Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Soi's Growth and the Lie
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Early in the morning, I opened my eyes.
Fortunately, I hadn't pulled an all-nighter with my eyes wide open.
I'd focused on the steady ticking of the second hand from the clock on the wall.
At some point, I'd fallen asleep.
Swish—
As I shifted slightly on the bed,
a familiar warm embrace enveloped me, just like always.
No matter who saw it, it was Soi.
Convinced it was her, I gently lifted the blanket covering us.
And there she was—a girl, stark naked, right in my view.
But...
Isn't she a bit taller?
One girl...
No, more like a 'young lady' now, boldly exposing her pale skin.
She hugged me close.
Her eyes, sparkling with morning sunlight,
gazed up at me.
"Good morning, Master."
"......"
The girl, whose smile suited her perfectly, beamed at me.
That radiant smile briefly filled my vision, and I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking,
'Kids these days sure grow up fast.'
Of course, this applied solely to my Soi.
"......"
"......"
'Soi?'
She was lingering in my arms longer than usual today.
Normally, she'd already be in the kitchen by now, preparing breakfast.
Squeeze—
For some reason, she clung tightly to my side, showing no sign of letting go.
The pressure from her arms felt utterly unyielding.
For a moment, I wondered if I'd end up heading to work in my pajamas like this.
Then, Soi's breath brushed against my skin.
"Master."
"...Why, Soi?"
I tried to stay as calm as possible.
Until she brought it up.
"Last night... you asked why I don't wear clothes."
"......"
Wasn't that settled yesterday?
But.
Unlike me, who wasn't ready to hear it, Soi's voice held no hesitation whatsoever.
In her eyes...
a swirl of unreadable emotions churned.
"Still curious?"
Squeeze—
Her gaze fixed on me.
Without a hint of tremor.
She pressed her flawless white skin against me, wrapping my forearm boldly between her breasts.
And.
Soi kept pressing.
"If you're curious, I'll tell you. But... take responsibility."
......
My legion of neurons, buzzing actively until then,
froze at her final words.
Soi stared blankly at my stiffened form.
Smirk—
A smile spread across her lips.
Mwah.
!!
She pressed her soft lips to my cheek.
Before I could react to the sudden move, my eyes locked on her, and she wore a faint smile.
"That's your punishment."
???
Whoosh.
She released her grip and hopped out of bed.
With a bright smile, she spoke.
"If you come home hurt again, be ready for real next time, Master."
"......"
Leaving her playful voice behind as she headed to the kitchen,
I touched my cheek where her lips had been.
Her increasingly bold demeanor sparked countless thoughts.
And somehow...
it felt like my purity was under threat soon.
Seriously...
For real...
*****
What followed wasn't much different from any other day.
But there were two notable changes.
First.
Soi had grown noticeably overnight.
Just last night, she'd had the build of a middle schooler, but in half a day, she'd matured into what could pass for a high schooler.
Her physical growth
signaled she was recovering to her original state.
And the second change.
As her body grew, so did the variety in her emotional expressions.
Or perhaps, she'd become more straightforward.
More diverse expressions in our interactions were definitely a good thing.
It meant we could share more emotions.
...But.
I hoped those emotions wouldn't veer into strange territory.
Like today.
Today was a bit much.
Still...
If it was good, it was good.
I didn't see it as a bad change.
After finishing the light breakfast Soi prepared, work time was nearly upon me.
Five minutes to departure.
Fully ready, I headed to the shoe rack.
Soi, dressed neatly in her kimono as always, stood with her delicate hands clasped properly in front.
She saw me off until the moment I left for work.
With her signature bright smile.
"...Have a safe trip, Master."
"Ri—......"
Tick—
...Tick?
A short chime rang in my ears.
My gaze shifted to my right wrist at the inexplicable second hand sound.
The Lie-Detecting Watch I'd received from Noise had pointed to '12' when I got it.
But now...
it pointed to '10'.
Why?
Unbeknownst to me,
the second hand had moved twice—backwards.
A backward tick meant...
someone had lied to me twice.
I had no clue about the first one yet.
The only thing I could confirm right now
was the tick right after Soi's words ended.
Soi had just lied to me.
Slowly, I raised my head to stare at her.
As she smiled innocently,
just as my stiff lips parted to speak.
"So—"
Thud—!
A lighting buzz hit my ears.
And I stood in the center of the library's main hall.
...The timing.
'Perfect as always, Mr. Noise.'
His golden punctual summon to work kept me from asking Soi the truth.
—...Have a safe trip, Master.
Those words echoed endlessly in my ears.
In that short sentence, the lie seemed to be
'Have a safe trip.'
...Not a long sentence.
The brevity limited the possibilities.
No, only one came to mind.
—...Don't have a safe trip, Master.
'That's... a shock.'
Were all her actions so far fake? My head was spinning from the morning.
...This feels so unresolved.
Sigh—
My shoulders already slumped.
But...
Static—
The familiar static, ignoring my feelings as always, brushed my ears.
[What a fine morning! Employee Park Yeon-jeong!!]
Noise seemed extra chipper today.
"...Good morning, Mr. Noise."
I returned a light greeting, and he picked up on it.
[Oh? Employee Park Yeon-jeong. What happened with her on a weekday?]
!
Noise, you...
Have you awakened the ability to read emotions now?!
[Your voice lacks energy.]
...Ah.
'It shows.'
But explaining to this guy wouldn't help.
I cleared my throat, aiming for my usual tone.
"I went to bed late last night. Probably just tired."
Static—
Thankfully, he dropped it when I sounded fine.
Instead of more questions,
he switched to boss mode.
[Lack of sleep is a factor that harms performance.]
[I won't pry into the reason... Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
"Yes?"
His response to my reply
was utterly unexpected.
[Deeply confirming your love should be reserved for weekends that don't interfere with work.]
[Stable work leads to a stable home. Keep that in mind.]
"......Yes?"
I couldn't grasp what he'd just said.
The topic swerved so unexpectedly that it took a moment to process.
But of course.
Static—
Noise gave me no time to think.
[Now, let's discuss the rest of your performance bonus today.]
[It should've been Monday, but your recovery came first.]
"Performance bonus?"
The 100 million in my account flashed through my mind.
"I think I've already received it."
I told him so, but his speaker voice remained calm and composed.
[No, Employee Park Yeon-jeong. You haven't received your full bonus.]
[Precisely, not all of it.]
Not all?
Question marks filled my head, and as always,
out of nowhere.
The White Librarian handed me a sheet of paper.
At the top of the paper she held was:
[Performance Bonus Chart]
I'd seen it before.
But what caught my eye among the list
was A-rank.
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A-100,000,000 / (Good stuff)
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For capturing an A-rank ghost story.
The additional item listed as 'good stuff' alongside the 100 million.
Static—
As soon as I checked the chart, the static continued.
[You haven't received your full bonus yet, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
[So, we'll issue the remainder now.]
Right after his words,
another White Librarian flew from the opposite direction toward me.
And handed me something.
The item was.
"......Paper?"
A small slip of paper.
...Isn't this the wrong thing?