**Day 39 Night White Weirdo Pervert**
I return to the room, and Armor Committee Chair—armor-less—follows me in. I have her sit next to me so we can talk. There is no deep meaning to putting her on the bed. There might be a very shallow meaning, but this is just talking.
She probably still cannot speak fluently, so this doubles as rehabilitation. We discuss various things. We do not know much about each other yet, but there is no rush. She has finally come to a bright place, a place full of people.
She probably wants to talk too. So we chat while she practices. Conversation is still mostly nods, head shakes for no, but she slowly, little by little, manages words like "…yes" or "…I, under, stand." Every time I pat her head in encouragement, she seems delighted, so I restrain myself from patting anywhere else. She is finally in a bright place and happy—darkening the room would be wrong. I am trying hard too. Very, very hard at restraining myself.
The first thing we discuss is the future—specifically "Employ."
She is no longer a monster. Having a person employed by another person is wrong, so the employment should be released. Being bound by a skill that employs monsters is strange… Let us set aside the bitches for now. They are probably not human? The skill probably judged them as monsters too. Because they are scary. Anyway, I cannot release it unilaterally from the summoner side?
From now on, she can be free—do whatever she wants. No more employment. Anything she could not do before, anything she wanted to do, anywhere she wanted to go, anywhere she wanted to return to—she can do it all freely. I explain carefully that even without employment, I will help with anything, support her however she needs. I explain properly, but tears well up in her eyes and she keeps shaking her head no. She desperately repeats "…no, …no" while looking into my eyes.
I wonder if I am not getting through, so I re-explain over and over, but she still shakes her head. She looks on the verge of crying, so I ask, "Then is it okay to keep it until you say to release it?" Finally she smiles and nods yes.
She was alone for so long. Probably no one she knows in this world anymore. Even if the connection is something worthless like "employment," maybe losing all connection to anyone is frightening.
So it is fine to keep it a little longer. Favorability-wise it might be very bad for me, but that is okay. My favorability feels like it has fallen so far there is nowhere left to drop. Probably safe. …Is that really safe?
Next we discuss why she stopped being skeleton. Or rather—can skeletons even quit? Does quitting make her human again? But Armor Committee Chair has a brilliant track record: she quit Labyrinth Emperor, quit Lich, quit Dullahan, even quit No-Life King. Backslider. Ultimate backslider. Quitting skeleton would not be surprising.
With halting words, gestures, and body language, she explains bit by bit what happened, how it happened, what occurred.
And I understand the cause, the reason, the culprit. All mysteries solved. Proof complete. Missing link found. Last puzzle piece filled. Everything explained! The cause, reason, and culprit—me! Why!?
Well, obviously—if you die you do not come back. Even as undead, only soul remains, plus cursed so no revival. Impossible to revive.
Originally, skeleton is bones covered and moved by soul and mana. Then I put "Silver Armor – 'Complete Nullification' 'All Enhancement' 'Skill: Guardian' ??? 'Curse: Assimilates with Flesh and Blood'" on her. So armor, soul, mana, and flesh-blood parts assimilated and fused. Then I gave "Bangle of Blessing – Transmutes curses and calamities (one-time wear only)"—curses and calamities transmuted, flesh returned. Dead, but now skeleton, soul, and flesh reunited. Then some idiot gave her "Necromancy Jewel – Commands life and death, Instant Death, Instant Death Resistance." In that state, commanding life and death? Of course she revives! No way she stays dead! Who did that? And that idiot also gave "Ring of Fortune – Great Luck Boost, Calls happiness, wards off misfortune." That guarantees revival. No mistake—that idiot is the culprit. Yeah, me!?
All items except demon sword and cloak teamed up for a miracle. That is why she is grateful and helping. But it is not my doing, not coincidence, nothing. The miracle is that all those ultra-rare, special items were in that one labyrinth. So it must have been inevitable. I did not do anything. Those treasures were there for Angelica-san, waiting for her all along. That is why no matter how much you search the world, you would not find them—everything gathered in one labyrinth. So it was inevitable.
When I say that, she cries. But if there is no way it was coincidence, then it was inevitable. So she could not stay sad and alone forever in that place and die.
She cried for a long time. Probably until now, no matter how painful, bitter, agonizing, empty, lonely, or sad—she could not cry. Never shed tears. Never had anyone to lean on. So she cried a lot. As if pouring out all her accumulated sorrow. Finally able to cry when she wants—let her cry as much as she needs.
After that, since Armor Committee Chair wanted to hear, I told her my story—our story.
How we came from a completely different world.
The white room and old geezer.
The junk garbage skills.
Living alone in the cave.
First time I fought.
Eating only mushrooms.
Otakus and goblins being annoying.
Starting to fight with a staff.
Meeting the girls, tent life.
Wandering the forest searching for town.
Finding town, living there.
Noble tantrum stomping fad.
How idiotic the idiots are.
And the story of not dying, of almost dying.
Then going to the labyrinth, falling, meeting her, everyone's story—I told it all.
Talking about it feels like ancient history. Just a little over a month, yet it already feels like the distant past.
When I talked about Nanoka-kun, she got really angry—crying angry. Come to think of it, when I returned, the girls were crying angry too. Feels like I am always getting yelled at?
But now everyone can smile, and we gained one more person—so it is good, right? Wait—I'm innocent, though?
And so night deepens. We talk ourselves out, exhaust ourselves talking… and do what needs doing until we fall asleep, exhausted. No—look? High-school boy, okay? Can't be helped?