This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 5 - The Hunters (2) - Part 1

05. The Hunters (2)

Come to think of it, I remember now. There was one person in Obella’s group who was a target. His face was prettier than a girl’s, so it must have been that kid who just left.

Someone that young isn’t my type, and even so, is he within the usual acceptable range…?

In foreign countries, feeling romantic emotions toward kids like that would be considered a crime…

“…Excuse me, Bella. How old is that person? He looks a bit too young to be called a companion…”

“He’ll be an adult next year.”

“He’s older than I thought…”

“It would be best not to say that to him directly.”

So it’s a complex.

I nodded to show I understood.

“It seems like Terisier is uncomfortable with me being here. Well, it’s understandable since a stranger has come.”

“Terisier was being rude. I permitted you to stay here, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Thank you for saying that. But I can’t impose without any conditions. I’ll leave as soon as I find a safe place to stay. I’ll secure it as quickly as possible, so would it be all right to stay a bit longer?”

“Do you not have any family?”

“My parents passed away a long time ago, and I have no one to rely on. I know it’s an unreasonable request, but please allow me to stay a little longer.”

In the game, I didn’t have any family, so it wasn’t a lie. Obella didn’t respond to my natural answer.

Come to think of it, Obella also lost his parents at a relatively young age. And it was at the hands of his own younger sibling. I wonder if he resents Zerdan a lot for killing their parents.

“…Don’t feel burdened and stay comfortable. Having one more person around is not a problem.”

His tone was a bit more relaxed than before.

It’s sympathy. Well, I’ll take what I can get. I smiled brightly and expressed my thanks.

“Oh, and I have one more favor to ask. I might not be much help, but I want to assist in rescuing Diswen. Do you have any plans for that?”

Obella seemed to be cautious.

If it were about Diswen, he would have detailed plans from Plan A to Plan B, thoroughly and meticulously… Hmm, maybe not. Anyway, he would have explained everything in detail.

His act of looking at me for a moment and then shaking his head didn’t seem like someone who had no plan.

That man wouldn’t send his main forces as spies to where Zerdan is without any plan.

Suddenly, I remembered the necklace I was wearing.

An amber flower-shaped necklace. I felt reassured wearing it since meeting Obella, as if it were a talisman. Could this be the only hope?

“Is it because Diswen doesn’t have this necklace? Did I bring it unnecessarily…?”

“No, I didn’t have high expectations for it anyway. If Zerdan sensed my energy in it, he would have either taken it or destroyed it.”

“I see… But I can’t say it’s entirely not my responsibility, so I want to help a little. Have you checked out the place where Zerdan’s group was staying?”

I didn’t know if they were still living there or if they had left, but I thought we might find some small clues.

And there were also the jewels they displayed.

Zerdan had given me the earrings from there. They were meant to suppress abilities.

I would need to confirm whether only those earrings had special powers or if the other accessories did too, but it was worth checking out.

Of course, I wouldn’t go alone, but now I had the sturdy meat shield that was Obella. If things went south, I could use him as bait and run away. Or, I could hand him over to Zerdan in exchange for my safety.

Unaware of my thoughts, Obella remained silent for a moment before shaking his head.

“I haven’t been there yet. I didn’t know the exact location until Diswen went, and now the rest of the group, except for Terisier, is elsewhere.”

“Is there something more important than going to the place where Zerdan might be?”

It was a genuine question.

This group had gathered around Obella to achieve justice, to take revenge on Zerdan, or to stop his wrongdoings, so this seemed important.

“Zerdan’s criminal organization is a large one, unlike ours. Naturally, it has many members, and the lower-level members go around dealing drugs or trafficking humans without a second thought. Zerdan himself moves separately with a small number of people, but he doesn’t pay much attention to the trouble his subordinates cause. Because of this, there are many people running wild under Zerdan’s protection, so we have to manage them.”

I see. In terms of abilities, even Diswen wasn’t far behind Zerdan’s group, I wondered why they couldn’t easily subdue them. It was because of the difference in numbers.

It was a simple but difficult problem. They had to solve and prevent incidents without even knowing who the criminal organization members were.

If problems arose simultaneously, they would get caught up in minor incidents and miss the important Zerdan.

Since they couldn’t just stand by and let innocent people get hurt, Zerdan didn’t stop his subordinates from causing trouble. It would distract Obella and his group.

This was serious.

I thought I could rely on the main male lead’s position for reassurance, but in reality, he was just dealing with Zerdan’s small fry and even this secret hideout had been compromised. Even if Zerdan’s people snuck in, neither their leader nor their members would know.

‘…If Zerdan suddenly attacked, it would be over in an instant.’

How did Obella handle this in the game’s ending? If it was the Obella ending, it meant he defeated Zerdan. Did he have a special method? Or did he need a helper?

“Isn’t there a way to increase the number of people? There might be some foolish people who would step up to protect justice.”

I accidentally spoke in my usual sharp tone because the situation was so hopeless and frustrating.

I mean, Zerdan asked me to be a spy here, but even I, a useless piece of trash, can see that this place is a lost cause.

I don’t know what abilities Obella has, but honestly, even if we attacked right now, we could win.

“There aren’t many people with special abilities around here. Some people don’t even know they have abilities, and others hide them. And many abilities aren’t very useful in combat.”

“How do you know they won’t be helpful in other ways if they’re not useful in combat? It depends on how the head of the organization utilizes them. Honestly, I don’t understand why you sent someone as valuable as Diswen as a spy. She didn’t even make good use of her abilities.”

It felt similar to the situation I had with Diswen. I was arguing out of frustration, and the other party seemed like they were being scolded.

Obella remained silent. He must also regret that such a valuable combat resource as Diswen was handed over to Zerdan so easily.

Obella didn’t seem to have Diswen’s foolishness…

Maybe he sees the world too purely, or he doesn’t know how to be cunning. He’s Zerdan’s brother, yet why is he so pure?

He seems to have a lot of caution… But being so blatantly cautious only makes the other side prepare more thoroughly.

It would be more advantageous to smile slyly and make the opponent lower their guard, like Zerdan. Besides, to win a fight, you have to try everything you can, whether it’s backstabbing or setting traps.

“You have to try everything you can. Bella, I’ll help you as much as I can. I also want to help rescue Diswen, so use me as much as you can.”

I extended my hand. If I’m going to be a spy, I might as well enjoy it, right? And if I can win over Obella, I might be able to escape Zerdan.

You have to keep all possibilities open. There’s still a lot I don’t know about this game, its world, and the characters.

To finish the game quickly, I need to know a lot and build up as much favorability with the characters as possible. You never know how variables might play out.

He didn’t seem to fully trust me yet, but he didn’t seem to want to push away someone offering cooperation. After all, you never know how someone might be helpful.

And even without mind-reading, I could glimpse from his eyes the thought, ‘Come to think of it, this woman escaped Zerdan without a scratch.’

“Come to think of it, Moa Ablon, I heard you’re an ability user too.”

“…Ah, yes, well…”

“Since we’ve decided to work together, can you tell me about it?”

He seemed slightly expectant. It seemed that people with special abilities were indeed rare, as he said.

I felt a bit sorry that I couldn’t meet his expectations…