Supervillain Idol System: My Sidekick Is A Yandere

Chapter 676 676: Homecoming (Part 5)

A few moments later…Something poked him and his eyes snapped open.

For a moment he couldn't understand what was happening.

His gaze first fixed on the ceiling. It was the same ceiling, the same room and the same decorative molding.

He blinked a few times.

Then he felt it again.

His head lifted slightly and found that Winter stood beside the bed.

One arm remained extended and a single finger pointed directly toward his groin.

Don stared at her.

Winter stared back.

But neither spoke.

…Several seconds came to pass.

Finally she withdrew her hand and spoke. "Sorry to wake you."

Her tone suggested she wasn't sorry at all.

"But I felt I must inform you that the network this estate's servers operate under has UPSDF clearance to operate."

His brain slowly shifted gears.

From sleeping, to confusion before finally to understanding.

Unfortunately, the transition wasn't particularly smooth.

"You woke me up for that?"

"Yes."

Winter nodded once.

"Thus, we can attempt to communicate with the Citadel, provided they have a dummy network online capable of rerouting the actual signal."

She folded her hands neatly in front of herself.

"To my knowledge, the Citadel systems should be capable of this. It depends on whether Gary has established the necessary protocols."

Don pushed himself upright slightly.

Winter continued.

"I still cannot risk connecting directly and leaving a trail that could be traced back to us. If the UPSDF monitors flagged our handshake attempt and followed it back through the proxy chain, the estate could become compromised."

She paused briefly.

"The dummy network would need to act as a buffer. A middle point that accepts our connection request and routes it internally without exposing either end. Think of it as a dead drop for data. The message goes in, the dummy network holds it, and the Citadel retrieves it from the other side without either party ever establishing direct contact."

The explanation made enough sense.

At least enough for him.

Winter tilted her head. "Should I attempt contact?"

Don stretched.

Several joints popped immediately as a yawn escaped before he could stop it.

He rubbed one eye. "Yeah." Another yawn escaped him before he added, "Go ahead."

Winter became still.

Her eyes unfocused slightly.

Don had seen the look enough times to recognize it immediately.

Somewhere beneath the surface, an absurd amount of data was moving around.

Several seconds passed, mostly because she wasn't linked to the citadel's supercomputer.

Then Winter spoke.

"Connection established."

Good.

"Sending messages in encoded form as a precaution."

She looked at him.

"What would you like me to communicate?"

Don rubbed his face. "Tell Elle and the others that I'm okay."

Winter opened her mouth.

Then stopped. A small tilt of her head followed, almost like she was listening to something.

"You have just received a message."

Don blinked. "Already?"

"Decoding now."

Less than a second passed.

Winter's gaze refocused.

"It is from Elle."

Don sat up slightly.

"She is inquiring about your whereabouts and your condition."

That wasn't surprising.

The surprising part was how quickly the message had arrived.

Apparently someone had been paying close attention.

Winter tilted her head again."Shall I answer both?"

Don nodded."Yeah."

Winter's eyes unfocused once more.

The room remained quiet.

Cool air drifted through the balcony doors.

The curtains shifted gently with each passing breeze.

Somewhere outside, water trickled from a distant fountain hidden among the gardens.

Several seconds later Winter spoke again.

"She is requesting to see you."

Don frowned.

A trace of confusion crossed his face.

Don stared at Winter for a few moments, the request settling uneasily in his mind.

Elle wanted to see him.

Not tomorrow after he had rested. Not after everyone had settled into the estate and life had regained some semblance of normalcy.

Given everything that had happened during the outbreak, he couldn't even pretend to be surprised.

He rubbed a hand across his face before nodding.

"Ask her when and where she wants to meet."

Winter's eyes lost focus briefly. Whatever exchanges were taking place behind that blank expression happened at speeds no human could follow. A few seconds later, she looked at him again.

"She has sent coordinates."

A short pause followed.

"Approximately fourteen kilometers from this location."

Don pushed himself upright and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The cool floor met his bare feet as he sat there for a moment.

"Did she say when?"

Winter met his gaze.

"She is requesting to meet now."

Of course she was. Don exhaled quietly and looked toward the open balcony doors.

Evening air drifted through the room, stirring the curtains and carrying the scent of flowers from the gardens below.

Gary's warning returned to him immediately.

Whatever changes were happening inside Elle hadn't stopped.

If seeing him helped stabilize her, even slightly, then avoiding the meeting would accomplish nothing.

"Alright." He stood. "Let me go see her."

His phone rested on the nightstand. He picked it up and slipped it into his pocket.

"Communicate with me through this. I'll be back in a bit."

Winter nodded once. "I shall."

Don didn't wait for anything further. He crossed the room, stepped into the hallway, and pulled the door shut behind him.

The mansion had grown noticeably quieter.

Most of the excitement that came with arriving at the estate had already faded.

Somewhere below, a distant door closed. Faint conversation drifted from another section of the floor before disappearing entirely.

The house seemed to be settling around its occupants.

His footsteps remained soft against the polished wood as he headed toward the staircase.

——

Below, the ground floor stretched out beneath warm lighting and high ceilings.

He crossed the foyer and pushed open the front doors.

Cool evening air greeted him immediately.

The sky overhead had begun transitioning toward dusk, streaks of orange and gold lingering along the horizon while more deeper blues crept in from above.

The curved driveway stretched away from the mansion. Paths branched toward different sections of the estate while decorative lamps cast pools of warm light across the stone walkways.

Don had barely taken two steps outside when barking exploded across the grounds.

Miss Claire's two Dobermans rounded opposite corners of the mansion and charged toward him.

BARK! BARK! BARK!~

Their claws scraped against stone as they rushed forward.

Don stopped, but the dogs didn't. At least not immediately.

Then both animals got close enough to properly see him.

The transformation was instant. Their barking died mid-noise and their ears flattened before their short unclipped tails disappeared beneath their bodies.

Both dogs skidded awkwardly to a halt before turning around and retreating with remarkable urgency.

Don watched them flee. For a moment he honestly wasn't sure whether he should feel insulted or amused.

"What is with the commotion?"

He turned and found that Miss Claire stood in the open doorway behind him.

Warm light spilled from the mansion around her silhouette.

Security personnel appeared almost immediately in response to the barking. One emerged from inside the house while two others approached from different directions across the grounds.

Farther away, even the guards stationed near the main gate had turned their attention toward the disturbance.

Either the security team was extremely alert.

Or wealthy people simply employed enough personnel to make every minor incident look dramatic.

Probably both.

Don kept his expression casual. "Sorry." He gestured vaguely toward the direction the Dobermans had disappeared.

"I wanted to step outside. I guess I scared the dogs."

Miss Claire's eyes followed his gesture before understanding crossed her features.

"Ah." A faint smile touched her lips. "I see."

She folded her arms loosely.

"I suppose you would desire a walk after being underground for days."

"Yeah."

The explanation was convenient enough.

"Though it's more about the fresh air." His gaze wandered toward the valley road beyond the estate gates. "The sound of nature."

For a moment he listened to distant insects beginning their nightly chorus despite his words being a lie.

"I actually want to step outside the premises. I would've gone for a drive, but I think all my cars are buried somewhere under the rubble of Ebon Crest."

Miss Claire's expression changed slightly.

The shift was subtle enough that most people probably wouldn't have noticed it.

"Oh." A paus followed.

"I see."

Don couldn't tell whether she was skeptical or merely curious.

Fortunately, she didn't pursue the subject.

Instead, she turned toward one of the nearby guards.

"Please bring a vehicle for my guest Arthur."

The guard immediately straightened.

"Yes, ma'am."

Miss Claire returned her attention to Don.

"Would you prefer a sedan or an SUV?"

"Anything works."

One eyebrow lifted slightly at the answer but she said nothing.

Arthur received a small nod and immediately departed toward the garage area.

The remaining guards gradually returned to their previous duties. One resumed his patrol route while another slipped back inside the mansion.

Soon the estate was quiet again.

Miss Claire looked at him.

"Will that be all?"

Don nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

Then, after a brief hesitation, he added "I hope I'm not inconveniencing you."

"Nonsense." Her response came immediately.

She glanced toward the distant roads winding through the valley.

"To be honest, I can understand the desire to drive quietly through the countryside and simply... contemplate."

Don understood what she meant.

The outbreak was over but that didn't mean people stopped carrying it around with them.

A long drive sounded appealing for reasons that had nothing to do with Elle.

For a moment he considered the opportunity sitting in front of him.

Under different circumstances, he might have invited her along.

The objective timer lurking in the back of his mind certainly approved of the idea.

Unfortunately, introducing Elle into that situation sounded like a spectacularly bad decision.

So he settled for something safer.

"Well, one of these days, when you've had time to sort everything out, you should join me for a drive."

He held her gaze. "Or a walk."

The evening breeze stirred several loose strands of her hair.

"It might help ease your mind."

For a moment, the carefully maintained composure slipped.

A genuine smile appeared. Small and warm.

"That's kind of you to offer—"