Chapter 36

“If you need anything, feel free to take it…! And if it’s a guest I don’t recognize, they’re not really a guest, so just kick them out!”

“……….”

I wanted to pry into what those worries were and what they thought of me, but my locked neck and exhausted body made even a basic response too much trouble.

The current time was 5 AM, and the location was… Helena’s house, which was difficult to distinguish as either a villa or an apartment. I had no idea it would be this early that I had to go out. If I had known, I would have just banged my head against the hotel wall and taken a short nap…!

On the other hand, I wondered how harsh the schedule of the anti-riot police was… and after handing her the door lock code and contact information, I waved my hand to wish her a safe trip.

Vroom—!!

With a loud roar, the motorcycle that drew a line of sound entered the intricately tangled overpass once again.

With the original owner wearing the helmet I was donning, the silky hair that was flying in the wind was covered, so it felt a little dull, but the look of a fully armed rider was still pretty cool.

…However, unlike Neo Haven, this city with its major facilities all built in the air… isn’t that practically an arterial road…? Hmmm…

“…Huh?”

While standing in the hallway and dozing off, I stumbled before finally recalling what I needed to do.

…I should sleep comfortably in bed.

Beep…!

When I placed my wrist on the door lock behind me, it unlocked.

The excitement of going into a woman’s house for the first time, let alone Helena’s house, was all but wiped away by my foggy consciousness.

Right now, I was the dead of sleep; until I pay off this accumulated debt, I wasn’t really alive, nor dead… What sort of nonsense is this….

I pushed open the stiff door and stepped inside.

I fumbled along the wall to turn on the light, and saw packages that a drone had dropped in the delivery storage box next to the inner door. …I’ll definitely tidy this up later when I wake up.

When I turned my gaze forward, a surprisingly spacious interior came into view.

Perhaps it was because the only space divided by walls was the bathroom, but next to what appeared to be the kitchen was a refrigerator, beside it was a TV, and in front was a sofa. Even looking at the bed placed right behind the sofa made me feel a sense of familiarity, as if I was a free-spirited student living alone.

Maybe… there really isn’t much difference.

Having left home and moved to the metropolis to find a decent job, a rather uncommon sword enthusiast, Ms. H. This is probably her current address.

“…Should I tidy that up too…?”

After a moment of hesitation, I ignored the ragged tool hanger mounted on the wall next to the bed.

The hanger I had only seen occasionally in movies was devoid of tools and didn’t even have a neat impression. Knives, guns, and all sorts of leather accessories and discarded clothes dangled from it messily, which was quite pitiful to look at.

Is this really the room of someone who used to nag me about having spare clothes? Or did I not even reach Helena’s lower threshold…?

“…What does it matter.”

I threw my heavy body onto the unmade bed.

Having provided me with a place in her personal sanctuary and offered her unfettered kindness and affection… I would need to think about how to repay her gradually.

…Somehow, both the implants and sexual openness made me feel like I was being struck with sharp mental blows every time I learned a fact I hadn’t known… but this must be the fate of an outsider.

Squeak…!

I pushed my slumped body back into a comfortable position and let myself fall back in.

I truly liked this kind of bed. The touch reminded me of the fading memories of Korea. Of course, the bed or blankets I’d left in the distance didn’t have this sweet floral scent…

…Sweet floral scent?

“Damn…!”

Forcing my body to roll to the sofa, I moved there. Here, while it wasn’t devoid of Helena’s scent, at least the intensity was much lighter.

My heart, which had needlessly begun to assert itself, was calmed as I surrendered my consciousness to the coming waves.

‘……?’

Crack!

‘…….’

My stiff fingers were holding something, and when I moved them, the corner of my smartphone fell onto my forehead.

…If my senses hadn’t felt dulled as if I were wearing rubber gloves that were the wrong size, I might have fainted just now.

Instead, I was determined to hurry and rush over to the computer, but when I tried to move my legs, they didn’t budge… My condition was really bad.

Reluctantly, I picked the smartphone that had landed on my face back up.

After barely unlocking the screen and trying to type in the search bar….

Tick… tidick… tick!

‘…….’

It felt like it would be easier to use my tongue than type with how slow I was. The patience I had built up had already worn thin.

I simply opened the browsing history and clicked on the Haven Wiki.

At this rate, I didn’t know when I would get the information I needed.

Fortunately, this time, the homepage loaded up normally, without any server issues. But… was Korean internet always this slow…? It should respond immediately when touched!

Gritting my teeth, I scrolled down. Naturally, I wanted to check Helena Valentine’s entry first and determine my course of action.

Fortunately, like a main character, her name was prominently displayed without needing to search for it among the most recently edited entries…

– – – – –

‘Neo Haven’ New!

‘Harvest Planet’ New!

‘Helena Valentine’ New!

‘Anastasia Valentine’ New!

‘Anne Grisha’ New!

‘Aron Drayfuscus’ New!

‘Daredevil Horatio’ New!

– – – – –

……My rusty and dull instincts quietly spoke to me.

It was unfortunate to run into an iceberg while trying to satisfy a small curiosity, but you could only explore one of these or none at all.

For now… let’s calmly prioritize.

The pervert Horatio, no matter how casually he was officially registered as a character, wasn’t an urgent matter, so I will exclude him.

Drayfuscus… while he is frightening, I wasn’t entangled in a bad relationship. I was only afraid of the price I would have to pay.

That leaves five. Ignoring the utterly painful entry of “Anne Grisha,” the others were linked to Metropolis, so there was no need to betray Helena.

I entered her document.

…Speaking of betrayal, it made me feel uncomfortable, like I was peeking into a diary without the owner’s consent. No, rather, my guilt was immense. What am I doing?

Tick….

Still, the anxiety about the uncertain future weighed more than the opportunity I was going to let slip away.

Character stats… background… relationships… related quests… history!

Clutching the blurry vision that was beginning to fade, I read the history section. I strongly believed there was at least one piece of information in there that hadn’t existed in Neo Haven.

– …Helena Valentine’s prickly personality (in fact, she physically stabs you with her prickle too;) and demeanor stem from the hints that can be found in dialogues that randomly appear when raising Anastasia’s favorability. Additionally, related figures whose names were previously undisclosed can be revealed by collecting hidden memory cards on Harvest Planet…. –

Revealed…? What do you mean revealed?!

I barely held up my heavy eyelids as if I were on the verge of falling asleep and read the entire sentence till the end.

– …For more details, refer to the ‘Anne Grisha’ entry. –

“Ah—!! Damn…!!”

My second awakening today was punctuated by a powerful shout. A complete feeling of being deceived made me shiver and I shot up from sleep.

Moreover, as soon as I woke from a terrible nightmare, seeing the sun high in the sky and the sunlight streaming in made me feel like I had established an awesome lifestyle pattern just a few days after entering the city, which doubled my good mood.

“…….”

I shook my legs unconsciously in a state of inexplicable anxiety.

It was infuriating to be teased with the incomplete background pieces, expecting me to complete the puzzle.

…Who threatened me with a knife to peek? My conversation with Helena was a much worse threat. She even had plenty of knives she could pick up if things went awry.

“…. Sigh… I can’t do this.”

I slapped the sofa and sprung up energically.

It wasn’t that I had a good solution or a clear answer; rather, the reverse was daunting, so I thought I should tidy things up and… if I have the time, help with the cleaning.

Because… rash judgments and conclusions are prohibited.

Since I realized something unprecedented was lurking ahead, I must first naturally find out who Anne Grisha even is.

…And the best way to do that is for Helena, who probably has some relevance without me even asking, to willingly tell me.

Szzzz—!

I ripped open a bag and pulled out its contents.

Instead of convenient and complete cleansing gel, there were mouthwashes… facial cleansers… and so on, which I stacked neatly on the sofa. …Then I folded and placed any towels or clothes that came out afterward.

I wasn’t sure if I could even call this tidying up, but since I had no sense of what area had been assigned to me in this room, it was the best choice I could make.

The bed… must have been too expensive for additional purchases…? I would like to believe that.

“……Ah! Ms. Sylvia? It’s nothing, but… I was wondering if it’s okay to pour cleanser on the floor when cleaning the house. …If you’re going to work as a housekeeper, just come to Neo Haven? That… was a misunderstanding.”

Mobilizing my one and only housewife connection, I wondered how many hours I had respected the busy cohabitant’s time? Helena returned home a step faster than nightfall.

……Although she wasn’t in exactly good condition.

“Hehehe… Ahsa…! Did you miss me?! Tell me you missed me!”

“Uh… yeah, sure. Come on in.”

You can’t even control your drinking…

Suddenly, where did this cute drunk come from?

As soon as I heard the sound of the door opening, Helena, who was wafting the alcoholic smell that made my nose tingle, fell onto me. More precisely, she almost collapsed into my arms.

While I patted her back and responded to her disorganized subjects about how proud she was of the tidied-up cleaning and how sorry she was for drinking, my eyes were continually directed towards the woman who had assisted Helena to the door.

“…….”

She wore a bitter smile, as if it was hard for her to react.

With large round glasses framing her neatly tied brown hair, she gave an incredibly pastoral and peaceful impression, especially for someone living in this city.

“Ahsa…! Say hello! This is my police colleague and engineer in the same team, Anne…!”

“…Nice to meet you. I’m Anne Grisha….”