Hmmmmm...ugggh
A moldy stench surrounded me, as sunlight trickled through the tiny windows of the room.
I was lying on what seemed to be an old, crusty-looking sofa. But it was comfortable.
My eyelids felt heavy, and the room was so quiet that I wanted to go back to sleep, but I had things to do.
So I got up.
My bones felt like they were creaking, like I was a skeleton waking up after a long slumber.
Every fiber of my body ached, and I was sore all over.
Ahh...damn it. It hurts.
My eyes were now open, but still heavy.
The entire house consisted of just this one room, making things super cramped.
Dozens of shelves lined the rotting, wooden walls, with all sorts of labels and materials placed on top of them.
In a sense, everything was extremely clustered, yet orderly. Things were put in specific places, not randomly.
Sitting in the corner of the room, there was a little kitchen that used to be painted white, but was now reduced back to moldy wood, with little snippets of that white still visible.
Cabinets and drawers had handles that were ancient-looking, with a surprisingly large amount of details carved into them.
The curtains were thin and worn-out, allowing sunlight to fill the room, even when drawn.
I could see the dust floating around.
A large empty cauldron sat in the middle of the room, with an equally large stick lying against it.
Some kind of stench was emanating from the cauldron, and not a good one.
It felt like a mix of herbs, shit, and mold, except that the shit and mold were all I could smell.
I got up from the sofa, stumbled, and then stubbed my toe against the coffee table.
Ah, crap!
Recoiling, I took a step back, then immediately bumped into something else.
Ugh, what the heck?
I had bumped into my suitcase that was leaning against the edge of the sofa, and the events from last night then filled my head.
I sat back down.
I...was stupid. And I almost got myself killed.
Before I left the manor, I should have changed into a more ragged outfit, or even a cloak would have been fine. What was I thinking? Wearing such an expensive suit?
I looked down on myself.
But, I guess from last night's incident, I was able to get that Granny's attention.
I stared at my sleeves, then my tie, then my pants.
Everything was now tattered, with strings of fabric poking out and just barely hanging on.
"....."
I was a mess.
Looking around, I found a slightly cracked mirror propped up against a wall, and staring into the reflection, a pair of wine-red eyes looked straight at me.
My black hair was knotted, my eyes were dimmed, and my face still had grime all over it.
I touched this still unfamiliar face, getting the grime on my fingers, then rubbed it between them.
It's alright, I can easily wash this off.
What I was more curious about was that there were no bruises or swelling on my face. It was as if I never got punched, despite what my body and mind were telling me.
I pulled down my collar and looked at my neck.
There was a hint of a confrontation, but not as much as there should have been.
She used a healing potion on me...didn't she...
I swallowed hard.
The floor creaked loudly as I walked over to the kitchen sink.
Right above the sink was a tiny little window. I opened the curtains and let the sunshine pour in
Turning it on, I splashed the surprisingly clean water over my face and rubbed all the grime off using the slight reflection of the window. I then started using my fingers to comb through my hair, and as matted as it was, it quickly loosened and hung over my face, obscuring my vision.
I slicked my hair back with the water, creating a messy middle part.
Wow, it...really feels good to clean myself up like this.
For the first time in what felt like a long time, I felt refreshed.
But that didn't keep my mind from stirring.
I almost lost everything.
I took off my family tie and swiftly took my suit off too, revealing a thin, white dress shirt, and neatly placed the suit on the couch.
My stuff. My dignity. My life.
I gritted my teeth.
I know this game. Inside and out.
I know things, so many things that no normal person would know!
If I'm not strong, then I should at least be smart-
But...
I'm still constantly relying on others.
All the stuff I have with me was from the Wen family.
My stomach was only full because of that waitress.
And I survived up until now because of that Granny.
Even now, I'm still getting help from others.
No, I...I should think positively.
I said to myself, but my teeth ground against each other even more violently.
...It's no use thinking about things that have already happened. I need to get my act together.
If I had remembered correctly, Grandma Guanhuai is always out in the mornings, hence why she's not here right now, and she comes back in the afternoons, which is when the player can continue her quest.
In the game, the players can help Guanhuai gather ingredients for her potions that were only obtainable outside the slums, and in return, she would give the player some of her potions.
It was a quest done earlier in the game, so the rewards were just some simple F-Rank items, but seeing how I am right now...even F-Rank potions would do wonders for me.
I also guessed that the healing potion she used on me was likely also an F-Rank, and if an F-Rank potion healed me this much, then it's not a stretch to say that it's a good idea to stay by her side for a bit.
I then looked through my briefcase, making sure that nothing was damaged.
Whew, everything's fine...surprisingly.
I rummaged around the briefcase before I landed on my phone, checking the time; it was around eight in the morning.
Okay, this is nice. I still have some time for myself, at least a couple of hours anyway.
First things first, I need to get to the pawnshop-
BAM
The front door slammed open, and I could hear screws and hinges come out and bounce onto the ground. Just how in the world was this door still standing?
And of course, my plans were ruined, as, contradicting my prediction, I did not have a couple of hours before Guanhuai came home.
"Oh, uh, good-morning, Ma'am!"
I tried to sound as cheerful and happy as possible, with a (hopefully) realistic smile stretched on my face, but all of that was in vain, as Grandma Guanhuai responded in a rough tone anyway.
"Oh my lords, you're finally awake...DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN SLEEPING FOR?!"
"I-"
"NINE HOURS, NINE WHOLE HOURS"
"....uh, hm."
I didn't know how to respond to her harsh words.
"You know...I'm only showing you mercy this one time!"
"...Why?"
I don't know why I decided to ask such a stupid question, because the answer was already obvious.
"You...YOU DON'T KNOW WHY?"
Of course, the answer only came to me after the fact that I had asked her...
I gulped, already accepting my fate-
UggHhGH
There was suddenly a loud rumbling sound...that...was...coming...from...me.
Are you serious? Right now? Why do I have to be hungry now?
I slowly looked up to the witch.
Her face looked like it was locked in place. She was trying to make an expression, but her muscles were failing her...
"Um...Ma'am, are you alri-"
"HAHHHHAHAHHAH"
She burst into a maniacal cackle, sending chills up my spine.
"You must be hungry, eh?"
"Aaa, ahhah, yeah..."
My voice didn't even try to hide my nervousness.
"C'mere, ye little jitter bug."
W-what did she just call me?
I cautiously walked over to her.
Even if I have knowledge of her quest...she's...still a very unpredictable person.
In the game, she was just an insignificant NPC, giving me no ideas to how she would really be like.
She plopped the brown paper bag she was holding onto the tiny coffee table, then promptly sat down on the floor.
"C'mon, I don't like saying things twice!"
"Uh, coming!"
I walked over and sat across from her.
Her eyes sparkled like galaxies as she took stuff out of her bag.
She first took out what seemed to be the body parts of a frog, then jars of murky liquid with mysterious balls floating inside.
Ugh, I...I think I'm going to throw up! What the hell is this lady buying!?
Finally, she took out...pieces of bread?
She unwrapped the plastic the bread was in, and handed a piece to me.
"Here, boy, eat."
The bread was stale, but manageable; granted, it still gave my jaw a complete workout as I chewed and chewed.
....she...gave me food.
While I was eating, she just stared at me, examining every inch of my face, making me a bit uncomfortable.
"Uh, Ma'am, are you going to also eat?"
"....You're...different, from what I'd thought you'd be."
"Huh?"
"That crest, on the tie you were wearing before. You're that bastard son of the Wen household, aren't you?"
...Fuck.