Another Stupid Isekai

Celestine vanished inside her room and didn’t show up until I called everybody for dinner. At that point, Tihana was already home, and she got quite surprised to see a random woman in the corridor of her house, as I, obviously on purpose, didn’t tell her anything about the new tenant.

– I didn’t know you invited a guest – she said to me with her eyebrows frowning, as she appeared in the dining room bathed in the sunlight coming through the windows.

She seemed quite annoyed, which only brought a smile to my face.

– This is Celestine Carter – I introduced the brunette. – And this one is my daughter, Tihana.

– We already know our own names. We met in the corridor – my fake daughter pointed out.

– Good. She will be staying with us until she figures out her situation – I then explained.

Celestine seemed embarrassed and a little intimidated by our conversation, to the point she was clearly too afraid to butt in. As we sat at the table, fully packed with food, I kept glaring at our guest. Salmon cooked in my herb source, mashed potatoes, and various side dishes. Mainly salads.

Miss Carter needed a moment to register my attention, and at first, was surprised by what I was doing, but then I slightly gestured towards Tihana with my head, and she immediately bought on what I was thinking.

– Uhm… – The brunette started. – I was thinking about applying for becoming a hunter in the training center, after dinner. Peter told me that you are familiar with the process… Would it be inconvenient for you, to help me out?

– Sure, I’ll help you! – my fake daughter responded rather loudly, glaring immediately at me.

I had to bite my lips to not smile, which only made her angrier. She even did a face to express it.

The rest of the dinner went quiet. I had to hold my laughter, Tihana had to hold her fury, and Celestine was just overwhelmed by the situation she found herself in.

Later that day, my fake daughter found me reading in the garden, enjoying the weather. With my skills, the heat wasn’t bothering me at all, but the light wind felt nice on my skin. This, combined with the slight murmur of the leaves, created a perfect environment to enjoy a book while sitting under a small tree with a wide crown of branches.

– Who is that woman? – Tihana asked. – At first, I thought she is some kind of gold digger, but now I’m just confused.

I put the book down, on my lap, just starring at her for a moment before I spoke:

– You really think I would fall for a gold digger? I feel insulted.

She sighed as a short laugh escaped her mouth, while she shook her head.

– Fine. Maybe I overreacted… But there is something wrong with her. She didn’t know shit about this place. There is no way her application will be accepted unless you pull some strings – she pointed out.

– I know – I confessed. – I’m still uncertain what her real reason to be here is, but there is definitely more to the story than she is telling. She was willing to go through some difficulties to keep her father’s bookstore going, but now she is suddenly here. She knows shit about this place, and I have this weird feeling, that she is anxious all the time.

– You think the CIA send her? – Tihana’s eyebrows climbed up her forehead.

– There is no way they know about me – I pointed out. – Their memories are still blocked, and on top of that, nobody was following me when I visited the US. I think it’s something different.

– I’m gonna ask her – Tihana just threw at me, and turned around, marching straight back to the house.

– Hey, wait! – I shouted after her, but she ignored me.

Obviously, I could stop her if I wanted to, but I was curious, and also kinda respected her bold action. After all, for her, Celestine Carter was clearly an outsider inside her own house. She had to deal with her somehow. The fact that she was so bold to take action, made me even a little bit proud.

I waited until she vanished inside, then picked myself up, to discreetly follow her. Before she climbed to the third floor, I had to rely on ‘Eyes of the void’ to keep track of her and Celestine, who stayed in her room.

As Tihana reached the last floor of the house, I got in, and actually flew after her – to not make any noise. I took my time, listening carefully. I caught the knocking on the door and a muffled conversation after that. When the door closed, I flew all the way to it and pressed my ear against the wood.

– What did you wish to speak about? – asked the brunette.

– I’ll be blunt – replied Tihana. – I want to know why you really are here. At first, I thought you are some gold digger, who wants to milk my father for his cash, but now I’m not so sure about you. You don’t know shit about how this place works. You came all the way here, clearly without a proper plan. I need to know why? What is your goal? And don’t bullshit me. I won’t buy your cheap excuses.

Those words quite surprised me. My fake daughter clearly took quite an offensive approach to the conversation.

At first, there was no response, so I actually looked through the keyhole, to see what was happening there, and at that very moment, a straight-up wailing reached my ears.

I got a good angle and caught a glimpse of Celestine’s face. It was all twisted with emotion. She was crying like a small baby with tears pouring from her eyes, and snot hanging from her nose. The view was literally painful to see.

For a brief moment, I considered going in and putting a stop to what was going on there, but then the brunette somehow won against her emotion and began talking, so I listened carefully instead of taking any action.