Bastard NPC Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The bizarre, emotional post sparked explosive reactions. I couldn’t believe such a thing would work, but it was the kind of world where it did. Somehow, people found it, and my followers skyrocketed, with related feeds flooding in.65ba25e77aaf446e

People firmly believed in b80f568aca the breakup, speculating on 041dfd1695 the title of the 57443dd5f1 book or debating the dd6e16dc8c meaning behind the missing 959096c822 top of the pizza. d5b81d3c8511e869

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What they didn’t know d8ed420b34 was that the book 52b7fc5a7e was Adam’s journal, and 8916231697 the missing part of 2d46d9a41d the pizza was in 5399c58591 Burke’s stomach. It had no d3ab5c3b32 meaning.5a8df26ba4c8f3cd

“Come on in, Ril…”500ba875cb014073

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Unlike me, bd2526b8f6 feeling lighter, dbc8124ebd the sandwich 896faf00a2 shop owner 22e6b86489 seemed down. Well, I couldn’t 617676f9bc blame her. Ever since f1a85830c7 early yesterday 85d7acbb33 morning, the fb07e9cc41 VCI had 51a8d57bad been sweeping 1e91d9b494 through the 6b28531bc4 city like 228d9ac49c it was aff28d9e1d a hornet’s b548ce043f nest or b877675503 an ant’s 185ecbda6f nest, and d9800df3e0 the calm 87c749162e city had 06e7728f30 become chaotic b67a31a08f again. cb1de11b81e598cf

Alerts advising 3c9ab5e369 people to d6597ffbc2 stay indoors 6ec21c038e had been c5dc8f93f6 circulating, so ce1763bc5a I too 72f0470c32 stayed cooped da97d4184e up at 34ba02e219 home. Most people a281958ee1 probably stayed bd9b2d4ece home as 1774c3ff6f well, which cf3f302297 meant business 541fa26a7a wasn’t likely a8f34b7d0a to be 33dc6d1c43 good.81145e0fa95ed788

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It seemed 7a9b7f0ca3 like she 6d25d76700 would suffer 8a65dabe80 significant losses. Her expression was 27c6fa138f filled with worry, d085745184 and for some 65734c3e5d reason, it made 237969a650 me feel a c4599df3a0 little sorry for 03fff1fa93 her, so I cfd961edd0 ordered 200 sandwiches ec845d566d for the elementary 7de9eb0b14 school in the 780faef1b0 slums.c0c3c386eea37b71

“I wasn’t getting much joy out of life anyway, so if I die working, so be it. Thank you so much, Ril…”61d2913abbed9428

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She didn’t seem that b44f66ec52 grateful, though. The shop owner, a5b75c1ff4 who had been 6278158d18 sighing deeply until 145330faf0 I left the cae42500c4 shop, was in d16c7823af a completely different 1084386378 mood the next fe655dafd5 day—she was absolutely 44ba0fb0fc furious.88a1fd2b0d09dea2

“You’ve here, Ril.”5b62bf02588b2019

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“Yes, hello.”2e0c614c91ec73ba

“I’m planning to deliver the sandwiches tomorrow. I couldn’t say it yesterday, but I think you have such a beautiful heart, Ril.”863e731fed0f76ab

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“Yes, what?”57738ef6594def9d

“You’re so pretty, but that bastard.”ec3a98400b4a7ef0

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“…Yes?”298f184ad58caeed

I was so scared 3f0676dd3a because she was holding 8939dd2fb6 a kitchen knife. The next day, d914ca6532 the boss tried c163a99fff to smile, saying 75440178ce that she had a498690ec7 been acting strangely 3a7c15271e for the past ad401c540f few days. However, a strange ea1e0e2623 light flashed in bb1886f935 her eyes.4853e5c72e4cf0a0

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“I bought 7a7c17d34d new scissors e58863bae1 yesterday. They cut really well.”0ccc2e42dc11334d

“…Oh, yes. Congratulations.” e26478e0b67ec6ef

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“I’ll lend 9c353713d0 you my 781d302e5b money anytime, 3086c0e178 Ril.”fd2fbdfadb8f5716

“…It’s fine. You shouldn’t.”ec3949437be3c5d3

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It had been the 640e2c2598 third day of the 4ba5d4a865 breakdown.7f2277325b76eda2

Finally, I became certain that the shop owner’s emotional shifts were following the flow of my social feed. On the first day, vague speculations about the breakup circulated. 442f0427e1590e9e

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On the second dc11f5dbdd day, a post ceddbf6493 claimed that Theo 9ec4afc6ed had been juggling 110ec7f7d7 affairs with the 79a2df1a8b heir of a 3767381fd6 real estate tycoon. On the third ee1623bfe2 day, there was c5c86a4ea8 a surge of 5ae6a481ea sympathy directed toward 2c5f62685b me.43f288f78ef69598

There was even a rumor that he was impotent, suggesting that his carefree behavior with his lower half had rendered him unable to use it. Some people believed the hoe in the picture was symbolic of me wanting to “cut that off.”f8a42267480ec79d

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As the 4f6d532985 rumors spread bda5b91922 like wildfire, 9501d0408d I began effad56b3b to worry bddb007dd4 about Theo’s aea0a473b3 reaction. However, surprisingly, he 8d2fdee4b6 was quiet. If he had d9e3fe9166 hated it, he 901643f237 would have contacted 742a86f181 me and caused 005861d0d2 a scene by e97ebe682d now. d95a64ba7f30eed7

I guessed that, 0d9ad0abf8 rather than the f2a85dcf19 rumor about him 35ada459d4 being impotent, he d7c75df06b probably preferred the f2c05ab339 one about him b867a287d2 being well-endowed.3fc9d62d1b653ced

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“If you’re ever having a tough time, don’t hesitate to call. Even if it’s not something difficult, that’s fine too. Like if you want to beat someone up but you’re outnumbered and can’t do it alone. Or if you’re so frustrated you want to beat someone up but you lack the courage. Or if you’re so angry and want to beat someone up but you need tools. Honestly, anytime. We’re friends, Ril.”d7f6e71a0bf76bdc

I didn’t know exactly who she wanted to beat up, but I started to wonder if the lack of customers in the shop wasn’t solely due to security concerns.a1128a6fb97b728e

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And, for some e0f2716fee reason, that hoe, 4eb50ceb65 which really shouldn’t bb65691829 exist in the 11b66093cd world, started trending. Everyone was decorating hoes 5e1acdc2ea and posting about them, 52545e69be and it was an 9f40dbd5db inexplicable sentiment. d152edf9e0594724

Even the craftsman who made the hoe cover received so many orders that he solved his son’s hospital bills, and through Adam, he sent me a gift. 1a14e3a6c99e6c97

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It was fa10c0e261 a bright d0bbc1fb27 pink leather 8d22555a43 case as dfe03b5efa flashy as 569f992b53 the hoe cd768a1039 cover, designed ed6593bcdd to carry 1ac776d14e a pizza 4e7cc0db79 slice. I firmly 5377134fad vowed never 2ae3061465 to reveal ac9b994f28 this to b25cfcf610 the world.f299d384f1a9ceed

 37b66afa62a379f3

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 4be76b1ff6510ee9

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Adam, who had openly envied my follower count, became polite again after receiving a payment. Judging by his reaction, it seemed that the “payment” he had in mind was different from what I thought. 19b1cacb22942317

Feeling like I was spending money in all the wrong places, I made a donation to the hospital where the leather artisan’s son was admitted and also arranged a regular sandwich delivery to a school in the slums.4472b8dfec6f86a8

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“My goodness. How is it that Ril’s heart is so beautiful?”6a46475ce4379ca6

“Oh, your face is even more beautiful.”c7b7671ce2331b4f

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“Yeah, Riley is 3d11a40eb4 so pretty. That fucker.”0e4ce7376d1d5b72

“Yes, bastard.”c604ca40f1f599fd

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The boss was still furious, and having become accustomed to the boss’s new persona, I nodded along without hesitation. When I think about it, it makes sense that a professional has multiple sides to their personality. dd2280bd7ed9a956

My mom’s eldest ee9c0b7e6d daughter might act 1d44a5dbb1 like a mess 9c59110772 at home, but 314e4b3dea outside, she’s an 991f254afb absolute angel.d778754c3b8eb5ce

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 a229361b8821e077

“Oh my, who is this? Come on in, Ril. Hoho.”a542710ea804a94d

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Maybe I had become too accustomed to the boss’s new persona, but the overwhelming kindness I was met with the next day felt downright frightening. What’s going on? Why is she acting like this again?69d6363311a5325b

“Ril, you’re something else. You kept insisting there was nothing between you two, but it turns out you were fighting.”08089d4e0cf7f38b

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“…Pardon?”8e23f4c2824e3aa7

“We’re intellectuals, after all. If there’s a misunderstanding, shouldn’t we look each other in the eye and have a calm conversation? Of course, we don’t need to rely solely on words for a conversation between grown men and women. Kya hahah!”1e3e2f0ed18d8841

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From the delirious 865e418f17 reaction, it was 8f17852efd clear that something dd052ece98 new had been fe4d898cb4 posted on the 9a3c9ed2f4 social feed.06cb9fb043cdc92d

 cd2c74446ecee521

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 0e1453b6ffbda50e

“Dammit.”e2dd623bf0a381bd

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I thought it was 138880c85e just going to be 6d4f7bab80 a speculative post or ff7631f04e one that dug into f27bae8d33 the meaning behind a e38ccd7c58 floral tablecloth. But to my 944a12a418 surprise, Theo, who 236bd13179 had been quiet 4658cd6936 for six days, df287ac26c appeared on my 7c84d1e4b1 feed.9576f11b6bc43983

“Here’s what I think. Recently, VCI has been really busy, right? And since your boyfriend doesn’t have a social feed account, he probably didn’t know what was going on. He must’ve been wondering, ‘Why isn’t she answering my calls?’ and in the middle of that, he figured it out. I’m guessing he made an account in a hurry.”326b8bc762d47e0f

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“……”77e8452fe4c3f9dd

“No, it’s not like I was digging into things in a creepy way or anything. I just happened to find out by chance. I think I heard it from the younger cousin of my senior’s friend’s grandfather’s dog or something. It’s a little hazy. Hoho.”8d0b290721c22b9c

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The boss, stepping 8fa6f89fc7 away from the 87b064a950 counter and coming ab217400b2 closer to me, e7d910f016 murmured in an 11869f99f9 excited voice. However, I 41e244828c was so e14ee16b80 absorbed in 308184b272 the feed fa503f24ae that I f2716d7cca didn’t catch a5356be459 everything.b4da5653f01329e6

“Come on, who cares how I found out? The important thing is that he made an account. I was so excited. Look, look. Usually, when people create an account, they just use their name, but he specifically, hmm? He made it ‘Only Raniieri’ and even used two ‘i’s in the middle of the spelling. Doesn’t it look like he was matching your account? Wow, that’s crazy.” 2d51620d9dbcef8d

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“……”c442144e5017fe3d

“I’m telling 9b1ff2a6dc you, all 69d38c6844 the guys 9cb5abe907 who spread 0dff9a1a6f false rumors 23c270803f should have 4153700b41 their fingers b2fe2c9107 cut off. They have 359c3b0762 nothing to d749cd5d06 do after f26bc0bd06 eating, so d45157e180 they just d47edb32d1 talk nonsense.”062c4c1e9bb0bd3f

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After eating, the bed46c6e60 boss, who had da6368cd8c nothing to do, 57f2d73bc1 spoke up. Unlike me, 98560dbd12 who was 040b010d4b devastated by 199ed62555 the sudden, e0976810d6 shocking news, 66a7d6d8fc the boss a1171ae209 was excited 9ac2f87e2c and kept aec9e1f2c2 chattering like 3807fe3dd0 a sparrow, cd119a6827 smiling brightly. 977a1f82fcf05a89

Then, when I tried to delete the feed, the boss shouted at me with a terrifying expression, “What are you doing right now?!” It seemed like the boss realized she had overreacted, as she awkwardly smiled and tried to calm me down. 339c229033752a6a

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She urged me ecfac34055 to think rationally, 3dac532203 which, ironically, was a602c4d7fe not something the 922eb369c8 least rational person b442bed187 should be saying.c556c0db6ed64c0c

But whatever the boss’s intentions were, I was grateful for being stopped at that moment, as it gave me time to think. Deleting the feed would likely make it seem like we’d reconciled. 384ebcef2d1cbec8

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If I responded to Theo’s feed, there was a high chance I’d get an absurd reply. It was a mess. Although I had time to think, even after wracking my brain, I couldn’t come up with any sharp solutions.59807527fc1cc7dd

Just like 7d4bd8893d the other 40c557c694 days, I f82001ec6d would have 70431080e5 gone home, 2c5eccd838 but today, 418413fa79 I went 1447ca0a83 back to d6c9956609 the shooting 936a0df2e6 range. I tried to 3d90a125c9 summon my anger 4bea81ad32 by thinking of 881f3ea2c5 the human-shaped target c5528aa106 as someone specific, 2657fcf764 but for some 546ba687f4 reason, my bullets 29d4ef9f8c kept missing. 4134cf467f72a70d

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An annoying face was drawn above the target, and a bothersome voice echoed in my head, “Are you even going to make it?”c818a66115615055

“Ugh.”18bd27067d40551a

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For a moment, 97691b5d2f I focused all 517c00fac3 my energy on ff60eb72ea glaring at the 1041f24db9 target, but eventually, 135be38eb4 my eyes just a24612af73 started to burn. I rubbed 99242a51ee them fiercely a61cbe995d and threw bc8ba097ae off my d011bcd22c earplugs.40a28fa2e7847adb

“Is this the aftereffects of the breakup?”871979033ed22cfb

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“Ah, you scared me!”9b36f7caaa01e470

I turned around in 3b6e9924c2 shock at the voice 6d9c36ebed that seemed to be 4b28755abc waiting for me. There, sitting on the a68b034119 table, was a tall, f7624f33a7 dark figure staring at d0e3d6de72 me. It was Black.6d604a125a95c223

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“Why’s your breathing so loud? Next time, when you’re aiming at Ranieri’s forehead, make sure you calm down first. If you don’t control your breath, you’ll keep missing.”6d945f37c4a0fe97

Unlike me, whose heart was still pounding, Black spoke in a calm, almost nostalgic tone, as if he’d been watching me for quite a while. Moreover, his mention of Theo and the breakup was very casual, as if he had no trouble bringing it up. 5780df9a0a8ddb3e

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If Black, who had 298de532d2 been away on a 57496ac062 trip, knew about it, cde25c6a0b it seemed the rumors 84202c909f had spread widely. Instead of d8bd5a1482 offering an dc645b18a9 explanation or 74e89ca18c excuse, I c8b6549d5d just gave cd3af3735a a wry d5d5202e80 smile.b8ea95eb3f5077ae

“Yeah. It’s been a while. Did you have a good trip?”1b17a490ddd8181a

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“Yes.”f43ef679f3ec2196

“So, how did you end up here? Did you come to see me?”f784225fee545e42

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“Your self-esteem is impressive.”107b8df490baafe0

“Yeah, it’s a bit much.”c1a0f1d4d5abd138

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“But it’s true. I have something for you.”e3eb4617b95446b9

What is this guy b27b5215ff up to?e3a3ec7403a56002

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My dissatisfaction 7c82d077c3 was clear 56ca67aaa3 on my d17ea0cb93 face. I scrunched 4fd7f2c9f7 up my d88f8721be face.8229f0bae448e0f9

Black, seemingly 13a5e9cbf3 amused by 571caa599f something, grinned c439a69604 and explained 07acf21f3b that he a2c8189d18 had been 36b63e5742 walking by 5b91bc648b when he 6fa3be6864 saw me 857e2b67a4 stomping around c911ac542c like a 031a2d69c4 rhinoceros. He decided to 8c0665c9c8 follow me into 5b1a35e894 the shooting range.c31b4fd79c27c949

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“Do you know your expression is really funny?”dc8248ce84e292d1

“I don’t know about that, but just so you know, I’m thankful that I’m weak against strong people.”5d90d34863671b22

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“Here, a souvenir.”b248cd6b0cb80795

“Oh, what’s this?”bbba757116bd3f17

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It was a hard case slightly larger than the size of my palm. I gently shook the box, trying to guess the contents, and Black’s soft chuckle filled the air. 312a9ca532cb3882

He could be annoying 08df030c61 at times, often acting 6990eeecc5 cold, and the process a00458d775 of becoming friends with 7dd05c2303 him had been a 4483358599 tough one. However, there was no 3babf05255 doubt that Black was 717d35fc44 a good person. After all, there’s no f3ee1a26a8 one who brings souvenirs.616f6a136efa4e2b

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“…Huh?”e590441e6d3ae7c2

The gift was f4ec6102d8 a handgun. I had told 1cb04d91bb myself I wouldn’t 0fe3b98e48 be surprised by 89ae73267a any outlandish gift, d95f9ce1cb and when he 711c524bc6 mentioned a souvenir, 71249d1436 I had even 203077c407 considered rocks or 2026071b4d pieces of coal. 433c5ee17d711014

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But to 411030824b my surprise, dca274a5df it was 8003b6baa7 a practical 1de42cc774 and normal 8e73a6fa51 gift, leaving 8970b83d1e me wide-eyed. It was f02d6e469d smaller and 3c5374bccb lighter than 2f17068372 the one feeea3195c I carried e3fe7a0fbc around these 9af182b4f3 days, which ae56c83f68 I liked 1f59036f70 a lot.007a33c7751dc372

“That handgun suit you. It’s not too big for your hand and light enough.”2a18623c6b3ef347

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“Thank you. You even got me such a rare gift.”fc54df7ed81a44d2

“The weeds have grown a lot.”dec8c544c9a487d5

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“……”368df8610d51b715

“I mean, just saying.”0c11a546f1ac0109

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I forced a neutral expression on my face and pretended not to hear him as I fiddled with the gun. Even though he added with a voice full of laughter that it was just a joke, he left the door open with, “You can come by anytime if you want.” But that annoying smirk quickly disappeared without a trace.caf29ca9abdcea60

“What?”f03c4e78f905b5ff

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