Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: My House Collapsed. I Cried (4)
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How did it come to this?
Walking forward, led by Alice's warm hand, the thought suddenly crossed my mind.
It all started when my base was wrecked by the snow, and I ambitiously set out to find a new place.
But after wandering for ages without finding a decent spot, I was on my way to Greg's general store, holding back tears, when I was suddenly caught by Alice.
And after she realized I was basically homeless, she half-kidnapped me… which brings us to now.
Asking me to her house. If she had asked if I wanted to come over, I would've refused outright, not wanting to be a burden.
But she grabbed my hand with a face that looked like she was about to cry and practically dragged me along, so I couldn't really resist.
Honestly. Forcing a debt on someone and shoving it in their arms?
She was a terrifying person, to say the least.
“…”
“…”
Alice and I walked in silence, slowly making our way through the city streets at a pace that matched my short strides.
As the night deepened and the temperature dropped, the blizzard seemed to intensify slightly.
But perhaps because I was wearing Alice's coat, I actually felt much warmer than before.
So the peach scent from Alice wasn't perfume, but her natural scent.
Taking in the rich, sweet fragrance, I secretly buried my face in her coat.
The mask got in the way a little, but the scent was so strong it didn't really matter.
How long had we been walking through the neon-lit streets of Nighthaven?
With my face hidden in the coat and my eyes fixed on the ground, I suddenly bumped my forehead into Alice's back when she stopped.
“…?”
“We're here. This is my place.”
At her words, I lifted my head.
What came into view was a rather familiar-looking apartment building.
Whoa, this is the exact same building from the original story.
As I stared in wonder at the three-story apartment, marveling at the uncanny resemblance…
Alice, her expression strangely darkening a little, stroked my head and said,
“You don't have anywhere to go, do you? You can stay the night here.”
“…!”
“I won't take no for an answer! Come on, let's go inside!”
“…”
Ugh, I guess there's no getting out of this…
I sighed inwardly at Alice's firm insistence.
Well, it wasn't that I didn't understand how she felt.
I had thought about it on the way here. From an outsider's perspective, the sight of me wandering the streets alone in the snow must have looked incredibly vulnerable.
Even I would've asked a coworker what was wrong if I saw them wandering the streets late at night in a snowstorm.
But for me, who had vowed to avoid getting involved with the main characters as much as possible when I first woke up in this world, I couldn't help but feel conflicted.
Somehow ending up at the agency was one thing, but now this—being invited to Alice's house.
Why do I keep getting tangled up with them?
‘…Nothing’s going according to plan. Maybe the problem was getting involved with Greg in the first place.’
Feeling a sense of resignation, I looked at Alice's back as she led me by the hand and had a sudden thought.
If it hadn't been me wandering out there, would Alice still have taken them home?
Yes, she probably would have.
She's the type of meddler who can't stand by and do nothing when someone's in trouble.
For some reason, that thought seemed to lighten the heavy burden on my heart.
If her hand was one she'd extend to anyone, couldn't I, just for a moment, accept a share of its warmth?
‘Besides… once this part-time job is over, we'll naturally drift apart anyway.’
I took a small, deep breath and decided to lighten up.
I still had no desire to get involved in the original story.
But even if I accepted her help now, it was a relationship that would naturally fade after two weeks.
In that case, there was no need to make up excuses and push her away.
I don't care anymore. This time, I'm just going to shamelessly accept her offer.
Don't you dare think you'll ever get this favor back!
“I'm home~”
“…”
Alice's place was a modern apartment that looked quite expensive.
A two-bedroom layout with a living room spacious enough for a family of four.
It seemed a bit excessive for one person, but considering Alice lived with her older sister, Lily, it was probably just comfortably spacious.
“…!”
However, as I stepped into the entryway, the scene before me made me freeze.
The disastrous sight of clothes and underwear strewn about the living room with wild abandon was shocking.
W-Wow… Why is that underwear so big? It looks large enough to cover my face.
“Ah! Ahaha… I-It's a bit of a mess, isn't it? Yuria, could you wait here for a second?”
Had she completely forgotten about the mess because of her unexpected guest?
Her face beet red with embarrassment, Alice hastily left me in the entryway, rushed inside, and disappeared somewhere with an armful of clothes.
She was probably just going to stuff them somewhere out of sight.
A chuckle escaped me at this sloppiness, so unlike her usual top-student persona.
“Yuria, come in. Take your shoes off… and have a seat on the sofa for now, okay?”
“…”
“You can watch TV if you're bored! I'll finish cleaning up and be right back!”
Alice disappeared into her room so quickly that the motion stirred my hair as I sat on the sofa.
If the living room was this much of a disaster, I didn't even want to imagine what her room looked like.
I had a feeling it would take her a while, picturing a scene I could see even with my eyes closed.
‘Everyone's like that when they first start living on their own. But… is Lily not home?’
I sat quietly on the sofa, tapping my feet and feeling the air grow warmer from the heater, when the thought of the house's other resident popped into my head.
I was pretty sure her older sister, Lily, lived here with her…
The heating had been off and it was quiet, so she must be out.
Well, that was actually for the best.
There's nothing more awkward than visiting a friend's house and meeting their family, and besides, Lily wasn't exactly the type of person I wanted to get close to.
‘She's a good person, but… a mentally unstable, stalking pervert is a bit much…’
Plus, I've been destroying all the small cameras at the agency whenever I see them.
What if she holds a grudge about that? I'd rather not meet her.
As I was thinking this, starting to feel a bit warm, I neatly took off the coat and draped it over the sofa. Just then, Alice emerged hesitantly from her room, having changed into a much lighter yukata.
She looked like a puppy that had just caused some trouble, warily watching for a reaction.
Why is she acting like that all of a sudden? I couldn't help but tilt my head at her sudden change in mood.
“U-Um… I was just thinking, and I feel like I kind of forced you to come here… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to pity you or anything! It's just, well, umm…”
Ah, so that's what this is about.
I realized why she was suddenly acting so strange.
It seemed that after cleaning her room and changing her clothes, her head had cleared a little.
And she'd started to think she might have been too forceful in bringing me here.
Well, she wasn't wrong.
She really hadn't asked my opinion at all, just brought me here as if she were kidnapping me.
What would she have done if I had some kind of inferiority complex about my unfortunate situation?
It wouldn't have been strange at all if I had thrown a fit and resented her for it.
But I'm not the type to get hung up on things like that.
The only reason I don't like accepting help is because I feel burdened by the need to repay it. It's not like I'm too proud to insist I can do it myself.
Besides, I know her actions stem not from hypocrisy or pity, but from a pure desire for everyone around her to be happy.
Even if she were strangling me, I don't think I could ever hate her.
‘Honestly. I've already prepared myself to stay the night, what is she on about?’
Silly girl.
I casually stood up from the sofa and walked over to the hesitant Alice.
And then… I gave her a light hug as she stood there, her eyes darting around, unsure of what to do.
Perhaps because I'd never been the one to initiate contact before.
Alice froze at my sudden embrace, as if she'd turned to stone.
“Uh, um… Yuria? Are you… forgiving me?”
“…!”
Forgive you? I was never mad in the first place.
You're doing great. Just keep it up.
As if to ask why she was worrying over nothing, I nuzzled the top of my head against her stomach.
Was that enough to convey my meaning?
Alice carefully wrapped her arms around my shoulders and whispered a thank you in a barely audible voice.
I'm the one receiving help, so why is she the one thanking me?
I chuckled, leaning against Alice and savoring the sweet peach scent, which was even stronger than before.
After a moment, as if she was satisfied…
She let go of me, and we sat back comfortably on the sofa together.
The somewhat tense atmosphere vanished as if it had never been there.
Back to her usual self, Alice smiled and asked me,
“Yuria, is the temperature okay? Should I turn it up a bit?”
“…”
“It's fine? That's a relief. You were so cold earlier, I was worried you'd catch a cold.”
To be honest, I'd already warmed up completely when I put on Alice's toasty coat.
But seeing her look at me with such genuine concern felt strange.
A cold? So what if I catch one?
Oh, right, I should give this back. I picked up Alice's coat from the sofa and handed it to her.
She took the coat, watching me quietly, then spoke as if a thought had just struck her.
“Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen you in your own clothes. What are you wearing? Pajamas?”
“…”
“Hmm, isn't it a little short? The material doesn't seem that great either… Do you have a change of clothes?”
A change of clothes? I threw all of mine away.
As I rubbed my neck awkwardly, Alice seemed to ponder for a moment before suddenly leaning her face close to mine. Wait, that's too… close…
*Sniff, sniff.* Alice brought her nose close to the side of my head and took a whiff.
Eek! A shiver ran down my spine.
“Is it because your natural scent is faint? You don't really smell… Still, it would be good to take a warm shower. I'll give you some of my clothes.”
“…?!”
“What's wrong? Worried they'll be too big? It's fine. You can just wear it like a dress, it should fit well enough.”
No, no, I was asking why I have to shower here.
She usually understands me so well, why is she being so dense now?
As I looked up at Alice, flustered and waving my arms, she seemed to think for a moment before speaking with a firm expression.
“Ah… You don't want to wash up? That's not an option. You have to wash regularly, or you'll get sick from being dirty. To be honest, I'd like to give you a bath, but I'm holding back because I thought that might be a little difficult.”
Hmm, she's not wrong.
And it wasn't a bad suggestion for me, either.
Until now, I'd only been using psychokinesis to wash myself with bottled water.
I'd never had a proper wash with actual plumbing.
The only thing that bothered me was that this was Alice's house.
It was a precious opportunity to wash with warm water for the first time in a long while.
Perhaps because I was hesitating, looking both willing and unwilling…
She clapped her hands lightly as if she'd had a brilliant idea and said,
“Ah! In that case, want to wash up together?”
…What?
My gaze drifted down from Alice's face.
And after confirming the overwhelming presence of her chest…
I shook my head so violently my hair whipped around.
No, absolutely not!
My pathetically-sized triangle of conscience spun around and around.
Thankfully, it seemed my fierce resistance was accepted.
Alice's offer was rejected, and I was to shower alone.
What a relief.