NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Yes, It’s Exactly What You Think
“You said you think you’ve seen me somewhere before, and that you find me special?”
Shiltina swirled the wine in her glass, the liquid spinning along the inner walls.
She raised the glass and looked ahead of her. “Let me guess... Next you’ll say ‘You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,’ ‘There are stars in your eyes,’ or maybe even, ‘This child is the gift I’m leaving you,’ right?”
Across the table, the boy’s profile was cloaked in dim candlelight, his features sharp and deep.
Even judged by the harshest standards, his looks could only be described as stunning.
But perhaps because of that appearance, his attempt at conversation was a disaster—clearly one of those pretty boys who relied on their face to charm women wherever they went.
Just as she mentally labeled him as a scumbag, Shiltina saw the boy who called himself Rast lift his chin and give her an appraising once-over.
“There are about a hundred and ten thousand residents in Deep Blue Port, and among them, there are several women I’d rate an eight.”
“Whether it's the lead dancer from the opera troupe or the female councilor from the city assembly, I’ve interacted with them up close... Each has her own kind of charm. I’d say they’re evenly matched.”
“So, a line like ‘the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen’—I can’t quite give that to you yet.”
The boy’s frank eyes and words left Shiltina momentarily speechless.
She parted her lips, about to end this unexpected exchange, but his next words gave her pause.
“But compared to them, you are indeed very special.”
Rast smiled.
“For instance, if you were willing to show your real face, I might be able to give out the very first 8.5 in Deep Blue Port.”
“Hmm?”
Shiltina responded indifferently, though some of the laziness in her eyes faded. “Makeup is part of a woman’s appearance, too.”
“That’s true, of course. But most women dress themselves up to enhance their charm, while you’re doing the complete opposite.”
“It appears to be a rather advanced form of disguise. It doesn’t drastically alter your facial features, but it completely changes your aura and the first impression you give. Anyone unaware would have no way of linking you to your original appearance.”
Rast spoke in an even tone.
“Also—”
Rast reached out and pointed to the pendant on Shiltina’s chest.
It was a diamond-shaped pendant, with a lifelike laurel branch engraved into the ruby.
“To my knowledge, none of the jewelry shops in Deep Blue Port possess the micro-sculpting craftsmanship to make something like that.”
Shiltina took a sip of wine and narrowed her eyes. “You’re a sculptor?”
“I once dabbled in it out of interest. But once there were no sculptors in Deep Blue Port better than me, I lost interest.”
“You also understand disguise and camouflage?”
“I was the chief stylist at the Deep Blue Port Opera House. Also just out of interest… The disguise method you’re using is quite skillful, but it’s clear you’re not a professional actor. There are many minor inconsistencies in your mannerisms. For someone like me, it’s not hard to notice.”
“By the way, that’s also how I met that eight-point beauty, the lead dancer who’s great at ballet and loves wearing black stockings.”
No one asked you that...
Shiltina rubbed her temples and looked at the calm-faced Rast in front of her.
“So you’re trying to tell me that, despite looking like you’re not even twenty, you’ve already become Deep Blue Port’s greatest sculptor, the opera house’s chief stylist, and also have deep knowledge of the city’s most attractive women?”
“Do I really look that easy to fool?”
Given his appearance, maybe that last claim held a sliver of truth.
But if you added those earlier claims too, then the only explanation was that he was making it all up.
“A normal person couldn’t achieve those things, true. But I’m different.”
Rast’s tone remained calm.
“My fate is irreversibly stuck on this very day. Once dusk comes, everything resets and starts again.”
“I am an exile, banished by time. For me, tomorrow never arrives… Of course, in turn, it means I have unlimited chances to start over compared to the other residents of Deep Blue Port at this moment.”
“Whether it’s becoming a sculptor or chief stylist, or getting close to women far above my station—these are all things that, with enough experience and enough chances to fail, can be accomplished.”
“And for someone like me, who has infinite time, if I decide I want to do something, then I will inevitably succeed.”
Rast raised the wine bottle on the table and poured the last bit of wine into Shiltina’s empty glass.
“So that’s why I said you’re the special one.”
“All those suspicious points I mentioned earlier don’t actually matter... Advanced disguise techniques, or jewelry brought in from outside Deep Blue Port with higher craftsmanship—those things aren’t a big deal.”
“All one hundred and ten thousand residents of Deep Blue Port have their own secrets. Even though I have unlimited time, I’m not interested in digging into each and every person’s privacy.”
“But you are different.”
Rast looked into Shiltina’s eyes and spoke, one word at a time.
“I’m very certain.”
“In the tens of thousands of times I’ve lived through this same day, you have never once appeared in Deep Blue Port.”
“Not even once.”
...
Tick.
Tick.
The room was utterly silent, save for the ticking of the second hand.
Listening to Rast’s calm and unhurried words, Shiltina’s eyes narrowed slightly as her hand subconsciously moved to her waist.
The next moment.
Ding-ling—
A crisp chime suddenly rang out in the room.
Shiltina looked up toward the sound. The clock’s hands clearly displayed the time—
Exactly midnight.
“Oh? Time’s up?”
“And just in time—we’ve finished our drinks too.”
Rast gave the elegant, now-empty wine bottle a little shake, then looked toward Shiltina.
“So, my beautiful lady, may I have the honor of sharing another drink with you?”
The stern expression on his face had completely vanished, replaced by a gentle smile as warm and refreshing as a spring breeze.
His smile was soft, like clear water, yet under the faint moonlight, it reflected infinite colors. Even with Shiltina’s discerning eye, she couldn’t deny his charm—most women would find it impossible to refuse such an invitation.
“Given your identity, I believe 「Infernal Flowing Sand」 and 「Amber’s Embrace」 suit your temperament best.”
Shiltina fell silent.
She had seen the menu. 「Infernal Flowing Sand」 and 「Amber’s Embrace」 were the most expensive drinks in the bar.
And naturally, the biggest money traps.
It was only now that Shiltina recalled—Rast had sat down across from her earlier as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even helpfully opening the bottle of red wine she had casually ordered when entering.
A certain suspicion began to form in her mind. “Don’t tell me you’re...”
“The commissions I get from selling 「Infernal Flowing Sand」 and 「Amber’s Embrace」 are the highest.”
Rast smiled.
“So yes, it’s exactly what you think.”