HTPTMOTMM Chapter 13

"They've all been here for over a year without any pair changes. The kids and their caregivers are really tight, so they'll probably never separate voluntarily in the future, right?"

Oh my, our kid is throwing kitten punches again. I grinned and ruffled Dian's hair until it was messy.

"Is that so? We have something in common then. We'll be together for over a year too and we'll never change pairs either."

Dian's mouth, which had been about to retort again, closed. His face, which had been like a poisonous pufferfish, became gentle again, and his sharply raised eyes slowly returned to their round shape.

"I, I'm going to sleep."

As if he'd just realized he'd misunderstood, Dian's face and ears gradually turned red. Because of his noticeably white silver hair, the sudden color change was even more strikingly visible.

I kept smiling while following Dian as he walked creakily to his bed.

"But Young Master, you were jealous just now, weren't you? Right?"

"No, I wasn't."

"Come on, I think you were."

"I said I wasn't."

After finishing my evening greeting with Dian, I felt completely at ease.

'Good, our kid is definitely safe today.'

Seeing that he had no pain until this time, it seemed that the clumsiness god had indeed passed Dian by slightly in this episode. Of course, I felt sorry that Minuel was sick instead... but Cheswick and I could quickly help him get better.

Anyway, I'd seen something cute today too, so that lifted my spirits. I returned to my room humming cheerfully. And on the way, I witnessed an eye-rolling scene.

"Ha, I said I wasn't interested."

"Don't be like that and think about it again? It's not like I'm asking for something huge, just to take a walk together once!"

Some man was bothering a maid.

I recognized that black-haired maid—she was famous at Redford Mansion for being pretty and haughty.

The man, on the other hand, had a sly appearance that was half-decent... well, not quite that bad, but just reasonably good-looking. But there was something vile seeping through that made him slightly repulsive.

That man was also familiar to me. One of the caregivers I'd seen at the welcome party. He was the caregiver of the brown-haired boy Leo I'd just seen in Dian's room—the man from Room 4. But since I hadn't tried to memorize it, I couldn't remember his name.

"Geez, stop being so difficult. Do you think there's another man like me in this mansion? Don't you know I'm an elite graduate with a bright future ahead!"

After being rejected and getting upset, Room 4 spoke sharply while reaching out as if to grab the maid's arm.

"So right now while you have the chance, don't be stupid and miss it, but hurry up and grab..."

"Ah, I said I'm not interested, so why do you keep bothering me!"

"Argh!"

But indeed, she was a maid famous for being haughty. She kicked Room 4's shin hard before he could grab her arm.

Room 4 hopped around like a grasshopper, clutching his leg. Meanwhile, the maid left the scene, snorting with irritation.

"Ugh, really acts haughty to the end. Well, that's what's good about her though..."

Whether it really hurt or not, Room 4 raised his head with slightly moist eyes. At that moment, his eyes met mine. Perhaps not expecting a witness, Room 4 gasped in surprise like he'd seen a ghost. Soon after, heat quickly rushed to his face.

"What, what are you looking at!"

"You."

I pointed at the man who had questioned me with eyes like I was looking at a harmful insect.

"Ugh, damn, how unlucky!"

Room 4's face turned redder as he spat out some curse words as if ashamed.

After that, I watched with distasteful eyes as he hurriedly left the scene, stomping away as if fleeing.

Geez, if you know it's shameful, don't do such things in the first place. Is being an elite graduate the only thing he can boast about? That maid sister has such high standards for faces and character, yet this pathetic thing is hitting on her?

I shook my head and returned to my room.

Click click.

When the 11 PM lights-out time came, footsteps could be heard walking down the hallway. I prepared the necessary supplies for my nighttime outing. And when the time came, I left my room.

The hallway was dim with the lights half-extinguished. With all the employees having gone to sleep, ominous darkness filled the quiet hallway where you could hear a pin drop.

'Good, this gloominess. It's thrilling, like something could jump out at any moment!'

I almost started humming without realizing it, but caught myself and clapped my mouth shut.

I thought I might run into Cheswick on the way, but no such coincidence occurred.

'Come to think of it, I don't even know which room Cheswick uses in this huge mansion.'

I should ask when I get the chance. Come to think of it, I didn't know where the other caregivers' rooms were either.

Well, even if it's not for socializing, it wouldn't hurt to know... It seemed like it would be fun to investigate the caregivers in earnest after finishing this matter.

The annex I arrived at shortly after was quieter than the dormitory building.

Cheswick didn't seem to have arrived yet.

'He's not standing me up, is he? He didn't seem like someone so conscienceless as to let a lady enter a ghost den alone in the middle of the night.'

When I visited again in the evening, Minuel was still groaning. And Cheswick was nursing him with a worried face. So I thought Cheswick would definitely come for Minuel's sake.

Jingle.

I first took out the key and opened the door to the annex main entrance. Just then, someone approached silently and pressed close behind me.

Click!

I unhesitatingly drew my gun and aimed it at the person who had just reached for me. Then I heard a gasping sound from in front.

"Gasp! What, what is that!"

"What do you mean what? First time seeing a gun?"

As I'd expected before turning around, it wasn't Cheswick who had appeared.

The pale face of a man was illuminated by the lantern in my other hand. Orange hair and black eyes. A weasel-like appearance with a pointed chin. Narrow eyes.

It was Room 4, the man I'd seen in the hallway earlier, looking at the gun I had aimed at his head and gasping again.

"Are you, you, you crazy? Put that away right now!"

"I don't want to."

Actually, I'd been sensing someone lurking around for a while. So the sudden appearance of this man wasn't particularly surprising. The footstep sounds had been similar to Room 4, who had been limping slightly on one leg after getting kicked in the shin earlier, so I'd been suspicious from the start.

"Right now...! Are you really going to shoot me with that? Do you think you'll be safe after doing that?"

"Of course. It's self-defense."

"Self-defense! What did I even do!"

Does he really not know why I'm asking? Since I was a kind player, I kindly explained his crimes to this game data lump with slightly dirty settings.

"In the middle of this secluded night, you stealthily followed a woman going out alone. And that wasn't the end of it—you approached without permission and reached out your hand. Isn't it strange to think that was good intentions? Originally, if you're going to do this kind of thing, you should be prepared to take a bullet, didn't you know?"

Originally in virtual reality games, it was impossible for NPCs to commit illegal crimes against players. But right now there was a bug, and this guy was an unverified new character, so you never knew.

Hmm, and... even if that wasn't the case, it's annoying. Why are you following people around in the middle of the night like a rat? I'm already busy and don't have time to deal with you, so stop being a nuisance.

"No! What are you thinking right now? It's all a misunderstanding! You seem to think I'm some kind of scumbag, but I'm not that kind of person..."

"Shh. Be quiet. You're hurting my ears."

"Gasp! Calm... Just calm down! Look! I raised my hands! I raised them!"

Since he was squawking noisily right in front of me and it was annoying, I pushed the gun a bit closer, and Room 4 froze with rapidly shaking pupils.

"First listen to what I have to say. Put that down! If you shoot me now, you won't be able to stay here anymore either, and you wouldn't want that! Do you want to end your life like this?"

He must be really scared. True to this game's excellent implementation, the man trembling before a gun looked lifelike. Anyway, I clicked my tongue wondering why such a coward would bother following people around.

I made a low sound while looking at the man's face beaded with cold sweat.

"Why would my life end just because I shot you? Even if everyone here tried to gang up on me for revenge, it wouldn't be a problem for me."

While deliberately putting on an arrogant smile, I whispered.

"You should know my skills if you're also an elite graduate."

Half wanting to mess with Room 4 who had annoyed me first, half curious about whether this man had really walked the elite path, I threw out these words.

When I acted like this level of threat and cover-up was nothing, the man's mouth gaped like a fish.

"Of, of course I know but..."

Know what? What about those shaking pupils?

He looked even paler, as if facing a serial killer, so he seemed even more frightened by my words.

Then he whispered to me in a small, quiet voice.

"...But are you really an elite graduate?"

Even in this situation, he's curious about this—I wonder if he's braver than I thought, or just clueless.

"What are you asking? Are you really an elite graduate yourself?"

"Of, of course! I'm asking because I've never seen your face there!"

I don't think so... This guy seems to be lying right now.

I had a feeling, but there seemed to be more to probe, so I didn't press Room 4 right now. Instead, I gave him a chance to explain.

"More importantly, tell me why you followed me here. If you really don't want a hole in your head."

"That's..."

Room 4 hesitated at my words. But I must have loosened my grip a bit while waiting for an answer.

Suddenly his eyes glinted as he glanced at me. Moving quickly as if his previous cowering had been a lie, the man grabbed my wrist holding the gun. The man's strength trying to overpower me was quite strong. But I only thought 'Oh ho, attempting a counterattack here—is this the freshness of a new character?' without feeling any tension.

Crack!

"Agh!"

I twisted my arm to shake off Room 4's hand and struck his chin with my elbow.

Then I kicked the staggering man's butt.

His slim body rolled over, pushing against the annex door in front of him.

"Room 4 mister."

"Gasp!"

"You must have multiple lives."

I approached Room 4 sprawled on the floor. Small footsteps echoed in the quiet building.

Room 4, who had turned his head with a deathly pale face, hurriedly made excuses.

"No! I was just trying to get rid of the weapon...!"

He seemed so indignant about something, babbling by himself before finally spitting out curses.

"Damn it, why am I...! What kind of mess is this just from trying to have a romance!"

"Romance?"

I snorted.

"What, you and me? Mister, do you have a hobby of counting your chickens before they hatch? What kind of disgusting nonsense is that?"

"Not you...!"

Room 4 got angry at my incredulous reaction.

"Ah shit, what do you take my taste for! I'd hate a violent girl like you even if someone paid me a cartload! That's not it—I got a letter from Sera telling me to meet here at 12 o'clock tonight..."

"Shh. Stop babbling."

But his voice was getting unnecessarily loud, so I quietly warned him.

"Indoors means be quiet, don't you know?"

BANG!

The door behind me suddenly slammed shut with a bang right then.

As Room 4 went tumbling, the annex door that had been standing open sealed itself shut again. The moonlight that had been streaming in behind me was also cut off by the closed door and vanished.

"Wh, what?"

Room 4 seemed quite startled by the sudden loud noise. But I realized the situation and sighed.

"Ah, right. Two people entered together."

"What? What does that..."

Room 4, whose name I couldn't remember, didn't seem to understand what I meant.

I felt some irritation and awkwardness while looking around. The annex, where I was trapped alone with a man I had no friendship with, was so quiet you could hear the grandfather clock's second hand. Whether it was my imagination or not, the air inside the building seemed to feel a bit cooler than before.