Kanzaki Rei stopped beside the delivery cart and inspected the order.
The packaging was unusually elaborate. Not only was the iris emblem more intricate than usual, the box was wrapped in multiple layers of ribbon.
Thankfully, the knotting wasn't complicated—otherwise he'd have to worry about how to restore it later.
He lifted the lid.
Inside sat a transparent glass jar.
The jar was packed full of eyeballs, each no larger than a thumb.
They'd been processed meticulously—no bloodshot veins, no torn tissue. Fresh to an unsettling degree, glossy and hydrated, as if they'd only just been plucked from a living lamb.
A thick, viscous slime clung to the glass walls. It was impossible to tell whether it had been added afterward or secreted by the eyeballs themselves.
System text appeared:
Name: Supreme Black Mountain Goat Kid Eyeball SashimiType: ItemQuality: FineEffect: Repairs defects, heals injuries. High probability of gaining "Flesh Aberration" status. Extremely low probability of gaining "Flesh Rebirth" status.Notes: The Black Goat of the Woods that births countless offspring—Her young await salvation.
This thing…
…felt especially bad.
Reading the description, Rei was seized by a strong sense of foreboding.
But work was work.
He repackaged the delivery box carefully and stepped back into the employee passageway.
Entering it for the second time, Rei realized he'd already grown accustomed to the darkness and silence.
In fact, the walls felt… softer now. Warmer.
Like the skin of a mature woman.
He even found himself sinking into the sensation.
"—hhk."
The familiar choking pressure returned.
Rei reflexively grabbed his own throat, snapping back to awareness.
Only then did he realize his other hand had sunk into the wall—and was performing movements far too primitive to be ignored.
"Fuck!"
He yanked his arm back as if electrocuted, frantically wiping his hand on his uniform.
He'd never imagined that one day he'd sexually harass a wall.
If anyone found out, he'd probably be fired on the spot and deported straight into an Indian nationality.
That said—
Objectively speaking, the texture was incredible.
"If I make it back to reality alive," Rei muttered thoughtfully, "I should buy a few slime toys to mess with."
Exiting the passageway, he didn't head toward Topaz Sky Villas.
Instead, he sprinted hard in the opposite direction.
Before long, the familiar plane tree came back into view.
"I'm back," Rei called, waving.
"Oh? Here to piss again?" Delacroix asked excitedly.
"Uh, no."
"Then you got the Maotai?"
"…Also no."
"Then what are you here for?"
Delacroix closed his eyes in disgust.
"I got this."
Rei pulled an aluminum can from his pocket and shook it.
At the sound of liquid sloshing, Delacroix's eyes snapped open.
"Oh? That's unexpected."
It sounded genuinely surprised.
"You've had it before?"
"I used to love it. Then I got diabetes."
Delacroix shrugged its branches.
"Trees can get diabetes?"
This time, Rei was the one startled.
"Don't assume only humans metabolize things," Delacroix said proudly.
"So… you still want it?"
Rei didn't care to pursue whatever nightmare biology lesson this was turning into.
"Yes!"
Delacroix answered instantly.
"Didn't you say you're diabetic?"
Rei narrowed his eyes.
"A little doesn't count.""If it doesn't say sugar, it's sugar-free."
Delacroix launched into a string of incomprehensible justifications. The street instantly filled with an atmosphere of cheerful self-deception.
"Stop. Enough."
Rei stepped to the edge of the black soil and cracked open the can.
A harsh, pungent smell surged into his nose, the burning sensation racing straight from his nostrils into his lungs.
After a moment's thought, Rei put his lips to the opening.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Delacroix shouted.
"Don't be stingy. Just one sip. You said it yourself—small drinks don't count."
Rei waved dismissively.
He didn't drink much—just a single mouthful—before pouring the rest onto Delacroix's roots.
The plane tree closed its eyes, as if savoring the rock music flooding its mind.
Whatever it heard, green fluid seeped from its eyes.
Rei, having drunk too little, heard nothing at all.
"I'm remembering the first rain at sunset," Delacroix sighed."That was my lost youth."
"Three hundred years ago?" Rei replied casually.
"What kind of bullshit are you saying? I just turned eighteen this year!"
Delacroix snapped.
"My mistake," Rei said sincerely, gazing at the rough, cracked bark."I should've known."
"Good. Since the music was decent, talk. What do you want to trade for?"
Delacroix said.
"I need—"
Rei stopped mid-sentence.
He suddenly realized that mentioning Snake might count as leaking restaurant-related information.
The connection was tenuous, but he wasn't about to risk it.
Rei adjusted his wording.
"I need to clear a game. Do you have anything that boosts dynamic vision and reaction speed—or something that can clear it outright?"
"You're talking about Snake, right?"
Delacroix's answer caught him completely off guard.
"You know?"
"I've eaten plenty of your restaurant employees' brains. They all taste weird, though."
Delacroix sounded displeased.
"You can digest memories?"
"Only small fragments. And I can't know too much about the restaurant either. You shouldn't ask."
Delacroix shook its crown.
"I see. Then pick something suitable for me."
Rei didn't press further.
The last time he asked too many questions—about the female boss—Ushiuma nearly beat him to death.
Judging by Delacroix's presence, it was probably even stronger than Ushiuma.
"Lucky you. I really do have something good."
The black soil churned, and a root flung a golden finger onto the ground at Rei's feet.
System text appeared:
Name: Bronze FingerType: ItemQuality: ExcellentEffect: When used under appropriate conditions, grants one S/L (Save/Load) opportunity.Notes: Life is a shitty game—because it doesn't allow S/L.
"Goodbye."
Pocketing the Bronze Finger, Rei sprinted toward Topaz Sky Villas.
Behind him, Delacroix's rock music seemed to hit its climax.
The plane tree thrashed its branches wildly. Dozens of bone-laden roots burst from the ground, writhing in the air with shrill, wailing howls.
Bones of every shape collided and clattered together—a true dance of demons.
—
Topaz Sky Villas
Four gilded characters stretched across a marble archway.
Behind it rose an oval-shaped tower, imposing and immaculate.
Two guards stood rigidly at the main gate. Another sat inside the guard booth. Yet another watched the underground garage entrance.
"Maintenance fees here must be at least ten bucks per square meter," Rei muttered under his breath.
Adjusting the delivery box in his hands, he walked toward the gate.
"Stop. What are you doing?"
One of the guards blocked him.
Broad-shouldered and powerfully built, his chest nearly tore the uniform apart. Something bulky bulged at his waist—no idea what kind of weapon it was.
"Bloody Restaurant. Delivery."
Rei straightened his posture.
His chest was smaller. His uniform less flashy.
But in terms of presence?
He crushed them.
"Slip."
The guard held out a hand.
"Here."
Rei handed it over.
After reading it, the guard said flatly, "Non-residents aren't allowed inside. Give me the food. I'll deliver it."
Here it comes.
Rei cursed inwardly.
Of course it wouldn't be that easy.
The guards probably wouldn't dare eat the delivery, and likely wouldn't misdeliver—but there was no way to confirm who would sign for it.
"Restaurant policy says it has to be delivered directly to the customer. Help a brother out?"
He tried negotiating.
"Who the hell is your brother?"
The guard shot him a contemptuous look.
"Either give it to me, or don't deliver it."
Hands clasped behind his back, he looked down at Rei.
"No room to negotiate?"
"Give me a piece of meat, and I'll let you in."
The guard licked his lips.
"…Fine."
Rei frowned, then chose to compromise.
"And us."
Suddenly, his vision darkened.
At some point, all the guards had surrounded him, wearing malicious smiles.
"Heh."
Encircled, Rei merely smiled crookedly, pulled out his phone, and made a call.
"Boss, you done with your delivery yet?"
He spoke respectfully.
"On my way back. Why?"
"Ran into some trouble. Security won't let me into the complex."
Rei said calmly.
"Why the fuck should I care? Figure it out yourself."
Ushiuma snapped.
"I got a really good item," Rei said smoothly."Boss, you don't want to miss out on the game-clear reward, right?"
"Shit!"
On the other end, there was the screech of a sudden hard brake.
"Helping you directly is out of the question," Ushiuma said after a pause."But if they won't listen to reason—then talk physics. You get me?"
"I see."
Rei hung up.
Then he launched a flying kick—straight into one guard's groin.
The impact was catastrophic.
"Could've said that earlier."
Rei smiled warmly at the remaining guards.