Chapter 83 : The fact that I like someone could end up hurting them, you know

Honestly, it felt good knowing they liked me.

Of course, it did. Who wouldn’t feel pleased to be liked by such capable and powerful beauties?

‘The fact that I like someone could potentially hurt them.’

Such words do exist, but they definitely wouldn’t apply to them.

‘Why they like me… there’s no need to even think about it.’

Honestly, considering what I’ve done so far, there was no reason for them not to think well of me.

I’ve done all sorts of things, enough to make explanations long, and provided so much help.

‘Is it okay to charm the main characters like this…?’

But they seem fine with it… Besides, denying it and saying something like, “I’m not the person you think I am,” would just ruin the moment.

At this point, denying myself would only be an act of belittling them.

So, I decided to accept it.

Even if I couldn’t immediately return their feelings, I chose not to deny them and to carry them with me.

That’s what I thought…

[Affection Level: 59/100]
[Affection Level: 18/100]

Seeing it laid out so clearly in numbers gives a different feeling.

I even thought about revealing it because it felt wrong to keep it hidden after finding out unwillingly…

“Rudion. Stop stalling and tell us what’s going on.”

“I was getting tired of keeping up the act anyway. Do as Seria says.”

Lacking the courage, I wasted time with meaningless stalling.

But that’s over now. After they said those words, there was no other choice but to come clean.

I hesitated on how to say it… then pointed at Seria and Alkine in turn.

“59. 18.”

Flinch.

I could feel both of them trembling.

After hearing my words, they briefly stared into space before looking at each other.

It seemed they both realized, ‘You too?’

Finally, their gazes turned back to me.

Seria spoke first.

“Don’t tell me… you can see that too?”

“Wait, Seria. Did I hear wrong? Did Rudion just say 59 about you…?”

“Be quiet, Alkine. There’s something more important to ask right now.”

“What could be more important than your affection score?”

Ignoring Alkine’s question, Seria asked with a sharp look.

“Do other people besides us have affection levels too?”

“…That was important, huh.”

Even with such overwhelming numbers, was that really the main concern?

No, maybe it was more important precisely because of those numbers.

Either way, I didn’t need to panic at Seria’s question.

I had already checked beforehand.

In-game, I had explored the affection levels of several characters, and no one else had any affection displayed.

Knowing that, I simply shook my head.

“Whew, that’s a relief. I was briefly worried about how I’d handle it if someone else had affection.”

“Thank goodness…”

At my denial, both women let out sighs of relief. It was an oddly mixed feeling for me.

It seems that having just the two of them is already enough of a challenge.

Not that I want more! These two are already more than I deserve, and wanting more would just make me trash.

At that moment, Alkine suddenly had a question.

‘…Wait, handle it? Seria, what were you planning to do?’

“You already know, why are you asking?”

“I’m asking because I don’t know… Also, wait. Are you really 59?”

“If you’re asking about my affection score, yes.”

At Seria’s calm answer, Alkine let out an exasperated sigh.

She was already flustered at her own score of 18, so how intense must 59 feel?

More importantly, if she liked me that much, why did she let me confess to Alkine? Was she crazy?

That sigh carried all those unspoken thoughts, and sharp Seria seemed to pick up on them instantly.

“As I’ve said before, I never handed Rudion over to you, Alkine. I just allowed you to stay beside him, so don’t misunderstand.”

“I know. Just seeing your score makes that clear.”

“It’s definitely convenient to have my true feelings displayed objectively in numbers.”

Don’t find convenience in something like that…

After that brief exchange, the conversation circled back to the original topic.

“Anyway… Rudion found out about our affection levels.”

“…Yeah. I can kind of understand why he felt the need to apologize.”

“Just to check, Alkine, when did yours unlock?”

“The day before yesterday. When Rudion came to save me.”

“I figured as much.”

“When did yours unlock?”

“It’s been a while for me. When was it again…?”

The two of them continued discussing their affection systems for a while before turning their gazes back to me.

They didn’t even ask a question, just stared at me. But the meaning behind their gazes was clear.

Carefully, I spoke about how I felt regarding their affection and emotions.

“Honestly, I’m grateful. Having two people who like me this much… it’s overwhelming, but it feels amazing.”

“I see it as my karma. After everything I’ve done, this is the result. But every action I took was sincere, and even if I could turn back time, I’d do it all again. So I have no regrets.”

“So… even if I can’t take the initiative, I’ll never think about running away.”

That was the conclusion I reached after rambling for a while without realizing it.

Pressure? Responsibility? I had been babbling out of an unclear feeling, but at least I hadn’t lied.

…But now that I’ve said it seriously, I suddenly feel embarrassed.

Honestly, situations like this don’t arise unless you actively create them.

Especially this kind of ticklish atmosphere.

That’s why I had been keeping my distance by avoiding such moments… but judging by Seria’s skyrocketing affection score, it doesn’t seem to have been very effective, huh?

Anyway, I had been trying to avoid situations like this.

Awkwardness from the serious mood aside… just like the conclusion I reached earlier, I couldn’t change my attitude toward them right away.

‘That conclusion was basically just me declaring that I’ll keep muddling through like this.’

I couldn’t take a bold step toward them.

Not because I disliked them. On the contrary, it was because I liked them.

They were characters I had cherished in the game.

It was just a game story, but I had memories of forming parties, solving incidents, and overcoming hardships with them.

To be honest… they were among my favorite characters.

Now that they’ve become real, how could I dislike them?

But that’s precisely why I couldn’t approach them boldly.

If I responded half-heartedly, it would only mean leaning on their affection.

I didn’t want to casually take advantage of their feelings for me.

I’m saying all this grandly, but honestly, I’m just a coward.

Of course, their younger age still factored in, but that concern had become much smaller now, almost negligible.

While I was lost in thought, Seria and Alkine just kept staring at me silently.

I wondered if I should add something, but Seria cut in before I could speak.

“That’s enough. That’s all I needed to hear.”

“Same here. It’s not like I confessed expecting something specific from you.”

It seemed like they accepted my desire to maintain our current relationship.

“I told you from the start, didn’t I? I said I’d wait until Rudion approached me directly. I regret it a little now, but if that’s your mindset… I can keep waiting.”

“You answered so seriously that I feel embarrassed. You know what? My affection just went up to 19.”

It felt… strange.

I wasn’t sure whether I should feel grateful or apologetic.

As I stood there speechless, Seria took the lead in wrapping up the conversation.

“And you don’t have to apologize for finding out about our affection scores. Sure, I kept it hidden, but it was only because I didn’t want to burden you. Honestly, from my perspective, it’s kind of a relief.”

“I was only a little flustered at first. I don’t really care now.”

Just like that, they brushed off the fact that I had seen their affection scores.

Maybe, considering they could practically read my thoughts, the affection score didn’t seem like a big deal to them.

And so, my time of apology came to an end.

Just as I felt relief that it had passed without any major issues, Seria began mumbling with a bright smile.

“Since my feelings for Rudion have been exposed, I guess I can be more proactive from now on.”

What did she just say? I couldn’t quite hear it… but judging by Alkine’s reaction, it was definitely something unsettling.

A chill ran down my spine, and I silently prayed that Alkine would act as Seria’s restraint.