Ch.6161. Want to Come Over to My Place?

I hate this house.

Whenever I open my eyes, that gray ceiling that always greets me has a distinct crack in it. It looks so precarious, as if it might collapse at any moment. When I was young, I used to imagine dying in my sleep, crushed under the fallen debris.

The fact that I truly wished for that to happen is something I’ve never told anyone.

Chloe sat up, roughly running her fingers through her disheveled hair. A sharp headache washed over her. The room was so dark that she couldn’t tell what time it was. Morning… perhaps? She turned her frowning face to look outside the window. The world was a gloomy gray.

I hate gray.

Looking at the sky filled with dark clouds made her feel automatically deflated. The window, covered with moisture, was clouded with a murky film. The damp air seeping through the broken glass was unpleasant.

“Ah…”

Chloe held her throbbing head and sighed. Depression was an emotion she always carried with her like a daily companion, but today it was worse than usual. Perhaps it was because rain was coming. The feelings she had been suppressing began to leak out bit by bit.

The crack stretching across the ceiling, the floor with holes scattered here and there, the cobwebs that appeared anew no matter how much she cleaned—all of it was insufferable. No, she just hated this house itself. When she thought about why she had come to hate it so much, the reason was simple.

As a child, Chloe needed something to hate. Since she couldn’t hate the people she lived with, she decided to hate the space she occupied instead. As she recalled these memories, something dark began to pile up again in the depths of her heart.

“Enough.”

Chloe bit her lip and shifted her gaze. One consolation was that it wasn’t raining. That was truly fortunate.

The moment her train of thought reached that point, Chloe tilted her head with a puzzled expression. Fortunate that it wasn’t raining? Why? After blinking stupidly for a moment, she jumped up from the bed in alarm.

“The appointment!”

Her sleepiness vanished instantly. Chloe stuck her head out the window. If the weather had been clear, she could have roughly guessed the time by the position of the sun, but now the thick dark clouds made it impossible to tell anything. However, judging by the faint light peeking through, it didn’t seem to be too late.

“Phew…”

Relief washed over her as the tension eased. She had only been awake for a short while, but already felt completely drained. Chloe let out a hollow laugh, then lightly patted her cheeks. This was no time for that. She needed to get ready quickly. She immediately flung open the wardrobe.

The wardrobe was full of old, worn-out clothes. All of them were hand-me-downs that didn’t fit her properly. Parts that had worn away from long use had been patched up with pieces of fabric. Chloe examined each garment very seriously.

What should I wear?

She hadn’t deliberated this much even when entering a dungeon. After about ten minutes of contemplation, Chloe picked out the most colorful and pretty dress she owned. It was the only piece she hadn’t inherited but had bought herself after saving up money. She had barely worn it because it felt too precious, but today was a day to dress up as much as possible.

She tightened her corset, braided her hair up with ribbons, and washed her face thoroughly. Worried about eye discharge, she washed her face three times in a row. Even after that, she still lacked confidence and hesitated before stepping out the front door.

Dong─!

Just then, the sound of bells rang out from the center of the city. It was the chime announcing eleven o’clock. We agreed to meet at noon! Chloe gasped and was about to run quickly, but then stopped. She couldn’t let her carefully arranged hair and clothes get disheveled.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m busy!”

Someone called out to her from behind, but Chloe snapped back with a curt voice and moved her legs. Though the sunlight was hidden behind dark clouds, the stifling heat remained, causing sweat to pour down her body. This is why she hated summer. The mixture of humidity and sweat created an unpleasant feeling.

Chloe narrowed her brows as she peeled away the hair sticking to her cheek. Her mood sank like the gloomy weather. This won’t do. I’m about to meet Rex. She repeated this thought to herself. She couldn’t show Rex this dejected appearance.

‘Just like I’ve always done. Smile. You can do it.’

The Chloe that others saw was bright, innocent, and cheerful. Acting—no, that wasn’t right. Even Chloe herself genuinely enjoyed life when she was outside. The smiles she showed her party were real, her desire to conquer dungeons was real, her wish to earn money was real. It was only when she returned home and faced her sewer-like reality that she felt disgusted and resigned.

In her mind, negative thoughts that couldn’t be expressed in words swirled around. People didn’t know about that. If they found out, how would they react? They would be disappointed. Afraid of that fact, Chloe always smiled.

Today, that smile wouldn’t come easily. Even when she tried to force the corners of her mouth up, her expression kept darkening. She felt strangely bad. It’s all because of these dark clouds. She didn’t have the confidence to see Rex in this state. Chloe moved her steps slowly.

In truth, there were many things Chloe disliked. Too many to count on her fingers. It would take more than a day to explain them all.

Still, she didn’t dislike Rex.

“You came.”

When she saw Rex standing awkwardly in the middle of the square, Chloe realized that all the worries she’d had on the way were completely useless. Without needing to fake a smile, a bright one naturally emerged as soon as she saw Rex.

“Did you wait long?”

Chloe approached Rex with a broad smile. Startled by the suddenly reduced distance, Rex flinched for a moment before speaking.

“No. I just got here too.”

“That’s good.”

Rex’s blue eyes darted back and forth. Somehow it seemed like he couldn’t meet her gaze, so Chloe tilted her head curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just, you seem a bit different from usual.”

Rex awkwardly scratched his cheek and avoided her gaze. Chloe wore a puzzled expression, then realized that Rex had been looking her up and down. The corset that curved around her waist and the dress that wrapped her chest. Could it be? Chloe poked Rex’s side with a mischievous face.

“W-what is it?”

“How do I look?”

Rex’s mouth fell open at the sudden question. Though she tried to act nonchalant, Chloe had asked with some courage. Her body grew hot with embarrassment, and her face turned bright red.

“…I think you look pretty.”

Rex answered in a stiff voice, looking at the distant sky. Chloe covered her burning cheeks and bowed her head deeply. Though it was the response she had hoped for, somehow she couldn’t brazenly show her happiness.

After a strange silence, Rex chuckled.

“Let’s go get something to eat.”

“S-sure.”

Chloe mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers for no reason. Then she slowly followed behind Rex. When she quietly raised her head and blankly stared at Rex’s back, an innocent smile emerged once again.

Indeed, she didn’t dislike Rex. Only in moments with Rex could she be liberated from the suffocating pressure she felt at home. Even under thick dark clouds, under the dim gray sky, she could smile.

She liked that.

***

‘Is this…’

Rex glanced sideways at Chloe while sipping water. Chloe cut a large piece of steak on her plate and put it in her mouth at once. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and the corners of her mouth spread into a happy smile.

‘A date?’

A man and woman meeting alone, walking together, having a meal, and conversing. Isn’t that enough to call it a date? He recalled Berger teasing him with a mischievous tone. At the time, he had denied it, but honestly, looking at the situation itself, this was indeed a date.

Back in his hometown, he had never spent time with girls his age. His father was a hunter, and their house was in a remote corner far from the village, close to the forest… but that would be an excuse. Rather, it would be more accurate to say he wasn’t interested. He hadn’t made any effort to get involved with women. There wasn’t anyone he was particularly drawn to either.

“I’m full. This is my first time here, but it’s not bad. Right?”

Chloe made a satisfied snorting sound and rubbed her lips with a handkerchief. Seeing sauce on one side, Rex reached out and wiped Chloe’s cheek.

“Th-thanks…”

“Shall we go now?”

Rex raised his hand to call the waiter.

“That will be 10 silver.”

Just as he was about to take out silver coins from his pocket, Chloe exclaimed in surprise.

“I’ll pay for my share!”

“It’s fine.”

Five silver per person for a meal was quite expensive, but not beyond what he could afford. Chloe had been packing lunch boxes for him every day until now, so he wanted to repay that debt a little. He was also receiving a salary from Berger every week, so he had enough money.

“It seems too expensive…”

As Chloe muttered in an anxious tone, Rex shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m the one who suggested this place. Let me treat you.”

From the beginning, even before entering the restaurant, Chloe had looked at the prices and seemed burdened. For an advanced adventurer, it should be an amount they could afford occasionally, if not frequently.

Come to think of it, since they first met, Chloe had always been obsessed with saving money. He didn’t know what circumstances she had, but he hoped that just for today, she would set aside those worries.

“…Thank you.”

“Now that we’ve eaten, shall we take a walk?”

Rex casually suggested, letting Chloe’s thanks go in one ear and out the other. Noticing that this was Rex’s own way of being considerate, Chloe nodded with a gentle smile.

After paying, they left the restaurant and were met with humid air that seeped into their nostrils. The two walked silently down the street. Then suddenly, Rex turned his head.

“You said you had something to buy?”

“Yes. Just ingredients and such… Shall we go now?”

“Let’s do that. Looking at the cloudy weather, it seems like it will rain soon, so we should get back before then.”

“…Alright.”

Chloe, who had secretly wanted to walk alone with Rex a bit longer, hesitated before answering. Originally, she had met Rex today to ask for help with shopping. She needed a hand because there was too much to carry alone. Of course, it was just an excuse she had made up.

Rex had innocently agreed to the appointment, and when Chloe returned home, she had clenched her fist in anticipation of today. But if they finished shopping now, they would have to part ways already, even though they hadn’t been together for long.

The thought of returning home made her mood gloomy. Still, she maintained a smile on her face. She didn’t want to show Rex an unsightly appearance.

Upon arriving at the merchant district, Rex and Chloe split up. It was more efficient to divide the work than to stay together. After purchasing all the food items Chloe had told him about, Rex returned to the meeting place.

“…Chloe?”

Chloe was standing in front of a building, blankly staring at something. Inside the transparent glass window, delicately crafted accessories were neatly displayed.

Rex quietly observed what Chloe was looking at.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t a ring or necklace made of jewels or gold. What Chloe was eyeing was a brooch shaped like a rose, which didn’t seem particularly expensive.

“I’m back.”

“Eek!”

Chloe flinched like a startled cat, then said with an embarrassed expression.

“Oh, when did you get here?”

“Just now.”

Rex lightly lifted the basket. Chloe checked the contents one by one and then cleared her throat.

“Ahem. You bought everything as I said. Thank you. If it weren’t for Rex, it would have taken a long time, but thanks to you, we finished quickly.”

As Chloe reached out, Rex hid the basket behind his back.

“I’ll carry it halfway. It’s too heavy for you alone.”

At those words, Chloe replied with a shy face.

“I really am fine…”

“I’d feel uncomfortable otherwise. Let’s go.”

After walking for quite some time, they reached a fork in the road. It was time to part ways. Just as Rex was about to say something, Chloe grabbed his wrist first and whispered.

“Um, you know.”

“Yes?”

“Could you… spare a little more time?”

Chloe looked up at Rex with anxious eyes, fidgeting with her fingers. Though he didn’t understand why, Rex nodded anyway. For Chloe’s sake, he could make time even if he had none.

Then Chloe blurted out in a small, shrinking voice.

“Would you like to come to my house?”

Rex unconsciously swallowed hard.