Swallowing down my bewildered emotions, I quietly wiped the plate clean.
As I set down the bowl, licked clean down to the very last grain of rice, Lucian collected the utensils with a satisfied smile.
Seeing that, I let out a deep sigh.
Fine. If he’s going to cook for me, I suppose I can buy him a proper suit.
No matter how poor and pathetic of a college student I was, I could at least manage this much.
Right, I had my savings.
After serving in the military, I had the military savings account, plus scholarship money from being top of my department (even if I wasn’t top of the whole college year), so, um…… it would somehow work out.
……It’ll really work out, right?
Persuading myself, I headed toward the department store.
Once we got there, I would just quickly buy what was necessary and head right back.
I pushed my complicated thoughts aside for a moment and steadied my mind.
However, something felt off.
Right from the moment we stepped through the entrance, the employees’ reactions were subtly different.
Some flinched with startled expressions, then hurriedly straightened their postures and bowed their heads.
It felt a bit too excessive to be standard, polite customer service.
It wasn’t like this was my first time here, and I hadn’t even dressed up or anything.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for them to react to me like that.
I carefully observed the employees’ reactions.
It wasn’t mere politeness.
It was mixed with a hint of tension and familiarity, as if they were dealing with a superior they hadn’t seen in a long time.
Their gazes weren’t even directed at me—they were fixed on Lucian walking right beside me.
“……?”
I turned my head and looked at Lucian standing next to me.
“What is this……?”
Lucian still smiled leisurely.
“Is something the matter, Master?”
“……Why are they greeting you?”
I genuinely wanted to know.
Lucian was a game character who had no business existing in reality.
Yet those employees were acting as if they had known him all along.
While I stood there looking bewildered and glancing around, Lucian smiled as if it was no big deal and gestured to an employee.
“Please guide us to a private room.”
“Yes, sir.”
The employee quickly bowed their head and headed straight toward the inner section.
I stood there completely dumbfounded, staring at their retreating backs.
What the hell, what is going on?
At that moment, Lucian naturally turned his gaze toward me.
“Was the attention making you uncomfortable? Let’s go somewhere quiet.”
I looked up at him with an absurd expression.
……That’s not what I meant at all?
That wasn’t my question.
I parted my lips, thinking about pressing him for answers, but then quietly shut my mouth.
‘Are these game characters really synced up with reality now or something?’
Something was seriously wrong, and as much as I wanted to ask, oddly enough, the words wouldn’t come out.
Everything was flowing a little too naturally.
Except for me.
Should I really just keep following along like this?
“Master?”
At the quiet voice calling me, I instinctively flinched.
“……U-Yeah.”
As I stammered out an awkward reply and turned my gaze away, my eyes accidentally caught on the muscles slightly visible through the tight, ill-fitting shirt.
……It was freaking terrifying.
No matter how I thought about it, the biggest problem of all was the fact that this bastard actually existed in reality.
Stepping into the private room the employee guided us to, it was undeniably quiet.
Escaping the bustling, crowded atmosphere of the department store made it feel like I could finally catch my breath.
Actually, ever since arriving at the department store, I’d been hearing intermittent ringing in my ears, which had been driving me nuts, so coming to a quiet place like this was honestly a relief.
Still…… wasn’t this place expensive?
As I panicked inwardly, thinking about my wallet’s health, Lucian smoothly picked up a white knit sweater with a sleek motion.
His red eyes curved slightly, and he said to me in a calm voice.
“I think this would suit you well, Master. It’ll make your fair skin stand out even more.”
……Suit me, my ass.
I grumbled internally while staring intently at the knit sweater.
Though, I had to admit—the clothes were obscenely pretty.
The luxurious yet soft texture made it look miles better than anything I usually wore.
But that wasn’t the problem.
‘Who the hell is paying for all this?’
‘Not me, right?’
‘He’s not actually about to go on a full-blown shopping spree, is he?’
A sinister premonition began to bloom.
Sure enough, after picking out a few more pieces, Lucian very naturally shoved me into the fitting room.
“Wait, not me, your clothes—”
“It’s a gift, Master.”
……What?
Words stalled in my throat.
‘Where on earth do you even have money?’
I wanted to interrogate him on the spot, but somehow, his unnaturally relaxed demeanor felt suspicious.
In the end, narrowing my eyes, I tried to probe him.
“Hey.”
“…….”
There was no answer, no matter how many times I called.
Finding it strange, I looked over at him, and Lucian had his lips pressed into a tight line.
……No way.
I scrutinized his expression. And then, I was certain.
‘He’s pouting.’
……Seriously?
I was momentarily struck speechless by absurdity.
Still, after playing for a whole year, I knew how to read this bastard’s facial micro-expressions inside and out.
That look on his face right now? 100% a dissatisfied face.
Just to confirm, I called out to him again.
“Lucian.”
An answer came back immediately this time.
“Yes, Master.”
Lucian smiled, his eyes curving right away.
I stared at him for a moment before slowly opening my mouth.
“Look here. No, I mean, yesterday was so sudden that I didn’t get to properly wrap my head around things and move past it, but—”
Lucian tilted his head slightly.
A gaze that looked completely focused.
Following that movement, his platinum-blond hair slipped softly down his shoulder.
As I blankly stared at that still-surreal sight, I slowly continued.
“How did you end up here? And how do you know what a phone is, and how do you know what a department store is…… don’t you think your explanations are a bit lacking?”
I added, locking eyes with him as if testing the waters.
“Besides, I didn’t even summon you into reality, so why are you adapting to this place so naturally?”
The moment I said that, Lucian took a step closer and closed the fitting room door.
‘Clack.’
Reflexively, I clutched the white knit sweater tight.
A confined space.
Right in front of me stood the final boss who had popped out straight into reality.
……Fucking hell, is it even possible to run away from here?
