Rice Shower was brought to a corner.
At this point, Mejiro McQueen stepped forward: "Come out. Or do you not have control?"
The Rice Shower before them was this world's original inhabitant—that was obvious at a glance.
Gold Ship and Tokai Teio curiously examined Rice Shower's condition.
After all, the soul possession had only happened once to McQueen. Though they had memories of it, neither had experienced it personally.
Rice Shower had originally wanted to play dumb.
Rice Shower spoke at this moment: "Sorry, Rice Shower has troubled you."
The next moment, Rice Shower found herself pushed out of the body.
She was now floating near the body in a spiritual form.
"McQueen-neesan, Teio-neesan, Gold Ship-neesan, it's me, Rice Shower."
Rice Shower greeted all three.
"Hmph, finally willing to come out."
"Hi, Rice Shower."
"It seems your situation is somewhat different from mine back then."
"Yes, McQueen-neesan."
Rice Shower didn't know how to explain her situation to McQueen-neesan.
Because she knew McQueen-neesan didn't want outsiders to know their secret, and Rice Shower could now hear their conversation.
McQueen also noticed this through Rice Shower's attitude.
"I understand. Then just briefly explain your situation."
"...Sorry."
Rice Shower's gaze avoided them.
She couldn't continue meeting McQueen's eyes.
Because she hadn't fulfilled what they had originally agreed upon.
Before entering Story Mode, she had promised McQueen-neesan she would definitely succeed in the challenge.
But the result was like this.
She couldn't face McQueen-neesan anymore, which was also why she hadn't come out immediately earlier.
Gold Ship's and Tokai Teio's expressions became serious in that instant. McQueen was also silent for a while.
"Failed?"
"..."
Rice Shower didn't answer.
But she thought it was probably true—she had felt that way at the time.
Though Story Mode's clearing objectives weren't directly displayed, they all had a certain intuition about it.
The closer to the goal, the stronger that feeling became.
When the challenge failed, they would sense it.
Rice Shower had felt something similar at the time, so she thought she had probably failed.
"I see."
Mejiro McQueen didn't show much emotion.
After all, what was done was done.
Tokai Teio and Gold Ship exchanged glances.
After some silent negotiation, Gold Ship indicated she'd let Tokai Teio handle this one.
So Tokai Teio stepped forward.
"I actually don't think so."
Mejiro McQueen and Rice Shower both looked at Tokai Teio.
Waiting for her to continue.
"After all, if you had already failed, why wouldn't we know? And it can't explain why Rice Shower would be transported to this world in this manner after failing."
Failure meant the end.
But nothing had ended now, had it?
No system notification.
Rice Shower had even been transported to this world, meeting and conversing with them this way.
Didn't this mean there was still a chance?
After all, they couldn't traverse worlds on their own without external influence.
Whether it was the System or the Goddesses—
Regardless of where that power came from, it meant Rice Shower's challenge was still ongoing.
"Hmph, for a second-rate minor character, you guessed quite well."
Gold Ship haughtily gave her agreement.
"So even the Great Demon King agrees with my thinking."
"Now that you've finished speaking, you can shut up."
The two still didn't get along.
Who knew what about each other rubbed them the wrong way.
"It's... not over yet?"
Rice Shower murmured softly.
But even if it wasn't over, what could she do?
McQueen watched Rice Shower.
She noticed Rice Shower's current problem.
Even if their personalities differed, they were fundamentally individuals split from the same soul—their thoughts were all too easy to understand.
Unlike the three of them, Rice Shower lacked talent.
Or rather, Rice Shower believed she lacked talent. Combined with the second personality's existence, she felt inferior and unconfident.
She didn't know what setback Rice Shower had encountered.
But she could see Rice Shower had lost the courage to keep running.
"Rice Shower, you lost."
McQueen directly deduced the result.
Only this could make Rice Shower, who had known the difficulty but still wanted to challenge Story Mode, become like this.
Tokai Teio and Gold Ship were both stunned by McQueen's deduced result.
"What?"
Gold Ship was the first to refuse to believe it.
What a joke.
We would lose?
And lose to opponents in a Story world?
Tokai Teio looked at Rice Shower.
Something felt off.
Though thinking this felt somewhat disrespectful to that world's natives, the fact was they couldn't possibly lose with their abilities.
And for this result to occur, the only possibility was that Rice Shower hadn't used her full power.
Was it because of the second personality?
But in that situation, that second personality couldn't possibly let Rice Shower just lose like that.
Plus, the second personality didn't seem to be with Rice Shower now. Could it be that Rice Shower's "loss" referred to the outcome between her and that second personality?
"...Yes."
Rice Shower nodded in admission.
Though the race result had been The Overlord winning on her behalf, she considered herself to have lost.
"You—" Gold Ship angrily unleashed her Demon King aura.
What Tokai Teio could guess, she naturally could too. That's why she was angry at Rice Shower.
Not just losing, but losing because of fear of her own power?
What kind of joke is this—isn't this even worse than those third-rate losers, garbage below third-rate?!
Tokai Teio reached out to stop Gold Ship's outburst.
"That's enough."
No longer using a joking tone—Tokai Teio's gaze was completely serious.
'Don't be willful at a time like this!'
Gold Ship understood what Tokai Teio wanted to convey. Looking at Rice Shower shrinking back, she roughly shook off Tokai Teio's hand and stepped aside.
"Tch!"
She was just anxious seeing Rice Shower like this. It was her own power—what was with that timid, fearful look?!
Rice Shower, seeing the two argue over her again, felt very apologetic.
Mejiro McQueen was silent for a while before speaking again.
"Rice Shower, race me."
"Huh?"
"What, you're actually going to race this one?"
"I see, I understand your thinking, McQueen."
Rice Shower looked up at McQueen-neesan in surprise.
Mejiro McQueen assumed a cool posture and said to Rice Shower: "Even without that one, you should be able to use that power. Then use your full power and race me."
"I can't, McQueen-neesan. I can't use that power."
"Is it that you can't, or that you won't?"
"...I won't use that power!"
"Then do you want to keep being a loser?"
"That... I don't want that either!"
Rice Shower neither wanted to use that dark power nor keep being a loser.
'Too naive.'
Mejiro McQueen looked at this Rice Shower, thinking this.
Precisely because she hasn't truly tasted defeat, she can be this naive.
Even if she had their memories, ultimately those were just memories.
And after gaining true physical form and becoming a separate person, those memories could only bring so much feeling.
They could be called "herself," but they were still someone else's life.
Rice Shower hadn't experienced true failure, because whenever she felt pain, the second personality would come out to protect her.
But Mejiro McQueen thought that second personality's approach was completely wrong.
This way, Rice Shower would never grow, never learn to control her own power.
Mejiro McQueen said to Rice Shower: "Your current thinking is meaningless, because no matter what, you cannot beat me."
This was the first time Mejiro McQueen had shown a fighting stance when facing 'herself.'
No arrogant confidence, no aura display—that unwavering will seemed to simply state a natural truth.
I will achieve victory. This was not a declaration but simply a statement.
Purely wanting to grasp victory, running only for that, with everything else being unnecessary—this was Mejiro McQueen's will.
Rather, was there anything necessary besides victory?
Unlike the Demon King who ostensibly pursued victory but actually craved battle, and unlike Tokai Teio who seemed absolutely confident but actually chased after the strongest—
Mejiro McQueen simply didn't want to lose.
So she would win. Racing was for winning. Any other conviction was meaningless.
The current Rice Shower didn't understand this.
Rice Shower lacks talent?
Rather, the truth was the opposite.
Precisely because that talent was so abundant it seemed endless, Rice Shower could afford to think about unnecessary things, could subconsciously believe she could achieve her dreams without using full power.
That naivety, that arrogance—
'Let me completely shatter it.'
Even using full power, you can't win. Mejiro McQueen wanted Rice Shower to know this cruel fact.
This was true defeat!
The current Rice Shower didn't yet know the taste of true defeat. Without knowing this, she couldn't move forward.
Though McQueen thoroughly disliked the kind of inspirational talk about how failure helps people grow, she had to admit defeat was indeed an excellent catalyst.
True failure could help one recognize their current self, could make one feel regret and defiance.
Though some might sink into despair because of it, those who rose again from such depths were truly strong.
Why was she so certain of this? Because she had walked this path herself.
"McQueen-neesan..."
Rice Shower looked at this McQueen, her body trembling.
She couldn't sense any aura at all.
But it was different!
That figure, as if embodying absolute—she couldn't see any hope of challenging it.
Stronger than The Overlord...
This thought appeared in Rice Shower's mind.
But the next moment, she felt something was strange about her thinking. Since when had she thought The Overlord was stronger than her sisters?
This thought had been completely subconscious.
Rice Shower had unconsciously believed that if she accepted The Overlord's power, she would become stronger than McQueen and the others.
But now, facing McQueen-neesan in battle stance, Rice Shower felt true fear.
Can't win. Even using that power, I can't win.
"Come race, Rice Shower."
"Or do you want to give up?"
Mejiro McQueen pressed forward step by step.
Rice Shower trembled as she gripped her skirt.
This feeling was a first.
Even when she had lost before, she hadn't felt this way.
Can't speak. Instinctively want to run. But if I run here, it really will be over.
Beside them, Rice Shower could clearly sense the other 'herself's' emotions.
That fear and despair made even her, an outsider, want to turn and flee immediately. But Rice Shower was still standing here.
It wasn't that she was too scared to move—Rice Shower felt that wasn't it.
"Rice Shower... won't give up."
Can't run. She thought of her promise with McQueen-neesan before departure.
If she ran here, even she herself would look down on herself.
And she hadn't forgotten the possibility Teio-neesan had mentioned—her challenge wasn't over yet. Even with only a ten-thousandth chance, she didn't want to give up.
Though the thinking was indeed naive, Rice Shower was quite stubborn at her core.
"I see. Then I'll come for you tomorrow. I look forward to your performance."
Mejiro McQueen, seeing Rice Shower's current expression and knowing she could relax for now, decisively turned to leave, giving Rice Shower time to think alone.
"Wait, I want to participate in tomorrow's race too! Hey, are you even listening?!"
Gold Ship hurried after her, insisting on joining tomorrow's race.
"Well then, goodbye, Rice Shower."
Tokai Teio bid Rice Shower farewell and followed the other two, because she also wanted to join Gold Ship in convincing McQueen.
How could such an interesting race be missed?
As for the danger of Rice Shower's ZONE?
None of them were afraid of that.
Setting aside whether it could steal their power—even if it did, so what?
It wouldn't cripple them. Just stealing attributes and skills—given time, they could train it all back.
In the end, it was just a powerful interference skill.
Tokai Teio and Gold Ship both indicated they weren't scared.
Besides, the stronger the opponent, the better. Without strong opponents, how could they continue improving?
...
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