Jake, who was climbing down the ladder, couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.
This was supposed to be a sewer so he had expected a foul suffocating stench.
And yet…
The air smelled surprisingly normal.
No... more than that, it was faintly fresh as if it had been cleaned.
There was even a subtle soft and faint nice fragrance lingering in the air... almost identical to the woman's scent.
While he was lost in thought, Jake soon reached the bottom.
The moment his boots touched the ground, his eyes widened slightly.
The "sewer" below was nothing like what he had imagined.
Instead of murky water and filth, the passage was completely dry.
The stone floor was clean and the walls were smooth.... almost polished, as if someone had taken the time to maintain them.
This doesn't look like a sewer at all, it felt more like a hidden passage.
Ahead, the tunnel opened into a dimly lit space, and Jake slowly made his way toward it.
Soon, under a flickering light bulb that looked ready to die at any moment.
He stepped into an open area.
Well, calling it a "space" might have been an exaggeration, as it was roughly the size of a college dorm room back on Earth.
There was a bed, a simple table and scattered tools lying around.
It seem like a crude, but functional place to live in.
And the more Jake survey around with his eye, the more he felt the entire place felt like a shelter or a hideout.
the woman stepped forward proudly, puffing out her chest as she placed both hands on her waist.
"Welcome to my safe hou—"
Tink.
The light suddenly went out as darkness swallowed the room.
"A-Ahh! Not now!"
The woman hurried toward a nearby drawer, fumbling through it in a panic.
Her movements were frantic, almost comical as small items clattered softly inside.
"Where is it! where is it?!"
After a moment of chaotic searching, she finally pulled out a light bulb.
"Found you!"
Then with a smile, she tried to reach the old, worn fixture above—
But even with her legs stretch to it limit, her reach just fell slightly short.
Her fingers brushed the edge, missing it by just a little.
Seeing the scene, Jake let out a quiet sigh and stepped forward.
He reached up, unscrewed the old light bulb with ease, then handed it to her
"…Here."
"Thank you!"
She smile brightly as she took a small step back, clutching the bulb before immediately trying to fix it herself.
But…she failed.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Seemingly aware of Jake's gaze, she grew even more flustered.
Her movements became stiff and awkward, like someone who had never done this before.
Her fingers fumbled as she tried to screw it in... and missed again.
Jake watched silently for a moment, his gaze lingering on the flustered, clumsy woman struggling in front of him.
She look like she about to cry.
A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he stepped closer.
"...Give it here."
The woman froze.
Then almost instantly, she turned around and held the light bulb out to him, like she had been waiting for him to say that all along.
"Thank you!" she said brightly, her earlier panic disappearing without a trace.
Jake took the bulb from her hand, his fingers brushing lightly against hers.
It was warm, small... and soft.
Like a hand that had never endured hardship before.
And once again, that faint fragrance lingered.
He didn't comment on it.
Instead, he focused on the task.
Jake had a decent amount of mechanical experience.... mostly thanks to his father, who had a strange obsession with collecting old vintage firearms.
Most of them didn't even work as they just sat there, gathering dust.
Out of boredom, Jake had taken them apart, cleaned them, and reassembled them… over and over again.
Until one day, his father caught him.
Instead of stopping him, he had angrily thrown one of the broken guns at Jake and told him to fix it... despite it not even functioning in the first place.
In the end, through his own effort and a lot of trial and error, Jake had actually managed to make it work again.
Since then, he had learned one simple thing.
Mechanisms weren't as complicated as they looked.
And guns, in their own way, weren't that different from something like this.
Both relied on simple systems and small parts working together through precise connections.
If one part failed, the whole thing stopped.
A light bulb was no different.
If the filament burned out, there would be no light.
If the connection loosened even slightly, it would flicker.
Everything depended on small, exact contact and compared to the intricate internals of an old revolver or rifle…
This?
This was easy.
With a simple twist, he removed the faulty bulb and replaced it with the new one.
Click.
A brief flicker—
Then the light came back to life as a soft, steady glow filled the space once more, illuminating the room clearly this time.
Jake's gaze swept across the small room again.
A bed tucked neatly into the corner.
A worn but clean table.
Tools scattered across its surface.... not randomly, but arranged in a way that suggested frequent use.
Nothing luxurious… but nothing neglected either.
It really did feel like a shelter and a well-kept one at that.
Behind him, the woman clasped her hands together, visibly relieved.
"You're a lifesaver," she said with a bright smile, her shoulders finally relaxing.
Jake glanced at her briefly before looking away again.
"…You've never changed a light bulb before?" he asked.
Her expression stiffened.
"I-I of course I have!" she shot back quickly.
Then she coughed lightly and looked off to the side.
"… It's just been a while."
The silence lingered just long enough to make her shift awkwardly on her feet.
"… Anyway!"
She suddenly clapped her hands, forcing her earlier confidence back into place.
"This is my safe house! No one knows about it."
She puffed her chest slightly, trying to look proud.
"We'll be completely safe here~*
Jake didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he quietly observed her as he find something odd.
Something about this woman felt... off.
She lived alone in a place like this, yet she couldn't handle something as simple as fixing a light bulb.
And more importantly was.... her presence.
The way she carried herself, even in her clumsy panic... it didn't feel like someone of low status, nor someone who had struggled to survive down here.
If anything, she felt completely out of place.
Like someone who had fallen into this life, rather than grown up in it.
'...This woman must has a history.'
The thought surfaced naturally in his mind.
But Jake didn't press as he know everyone had their own secrets.
And she clearly wasn't ready to share hers.
So instead, he simply let it go.
"Seems like we haven't had a proper introduction yet."
A faint smile formed on his lips as he extended his hand toward her.
"…I'm Jake. An-"
For a split second, he hesitated.
Then with a casual shrug, he continued,"…an aspiring, wannabe pirate captain."
The moment the words left his mouth, the woman froze.
Then—
She lunged with her hands shot forward, grabbing his with surprising speed.
In the process, her hood slipped back, revealing her face.
It was youthful, delicate and beautiful.
Framed by soft strands of golden hair that shimmered faintly under the dim light.
And her eyes... golden, bright, and sparkling like stars.
She looked at him like a child who had just stumbled upon their lifelong dream.
"I'm Grace!" she blurted out, her voice trembling with excitement.
"P-Please... let me be part of your crew!!"
Jake blinked as he was completely caught off guard by the sudden burst of enthusiasm.
Before he could even process what was happening—
A translucent screen abruptly appeared in front of him.
[Ding!]
[Grace Lightborn has met the requirements!]
[Ding!]
[Grace Lightborn wishes to join your crew!]
[Accept?]
"…Huh?"