Chapter 133

The second day of the Changsung Festival.

What a chaotic morning.

When I came to my senses, I found myself on top of Riviera on her bed.

Of course, don’t get the wrong idea…

I absolutely didn’t do anything inappropriate.

My rational fuse blew due to her excessive pranks, and I ended up wrestling her down without realizing it.

Anyway, it was an incredibly embarrassing situation, so I tried to get up quietly, but I felt I had to say something.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

“Sorry.”

Riviera apologized surprisingly easily, which caught me off guard.

“I thought it was a good opportunity.”

“Hey.”

Her follow-up comment made my blood pressure rise again.

So, she was just waiting for the chance to catch me off guard?

This won’t do. I need to get back at her.

Flick!

I flicked her forehead with my finger.

Given our position, it was quite convenient.

“Ow.”

Riviera groaned.

Her forehead quickly turned red.

Her pale skin made the redness even more noticeable.

“Pfft.”

I burst out laughing at the sight of her with a red mark in the middle of her forehead.

Riviera squinted her eyes at me.

“Not bad.”

“Heh, it’s nothing.”

“But an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

“Huh?”

Sensing something off, I tried to get up quickly, but it was too late.

Smack!

Our foreheads collided.

Riviera had headbutted me.

But…

Huh?

Why doesn’t it hurt much?

“Ow, ow.”

On the other hand, Riviera was wincing in pain.

Her eyes were welling up with tears.

“…You have a rock-hard head.”

Riviera shook her head in disbelief.

As she said, Max had an exceptionally hard head.

I found another advantage…

But why do I feel so bad about it?

Just then.

Thud, thud.

Footsteps echoed from outside.

Why is this place so poorly soundproofed?

“Shh.”

Riviera put a finger to her lips.

I instinctively fell silent at her gesture.

After the footsteps faded, Riviera spoke again.

“If we get caught, we’ll both face severe punishment.”

“Huh?”

Severe punishment?

Only then did I remember what Riviera had said about this being her room.

I quickly looked around.

The space was very familiar.

The layout was identical to my room in the common dormitory.

Indeed, this was where she stayed too…

Which meant this was the girls’ dormitory?!

“Whoa.”

My eyes widened in shock.

A chill ran down my spine.

I remembered one of the triggers for a bad ending: getting caught sneaking into the girls’ dormitory.

…If caught, it was game over.

I quietly got up and carefully placed my feet on the floor.

In hindsight, it was a godsend that my rational fuse blew due to Riviera’s prank.

Otherwise, I would have just walked out and likely gotten caught by someone.

Especially the dormitory staff on the first floor.

“…Why didn’t you just leave me to sleep on the street instead of bringing me here?”

I whispered in frustration.

“That wouldn’t be humane.”

“…”

I was at a loss for words.

…Why do you have to be so moralistic at times like this?

But there were other options.

You could have left me with the male dormitory staff or even handed me over to Allen.

Why bring me here?

Was it on purpose…?

Never mind.

It’s my fault for drinking until I passed out.

The Dew of the Crimson Flame is a fiery, potent liquor that goes straight to your core.

Not considering its strength was definitely my mistake.

“How did you manage to bring me here without getting caught?”

“It was tough.”

“I see… Thanks.”

“Want breakfast?”

“Breakfast?”

Suddenly, Riviera pulled out two cucumbers from somewhere.

Is breakfast just one cucumber…?

I chuckled in disbelief, but then remembered that cucumbers are good for hangovers.

They’re rich in vitamin C and minerals that help alleviate hangovers.

Still, why is she so frugal?

Her image as a ruthless named boss had already been shattered, but it seemed it would break even more.

“…Sure, give me one.”

I accepted her offer as a gesture of goodwill.

Riviera handed me a cucumber with her small hand.

I took it and bit into it immediately.

Crunch, crunch.

It was refreshing and nice.

Crunch, crunch.

Riviera also bit into her cucumber and ate it with relish.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but laugh.

An extra sharing cucumbers with a named boss in the girls’ dormitory.

Such a ridiculous scene couldn’t be replicated even in the game.

“What kind of relationship do we have?”

After finishing my cucumber, I unknowingly blurted out.

“A very, very, very complicated one.”

She added “very” to “very, very.”

What does that mean?

Does it mean our relationship has become more complicated?

Could it be that after going on a date, drinking together, and waking up in the same bed…?

Wow… it really has gotten more complicated.

“Y-Yeah, it has.”

I scratched the back of my head and continued.

“But I need to leave. How do I get out…?”

I had another appointment with Elaine in the morning.

I’m a busy person, you know.

“There.”

Riviera pointed somewhere.

It was the window.

“What? How high is this floor?”

“Seventh floor.”

“Do you want to cripple me?”

I looked at Riviera with disbelief.

It wasn’t a height one could just jump from, and even if I landed safely, the noise would be loud.

“I’ll help with magic.”

Riviera said as if it was no big deal.

Well, she was skilled at flight magic.

“Did you use it to get me up here too?”

“Correct.”

No wonder you didn’t get caught.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

I carefully opened the window.

I scanned the surroundings and fortunately, there was no one around.

“Okay, now…”

“Hey.”

Wham!

Riviera suddenly pushed me from behind.

I didn’t scream because I was too shocked.

I was falling headfirst.

Just before hitting the ground, my body floated gently.

– I pushed you to sober you up.

I heard her telepathic message.

Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack.

Trying to sober me up twice could kill someone, you know?

Her mental state is truly a mystery.

Still, I generously waved my hand at her.

After all, she did help me in various ways after I passed out.

Riviera waved back.

But to others, this probably looked like a romantic gesture between lovers…?

I chuckled and quickly left the area.

* * *

“Could it be again…?”

“No way.”

“No matter how much, that doesn’t make sense.”

The male students felt a sense of dread as soon as they saw the beautiful girl sitting alone on the bench.

Was this the effect of learning?

Still, they were more in denial because, no matter how you look at it, a third time would be impossible.

Max Celtrine wasn’t the only male student in the academy. It didn’t make sense for him to monopolize all the appointments with beautiful girls waiting alone.

It was just too far-fetched.

On the other hand, Rick and Jack watched the situation with hearts pounding for a different reason.

No matter what anyone said, Max was their idol and goal.

He was the true winner in their eyes.

So now, they were openly hopeful.

How much time passed?

Someone appeared.

And it was Max Celtrine.

“Oh no?!”

“It’s him again?!”

“Dear God! This can’t be happening!”

The male students cried out in despair.

“See, I told you, Jack! He’s the winner!”

“Damn, I believed in him, Rick!”

The boys cheered, thrilled that their idol had not let them down.

And so, the second day of the festival began with a commotion in one corner.

* * *

After a dark sitcom, a healing story is perfect.

Seeing Elaine brought peace to my mind.

It’s so refreshing to see a normal person!

Dealing with abnormal people is truly exhausting, as I realized once again.

I approached Elaine, who was sitting on a bench.

…Come to think of it, all the girls arrive first and wait for me?

Am I more arrogant than I thought?

Making beautiful girls wait for me…

But I didn’t break any promises.

They just arrived early.

“Sorry, did you wait long?”

“No, I just got here too.”

Her simple outfit.

It was the same as usual, which was reassuring.

Thinking about Riviera, who showed up in new clothes for a date, still makes my head spin.

By the way.

‘I feel those stares again.’

It was something I’d been experiencing continuously since being with Hiresia.

Monopolizing time with a beautiful girl inevitably drew the jealousy of other men.

At least compared to Hiresia, Riviera and Elaine were a bit better.

Their styles didn’t attract as much male attention.

Elaine was undoubtedly beautiful, but her simple attire and lack of grooming skills played a part.

Still, quite a few men were watching us.

Heh.

I deliberately smiled provocatively at them.

I could feel them seething.

Be as jealous as you want.

I’ll just enjoy it.

Exuding the confidence of a winner, I spoke.

“Shall we go?”

“Sure.”

And so, we started walking.

* * *

A dessert shop set up for the festival.

I brought Elaine there.

I knew she liked refreshing and cool desserts.

…She rarely got to eat them because she couldn’t afford them.

So, I needed to earn some points by buying her something she liked during this special meeting.

“It’s expensive.”

Elaine was shocked by the prices on the menu.

As expected of a heroine from a poor background.

I reassured her.

“It’s okay, I’ll pay.”

“No, that’s too much…”

“I was the one who asked for your time, so it’s a gesture of thanks. Don’t worry about it.”

“…”

Spending money frivolously wouldn’t sit well with her.

But this was reasonable.

It wasn’t overly expensive.

So, Elaine couldn’t refuse anymore.

“Hmm…”

After some thought, she chose a fruit tart.

A tart topped with fresh strawberries and kiwis.

It would suit her taste perfectly.

“I’ll have this.”

I chose a milk bingsu.

I needed to chew on some ice to clear my head from the hangover.

* * *

“It’s delicious…”

Elaine’s eyes widened in amazement.

It was the second time I’d seen her react like this, the first being when I treated her to the finest beef at our hideout.

Why does it tug at my heart to see her like this?

Is this the charm of a poor heroine…?

“Take your time and enjoy it.”

I smiled.

I hoped to spend the festival with Elaine peacefully like this.

Surely there wouldn’t be any unexpected situations like yesterday, right?

…Or so I thought, but why is the senior here?

My eyes wavered.

Hiresia, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, was approaching us.

“Oh, fancy meeting you here.”

The overly sweet voice sent a shiver down my spine, and I felt an impending sense of chaos.