Ch.154154. Drunken Truth

Alkine stared at Ludion, who was groaning after just one drink, and let out a small laugh.

He protects me in dangerous situations, and then stirs my protective instincts at times like this.

What a strange man. I can never tell if he’s strong or weak—he always confuses me.

But despite the confusion, one thing was clear.

[Favorability: 53/100]

I have feelings for him.

I’m not sure what a score of 53 means… but the warmth I feel whenever our eyes meet reminds me that it’s certainly not low.

And because of that, I was incredibly frustrated to learn that Lilith had surpassed me.

I like him so much, yet I’m in last place.

For someone who had always maintained top positions, this hit particularly hard.

That must be why I got a little too excited about going on a date with just the two of us.

Let me recall what happened earlier.

“It’s crowded. Oh, there’s an empty table over there.”

I came to the tavern with Ludion.

No, it would be more accurate to say that I dragged him here.

The bustling atmosphere—I don’t particularly like it.

To me, a drinking place is just a place with alcohol, nothing more.

But today… this noisy background helped.

Without it, the sound of my pounding heart would have been completely audible.

‘What was I thinking bringing him to a tavern?!’

It’s true that I was excited about going out after so long.

It’s true that I was thrilled when Ludion asked me on a date.

And it’s true that the combination made me desperately want a drink.

But once I actually brought Ludion to the tavern, I suddenly felt like I’d made a mistake.

Sure, he occasionally shows his dependable side. His tall stature and solid build do make me feel secure when he stands behind me.

But bringing an academy junior two years younger than me to a bar?

It was morally questionable.

“What would you like to drink?”

“…This one.”

While I was anxiously fretting, Ludion calmly placed his order, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.

His composure was somewhat reassuring. I wondered why he seemed so familiar with this setting, but then again, he always seemed that way, so it wasn’t particularly strange.

Things got better after the alcohol arrived.

As the pleasant warmth spread through my body, my mind became clearer.

Everyone else seems to lose their senses when drinking, which I’ve always found strange.

For me, alcohol actually sharpens my mind.

One glass. Two glasses. Three glasses.

After finishing the three newly ordered drinks, I began to notice something.

Ludion… wasn’t showing any particular emotion toward me.

His gaze on me contained no heat. He was just curiously watching me drink.

In reality, he was desperately suppressing his feelings to avoid making any mistakes, but unfortunately, to Alkine, it only looked like his feelings for her were cooling.

That’s why I made up my mind to do something.

“Ludion. Am I not an attractive person?”

So Alkine asked that question, even though she already knew how Ludion would answer.

“If Senior Alkine were looking for a husband, there’d be a line stretching from the academy all the way here.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Then why are you like this?”

As expected, he tried to dodge with a vague answer. So I pressed him, not letting him escape.

He’s weak against being cornered. Or more precisely… he’s weak when someone he considers his own does it.

Perhaps because I knew this, I felt reassured seeing him flustered, trying to find the right words. It confirmed that I was still one of his people.

If that’s the case, I could wait a little longer.

Ludion spent a long time pondering how to answer the question. But it wasn’t a problem.

Watching him seriously contemplate wasn’t something I’d tire of.

If even the way he gulps down his drink when his throat is dry looks handsome to me, am I being too silly?

Whatever the case, I enjoyed being with him like this. Everything would be perfect if Ludion just gave a good answer.

But then…

“Ugh.”

Something seemed off about Ludion’s condition.

His face turned red, and his pupils dilated slightly. His body swayed a bit even though he was sitting still.

Is he… drunk?

“That’s impossible.”

Drunk after just one glass? And it was the weakest drink available!

And that brings us to the present. I can’t help but laugh at the sight of Ludion groaning in his drunken state.

But it wasn’t just amusing. I had been hoping for a serious conversation, and it had fallen apart so quickly.

Taking care of the drunk Ludion was the priority now.

“Ludion, are you okay?”

“Ugh. I don’t think I am.”

It felt so unfair.

Here I was, nervous and trying my best to make something happen, while he couldn’t even give a proper answer before getting drunk.

Just as I was about to feel upset from the injustice, Ludion suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.

Instinctively relaxing into his pull, I found myself leaning forward, face-to-face with him at close proximity.

“Huff.”

His breath touched my face, and surprisingly, it smelled clean for someone drunk.

Of course it would—how much alcohol smell could someone have after just one drink?

No, that’s not what’s important right now. Why suddenly…?

As Alkine’s pupils trembled in confusion from the sudden closeness, Ludion spoke urgently.

“Before I lose my senses, I need to tell you quickly. Senior Alkine, I’m really sorry. It’s because I’m a coward. It’s absolutely not that I find you burdensome or dislike you. I just can’t bring myself to approach you first. That’s why.”

Judging by how he’s talking, he seems to have already lost his senses. But that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“…So if I approach you first, you’ll accept everything? Like you do with Celia?”

“Celia… please be patient about that…”

“…I’ll admit it. Even I can’t go that far.”

Come to think of it, Celia had been clinging to him so much lately that strange rumors were circulating.

I said that in the heat of the moment, but I wasn’t thick-skinned enough to go that far.

Still… there was one thing I wanted to demand right now.

“Then, Ludion.”

“Yes?”

“From now on, speak casually with me. Be… more familiar with me.”

The title of “senior” and the formal speech pattern were creating distance between us. I wanted him to stop that.

When had it started? When he began glancing at me whenever he spoke in group settings.

While I appreciated the glances, knowing they came from him being conscious of me meant I couldn’t be completely happy about it.

So I wanted him to speak comfortably with me now.

That was the wish I conveyed.

“Should I? Well, it was a bit uncomfortable. Right?”

“Oh, yes. Huh?”

“What? You told me to speak casually.”

“No, yes. That’s right, but… um…”

I was surprised by how easily he accepted it.

Of course, I expected him to eventually agree, but knowing Ludion, I thought he would at least be flustered and hesitate for a moment.

…Could it be because he’s drunk?

To confirm this, Alkine decided to ask a slightly bolder question.

“Ludion.”

“Yeah?”

“If you don’t dislike me, can I interpret that as you liking me?”

“That’s right.”

Oh my goodness. He said it’s right.

He said it’s right! Ludion did!

He said he likes me!

I felt like running outside and shouting at the top of my lungs, but I couldn’t miss this opportunity.

There was still more I wanted to ask.

Alkine’s lips quivered for a long time as she looked at Ludion, before finally asking.

“What… what do you like about me?”

I don’t think it’s cowardly to ask a drunk person.

This might sound like self-justification, but after all, it was Ludion who hadn’t properly revealed his feelings and made me frustrated all this time.

Ludion didn’t answer immediately. He seemed to be giving it serious thought.

The sight of him contemplating with such a visibly intoxicated appearance gave off a different kind of decadent charm than usual, making me feel strangely tense.

After a long while, Ludion finally spoke.

“There’s a lot to like. The fact that despite your skills, you stay at the academy and diligently fulfill your role as student council president—some might call it foolish, but I honestly find it admirable. And how you’re not naturally good at studying, so you work hard in that area. And how you actually have a girlish sensitivity but pretend to be strong in front of others—the more I see it, the cuter it seems…”

“Wait…”

He suddenly started stirring up my painful dark history… no, since it’s ongoing, it’s not history yet. Anyway, I instinctively tried to stop him, but his next words left me speechless.

“Above all, you’re beautiful.”

“…What?”

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m still a man after all. I like beautiful women…”

The fact that I’m considered beautiful—I’ve known that much.

From childhood until now, I’ve received compliments about my appearance quite often.

So at some point, I became numb to such praise. I started taking it as a given.

But now.

What? He thinks I’m pretty?

Huh. Well. Ludion. I didn’t see you that way.

So Ludion is a man after all. In the end, he’s just a man.

Heh. Hehe. Really now.

[Favorability has increased by 1.]

Be quiet. Read the room. Can’t you see I’m trying to manage my expression right now?

No matter how much I tried to pretend otherwise, I couldn’t hide how pleased I felt.

Without even realizing she was more excited than usual, Alkine continued talking with Ludion about herself for quite some time.

We looked back on everything from when we first met until now, and I was surprised to find that he remembered each detail.

No, really. I had no idea he would remember such trivial things.

Honestly, I don’t know what to say knowing that he’s been watching me so closely.

[Favorability has increased by 1.]

But happiness is happiness, so my favorability naturally increased once more.

With this, I’m tied with Lilith… it’s not a competition, but I can’t help thinking about these things.

I wonder what would happen if I liked him even more. As I was thinking about this… Ludion suddenly said something unexpected.

“But really. Sometimes I wonder what you’re thinking when you act that way toward me. What’s so great about me?”

He remembers everything we’ve done together, but can’t remember what he’s done himself?

It was absurd, but something in what he said sparked an idea.

‘He wonders what I’m thinking?’

Then he should read my thoughts.

Of course, it was nonsensical by common sense standards, but Ludion had a magical tool that defied common sense.

Once that thought occurred to me, I found myself wanting Ludion to read my thoughts with it.

With that, he might discover my feelings that I couldn’t reveal because I was overshadowed by Celia.

Once the idea formed, all that was left was to act on it.

Ludion, who seemed to be regaining his senses, tried to resist, but having come this far, I couldn’t back down and pressed him strongly.

In the end, Ludion agreed to wear the ring, and that was it.

The two returned to the inn.

Though it ended up being just drinking and going back rather than a proper date, Alkine wore a more satisfied expression than ever before.