TUYU - What If This Isn't A Slave?

POV Valentine

"It all makes sense now. If that was the case, then everything adds up frighteningly perfect. Yes, I'm dead, there is no denying it."

As soon as I saw that basilisk and felt its poison spreading, I knew that I was a goner. My best potions had zero effects, and my body was already in a suboptimal condition. That must have been the moment when I died and everything that followed was just my brain shutting down.

"Kneeing death right in the balls, my ass! It's a skeleton, of course it doesn't have balls! I probably turned to stone while curled up and crying!"

It makes a crap ton of sense. The void must have been my brain slowly turning into a rock and this whole situation is simply the last neurones struggling in vain. Only a deranged and damaged brain could come up with this..this.. this perversion!

Again, I was taken to the torture chamber. Again, the demonic minions skinned me alive, rubbing in salt and other concoctions before strapping wicked tools to my body. They drag it out, prolonging my suffering while merely laughing at me. NOTHING remained unmolested.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU!!"

I feel revulsion from looking in the mirror. Whatever that thing in the reflection is, it isn't me. The hair isn't mine, the face, the skin, the nails, every artificial part feels like a violation of my being. Even spending an hour soaking in hot water didn't remove all this disgusting taint.

"TURN OFF THIS FUCKING MUSIC AND LET ME THINK!"

"RRRRRRAAAAAAR!" CRASH!! CRACK!! "AAaRrRa!!" Thud! `Bam!

I haven't been able to hear my thoughts for weeks now! Only performing the motions without any intention behind them, until thin strands of reason started to become distinguishable among the constant sounds of music. It's becoming calmer, and I have moment of real clarity return to me.

As I smash everything inside of my room, I can actually hear my inner voice urging me on, and it feels liberating to destroy my surroundings. Perhaps the flowing blood will wash off this pollution covering my body.

`Thud!

"Anna: For God's sake, stop struggling!"

"Valentine: NEVER! I don't care if you are real or not, I won't be turned into this barbie doll any longer! I have a right to be a filthy MAN!"

"Anna: Then stop bashing yourself against the walls and talk it out, before I slap you to tomorrow!"

Bitting her arms may not have been my best course of action, mostly because I wasn't thinking straight and didn't go for the neck. Super human or not, there are vulnerable soft spots common between all of us.

My battered body couldn't content with her strength, and I'm cowed into a tight lock, able to only smack my head into the floor.

I relent, feeling the cuts and bruises starting to hurt. I now have the thought processing ability to admit that smashing glass and wooden furniture barehanded wasn't the ideal thing to do.

"Valentine: Fuck you! When did "talking" get me anything but a chokehold?! There is only "obey" with all of you! I'd rather take my chances living stranded on an alien forest than be turned into this discount sex doll! Is fucking dying not enough to be left alone?! No! It's bloody not enough for you!"

"Anna: ... I'm happy to see some of the old sparks in you, STOP FUCKING BITTING ME!"

"Valentine: FUu!"

The time bought allowed for my blood to flow freely, covering her hands holding me down. In my desperation I went for another attack, slipping my hands out and well on my way to win this battle... . A nut-cracking counter had taken me by surprise. I didn't expect an overpowered woman to resort to a dirty hit below the belt.

'UUUUuuuu! FUCK!! This..is..certainly..the..real..world..'

Receiving a beating in my room and being carried out like a sack of potatoes might have felt nostalgic, if not for the excruciating pain making me faint.

.. .

"Anna: You are lucky that I won't have any marks left, I could have held it against you for years otherwise. After this, we are going to sit down and talk like civilized people. It's just me and you here for the evening, so calm down, talk, then listen, then talk again. Ok?"

The static buzzing has mostly been swept away by my balls screaming a glass shattering crescendo. I nod, while relief slowly flooded my healing body.

.. .

"Valentine: I've protested! I didn't consent to this!"

"Anna: You have mumbled two sentences and went quiet for the rest of the day. I've assumed..."

"Valentine: This is blatantly brainwashing!"

"Anna: It was for your own good! We didn't know if you would recover! The notification said two and a half years, so we agreed that this would be better. You were behaving like a mindless drone following instructions! It was a risk, leaving you in that condition!"

'A risk of my asshole not being sold to the highest bidder! Pretty me up, then ship off to a man-whore house!'

This argument is bringing me to nowhere, so I ask about the happenings instead. My own memory is spotty at best and disjointed at worst. I didn't even think to ask about anything until now! Not even looking at the system upgrade!

.. .

"Valentine: I'm taking a vacation."

There is too much shit going on here, and I'm not fully in control of my mind. I need to find a dark corner and lick my wounds in peace. Politely giving Anna the middle finger, I pack up my backpack and walk out.

I walk straight over the fence and just continue walking along the night streets. The main street is too loud and full of neon signs. I move to the residential streets to be left alone. I walk straight until I feel my innards trying come out.

"Hhaaa... FFfuck you soul damage."

I check the distance with Google maps on my phone. Roughly 5.5 km and I already feel like dying. It wasn't that painful the last time I've got much more closer to the allowed distance limit. I can only give up, limp back a bit and go in a circle after catching my breath.

"Somewhere, I'll go somewhere. Haa... Somewhere nice, with...what was the saying again? Somewhere with... something and something else... `Sigh. I don't remember."

I walk for some hours before the sun completely vanished, most of the time getting lost in the little streets and going too close to the boundary. I simply walk.

"Fuck you too for not having my back when I needed it."

"Caw CACAW CAW"

'Right. Birds have different values. Being fed and living safely is enough for them. Who cares if I get new clothes or anything else!'

The stupid language blessing is making me forget that they don't live human lives. They have their own rules to follow, and my little theatrics didn't register as anything noteworthy. Unless I specifically say anything about it, they would be ok with me living naked up on a tree.

"Let's go for a drink. ...Can crows drink? Umm, let me google that. Ok, natural alcohol just like I've been making is a go! We party from dusk to dawn!"

Upon seeing the sky high prices in the clubs and pubs, I've decided to hold a more private party instead.

'I now remember why I don't go clubbing. It's a total rip-off! I could buy enough food for a week for the same price that they charge for a single bottle! Teens are stupid cash cows!'

.. .

POV Juliana

My hands-off approach failed spectacularly. I shouldn't have assumed that his behaviour will stay like that for a long time. It was honestly creeping me out to be near him and I turned a blind eye.

"Juliana: I've warned you that it would come down to this."

'And I haven't done anything to stop it.'

"Mari: It was done with the best intentions in mind, and for his own good."

"Juliana: And I've told you that men would rather do things the wrong way than admit that someone else is right. Trying to change them is an uphill struggle. Worse still, you've prayed upon his weakest moment. Whatever sliver of trust there was, it's gone forever. Not like there was much to begin with."

Mari doesn't appear to understand what I'm getting at, but a glance at the sweating Meiko tells me that not everyone is as dense as her. Even Mari noticed the slowly spreading puddle and asked Meiko for her honest opinion.

"Meiko: Well.. objectively speaking, if you look at it from a bystander's perspective.. We might have.. well.."

"Juliana: Oh, just rip off the bandaid already. You TOOK his home, you OWN his identity, you leave him NO SAY in anything. This is just a bad hentai doujinshi story, if you consider the other things. The excuse "it's for his own good" doesn't cut it."

Too much has happened in too short of a timeframe. Slowly working things out has barely started going anywhere. His moment of recklessness has pushed everyone to a more positive disposition, but then everything has gone tits up before we could make any meaningful progress.

"I understand that you have double standards, but there are times when you need to grow up and accept the facts for what they are. We have to own up to our failures."

A mother needs to be able to bullshit like there is no tomorrow, otherwise they may call me out on it and point out the inconsistencies in my actions. It's best to put enough pressure to overcome their logical train of thought and stroke their emotional sides.

"Mari: ...I need to think for a moment."

'Nope, that didn't work. Ok. Tactical retreat is in order, or else I will end up under fire.'

"Juliana: I'm going out to make sure that he doesn't drown himself in alcohol and gets his soul ripped apart by missing a stop on a public transport. I imagine that he ran as far as possible before laying low."

I make a quick escape before uncomfortable questions start flying my way. It's easy to track his location with a little app on my phone as long as he relies on GPS for navigating the city.

"...Well...at least it's not a brothel. That would have been more awkward."

I walk into a little out of the way hostess club. It has a cozy feel in the reception area and I spy reasonable prices being displayed.

'Typical tactics, display the minimum and charge the maximum. Suck the naive fool dry before he understands what's going on.'

"Juliana: No, I'm not a client. I'm looking for a Mr Valentine Hisao. Foreign looking young man, probably with a pet crow. Came in late night and according to my GPS tracker is still here. And you definitely...don't want an angry military woman to start slapping your trash security around."

I have fake military permits, so a little show of force is within reason. The door girl folded like a wet blanket just from a glimpse and told me everything she knew.

"The heck?! You've got the roles mixed up! The clients are the ones who should be pampered, not the other way around! `Sigh. Forget it, I'm not in the mood. Just charge whatever, and I'll be taking him away."

I'm charged nothing and directed towards the kitchen. According to the girl, after an hour of chilling like a normal customer he started complaining about the food and asked to cook for himself, somehow ending up becoming the head chef there throughout the night. The food was well received and doubled the number of orders, making a good profit with the marked up prices.

"Valentine: So, am I getting a beating before or after I'm chained up in the basement?"

"Juliana: You make me sound like the bad guy... Oh for Pete's sake, we both know that I wasn't able to control myself that one time."

I'm given the classic single raised eyebrow look and I blurted out something unnecessary.

"Valentine: ...I was speaking figuratively. `Sigh. Go away, I'm taking a vacation to sort out my head. Cooking helps me to dampen the anything buzzing and get my thoughts moving. Better yet, don't be an asshole and gift the service industry workers a day when they don't have to deal with the likes of you."

'This is definitely not my day. Fuuu...'

There are too many people around for me to act violently and he doesn't look to be in the mood to leave quietly. This place closes in under two hours, so I'll wait until then.

"Juliana: Fine, but text me where you'll be staying. I'll come over for a bit, so that I can reassure that everything is in order."

.. .

Forrest Day, "Sleepwalk" - Directed by DeWolf

POV Valentine

I have ended up deciding to pay the girls a nuisance fee. The trigger-happy maniac scared the shit out of them. Killing monsters by the hundreds each day must be messing up their minds. 

One of the girls here has told me about a little, family owned Ryokan where I could find comfortable accommodation for the next few days.

I send the warden away by paying for the room and saying that I'm off to bed. It's not like I can pack up and go to another city, there is only so many places for me to go to.

It's not as comfortable as being at home, but that's just because I haven't settled in. I need time to think.

"Sooooo... WTF are we doing now? Haaa...WTF have we been doing until now? This Isekai thing didn't work out, that's for sure. I'll be castrated without a word if I find a world with female slaves. I've got shit powers and a shittier system. Plus my memory is completely messed up, and I'm on a dog leash. Fuuuhuuu...what anime protagonist had a worse situation than me?"

This feels more like the tragic antagonist's, or outright a villain's backstory. If I unlock some mind control food, then it would definitely become one. If only I was a complete piece of shit, that is.

"Ok, now for real. WTF am I going to do? Find a new planet and lock the portal behind me? ...Can I do that? Right, right, right, I need to check the damn tablet and I need sleep."

'I haven't slept for over a day and it's showing. `Sigh.'

It would be better to start with a fresh look after getting a good rest. I feel a bit uncertain about sleeping on the Japanese futon as I lay it down. However, the soft mattress is calling me into its embrace, and I'm too sleepy to resist.

'Hmm.. just a peak before I fall asleep.'

I reach out for the table and take a glance over the last notice, scrolling down to the very bottom...

Owner - Valentine - soul link stable. Confirm connection - CONFIRMED

'Ssssssshhhhoiiiitt...'

I feel as if a bus sized vacuum cleaner sucked me out of my body sending me flying through a tunnel for a second before I'm back in the HQ

'Fucking hell! I'm.. I'm..ok? Huh, this feels familiar.'

I'm back to being a blob of information, and straight away I understand that being stuck in this form for too long is dangerous.

'Tu-tu-tuuu, ok, I can return if I give the command. Fuuu, got nervous there for a second.'

Administrative office - access confirmed.

I'm somewhere in the HQ, somewhere very deep underground, along the mana gathering array that is always sealed off limits.

'Ugh, too much information is floating around here.'

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Local HQ relocation - cost varies.

Soul strengthening - ERROR - soul damaged.

HQ customization available:

HQ operational mode - open, default.

Closed mode - temporary sealing of non-essential areas, default.

Bunker mode - all essential modules are folded in before HQ is submerged to 10-50 km depth, default.

Primary and secondary gates access - default.

User access level - default.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

'Well, well, well. Finally, this damn cage decided to open up a little bit. Hmmm..so there was a benefit to being chained to this hell hole. Why wasn't this the very first function to be unlocked? Haaa..damn DEMON having a laugh, probably. Hmm..hmm..I can give that bitch a cold shower, great, very useful indeed, if I was age 10!'

I can fiddle with the settings and set the HQ to a hibernation mode for the nights, useful for saving a couple mana points and not much else. There aren't any sections I need to cut access too...

'Wait, this room needs to be cut out from the general map and any mention of me gaining access to any of this must be erased...done. Oh? I will need to buy the fast travel upgrade to access this room in a physical body.'

Bunkering down is nice and all, unless I want to keep my access to civilization...

'Actually, can't I hide away a secret local portal and use it in bunker mode? Ah, fuck. Only the dungeon portals got an upgrade to work as relaying stations for my damn soul binding chains. I'll be stuck buried underground on this side until I collect 100k mana for a local transmigration.'

I can't glean anything from the strengthening function, it's completely blocked by the error message.

'You know what? I'll be childish and give them all an ice cold shower... maybe not Risa, she's not as bad as the rest.'

The whole HQ feels like a part of me. Only problem being that there are parts of me that are blocked by something. I have access to only a fraction of the whole, specifically the parts that are unlocked by the system.

'Wow, soul fuckery is... fucked up. ...Will the HQ have a transformation function to become a giant robot if I upgrade it enough times?'

I can almost see myself fusing with the HQ, and fighting dragons as a mountain sized mecha warrior. Reluctantly, I decide to fantasize about that later. My time here is limited, and I need to analyse everything that I can do.

'Time to find exploits and make those assholes work for the privilege of using the HQ facilities.'

Simply cutting them out is an option, but it won't change the fact that I'm stuck in place. I need workers to get me Mp, Ep, Exp and money. I need to unlock more of the HQ before giving them the boot and flying away to a better place.