jdhmnovel Chapter 2 I Have Jade Syndrome - Pilot Episode
Chapter 2 I Have Jade Syndrome - Pilot Episode
"■■■?■■■! What's wrong? What happened? Why are you silent? Are you alright?"
Shirley's barrage of worried questions jolted you back to your wandering mind.
You could tell she was genuinely worried about something happening to you while you were out there, even though she knew you were very capable.
"...Sorry, I just dealt with a criminal who tried to steal my things."
You coughed twice after telling a trivial little lie, then awkwardly curled up your tail, which still felt somewhat unfamiliar to you.
A dragon's tail, much longer than you, trembled gently in the air, its jet-black scales shimmering with a magnificent luster under the hellish light.
Besides Shirley's caring voice, you can also hear the oddly shaped vegetables you bought roaring and wailing angrily inside the plastic bag.
"...But you should also understand, right? Whether you succeed or not, I will support you."
Knowing that even if your lies were weak and ineffective, Shirley would still believe them, you chuckled twice, feeling a little guilty, and added.
"But at least today, let's bless your success with cookies!"
After you finished speaking, you heard Shirley say "That's great!" several times on the other end, but she quickly changed the subject and started talking to you about other things.
"But robbery... Anyway, are you alright? Oh, you're so kind! I'm still so sorry you couldn't come today."
The sinners living in hell are actually used to robbing people in the streets, and even the princess is no exception.
Xia Li first subconsciously asked you this from the other side, and then let out a long, coquettish syllable.
Although you know she's probably genuinely disappointed that you didn't go with her, the excitement in her voice hasn't diminished at all.
And her current high spirits make her sound like she wants to rush over and give you a big hug right now.
As you listened to Xia Li talking incessantly about the future on the other end of the phone, you calmly glanced at the time, estimating that it was about time.
"Shirley, it's your turn!"
Sure enough, after the clock struck the hour, Vicky's urging voice came from the other end.
In addition, her voice was accompanied by a host’s familiar, rough complaints and mockery.
In hell, harsh and sarcastic language is as common as breathing; polite and normal people like Shirley Vicky are the exception.
Honestly, you should be grateful.
Faced with such unwarranted, utterly foolish, and blatant malice, even just listening from the other end of the phone, your eyebrows still furrow.
You should be glad that the person who came to you through your lousy little ad wasn't some strange sinner, but rather the hellish princess, Shirley Morningstar, who is completely disrespected by everyone.
I remember when I was so overwhelmed by the pie falling from the sky, I even joked that I was willing to be Shirley's dog.
You still vividly remember Shirley's utterly shocked expression...
You listened to Xia Li's hurried footsteps and didn't hang up the phone, but waited patiently.
Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Vicky's slightly tired voice came from the other end of the phone: "■, what are you planning to make for dinner tonight?"
"I bought the groceries for the things you left in the fridge today."
"Oh, really? That sounds good. Thanks, see you tonight, ■."
After confirming what we would have for dinner, Vicky, with a hint of relief in her voice, abruptly ended the call.
It's probably because you're currently the most normal sinner in the entire hotel, and Vicky, who has a fiery temper, actually has a pretty good relationship with you.
In addition, you always repay kindness to Shirley, the goddess of hell, and ensure that they can have a pleasant dinner every day after finding someone to come into the hotel. To some extent, Vicky also likes and trusts you very much.
But to be honest, Shirley and Vicky's kindness has prevented you, the "sinner," from fully integrating into life in Hell even now.
You might think that Angel, the most abstract character in the Happy Hotel, would temper your character.
Until one day he agreed to your request to help you buy groceries. Although he ended up using the change to buy *that* thing, at least he delivered everything you asked for when he got home…
……
However, putting all that aside, you've decided to find a public TV and watch the TV program about Shirley on channel 666; after all, you've already made plans with her.
You looked up and around, then found a glowing shop window surrounded by a large number of sinners at the corner of the street.
Along the Arrogance Ring Road, there are always some trendsetters who set up semi-public facilities there to market themselves, such as... radio hacks.
You quicken your pace and enter the crowd of demons who are also watching.
The colorful lights surrounding the shop window illuminated the dragon horns above your head, with occasional flowing fiery red flashes within the amber-like horns, making them look as if lava were flowing within them.
After going to hell, your height became quite outstanding. You felt that you should thank hell, since it gave you the opportunity to breathe the air that only people two meters tall were entitled to enjoy.
The sinners jostled and chattered, and most of them only reserved precious personal space for famous or fearsome individuals.
It's obvious that you, being jostled and pushed around in the crowd, are not one of them.
In fact, after realizing that you might not be a sinner but some kind of special being, Vicky and Shirley had a serious discussion with you about some things to keep in mind.
Shirley didn't know much about this, but Vicky seriously advised you not to show off too much before you figured out your abilities.
You are an obedient person who doesn't like to cause trouble, so even though you have been in hell for a while, there are still very few demons who know you.
However, in some ways, you still envy those sinner lords who have a deterrent effect.
Without a trace of magic in your expression, you used your tail to lift the groceries you had bought high into the air.
While trying to avoid the stinking sinners around you, you stare intently at the content on the television.
You'd guess the content was pretty normal before Shirley started singing.
……
"How could anyone be so stupid as to leave something they just bought blatantly out in the air!"
Just as you are engrossed in Shirley's idealistic speech, a sharp, obnoxious, yet perfectly hellish mockery rings in your ears.
You feel a sudden emptiness at the tip of your tail, and a small black shadow, along with the dinner ingredients you just bought, sweeps past you.
……
you:"……"
You know, stealing something else is somewhat forgivable, but stealing vegetables is a bit too abstract, isn't it? It's not like it's some kind of hellish QQ Farm!
After your dinner ingredients were snatched away without any skill, you, who already disliked going out of hell, couldn't help but twitch your lips.
You never imagined that there would be righteous people in hell to help you.
But as you calmly extend your hand, and black flames engulf your arm, the small black shadow that stole your things suddenly shatters into pieces for some unknown reason, as if its body had been crushed out of thin air.
Seeing this, you raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, then turned to look at the crimson sinner who had appeared behind you at some point.
You could smell a heavy odor emanating from him, like the smell of decaying vegetation, as if it came from the depths of a swamp.
Although dangerous, it is not fatal enough for you.
"..."
"……Thanks."
Although this chivalrous person directly slapped you in the face and forced you to do him a favor, you still nodded slightly to this sinner who, at least in your eyes, was quite a gentleman.
In a way, the sinner behind you actually saved the life of that little thing that stole your ingredients.
You casually glanced at the thief's corpse, which was beginning to regenerate.
The black plastic bag that was stolen by the other party was enveloped in a circle of deep red light, and then slowly floated towards you.
The stranger's act of going all the way to the end surprised you a little.
You know, most of the sinners gathered around the wiretapped radio are here to see Shirley make a fool of herself; after all, sinners going to hell love to see jokes.
But you wouldn't believe that someone would be willing to spare the time and effort to help a stranger who is committing a crime get his things back, instead of just standing by and watching for a second bit of extra amusement.
After you thanked them, the other person didn't react in any particular way.
Or rather, that unusual broadcast distortion and disconnection was already the other party's reaction to you.
Strangely enough, you noticed that the other person seemed to nod politely at you from behind, their attitude polite but indifferent.
Of course, it would be even better if his gaze on you afterwards didn't make you feel so uncomfortable.
You stood still and didn't move.
Unfortunately, this somewhat dangerous stranger is probably just a minor episode in your life in hell.
Because the highlight of your life is when the female bodhisattva you know starts singing loudly on the TV screen.
...She sang very well, but the timing was a bit off.
You've always been someone who reacts to situations as they arise, and you don't get too emotionally affected by anything, which has created a cool and gentle image in front of others.
Even you, at this moment, are dumbfounded by Shirley's impromptu performance, and at the end, you can't help but gasp.
Perhaps it was because Shirley's sudden singing performance was the most explosive even in hell, that even the sinner who had been staring at you with "interest" was drawn to it.
"..."
"...Holy crap, I have YuYu syndrome..."
Although you spoke very softly, you felt that it had been a long time since you had expressed your feelings in such a standard traditional Chinese way.
As soon as Shirley finished singing, the sinners at the news scene and around you immediately erupted in loud, piercing laughter.
Standing frozen in place, watching the entire scene unfold, you covered your pained face with one hand, momentarily at a loss for how to react.
It wasn't until Shirley said she wanted to use Angel Durst and you as role models that you realized you were on fire.
As a sinner who cannot be the center of attention, you immediately panicked and withdrew from the crowd, disappearing hastily at the other end of the street.