In the darkness.
Shadows gathered.
What they plotted was a terrifying conspiracy! “The weapons we hid have been discovered.”
“Fatal.”
“How dare he Confess. That Kratos fellow was a fool.”
“We must postpone D-day. Stay quiet for now.”
“Everything is for Him...” The suspiciously shadowy figures began to disperse without greetings or goodbyes.
As if it were a familiar routine.
Then, someone spoke. “What are we going to do about Manager Joi? That man will become an Obstacle to us someday.” “How about we ambush him from behind?”
“Don’t be foolish, that man is formidable enough to take down Magnus with his bare Fist.”
“Besides, his house is said to be filled with 「Torture devices」...”
“He truly is a demon starved for blood and flesh...” Everyone fell silent.
There was no easy solution.
At that very moment, someone opened their mouth. “Here, I will use the ‘Manager-level’. Please, grant permission for its use...” “M-Manager-level!”
“Truly terrifying...” The Shadows began to tremble in fear.
And they raised their hands in unanimous agreement. “Well, since it’s decided, let’s go grab some food!” # # # 「Author: Chikoreta」
「Title: Let’s learn about Hell Mint today∗^^」
「Unlike surface Mint, Hell Mint grows better when stepped on like this ∗^^∗」
「Let’s tread on it well, thinking of the mint as your husband’s mistress ∗^^∗」
「For reference, the mint scent not only repels bugs but is also delicious when brewed as tea ∗^^∗」
「-Photo of blooming flowers-」
「-Photo of lushly grown leaves-」
└ㅇㅇ:Wow, what a desirable plant. Thank you for the great post again today, Chikoreta. When will the review on Hell Cacti I requested come out?
└Chikoreta: I’m looking into it various ways, so it’ll be out soon ∗^^∗ Hell Mint.
It was indeed a desirable plant.
But its abundant size was a slight problem. “To grow this, I’d need at least a veranda.” Turning my head slightly, the view of my cramped Dormitory cubicle came into sight.
Because of the Hell Cacti placed here and there, the space was packed with little room left. So, am I complaining?
Not at all! ─Jjyuuing-.
─Jjyuuing, jjyuuing-. They were cacti that cried with strange sounds, but ever since I brought a bunch of them home, the Hell Cockroaches hadn't appeared, which was great. Thinking I couldn't keep this good thing to myself, I even recommended it to others.
I especially thought Orpheus, who lived in a trash heap in a multi-family dwelling, needed it, but he freaked out. “Y-You want me to bring this terrifying torture device into my home? Manager Joi, you are truly a dreadful person! Truly frightening!” “How is this a torture device? Look. It even bloomed pretty yellow flowers.” What’s wrong with growing cacti?
If you water them well, they even bloom like this.
It’s better than living with cockroaches bigger than my palm. Anyway, it was a holiday that finally felt like one.
I stretched languidly and then jumped out of my skin. ─JYOUJI!!! “...Wh-What is that thing?” I seriously thought my heart had stopped.
Because the Hell Cockroach, which had been quiet for a while after I brought in the cacti, appeared again. This one was even unusually formidable.
It was clad in golden chitinous armor hard enough to ignore the sharp cactus Thorns, its body was larger than my face, and its wing beats were almost at the level of a small helicopter. ‘If the cockroaches so far were regular employee-level, this one is at least Manager-level! And it’s golden, the color I hate the most!’ Vroooooom─! Like a real helicopter, it charged straight towards my face.
It seemed the sweet scent of the Honey Candy in my hand had tempted it.
I wasn’t even eating it because I wanted to, but forced myself to dispose of supplies, damn it! ─JYOUJIIIIIIIK!! Various memories flashed by.
They say people become rather stoic in the face of death; that was exactly me right now. “Where do you think you’re going.” Thwack─!
Just as it reached my nose, the Manager-level cockroach was accurately slapped by someone’s palm. Twitch─twitch twitch...
The Manager-level cockroach hit the wall, struggled a few times, and then limply collapsed onto the floor.
It was probably dead. ‘Saved!’ Saved is saved, but...
Looking at my sudden savior and uninvited guest, I had no choice but to ask. “Lady Melinoe, what brings you to my home...?” My Stomach twisted.
The 「CEO」’s daughter is in my house.
If anyone saw this, I’d definitely be turned into a constellation. Unaware of my feelings, Lady Melinoe nonchalantly cleaned up the Manager-level cockroach's gruesome corpse with her elegant hands and spoke proudly. “I am the Vice President of this 「Happy World」. I have the right to access and enter all facilities and buildings existing in this Happy World. An Employee’s home is no exception. I don’t even need a key.” Shwoong, shwoong-. Lady Melinoe demonstrated phasing her hand through the wall.
True to her reputation as the Goddess of ghosts, her body could apparently become translucent like a ghost, allowing her to pass through various walls.
Anyway, the Goddess had invaded my home without warning.
Yet, the Goddess spoke as if chiding me. “Why are you still living in this house? I’m sure I gave you a key. The Rebel activities have come to the surface. Joi, you too need to stay in a safer house.” “Yes, the Rebels, right.” The word Rebels reminded me of the recent incident.
Kratos and the Real Estate Embezzlement incident. I had planned to frame the Embezzlement as my own to get fired.
But Kratos confessed on his own, and a Large quantity of weapons were discovered in that Field.
Said to be Rebel weapons. ‘What Rebels?’ I don't know if I should say this, but I found it quite surprising that there were Rebels in this 「Happy World」.
Who the hell are they? Anyway, the important thing was that the incident turned 「Happy World」 upside down, and the Large-scale Audit fizzled out as if it never happened. Thanks to that, I got to enjoy a holiday for the first time in a while.
I’ve been wanting to Transfer for the past few days until recently, but honestly, rest is sweet like honey, so it’s good. ‘It would have been better if the Goddess of Nightmares hadn't shown up.’ My insides ache in many ways.
Good thing I skipped breakfast.
If I had eaten heartily, I would have gotten indigestion just now. Soon, the Goddess spoke. “Well then, hurry up and move. Pack your things too.” “My things?” “You need to move. You can’t stay in such an insecure house when the Rebels might target you. If I were a Rebel, I’d target outstanding employees first.” Seems like she’s overreacting.
But moving to a bigger house was quite tempting.
I wanted to add a few more cacti, and I also wanted to plant that ‘Hell Mint’ I saw on HermesNet today.
To grow that, having a veranda was better. “Does it have a veranda too?” “It’s spacious.” “Lady Melinoe, please lead the way!” “Pfft, what are you saying. We need to pack your things first.” And so, I packed my belongings with the Goddess.
Rustle, rustle-.
Packing things with a beautiful woman on a sunny day.
There’s quite a romantic aspect to it. “Rustle, rustle. Swish, rustle. It’s okay, ding ding, ding, ding, ding-.” Is packing making her feel good?
The Goddess is even humming. ‘Damn it, she’s uncharacteristically cute. If only she weren’t the CEO’s daughter...’ If the woman before me were an ordinary person, my heart would be pounding with pink tension right now, making it hard to keep my wits about me.
Of course, my heart was pounding fiercely now too, and it was hard to keep my wits.
But the color of that tension was closer to dark black than pink.
Completely grotesque. Clang-! “...Ahem hem, for a perfect Goddess like me to make such a mistake... Joi, I apologize. That wasn’t a bowl you cherished, was it?” “No, it wasn’t.” Clang-! “...This one?” “No.” Clang-! “Lady Melinoe, I’ll pack the things, so please just rest.” After packing everything, I followed Lady Melinoe to the new house. The new house was slightly on the outskirts of 「Happy World」’s City Center, but surprisingly cozy.
One bathroom, a living room connected to the kitchen, and two rooms.
One room could be used for a wardrobe or desk, and the remaining room would be perfect as a bedroom. I also liked that the veranda was spacious.
There would be enough space even after placing the cacti and Hell Mint. If I planted Hell Mint too, even a Manager-level Hell Cockroach like the one I saw earlier wouldn’t dare invade.
It would truly become my own perfect sanctuary. “It looks a bit lacking in daily necessities. Let’s go to a nearby store and buy some things. I also want to compensate for the dishes I broke earlier.” We went to a large supermarket.
There, while buying bowls, cups, toothbrushes, and the like, Lady Melinoe seemed to stare for a long time, then started giving advice on various things. “I think this pot looks good. The capacity is generous too. And I like this bowl. Because it’s red. Buy one more toothbrush and cup each. Since the house is bigger, a guest might stay over.” This is my chance!
A chance to lower Lady Melinoe’s Favorability towards me! “Well then, since we’re buying, let’s get the most expensive ones.” So I quickly picked out only the best items in the store, but Lady Melinoe paid with a black card as if it were nothing.
Is that an Executive-exclusive payment card?
This is the first time I’ve seen one myself. Evening arrived before long.
I thought Lady Melinoe would be heading back soon.
But Lady Melinoe showed no signs of leaving. ‘When on earth is she planning to go home? Don’t tell me she intends to stay for dinner too?’ Instead, she sat on the sofa we just bought, turned on the TV, and started browsing through things. 「You Who Are from the Abyss」[TL]Reference to "You Who Are From the Stars"[/TL]
「Kidnapped by the Grand Duke of the Afterlife」
「My Boyfriend is Actually the Prince of the Afterlife?」
「Illegal Stay In Another World」[TL]Also on Dawn Translations uwu[/TL] “Romance dramas. All romance dramas. This must also be because of the 「Work Reform」. They used to show serious historical dramas often in the past.” Lady Melinoe seemed displeased with the TV filled only with romance dramas.
Finally turning off the TV, Lady Melinoe sighed, Hooo-. “Why do people like romance stories so much? Joi, are you like that too?” “Me? Well, I think they're just so-so.” “Hmm, indeed, people like me need to care about employees’ dating and marriage as well. In that sense, Joi, what kind of woman is your type?” ......! Exams have killer questions.
Literally ‘questions that kill people’.
I instinctively knew this was a killer question at this moment.
Not just any killer, but this Happy World’s most ruthless chainsaw serial killer question.
If I answer this well, I might be able to drastically lower Lady Melinoe’s Favorability towards me. Scan, scan, scan, scan-.
Steeling myself for a bit of irreverence, I quickly scanned Lady Melinoe from top to bottom.
The serious conclusion reached thus. “I like women who are cheerful, laugh a lot, and are good at sports. And I prefer skin that’s healthily tanned if possible, blonde hair would be nice, and blue eyes would be even better.” A list of traits mostly opposite to Lady Melinoe’s image.
Even having said it myself, my legs trembled with tension. ‘Was that too roundabout a rejection?’ So I waited nervously for Lady Melinoe’s reaction─. “Hooo...” Princess Melinoe sighed again.
She shook her head and said. “Joi, you really do like me after all.” “Pardon?” “The characteristics you just mentioned. Anyone can see they describe me. If you confess so directly like that, it’s hard for me to pretend I don’t know.” Goddess.
Did you even hear my answer just now?

The Goddess Isn’t Going Home