It was he, not her, who was being childish and emotionally pleading.

Monster, it’s a monster!

Uh, a child is attacking… attacking a person!

Demon, it’s a demon!

Scary, should we put them in jail right away? What if a mentally unstable kid grows up and harms many people?

Gibben covered his eyes with his arm.

Above the obscured view, remnants of the past briefly floated back into his mind.
Sure, let’s take a closer look; even the unspecified group of people who pointed fingers and made fun of her weren’t necessarily guilty.

Certainly, I might be a problematic person with mental issues. If the majority pointed fingers, there must be a reason. I understand their concerns.

However, as their voices and faces, who used to mock Riley, overlapped with Riley’s appearance, it became challenging to control emotions. So, impulsively, he pushed her. Pushed her roughly, savagely.

Now, left alone, feeling irritated, unable to resolve the situation after committing the foolish act of pushing her gently to comfort her, in the current situation.

Even though he considered himself filthy, he couldn’t casually approach her, pretending nothing happened.

“Engage in a deep conversation, Master,” Suck added belatedly.

At Suck’s words, Gibben raised his head.

“…No.”

“Why?”

“…Scary.”

“…What?”

“…Scared.”

“What…?”

“…They look at me with the same eyes as those people.”

He was used to being hated, but that didn’t mean it was okay.

Many sharp words went back and forth about him. He pretended to handle it gracefully, but it left a mark on his heart that couldn’t be easily erased.

Unfortunately, he was not an emotionless machine; he was a human faithful to emotions.

Despite deliberately behaving more like a rogue in rebellion, the deeply engraved scars in his heart were still vivid.

An existence that couldn’t be ordinary. Not a normal version of himself. He would become the object of disdain, just like back then. The target of fear.

He thought he had become accustomed to it, but the situation where Riley spoke the same words, made the same expressions, and looked at him with the same eyes as those people, even just imagining it made it hard to breathe.

“Why do you decide the answer in advance?”

“Because it has always been like that.”

“It’s not me.”

“You’re thoroughly someone who acts for money.”

“That’s true, but still, I don’t think badly of the Master.”

“…”

“Why do you look at me with those eyes? Don’t doubt my loyalty. I am grateful to the Master, who generously provides me with very, very, and very rich meals every month. I would like to serve by your side for a very, very, and very long time, preferably until I grow old and die.”

“…Get out.”

“Yes, Master, cheer up! I support you!”

While the atmosphere, frozen by Suck’s playful words, seemed to loosen for a moment, Gibben’s expression darkened rapidly as Suck left the office.

He sighed deeply, fixing his gaze on Riley.

It was already daunting to think about what to say to her, how to handle her when she woke up.

Riley slowly opened her closed eyes.

‘Where is this…?’
Somewhere, a ceiling that felt both familiar and unfamiliar came into view. Riley, thinking it was definitely not the bedroom where she slept and woke up every day, sat up.

As soon as she sat up, she was momentarily hit by dizziness. Riley, pressing her head with her hands due to the dizziness, opened her eyes when it subsided and surveyed the room. Then, she was startled.

0

‘Why am I here…?’

Why on earth is she in Gibben’s office? Why is she lying on his sofa?

Riley, trying to stay calm, fumbled through her memories.

She clearly poured out her worries to Ban, received some advice, and mustered up the energy. The moment she got up like that, her vision blurred, and… she has no memory after that. That’s what happened.

‘…Did I faint?’

Did Ban bring her here?

Riley looked around in bewilderment. Fortunately, it seemed like the owner of this room had momentarily stepped out.

‘I was going to meet him… but this is too sudden.’

She never expected to be in such a situation, facing him as soon as she opened her eyes. Even though it was just for a moment, she needed a preparation period in her mind! Suddenly, so abruptly, placed alone right in the middle of his office.

It was the moment Riley was caught in confusion. The door opened.

Riley couldn’t turn her head toward the door, biting her lips tightly.

She wanted to greet him casually as if everything was fine, but her body stiffened, making it seem like a squeaky sound would come out even with a slight movement.

As the one who entered the room approached, there was no word from him either.

After a very brief silence, Riley slowly lifted her head. At that moment, her eyes met Gibben’s gaze, who was looking down at her.

“…”

“…”

Awkward.

The air was heavy, and it felt like the breath was being cut off.