Beyond M-Eclipse: Easy Mode LIVE

———Lynda———

Another day hanging out in the dark… Feel like I haven’t been doing a lot today, which isn’t really an issue, it is still the holidays.

…It’s really cold out. It’s snowing. It’s like I’m gonna freeze to death. I didn’t bother to wear any clothes for the winter, not even a scarf.

…Maybe I should go back home. What am I even doing all the way out here anyway? I don’t even have anything to ponder about by my lonesome this time around.

I think this is probably the coldest winter I’ve ever experienced, and damn do I not enjoy it that much…

…Is the convenience store still open? That old lady loves to keep it open all the way until midnight for whatever reason. There isn’t anyone else manning the store in her place, and she’s ancient by this point. It’s not really a good idea for her to still be doing this kind of job at such an old age. Heck, does she even need to work anymore? Just stay in a retirement home or something.

“Yo, you’re still alive in there? Old lady?” I asked once I stepped inside the building that is still lit up. It’d be bad if she was having trouble staying up with no one noticing.

“I’m still fine, dear.” She said even though her eyelids barely stayed open. At least her voice seems normal, as far as an old lady’s voice can be.

“...Thankfully it’s not freezing cold here.” I remarked before looking for a drink. If I’m gonna stay here for a while I might as well buy something. Let’s take a look here… There’s so much soda, and I’m getting real tired of those… Maybe one of these unsweetened teas? Weird to see some of those in bottles, but whatever. Let’s get a large cup of it.

“Here. I’ll be here for a while, so don’t close the shop on me.” I said while putting down the large cup filled with tea and ice alongside the money.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She said before completing the transaction. Alright, let’s get myself a seat and sit down and think about things… Also, did any crazy news happen that I didn’t know about? I haven’t looked at anything today.

Let’s scroll and see… Just a bunch of nonsense. Nothing fun today. That’s super lame actually.

…I guess there is that collab thing Karra was talking about that sounds interesting. I think I’ve heard some rumors about who was gonna be a part of it. All girls, it sounds like.

Next week is still free aside from going to another one of those Fantarban Realms. Hopefully we didn’t run into one of those nutcases again.

As for the current schedule during my free time… I don’t know, maybe a dungeon run a day and then goes to find a fancy place to eat. I think we should at least treat ourselves during this time.

I don’t actually have a lot of things I want to do during the holidays. If anything, I feel like lazing around in my room all day might be the most novel thing I could do right now. I was never the one to holed up in my room for long.

As for this tea… It’s like. Really watered down. I didn’t even put that much ice in. I put very little in with how cold it still is even inside here.

Well at least it’s not bitter, it’s very mild but not unpleasant. It’s also quite cheap so I could just ask for a refill without worrying too much about my expenses.

“Haven’t seen you in a long time, strange gentleman.” The old lady’s voice rang out while I was still deep in my thoughts. This place feels so isolated despite being a place of convenience for many to walk into. Just time changing alone changes the atmosphere of a location entirely.

“It has indeed been a long time. I have many businesses to attend to. I am more of a wanderer, no place where I truly belong. I may come here more often than other areas, but no place on this planet will I call it my own.” A deep and smooth voice rang out. Felt like I had heard it somewhere before, but it’s really hard to recall. “It would be rude to visit without buying something… This will do.”

…This place is so… monochrome. It makes the whole place look even more eerie without other people to talk to or make noises in the background. Mostly just white and gray.

“It has been a long time, young one.” Someone suddenly addressed me with a weird and corny sentence. I turned to look at a large man in a suit with a big ugly grin sitting next to me. He wore a giant top hat that seems to cast a permanent shadow over his whole body, as if his body is permanently casted in a dark blue light.

“You… That weirdo from that time?” I haven’t seen him in so long it took me a while to register. “What the hell are you doing showing up here so randomly?”

“A simple visit to a humble town. It has been a while since I stepped foot in this land.” He said while sitting down to my left and placing down a tiny lollipop. What a manchild.

“Fitting that you showed up during the winter, considering the last time you were here…” Looking back, that was an absolutely nonsensical chain of events. I’m not even sure how all of that even happened in the way it did. What is with the big snowflakes and… that thing.

“It was a rather unfortunate time to return here. I am not unaware of my own rather… mysterious presence.” He said while still retaining that grin that never seemed to go away. I don’t even know why he even roams around and looks mysterious. Doesn’t he have a life to himself? Why even talk vaguely and disappear randomly. “But it was an interesting event to witness. Even if I was briefly blamed for something out of my control, it was still interesting nonetheless.”

“It wasn’t exactly what I’d called pleasant, let alone interesting…” I’m pretty sure multiple people almost got their hands and arms ripped clean off. It’s not really something you can just brush off as a simple accident.

“I can confidently say that it was an exciting time. One that all of you still talked about to this day.” He said, even though he wasn’t even an actual part of it. As he said, he was simply a brief scapegoat who… Actually kinda helped out a bit, not that I get to do anything myself, it’s mainly the Perfect Class who was involved with most of the shenanigans. “At the very least, it seems like this place has been a little too boring for your taste. Hasn’t it? This little town has very little going for it, be it exciting and dangerous events, or something more uncertain and possibly changing the status quo forever.”

“I-I think the school is enough for that, you have seen it, right?” His words are getting more than a little ominous right now. I don’t like that at all. I don’t even know what this guy’s deal actually is. He could be a lunatic who behaved normally in this town for all I know.

“Of course. A blessing of the old to the new. It is quite a marvelous sight, and rather restrained, I might add.” Restrained!? What the heck does that mean? That shit is gaudy as all hell as it is! It looks more like a fancy hotel than a school more than half the time!

“What the hell is your definition of restrained?” I can’t help but wonder how ridiculous that sentence is. How does he say all that corny old-timer dialogue with a face frozen like that?

“I am merely speaking in relative terms. For most humans such a feat is otherworldly, but for them this is akin to a drop in the bucket.” What the hell? Does he know who caused all the changes and renovations? “But is that truly enough for you? Is the sanitized, rather safe world truly what you want?”

“Better than whatever is going on outside of town that’s for sure! Last thing I need is people killing each other on the street!” No sane person would want something like that. What is his problem, actually?

“Hmm… Rather boring. Perhaps we could play a game to relieve your boredom then? If a more amusing method is not up your alley.” What in the world was he gonna suggest I do at first!? 

“You seemed to still be in good health.” A voice I can recognize clearly rang out in the middle of this rather disturbing conversation. I turned around to see the woman with white hair and lacking the usual coat this time around. “...Do you feel pain in any particular area? Maybe a headache?”

“I’m fine, dear. No need to worry about an old lady like myself.” The shopkeeper’s voice rang out in response.

“Not exactly convincing with how much you are squinting right now. Here. Let me at least do this.” The woman with long white hair said before holding her hand up towards the old lady.

*Shine*

A pleasant light engulfed her for a moment, and the old lady looked a bit bewildered.

“Ahh… Quite pleasant. Thank you.” The old lady said while the woman walked over and grabbed a large bottle of soda, returned to the counter and gave her the money.

“Don’t mention it.” She said before her eyes met mine.

I’m not really sure why, but Wiina is here for some reason. The mysterious woman who rarely showed herself in public suddenly showed up here with no warning or tell.

She walked over and sat to my right.

“Looks like you’ve gotten yourself in bad company.” She said before glaring at the man covered in shadow. “So you’ve made your move again. I guess that should be expected, considering what the Eclipse does as an aftereffect.”

“I actually wouldn’t say my movement is correlated to that. I have already roamed around this place even before that event took place, as you remembered.” What is this vague conversation they are having while I’m literally in the middle of it?

“Not exactly the most convincing response. Then again, those two also stuck around and showed up every designated date. I can never be quite sure what you guys are doing, especially in this area where she is around.” No, seriously, what in the world are they talking about? Did they forget that I’m here right now?

“We are certainly under her blessing and mercy. It is not something many of us are granted the luxury of, all of us are aiming for humans, after all. A free hunting ground is rare to come by, even if there are restrictions placed on all of us.” Humans!? Hunting ground!? What in the fresh hell could that be alluding to!? “I supposed your current civility means that nothing will change on that front?”

“You could say that. I’d rather not make an enemy out of her, and if anything she kept all of you in check better than I could’ve.” Who are they even talking about? “I’d rather not kill someone who technically didn’t hurt anyone anyway. Though out of everyone, you’re probably the one closest to the chopping block.”

“How scary! Whatever shall I do if I were to earn the ire of someone so powerful!” He replied with a really dramatic tone.

“Unless you influenced someone close to me for the worse, there’s nothing you need to fear.” She calmly explained.

“What a turn of events! The last time we’ve seen each other, you were certainly not the one who could propose such a bargain!” He said, hamming it up even more… Wait, when did these two even meet? “Then again, even against the chilly and sharp mistress, you were the one who-

“How much did she snitch on me to you specifically?” Wiina interrupted him with a cold glare.

“Just the bare minimum. I have no interest in antagonizing you. Ironically, it would be less fun to start spouting out details about you. So unfun it hurts!” He said while clutching his chest. “Spoiling the audience here would leave a sour taste, wouldn’t it?”

I instinctively moved myself and the chair away from him as he looked me dead in the eyes.

“So what is your plan? You don’t show up just for a convenience store snack.” Wiina said, not bothered that I got a bit too close to her thanks to my reaction earlier.

“You will know in due time. Not to worry. It would be quite mundane this time around. It might take weeks, or perhaps months, before everything is completed.” He said with a bigger grin on him before he suddenly stood up and took the lollipop he purchased.

I blinked afterward and he suddenly disappeared.

Where… Where did that man go?