After Work, I Brought Home a Devilish Beauty - Chapter 81

That night, after returning to his room and lying down, Yuichi couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened during the day.

No matter how much he thought about it, he still couldn’t figure out who Alice meant when she referred to “that person.”

Could she already have a friend here?

If that were the case, it would be easier to understand.

But according to Yuichi’s memories, Alice had spent most of her time alone after arriving in this world. Apart from Jebecarred, he could hardly remember her mentioning anyone else, let alone a close friend.

Yuichi had directly asked Alice who she meant.

Her response had been simple.

“That’s not something you need to worry about.”

After that, she refused to explain further.

…Maybe she thinks I’m meddling in something that doesn’t concern me.

Honestly, Yuichi wasn’t sure why he was so bothered by it.

He had known Alice for less than a year. Whatever relationship she had with this mysterious person shouldn’t have anything to do with him.

And yet, he couldn’t stop wondering.

At that moment, Yuichi was lying comfortably in the middle of the bed.

Alice was curled up beneath the blanket on his left, while Chiba was sleeping on his right, her legs resting across his thighs.

Thanks to Alice’s words earlier that day, Chiba had finally allowed Yuichi to sleep in the bed again.

This is surprisingly comfortable.

Yuichi pulled the blanket a little tighter and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, Chiba shifted in her sleep.

Perhaps she wasn’t comfortable, because she turned over and unconsciously moved her legs again.

Yuichi immediately froze.

“…”

He carefully looked down.

She’s completely asleep.

Yuichi quietly sighed.

This sleeping arrangement is going to be troublesome.

He gently adjusted the blanket and tried to return to sleep.

The next morning, Alice woke up unusually early.

She glanced at Yuichi and Chiba, who were still sound asleep, then quietly whispered,

“I’m heading out.”

With that, she slipped out of the house.

Her destination was somewhere familiar to Yuichi.

It was the same haunted house where Chiba had once asked Yuichi to take her so she could replenish her magical energy.

And the person Alice intended to meet was none other than its owner—

Miguel.

Alice hadn’t told Yuichi because she didn’t want him to interfere.

If Yuichi learned that the haunted house incident had actually been part of a scheme orchestrated by Miguel, he would undoubtedly try to stop her from going.

But Alice had already made up her mind.

She had once worked together with Miguel because they shared the same objectives.

Now, however, she had her own reasons for returning.

She intended to settle things with him once and for all.

And there was another matter she hadn’t forgotten.

She still had unpaid wages to collect.

Even if I have to risk my life to settle this, at least I won’t have any regrets.

With that thought in mind, Alice continued toward the amusement park.

When Alice arrived at the amusement park, she immediately noticed something strange.

There was a long line outside the haunted house.

The contrast with the other attractions was striking. Most of the rides had long since stopped operating, yet the haunted house was packed with people.

It’s unusually popular today.

What confused Alice even more was that nobody seemed bothered by the cold weather.

Instead, the people waiting in line looked extremely excited.

If this were some famous haunted attraction, she could understand the enthusiasm.

But this place wasn’t particularly impressive.

Aside from the NPC actors having a somewhat unusual tendency to torment the visitors, there was nothing especially remarkable about it.

Are these people all right?

Then she overheard a conversation.

“Whew… It’s almost my turn! I can’t wait!”

“You know what? Yesterday, Miss Lisa even let me carry her on my back! Then she stomped on my back really hard!”

“Uh… I’m definitely jealous, but I have to say, that sounds less like carrying her and more like getting stepped on.”

“You don’t understand. Technically, it’s still a form of riding.”

“What?”

“Think about it. When you ride a bicycle, you use the pedals, but nobody calls it ‘pedaling a bicycle.’ They call it riding a bicycle.”

“…That actually makes a strange amount of sense.”

“Exactly! I’ve decided. Today, I’m going to volunteer again. I want Miss Lisa to step on me as hard as she can!”

Alice stared at the people in line.

After listening to them for a while, she finally reached a conclusion.

They’re not just strange.

They’re completely beyond saving.