HTPTMOTMM Chapter 7

I had already inferred from what I heard from Cheswick and Minyuel earlier that there was an institution that trained prospective caregivers, but I hadn't thought this far. In that case, I could understand why the caregivers in the mansion felt humiliated, thinking they were being looked down upon by me.

But honestly, I didn't feel even the slightest desire to explain myself. Even if that were the case, it was clear as day that they were picking fights with me for no reason. Judging from what they'd been nitpicking about since earlier, they definitely harbored hostility because they thought I was from an elite background.

'But wait, whether it's an inferiority complex or territorial behavior, whatever the reason... is it really okay for people who call themselves caregivers to show this kind of attitude when there are children present? Isn't this below caregiver standards? Hello?'

"More importantly, Raven, how do you feel meeting Lynn in person? Do you recognize his face after all?"

Just then, Cheswick turned to someone with his eyes narrowed in a half-smiling expression and asked.

"I can see Lynn doesn't really know Raven, but when we were chatting earlier, didn't Raven mention he'd heard Lynn's name back at Stella?"

The orange-haired man who had been running his mouth earlier about whether I liked to show off suddenly started coughing as if he'd choked on his drink.

Come to think of it, hadn't Cheswick said there was one elite caregiver here? Room 4, was it? That must be this orange-haired man.

"Ah, so that person is the Stella member Cheswick mentioned earlier?"

I looked at him, thinking he must be insufferable since he's supposedly elite. It might have been similar to what the caregivers here thought about me, but that man was actually insufferable, so my thinking was valid. At the same time, I felt curious.

'He's heard my name before?'

Could this also be one of the game settings? If a player chooses the caregiver profession, are they automatically set as being from some elite background or something?

The man called Raven quickly cleared his throat and said:

"Ahem... Even if we're from the same Stella, we might not know each other if we're from different classes."

After that, he fell silent. Unlike before, he seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

"Anyway, introductions seem necessary, so let's go in order."

Just then, the short-haired woman who'd been sitting next to the pink-haired boy earlier adjusted her glasses and steered the conversation elsewhere. Here's what I learned about everyone:

Room 1

• Ward: Lusca. A boy with black hair and blue eyes, calm and composed impression. Neat appearance, tends to be quiet.
• Caregiver: Marianne. A beauty with long red hair and blue eyes, cold impression. The spicy older sister who showed me an overzealous parent-like attitude when we met in the hallway during the day.

Room 2

• Ward: Minyuel. A boy with bob-cut blonde hair and golden eyes, very narcissistic. Prickly and selfish personality.
• Caregiver: Cheswick. A man with slightly disheveled dirty blonde hair and thick glasses covering half his face, looking somewhat foolish. But when I glimpsed him by chance, he had quite pretty purple eyes. Somehow gives off a lazy and careless feeling.

Room 3

• Ward: Vivi. The boy with cotton candy-like pink hair and light blue eyes who first approached me in the dining hall. Cute and fluffy impression with a friendly personality.
• Caregiver: Eugenia. A woman with a navy blue bob and teal eyes who gives off an intellectual vibe. She looks like the type who'd follow every rule to the letter! I just noticed she's the only one who bothered to fold her napkin to match the pattern perfectly!

Room 4

• Ward: Leo. A boy with brown curly hair and orange eyes, lively, and mischievous impression. Actually has a bright and active personality.
• Caregiver: Raven. A man with layered orange hair and black eyes, a cunning impression. He's supposedly an elite from Stella, but I wonder if it's true.

Room 5

• Ward: Sergio. A boy with long sky-blue curly hair and light green eyes, a quiet and gentle impression. His eyes are big and moist, giving him an overall sheep-like feeling. Well-behaved personality.
• Caregiver: Olivia. A beauty with long straight olive green hair and brown eyes, sharp impression. Probably the easiest appearance to remember by name. Seems to dislike elite backgrounds. She was the most hostile toward me in the dining hall.

Room 6

• Ward: Jay. A boy with red hair and silver-gray eyes, intellectual impression. He looks even smarter with his glasses on. But he also has a strangely vacant feeling.
• Caregiver: Gilbert. A man with dark brown hair and light brown eyes, straightforward and taciturn atmosphere. Actually doesn't talk much. So his personality is hard to figure out.

Room 7

• Ward: Dian. The most cute, pretty, and lovable white kitten in the world, with flowing silver hair between short and long length and ruby gem-like sparkling red eyes.
• Caregiver: Lynn. Dian's butler with purple hair and pink eyes, whose appearance I customized with blood, sweat, and tears. Further description omitted.

'I can't memorize all this right now anyway.'

I just organized it in my head for now. I'll naturally memorize them as I see their faces going forward anyway.

'Or maybe the bug will be fixed before I memorize them and I won't need to see their faces again.'

"The food has arrived."

Just then, maids came pulling wheeled carts. Round plates covered with lids were delivered to everyone.

"Let's eat first."

The proper meal time began in an uncomfortable atmosphere.

I heard someone explaining today's dish beside me, but I mostly let it go in one ear and out the other. My head was completely filled with thoughts of eating quickly and hurrying to see Dian.

Finally, the maids lifted the lids from the plates. But what was placed in front of me wasn't the food I'd been waiting for.

"Gasp!"

Clang!

A maid dropped the lid she was holding in surprise. Seeing that reaction, it seemed the maid who brought the plate also didn't know about this nasty prank. Or she was an excellent actress. But this maid was one of the NPCs I knew when I chose the maid profession in the game, and she wasn't usually good at acting.

"Eek! What is that?"

"Eeek...!"

Other people also made gasping sounds here and there after seeing the plate in front of me. From their reactions, it seemed at least not everyone had conspired together to pull this stunt. Even Cheswick was frowning with a subtle expression.

I looked down at the plate and slightly curved the corner of my mouth.

What was on my plate wasn't the same dish as everyone else's, but a flower dyed an eerie red color as if blood had been poured on it. But this wasn't an ordinary red flower.

"Why is there a corpse flower..."

One of the caregivers muttered in a hushed voice.

The ominous red flower that blooms where someone dies in the game.

But looking closely, this wasn't a corpse flower. It seemed like someone had deliberately dyed a white flower that looked similar to a corpse flower red... Whoever did it, it was a low-quality prank.

"The welcome greeting at Redford Manor is interesting."

I looked up and smiled at the people sitting around the table. Then I picked up my fork and stabbed the flower. People stared at me with horrified eyes. Feeling those gazes, I put the flower in my mouth and chewed it.

"Wh-what are you eating..."

The woman with olive green hair, Room 5's caregiver Olivia, looked at me with a horrified face. I asked back matter-of-factly:

"Why, don't the other caregivers usually eat things like this?"

I usually try not to get angry at game characters, but this time I felt a bit disgusted.

"I thought someone had deliberately prepared this charming little surprise with care for the welcome party. So naturally, I assumed that everyone here gets their kicks from this kind of twisted, morbid thing."

So I said it with a smile, as if being sarcastic. The people who had been hostile toward me fell silent.

"Anyway, thanks for the welcome gift."

I lifted my water glass, rinsed my mouth once, then wiped my lips with a napkin while pouring the remaining water in the cup onto the plate. The dish turned blood-red from the dye that came out of the flower.

"With this much effort, you must have really looked forward to my reaction. It would be disappointing if I just ignored it, and it wouldn't be polite either..."

When the red water from the plate began to stain the table, I set down the empty cup with a thud and stood up with a grinning face.

"I look forward to returning the favor."

Honestly, I felt like bringing a candlestick to hold a flower burning ceremony, but there were young children in the dining hall. So normal, kind me decided to hold back for now.

'So you picked a fight with me from the very beginning?'

It seemed like this 44th playthrough was going to be very interesting from the start.

"Young master!"

I threw open Dian's door wide.

Dian, who had been sitting lonely on his bed looking out the window like the protagonist of "The Last Leaf," turned to look at me in surprise.

"Lynn? Why did you come back so quickly? Is the welcome party already over?"

I did come back quickly since I returned before even eating the main course. But the atmosphere in the dining hall wasn't right for eating anyway.

"I came back quickly because I was worried our young master might be lonely!"

"L-lonely? Who! I'm fine by myself!"

"Really? I was really lonely without the young master."

I approached Dian with a tray I'd brought myself in both hands.

"Have you had dinner?"

"Uh..."

Dian hesitated. This wasn't a positive "uh" but a hesitant "uh." As evidence, a covered plate was still sitting on the table.

I frowned slightly and set down what I was carrying on the table. I thought it probably wouldn't happen, but I checked the plate in case someone had played a prank on Dian's dinner too. Fortunately, it was proper food that smelled appetizing.

"Not yet, I see. If your stomach isn't bothering you, let's eat together."

"Didn't you eat at the welcome party?"

"I came back early to eat with our young master."

That's why I deliberately stopped by the kitchen too. Fortunately, most of the maids weren't hostile toward me unlike the other caregivers, so I was able to get proper food.

"I-I'm not particularly hungry, but since you're asking so nicely, I'll eat with you, I guess."

Dian said primly as if he was reluctantly going along with it and got up from the bed. And that's when it happened.

Grumble!

"......"

Dian's face turned bright red.