It took him a few seconds to process what was written on it as the title.

What kind of book is this?! And why did he feel a kind of familiarity from it?

He expected all kinds of books but this wasn’t it.

Then, he noticed in small letters a note at the bottom.

‘Female Domination. Reverse Situation of Helpless Orc and Masculine Elven Lady!’

When he read the note he finally remembered why it felt so familiar… So this was the reverse situation of the classic…

The inner shame he felt for just holding this book was indescribable. He felt as if the house itself was judging him.

He actually didn’t have anything against this or whoever wants to read that. However, this kind of book should be hidden in your room and not in a place where random people can walk!

Just as he planned to put it away for now as throwing away books was never a solution. Some perverts may like it.

‘...’

‘...’

‘Maybe one glance?’

Unfortunately, curiosity was a hard trait to go against and it soon got the better of him. With a cautious look around he made sure there was nobody around and then slowly opened the book and started to read the first chapter.

The story was written in a very engaging way so he got easily engrossed in it.

Without thought, he sat in the closest chair and enjoyed the book.

Time flew and just when he got to the interesting part…

“Oh, did you find some interesting book, sir?”

“Agh?”

The shock that coursed through him almost made him let go of the book.

When he looked up he saw Sera curiously looking at the book in his hands.

Feeling embarrassed he closed the book while scratching his temple.

“Ah, it was not so interesting… It just fascinated me that… yes, that I could even read in Spirit Language!”

Finding an excuse he nodded in satisfaction as he smiled at Sera.

“Is that so? Well, there is good news for you then. Many of the books here are in Spirit Language so you can read them in your free time! However, the Librarian is quite cranky… People are not returning the books and this is making her nuts. Even if I want to return them I always feel weak in the legs when going near the library making it impossible for me…”

She looked depressed after saying that.

‘So it was not, that you were just lazy, huh?’

Looking at the pitiful creature before him he felt as if it was a vulnerable animal that needed protection.

“It’s alright. As long as the Librarian won’t try to kill me, I will do it myself.”

When he said this, Sera’s expression visibly brightened, and managed to squeeze out a small smile.

“Y-you are too kind, sir. If you are really willing to do it then I would be extremely thankful to you. When you first came I feared what kind of terror you would bring but it looks like you are finally someone who can take the position of Housekeeper without destroying this place. I will try my best to help you to get the position and will change this place for the better.”

In the beginning, her voice was still a little down but as she continued she got more excited and even waved her fist up with twinkles in her eyes.

‘Doesn’t she have a completely bipolar personality? There is no way someone normal will switch their moods so quickly. Also… Cut it off! Don’t have some expectations of me, please! I just want to leave this place!’

He felt like crying but without tears. Seeing her excitement over this made him feel bad that he was trying to become a Housekeeper only for his own gain. He still thinks that he didn’t do anything wrong but the same goes for Sera too. It is the house that kidnaps him and can’t bring him back.

The urge to tell her this was enormous but he didn’t think it was a good idea either.

The title of Housekeeper seemed to be pretty esteemed in this place. Plus the fact that there were some Housekeepers that made a big mess, especially the last one, there is no way tenants would be happy with someone going for the position only to leave this place.

If they knew, the possibility of being ignored, rejected, and even boycotted is high. That alone would make it much harder to reach his goal.

So instead, he will just smile. A very forced smile but fortunately the girl in front of him wasn’t very observant.

Just as he thought they would return to the cleaning she requested him to give him the book.

“So, could you please give me this book, sir? I accumulated quite a bit of books already. It is just that I couldn't give them back to the library. Since you will do it then I can continue in amassing those missing books before giving them at the same time.”

She reached out for the book as her eyes pierced his soul.

Unconsciously his hands moved away with the book in them and dodged her hands.

“Eh? You don’t want to?”

“I… I think it was quite interesting… You know it is a very difficult text so I think I can broaden my horizon…”

‘You saw me reading that! If I give it to you and you will see the title then how much embarrassment will I feel? That dose is deadly already, you know? So never!’

“I see…”

Sera had a hesitant and surprised expression on her face after his sudden outburst but he couldn’t let her touch the book!

“We wasted too much time here. I will go to Fel to see if she found something interesting!”

“Eh?!”

And so, he thought of some excuse and ran away before she could say anything.

She observed him as he disappeared behind one of the corners of the junk and sighed.

“I didn’t know that sir had this kind of taste… I shouldn’t judge him… But…”

Her face turned red when she remembered the title of the book. Unfortunately for him, he tended to lose track of everything around him when concentrating on something and didn’t notice her until she talked to him.

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By that time, with her curiosity, she sneaked and peaked at the title of the book he was reading. It was embarrassing for her to admit so she would rather pretend that she didn’t see it.

In that way, a small misunderstanding came to be. It is yet to be known if it will bring something good or bad to the dynamics of this house though…

……..

‘Damn, that was close…’

A young man ran away from Sera with the thought that he managed to hide the title of the book.

His eyes were erratic as he looked around if someone else was watching him.

He didn’t know what to do with it. Should he put it somewhere that no one finds it? But then he should return it to the library. In that case, the safest place would be…

“Yosh, I will take it to my room first and then return it.”

He muttered to himself with a satisfied expression.

“Take what, coo~?”

“W-Wha?!”

A sudden voice beside him surprised him that he almost fell over the junk on the ground.

When he looked at the source of the sound he saw that one of the garbage towers, as he likes to call it, started to morph.

The center started to writhe weirdly until it took the shape of a birdhouse.

It was a simple one but with an elegant design. Soon, the doors opened and the Cuckoo bird came out with a grumpy expression.

“What? You were the one that wanted me to notify you every time three hours passed, weren’t you? Well, let me do my job first.”

*Coo~ Coo~*

He looked with daze at the cuckoo bird that started cooing.

‘I didn’t know you could fucking do this! I thought it would only be in the room!’

“Well, I guess this is good too. At least, I will know how much time passed. Since it is three hours then…”

But when he thought of this, he frowned at that moment.

The hours should be notified every three hours. The last time it notified him was in the morning at six o’clock…

‘It is freaking nine o’clock? How is that possible?’

He felt like the entire day passed when he was wandering the corridors!

Considering the time he took before he even stepped out of the room the entire way here and even the clean up they did until now didn’t take even three hours…

“Did I or you miss some notifying?”

So he had to make sure with the cuckoo bird.

“Are you doubting me, coo~? I did this job for so long that you wouldn’t even understand the concept of that length. It Is Nine O’Clock. There is no doubt about it, coo~.”

In mock anger, it unfurled its wings and puffed out its chest.

“Ah… Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to but the passage of time was too surprising for me!”

“Of course, coo~ This is only a fake measurement of time. The time itself doesn’t flow in this place so if you don’t check the time once a time you will not be able to guess it later and will be disoriented.”

Cuckoo Bird explained this as if it was common sense.

But when he heard it he realized that it really made sense. He felt like he was going for hours or even days in those corridors and didn’t have a way to guess how much time had ‘passed’.

This showed even more how much this cuckoo bird was important to him. Other Housekeepers maybe could exist without it but for his fragile human mind not knowing how much time passed is a good way to get him crazy.

And so, his relationship with the cuckoo bird needs to be maintained at all costs!

“Wow! That means that you who can do that are very skillful, right?”

Feigning awe, he looked at her as if she was something admirable. That, she actually was but he wasn’t someone to admire someone over something like this. In his opinion, idolizing someone is the worst you can do. You will be only disappointed at the end of the day.

“FuFu. Of course, coo~! I am special, coo~ If not I would not…”

When she reached this point she stopped and her eyes glinted in cold light for a moment. But he felt it was not directed at him so he was relieved. But at the same time, he was intrigued.

“Whatever, coo~ I already did my job so I will be going if there is nothing-”

“Wait! Can you take things to my room this way?!”

He hurriedly asked her before she left. If she could take the book to the room it would solve most of his trouble.

“Hah?! Do you think I am your servant, coo~? I am only doing my duty with time nothing else, coo~!”

It looked as if he offended her by even suggesting this. This made it quite troublesome for him.

“No, I do not think of you as a servant. I just wanted to ask if you would be as benevolent as to help me with this book that I really need to have in my room as soon as possible… But if you don’t want to-”

“Wait… So you were muttering about this book before, huh? In that case, the benevolent me will take it with me, coo~. After all, since you are in such trouble, how could I just watch and do nothing, coo~? Give it to me…”

She took the book into her beak and went back to her birdhouse.

“Thank you!”

He sighed in relief when he finally took care of the book that he held. In truth, if Sera was his friend for a longer time he wouldn’t really care if she saw that. He could just laugh it off or straight up say he liked it and would like to try it with her.

‘Bet her face would be indescribable if I really said that, haha.’

Unfortunately, she was just an acquaintance at this moment. And him being the most unsocial being you could find, he felt awkward to speak with her as it is, let alone if she really thought he liked reading this on a daily basis.

He wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if that really happened.

It is not like he likes or dislikes the genre of the book. He doesn’t discriminate and his mind is broad on this topic. However, it is one thing to think about that and to admit it.

In truth, when he started to read it, it wasn’t full of the things he expected but a normal fantasy book with an interesting story. And that’s something he loved since his childhood.

Yeah, he had fantastic monsters and creatures around himself in a magical house but the excitement doused the moment his life was in danger.

Liking fantasy doesn’t mean you want to be in the midst of it.

He sighed internally and just waved the cuckoo that was going back.

With a wave of her wing, she said goodbye and started leaving. But as she went she looked at the title of the book. Her beak got crooked as her head turned back.

“What the fuck are you reading?!”

“Gugh?”

‘Damn… I didn’t think of this…So stupid’

She looked at me suspiciously. However, this wasn't a beautiful girl in front of him but just a bird. He didn’t feel as high pressure as when he talked with Sera.

“What, are you interested?”

Throwing a side eye at her with a curved mouth he asked her.

The cuckoo bird’s beak visibly twitched at this. It didn’t expect him to just affirm it.

“You…”

He could only roll his eyes.

“It is not what you think, geez… I need to return the book to the library and I am trying to hide it from Sera. No reason, just being awkward around pretty chicks, what can I do with it.”

He could only shrug at her scrutinizing eyes. If he could do this with Sera all the trouble would be gone but unfortunately, he couldn’t…

“I see, so you use me because I am just a bird, coo~”

‘Well, you are though…’

But he couldn’t say this. She looked mad. He didn’t know why. They are completely different species, she shouldn’t feel bad about this, right?

“When I looked at the title I was curious and started to read it. The story wasn’t that bad in the beginning so I got invested and Sera caught me reading it. She wanted to take it to other books but I felt embarrassed. You should understand me, right? You look like a very mature lady who understands my plight.”

He simply told her the truth and tried to play on her ego. He noticed not long ago that this bird responds more positively if you praise her often.

“Y-you are right, coo~! I wouldn’t be s-so embarrassed just about some book. coo~! Very well, goodbye!”

And with this, she hurriedly disappeared.

‘Just what did she think? Whatever, I don’t care what the talking bird thinks of me…’

Now that he thought about it he felt like he overreacted with Sera. She will now probably think he is weird. But he couldn’t help it!

If she knew then he would just find a hole to die in…

‘Okay rule number seven: Don’t do or have anything that could embarrass you unless you are 100% alone…’

This was a rule that every teenage boy knew but he needed to add it to his new rules else he would just not take it seriously enough… Just how embarrassing- No! It isn’t about that! It is the fact that they can later blackmail you that is the problem! Yes, that is the real problem!

Ending the inner fight he started to look for other garbage and resumed his work.

Meanwhile, he also looked for something that he could use for fighting. The shock from the morning already dissipated but the impression still stayed.

‘Now that I think about it… Rule number eight: Never leave safe zones without something to defend yourself or someone to guard you… yosh’

He nodded in satisfaction. Before he didn’t have time or mood for this but he still needed to address it or he wouldn’t be able to be at peace.

“Heeey! Sir! We already filled the bag you made!”

Suddenly from the distance, Sera’s voice sounded out. It seemed that today’s quota was fulfilled and the only thing they could do now was to go to the fire pit to throw it all away.

“Yes, coming!”

With a quick sprint, he went towards the voice before he lost them. Orienting in this place was hell so finding others was extremely hard. Fortunately, soon Fel who was with Sera sniffed him out and jumped at him.

“Friend!”

“Whoah?!”

He quickly caught her and with all his might he held on from falling.

“Get off, Fel! You are too heavy!”

“Not heavy!”

This just made her more rowdy as she wriggled in his arms until he finally fell down.

Sera just watched and fidgeted around not knowing what to do.

“Wa-wa-what to do?!”

“Fel!”

“Not heavy!”

‘You stubborn mutt!’

Fighting against her in strength was impossible and so he could only wait until she calmed down or until Sera helped him to get her off.

However, Sera didn’t look like she would bring herself to do something with it.

She even put her fingers over her face while looking through their cracks.

“So this is what sir likes?!”

She muttered something that he couldn’t hear properly but it gave him goosebumps as he felt it was something very disturbing.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything…