Episode 46
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 46
An exhausted professor from the medical department staggered out of the classroom. Elysia, who had been squatting in front of the classroom reading a textbook and fighting the urge to rip it to shreds, looked out the hallway window to distract herself and was stunned to see the moon was already out. When had it gotten so late?
She wondered why the man who was surely inside hadn't come out yet, only to spot him looking far too energetic, a stark contrast to the professor's haggard state.
Evan, seemingly lost in thought, locked the classroom door. Elysia, who had been leaning against the wall next to the door, tapped him on the shoulder.
The man's face momentarily hardened into a sharp scowl at the sudden contact, but it softened the instant he saw it was her. Elysia was slightly taken aback by the sudden shift, but she spoke to him nonchalantly.
"I was waiting for you."
"For me? Without a word… What's going on?"
♥ SYSTEM: ‘Evan Sylvester’ is feeling ‘pleased’ by your words! ♥
He's this happy to see me when it hasn't even been that long? That class must have been brutal. Assuming his weary, gloomy face had brightened so dramatically because of how tough the class had been, Elysia continued.
"There's something I need to talk to you about. But, um, are you okay? It looked like a difficult lecture."
Evan stared at Elysia as she studied the tired look on his face with concern, then smiled as if he was in a good mood.
He took a watch from his inner pocket and read the time. The class had definitely started at three, but it was now well past nine. His head felt numb from the non-stop, ceaseless discussion with the professor.
He found himself wanting to bury his face in Elysia's fluffy brown hair. I must be tired to be having such strange thoughts.
"Have you had dinner?"
"No, I was waiting for you."
"Since when?"
"You said it would end at six, so I've been waiting since then."
That meant she had been waiting for a full three hours. She could have at least waited in her dorm. As if reading his mind, Elysia added:
"I kept thinking, 'He's got to be out any minute now,' so I just kept waiting. It's fine, I'm good at waiting."
"Even so—"
"I've gone on a three-day stakeout in front of a crime syndicate's headquarters without any sleep before."
The man's brow furrowed deeply, as if to ask what on earth she was talking about.
"…You didn't sleep?"
"Yeah. The sheer will to fuck those bastards up got me through it."
Hearing that, he felt a sudden urge to feed her. The school cafeteria would already be closed. After a moment of thought, he asked.
"What were you going to do for dinner?"
"I was just planning to skip it."
He shot her a look that clearly said, Why would you do that? Evan let out a soft sigh. He'd seen her make a meal out of burnt toast or stone-cold coffee a few times, and now he was certain.
She had absolutely zero life skills. Her attitude of "as long as it fills my stomach" was starting to get on his nerves. Having made a decision, he said:
"Let's go to the dorm."
"Oh, are we not eating?"
"I'll make you something."
As he started walking toward the dorms, a nonchalant face trotted along behind him. He smiled where she couldn't see, then slowed his pace to match hers.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Um, let's talk inside. It's not really something to discuss out here. But you're going to make something?"
"My room has a kitchen."
"…Holy shit. Someone actually uses that thing."
It was true that the dorm rooms came with a small kitchen. A door next to the bathroom opened into a space with a small stove, equipped for simple cooking.
However, Elysia would rather starve than cook for herself, so that space in her room was left to gather dust.
Elysia looked up at the man, whose line of sight was a hand's breadth above her own. She remembered their terrible first meeting, when she had asked if he was a soldier.
He disliked his past to that extent. She found it incredibly strange.
He seemed to be trying his best to hide it, but to her, it was all visible.
His steady gait, the rigid expression that would appear on his face unconsciously, and a well-developed frame and musculature that couldn't have come from just sitting and studying—they all spoke volumes. This man had once been immersed in the violence of war.
According to the game's original story, he should have been studying something like military science. So why had he set foot in the completely unrelated field of medicine?
He was the second son of the House of Sylvester, a family that had produced generations of soldiers, including generals. In other words, a noble. A noble would naturally be provided with all sorts of conveniences by those beneath him. And yet, he knew how to cook with his own hands…
What happened to him?
She wasn't insensitive enough to ask. The man had flinched every time she brought up his past.
Besides, his favorability had dropped recently. It had recovered quickly, but it was a stark reminder that she needed to watch her mouth.
"I shouldn't cross the line…."
"Hm?"
"It's nothing."
I shouldn't cross the line, Elysia thought, swallowing the words. She naturally followed Evan as he opened the door to his room. The place she had stumbled into, covered in blood, was still as neat and tranquil as it had been then.
"Wait here a moment."
The man entered the room and immediately disappeared into the adjoining kitchen. Elysia casually looked around the room as if it were her own, then scowled at the system windows that popped up with a cheerful ding-ding sound.
♥ SYSTEM: You have entered ‘Evan Sylvester’s’ space! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و Player, how about an item like this? ♥
♥ SYSTEM: This item recommendation is based on an analysis of other players’ logs (▰˘◡˘▰)
\- Seductive Slip: [This item only appears for players who have completed age verification] Blow your opponent's reason away! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ So that only desire may burn brightly! (Increases probability of an R-rated Event by 3%) ♥
"Fucking system… Isn't this sexual harassment?"
After reading the item description, she slammed her fist on the table without thinking. These bastards are really pushing it. At this point, she was starting to wonder if the system's function was to help players or to actively try and piss her off.
This crazy dating sim world! Get lost! She shuddered as she closed all the windows and slowly looked around Evan's room.
It was a tidy room, just as one would expect from his personality. Spotting the objects on his desk arranged at perfect right angles, Elysia clicked her tongue in spite of herself. A person could actually live here. They wouldn't survive in my pigsty of a room.
Her eyes fell upon the various books that packed the bookshelf. Wanting to know what they were about, she pulled one out, but upon seeing the difficult-to-decipher text on the very first page, she put it back without a moment's hesitation.
Her philosophy was that if you were going to give up, it was best to do it early.
"What's this?"
It was then that she noticed a small picture frame lying face down on the desk, in the most conspicuous spot. Elysia casually flipped it over and was surprised to find it was a portrait of a family.
One of the two boys standing before the gentle-looking parents was Evan. His face was much younger than it was now, but for a boy, his expression was far more rigid.
Elysia finally understood why Evan had been so flustered during their first meeting.
He had all but eradicated those rigid habits from his past, so for a complete stranger to see through it all at a glance must have been quite a shock.
"I made this in a hurry, so it's nothing special. Sorry—"
"Ah."
Just then, the man returned, holding two warm bowls. Elysia instinctively hugged the frame she was holding, her eyes darting around, unsure of what to do. He must have had it turned over for a reason. Did I just pry into something I shouldn't have?
But her expectation that he might get angry was completely off the mark. Placing the bowls on the table, Evan gave an awkward smile, took the frame from her hands, and placed it face down on the desk again.
As he silently placed a spoon next to the bowl of simple soup, she offered an apology, subtly gauging his reaction.
"…I'm sorry."
"It's fine. If I had anything to hide from you, I wouldn't have let you in this room in the first place."
His completely unconcerned attitude gave her courage. A piece of white bread sat atop the soup, from which steam was gently rising. Elysia poked it with her fingertip and looked up.
"Who are they? Your family?"
"Yeah, my family."
"Your mother, father, and older brother?"
"That's right."
He didn't evade or try to change the subject. He simply answered the truth, calmly.
Elysia tore off a piece of bread, dipped it deep into the soup, put it in her mouth, and chewed. Her eyes widened. Wh-what is this? It was like there was a meadow in her mouth. And cows were frolicking in it. The taste seemed to awaken every single one of her taste buds, and for a moment, she lost all reason.
Evan noticed Elysia had started eating ravenously without another word. He immediately stood up and brought back a cup of water. The sight of her with her cheeks puffed out with bread was quite pleasant, but he was also worried she might choke.
"Slowly."
"Wow, sunbae, this is insane—"
"No one's chasing you, so eat slowly."
As he watched her take the glass he offered and gulp down the water, Evan found himself smiling fondly. Realizing he must look like a bit of an idiot, he quickly wiped the smile off his face.
Elysia, who had nearly lost her senses to her appetite, picked up her spoon and began to eat more slowly.
So she doesn't dislike eating. Evan rested his chin on his hand and watched her, a gentle look on his face. He had thought she might be someone who didn't enjoy the act of eating itself, but it seemed she just found it a hassle to prepare food for herself.
Then I'll have to be the one to take care of it from now on. Having naturally assigned himself the role, he began to eat slowly. It was then that a sudden question made him freeze.
"It doesn't seem like you turned it over because you can't stand the sight of your family's faces."
"…Haha."
"You don't hate your family, do you? If you truly hated them, you wouldn't even have the portrait. You keep the frame where your eyes can easily find it because you have affection for them. But you find it difficult to look at it directly… Why is that?"
He felt like he was being interrogated, though he'd committed no crime. Elysia stared intently at the man's thoughtful face. Across his handsome, gentle smile, a bitter pain flashed, followed by a moment of hatred, and finally, a deep regret remained.
Evan hesitated, then deliberately scraped the bottom of his bowl with his spoon, as if to distract her.
But through the noise, she heard his answer clearly.
"…Because I'm sorry."
A brief silence fell. Her silver-gray eyes stared at him, asking a question she couldn't understand.
"If you're sorry, you can just apologize."
"I can't apologize."
His lips, which had been slightly parted, pressed firmly together. Evan smiled faintly and shook his head.
"And I can't explain."