Episode 15
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 15
Only after Evan had made her promise over and over again to please, for the love of god, stay quiet and out of trouble during her suspension was Elysia finally allowed to set foot in her dorm room.
She stared blankly at the wall of her room. The thought that his living space was just beyond it made her feel a little strange.
Anyway, I thought most nobles lived in mansions off-campus. Why is that guy…
“Ah, right. He said he got kicked out.”
He was such an upright person that she kept forgetting he had turned his back on his family. Elysia collapsed onto a chair in her room, which had become incredibly luxurious thanks to her infinitely generating currency.
Suspended on the first day of school. There was no delinquent quite like her. Ugh, Elysia Hemming. Control your temper. For fuck’s sake, just control it!
As she was wondering what to do, a system window suddenly popped up, making her tilt her head.
♥ SYSTEM: Information on capture targets for you, Player, is now ready! [View List of Available Characters] ♥
Not interested… With a bored expression, she was about to press ‘No’ but decided to at least see who was on the list and opened it. The man with the highest favorability toward her was blinking at the very top.
Cain Ror. Holy shit, just seeing the letters made her want to throw up.
“Is this bastard some kind of pervert?”
He was a man who hid a ferocity so intense it could make even her—a woman unfazed by most psychos—cower.
Might as well see what he’s about. Swallowing hard, she selected his name, and a small note immediately fell onto her lap. She unfolded it.
Cain Ror (25) #Promiscuous #Obsessive #Deficient
Why are the keywords so annoying right from the start? She just hated his entire existence. At first, she’d disliked him for no clear reason, but fortunately or unfortunately, he had given her a reason today.
A man who gets obsessed with someone he just met? He wasn't just crazy, he was a fucking psycho.
Elysia ran a hand through her hair in frustration and read the rest of the description.
— He is the illegitimate son of the ducal House of Ror. With his handsome looks, incredibly high status, and wealth, he is a bad boy who plays with countless women, but in truth, he carries a deep wound within his heart.
Approach him as he suffers from an unfillable void and offer him a warm touch! You are the only one who can heal his wounds.
— (Further information can be viewed after payment. Would you like to pay?)
“I have no desire to buy this.”
What the hell was this crappy character setting? This game really wasn't for her! I want to quit. Let me out. Let me out! A warm touch? A wound only I can heal? Bullshit! If you have deep inner wounds, you should go to a hospital before you go begging for love!
Crumpling the note, she selected the next name on the list: Adrian.
Adrian Campbellton (20) #Puppy-like #Charming #Innocent
— He is the youngest son of the Campbelltons, owners of a massive merchant guild that supplies goods across the entire continent. Having been cherished and loved his entire life, he came to Minerva with a vague yearning for the outside world. Appealing to his quirky side might make him easy to capture!
— (Further information can be viewed after payment. Would you like to pay?)
Yeah, the kid did seem a bit clueless… Smirking, she was about to throw the notes in the trash when she must have touched something by mistake, because another note fell from the air.
She picked up the white paper from the floor, read the keywords next to the name written on it, and tilted her head in confusion.
Evan Sylvester (25) #EasiestToCapture
…Huh? Is this guy an officially certified easy target? I don’t think so.
She clutched the note in both hands, her brow furrowed. It took some effort to understand the context of this bizarre keyword.
Is it because he’s too kind? Sure, he’d been a little prickly at first due to a misunderstanding, but as soon as we talked it out, hadn’t he been kind even when he had every right to be annoyed? For a person with a personality like that, you could say his capture difficulty is low… maybe?
No, something was off no matter how she thought about it. He was kind, yes, but he was also a man who couldn’t seem to close the distance with her, as if he were afraid of something. Should I read a bit more?
Elysia remained crouched on the floor as she read the note, her face twisting into a frown.
#Indifferent #Blunt #Straightforward
— He is the second son of House Sylvester, one of the three great military families of Löwe. At the age of nineteen, he achieved great distinction on a battlefield swarming with monsters and came here to study to carry on the family business. He has a blunt and cold personality, having lost many people on the battlefield.
“What the hell is this bullshit?”
This description was completely different from his current situation, where he’d been kicked out of his family and wasn’t receiving any financial support.
And he came here to study for the family business? Unlike the previous Counts of Sylvester, who had all been soldiers, he was studying medicine. That meant it wasn’t for the family business.
And what? Indifferent and blunt? Those were hardly fitting descriptions for a man who was nothing but considerate and kind.
Curious, Elysia looked at the bottom of the note to read more, but the description, which was short compared to the other characters, ended there. She stared blankly at the sentence at the bottom.
— (Further information can be viewed after payment. Would you like to pay?)
Dangling bait like this to get her to pay… she had no choice but to buy it. Naturally, she paid as if possessed.
With the clinking sound of coins, another note popped into existence and fell before her eyes. Ignoring the ache in her thighs from crouching for so long, Elysia picked it up.
— Having received a strict education from a young age, he has a strong sense of responsibility. Don’t be surprised if he approaches you proactively. As someone who has lived with great confidence and pride, going straight ahead is the only way he knows!
“…Seriously, what is this crap?”
How could the official character description be this wrong?
Elysia recalled the man who seemed uniquely comfortable around her, yet couldn't bring himself to get closer, keeping a moderate distance with a faint smile. And they called him ‘straightforward’? Confidence and pride? She wasn’t so sure about that, either.
“Isn’t he too listless for that kind of description?”
A man who had turned pale and fled at her first mention of him being ‘like a soldier,’ a man who had seemed relieved when she said she knew nothing about him… Elysia had a gut feeling.
This game wasn’t following its originally planned script.
A question naturally followed.
So what was the variable?
*
Her butt ached from being jostled and bumped against the hard seat of the rattling carriage.
After being cooped up in the dorm for her entire suspension, she’d gotten so restless that she couldn’t stand it anymore. So, on the last day, she had bolted outside and, on a whim, boarded a carriage that regularly departed from the dorms for the city center.
Since it was an ordinary weekday evening, all the other students were presumably at the academy, leaving her as the sole passenger.
Elysia fiddled with her skirt to kill the boring time. It felt a little ridiculous to be wearing her school uniform when she wasn't even going to school, but it was the only outfit she had.
She could have bought clothes from the game’s shop, and she had more than enough currency to do so, but she gave up on the idea, thinking that buying clothes for a short trip out seemed like a bit of an overreaction.
The scenery, once filled with trees, was gradually transforming into a cityscape. Spotting numerous shops and people bustling about, Elysia raised her voice and called out.
“Are we here?”
“Yep~”
As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, a gust of wind sent her long skirt fluttering. Frowning, she held back the hair covering her face with one hand as the coachman shouted to her.
“The carriage comes every two hours, and the last one is at 8 PM, so don’t miss it!”
With a slight nod, Elysia realized she was the only one in the plaza wearing a school uniform and was struck with belated regret. I stick out way too much. She hastily tried to open the shop window, but a system message popped up.
♥ SYSTEM: Access to the ‘Shop Menu’ is restricted in the ‘Plaza.’ Please visit a shop in person to purchase items! ♥
“Ugh, what a pain.”
Grumbling, Elysia kicked a coin-sized stone in front of her. A woman with her cloak pulled down low, who had been walking hurriedly somewhere, flinched as the stone hit her thigh and spun around.
The woman who whirled around glared at Elysia with wide, angry eyes.
But, huh?
“…Hm?”
Pink eyes brimming with tears, shimmering silver hair peeking out from under the deep hood. The face was so familiar that Elysia’s mouth fell open. What the—? What is she doing here? Is she a delinquent like me, too?
After staring at her blankly for a moment, Elysia spoke.
“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to hit you.”
♥ SYSTEM: You have obtained leverage on your rival, Siene Reve!
Leverage Acquired - Family Circumstances. ♥
What’s this now? Frowning slightly, Elysia opened her mouth to ask something else.
“But why are you here—”
“Don’t talk to me! Don’t touch me!”
Siene’s face crumpled, and tears streamed down her pretty face. Damn, she’s an annoying woman, but she really is ridiculously pretty.
Elysia slowly walked toward her and, with a look of disbelief, casually wiped away Siene’s tears with her own sleeve.
“Hey, what are you crying for? Are you that upset about getting hit by a little stone? Anyone would think I actually beat you up.”
“You did hit me!!!”
Elysia muttered with a shameless look on her face.
“The stone hit you, not me. It didn’t even hit you that hard, stop being such a baby…”
“What is wrong with you? Get off me!”
Siene slapped away Elysia’s hand. A heavy basket was slung over her arm. Looking closer, Elysia saw it was filled with an art supply box, paints, graphite, and various other art tools.
Spotting a thick bundle of paper as well, Elysia glanced around at the poor artists sitting around the plaza.
“…Are you out here drawing pictures for money?”
At Elysia’s deadpan question, Siene’s face flushed bright red. Her expression twisted in what looked like shame, and another tear rolled down her cheek.
Elysia stared at her, bewildered. Did I stick my foot in my mouth again? What’s with that expression?
Trembling, Siene quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand, glared at Elysia, and spoke in a voice shaking with humiliation.
“I really hate you.”