Men and Women

A terrible weekend.

This was the time most workers and students looked forward to with fervor, and the moment when countless clubs and venues plundered the pockets of those who couldn’t control their wallets.

Of course, that was merely Lilo’s personal opinion…

He stood on the rooftop of a certain building, using binoculars to peer at a high-end apartment complex in the distance.

“The security is tight,” he remarked with a sigh.

To ferret out the person hidden within Qi Huang, Lilo had no choice but to initiate contact. He might have the patience to wait until high school or even university graduation, but he wouldn’t be satisfied if he let a nearby opportunity slip through his fingers.

The only bridge he had to the Qi Huang family was their eldest daughter.

Qi Huang Mutina.

Unfortunately, she seemed to loathe his very existence.

For this, he had even sacrificed his weekend part-time wages. He had pulled a long-sealed, slightly tight, worn-out trench coat from his wardrobe. To avoid being recognized, he wore contact lenses—reserved only for disguises—and used his landlord’s hair gel to slick back his hair, bidding farewell to his “four-eyes” bookworm persona.

Though the dark circles remained…

His purpose here was simple: he wanted to monitor Mutina and see if she proactively contacted any other members of the Qi Huang family.

“The level of security is absurd.”

Whether it was because the eldest daughter required such protection, or because “That” mentioned by Nair Naya was about to begin, the apartment was a fortress. Even Lilo, watching from afar, was nearly spotted by a guard keeping watch on the roof.

‘But why are all the security guards women?’

Of course, Lilo’s efforts weren’t entirely fruitless…

“Clara?”

After a painstaking stakeout last night—during which he even ignored a complaining call from his landlord—he finally found something useful in the apartment’s discarded household waste.

He was blissfully unaware that he was already treading on the edge of a crime.

Among the trash, Lilo discovered numerous packaging bags printed with the cartoon icon of “Clara.” Unless the guards were all idol-obsessed fans in their spare time, these items could only belong to Mutina.

“…A streamer?”

After searching online, Lilo learned that Clara was a famous teenage streamer. With the slogan “Accompanying you until you fall asleep late at night,” she took calls from viewers, acting as an “intimate friend” to solve their life or psychological problems.

Unfortunately…

Lilo’s old keypad phone couldn’t even stream live video.

“However, judging by the quantity of these packages, it’s safe to assume Qi Huang Mutina is a fanatic fan of Clara.”

The sheer volume was abnormal.

‘Maybe I can give her a Clara souvenir to smooth things over? No, as a fanatic fan, she probably doesn’t need my scraps. Perhaps I could try to find some of Clara’s personal undergarments; fanatics usually like that sort of thing… wait, why am I assuming Qi Huang Mutina is a pervert?’

Just as his thoughts drifted further toward the criminal fringe, there was movement at the apartment.

A sedan pulled up at the entrance.

“…”

Lilo clearly saw the tall maid push the girl in the wheelchair into the car.

‘I didn’t expect someone with mobility issues to be moving around so much on a weekend.’

If he went down to chase now, he would surely lose them. However…

Lilo looked at the message on his phone.

[Clara’s exclusive exhibition will be held in Jormungandr this weekend.]

Jormungandr…

The name of the very city Lilo resided in.

“Let’s gamble on it.”

“Miss, is this really wise?”

Inside the sedan, the maid Hecate looked at Mutina with concern.

“During such a sensitive time, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to leave this to the servants?”

“Wouldn’t that make it meaningless?” Mutina replied indifferently.

“But…”

“It’s fine, Hecate. If my brothers wanted to move against me, their brains wouldn’t be capable of thinking of this method. Don’t worry.”

‘For now, let’s focus on the exhibition.’

Seeing Mutina’s look of anticipation, Hecate’s worried brow did not unfurrow.

‘Why is Miss so infatuated with a streamer?’

The normally meticulous Miss actually paid exorbitant donations to someone she had never met. She never spent money recklessly, yet for the sake of a “Number One Fan” title—just to attract more of Clara’s attention—she showed no restraint.

‘Miss…’

In contrast, Mutina was staring at her phone screen, listening to the playback of last night’s stream through her earphones.

Despite her frantic purchasing of figurines and merchandise, and her secret sponsorship of the agency’s events, her gaze while watching the recording was surprisingly “cold.”

Her fingernails scratched incessantly at the screen. As she watched the character on the screen use sweet words and a cute demeanor to greet and care for the audience—claiming they were her favorite and most inseparable viewers—something in Mutina’s eyes surged higher.

Creeeeeak!

She nearly scratched the screen to pieces…

‘Look at me.’

Mutina’s right leg shook restlessly. Her other hand reached into her mouth, her teeth gnawing at a freshly manicured nail.

‘Look at me more.’

‘More, more, more… put more of your attention on me.’

Even though the stream was over, even though no one would thank her again, she continued to dump massive amounts of gifts. Though there was a vast chasm between her and the second-place fan, she remained unsatisfied.

It was as if…

There was a colossal black hole in her heart.

Neither money, nor reputation, nor power could fill it.

It expanded incessantly!

‘Pay more attention to me. Say my name more.’

‘Don’t say the names of irrelevant people. I am clearly the most important one to you, the one you should be most grateful to.’

‘More, more, more…’

Suddenly, a strangely sweet and cloying fragrance surged through the car.

!?

Hecate was the first to react, quickly waking Mutina who was beginning to lose herself.

“Miss!”

!!!

“…It’s nothing. Keep driving.”

Mutina reminded the driver—who was about to put on a gas mask—to focus on his duty.

She gripped the fabric over her chest tightly.

“I want to possess it so badly, even if just once…” she murmured to herself.

In a dim room, various streaming props and cute outfits used to attract fans were piled high.

In stark contrast to the heavy girlish atmosphere of the room…

The air was thick with a pungent, foul odor.

“Heh, hehe… More and more. The fans are increasing.”

“So much money.”

A figure curled in the corner, wrapped entirely in a quilt, stared fixedly at the app on a phone, letting out a bizarre laugh.

Around the person, discarded household waste was piled everywhere, the source of the stench.

The figure itself…

“Ugh, another video?”

Receiving a text message, the figure crawled out from the quilt, skillfully changed into a pink dress, and put on a hair accessory.

However, the reflection in the mirror…

Was that of a disheveled, middle-aged man!?

The once-cute decorations became nauseating on his body; the visual alone was enough to cause physical discomfort.

But then, he took an item from a box.

After putting it around his neck…

His “appearance” underwent a transformation.

“Hello, everyone! I’m the beautiful girl streamer you’ve all been waiting for, your intimate friend, the cute and energetic…”

‘Clara~!’

She posed cutely for the camera, filming a privately commissioned video.

At the same time…

Directly below the floor where she lived.

A figure in a black trench coat with slicked-back hair quietly appeared.