This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 2 - Criminal Zerdan (2) - Part 5

I’m not sure what the background of this game’s world is based on, but it seems that the status of women is somewhat low.

Those who have some honor are mostly men, and women just wait to be chosen by powerful men for their beauty.

Perhaps that’s why all the women seen in the scenery outside the window had long hair. Having long hair makes it easier to present various beautiful hairstyles.

Looking at them, the short-haired lady in the mirror felt quite alien. Short hair was rare, with the nape of the neck exposed in a neat bob. I scratched my neck once.

Well, it suits my face because it’s pretty.

Zerdan brought a dress from somewhere, and it was a neat dress in a deep mint color that covered the knees.

Honestly, I thought I’d only wear a robe and couldn’t even wear clothes, let alone live on the bed, so it was a bit unexpected.

I observed myself in the mirror for a moment, then chuckled and stroked my chin.

With green eyes, I looked innocently as if I didn’t know anything. The lady in front of me was truly demure. To put it nicely, she looked innocent, and to put it not so nicely, she looked a bit dull.

Should I have sharpened my eyes a bit more? Or should I have set the character in a more sexy style? It feels a bit mismatched with my personality.

I gently stroked my eyes and pulled them slightly to both sides. They were like ugly cat eyes.

Hmm, but my face still looks innocent.

“Miss, are you studying how to make me fall in love?”

Zerdan, who had come downstairs for a moment, laughed as he watched me.

Was my face that unattractive? I returned my eyes, which had been embarrassed, to their place and silently stared at Zerdan approaching through the mirror.

Zerdan wrapped his arm around my waist from behind as he came closer to me. I had no particular resistance and wondered why he had put in so much effort to dress me up.

I knew he had been changing clothes and preparing to go out, but after coming downstairs, he seemed to have put on a rather expensive-looking watch.

“Are you dressing up like this to make me fall for you?”

“Well, I already thought you were. That’s disappointing news. I’m getting ready to go out because I have somewhere to go. I’ll probably be back around dinner time, so you’ll have to stay alone until then.”

“Where are you going that you dressed up like that? I’m a little jealous of other women seeing you like this.”

I said, stroking the arm around my waist, and he kissed the nape of my neck, softly.

Ah, I might have to grow my hair because of this guy.

“I’m going to the opera.”

“Surprising. Did you have such a refined hobby?”

“I enjoy things that are pleasing to the eye and ear, but more than that, there are people I need to meet.”

Is he dealing drugs in secret transactions in the theater? It doesn’t seem like he’s just going to enjoy entertainment. Well, it’s amusing for a criminal to enjoy music in his spare time. I didn’t know what it was, so I just nodded my head.

When I stopped asking more questions, Zerdan whispered to wait quietly. He seemed to think of me as a watchdog guarding the house.

“Of course, but even if I want to go sightseeing outside, you won’t let me out?”

“No problem. I’ll have a guard with you.”

He adjusted his outfit while looking in the mirror. He neatly brushed his hair over, revealing his handsome face and forehead. In a white suit and black shirt, he looked so stylish that it could make one doubt he was a criminal.

Yes, he’s my type of secondary male lead, after all. Perfect from head to toe.

Thinking to myself, I went downstairs with Zerdan. There, I saw a middle-aged man who seemed more accustomed to neglecting the jewelry store rather than operating it, sitting relaxed in a chair.

“Khan. It’s time to leave now.”

Responding to Zerdan’s call, the middle-aged man called Khan moved sluggishly. I wondered if he was going to accompany Zerdan to the opera or something, so I stared blankly at him.

“Miss, he’ll accompany you wherever you want to go while I’m gone.”

“…This man?”

The man Khan, who looked displeased, was the supervisor Zerdan mentioned, judging by his appearance.

With a bear-like build and a fierce impression. Of course, judging by his appearance alone, I didn’t think I needed to run away easily. But as far as I knew, Khan had a disability in his legs. To entrust surveillance to such a person…

Zerdan wouldn’t have assigned him without reason, so I had to consider the possibility that he might be an ability user.

Zerdan bid us farewell with a smile and left with another person.

Thanks to that, I was left awkwardly with Khan in no time. He didn’t show any threatening behavior towards me like he did initially, perhaps having received a warning from Zerdan beforehand.

Well, it seems he didn’t receive enough warning to show an unhappy expression.

Meeting someone with such expressive facial expressions after dealing with Zerdan made me feel a bit relieved. I found it easier to deal with this type of person.

“If you’re in a kidnapped position, you’ll just stay dead… You can’t kill.”

“You’re talking to yourself very loudly, Khan. Someone might think you said it to me.”

“…”

Khan stared at me in disbelief. Seeing his expression, I smiled brightly as if to say, ‘I don’t know who you’re talking about from my face.’

“Hmm, okay. Where do you want to go? Don’t think about running away.”

“Well, it’s not like I have no thoughts about that… I’ll try to restrain myself. I just want to take a leisurely walk. I’ve been feeling suffocated being cooped up.”

“You seem quite relaxed.”

Khan took the lead and opened the shop door.

Following him outside, I saw bustling commercial buildings. Quite a few people were passing by, making it hard to believe that the place I was just in was a hideout for criminals.

Looking back, it was just an ordinary jewelry store. The building was a bit small and worn out, but nothing seemed particularly strange.

“Would you like to take a stroll?”

“…I’m curious why criminals are running a jewelry store. Is there a particular reason?”

“You have a lot of questions, don’t you?”

Khan walked ahead without waiting for me, forcing me to stop looking at the building and follow him. The sounds of merchants selling their goods and people laughing filled the air. I looked around slowly, trying to memorize any peculiar details about the buildings we passed.

“There’s no special reason. It’s just a temporary place for us, per the Commander’s orders.”

“Commander? I guess there are other high-ranking people besides Zerdan.”

“He’s the right-hand man of the Captain… though it doesn’t seem like they trust each other much. Anyway, we have our own place, and this is where the Captain stays when he has business, like today.”

“Do you know what kind of business?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

So, he doesn’t know.

I quietly concluded that Khan was avoiding my question.

We walked out of the alleys between buildings and arrived at the central area. Tall buildings surrounded a large fountain in a circular arrangement.

“Why do you work for Zerdan? Someone like you, whose thoughts show on his face, doesn’t seem suited for crime.”

“Are you serious?”

“Well, your appearance might scare people, but the truly frightening ones are people like Zerdan.”

Inscrutable people, who treat human life lightly. And with a terrifying ability, he’s a fearsome presence.

I rubbed the necklace. It needed a small amount of power to send a rescue signal…

“…I have my reasons. There’s someone I need to protect.”

Khan took out a cigarette. His voice was dark as he answered, eyes downcast. I didn’t know what his reasons were, but it seemed he had his own circumstances. However, that wasn’t my concern right now.

“That’s an unexpected answer, considering you belong to a group of killers.”

“I think so too. But my people come before others.”

“I see. I hope to become one of your people someday. Oh, but don’t misunderstand, not in a romantic way.”

There seemed to be some event at the market today. Many people were heading to the other side of the market. I naturally merged into the crowd and moved along.

Khan was still looking at the sky, smoking his cigarette.

Right, Zerdan let me out so easily, and Khan, even though he’s supposed to be watching me, wasn’t really keeping an eye on me. They probably wanted me to try escaping.

My suspicion soon turned into certainty as Khan didn’t follow me even after realizing I was gone.

I blended into the crowd and moved further away from Khan.

* * *

Khan smoked his cigarette, watching Moa Ablon’s retreating figure, just as he had anticipated. Her dark mint-colored dress fluttered gently, and her silver hair swayed lightly in the wind’s direction.

Yeah, she wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this.

“The Captain… what’s he thinking, giving her a chance to escape and telling me not to chase her?”

Though he followed orders, he had no idea what Zerdan was planning.

With the cigarette in his mouth, Khan turned and headed towards the opera house where Zerdan was supposed to be. The smoke rose into the air, only to disperse uselessly.

“…She wants to be one of my people, huh… She’s got a way with words.”

In any case, she was a woman destined to be killed by Zerdan the next time they met. Khan decided to erase the existence of Moa Ablon from his mind.