WDIHTVYB Chapter 20

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“Really? That’s a relief. He seems… like someone who spends a lot of time on the internet.”

[Ah… yeah, he’s a bit like that. Especially when it comes to the world you used to live in.]

‘The world I used to live in?’

The phrasing felt strange.

Wouldn’t it usually be referred to as “the original world”?

But on second thought, it didn’t seem entirely out of place.

From the perspective of the ancient gods, it made sense to say I came here from that world.

Even though they were the ones who brought me here.

[Did I offend you? If so, I apologize.]

When I didn’t respond, another message appeared.

At that point, I shook my head and replied.

“No, not at all. Anyway, I understand. Please keep things in check from now on.”

[Understood.]

With that message, the ancient gods stopped bothering me.

I alternated between reviewing my notes on Raizen’s Affinity and the Affinity list itself, eventually coming to a neat conclusion.

‘-44 isn’t such a bad number!’

Especially considering it had gone up from -144 to -44.

That was practically a miracle.

Thinking about it that way, Raizen seemed a little cute. Just a little.

‘He’s still just a kid after all.’

All it took was pretending to like him a bit, and he started opening up…

‘No, that’s not it.’

In truth, I had no idea when his Affinity toward me had gone from -144 to -44.

It might have risen when he discovered that I could help ease his curse—when he found I was useful to him.

‘…That’s probably the most likely explanation.’

As expected of someone destined to become the mastermind.

Hating or liking someone based on their utility?

More precisely, going from utterly despising someone to barely tolerating them.

Thinking about it that way made my current situation feel too pitiful, so I decided to just ignore it.

“Sigh.”

A deep sigh escaped me before I realized it.

My body might have been twelve, but mentally, I was an adult.

Yet here I was, dealing with a thirteen-year-old in this manner.

It was pathetic.

But that thirteen-year-old held my life in his hands, and there wasn’t much I could do about it.

Even if I learned magic or swordsmanship, I wasn’t some kind of prodigy, so beating Raizen by force was out of the question.

Ultimately, my only option was to survive until adulthood, inherit my assets, and run away.

To do that, I needed to win Raizen’s favor to some degree.

‘Can I really survive until then?’

It was a question no one could answer, endlessly looping in my mind.

---

After that, my relationship with Raizen didn’t improve or deteriorate.

The only new routine was spending exactly three minutes holding his hand in his room each day.

Whenever I tried to strike up a conversation, Raizen’s disinterest was obvious, making my tongue feel tied.

‘What if I say the wrong thing and his Affinity drops even more?’

That constant worry prevented me from being proactive around him.

Before, not having the Affinity system had felt like a death sentence.

But now that I could check it in real time, it was maddening in a whole new way.

Adding to my frustration was that Raizen never explained what effect holding hands had.

The Affinity log was like a crypto tracker—obsessively monitored but showing no change.

“This week, let’s increase it to six minutes.”

I almost blurted out, “Why six minutes?” but bit my tongue instead.

Six minutes.

It was fortunate that winter was approaching; otherwise, it might have been an unbearable duration.

Another week passed.

“This week, just one minute.”

If he’d said four minutes, I might have screamed.

Thankfully, it was only one.

Another week went by, and Raizen’s Affinity was still at -44.

“This week, we’ll do it four times for three minutes each.”

Three minutes seemed to be the optimal duration.

When Raizen shared the schedule, he looked like an ordinary boy his age.

Well, ordinary aside from being annoyingly good-looking and having the air of an academic prodigy.

‘If this gets too difficult, should I try something else starting tomorrow?’

His appearance reminded me of my brother, which left me slightly unsettled.

---

Weeks passed, and winter arrived.

The harsh cold made the already dry western weather even worse.

The duke’s mansion was busy preparing for the season.

My ankle’s skin cracked from the dryness, causing concern for Mila and the duchess.

Meanwhile, it became clear that I had no aptitude for magic or swordsmanship.

A month had flown by since this experiment began.

In that time, Raizen’s complexion had significantly improved.

His once pale, shadowed face now looked healthier and more vibrant.

Even his mood seemed better.

[Raizen Miel Pantheon / Affinity: -40]

His Affinity had gone up by four.

Just four.

It was oddly frustrating.

And now…

“From this week, we’ll reduce it to twice a week, one minute each time.”

Raizen announced this with a determined look, as if he’d made up his mind.

‘Holding hands with me seemed to have some effect, based on his improved appearance.’

Even I could see the difference.

Raizen must have felt it even more.

His plan to sharply reduce the frequency and duration likely aimed to test how effective the contact really was.

It was surprisingly scientific for someone his age.

‘But isn’t this a bit too extreme?’

It was the fastest way to get clear results but risked having adverse effects.

‘Honestly, I’m more surprised this experiment lasted this long.’

I’d thought it would end quickly with no results.

After all, I wasn’t supposed to have divine power.

But contrary to my expectations, the experiment had continued for over a month, with Raizen taking it seriously.

“Why? If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

I must have been staring at him without realizing it.

Raizen noticed and called me out.

“Oh? No, it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

He was annoyingly sharp.

Over the past month, regularly meeting and holding hands, even briefly, had taught me a few things about Raizen.

He wasn’t easily persuaded without logical explanations.

Despite that, he was highly sensitive and trusted his instincts.

Above all, he hated being deceived.

In other words, when Raizen sensed something was off and asked about it, you had to answer carefully.

‘If you’re going to lie, make it logical.’

If you couldn’t manage that, honesty was your best option.

“Well… what if cutting back on time and frequency ends up hurting me?”

When I admitted this honestly, Raizen narrowed his eyes.

“Is your injured head finally starting to heal?”
“I was worried about you, so why are you cursing at me? Well, I know this is just karma catching up to me. After all, everything started because I acted like a clueless brat at twelve, not understanding how kids that age should behave.”

“It seems the memory loss was caused by the aftereffects of the accident. Amnesia can occur due to physical trauma, but it’s also very likely caused by psychological shock.”

“So, Vincent, what’s your opinion?”

“I think it’s a combination of both physical and psychological trauma. That said, it’s a bit strange that even the foundational knowledge was forgotten. That’s why I suspect the psychological impact was more significant. It’s a defense mechanism—sealing off memories to protect against traumatic events.”

“Then… are you saying the regressive symptoms are also due to psychological shock?”

“Yes. That’s my professional opinion.”

Vincent, the family doctor, had once discussed this with the Duchess while I was the topic of conversation.

They thought I was asleep from the medication, but no matter how quietly they spoke, I was close enough to hear every word.

I was initially impressed by how advanced the medical knowledge in this world seemed, comparable to the reality I came from.

But that wonder didn’t last long before my mind was filled with one thought: I’m screwed.

No wonder.

It explained why everyone looked so baffled by my actions at first.

Over the past month, I’ve been subtly adjusting my behavior.

To them, it seemed as though I was slowly recovering from the mental and physical shock, and my regressive symptoms were improving.

“I’ve realized just how hard it is to stick to a script and play a role.”

Breaking free from my memories, I lowered my head slightly and let my lips pout faintly.

“But… I still don’t remember anything.”

Honestly, I have no intention of ever regaining those memories—unless, by some miracle, the original Sean’s memories and mine suddenly synchronized.

Feigning a downcast expression, I spoke in a low voice, but the only response was silence.

Well, really… what did I expect from him?

Just as I was about to get up and leave, thinking it was time to wrap this up, Raizen’s voice stopped me.

“If you had more good memories, they’ll come back someday.”

“…”

“There’s no need to force yourself to remember the bad ones.”

His words sounded like they were meant to be comforting, but there wasn’t a shred of emotion in his voice.

A quick glance at his face confirmed it—his expression was as unreadable as ever.

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