『Garage is this way!』
Eveline skipped ahead, guiding me with a playful bounce. Something felt off, though—like her feet weren't touching the ground, or maybe it was just my nerves.
『Whoops?』
We reached the path to the garage, just across the hall from the dining room, only to find the control panel sealed shut with duct tape. No way I could peel that off with my bare hands. They must've done this to keep me trapped, but doesn't that make things inconvenient for them too?
『Sorry, looks like Jack got here first. Maybe when he stashed your car in the garage?』
"What's that? So if I can get in, I might escape?"
『Yup, sounds about right!』
The problem was finding something to cut or peel the tape. I tried stabbing it with the dull kitchen knife I'd grabbed from the table, but it barely scratched the surface. Poorly maintained, but it could still serve as a weapon, so I kept it. My pistol, used to fend off Mia, was gone—probably confiscated.
"Guess I'll backtrack for something sharper…"
『Better hurry, or they'll come back!』
"That'd be bad."
『Move it, move it, let's survive this!』
Eveline's cheering from behind pushed me back to the dining room, where the old lady had vanished. When did she leave? No matter—fewer obstacles.
"Anything in the fridge… huh?"
I stepped into the kitchen next to the dining room, intending to rummage through the fridge, when a memo on the door caught my eye. "Woman, 50s, obese, sauté. Man, 30s, scrawny, gumbo. Man, 20s, slightly fat, teriyaki." …Best not to think too hard about that. I opened the fridge, then slammed it shut. Didn't see anything.
『Hey, what's "scrawny"?』
"Huh? Oh, it means someone skinny and bony, kinda rough-looking."
『And gumbo?』
"It's a Southern stew, like curry or chili. Mia made it for me once."
『Cool! I wanna try it. Marguerite's food is so gross…』
"No kidding. I feel bad for you, growing up eating that crap."
『Seriously, I just want something tasty.』
Eveline's deadpan plea made me nod—she'd been through it. Oh, a fresh herb in the trash. I pocketed it for a palate cleanser.
『Whoa, Ethan, swiping stuff like a pro thief!』
"Shut up."
Ignoring her teasing, I checked the next room off the kitchen. A pantry—nice. A fork in the cupboard… Clean it before storing, damn it. Useless, but I took it anyway.
"Huh? A basement?"
『Probably just leads under the porch. The real basement's somewhere else.』
"Good to know. …Hey, are those people your family?"
『Yup, my family now. I was taken in by the Bakers three years ago.』
"Bakers… so they own this farm. You an orphan or something?"
『Yeah, my mom ditched me.』
"Sorry I asked. And you ended up with this crazy family…"
I picked up a pair of boots tossed carelessly in the corner. "Eveline" was written on them. Hers?
『Those are old ones I outgrew and ditched.』
"Don't just toss stuff like this. …You got bigger?"
I glanced at Eveline. Tiny, maybe eight years old at most. Then at the boots. Same size, aren't they?
"How old are you?"
『Asking a lady her age? Rude much?』
"My bad."
She dodged that smoothly, but whatever. I returned to the kitchen, then stepped into the hallway, reaching for a locked door at the end. No go. I headed deeper down the hall—shit!
『Oh!』
"Give me a break…"
I muttered, backtracking quietly. Jack was in the hallway, wielding a shovel. Getting hit with that would be no joke. Eveline and I scurried back, hiding near the garage path, listening as his footsteps moved toward the kitchen. Chance. Time to check the hallway's end.
"Damn it! Where'd that bastard go?!"
『Blind as a bat, lol.』
"Quiet."
Jack's angry shout rang out—he'd noticed I was gone. I jogged down the hall and spotted a key on a small table. "Under the floor key"—for the basement, probably. Back where Jack is? Great.
"What's past here…?"
I pushed forward and froze. A massive, bizarrely intricate door blocked the way. What the hell is this?
『Yeah, no clue what this is. This house is full of weird stuff like this—shadow puzzle gimmicks and all. Annoying, tedious, and just plain sucks.』
"Shadow puzzles?"
So I needed something to unlock this door to move forward. Probably the front entrance was beyond it, but I hadn't seen anything useful. Just junk piles and photos in the hallway, nothing sharp enough for the tape. Basement it was, then.
"I'll find it quick… then it's showtime…"
『Creepy talk. "Showtime"? Like, a punching bag?』
"Not the fun kind, I bet…"
『Yup, you'd be the punching bag.』
"Knew it."
Getting pummeled by that hulking mustached guy? No thanks. I'd already taken one of his punches—hurt like hell. Never again.
"Eveline, can you check past the hallway corner?"
『What, making a kid do it? You're the adult!』
"You're their kid, right? They wouldn't hurt you."
『After feeding me that gross food?』
Her words shut me up. Yeah, that's abuse by any standard…
"Fine…"
『Yay, love you, Ethan!』
"Stop with the monotone."
I cautiously peeked around the corner. Clear… right? I checked the next one. The kitchen door was open, blocking my view. A loud racket had been going since earlier—what was that? I hurried into the kitchen, only to lock eyes with Jack, who was smashing the dining table with his shovel.
"Oh."
『Eyes meet, time to battle—that's the rule!』
"You're leaving before dinner's done?"
"That's a Pokémon ref—wait, Jack, you're wrecking the table!"
"You saying my wife's cooking ain't good enough?!"
『Jack attacks! Ethan dodges!』
"We're not communicating here!"
I dove forward, dodging the shovel's swing. Eveline, that little sneak, had already slipped into the room with the basement hatch. I crawled after her, toppling a cupboard to make a makeshift barricade. Open the hatch quick—
"Think this'll stop me?"
『Freaked out! Super freaked out!』
A deafening BOOM echoed as Jack kicked through the door and barricade. The cupboard flew through Eveline, crashing into the wall and scattering debris. She's definitely a ghost.
"You shouldn't have come to this house, boy."
『Oh no!』
"Gah!"
Jack grabbed my face, forcing me to turn, and slammed the shovel into my left shoulder, knocking me down. Before I could stand, he swung again, slicing my right leg. Blood sprayed, the pain blinding, and he hacked it off entirely. First my arm, now my leg?!
"GAAAH!"
"Poor thing. Shouldn't have tried to run."
"Guh!"
He slammed my face into the floor. Damn it… so close, and it ends here? No, I survived Mia's chainsaw. I wasn't done yet.
『Ethan's leg is a mess! What do I do? Ugh, Jack, you idiot… huh?』
Eveline, panicking at the edge of my vision, froze as I crawled, grabbing my severed leg despite the agony. Jack, grinning wickedly, pulled a bottle from his pocket and set it by my feet. What's that?
"Here, this'll fix your leg. Come on, try."
No way that works. But my arm had healed somehow. I dragged myself to the bottle, grabbed it, and Jack walked off, smug. What's with this guy?
『That's my line. Most people would scream and die if their body got chopped up. Like Hoffman.』
"Not dying yet…"
I'd have lost it if Mia hadn't already put me through hell. I pressed my leg to the stump and poured the bottle's liquid over it. Unbelievably, it reattached.
"No way…"
『Gross, Ethan, that's freaky!』
I stood, moving like nothing happened. What's going on? Also, Eveline, don't say that while crawling into the basement hatch. I'm onto you.
"Hey, move it! Run, or I'll catch you!"
『Jack's not holding back this time.』
His shouts and shovel-clanging echoed from the hall. I dove into the basement hatch after Eveline. By the way, Eveline, you don't need to crawl—you're a ghost. I saw a bit.
『Ethan, you perv!』
"It was an accident!"
"Shut up, Ethan! Stay put, and I'll nab you later!"
Eveline glared at me like I was a beast, while Jack's voice roared from above. This makes no sense.
📖 Enjoying the story? By joining my Patreon, you'll gain early access to new chapters and exclusive content available only to supporters.
🌐 Find me here: pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ
I, Tomoya Aki, Will Not Be a Simp (45 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Summoning Furina and the Genshin Gang to Reality (33 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd: Stranded in Another World, Surrounded by Valkyries (33 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: I Refused the Path of Betrayal and Chose to Rewrite Fate (66 Chapter)
I Only Wanted to Fix Machines, Not Help Conan Solve Murders (63 Chapter)
One Piece: I Brought Piltover's Tech to the Pirate Era (75 Chapter)
From Diablo to Marvel: The Barbarian Who Crushes All Heroes (96 Chapter)
Resident Evil: Ethan's Epilogue Is a Road Trip With a Dead Girl (65 Chapter)
Date A Live: Kurumi Rebuild (65 Chapter)
Harry Potter: The Lion of the Serpent House (76 Chapter)
I Just Wanted a Quiet Life... So Why Am I an Uma Musume Trainer?! (145 Chapter)
The Irregular at Magic High School: Everyone Loves My Brother?! (130 Chapter)
Runeterra: Prince of Demacia (17 Chapter)
Love is War: What If Kaguya Ha (10 Chapter)
Blue Archive: One Last Memory (36 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.