I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 183

Chapter 183

Twins?

Long, bright red hair cascading down to her waist, crimson eyes, elongated pupils like those of a beast, fluffy wolf ears perched atop her head, and a red tail hanging quietly behind her.

A comrade Lian never thought he’d meet in this place was standing right there.

“Je-Jess?! Why is Jess here?!”

Lian stared blankly at Jess, his mouth agape as if a fly might fly in.

The always cheerful smile and those pitifully sparkling eyes were now filled with the gaze of an arrogant predator looking down upon the world. Her lips, which were usually curved in a smile, were pressed into a firm line, deepening the sharp atmosphere around her.

The moment her slow gaze, which had been scanning the room, met Lian’s, he froze on the spot.

Her indifferent, almost murderous stare was so raw, it vividly conveyed the desire to tear him apart.

A sharp tooth peeked out from between her slightly parted lips, glinting coldly.

The small fang, no bigger than a pinky finger, oddly emphasized Jess’s cuteness, but its function was far from adorable. If she bit down on an enemy with that fang, enhanced by magic, it could tear through flesh as easily as ripping paper.

Meeting her fierce gaze, Lian suddenly felt as if he were standing inside a wolf’s den. He stiffened like a beast caught by the scruff of its neck, staring blankly at Jess.

“From today, you’ll stay here. The rest of the explanation, you can get from your cellmate.”

Creak, clang!

Those assigned to Zone 0 were all capable of fighting against high-ranking officers. But it was only to the extent that they could endure, not that they had the power to subdue them.

Moreover, they had no way of knowing what abilities the newly brought-in slave possessed, so they couldn’t let their guard down. During transport, many slaves attempted to escape using all sorts of bizarre methods, making the process akin to carrying a ticking time bomb with bare hands.

The guard, eager to toss the ticking bomb as quickly as possible, dumped the responsibility of explaining Zone 0 onto the cellmate. The body Lian had taken over was in such poor condition that it wouldn’t be surprising if it died tomorrow, so the guard’s plan was to use him as a meat shield.

And so, in the cold silence that settled over the room, only Jess and Lian remained.

‘It’s not Jess… Could it be a lost family member or something?’

The Jess standing before him exuded a completely different aura from the one he knew, making Lian wonder if she was related to Jess in some way.

The Jess he knew was a delicate child, full of affection and easily lonely. But the woman in front of him, though her face and body were strikingly similar, had an atmosphere as sharp as a blade.

‘Ugh… Just in case, I shouldn’t act like I know her.’

Clink.

As Lian made up his mind, Jess, who had been standing still, suddenly strode toward him. Every step she took made the chains around her wrists and ankles rattle noisily.

Lian, snapping back to his senses, awkwardly raised one hand and greeted her.

“Uh, hello -..”

“Sniff, sniff.”

Before he could finish, Jess came right up to his face, wrinkling her nose as if sniffing for a scent. The sudden closeness made Lian freeze, his awkward smile stiffening on his face.

Her gaze, filled with a mixture of curiosity, unease, anger, and affection, locked onto his eyes. In her ruby-like pupils, Lian’s black-haired reflection was clearly visible, as if he were trapped inside them.

“Hmm…”

She narrowed her eyes, letting out a soft hum before abruptly losing interest and turning toward the empty bed.

“Ah…”

Lian stared blankly at her red hair as it brushed past his face, watching her retreating back. An indescribable feeling welled up inside him, and before he knew it, his hand had risen to his chest.

‘Gulp, for a moment there, I thought she was going to devour me…’

His heart pounded wildly, as if it had almost been bitten off.

‘If Jess is like a country dog, then this person feels more like… a cat.’

Watching the woman silently and gracefully climb into bed, Lian shook his head.

‘That’s not the point right now!’

The guard’s words from earlier buzzed around in his head.

‘He told me to explain this prison… but I don’t know anything!’

Frustrated, Lian returned to his bed, wanting to tear his hair out. If he kept tugging at his hair every time he was stressed, he’d end up with a bald spot in the middle of his head, so instead, he pressed his hands firmly against his scalp and glanced at the red-haired beast lying on the bed.

Her body, lying on its side, revealed her figure in detail. Lian’s eyes unconsciously followed the curves of her body before he quickly lowered his head in embarrassment.

‘I shouldn’t be doing this!’

It wasn’t just common decency that kept him from ogling someone else’s body. The main reason was that she was an officer-level powerhouse.

‘Someone that strong would definitely notice if I stared too much.’

While some damage could be healed, if she decided to crush him completely, there was no coming back from that.

‘Should I just lie low and sneak out quietly?’

The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head.

‘It might be possible if I play it right, but…’

His gaze wandered back to the familiar red hair and the pointed animal ears.

‘Maybe… she really is Jess’s family.’

Just because Jess was kind didn’t mean her family would be, but Lian couldn’t bring himself to just leave her behind.

‘At the very least, I should try talking to her. If I die… well, I’ll just find another body.’

He hadn’t explored all of Zone 0 yet, so there was a chance he could find a better body than the one he currently occupied.

With that hopeful thought, Lian quietly crept toward the woman lying on the bed.

‘Ugh… What should I say?’

Striking up a conversation with a beautiful woman he had never met before—who wasn’t family or a girl he had spoken to a few times—was a daunting task for Lian, even though he had been acknowledged by a unicorn. As proof, all sorts of nonsensical thoughts were running through his head.

‘Should I say, “Good morning”? Wait, there’s no window here, so how would I know if it’s morning?! Or maybe, “Have you eaten?” But what if she says she’s hungry? There’s no food here! Should I crawl on my knees and call her carefully? At least that wouldn’t seem threatening, and maybe she’d talk to me.’

After much deliberation, Lian decided to kneel like a peasant before a king, bowing his head as he approached the bed.

“Uh -..”

As soon as Lian opened his mouth to cautiously call out, the red-haired woman suddenly spun around to face him. Lian hurried to introduce himself, but before he could, her attack came faster.

Whoosh! Boom!

With a sound like the air being torn apart, a crescent-shaped attack skimmed over Lian’s head and slammed into the opposite wall. The sturdy wall, built to contain dangerous individuals, remained unscathed.

‘My… my head almost got chopped off! Wait! Is my hair okay?’

With a horrified expression, Lian frantically patted the top of his head. Thankfully, his hair was intact. Just as he let out a sigh of relief, a delicate hand with sharp, claw-like nails lightly gripped his chin.

The woman, who had somehow risen from the bed, was now sitting at its edge, one leg crossed over the other, looking down at Lian as she held his chin.

‘Will Jess grow up to have this kind of vibe?’

Overwhelmed by the sexy older sister aura, Lian’s face flushed as he entertained a fleeting thought, but he quickly snapped back to his senses.

‘Ah! This is my chance to talk!’

Lian hurriedly opened his mouth and blurted out his introduction.

“Uh, hello. My name is Lian, and I’ll be sharing this room… no, this prison with you. I don’t know how long we’ll be together, but I hope we get along.”

“…!”

As he barely finished his trembling introduction, the woman, who had looked somewhat bored, suddenly showed a hint of surprise.

“L-Lian?”

“Huh?”

The voice that slipped from her slightly parted lips was so familiar that Lian froze on the spot.

‘Is she really a twin?!’

Just as that thought crossed his mind, she leaned in close to Lian’s face. Her red hair brushed his cheek, and her fragrant breath tickled his ear.

“Sniff, sniff…”

Then, she buried her nose in his neck and began sniffing repeatedly. Her pretty nose wrinkled as she pressed her face against his neck, as if searching for something.

“…”

The expression on her face as she pulled away was peculiar. She didn’t seem pleased, which suggested she hadn’t found what she was looking for. Still, she silently stared down at the stiffened Lian before opening her mouth again.

“My name is Jess.”

“Jess…?”

Lian couldn’t hide his shock as he met her gaze directly. Just as his confusion over realizing that this woman, whom he had assumed to be Jess’s family, was actually Jess herself, his emotions slipped through.

Rustle.

Jess’s tail, which had been hanging quietly, slowly began to wag.

“Master?”

In Jess’s eyes, which sparkled with a deep affection only for her master, she instinctively recognized Lian as her master. Even if his appearance and scent had changed, the loving gaze and voice couldn’t be hidden.

“Huh? Jess, you… just now, didn’t you say ‘Master’ -…”

Before Lian could finish his sentence, the beast, whose tail was now wagging like a propeller, pounced on him.

“Master!”

Jess’s once haughty, glimmering eyes now sparkled like they were filled with stars.

End of Chapter