(Chapter 20) Is it different?
"Senpai, would you like to come to my house for dinner tonight?"
After finishing her patrol and returning to the station to report, Anna received an invitation from Louise, just as she had in the previous simulation.
Faced with the same invitation as in the simulation, Anna thought for a moment.
"Let me think about it for a bit. I need to go inside and write a report first, then I'll give you an answer, okay?"
"Of course!"
Anna turned and walked into the station, then immediately activated the simulation.
That's right, going to write a report was just an excuse for Anna. The main reason was to start another simulation.
The current situation had reached a point where she couldn't just casually try things out to see if there was a chance for a turnaround.
Starting a simulation before making a decision was the wise choice.
Fortunately, although the content of the simulator could take up a lot of text, it didn't mean that running a simulation would take a long time. In fact, even simulations that lasted over a hundred days, like the first one, the third one, or the one before last, wouldn't take more than ten minutes.
Ten minutes... writing a report, slacking off inside, chatting with Louise for a bit, and then giving an answer, ten minutes would pass by easily.
Moreover, the consequences of going to dinner might be revealed midway through the simulation, so it might not even take ten minutes.
Then let the simulation begin!
[Simulation Start]
[Day Zero: You accepted Louise's invitation to have dinner at her house.]
[To entertain you, she specifically remembered your favorite flavors from the last time you dined together and had the chef prepare the meal with the utmost skill, making you feel quite flattered.]
[You ate until you were full.]
[Louise asked if you wanted to stay over, and you decided to spend the night at her place.]
[So Louise arranged a luxurious guest room for you and told you that, whether you came to stay or not, this room would always be yours.]
[You were deeply moved and hugged Louise.]
[Louise seemed surprised that you hugged her, and before you entered your room, you could hear her giggling.]
Ugh, does this count as taking advantage of Louise's feelings?
Looking at Louise in the simulator, she completely lost the aggressiveness she had when she was actively pursuing Anna. Now she seemed a bit silly...
[Before going to bed, you heard strange noises outside your room and decided to check it out.]
[As soon as you stepped out, you saw several maids who had broken a vase being scolded by Louise's housekeeper. Noticing you coming out of your room, the housekeeper quickly came over to apologize and made the maids apologize to you as well.]
[You said it was no big deal and decided to go back to sleep.]
[Before entering your room, you sensed a familiar malice.]
Huh?
Anna's spirits lifted. She hadn't expected to see this familiar term here.
Sensing familiar malice in Louise's house... Did this confirm that the person following her was someone from Louise's household?
Could it even be one of the maids or the housekeeper?
[Although you sensed the familiar malice, when you turned to look at them, the maids had already been taken away by the housekeeper for punishment. You couldn't identify who had directed that malice at you.]
[You spent the day with this confusion.]
Hopefully, nothing happens next.
Anna nervously watched the following content.
[Day One: Although it's a day off, you know you still have to work overtime if you don't take leave. Because of last night's events, you became convinced that there was a mole in Louise's mansion, so you refused to let the maids help you put on your armor and did it yourself.]
[Later, you confided in Louise about this and asked her not to investigate openly. Louise agreed and even gave you a horse.]
[So today, you patrolled several streets, and nothing happened.]
[After returning home, you sensed the familiar malice again, but you ignored it and went home as if nothing had happened.]
[Day Two:]
...Jumping straight to Day Two?
[You patrolled several streets, and nothing happened.]
[Day Three: You patrolled several streets, and nothing happened.]
[Day Four: You patrolled several streets, and nothing happened.]
?
[Day Eight: You noticed that the person who had been following you with malice was no longer tailing you.]
[You patrolled several streets, and nothing happened.]
Huh? They stopped following?
Anna was stunned.
This person who had been following her with malice... Could it be because of Louise?
It's not impossible. After all, based on the past few days in the simulator, she hadn't interacted much with Louise, and nothing had happened.
...So the key really is Louise?
If she just interacted less with Louise, she wouldn't be killed, nor would she be sold to the red-light district?
But why, in the third simulation, did she get followed and tricked after spending the weekend with Louise, while this time, after shopping together, being invited to dinner, and staying at Louise's house, nothing happened?
This is also a noteworthy point.
Next, it jumps straight to Day Ten.
[Day Ten: Your Boss ordered you to patrol the surrounding forest, and you went without complaint.]
[However, Louise wanted to join you on the mission, and you accepted her offer without hesitation, patrolling the forest together.]
This part of the plot is slightly different from before.
[During the patrol, you noticed that the forest was unusually quiet, with none of the usually highly active magical beasts in sight.]
[As a knight, you became even more vigilant in this situation. After carefully instructing Louise, you began to pay close attention to your surroundings.]
[Then, you and Louise heard fighting up ahead.]
And then comes the part Anna hates the most.
[Your intuition suddenly sensed something wrong at your feet. You immediately drew your steel sword, a weapon sharp enough to cut through iron and slay any low-level magical beast, and it gleamed with light—]
[With a shout, the sword, made of the finest steel even among steel weapons, cleaved through the ground beneath you, destroying the enemy lurking below.]
[You killed a Thread Worm.]
Is it different again?
Last time, Louise had to help, but this time, she managed to kill the Thread Worm directly?
Looking at the simulator, which gave so much detailed description to that refined steel longsword, Anna's expression became a bit subtle.
Was this trying to hype up the refined steel longsword from the achievement store?