With nothing else to do, I waited inside the old house, furiously thinking about my next steps. Right now, I'm still in a pretty weak state... having an F-Rank physical stat is pretty poor, even for the average person with no Li-Liang.
This world revolves around physical strength, it would be stupid of me to not level up my physical stats.
But right now, the only thing I have to rely on is my knowledge about this game, but considering the main game hasn't even started yet, there's only so much information I can use.
I thought about getting stronger.
Strong enough so that I was the one being relied on.
And as if right on time, the front door finally opened.
But it didn't open with a bang, but instead, with a low creak, as if it didn't want to disturb the peace inside the house.
I quickly got up from the table.
"Grandma Guanhuai, you're back!"
"Yeah, yeah, kiddo, I'm back alright."
In her hands, she carried her signature black bag, which was heavily weighed down by whatever was inside.
"What's in the bag?"
"What do ya think?"
"...Ingredients?"
"No shit, ya idiot."
She was completely different from last night, or more so, back to "normal"...but now that I think of it...
I cringed at myself, reliving our interaction from the night before, only snapping out of it at Grandma Guanhuai's harsh, demanding words.
"Are ya going ta keep standing there or are ya gonna pick up all that stuff out in the front?"
"Huh? What stuff?"
Looking past her, there was a wide assortment of cards, mini boxes, and hand-decorated healing potions sprawled out on the ground.
"Looks like ya fans were worried about ya."
"...Right."
I picked up a healing bottle, which was the exact bottle Grandma Guanhuai sold, except it was adorned with shiny stickers and charms, with a small little note too, saying, "Hope you feel better, Han!", yet the words written on the paper didn't quite reach me.
It felt almost nauseating, looking at all the bright and very saturated items.
And thinking about where these things came from made it even worse.
"Grandma Guanhuai, do you have a garbage bag or something?"
"What? What do ya need that for? Yer not gonna throw those out, are ya?!"
"Don't be stupid, I'm not going to throw them all out, I'll just throw out the ones that aren't health potions."
I started checking through the bottles, making sure they weren't tampered with.
"...Are ya serious? Those are gifts from yer admirers, and yer just gonna do that ta 'em?"
"They're strangers. You never know what they could've done to these things, and you think I'm just going to accept it? Where would I even put these? They're nauseating to look at, so I'm throwing them out! It's not like it's your gifts!"
...Crap...I didn't mean to say all of that.
"W-what I mean is that it's dangerous...that's all."
Turning around, I quickly piled up all the cards and boxes, with the only thing left being the needed garbage bag.
"...Kiddo, did something happen?"
...How did she already notice? It was just one slip-up.
For some reason, I didn't really want to tell her what happened with the customers today.
But knowing her, she'll pry it out of my mouth one way or another.
"They're just...I don't know...creepy? Maybe I've been feeding too much into their fantasies."
She stood there for a bit, thinking about my words, before stumbling over to a kitchen cabinet, taking out a plastic garbage bag.
"Just throw everything in here...and leave it at the table, I'll throw it out later."
"...Alright."
I started putting everything into the bag, and soon enough, the bag was full.
"...Grandma Guanhuai...remember when I...when I told you I felt like I had let someone down? And that I want to find them again?"
"...Of course I do, ya idiot."
"Do you happen to know that meat skewer shop that's around ten minutes from here? I'm looking for the waitress who worked there."
"The one that just closed?"
"Yes, that one!"
I felt my shoulders tense up, yet there was this glimmer of hope in my eyes.
Grandma Guanhuai was the first person I'd asked who even knew that the store had closed down.
It was like she tried to think, or remember something, but then she suddenly looked straight into my eyes, looking for a reaction.
For a while, there was just silence.
"...I'm sorry, kiddo, I ain't remember that store too much. Didn't ever go there ta eat..."
I got the same answer again.
How come nobody remembers anything about this girl?
Aren't people in the slums pretty close-knit?
"Grandma Guanhuai, how come nobody remembers her? I don't understand. Is there something I'm missing? I've asked around all day...and...nobody knows her. Some don't even know about the store, even though they work on the same block as it...why?"
"...That sounds pretty normal, kiddo."
"What?"
"...Hey, ya lived most yer life in riches, over there in the rich cities, but the people here, ain't gonna care about ya if ya don't got anything ta give."
"But-but it's to an absurd degree! I mean, they-"
But then I thought about it.
In my past life, did my neighbors even know about me?
Did they even know what I looked like, let alone my name?
Her life felt so similar to mine.
And it pained me.
Because I know what it felt like.
Not talking to anyone, and no one talking to you.
"...Kiddo, ya alright?"
"Huh? Um, yeah, I'm fine."
Yet I seemed to be unable to hide how I truly felt, as Grandma Guanhuai then commanded me to take all my stuff and take a shower.
She probably thought I was tired, maybe she thought I needed a breath of fresh air.
I guess after last night, I've been seeing her from a different perspective.
***
The sharp, cold air hit me as I got out of the warm water.
I quickly dried myself off and put on my new clothes, which were the same outfit, only slightly bigger.
It felt like every new outfit I got was a size bigger than the last...
...How weird.
I slowly walked back to the house, wanting to take in everything around me... and, I guess, to sort my thoughts.
Instead of the moon lighting my way today, it was the stars.
...So...how am I going to find her now?
Each step I took felt louder than it should have as it echoed throughout the silent road.
I exhaled slowly.
Think.
I could always go to the police station. Maybe I could ask for information about the owner of the restaurant.
...That waitress was probably the owner, considering how she gave me fifty skewers for free without any sense of fear...and the fact that she was the only one working there...
But...what if the people at the police station recognize me?
They'll probably interrogate me as to why I would want to know such-
An almost silent sound was heard.
Something that moved at just the wrong moment.
Unconsciously, I slowed down my pace.
If the trees were rustling, or the wind had blown just a little harder, I don't think I would've heard it.
The slow footsteps behind me.
I pretended not to notice.
In the spur of the moment, I hadn't taken my phone with me.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and all of a sudden, I was hyper aware of everything around me.
It was like that moment all over again.
Breathe, I need to breathe...
But it was easier said than done.
All I could hear were the footsteps.
They moved slowly, yet were still so close to me, hiding behind shadows that the starlight never touched.
The way they moved, all the way down to the rhythms of the footsteps.
It was all too familiar.
...Four minutes. I just need to stall out for four more minutes until I reach Grandma Guanhuai's house.
But a lot could go wrong in just four minutes.
Out of nowhere, the footsteps turned aggressive, and I could hear them rushing in on me, no longer caring about its sneakiness anymore, as if it knew that it was already found out.
I violently dove to the side, my entire body slammed against the wall, and I could feel the attacker try to swing something at me, with the harsh afterwind they left behind still hanging strong even after the swing.
If I hadn't moved, I might have...
My breathing was now erratic as I realized how confined I was.
No,
no,
no,
no,
NO.
I felt it.
I couldn't back out, not this time.
Trying to run, I took my hands off the concrete walls that were holding me up, but my knees immediately buckled under my weight.
My ears rang violently, like the sound of impending doom.
I was losing my senses.
Yet miraculously, I forced my shaking body up.
Through the corner of my eyes, I saw a black figure standing just inches away from me.
My legs weren't fast enough, there wasn't enough time to-
"—AUGH—!"
Something blunt slammed into me.
A horrifying pain engulfed my legs as I crumbled to the ground, and the sound of hardwood and cracking bones filled my ears.
"Augh...hah.....hah..."
My hands clawed uselessly at the ground as I tried to gasp through the pain.
The man held a wooden plank in his hands.
His merciless eyes fixated on me as a decrepit smile showed on his face.
It was the same man.
The one who tried to kill me.