“…That question is really out there.”

  Alice didn’t answer right away, but it was clear she understood exactly what I was asking.

  The question had obviously caught her off guard. She tried to mask her surprise, but she wasn’t quick enough—I caught the flicker across her face.

  It looked like she was about to play dumb… no, not quite. From her perspective, maybe she thought there was no way I could ask something like this. After all, apocalyptic worlds probably didn’t have a thriving isekai novel culture. She was likely wondering if she’d misheard me.

  Seeing her reaction, I went ahead and explained in detail why I’d asked.

  After listening, her expression gradually calmed, and she fell into thought.

  It was a long while before she finally responded. “Sorry, but I can’t answer that one. Even I haven’t figured out exactly what’s going on.”

  “How is that possible?” I was completely lost. “Whether you crossed over with your body or just your soul—that’s something you should know right away, isn’t it? One or the other should be obvious.”

  “You’re right, but…” She hesitated.

  It clicked for me almost immediately. Yeah, normally you wouldn’t even need a mirror—you could tell with your eyes closed if your body had been swapped. There was only one scenario where someone truly wouldn’t be able to tell.

  “So… am I right in thinking the body you’re using now is extremely similar to your original one—like it feels identical from head to toe—but some tiny discrepancies are making you doubt?”

  “…I can’t say any more for now.” Her tone was heavily guarded.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you’d answer my questions in exchange for food?”

  Her expression wavered with visible conflict. Unfortunately, after a moment, the wariness won out.

  But it didn’t feel like she was guarding against me learning too much. It felt more like she was protecting me from getting dragged into whatever mess she was carrying.

  She’d shown that same kind of concern several times before. From her point of view, the changes happening to her were so bizarre and unknown that, until she could confirm it was safe, she didn’t want anyone else getting too close. Given her own accounts of unintentionally pulling others into the disasters she attracted, it made sense that she’d become paranoid—any small hint could set off her alarms.

  “Fine… then at least answer this: where did the handgun come from?” I switched questions. “You can’t seriously say you don’t know that one too, right?”

  “That I can tell you.” Her posture eased slightly. “I stole it from the local law enforcement agency.”

  “You broke into the police station?” I was stunned. “Why take the risk?”

  “My original goal wasn’t to steal a weapon.” She spoke calmly. “When I first arrived in this era yesterday, I knew nothing about my surroundings. I desperately needed information to figure out if I was safe, but I had no idea where to start looking. After thinking it over, I decided the most efficient place was the one responsible for local security.”

  “You went straight for the police station? That’s ballsy…” I had to give her credit.

  “A place that maintains order would naturally have the most information on potential threats in the area. It was the fastest way to get answers.” Her matter-of-fact tone carried an unmistakable air of lawlessness. “Besides, my ‘blessing’ makes me unmatched when it comes to escaping. If anything went wrong, I could get out in time.”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  I figured the fastest way would’ve been finding an internet café, but she might not even know how to use computers.

  “And then? While you were sneaking around gathering intel, you stumbled into the armory and just helped yourself?” I asked curiously. “The authorities are after you now—did they catch you in the act?”

  “…Yeah. I wasn’t familiar with the security measures in this era, so…” She admitted it reluctantly, clearly embarrassed about being spotted.

  I pressed further. “This morning you said you can’t use your abilities now because, after arriving here, you forced yourself to use them despite your soul injury—just to escape pursuit from the authorities?”

  “…No.” She pressed her lips together. “I can’t tell you the specific reason.”

  She wasn’t going to lie, but she also wasn’t going to explain. The real cause was probably tied to why she’d been lying bloodied in that abandoned construction site. She must have judged that the truth fell into the category of “disasters that would endanger me.”

  Now I wanted to know even more.

  I knew I couldn’t push too hard, so I changed tack. “Alright… so when I was talking to the police this morning and they mentioned the serial killer, you immediately realized they were talking about you—not because you actually are the killer…”

  “I already got a basic grasp of the public safety situation in this era. ‘A little girl wandering around with a real gun’—who else could that describe? I confirmed it through you afterward.” She looked puzzled and rubbed her stomach again. “I just don’t understand why I’m being labeled a serial killer.”

  So she’d actually been fishing for information from me back then, and I hadn’t even noticed.

  I’d underestimated her.

  Still, she was starving. Maybe it was time to wrap up the interrogation.

  I walked over to the sofa, picked up the remote, and turned on the TV. “Let’s pause the questions for now. You can watch some TV in the living room. I’ll have food ready soon.”

  “Got it.”

  Her eyes were immediately drawn to the colorful screen, but she showed no particular surprise or wonder at the television itself.

  I quietly noted her reaction and filed it away, then headed into the kitchen.

  Making a simple mixed fried rice didn’t take long. I did worry it might be a bit too oily and salty for her stomach. Should I add more rice to dilute the seasoning and sides? But she’d said her body was fine…

  Never mind. I’d trust her for now.

  Plus, if her stomach did end up upset later, it might give me a convenient excuse to let her stay longer.

  The thought made me decisively increase the proportion of sides. I even went back to the fridge for some seasoned sauce and stirred in an extra generous amount.

  Before long, I carried out two plates of loaded fried rice.

  Alice must have caught the aroma wafting from the kitchen—her gaze had already shifted from the TV to me, watching eagerly.

  They say hunger is the best seasoning. And if she really came from a post-apocalyptic world where food was scarce, her resistance to delicious modern meals was probably much lower than someone who grew up in peacetime.

  I’d heard that in less affluent times, even instant noodles were treated like rare delicacies. Nowadays they’re just passable convenience food.

  I called Alice over to the table, set one plate in front of her, and handed her a spoon.

  She gripped the spoon and stared fixedly at the fried rice, completely still.

  “You can start eating,” I reminded her. “Careful, it’s hot.”

  “Huh? Oh…” She snapped out of it but kept staring.

  After a long moment, she swallowed hard, then finally scooped up a mix of rice and sides, brought it to her mouth, and began chewing slowly.

  I stood by the table, quietly watching her every move.

  Halfway through a bite, she noticed my gaze, frowned, and looked up suspiciously. “Why are you staring? Aren’t you eating?”

  At that, I picked up my own plate, took a bite, and said, “I just wanted to hear what you think.”

  “It’s really good,” she replied with restrained politeness, then continued eating.

  I’d half-expected her to react like some isekai character tasting modern food for the first time—wide-eyed exclamations and all. Apparently I was getting ahead of myself.

  Gradually, I noticed the corners of her mouth curving up ever so slightly. The tense, guarded posture she’d held like a wary wild animal slowly relaxed. Even her knees, hidden under the table, began to sway gently.

  Her focus was entirely on the food now; the spoon moved faster and faster.

  “Don’t eat too quickly. Chew properly or you’ll upset your stomach,” I finally couldn’t help saying.

  “Mhm, mhm…” She nodded without looking up, slowing down just a little.

  As she ate, an unconscious, contented smile spread across her face. Her cheeks even flushed a healthy pink.

  Seriously, what was I even warning her about?

  Right now she looked exactly like an ordinary teenage girl in the bloom of youth—not the wary, aloof traveler who feared both being hurt and hurting others.

  I’d never thought about how to make her smile, never imagined she was even capable of this kind of expression.

  This was the first time I’d seen her smile.

  I sat down across from her and watched her eat for a while longer. For me, this might be unnecessary sentimentality—something that could hold me back if I ever had to be ruthless toward her. But looking at such a cute smile a few more times surely wouldn’t bring divine punishment.

  …

  …If she ever learned what I was really thinking, what would she think of me?