Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

Can you talk to it?

I held up the slime in my hand and asked.

"Okay, sure," Nao asked. "What are you trying to convey?"

How did you know what I wanted to do?

"Ah...sorry, that's how you read it..."

It's okay, please tell it for me, "Stop, this isn't an enemy."

"It will be conveyed properly."

Then, Nao seemed to look at the slime-chan. She still didn't speak, but I could feel that she was talking to the slime-chan. After a while, the slime-chan in my hand stopped, and Nao had a wry smile on her face.

What did it say?

"Ah...that's embarrassing." Nao smiled wryly, "It told me to tell you, 'Stop blocking my way, you stupid box.'"

.....................

My image of the clever, quirky, and adorable slime has been shattered.

I gently put it down so it could move on its own. It seemed to give me a disgruntled look and went off to explore on its own.

"Ah...you can't go there, please don't run around." Nao called out to stop it, "There are very dangerous things over there, it's best not to go near them."

Slime seemed to have taken Nao's advice to heart, but changed direction, completely ignoring Nao's warning.

It has its own style, and we often disagree, but because we can't communicate and it's quite powerful, I have no choice but to compromise.

"Oh no... this is really dangerous..." Nao transmitted her troubled voice telepathically. "Do you have any way to stop it? Something bad is going to happen."

I think it's better to just leave it alone... because it's stronger than me, a strength that transcends species...

"You two have a great relationship." Nao watched the slime-chan walk away. "You understand each other, trust each other, and give each other some personal space. Just like her and me."

It's just me who's in a relationship with it... What can I do? I just can't handle this adorable creature.

"Oh dear, there will always be a reward," Nao comforted me with a smile.

Wow! This long-lost feeling of interacting with people is so refreshing! Meeting Nao is wonderful, but...

Don't you mind monsters?

"I don't mind," Nao said. "Whether human, monster, or demon, we are all life in this world, children of this world."

Whoa! Why is it glowing? It's so bright! I'm going blind! I'm going blind!

Nao is definitely the kind of character depicted as a saint in novels. While I find this kind of character incredibly charming, reality always clashes with their ideals, and I feel a bit sorry for them.

"Huh? Am I glowing?" Nao asked in a panic.

No, it's nothing, just kidding.

I made up an excuse to brush her off for now, and then continued to ask questions.

Why are you here? This is deep in the maze.

"A friend brought me here." Nao looked up. "Because of various reasons, I have no choice but to stay here to survive."

Indeed, the Magic Eyes saw that Nao's HP was very unstable, fluctuating up and down.

A slight complaint in Chapter 40

What happened to make Nao like this?

I have only just been born into this world, and my understanding of it is limited to the labyrinth. My means of acquiring knowledge are far too few. The Demon Eye alone is not enough.

"Speaking of which, what about you?" Nao suddenly asked, "You look so disheveled, how did you get here?"

Come to think of it, it's been me asking her questions all the time...

I stepped into three traps in a row, and then somehow I ended up here.

I told her the truth, and she gave me a strange look, as if she knew something.

"Um... I'm sorry..." Nao said apologetically, "She's causing trouble again. I rarely see her, so I can't stop her."

Who is she...?

I think I know which bastard has been following me.

"I'm sorry, I can't say." Nao looked troubled. "But I'll definitely talk to her about it."

Tell her to stop following me...

Nao blatantly turned her face away; clearly, she couldn't do it. That pervert who's been stalking me—! I'll catch you one day!

"Ah, I haven't asked your name yet." Nao changed the subject. "Do you have a name?"

Name... None...

When I came into this world, I also abandoned my former name. I have always called myself the Treasure Chest Monster, and thus I have never had a name.

"Ah, is that so..." Nao thought for a moment, "Then I'll call you 'Li'."

"Reason"? That's...

"Your name," Nao asked cautiously. "Don't you like it? I think you seem very rational, so I thought of using the character '理' (li, meaning reason) as your name."

No... Thank you, I like it very much.

I don't know why, but after accepting the name "Li" given to me by Nao, my body was filled with power. I seemed to have a real reason to exist in this world. Someone gave me a name, someone cared about me, and I always felt a warmth in my heart.

"Oh, why are you crying?"

It was only after Nao reminded me that I realized I had already started crying. This feeling of being touched and touched by Nao from the new world made me relax.

I feel so tired of living in this world.

"Really... I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Nao came over to me, sat down beside me, and gently kept me company. Just that made me feel so safe and secure, and I couldn't help but cry it all out to her.

What the hell?! Why did I have to be reincarnated as a mimic and have to survive in this treacherous dungeon?! Why couldn't they just send me to heaven?! But why?! Why did they have to send me to this world?!

It's a mimic monster! It's a mimic monster! But why can't I even beat a slime?! So many times I've faced danger, so scared I could barely move, and there was no one around, no one to help me! I just want someone to talk to, someone who's a normal friend!

Why did I have to be reincarnated as a mimic?! What's the point of being a mimic of a goddess's servant?! I'm still the same! There are so many things I want to do, but I don't have the ability to do many of them! Why is that?!

But I... still want to live...

You probably can't imagine, but in the days before I died, I had nothing left to hold me back. My mind was blank; I was just lying there, empty of everything. But as my consciousness faded, I realized that I still wanted to live.

My obsession with life seems to have reached the goddess of this world, who guided my soul to this world, leaving behind memories so that I can continue my life. That's what I think. Maybe I don't actually think the goddess is as useless as I imagine.

I cried and poured my heart out for a long time, and Nao never interrupted me, just listened quietly. When I came to my senses, Slime-chan was already back, and seemed to be alright.

"Do you like this world?" Nao suddenly asked.

Huh? Maybe, no. It's definitely true, I must really like this world.

"Right? The world is a strange place," Nao said. "She once said: 'The future and the past are not important. The present is alive, the past is dead, and the future is unseen.' Instead of focusing on how yesterday died, I'd rather do what I can now. I can't see the future anyway, so there's no point in wanting to."

Ha... that stalker actually has these kinds of thoughts...

"Haha..." Nao would laugh wryly.

Slime-chan just got back and knows nothing about what happened in between. So it looks blank, as if asking me what happened.

"Is there anything you want to do?" Nao asked.

Yes, it can become human.

"Hmm...a wonderful dream." Nao didn't comment, just smiled. "The road ahead will be winding, won't it?"

Yes, I still don't have a clue.

"Hmm, there's precedent for that." Nao suddenly dropped this bombshell.

Wait a minute?! There's a precedent for this?!

I lose my composure whenever the topic of becoming human comes up. Ugh, calm down, calm down. It's not a big deal, so it's not important! But I just can't help wanting to know!

"There are many more... Dragon Kings, fairies, mythical beasts, and so on." Nao changed the subject, "Although there aren't any examples of mimics, I believe you can do it."

Wow... Thank you... I will try my best.

Although I don't know the method, I know there are successful examples, which puts my mind at ease. Because in this world, there is still the possibility of becoming a human being.

"How about we break this big dream down into a few smaller dreams?" Nao suggested.

Um... for example, should we learn to speak first?

Yeah, I'm sure I really want to talk. Reading aloud is very useful, but things I can't say aloud will also be revealed. Hmm... Thinking back to myself in elementary school, I seem to have a strong aversion to Chinese... How could I possibly learn it well?

"Is that so..." Nao asked, puzzled. "Isn't this a way for you to have a proper conversation with me?"

Well… it's all thanks to 'Whole Language Understanding'. Without it, I probably wouldn't have been able to understand what you meant.

"I see..." Nao nodded. "If it's that skill, then it explains it. I have that skill too."

Huh...? Slime-chan can understand you too, can it?

"No, that's not true," Nao said with a wry smile. "It's a language I learned entirely through my own efforts."

Chapter 41 Traces of Earth

I looked at the slime-chan meaningfully. Oh, I see. I just didn't have the effort to work as hard as it did.

Slime seemed to notice my gaze was a little strange, and then glared back at me. Ooh, I'm a little scared.

"But before we talk about those things," Nao said, casting a worried look, "you're covered in wounds..."

Her words brought back a memory I'd been putting aside: it wasn't so much that I was badly injured, but rather that my shell was worn out. I was only spared injury thanks to my shell, even though it was completely destroyed.

Hmm... I'm not hurt, only my shell is damaged. I can just get a new shell.

"Shell swapping...? Do mimics have this kind of habit?" Nao clearly didn't know.

Hmm... it's hard to explain in a short time, but in short, I can be fully recovered by just changing the box.

"Is that so?" Nao pointed to the other end of the tree. "If it's a box, there's one down there."

? ? ? ? ? ?

Is this even possible? What a coincidence!

"I'm a little worried about letting you go across on your own," Nao said, turning towards the island in the middle of the lake. "I'll take you there. The lake isn't very deep; I think Xiaoli can cross it."

...That depends on how deep it is.

I glanced at the slime; it didn't react, which probably meant it was okay. Come to think of it, it doesn't seem to have a name yet. I'll give it one later… after we can communicate.

I followed Nao toward the clear, calm lake. She walked in without hesitation, completely unconcerned that her white robes were soaking in the water.

Just as she said, the lake wasn't deep, only up to her ankles. I'd probably have my whole foot in the water, but that didn't matter.

"Ah... don't disturb them..." Nao made a shushing gesture.

them……?

"Yes, there are quite a few people like me wandering around here, except they no longer have bodies," Nao said calmly.

Huh? Nao is a zombie... and someone similar to her... doesn't even have a body yet... wait...

Waaaaaaahh ...

Isn't that referring to ghosts?!

"What's wrong?" Nao tilted her head. "Are you afraid of ghosts?"

I'm not just scared, I'm absolutely terrified!

"Why am I afraid of ghosts when I'm not afraid of the living dead?" Nao couldn't help but laugh.

What's so funny?! Ghosts are scary, okay?! They're completely different from zombies!

Well, one is tangible, and the other is intangible; they're two different things!

I really wanted to take out the cross I had recently acquired, but then I thought about Nao in front of me, and it would be terrible if the cross worked on her too.

I had to carefully enter the water, trying not to make a loud noise so as not to disturb the ghosts here. Slime-chan swam right past me with incredible ease… You have that kind of skill too…

"Haha, it's okay, everyone's a good person," Nao comforted me.

I couldn't listen to her words of comfort; all I wanted was to quickly change my body and leave this place... Well, I also needed to know how to leave and how to come back.