Want to be human, but cube-like

Volume 1: Chapter 85 [Infinite] Aptitude

In the evening, after a "Closed" sign was hung at the entrance, the burger shop, now only occupied by the two of them, became quiet.

After having a quick dinner with Xiangzi, Alex walked out of the burger joint alone and glanced at the time on her phone.

It's probably around eight o'clock.

She plans to take a walk around the area during this time.

Xiangzi said he needed to organize the financial data generated over the past few days of store operation, so he declined Alex's invitation to go for a walk.

In the alley behind the back gate, she used the instant step of drawing her sword and a double jump to leap onto the roof of the building next door in a few steps.

The walk was just an excuse; the real purpose was to patrol Ikebukuro and the surrounding area to see if any hostile creatures had appeared.

To put it bluntly, she's doing what magical girls are supposed to do: clearing out the familiars that come out to capture people in order to feed witches.

With her speed and stamina, she could actually be quite fast by checking the mini-map while leaping across rooftops. In any case, she would just need to glance at the uninhabited areas to see if any red dots would appear, and she wouldn't need to worry about the crowded areas at all. She could finish the task in half an hour.

Of course, if Xiangzi accepts the invitation to go for a walk with her, then Alex will simply be with him and stroll around the neighborhood a few times.

After all, her main purpose was simply to ensure the safety of her neighborhood, and her secondary purpose was because of the predicament that Tokyo currently lacked magical girls to eliminate witches, as Kyubey mentioned.

To avoid the other party constantly harassing her and Xiangzi about whether they should sign a contract.

Good evening, Alex.

However, in reality, Cupid continued to harass her.

"Actually, once you sign a contract to become a magical girl, you won't need to use this inefficient method to find witches anymore."

They had only run two blocks when a small figure suddenly appeared in the shadows not far away.

"The Soul Gem of a magical girl can sense witch barriers, making it much more efficient to find witches."

The voice in her mind made her pause.

"Chobi, you're so annoying..."

Alex's tone was full of impatience. If she hadn't killed it a few times and knew that it was just a clone and couldn't bring Alex any loot, she would have stabbed it into a skewer the moment she saw it.

"I deal with familiars and witches simply out of interest."

After estimating the time, Alex figured it wouldn't take much of a waste, so she simply stood there and chatted with it for a bit.

“Once a contract is signed, it becomes an obligation that I have to fulfill, right? I’m not very interested in protecting strangers.”

Xiangzi had already discussed the pros and cons with Alex at least four or five times. Alex, who had no need for the power of a magical girl, had no interest in Kyubey's suggestion.

As for the chance to make a wish, Alex felt it was of no use to her at least for now.

"It's a real shame, Alex. Your potential as a magical girl is actually quite strong. If you were willing to sign a contract, the power you would gain would definitely exceed your expectations."

Kyubey's words piqued Alex's interest slightly.

"Oh? How strong?"

She didn't believe that the immense power Kyubey spoke of could be greater than the power she had personally experienced when her mother created, destroyed, and altered the world's parameters.

After all, if the immense power Kyubey spoke of, and its supposedly omnipotent and miraculous desires, could achieve such a level of power, then there would be no witches in this world at all.

“I don’t know. In fact, Alex, the magical girl qualities you possess are still expanding and growing. I can’t see them, and I can’t predict their limits.”

Unexpectedly, Kyubey responded in this way, and Alex could even detect a hint of surprise in Kyubey's words.

"If I had to describe it in one word, I think it would be 'infinity'."

Kyubey sighed; this was the first time in a long time that she had sensed a change in Kyubey's emotions.

The emotion conveyed solely through word choice and phrasing, rather than tone of voice.

"Sounds unusual?"

Tilting her head, Alex asked.

"Yes, your talent can even influence those around you. Even Xiangzi, who has been in contact with you, seems to have improved her talent as well."

Cupid then threw out a new message.

"Her qualifications weren't particularly strong to begin with, and she wasn't very willing to sign a contract. After refusing her once, I didn't plan to ask her any further questions."

This statement clearly means that because Alex's contact with Xiangzi improved her aptitude, Kyubey started asking Xiangzi about her wishes again after that.

Upon hearing this, Alex remained silent and offered no comment.

"Speaking of which, I'm very curious, Alex, where do you and Xiangzi usually hide?"

Just as the atmosphere fell silent, Kyubey asked a question that puzzled Alex.

"What do you mean?"

She frowned slightly and asked in return.

“You always seem to enter an area that I can’t observe. I can only detect your presence after you leave. In fact, I haven’t been able to find any trace of Toyokawa Shoko since she left the hospital after visiting Toyokawa Kiyoko.”

These words surprised Alex.

Could it be that Kewpie couldn't see her burger shop?

"...Um, I won't tell you."

After thinking for a moment, Alex chose not to answer the question. Anyway, she had no obligation to explain to Kyubey, which was better. If she got annoyed by the harassment, she could just go back to the burger shop and wouldn't have to worry about being bothered by Kyubey all the time.

Moreover, Alex herself didn't know what was going on, and she had no intention of sharing the situation with Kyubey to discuss it together.

"If this is all you came here to say, then I'm leaving..."

Shaking her head, Alex took two steps toward the edge of the rooftop.

“Of course there are other things, Alex.”

Cupid called to her again.

“I examined Toyokawa Kiyotaka’s body and also checked the food and liquids you fed him after you defeated the witch last time. The results were very strange.”

It took a few steps forward, stepping out of the shadows, its deep red eyes, slightly darker than Alex's, wide open.

"The results showed that it was just ordinary meat and milk, and the ingredients were very pure, but it seemed to enhance the activity of Toyokawa Kiyoka's body cells? His physical condition was obviously much worse, but after being fed, his body quickly recovered to the level of a normal person, and no abnormal traces were found in the subsequent tests."

Quietly gazing at Alex, Cupid asked calmly.

"What are those, exactly?"

"..."

Alex remained silent for a moment.

But they weren't thinking about how to get through it.

In fact, she didn't really understand what Cupid was saying.

"You are not"

As I said, it's just regular meat and milk.

After thinking for a moment, Alex took out a bottle of milk that she had kept in her backpack for emergencies and tossed it to Kyubey.

"Here you go, if you're curious, try it yourself."

After saying that, she ignored Kyubey and used Instant Step to leave the rooftop.

Only behind her, Kyubey, who had jumped up and caught the glass bottle in his mouth, remained silent, watching her departing figure.

…………

Volume 1: Chapter 86 Xiangzi's Temptation

More than forty minutes later, close to nine o'clock, Alex returned to the burger shop empty-handed.

Looking into the shop from outside the street, you can see that Xiangzi has probably already tidied up the shop. The tables and chairs are neatly arranged, and the kitchen is also in a well-organized state. Looking through the glass door, it is dark inside.

Enter through the back door, lock it behind you, and go straight up to the third floor.

The hallway was empty, probably because the lights were off to save electricity. All three bedroom doors were closed, and in the dimly lit environment, only a little light shone through the glass door of the bathroom, along with the sound of running water, which somewhat dispelled the feeling of loneliness.

Alex has recently been considering whether to tear down the wall of the empty bedroom, expand the third-floor hallway, and turn it into a living room to make the floor less desolate.

After all, apart from working at the hamburger shop on the first floor and working on the island, she and Xiangzi usually just retreated to their own bedroom. Wouldn't it be better if they had a living room, so they could have more time to communicate?

Xiangzi rarely saw her take much rest. After finishing her work, she would usually go straight back to her room to play with her electronic keyboard. She rarely lingered outside to chat with Alex, and going to her room on her own initiative was something that never happened.

Alex mostly spends her free time alone, and only occasionally will Aine chat with her on LINE. As a result, Alex has recently stopped wanting to go to the Sky Island to keep an eye on the mob farm.

After all, once inside, her phone would lose signal, and she wouldn't be able to receive messages from Ai-yin, so it was better to stay in the room and chat with Ai-yin.

Anyway, all that's left is to wait for the gold ingots to be combined into golden apples. The goal is too far away and it's not a very urgent need, so much so that Alex doesn't have much motivation to grind monsters.

Moreover, although a soundproof room was set up on the second floor where she could play musical instruments, Le Nai would come over every afternoon to play music with her, so there was no need for her to play alone in the evening.

Okay, Alex admits, she was just plain lonely.

Xiangzi had never noticed this; she was probably misled by the strong and reliable image that Alex had always presented.

In reality, she had always been just a child who was very afraid of being alone.

This is what Alex has been like ever since she was separated from her mother.

Rather, it was precisely because of her mother's departure that Alex, who used to always have someone by her side to talk to, became unable to get used to quiet, unable to bear loneliness, and unable to face solitude.

"Click."

Just then, the bathroom door suddenly opened.

She then noticed that while she was lost in thought, the sound of water in the bathroom had stopped for a short while.

The misty steam, carrying a faint scent of shower gel and a slight warmth, drifted out and entered Alex's nostrils.

"Ah... Alex, you're back."

Xiangzi, who was only wearing a bath towel, was about to walk out barefoot when she saw Alex. She subconsciously raised her hand to pull the bath towel in front of her chest and lowered her eyelids.

"Hmm, are you taking a shower so early today?"

"Blink," Alex said.

Normally, Xiangzi would only take a shower after she returned to her room or the empty island. The two almost never met under these circumstances, and it always felt as if Xiangzi was intentionally avoiding such things.

She naturally rarely saw Xiangzi in a state like this.

Or rather, it was only when Xiangzi first stayed here that she knocked on the door to hand him a towel and caught a fleeting glimpse of him. Xiangzi's wet face and arms were visible behind the door, his skin flushed from the steam.

This was the first time Alex had ever seen Xiangzi so completely unguarded.

Oh wait... The night Alex brought Xiangzi back, she saw her completely unguarded when she was changing her into pajamas.

But Xiangzi looked much more haggard back then. Not only was she pale, but she was also unconscious and had no consciousness. She was like a delicate doll, completely at Alex's mercy. She was far less attractive than she was now, with her rosy complexion and charming appearance.

To make bathing easier, Xiangzi would wrap her long, smooth, light blue hair, which she always wore in two long ponytails, into a large bun with a towel and place it on her head. When she moved around, the bun would sway back and forth, giving it a very dynamic look.

The bath towel wrapped tightly around Xiangzi's delicate body, highlighting her petite and exquisite figure. As Xiangzi subconsciously pulled the bath towel up to cover her small breasts, it also made her white feet, which were barely covered by the towel and forced to be exposed, appear even whiter.

Alex's attention shifted slightly as she watched the glistening water droplets on Xiangzi's face, which weren't completely dry, slide down her temples, run down her cheeks to her delicate chin, drip down her fair neck, and finally settle on her exquisite collarbone. After lingering there for a moment, they slowly slipped under the towel, revealing her slightly undulating, full breasts.

"Because I was thinking that you might be practicing your spoken English with Ai-yin tonight, and the call would be quite long, I decided to take a shower first, so that you can use the bathroom later..."

Seemingly feeling somewhat uncomfortable and at a loss under Alex's undisguised gaze, Xiangzi slightly turned her flushed face and replied.

She curled her toes slightly, her long legs pressed together, touching each other gently. Under the light, her figure was dazzling, and the rising heat had not yet dissipated. In the hazy light, Xiangzi's posture seemed somewhat...

"Aiyin hasn't texted me yet."

Alex, who seemed completely unconcerned about Xiangzi's attitude, said this, and then took out her phone to take another look.

"Perfect, I'll go take a shower first, and then wait for her message."

Putting down her phone, Alex looked at Xiangzi again, met her gaze with her moist eyes, and smiled.

"Um……"

Seeing the other person's expression, which showed no sign of anything amiss, Xiangzi didn't know whether she should breathe a sigh of relief or feel deflated. She bit her lower lip and responded with a soft "yes".

With slightly complicated feelings, Xiangzi turned sideways past Alex, leaving a warm, fragrant breeze around her, and hurriedly returned to his bedroom.