Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Ghosts Live in the Internet World Too (1)
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It had already been three days since Alice tricked me into meeting the doctor, Crowde.
In other words, it was the first weekend since Greg had returned to Nighthaven.
Looking back on what had happened in that time… Yup, absolutely nothing.
I’d wake up early at the agency, have breakfast with Raven, and then head to work at the general store.
At the store, I’d sit obediently at the counter and greet customers, and during my free time, I’d clean the floors or wipe down the merchandise.
After having lunch with Greg and Karen, I’d work a similar afternoon shift before heading home in the early evening.
Then I’d return to the agency, eat dinner, laze around in the closet for a bit, and go to sleep in my room.
Compared to my usual life at the agency, it was a repetition of undeniably ordinary days.
But I didn’t find it particularly boring or tedious.
If anything, a life filled with spectacular cases every single day would be the strange part.
Personally, I was quite fond of this routine. To be honest, the agency was a little too intense.
‘From what I heard, there was some huge mess while I was gone. Something about stopping a gas leak?’
Man, they really go through a lot.
Thinking this to myself, I took a large bite of my bacon and cheese toast.
The salty and sweet flavors exploded in my mouth, and a smile naturally spread across my face.
I’d made it myself today with ingredients I found in the fridge. Maybe I was better at this than I thought.
As I sat there in a state of utter satisfaction, quietly swinging my legs on the chair, Raven, who was eating my homemade toast across from me, suddenly spoke.
“Are you not going anywhere today?”
“…?”
“You go out to play every weekend. I was just wondering if you had plans like that today.”
Did I? Did I really go out every weekend?
I tilted my head at his words, trying to recall.
Come to think of it… I didn’t think I’d ever had a quiet weekend at home since I started living here.
Sabrina or Alice would tempt me to go out and play, and just last week, I’d suddenly been whisked away on a trip.
He was right. In that case, this would be my first relaxing holiday.
When I nodded as if to say he was right, he let out a small laugh.
“So you’re not. I was just asking. …Ah, speaking of which, there was something I needed to ask you.”
“…?”
“Is your general store closing for Night Week? It starts next Friday.”
Night Week.
It was a year-end holiday period designated by the Dragon Mayor.
Of course, it wasn’t an official, nationally recognized holiday.
It was a recommended rest period operated within Nighthaven itself.
Rest or don’t rest, do as you please.
However, companies that give their employees time off during this period will receive some minor benefits.
Perhaps because the Dragon Mayor, with his overwhelming power and support, had declared it so, Night Week had gradually established itself as a major event where the entire city took a week-long break.
‘Of course, for places like restaurants and movie theaters, it’s a time to work their fingers to the bone, unlike for the average office worker.’
That in itself was a good thing.
The massive spike in profits during these special occasions had its own significance.
Of course, the fact that the city could create its own holiday like this was fascinating, but when you put the name ‘Dragon Mayor’ in front of it, it somehow made sense. I was starting to feel like I was becoming a resident of Nighthaven myself.
Anyway, I should answer his question.
Was the store closing for Night Week? The answer was yes.
- I’ll be closing the shop for a bit during Night Week. You two should go have some fun then.
- Uh… I don’t really have anywhere to go. Is it okay if I come hang out?
- In that case, I’ll keep the door open even if we’re not doing business. Feel free to stop by if you’re bored.
- …!
I recalled a recent memory.
Greg had said he would close the store during Night Week, so there was no need for me to come to work.
Perhaps it was because of Karen, who was new to this unfamiliar land, but it seemed he planned to spend time at the store without actually closing it completely.
But since I wouldn’t be working, I nodded at Raven to confirm that was likely the case.
Raven seemed relieved and scratched his neck as he asked me.
“In that case, how about we all go somewhere for Night Week? That Alice girl was pestering me to ask you.”
“…!”
“We’ll probably get together with David’s group and drive out of Nighthaven. It’ll be a nice change of pace.”
Ooh, that sounds like a full-fledged plan.
If David’s group was coming, did that mean Sabrina and Reine would be there too?
That definitely sounded like fun. It’d feel like a year-end trip with everyone.
Well… considering this man’s luck, there was a very high chance we’d get caught up in some kind of incident.
But that would become a memory in its own way, too. It’s not like we wouldn’t be able to solve whatever happened.
After rolling my eyes in thought for a moment, I expressed my approval, saying it sounded good.
Did my meaning get across? Raven let out a small sigh of relief.
Alice must have been pressing him quite hard.
I suddenly wondered how he would have reacted if I’d said no. Not that I would.
Then, a question popped into my head.
Going on a trip was fine, but where would we go in this cold winter weather?
I flapped my arms energetically, asking Raven with my gestures where we were going.
After a moment of deciphering my body language with a puzzled look, he seemed to understand and replied.
“Ah, where are we going? Hmm, probably to the sea? Obviously, we’re not going in this weather. We’ll get a hotel with a clear view of the winter sea and hang out. Alice said she really wanted to go to the swimming pool there.”
“…!!”
So that’s why she bought a swimsuit?
No wonder she was staring so intently at the swimsuits with that frightening look in her eyes…
A shiver ran down my spine at Alice’s meticulous, almost terrifying, plan.
Still, at least we weren’t actually going into the sea in this weather.
I felt a sense of relief and continued to munch on the rest of my toast.
“Thanks for the toast. It was good.”
Raven tossed the last piece of toast into his mouth and offered a compliment.
This guy, he’s praising me so I’ll keep cooking from now on!
I watched Raven closely as he started reading the newspaper, still sitting at the table even though he had finished eating.
I was used to eating alone, so I wouldn’t have minded if he left first.
But I appreciated that he always stayed until I was done. I should eat up quickly, too.
After finishing my toast, I put my plate and Raven’s into the dishwasher.
I added a bit of detergent and pressed the button. The dishwasher whirred to life, bubbling up.
In just two hours, a perfectly clean, dry plate would pop out.
As they say, to live comfortably, you need good technology.
“Yaaawn. What should I do today? Maybe I’ll look up some new movies I’ve missed.”
“…”
After watching the dishwasher safely clean the dishes, I came out to the office area and saw Raven sprawled out on the sofa.
Maybe it was because he was wearing warm, fluffy pajamas instead of his usual suit, but he looked even more like a hopeless adult than usual.
Though I suppose everyone in the world was like this on their day off.
I watched Raven quietly from a distance, then turned on my heel and slipped into his room.
‘Well, I don’t have anything else to do. I guess I’ll hang out in the closet. I need to charge the Tesseract with some rift energy anyway.’
I slipped into the closet, which now felt quite cozy, and used my psychokinesis to connect the Tesseract to the rift.
As if plugging in an appliance, energy began to fill the Tesseract.
Last time, I’d collected energy for about two weeks and could only maintain my adult form for a mere five minutes.
I wanted to save up at least a month’s worth, just in case.
[ Om nom nom… Delicious! I’m filling up with power! ]
Did the Tesseract also feel good as it received energy?
Its usual cheerful voice rang out in my head, loud and full of energy.
Right, eat up and grow big and strong.
The day will come when I’ll desperately need your power.
I glanced at the Tesseract, which seemed to be having a great time eating the rift energy, then flopped onto the bedcovers, which smelled fresh from a recent wash.
Lying upside down, I took out the Echo from my pajama pocket, placed it lightly against my forehead, and thought.
‘Echo, show me some fun videos.’
[ Ah, yes! Playing videos that are currently popular with people! ]
*Ziiiing.*
Without me doing anything, the screen of the Echo in my hand lit up and a video began to play.
Is this what it feels like to have an AI assistant?
Being spoon-fed content without having to choose it myself was incredibly convenient.
The video was a vlog about raising a cute lizard from another world.
The way it puffed out adorable little flames from its mouth was incredibly cool. I want one!
Next was a video of beastmen doing a strange challenge.
After that came a video of sexy elf ladies playing traditional elven instruments.
And then a video of a succubus telling funny stories from her world…
‘…Hey, why is it all metahumans? Despite all the talk of discrimination, I guess metahumans are still really popular.’
Still, the content was entertaining.
Having been chosen by the masses, it was safe but guaranteed to be fun.
I could understand why he had so readily handed over the Echo to me.
But it didn’t quite match my tastes.
It was fun, but… hmm, was it *that* fun? I couldn’t shake the feeling.
Ah, maybe I just couldn’t keep up with the trends of this era. It was a little sad.
As I was thinking this, rolling around on the bed with the Echo in my hand, a question suddenly shot through my mind like an arrow.
Come to think of it, Echo can clearly interfere with the internet using supernatural means.
So, what are its limits? Does it even have any?
‘I’m curious. Let’s give it a try. Echo, can you create an untraceable anonymous account for me, not linked to my own?’
[ Ah, um… Yes! I’ll try! ]
‘And leave a comment on the video I just watched. The content doesn’t matter.’
[ Uh… a c-comment? Th-then, is it okay if I just copy and paste something from nearby? ]
‘Huh? If you want to, that’s fine.’
[ Oh! Th-thank you! ]
Was this something to be thanked for?
I tilted my head for a moment, feeling puzzled, but soon decided it didn’t matter and waited for Echo to post the comment.
A short while later, a comment was posted from the anonymous account Echo had created.
The content was a bit random and out of place, but I couldn’t hide my excitement.
Whoa, it actually works. I can’t believe it can even post comments on videos. It’s pretty capable!
Just then, an interesting idea popped into my head.
If I could wield power in the world of the internet… I could have a little fun with this, couldn’t I?