HTPTMOTMM Chapter 19

Because it was true that Minuel, who was selfish with everyone, was popular among both prospective and current caretakers.

In particular, Dian found himself nodding along with certain parts of what Minuel had said. Caretakers didn't prefer children who were physically and mentally weak. Looking at the voting rates of prospective caretakers, children who were physically strong and confident always ranked high.

Conversely, children with timid personalities were unpopular, and they didn't seem to like it when those children were dependent on others or acted servile. It seemed that being assertive and independent was evaluated as having more 'potential.'

So even when the caretaker arrived, he tried to hide his nervousness and act nonchalant.

Lynn, with her velvet-like long purple hair, had a gentle and youthful impression unlike other caretakers. Her pink eyes were particularly unique and caught the eye, and on her first day at the manor, when dealing with Morose, they flashed with a frighteningly sharp light.

Actually, in his heart, he wanted to run to the caretaker and cry while clinging to her, saying thank you for choosing me, that he had waited so long. But afraid that the caretaker might get tired of him and leave from the first day if he did that, he put strength in his eyes and held back his tears.

It was the same when he hurt his ankle. Dian worried that Lynn might be disappointed seeing him get carelessly injured on the first day. But instead, she even worried about him.

"Oh dear. Getting hurt like this just because I took my eyes off you for a moment, how upsetting."

"Are you... worried about me right now?"

"Of course I am."

Remembering the past made his heart flutter with emotion and joy again, so Dian wiggled his toes for no reason. It felt like a miracle that he now had someone who would genuinely worry about him when he got hurt. Moreover, Lynn praised him every day whenever she looked at Dian, as if he were truly lovely and adorable, hugging him and expressing her affection generously.

Especially since Lynn was his first caretaker, every small action of hers was inevitably special to Dian.

Dian had also heard the employees whispering about Lynn. There were rumors that she might be from an elite background.

But Dian thought such things weren't very important. Even if Lynn wasn't an elite but was last among the prospective caretakers, she was still his one and only precious caretaker.

'So... I hope she likes it. My gift...'

Dian wiggled his fingers while thinking about Lynn's gift that he was planning to prepare soon with advice from other children.

Actually, he knew that someone had given Lynn a malicious gift at the new caretaker welcome party that she had attended alone. Lynn hadn't told Dian about such an unpleasant incident, but she couldn't stop all the mouths of other children and employees.

Dian was so furious and upset about what kind of nasty person had given Lynn something like that corpse flower as a gift. So he wanted to give Lynn a more proper welcome gift.

Fortunately, Vivi and Leo, who had some friendship with Dian, recommended gifts that their caretakers had liked. So surely Lynn would like something of this caliber too.

A soft smile was already hanging on Dian's face as he looked out the window.

Knock knock!

"Cheswick, are you in your room?"

That evening, after finishing all of Dian's schedule, when I had some free time, I visited Cheswick's room.

I wanted to ask Cheswick if he had a manual book and if he could show it to me. I wanted to check if the manual books of other caretakers were all the same as mine.

Surely when Dian said a certain word earlier, it sounded like a strange language to my ears. Moreover, I remembered that there were parts in the manual book I was reading before breakfast that were blacked out and unreadable.

But after parting with Dian and returning to my room to look again carefully, it wasn't covered by ink stains. It was just written in complex-shaped characters I couldn't understand, so I had mistaken them for ink stains at first glance.

What was even more annoying was that as the manual book went on, almost all of it was written in such unidentifiable characters scattered throughout sentences, making the readable content very scarce.

'Is this also a system error?'

Or it could be a part that needed to be unlocked as the game progressed.

Anyway, that's why I came to find Cheswick, wanting to compare with other caretakers' manual books first.

I had asked the maid Sara Rose this morning, so now I knew the locations of all the caretakers' and children's rooms.

Creeeeak...

But the door wasn't completely closed, it seemed. When I knocked, the door was pushed open slightly by the reaction. The small gap seemed to tempt me to come in quickly.

Usually in games, when doors open meaningfully like this, it signals the start of new incidents.

Still, I'm a sensible player, so no matter how much of an NPC it is, I wouldn't just barge into a room without permission...

Crash!

"Cheswick?"

But less than a second later, I contradicted my own words and pushed the door wide open.

Because I heard something fall and break inside. I suddenly remembered what Dian had said when he saw Minuel earlier.

"Minuel, did your caretaker catch a cold from you or something?"

He hadn't been seen all day, and even now he seemed to be in his room but wasn't answering, so maybe he really was sick like Dian said?

Moreover, if Cheswick really had caught a cold, it was unlikely that he had caught it from Minuel. First of all, Minuel's symptoms weren't really a contagious cold like the quack doctor had said.

So as someone who had called Cheswick out in the middle of the night and unintentionally made him stand outside for a long time, if he really had caught a cold, I felt slightly responsible.

"Oh."

But it turned out to be unnecessary meddling.

Fortunately, Cheswick wasn't confined to bed, but what I encountered was an awkward situation in a different sense.

"Lynn?"

Most importantly, he wasn't alone.

The room was dark, but it wasn't as pitch black as it seemed from outside. Moreover, since I had adjusted the settings when creating my character, my current eyesight was very good, so I could see the scene unfolding before my eyes fairly clearly.

Cheswick was sitting on a single-person sofa. Leaning back against the backrest with his head tilted back, his exposed neck reflected the dim light and shone white.

In that position, he was looking at me with his face slightly turned. And right in front of him, a woman leaning over Cheswick with one hand on the sofa's backrest.

The woman with short black hair and an alluring beauty mark was definitely...

'The maid from Room 4 who had been acting clingy - that woman famous throughout the manor for being both haughty and beautiful!'

But anyone could see that her current posture and atmosphere with Cheswick was suggestive. Most importantly, the maid was holding glasses in her hand that seemed to have just been taken off Cheswick!

"What brings you to my room?"

Then Cheswick's lips opened slightly once more. Maybe it was my imagination, but his eyes seemed to flash with interest as he looked at me. Come to think of it, the maid who was still close to Cheswick was also glaring at me, the unwelcome intruder, with a frown.

"No! It's nothing. Sorry for disturbing you."

I immediately stepped back, closed the door, and went back outside.

'My goodness.'

Originally, it wasn't unheard of for game data to have romantic relationships in scenarios, but this was quite surprising.

That haughty maid and Cheswick, what an unexpected combination. So the maid's taste was for nerd men?

Moreover, what was that atmosphere about? I had never gotten such a feeling from Cheswick before, but his bare face revealed through disheveled hair looked surprisingly decadent.

It seemed like that feeling was intensified because Sera, who was with him, was of the sexy and alluring type.

"Newbie! There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Someone appeared from the end of the corridor and shouted noisily right then. Seeing the familiar face, I acknowledged him too.

"Room 4, you're alive?"

"Wait, look at me for a moment."

I don't know what was so urgent, but Room 4 came running in a hurry.

But despite coming urgently, he couldn't readily open his mouth and hesitated. His face, rubbing his cheek with his hand and just opening and closing his lips, looked haggard as if he hadn't slept all night.

"What is it? I'm busy, so if you have something to say, say it quickly."

Only after I pressed him did Room 4 open his mouth.

"So... yesterday, that, that, that thing wasn't a dream, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

I tilted my head while looking at Room 4 with my arms crossed.

"Almost getting shot by me at the annex? Or you getting scared by a ghost and running away by yourself?"

Room 4's face turned pale at my words.

His complexion was already pale and only the area under his eyes was black, so it seemed he had been in denial about reality until now.

"Shit, so what I saw at the annex yesterday was really a ghost? I didn't see it wrong? Am I really living in a manor with ghosts?!"

Does he think that's the only ghost in this manor?

And even that annex ghost is a good ghost that doesn't harm people as long as you don't bother it first.

Right now it's early in the game so Morose is the only danger element appearing in the manor, but as time passes a bit more, evil spirits will emerge from everywhere.

"If you're curious, want to go back today? It might still be there and not gone, so go and check once more."

I suggested to Room 4 in a casual tone while still keeping my arms crossed.

"Ah, no. I don't need to..."

"Oh right, you're too scared, so it would be too much. Well, if you're really scared, brave me could make a big decision and go with you."

Of course, I had no real intention of going back to the annex together with Room 4, holding hands harmoniously. I was just teasing Room 4.

"Lynn."

But right then, the door opened silently behind me and a low voice called my name.

When I tilted my head back, the back of my head bumped into someone's chest. And my gaze met purple eyes hidden behind glasses.