Something's Wrong with My Love Simulation Game (Patreon)

Chapter 11: The Unsettling Bedroom

Although Li Pai was curious, he realized that these portraits wouldn't increase his exploration progress, so he refrained from investigating further. The current priority was to explore the room he had reached.

Standing in the middle of the hallway, he noticed a pair of double doors on one side, likely leading to the master bedroom. Li Pai checked his compass; it only exhibited slight vibrations, which provided some reassurance. He cautiously reached out to open the door.

To his surprise, the door was unlocked. Keeping in mind his previous encounter on the second floor, Li Pai retreated slightly, leaving space to kick the door open if necessary. After a few seconds, nothing happened. No dry and withered claws appeared, and the compass remained still. It seemed safe for the time being.

Li Pai felt relieved and carefully opened the door, allowing the oil lamp's light to enter the room. Though not very bright, he could discern the general layout. The room was quite spacious, with a large bed against one wall and a big dressing table beside it. On the other side of the bed were two cabinets placed side by side, their contents unknown.

In the middle of the room stood a grand piano, fortunately not playing on its own, as that would have been eerie. On the right side of the room was a fireplace, in front of which sat a single sofa with a bookshelf behind it. It seemed the house's owner often enjoyed reading by the fireplace.

"If it weren't for those mysterious creatures, this would be considered a mansion," Li Pai couldn't help but marvel. Despite his envy of the luxurious bedroom, he quickly reminded himself that the most important thing was to stay alive. Li Pai noticed several unburned candles in the room and used the oil lamp to light them, brightening the area considerably. Many details that were unclear before now became more apparent.

"This room seems a bit strange!" Li Pai furrowed his brows. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly was wrong. He walked around the room until he happened to touch the piano and finally realized what was off—there was no dust on it! Not just the piano, but the bookshelf, dressing table, table, and floor were all exceptionally clean. "Could it be that someone cleans this room every day?" Li Pai mused.

The female ghost surely wouldn't do such a thing. As for the strange creature from the second floor, even if it managed to come up to the third floor, it didn't look like it was the type to clean.

The most likely person would be the female housekeeper from the first floor. According to the female ghost, she didn't come upstairs after midnight, but she could still have access during the day. It was possible that she was the one responsible for cleaning this room.

A housekeeper who continued to clean her master's room even after their death didn't seem like a likely suspect for the murder. The female ghost's story had too many loopholes. Nevertheless, Li Pai wasn't too concerned about the details.

The more he thought about them, the more curious he became, and he didn't want to delve too deep into this place.

"Let's focus on finding things that can increase my exploration progress," Li Pai decided. Placing the oil lamp on the table, he began exploring the room. The first thing that caught his eye was the massive bed. The white sheets illuminated by the lamp showed a prominent bulge in the middle—most likely the remains of a Broken Beauty.

"Oooo, her figure is good..." Li Pai couldn't help but admire. The thin sheet revealed clear contours, with perfect curves hidden beneath it.

Li Pai extended his hand and grabbed the sheet, revealing what was underneath. Just as he suspected, it was the shattered body of the beauty, Elora. Her body wasn't clothed, but certain key areas were wrapped with bandages.

Li Pai couldn't help but feel a slight restlessness, but he quickly reminded himself, "A person cannot..."

He firmly restrained his emotions, knowing that he shouldn't let his desires control him. He decided to put the remains away.

"Obtained 'Broken Beauty's Body'"

"Exploration Progress: 35%"

The system prompt echoed in Li Pai's mind as his exploration progress increased by 10%. He was very satisfied, as he was getting closer to his target step by step. However, the tranquility was soon interrupted by a faint noise at the room's entrance. The sound was eerily similar to what he had heard on the second floor.

Li Pai swiftly retracted his hand and aimed his crossbow at the door. The candlelit room provided a sense of security compared to the darkness, making aiming more comfortable. He held his breath and waited for a while, but nothing happened. No one entered, and the sound ceased.

Li Pai touched his compass, which showed only a slight vibration. He questioned, "What's going on? Is it another illusion? Could it be that I've been here for too long, and my mind is playing tricks on me?"

"This place is really getting unbearable! I must leave as soon as possible!" Li Pai determined that he couldn't stay here any longer. He turned to retrieve the Broken Beauty's remains, intending to leave the room.

However, just as he touched the body, he heard the faint noise again at the door. This time, Li Pai was certain that he wasn't imagining it; there was indeed something outside!

"What could it be? I have to force it out," Li Pai thought.

"If I touch the Broken Beauty's remains, something outside reacts... then..."

Li Pai smiled mischievously and placed his hand on the raised bandages, giving it a pinch. The texture was surprisingly good, despite being a dismembered body part.

Thump, thump...

Finally, the entity outside couldn't bear it any longer and pushed the door open slightly. A small head appeared at the entrance, belonging to a Teddy bear plush toy about twenty centimeters tall. It peeked inside, one hand holding the door as it timidly glanced around. When it saw Li Pai, the plush toy trembled, retreating a little, with only one ear still visible outside.

"What...?" Li Pai was speechless. The creature was even more timid than himself. Since the compass didn't vibrate much, it was unlikely to pose a threat.

If it was just a weak creature, there might be a chance to gather some clues from it!

"You, come inside!" Li Pai commanded the creature at the door.