"I mean, yeah, with all the buffs and boosts, my stats are higher than yours. But not by much."

"Still, though, I'm going to have to work really hard to keep up. At this rate, I'll be left in your dust, so I can't afford to slack off," She responded with a determined look on her face.

"Well, just try not to get impatient and take too many risks, okay?" I smiled, patting her head.

"Yeah, I know, I'll be careful. By the way, in those old anime, systems were usually a thing in series with reincarnation, right? So...are you reincarnated?" She inquired curiously.

She figured that out too, huh? Well, I've told her this much already, I suppose I might as well give her the whole story.

"Yes, I am," I nodded, waiting nervously for her answer.

"For real?! That's so cool! What kind of world did you come from?! Was it, like, a fantasy world? Oh, wait, I guess it wouldn't be a fantasy world if it's real, huh?"

"No, I'm not from a different world. I'm from a previous era of this world. I died in 2025," I replied with a smile.

"Ohh, you lived in the era before the Monsters showed up? That explains why you're so into retro media. So, you got this system when you died and reincarnated in this era? How did that work? Like, was it just a random coincidence? And what was your previous life like? Also-...," She rattled off excitedly.

"H-Hey, slow down, I can't answer all those questions at once, you know. Alright, I'll start with my previous life. It wasn't exactly pleasant, so I'll just give you a summary of it. My childhood was decent enough, but then it turned out that my father was in debt to a syndicate. They killed my mother, which drove my father to depression and alcoholism, he got super abusive.

He then foisted his debt onto me and ran away, I had to drop out of high school and work part-time jobs to pay off his debt. It was a pretty miserable decade or so, until I finally died of an illness.

And as I was dying, my final thoughts apparently embodied the Seven Deadly Sins, which met the conditions for unlocking the Sinner System. The next thing I knew, I was in this era. I had the same name and appearance, just younger and healthier," I explained in a nutshell.

"I don't know what to say, I'm so sorry...it sounds like you went through hell in your previous life, I get why you don't want to recall all that in detail. I feel bad for making you relive all that, I'm really sorry, Kai."

"Don't worry about it, it's fine. I'm pretty content and happy in this life, what I went through back then is nothing more than a distant memory now," I assured her with a smile.

"That's good, I'm glad. Hm? Wait, you looked the same in your previous life and had the same name too? How's that possible?" She responded curiously.

"No clue, honestly," I shrugged sheepishly.

"Huh, interesting...wait, all of the Seven Deadly Sins? Even, um, lust?" She inquired, fidgeting awkwardly.

Heh, she's so innocent, it's adorable.

"Yeah. Basically, I was pissed at how my life turned out, and I wished for a second chance, where I could have everything I never got to have during my first life.

Being in control of my own life, wealth and power, good food and drinks, the freedom to laze about and do things at my own pace, women, I wanted it all. And those thoughts led me to where I am now."

"I see...and did you get it, everything you wanted in this life that you missed out on in your previous life? Have you fulfilled the desires that fuelled your dying thoughts?" She asked me.

"I'd say so, yeah. I couldn't be happier with the way this life has turned out so far, and I'm still only just getting started. It hasn't even been five years since I reincarnated here, so-..."

"Wait, what? You're five years old?!"

"Uh, well, closer to thirty, mentally speaking," I responded in bemusement.

"No, I mean physically. You got this big in just five years?" She replied incredulously.

"Oh, no, of course not. When I reincarnated, this body was already fifteen," I informed her.

"Ohh, okay, that makes more sense. Wait, does that mean you replaced whoever was in this body before? Or was it, like, an empty body?"

"Yeah, I have no idea. But no one at the orphanage seemed to notice any changes in my personality, so I don't think I replaced anyone?" I responded uncertainly.

"That's kinda mysterious, I wonder how it worked? Okay, since you said you're mentally around thirty, you died in your mid-twenties, and then reincarnated over a century later at fifteen with the Sinner System, which you got because your dying thoughts and desires embodied the seven deadly sins. You said you've fulfilled those desires, so does that include, um...your lust desires?" She asked me awkwardly, a hesitant look on her face.

"Huh? Well...yeah. But, uh, I'd prefer to keep that part of my life private," I grinned sheepishly.

"Y-Yeah, okay...sorry for prying, it's not cool to ask you something so personal. I-I'm not even sure why I asked! Anyway, um...what else can I ask? Uh...?" She trailed off, trying to think of something else to ask.

<I'm sure you're not dense enough to have failed to notice that she isn't particularly happy about-...>

Yeah. I noticed.

<You realize what that means, don't you?>

I-...yes.

Anyway, uh, you cool with me telling her about you?

<Are you changing the subject?>

<You can't just-...no, I suppose I shouldn't interfere>

<It is your choice to make>

<But let me at least say this>

<I am well-aware that you do not fully understand romance, and even that it scares you, you are afraid of becoming emotionally dependant on another person>

<The betrayal you experienced from your own father has traumatized you more than you're willing to admit>

<But don't let that control or influence the decisions you make in this life>

<That's all I have to say on the matter>

<And to answer your question, no>

<Perhaps some other time, but for now, I would rather not have my existence revealed>

<I do not understand why, but I feel a sense of...apprehension, I believe>

Cool, in that case, I won't say anything about you.

<Thank you>

<And please consider what I said>

Yeah, I...I will, I'll give it some serious thought and figure it out for myself.

You're right, I can't let what happened to me in my previous life negatively affect my actions and decisions in this life.

Thanks, Ai. I appreciate it, really.

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