Chapter 71: Mollru Does Not Understand the Human Heart

Time flowed by relentlessly.

My days were spent streaming, sleeping, waking up, and house hunting.

I eventually settled on a place a bit farther from where I currently lived but closer to Ji-yeon’s family home.

This decision was partly due to Ji-yeon’s insistence and partly because the infrastructure in that area was well-developed.

The new place was a secure, small apartment complex that was relatively new.

These kinds of residences, designed for single-person households, were apparently becoming more common.

After selecting the place and setting the moving date, I headed to Si-young’s house, with her escorting me.

“Excuse me.”

“I’ve set up the microphone here. Do you need the webcam too?”

“No, that’s okay.”

The room was dark, covered with blackout curtains. The only light came from the computer tower and monitors, illuminating the space.

On one screen, my most recent stream replayed, as usual.

Does she ever turn this computer off? Every time I visit, it looks like this.

“Would you like to test it? The setup’s ready.”

I sat in the comfy chair, fiddled with the mouse, and tested the microphone.

It felt strange.

Streaming from a place other than my home was an entirely new experience for me.

Once I confirmed that everything worked fine, I didn’t hesitate to hit the start button for the stream.

For streamers, there’s no distinction between weekdays and weekends.

The only distinction is between streaming days and non-streaming days.

Some streamers, like Ryu-ah, followed a regular schedule with fixed off-days. Others, like me, took breaks whenever they felt like it.

Ryu-ah fell into the former category.

Perhaps due to the habits she developed while working after graduating high school, she was accustomed to taking weekends off.

Having the weekend as a break helped her maintain relationships with others, as it was easier to make plans.

Viewers often asked why a streamer would need two full days off a week. But for Ryu-ah, those days were essential.

Even on her days off, she often had to handle minor tasks related to her stream.

During her break days, she’d sit in her quiet, soundproof booth and start working without turning on the stream.

First, she’d review the YouTube videos her editor sent her.

Then, she’d check her email to see if any inquiries related to her stream had come in.

She’d browse the forums to understand her viewers’ needs.

She’d research trending content on platforms like Twitch.

And she’d brainstorm new content ideas along similar lines.

Looking at this, it was clear that being a streamer wasn’t exactly a job with a great work-life balance.

Still, doing this prep work in advance allowed her to focus entirely on streaming while live.

And her efforts were paying off. Her viewership was growing, collaborations and sponsorship offers were coming in, and her YouTube subscriber count was steadily climbing.

With such positive outcomes, it was impossible for her to abandon this routine.

So, on her off-days, she’d spend one day dealing with work-related tasks and the other on full rest, meeting friends or relaxing.

After months of this routine, a small change entered her life.

“Alright…”

Ryu-ah fiddled with her computer screen, a satisfied smile on her face.

Mollru is live!

“Detective Mollru: The culprit is…”

While working on stream-related tasks, she had developed a habit of keeping something playing in the background.

At first, it was calming ASMR to help her concentrate. Over time, it expanded to include streams or YouTube videos from fellow creators.

Inevitably, she always ended up watching Mollru-related content.

Today, she got lucky—a fresh livestream was on.

In some ways, it was a downside of working from home.

Like zoning out in a library or getting distracted while studying, she sometimes found herself turning to watch videos whenever an interesting sound caught her ear.

Ryu-ah was well aware that this wasn’t the most efficient way to work.

Wouldn’t it be better to separate work and leisure completely?

She understood it logically. But knowing and doing are two different things.

“What’s the point of knowing,” she thought.

If knowing was enough, she’d have achieved everything she ever wanted by now.

Fortunately, her productivity hadn’t dropped yet.

She always finished her tasks before allowing herself to get distracted by streams.

“Ughhh…”

Stretching, she looked at the computer screen.

The stream had only been live for ten minutes. She had finished her work unusually quickly today.

Mollru was still chatting with her viewers and hadn’t started the game yet.

“A detective game?”

The title, Detective Mollru, suggested as much.

Watching Mollru play detective games was entertaining because of how unpredictable she was.

Mollru wasn’t exactly stupid.

But was she smart? That was debatable.

“Her mind’s sharp… but it’s sharp in peculiar ways.”

Her brilliance often leaned toward the unconventional.

She had a knack for coming up with ideas that no ordinary person would ever consider.

What kind of performance would Mollru show in a detective game?

With a strange sense of anticipation, Ryu-ah focused on the stream.

“High school students are trapped in one location. The only way to escape is for a student to commit murder… and not get caught.”

The game had good reviews and was suitable for streaming.

It had been recommended on a forum she’d visited before getting sick, and viewers were reacting positively to it.

[“Is that guy really a high schooler? Why is he so huge?”]

[“If he tries to kill someone, his spine will snap first lol.”]

[“Whoever locked them up is a psycho. What’s their motive?”]

[“Because it’s fun… ᄋᄋ…”]

[“All the characters have unique traits, but the protagonist feels kind of plain.”]

[“The protagonist is controlled by Mollru, though. Totally a cheat character.”]

The viewers were already immersed in the game.

For some reason, the culprit seemed to want to trap the students in the school and observe what would happen.

What a twisted sense of humor.

Even so, it’s hard to imagine that just being trapped here would make someone insane enough to commit murder.

This wasn’t a death game with a 45.6 billion won prize—why would anyone resort to that?

-“If anyone keeps approaching me, I might just kill them.”

“What the heck? This guy is crazy.”

In a situation where everyone is meeting for the first time and cut off from the outside world, such a statement would raise alarm.

The saying, “The world is wide, and crazy people are everywhere,” couldn’t be more accurate.

[“Did he just say, ‘I might kill them’?”]

[“I’m shaking in fear, Mollru ᅲᅲ”]

[“Hold me, please ᅲᅲ”]

[“This has a slight otaku vibe, doesn’t it?”]

[“You need at least one character like this, lol.”]

[“These characters usually just talk big and never actually kill anyone.”]

[“???: Don’t use such strong words—it makes you look weak.”]

That’s exactly right.

In other words, he’s just bluffing.

Like a hedgehog raising its spikes, all bark and no bite—a facade to hide his fragile interior.

-“For now, let’s search for clues to figure out where we are.”

A female student began to take charge, showing leadership.

Following her orders, the students started moving in an orderly fashion, seemingly to investigate their surroundings.

“That’s right. Step one is finding clues—it’s the golden rule.”

Agreeing with her, I headed toward the area assigned to me.

-“Hey, how about you come with me, Mori-kun?”

The female leader tilted her head slightly, asking for my assistance.

Her cheeks were faintly flushed.

[“How is she already flirting? How long have they even known each other?”]

[“The ultimate alpha male, confirmed.”]

[“Mollru’s behavior is bleeding into her character, lol.”]

[“Unintentional seduction strikes again ᄃᄃ.”]

[“Mori-kun ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ”]

[“It’s not my fault the English pronunciation sounds like that!”]

[“Chihaya-chan route unlocked!”]

-“Would you like to accompany Mizuki Chihaya?”

Y/N

“Does this choice affect the storyline? That’s some impressive freedom.”

I decided to go along with her and pressed Y to agree to her suggestion.

-“Thanks! This place is kind of creepy, and I was scared to go alone.”

Chihaya smiled brightly as she spoke.

Was she trying to charm me intentionally?

Or was she just an oblivious, innocent character?

One thing was certain—viewers were falling head over heels for her.

As Chihaya and I wandered around investigating, a thought crossed my mind, prompting me to speak.

“Can’t I just kill her? If I kill Chihaya and escape, wouldn’t that work?”

We were the last ones to leave the classroom where all the students had gathered.

I hadn’t run into anyone else since, and we were now in a separate building far from where the others were investigating.

If I secretly killed Chihaya here and covered it up, there wouldn’t be any evidence.

“The real question is whether the protagonist has the skills to pull that off. But from a gameplay perspective, it should be possible, right?”

[“Here it comes! The unhinged logic only psychos understand!”]

[“I knew it! I was waiting for her to say this, lol.”]

[“Cyber Psycho Mollru cccccc.”]

[“I’m scared… teacher… I’m so scared, teacher…”]

[“Why not kill her? Chihaya’s the smallest and easiest target, isn’t she?”]

“Am I wrong, though? Killing Chihaya here and escaping immediately seems like the most efficient move.”

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated at the viewers criticizing my cold, rational thinking.