Two hours later, the sun had climbed to its zenith and the ground temperature was steadily rising—it was lunchtime. Phaga and Ellen went downstairs to join the rest of Victoria Housekeeping for the meal.
Phaga swallowed hard, nervously picking up a piece of meat that looked safe to eat. After hesitating for a long moment, he finally, tremblingly, put it into his mouth. The instant his tongue touched the braised pork, a sweet flavor flooded his mind.
Hmm, not bad!
His eyes lit up. He quickly picked up another piece, chewed, swallowed, then commented:
"Looks good, tastes fine—just a bit sweet. People who like sweet dishes would love it. Corin made this, right?"
"Mhm!"
Hearing Phaga's approval, Corin finally let out a breath of relief. Her eyes curved with joy as she answered excitedly.
Just as she hoped!
Phaga picked up another piece, silently thankful. He'd been too exhausted yesterday to prepare today's lunch—thank goodness Corin stepped in. Otherwise, the whole family might've had to rush to the hospital again…
"It is a little too sweet. I thought I hadn't added enough sugar. Should I redo it?" Corin tested a piece herself. The sweetness suited her own taste perfectly, but since Mr. Phaga said it was too sweet, she wanted to redo it—strive for perfection next time!
She gave a small nod, clenching her fist in determination, and was about to leave the table.
"Hey, wait. Come back. I never said it was bad."
Seeing she'd misunderstood, Phaga let out a bitter smile. Having fed once already, his reflexes were lightning-fast—he grabbed her before her toes even left the floor.
Corin lowered her head, twin ponytails drooping pitifully. "But… Mr. Phaga said it wasn't good enough…"
"I didn't say that. I only said it was a bit too sweet."
Phaga smiled helplessly and patted her head gently.
"Besides, if some people don't like it, that means plenty of others do."
"Corin, do you like sweet dishes?"
"Mm!"
Her eyes sparkled, nodding obediently like a little quail.
"Then that's perfect, isn't it?"
Phaga rubbed her side ponytail, fingertips sliding down the green strands.
"There'll be people who like it just like Corin. They're all as adorable as you."
"Mmh…"
Corin's cheeks flushed as she shyly lowered her head. Phaga looked away—only to catch Lycaon's expression. His breath caught slightly before he quietly averted his gaze.
But leaving things like this wasn't ideal.
A moment later, Phaga coughed twice and quickly changed the subject to redirect Lycaon's attention:
"Mr. Lycaon, what's the follow-up on the Ballet Tower?"
Lycaon's chopsticks paused mid-air. He shot Phaga a long look before answering:
"The handover went smoothly. The client happily paid the final sum—sixteen million. It's already been deposited into Victoria Housekeeping's account."
"So straightforward?"
Ellen exclaimed.
As one of the "seniors" of Victoria Housekeeping—well, compared to Phaga—she knew commissions in the tens of millions weren't pocket change. Clients rarely had that kind of liquidity, so installment payments and collateral were the norm.
"This client's an old customer. They prepared their funds early, confident we'd deliver," Rina said as she returned unnoticed, taking a seat beside Lycaon.
Moments later, she tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"But afterward, the client said that because the Ballet Tower got involved in a kidnapping incident, they're afraid it might lose commercial value. They're considering paying the penalty fee and abandoning it early."
"Unafraid of sunk costs, decisively paying more to cut losses—so that's the execution power of a top-tier merchant?" Phaga clicked his tongue in amazement.
Soon after, he put down his chopsticks. "I'll head out then. No new commissions lately, right?"
"Nope!" Rina crossed her arms on the table, fingers interlaced. Her gentle smile carried a faint hint of danger.
"Which means this afternoon… Phaga and Ellen will be happily returning to school!"
"Pfft—cough!!"
Before Phaga reacted, Ellen choked violently.
Thankfully, Corin patted her back until she recovered. She lifted her head dazedly, staring blankly at Rina.
"Huh?"
Rina looked over casually, picked up a nearby fork, and speared a cherry.
Suddenly—lightning flashed.
"What's wrong? Ellen has an objection?"
The moment she finished speaking, electricity surged to a critical point—the cherry exploded! Its juices vaporized mid-air, leaving only the pit rolling onto the floor.
Clink.
Rina, as though nothing had happened, lightly bit down on the empty fork with satisfaction.
"Mmm~ the cherries I bought really are fresh… Oh, right. If you have an opinion, Ellen, feel free to share. Lord Lycaon and I are very open-minded guardians."
Ellen glanced at Lycaon.
He sipped his tea silently.
She looked back at Rina.
Rina smiled warmly. The cherry pit on the floor said otherwise.
Finally, Ellen slumped into her chair like a doomed soul, hand over her forehead.
"I have no objections…"
...
"I have no objections… my ass!"
At the school gate, Ellen stared at the entrance, despair washing over her.
Behind her, Rina waved cheerfully from the car window. "Ellen, study hard!"
"Got it…"
Ellen answered mechanically, then muttered, "Seriously, it's not like I'd skip class. Why drive me here…"
"I don't skip class."
Phaga had no idea where to begin laughing.
If he remembered correctly, the two of them had even skipped exams together.
Not that he'd ever say that in front of Ellen—she'd bite him.
He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Come on, think positive. At least we only have half a day of classes."
"Yeah… silver lining, I guess."
Ellen sighed and glanced at him.
At least Phaga was with her. Classes wouldn't be as dreadful.
"Come on, lunch break's almost over. Any slower and we'll be late."
Dragging her feet, Ellen trudged into the school.
They rounded a few corners, cicadas chirping weakly in the autumn air. Their fading cries no longer held the intensity of summer, but they were strong enough to accompany Ellen and Phaga up to the third floor.
"They sound like they're mourning someone. Awful."
Ellen muttered, giving them one last glance.
Phaga shrugged and pushed open the classroom door.
Creak—
"Yo! Our truant part-timer king is back!"
The class turned as the back door opened.
The Class President walked over, slung an arm around Phaga's shoulder, and kept sneaking glances toward Ellen with a look every guy understood.
"So? How's it going? Want us bros to help you set up a romantic confession?"
Phaga rolled his eyes and pushed him off. "Cut it out. What class do we have this afternoon?"
"Tsk!"
The Class President clicked his tongue. "Lucky bastard—no classes today."
"Really?!"
Ellen suddenly lunged from behind Phaga, wrapping her arms around his neck as she turned toward the Class President—eyes sparkling like overflowing stars.
"Ohhhhh~"
Seeing her reaction, the Class President suddenly "understood," a teasing smile creeping onto his face.
No wonder…
Phaga was already covered in metaphorical black lines. "Quit messing around. Just explain already."
"Well—"
Before he could finish, footsteps approached from behind.
He turned—homeroom teacher!
"All done chatting? Get to your seats!"
Her cold gaze swept the classroom. Everyone scrambled back to their desks.
Phaga and the others hurried to sit.
Only then did her expression soften slightly as she walked to the podium and switched on the projector.
"You're lucky today. Personally, I think this is unnecessary, but according to the school leadership, today is worth celebrating."
"After repeated analysis by Section 6 and with military reinforcements in place, the Doppelgänger Hollow will be secured today."
"After discussion, the school leadership unanimously decided that you will watch the livestream—to experience this historic moment yourselves."
She clicked a channel. A neatly dressed host appeared on-screen, holding a microphone in front of a military camp.
[Dear citizens, good afternoon. Thank you for tuning in to the official New Eridu livestream.]
[As you all know, the Doppelgänger Hollow is a sudden eruption. Moments after its emergence, students reported sightings of the Dead End Butcher inside.]
[Curiously, despite expectations that it would be named "Dead End Hollow No. 2," authorities kept the name "Doppelgänger."]
[Now, let us follow our reporter to hear Section 6's official explanation.]