Da Vinci turned back, her gentle gaze sweeping over Mash, who looked stunned, and Roman, who was sweating buckets. A faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Maybe the truth really is just like that little joke your group member Rin casually threw out."
"Only in this extremely special parallel world—where circumstances aligned, a Demon God Pillar infiltrated, and it ultimately led to Human Order Incineration—only in the Chaldea born from that chain of causality… would Mash Kyrielight bear the eighteen-year shackle of lifespan. In every other world… Mash Kyrielight is free and healthy."
A vast sense of absurdity—and the helplessness of being toyed with by fate—washed over Mash.
She had thought she was the one-in-billions lucky girl: among countless "Mash" destined to wither at eighteen, she had miraculously grabbed hold of a defect-free possibility.
But now?
Cold reality told her that not only was she not among the lucky few…
she was the unluckiest Mash of them all.
How could she have imagined that, aside from herself, Mash in every other world might never have to worry about a lifespan limit at all?
So basically… I'm already at the bottom—meaning any step I take is "up," right?
Da Vinci sharply caught the dimness flickering through Mash's eyes. She walked over and lightly patted Mash on the shoulder.
"Mash, don't let that thought trap you."
Her voice was calm, but carried a steady reassurance.
"What the truth really is… we can confirm it step by step. Starting tomorrow, keep summoning Possibility Doppelgängers from other parallel worlds, and we'll gradually uncover the answer."
She turned toward the spiritron recorder. Complex data streams danced across the screen; excitement sparkled in her eyes, her smile full of confidence.
"And if you can provide me with more samples of healthy Mash for research and comparison… then with current magecraft theory and my intellect, I might be able to find a perfect solution that彻底 eliminates your lifespan restriction."
Da Vinci beamed at Mash—her smile so infectious it could ignite hope.
"Don't underestimate the Pioneer of the Stars!"
That smile pierced through the gloom hovering over Mash's heart.
In this parallel world, the unlucky ones weren't only her—there were also the staff who died in the Chaldea explosion, and all the ordinary people killed by Human Order Incineration.
Compared to them, she was already fortunate enough.
Mash took a deep breath, and her smile bloomed again.
Lucky or unlucky… she wasn't fighting alone.
She had Dr. Roman, Da Vinci, Master, Chaldea's Heroic Spirits and staff—and everyone in the chat group, too…
Speaking of the chat group, Mash quickly looked back at the floating chat window.
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): Mash? Mash! Why aren't you saying anything? (poke.jpg)]
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): Ahhhh—oh no oh no! Don't tell me you're actually mad?! I was talking nonsense! I really just said it offhand! (panic.jpg)]
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): Mash! I'm sorry! Don't ignore me! (kneeling-slide apology.jpg)]
Seeing Rin's messages, warmth spread through Mash's chest. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh, then hurriedly replied.
[Grilled Eggplant (Mash): Senpai Rin, I'm not angry! Really, I'm not! (🙂)]
The moment the message went out, Rin's reaction became even more dramatic.
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): AAAAAAHHHHH!!! Mash, don't send the smiling face!!! It's over it's over it's over! You're definitely mad, right?! (panic blur.jpg)]
[Grilled Eggplant (Mash): Uh—Senpai Rin, what do you mean? (confused.jpg)]
Aisen's response popped up immediately.
[Group Leader (Aisen): In simple terms, Mash—because internet culture evolves and deconstructs itself at high speed, many symbols and words undergo drastic meaning shifts. Something originally pure can be assigned complex, even opposite, connotations. (sigh.jpg)]
[Group Leader (Aisen): Rin's world has a more… "diverse" online ecology. In her era and context, 🙂 has largely drifted away from "smiling," and is often used to imply "heh," "speechless," or a suppressed, irritated anger.]
[Grilled Eggplant (Mash): ?!]
Mash's cheeks instantly flushed bright red. Flustered, she tried to fix it as fast as she could.
[Grilled Eggplant (Mash): I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Senpai Rin! I sent the wrong emoji just now! I didn't mean I was angry at all! (panicked waving.gif)]
[Grilled Eggplant (Mash): I was discussing your theory with Dr. Roman and Da Vinci, so I didn't reply right away—it wasn't because I was mad!]
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): Whew—scared me to death. I thought I'd pushed the joke too far and actually ticked you off. If you're fine, then it's fine. (wipe sweat.gif)]
Then Rin's curiosity immediately won out again.
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): So… did you figure anything out? (peeking.jpg)]
[Grilled Eggplant (Mash): After analyzing it, Da Vinci thinks your guess is very likely correct. (wry smile.jpg)]
[Grilled Eggplant (Mash): I'm probably the unluckiest Mash in all parallel worlds.]
She briefly summarized Da Vinci's reasoning in the group: in "normal" Proper Human History, there's no Chaldea, no Demi-Servant project, and Mash would likely be a healthy IVF child.
Rin clearly hadn't expected her random joke to hit so close to the truth, and quickly offered comfort.
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): Uh… does my mouth have a blessing on it or something? It's actually like that? (sweat.gif)]
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): Sorry, Mash. I poked a sore spot. But look on the bright side—at least now you won't be short on research samples, right? (wipe sweat.gif)]
Mash read the clumsy but sincere consolation, and her heart warmed.
[Grilled Eggplant (Mash): That's true. Da Vinci also said the sample data is extremely valuable. Thank you for caring, Senpai Rin!]
She felt she shouldn't let the topic keep revolving around herself, so she quickly proposed a shift:
[Grilled Eggplant (Mash): By the way, everyone—let's not only talk about me! Tell us about your Possibility Doppelgänger experiences too. I'm sure you all found lots of interesting or special things, right?]
The topic successfully moved. Aisen's reply popped up at once.
[Group Leader (Aisen): Sigh, don't even get me started. (sigh, facepalm.jpg)]
[Group Leader (Aisen): What I summoned wasn't "another possible me" at all—it was simply me from the countless past loops I've already lived through.]
[Group Leader (Aisen): Every loop, in order to save the world, I tried completely different fighting styles and power systems. But all those experiences have already become my nourishment—so Possibility Doppelgängers are basically worthless to me.]
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 10
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 10
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