediately. "Classic harem composition."
"The yandere is definitely going to stab someone," Klaus said. "Probably us."
"Meh."
"Welcome to the Tired Traveler," I said automatically, grabbing menus. "Table for four?"
"Hitomi!" Kazuto's face lit up like I'd just offered him a legendary weapon. "You work here! How wonderful! This is fate!"
"Everything is fate to him," Klaus muttered.
"We were looking for a place to eat and—" He gestured grandly. "—destiny guided us here! My companions, these are the brave adventurers I told you about!"
The tsundere mage looked me up and down. "These are the ones who almost got you killed by goblins? They look... average."
"N-not average!" the deredere healer said quickly. "I'm sure they're very skilled! Right, Kazuto-kun?"
"Indeed! They fought valiantly against overwhelming odds!"
The yandere just smiled at me. It was not a friendly smile. "How... interesting. Kazuto speaks so highly of you."
"That's a threat," Vincent said. "That was definitely a threat."
"Noted," I replied internally.
"Table for four, this way." I led them to a corner booth.
They settled in, Kazuto in the middle, the three women arranging themselves around him like satellites.
"I'll take your orders in a moment," I said, placing menus down.
"No rush!" Kazuto said. "We're here to relax! And perhaps—" He looked at me hopefully. "—you could join us when you're free? I'd love to hear more about your adventures!"
"I'm working. Can't join."
"Oh. Of course. Duty calls!" He nodded seriously, like I'd said something profound.
I escaped to the kitchen.
"That was painful," Klaus said.
"The yandere wants to kill us," Vincent added.
"Definitely," Masayuki agreed. "She sees you as competition. Standard yandere behavior."
"I'm not competing for anything!"
"Try telling her that."
"Meh."
I took their orders—Kazuto got the house special, the tsundere got something expensive while complaining it wouldn't be as good as "back home," the deredere got whatever Kazuto recommended, and the yandere ordered nothing, just watched him.
When I brought their food, Kazuto was in the middle of a story about defeating a dragon. The three women listened with varying degrees of interest.
"—and that's when I realized, the dragon wasn't evil! Just misunderstood! So instead of slaying it—"
"You befriended it," the tsundere said flatly. "You always befriend them."
"Because friendship is the strongest power!"
"I'm going to vomit," Klaus said. "I'm a ghost and I'm still going to vomit."
I set down their plates and turned to leave—
Kazuto looked up at me.
And froze.
His eyes went wide. His face went pale.
Then he started shaking.
"Kazuto-kun?" the deredere healer reached for him. "Are you okay?"
He didn't respond. He just stared at me, trembling, his breath coming in short gasps.
"Uh," Vincent said. "What's happening?"
"He's sensing something," Masayuki said slowly. "Wait. Oh. OH."
"What?"
"Her Yōki is at full capacity. Her spiritual energy is at maximum. And he's—"
Kazuto's shaking intensified. His pupils dilated.
"K-Kazuto-kun!" The deredere grabbed his arm. "What's wrong?!"
"I... I see..." His voice was barely a whisper. "So much... darkness..."
The tsundere mage stood up. "What are you talking about?!"
But Kazuto's eyes were locked on me. And in them, I saw terror.
Pure, primal terror.
"White... light..." he muttered. "Approaching... fast... can't... move..."
"He's having a flashback," Masayuki said. "To his death. To when he was hit."
"By...?" Vincent asked.
"By her."
"Oh. OH."
"Meh," Boris said, which somehow meant "this is hilarious."
"You..." Kazuto's voice trembled. "You're... so terrifying... like death... coming straight at me..."
The yandere's hand moved to her dagger. "What did you do to him?"
"I didn't—I'm just standing here!"
"You DID something!" The tsundere's hands began to glow with magic. "What kind of curse—"
Kazuto's eyes rolled back.
He slumped forward.
And passed out face-first into his food.
"KAZUTO-KUN!" all three women screamed in unison.
The tavern went silent.
Everyone stared.
The deredere was trying to lift his head out of his plate. The tsundere was pointing at me accusingly. The yandere had fully drawn her dagger.
"YOU!" the yandere hissed. "What did you DO?!"
"Nothing! I literally just stood here!"
"He was fine until he looked at you!"
"I DON'T KNOW WHY!"
"This is amazing," Klaus said, laughing. "This is the best thing that's ever happened."
"She accidentally traumatized a hero with her mere presence," Vincent added, also laughing.
"The legendary Truck-kun aura strikes again," Masayuki said. "Even in human form, the presence of death lingers."
"Meh," Boris contributed, which meant "I'm enjoying this immensely."
Agatha appeared from the kitchen. "What is happening?"
"He fainted!" the deredere said, tears in her eyes. "Something's wrong with Kazuto-kun!"
"Did she poison him?!" the tsundere pointed at me.
"I DIDN'T GIVE HIM ANYTHING YET!"
The yandere stepped forward, dagger raised. "You did something. I don't know what, but you did something to hurt him."
"I'm calling the guards," Agatha said flatly.
"NO—wait—" I held up my hands. "I didn't do anything! He just... looked at me and fainted!"
"That's not better! That makes it sound MORE suspicious!"
"She has a point," Klaus said.
The deredere managed to pull Kazuto upright. He was breathing but unconscious, his face still pale.
"We're taking him to a healer," she said. "NOW."
"Wait—you haven't paid—" Agatha started.
The tsundere threw a gold coin on the table. "Keep the change. Let's go."
They hauled Kazuto up, supporting him between them. As they passed me, the yandere leaned in close.
"Stay away from Kazuto," she whispered, her voice ice. "Or I'll make you regret it."
Then they were gone, carrying their unconscious protagonist out the door.
The tavern remained silent for a moment.
Then everyone went back to eating and drinking like nothing had happened.
Agatha turned to me. "What was that about?"
"I have no idea."
"He looked at you and fainted."
"I KNOW."
"That's not normal."
"I KNOW."
She studied me for a moment, then shook her head. "Clean up that table. There's food in his hair."
I went to clean up, my mind racing.
Why did he react like that? What did he see?
"Your spiritual energy," Masayuki explained. "When you're at full power, your Yōki gives off an aura. Most people can't sense it consciously. But his body remembered. Remembered being hit. Being killed. By you."
"I didn't mean to kill him!"
"Doesn't matter. The body remembers trauma. His unconscious mind recognized the presence of his death, and his brain shut down to protect itself."
"So I accidentally traumatized an S-rank hero."
"Yep!" Vincent said cheerfully.
"This is your legacy," Klaus added. "Truck-kun: Traumatizing isekai protagonists since... whenever you started."
"Meh," Boris said, which meant "this is the funniest thing ever."
I finished cleaning the table and went back to work.
[System: Interesting development! ♪]
Not now.
[System: Your Yōki signature is being recognized by previous victims! This could be a problem!]
You think?
[System: On the bright side, you confirmed you definitely isekai'd an S-rank hero! That's impressive! ♪]
I'm going back to work.
[System: Also, the yandere is definitely going to try to kill you at some point! Fun! ♪]
I hate everything.
[System: But you're still alive! Progress! ♪]
I went back to serving tables, trying to ignore the concerned looks from other customers.
This was fine.
Everything was fine.
I'd just accidentally triggered a trauma response in a S-rank hero, gained a yandere assassin's attention, and confirmed that I was recognizable to people I'd killed in my past life.
Totally fine.
Completely normal.
Just another day in my wonderful new life.
"On the bright side," Vincent said, "at least he can't remember what specifically happened? Just the feeling?"
"That's not reassuring."
"I'm trying to be positive!"
"Try harder."
"Meh."
I worked through the rest of my shift in a daze, the image of Kazuto's terrified face burned into my mind.
[System: Current Karma: -9,999,999,999,999,999,947,733]
[System: Days until debt due: 26]
[System: New Status Effect: "Wanted by Yandere" - Good luck! ♪]
I looked at the notification.
Then at my hands.
Then at the door where Kazuto's party had left.
This is fine.
Everything is fine.
I just need to avoid S-rank heroes, yandere party members, and anyone I might have killed in my previous life.
Totally manageable.
"You're lying to yourself again," Klaus observed.
I know.
But what else was I supposed to do?
I went back to work.
Because that's what you do.
Even when you've accidentally traumatized the protagonist.
Even when you have a yandere on your trail.
Even when the universe keeps finding new ways to make your life complicated.
You keep working.
Baby steps.
Very, very careful baby steps.
Away from anyone who might recognize the aura of the truck that killed them.
This is going to be a problem, I thought.
[System: Probably! But that's Future Hitomi's problem! ♪]
I AM Future Hitomi.
[System: Then you should start preparing! ♪]
I sighed and grabbed another order.
Just another twenty-six days until the divine debt was due.
What could possibly go wrong?
Everything, I thought. Absolutely everything.
But I kept working anyway.
Because what other choice did I have?