"Liliana, what is Ms. Annette like?"
While eating the breakfast Liliana had prepared (even though it was already past ten), Alistair asked her.
She's my woman now; I can't let her be mistreated, right?
"Ms. Annette is a very gentle and warm-hearted person. When I talked to her, she was the one who first considered my situation and suggested that I move in with her." Liliana answered with a smile, sitting beside Alistair.
"Hmm, well, let's go buy some gifts later. It's customary to bring something when visiting, and the house seems to be empty of decent gifts." Alistair calculated.
"Okay, Alistair-kun. How about some small cakes and cookies?" Liliana suggested.
"Let's bring some fruit too," Alistair added. He was still accustomed to bringing fruit as a gift when visiting people, a habit from visiting people in Ceres (China) before he transmigrated.
"Is that so..."
Liliana suddenly looked at Alistair with eyes full of deep affection, which slightly unnerved him.
"What is it?" Alistair asked, confused. He thought it was perfectly normal. Was there a problem?
"No, nothing. I'm just touched that Alistair-kun values me so much."
Liliana's answer left Alistair puzzled, so he decided not to dwell on it. Since it didn't harm him, he didn't bother to investigate.
Although Alistair had some understanding of certain things in Japan, he hadn't grown up there. Many of his living habits and common sense from Ceres remained.
For various reasons, the significance of fruit in Japan was different from in Ceres.
In Ceres, especially in some areas in the south where transportation wasn't highly developed, fruit was widely abundant—not quite a plague, but definitely a huge supply. Most of it was relatively cheap, and bringing it as a gift was merely a simple courtesy, not considered particularly valuable.
However, Japan lacked the vast land and abundant resources of Ceres. Everything had to be conserved. Land was costly for basic farming, let alone for fruit. Therefore, in Japan, fruit was considered a relatively expensive and valuable item. Bringing fruit when visiting or asking for a favor was a sign of considerable respect and importance.
You wouldn't see a strawberry sold individually or a watermelon sold by the slice in Japan, and their prices were often higher than some vegetables and meat, right? (Alistair muses on the local customs.)
This is why Alistair suggesting they bring fruit when visiting made Liliana feel highly valued, leading to her touched expression. Alistair didn't understand this; he had only a general idea of the local customs. He had also gained the [Golden Rule] power, making him practically indifferent to money, so he bought fruit casually without paying attention to the cost. Hence, he failed to grasp the depth of Liliana's emotion.
Ding-dong!
Liliana pressed the doorbell, then retreated a few steps to stand beside Alistair, waiting.
Click.
"Hello, Ms. Annette."
Before the person opening the door could speak, Liliana greeted her first.
"Ah, Liliana. Hello. And is this the Alistair-kun you mentioned?" Ms. Annette, who opened the door, paused for a moment, then quickly recovered. She responded to Liliana and then looked at Alistair, who was standing beside Liliana, asking with some curiosity.
"Yes, that's right. This is Alistair-kun... Alistair-kun?"
Liliana nodded, then turned to look at Alistair. She noticed his expression was one of shock, and he was completely frozen. She waved her hand gently in front of his face and called softly.
"Ah, oh, hello. My name is Alistair Vance."
Alistair snapped back to reality, instantly replacing his look of shock with a serious expression and formally introducing himself.
Alistair being stunned wasn't due to a lack of experience or because Annette was stunningly beautiful. It was because the so-called Ms. Annette looked at least 50 to 60 percent like Liliana. No one would doubt them if they were called sisters.
The most crucial point was that this Ms. Annette also had the same dark skin and white hair as Liliana.
She wasn't completely dark-skinned, but rather had a deep, wheat-colored, or perhaps reddish-brown complexion, refined features, a tall and voluptuous figure, and a gentle, approachable aura...
From the outside, one couldn't say she was carved from the same mold as Liliana, but they certainly looked like close siblings.
Although he really wanted to ask Liliana if she and Annette were sisters, and if suggesting the move was just an excuse for her to join his harem, Alistair restrained himself.
After all, this was a H-Manga inspired world; strange occurrences were acceptable. He could always ask later. Asking now would be awkward.
"Please come in. I apologize for not preparing much. I only have some simple tea."
Annette ushered Alistair and Liliana into the living room. After they sat down, she went to the kitchen to pour some tea and brought it to the small table in front of them, speaking with slight apology.
"No, it's fine. We didn't give you any prior notice." Liliana politely waved her hand.
"So, Liliana, you and Alistair-kun are here to discuss the apartment share, right?"
After a brief exchange of greetings, Annette cut straight to the chase. After all, Liliana had spoken about this problem a few days ago, and Annette had made the suggestion. If Annette couldn't figure out why Liliana was showing up with her lover now, she'd be an idiot.
"Yes, that's right. We came to discuss the details, as I think it might cause some inconvenience when another person suddenly moves into someone's home." Liliana said with a hint of apology. She believed Ms. Annette must have suggested this—even though it meant a slight sacrifice on Annette's part—out of concern for her.
"Ah, not at all. Actually, it's better if you join. Living alone can be a bit too quiet and lonely for me. You coming here will definitely add some vitality." Annette quickly waved her hands. She genuinely felt her apartment was too empty and lonely.
Since this apartment was next door to Alistair's, the room layout was similar. This meant the apartment was also two stories and had four or five empty rooms.
If Liliana moved in, it would indeed bring more life to the apartment.
"Then it's decided. Liliana will share this apartment with you, but I will occasionally come over. I need to mention that."
Alistair, somewhat impatient with their back-and-forth politeness, interjected, directly settling the arrangement for Liliana and Ms. Annette to share the apartment.
"Mhm." "Okay."
Liliana and Ms. Annette both agreed obediently.
Alistair felt a bit strange. Liliana being so obedient was one thing—after all, she knew him intimately—but what was up with Ms. Annette?
She was so much like "Liliana" that if it weren't for the difference in hairstyle and subtle facial features, Alistair would think Ms. Annette was Liliana's mirror image.
"Well, now that we've settled it, you and Liliana can catch up. I have a little something to do... By the way, were you two really strangers before?"
Alistair didn't want to listen to girl talk. He stood up, making an excuse to leave, but before going, he couldn't help but ask the question that was bothering him.
"No, we were complete strangers. I only moved in recently, and I didn't know Ms. Liliana at all before. But we certainly have a lot in common." Annette replied with a gentle laugh, her tone sincere.
"I see. No problem, I was just curious. I'll take my leave now."
Hearing Ms. Annette's sincere answer, Alistair felt awkward asking further. He simply waved his hand, indicating he understood, and quickly slipped out with his excuse.
"Phew~ I didn't expect Annette next door to be a beauty who looks 50 percent like Liliana. Seriously, even in this H-Manga world, I manage to encounter such a bizarre coincidence. That's wild."
Alistair sighed, walking down the stairs one step at a time, occasionally looking up at the hallway.
Alistair remembered clearly that Anna Komiya, Lina Komiya, and Yui Komiya were all essentially easy targets for his lust, and the entire Komiya family lived in this apartment building.
Alistair looked up at the hallway on every floor he passed. If he ran into a familiar person and still remembered the plot and their weakness, the process of expanding his harem—and converting his extraordinary essence—could be greatly accelerated.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
As he descended the stairs floor by floor, Alistair was slightly disappointed to find that no one was leaving their apartment on any floor he passed.
However, Alistair quickly recovered his mood. He was just casually looking for a surprise opportunity. He wasn't too surprised when he didn't find one.
It was roughly a little past eleven now. Most people were likely eating lunch or preparing it. It was normal for no one to be leaving. Even if they were, at this time, they would most likely be heading out for a simple meal at a restaurant or grabbing a bento box from a convenience store nearby.
Speaking of which, Chiaki went out with Yukiko and Nagisa, right? I haven't seen them in a few days. I should find a time to ask them about it.