Ryan had already had dinner with Alice, and then Alice went back upstairs to deal with some work stuff.
Hannah was fired, and Ryan was clearly still adjusting to his new role as an assistant,he couldnât dive right into work just yet.
So now, Alice was in a bit of a bind without an assistant for a while, which was obviously going to be tough on her.
Luckily, Aliceâs mood had improved quite a bit, and she seemed in good spirits when she went back to work.
But maybe she was a bit too happy, almost to the point of sadness.
Ryanâs performance today had really pleased Alice,you could almost read it on her face. Naturally, she added two more points to his Favorability.
[Aliceâs current Favorability: 67/100 (Trusted Companion)]
âWeâre almost hitting seventy points now, what should I do?â
Ryan, propping his chin with his hand, stared at Aliceâs interface and sighed worriedly.
He knew something bad happened at seventy points of Favorability, but he had no clue what it was or who it would affect.
Alice already had it tough, and if something bad affected her, Ryanâs guilt would only grow.
And if it was about him? He wasnât sure he could handle it.
He just hoped that the Wish Point from that crucial mission would really come in handy,otherwise, he feared the mission might not be completed.
âMan, what a mess.â
Ryan sighed repeatedly, and as he thought about his guilt, the image of Anna, who had appeared earlier that day, suddenly popped into his mind.
The girl had tried to take him away without explanation, and from her perspective, it probably did look like he was being kidnapped. She wasnât wrong in her actions.
But why?
Even if someone were to come looking for him, Ryanâs first thought would be of his close friends, not Anna.
Yet, ironically, it wasnât his friends who came looking for himâthey probably hadnât even noticed his absenceâbut Anna who had shown up.
âAnna, Annaâ¦â
Ryan muttered the girlâs name, lost in thought about the dayâs events.
At the time, he felt he didnât need her concern, but he hadnât considered why she would act this way.
She had come prepared, even carrying a dagger, which meant she was ready for something serious.
But to her, wasnât he just a slightly familiar stranger?
There was too much to process, and lying in bed staring at the ceiling, Ryan felt his mind was a mess.
âWhat will happen to Anna now? She probably wonât come back, right?â
Muttering to himself, Ryan felt a spark of curiosity about the girl.
If she kept dwelling on this, it wouldnât be good. Aliceâs situation was already drawing too much attention, which was problematic.
And Anna had left in a distraught state,clearly, she wasnât going to just sleep it off and forget. This made Ryan feel even more guilty.
It all started because of him, so it was only right for him to end it.
Even for Aliceâs sake, Ryan decided to find Anna and clear things up.
âThat settles it. Tomorrow, Iâll visit the orphanage to see the kids, then go find Anna.â
Ryan flipped over in bed and pulled out his notebook from underneath, jotting down his recent findings.
Chewing on the cap of his pen, he hesitated for a moment, then flipped a few more pages and wrote a name at the top.
Annaâ¦
âAnna, you⦠youâre back.â
Across town, as the evening was still young, a womanâs voice trembled with a mix of guilt and surprise in Annaâs home.
The woman stood at the door, reeking of alcohol and disheveled, with a manâs arm around her shoulders.
The Anna in her voice frowned, standing in front of her sisterâs picture, looking at the two without a word.
Just tightening her grip on the music box, another night of alcohol and strangersâsomething she had grown accustomed to.
âYour daughter is quite the charmer, isnât she?â
âIs this the special service you mentioned? Both of them together?â
The manâs eyes lit up the moment he saw Anna, completely ignoring the woman clinging to him, almost drooling on the floor.
His desire was unmistakable, and although he had been worried about a honeypot scam when this woman picked him up at the bar, seeing Anna changed everything. He was now willing to give up all his money, not just worry about a scam.
âDisgusting.â
Anna felt nauseous looking at them. She couldnât understand how this person, who was supposed to be her mother, had fallen so low.
Ever since her father and sister were around, the woman had been like this, seemingly only sober in the midst of alcohol and unspeakable pleasures.
Ironically clear-headed in chaos.
Anna didnât know what to think anymore. She didnât want to watch, didnât want to comment, just wanted to escape this place as fast as she could.
Clutching the music box tightly in her pocket, Anna gave the woman a cold look and walked out.
Not wanting to come home was for reasons like this,encountering such scenes was uncomfortable for both parties. Maybe it was better not to come back at all.
âHey, stop her, Iâll pay you double,â the man said, not wanting Anna to leave so easily, squeezing the womanâs soft chest as he spoke.
His lust had clouded his judgment.
Unexpectedly, the woman didnât respond but silently stepped aside to let Anna pass.
As the man reached out to grab Anna, the woman wrapped her arm around his to stop him.
Annaâs tense spine finally relaxed a bit, her hand gripping the dagger in her pocket.
âJust a kid, what does she know?â
âIâm here for the fun, Iâll keep you company, and I guarantee youâll enjoy it.â
Flattering and appeasing, the woman knew exactly how to lower the manâs guard so she could get more money from him later.
Having started by selling her body, she no longer cared about these things.
Anna walked out of the room, her mood growing darker, her chest felt as if it was stuffed with wet cotton, making breathing difficult.
She regretted not taking her sisterâs photo with her,her sister had already left, and Anna didnât want her to be burdened by such things.
It was like a bird tied down by a massive stone, never having tasted the sky in life.
Now, she somewhat wanted to make amends, the only thing she could do was to remove the stone and properly bury her little bird.
âAnna?â
As she stepped out of the room, Anna didnât know where to go, and just then, a voice called out to her.
She looked around, annoyed. People always called her name, and she hated that name, hated that identity.
Seeing who it was, her frown deepened.
Looking back at the closed door, it was hard not to suspect that this person had witnessed the scene inside. The feeling of having her secret exposed made her face burn.
âWhat are you doing here?â
âUh, donât be nervous, Iâm here to make a deal with you.â
âI actually thought youâd be more effective today, but it turned out like this.â
The girl said this with a hint of mockery in her eyes, smacking her lips as she looked at Anna.
âSee, I need to use you, and you can use me too.â
âYou saw it, Ryan is now enchanted by Sister Alice, donât you want to take him back?â
âTake back your light.â
Annaâs eyes narrowed slightly. The girl in front of her was dangerous, but her words echoed repeatedly in Annaâs mind.