Otto: That Otto Did Bad Things, Not Me

"Grrrr…" Theresa, now relegated to villain status, punched Otto in the arm, then sulked, refusing to speak.

Shu, thoroughly enjoying himself, chuckled. "Relax, Theresa, you're always on the good side. You become Schicksal's leader after Otto…leaves." He added, "Schicksal is a good organization, it's just Otto who's a bit…evil."

"Uh, I'm sure he has his reasons," Kallen interjected, feeling the need to defend Otto. Kiana was giving him the stink eye…though he seemed to be enjoying it.

"Yes, he does," Shu said seriously. Kallen breathed a sigh of relief. Knew it, Otto isn't that kind of person…

"He wants to resurrect you," Shu added, plunging the carriage into stunned silence.

Kiana's eyes widened. Otto stared. Kallen clamped her mouth shut. Theresa looked up.

"Shu, that's not funny…" Fu Hua said, Li Sushang sitting beside her, happily munching on candy. Shu just looked at her, and she hesitated. "Uh…you're joking, right…?"

"Unfortunately, no." Shu shook his head, his expression turning serious. "In the story I know, Kallen…you're from 500 years ago, medieval Europe."

Kallen stared, then looked down, patting herself all over, then continued staring at Shu, her expression unchanged.

"So, in that story, I spent five hundred years trying to resurrect Kallen, doing…questionable things, is that right?" Otto asked, sitting up straighter, a strange look in his eyes.

This Otto…was unexpectedly intimidating.

He paused, thinking, then frowned. "Under certain circumstances, yes, that's something I would do…"

So, it wasn't just similar names and coincidences. Was it…a parallel world? Or…just a higher narrative layer?

Kallen stared at Otto, wide-eyed. "So you would do bad things for me?!"

"He does all the bad things," Shu added helpfully.

Otto sighed, abandoning his train of thought. *The original story has nothing to do with me. That guy who said, "You may not have your god anymore, but you have me! I can be your next god!"—that's not me. *

No, wait…I wouldn't use the word "god." "Father," is more likely.

If I ever meet that other me…

Heh, I protected Kallen. Did you? That girl who promised to save the world with you…did you fail her? Need my help?

Yes, that's how I'll greet him.

Embracing the villain role Shu had assigned him, Otto continued, "Of course, Kallen. For you, I'd even steal candy from a baby, or her favorite toy."

Li Sushang, happily eating candy: "?"

Bronya clutched her Homu plushie tighter.

"Stop it!" Kallen's face flushed crimson, burying her face in her hands like Theresa had earlier. "I was young and foolish…"

Otto smiled, giving Shu a smug look.

Shu: "…"

Noted.

"Um…why did Kallen-nee-san die?" Kiana asked, then realized her phrasing was less than ideal. "Uh, I mean, I'm not cursing you or anything…I just…"

Her social skills kicked into overdrive, her brain, momentarily freed from the burden of thinking, whirring back to life. After a second of intense brainstorming, she straightened up, adopting a serious expression.

"I don't want that tragedy to happen here."

You really didn't have to try so hard…no one was going to think that.

Shu looked at her, deadpan, then shrugged. "Don't worry, Kallen's situation is unique. There's no corrupt organization here that would railroad her with a sham trial…"

"And I wouldn't create such chaos either," Otto interjected smoothly, preventing Shu from adding fuel to the fire.

"…Right," Shu conceded grudgingly.

How did he guess the plot? Is this his super-intelligence at work?

Kiana breathed a sigh of relief, giving Shu a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, I believe Fire Moth is a good organization!"

Shu stared at her.

Fire Moth is a good organization…Kiana, are you sure you know what you're saying?

"Shu, what happens at the end of the story?" Mei asked, gently pulling on Kiana's sleeve. Kiana obediently closed her mouth, looking at Shu expectantly.

"The ending? It's a bit complicated, but basically, Kiana becomes the Herrscher of the End and saves the world."

"Mei, did you hear that? I become a god!" Kiana whispered excitedly to Mei. "That's why Shu gave me the title 'End'! I'm so awesome!"

Yes, and you can even find the Herrscher of the End's…less-than-stellar win rate in the game database…

He kept that comment to himself.

"So…why don't we watch it ourselves?" Otto suggested, looking at Shu. "You can do that, right?"

"Huh?" Shu frowned, then his eyes widened.

[From Otto: Watch the Original Story]

Holy crap, I forgot about that!

He scanned the carriage, quickly locating a flat wall, then grabbed a chair and rushed over.

"What's up with Shu?" Kiana, still boasting about her future godhood, looked around to see Shu standing by the wall, seemingly in deep contemplation.

Otto stood up, drawing the curtains and turning off the lights.

"Instead of listening to Shu tell the story, why don't we let him show us a movie?" he suggested.

"Really?!" Kiana grabbed her chair, rushing to the wall and sitting down. "Movie time, movie time!"

The others followed, finding seats in front of the wall.

After mentally reviewing the story, Shu raised his hand, converting Hope into Expectation, projecting a familiar interface onto the wall.

"So, are you ready?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Everyone nodded, except Bronya. She had a bad feeling about this…

"Then…let's begin." Suppressing his grin, Shu stepped back. The projected image began to change.