[Is she really from a dating sim? How is she handling corpses like it's no big deal?]

Over the next few days, the bald GM and I got along surprisingly well.

Honestly, we worked together better than anyone could have expected.

All the dried, dark stains across the office floor? I had scrubbed them completely clean. I even spritzed a little perfume around to freshen the place up.

The room's danger level kept dropping steadily, almost unbelievably low.

Once I finished with the main office, I turned my attention to the GM's private bathroom. That was the one spot I hadn't touched yet.

The bathroom was fairly tidy, except for a big clump of black hair sitting in the sink. It looked like it had been soaked in blood, and the smell was terrible.

When I picked it up, I felt someone watching me, still and silent.

The moment I turned, the GM's eyes darkened completely, until not a trace of white remained. The skin on his face twitched in weird waves, and his whole body started swelling.

The danger level, which had been dropping, shot up like crazy.

So the trigger was this hair?

I lifted the dripping clump and let out a quiet sigh.

"Sir, I get it. I used to deal with this, too. My hair kept falling out because I barely slept.

"You work too hard. You push yourself nonstop and forget to take care of that great hair of yours.

"But don't worry! I brought something just for this."

Right then, the danger level finally stopped climbing.

[Wait… What? Does she have some kind of holy artifact?]

[She's been hiding her skills this whole time! What is she using?]

[Uh… If I'm seeing this right, I'm pretty sure that's just anti–hair-loss shampoo.]

"Sir, you never take time to care for your hair. As your assistant, that breaks my heart. Today, I'm fixing that for you."

I washed the whole clump with shampoo, blow-dried it, styled it nicely, and gently set it back on his head like a fresh hairpiece.

"Sir, you look incredible! You look at least ten years younger."

With every compliment, the GM's danger level kept dropping lower and lower.

In a raspy voice, he finally asked, "Does it…really look better?"

"Absolutely. You're like Prince Charming himself!"

I handed him a scalp-massage brush and guided his hands with mine, showing him how to increase blood flow and help with hair growth.

The GM nodded, looking very pleased. "You're the best employee I've ever had."

Then he pressed a little chainsaw-shaped pendant into my hand and whispered, "Keep this. If anything ever threatens you, this will protect you."

[No way! First time I've ever seen a monster hand a player an item.]

[This is the power of dating-sim brain. She's dangerously thoughtful. That basically gives you an extra life in this dungeon.]

Of course, I wouldn't say no to my boss's kind gesture. I accepted it with a smile.

But on my way home, I suddenly heard a slow, dragging noise right behind me.

It got closer and closer.

Instinctively, I spun around, but nothing was there.

Frowning, I kept walking.

Then everything faded to black, and I collapsed on the spot…