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I was rummaging around in the sharehouse’s kitchen like a tornado.

“Come on! Don’t tell me they drank all the energy drinks?”

The small, cramped kitchen on the ground floor was deserted. Several instant meals from various convenience stores rested on the counter, some labeled with tape by my housemates. Our fridge was almost full of drinks, but none of them were the ones I came for.

I was about to give up searching when I finally found it, hidden behind all the other stuff.

Sitting down at the table, I popped the can open. The cold fizziness felt so good.

Nothing was stopping me from heading straight back up to my bedroom, getting in front of the PC to log back into the app.

However, I had to think a bit before that, enjoying the quietness of the kitchen and the coldness of my energy drink.

What I had seen, heard, and said in the last sixty minutes had to be sorted out in my mind.

◆ ◆ ◆

I didn’t get off Mineruva as easily as I thought.

“What do you want to know first?” she asked me, leaning a bit closer in her armchair as we talked in her study.

“The menu... I mean… Any time I want, I’m able to open this list with different options.”

She gave me a look. “I know what a menu is, silly.”

Uh…

“I’m familiar with that interface, I have one as well. How else do you think I messaged you?”

That didn’t make sense.

It would be logical that she messaged me using the menu, but that didn’t explain her abilities specifically. Besides, she's not even from my world. She couldn’t have used the System naturally, unless…

“Wouldn’t that make you a deity too?” I asked her carefully.

She chuckled a little. “You figured it out already? Yes, I’m a deity, although it’s not like people worship me or anything. It’s only status. I’m also lower-level compared to you, so my menu has less functions.”

I couldn’t believe it.

She's an NPC like the others, but she has powers like me—someone who’s theoretically at god-level.

This meant that she was an NPC above other NPCs.

Did I dare to ask the obvious?

“Then you must be one of the very first NPCs of this world. Wouldn’t that mean that you are… thousands of years old?”

She folded her arms, smug in a funny way. “I wonder why you had to bring that up.”

Is it really true?! This girl looks like a high school student, not a deity!

Mineruva tried to be more gentle about my stupidity.

“Yes, it’s a deceiving appearance. I stopped aging when I learned how to open that menu. You see, we both have what’s called a Master Profile, the highest level of system access. That’s how we can use it.”

For once I could sort of understand that, even though in a medieval fantasy world it was strange to hear the word ‘Profile’ or ‘Menu’.

“However, not all functions are available immediately, only over time. There are some limitations too.”

She held out her hand as a demonstration, and a dagger materialized in the air above it. A small blade with intricate details. She gripped its handle, and the dagger shattered into fragments, and disappeared.

“The menu is part of the world’s logic that we can't interfere with. I can’t fight or even hold a weapon. My best ability is to manifest tools out of nothing. That’s why I chose to help others as a guide and provide them with what they need.”

That hit me right in the face. I wasn't familiar with this world, but even I knew how wrong it is when you're not able to protect yourself in the world of swords.

Mineruva didn’t seem sad or anything. She looked a little ashamed, but otherwise it was like she’d learned to live with this fault.

Yeah, but what else could someone do for thousands of years? What had she been doing all that time? Was there anyone she could talk to about this?

“Was there anyone like you? Someone who had a Master Profile, but was born here?”

“Let's just say there were. Well, back to the functions of your menu...”

She gave a long explanation of the purpose of each menu item and what each could do. At this point I stopped asking questions as I’ve had enough answers for the moment.

What I was looking forward to, though, was trying out the menu in practice.

“This settles it. Like I said, there are things you’ll need time to unlock. They’ll come in time, so don’t worry about them.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I floated up from the chair. “Thanks a lot for your help, Mineruva.”

“It's nothing, Michio-sama,” she looked up at me, suddenly raising an eyebrow in disbelief. “Wait! You're not going to leave without keeping your promise, are you?!”

“Yeah, um, well...”

“You'd better not! For this room is not only entered with permission, but also left with permission if I choose!”

“You mean what now?!”

“Michio-sama!!!”

As you can see, I couldn’t leave the room.

Only with the short deity-girl’s permission.

My expression got more sour by the second.

Man, this was going to take a long time.

◆ ◆ ◆

In the imperial city of Tessal, it was around afternoon by the time I sat down at my desk again. I went down to the kitchen just after I said goodbye to Mineruva.

It took no more than a casual wave of the hand, and the study disappeared in the yellow light. I thought I’d find myself in the same alley, but she apparently knew a much better place to send me back to.

The sun was shining warmly down on the buildings through the blue sky. When I first came here, it must’ve been late-morning to noon, so you can say that time passed a bit more rapidly, for me at least.

I stood on the edge of the rooftop of an old tower and looked down on the passers-by in the long square below. Each of them was an intelligent being, like us humans on Earth—as impossible as that sounds,

Note to self: I seriously have to learn what I call impossible.

Leclaire’s rules were pretty much clear to me now, but they needed to be tested.

I headed forward, down from the heights, across the vast square, into the narrow streets. I flew past horse-drawn carts carrying hay and crops, over the many stairways leading to the harbor and the great ships waiting to sail away.

After skirting a few streets, I was greeted by a familiar place. The stalls were still there on the side of the main road, along with the houses. There were fewer people there now, but I hoped I could find her.

“Two rosemary teas, please.”

Two children stood in front of Rumel’s stall. They placed a few small coins on the counter. The cat-girl didn't hesitate and produced two cups with a smile, her little cat-teeth showing.

“It will be ready in a moment!”

It was strangely comforting to see her again. Even without talking, I felt this girl had so much energy in her, doing what she’s good at with joy. She looked like the last person who’d get in any trouble.

While she busied herself with boiling the water and finding the herbs, I hovered not far in front of her, and following Mineruva's instructions, I clicked on her with my mouse.

Then her outline flickered a little, as I had selected her.

A small panel similar to the menu appeared in front of me.

«Entity Profile»

ID: 23100411

Name: Rumel Da Rue

Age: 17

Status: Alive

Classification: Cat-Person

Attribute: Skilled Herbal Tea & Medicine Maker

System Access: None

Options:

Add to Favorites

“With this, you can see the personal descriptions of anything as long as it’s a… an NPC, with your words. Might not seem like it, but it’s a very important part of the System.”

It’s incredible that the logic of the world is so elaborate that even character profiles exist.

My inner gamer-self reminisced about the many multiplayer games where such pop-ups showed the abilities of our characters or the level of weapons.

But it was a little different here. Even though there was some sort of levelling—as not everything was usable at my level—still, there weren’t any actual abilities or weapons. At least, not in the traditional sense. Magic existed for sure, but clearly wasn’t an everyday thing.

I clicked on the only option on the profile and added her to «Favorites».

And yes, I understand if you question why I did that.

Yes, I know she doesn't exist in real life, and that she's a beastkin and a kid.

But what difference does it make now?

She was one of the first peoples I saw here, almost missing her entirely by accident. It’s a given that I’ll add her to my list of favorites so I wouldn’t lose track of her.

CHIME!

The same notification sound played as before, and I was getting used to it now.

The «Events» option has been updated.

«Upcoming: Rumel will close in a few hours»

This unlocked a new function, as Rumel now appeared as the first name on my «Favorites» list.

“And with this, you can receive updates on what’s going on in the world. You can get alerts about anything dangerous or what’s currently happening in your proximity that is related to you.”

So you could likewise view the menu itself as a list of ‘abilities’ in this case.

“Yes! It works!”

After this, a barely visible bright outline shone around her, making her stand out. I would’ve mistaken this for a graphical glitch in video games, but Mineruva pointed out it was a side feature of the menu, so that we can recognize familiar characters.

Testing this, I went up to above the houses where the birds were flying and looked down.

Thanks to this outline, the cat-girl was clearly visible in broad daylight.

I paused in the air and considered my current options in Leclaire. So far, the Profile, Events, Favorites and Messages functions had become available.

My Profile looked like Rumel’s, but was mostly blank except my name and Master Profile status. It turned out my name was there only because I introduced myself earlier.

«Events» was based on «Favorites», so I got messages about the characters I liked, in addition to important general info. The more the characters, the more the messages, so I could expand both options.

Same with «Messages», if I knew any Master Profile users other than Mineruva.

I might ask her about that later.

And then...

“So... what's the fifth option for?” I asked after she told me the other four.

She made an interesting face.

“What do you mean, fifth?”

“Uhm... That I have one other one called Interactions.”

Mineruva raised an eyebrow and showed me her menu. It looked like mine but it was more three-dimensional, like a floating curved hologram screen that she could touch.

What do you mean she had only four options?!

She didn’t know how to put it, being as surprised as I was.

“I’m afraid I don’t have that one.”

“What do you mean? How could that be when we have the same profile type?”

She smiled modestly. “Maybe because it’s probably an exclusive feature for those like you. You know... who get access to this world from another world.”

“Do you have any guesses as to what it might do?”

“It’s probably a deeper-level method of practicing your powers. On how it would manifest to you once you figure out how to access it, I don’t know.”

“Then it’s some serious stuff.”

“Pretty serious, as at the moment only you possess it. With you being, figuratively, the highest deity.”

Why is that still so funny?!

For now, my fifth option is yet to be unlocked. Lacking a clear idea of how I could access it, I rather saved the task of solving it for later.

Another message popped up in that split second. Like a reflex, I checked which option had been updated.

«Recent: A meeting of the Imperial Senate is due in 10 minutes»

It was a new event, and a different one at that, being more urgent and general in content. I hadn’t actually realized how handy this was, as I had another candidate I wanted to add as a favorite character.

Without thinking, I glanced past the tiled rooftops and low church steeples toward the sea-bound castle.

Off I went again, soaring through the air. I was going to come back after the Senate meeting anyway, to see what Rumel was doing after closing up her stall.

◆ ◆ ◆

The Imperial Capitol was an imposing structure, connected to the rest of the capital by a bridge. It was a circular fortress, surrounded by high walls and bastions, with an enclosed training field built into the outer ring.

I circled the ancient stone walls a few times, seeing the knights standing guard in the corridors and cloisters, then I entered through the large, still-open gate, getting into the maze of vast halls.

This place wasn’t small at all. I could’ve gotten lost so quickly if I didn’t have instincts to memorize its layout. Playing RPGs that took place in absurdly huge castles finally paid off. I navigated through this one with ease after looking at it from both outside and inside.

Also, every corner here was bustling. Dozens of nobles and councilors dressed in fancy clothes walked along every hallway and stairway, chatting as I flew by.

It didn’t take long to notice that most of them were heading in the same direction. The meeting of the Senate, as I saw later, was held in a huge circular chamber, the entrance to which was a gallery filled with pillars and statues.

This was crammed with a crowd of people murmuring and discussing wildly, clearly nervous and excited.

What a coincidence that a purple cloak stood out among the many colorful dresses and togas.

Lupa was one of the guards who watched over the crowd and provided security. Even though she was a knight, I had my doubts about whether she would be allowed to enter the meeting, but yet she looked concerned.

I heard a voice calling her.

“I had a feeling you’ll be here!”

A young man approached her. He wasn’t a knight, but one of the crowd, though he wore less flashy clothing than them.

He bowed to her, and the two greeted each other with a smile.

“Well, if it isn’t Senator Emeric himself honoring me with his attention...”

“Perhaps. Sometimes I think attention had better not be free, only for those who aren’t boring like these people."

They stood side by side, allowing the newcomers to pass.

“You weren’t planning on showing up at first, were you?”

Emeric laughed.

“’Course not! Consul Berro made me,” he said, gesturing to the man with a goatee laughing with his pals down the hall.

“This is the privilege of those who befriend Berro. See his friends right there? They are Consuls Hamil and Cameron. Now all the chaperones are coming to the meeting, it seems.”

He chuckled a bit.

“Also, where’s Consul Magne? Haven’t seen him around since you arrived this morning.”

Lupa seemed a bit distant for a second. “I don't know, but he’ll show up for sure. He’s expected to give a report anyway.”

There was something in her voice. Emeric and I both raised an eyebrow.

“Are you worried about something?”

“Are you kidding? As a knight, I worry about everything. Almost always...”

My inner thoughts went silent there as I started listening more closely.

“…We got back here hours ago, and I already got tasks from him! Brief everyone, check on the rookies, watch over their duels…”

“Yeah, but you’d gladly do all that, right? You always wanted to be a knight.”

Lupa nodded.

Was this her passion? The thing she always wanted to be?

“Of course I wanted to be, who wouldn’t? I’ve done so much to get here, to do brave knightly things. And now…”

You’re doing paperwork and Magne bosses you around.

“So it’s hard,” Emeric said, his voice calm and supportive.

“Mostly because I barely have my quiet time, and I can’t afford to take more. If I take look away even once, anything could go wrong.”

“Even in here, the presumably most secure place in the entire Empire?”

Lupa shrugged.

“What else could I say? If I’m asked to stand watch, I stand watch. And try to do it the best I can.”

That hit harder than I thought.

When you do what you’re supposed to, but at the end it’s just for show.

Emeric softened even more hearing this, carefully putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Lupa, I know you since childhood. Responsibility or not, you’re the kind of person who’s determined but neglects herself. You put everything before you, and allow yourself the least joy…”

My heart crumbled.

No, don’t tell me she’s like this too.

I don't hide the fact that I recognized myself in Lupa now. I could put anything aside to get something done, even myself, not caring about anything else but a goal and the responsibilities.

That’s why I was grateful to have a good friend like Sachi to scrape me up when I was in need. Just like the kind of friend Emeric was to Lupa.

Emeric nudged Lupa in the side. “Your time will come one day. Where you won’t have to worry about escorting or bodyguarding or anything like that, but rather how to protect those truly worth protecting.”

Lupa smiled a little, but didn’t quite follow.

The meeting was about to begin, as the people in the hall were slowly making their way into the room on the other side of the double doors.

I almost forgot why I had come, but I didn't regret listening to the conversation between these two.

Not at all.

Click!

«Entity Profile»

ID: 23099872

Name: Lupa Ti Bery

Age: 20

Status: Alive

Classification: Human

Attribute: Knight Commander of the Imperial Army

System Access: None

Options:

Add to Favorites

Lupa’s profile appeared in front of me and I marked her as favorite. A faint outline lit up around her too, just like with Rumel.

That’s when I caught a glimpse of one of the last newcomers passing by. A consul with burgundy hair and golden tiara.

Magne gave her an emotionless side-eye as he passed. He didn’t stop and didn’t greet anyone.

Lupa watched him go, unconsciously clutching her sword’s hilt, shaking even. Whatever feelings she had for her boss, I was certain what she felt now was fear.

The air around him had gone cold…

What was about to happen beyond those doors wasn’t going to be good.