Chapter 010
“I’ve heard there were some suspicious things going on… I can’t pay it all back, but I’ll at least pay this much.”
The shopkeeper accepted the money from me with a reluctant face. He muttered,
“Hmph… I’ll let it slide this time for the young lady’s sake. You—take after her and live properly, got it?”
He handed the bread back to the boy, who hesitated but quietly accepted it.
When the commotion died down, the onlookers left, and the shopkeeper went back into his store.
Only the boy and I were left standing there.
“Um… I should say thank you, right?”
Well, I don’t really need that kind of deep gratitude.
It wasn’t that the boy wasn’t thankful, but his expression was strange.
But—more importantly—the mission!
I spent 50,000 credits helping him and even cleaned up part of the earlier mess! That totally counts as helping a kid in trouble, right?
That’s at least 100% completion! There should be a good reward for sure!
I opened the quest window and tapped on the urgent mission.
[Urgent Mission! Help the child in trouble!]
Ding!
[Mission Status: In Progress]
Huh? Why is it still…? Is this a bug?
“Um… thank you, miss.”
“Oh? Ah, yeah… sure…”
The boy shyly thanked me, but my focus was still glued to the quest window.
Why isn’t this mission completed yet? It’s clearly done!
Even though everything was over, the boy still didn’t leave. He looked like he wanted to say something.
Wait, don’t tell me… No way, right?
“Um, how did you know I stole it?”
“I didn’t. I just guessed.”
“…Huh?”
He looked shocked, mumbling,
“Usually, people who help me always believe me…”
I couldn’t help but smirk.
“I used to be a <Battle Dancer> before I got stuck in this world, kid.”
I’ve dealt with enough merchants and mercenaries to recognize these situations.
Just because someone looks kind doesn’t mean they aren’t cunning. Sometimes, you have to be cunning to survive.
“So, you helped me even though you didn’t believe me?”
“Uh, yeah?”
I said it lightly, but that only made his expression grow heavier.
He looked like he had something more to say.
“…Miss.”
Yeah. No. Don’t say it. Actually, fine—say it.
That strange look, the mission still marked as “in progress”…
That meant there was more to his “trouble” I hadn’t solved yet.
My gamer instincts were telling me this next part wouldn’t be easy.
But once you accept a quest, you can’t just abandon it midway.
Should I hear him out, or pretend I didn’t notice?
Well, leaving a quest stuck as ‘in progress’ forever isn’t technically impossible…
[Urgent Mission! Help the child in trouble!]
[Status: In Progress]
Ugh… should I do it or not?
After thinking for a moment, I decided to trust the system’s give-and-take logic.
Even though it’s been acting a bit suspicious lately…
It’s a sudden quest that appeared during a date with the very first heroine.
No way it’s unimportant.
Alright, let’s see it through.
I smiled at the boy—the same smile I gave when accepting the worst grind missions.
He seemed a little relieved by it.
Without much emotion, I asked,
“So, what’s bothering you?”
“What? How much did you say?”
“I said, that’ll be 606,000 credits.”
…Can this old man see my system window or something?
I checked my balance just to be sure.
[Current Balance: 606,000]
“…Sorry, how much again?”
“I’ve said it three times now! 606,000 credits!”
The boy looked up at me awkwardly.
“Miss… Thank you for coming this far. But it’s okay. I’ll handle my brother’s medicine myself.”
Wow. So I can go now, right?
Apparently, the boy’s “other trouble” was his older brother’s medicine fee.
I followed him here with a slightly worried heart, thinking it wouldn’t be too bad—but this? This is highway robbery!
Hah… guess I’ll have to abandon this one.
Sure, I can save up again with my part-time job…
But come on—ending up with zero balance? That’s insane.
I was about to politely decline when—
[System Force Activated]
[Please choose one option:]
Of course I’ll help! (clenches fist proudly)
How pitiful!
(sobs while handing over the money)
Haah… Without hesitation, I picked #2 and shouted with all my heart,
“How pitiful!”
Pitiful… for myself!
I’m the one who’s pitiful!
Ding! 606,000 credits have been deducted.
[Current Balance: 0]
“Hohoho! Thank you kindly!”
The old man laughed happily, thrilled to take my entire balance.
With an unusually kind smile, he handed the medicine to the boy.
“Come again, anytime~”
“Okay!”
If his tone sounded more like ‘bring me another sucker next time’, well… maybe I was just imagining it.
Then he quickly packed up and said,
“Guess I’ll close early today~!”
And off he went. Early retirement achieved.
“Miss, are you okay?”
“No… I feel a bit dizzy…”
“Oh no! Our house is nearby—please come rest and have some water!”
“Yeah… sure…”
At this point, the only thing I could rely on was the quest reward.
But even after spending everything, the mission still showed ‘In Progress.’
Wow… I really do feel dizzy.
So this is what a “myth-level” mission feels like.
I have 10 billion credits of debt and zero in my account.
And I’m supposed to become a rich unemployed woman?
Fine. Let’s call this a setback before the rise.
“This is our home!” the boy said proudly.
The “home” was made of planks, boxes, and cloth tied together.
Not what most people would call a house—but he smiled proudly.
“I built it myself! Not bad for a first time, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Right?!”
Honestly, for a first attempt, it wasn’t bad. It at least looked like a shelter.
“Brother! I’m back!”
Cough, cough! “You’re back…?”
When I stepped inside, a musty smell hit my nose.
Old furniture scavenged from the dump filled the space.
But worse than that was the smell of sickness—of someone close to death.
“Who… are you?”
“Lie down, brother! Ah, she’s the one who helped me. Look! She bought your medicine!”
The sick boy looked about my age.
His long silver hair hid most of his face, but even without seeing it clearly, his thin body said enough—he was gravely ill.
Dust and dirt clung to his tangled hair.
His frail appearance was… oddly pitiful.
Jairen would totally fall for this guy at first sight.
Maybe this game should’ve been a BL dating sim instead of a reverse harem one.
But of course—the system read my thoughts again.
[You have encountered a heroine! A new affection window has opened.]
[Reward: Cleanliness +10]
Ah, got it. So this sickly long-haired man is a heroine.
Alright, system—you win. I won’t make Jairen a gay icon.
A chime sounded as the heroine list automatically updated, just like it did with Jairen.
<<Unlocked Heroine Routes>>
James (alias)
???
None
…(View More)
Ugh, long-haired men aren’t my type. I’ll delete his route with Jairen’s later.
And “Cleanliness +10”? Really?
That stat is the exact opposite of this environment.
Am I going to become a janitor later? Or maybe a politician cleaning up the slums?
“Cough, cough… I’m sorry… I can’t move very well…”
“It’s fine. Just rest.”
“But I should at least—ah!”
He tried to sit up but stumbled.
I instinctively caught him.
His long hair fell aside, revealing clear blue eyes.
Even though he was thin and pale, I could tell immediately—
Ah… so that’s where my 606,000 credits went.
