Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 53 53: Thank You

"You…"

Charon had seen red-tier items before, but equipnt like this, especially exclusive gear, was a first.

Items restricted to a single user traded away all versatility… in exchange for overwhelmingly powerful effects.

Right now, though, that wasn't what mattered most.

What mattered was the girl.

Who exactly was she?

An NPC native to this zone?

Or like that Nikke who had once wandered into Zone Zero, soone from another world?

And those silver-gray twin tails… rare, to say the least.

He wanted answers. Badly.

But the mont he spoke, the girl flinched.

Clutching the crystal shoes, she shrank deeper into the corner, leaving only one eye visible, tinged with fear… and faint disgust.

And in her hand–

That mirror shard.

Its energy matched the purple barrier surrounding the room perfectly.

So that was it. That shard was protecting this place.

…Yeah. This girl was not normal.

Charon clicked his tongue inwardly.

After everything he'd gone through, he'd only earned money.

If given the choice, he'd trade it all in a heartbeat, for even one piece of red-tier exclusive gear like hers, or that purple defensive artifact.

But reality didn't work that way.

Five hundred thousand?

Pocket change.

Red-tier gear wasn't just expensive, it was unavailable.

You couldn't buy it even if you wanted to.

The best he'd ever seen in the shop were gold-tier items, and those were nothing but stat-sticks.

No special effects. No tricks.

Even those cost millions.

So yeah.

Out of reach.

…Still.

First things first, he needed to talk to her.

Problem was, she hadn't said a single word since the beginning.

And it was obvious, she didn't like him.

Or rather… she didn't like how he looked.

Grrr…

The sound cut through the quiet room.

The girl instantly pulled back completely.

Charon blinked.

…That sound.

He'd heard it before.

Back at Liliweiss's place.

Ah.

She's hungry.

He rubbed his now-clean face, the situation clicking into place.

Wariness of strangers, check.

A near-obsessive need for cleanliness, also check.

And pride, she didn't want to appear weak in front of him.

Yeah. That tracked.

Charon thought for a second, then casually started rummaging through his inventory.

"Man… I've got way too much junk piled up. This bag's a disaster… wait, seriously? This is about to expire?"

Muttering to himself, he pulled out two sealed energy bars and a bottle of water.

"If you've got ti, could you throw these out for ?"

He set them down on the table, just within her reach.

Then he turned and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Right on cue, he let out a disgusted groan:

"Ugh, seriously, I didn't even notice. I sll like I crawled out of a landfill… that's nasty. Does this place even have running water?"

Silence fell.

Ten seconds later–

The girl peeked out.

Her gaze locked onto the table.

Five seconds.

Long enough.

Hunger had already won.

By now, she had the crystal shoes on. They fit perfectly–like they were made for her.

More than that–

The wound on her foot had disappeared.

Still, she didn't move right away.

Instead, she listened.

Carefully.

Only after the sound of running water started did she finally relax.

Her stomach growled again.

This ti, she couldn't ignore it.

Slowly, cautiously, she reached for one of the bars–wiping the packaging with her sleeve first.

Even though it was already clean.

After checking the seal, she opened a tiny corner… and took a small bite.

Sweetness spread across her tongue.

Her cheeks flushed faintly. Her eyes softened.

Another bite.

Then another.

She ate slowly, carefully, almost delicately.

Elegant, even now.

Every so often, her eyes drifted toward the bathroom door.

She wasn't stupid.

Of course she understood.

Everything he'd done, was deliberate.

A quiet kind of kindness.

Sothing warm stirred in her chest.

It made her want to cry.

...

Ti passed.

The water stopped.

A mont later, the bathroom door opened.

Steam rolled out, and Charon stepped through it, now clean, dressed in fresh combat gear. His damp hair was brushed back, revealing sharp, well-defined features.

Compared to before?

A completely different person.

As for the clothes–

Safehouse perks. Clean body, clean gear.

Simple as that.

Ana sat quietly on the bed.

Both bars were gone. Only half the water remained.

The wrappers had been folded into neat little squares–clutched tightly in her hands.

At the sound of his voice, she flinched slightly.

Then, slowly, she looked up.

And froze.

Her eyes lit up–just for a second.

Then she quickly looked away again.

Her heartbeat picked up.

She didn't understand why.

Only one thought echoed in her mind–

He looks… really good.

Hesitating, she snuck another glance.

Then imdiately looked away again.

…It's real.

Her pupils trembled.

How did that filthy, half-dead man from before turn into this…?

And he'd said–

He looked like that because he ca to deliver sothing.

For her.

But what struck her most…

Were his eyes.

For the first ti, she really saw them.

Clear.

Dark.

Beautiful.

And just a little surprised.

"Sorry for using your bathroom without asking," Charon said, taking a seat nearby with an easy smile.

"But if I stayed like that, you'd be uncomfortable, right?"

"I'm Charon. You could say I'm an explorer."

He tilted his head slightly.

"And you, little miss?"

"…Ana."

Her voice was barely audible.

"…Thank you… for bringing my mom's shoes."

She hesitated.

Then added softly–

"And… thank you for the food… and the water. I… feel better now."

She lowered her head again, cheeks faintly red.

Her fingers tightened around the neatly folded wrapper.