Chapter 613: Supper

When Erica first took possession, the house must have been considerably emptier; either that or she had quietly sold off a good portion of the previous owner’s heavier furnishings and replaced them with lighter pieces that suited her tastes.

What remained now was thoroughly and undeniably Erica-ified.

Flowers sat on every available surface—wide windowsills, narrow side tables, the broad newel post at the bottom of the stairs, even a small, carefully balanced vase on the shelf inside one of the garderobes (where no guest was likely to look).

She kept a huge, well-tended garden at both the front and the back of the manor, and the scent of whatever was currently in bloom moved through the open windows whenever the evening breeze shifted direction.

The only thing that kept the entire house from feeling truly luxurious, in the way Thaad’s wealthier districts preferred, was how deliberately bland it looked from the road.

There were no ostentatious banners hung from the eaves, and no family crest was carved above the main door.

You would not find displays of rare art or expensive metalwork drew the eye of anyone who might be tempted to ask questions about the owner.

It was Erica’s quiet, practical way of keeping a low profile while still living in the physical comfort she was accustomed to and not ready to abandon.

I had spent the majority of the last seven days doing what some child might do when left alone for hours inside a relative’s large and only lightly supervised house: invading privacies.

Slipping from room to room when no one was watching, opening drawers that were not locked, standing in doorways of unused spaces and simply watching the way late-afternoon light fell across empty chairs or the way dust motes turned slowly in a single shaft of sun.

I did not touch anything that looked important or personal, in case you’re suspecting me of something.

I only looked and lingered..

I never got to be a kid in my past life. The years that should have belonged to scraped knees, pointless collections, and long afternoons of curiosity without purpose had been spent on other things... things I preferred not to examine too closely.

Here, in this second life, the urge to get a few of those missing days is strong and persistent.

I wanted those small, useless, private explorations now, while I still could.

Because something was coming. A day was approaching—faster than I liked—when I would look at the people I had begun to care about and no longer see them as people. Only as pieces on a board I was no longer certain I was willing to keep playing.

It was coming, but I would not give in just like that.

I still have Sys, and I have agency.

Right, Sys?

{...More or less.}

[What do you mean more or less?! Sys, you used to be my fan many Chapters ago!]

{"Many Chapters ago" is different from now, Master. But Master is correct: He will mostly still possess his humanity if we are careful.}

"If we are careful..." huh.

I stared at the ceiling for a couple of seconds and let that one sit.

What happens if we are careLESS?

Yeah, no. Not touching that right now. Dinner already smelled too good to ruin with whatever nightmare answer Sys would probably give me.

I pushed off the wall and headed toward the stairs.

***

"Oh, hey Yuki! Sapphire, Sophia!"

I waved at the three of them coming from the other end of the hall.

All of us were clearly going the same way; downstairs, toward whatever Eric and Heka had been cooking like their lives depended on it.

"Good evening, Benjamin!" Sophia and Sapphire both lit up at the same time and ran the last few steps.

Before I could even brace myself they each grabbed one of my hands and started swinging them like I was a moving playground ride.

Ahaha—but seriously, grow up, guys.

"Eric’s dishes are so delicious," Sophia said, looking up at me with complete sincerity. "You’ll fall in love with him the moment you get a taste, I assure you. It’s not even fair how good it is."

"She’s not exaggerating, Benjamin," Sapphire added, nodding hard enough that his light hair bounced. "One bite and you’re finished. We’ve seen it happen."

Are we sure these folks are truly humans? They’re so cute and young.

"We will see about that!" I laughed and reached over to pat both of their heads.

Full-grown adults. I was standing here patting the heads of full-grown adults like they’d just brought home perfect test scores.

The ridiculous part was that neither of them pulled away or looked at me weird for it. Now I’m concerned about their upbringing.

Yuki was walking a few steps behind them, quieter as usual, hands tucked close to herself.

"How is your evening going, Benjamin?"

I stopped mid-step and turned to her with a slow grin.

"Kyah! Yuki spoke to me on her own~!" I started teasing her right away.

Her light blue eyes narrowed immediately and she looked away, a faint flush climbing up her neck.

She was wearing a silky blue gown that looked basically like high-quality pajamas: soft fabric, a little loose in the sleeves, and somehow unfairly cute on her. It matched her light blue hair and eyes so well it felt intentional.

"What is your problem?" she muttered, already picking up speed toward the stairs. "Can I not greet you normally without you making a big deal out of it?"

She didn’t wait for my answer, but went downstairs at a pace that clearly said the conversation was over.

I watched her go, still smiling.

Goodness gracious. Either she’s a full-time tsundere, or she just folds the second anyone teases her even a little. Possibly both at the same time.

Sophia tugged on my hand. "Come on, Benjamin. Food’s going to get cold if you keep standing here grinning like an idiot."

"Rude much?" I told her, but I let them pull me along.

The smell got stronger the closer we got to the dining area, as something rich and savory, with a hint of spice, made my stomach actually sit up and pay attention.

With rigorous experiment, I and Sys have made my body to be able to feel hunger!

Suppressing my demi-god self is enough to make me as human as possible, but I won’t feel hunger as that gripping urge to feast.

But with the self-destructive solution we have, when the time is right, I will feel the need to eat.

When we stepped into the hall, Aria and Maria were already seated on the far side of the long oval table.

Aria, the dwarf, was still as short and sharp-eyed as always. And always looking like she was two seconds away from saying something that would make someone choke on their drink.

Maria, her Amazon sister, was solidly built with the kind of presence that made the room feel a little smaller just by her sitting in it.

I still had no idea how those two ended up with names that sounded like they belonged in completely different novel.

"Ah, Benjamin... You are finally here." Maria lifted a hand in a casual wave.

She was leaning back in her chair with one arm draped over the backrest.

She had on a pair of plain brown shorts and some kind of loose, open-front gown that started low across her chest and split the rest of the way down, leaving her stomach and navel completely bare.

Her hair was pulled up into a neat bun that somehow made her look even more put-together. Mature and cool without putting in any visible effort.

"Ah, yes." I waved back. "I was planning on snooping around some more before Eric called. But here I am. Where’s the food? I’m starving."

At some point Sophia had decided my shoulders were better than walking and was now perched up there, also waving like we were in a parade.

Aria raised one small hand to her mouth and let out a soft "Ehehe," eyes already glittering.

"Saying ’snooping around’ like that made it sound like you were doing something perverted in the girls’ closet," she said.

She was wearing dark shorts and a very casual, very suggestive tank-top-style top that didn’t leave a whole lot to the imagination.

Short and petite, but still somehow a walking problem for anyone with functional eyes and a pulse.

I carefully lifted Sophia off my shoulders and set her in a chair, then dropped into the seat opposite the dwarf-and-Amazon pair.

Sapphire was one thing. He and his sister still seemed way too pure to even properly process dirty jokes.

The rest of these girls, though...

They were being way too casual and defenseless around Eric. They’d even been ready to jump into the mixed bath with him completely naked like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Not that I had any room to talk.

I still couldn’t wrap my head around what happened back in Verdant Spire. Almost an entire village pregnant, and I’m responsible.

What exactly am I supposed to say to my parents in the afterlife?

"Hey, sorry, it started as a one-night slip and then somehow kept going for weeks"? That conversation would go great.

I leaned back in the chair, stretched my arms once, and glanced at Aria.