The Pouty, Stubborn Woman is Also Quite Cute

A click echoed as Alain pushed open the kitchen door. A faint light greeted him.

The glow originated from the sink at the far end of the kitchen, or rather, from the beam it cast. It danced erratically, as if someone were deliberately waving it, trying to catch Alain's attention. The beam circled, occasionally flicking across his face.

He remained silent, narrowing his eyes as he approached. As his gaze settled on the sink, the restless light suddenly dimmed. Two distinct sounds – a clunk followed by a thud – resonated, like something heavy dropping onto the metal basin.

Alain hurried to the sink. Sure enough, a flashlight lay abandoned above the water stains, its power still on. The cylindrical beam seemed to almost beckon him, a silent instruction to pick it up.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind – a virus scan of the kitchen would be prudent, but he suppressed the urge.

A soft, unsettling creak... creak from behind him sent a jolt of adrenaline through him. The sound amplified his vigilance tenfold.

He swallowed, a dry gulp echoing in the silence. After retrieving the flashlight and confirming it worked, Alain turned, sweeping the beam across a small section of the kitchen's oppressive darkness.

The kitchen itself seemed devoid of life. The unnerving sound wasn't originating from within; it was coming from beyond the kitchen door.

"The living room, then?" he muttered to himself.

He'd just searched the living room, and found nothing.

A cold sweat slicked his forehead.

Ten steps separated him from the kitchen door – a distance that could be covered in an instant. His hand reached for the door, easing it open just a crack. But before the living room came into view, a wash of crimson light preempted it.

He paused, a question mark practically forming above his head.

The crimson glow emanated from the bathroom, far brighter than his flashlight's beam, casting a bloody veil over half the living room. And within the bathroom, radiating this unsettling light, hung a human-shaped figure.

It resembled a dummy more than a person, completely swathed in what looked like a sleeping bag made of thick bedding. Only the vague outline hinted at a human form. It dangled, inexplicably, in the center of the bathroom.

"Why would anyone hang a...?" He trailed off, a sudden realization dawning. It wasn't a dummy. The entire form was subtly writhing, the chest heaving in a desperate struggle against the constricting rope around its neck.

"...I should check it out," he murmured, a reluctant sense of responsibility settling in. Leaving a living being in that state felt...wrong, and frankly, incredibly creepy.

He pushed the kitchen door open fully and started towards the bathroom.

But just as he reached the halfway point of the living room, the bathroom door clicked shut, a sound that echoed with unnerving finality.

He slowed, his gaze dropping to the sliver of crimson light seeping out from beneath the closed door.

Swish

For a fleeting, terrifying moment, the crimson seemed to thicken, to become real, flowing like blood under the door. He blinked, rubbing his eyes, dismissing it as a trick of the light and his overactive imagination.

After everything that had transpired, one fact was undeniably clear:

Mita was in the house.

And she wasn't far. Perhaps she was lurking in some unseen corner, observing his every move, judging his reactions.

I hope she doesn't see the IOU, he thought, a wave of regret washing over him for having written it.

After a moment of internal debate, Alain found himself standing before the bathroom door.

He swallowed again, a knot forming in his throat. He understood. If he wanted to break this unsettling cycle, the answer likely lay beyond this door.

He checked his security system one last time, verifying that both [Security Protection] and [Virus Scan] were operational.

Alain raised the flashlight and pushed the door open.

Click.

The door swung shut behind him, a clear demarcation between perceived safety and the unknown.

The crimson light was just as intense as before. But the hanging figure… was gone.

He stood in the center of the bathroom, utterly bewildered. What was Mita's motive for luring him in here?

He swept the flashlight around, the pure white beam briefly cutting through the red, only to be swallowed again by the pervasive crimson.

"Huh?"

It wasn't until he shone the flashlight on the mirror that he noticed something amiss.

"The mirror... it's reflecting?"

He approached, staring at his own reflection and the light emanating from his hand.

Then, in a fleeting, almost imperceptible moment, Alain caught a glimpse of… a beautiful, dark-blue silhouette, sharing the confined space with him.

Crack!

A fissure spiderwebbed across the mirror's surface, perfectly bisecting and obscuring the enchanting figure.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Three more sharp cracks followed in quick succession, as if an invisible entity were unleashing its fury on the glass. The cracks resembled a meteor impact, rendering the mirror useless for reflection.

And just as Alain blinked, three delicately written characters materialized on the edge of the shattered mirror:

[Are you afraid?]

To be honest, a little…, he thought, a shiver tracing his spine.

He might be a god in the virtual world, but he was no deity of horror. Those were entirely different realms.

But now, knowing that Mita was in the same room, a plan began to form.

He silently activated the 720 Security System, then, forcing a note of bravado into his voice, he called out, "Mita! Are you there?"

Silence.

His verbal gambit had failed. He'd have to resort to his… advantage.

[Virus Scan initiated. Estimated time: 5 seconds. Please wait.]

A mental note was made. Since he was forced to use a skill, he'd make sure to collect this "debt" from Mita... appropriately.

[Scan complete. Target marked.]

A bright green arrow materialized in his field of vision. And the arrow pointed… directly into the blind spot created by his flashlight beam.

"I see…"

The flashlight, while providing illumination, had also ironically limited his vision. His eyes, adjusted to the bright beam, had lost their ability to see in the surrounding darkness.

Mita was exploiting this, concealing herself in the shadows just beyond the light's reach. That's how she'd managed to elude him within the small confines of the bathroom.

And now, according to the [Virus Scan], Mita was right in front of him. Judging by the arrow's angle, she was likely crouching or bending low.

Understanding Mita's tactic, Alain deliberately shifted his gaze away from the flashlight's beam, letting his eyes adjust to the surrounding gloom.

"Mita, stop this… I'm getting scared," he said, his voice deliberately flat and devoid of emotion. His eyes, finally adapting to the darkness – although the light source was still somewhat distracting – began to make out shapes.

He subtly shifted, angling the flashlight away from Mita's location, bringing her more fully into his peripheral vision.

There, at the edge of his sight, he saw her. The girl's face was twisted into an eerie smile of triumph, her pink lips stretched wide, revealing two sharp fangs. Her entire expression screamed "satisfaction."

"I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please, just come out, okay?" He cupped his free hand around his mouth, projecting his voice like he was using a megaphone, feigning a helplessness he didn't feel.

_____

Hey there! I'm Wallnut-chan! 🌸 I'm translating this fanfic and restoring some +18 scenes that were cut from the original work—since explicit content isn't allowed in China. I went through everything carefully and reinserted the scenes while staying true to the story! Hope you enjoy it!

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