Want to be human, but cube-like

Volume 1: Chapter 30 Manipulating the World Like a Creator

Did you just make Cupid run away in anger?

On the tram.

Alex asked Xiangzi beside her.

Sitting on the cold chair, she swayed from side to side with the tram, her body rocking back and forth, looking like she couldn't sit still at all, as if she might stand up at any moment, jumping here and there.

Despite being a head taller than the girl next to her, she lacked any mature demeanor and looked more like a child.

Will it really get angry?

Xiangzi, however, seemed to have a different opinion.

"I couldn't see the slightest emotional fluctuation in its eyes."

Thinking of the three identical-looking Cupids, Xiangzi shrugged, still feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

"Moreover, I always felt that it had ill intentions."

Having experienced the harsh realities of society at a young age, Xiangzi understood that in this world, any transaction or constraint involving the concept of "contract" is essentially just a means of exploiting information asymmetry to extract benefits from the other party.

Whether a contract is reasonable or not depends entirely on whether the party proposing the contract is willing to adhere to the most basic principles of fair trade and information exchange.

As for companies like Kyubey, there's no guarantee that even the most important clause in their contracts—the mechanism that "can grant any wish"—can be fully controlled.

Xiangzi really couldn't have much trust in him.

Perhaps only an innocent little girl, or someone desperate in a crisis, would sign such a contract without hesitation.

Thinking of this, she suddenly paused.

"Encountering danger, with nowhere to turn..."

If you, as an ordinary person, were to encounter Kyubey while being chased by a monster, wouldn't that be a critical moment where you wouldn't even have time to think?

Back then, I was in a desperate situation because I was short of money, couldn't find a job, and was in a slump in my life.

Last night, perhaps it was because Alex arrived too quickly to save her. What if, like tonight, Kyubey had actually watched the whole thing yesterday?

Is it possible that it is waiting for an opportunity that it cannot refuse the contract?

Unaware that Alex had died once the previous night, and that Kyubey was completely oblivious to this, Shoko began to speculate wildly.

"Cupid, are you up to no good?"

Alex stopped moving, turned her head, and tilted her head to look at Xiangzi.

"But when I look at its icon on the minimap, it's in a neutral, passive state."

"It's just my gut feeling."

Xiangzi stopped her increasingly frightening speculations, shook her head, and had no intention of explaining in detail to Alex.

Over the course of their time together, she had come to realize that while Alex appeared mature, she was actually quite naive. Perhaps she simply couldn't comprehend how many deliberate traps might be hidden within this seemingly fair transaction contract.

"Then next time I see Kyubey, I'll try slashing it?"

Lifting a slender index finger, Alex had an idea.

"Since it's a passive creature, it can't judge whether there's danger. So, I'll just hit it once and see if it retaliates, right?"

This way you can determine whether the creature is dangerous or not.

As is typical of blocky beings, Alex and her mother have always been like this: whether you have something to say or not, they'll touch you first.

Anyway, the worst consequence is just being hunted down and killed once.

"There's no need for that..."

Xiangzi wasn't going to take Alex's words as a joke. Knowing that the other woman didn't have much common sense, she knew that Alex would definitely do what she said.

"Remember this: in this world, you must never attack others indiscriminately!"

Looking at Alex with great seriousness, Xiangzi wanted her to understand the importance of his words.

She certainly didn't want to wake up one day to find Alex's picture on a wanted list in the news.

"Otherwise, your appearance and name will appear on all the screens in the city, and you will be constantly wanted by the police, which will be very dangerous!"

Xiangzi, who was trying to instill modern common sense in Alex, did not realize that she might have used the wrong method.

"Huh? Wouldn't that look really cool?"

Hearing Xiangzi's warning, Alex's eyes lit up. She thought about it and realized how prestigious she would be if all the giant screens on the street displayed her face.

Mom seems to really like this; if my picture appeared on the city's screens and Mom saw it...

If that's the case, she'll definitely be very happy, right?

...Unfortunately, she's not by my side anymore.

"No, that's not cool at all."

Xiangzi gently covered his forehead and retorted helplessly.

"By the way, do you have a wish that you have to make to Cupid to have granted?"

Unable to change Alex's mind, Xiangzi had no choice but to skip the topic and bring up the matter of Kyubey and the wish again.

"...A wish."

Alex thought for a moment.

How can I turn myself back into the blocky person I used to be?

If this were when I first came into this world the day before yesterday, or even before I met Xiangzi yesterday, perhaps I would have had these thoughts.

But now, it doesn't really matter anymore. Sometimes, Alex even thinks that she's quite interesting this way.

Although it's not as reliable as its previous square shape, it's much more refined and beautiful.

Moreover, use this body to embrace others.

Very comfortable.

Alex smiled slightly, savoring the soft feeling of holding Xiangzi in her arms just now.

How comforting would it be to hug my mom like that in the future?

She couldn't imagine it.

"Have you ever thought about asking Cupid to help you find your mother?"

At this moment, Xiangzi spoke up to ask a question.

She seemed to be trying to get some kind of answer from Alex, and as she spoke, she lowered her eyes to hide the confusion in them.

"To find Mommy...?"

Alex paused.

"I have thought about it, but... I don't think it's feasible."

To be frank, Alex was skeptical about whether Kyubey had such an ability.

"Eh?"

This response surprised Xiangzi.

"After all, it can't even help me switch to cheat mode or creative mode."

As she spoke, Alex pouted again, seemingly dissatisfied that Kyubey hadn't understood her wish earlier.

"Cheating...mode?"

But clearly, Xiangzi didn't understand either.

"If this mode is activated, you can use commands to control and even modify everything in the world, change the weather, jump through time, move spatial coordinates, create any entity, destroy certain areas or a certain creature... You can do a great many things."

Unlike Kewpie, Alex was patient with Xiangzi and explained things to her slowly.

"This has always been a power exclusive to my mother. I have also witnessed my mother using commands to modify the world in other worlds. Once, she went too far in modifying the world and ruined it. In the end, she found it too troublesome to restore the world, so she simply destroyed it."

Volume 1: Chapter 31 So you were going to pay the employees' salaries?

In Alex's words, her mother seemed to have become a capricious and tyrannical creator god.

As Xiangzi listened to her story, a somewhat frightening image gradually emerged in his mind.

She was a woman who resembled Alex, but with a more mature appearance and figure.

With the same flowing silver hair and stunning beauty, she wore a sexy dress that perfectly showcased her curvaceous figure.

But this larger version of Alex always wears an evil smile. With a single word, she can plunge the entire Earth into darkness. She also laughs wildly as she destroys everything in her sight, causing the world to collapse and countless civilians to die in an instant.

The world, finally broken and manipulated, was wiped away with a wave of her hand without a second thought.

"Then, it's better not to make such a wish to it...!"

Coming to her senses, Xiangzi shrank back, feeling a bit scared, and quickly said...

"Well, Mom must have encountered some unforeseen accident that she couldn't handle, which is why we separated. If she can't even understand things like cheat mode and creative mode, which are insignificant to her, then Kyubey definitely can't help me and Mom..."

Alex nodded in agreement, but her thinking seemed to be out of sync with Xiangzi's.

"This...is like this..."

He secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced a smile.

I had heard Alex talk about her mother many times before, but this was the first time I realized that Alex's mother was this powerful.

This was completely beyond her imagination, and she didn't know whether she should doubt the truth of what Alex was saying.

"Speaking of which, Xiangzi."

Suddenly, Alex remembered something.

"Kyubi just mentioned that, right? If you don't find a way to get rid of the witch's kiss on you, it'll be very troublesome."

After discussing the unexpected encounter with the creature, Cupid, the two finally returned to the main topic of the evening.

This is also why Alex accompanied Xiangzi on the tram to her neighborhood.

She wanted to help Xiangzi scout out the area to see if there were any dangerous familiars or witches lurking around.

"call……"

Speaking of this matter, Xiangzi was indeed a little uneasy. She took a slow, deep breath and fell into deep thought.

Xiangzi had actually anticipated that the witch's kiss would make her susceptible to the bewitching of the familiar. She had only thought that as long as she returned home before evening and did not go out at night, she should be able to avoid this period.

After all, Alex had told her that the Witch's Kiss debuff had a time limit of over a hundred hours, which translates to about six days remaining.

Given that familiars only appear in alleys at night, I should be safe during the day as long as I don't go to secluded places alone.

But Xiangzi never expected that this witch's kiss would also have the function of locating familiars, and would also make her a kind of bait in the eyes of familiars.

So even if I get home at night, I can't be sure I'll be safe.

It might even harm your family.

"or……"

At this moment, Alex suddenly spoke up, interrupting Xiangzi's thoughts.

"Xiangzi, why don't you move in with me?"

Seeing that Xiangzi hadn't spoken for a long time, she finally made the suggestion.

"No, that would be too much trouble for you."

But Xiangzi almost reflexively rejected the suggestion.

"It won't be troublesome."

Alex said something else.

"There are several empty rooms on the third floor of the burger shop. Even if you don't come, they are empty and no one lives there."

Upon hearing this, Xiangzi remained silent. She knew in her heart that she already owed Alex too much. The deal she had made with Alex on impulse that day was, in retrospect, completely unequal.