Yurame woke up still screaming, and on the ground, thinking she was still falling. When she opened her eyes and saw she was back, she sprang up to her feet.
"Ahem!" She brushed off the dust on her body. "Okay, time to clean out this crime scene."
~~
After five whole hours, Yurame stood in the middle of the room with both hands on her hips and her tail wagging.
Clean. Spotless.
The house that once smelled like a pig's pen in a graveyard now smelled faintly of lemon. She sniffed the air proudly and nodded.
"Much better."
As expected, the blue screen appeared again.
[Quest complete: Clean and arrange the Villainess Residence]
[Evaluation on progress…]
Cleaning skill: 0;
Organization Skill: 0;
Domestic Knowledge: 0;
Common Sense in Household Management: 0
"Hey!..."
[Note: Host relied entirely on imported materials and excessive detergent.]
"What? I was supposed to clean with my bare hands?" Yurame complained. "Despite what I look like, I'm not an animal!"
[Quest Outcome: Success. Reward Granted.]
I looked up to see three items floating in the air before me.
+1 Minor Healing Vial to restore physical injuries. Use responsibly.
+1 Communication Crystal Orb to allow remote communication with bonded oartners. Requires activation.
+1 Set of Aromatic Bath Salts to remove fatigue. Stress and lingering ordors acquired during quests
Yurame immediately grabbed the bathing salts. And the other items floated into the virtual inventory system.
[Additional Bonus: Inventory Containers +2 activated. Items may now be stored and retrieved using the host's virtual inventory system.]
"So that's a total of six containers." Yurame calculated, and fell down to the chair, exhausted. The system continued.
[Host Skill Growth:]
Cleaning Skill:0 > 10
Organizational Skill:0 > 10
Domestic Skill: 0 > 10
[Reward: +20 survival points]
"Out of?"
[Unlimited. The higher, the better your survival skills.]
Yurame nodded. "Yes. I too need those survival points for surviving that smell."
[System mourns for Host. New quests will be announced soon. Please prepare accordingly.]
It vanished, and Yurame groaned. She stood up, clutching her bathing salts and turned around, admiring her work. The floor shined. The windows were open, Even the black, furry thing under the couch was, well…dead.
"Honestly," she muttered, "the house needed an exorcism."
The door creaked open, and Yurame looked up to see Akuma, the handsome male lead, step inside. To think she actually had a male lead under her nose and she wants nothing to do with the story.
She thought, 'I have to make him find the female lead as soon as possible.'
Akuma suddenly stopped, and his golden eyes scanned the room, The clean floor, the open windows and was that the smell of lemon? Suspicion radiated from him like cold air.
Yurame waved casually, "Hi."
He was stunned. Who was this woman and what did she do with his master? He didn't even knock before entering and she didn't whip him for that?
"...what happened?" He asked bravely and Yurame shrugged.
"I cleaned." Honestly, how dirty was that woman that it's such a shock if she cleaned.
Akuma looked around again like it was a horrifying dream.
"You cleaned."
"Yes."
"You."
"Yes."
"You. You cleaned."
"Do you need something, Akuma?"
The snake-beast just studied her like she was an exotic animal. In the novel, this version of Yurame would be shouting at servants, throwing things, and probably burying a body.
Instead, she was holding a rag.
Akuma just blinked once. Which, coming from him, was basically shock. He stepped forward slowly and held out a scroll.
"There's a festival in the Bear Palace tonight," he said. "My Lady was invited."
Yurame took it, "A festival?"
"Yes, My Lady."
Yurame grimaced. Right, he should stop calling her that too. She opened the scroll and the realization dawned on her. She remembered this part of the novel.
The festival of Crehme was organized by the Bear King Raizen, father of the Bear Princess, Mirei. In this festival, Yurame was going to challenge Mirei to a combat where she'll lose and be humiliated.
Yurame grimaced, and slowly folded the scroll back. She couldn't go. Not if she wanted to live peacefully and quietly. The scroll needed a reply so she had to write one immediately.
"Sit." She gestured to the seat beside her for Akuma. He visibly froze and Yurame rolled her eyes inwardly It's not like she was going to kill him.
"I apologize, My lady…" Akuma bowed, "but I am quite busy at the moment."
"Akuma sit." Yurame repeated and walked out to her room. Akuma sat down grudgingly.
He knew it was too good to be true. What did he do now that she wants to punish him for?
When Yurame got to her room, she brought out the quill to reply on the scroll when the screen flickered in front of her again.
She didn't even look up. "I am not doing another cleaning quest."
[New Directive Issued.]
Yurame sighed, and looked up. "Of course. What is it this time?"
[Host must attend the Festival tonight.]
"No."
[Objective: Improve Public Reputation.]
"Still no." Yurame said. "If I go, I wouldn't even have the chance to improve anything."
[Current Reputation Status:]
Cruel - Confirmed
Sadistic - Confirmed
Mentally Unstable - Confirmed
Beloved by the Public - Hell would freeze over before that happens
"Geezz. Okay, okay." Yurame rubbed her temple. "But listen. My plan is to stay quiet, hidden, and not get murdered by the male leads, which by the way, sucks. Why do I have one under my nose?"
The screen pulsed. [Plan Rejected.]
"...Excuse me?"
[Host cannot remain quiet in this universe.]
"Oh really?" Yurame slowly stood up and banged her hand on the table. "Then take me back to my universe."
[Host cannot go back to her universe because Host's body is…]
"Dead!" Yurame interrupted. "I know. That was sassiness."
[Oh.]
"Now what do you mean by I can't stay quiet?"
[Narrative Balance Requires a Female Lead.]
"..."
Yurame stared at the screen. "There is a female lead."
[Yes, but Host is now required to compete for the position of Female Lead.]