Chapter 141

Regina’s sudden visit.

It wasn’t in my memory.

She had been sitting alone by the window, quiet and with a heavy atmosphere.

It seemed her words from the opening ceremony, “As a student myself, I’ll enjoy it with you all,” weren’t just empty words.

‘It seems history has changed, as she was upset throughout the ball because she was rejected by Max.’

I immediately understood the reason for the change in her behavior.

The problem was.

‘She’s still being a bit…’

The words Regina had said before the ball.

Things like, “He has a free spirit,” or “He smells like women’s perfume,” were never positive.

It was a serious matter, going beyond a strained relationship and potentially leading to something worse.

It was my fault, so I couldn’t say anything.

That’s why I couldn’t help but feel awkward dealing with her now.

“President Regina…”

Diana seemed flustered too.

It must have been unexpected.

“Would it be alright if I joined you for a while?”

Regina said.

“Of course, of course! President, please, make yourself comfortable!”

Amy exclaimed.

Regina sat next to me.

I was suddenly caught between two beauties.

This should be a happy situation that would make others jealous, but why do I feel so uncomfortable…?

Is this karma?

“Welcome. You must have worked hard preparing for the festival.”

Still, I tried to act as if nothing was wrong.

It didn’t seem right to be too conscious of her in front of everyone.

“Hmph, I was just doing my job. It was rewarding, though.”

Regina replied nonchalantly.

It was true that it was difficult to guess her emotions, as she was always calm and collected.

“I see.”

A moment of silence.

…Everyone, please say something.

Why are we just staring at each other awkwardly?

“It’s nice to see.”

Regina took a sip of her drink and spoke again.

“Hm?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you mingle with someone at the ball.”

She didn’t seem to include Max’s gang of thugs in that “someone.”

It was obvious that Max would have hung out with his gang even at the ball.

So, she meant that this was the first time she had seen him with a “normal person.”

It was good that she was looking at it positively…

“Oh, mingle? President, that’s… ”

Amy waved her hands dismissively.

She seemed to dislike me so much that she immediately contradicted Regina.

I chuckled.

“I know. You don’t like him. He’s my fiancé.”

Regina threw a straight ball.

“Huh? Th-That’s…”

Amy froze, her face flustered.

I could see how awkward the situation was.

It would have been fine if she could just roast me as usual, but she couldn’t say that in front of Regina, who was the other party involved.

I didn’t have any ill feelings towards Amy, so I decided to help her out.

“No, Regina. There’s no need to say that… It’s understandable from Senior Amy’s perspective. I understand.”

Amy blinked in surprise, as if my intervention was unexpected.

“You understand. In what way?”

Regina asked with eyes that seemed shrouded in mist.

“If you admire a senior, and her fiancé is a complete mess with no class, you’d naturally dislike him, wouldn’t you?”

Amy’s expression turned surprised again at my self-deprecation.

The original Max was arrogant, but he wouldn’t have said something like that.

But this wasn’t self-deprecation.

It was a cold acceptance of reality.

Even now, after growing a lot, I wasn’t a match for Regina.

Anyone could see that.

“You think that from your perspective?”

“Yes.”

“Is that so?”

Regina’s gaze turned to Amy.

“Yes…?”

“What about you, Amy? What’s your perspective on that?”

“Hmm… I-I won’t deny it.”

Amy hesitated before admitting it.

She couldn’t deny it in this atmosphere.

“Then, that’s settled. At least we know each other’s thoughts to some extent.”

Tap.

Regina set down her glass.

“Can I say something as the person caught in the middle?”

“…Of course, President!”

“Go ahead.”

Amy and I replied.

Regina’s gaze, as if looking at something far away, rested on the empty space between Amy and me.

“Honestly, I hoped you two wouldn’t get involved. I was certain that you two were completely incompatible in many ways. It would be harmful, you know.”

A sincere confession.

It was a completely understandable statement.

The original Max and Amy were so incompatible that it was an understatement to say they were opposites.

One was normal, and the other was trash.

The final part about it being harmful must have been her concern for Amy.

I had sensed from our first meeting that she had essentially given up on Max.

“President…”

Amy seemed touched by Regina’s honest feelings.

…But I have a feeling it’s better to hear the rest of what she has to say.

Regina’s lips opened again.

“But I’ve changed my mind.”

“Yes, yes…?”

I told you so.

“I hope you two get along. You might be incompatible, but I think you can learn from each other’s strengths and grow into a constructive relationship. Of course, it’s just my wish. I can’t force it on you two… but.”

Regina’s gaze, which had been fixed on the empty space, looked at me and Amy once each.

“I’m going to leave soon, and it would be a bit bitter if you two kept bickering because of me.”

Her words clearly conveyed her emotions, something unusual for her.

A feeling of emptiness, like falling autumn leaves.

‘…It’s intentional. 100% intentional.’

I was certain.

Regina wouldn’t just blurt out her emotions like that.

I could guess her intention.

Emotions and words she revealed for everyone to hear.

“Sniff… President… you’re leaving soon… where are you going… why are you saying such sad things…”

It worked perfectly.

Amy was in tears.

Hearing her beloved senior talk about a goodbye she wasn’t ready for, her emotions burst out.

“When there’s a meeting, there’s naturally a goodbye. Don’t cry.”

Regina reached out and patted Amy’s shoulder, comforting her.

“Sniff… sniff… but it’s so sad…”

Amy was practically sobbing.

It was a scene that showed their relationship well.

It was a touching scene, but I felt warmth in it.

Such a close relationship between seniors and juniors was rare in this game.

They were like sisters, even though they were just acquaintances.

Having a relationship where you can truly trust and rely on someone in this cruel game is a blessing.

…I wonder how many people I can build such relationships with.

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“Stop crying. You’re ruining your makeup.”

Regina took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped Amy’s face.

“Sniff… it’s okay… I’m just sad…”

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t understand your feelings properly.”

Regina patted Amy’s back.

“I was just expressing my wishes and feelings, but I didn’t know it would make you so sad.”

“Sniff… sniff… Oh, okay… I’ll do as you say, President… so please, don’t say such s-sad things… again…”

Amy said through tears.

It had gone exactly as Regina intended.

She had set the stage so well that I had no choice but to play along.

“I’ll try my best too. I don’t actually have any ill feelings towards her.”

The atmosphere suddenly became warm.

Regina is no ordinary person.

She managed to get us here in one go.

“Okay, okay. The reconciliation of the bickering seniors, what a beautiful scene.”

Diana smiled and clapped.

“H-Ha… haha… Y-Yeah…”

Allen awkwardly agreed.

“Well, let’s forget about all that and have a drink.”

Diana said, trying to lighten the mood.

And so, the second drinking session, with Regina added, began.

* * *

“Well, I’m off. Keep having fun.”

Regina stood up.

She was the student council president, so she must have been busy.

She probably had to visit many other tables.

In the end, I couldn’t ask her about the true meaning of her words before the ball, but it couldn’t be helped.

It wasn’t something you could ask in this setting.

‘Then, I should go too.’

Just as I was about to get up, thinking it was my cue, someone landed next to me like a cat.

There was only one person I knew who could move like that.

…The unpredictable named boss, Riviera.

Hey, why are you blocking my way?

I wanted to shout that.

“Oh, the sickly genius magician girl?”

Diana’s expression turned intrigued when she saw Riviera.

…You wrote that article, didn’t you?

“Oh, that…? She’s smaller than I thought… ahem.”

Amy almost said, “She’s small,” but she realized it was rude and coughed to cover it up.

“R-Riviera.”

Allen’s eyes welled up as if he had met a dear friend.

Why are you so happy to see her today?

…Was it that hard for you here?

“Don’t have all the fun to yourself, take care of the poor timid guy too, Mr. Octopus.”

Riviera casually threw out.

“Cough, cough!”

I choked again.

Hey, calling me Mr. Octopus here?

……I always get a headache when I see you.

“Octopus……?”

Diana seemed to be catching on.

Oh no!

“Yeah, Mr. Octopus. Excuse me! Can we have some octopus here as a side dish?”

I quickly tried to cover it up.

To my surprise, the server gave a miraculous response.

“Octopus…? You mean octopus, right? We do have octopus butter grill. Would that be alright?”

“Is that okay?”

I looked at Riviera, gritting my teeth in a hidden snarl.

“Good.”

Riviera nodded obediently.

……Alright, let’s just go with that.

“Then we’ll have that, please.”

“Sure, I’ll get it ready right away.”

The server left.

“But why is an octopus Mr. Octopus?”

Diana tilted her head, looking curious.

……I can’t just say it’s because she’s teasing me.

I stayed silent, but Riviera surprisingly answered first.

“Because it’s tasty. Squid is just squid.”

“Haha, that’s a cute reason.”

Diana laughed.

It seemed to work.

It definitely worked because it was Riviera.

…That wouldn’t work unless it was cute.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Riviera asked abruptly.

This girl has no brakes.

“No. Why are you curious?”

I’m glad Diana found her cute.

“Just wondering. But it’s strange.”

“Hm? What’s strange?”

“You have that kind of face, but you don’t have a boyfriend?”

“That kind of face?”

“A face that makes men go crazy.”

“Cough, cough, cough!”

I coughed violently again.

“Cough, cough!”

Allen joined in.

You felt it too.

…This girl is going overboard.

She completely disregarded manners.

Amy’s eyes widened in shock.

“Makes men go crazy…?”

Fortunately, Diana seemed to be thinking about the meaning of her sudden statement.

After a moment of contemplation, she mumbled.

“Hmm, I don’t think she’s at that level.”

“No, she’s a 94.”

Riviera shook her head.

I admit it.

You have a calculator in your eyes.

“Hey, that’s too high. Even if I put gold on my face, it wouldn’t do anything.”

“There’s a good way to find out if it’s true or not.”

“A good way?”

“Over there.”

Riviera pointed to a table where two guys and two girls were sitting.

They were clearly having a good conversation.

It seemed like they were about 60-70% of the way there.

“You just need to get a dance request from those two guys.”

“Are you crazy?”

Diana was shocked.

“What? What are you saying?”

Amy was horrified.

It was basically like stealing someone else’s date, who was already halfway there.

It was clearly against the rules of etiquette.

“They don’t seem like a couple anyway. Why does it matter? Aren’t you curious if it’s true or not?”

But Riviera wouldn’t care about such things.

She even provoked Diana’s natural curiosity.

…That girl is a master.

“Ugh…”

Diana was seriously considering it.

“Wait, why are you thinking about it?”

Amy said, looking incredulous.

…But curiosity won in the end.

“Ugh, I don’t know. Whatever.”

Diana stood up with a determined look.

I guess I don’t need to wait until the end of the ball to see the outcome of my bet with Diana.

She’ll realize it right there.

Riviera and I, who were sitting next to her, made way.

Diana, passing between us, charged straight ahead.