Having Reincarnated a Million Times I Won’t Let My Guard Down Even in a Peaceful World - Having Reincarnated a Million Times I Won’t Let My Guard Down Even in a Peaceful World chapter 68

68: I Wasn’t Invited

My own worries tend to shift my attention outward, and I finally found myself in a state of mind where I wanted to unravel the mystery surrounding the “mysterious presence” closest to me.

This “Mirim” is truly an enigma.

Of course, I know her well. We’ve been together since we were babies. I’ve even changed her diapers. We play together often. Lately, we’ve been spending more time together, and we celebrate things together whenever we can.

Her catchphrase for a while was “I wasn’t invited.”

Indeed, since we’re such good friends, it’s only natural for her to want to be invited when we play.

I’ve always brushed it off as her being a “cute little thing,” but when I think about it, she also says it in situations like “Well, we’re guys hanging out, so you wouldn’t normally invite me, right?” It’s become a running joke, but it’s a little unnerving.

Come to think of it, Mirim’s “I wasn’t invited” has been going on since we were young. Whenever I said I was going out to play, she would always respond with “I wasn’t invited.”

When she said “I wasn’t invited” even for the school trip, I couldn’t help but think, “But it’s a school event…” I wish she would complain to the school, not me.

Why does she always want to be invited? Could it be some kind of one-liner gag for Mirim…? I imagined various possibilities, but I couldn’t come to a conclusion. Finally, I decided to ask about the meaning of Mirim’s words when she says “I wasn’t invited.”

I decided to ask Margit.

“Well, I don’t know anything about that. Besides, Mirim-senpai isn’t the type of person who says ‘I wasn’t invited’ that frequently,” Margit said.

There was only one square table in the break room where we worked part-time, and Margit and I were sitting next to each other.

The table was quite big. When facing each other, conversation became a little distant.

That’s why, if you wanted to avoid conversation, you could just sit face-to-face. But Margit always sat next to me at the corner of the square table, resting her chin on her hand and looking at me.

“Or rather, why do you think I would know something that you two don’t? Is it sarcasm?” Margit’s response was mostly hostile.

But I didn’t consider her as an “enemy” — the reason being simple. She was too obvious. And despite emitting such an overt “I don’t like you” aura, she was too lukewarm.

In this world, “enemies” are much more cunning and cautious.

If she were to openly show hostility, that would be the timing for her to deliver a fatal blow to me.

So I could determine that Margit was simply “someone who doesn’t like me” — wait, what is that? It’s sad.

“I don’t particularly dislike you, Rex-san. I just can’t forgive you,” she said.

It was the first time someone had told me that they couldn’t forgive me.

When have I ever felt the emotion of not being able to forgive someone? As I thought about it, a few cases came to mind.

Did I… burn down Margit’s hometown?

“Do you have experience with arson?”

There’s no way.

Ever since I was born in this world, I’ve been mindful of my “behavior.”

Because the “present” is rooted in the “past.”

In the past, things I did in my youthful indiscretion can unexpectedly become a burden in the present and even trip me up.

I have always been prepared for attacks from unpredictable angles like that, and as a result, I have been conscious of my behavior and lived by the rules, even if it may seem a bit rigid, in order to appear to be following them.

Therefore, I have never committed arson.

“Well, if you could just say, ‘There’s no way that’s possible,’ we can continue the conversation normally. Please don’t seriously consider it.”

But humans are creatures that can act unconsciously…

It seems that even the people in this world can sometimes have their bodies detached from their minds. On the internet, there are posts like “I was harassed by delinquents, and when I regained consciousness, I had beaten them all up.”

I had practiced some martial arts in a different world, and I also know a formula to repurpose “magic” in this world to be useful in everyday life, like a weapon.

If I were to become unconscious, even taking into account my lack of talent, I could potentially cause considerable destruction.

I’ve heard that when people get involved with delinquents, they lose consciousness and engage in violent acts, so I think the current environment, without any delinquents bothering me, is quite fortunate.

From noble mtl dot net

While keeping my status as a person from a different world hidden, I passionately argued that there is value in seriously considering it.

“…Lex-san, your way of thinking, or rather, your way of speaking, is a bit out of touch with reality, isn’t it?”

This is strange.

I should be putting effort into concealing my true self.

Well, considering that I have experienced reincarnation a million times, I don’t expect to fit perfectly into this world. That’s why I’m constantly striving to be average…

Does Margit have a sharp intuition?

I became slightly more cautious. Margit might be the kind of person who appears to be an enemy, but is actually not…

In the first place, when I first met Margit, she made me feel at ease, thinking “This person should be fine.” Considering that, she could be someone who possesses quite a bit of strategy.

“…Anyway, there’s no way I would know about Milim-san if you don’t tell me. I’m just a junior. …And why are you asking me? If you want to know about Milim-san, ask her directly.”

Well, you see…

It’s nerve-wracking to directly ask Milim about herself…

“…Sigh. Um, I think it’s rude, but to be honest, it feels like ‘Don’t brag, just die.’”

Is this the current “bragging”?

Margit stood up and left the break room.

Before I knew it, break time was almost over. I should also get back to work.

The meaning of the words “I wasn’t invited” seems to be something that can only be answered by the person herself.

…Well, since I also sense that it’s something I shouldn’t touch upon too much, I’ll gather my courage and ask someday.