NCSHG CH 16

Chapter 16

I opened my eyes wide at the system window that popped up repeatedly.

No way… Holloway…?

Until now, I had never seen Holloway as he truly appeared by the end of the story, so I really doubted if it was him.

But seeing the status window pop up, it had to be Holloway.

Still, I couldn’t exactly ask, “Are you really Holloway?” here.

If I asked and he thought, “How did you know? Die.” I’d be a goner.

I felt his solid body pressing against my back.

To be honest, I was flustered.

Not only was this the adult version of Holloway that appears only after the ending, but now the final boss himself was hugging me from behind?

So scary.

It wouldn’t have been strange if Holloway had put an axe to the back of my head and vanished.

I bit my lips repeatedly, wondering how I could escape him.

[Holloway thinks, “Raising you might be kind of fun.”]

Is he insane?

Who’s going to raise whom!

Annoyed, I tried to turn around, but his large hand stopped me by covering the back of my head.

“You’re terribly disobedient.”

“I’m sorry.”

Under the pressure of his large hand and his threatening words, an apology escaped my lips automatically.

From behind, he laughed low, almost like a sob, and then cleared his throat.

“I’ll go now.”

Please. Hurry.

“Count ten seconds after I drop, then turn around.”

“And if I turn before that?”

“You’ll die, right?”

“One… two…”

“I haven’t dropped yet.”

“….”

He ruffled my hair once.

The arm that had been firmly wrapped around my waist slipped away, and the oppressive feeling from behind disappeared.

I counted the numbers diligently.

“O-one, two…”

After calming my trembling voice and counting to ten, I slowly turned around.

There lay the younger version of Holloway, pretending to be unconscious as if nothing had happened.

I approached him, clenching my fist.

Should I hit him, or not?

Better not—if I hit him, my head would probably fly off.

“Holloway, Holloway!”

I shook him awake as if nothing had happened. Holloway acted as if he had just woken up.

Annoying.

“Sis?”

“You okay? No injuries?”

“Yes… How about you?”

“I’m fine for now. Someone saved us—did you see them?”

Asking this way would make him realize I didn’t know Holloway and that other man were the same person.

I wondered if I was as good at acting as Holloway himself.

“No. I didn’t see anyone.”

“Really? Looks like that person saved us. Maybe there’s someone else in this hotel besides us.”

I pretended to think seriously. He, knowing full well, played along.

“Since they helped, they must be a good person, right?”

No. He’s an incredibly cruel and evil demon.

I awkwardly laughed and avoided the question. Even as an empty lie, I couldn’t call him good.

Instead, I shifted the topic. I had to raise affection to escape the confinement ending.

So even if we faced monsters, we had to get to the dining room by any means.

For now, I only knew how to increase affection through this quest.

“Holloway, in this situation, it’s… but people need a proper meal to do anything, right?”

As if waiting for this, Holloway firmly grabbed my hand.

“Of course. Unfortunately, I guess I’m the only one who can eat the food you made.”

…Somehow, I felt like I was playing with Holloway’s palm.

Ah, I really was.

We headed to the dining room, holding hands naturally.

This time, no monsters blocked our path, so we easily entered the dining room.

The large lounge bar was quiet.

We stepped past overturned chairs and tables and saw a door with a “No Entry Except Staff” sign.

I opened the door with Holloway. Sure enough, it led to the kitchen.

Carefully, we checked that no monsters were inside and then looked for ingredients.

Even in the game, the protagonists didn’t starve, so while it wasn’t abundant, basic ingredients were all present.

The kitchen was tidy.

Even in a hotel inhabited by monsters and demons, the kitchen should be clean.

“Sis, can I help?”

“By sitting still?”

“I’ll help. I know how to prepare ingredients.”

But if I do everything, wouldn’t that mean I succeed in the quest…?

Not wanting to leave any risks, I refused Holloway and sent him outside the kitchen.

“Then let’s start.”

Time to raise Holloway’s affection!

“It’s a bit… underwhelming for all this effort…”

Holloway mumbled, looking at the meager table setting.

I forced a smile and brought a spoonful of soup to his mouth, trying to avoid the confinement ending.

“What do you expect in this situation? Eat.”

Watching the spoon and me alternately, he opened his mouth with a surprisingly pleased expression.

“Huh? It’s actually pretty good.”

Holloway’s eyes widened in surprise.

Feeling slightly proud, I straightened my shoulders and fed him another spoonful.

When I offered the spoon into his hand, he shook his head politely.

“Sis, I want salad.”

“No hands?”

“Salad.”

Alright, alright.

Smiling, I carefully fed him tomatoes and salad with a fork. Of course, I kept eating too.

When you’re hungry, you can’t do anything else.

After the less-than-pleasant meal ended, I licked my dry lips, eagerly waiting for the quest success notification.

I wanted to be happy, please!

As if responding to my plea, a cheerful notification sound popped up:

[Special Quest Completed!]

[Reward: Affection +10%]

[Affection increased by 10%]

[Favorability: 5.5%
Affection: 12%
Possessiveness: 12%]

[Difference between Possessiveness and Affection is now under 10%. The “Unhappy Confinement Life” ending is revoked.]

Finally…!

I breathed a sigh of relief.

But this was just the beginning. The biggest problem was how easily possessiveness increased.

The confinement ending hadn’t disappeared. If possessiveness exceeds affection by 10% or more, the unhappy confinement life could start at any time.

So I needed to manage the balance carefully…

But I had no idea how to raise affection.

Would treating him warmly work?

“Sis, I’m sleepy because I’m full.”

What a carefree final boss.

Being the owner of this hotel and a predator, he had nothing to fear.

“Shall we go to that room earlier?”

Since it’s a safe zone, I could sleep comfortably.

It didn’t matter to Holloway which room, but it did to me.

What if he tore me apart while I slept…?

“Let’s go to the nearby room.”

When I hesitated, Holloway stretched and held my waist.

“I’ll let you sleep.”

So he meant he’d let me sleep and nothing else…?

I tried to stop my negative thoughts.

“Should I keep watch?”

“No.”

“You can’t make a child struggle.”

Holloway chuckled softly, covering his nose, as I hurriedly rejected.

“Let’s go to the room anyway. You smell strongly of blood.”

“Ah.”

I had completely forgotten.

I had basically been wandering around covered in Friedel’s blood.

Even though I looked terrifying, Werner and Moran weren’t scared—thankfully.

If it were me, I would have screamed like a ghost.

Once I noticed it, I felt uneasy.

“Do we have clothes?”

“Let’s check.”

Despite my state, Holloway held my hand and led the way.

Well, as a demon, blood probably didn’t scare him.

He held my hand as we went.

[Holloway decides to show you ‘favor’.]

Favor?

[Room 201, previously restricted, “Sleeping” room unlocked!]

Sleeping room?

Does it mean a corpse is sleeping?

As soon as we reached 201, Holloway went to the 2nd floor and opened the door at the end of the hallway.

Inside, he opened the wardrobe skillfully.

It was full of clothes. Holloway pointed to the wardrobe with relief.

“There are clothes, Sis!”

Good, but why are they all negligees?

They’re easy to move in, but being sleepwear, they’re too thin and light.

Luckily, there was a thin cardigan.

No shoes… asking for shoes would be too much.

“Thanks, Holloway. Watch out for monsters while I quickly shower.”

I didn’t want to die in the shower.

Holloway’s face carried mischief as he pondered.

“Shall we shower together?”

I glared at him.

“We’re of different sexes.”

“That’s right! You’re a woman, I’m a man.”

Uh… why is he happy?

Holding my hands tightly, he repeated,

“Don’t forget, okay?”

The glint in his eyes was chilling. I nervously replied,

“Y-yeah.”

“Then go shower! I’ll wait.”

I hesitated, entering the bathroom.

Holloway waved lightly as if seeing me off.

Not good.

Seeing him for the last time felt like death.

Why does it feel like a farewell?

“I’m just taking a shower.”

Not going anywhere.

“I know.”

“Not going anywhere.”

Not going to the afterlife.

I repeated it nervously, and Holloway covered his mouth, laughing.

“Yes, don’t go.”

[Holloway finds you cute.]

Not impressed.

[Affection +1%]

Thank you for finding me cute.