How did it come to this?
As Alice guided me forward with her warm hand, I found myself pondering that question.

It all began when my base had turned into a frozen disaster zone, and I’d set out with high hopes of finding a new place.

But after wandering around fruitlessly for hours, unable to find a suitable location, I’d resigned myself to heading for Greg’s shop, wiping away metaphorical tears. That’s when I’d unexpectedly run into Alice—and gotten caught.

Realizing that I was effectively homeless, she’d half-dragged, half-kidnapped me to her place.

She didn’t even ask if I wanted to come to her house. If she had, I probably would’ve refused outright—I hated imposing on others. But the way she clung to my hand, looking like she might cry, made it impossible for me to resist.

Seriously, forcing her kindness on me like this? What a scary person.

“...”
“...”

Neither Alice nor I said a word as we walked through the city, her pace carefully matching my shorter strides.

The night deepened, and the temperature dropped further, with the snowstorm growing ever so slightly more intense. Yet, wrapped in Alice’s coat, I felt much warmer than I had before.

So this peachy scent… it wasn’t perfume, it was her natural fragrance.
Burying my face in the coat, I quietly took in the sweet aroma. My mask got in the way a little, but the scent was strong enough to be noticeable regardless.

How far had we walked through the neon-lit streets of Nighthaven when Alice suddenly stopped? My forehead bumped lightly into her back.

“...?”
“We’re here. This is my place.”

I lifted my gaze at her words and found myself staring at an apartment building that felt oddly familiar.

Wow, this is exactly like the one in the original story.
As I stared at the three-story apartment, marveling at its uncanny resemblance, Alice’s expression dimmed slightly. She patted my head and spoke softly.

“You don’t have anywhere to go, right? Stay here for the night.”
“…!”
“No arguments! Come on, let’s go inside.”
“...”

Ugh, so there’s no escaping this.
Letting out a quiet sigh, I gave up on resisting Alice’s relentless determination.

I could understand her feelings, though.

Thinking about it, I must have looked pretty pitiful wandering the snowy streets alone late at night. Anyone would’ve wondered if something was wrong. If I saw a coworker aimlessly wandering in such conditions, I’d probably have asked them what was going on too.

Still, I couldn’t help feeling conflicted. When I first woke up in this world, I swore to stay as far away as possible from the protagonist’s group. Yet here I was, being dragged into their orbit again and again.

First, I ended up at the office. And now, I’d been invited to Alice’s home. Why did things keep turning out like this?

Maybe it all started with Greg. Meeting him was where everything went wrong.
As I watched Alice’s back while she led me by the hand, I couldn’t help but wonder.

If it hadn’t been me she saw out there, would she have done the same for someone else?

Yeah, probably.
Alice was the kind of person who couldn’t ignore someone in need.

Thinking that way lightened the burden in my chest a little.
If her warmth wasn’t just for me, then maybe it was okay to borrow it for a little while.

After all… once my temp job at the office is over, we’ll naturally drift apart.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to let go of my worries, at least for now.

Fine, I’ll take the help this time. But don’t expect me to pay this favor back!

“I’m home~”
“...”

Alice’s apartment was a modern and relatively upscale place. The living room was spacious enough for a family of four, with two bedrooms branching off from it.

It seemed a bit large for just one person, but remembering that Alice lived here with her older sister Lily, the size made sense.

“…!”

However, the moment I stepped into the apartment, I froze in place, my eyes glued to the scene before me.

Clothes and underwear were scattered haphazardly across the living room, a chaotic mess that hit me like a punch to the gut.

Wow… why are those so huge? That could cover my whole face.

“Ah! Haha… um, it’s a little messy, huh? Yuria, could you wait here for a moment?”

Alice’s face turned bright red, clearly flustered by the surprise guest. Leaving me at the entrance, she darted inside, gathering up armfuls of clothing and disappearing somewhere deeper into the apartment.

She’s probably just shoving it all into a closet or something.
The contrast between her usual composed demeanor and her current panic made me chuckle quietly.

“Yuria, come in. Take off your shoes and have a seat on the couch.”
“...”
“If you’re bored, you can watch TV or something. I’ll finish cleaning up soon!”

Alice rushed back into her room, leaving a breeze in her wake that made my hair sway.

If the living room’s this bad, I can only imagine what the bedrooms look like.
Picturing the inevitable mess, I guessed it would take her a while to sort things out.

Well, that’s how it is when you’re just starting to live on your own. But… where’s Lily?

Sitting quietly on the couch, I swung my legs idly, enjoying the warmth from the heater. Then the thought of the other occupant of the apartment crossed my mind.

Alice had mentioned living here with her sister Lily. But with the heat off and the place so quiet, it seemed she wasn’t home.

Actually, that was probably for the best.
Meeting a friend’s family when you visit their home is always awkward, and Lily… well, she wasn’t exactly someone I wanted to interact with.

She’s a good person, but her whole “mentally unstable stalker” vibe is just… yeah.

Besides, I’ve been destroying those mini-cameras Lily keeps sneaking into the office. What if she holds a grudge over that? Definitely better to avoid her.

As I hung Alice’s coat neatly over the couch, she emerged from her room, now wearing a lightweight yukata. Her hesitant demeanor was reminiscent of a guilty puppy.

What’s with her all of a sudden? I tilted my head in confusion.

“Uh, um… I think I might’ve been too forceful about bringing you here. Sorry! I didn’t mean to pity you or anything, it’s just… uh…”

Oh, so that’s what this is about.
I realized why she was acting so strange.

After cleaning up and calming down, she must’ve started worrying that she’d dragged me here against my will.

To be fair, she wasn’t entirely wrong. She hadn’t asked for my opinion at all.
If I were the type to feel bitter about my situation, I might have lashed out at her by now.

But I wasn’t that kind of person.

I didn’t hate getting help because of my pride. I just found it burdensome to repay kindness. And knowing Alice, her actions weren’t out of pity or superiority—they came from a sincere desire to see everyone around her happy.

How could I hate someone like that?

“Honestly… I was already resigned to staying the night. What are you even worrying about?”

Rolling my eyes at her needless concern, I stood up from the couch and walked over to her. Then, without a word, I wrapped my arms around her.

Having never seen me initiate contact before, Alice froze in surprise.

“Uh… Yuria? Are you… forgiving me?”
“…!”

Forgiving you? I was never mad to begin with. You’re doing fine.

I rubbed my head lightly against her stomach, hoping she’d get the message.

Whatever she felt from that, it seemed to reassure her. Alice hesitantly hugged me back and murmured a soft “thank you.”

Why is she thanking me when I’m the one being helped?
Suppressing a laugh, I leaned into her embrace, enjoying the faint peach scent once more.

After a moment, she released me and plopped down on the couch. The tense atmosphere from earlier was gone, replaced by her usual cheerful demeanor.

“Yuria, is the temperature okay? Should I turn it up?”
“...”
“Good. I was worried you’d catch a cold since you were so chilled earlier.”

To be honest, I’d already warmed up from wearing her coat earlier. But seeing her genuinely concerned expression left me feeling… odd. Like catching a cold wouldn’t be so bad after all.

I handed Alice her coat back, and she took it with a curious expression.

“Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’ve seen you in casual clothes. Is that… a pajama set?”
“...”
“Hmm, it’s a bit short, don’t you think? And the fabric doesn’t seem very sturdy. Do you have anything else to wear?”

Anything else? I left everything behind at the frozen base.
As I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, Alice suddenly leaned in, sniffing near my shoulder.

“H-Hey!”

“Hmm. Your natural scent is pretty faint, so it’s not a problem. But you should still take a

warm shower. I’ll lend you something to wear.”
“…?!”
“What’s wrong? Afraid my clothes will be too big? Don’t worry, you can wear one of my dresses like a nightgown.”

No, I wasn’t worried about the size. Why was she insisting I shower here?
I waved my arms in protest, flustered by her sudden declaration.

“Wait… do you just not like bathing? That’s not good. Staying dirty makes you more likely to get sick. Honestly, I’d help you bathe myself if it wouldn’t be so awkward.”

That wasn’t exactly incorrect.

I’d only ever cleaned myself with bottled water and my telekinesis, never in a proper facility.
This was a rare opportunity to finally take a proper, warm shower.

The only thing holding me back was the fact that this was Alice’s house.

As I wavered, caught between reluctance and temptation, Alice clapped her hands as if struck by a brilliant idea.

“Oh! How about we bathe together?”

…Excuse me?

My gaze drifted to Alice’s chest before I could stop myself.
Noticing the sheer presence of her… assets, I immediately shook my head furiously, hair flying everywhere.

Absolutely not!
The imaginary scales of my moral compass spun wildly in protest.

Thankfully, my vehement refusal seemed to get through. Alice relented, and I was left to shower alone—a small but significant victory.