AEPOB 10

Chapter 10

Even reading it again, I felt my blood boil.

Before bringing up the dialogue window, it had spouted nonsense about how things couldn’t go on like this.

*’Who’s good at everything from the start?’*

It’s just that I don’t know the strategy yet.

I pursed my lips in displeasure and flipped through the open dialogue window.

—

**[Sub Mission!]**

**’True Friend Mission Guide’**

To start this sub-mission, you need to ‘set a target.’ Please enter the target in the blank below.

―Target: ▢

—

For now, there were two candidates.

But Max the leader was out because he’s a kid who bullies others.

That left only Kiki…

According to what Father told me, this is a mountain village, and the only children here are me and Kiki.

Even Max the leader, who said he’d see me in the village, actually just visits occasionally because his grandmother lives here.

So Kiki, who lives in the same village and can be seen at our house every day, was the best choice in the current situation.

Besides, given how prickly he acts, there doesn’t seem to be any chance he’ll become obsessed with me later.

The biggest obstacle, however, was that Kiki was rejecting me.

“Hmm…”

Whether to set Kiki as the target or not.

As I deliberated, a sigh escaped me. That kid is only interested in Father and has no interest in me whatsoever.

Thinking in reverse, he probably won’t leave any lingering attachment to me later, so shouldn’t I be relieved?

I tapped my toes for a moment, then stopped.

*’After all, in obsession and angst stories, safety comes first. Yeah, absolutely.’*

Now that I’d made my decision, there was no reason to hesitate.

I walked over to the desk. Then I took out the stack of paper I’d collected in the drawer and started writing down questions related to Kiki one by one.

If Kiki was on guard against me, I just needed to find out what he likes and slowly win him over step by step.

*’There’s no tree in the world that won’t fall after ten strikes.’*

Now was the time for me to get moving.

—

* * *

—

“Bell, do you really have to go? You could go with Father later…”

Anyone listening would think I was going far away.

I was just going for a walk around the neighborhood, but Father was making a big deal out of it.

As the standoff dragged on, the gaze of the grandfather waiting behind us grew increasingly intense.

Seriously, he’s staring at me like that from behind with such a reproachful look… don’t you feel that, Father?

I needed to get out quickly so Father could focus on his treatment.

I buried myself in Father’s embrace.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“You have to be careful.”

Father, who released me from his arms, pointed to the center of the map in my hand. There was a fork in the road that split into two paths.

“Bell, see this fork here? When you reach the fork, you turn back. No further than that. Okay?”

“Okay!”

He worried so much until I left the house that I had to pinky-swear with Father before I could finally step out.

This time too, I tightly clutched the village map Father had drawn and followed the path leading out of the house.

At first, I thought about asking Father about Kiki first. No one would know Kiki as well as Father.

But since Father is close to Kiki, his evaluation would inevitably be biased.

So to secure objectivity, I decided to use the walk as an excuse to wander around the village and ask people.

I reviewed the one-page questionnaire I’d diligently written yesterday, one question at a time.

Favorite things, reputation, and interpersonal relationships…

Just as I was about halfway through the questionnaire, a path leading down the hill appeared.

The fork was still far away, so I decided to go a little further.

Tap, tap.

After walking for a while, I saw three grandmothers under a large zelkova tree, working on grains they’d harvested not long ago.

Since it’s a small mountain village, everyone must know each other, right?

It wouldn’t hurt to build a good image for a while.

“Hello.”

This time too, I showed my utmost politeness with a bow that nearly doubled me over.

“Oh, Abelli.”

The grandmothers spotted me and brightened up. Then they quickly gestured for me to come over.

I approached the grandmothers and climbed onto the thick cloth they had spread out, sitting down.

The smallest of the three grandmothers asked about my health first.

“Abelli, is your body feeling better now…”

Then she noticed my hand and offered warm concern.

“Oh my, what happened to your hand…”

“I just had bad luck and tripped while walking, that’s all.”

I tried to brush it off with a joking remark, but the plump grandmother said gruffly,

“You should have been more careful. And it’s Mr. Holtz, who dotes on you so much. He must have worried himself sick again.”

“…Yes.”

At the mention of making Father worry, I deflated.

Then the grandmother with the kind face sitting behind gave the plump grandmother’s arm a light tap.

“That’s enough, you. Nagging too long isn’t good. Who likes an old nag?”

“I was about to stop anyway!”

As the two grandmothers bickered, the small grandmother asked.

“But Abelli. What brings you out alone today?”

“I’ve been cooped up at home for a while, so I was just taking a walk around the village.”

“I see. You should come out and play with us often. It’d be nice if there were kids here for you to play with, but…”

She trailed off regretfully. The plump grandmother said, as if asking what the problem was.

“But my grandson comes here often to see Abelli.”

“Oh~ you mean Max?”

So that’s why he had such a striking presence—he was from that family.

I carefully asked the plump grandmother about the assumption that came to mind.

“…Does your son run a grocery store?”

The plump grandmother looked at me as if asking why I was stating the obvious.

“Why are you asking that now? It’s not like you’ve only known Max for a year or two.”

How come the answer is exactly the same.

So the leader’s name was Max.

It seemed Bell and Max had a deeper connection than I’d expected.

“Of course I know. I just… asked to confirm.”

After barely salvaging my answer, I brought up today’s purpose as if I’d just remembered.

“Oh! Speaking of which, Grandmothers. Do you happen to know a boy named Kiki? A boy who lives in our village.”

“…Kiki?”

“Hmm. I wonder. Are there really any other children in our village besides you? I don’t recall.”

What’s with this lukewarm reaction?

I was flustered.

Father clearly said he lives in the same village… yet they don’t even know his name.

*’Is that even possible?’*

I tilted my head in confusion.

But the grandmothers looked just as flustered as I was.

They set down the work they’d been doing and started speculating among themselves about Kiki.

“Hmm… Was there a kid like that in our village?”

“How would I know?”

Since they seemed completely lost, I gave a hint about Kiki’s appearance.

“He has black hair down to his shoulders, is a little taller than me, and very thin. Oh! He wears his bangs long over his eyes. Haven’t you seen him?”

Please remember, Grandmothers. Every piece of information is precious!

I clasped my hands together and gazed at the grandmothers with earnest hope. Soon, they began narrowing down their speculation.

“Are they talking about that kid?”

“Do you know who?”

“I just thought of it when Abelli mentioned it… you know, the kid who helps Mr. Holtz gather herbs!”

I immediately responded to the word “herbs.”

“Yes! That’s him!”

Max’s grandmother spoke as if she finally understood.

“If it’s that kid, I see him sometimes. But you’d be much better off asking your father about him than us.”

At Max’s grandmother’s words, the other grandmothers nodded in agreement.

I know that better than anyone. It’s just that I need as much information as possible.

Then, a question suddenly occurred to me.

Earlier, the grandmothers had said, “The only child in our village is Abelli.”

Then what about Kiki?

I asked Max’s grandmother, who was sitting next to me.

“Grandmother, you said earlier that I’m the only child in our village. Then doesn’t Kiki live in the village?”

“That kid is…”

In an instant, the grandmothers exchanged quick glances with one another.

Could there be some hidden story behind Kiki?

I clenched my fists and waited for the grandmother to speak.