Gideon finally gave up on enduring the awkward silence. He raised a hand and flashed the biggest smile he could manage.
"Uh, hello, everyone?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm Gideon Beckett. And I'm really not dangerous. Like… the opposite, actually."
He gestured to himself. "You can check my clothes if you want. I don't have any weapons."
The mother narrowed her eyes. "A man can still be dangerous without those."
Gideon did not argue. He understood that better than most. His father never needed a weapon to hurt him. And when the perfect time finally came, Gideon had not needed one to wound him either.
Still, if he wanted to survive in this world, he had to stay. He needed women to build a Safe Zone, to earn Love Coins, to make the system work at all.
On top of that, this family was simply too beautiful to ignore. He glanced at Freya with the most pitiful puppy eyes he could muster.
She noticed immediately.
"If you make him leave," Freya said firmly as she stepped in front of him, "then I'll leave with him. Men can be our enemies, but they can also be our protectors. And I know Gideon wouldn't hurt me."
"Freya!" her mother exclaimed.
"Wait, seriously?" another voice chimed in. "Freya's allowed to be with a man? Then I'm in!"
The taller woman moved up beside Freya, eyes gleaming with mischief. She leaned closer to Gideon and sniffed him.
Actually sniffed him.
He froze.
She was close enough that he could feel her breath against his neck, her chest brushing his arm.
"Oh?" she murmured. "You don't smell bad at all. What's your secret, boy?"
Strangely enough, she smelled much cleaner than Freya.
"Summer!" the mother snapped. "Don't get so close to him! Do you want to act like a whore or something?!"
Summer gasped dramatically. "What? I just want to fall in love with a man and know how it feels to have sex! I don't want to die an old virgin, Mom!"
The mother pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ugh. Teenagers."
"We are not teenagers!" Freya protested. "I'm eighteen, and Summer is almost twenty-five!"
The mother did not respond right away. Her gaze moved from her daughters to Gideon, lingering there long enough to make the silence unbearable. Finally, she sighed and rubbed her temple.
"Fine," she said. "He can sleep here. But he is not allowed on the lower floor."
"Yes!" the younger women cheered, even high-fiving each other.
Gideon let out a small laugh. "Don't worry. I won't cross any lines. I'll help however I can."
"We'll see how long you keep that promise," the mother replied coolly. "I'm Delilah Gray. These are my daughters."
She paused, then added, "But don't expect food tonight. Our supplies are limited, and as you can see, no hunting was done today."
"That's okay," Gideon said easily. "I'll help with hunting tomorrow."
Fortunately, the problem ended there as night fell quickly.
Gideon spent the evening talking with the sisters. They were extroverted and easy to get along with.
Summer was a little too touchy, though he did not mind it, while Freya reminded him of a curious cat, constantly asking questions and poking her nose into everything.
Delilah, on the other hand, rarely spoke. When she did, it was only to warn Summer not to get too close, or to tell Freya to stop asking inappropriate questions.
As long as she did not turn hostile toward him, Gideon was more than satisfied.
Later, Delilah asked him to help move a few crates from the living room into the room Summer had come out of earlier. Only then did he notice another hidden hatch leading to the lower floor. In the end, he did not go down.
"The lights will turn off shortly after we go below," Delilah warned, her eyes sharp as she closed the hatch. "Don't do anything suspicious. I will shoot you."
Gideon simply nodded.
Once everything settled, he returned to the living room and lay down on the worn-out sofa. He let out a deep groan, stretching his body, only to realize he was not tired at all.
That alone made him smile.
He had fallen sick right after turning eighteen. His kidneys had simply stopped working without warning.
At least his father had already died of a stroke by then, leaving only him and his sister behind.
"How's my sister doing, I wonder?" he murmured quietly. "She should finally be free."
Ivy was five years older than him. She had graduated early and found work just as his condition worsened, supporting both of them ever since.
Gideon had always felt like a burden, watching her sacrifice so many things, even her love life, just to take care of him.
He shook his head and exhaled slowly. "No. I need to focus now. I need to stay alive… for her too."
"I just hope she's happy now."
With that thought lingering, Gideon finally opened the system again, his attention settling on the [Seed of Aaru].
[Seed of Aaru: Purifies the land into a permanent Safe Zone.]
[This Safe Zone will serve as the blueprint for a new civilization.]
[Plant the seed in a location the host deems suitable.]
"New civilization, huh?"
The responsibility felt far heavier than it should have, especially for someone with little combat ability.
"Tch. Damn system, at least give me something useful."
He switched to the Infinite Shop instead.
As its name suggested, it sold everything. Food, water, weapons, even scrolls for martial arts, swordsmanship manuals, and temporary spell items, all listed neatly with prices.
"I can even rent a bathroom…?"
Gideon stared at the option in disbelief. That alone made it tempting. He could already imagine how useful it would be, especially for Freya.
"But the Love Coins…"
He continued browsing, tossing everything he wanted into the basket out of habit. When he finally reached the payment page, something new caught his eye.
[PayLater System]
[Allows the host to purchase items using system points.]
[Payment is deferred to the following month. No interest applied.]
[Failure to pay will result in severe punishment.]
Gideon's lips slowly curled into a grin.
"This…" he muttered, eyes shining. "I can finally take a bath."