Chapter 49

While rummaging through the piled-up items, Joanie ultimately gave up on organizing them.

Stretching her back, Joanie asked Aeron, “What about Canaria?”

For the past few days, every time Joanie logged into Silia Online, Canaria’s face greeted her.

Of course, due to the hood, her face wasn’t visible, and it wasn’t like Canaria was genuinely welcoming her.

Regardless, this made Joanie feel strangely awkward about being alone that morning.

By the number of days, she had spent more time alone, but somehow this felt different.

“She’s probably still sleeping. She tends to sleep a lot,” Aeron replied.

“Really?”

Joanie squeaked at his response.

“You say Canaria sleeps a lot? I’ve never seen her sleep!”

“Didn’t I mention she was ranked in the higher-ups? It’s probably because she couldn’t relax in that environment.”

“Ah…”

Was that so?

Joanie thought that Aeron must know Canaria much better since he had spent significantly more time with her. Unless he was lying, his words seemed credible.

Moreover, the lack of any visible signs of Canaria only increased that trust.

Aeron, glancing at the clock, said, “We should wake her up soon. Do you want to join us?”

“Is that okay?”

“…? Aren’t we having breakfast together? Or do you have other plans…?”

“No! I’d love to join! Please let me eat with you!”

“…”

Aeron, puzzled by Joanie’s overly enthusiastic response, began walking ahead.

Soon, he stopped in front of an ornate door and lightly knocked.

Knock knock.

“Canaria.”

“…”

“…”

After waiting for a moment without a response, he knocked again.

Knock knock.

But still, there was no answer.

“It seems she’s really still asleep.”

“…Could she have already woken up and left?”

“Do you think she looks like the type to do that?”

“Hmm…”

Joanie pondered for a moment but quickly shook her head.

“That’s not likely.”

Aeron grasped the doorknob.

“Do you think it’s really okay to just go in? What if she gets mad that we barged in?”

“She’s Canaria; she probably already knows we’re here.”

Creeeak.

“She’s just pretending to be asleep.”

Dismissively brushing aside Joanie’s concerns, Aeron opened the door.

The room Joanie received from Aeron the previous night was quite luxurious.

Even though Joanie wasn’t a frequent guest at high-end hotels, she couldn’t help but be impressed by the room.

However, Canaria’s room was even more opulent than the one Joanie had stayed in the night before.

The sheer size was far greater, and the furnishings and décor were nothing short of spectacular.

Joanie’s eyes sparkled as she took in the scene, reminiscent of a royal chamber one might read about in history books, converted into a hotel room.

“Canaria, wake up.”

Ignoring her surroundings, Aeron approached the bed and softly called out to the lump under the covers.

Joanie halted her exploration and hurried to Aeron’s side.

“Hmm…”

‘…Ack!’

At the edge of the fluffy blanket, a small head peeked out.

Every time Kana let out a gentle breath, the raised blanket would rise and fall along with it.

Seeing Kana sleep peacefully with her round face, Joanie couldn’t help but stifle a gasp.

She had been adorable while snuggling against Aeron’s arm, but curled up like a little animal made her irresistible.

‘This has to be captured…!’

Before taking a screenshot, Joanie quickly switched the broadcast screen to standby.

—?? What’s going on???

—Mom, it’s too dark here…

—Hey, the lights are out!

—I wanna see too!

“Hmph. I’ll cover the screen for a moment to protect Kana’s privacy.”

There’s a saying that the most despicable act is giving and then taking back.

Knowing how petty and unpleasant that feels, people usually don’t consider snatching back something they’ve given, no matter how precious it is.

Just like a couple who has grown apart might want to end things, unless they genuinely want to sever the relationship.

That was precisely the feeling the viewers watching the broadcast experienced.

The darkness cast over the viewers’ eyes, who had been smiling warmly at Kana’s cuteness while sharing Joanie’s view.

In the moment of abrupt change, an intense reaction burst forth in the chat.

Of course, Joanie’s decision to cover the screen was not truly for the beautiful reason of protecting Kana’s privacy.

That was merely a pretty excuse to justify her actions; the real reason was to prevent exposing her disgraceful behavior.

—Stop with the nonsense and turn the screen back on while you can^^

—Teacher, my cat at home is very sick…

—????????????????????????????????????

—I’m getting annoyed

—What a kind person taking care of virtual character rights…

—What?! What’s going on?!

—WTF?!?!?!?!

No one was naive enough to take Joanie’s words at face value.

Ignoring the chaotic chat, Joanie continued to fulfill her desires until, peeking through half-closed pink eyelids, she finally paused to check her overflowing screenshot folder.

With a satisfied smile on her face, she turned the screen back on.

“Wake up now. It’s time for breakfast.”

Aeron spoke in a voice that was completely different from how he spoke to Joanie—a soft tone, akin to addressing a child.

—Oh my;;

—I’m a guy, but I think I understand why girls are charmed by voices like thatㅇㅇ;

—????????????????????

Like he was talking to a child…

No, in a genuinely affectionate tone directed at a child, the chat momentarily buzzed with excitement.

As Kana looked up at him with sleepy eyes, they slowly closed again.

“Hmm… I don’t want to eat.”

“Gasp… so cute…”

Joanie clutched her heart at Kana’s adorable protest, reminiscent of a child.

“You have to eat breakfast to grow taller.”

“…I told you not to talk about my height.”

Kana’s eyes opened again, glaring at Aeron in dissatisfaction.

“I’ll make you your favorite meat dish, so hurry up and wake up.”

“Okay…”

Unable to withstand the persistent coaxing, Kana finally propped herself up groggily. seaʀᴄh thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

As if trying to shake off the sleepiness, she blinked repeatedly while sitting on the edge of the bed.

Every time her eyes began to droop, her little head would nod towards the floor and then return.

“Kana, good morning! Did you sleep well?”

“…Yeah. Good morning.”

‘Kana…’

She really loves her sleep…

Joanie was momentarily surprised by Kana’s morning greeting, which she had never heard before, but soon broke into a warm smile.

***

Toot-

I poked the unholy something on my plate with a fork.

“Stop playing with your food.”

“…It’s meat, right?”

“Isn’t it meat?”

Aeron said calmly as he munched on some green greenery.

And the same greenery he was eating was also piled on my plate.

“Meat cooked with vegetables is not meat dish.”

How could he not know such an important thing?

Garnish on a steak is fine.

You can just push it aside and eat.

But if it’s completely mixed in so you can’t push it aside and eat, then it can’t be called a meat dish.

“Isn’t it time to stop being picky about food?”

I scoffed.

“What does age have to do with not eating what you dislike?”

“…It’s a point of pride.”

“Yet, you still think of me as a kid.”

If he was going to say such things, he shouldn’t treat me like a child.

“No matter how old you are, children always look like kids to their parents. I’m not your parent, but I’ve seen you since you were young, so I think it’s fair to say I’ve earned that right.”

“I’ve been like this since I was very young, so it’s unchangeable.”

“Not a word of justification?”

“I grew up in an environment where I couldn’t.”

“…!”

Neither I nor Aeron seemed to care much, but Joanie looked at me with a horrified expression.

I hadn’t said anything wrong or inappropriate, so why was she acting like that?

After rummaging through my plate, I finally succeeded in filtering out all the greenery and resumed my meal.

“How long do you plan to stay in Liberi?”

“I don’t know. Maybe about 2 to 3 days?”

“Hmm. It probably won’t happen, but if you ever run out of money or need anything, just let me know. I’ll help you however I can.”

“…Who are you?”

Aeron, who usually pinched every penny, was saying this?

I pointed my fork at him with a wary expression, and Aeron looked at me as if I were pathetic.

“Wasn’t that because it was the Knight Order’s budget at the time? If you waste it and run out of budget, you’d have to go to the Treasury and plead, and I don’t think you’d do that well.”

“….”

I quietly picked up the meat and ate.

I couldn’t deny his words since I had committed the sin of spending.

‘Give me money.’

‘No, do you think money just comes out when you say it? Do you think I can just throw a fit and get it? I don’t have any! I don’t have any!’

‘But…’

‘Ah, I told you I don’t have it! Look, there’s nothing, right?!’

‘Here it is. Money that useless leeches consume without doing anything.’

‘…Are you out of your mind?! I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, so please leave me alone for today!’

I could still vividly recall the treasurer’s voice as he shouted in panic.

He was a bit uptight but wasn’t a bad guy. I guess he must’ve met his end that day.

“It’s not that you’re stingy; it’s that you’re reckless.”

Aeron stood up, still giving me that pathetic look.

His plate was completely empty, without a trace of greenery.

“Anyway, now that I’ve said what I needed to say, I’ll be going.”

“Where are you going?”

“Where else? I have to work. Unlike you, I’m not unemployed.”

How nice it must be to be a rich NEET. You really don’t know anything.

Though I couldn’t sit in the main seat, Aeron had worked in the Crimson Aegis far longer than I had, so he should have plenty of money. It seemed he couldn’t even imagine a life without work.

After the pitiful and unfortunate Aeron left the meal, Joanie came over to me, rummaging through the greens to see if any meat was left.

“Kana, Kana. What are you going to do today?”

“I’m going to sleep.”

This bed is really nice.

The bed is soft, and the blanket is smooth…

If I could, I would love to lie here for hours, but I was unable to do so because Aeron woke me up, so I was thinking of fulfilling the dreams I couldn’t have.

“Eh…”

Joanie looked disappointed at my answer.

“Aren’t you going outside?”

“…Why should I?”

I didn’t have anything to do.

“If you stay in the room, it’ll be boring.”

“If I sleep, it won’t be boring.”

“Come on, let’s go have fun~ Okay?”

“…Get away from me.”

I frowned as I pushed away the annoying Joanie, who kept clinging to me.

It felt like if I stayed still, spines would grow all over my body; she just couldn’t sit still.

“I’ll buy you something delicious. That’s right, the chocolate you like! There’s a place that sells super delicious chocolate. Let’s go there. What do you think?”

“Fine, just stay away from me.”

If I ignored her, she would probably chase me all the way to my room, whining, so I finally waved the white flag.

…Well, I might be here for two more days, so one day of compromise should be okay.

Just for today, I’ll indulge her, and I’ll lock myself in my room for the remaining days.

It’s just a retreat for my plans, not that I was enchanted by the chocolate Joanie mentioned.

“If it’s not good…”

Stab!

I stabbed the fork hard into the greens.

“Ugh, okay…!”

Joanie nodded with cold sweat dripping down her face.

It seemed my intentions were conveyed properly.

Nodding in satisfaction, I brought the fork to my mouth.

“…Yuck.”

…As expected, this tastes terrible.

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