May 14, Friday.
After school let out at noon today, Siloque did not head to the Dungeon.
First, he went home to take a short nap and then took a shower before heading out again.
“Haah…”
In the quiet house, Siloque’s loud yawn echoed as he went to the entryway to change into his shoes.
These past few days, he had been busy taking his younger sister to grind monsters at good spots on the Second Floor.
Currently, Siloque had reached Level 18, while Hill had reached Level 17.
Once he felt things were stable, he instructed Cass to take their teammates to those locations.
Compared to before, the frequency of Cass’s messages had increased, and Siloque replied whenever he could.
In the evenings, he stayed home to draw up his next Plan, checking for any gaps or mistakes.
After all, the Lord’s Quest was set to begin tomorrow, which made him tread very carefully.
During his spare time, he gradually finished watching the first two seasons of Precure Ailulu, totaling fifty-four episodes.
Although it was good, it wasn’t as moving as when he had watched the movie in the theater.
When a great work sets a high threshold at the start, one can’t help but make comparisons later, which leads to feeling that the subsequent content lacks flavor.
Between responding to messages on LINE from Cass, Bried, and his girlfriend Belen, and finding time to play games with his sister, he was showing clear signs of fatigue.
Even after getting a girlfriend, his life hadn’t changed much.
This was mainly because he hadn’t told anyone.
It was a teacher-student romance, not exactly something he could openly flaunt.
If word got out, it would affect Belen’s job and his own family and friends; unnecessary rumors would likely sprout up as well.
He planned to wait until Graduation to announce the situation.
When Cohen asked him with a smile if things were going well, Siloque simply said they were still in the “development stage.”
However, Cohen still gave him a meaningful smile.
Perhaps she had noticed something but chose not to say it explicitly.
Every time he thought back to the kiss that night, Siloque couldn’t help but smile.
As the frequency of these smiles increased, Hill began to give off an atmosphere of mysterious black light from behind her, forcing Siloque to pay attention to his behavior.
When he explained that he was smiling because he thought of something happy, it only drew a more dissatisfied expression from Hill.
Then, she would pounce on him demanding a hug… it was a bit troublesome.
Getting hugged like that in private was one thing, but she had done it once at the dinner table.
As a result, Claude had snapped his chopsticks when he saw it.
Although Cohen punished Claude by cutting his pocket money, Siloque felt something was wrong.
He could only beg his sister in every way possible to at least not act so affectionate in front of Claude.
In the end, his sister rejected him with the excuse that it was “normal interaction between siblings, don’t worry about it.”
She was more willful than usual… he could only wait for her to get bored of it.
He estimated that once she started high school, she wouldn’t be so clingy anymore.
When he had time, he would go for walks in the park with Belen.
Their conversations were the same as usual, saying whatever came to mind.
However, Belen wasn’t as easily embarrassed as before, which was a bit disappointing.
Furthermore…
He wanted to show off.
He really wanted to tell others that he had a girlfriend.
Especially to tell Cass, just to mock him ruthlessly.
Yet, Siloque also felt that this secret relationship was quite nice.
Only he and Belen knew about their status; no one else knew.
It was the pleasure of enjoying a secret behind everyone’s backs.
It was a contradictory feeling.
Such worries were truly a luxury.
He didn’t find this kind of life tedious or annoying.
Compared to his past life peeling shrimp shells in a kitchen, this was only physical exhaustion.
Mentally, he felt incredibly fulfilled.
And today, he had to help his Mother’s friend, Aunt Aniler, maintain the current adult social circle (by acting as free labor).
Siloque finished putting on his shoes and stood up, only to realize his sister’s shoes were gone.
His heart skipped a beat.
He pushed open the unevenly textured door but didn’t rush to leave.
Instead, he checked around the yard.
He opened his Ring Chart and confirmed that his sister’s messages ended yesterday; she should still be at school now.
‘This time… she shouldn’t be following me.’
Ever since that date, he had become paranoid whenever he left the house.
When he returned on the night of May 9, he had bumped into Hill right at the entryway.
Siloque had asked her point-blank: “Hill, don’t follow me. It’s too unsafe. Isn’t it better to play games at home?”
First, it was indeed late.
Second, if she followed him secretly without his knowledge, he couldn’t look after her safety.
Although in terms of Status Window stats, Hill wasn’t weak.
Third… she hadn’t seen the lovey-dovey scene between him and Belen, right?
That was inappropriate for children.
“Hill was just playing badminton with friends,” the twin-tailed Angel with the cute, lovely doll-face had said.
Her expression looked like a kindergarten child who had successfully pulled off a prank.
“But I saw you—”
“At what hour, what minute, and what second did Brother see me? On which rotation of the Earth?”
Looking at her, it seemed she intended to play dumb to the very end.
It—It wasn’t that he looked closely and felt his sister’s smile was too terrifying, so he didn’t dare to ask further.
Hmph!
He had originally wanted to praise her for helping that blue-haired girl, but seeing Hill like this, he let it go for now.
Siloque, still feeling uneasy, went back inside to check that all the doors and windows were locked before finally leaving the house and heading toward the address Cohen had given him.
By the way, Cohen and Claude had gone out on a date.
They said they were going to a hot spring and might not make it back in time to cook dinner tonight.
Depending on the situation, he might have to cook for his sister himself.
Following the address Cohen gave, Siloque boarded the Number 22 bus.
“Aniler…”
He felt like the name was familiar.
Though it was a bit late to be thinking about it, he felt a sense of urgency in his heart, telling him he had to remember who this person was.
“Ugh…”
It was all because he had been too busy lately; his swollen brain couldn’t process it for a moment.
However, when Siloque stepped off the bus and walked 20 meters, he saw a beautifully decorated cafe in the distance with “Moonbridge” written in artistic lettering.
His dormant memories were suddenly activated.
‘Aniler — Kersey’s aunt!’
Siloque couldn’t help but click his tongue.
Dammit!
Isn’t that one of the Main Character’s people?!
No, it’s fine.
He often exercised with Bried in the mornings and no romantic feelings had blossomed…
Siloque paused.
He suddenly remembered that afternoon at school when he woke up and saw Bried turning away forcefully, refusing to show her face.
…Did she have a stiff neck?
He had drawn a line with her, and given Bried’s personality, she wouldn’t cross it.
During their morning exercises these past few days, Bried’s attitude had seemed normal.
If there was one difference, it was that she often shared food with him… even though he wasn’t hungry.
Siloque sensed something was wrong.
Subtle changes were still occurring around him.
No, no, no.
He was just here to do a part-time job for an hour.
How could he possibly attract Kersey’s favor?
Besides, Kersey might not even show up.
Didn’t her family have an old shop to worry about?
Just as he thought that, Siloque glimpsed Aniler arriving at the shop on a motorcycle with Kersey.
Siloque’s face darkened.
Whatever he feared most was exactly what was happening.
Having recently gotten a girlfriend, his unknown charm stat must have spiked.
The probability of Kersey falling for him was too high.
‘Should I use that move?’
Siloque brushed back his hair, his expression turning serious.
Whether it was because the Hair Dye wasn’t strong enough or his hair quality was too good, there were even more white strands than before.
It was only for one day anyway.
To prevent Kersey from perceiving the feeling of “interacting with the opposite sex.”
From Siloque’s personal perspective, he didn’t want to do this.
But for the sake of the big picture, he would act without hesitation.
He sighed and took out a Sacred Tool from his Ring Chart—one he had purchased from Asmodi in preparation for his next mission.
He then found a nearby family restaurant and borrowed the restroom.
***
“Auntie, the new shop is decorated so well. There are so many plants and flowers; the customers will feel at ease… Not only is there a Second Floor, but it even has a balcony and bamboo flooring. It’s really beautiful.”
Kersey looked around excitedly.
She went to the drink preparation area and habitually wiped the shiny new coffee machine with a soft cotton cloth.
“The floor is a bit reflective, isn’t it? I specifically had the workers put down a wear-resistant Layer. Seeing how happy you are, I know I picked the right decoration style.”
Aniler smiled with satisfaction and glanced at the time.
“You can get familiar with the tour while we work in a bit. It’s 12:00 PM now, and we open at 1:00 PM. Kersey, go change into your uniform first. The other employees will be arriving soon.”
“Okay!”
Kersey was about to go check out the new Rest Room, but after a few steps, she stopped.
“Right, Auntie… didn’t you say a part-timer was coming to help? It’s about time, right? Are they not coming?”
Rather than saying she was looking forward to the person’s arrival, it was more that she wanted them to arrive early so she could adapt faster.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good if she made mistakes during work because she was too anxious.
“I asked a friend from the Committee to help bring someone over. she said she found someone and guaranteed they would come. Don’t worry, Kersey. If he dares to do anything to you, even if he’s the child of my good friend, I’ll still let him taste a middle-aged person’s iron fist.”
Aniler laughed heroically, waving her sturdy arm.
“Then, thank you for that.”
The Aunt knew Kersey’s small worries and comforted her by saying the temporary new colleague wouldn’t be a bad person.
Ding-ling —
The wooden door equipped with wind chimes opened.
“Could it be…”
Kersey was about to ask if it was the helper when she lost her voice the moment she saw the person.
Long hair as white as fresh snow, a face with perfect curves, gem-like emerald eyes, and a white shirt paired with a deep blue high-waisted skirt—an intellectual and elegant aura washed over them.
Her arms, neck, and even her slightly exposed ears were fair and slender.
What a beautiful person.
That was Kersey’s first reaction.
It was as if a young lady from a noble family had stepped out of a book.
‘It’s my first time seeing someone with white hair. And her hair is so straight, as if it was born that way, not dyed at all… unlike mine, where the split ends are always messy.’
Kersey habitually avoided eye contact and instead quickly scanned the other person’s body.
‘So flat.’
It was flat as far as the eye could see.
The only person who could compete with that flatness was probably her friend, Bried.
‘So, is her other side as beautiful… as her appearance?’
A dark, negative thought flashed through her mind.
Her second reaction was—’I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before?’
But her memory told her that outside of TV dramas and novels, she had never seen such a white-haired girl.
“Nice to meet you. I am Rosie Vida, the one Cohen sent to help out.”
The white-haired girl bowed slightly, a gentle smile on her face.
A moment before their eyes met, Kersey hurriedly looked away.
“Ah… oh, oh. H-Hello. My name is, um, Kersey Ridley. If there’s anything you don’t understand about the work, you can ask me. Or Auntie. Don’t mind how sturdy she looks, she’s very easy to talk to.”
Her reaction was a beat slow as she scrambled to respond.
Aniler’s attitude didn’t change because of the other person’s appearance.
Instead, she raised an eyebrow, looking troubled.
“Hello, I’m Aniler, the Shopkeeper here… Have you eaten?”
“Of course. I came after eating at home.”
Rosie’s voice was very soft yet clear and pleasant to the ear.
She must have been raised very well.
“That’s strange. I clearly asked Cohen to find me a strong boy.”
Aunt Aniler approached Rosie and squeezed her slender arm.
“This muscle… don’t misunderstand, Miss Rosie, I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just that there’s mostly heavy physical labor to do, and I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it.”