Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Another Bug?
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Dawn.
Instead of a mat, I'd laid out blankets and a comforter inside the convenience store, and Rudika had fallen asleep.
"Yeah."
Saying that, Lilia stepped out for a moment, while Patrasche slept outside the building.
So right now, the only ones in the convenience store are Rudika and me.
If I listen closely, I can hear very steady breathing.
My heart pounds. It's racing like mad.
But the Imperial Bloodline won't allow me to show such a wretched state.
The reason my heart is pounding like crazy... it's because...
That legendary assassin is sleeping in her own home! How could I not be scared senseless?!
"......Mm......"
Rudika is asleep. Sound asleep.
But I'm not fooled.
Rudika Hassan Shadow doesn't sleep.
In the original story, you couldn't even order her to "sleep in unfamiliar territory."
She never sleeps anywhere except places she acknowledges as home. The only time she enters sleep status is under a Sleep debuff.
An assassination machine that doesn't sleep voluntarily. That's Rudika Hassan Shadow for you.
Scary. Terrifying.
The fact that even at this very moment, if I fell asleep, she could target my throat anytime.
Of course, Rudika wouldn't kill me, but knowing a lion won't kill you is entirely separate from whether you can sleep next to it.
Rudika doesn't sleep.
Rudika can move at any moment.
Look at that. The quiet breathing, the thin blanket rising and falling in sync.
But that's assassin breathing.
"...Ugh...... Mm."
Even that sleep-talk is undoubtedly some assassination incantation!
"......Ungh."
Suddenly! Rudika kicks off the blanket.
An assassin signal?! But no, it wasn't.
Just purely kicked it off, that's all.
If I get close, I might get murdered.
But...
"...C-cold......"
She kicked it off herself and now she's cold. What a mess.
"Tch. You'll catch a cold."
Without thinking, I approached and properly tucked the blanket over her.
Before graduating high school. Memories of assisting the director at the orphanage.
Because of those memories of looking after the little ones, I can't ignore it when kids act like this.
Well, I don't think she's actually asleep anyway, but whatever.
"...Hee hee. Wolfram......"
Not asleep, right?
Right?
......
I screwed up.
Rudika Hassan Shadow sat up with a blank mind.
Normally, at dawn, she should've gone to work. As Hassan of the Shadow family, this kind of sloppiness is unforgivable.
"No... Can't help it, huh. Yeah, unavoidable."
Skipping work once or twice happens. Hassan's commissions always demand precision and accuracy, and if Hassan slips up, the elders rage—but who cares.
If they're mad, they can come square up.
For reference, the previous Hassan knelt before me at age seven. Shadow family elders aren't my equals.
No one in the Shadow family can challenge Rudika Hassan Shadow.
But aside from that, the habits ingrained in her as an assassin make her ashamed of her own disgraceful behavior.
No matter how much she trusts the person, actually sleeping so deeply...
She'd never slept this soundly even in her own dorm room.
"......Uwaa."
She stamps her feet.
Without her morning routine of waking up, getting Cecil's assistance to clear her mind and recompose herself as Hassan, she felt more defenseless than she'd realized—but more than any such new insight, this moment was utterly mortifying.
As she thought that, footsteps echoed from the so-called convenience store office.
She knew he was there. She just hadn't wanted to acknowledge him out of embarrassment.
The world's top assassin—no, the current Hassan—sleeping so soundly? Absurd!
The fact that she slept well is the problem!
"Slept well?"
"...Ugh. Wolfram. Um. I... no, Rudika slept well."
"I see. Breakfast?"
Rudika stared blankly at him before letting out a sigh.
This man's footsteps, heartbeat, breaths in and out—they were all "everyday" to her.
She didn't know why, but it frustrated her, angered her, and yet reassured her all at once.
A man who doesn't fear having Hassan at his side, despite not being "Shadow."
Truly worthy of the Imperial Bloodline.
He's completely unrelated to Rudika's darkness, which makes it all the more astonishing.
Anyway. He'd asked about breakfast.
Hm.
Well, since things have come to this, might as well eat. Unavoidable.
Rudika realized she was more mood-driven than she'd thought and flashed an awkward smile.
"Sure."
"Mm."
Her "real voice" had slipped out without her realizing.
Mornings really leave her defenseless in all sorts of ways.
And today was full of self-discoveries.
A few days later.
Rudika returned, carrying something.
"Wolfram. A gift from Rudika."
"...?"
"Take it. Wasn't sure what would suit you, but brought the best one."
With that, Rudika handed me a carpet.
It featured beautiful embroidery symbolizing the south, meant to be hung on a wall rather than laid on the floor.
"Why this?"
"Payment for that overnight stay. Didn't I say I'd pay?"
"But isn't this quite expensive?"
Moreover, as far as I knew, these kinds of decorative items couldn't be bought or sold.
Because their very acquisition path was tied to housing content...
Wait.
"Not for the Imperial Heir? Expensive is better."
"I see. I'll accept it gratefully."
"Yeah!"
"And Rudika. No need for such expensive things from now on."
"...Hm? What do you mean?"
"Friends don't charge a fortune for a sleepover."
"...Friends. Yeah. Got it."
Rudika's face flushed slightly as she nodded.
In the original story, she never showed expression changes like this when used as the assassination instructor.
Anyway, Rudika stared blankly this way, muttering things like "No." "But" "For Wolfram" "Umm," before leaving. I had Patrasche install the gifted carpet—technically a wall tapestry—on the office wall.
And... I nodded at the ensuing system message.
As expected.
Knew it.
This is a housing item.
Anyone who's played even a little game would nod knowingly. Customization is a system where you go, "Oh yeah, that." And in character-dressing games, it's indispensable.
But D/Z SAGA's customization—nicknamed "Kuma"—obviously can't alter character appearances.
However, rooms and outfits are customizable, and room items especially are insane.
As far as I know, there are thousands of room custom look-alike items alone. Even I couldn't catalog them all.
And they unlock starting early in Act 3, after defeating the Act 2 boss and solidifying bonds with heroines or comrades to start receiving gifts.
"3% success rate... that's upper-grade. Good stuff."
The first item's quality is no joke. Usually, 1% is low-grade, 3% upper-grade.
Of course, top-grade exists too, and epic gifts send effects to the stars, but this tapestry is still an enormous gift.
"But my office is small. Either get a new room or set it up carefully."
Getting a new room is tough.
It'd mean commuting to the convenience store, and even with Patrasche, that's way too much hassle.
Can't just empty out the convenience store for customs either; it doesn't fit my aesthetic.
So, basing it on setting up my office, I need to accept only the absolute best.
And the one who gives the best room custom items at epic level is none other than...
"What? Staring at me."
"Nah, just thought you were ugly."
"Better than you. Look in a mirror?"
We flipped each other the bird and chuckled.
It was none other than my household copy-paste knockoff bloodline knockoff, Eve von Loengrin.
Eve's items are annoyingly top-tier most of the time.
Items treasured by the Imperial Heir with 22 Magic Power—even scraping by on pitiful pocket money—operate on a whole different level from gifts from other heroines or characters.
Plus, most come with the 【Magic action success rate increase】 option, an absolute honey.
As I said, Magic Power in D/Z SAGA is on another plane from other stats, making acquisition brutally tough.
"What're you staring at?"
"You turn away first."
"Hmph."
"Ha."
Of course, I'd never grind affinity with Eve, not even if I died.
The only affinity we exchange is middle fingers.
Better have Patrasche fire a black powder bomb at me than hear "Oniisama" from her leveled-up affection.
So, no grinding—pure trade.
I'll wrench gifts out of Eve von Loengrin through straight-up transactions.
"I heard."
"Heard what?"
"Lifted the forbidden zone restrictions and went to the northern snowfields? You knew where it was?"
Hmph.
Even if she says that, I have this school's rules memorized inside out.
"By the rules, everywhere except the Eastern Forest is forbidden. Sleeping Mountains done, so Snow Plains hold no surprises."
"Sleeping Mountains were temporarily unrestricted for the black flag sweep."
"Were they?"
Whatever.
"Among forbidden zones, northern snowfields boast tons of missing persons. What gave you the confidence?"
"No need for you to know. Came back safe, expedition succeeded."
"...Ugh. Won't budge an inch!"
"No reason to yield to you."
"You know how heartburn-inducing that is? Of all places, the north...!"
Eve shot to her feet and staggered before plopping back down.
"What's wrong? You're swaying."
"Who do you think it's because of...?"
Hmm, doesn't seem like me.
Anemic lately?
"How many hours you sleeping usually these days?"
"...Why ask that?"
"Answer."
"...Um. About two hours?"
......
Why so little?
"That's way too little sleep."
"Um. Those cookies you gave me before... strangely, I don't get tired, so I sleep less."
This idiot.
The great-success Fortune Cookie pierces magic barriers to grant blessings, providing constant mental stability and serenity, but it doesn't overcome physical limits.
"...Excess blessings turn into drugs. Sleep more."
"Ugh. Don't pull the big-brother act now."
"It's not 'now'—I'm always your big brother."
"......"
Hate to admit it, but even as my copy-paste inferior bloodline knockoff, Eve's abilities are legit.
If she collapses, all of Jefrin Academy grinds to a halt.
It's ridiculous, but as the academy's sole authority—and with her habit of shouldering everything in her early reign—I'll let it slide this once.
......
Damn it.
"Wait. Tch."
"...?"
Brought it thinking it'd be most helpful, but didn't expect to actually use it.
I pulled a dessert from the mini magic-engine icebox.
The sherbet from a great-success Shining Patissier has an astonishing effect.
A brand-new one, only appearing in upper 7T tiers for the first time.
Recovery dual-option.
Leagues above cheap stamina potions.
Those do nothing if condition is low, but this bundles condition and stamina recovery together.
Insanely rare.
"...This."
"Eat it."
I handed over the sherbet and spoon. Eve looked back and forth between me and it before taking a small spoonful to her mouth.
"...Hooaaaa......"
"Making weird noises."
Eve's eyes lit up, her cheeks relaxed. She shot me a glare at my words before refocusing on the sherbet.
She made creepy sounds like "Hoa aaa," "Huuu," "Ueee" with every bite, but I could visibly see vitality returning to her body.
"Ah......"
Having polished it off, Eve gazed regretfully at the empty bowl before looking up at me.
"No more."
"...Ugh."
"Looks like you're sufficiently recovered."
"Yeah. I'll admit it honestly. You could be the imperial dessert specialist and never starve."
"Praise?"
"Highest praise."
Is that my imagination hearing "If you flunk out, skip palace freeloading and make desserts"?
"What even is this? Anyway?"
"Just a snack. No magical effects."
"Pierces magic defense for recovery? Can't be higher than my Magic Power stat, right?"
"Foods that only have recovery effects ignore magic resistance."
"...Such research exists? Never heard of it..."
"Where would you even find cooking with recovery effects?"
This world's inconvenient like that.
"...Saw it in the imperial library?"
"Yes."
"......Sigh. Ate well, anyway."
Eve sighed.
And if I say imperial library, what're you gonna do?
"Not thinking it's free, right?"
"...Pardon?"
"Where else you get something like this?"
"...Ugh. Um. Yeah, true. But budget..."
Ahem. She still doesn't get it.
"Who asked for money?"
"Th-then... don't tell me..."
"That 'don't tell me.'"
"Student Council President position...?"
"You take it."
Give me that trash position? Pass!
"Then what?"
"The convenience store office is too barren. Got any useful decorations?"
"...Aha."
Eve nodded and pondered for a bit before saying she'd go somewhere and zipping off.
When she returned, she held a thick book.
I know this one.
"Jefrin School Rules Compendium?"
"Yes. You always wriggle around the rules, so here. Take it and read."
Seriously.
Why give me the rules I have memorized?
"This all?"
"What more you want? Later."
Eve turned her back, and I sighed while looking at the compendium.
Well, it's from Eve, after all. Might have some effect attached.
"I see. Worried about me."
Yeah...?
......Uuuuh?