Chapter 66: Forcibly Conscripted
After that, we decided to find a place where we could rest safely.
Our sleep had been interrupted by the spiders and after that, we had to run away to avoid dying, so we were very tired. Now that we are out of danger, the fatigue of the entire day surfaced, making us sleepy.
I'm not feeling that sleepy, and Mary, Andrew, and Josh did not seem that tired either. But Jessica and Karime are looking a bit haggard after everything that happened today. As for the little girl, Chelsea, she fell asleep a while ago and had been sleeping on my back soundly.
I was surprised by the fact that she asked me to carry her. I thought she did not like me, but it looks like after our small chat in the police station, she felt closer to me.
But she was not the only one close to me.
After her bold actions a while ago, Mary had been glued to me.
She showed her affection openly by hugging my arm and smiling at me constantly. Due to it, the atmosphere of the group became a bit awkward.
Since a while ago, Karime was avoiding looking in our direction deliberately. She seemed unaffected at first glance, but I knew her well, and I could feel that she was feeling irritated now.
I must admit that I liked seeing her like that.
Is it how revenge feels?
But the problem was her little sister.
Jessica.
Unlike her sister, she did not bother to hide her dissatisfaction.
She had not said anything, but her angry gaze, furrowed brows, and constant snorts showed her current mood.
But it only served to spur Mary's mischievous side.
Every time Jessica looked at us, Mary would behave especially intimate towards me, as though she wanted to provoke her jealously.
She also looked at Karime occasionally and smirked. When I saw that, I was sure that she was aware or partially aware of my relationship with Karime.
It was already obvious to me that she was amusing herself in this situation.
I could not help but heave a tired sigh.
… This woman.
I looked at Mary's beautiful face and smiled wryly.
To be honest, I felt pretty great when Mary kissed me back then, but now that I calmed down, I can see the situation clearly.
It's a fact that Mary has a good impression of me, but I would not go so far as to describe it as 'liking', much less 'love'.
I'm sure my charm is not that great even with [Confidence]. I mean, we know each other for only a few hours.
Her feelings for me were instead close to goodwill. She probably found me attractive after I rescued her from the spiders, but it's just that.
Aware of it, I decided to stop worrying about this situation.
It's better just to enjoy it.
However, someone else did not share my feelings.
"You… Can you please stop?" Jessica was finally unable to continue tolerating Mary's actions. She gritted her teeth and growled at her like an angry cat.
However, that only made Mary's smile bigger.
"Oh? What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about!" Jessica clenched her teeth. "Why are you behaving so intimately with brother-in-law?"
"Brother-in-law? But I thought that Jane was single." Mary feigned an expression of doubt, making Jessica bite her lips and look in her sister's direction before looking at me angrily.
I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. Girl, this has nothing to do with me.
At that moment, Karime sighed with an icy expression.
"Jessica, stop. Don't fall into their game." She said while glaring at Mary and me coldly.
Mary smirked and hugged my arm intimately and chuckled. "Love triangles are so fun, don't you think so, Jane?"
I wanted to nod, but when I saw Karime and Jessica's angry expressions and Andrew's helpless look, I decided not to.
"Stop teasing them, okay?" I said to Mary with a wry smile. I then looked at Jessica, Karime, and the others. "Mary is just teasing you. We just met. There is no way there is something between us."
"Huh? But it's true that I find you cute, Jane. And I find you cuter every second. I could consider a serious relationship with you."
I felt my heart beating faster when I heard these words, but when I saw her teasing smirk, I knew that she was joking again.
"Stop teasing me, okay?" I raised my hands in surrender.
"I don't wanna!."
God, what is wrong with this woman…
[Is it not obvious? She noticed your relationship with Karime and wants to gain your goodwill.]
Mm? What do you mean, demon?
[That little girl always calls you brother-in-law, so anyone observant can see that your relationship with Karime should not be ordinary. But the two of you avoid talking to each other and always keep that awkward atmosphere. It's obvious that the two of you broke up.
[Mary should have noticed it. And after you saved her, she took a liking to you. Right now, she is showing your ex-girlfriend that you are hers.]
I was stunned.
Wait, do you mean that Mary really likes me?
[What is so strange about it? That woman seems pretty open, and you are handsome. After you rescued her, plus the effects of Confidence, it would be weird if she feels nothing for you.]
I was so dumbfounded that I did not know how to react.
Damn, so my charm is really that great.
I could feel the demon rolling his eyes in my mind.
[Idiot. I told you that Confidence is a great technique to hit on girls. Why are you so surprised now?]
I see... It looks like I underestimated the effects of that technique.
But Mary likes me, huh... What should I do?
[… Universe, why is my host so stupid? Just bring her to bed and stop worrying about that. It's just a girl. Anyway, I need to tell you something. There is a group of people approaching your location.]
I was startled. But just then, I saw the people that the demon mentioned.
Twenty people. And none of them seemed simple.
Awakened.
But my gaze quickly fell on the person leading the group.
An ice-cold-looking woman stepped forward. With just a glance, my instincts started screaming.
That woman was dangerous.
Even more dangerous than Mary.
Tier six? Tier seven?
The woman looked at us and nodded to herself.
"Five Awakened. No, six with the little girl. It's a good harvest."
"Who are you?" Mary asked with a serious expression, completely different from her teasing look of just now.
"Allow me to introduce myself." The woman spoke to us indifferently and showed us an identification with her photo. "My name is Serena Lewis. A Tier Seven Awakened sent here by the Association. And following the seventh article of the law for Awakened in case of an emergency, you have been forcibly conscripted as my subordinates to deal with a yellow-class emergency."
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