Honkai Star Rail: I must live a peaceful life

The lie detection marker remained red, its glow particularly conspicuous in the night, suddenly making the atmosphere turn awkward.

Miss Jessica's gaze was mischievous, while Eureka wore an expression of surprise. Milo remained frozen, as if stuck in a loading state.

"Could it be that you two actually had something going on?" Miss Jessica, intrigued by Milo's absent-mindedness, studied him carefully while stroking her chin. "Oh my, could it be that someone is now seeing past events in a whole new light and realizing they've actually been kept as a sugar baby under the guise of employment?"

"That's quite possible," Eureka nodded in agreement. The security guard had proven to be a natural gossip. "Maybe someone is just now realizing their true feelings."

"That's not it," Milo covered his face helplessly. "But this revelation has genuinely shocked me."

"Back then, my employer always presented the image of a combat-oriented brute, and their personality and behavior never showed any signs," Milo pressed his brow, struggling to find an appropriate comparison. "How should I put this... it's like if you two suddenly discovered there was a man between you."

Though looking back now, there were many pieces of evidence, like the weighted armor that was never removed, but at the time, there hadn't been even a hint.

And now Milo wondered if he'd learned something he shouldn't have. While it was well known that the Northern Duke's bloodline was thin and had difficulty with succession, imperial law didn't prohibit women from inheriting titles.

The fact that Norton, the young Duke of the North, was actually female—this information would be enough for Milo to cause quite a stir.

Of course, if he actually did that, Norton would definitely ambush him and beat him until he was on his knees. In their normal states and without using lethal moves, Milo couldn't beat Norton, and their friendship wasn't close enough to forgive such a transgression.

"Let's move past this topic," Milo shook his head. "I can confirm there was nothing between us beyond employment."

The lie detection marker glowed blood-red.

"Hmm?" This was Eureka's suspicious voice.

"Hmm?" This was Miss Jessica's amused voice.

"Hmm?" This was Milo's confused voice.

"Wait, I think I've discovered something," Milo raised his hand to stop the other two from asking questions, and turned to Jessica with a troubled expression. "What exactly are the criteria for your lie detection, and how accurate is it?"

"It's based on fate-level connections centered on the respondent, and its accuracy is definitely not an issue right now," Jessica gave Milo a glance. "It can only judge things connected to oneself. If it's about completely unrelated people or matters, the marker would simply go dark."

"That's enough," Milo nodded and began stating with a blank expression: "This relationship was one-sided."

The marker's glow changed from red to white.

"The other party's actions were deliberately hidden from me."

The white glow remained unchanged.

"Their actions had a negative impact on me."

White light.

"It was intentional."

White light.

"They knew the consequences but didn't change."

White light.

"The origin of my reputation being ruined and relationships deteriorating was because of her."

The white light glowed steadily, the marker's rotation speed remaining constant without the slightest change.

The Workshop suddenly grew very quiet. The two young women, who had been enjoying the show, exchanged glances as they watched Milo's step-by-step questioning, their eyes filling with sympathy.

Moderate misfortune could be entertaining, but excessive misfortune drew pity. Anyone who would joke around when someone's face had darkened enough to write with chalk must be living too comfortably and asking for trouble.

"Miss Eureka, are you interested in chess?" Miss Jessica asked casually.

"Though I'm not very skilled, two of my former colleagues really enjoyed chess, so I know a bit about it," Eureka nodded, seemingly ignoring the third person in the room.

"Would you like to play chess at my place? It's just next door, a couple of steps away. My place is quite spacious, and you can sleep there if you get tired, no problem," Miss Jessica began naturally packing up her electronic chessboard.

"What about the current game?" Eureka asked meaningfully.

"It's fine, the game's purpose was just to help everyone get to know each other better and avoid awkward atmosphere. It's not needed anymore," Miss Jessica winked, making a characteristically playful double entendre.

What was the reason for playing this game in the first place? Eureka tried to remember.

Oh right, it was because neither she nor Milo trusted each other enough to sleep, and they were caught in a standoff, each trying to give the bed to the other.

Ah... Eureka's gaze turned peculiar.

Good news: The root cause of the awkward atmosphere was resolved.

Bad news: A new problem arose, making the atmosphere even more awkward.

Let's pretend nothing happened and leave first. Miss Jessica's eyes conveyed this message, and Eureka understood, getting up to leave.

Maybe I should just make the journey back tonight. The cold wind outside made Eureka consider this option.

It seemed like staying here wouldn't accomplish much anyway.

"That won't do," Miss Jessica directly grabbed Eureka's hand. "I have lots of interesting things at my place, come take a look."

"Can I refuse?" Eureka's mouth said no, but her body honestly followed along, pulled by the ordinary woman's strength.

"I hope you won't refuse," Miss Jessica smiled while pulling Eureka toward her house. After a few steps, she suddenly remembered something and bent backward, holding onto the doorframe to peek at Milo: "Oh right, Mr. Tom, tomorrow please check if Madam Corona's pastry shop in the New District has any new items, and if so, please buy three portions as samples."

"Huh? Alright," Milo took a moment to react before nodding. "Tomorrow, right? I'll go."

"Thank you then," Miss Jessica said with a smile, her body straightening back from its right angle.

"So, what exactly is all this about?" Milo fingered the Venus golden ball, his fingertips tracing the shape of the engraved patterns.

Milo's mind began replaying snippets of his time with Norton, from their first meeting at the entrance exam to their cooperation and competition after becoming the First Seats of Skelo and Grace, from their daily interactions to the suspicious details that now made sense after reinterpretation.

He couldn't understand it.

"She bears no ill will towards me?" Milo asked softly, somewhat confused.

The still-present lie detection marker emitted a faint white glow.

End of Chapter