I See One Second Into The Future: Loner In The Apocalypse



The blonde woman let out a disdainful scoff while lovingly patting and rubbing the wolf. It made for a weird image, but the woman herself didn't seem to care.

"For you to call me a power is looking down on me too much."

Kairos blinked a few times, finding the situation quite strange. However, he suddenly remembered it was a dream. Despite his usual dreams coming in the form of warnings, he also knew that they were supposed to be quite strange.

Though he didn't expect them to be so lifelike.

He let out a small sigh as he reminded himself that this was normal for dreams. Probably.

"Do you really think that this is a dream?"

The corner of Kairos' lip twitched as he looked up at the woman, who was looking at him with contempt. She let out a huff before continuing to stroke the wolf.

"I suppose by definition, you could consider this a dream, but it's more of... your sea of consciousness, so to speak. After all, even in lucid dreams, things aren't this clear. You should be able to compare it to your usual dreams, no?"

Kairos blinked a few times as he thought back on his 'usual' dreams.

"..."

The woman looked at him strangely for a little while.

"So... those are the kinds of dreams you have. My condolences."

It was Kairos' turn to look at her strangely. He raised a fist to his mouth and coughed.

"Um, why are you able to read my mind?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders.

"Ever since Tiana implanted my image in you, I've been able to read your thoughts. However, it has been quite more chaotic since you let this little rascal in you, as I can hear his thoughts as well."

"Woof..."

The wolf was visibly upset by her comment, but she continued to rub its fur lovingly.

"Though I can't say I hate this addition."

"Woof!"

The woman then began scratching the wolf's neck, much to its pleasure. She took a deep breath while admiring the wolf for a moment before looking over at Kairos.

"Anyway, back to the topic, I suppose I should introduce myself. I am the Goddess of Conquest, Azami. For some reason, most people think my name is Adamas, and that I was killed by Poseidon but whatever. Truth is, I was kicked out of the Greek gods because they were tired of me trying to take control over them all."

Kairos blinked a few times, his mind nearly blanking out from how ridiculous he felt everything was. Though he calmed down soon enough and opened his mouth to speak, but-

"Your name is Kairos, you were bestowed with the ability to see into the future, you're currently participating in a promotion mission with the aim of reaching C rank. The situation you found yourself in is rather strange, even to the system, and me, a god. You're a serious-to-death kind of guy that can't even get himself to be happy when the girl you like confesses to you."

As Azami narrated all that, Kairos found himself unable to say anything. She peeked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that accurate?"

Kairos cleared his throat awkwardly.

"More or less..."

A moment of silence lingered before he spoke up once more.

"You know, I've never really thought about it, but having someone read my thoughts all the time isn't the most pleasant thing."

Azami clicked her tongue and crossed her arms, holding off on petting the wolf temporarily.

"It's not a pleasant thing to see other people's thoughts even when you don't want to, you know? Though I guess I can stand yours. At the very least, you don't have too many weird quirks like Tiana."

Kairos looked at her strangely. Though he was curious about the weird quirks, he wasn't enough to actually ask about it. But then he remembered she could also see his thoughts, which made him feel weird.

Azami let out a laugh and held out one hand.

"Don't worry about it too much. I'm used to hearing weird thoughts by now."

Kairos gave a small nod before looking at the wolf.

"Alright. Though you already know my question, could I ask why you like that dog so much?"

Azami looked over at the dog that was fondly gazing at her and pet his head lightly.

"I suppose the best way to put it, is seeing such pure intentions without ulterior motives feels like such a luxury. After all, I've been looking at other people's hidden thoughts for a while now."

Kairos gave a few nods while observing the wolf.

"That does sound reasonable. What are the dog's thoughts?"

Azami said things rather blankly.

"Feels good, feels good. Like pets, want food, want sex."

Kairos' eyelid twitched. He blinked a few times and looked at Azami for a little while.

"You already know what I'm thinking, so I don't have to say it, right?"

Azami didn't respond immediately, instead stroking the dog for a little while.

"It's better than not having any desire for that kind of thing at all."

Kairos fell silent, though even if he didn't want his thoughts transmitted, it wasn't something he could stop. Azami let out a huff before turning away.

"I'm not the weird one here, you are, alright? Reproduction is a basic instinct among living beings. It's a very normal thing to have."

Kairos pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Just take it that you didn't hear anything from me."

Azami averted her gaze before responding.

"Very well..."

Another awkward silence spread, save for the sound of the wolf panting and its wagging tail. Eventually, Kairos spoke up candidly.

"So um, would you mind helping me improve my relationship with my avatar? Since you know what his thoughts are and all that."

Azami let out a soft hum while stroking the wolf.

"I suppose that would benefit our overall situation. Alright."

She tapped the wolf twice before pointing at Kairos.

"Go make friends with him."

Though the dog appeared momentarily confused, it walked over to Kairos. There was a goofy grin on its face as it panted, making it hard to take the thing seriously despite its ferocious body.

Kairos glanced over at Azami and opened his mouth, but before he could speak-

"He wants to be pet."

She answered before he even spoke out, prompting Kairos to look down at the wolf. He reached one hand out and gently brushed the thing's fur. It was surprisingly soft and smooth to the touch.

His eyes widened slightly. Although he wasn't the kind of person that cared much about texture in general, he felt a strong sense of satisfaction. He was beginning to understand why the goddess across from her was so into petting the wolf now.

Kairos found himself moving his hand back and forth subconsciously.

Though the wolf looked at him as though wondering what he was doing. While Kairos was confused, Azami spoke up once more.

"He's wondering why you aren't petting him harder or scratching his fur. You don't have to worry about hurting him, he's pretty tough."

Kairos gave an appreciative nod before following her advice. He was a bit gentle at first, just to gauge the reaction, but got into it soon enough. Kairos couldn't help but chuckle seeing the wolf narrowing its eyes in happiness.

It was easy to find himself enjoying it as the wolf's fur really was nice to rub.

After a few moments, Azami spoke up.

"And now he sees you as a friend."

Kairos raised an eyebrow in surprise, pausing his petting for a second.

"Really? But I've only been petting him for a few minutes. While I did think it was possible to get on good terms this way, I didn't think it would be nearly this fast..."

Azami shrugged her shoulders.

"That's just how it is with animals. When both sides don't expect any ulterior motives, just a sign of friendliness is enough for them to recognize you as a good person. There's no overthinking, doubts, or facades involved. Naturally, it will be this quick."

Kairos blinked a few times, looking at her a bit strangely.

"But I've tried getting on good terms with animals before and they've always attacked me instead."

He was looking at her like she was an idiot. Azami's eyebrow twitched while her lip was gently trembling.

"That's because you weren't friendly enough in your approach!"

She burst out in anger, pointing at him. Though Kairos only blinked a few times before responding flatly.

"No, there have been times when I was attacked randomly by a dog I hadn't even seen, and this one time that a bird randomly stole my glasses. You can read my mind, so you know I'm not lying."

Azami stared at him for a long while.

"...How are you so bad with animals?"

"You think if I knew I would still have this problem?"

Kairos responded in a low voice before letting out a sigh.

"But... I do think I get what you're saying. If everything was just a little bit simpler, maybe... people could just always laugh and play like they have been."