Chapter 635: Approval! Shimazaki Setsuna's Shameful Confession!
Shimazaki Setsuna, dressed, clutched the hem of her clothes, sitting shyly and cautiously on the edge of the bed with her head bowed.
Ren also took the opportunity to size her up.
Her impression was distinctly different from the one he had of her in Re:Creators.
For example, her bangs.
They were thinner and more practical, much neater than he remembered.
She also wasn't as naive anymore.
Seeing that she was too shy to speak, Ren proactively said, "Do you need me to leave you two alone?"
"Ah? No! No need!"
Seeing Ren's body becoming transparent, Shimazaki Setsuna, though surprised, quickly shook her head to stop Ren from disappearing.
"Am I bothering your conversation by being here?"
"Ren-kun, you're not bothering us at all!!!"
Setsuna waved her hands frantically, her glasses sliding slightly down the bridge of her nose. Her face was flushed with a mixture of nervousness and awe. Ren felt that Shimazaki Setsuna was a little, just a little, fanatical about the pen name 'Unheard Flower Name.'
To her, he wasn't just a visitor; he was the apex of the industry she revered, the lifeline that had pulled her from the abyss.
"If it's alright, just call me by my name, Ren."
"Ren... Unheard Flower Name... So that's how Ren-kun's pen name came about!"
As if she had made a great discovery that unraveled the mysteries of the universe, Shimazaki Setsuna pulled out a small notebook and pen from somewhere—perhaps under her pillow or a hidden pocket—and began to write furiously. The scratching of the pen against the paper filled the momentary silence of the room.
Ren looked at Altair.
His gaze seemed to ask, 'Your mom's like this, aren't you going to do something?'
Altair pretended not to see him. She stood stoically, her military saber at her hip, the red and blue of her eyes observing the scene with a depth that transcended her nature as a fictional construct.
She could understand the depth of Shimazaki Setsuna's feelings for Ren, who had saved her life. It wasn't just gratitude; it was a form of worship. Not to mention, meeting her long-admired 'Unheard Flower Name,' who wasn't some balding old man but a handsome young boy even younger than herself, had likely short-circuited her creator's brain.
Altair always felt that Ren's playful remark about being parents might come true.
She recalled the aura surrounding this man. It was vast, unfathomable, and tinged with a specific kind of hunger. Especially after witnessing the... desire Ren had shown when dealing with Sagiri and the others in the villa. The way he looked at them, the way he touched them—it was primal yet gentle.
She didn't understand humans fully.
But she also understood that such desire was somewhat inhuman in its intensity. It was the greed of a being who stood above the laws of the world.
"Do... pardon me..."
Just as Ren was about to speak again, Shimazaki Setsuna interrupted, her voice trembling slightly but filled with determination. "If it's alright, Ren-kun can just call me Setsuna!"
"Alright, Setsuna. As Altair's creator, you don't seem surprised by Altair's appearance?"
From beginning to end, Shimazaki Setsuna's attention seemed to be entirely on him, almost avoiding the elephant—or rather, the Military Uniform Princess—in the room.
Shimazaki Setsuna put down her pen. The fanaticism faded from her eyes, replaced by a complex, swirling melancholy.
She looked at Altair with a complex gaze, took off her glasses, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, looking weary.
"To be honest, I just haven't been able to adapt to this being a real occurrence."
She was just pretending not to notice. It was a defense mechanism. The human mind had limits, and seeing a character one drew, a character that caused so much pain and controversy online, standing in physical form was beyond those limits.
After all, Altair came to reality from her creation, and there was also the supernatural power displayed by Ren and Altair.
All of this shattered her worldview. The physics, the logic, the separation between 2D and 3D—it was all gone.
So, she could only force her attention onto her long-admired 'Unheard Flower Name', to temporarily ignore these things. Focusing on an idol was safer than focusing on a miracle that shouldn't exist.
But after Ren brought it up, the bubble burst.
She seemed to have no choice but to face this fact that shattered her worldview. Perhaps it was time for a new worldview to be established.
"Hoo..."
She let out a deep breath, her shoulders slumping.
Her gaze fixed on Altair, she said very seriously, her voice barely above a whisper, "To be honest, I don't know how to interact with you now that you've come to reality. You... you are grander than I ever imagined."
"What creator and all that... I don't yet have the awareness that I can create living beings. I just drew. I just wrote settings. How can I claim ownership of a soul?"
At first listen, these words sounded like a mother abandoning her own child, distancing herself from the responsibility of creation.
Altair didn't react emotionally. Her expression remained cool, her military uniform pristine against the mundane backdrop of the apartment.
She listened quietly to her creator's confession. She understood the weight of the words. It wasn't rejection; it was humility born of trauma.
Shimazaki Setsuna certainly wasn't trying to deny Altair's existence. On the contrary, she loved the Altair she created immensely. She loved her enough to almost die for her when the internet turned against them.
But when the Altair who appeared was a living person, breathing the same air, occupying physical space, Shimazaki Setsuna didn't feel that the Altair in front of her was just a character she had created. She felt small.
Her values also didn't allow her to believe she was the creator. To claim to be a god to this being felt arrogant.
"So, if it's alright, I hope to treat you as an independent Altair. Not as my drawing, but as... a person."
Shimazaki Setsuna extended her right hand, with a kind, trembling smile. It was an olive branch across dimensions.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Shimazaki Setsuna."
This heartfelt emotion and regard caused an almost imperceptible smile to unconsciously appear on Altair's usually cold face. The rotation of the sabers around her seemed to slow, the air in the room softening.
This... was Shimazaki Setsuna, her creator. The one who gave her form, the one who suffered for her, the one whose story was cut short in another timeline but continued here.
Altair also extended her gloved right hand.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Altair."
Their hands clasped.
Flesh met the fabric of a uniform born from cognition. Warmth transferred between them. This was their mutual recognition. A bridge built between the creator and the created, solidifying the reality of the moment.
It was a moment of warmth, a scene that could have been the climax of a touching drama.
But Ren seemed to think of something, his eyes curving into a smile that promised mischief. He couldn't let the atmosphere remain so heavy and sentimental.
He said, as if hinting at something trivial, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something."
"Altair's ability to exist in reality relies on the vast amount of recognition in reality, which means..."
!!!
Shimazaki Setsuna was startled. Her hand gripped Altair's tighter.
Being someone who already loved manga, light novels, and all sorts of fantasies, she overthought it immediately. She knew the tropes. She knew the tragedy of summoned beings.
"Which means Altair will disappear?!"
Instantly, Shimazaki Setsuna's original composure vanished, replaced by panic. The blood drained from her face.
She didn't want that! She had just met her!
"No! Is it because she's not popular enough? Is it because the story isn't finished? I can draw! I can draw more right now!" Setsuna scrambled, looking for her tablet, panic overriding her shyness.
Under Altair's sharp gaze—which seemed to say 'You are bullying my creator'—Ren enjoyed the cute expression he had mischievously created. It was adorable to see her so flustered over Altair.
He also added under Altair's watchful eyes, raising a hand to calm her down, "However, I've already solved this problem for her."
"Altair's fundamental issue has been covered by the power I've given her; now she is a living being in reality, not linked to recognition for her existence. She won't disappear, even if the world forgets her."
"Huh?"
Like gasping for air, Shimazaki Setsuna stared blankly at Ren. She blinked, her brain struggling to process the rapid shift from tragedy back to comedy.
Her head was truly a bit muddled.
Such a reversal was too much to process! First the shock of meeting Altair, then the fear of losing her, and now the casual revelation of a god-like feat.
After a while, Shimazaki Setsuna, having sorted out the situation and calmed her racing heart, finally remembered the most crucial question. She looked at the young man who stood there, casual and dominating all at once.
"Um... Ren-kun, what exactly is your identity?"
"Hmm? That's an interesting question."
Ren's eyes lit up. He leaned back slightly, enjoying the interrogation.
His identity?
It seemed there were many.
Chat Group Administrator. The one who connected worlds.
Lord of Myriad Worlds candidate. A contender for the throne of existence.
Savior of multiple worlds. The one who stopped apocalypses.
Guardian of the real world. The one who kept the peace.
Harem King of countless women. A fact he was quite proud of.
And the title of 'Bulldozer' circulating in unknown worlds, a testament to his unstoppable nature.
But Ren was more curious about her perspective. "What is my identity in your eyes?"
"In my eyes..."
Shimazaki Setsuna paused. She looked at Altair, standing solid and real. She looked at her room, which felt safer than it had in years. She looked at the notebook where she had scribbled his pen name.
After a moment of thought, Shimazaki Setsuna picked up the Unheard Flower Name book and, for the first time, bloomed into a truly radiant smile. It was a smile free of the shadows of cyberbullying, free of the fear of death.
"In my eyes, Ren-kun is the angel who pulled me out of the abyss, my savior, and someone I admire immensely, someone I like."
This was her heartfelt and spontaneous expression. It was pure, unadulterated admiration mixed with the budding feelings of a young woman for her hero.
But after saying it, the silence in the room stretched. She froze. The words replayed in her mind. Someone I like.
"Wait!"
Did she just say something incredible? Or was it just an illusion? Did she just confess to the supernatural entity who created the multiverse's strongest fanfiction character?
"Setsuna, you... just confessed to him."
Altair, expressionless, mercilessly shattered her illusion. Her tone was flat, stating a fact like a combat report.
"Eh?!"
Shimazaki Setsuna let out a shriek of embarrassment that could probably be heard three apartments over. She buried her face in her hands, steam practically rising from her ears.
Ren, however, was enjoying it. He watched the flustered girl with a warm, predatory amusement.
Such a simple identity wasn't bad, was it?
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