Chapter 47

Seeing no response, the courier raised his eyes, as if he was about to look through the peephole, which frightened her so much that she immediately shrank her neck and squatted in the corner.

Fortunately, ten minutes later, he finally left.

During this time, Naoko kept Naraku's words in mind and did not dare to go out casually. However, she could not always stay at home anyway, so of course she had to go out to buy some food.

Who knew that she would be so lucky that she happened to run into the annual 100% winning wheel.

Even if she just said "thank you for participating", she could get two eggs!

There were not many eggs at home, and Naoko would not miss this great opportunity to take advantage.

She spun it once and prayed sincerely that she would win the prize.

Perhaps God really heard her prayers, the wheel slowly stopped, and the pointer happened to point to the big words "Special Prize".

The staff excitedly said that she had won the surprise special prize, or even the mysterious super prize!

"Hey—are there no eggs? I don't want the grand prize, I want eggs."

She had long seen through the true nature of these supermarket spinners. The so-called grand prize was most likely just a supermarket coupon or something—a seemingly large sum, but in reality, a trick to trick you into paying.

"Sir, eggs can't compare to the grand prize!" the staff member said, his teeth bared, sweat dripping from his face. "The grand prize will definitely surprise you!"

Naoko, who had initially shown little interest, suddenly became excited. "So, it's not a supermarket coupon or something, it's a refrigerator?"

Don't they always see that kind of show on TV?

"Women◎Men◎Rush Forward," where you win a refrigerator or something.

"Sorry, no."

"Is it a washing machine?"

The washing machine at home had come from the previous tenant, and it was a few years old, so it would be nice to replace it.

Unfortunately, the staff member's answer disappointed her: "...Sorry, no!"

It was too hard to guess.

Could it be a TV?

In that short time, many elderly women and men gathered around to participate in the event. Naoko was sweating profusely and had no time to argue with him.

"I can't seem to guess... Can you give me a hint?"

The staff member wiped his sweat with a handkerchief from his chest, averting his eyes, looking extremely guilty, and hesitantly said, "It's something like this. A very handsome, animated... figure."

"Electric... electric doll?" No wonder such a grand prize was so mysterious. But even so, she couldn't help but strive for it. "Sorry, I probably don't need it. Can you exchange it for an egg? I'll save this grand prize for the next lucky person." "

No! No... not the electric doll," he said, wiping away the sweat as he said, "We don't accept returns or exchanges for grand prizes here... Please go home and wait. It will be here soon—I mean, delivered."

Something felt amiss.

Since he said so, Naoko couldn't bear to embarrass the staff member any further. She nodded and accepted this "mysterious grand prize" that had fallen from the sky.

After being kept in suspense by the staff, she was now curious about what the prize would be.

Could it be cash?

Even if it wasn't much, she was quite satisfied.

She chose to walk home, fortunately the supermarket wasn't too far from her rental apartment.

As soon as she stepped inside, there were several light, rhythmic knocks on the door.

These days, the knocks had been a source of intense anxiety and exhaustion for her. She subconsciously held her breath, not daring to answer, trying to pretend no one was home. She

peered through the peephole and, to her surprise, saw a remarkably handsome man in green clothes, long hair and slender build. His dark eyes were large and dull, giving him a non-aggressive air.

As if noticing her gaze, the man's pupils shifted slightly, meeting her gaze through the peephole.

"I saw you just go in."

Unable to pretend any longer, she stepped forward, put on the security chain, and cautiously opened the door a tiny crack to peer out.

A deliberate smile immediately graced the man's fair, clean face. "Hello, are you the lucky customer who won the grand prize at some unknown supermarket? I'm here to deliver a mysterious prize to you."

"Yes... but I'm not available right now. Could you please leave the prize at the door for me? I'll just carry it in later."

She didn't let his handsome face lower her guard.

The man held out his hand, gestured "no," and said with a grin, "No. You can't leave the mysterious grand prize outside the door."

"Huh? What kind of grand prize is that? It's so precious?" She couldn't help but poke half her head out the door and look the green-clad courier up and down.

No matter how she looked, she couldn't tell he was carrying any electrical appliances.

Just as Naoko was about to speculate that there wasn't really any such thing as a "mysterious grand prize," he made a grand, expressionless gesture towards her.

"...Hmm?"

What did he mean?

The man clapped his hands weakly, then with a fake smile, congratulated her, "Congratulations on winning the grand prize in the supermarket wheel race. And the mysterious grand prize is me, take me home!"

"...?"

She didn't look like someone special...

"I only want eggs, not the grand prize." With these resounding words, she pulled her head back and closed the door tightly.

From outside, the green-clad man's languid, persistent voice continued to ask, "Hey, don't you want your grand prize anymore?"

Damn it.

"Human trafficking is illegal!" she couldn't help but growl.

The green-clad man knocked on the door for a long time before finally quieting down. He had finally given up on her.

Was this some new pig-killing scam? Nowadays, even eggs from supermarket lotteries are hard to guard against.

Thus, Naoko spent a few days in peace.

Finally, on the fourth day, Naraku returned.

He was exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, and even his long curly black hair was messy, hanging

down on his shoulders. As soon as he opened the door, he seemed to be unable to stand and fell into her arms, with his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Naraku? Why are you back?"

"You sound very unhappy." He raised his eyelids, and the purple eyeshadow at the end of his eyes gleamed slightly.

Who was he traveling so hard for?

He racked his brains to find a way to separate his fingers safely, wasn't it because he was afraid that this idiot would really be assimilated into the curse?

Although the Four Souls Jade was effective, it was obviously not going to last long.

Of all the methods he had found so far, none of them could keep her safe.

Naoko scratched her face guiltily: "Ah, there's no such thing. But you will stay at home recently, right? I'm alone, and a little... scared."

"Then be afraid," he said coldly.

"...So cold-blooded."

"If you just stay put, nothing will happen."

Seeing him getting up to leave again, she quickly hugged him tightly from behind: "No, I'm scared."

Naraku, unable to bear it any longer, pried her away, but the next second he clung to her like a dog-skin plaster.

"What kind of idiotic thing are you going to do?" A vein throbbed at his forehead.

"Are you abandoning me?"

"You idiot." He turned away angrily, his stinging words stuck in his throat, forced back by her pitiful eyes. "Just going to wash up and get some sleep..."

"Oh, is that so?" Hearing this, she let go of her hand. "Then go ahead."

Her expression changed so quickly.

But he was tired and sleepy, and no longer had the heart to argue with her.

Suddenly, it was time for the holiday.

Naraku was always elusive, and because his life was still under threat, Naoko quit her job at the cafe.

Things had been going smoothly lately. The knocks on her door had become much less frequent, and the demon that had been scaring her in her dreams had stopped for a while.

Staying home was inevitably boring, so, inspired by a recommendation from netizens, Naoko downloaded a game touted as "the most free-flowing open-world game of the 21st century."

She considered herself a complete novice at gaming, but the teammates and opponents she encountered in the arena were even worse.

It would have been fine if they were just novice, but they even had the nerve to ask if she wanted friends.

Another scam?

She wouldn't have fallen for that at eight.

She blacklisted all the accounts, and finally settled into her normal open-world competitive gaming life.

But it was only the calm before the storm. One day, while checking out at the supermarket, a handsome, trendy man with long, straight black hair, a suit, and leather shoes stood behind her . 

Even though he was dressed in normal, everyday clothes, Naoko recognized him instantly: the psychopath who had claimed to have won the grand prize. 

She was still pissed. Not only had she lost the refrigerator, but she'd also lost her eggs. 

She had no intention of causing trouble, hoping to finish her shopping and leave quickly. But when it came time to pay, the young man behind her said, "I'll pay for you." It was like she didn't have any money... 

After confirming he was talking to her, Naoko immediately declined: "No! Thank you, kind sir." 

"I'll pay for you," he laughed. 

"Really, no, I have enough money..." She felt in her pockets and realized her wallet, which had been there just moments ago, was gone. 

Ilmi and the cashier were staring at her intently, one with ill intent, the other afraid she'd run away. There was a long line of people waiting behind her to see what she was doing. 

She reluctantly nodded: "Thank you, then..." 

As she exited the supermarket, Naoko couldn't help but say to Ilmi, "If it's convenient, please leave me your contact information. I'll definitely return the money next time." Paying back the money was one thing, but not wanting to be entangled with a psychopath was another. 

—Although he was a handsome psychopath. 

"But, I helped you, right?" He squinted at her, "You treating me to a cup of coffee doesn't seem too much." 

It was because her wallet was missing that she asked him to pay for it, like treating me to a cup of coffee or something... 

"How could it be! The wallet is still in my pocket!" She took out the cat wallet from her pocket, "It clearly disappeared just now..." 

He took the lead and walked forward: "Let's go, to the shop on the corner." 

Naoko ordered a parfait for herself, and counted the money from the supermarket checkout and put it aside, but Illumi didn't take it. 

He rested his left elbow on the table, supported his chin, squinted his eyes and smiled: "You took that finger at the dessert shop that day, right?"