When the Serial Killer Next Door Gained Harem System

Chapter 141: About His Fashion Sense

I probably would have preferred not being known at all, but thanks to Ambly and her blessing, people seemed to know my name whether I liked it or not. For as long as I could remember, I had always tried to be the kind of person people overlooked, the guy sitting in the corner that nobody remembered after leaving the room. This sudden attention felt strange, and I could not honestly say I liked it.

I started eating while looking out through the window. A light drizzle had started outside, and the whole morning looked cold enough to sting. If the academy had not given us these coats, I probably would have frozen the first time I stepped outside.

"There’s still that tournament," Ken said with an exhale. "Gods, I’m still thinking about it."

"They postponed it, right?"

"Yeah. It’s in three months now." He took a bite of tomato. "I mean, it’s the biggest event in the kingdom. Everyone’s excited for it."

"I guess."

I bit into the bread and spread a little butter on it while Ken got up to grab water. When he came back, he was holding two cups, and he set one down in front of me before taking the other for himself.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

I took a sip and washed down the bread, then kept eating while looking out the window. That was when I noticed Pix sitting outside on a bench by herself. She looked completely drained, staring down at the ground for a while before leaning back and covering her face with both hands.

"Poor gal," Ken said when he saw where I was looking. "Jelda dying hit her the hardest. Other than Jelda’s mother, I mean."

"Yeah..."

"I still can’t believe it." Ken shook his head as he held his cup. "Her mother died too. Murdered. What kind of monster does that?"

"Cadence," I said, swallowing the bread. "He does."

"We should ask around about that family," Ken said.

"Yeah. I’ll ask Professor Kroua about it first," I said. "Maybe Mio too."

"Why both of them?"

"Because those are two people I’m pretty sure will keep their mouths shut if I ask," I said. "I don’t want people sniffing around because they found out I was asking about that family."

"Yeah... if the Queen finds out he’s the third suspect and you’ve been hiding him, she’d probably hang you." Ken moved his cup back and forth on the table. "Or worse."

He was right, and that was exactly why I had to be careful. I didn’t even want Mio or the professor asking too many questions about it, but I didn’t have much choice. If I wanted to find that bastard, I needed to know more about him, where he lived, what his connection was, everything.

Ken set his cup down and leaned forward a little. "Why?"

"What why?"

"Why risk your neck for it?" he asked. "Why not just tell the district captain there might be a third suspect?"

"I’d rather not involve them," I said with a shake of my head. "This is something I have to handle myself."

"Null said that..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "He said you had a lot of souls attached to you."

"Hmm..."

"Is this what you do?" he asked. "Kill bad people?"

I did not answer.

"Why?"

Still no answer. I looked at him for a couple of seconds, finished the rest of the water he had brought me, and took one last bite from the bread. Ken understood I was not going to answer, so he just exhaled and picked up his tray.

"We should go," he said.

"Hmm."

"We still have some time before school," he added as he stood up. "You want to do some shopping? Get yourself some other clothes?"

"That would actually be good," I said, getting up too. "You know any cheap places?"

"This street has a tailor," he said as we walked toward the counter and put our trays on the stack of used dishes. "Since most of her customers are students, she keeps the prices lower than usual. Just for academy students."

"Then let’s go." I set my tray down and dusted my hands off.

We quickly went down the stairs and left the building through the double doors after putting on our coats. The cold air hit me the moment I stepped outside, sharp enough to make me pull the coat higher around my neck and shove both hands into its pockets.

The coats were new, apparently. They were mostly black, with dark brown trim along the edges, and the left breast had N.W.A. stitched across it in bold letters.

"There," Ken said, pointing ahead. "I bought gloves from her for two bronze coins."

"Hnm."

The tailor was right at the entrance on the left side of the street. Since the road was narrow and the shop had little room to work with, it was much smaller than the other tailors I had seen, and there were no mannequins outside showing off dresses or coats. Just a plain storefront squeezed between the neighboring buildings.

The sign above the door read Northwood’s Tailor in large block letters, and just above it hung a smaller wooden placard that swayed lightly in the wind, painted with a simple shirt.

"Looks small," I said.

"It is," Ken replied. "But it’s cheap."

I looked left and saw Pix still sitting on the bench. She lifted her head and met my eyes, then gave me a weak nod. I returned it, and after that she got up and walked back inside at a slow pace.

"I’m freezing," Ken muttered, rubbing his hands together.

"Yeah..."

We reached the shop and Ken pushed the door open. The moment I stepped inside, I found myself in a cramped little tailor’s room that smelled faintly of cloth, thread, and warm dust. Bolts of fabric were stacked along one wall, and a few finished garments hung from hooks near the back. A narrow counter ran across the front of the room, and behind it stood an older woman in glasses, bent slightly over a school uniform she was mending with careful stitches.

"Hello, ma’am," I began.

The woman looked up over the rim of her glasses and gave us a polite nod. "Welcome, boys. How may I help you?"

"I’d like to get some clothes," I said. "Simple ones. Cheap ones."

"What kind?"

"Something casual," I replied. "Just something to wear outside."

She straightened slowly, set the uniform aside, and came around the counter. From there, she guided us toward the back of the shop and pointed at a row of clothes hanging on a wooden rack.

I looked over the options and quickly spotted a plain shirt with matching pants that seemed simple enough without looking like garbage.

The woman pointed toward a small screened-off corner of the room. "You can try them on there."

"Thanks."

I walked over to the little changing area, which was just a narrow section cut off with thin wooden panels, and took off my school uniform before slipping into the new clothes. After a moment, I stepped back out and walked over to the mirror near the counter.

The fit was decent.

Not perfect, but decent.

The shirt sat comfortably enough on my shoulders, and the pants were simple without being too loose or too tight. It looked a lot better than sleeping in my uniform every night, at least.

The woman gave me a satisfied look. "Shirt and pants would normally cost two gold. Since you’re attending the academy, I’ll take off five silver."

"That works," I said. "I’ll buy them."

I reached into my system inventory and willed the coins into my hand. A faint golden glow flashed for a moment before the coins appeared. I handed the payment over, and the woman took it with a nod before folding the clothes neatly and passing them to me.

"Thank you."

"Mm."

╔═════════════════╗

> INVENTORY

╠═════════════════╣

> EMPTY

> EMPTY

> EMPTY

> EMPTY

> EMPTY

───────────────────

> Coin: 60S

╚═════════════════╝

I tucked the clothes under my arm, and just then a voice called out from outside.

As soon as I stepped out, I found Mio waiting for me against the opposite wall, one foot braced on the stone and her arms crossed over her chest. Ken came out right behind me and stopped beside me as well, looking at her with the same confusion I felt. Why was she here?

"Ace," she said, pushing herself off the wall. "We need to talk."

"About his fashion sense?" Ken said with a grin. "For sure."

"That... maybe later too," Mio replied flatly. "There was an attempted assassination on you in the Circle."

"Oh." I rubbed the back of my head while still holding the clothes. "Yeah. Ken was with me."

"There’s a price on your head," she said. "I heard whispers. Someone named Cadence put two hundred and fifty gold on you, and only the Circle will accept that kind of bounty."

"Shit," I muttered, shaking my head. "Cadence?"

"Yes. Cadence."