"Um, is everything all right, My Lady?" The Orc's question drags me out of my weird thoughts.
He sounds much colder than worried. His tone gives me the chills.
I should stop fantasizing in the middle of conversations.
Let's blame it on my social awkwardness.
I only had a few friends and other than the closest of relatives, we used to keep in touch via messaging apps.
Even with classmates, we'd ignore each other at school and then go home and chat all day, and into the night.
Most of these bonds were loose and started to disappear during the summer.
I expected them to last longer and that we'd keep in touch through my university years. But it seems unlikely now that I'm in another body and a different world.
Okay, stop, you're spacing out again.
My brain goes wild in the most random moments and it doesn't help when you try to converse in real time, face to face.
Gitaut already has that judgemental look I despise, though it could be part of his edgy emo character.
It could be why I hope they weren't close with Alexandra.
It's okay for kids to be edgy and play the chunibyo, but he seems too old for that. And let me tell you a secret, girls don't want to date kids or adults who act childish.
It was one of the reasons why I never dated either. Not the only one, of course. It didn't help that I was unassuming, grey, and average, and guys couldn't tell me apart from themselves.
But if I pretend I had a choice, it's easy to say that the boys in high school were too infantile for my tastes. And this guy acts like an overgrown high schooler.
Okay, he still expects a response so let's not waste time.
"I'm fine, but I can't stand these beds." I came up with a response that could explain my earlier outburst. "Sorry for passing out yesterday though, and thanks to whoever carried me back here."
Wait, was it too humble? I decided to act like a real Goddess should. Remember? If they start suspecting me again, that would be troublesome. After clearing my throat, I add.
"So what do you wake me up for?" Let's hope it's not too much. After lowering my pitch he raises an eyebrow at the sharp change but his expression remains.
"I take it your eyes are back to normal, though I'm sure you could've healed it yourself, Your Grace." He notes a bit colder than I'd expect. Is he a tsundere? Or was it me?
[Notice: You can't help but overthink things. -1 INT +1 WIS]
Ugh, again?! It does seem like I do, but isn't it getting overboard? And talk about tsunderes, the System acted like one too. Okay, focus. I have an Orc Shaman to deal with.
"It got better, still a bit blurry, but you have done well to treat it."
With the lowered intelligence it feels like I got duller, but my common sense tingles.
"I held out from healing it to see if your skills improved in the last decade. I'm satisfied with the result so far."
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The Shaman's eyes flare up before he rests his hands on his hips.
That's quite a feminine pose you got there, buddy.
Could it be that all males of this tribe swing that way?
"You might have convinced Charlotte and the others, but you know I can see your aura and tell at a glance who you are. Or at least who you aren't."
He keeps his voice down, but the implications are clear. Am I busted again? Already?
"That said, nobody would be strong enough to take over the body of someone like the Goddess."
He drags the door closed behind him, and comes closer.
"There must be a reason if you're here. Whoever you are, the Thirteenth Bride has her hands in it."
That's all about acting the part and keeping my identity secret. How do I do that when these magicians can see through everything?
Ugh, and there was that mission the System gave me about it with the death penalty. Is that it then?
[Notice: The mission expired two days ago. That doesn't mean you should let your secret leak out.]
[New Mission: Convince the Orc Shaman to keep your identity a secret.]
You don't have to say it twice. This time I won't even complain about the lack of rewards. Okay, where were we?
"If you understand, you'd know it's important the others don't find out." No matter how stressful it is to act confident and lie, I have no choice.
If he looks like an edgy chunibyo, he will love the stuff I made up.
"It's paramount for your Goddess that this swap remains a secret." For the dramatic effect, I pause, and he raises his eyebrow even higher.
"There are factors you can't fathom, but the world's fate depends on it."
It's not as much of a blatant lie as it sounds. I can't fathom them either and my world depends on his reaction.
Give me one day, or whatever it takes for Alex to bring me home. Then we can both forget about this awkward conversation.
"What are you talking about?" He asks, and boy, I'd like to know too.
"Alexandra has a mission." Whatever, make some shit up at this point.
"She's chasing new knowledge that will help her to save the world." At least I hope there's a reason she decided to learn programming at my university.
There's a shitshow going on in her world, and she busied herself putting together this bugpile of a System. Please tell me that it has a purpose.
"Of course, she didn't want to abandon her people, so until then, she sent me to watch over you." Ugh, I can feel the minus-one intelligence kicking in.
She was away for a decade, this claim bleeds from so many holes. But it should trigger his inner chunibyo, please work.
"Is that so?" He can't raise his eyebrows higher, otherwise they'd fall off the back of his head. Still, it looks like he's considering it.
"If the world is at stake, I'm willing to help." Oh, God bless the eighth-grader syndrome.