Only I Can See The End

[11:43 AM; Saturday, 29th of April, 2023]

"M-my name is Lisa. Lisa Scofield."

Her voice trembled as she introduced herself, and I sat across from her in my suite, keenly listening to her hesitant words.

We were both still grappling with the shock of our near-death experience, so her stuttering introduction was entirely understandable.

"I'm Mikey Rael. Just call me Mikey, but… ah, you already know my name." I laughed a little awkwardly.

My nerves had settled thanks to the effects of my Title, allowing me to manage a laugh. It was rather convenient to possess such a Title.

'I wonder what Title she has…'

So far, we hadn't said much to each other. Other than casual pleasantries, and trying to calm ourselves down, this was pretty much our first proper interaction since the Demon left.

"W-well, you should have known my name too. Haha… it's on my name tag…" She pointed at a tag that was firmly fixed to her bulging chest.

Perhaps it was because her shirt was drenched in sweat, but it seemed a bit more provocative than usual. I quickly looked away, of course. It wasn't appropriate to stare at a lady that way. 𝒷ℯ𝒹𝓃𝓸𝓿ℯ𝓁.𝒸ℴ𝓶

"Is that so? Well, I guess I was just too distracted to see the tag. It's good to hear it, though. Your name. You have a nice name."

"You too. Mikey is a… good name."

"You can lay it on me, it's not a common name." I laughed a little, now feeling a bit more comfortable with Lisa. "It's not a nickname either. My parents had a weird naming quirk."

"Really?" Lisa joined in the laughter, which put me at ease. She seemed to be gradually overcoming her fears.

"Yeah. I mean, they named my brother Buddy." I hadn't talked about my parents in years. It felt refreshing to talk about it, I guess.

"And where are they now? Ah… I'm so sorry, I didn't…"

It seemed Lisa finaly figured it out. I wondered what gave it away. My crestfallen face or the fact that we were both trapped in a hotel crawling with monsters that craved our deaths.

"No, it's fine. They died when I was ten. I lived with my uncle for most of my life, but he passed away recently too…"

The realization struck me: perhaps going to the gym and my frequent visits to the pharmacist in the drugstore were my way of maintaining a connection to society.

Due to my remote jobs, I rarely engaged in social interactions. Was that why accepting the end of the world felt so easy for me?

Because I had no one I truly cared about?

"A-ah, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I brought it up." Lisa apologized profusely, but she honestly didn't need to. I had already made peace with their deaths.

More importantly, there were other pressing matters to discuss.

"What about your friends and family, Lisa? Have you been in contact with them?"

"N-no…" Her expression quickly fell. "My cell is down. No service. I don't know anything that's happening beyond this place."

I figured this would happen. My internet and phone service were down too. It had to be connected to this new world we found ourselves in.

Even though Lisa was still recoiling from her shock and worrying about the fate of her family, I had something that kept gnawing at me. Even though I had been pushing it aside since we first met, I had to address it now.

"How did you escape the monsters?"

"Huh…?"

"The Demons. How did you survive them? You made it to the second floor, and you even reached my room without a scratch. How did you manage that?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Glancing at her attire, aside from the sweat that clung to it, there was no sign of harm or injury. She appeared perfectly fine.

'Humans can't outrun or outgun those things,' I mused. I had firsthand experience with them, and it was impossible for ordinary people to confront them, let alone someone like Lisa, a receptionist.

'Back then, she used Telepathy to speak to me. That means her Skills are different from mine. Maybe she has a Skill that allowed her to survive this far.'

Of course, this was all based on the assumption that she had more than one Skill.

"I… I watch a lot of anime."

"What?" I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"Anime. These sorts of things happen a lot in the anime I watch. I watch a lot of them."

"Uh… huh." Was she being serious right now? Could anime really prepare someone for a situation like this? I wasn't an avid fan, so I couldn't say for sure. My own preferences leaned more toward novels, particularly hyper-realistic ones.

'Novels like High School Syndrome… not fantasy ones.'

"I was in the bathroom when it happened. I suddenly saw a System Announcement, and I instantly knew what was going on. So, I called up my Status Window and I was able to figure out what was happening."

I blinked, taking in her explanation. Was anime genuinely that informative and useful?

"I was the only one in the bathroom, so the first thing I did was lock the door. I decided to plan my next course of action from there," Lisa said, continuing her story.

The more I heard, the more impressed I became by her level-headedness. Unlike me, who had to endure the horrors of this reality multiple times, she had managed to pick herself up from the very beginning.

"That was when it struck me."

"What struck you?" I asked, my curiosity growing.

You," she replied, a hint of determination in her eyes.

"Me?"

What was she talking about now?

"You appear in this four-star hotel, saying it's your first time here, even though your house address is close by. You kept looking around, admiring how fancy this place was, even though it was pretty standard for a four-star hotel. It showed that you probably hadn't been to a four-star hotel before. You ordered a lot of food and insisted on staying on the first floor, the most convenient for a quick escape."

I was dumbfounded as Lisa listed her observations. Her attention to detail was astounding.

"How did she figure all of that out?" I wondered.

"The moment I put it all together, I decided to find my way to your room. I thought, for sure, if anyone survived, it would be you. Thankfully, I remembered the suite you lodged in, so I carefully made my way up here."

But there was still a missing piece to the puzzle: how had she managed to evade the monsters that would have surely been swarming the reception area?

Ah, wasn't there a bathroom on the first floor? Maybe she used that.

Lisa stared at me, her eyes focused as she continued to explain, "There's a stairway that's only available to the staff. I knew I'd encounter fewer monsters there, so I decided to use that to my advantage. The System also warns us when we encounter monsters, but if you ensure you're hidden when it appears, you'll simply be aware that a Demon is close by."

Her analysis blew my mind. I couldn't believe the resourcefulness and quick thinking she had shown even under pressure.

"It wasn't easy, though. I was caught by one, and it began to chase me. It took too long for me to lose it. That's why I'm so sweaty now. I was out of breath when I finally arrived in front of your door. I knew I had little time, so I used my only Skill to communicate with you, betting it all on your response."

In essence, if I had refused to save her, all her efforts and hopes would have been in vain.

"You really trusted me that much?" I asked, genuinely touched by her faith in me.

"Well..." Lisa gave a soft smile, and a rosy blush colored her cheeks. "You didn't seem like the kind of person to abandon someone in need."

I felt my heart skip a beat, but a twinge of guilt also washed over me. I couldn't help but feel like I was receiving undeserved praise.

"You're wrong about me. I'm not that great a guy," I admitted with a small smile as I gazed at her. "But I am happy I saved you. I'm happy you made it this far."

Considering Lisa's resourcefulness and determination, I began to entertain the idea of sharing my knowledge with her. If she could survive on her own with limited information and a wealth of anime knowledge, wouldn't she be an invaluable asset if she knew about my abilities?

'My knowledge of the future, and my <Dream> Skill, in addition to her intelligence. If we collaborate, we should have a higher chance at survival.'

"Lisa, there's something I have to tell you." This was the best option. I could tell.

Her eyes widened with curiosity as she leaned in, eager to hear more.

"What is it?"

*

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[A/N]

The start of a blossoming friendship, and hopefully a chance for mutual survival.