I wiped the tears gathered around Extenron’s eyes.
Then nearly burned to death beneath Holloway’s stare.
“Are you jealous?”
The polite speech escaped automatically.
Holloway’s eyes went still.
“…….”
“You jealous?”
“That sounds like the tone of someone issuing a challenge.”
If only he knew how many times I’d imagined throwing a challenge directly at his face inside my head.
“This belongs to Extenron, right?”
That was probably why he knew I was here and came looking.
I handed him the necklace.
Extenron smiled brightly while taking it.
Then our eyes met.
He immediately panicked and hid behind Holloway.
Do you have no gratitude?
I almost complained.
Then I saw how red and swollen his eyes were and became solemn instead.
Maybe it had become habit—
because I naturally grabbed Holloway’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
His voice sounded slightly higher than usual.
I found that strange.
But his expression didn’t change.
I confidently opened the door in front of us.
Then immediately closed it.
Haha.
I closed it so quickly I didn’t even properly see what was there.
“There’s a vengeful spirit.”
“Yeah. There is.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Don’t ask me.”
I want to ask you.
[You must move the vengeful spirit away from the door to leave.
Choose an option and fill the gauge.]
Anything except dancing.
[1. Play tag with Holloway while moonwalking.
(ƪ(˘⌣˘)┐)]
Did I read that correctly?
That’s what it says?
[2. Play tag with Extenron while performing a fan dance.
(✺◟(◉ᓀ◉)◞✺)]
What about my human rights?
Apparently after discovering the joy of making me dance once, every option was like this now.
[3. Entertain the vengeful spirit using your body.
💪(｀ω´ 💪)]
That emoticon looks more like it wants me to punch someone.
I’ll forgive you once.
Give me new options.
Again.
The options did not change.
The world is too cruel to me.
At that moment—
Holloway’s hand appeared directly in front of my face.
It passed straight through the system window.
“……!”
Jesus!
My heart pounded from surprise.
“Why are you so shocked?”
“No reason.”
“…….”
He remained silent.
Then suddenly grabbed my hand and pressed it against empty air.
More precisely—
he pressed number 3.
Wait.
What just happened?
“……?”
“…….”
“……??”
“…….”
Unable to understand what had happened, I stared blankly at Holloway’s emotionless face.
“What did you just do? Why are you killing me?”
“How did I kill you?”
“You just killed me.”
“…….”
Ding.
[‘3. Entertain the vengeful spirit using your body. 💪(｀ω´ 💪)’ has been selected!]
You literally killed me!
How did you press number 3?
Granted, options 1 and 2 were equally absurd……
But how did you press exactly there?!
And entertain a spirit?
Are you sure it won’t kill me while I’m trying?!
I yanked my hand out of Holloway’s grip and asked viciously,
“Why did you suddenly move my hand?”
“Calm down.”
“How am I supposed to calm down?!”
“Something must have been there.”
“…….”
“Should I press it again?”
Go ahead……
It already disappeared because you selected something.
Holloway took one step away from my soulless body.
As though planning to watch what I did next.
What is this?
Did he actually know?
Then he’s a bastard.
You can clearly see how much I’m suffering and still made me choose it.
Completely rotten.
Because I had seen Holloway’s past and understood why ordinary emotions were difficult for him—
I couldn’t even comfortably curse him anymore.
Entertain it physically……
What should I imitate?
I opened the door while considering possible physical comedy.
The spirit was still firmly standing there.
It couldn’t keep itself upright properly and swayed from side to side.
―Clack. Clack-clack……
[Gauge □□□□□□□□□□]
I pretended to open the door—
then slammed my forehead into it.
BANG!
The sound was loud enough that Extenron and Holloway both flinched.
Extenron even stretched out a hand and shouted in shock.
“Uh……!”
“…….”
With my forehead turning red, I glared at both of them.
Stay there.
―…….
The swaying spirit stopped.
Then focused on me.
Did it work?
The gauge didn’t move at all.
Fine.
Slamming your head into a door is too cliché.
I left the door wide open and inhaled deeply.
Then stretched out both arms and slightly bent my knees.
Here we go!
“VROOOOOM!”
Motorcycle impression!
[Gauge ■■□□□□□□□□]
Whoa!
Two bars!
[Holloway and Extenron watch with great interest.]
This is all because of you.
“Clip-clop, clip-clop.”
Next, I imitated a horse while running one circle.
Holloway and Extenron bent at the waist.
Their shoulders trembled violently.
Is it really that funny?
I’m not doing this for your entertainment.
Holloway wiped the smile leaking from his mouth.
“Looks like I pressed the right one.”
“What?”
I’d been too focused on being a horse to hear.
When I asked, Holloway merely shrugged.
Then said irritably,
“Continue.”
“Fuck.”
“Khh—”
At my profanity, Extenron was now practically sobbing with laughter.
I’m not being fooled anymore.
You’re laughing, not crying.
[Gauge ■■■■■■■■■■]
I refuse to explain what other physical comedy I performed.
It might feel like something has been omitted.
Please let it go.
After my human rights disappeared and I entertained the spirit thoroughly—
and unfortunately entertained two demons along with it—
the gauge finally filled.
[Gauge fully charged!]
[The vengeful spirit is satisfied!]
―Funny……
“Thank you.”
I bowed and thanked my audience for watching my nonsense.
The two demons were breathing heavily because laughing had apparently become difficult.
They laughed harder than the spirit.
I’ll never forgive them.
―Gift……
“I am too overwhelmed with gratitude to know what to do.”
You aren’t going to give me something weird, are you?
I was too anxious to hold out my hand.
Holloway wrapped his hand around mine from behind.
Then held it out without my permission.
“It probably isn’t anything bad.”
It had better not be.
The spirit looked like a mud monster.
Black liquid constantly flowed from its body.
Then it shoved its hand inside its mouth.
“It isn’t anything bad?”
“Maybe I was mistaken.”
When I glared resentfully, Holloway’s mouth lifted faintly.
He kept a firm hold on my hand.
―Hrk. Glrk……. Ghhk.
Is it burping?
The spirit’s body convulsed.
Then it pulled a pouch coated in thick black fluid from its mouth.
SPLAT!
It dropped the pouch onto my palm.
Slick liquid flowed down my hand.
There aren’t eyeballs in here when I open it, right?
I narrowed my eyes and cautiously looked inside.
“…….”
Signet rings.
More noble signet rings.
I emptied the contents completely.
Two signet rings.
And one ribbon hair tie set with a ruby.
It looked expensive and carefully made.
“Ah……!”
Extenron let out a short scream and pointed at the ribbon.
Holloway placed an index finger against his lips and shook his head.
“What? Are you excluding me from some secret?”
“It’s something shared only between demons.”
“Then I have nothing to say.”
I gave up immediately.
[Remaining Footprint (3)
Feature: Someone’s precious hair ribbon. The owner of the lost ribbon can roughly sense the location of the person who picked it up. Return it to its owner and they will be extremely grateful.]
[Because the ribbon owner’s favorability toward you has not reached ‘Maybe it would be nice if Evelyn survived?’, the story cannot be unlocked.]
Hmm.
Then it belongs to one of the demons.
Suriel?
He likes pretty things.
Maybe it belongs to him.
Next I inspected the two signet rings.
One had fan-shaped petals.
The other showed two crossed swords.
The relief I had felt earlier instantly fell into an abyss.
The crests belonged to—
House Hasios, Marquis.
And House Kersian, Count.
Werner Hasios.
Alhulf Kersian.
I put my nails against my mouth and bit them.
I shouldn’t show anything.
But my anxiety increased.
What if my family’s crest appears too?
Holloway took my hand away from my mouth.
“You’re bleeding.”
“Because I was biting until I bled.”
I pulled my hand free from Holloway.
Then threw away the filthy pouch and stored the ribbon and rings in my cardigan pocket.
I expected him to scold me for pulling away.
He said nothing.
Instead, he asked calmly,
“Now we need to leave the basement again. Is there anything else you need to do?”
“……Do you know something about me?”
Otherwise he wouldn’t ask like that.
This was the same demon who used to try killing me whenever I looked even slightly suspicious.
Yet now he was strangely quiet.
He’d even confidently used my hand to press some unknown thing.
Granted—
he probably didn’t actually know what he had pressed and only did it instinctively.
But still.
How did he press exactly there?
Come to think of it—
he had interacted naturally with the thing when I saw Holloway’s past.
No ordinary person would be able to see demon memories.
So why hadn’t he questioned it?
He must have noticed something starting from then.
“What if I do know?”
I thought carefully.
Him knowing and interfering—
or continuing like now while pretending he didn’t.
“But I’m not sure knowing would actually be good for big sis.”
I didn’t need long.
“Keep your mouth shut.”
Suppressing laughter, Holloway answered,
“I will.”
I can’t relax for even a second.
I sighed and stepped into the basement corridor.
Then—
“Aaaaaagh! Please! Is anyone there?!”
A sharp scream echoed.
Extenron’s head whipped toward it faster than anyone else’s.
Understandable.
It was Sellir.
If Sellir’s memory existed in the basement just like Holloway’s and Extenron’s—
of course she’d be terrified enough to scream.
But if the demons knew that, why did she come down here?
Does this ribbon belong to Sellir?
Extenron alternated between looking at me and the corridor.
Then suddenly lifted me.
“Huh?”
“Extenron.”
Holloway called his name quietly.
Extenron ignored him and sprinted toward Sellir.
While carrying me.
“Huh? Huh?!”
I’m being kidnapped!
This bastard is taking me directly to Sellir—
the woman desperate to kill me!
“Holloway!”
He’s kidnapping me!
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