Chapter 7: Signs of a Confession

Faced with the sudden gift, Zhong Yan was clearly caught off guard.

Ellen Joe—the game's first S-rank limited character, a Shark Thiren who's also a maid at Victoria Housekeeping Co. whose job responsibilities include both security management and gardening maintenance.

At first glance, she came off as a distant, condescending type—one who didn't speak kindly unless she had to. But in truth, her combat ability was top-tier within the entire agency.

Based on the current progression of the story, Ellen might well be the strongest among the Victoria housekeepers. If she weren't so committed to her daily "energy-saving" lifestyle, her work efficiency would probably be even more outrageous.

Like Zhong Yan, Ellen also lived with a double identity. Being a maid from Victoria Housekeeping Co. was her secret job—ordinarily, she was just a fairly normal high school girl. One who occasionally moped about her lack of friends.

As someone who knew the game plot beforehand, Zhong Yan had of course made contact with her early on. The two got along reasonably well in class, even hanging out now and then for meals or movies.

As for the three female classmates who were supposed to become her best friends in the game? Perhaps due to Zhong Yan's early intervention, they'd never even connected in this timeline.

In-game, Ellen had a serious sweet tooth. No matter the occasion—even during missions—she could often be seen with a lollipop in her mouth.

She'd offered Zhong Yan food before. But this time... there didn't seem to be any reason for such generosity.

"Ellen, do you remember what hotpot base we had last time?" Zhong Yan asked with unusual seriousness.

Ellen tilted her head slightly and thought for a moment before replying, "Double-flavored hotpot. Someone said they could handle spicy food and ended up drinking so much water they nearly burst."

Her answer was precise. Though Zhong Yan's question seemed strange, she clearly understood what he was getting at. When she saw he hadn't yet accepted the lollipop, she clarified, "It's compensation. For standing you up."

"Standing me up?" Zhong Yan blinked and quickly sifted through his memories.

Then he remembered.

A week ago, they had agreed to try out a new all-you-can-eat buffet in another district. But Ellen had received a sudden assignment from Victoria Housekeeping Co. and was forced to cancel.

Zhong Yan hadn't thought much of it at the time, assuming it was just a small thing. Who'd have thought she'd taken it so seriously?

So, her recent distracted demeanor over the past week—was it all because she'd been debating whether to apologize?

"You're making me feel a little guilty now." Zhong Yan let out a soft laugh, finally reaching out to accept the lollipop. But his gaze couldn't help but drift toward the tail still swaying across his desk.

Then, with his most dastardly right hand, he slowly reached out toward that hypnotically moving tail. "Since you're apologizing... let me touch your tail."

In the next second, he lunged forward in a sudden pounce. Just as his fingers were about to reach their goal, Ellen's tail snapped back with blinding speed.

Zhong Yan missed completely, nearly flipping the entire desk from the momentum.

Above him came Ellen's cold voice: "I told you—stop eyeing my tail in public."

As expected of Victoria's battle maid—her reflexes were a league above.

Dusting himself off and righting the desk, Zhong Yan managed to recover just in time as the teacher walked in.

Both of them ceased conversation, and time slipped away amidst the dull grind of class lectures.

...

That afternoon, the school bell rang right on time. Zhong Yan wasted no time, grabbing his bag and bolting out the door. By the time Ellen looked up from packing her things, he had already vanished.

She rolled her eyes. "That guy... always overflowing with energy."

Elsewhere, Zhong Yan dashed toward the nearest subway station. In New Eridu's post-school rush hour, even the slightest hesitation meant missing out on the roomiest train.

The city's traffic systems were almost entirely underground, relying on the metro. With most livable land repurposed for housing, only the ultra-pricey central districts offered anything close to traditional transportation.

That was exactly why Zhong Yan dreamed of owning a home in the city center—where even beggars could become billionaires if they managed to afford a single square meter.

But he wasn't headed home.

His destination was a district near his apartment, where he had arranged to meet someone.

The rooftop of a residential building offered an unobstructed view. And when Zhong Yan arrived, he saw she had already been waiting.

White short hair. That black-and-green combat suit she never seemed to take off. The portable power box on her back used to charge electric-type weapons. And between her skirt and thigh-high socks—a perfect absolute territory.

It was Anby, of Cunning Rabbit House—the very one he'd worked with the previous night.

"You're so slow. I almost fell asleep," Anby muttered as she bit into a burger. The wrappers strewn around her suggested she had already eaten several while waiting.

"Not my fault," Zhong Yan replied. "New Eridu's subways are ridiculously slow. I really gave it my all." He casually slung his bag against the wall and plopped down beside her, reaching toward the burger bag.

His familiarity with the motion said it all—not his first time doing this.

"The message you sent me last night—I only saw it this morning. Something happen?" he asked, unwrapping a burger and taking a bite.

Anby paused, hesitating a moment before replying.

"Something happened yesterday... something that nearly got me killed in a Hollow. If Nicole hadn't found help in time... you wouldn't be seeing me right now."

Her tone held a faint trace of sorrow, hard to detect—but definitely there. Whatever she was feeling, she had clearly wrestled with it before calling him out here.

Reaching out to him at midnight—he was the first person that came to mind after surviving.

The air around them seemed to shift. Zhong Yan's breathing grew shallow, and his heart beat just a bit faster.

This... this totally feels like the prelude to a confession.