Chapter 2 - Confirming Silky
The scary story I shared as a conversation starter turned out to evoke more fear than I anticipated, leading to a fervent scolding from the two of them.
“Hmm…”
Still, as a lazy guy who hates chores, I must admit that if someone, even a stalker, is willing to do my housework for free, I can’t help but rely on them. So, while it’s not exactly a compromise, I decided to install hidden cameras to determine the identity of the stalker.
With video evidence, I could provide proof to the police if any actual harm occurred and make the investigation easier. Plus, I was slightly intrigued by the idea of being stalked, at least enough to observe the person stalking someone like me.
“I wonder who this person is.”
So, I checked the footage. The stalker in question was active on specific days: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Probably, it was a result of them targeting times when I was away due to my university schedule.
Therefore, the times of their appearances were somewhat limited. All that was left was to fast forward based on those predictions…
“─ Bingo.”
I stopped fast forwarding. There was movement in the footage from the camera set up at the entrance. The doorknob turned, and the door opened.
“It seems like they’re indeed using the key I lost… Well, that feeling hasn’t changed.”
There was no rattling of the doorknob or anything; it was confirmed. However, my apartment is located alongside a moderately busy road. If they were messing with the doorknob or trying to pick the lock, they would be immediately reported as a suspicious person.
The fact that this hadn’t happened until now meant the stalker was using a legitimate method to enter my house. I had an idea who it might be, so I had honestly expected this.
“So, this person is the stalker…”
I focused on the video again. Though due to the camera’s positioning, I couldn’t see their face clearly. I could discern they were a young woman based on their clothing and stance.
“Sigh…”
For now, I felt relieved. The worst-case scenario I had anticipated was that the stalker would turn out to be a man or an older woman, so I naturally breathed a sigh of relief.
Honestly, that was the scariest possibility. While having a criminal invade your home is unsettling, at this point, I was more concerned about being targeted by someone who’s clearly out of my comfort zone or someone I’m physically repulsed by.
In that sense, this stalker got a pass from me. Plus, I sense a certain level of attractiveness from them, so if I can confirm they’re not harmful, I wouldn’t mind continuing to overlook their actions and enjoy the pseudo-housekeeping services.
“…Wait, they’re actually doing the dishes so efficiently.”
Hmm. I’m not sure if I can still label this person as a stalker. They started doing regular household chores without searching through my room or displaying any suspicious behavior.
After washing the dishes, they moved on to cleaning the room. They even collected the garbage and tied it up before placing it by the entrance. Throughout these tasks, there was no sign of any behavior suggesting theft or anything like that. They even hummed while working.
“This person is completely Silky.”
It’s astonishing how someone can enjoy doing household chores to this extent. As someone who tends to avoid chores as much as possible, I truly struggle to understand this.
In reality, without this stalker, my room would have transformed into a garbage dump bordering on unlivable.
It’s not that I can’t do chores… In fact, I’m confident that I excel at household tasks more than most adult males.
But, it’s just that I find them tedious. I know it’s more efficient to tackle tasks as they come instead of piling them up, but laziness often outweighs practicality.
And that’s why I’ve classified this stalker as “Silky” and let them continue. Currently, the benefits of having a free housekeeper far outweigh any potential drawbacks.
“Oh, right. She just put my shirt in her bag. Yep, confirmed stalker.”
In the video, I saw her taking a shirt, most likely stolen from me, and placing it in her bag while she was in the middle of doing laundry.
I had anticipated this to some extent, but it seems her activities extend beyond chores. She’s clearly ensuring she gets something in return. I’m actually impressed by her dedication to her desires.
Anyway, I’m deeming her guilty for this action. Even if it’s just a shirt, I need to address any confirmed harm.
“Hmm? A new shirt?”
However, when I saw her taking out a new shirt from her bag, presumably in exchange, I halted my judgment momentarily.
Then, as I watched her open the package and put it into the washing machine as a replacement, I made my decision.
“Well, whatever.”
If it’s an exchange for a new shirt, I don’t mind giving up a piece of my underwear. The guilty verdict is rescinded.
I won’t say I have no concerns. I’m definitely weirded out. However, weighing the existence of a “free housekeeper” on one side of
the scale, I judged that overlooking this is more beneficial.
In reality, since she’s replacing the new shirt, there’s no financial loss. If I consider that she’s doing the replacement for me and discarding the old shirt, it’s within an acceptable range.
If she’s going to replace things for me, she can handle the garbage as she pleases. If it becomes a form of payment, it’s actually cost-effective.
Since I’m exploiting a criminal, there’s no point in making a fuss over something like this. I’ll tolerate it until it goes beyond my limit, and if that happens, I’ll involve the police.
“But seriously, now that I think about it, no wonder my shirts felt crisp recently.”
Nevertheless, I’m more amazed by my own obliviousness than by the stalker. Even though I had some sense of unease, I just didn’t care because it was so irrelevant to me.
Now that I know there’s a stalker and I have this evidence, I can’t ignore it anymore, even though it’s been relatively beneficial.
──Who is she?
“Though it might be a bit late to ask, considering she’s been entering my house, but she’s quite the dedicated stalker… I still have no clue who this could be.”
