Two people stood frozen on opposite sides of a door.
What was I supposed to do about this awkward atmosphere? It was a truly troubleso situation.
In the end, it was Raven who moved first, breaking the silence.
He cleared his throat softly, then glanced around the inside of the shop with feigned nonchalance.
“Hm, what kind of shop is this? Maybe I’ll buy sothing….”
“….”
“Alright, fine. Let’s go. Let’s just go.”
What’s with this ridiculous attempt at playing dumb? Unbelievable.
I grabbed Raven’s hand before he could slip away and dragged him out of the shop.
Realizing I wasn’t trying to hide anything anymore, he quietly followed behind.
Why did I even bother putting on a robe and a goblin mask if this was how it would turn out?
One of the reasons I’d co all the way to the northern slums was because Raven rarely ventured here.
eting him here so openly could only an one thing—he had been tailing for quite so ti.
What’s the point of trying to hide when I’d already been caught from the start?
“Custor! You can get a full refund if you return within a week! Don’t forget to co back if you change your mind, alright?”
“…!”
“And you, get over here! Let’s have a talk about forgetting to charge the custor. Of all things to forget!”
“S-sorry, Master Tara! I’m sorry!”
Tara’s voice carried loudly from the shop’s entrance as I waved at her before heading off with Raven, leaving the northern slums behind.
I could hear the young man with the blond hair getting a scolding from Tara as we walked away.
Well, if he sold items without collecting paynt, that was his problem to deal with.
Leaving the slums was much easier than entering.
Raven casually dealt with the thugs who tried to pick fights along the way.
“Hey, hand over everything you’ve got—ack!”
“Whoa, Jason just dropped like a fly…. P-please, go ahead! Sorry we didn’t recognize you!”
“Yeah, good job.”
“….”
Seeing Raven casually slap away heavily built thugs with bulging muscles was a stark reminder of how far beyond ordinary humans he truly was.
After walking for nearly an hour, we finally left the northern slums. We caught a bus back to the area near the office and went into a familiar franchise café, sitting across from each other.
The situation couldn’t have been more awkward—, caught sneaking into the black market, and Raven, caught tailing .
“Hm. I’ll have a choco latte. What about you, part-tir? Your usual apple mango drink?”
“…!”
I nodded eagerly.
Raven loved sweet things, especially anything chocolate. I, on the other hand, had a penchant for fresh, sweet fruit drinks.
The apple mango drink—combining the rich sweetness of mango with the refreshing tartness of apple—was my favorite item at this café.
Wait, now’s not the ti to be excited about a drink.
I snapped out of it, swallowing the saliva pooling in my mouth. Planting my fists firmly on the table, I glared at Raven.
Why did he follow without permission? Was he picking a fight?
My aggressive posture and piercing gaze must have conveyed my ssage loud and clear.
Raven, who had just used the table’s QR code to place our order, scratched his cheek sheepishly.
“Well, uh… sigh. To be honest, the others were making a fuss.”
“…?”
“Alice and David. They were so worried sothing might happen to you that they kept nagging until I gave in. I’m sorry for following you without saying anything.”
“….”
Of course, that’s what happened.
I should have known he wouldn’t follow of his own accord.
Though I’d gotten a bit closer to Raven lately, we’d only known each other for a month. For soone as emotionally distant as him to go out of his way for was unlikely.
But if Alice, with her overprotective tendencies, or David, who had connections to Sabrina, had insisted, it made sense.
It was ironic that neither of them was here now. Maybe they’d divided their roles efficiently.
If that’s the case… There’s no reason to be mad. He followed because he was worried. As long as he didn’t notice my telekinesis, it’s no big deal.
When I stayed too long in the shop and didn’t co out, Raven had likely checked on out of concern and happened to catch at the wrong mont.
As long as his actions stemd from kindness rather than suspicion, I couldn’t hold it against him.
Besides, Raven wasn’t the type to harbor strange thoughts.
Even if my telekinesis slap looked like soone fainting out of nowhere, he wouldn’t automatically assu I was a psychic.
…He wouldn’t notice, right?
No matter how sharp Raven was, he’d never seen in ghost form. There was no way he’d figure it out, right?
[ “Your deep chocolate latte and apple mango juice are ready.” ]
As I readjusted my posture, a service robot approached with our drinks.
Raven’s drink was a warm latte with a giant chunk of chocolate lted inside, while mine was a chilled apple mango juice with mango chunks floating in it.
Both of us quietly sipped our drinks without saying a word.
It wasn’t just because I couldn’t speak. Raven wasn’t the type to initiate small talk, leaving such things to Alice.
At this rate, we’d finish our drinks in silence and head back to the office.
Then I noticed the box containing the terminal I’d bought.
This awkward atmosphere could use a distraction. Let’s open this up.
As I pulled the box from the bag on the chair next to , Raven, who had been gazing idly out the window, turned his attention to .
“Oh, right. You went all the way there to buy that. What is it, anyway?”
“…!”
“Wait, it’s just a terminal?”
When I opened the box, a sleek white terminal slightly larger than my palm lay inside.
Its minimalist design reminded of myself for so reason, and I couldn’t help but feel drawn to it.
Raven, however, squinted skeptically at the terminal.
“You went all the way to the black market for a terminal? Seriously?”
Well, just watch.
I pulled the terminal from the box and powered it on by connecting the included charger.
In no ti, the screen lit up with a ssage asking for initial setup.
Skipping through the setup process, I pressed the “Set Up Later” button.
[ “Welco! Are you ready to explore the world with Echo?” ]
As the final ssage appeared, the terminal revealed its na: Echo.
Yes! Finally, my very own terminal!
I fidgeted with Echo, excitent bubbling up inside .
Raven, smirking at my enthusiasm, pointed to the QR code on the table and suggested I place an order.
Sure, no problem.
I opened the cara, scanned the QR code, and tapped on the screen to order a cake, chocolate latte, and cherry cola.
A notification confird the order, and Raven burst into laughter before snatching Echo from my hands.
“Hey, give that back!”
But instead of teasing , Raven froze, his voice trembling.
“Wait, hold on. Did you just place an order with this? How…?”
“…?”
You told to try it, didn’t you?
I tilted my head, feigning ignorance, but couldn’t suppress a smirk at his dumbfounded expression.
Raven checked the terminal again, confirming there was no chip installed.
His fingers tapped the screen and flipped the device over, as if trying to figure out how it worked.
He looked exactly like a programr watching code that shouldn’t work miraculously function.
It wasn’t surprising, though.
Using a chipless, barely functional terminal to connect to the internet and place an order defied logic.
Raven’s flustered reaction wasn’t unexpected.
I, on the other hand, already knew the secret.
Heh. Did you think I’d walk all the way to the northern black market for nothing?
I reached out for Echo, and Raven reluctantly handed it back, his face still puzzled.
As Echo returned to my hands, a cheerful voice rang out.
[ “Mama! Friend!” ]
For a brief mont, Echo’s screen flickered before returning to normal.
Raven seed to sense sothing was amiss, but before I could reassure him, a chilling mory surfaced in my mind.
This terminal was featured in one of the story’s horror episodes: The Haunted Terminal.
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