Chapter 3
Her expression darkened at my words.
“Cute? No way. I won’t allow you to call me that.”
I thought, “Well, it’s my mouth—I’ll say whatever I want.”
Before I could respond, she turned around, and my breath caught in my throat.
On her back was… another head.
At least, that was what I thought at first.
The face on it was smiling at me.
But when I took a closer look, I realized it wasn’t a head at all. It was a massive lump, nearly half the size of her real head, with eyes and a nose drawn on it. She had even styled a small tuft of hair, tying it up and letting it fall around the “face.”
That was why I’d mistaken it for another head at first glance.
Her smug voice came from behind me.
“Well? Are you scared now? Bet you won’t say anything like that again!”
“Hey, what are you—” she started as I pulled a bow out of my pocket and clipped it onto the little tuft of hair on the lump.
She froze for a moment before walking over to the mirror, tilting her head back to look at the lump on her back.
“Now it’s not just cute,” I said with a grin. “It’s even prettier.”
Her face flushed red in an instant.
“R-Really? Everyone says my lump is ugly, that I’m a monster, and no matter how many times I try to cut it off, it won’t go away.”
I looked closer and noticed the lump was covered in scars, some deep, some shallow, with dried blood crusted over.
“Of course not. If you can’t get rid of it, then why not change how you see it? Think of it as a gift from above—something that makes you special and different from everyone else.”
She stared at me for a moment before suddenly throwing herself at my legs, clinging to me without saying a word.
I realized then just how small she was—barely tall enough to reach my thighs.
What I didn’t know at the time was that elsewhere, invisible to me, the live chat was exploding.
“Whoa, I’ve never seen such a shy game boss before.”
“Why isn’t she using her lump to attack? Didn’t the last front desk clerk die because of that thing?”
“Honestly, I don’t even understand how this new receptionist managed to call that lump ‘cute.’ Maybe that’s why she’s still alive?”
…
I smiled down at her. “Alright, time for me to check your room.”
She nodded obediently and trailed closely behind me.
Room inspections were usually simple. The main tasks were checking for damage and running the robotic vacuum to clean the floors.
But what I saw this time… was complete devastation.
The room was a complete wreck. Tables and chairs were shattered, windows smashed, and even the support beams had crumbled!
I glanced back at her, stunned. Was this game boss really that destructive?
Noticing my look, she tilted her head innocently.
“What’s wrong, Miss?”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Nothing. Just… could you help me clean this up a little? We’ve got more players coming tomorrow.”
She nodded enthusiastically, grabbed a tiny broom, and quickly handed it to me. Then, without hesitation, she walked over to the collapsed support beam, which was easily several times her size, lifted it with one hand, and casually tossed it out the window.
As I watched it all unfold, I could only mutter, “You know, throwing things out of windows is technically illegal…”
…
With her help, we finished tidying up in no time. The once chaotic room now looked spotless and refreshed.
I nodded in satisfaction. “I’m off to check the next room, Ruby.”
Since she hadn’t told me her name, I decided to call her Ruby, and thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind.
She waved cheerfully. “Bye, Miss! Come back soon, okay?”
I headed to the next door and knocked.
This time, the game boss was an elderly woman who greeted me with a warm smile. “Ah, young lady, you must be the new front desk clerk the boss told me about. You’re really lovely.”
“You’re lovely too, ma’am,” I replied sweetly.
As I stepped inside, I found the room neat and cozy, bathed in soft, warm light. Even the litter box on the floor was freshly cleaned and filled with new litter, exuding a light, pleasant scent.
It looked like this inspection would be an easy one.
