Mrs. Blier’s words that everyone was worried about me did not seem to be something she had just said. As soon as I finished the pumpkin soup, Amber came with hot tea, and then the two children who heard that I had woken up came barging in. Luna was crying and clinging to my legs as I sat.
“Teacher Albi! Luna, I was worried about you so much! I wonder what will happen if I die. Sobbing.”
“Oh my, why are you dying? With Luna being so cute.”
“But you didn’t open your eyes. I thought you were going to heaven.”
These two children came here because they lost their parents. Luna probably didn’t mean to say that, but her heart sank as she looked at the little girl shedding tears as she said that. I picked Luna up and sat her on my lap. Then, when I extended my hand towards Shine, the blond-haired boy looked at his younger brother being held for a long time, then hesitantly took a few steps closer. I thought it was cute that she stopped in a place that was barely out of reach, so I pulled Shine with all my strength and held her in her arms. Shine must have been worried about me for a while, and even though her face turned red as she was held in my arms, she glanced at my complexion.
“Has it happened now?”
“Are you planning on calling me lazy?”
“I know.”
“I’m sorry for causing you worry, huh?”
“I wasn’t worried or anything.”
“Because it won’t hurt anymore. Okay?”
“…okay. Do not hurt.”
Upon more reflection, how and why did Shine and Luna’s parents pass away? After some time has passed, I will have the opportunity to inquire. I held Shine and Luna for a long time, but they were held calmly. I gave each of them a head rub and let them go because I felt they were both adorable and different.
I’m sorry, teacher. You two can do anything you want tomorrow. So now go and get some rest.
“Really?”
“Really?”
It’s a little ominous to see someone loving it so much.
‘Are there any great games to play in this house?’
“…sure. What do you want to do?”
“Hide and seek!”
“Hide and seek!”
When I heard the two very cute children shouting together, I felt like something was wrong. In that brief moment, why did the ghost story I heard at the tea party pass through my head?
‘There is a ghost story that there is a chained body in the basement.’
‘Oh my, I’ve heard that too. You hear the sound of chains every night?’
‘Wow, I’m scared!’
‘A cursed corpse is sleeping?’
I stiffened my face.
The structure that appears on the cover of a horror game is this ancient mansion. So what can be said, even if the ghost story is true? But with so many other activities along Learmond Street, why even play hide-and-seek?
It ought not to be feasible. Existed another game that might serve as inspiration for a horror game?
“Then see you tomorrow!”
“See you tomorrow, Teacher Albi!”
But whether I was pale or not, the two children were so excited to play hide and seek that they ran out. The children who excitedly waved at me quickly grabbed the nanny’s hand and disappeared outside the door.
“…that is.”
…It’s not.
“Sounds like fun.”
At that moment, the voice of Luke, who was reading the newspaper, was heard from behind. When I turned around, he had already folded the newspaper and was leaning back in his chair, looking at me.
“…yes?”
“Hide and seek. I thought it would be fun.”
“…Ah, ahaha.”
“I’ll be staying close to Miss Green for a while, so it would be nice to hang out with her too.”
…You mean hide and seek?
‘In this weather, in this mansion… Even if it wasn’t, it would be scary, but add a killer and tell them to play hide and seek…?’
I looked at the two hearts at the top of the status window.
‘Does the death condition in this game include a heart attack?’
If that’s the case, I thought I could die while playing hide and seek.
“…Luke, you must be very busy, so it’s okay if you don’t take care of me that much.”
“That’s right, but…”
Luke glanced toward the closed door, put down the newspaper, and stood up. Then he came right next to the chair I was sitting in and sat down again. I was momentarily nervous at the narrow distance and glanced at him, and all I could see was the graceful lines of his profile showing off in the sunlight shining through the window. The sunlight falling on his face made his clearly-lined face look even more beautiful, and the sunlight breaking on his pure white skin made his flawless skin stand out even more. Moreover, his silver eyes… As soon as I noticed Luke looking at me with amusement, I realized that I was also observing his beauty as if I was indulging, so I quickly looked away.
‘…That guy’s proud face.’
I was being authentically me. Did it really matter whether the visage of a murderer like that resembled that of the David statue or not? What should I do if I find myself obsessing over such little details? I spoke as directly as I could.
“What are you trying to say?”
Luke said softly as he clasped his hands on my knees.
“I have something to ask in advance when there are no guests.”
“What is it?”
“Please tell me everything that happened that day when you visited the Metropolitan Police Department.”
“Why is that?”
He hesitated to answer, moving his clasped hands as if he was in trouble. Then, wondering if he was talking about me, he muttered in a very low voice that only I could hear.
“I think I need to know how on earth you came to attract his attention.”
“…yes?”
“I’m not the type of person who doesn’t even send a notice…”
‘Target? Notice? Why is that coming out of your mouth and not someone else’s?’
Surely what he’s talking about wasn’t the murder warning I was thinking of? As I glared at him, Luke thought for a moment and shook his head.
“No, not that day, but the day before. Why did you go to Hunt Street?”
He didn’t mean to ask me that. Because he was there too. But I was at a loss for an answer right away.
“A little… I have some business to run.”
“Which?”
You can’t say to someone who persistently asks, ‘I couldn’t just sit at home thinking about what you would do.’ I tried to think of all kinds of strange excuses, but I had no choice but to say nothing.
“…I went to reminisce.”
“Reminisce…?”
“…Well, you don’t need to know much. It’s personal.”
Luke sighed softly.
“Then who did you meet the day you went to the police station?”
“…Well, the coachman and the inspector.”
“Is that all?”
There was one more person… Mr. Lambiel. I briefly imagined his face smiling at me and asking if it would be okay if he asked me out on a date, but I shook my head inwardly. It would be strange to inform the killer of a potential victim’s whereabouts.
‘Come to think of it, an umbrella!’
Instead of returning it, I lost it.
‘…Next time I have a chance to go out to buy something, I’ll have to buy something similar.’
While I was thinking about that, the Lakers tilted their heads towards me. I was so close that I thought our foreheads might be touching, so I pulled back in shock, but he looked so deeply into my eyes that his own shadow was visible and spoke in a whisper.
“There’s more, the person I met.”
Hike.
“…Well, that’s good. There is nothing wrong with being cautious of your surroundings like that. I’ll just listen to this part today, but next time you should listen to the whole thing. For each other’s safety.”
‘What does safety have to do with asking about my whereabouts?’
However, it is not good for me to be faced with bright eyes right in front of my eyes that seem to read my insides, and that have the most beautiful colors from gray to silver in their dense irises.
“…Okay.”
I stood up from my seat, not sure what to do, and left my haphazard response behind. They just let me go because Luke didn’t appear to think we would talk much longer. I must have really meant it when I said that Luke would be at my side. I felt uneasy, so I begged him rather firmly to keep away, but instead of doing so, he circled about me, offering me very little privacy. He even came by to watch the doctor when I was being treated.
‘Rather than having a crush on me, he seems like the owner of a fish farm raising sunfish that will soon die.’
After hearing from the doctor that I was completely healed and that I could move freely without overexerting myself, Luke stopped coming into my room. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched because I often encountered them not only in the restaurant where I ate three meals a day, but also in the playroom where I played with my children, or in the garden where I occasionally went for a walk.
‘For each other’s safety.’
The words he left rang around in my head… He said he would protect me, but that couldn’t be possible.
‘…What on earth was it about me that caught his interest?’
After giving assignments to the children, I sat down by the window and opened the status window to view the likeability page.
[Lambiel McRae Lv.2
Luke Rearmond Lv3
Luna Lv.1
Blanthe Victoria Arena Lv.1
Blier White Lv.2
Shine Lv.2
Amber Lemon Lv.1
Triver Ruak Lv.1]
It could be seen that the popularity of the Lakers had risen so much that many events were being held at once. At first, I thought they were just watching me closely because I wasn’t feeling well and were afraid I would collapse again. I also thought I was a little grateful. But as time went by, I didn’t know why he was doing this.
‘Maybe he’s not doing this because he’s worried about me. Maybe he’s suspicious of me.’
It makes more sense to think of it this way. Feeling a sudden chill, I quickly closed the window and wrapped myself in a blanket.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on October, 10.
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