AEPOB 23

Chapter 23

By the time the sound of brushing filled the room, Kiki’s tangled hair had transformed into smooth, silky locks.

All that was left was to sweep the neatly brushed hair back and tie it with a black hair tie.

I came around to the front for a final check.

Good, this should be fine.

“Kiki, it’s all done.”

Only then did Kiki open his eyes, which he had been keeping tightly shut. Having had his eyes closed for a while, he rolled his beautiful violet eyes around, adjusting his focus.

Unlike before, when his eyes had seemed empty, they now glistened with a glossy sheen.

Kiki fidgeted with his tied-up hair, looking a bit awkward. Then he hesitated and asked.

“……Doesn’t it look strange?”

“What are you talking about! I actually wish you’d show your whole face.”

“Do you like this look?”

Kiki tilted his head. His tone was somewhat dubious, as if he couldn’t believe it.

They say that no matter how handsome someone is, the person themselves is never satisfied.

Surely he wasn’t dissatisfied, was he?

Handsome men are always welcomed everywhere!

I spoke in a sincere voice.

“I ab-so-lute-ly love it! Especially your eyes—they’re so pretty it’s a shame to hide them. Have some confidence!”

Then I smiled brightly, hoping to give Kiki some courage.

But Kiki still wore an expression of incomprehension.

After a moment of hesitation, he asked.

His body seemed somewhat tense, as if he were nervous.

“Um…… Abella, what color do my eyes look to you?”

“Purple. A deep purple. Why?”

In that instant, Kiki’s body trembled slightly.

Had I misidentified the color?

‘Why is Kiki acting like this?’

Despite my concern, Kiki soon smiled brightly and shook his head.

“……No. It’s not a common color. That’s why I asked.”

“That’s exactly what makes it even more mysterious and pretty!”

When I strongly insisted once again that they were pretty, Kiki scratched the back of his neck.

His cheeks were visibly flushed, so he seemed quite embarrassed.

Kiki’s stiff expression finally softened.

“Thank you.”

Ah, this is a problem.

At this rate, I felt like I might become genuinely invested in taking care of him. And that would be dangerous, even so.

*Ding―*

—

[Mission Update!]

As the target’s trust in the possessor has increased, achievement has risen by 5%.

―’True Friend’ mission achievement: 65%

—

At this, trust increased by this much all of a sudden?

I was startled and looked at Kiki.

By then, Kiki was smiling brightly, as if all the muscles in his face had completely relaxed.

‘Ah, what am I going to do with this kid.’

For some reason, I could see a harmless country puppy wagging its tail and smiling beside him.

It felt like I might end up taking on the position of the gentle, nurturing older figure.

Truly a concern.

Yet, without even realizing it, I was already offering Kiki all sorts of things that children would like.

“I have a picture book in my room—do you want to read it together? Or do you want some meringue cookies?”

The next morning.

While my father went to the herb field for a while to finish the work he couldn’t complete at dawn, I sat at the counter table on the first floor, watching over the house.

The only difference from before was Kiki, who was now following me around everywhere.

Even at mealtimes, I used to sit next to my father, but somehow I had ended up sitting side by side with Kiki.

It was the same now.

I popped a cookie into Kiki’s mouth and asked.

“Kiki, your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Wouldn’t it be better for you to rest?”

“I hate being alone more……”

Trailing off, Kiki looked at me.

His expression was as calm as ever, but maybe it was just my imagination—his round eyes seemed to have a hint of moisture in them.

It was as if he was reproachfully asking whether I was going to leave him alone.

Ha, when he looks at me with those eyes, I can’t possibly send him back to his room. What if I end up making him cry?

I had no choice but to change my attitude.

“Alright. But if you get tired, you go inside first.”

Only then did Kiki nod slightly and show his usual soft smile.

That was when it happened.

*Creak. Creak.*

The door began to shake violently, as if hit head-on by a strong wind.

It didn’t seem like a natural phenomenon—I could hear someone coughing from behind the door.

Could it actually be a thief this time?

I grabbed Kiki’s hand and pulled him along. I hid him in the space under the table.

He should be safe here.

I couldn’t push the child who had just gotten up after collapsing any further.

“Kiki, I’ll go peek through the window to check the situation, so wait here for a moment.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Kiki stood up, saying he would help too, but I shook my head.

“You can’t overexert yourself right now. I’m just going to take a quick look, so it won’t be dangerous. Just wait right here for me. Okay?”

“……But you’re not allowed to do anything dangerous.”

I nodded slightly and stood up, quickly scanning my surroundings.

I was looking for something I could use as a weapon.

Just then, the long rod used to brace the door caught my eye.

‘Right, that should work.’

I gripped the long rod firmly and approached the window.

I was so tense that I could clearly hear the sound of me swallowing my saliva.

Carefully, I lifted the curtain with the rod.

Looking outside, I saw that the path from the fence to our house was in disarray.

A pair of footprints and drag marks.

My father would never leave such traces. A sense of danger struck me, and I was about to flee with Kiki through the back door.

*Creak. Creak.*

*BANG.*

The violently shaking door finally swung open.

I didn’t even get a chance to swing the bat—I just screamed at the sight that unfolded before me.

“KYAAAA―!”

I was on the verge of fainting from shock.

Good heavens, as soon as the door opened, a person covered in blood collapsed with a thud!

How could I not scream after seeing that!

The large-built man lay sprawled out like a corpse, yet he was still twitching and moving.

He looked just like a ‘zombie’—a staple of horror movies.

No. Th-this is…… too sudden a genre shift!

I let out a sigh, but then immediately remembered that zombies were sensitive to sound and quickly covered my mouth.

“Haa…… Hup!”

I couldn’t calm my startled heart.

Just moments ago, the atmosphere surrounding me was pure healing.

And now, out of nowhere, horror had descended upon me! I can handle anything but horror—I absolutely hate it!

‘Calm down, I need to calm down.’

Rubbing my pounding heart, I tried to stay composed.

I had to get out of here somehow.

I looked around to plan an escape route. Just then, a black crown of hair bulging up above the table caught my eye.

As soon as Kiki met my eyes, he asked if I was okay. Startled by my scream, his eyes had gone wide.

“Abella, are you okay?”

I told him to stay quietly under the table, but when did he start poking his head out?

I felt like my stomach would burst at the sight of him inviting danger, but I couldn’t bring myself to get angry at his worried voice.

I nodded quickly.

I quickly pressed my index finger to my lips and signaled with my eyes for him to go back down.

Fortunately, Kiki immediately followed my instructions and disappeared under the table.

Once the surroundings were clear, my mind finally started working quickly again.

And just as I finally deduced the optimal escape route from this situation, I heard my father’s voice from the zombie.

“Bell! It’s Daddy, Daddy.”

Huh, Dad?

I quickly turned my head. I was still holding the long rod in both hands.

Looking closely, my father’s pale blond hair, which I hadn’t noticed before, was gradually emerging from under the man I had mistaken for a zombie.

Only then did I let out a sigh of relief and lower the rod in my hands.

“Dad, who is this person……?”

As I ran to my father, a wave of heat touched my skin. I could also feel his rough, ragged breathing.

It was the vitality of a living person—something I would never feel from a zombie.

I grabbed my father’s hand as he struggled to free himself from under the large man.

Oh dear, he won’t budge at all.

“Kiki, give me a hand.”

Only after Kiki joined in did my father finally manage to escape from beneath the large man.

“Bell, let’s go to the living room first. I think we need to lay this man down.”

At that, I dashed to the living room and started clearing away the scattered piles of today’s herbs.

Kiki, who had come to my side without me noticing, also joined in, and soon a space was cleared. We brought over the thick cloth used for guests to lie on and spread it out to finish the preparations.

“Dad, it’s ready!”

Soon, my father gently laid the man down.

Around the man’s waist was a long gash extending up to his chest, and numerous other stab-like wounds covered his body.

The man’s condition was so critical that I wondered if he could be saved.