Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Rehabilitation Project (2)
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"Let's see..."
I fiddled with the Money Compass hanging around my neck as I walked down the corridor.
The Cash Shop, the very essence of capitalism, vibrated faintly, summoning a translucent blue holographic shop interface before my eyes.
Gizmo was a gearhead, and Raven—also known as ECHO—loved dolls.
To soothe this anxious girl and win her over in one shot, I needed the perfect gift suited to her tastes.
"Hmm..."
I was scrolling through the affection items tab for ECHO when something jumped out at me from the endless list—no, it outright stole my gaze.
⚙ SHOP ITEM ⚙ [These days, they even have cute toys like this? ...If only they'd existed back then.] To be precise, this was the origin of the series that, thirty years from now, had the shop owner 'Dahlia' obsessed—bordering on mania—in her collecting frenzy.
⚙ ITEM DETAILS ⚙ Item Name: Catch! Dallaping! - 'Dallaping's Dessert House' Full Set. Description: Play a sweet dessert shop game with the adorable Dallapings! (Includes limited-edition figures) "...What a ridiculously catchy name."
For a split second, nightmares of my bratty cousins ruthlessly draining my pocket money with their 'backbone busters' flashed through my mind.
In fact, when this affection item dropped, tons of players had freaked out, scribbling random names just to test it.
Anyway, I mentally bookmarked the Dallaping's Dessert House spot before heading to where Raven was locked up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'It's so quiet.'
Beyond the door where Raven was confined, there wasn't a single sign of life. It felt like an empty tomb, utterly dead silent.
Creeeak.
I pushed open the heavy door and stepped into the dim solitary cell.
There, in the corner of the bed, huddled in the shadows, was a frail silhouette. Through her tousled golden hair, wary red eyes fixed on me.
The original ECHO, Raven.
'...She looks pathetic.'
Up close, Raven's condition was even worse than I'd imagined.
My crew wouldn't have roughed her up that badly, so the Raven Merchant Group's folks must have been in rough shape themselves.
Her black gothic dress was torn in places, proof of her harsh wandering life, and the fishnet stockings wrapping her legs were shredded, precariously exposing her pale thighs.
She had the decadent air of a wounded beast or a discarded doll.
"......"
Was that the grubby doll Pomen had tossed her?
Raven toyed with a ragged rabbit doll, stuffing spilling out. It was as if that doll was her only sanctuary in the world.
Her hollow eyes watched me warily, just like an abandoned street child.
"Hey, Raven?"
I greeted her as gently as possible and casually perched on the edge of the bed.
But all I got back was heavy silence.
I could see her fiddling with the doll in her arms, but her lips stayed firmly shut.
"Raven?"
I tried calling her a few more times, but the response was the same.
It felt like talking to a wall.
'Hmm... So words won't cut it, huh?'
She was probably just on guard against me.
Anyway, for a kid who's shut down mentally, one solid gift beats a hundred words.
I sighed and fiddled with the Money Compass around my neck.
⚙ PURCHASE CONFIRM ⚙ Item Name: Catch! Dallaping! - 'Dallaping's Dessert House' Full Set. Price: 9900 Cash 'Ha—.'
9900 Cash.
Seeing the price made me catch my breath without realizing it.
The top-tier laser welder 'Miller Electric' I'd given Gizmo had only cost 5800 Cash.
And this plastic toy set was 9900?
'What kind of pricing logic is this?'
The infamous wallet-draining rep held true in reality, games, and even this otherworld. But now wasn't the time to skimp on Cash.
'Purchase.'
The moment I hit the button, beams of light poured from thin air.
A massive box thudded down in the middle of the room.
The garish pink box gleamed in the dingy gray cell, radiating overwhelming incongruity the instant it appeared.
"......?"
Raven, who'd been ignoring me completely, twitched her head slightly.
Her red eyes instinctively rolled toward the pink box. She tried to play it cool and look away, but her gaze snapped back like iron to a magnet.
'The mighty wallet-drainer strikes again!'
Beyond the flashy wrapping, chubby chibi figures and pastel dessert shop models peeked out.
To her, raised amid ashen wastelands and scrap heaps, this was 'over-technology' levels of cuteness she'd never dreamed of.
"Wanna play with it together?"
I tapped the box and asked. Raven flinched and looked at me.
Her eyes shook violently.
She wavered between the ragged rabbit doll in her arms and the dazzling dessert house before her.
After a moment's hesitation, she set the old rabbit down and mumbled in a crawling voice.
"......Yeah."
A little later.
On the cold floor spread a dreamy pink 'Dessert House.'
And there we sat face-to-face, playing the most mismatched dollhouse game imaginable.
"Here's your strawberry bread order...?"
"That's a cake. Strawberry shortcake."
"Ah.... Here's your strawberry shortcake order."
I took the plastic cake model Raven handed me and pretended to eat it.
"Nom nom. Wow—! So sweet and delicious! This must be a dessert hotspot, huh?"
"Hehe."
My experience playing with nephews and nieces during holidays didn't let me down.
My acting was over-the-top and clumsy, but Raven beamed with satisfaction. She clutched a tiny figure tight, lost in her role as shopkeeper.
Shockingly, her earlier sharp wariness had melted away like snow.
ECHO loves toys...? This girl's kinda precious.
"Uh..., I'm full. Time for something light and soft now? Order up, boss."
"Yes! What can I get you, customer?"
"Hmm, let's see. Ah! That pudding over there, please."
"Pudding?"
Raven's eyes darted over the toy desserts at my order. After pondering, she picked up an orange carrot-topped cake model.
"This?"
"No, that's carrot cake. Pudding's this one."
I pointed to the yellow plastic pudding model.
Raven finally nodded in understanding. A thought crossed my mind watching her.
'Come to think of it, she has no clue what any of these foods really are or taste like.'
A pang hit my chest.
Suddenly, I got why 'Dahlia' thirty years from now was nuts for sweets and obsessed with childish doll sets.
Her old life—surrounded by comrades like family—had denied her even these tiny joys.
"Hold on."
"Play... time over?"
Raven tugged my clothes hem with a reluctant look.
"No, not over. I'll show you something even more fun."
I opened the Money Compass again.
And searched for sweet custard pudding. 1000 Cash.
I hit purchase, and a chilled real pudding cup appeared in my hand.
A convenience store premium: jiggly yellow custard topped with sweet caramel syrup.
"Ta-da! This is real pudding."
"......Magic?"
"Kinda."
Raven stared blankly at the pudding in my hand.
Did she not expect it was for her?
I popped the lid and handed her a spoon, and her eyes went wide.
"Try it."
She glanced warily before scooping a careful spoonful and bringing it slowly—oh so cautiously—to her mouth.
"—Mm!"
The instant it hit her tongue, her red eyes expanded hugely.
Ahh..., so that's the taste of pudding.
"Tasty, right?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"It's custard pudding. Real deal."
Tears suddenly streamed from Raven's eyes as she chewed.
"Hic.... Hic......"
She sniffled but didn't stop spooning it in.
She looked like a kid crying from sheer bliss at her first taste of sweetness. Her cheeks bulged adorably as she devoured it, pitiful yet cute.
About halfway through her frantic eating, Raven suddenly froze mid-spoon.
Then, with teary red eyes, she stared at me and shoved the half-full cup my way.
"...Why?"
"Commander too..., eat."
Such a good girl.
I could feel her pure urge to share her happiness.
'But pudding's not my thing...'
Still, to honor her gesture, I took a bite and offered the cup back.
"Here, delicious. Finish it."
But Raven shook her head.
"Nuh-uh."
"Why?"
"...Feed me."
Spoiled now?
Doll play, sweet pudding, warm attention.
The combo had shattered her defenses completely. I chuckled and picked up the spoon.
"Alright. Ahh."
"Aaaah..."
Raven parted her lips small, and I scooped a big dollop of soft pudding into her mouth.
"Mm......"
She chewed with puffed cheeks, swallowing like a baby bird. Her throat bobbed, and her tongue flicked her lips, filling the quiet cell.
'Maybe get some for Pomen and the others later?'
It'd probably feel totally different, though.
After feeding her the last scraped syrup, I absentmindedly wiped the syrup from her mouth with my finger. That's when it happened.
Slurp.
Raven chomped my finger.
And started sucking it like candy, syrup and all.
The warm, wet tongue slid between my fingerprints.
Just after the syrup, sure—but her tongue's wriggle and suction sent a strangely erotic tingle.
"Slurp, slurp..., haa."
After sucking long and hard, Raven released my finger and looked up.
Snap.
A clear thread stretched long between my finger and her lips.
Her red lips glistened with saliva, drunk on pudding sweetness, eyes glazed dreamily.
"Human fingers..., warm."
"......"
"Can I suck more...,?"
Her innocent yet dangerous question stirred an impulse.
I pressed my saliva-slick finger to her lower lip and whispered low.
"Of course not."
"......"
As her face fell, I cupped her chin gently and grinned.
"Fingers are off-limits. But I can feed you something else."
Raven blinked and tilted her head.
"...Something else?"
"Yeah. Way hotter, thicker, stickier than pudding. Jester's probably gobbling it right now...?"
I stroked her hair and undid a shirt button.
We'd played dolls hard enough...
Now it was time for grown-up games.