2. Welcome back to Lost in Tumultuous Despair! This is
part two, which is told through Buck Grunt’s point of
view. Also, all the parts of each chapter take place at
around the same time together.
I hope you enjoy!

3. “How are you today?” I asked the black-haired man wearing the same glasses as I am. He never revealed anything about himself even after I
revealed myself to him. All he did was to tell me to call him Mr. Simself. Whatever.
As the son of General Buzz Grunt of Strangetown, my brothers and I are obliged to pursue a military career, which isn’t a profitable profession. At
least I managed to sneak my way into this bus trip in these fabulous clothes I bought for myself. The only problem is that my companions and I
have been abandoned in the middle of nowhere. How could the driver do this to us?

4. The conversation was such a waste of time because he kept talking about escaping here. Impossible! Anyway, some brunet in fancy clothing then
approached me as if he was introducing himself to me. “Sir,” he said, “We didn’t talk much at the bus, but I just wanna ask your name.”
“My name is Buck Grunt,” I answered. “and I’m from Strangetown.”
“Ah, that desert town unlike any other. I’ve always thought that desert towns have arabesque buildings, but Strangetown has convinced me
otherwise.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Actually, it isn’t. I’m actually glad to see that not everything of the same type follows the perceptions of the norm, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. It’s nice to see that stereotypes are being disproven these days. Anyway, I’ll just hang around this place for a while.”

5. Heh, it’s nice to see that people these days are starting to ignore stereotypes of certain things. Anyway, now that Hal entered the house, that
gave me more time to hang around here.
What caught my eyes and ears during this time was two lovely ladies talking about their favorites and such. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if I join in the
conversation for a while.
“Ahem!” I cleared my throat. “Mind if I join you ladies for a moment?”

6. I immediately approached the lady in black because she mentioned factories.
“You know,” I said as I held my nose, “Do you happen to get used to all that pollution when you were growing up? I certainly can’t imagine that,
in my opinion.”
“You cad! How could you rudely interrupt my conversation with Miss Matlapin like that?”

7. That lady immediately turned her back from me like she thought I was intruding her in the first place. How weird. Oh, well. Time to go inside the
house to see what everyone’s up to. At least she looked fine and fierce.

8. As I went inside, however, I heard some awful music being played on the piano. I mean, what kind of person would dare to play such atrociously
dreadful music on the piano.
“Stop this!” I whispered to myself. “Stop this music immediately!”

9. Apparently, this house has a gigantic sphere-like machine. I should try it out as a way to escape that dreadful music. I hope I’m doing well at this,
so here goes nothing.

10. Wow! This was much more fun than I thought it would be! And this thing happened to be loud enough to drown away the piano music. How
convenient! Perhaps I should try this again some other time.

11. Now that I just got done riding the sphere, I approached some red-haired lady in glasses and started talking to her in the hopes that I would
probably behave better towards women. That incident just now was a total disaster, so here’s hoping I would be luckier.
“Hi,” I said, “My name’s Buck Grunt. What’s yours?”
“My name is Coral Oldie,” she replied. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, I hope I could be at least respectful towards ladies like you. You see, my mom left my dad when I was young, so I was left in a house with
only males, and that kind of influenced my behavior a lot.”
“Oh, I see what you mean, especially when you seem to shake a bit when trying to speak.”
“Well, yeah. It’s nice meeting you, though.”

12. The chat with Coral was fine, or so it seemed. Now off to apologize to the lady in purple. This better fare well.
“Hey,” he exclaimed, “I’m sorry for what I did just now. I thought getting involved in your conversation was a great idea, but it turned out to be a
mistake. Would you spare a moment with me and just set all that aside? By the way, name’s Buck Grunt if you’re interested.”
“Hmmm…” she hummed as if she was thinking about it for a moment. She had better reply. “Don’t mention it anymore.”
Now that sounds like a relief to me. “Well, that’s great. I guess all’s settled, then.”

13. “Actually,” she interjected, “That doesn’t mean that you should get away with it completely. You see, you should learn from your past mistakes
and try not to repeat them again. Do I make myself clear?”
Okay, okay. That’s nice advice, but I already know it, thank you very much. “Well, of course, ma’am.” I replied.
“Name’s Darleen Matlapin, if you’re interested.”
“Okay, Darleen. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Good. Now, make sure you’re not doing it again.”

14. Unfortunately, I began hearing the stupid piano being played again. Who on earth had the audacity to do play that stinking piano?

15. I guess it was time for me to find real peace and quiet from that stupid piano so that I didn’t have to hear it again. I walked into the room with
fiery walls while covering my right ear, but that place looked too weird for me, so I figured a nice restroom wouldn’t hurt much.

16. However, once I reached the restroom, I found out that there’s already another person inside already. “Er…” I muttered as I immediately saw
him. This was just too unexpected for me. “Oops?”
“Why, yes,” he cried. “Can’t you see that I’m in here trying to use the toilet? You need to be more aware of what other people are doing in here
next time.”
“But how am I supposed to know that people are…”
“You. Out. Now.”
“Okay, then.”

17. Man, that guy was quite demanding! I guess I’ll have to expose myself to all that horrible music for the moment. At least a pleasant surprise
made it all better in the form of a dear old friend. Man, it’s been ages since I’ve seen Jill, and seeing her again made me smile.
“Buck!” she shouted enthusiastically as she turned around. “It’s so nice to see you again! And in here, no less!”
“Wow!” I replied. “I also never would’ve thought that I’d be seeing you here as well!”

18. All of a sudden, she cringed as if there was something wrong with her. Why did she do this, by the way?
“You know what,” she muttered, “I f…feel like there’s something wrong with this house. Maybe we should investigate around. I don’t know, but
we should at least do something about it, right? First, the piano music seemed to sound dreadful even if it was meant to sound beautiful, and
then there’s this room with a couple of out-of-place decorations. Does that sound weird to you?”

19. Something wrong with this house? That sounds like the least credible thing to think of.
“Easy there!” I assured, “I doubt there’s nothing wrong with this house. I’m assuming you’re being paranoid or anxious to get out of this place. I
mean, I’ll assure you that we’ll get out of this place in no time. And don’t you worry about that. Just keep your spirits up, and you’ll do fine.”

20. “Oh, Buck,” she smiled, “You really have a good way of making me less worrisome, and I highly appreciate that a lot. Now, why do you come here
in the first place?”

21. After hearing her question, I began to think: Should I tell the truth, or should I lie? Either way, I hope it doesn’t matter in the long run because all
I ever wanted is to get out of this place alive.
I finally knew what to say to her. This better work. “Well, let’s just say that I went on the road trip because I wanted to escape a life of frugality
back at home. Now, how about yours?”
“I came to this trip because I was meant to oversee the construction of a new laboratory that’s supposed to research better ways to treat severe
diseases. However, now that I’m stuck here, I can’t get there at all.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound like good news at all. Anyway, nice talking to you, and I hope we interact much in here.”

22. Sadly, the sound of the piano became too much for me to bear that I had to find a way to escape from it. To add into my misery, someone
shouted that it was time for lunch. On the other hand, that “announcement” meant that there should be another way for me to escape that
music of doom. Off to the kitchen, then.

23. That kitchen already had a plate of well-prepared sandwiches already, so maybe taking one would help me satiate my hunger. As soon as I took
one, I sat down on the dining chair with someone else sitting right across me.

24. “So,” I spoke up, “Now that we’re here, let’s properly introduce ourselves. Hi, my name’s Buck Grunt. What’s yours?”

25. “Well,” he said, “My name’s Benedick Monty. By the way, you forgot to say where you come from. You see, I come from Veronaville, where I lived
with my brother and sister. Oh, and I came to this road trip because I was just touring around SimNation. Tell me yours.”

26. “Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention those two. Anyway, here goes nothing. Well, I come from Strangetown, where I live with my father and two
brothers, and I come to this road trip because I’m sick and tired of a frugal lifestyle back at home that I just want to go somewhere to escape all
of it.”
For a half second, I pondered whether or not to tell Benedick about what Jill told me about this place. But at the same time, she had no proof to
back it up, or reasonable ones to me, I think. So I wasn’t sure if I should believe her or not. I guess I should give it a chance, then. “By the way,
one thing I want to tell you is that the blonde girl Jill told me about something wrong about this house. My main worry is that she didn’t have
any strong proof to back it up, so I don’t know if I should trust her or not.”

27. “You know,” he replied in a confused manner, “Jill told me that there’s something wrong with this place as well. She didn’t use any proof to back
up her point, apart from the piano sound, but I think it’s more of the person’s lack of talent rather than the general piano itself.”
“Well, I guess you might be right on that. I just want to keep my suspicions up at the moment to see what’s going on, if you get what I mean.”

28. That chat with Benedick was quite interesting to some extent, but as I washed our plates, I began to wonder if there is anything peculiar about
this place. I need more proof and reason to find out about this place, but how?

29. But as soon as I exited the restroom, I began hearing that dreaded piano music again. I held my mouth to prevent myself from insulting the
person playing the piano. At the same time, the person next to me shouted to him in a vain attempt to tell him to stop. However, I found out that
I could try watching and listening to him carefully and closely to see if he was playing well or not.

30. I focused my eyes on his fingers to see if he was off-key or not, but the sound of other people telling him to stop and the music of the piano itself
frustrated my efforts. From what I’ve seen so far, the man was playing the piano well, albeit slowly. Perhaps Jill was right about the house, but
why did she have to apply it to the entire place rather than just focusing on the piano itself?

31. I tried finding other clues around the house, and I started with the fiery room. Looking at the decorations around the room, I could spot a small
image possibly drawn by a young child, which stands in stark contrast to the other decorations in this room, which were mostly posters except
for a painting of a woman in a red background. That looks weird to me because this room contains three single beds but no crib, and the walls
themselves don’t look like the kind for little kids to sleep in. Maybe the picture was drawn a long time ago, and the previous inhabitants never
hesitated to take it down from the wall. But still, it looks very silly to put that kind of picture on the wall.
All of a sudden, I heard the door behind me opening. Now who could that be?

32. As I turned around, I spotted a young teenage girl approaching me. How strange. After all, how could she venture here without getting harmed
on her way? What would her parents think?
Once she was finally right in front of me, she began speaking in a confused tone. “Er, sir, do you happen to know why would there be a house in
the middle of a future golf course like this?”
Golf course? This place is going to be a golf course? How could this be? “Look,” I answered, “I have no idea as well, but I want to ask you
something. Why would a girl like you have the audacity to venture out here? Would your parents be worried about you?”
“Hey! You aren’t my dad, so you don’t get to give me orders!”
Afterwards, she went out of the room. What a waste of time!

33. It was nighttime, and I needed a refreshing bath to make myself clean after all that worrisome, stressful events during the morning.
Unfortunately, the bathroom was overcrowded with people as I went inside. Maybe I should wait for a few more minutes, then.

34. I finally got the chance to take a bath, but I felt hungry afterwards. Even worse, all the beds were occupied, and sleeping on the sofa was
impossible due to the piano being played again. I had lost count on how many times I heard that awful music being played.
At that moment, however, maybe the only way to remedy my situation was to cook a nice meal of mac and cheese.

35. No! I burnt my mac and cheese! My midnight meal was ruined, and it was all because of my lack of culinary skills!

36. The taste of the burnt mac and cheese turned out to be crunchy and bitter, but it was satisfying nonetheless. Oh, well. At least it was edible to
some extent, wasn’t it? On the bright side, I didn’t burn the house down.

37. After that midnight meal, I spotted that girl again riding on the giant sphere. This can’t be good at all. It was midnight, and she should be home
by now, but there she was with no apparent desire to go home.

38. As soon as the sphere was activated, I quickly covered my ears to brace myself from the loud hum as it was being played. Now, I know that the
piano could be blamed, but the dance sphere itself could also be guilty of extremely loud noise.

39. To escape from those deafening noise, maybe a game of chess would help me. Apparently, Darleen was practicing chess throughout the night, so
maybe I should join her so that she can get some company.
“Mind if I join?” I pulled the other chair backwards to sit on it.
“Sure,” she said. Now the game is on.

40. The first few moves were a piece of cake. Here’s hoping that I could outmaneuver Darleen and win this game.

41. So, she got rid of one of my rooks, eh? What a challenge. She was quite good at chess after all. I might need another tactic, then.

42. After some time, I felt very sleepy even if we weren’t even done with our game. I guess we had to cancel the game immediately.
“You know,” I lifted up my head when it nearly fell on the chess set. “I’m getting tired. Do you mind if we cancel our game?”
“Sure,” Darleen stood up from her seat. “I’m also tired as well, so I won’t mind if we have to cancel our game.”

43. Afterwards, I also stood up from my seat and pushed it forward again. By then, I started to wonder why these chairs were meant for weddings.

44. Well, even though I felt sleepy and tired, playing chess did help me find something entertaining to do when there was no place to sleep. But
since I was done playing chess, I needed a break, and I had to use the restroom.

45. But first, I needed to kick this guy out for privacy reasons. I was getting a bit impatient, and I certainly refuse to spoil this suit with bad smell.

46. Even using the restroom didn’t relieve my energy at all. Maybe drinking some coffee would help me.

47. As I walked out of the restroom, I noticed Coral walking towards the kitchen now that she stopped playing the piano. It was about time. Gosh,
playing the piano in the middle of the night would prevent any of us from having a good night’s sleep when all beds were taken.

48. Heh, I was really fortunate that I followed Coral into the kitchen because not only was there a coffee machine, but she drank a cup of coffee,
which was a sure sign that there was coffee. Awesome! A cup should energize me for a while before I end up asleep.

49. Finally, there was no noise at all in the living room, not even from the blasted piano. All I did was to lounge on the sofa and think for a while.
What kind of house uses wedding chairs for everyday use? Wouldn’t that be too inappropriate? Sounds like there should be an investigation of
this place.

50. Before I could ponder more on that, I started feeling so sleepy that I could just sleep on this comfortable sofa. Maybe I should think about those
chairs at some other time.
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51. When I woke up rather suddenly, I heard a familiar noise. Obviously, that had to come from the piano, which I loved to hate ever since I came
here. Man, I should really find a quieter place to sleep.

52. As I stood up from the sofa and opened my eyes. I can’t believe what I saw, especially regarding who was playing the piano. I mean, it was so
unbelievable that I felt speechless about it.

53. It turned out that Jill was playing it, or was it someone else .But because of the long blonde hair, I figured out that it was her nonetheless. That
was too bizarre for me to look at, seriously.

54. Whatever that was, I still couldn’t stand the horrible sound of the piano that I better find a quiet place to sleep. Fortunately, this room I had
entered had a double bed, but it wasn’t made, so I was assuming someone else slept on it before. But sleep was more important, and I didn’t
care who slept on it. The point was to find a suitable bed to sleep on.

55. Once I took off my clothes and put them under the bed, I immediately hopped onto bed. May my sleep be a good night’s sleep even if it was
already extremely late.
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56. That sleep was definitely worth the time. I felt very energized as a result, even if it was shining very brightly from the window I better get
something to eat first thing after I woke up.

57. Since there was no food on the counters when I woke up, I had to make them myself. Making some lunch meat sandwiches would do for the
moment. That fiasco involving the burnt mac and cheese was literally enough for me to reconsider cooking food with the stove.

58. I took one sandwich I made and ate it. Well, glad it satisfied my hunger even if it tasted bland. But at least making simple sandwiches like that is
much simpler than cooking food, which could risk burning this place down.

59. As tedious as it was, washing the dish after eating was a necessary thing for me to do. Except that in this case, dad wasn’t around to tell me or
my brothers to do it.

60. Another ride on the sphere is definitely a fun break from all that stress-inducing stuff going on around the house. This is a really awesome
contraption. I really recommend dad, Tank, and Ripp to buy this for the fun of it.

61. Alas, all things have to come to an end, including that ride on the sphere. Being in this house with only my underwear is quite embarrassing, and
I needed a bath to become clean.

62. That was quite a nice bath I had, but I needed to eat or I’ll starve to death in this house. Thank goodness the sandwiches I made were still there. I
shall grab one and eat it well.

63. After eating the sandwich, I went to the living room, where Benedick was arguing with Coral about fun or something like that. Sounds like the
time for me to intervene. Let’s see how it goes.
After the tirade ended, Benedick turned around to face me with a confused look on his face.
“What’s the matter?” he asked me.
Well, I guess it was time for me to speak up. “I think you should chill out when someone is just trying to have some fun. It wasn’t like Coral’s
trying to harm you or anything. She just wants to cheer you up, that’s all.”

64. Right after I finished what I said to him, he started to flinch with an angry look on his face. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Like she wants to have fun with
me? She’s old enough to notice that I just got done with my conversation with Jill! She could’ve just waited for me and asked me. That was so
irritating of her!”
“Look, I know you got tickled right after you just got done with a conversation, but isn’t it a bit too harsh to snarl at that person? You could’ve
done better than that.” Right after I said those words, Benedick stomped towards the fiery room grumbling angrily about what I said. That guy
should really chill out. That was just a joke, and there was no harm done.

65. I should talk to Coral regarding the events just now. After all, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t ask her for her point of view.
“Hey,” I said, “Why did you tickle Benedick in the first place? Don’t worry about me. I just want your opinion about it.”

66. “I think it was just me trying to show my sense of humor, which I hadn’t showed to anyone else in this house,” she waved her hands in a possible
attempt to prove her point, I think. “I guess it wasn’t as successful as I thought it were. Oh, well. I should really pay attention to other people
next time.”

67. Good thing my conversation with Coral went well. I may not approve of what she did to Benedick this afternoon, but at least she just wanted
some fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Drinking some juice from the fridge should calm me down for now.

68. That juice was so tasty and refreshing that it cleared away my anxieties for the time being. However, I needed to go back to the living room to
see what everyone else were up to, assuming some people were still awake at this time.
For some reason, Darleen looked very fussy when lounging on the couch. I wonder what happened to her mood.

69. She suddenly stood up and held her stomach very tightly while her head moved dizzily. And then she held her mouth as if she nearly threw up.
Was she sick? If so, she shouldn’t be up at this time. She should be asleep instead. Maybe I should talk to her and tell her to get some rest.

70. I know I’m no doctor, but my family has always emphasized taking care of one’s body through proper food, exercise, and rest. Well, here’s hoping
that my advice could help.
“I think you should rest on a bed and sleep if you want to recover as quickly as possible,” I told her. “It’s not good for a sick person like you to be
out at night. Your condition will probably get worse.”

71. After telling to go rest on a bed, I felt rather full of energy. I had to pump out my energy somehow, so a ride on the sphere should do the trick.
Man, that was a fun ride to me! I should spend my free time riding the sphere as an alternative to the stinking piano.

72. This time, however, the ride didn’t end pleasantly because the sphere shook so violently that I lost my grip on the handle. Even worse, I got flung
out of the sphere itself. What a humiliating experience! I should better be careful next time.

73. Perhaps a nice, warm bath would ease the pain I felt when I got flung from the sphere. But when I first stepped into the bathroom, I noticed both
Hal and Coral in there. Maybe I should talk to Coral, as she was the closest to me when I entered the bathroom.
Unfortunately, I was met with a moment of awkward silence as we both stared at each other without saying a word. Well, that meant that I had
to break it myself. But what should I talk about?
I suddenly had an idea on what to talk about. Here’s hoping that it worked.
“Have you tried the giant sphere in the living room?” I said after clearing my throat. “It’s fun to ride in it, but you better be careful because that
thing can shake violently and throw you out of the sphere.”
“That giant sphere in the living room? Certainly not. It looks too dangerous for me to ride, given my age.”

74. Old? She looked young. How could she say that she was old?
“You don’t look that old to me,” I exclaimed. “You still have the vigor, I think. Try it sometime and tell me about it.”

75. “I may have some vigor, but you don’t know that I’m actually an old lady who had become young again,” she pointed her finger upwards to make
a point. “Whatever happened to me that caused me to become young again, it should probably stay a secret.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say that it’s too embarrassing for me to tell. You’ll freak out, for sure.”
Sounds like I have to investigate this, shall we?

76. Okay, I had to focus on the main reason I entered this bathroom. I should just shoo these people out because it would be too awkward for me to
take a bath with some people watching me.

77. At long last, I can finally take a refreshing bath. Here’s hoping there won’t be any creepy stalkers watching me as I bathe.

78. Once I finished my bath, I immediately took off my clothes, put them under the bed, and hopped onto it to sleep. I couldn’t wait to see what it
would be like once I wake up.
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79. That was quite a sleep I had. It looked like I woke up late in the morning as evidenced by how bright the sun was shining outside. All I needed
was a nice breakfast to satisfy my grumbling stomach.

80. There was some cereal at the counter, and I grabbed a bowl to eat it. Despite how mundane it is, cereal is very satisfying to my body, so I should
be thankful to whoever made it in the first place.

81. I bet it wouldn’t hurt if I ride on the sphere after breakfast. This thing is super addicting, isn’t it?

82. As addicting as it is, the sphere eventually shook so hard that I ended up throwing up. I should better use it with caution next time.

83. On the bright side, I felt fit after using the contraption. Maybe the sphere was designed for fitness, after all. How nice! I should tell this to my dad
and brothers if I ever get out of this place alive.

84. After reveling in my new body state, I grabbed a toaster pastry in the kitchen and set it down on the table to eat it. While I was eating, I saw
Coral eating a pastry as well. Maybe I should have a chat with her.
“Can you please tell me my you wouldn’t want to tell me how and why you’ve gone young?” I asked, hoping to get a response. “I promise I
wouldn’t laugh at it.”

85. Before I could finished my sentence, she immediately lifted up her head. From the looks of her face, she looked somewhat distraught. I
wondered if anything I said did have an impact to her.
“If I were you, I would keep my mouth shut rather than ask me about it,” she replied. “A secret is a secret. Period.”
Well, I guess there was no way I could find out about her by asking her directly. I guess I should find it out myself by sneaking around, shall I?

86. All this lack of action in this house was boring me to death. Yet there was literally nothing I could think of to alleviate the problem. What a
shame! If there were more useful items in the house, there would be more things to do, and that would prevent any of us from getting bored at
all. But what should I do in general? I can’t just lounge on the sofa forever.

87. To worsen my situation, that horrible piano music was a constant pain in my ears. It would be better if these people think twice before using the
piano.

88. As I got up from my seat, I talked to this strange guy in a fashionable hairstyle. Now who would this be?
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” I asked.
“I’m Joe Carr, and I just got here this afternoon after looking around the area. Say, do you happen to have anything to drink in here? I would love
it if there’s stuff here to drink.”
“The kitchen has coffee, juice, and Milkis if you want to quench your thirst and help your dry lips a bit.”
“Gee, thanks. I’ll check the kitchen later if I have the time.”

89. I guess riding the sphere should be something I should do at the moment. Getting fit is definitely one of its benefits, and I must reap it.
Hopefully, riding this sphere at certain points would strengthen my body even more.

90. I sincerely didn’t know how the violent shaking of the sphere had something to do with strengthening my body, but it sure hurts a lot. I must try
avoiding getting shaken and flung, but how?

91. Taking a bath treated any injuries I sustained from that incident. However, this bathtub needed a good scrubbing after being used countless
numbers of times. This thing might never get old because this was bound to happen.
Once I finished scrubbing the bathtub, I immediately heard the sound of some footsteps and the door opening. Could it be a stranger?

92. I took a step backward and closed my eyes as I readied my fist to punch at the suspecting target. I just couldn’t bear to see who that was. But
after I gave the suspect a blow, I opened my eyes slowly to see who just came into the bathroom.

93. Wow! Totally unexpected! I didn’t know it was Coral who came in here, and I immediately felt a bit embarrassed at what I did to her. I better
avoid doing that again.

94. Once she opened her eyes, she frowned at me and yelled, “Watch it!” I trembled a bit upon hearing and seeing this.

95. But I can’t keep my guard down even if that was an accident. Those words may be offensive to me, but I won’t back down. I would, however, try
to be more careful next time.

96. Shortly afterwards, Coral chased me away from the bathroom. It wasn’t a problem for me since I didn’t want any more conflicts. And frankly, I
was planning to get out of the bathroom in the first place.

97. Ah, at least a nice can of Milkis from the counter relaxed my nerves a great deal. I could drink such refreshing beverages all night and still feel
thirsty. That would be a lovely treat.

98. Sadly, all good things must come to an end because I eventually finished the can, and there wasn’t much variety to go around. How about I play
the piano to see if there was anything wrong with it? As I played, everything seemed fine. In fact, I doubted that there was anything to worry
about with the piano. Of course I may be a beginner, but this was all part of the learning process.
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99. I had to stop playing when I found myself in urgent need of the restroom and sleep. I felt a bit bummed by this, but at least the piano was worth
the try, I think.

100. After using the restroom immediately, I hopped right to bed and slept. I couldn’t wait to see what’s next once I wake up.
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101. Somehow, that felt like a rather brief sleep. I know the sun was shining brightly when I woke up, but it was more of a calming one rather than a
blinding one, so I assumed I didn’t sleep for a very long time. Oh, well. Time for me to start the day, then.

102. Since there wasn’t any food on the counter, I had to make my own bowl of cereal from the fridge. At least this thing was satisfying to my stomach
even if I felt bored eating this kind of stuff for a few days.

103. Apparently, I was proven wrong about my automatic assumption of the cereal I ate because an hour or so later, I felt rather hungry again. Lucky
for me, there was a plate of freshly-made toaster pastries on the counter. Best grab one and eat it before it was too late.

104. If one assumed that my problems had gone away in the short run, then that person’s wrong. To explain it in more detail, Joe Carr came back to
this house, but instead of helping me, he laughed at me for no reason other than to ridicule me. What a jerk! I should stay away from him just so
that he could stop mocking me and my nose. To be honest, I don’t see anything wrong with my nose.

105. That incident with Joe was humiliating, and I was wearing only my underwear at that time. A bath would do.
Shortly after I was finished with my bath, I was startled at the sight of Benedick in the bathroom. I was assuming he wanted to use the bathtub.
“Excuse me,” he said. “Mind if I use the bathtub right now that you’re done?”
So he just wanted to ask, huh? He actually didn’t have to, considering the fact that we share this place together with other people. “Go right
ahead. Use it well, though.”
“Why, thank you.”

106. Several moments later, I walked to the living room to find Jill playing the piano. That was a pleasant surprise to me. I mean, not only was she
initially paranoid about it, but she played it well.
I ended up shrugging away that thought of any bizarre occurrences about this place, whether positive or not.

107. What I saw just now was bizarre enough for me to consider eating another sandwich for two reasons: fulfill my hunger and get my mind off of it.
Heh, Talking about killing two birds with one stone.

108. As I was eating my sandwich, I felt myself missing home. Oh, how I missed my dad despite his strictness! I also missed both Tank and Ripp even if
they often didn’t get along much. After all, Tank is as strict as dad and Ripp’s a goofball who rarely takes orders seriously.
Once I put my plate on the counter, I did what I hadn’t done in years as a result of my father’s upbringing: sobbing. Being stuck in the middle of
nowhere is definitely the life I certainly wouldn’t want to have due to my slight recklessness! How I wished Ripp would come and console me
because I know he’s a nice guy despite his sloth.

109. Now that I had stopped weeping alone, I had to check what was going on in the living room. To my surprise, I saw Coral using the giant sphere
despite her earlier hesitations. Things had gone really bizarre in here.

110. Now that she had finished spinning around the sphere, this should be an opportunity to talk to her.
“Hello again,” I remarked. “I didn’t expect you to use the sphere after what you said about being old.”
“I started using it yesterday, and I just couldn’t stop,” she crossed her arms. “In fact, I think you’re trying to find out more about how I became
young again, and I want to repeat this again: don’t. You really should just stop finding it out.”
How did she knew all that? She’s quite observant. Must be the conversation she had earlier. But I certainly am not giving it up. “What makes you
think that way, huh?”
“Look, I know you’ve been curious about me ever since that conversation yesterday, and I was careless about it. But I want to say it loud and
clear that it is none of your business.”

111. Upon hearing those words, I felt a bit miffed at them, so I quickly exclaimed, “Who says it doesn’t have to be your own business? We’re all
trapped in here and stuck for who knows how long, and you still bother with secrets?”
“What do you mean I still bother with secrets? Everyone has their own secrets, and I’m not the only one. Maybe you have your own secrets.”
My own secrets? I honestly doubt I have my own. All I wanted to think about was my desire to get rescued and probably go back home because I
think I’ve seen enough in here. “You know what, you’re wrong because I never act like I’m keeping secrets like you are.”

112. Afterwards, she flinched, probably at the sound of my words. Maybe it was the tone of my words, which I sincerely have to apologize for. That
seriously didn’t look good at all.
But suddenly, she opened her mouth. I was guessing she had something to say. “You know what? I’m done with this tirade. I need to eat real
quick, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, suit yourself, then.” At least it wasn’t something major. I might just wander around the living room for a while.

113. All that wandering around the room quickly bore me to death, as there was nothing interesting for me to do at that moment. Maybe I should just
eat a nice mac and cheese for supper. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any counter space left for me to prepare the meal. How outrageous! Must be
Coral’s fault for not freeing up some space around here. I guess I should make do without a supper, then.

114. At least a comfortable bed is as good as a supper. Thank goodness the bed felt nice and warm. Not to mention that it was great to sleep on a real
bed rather than lying on the floor. Off to bed, then.
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115. Man, that was quite a nice sleep I had despite the simplicity of the beds themselves. They really look like the ones at home, albeit more colorful.

116. The moment I thought of my bed back at home, I wept silently. Oh, how I really missed home despite its rugged interior! So far my stay in here
was fraught with so much chaos, which deeply contrasts with the order back at home even if dad is quite ultra-strict at times.

117. After I stopped crying, I walked into the restroom to use the toilet. As I entered it, however, I found both Mr. Simself and Benedick inside, but
they were talking to each other instead of taking turns to use the toilet. I wondered what they were both talking about.

118. Anyway, I didn’t hear them clearly, so I had no idea what they were talking about. Besides, I felt very ignored in here. Why didn’t they include me
into their conversation? Was it because they were conspiring against me? I knew I shouldn’t trust these people in the first place. Well, except for
Jill because I knew her already.

119. As the sun rose brightly, I could still see the two of them talking like there was no end to it. Not only that, but they seemed to treat me like I
didn’t even exist. What was going on with those two?

120. In the end, I could no longer contain the sorrow deep inside me. My feeling of loneliness couldn’t be alleviated any longer. I wished I was back in
Strangetown with my dad and brothers! I shouldn’t have went on this road trip of doom! And I felt pretty much lost and abandoned in this shack
with people I really couldn’t trust!

121. After a few minutes of drowning in my own sorrows, I felt a bit better. I went to the kitchen and smelled something nice. I bet breakfast was a
delicious treat.

122. It turned out that I was right. There was a plate of toaster pastries on the floor. I had to grab one and place it on the dining table to eat. Here’s
hoping breakfast would turn out as pleasant as I had expected.

123. I almost forgot to mention that Mr. Simself ate with me as well. However, I felt a bit uneasy because of that incident in the restroom. Not that he
was the main source of the problem. I mean, it was nice to have company. It’s just that I needed to let those thoughts die gradually, and privacy
was needed to achieve that.
Or maybe I should just apologize to him about that incident.

124. “Hey,” I said, “I’m sorry for the incident in the restroom, but I just felt so stressed out just now that I didn’t know what to do.”
“No need to apologize,” his voice sounded calm. “It’s just that you need to ask next time or wait whenever other people are busy.”
“But how am I supposed to tell? And what if the person I’m asking ends up yelling at me instead?”

125. “Look, can you just ask next time you have a problem? It’s pretty simple, and there’s no reason why you should be afraid.”
“I see,” That reminded me of what my dad always told me to say when it comes to confronting strangers. “Well, I hope you don’t mind if I wash
this plate.”
“Suit yourself. I have other matters to attend to.”

126. As I was carrying my plate to the restroom to be washed, a thought came to my mind. What if I go outside in the hopes that someone would
notice me? I mean, people tend to go outside in the hopes of getting rescued.

127. Maybe it wasn’t a wise thing to stay outside for several minutes. I mean, what would happen if I ended up starving to death due to the absence
of food outside? That sounds like a painful, agonizing death to me, and I felt unprepared for that.

128. Gah! That stupid attempt to get someone to rescue us from above was a total failure, and entering this house felt like being trapped in prison
once again! There’s no outside world that can give us a glimpse of hope at all. I was so pissed off that all I could do was to go Argh!

129. All of a sudden, I felt myself calming down for a while as I imagined myself looking towards the blue sky while hearing someone’s soothing voice.
“There, there,” the voice said. Wow! That made me feel good from the inside out!
As I opened my eyes, I was very pleased to see that it was Jill who calmed me down from all that tension deep inside me. In fact, I was thankful
that I didn’t know what to say at first, but I had to thank her for that. “Thank you so much for that!” I said.

130. As I entered the bathroom for a much-needed bath, I spotted Benedick standing in front of the bathtub all dressed up. My assumption was that
he had just finished taking a bath.

131. I initially wanted to tell him that I was here just to take a bath, but I realized I had something to say to him. This better work well.
“You know what?” I asked. “Mind if I talk to you about my plan to get us out of here someday? I swear it will be harmless.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he replied in a rather uninterested tone. “What is it that you want to talk about? I don’t have the time and patience to listen to
you.”
“Okay. Now here’s my plan. How about we go outside and try waiting for someone to rescue? We can take a break whenever we feel tired or
whatever.”

132. “So we’ll just wave our hands in the air and act like total nutcases?!” he yelled angrily in disagreement with me. “I don’t think so! This plan is
idiotic, so don’t try it out!”
Man, this guy needed to chill out. I just wanted to tell him about my rescue plan, and all he did was overreact like it was serious business. I better
calm him down or else tensions would only worsen. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I’m not trying to offend you or anything. I just want your opinion about
it, that’s all.”
“Well, you’re talking like an idiot every now and then. And you must be stinky by now. Have fun taking a bath while I go out to eat something!”

133. Geez, that guy was probably the rudest guy I had ever met in my entire life. Well, it was true that I needed a bath so badly, but did he ever felt
the need to make a big deal out of it? What a moron!
As I sat down on one of the dining chairs with the lady in black from the first day we got here, I felt a bit of an awkward silence setting in. It
would be nice to get to know her and all, since she looked stunning whenever she was wearing her black dress, but a situation like this would be
too awkward for me to approach her. In the meantime, I better get something to eat. I was starving.

134. Well, this sandwich was oddly tasty to me. Maybe it was because days of eating this for lunch made me appreciate its taste. Also, this was much
like what dad would serve to me and my brothers, except not as frugal, of course.

135. On my way to the restroom to wash my dish, I saw the black lady throwing up in front of the sphere. It seemed that she had a rather rough time
with that contraption. Only time would tell if she, or we in general, would be able to stick to that sphere in case it shakes violently.

136. Man, this felt way worse that I thought it would ever be! This entire situation was killing me from the inside out. On one hand, the house
provided much-needed shelter from the wilderness, but on the other hand, it had given me an ironic sense of insecurity as I felt more and more
like a prisoner in here, doomed to the same activities unless a ray of hope shows up. Here’s hoping staying outside for a while would help me
with this situation.
Half an hour later, I heard the voice of a familiar figure calling out to me.

137. I turned around and noticed Benedick right next to me. I wondered what he was doing out here despite his objection to my plan.
“What’s up?” he asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Things didn’t go according to plan?”
Thought he was the smart one, eh? Well, he was mostly wrong because that wasn’t the main reason why I was here. “That was part of the
reason. But the biggest reason I’m out here is because that house was starting to feel like a prison. I mean, look at all the routine we’ve been
doing for the past few days. Doesn’t it bother you?”

138. “Well, you might be right to some extent, but who knows if you might end up getting used to it to the point that you’ll end up enjoying it? That
could actually happen to all of us, you know.”
Hmmm… He sounded rather haughty to me. Maybe he just wanted to challenge the truth. He better tell the truth to me about his motives
during this circumstance. “Are you trying to get even with me?”
Upon hearing my question, he immediately stood still as if he was about to flinch. I had hit the mark this time.

139. Okay, this had gone too ridiculous. He had been standing there for several minutes with no response at all, and my patience was slowly
diminishing. I must tell him to hurry up because I couldn’t stand here forever.
“Hurry up,” I tried to make the tone of my voice as stern as possible. “I’m waiting for an answer.”
“Okay, okay,” he exclaimed all of a sudden. Took me long enough. “I really have to admit that I couldn’t stand to see myself feeling challenged by
what you said. I just wanted to make myself feel better by stating my opinions. Right now, I just realized that it won’t end up the way I wanted
to, and I just wanted to apologize right now.”
Now what should I say to this person? He talked so quickly that he was clearly in a hurry. Either he was sincerely apologizing to me, or he just
wanted to get out of this situation? I needed some time to think.

140. Before I could conclude what to do with Benedick, he suddenly spoke up. “Have you accepted my apology, then? If so, then I’m heading back to
the house.”
“But… but… I haven’t said a word yet about this whole issue.” Unfortunately, he walked back into the house before I could finish up my sentence.
Ugh! Anyway, back to the house, then.

141. Man, that guy was a total moron! I tried to say something, but he ended up cutting it off. Could he be a bit more patient? I certainly hoped so,
but I doubted that would happen in an instant.
As soon as I got inside, I heard the phone ringing. I wondered who could that be as I picked it up.
“Hello? Is someone there?” I asked. But before I could finish my question, I heard something very loud in my ears.

142. “Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, honeeeeeeey!” the other line shouted in a tone that immediately made me shudder slightly. This must be a miscall. What kind of
maniac would dare say such a thing?
“Look,” I replied as calmly as possible, “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe you’ve dialed the wrong number.”
For some reason, whoever was on the other line started to bawl like a baby. After the commotion was over, that person finally yelled at me on
the phone. “You must be a real meanie for pretending to be another person. Now I have a big boo-boo that only you must fix all by yourself!”
What on earth was that… moron talking about? “Whoever you are, cut this out. Go seek help or something.”
However, the only response I got was loud static. That was totally freaky. Maybe that freak cut the wire instead of hanging up the phone. I guess
it was time for me to hang up the phone.

143. As soon as I hung up, I felt something creeping behind my back. Must be a creepy stalker in the midst. I immediately felt motivated to turn
around and slap whoever was behind me. That person must pay for what he did to me.
Once I turned around, I quickly slapped the figure behind me while crying out loud, and it flinched. Awesome! A second later, I was shocked to
find out that said figure was none other than Hal, whom I haven’t talked to ever since the conversation upon arriving here. I never knew that
would happen! I better apologize to him. That was a misunderstanding.
“Eek!” I cried out loud. “I’m sorry for this incident! I didn’t know it was you passing by. Please forgive me!”
“Relax, buddy,” he said without a hint of anger in his voice. “I was just passing by, so no harm done.”

144. Wow! That was a relief. I was literally glad that guy was the forgiving type. As I sat down to watch TV, I noticed him going into the fiery room,
probably for reasons I would probably not want to know.

145. I guess I should just spend the rest of my time eating sandwiches and spinning around the sphere. It was definitely worth the wait until it was
very late at night.

146. Speaking of very late at night, I was felling so sleepy that I came to the conclusion that I should just sleep. Maybe sleeping on the double bed
with the lady in black wouldn’t hurt. At least she looks beautiful.
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147. Author’s Note: One of the things you might have
noticed is that some of the pictures you’ve seen in
this update have already been shown in the previous
one. This is intentional because as the characters
interact with one another, the same pictures might
show up in several parts. The main difference is the
point of view.

148. In case anyone is wondering, Buck is indeed the first person in the asylum to cry due to low aspiration. This pretty much shows that things are
starting to get very tense. It might affect the outcome in the end as well.
Thank you for reading, and Happy Simming!