I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game - Chapter 5

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I thought this was supposed to be a healing farming game.
Chapter 5

I watched the guest continue eating as if nothing had happened, tilted my head slightly, and made my way up the rest of the stairs.
‘Well, maybe they were just curious about who was going up to the second floor.’
I tried to understand them, searching my mind for reasons.
‘Or perhaps I stood out as a stranger.’
I stood before the locked door.
“I had such a hard time opening this back then.”
A few months later, after raising Kayce’s Affinity, he’d given me an Access Card as a gift, so I could move freely in and out of the office.
Of course, since it was a work space, I didn’t visit often, but the gesture felt like proof that we’d grown close.
‘A reset really is sadder than I thought.’
All those memories—I’m the only one who carries them now.
Swallowing the bittersweet feeling, I held my Access Card to the office door; it clicked open with a soft sound.
“Pardon me—”
I poked my head through the doorway.
Unlike the tidy first-floor bar, the office was chaotic—as if someone had started organizing but given up halfway.
The space itself was quite large.
One wall held bookshelves crammed full of books, and across from it, a series of framed paintings hung in a row.
On a long glass desk that looked like it was meant for work, scattered documents, pens, and seals lay carelessly strewn about.
‘Not here?’
I walked closer to what appeared to be a guest sofa.
‘The sofa looks empty—wait, what?’
Something was draped over the sofa’s armrest.
Feet in formal dress shoes.
I approached and gripped the back of the sofa, looking down.
A man lay sleeping, a half-open book resting across his face.
Watching him in a dress shirt, his long legs stretched out like a model’s, I blinked quietly.
“Kayce?”
Finally, I called out to him.
‘Did he come back to the office and fall asleep that quickly?’
I watched the veins on his hand twitch slightly and waited quietly for a response.
But the office remained silent except for the soft sound of breathing from beneath the book.
‘I don’t want to wake someone who’s sleeping.’
When you’re exhausted, there are days you don’t want to move a finger.
‘I’ll look for a place another time.’
I gave up cleanly.
Before the event for receiving Kayce’s business card would trigger, it was only natural I’d stay at Shiad’s place anyway.
Thinking I’d impose on Shiad for a few more days, I picked up a folded blanket that lay to one side.
Then I walked toward Kayce quietly, careful not to disturb him with footsteps.
I unfurled the blanket and draped it over his body, turning to leave—
“Oh!”
My wrist was suddenly grabbed and pulled backward.
I barely caught my balance and looked down again, seeing dark eyes gazing up at me from beneath the book that had slid askew.
Kayce’s eyelids opened slowly, halfway.
“Hello!”
Even though we’d already met this morning, seeing his face brought a warm feeling welling up again.
Kayce pushed the book away from his face. The corner of his mouth curved upward.
“Hey there, visitor. You came faster than I expected?”
“Did I wake you?”
“Thanks to you.”
He lifted the blanket slightly with his fingers, then let it drop again and spoke.
“You’re considerate. So, what brings you?”
“Oh, I came to look at places! If you’re tired, we can talk about it another time.”
At that, he sat up fully and patted the sofa.
“Sit. I’ll grab the documents.”
“Yes!”
“Feel free to help yourself to the refreshments.”
Kayce ambled toward the long glass desk and began sorting through the scattered pile of documents.
I settled onto the sofa, poured myself some water, and picked up one of the biscuits.
My Stamina Bar, which had dipped slightly from the morning walk, climbed steadily back up.
“So you’re here to look at properties.”
“Yes!”
Kayce flipped through the papers and slid several photograph-covered sheets across to me.
A sprawling manor to start, then a three-story suburban home with a garden, a four-story tower that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale, and finally a cozy cottage perfect for a solitary life.
“Choose whichever suits you, client. Money is no object—I’ll finance whatever you need.”
A professional smile—one he’d never normally wear—crossed his face.
I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles as I carefully scanned through the photographs in the documents.
I saw all manner of images: building exteriors, interior layouts, floor plans.
Yet the information I most wanted to know wasn’t there.
Price.
“Kayce. About these houses—what’s the cost for each one?”
“What matters most is finding which property appeals to you. Let’s confirm the real thing first, then we’ll talk.”
“Really? See them in person?”
We were going to visit the actual houses?
Did Kayce normally show properties himself? My memory was hazy on that.
As I hesitated, Kayce let out a soft laugh.
“Don’t worry. You’ll see them here.”
Snap.
Kayce flicked his finger, and a floating Square Cube materialized beside him.
“With this.”
A red dot appeared on the cube he was pointing at.
“Huh…?”
“Look at it. Don’t take your eyes off.”
As I stared at it as instructed, my vision gradually washed white.
It was the same sensation I’d felt the first time I came to Node.
My body swept up in something strange, and in the blink of an eye—
I was standing at the entrance of a grand mansion.
Creak.
The door opened on its own, untouched by any hand.
“Ah!! You scared me—”
I yelped without thinking, then composed myself and stepped inside.
A wide yard carpeted with grass stretched out before me, complete with a swimming pool and parasols.
‘I could set up a big swing out here.’
After leisurely touring the yard, as I approached the building, the entryway rushed into view.
The door swung open automatically, revealing a living room as vast as a school athletic field.
Beside it was a kitchen equipped with a refrigerator and oven large enough to store groceries for ten people, along with two staircases leading to the upper floor.
At the end of the corridor was a bathroom with a marble bathtub.
There was also a study that rivaled a library in scale, and a high-end LD player tucked away in a corner of the room.
“Wow.”
Living alone here, cleaning would be an absolute nightmare.
By the time I’d finished touring all the expansive rooms inside—the bedroom, study, attic, and more—
Snap.
Kayce snapped his fingers again.
“Next one.”
The cube rotated, and a new Illusion unfolded before my eyes.
It was so vivid there was no difference from seeing it in person.
‘On the tablet I only saw images, but this is a full virtual tour.’
Mouth agape in amazement, I continued viewing the remaining properties.
From the three-story suburban home I was curious about to the split-level tower, and finally to the small but cozy cottage.
“I wonder which one will suit our client’s taste.”
As Kayce’s quiet voice reached my ear, I returned to reality on the sofa.
I blinked slowly, sitting dazed for a moment, then grabbed the documents.
“I’ll take this cottage!”
“The cottage.”
Kayce’s voice dropped a note lower as he answered.
“Yes!”
“You’re serious, customer?”
Kayce let out a hollow laugh, leaning back against the sofa as he studied me with a tilted gaze.
“You’re passing up all those other lovely homes?”
“I live alone anyway. A bigger place would just be harder to keep clean.”
“You can hire someone to handle that.”
He said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, but if I’d come back with something like “Is that so?” I’d have walked straight into his trap.
“I’d rather tend to things myself than rely on someone else’s hands.”
“Then wouldn’t a place with a sprawling garden give you even more satisfaction to maintain?”
“I prefer a modest little plot!”
With each rapid-fire suggestion Kayce threw my way, I answered with a bright smile, neatly cutting off any drift toward a loan pitch.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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