episode_0004

“Oppa…”

Seeing Chris’s horrified expression, I realized just how shameful my actions had been.

A grown man begging a girl younger than him for food—even I found it disgusting.

Ah, I want to die of embarrassment.

Originally, I had planned to just act like I had no memories of the first playthrough, but when Chris approached, my trauma must’ve triggered on its own.

Back then, I thought I handled it pretty smoothly, but looking back now, with my rationality intact, I was a complete idiot.

This can’t go on.

I’ll have to keep facing Chris from now on, and if I keep acting like this, we won’t even be able to hold a proper conversation.

That said, I have zero intention of spending months—maybe even years—filming some heartwarming sibling reconciliation arc with her.

The Demon King awakens in three years! If I waste time like this, we’re all dead!

“Ugh…”

“Oppa…?”

Chris was still staring at me with a worried expression. She must’ve realized from our earlier exchange that I had no memories.

Right now, she’s probably racking her brain, desperately trying to figure out how to rebuild this ruined relationship.

In that case, my job is to slightly redirect her thoughts. I decided to give her a new goal.

With a look of genuine disgust, I spat out:

“Drop dead, you worthless trash.”

“Huh…?”

Maybe that was too harsh.

Chris’s eyes trembled in shock.

I hoped she’d pick up on the act, but judging by her expression, that was too much to expect.

Dumbfounded look… dumbfounded look…

I’m no acting prodigy, so switching expressions on the fly felt awkward, but I managed to revert to the same traumatized face from earlier.

It’s been a while since those childhood acting lessons came in handy. Even if I’m no professional, I’m confident in keeping a straight face.

“Uh… wh-what? Why would I say that? N-no! I didn’t mean it! I wasn’t thinking straight—I mean, I wasn’t thinking at all!”

After spewing a few more incoherent lines to sound normal, the suspicion in Chris’s eyes shifted into reluctant understanding.

“Haha… I see. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy to fix.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing, Oppa. I’ll have someone bring you food later, so rest well. We’ll… talk again tomorrow.”

Chris quietly left the room.

She must have a lot to think about.

“I’m saved…”

The moment I sensed Chris’s presence fade, I let out a sigh of relief.

Even though it was an act, my hunger was real, so the nonsense spilled out before I could even think.

I haven’t even stepped into the main scenario yet—the academy’s doorstep—and if I start off with penalties, I’ll be completely screwed.

[Grant True Happiness to All Main Heroines! 0/4 ->]

I clicked my tongue at the updated status screen.

The fact that the quest details had unlocked meant my deductions were correct.

If I ever meet the person who designed this quest, I’ll punch them square in the face.

[Grant True Happiness to All Main Heroines! 0/4 -> All four main heroines are destined to stand above all others. -> Talented individuals like them shouldn’t be shackled to an ordinary person like you for life, right? -> Give them their own happiness! Reward: Return Home Penalty: Greater Trials (0/4)]

What an infuriating quest window.

So helpful.

It’s a miracle it didn’t outright mock me. Every line feels like a sarcastic jab—it’s pissing me off.

Still, now I know the perfect clear conditions.

Make the hero party defeat the Demon King without accepting their confessions or apologies.

The furthest I can probably get with them is “good friends.”

Y’know, the kind where years later, they’d vaguely recall, “Oh, him? We just kinda knew each other.”

Of course, if I accidentally accept a confession, it’s game over.

“Fuck…”

Just the thought of spending the next three years suffering to drag the hero party to the Demon King already made my head throb.

And that’s not even counting the trials I’ll have to face along the way.

But then I reconsidered.

Maybe—just maybe—it’ll be easier than I think.

The current me and the main heroines have spent years fighting side by side.

Well, “fighting side by side” is generous—more like they made me taste nothing but bitterness. But let’s ignore the details.

The important thing is that they remember the information I painstakingly gathered while crawling through hell.

And unlike my first playthrough, where I floundered from the dissonance with the original story, I now know exactly how to handle these proud, high-maintenance ladies.

I’m different from the first playthrough. Different!

It’s a shame I won’t get to enjoy the heroines’ tearful, regretful confessions, but I’ll have to keep up the act of having no memories.

Survival comes first.

They wouldn’t be crazy enough to suddenly approach me—who supposedly remembers nothing—and apologize, right?

…Right?

Given what happened in the first playthrough, it wouldn’t even be surprising if they rushed into it.

Not that I’d mind an apology, but even a casual “Sorry” would leave a massive scar.

Don’t apologize!!!

“Hmm…”

I mentally ran through the heroines who might subject me to trials—in other words, those likely to ambush me with apologies.

Or confessions?

Sadly, I’m not handsome enough to make anyone fall for me at first sight.

If I confessed, the answer wouldn’t be “I love you too”—it’d be “Go back.”

I’m the certified plain-faced representative of our hero party.

Anyway, I already dealt with Chris, so she’s out… Princess Elia is also out. She’s the type to show rather than tell.

Our proud princess, who boldly declared “I will become Empress” the moment she was chosen as a hero.

That leaves Cecilia and Lu.

Cecilia should be fine—she’ll be recognized as the Saint by the world’s god within days of entering the academy.

From then on, as the Saint, she’ll spend more time at the church than the academy, so if I’m careful, I can avoid her.

Of course, I’ll still have to frequent the church for her growth, but at least I can control our meetings.

That leaves Lu as the dangerous one.

True to her hero title, she’s annoyingly righteous and probably feels the strongest guilt toward me.

By this second playthrough, she’s likely realized that even the holy sword she thought she chose had my help behind it. Plus, I threw the regression artifact at them before leaving…

If she doesn’t ambush me with a sudden “Thank you” the moment we meet, I’ll count it as a win.

Her physical and magical stats far surpass mine, making it hard to prepare for surprise gratitude or apologies.

“Ugh…”

I briefly considered sticking close to Chris to avoid this, but that’d be like fleeing a wolf only to enter a tiger’s den.

Plus, hiding behind my little sister like a coward… wasn’t an option.

Physically and mentally.

Thud thud—

A sound far from polite echoed as my door was roughly knocked, followed by the clatter of something being set down.

“Oh.”

Looks like my sister’s changed a bit.

After confirming the footsteps had faded, I quickly opened the door.

On the floor was a bowl of steaming soup—no, more like haphazardly scooped soup, sitting there pitifully.

Seriously, if you’re gonna bring food, at least include a spoon.

Seems Chris told someone to bring me food while she’s off making her own plans.

Otherwise, the meal wouldn’t be this sloppy.

After causing so much trouble for the household, I wanted to show I’ve changed, but this kind of treatment makes me want to act out.

Hmph! Eric is sulking!

Even as I grumbled to myself, my mouth was already watering.

To anyone else, it’d look like leftover slop dumped onto a plate, but to me, it was a feast.

In the first playthrough, I had to beg and put on a “I’m starving to death” act just to get a meal.

“Oh, there’s a decent amount of meat too.”

Back then, I was desperate enough to do things without caring how others saw me.

Each time, I’d promise, “If you feed me, I’ll never do it again.”

And yet, I kept causing trouble… Yeah, they had every right to hate me.

Looking back, it was just pointless arrogance. It’s not like I was the only one who knew how the world would end.

Now that I know my place, I’m content with a humble, peaceful life.

Let the heroines handle the Demon King and getting stronger.

I carefully tilted the soup bowl.

Slurp—

Yep. Cold.