Is This for Real?
2: I Became Mobius…
Is This for Real?
Chapter 2: I Became Mobius…
Is This for Real?
‘Did I…
become Mobius?
Is Mobius the target of this simulation?
In other words, am I now Mobius’s second personality?’ ‘I can’t believe the simulation can even take me to the Previous Era…’ Judging by Mobius’s current situation, this should be right after she ran away from home—on her ninth birthday.
Looking up slightly, Ling Yi saw the number “0” displayed above Mobius’s head in the mirror.
“Is this the…
friendship progress bar the system mentioned?” Before Ling Yi could give the number any thought, she suddenly lost her balance.
Something inside her seemed to “awaken,” followed by a massive flood of Mobius’s memories surging into her mind.
“Who are you?” Standing before the glass display case, “she” steadied herself.
“Her own mouth” opened, and she asked coldly, as though she had only just awakened.
“Who are you?” The girl bared her teeth in warning and placed her soft little tongue between them.
Mobius’s reasoning was simple.
If she couldn’t control her own body, what was the point of living?
She would never allow anyone else to control her body.
She would rather die here than surrender her body to someone else.
Inside Mobius, Ling Yi saw and felt everything through Mobius’s eyes and body.
The girl’s determination and the faint pain coming from her tongue told Ling Yi that if she didn’t respond, Mobius really would bite off her tongue and kill herself right here.
‘Don’t do that!
I’m Ling Yi.
You could say I’m another consciousness inside your body—another you, in a sense.’ Seeing Mobius preparing to kill herself through her own eyes gave Ling Yi a terrible fright.
‘Please don’t!
If you die, won’t I die too?
If Mobius dies, the simulation will definitely end in failure!’ “Another consciousness…?
How did you get here?
Also, I don’t like you calling yourself another me.
One Mobius is enough.” Hearing a voice suddenly speak inside her mind, Mobius didn’t relax.
Her pale green hair bristled slightly, making her resemble a cat with its fur standing on end.
‘Please, I understand!
Just don’t hurt yourself like that.
If you get hurt or die, I’ll die too.
I swear I’ll always act in your best interests.’ “Hmph.” After hearing Ling Yi’s explanation, Mobius gradually relaxed.
The threat in her gray eyes slowly faded, and she stopped threatening Ling Yi.
Perhaps because Ling Yi was inside her mind, Mobius could sense that everything she said was true, so she relaxed a little.
If things really were as Ling Yi claimed, Mobius was the one in control.
After thinking for a moment, Mobius said, “Then leave.
I don’t need you.
Go find someone else who needs your help.” She didn’t want a second Mobius to exist in this world.
There should only ever be one Mobius.
The idea of another her existing in her mind—or anywhere in the world—was too strange.
She couldn’t accept it.
As for why this consciousness insisted on helping her or where it had come from…
she didn’t care in the slightest.
She only wanted Ling Yi to get as far away from her as possible.
‘Um…
You don’t actually have to say those things aloud.
You can talk to me just by thinking them.’ “You talk too much.
Of course I knew that.” ‘Yes, yes~ Anyway, back to your question.’ “Go on.” Standing before the glass display case, Mobius glanced around to confirm that no one had overheard her.
Her tense body relaxed slightly, and she began walking down the street as though nothing had happened.
‘I don’t know if you can see it, but there’s a number above your head from where I’m looking.
I can’t leave unless that number reaches one hundred.’ Ling Yi was perfectly honest.
If Mobius never came to see her as an irreplaceable friend, the simulation wouldn’t end, and Ling Yi wouldn’t be able to leave.
Mobius sensed that Ling Yi was telling the truth.
After pondering for a moment, she asked, ‘I can’t see it.
And this number you mentioned…
what does it represent?’ She hated the feeling of having someone inside her mind, even if this consciousness meant her no harm.
Any normal person would be upset if a stranger broke into their home, let alone their mind and consciousness.
‘To some extent, I suppose it’s something like a friendship score?
The more you regard me as a friend, the higher the number might become.’ Ling Yi wasn’t entirely sure how the system determined the number either.
As Mobius walked down the street, she tightened her grip on her sleeve.
A friend?
Her, Mobius?
No one was worthy of being Mobius’s friend.
‘What’s the number now?’ Unable to imagine herself ever having a friend, Mobius continued walking barefoot down the street.
If she never acknowledged this consciousness as her friend…
Wouldn’t that mean…
the consciousness inside her mind would remain with her for the rest of her life?
‘Um…
It was still zero just now.’ Ling Yi answered based on the number she had glimpsed beside the glass display case.
“We’re best friends!
I’ve always considered you my friend!
Can you leave now?
Has the number reached one hundred?” Mobius drew a deep breath, speaking through gritted teeth.
‘There’s no way acting like that will make the number increase…’ Although Ling Yi didn’t know exactly how the number increased, it was obvious that Mobius’s approach wouldn’t work.
“….I’ll find a way.” Mobius pursed her lips and quickened her pace.
‘It hurts.
This is miserable.
It’s so disappointing.’ ‘Why?
I just swore that I would make all Humans evolve, so why doesn’t even my own body belong to me alone anymore?’ Mobius never voiced these complaints, but as another consciousness inside her mind, Ling Yi could hear her thoughts.
The girl was only nine years old.
Although Mobius was far more mature than others her age, it was only natural for her to complain inwardly when something unfortunate happened.
Ling Yi fell silent.
She knew she was the cause of Mobius’s distress.
She wasn’t especially eloquent and didn’t know how to say comforting things.
She had no idea how to console Mobius.
But she didn’t want to do nothing.
If she had to become good friends with Mobius during this simulation, she couldn’t simply stand by now.
‘Mobius, don’t be upset…’ “I’m not upset, and I don’t need you to comfort me.
You won’t become my friend.
In the future, I’ll conduct my own research and figure out how to remove you from my mind.” Mobius stubbornly pouted.
She would never reveal her distress to a stranger—or to anyone at all.
She was like a wounded hedgehog, unwilling to expose her vulnerable side.
‘No, I just wanted to say…’ ‘Happy birthday, Mobius.’ If Ling Yi remembered correctly, today was both the day Mobius ran away from home and her birthday.
Although this was a terrible time to say it…
Ling Yi genuinely couldn’t think of any other way to make Mobius feel better.
“….Are you an idiot?
How can you say that to me at a time like this?” Mobius’s steps paused briefly before she replied mercilessly.
Just as she could sense whether this consciousness was telling the truth, it probably knew information about her as well.
There was nothing strange about it knowing her birthday.
Besides…
No one had wished Mobius a happy birthday since she was six.
Although Mobius didn’t care about her birthday at all, and although she believed she was long past the age when a birthday wish could make her happy…
The timing of this birthday wish was still truly awful.
The consciousness inside her mind was unbelievably stupid to say such a thing now.
Still, since it had indeed made her feel a little better, Mobius decided to forgive her.
Out of the corner of her vision, Ling Yi saw the number above Mobius’s head slowly change to “1.”