CHAPTER 36: CH 36: NEXT MORNING

"Was your night alright? You both look a lot closer compared to before....or not."

The owner looked at the pair in front of him with pitiful eyes. The air was awkward between them, and he could not help but feel sorry for them.

But at least not everything seemed to be going wrong here. The girl was still looking at her guy partner once in a while, so there was still hope for this couple.

"Our night was fine."

Cane assured the owner, but the way Ai shifted made the owner guess that it was not really the case. He just felt bad for the pair who was obviously not having a good time.

Ai noticed the glances the owner was shooting her and Cane, and she immediately felt her face heat up. She felt like she was being looked through by the man in front of her.

She also tried to look at Cane, but he looked uninterested in looking back at her.

The owner sighed before he decided to make small talk.

"So, what is your next destination from here? I am an expert in this area, so maybe I can help you out here?"

The man asked, and before Cane could tell him that it was none of his business, Ai spoke up.

"We are looking to head toward the Ruins. We are interested to learn more about it."

She told the man, and the owner made an understanding face.

"Oh, I see. Those ruins? Are you here for work? Well, you might be a little unlucky today. It seems like it’s going to rain and it’s not safe to head to the ruins under such conditions. So how about I point you toward another ’fun activity’ today?"

The man asked, and Cane’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

He looked out, and there was a small build-up of clouds outside. But surely it was not enough to cause him to delay the quest.

Ai noticed his worry, and she immediately turned toward the owner to ask more regarding the situation.

"Are the ruins truly that dangerous to visit today?"

Her eyes looked at the owner, and he felt flushed. He could not take it when a beautiful girl looked at him like that.

"I... well, it’s not dangerous. But you should just avoid them for one day. Just take my advice and enjoy your time in another dungeon I am suggesting."

The owner’s eyes screamed at Ai to understand his help. The ’fun activity’ he was suggesting her and her partner was one that was well-liked by couples because it helped them bond.

He wanted to help Ai and Cane mend their bond... or start something new. The spark was already there between them.

Ai looked convinced by the owner’s words, and now it was all up to Cane. He wanted to explore the ruins as soon as possible to progress with the quest, but taking a detour once in a while was not bad either.

"Fine, let’s go and explore the ’fun activity’ first. We might as well avoid any danger if we can."

He agreed, and the owner flashed them a brilliant smile.

"Don’t worry about a single thing. I promise you both will be changed people by the time you are done here."

He told the pair before he walked ahead from behind the desk he was at. Both Cane and Ai looked at his carefree attitude, and Cane could not help but raise his brow and ask the other man.

"Are you sure you want to leave your post? Don’t you have customers to take care of?"

Not that Cane could see any... but still...

"Customers? Ah yes-! They will be just fine. There is no need for you to worry about that. For now, come and follow me. I will take you to the fun place."

With the owner leading the way, both Cane and Ai reached the abandoned mansion he wanted to take them to.

The place looked like it would collapse with a single breeze. It did not look safe to enter.

"Is this... the fun place you wanted to take us?"

Ai asked, now sounding doubtful as well. But the owner gave her a confident smile.

"Don’t worry. This place might look like it’s falling apart, but that’s not true. In fact, this place hides some incredible secrets inside. Why don’t you both enter and check it out?"

The owner insisted, and Cane looked at the sudden system screen message.

[New quest found- The secret of the haunted mansion. Please enter the place with your companion and make your way to the last room.]

’Oh-! So this was a quest after all? This sounds fun. It’s a horror quest, so it might be fun to stream.’

Cane could not help but feel excited at the notion of trying out a new quest. So he agreed in no time.

"Sure, I will take on this challenge. Ai, do you want to come with me-?"

Cane asked, but Ai had a laser focus on where his system screen currently was. Her eyes followed the screen, almost as if she could see it herself.

"Ai?"

He asked, and the female NPC suddenly looked startled. Her eyes widened as she quickly looked at his face.

"W-What-? I was not doing anything suspicious. I swear... I-I did not mean to stare..."

Ai sounded flustered, and her breathing felt heavy. It seemed as if something was bothering her, but she could not even recall why she felt so bothered when she was caught sneaking a look at that screen.

Speaking of that screen, she had no idea what that was or why Cane had it. Was he the only one who had it? She did not recall seeing any others.

And now her head was starting to hurt.

[System Module: 01Alpha-code.exe has stopped working. Please reboot... failed to reboot... wiping the last instance of memory to preserve function... error]

Ai felt like something was forcefully being erased from her mind, but she did not want to forget. She wanted to keep holding on to that feeling.

’No-! I cannot forget. I don’t want to forget anymore-’