IBO -Chapter 54 555’s Counseling – Previous Timeline

This novel contains sensitive and taboo content like R*pe, Mu**er etc. Read only if you are comfortable.

“May I ask something rather abruptly—what was the cause of your parents’ deaths?”

“They both had congenital heart disease and eventually died of heart failure, together.”

555 let out a sigh of relief. So it was illness. Just from Song Yiran’s tone, 555 had thought he had somehow caused his parents’ deaths. Turns out it was disease after all.

555 couldn’t understand why Song Yiran thought this way, and he asked back, “Since they died of illness, what does that have to do with you? Why are you blaming yourself?

“Did you personally kill your parents with your own hands? You were hit by a car and died in your original world—was that your fault too? You didn’t receive proper sex education as a child and didn’t understand what molestation was—does that count as your fault as well? In the interstellar world, you were assaulted by a man and beaten to the ground, unable to fight back—should you blame yourself for that too?”

“And that black-hearted seller who sold a ladder with serious safety hazards—should that be blamed on you as well? Even if you wanted to save money, no matter how cheap it is, you still can’t sell something with safety risks! At the end of the day, that’s the seller’s fault! What do all these things have to do with you? Why do you always put the blame on yourself?”

“…But if I were a little stronger, a little smarter, none of this would have happened… in the end, it’s still because I’m too weak… it’s all my fault for being useless…”

Song Yiran shook his head, awkwardly picking at his fingernails.

555 was completely shaken by Song Yiran’s logic.

He cleared his throat and began to counsel him seriously. “Your logic is completely wrong!”

“First of all, your parents already had heart disease long before you were born. How old were you when they passed away?”

“You weren’t a medical genius—and even if you were, you still wouldn’t have been able to solve such a problem in such a short time, right?”

“So many medical experts haven’t conquered this issue. Why are you taking all the blame onto yourself?”

“Also, you said you failed to fulfill your parents’ last wish. Their wish was for you to grow up well—did you deliberately harm your own body?”

“You didn’t. You didn’t abuse alcohol, didn’t smoke, didn’t chew betel nut, didn’t pick up bad habits. You died because you were hit by a car.”

“Even if you had trained your body to be stronger and fitter, flesh and blood can’t withstand a steel vehicle!”

“The one you should blame is that drunk-driving male driver, not yourself! If your parents were still alive, they would blame that drunk driver too!”

“As for when you were young and were molested because sex education wasn’t properly done, and you didn’t even understand what was happening—how is that your fault?”

“Failing to provide proper sex education is the responsibility of parents and teachers.”

“And that’s not even the main point. The key issue is that the male teacher who molested you was a scumbag!”

“Even if sex education had been done properly back then, could a five-year-old child really escape from an adult?”

“Most likely not. If anyone’s to blame, it’s that damn scumbag!”

“And the scumbag man in the interstellar world who tried to assault you—he attacked you by surprise!”

“If the two of you had faced each other head-on, you might not have lost so badly!”

“And you were beaten that badly—was that your fault? No! It was that scumbag’s fault! He was the one who attacked you! He’s the disgusting one!”

“And about you buying that four-armed ladder because it was cheap—what’s wrong with wanting to save money?”

“That just means you’re thrifty and know how to manage a household!”

“We were already short on money, and you were just trying to save some for the orphanage!”

“The one who deserves blame is the black-hearted seller! Selling a ladder with safety hazards!”

“All of these things—one by one—which of them is your fault? Not a single one! Stop the internal self-blame!”

“As your system, I won’t allow you to keep internally consuming yourself like this!”

“……”

555 flew straight in front of Song Yiran and gently patted his face with his short little hands. “Listen, Song Yiran. Every compliment I give you comes from the bottom of my heart. You deserve those compliments!”

“I’m telling you—any praise in this world, you deserve it! Raise your sense of worth. Having too low a sense of worth is not a good thing.”

“Starting today, you’re going to give up this constant self-blame and stop undervaluing yourself.”

“Come, say it with me: ‘I am the best person in the world! I deserve all the praise in the world! I deserve all the treasures in the world!’”

“I am the best person in the world. I deserve all the praise in the world. I deserve all the treasures in the world.”

Song Yiran pressed his lips together, but in the end still chose to cooperate with 555.

555 was very dissatisfied with his performance. “There’s no passion in your voice! You have to shout it with passion, like I do! Come, say it with me: ‘I am the best person in the world! I am the most amazing person in the world! As long as it’s something I want to do, I will definitely succeed!’”

“No way, these lines are way too cringe. Can we change them to something less embarrassing?”

Song Yiran was so embarrassed by the lines that his fingers kept digging into the grass beside him.

555 mercilessly rejected his request. “No, it has to be this style! Hurry up and repeat after me—and with passion!”

“…Fine. I am the best person in the world! I am the most amazing person in the world! As long as it’s something I want to do, I will definitely succeed!”

Song Yiran gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and said the unbearably cringe lines.

555 was extremely satisfied with his performance this time. “Not bad! Now tell me—what kind of person do you think you are?”

“…A useless person…”

“Five.”

555 hadn’t expected Song Yiran’s mindset to be this hard to change. He could only switch to another method to help him improve this way of thinking.

“Maybe this approach doesn’t work for you. Let’s try a different one, then.”

555 propped his chin up with his short little hands and thought for a moment, then came up with a good idea.

He deliberately squeezed his face into a pitiful, aggrieved expression and complained to Song Yiran, “Song Yiran, I think I’m a useless sys—” QAQ

“How could that be? I think you’re very useful!” Song Yiran hurriedly comforted him.

555 opened his little bean eyes wide and looked at Song Yiran expectantly, as if hoping for an answer. “Then tell me—where am I useful?”

Song Yiran patted 555 on the head and said seriously, “You’ve always been by my side. We’ve faced difficulties together. You even go scavenging with me and encourage me. Your hacking skills are amazing too—you can even find top‑secret information that’s been sealed off! You’re definitely not a useless system. You’re a super useful system!”

555’s tone grew a little downcast; even his pair of bean eyes looked more aggrieved. “But I didn’t memorize the employee handbook. I didn’t know how situations like ours should be handled. As a result, our start was so miserable—we could only scavenge trash.”

“Well, that can’t really be blamed on you. Everyone has bad memory sometimes. It’s understandable,” Song Yiran tried his best to comfort him.

555 still sounded dejected. “And when we first arrived in the interstellar era, I even fought with you. We should’ve been harmonious, friendly coworkers, but I actually attacked you.”

“You can’t put it that way either. I hit you back at the time, didn’t I? We’re even.”

555 put away his fake pitiful expression and asked, “Song Yiran, when I doubt that I’m useful, you can find so many reasons to prove that I’m a useful system. But when it comes to yourself, why can’t you see the good points in you?”

“…I…” Song Yiran opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but realized he couldn’t refute that at all. Yes—why couldn’t he see his own shining points?

555 looked at Song Yiran with a solemn expression. “Song Yiran, you seem to have gotten used to belittling yourself.

Although I’ve only been with you for a few days, based on these days together, I can say this: the Song Yiran I know isn’t nearly as bad as the Song Yiran you talk about.

The Song Yiran I know is kind, resilient, and brave. Even though sometimes I don’t quite understand his way of thinking, in my eyes, he’s a very good person.

Song Yiran is my partner, and I don’t want to see you belittle him like this.”

“…Sorry.” Song Yiran guiltily looked away, not daring to meet 555’s eyes.

But 555 shook his head. “Song Yiran, you shouldn’t be apologizing to me. You should be apologizing to yourself.

Compared to verbal apologies, what you need is change through action.

From today onward, don’t belittle yourself anymore. You are a very good person.”

“Alright… I’ll try.” Song Yiran forced out a somewhat strained smile.

555 blinked his bean eyes, then put on a fierce expression. “Then let’s start a surprise inspection right now!

I’ll play a random passerby and pick on you, and all you have to do is refute me.
Song Yiran, you’re so ugly!”

“I’m not ugly! If anyone’s ugly, it’s you! What I look like is none of your damn business!” Song Yiran shot back immediately.

Very satisfied with Song Yiran’s performance, 555 intensified his attack. “Song Yiran, you’re just a useless piece of trash!”

“…You’re right…”

555 had originally thought Song Yiran would continue to argue back, but to his surprise, Song Yiran had reverted again.

He asked in disbelief, “Song Yiran, why did you revert again? You’re supposed to refute me! You’re supposed to talk back!”

“I can’t do it…” Song Yiran covered his face. Long‑ingrained ways of thinking weren’t so easy to change.

555 thought for a moment and came up with another idea. “Hmm, how about this—let’s assume I’m still a random passerby, but now the one I’m picking on is myself.

555, you’re a piece of trash! You’re the trashiest of trash systems—there’s no system more useless than you!”

“What the hell are you saying about your dad?! Damn it, watch your mouth! What kind of system 555 is has nothing to do with you!

Who the hell are you to judge 555 like that? Your mouth is so filthy—did you eat shit? If you dare insult 555 again, I’ll beat you every time I see you!” Song Yiran instantly transformed into a fire‑breathing tyrannosaurus and viciously fired back.

555 hadn’t expected this move to be so effective. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow!”

Since the proper path didn’t work, they’d switch routes. 555 decided to let Song Yiran take a more unorthodox approach.

“How about this: since your mindset can’t be changed overnight, we’ll take the unorthodox route. From now on, whenever someone—or you yourself—belittles you, you can replace ‘you’ with ‘me.’

For example, if one day someone calls you trash, you can imagine that person is calling me trash.

And if one day you start habitually belittling yourself again, thinking you’re a useless person—you can replace yourself with me.”