I Hate Systems

"This place is pretty good indeed." Compass Carburettor said in surprise, for they were currently on a boat. There was a large pond here, manned by the restaurant that owned it.

At the dock was a large building which acted as the restaurant\'s reception, allowing people to book a seat. The seats were all boats.

Each boat was on the level of a yacht, filled with its ingredients, two chefs, and one waiter. There was just one table on its upper deck where the customers would be seated.

The captain of the yacht would make a slow ride on the pond while the customers could enjoy the scenery and have a comfortable meal. There were only a dozen boats on this pond to not make it feel cluttered, and hence, it was hard to get a reservation.

Of course, Gehera seemed to have her ways as they got one reserved at the moment of arrival.

"Indeed," Genera nodded, "This was established around twenty years ago. I\'ve always wished to come but never had proper company."

"None from this world suit your fancy?" Compass Carburettor asked in wonder.

"There were a few, but they all age normally while I don\'t." Gehera sighed, "It\'s just a recipe for disaster as I don\'t wish to long for someone that would die in a matter of years from my perspective."

Gehera turned 95 just recently. For a normal human, that was a lot of time to be alive. But her mind wasn\'t on the level of a normal human anymore, so for her, 95 years no longer seemed like a long time. This was why she casually interacted with Compass Carburettor even though they hadn\'t talked for more than seven decades.

So, this difference in perceiving time prevented her from having a normal relationship. Even when she fancied someone and had the chance to lead a normal life, Gehera avoided it in the end upon realising that it wouldn\'t work out well for her mental health.

Upon receiving Compass Carburettor\'s stare, she understood what he was getting at and shook her head, "I didn\'t like using my totems to extend their lifespan. Even if their bodies aged slower, their minds aged normally. The contrast would turn them mad. Moreover, if I act on their mind too, then would they still be the same individual that I liked once? Nope. It was a lot of headaches that I didn\'t wish to bother with, not when I still had to keep Stencil in check."

"I have to thank you for that." Compass Carburettor bowed in respect, "You didn\'t have to sacrifice your time for something that I should have done, but for what you did, I am grateful."

"It\'s fine, don\'t mention it." Gehera waved her hand as she observed the food being served, speaking as she took a bite, staring at his face to ask, "Say, how long will it take for you to become a human?"

"Around a month or two…" Compass Carburettor said after a moment of thought, "It\'s hard for even me to predict as my Dreamland is developing at an accelerated pace ever since I woke up. There are billions of variables in there, so it\'s not easy to make a prediction."

"I initially thought it would take around six months, but in just a day as a faculty, I grew a lot." He smiled in response.

For a moment, Gehera was dazed by his smile before recovering as her smile widened, "I\'ll anticipate that day."

She then glared at him, "Don\'t just up and disappear on me, alright? I\'m strong enough to fight the Systems myself."

"Grade 2?" He asked.

"Nope," Gehera grinned smugly, "Grade 3."

"Seriously?" His eyes widened in surprise, "It\'s hard to notice since your powers are sealed."

"That\'s because I\'ve yet to fight before you." Gehera said, "I feel like the moment I take action, you\'ll be able to figure out the extent of my strength easily."

She then asked, "How were the Invaders? I\'m surprised that I\'ve never discovered traces of them to date. Maybe it\'s because they were never active in the regions I\'ve acted upon using Secret Society."

"Stencil covered them all up," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Though, considering how this entire world is under her control, it makes sense."

The duo spent a couple of hours eating, taking their time with tiny nibbles while enjoying the peace and quiet of the surroundings.

Gehera took in a deep breath before saying with a sense of longing, "Peace is an addictive feeling."

"You\'re right," Compass Carburettor nodded, blinking in surprise to see a third Psyche Star forming in his Dreamland.

Psyche Star—Mental Peace!

And as it condensed, he noticed a drastic change in himself, observing that he had become more human, now able to feel hunger and thirst like a normal human too.

"Well, it seems I won\'t have to wait for long," Gehera muttered upon observing his changes, turning cheerful as she paid the bill.

The yacht began to return to the dock as her eyes trailed over Compass Carburettor\'s face, observing the state of peace he exuded, \'Seems I\'ve indeed fallen for him.\'

"I zoned out for a minute there." Compass Carburettor opened his eyes, stating in apology, "I just relished the peace."

"I understand," Gehera didn\'t display any other emotion, watching him with a smile before getting up to alight from the yacht.

The two made their way to her car and began to head home. And of course, they were stuck in traffic soon after.

Staring at the red light on the traffic signal, Gehera asked while her eyes were on the road, "Compass…"

"Yes?" Compass Carburettor nodded in response.

"Do you love peace?"

"Yes."

"These Invaders are a product of the Invader System, right?"

"Indeed, they are."

"That means, it is only a matter of time before…"

"This peace won\'t be disturbed. You have my word."

"But, what if Arnark interferes? All my abilities are predicting that possibility."

"If he does, then the multiverse would lose its Main Character."

"I\'ll not worry then," Gehera nodded before saying, "As they are close, when Arnark appears, Gilthru would be there too. So,"

Her eyes turned a tad moist as she said, "Please leave him to me. I have yet to settle the score with him for destroying my family."

"Yeah, he\'s all yours. Make him suffer."

"Indeed, I will."