The Extra's Odyssey

"W-what are you d-cough doing?"

Just when Eth thought that Susan wouldn't do any harm to him she grabbed him by the neck.

He tried to remove her hand, but he was too weak to do anything against the monster called Susan.

A few seconds later, Susan smug and satisfied with her performance released him. She left the corridor and sat on the couch in the living room.

"Tea."

"What?"

"I'll take tea."

Eth, still unsure of what just happened, dumbly proceeded to the kitchen.

"What does she want?"

As far as he knew there was never any kind of contact with Susan from his side.

He tried to think of any reason that will make Susan come to his room to no avail.

Ultimately he decided to talk to Susan.

"..I don't remember how to make tea."

He had asked Susan out of politeness. But he had forgotten that he had no memories for the past 10 years.

"Should I go back like this?"

Truth be told, Eth didn't want to talk with Susan.

It was because she was someone who used her fists before and talked later. What happened at the door was a perfect example.

She almost choked him to death without giving a reason.

"Tea?"

Susan questioned him when she saw him coming empty-handed.

"There is none."

"You don't have tea?"

"Sorry about this. I forgot I hadn't stocked up on tea leaves after the last batch emptied."

Eth thought saying he didn't have tea was better than he didn't know how to make tea.

It was a more believable excuse.

As for if his excuse worked…

'Is he taking me for a joke? There is no way a trained personnel like him will forget it.'

In her eyes, Eth was looking down on her. Hasn't it been the same for the past month?

He always treats her like air.

Unconsciously, she clenched her fists hard.

Eth, who saw her clenching her fists, flinched.

'Calm down lady, it's only tea. I'll order some if you want it that much.'

Susan, who was sitting in front of him, breathed out. This chance was too important to ruin it by getting angry.

"I know about your secret."

Zero progress for the past month made Susan's patience test its limit. She knew Eth will only dodge the topic until she addressed it directly.

Eth, whose nerves were tense because of what Susan did earlier, froze.

'She knows about Nathan?!'

Despite his internally screaming, his expression on the outside didn't change one bit. Seeing this, Susan got nervous.

'Still playing me for a fool?'

Susan decided to put irrefutable evidence.

"I saw how dealt with your teammates during the entrance exam and what you did after. You already had red pupils when you barely won against Iota-boar. Where was your 'Stigma' at that time?"

When Susan spoke about the entrance exam, Eth almost lost his composure.

'Was she the high-level examinee who dealt with Iota-rank boars? Did she keep following Nathan after that?!'

Eth had never been more thankful for his neutral face. Ever since he gained control after Resonance, he realized that he barely showed his emotions on his face.

He contributed this to his past ten years when he only trained single-mindedly and kept to himself.

"Also during the class examination, you were the one who dealt with the horde of minions outside the central room, weren't you?"

'What the…? She knows even that?'

At this point, Eth realized that he couldn't act oblivious to escape from this situation.

With no way to escape, he decided to listen to Susan. Since Susan hadn't ratted him out, she must have had something to demand from him.

'I hope it's not what I think it is.'

"And what if I did? What are you trying to say?"

Seeing that Eth accepted all of what she said, Susan pumped her fists internally.

Cough-

Clearing her throat, she straightened her back. From her perspective, the next few moments will decide if she could obtain her freedom.

"I want to join your organization."

'Now what in the abracadabra bullshit is this?'

Before Eth could ask what she meant by that, Susan continued.

"Your actions were instantaneous and direct during the entrance exam. As if you had a specific goal in mind. It showed that you had knowledge about the terrain and had prepared accordingly."

Eth nodded his head.

"But only the Headmaster and the leader of Aegis knew about the test location. For you to know about it. You must belong to a powerful organization, a hidden one at that."

'I can't find a flaw in her reasoning.'

Eth knew that Nathan knew about the island from the novel. But normally for someone to have that information, they must have a fearsome intelligence network.

Susan repeated herself.

"I want to join your organization."

Eth finally understood why she hadn't reported him. Susan, thinking he had powerful backing, wanted to use him to escape.

He had seen the entirety of Nathan's past life memories. He had seen Nathan at his lowest and his highest point in life.

Naturally, Eth also knew the novel that kept Nathan going.

Eth knew what Susan was going through and what she wanted from him. Freedom.

He didn't think she was in the wrong by trying to escape. Anyone in her situation will do that.

But there were too many problems here.

'What organization?! How should I even reply? If I refused, she might report me!'

Even if he said that she wanted to escape, it was obvious whom Aegis will trust.

Eth couldn't agree with her demands. There was no organization, to begin with.

If he disagreed, there was a danger of getting reported.

'What should I do?'

Eth was caught between a rock and a hard place.

With no choice left, Eth decided to take the middle ground. That is, delaying the issue as long as possible.

"No, you can't."

"Why?"

Susan's slender white wrists were turning red from clenching too hard. Eth knew that the next time Susan will really choke him to the heavens if the answer he gave was not satisfactory.

In the predicament, he decided to use the Art he learned from watching Nathan's previous life and his experiences.

"You failed the test I prepared for you."

The Art of Bullshitting.