Episode 49
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 49
“Why do you ask?”
For a fleeting moment, Evan caught the contempt that flashed in Cain’s eyes. Such sudden scorn from a man who was usually indifferent to everything was quite bewildering.
No, this drastic change hadn’t just happened now. Cain had changed the moment he first met Elysia. He had shown his true colors.
The man, no longer hiding his sneer, rose to his feet. His fine, platinum-blonde hair shone lemon-yellow under the lights. Unfazed, Evan maintained a calm demeanor and observed him. Cain let out an irritated sigh and spoke.
“I’d rather you stay out of it.”
“You almost did something rude to her last time.”
“Ah, I was a bit too excited then. It was hard to calm down.”
The gentle smile on Evan’s face hardened. In an instant, his green eyes grew cold as they glared at the other man. The scene from before flashed in his mind.
The man’s hand, gripping hers tightly. The other hand, cupping the back of her head as if he were about to devour her. Elysia was not someone to be treated in such a manner.
Without realizing it, Evan let his seething rage show.
“Don’t you dare touch her. Don’t think of her as lightly as you do everyone else.”
Cain, who had been staring intently at Evan’s face, let his own expression turn just as cold. His face was even more distorted than before. Devoid of any composure, he spat out his words in a tremendous fury.
“Like… everyone else? Watch your mouth. It’s absurd that you’d open your mouth when you know nothing.”
Cain turned his head to glare at him, his face a mask of someone reliving terrible memories. Grinding his teeth, the man clenched his fist on the table and sneered.
“What, did you start wanting her for yourself after watching her from the sidelines? Feel like whispering words of love?”
“I have no such feelings. It’s just that your attitude right now is obviously strange to anyone.”
“How amusing. And what about your attitude?”
His red eyes, as if looking at something disgusting, wavered with unconcealed nausea. Trembling, Cain slowly exhaled. Returning to his usual self, he laughed coldly.
“Get out.”
As if he’d been waiting for it, Evan stood up. He glanced at Cain’s back as he stood with a hand on the windowsill, feeling a strange heat radiating from him. Evan’s gaze followed Cain’s red one.
Outside the window, in a simply decorated garden, stood Elysia. She was under a tree, as if waiting for someone. Sunlight poured through the leaves, dappling her hair like stains, and the wind gently tousled her short locks.
A strange sense of displeasure washed over Evan’s entire body as he realized how intensely focused Cain was on observing Elysia. Immediately, a question arose in his mind.
Why on earth do I feel so displeased?
He hurriedly left the student council office and headed for the spot where Elysia was standing. He constantly made excuses to himself.
You were the one who resolved the issue, so I have a duty to tell you how it ended. That’s why I’m in such a rush to find you.
Her gray eyes, which had been counting the leaves overhead one by one, sensed his presence and slid down to meet his.
Her sharp, upturned eyes watched the source of the sound with caution, but as soon as she recognized him, she relaxed. He wasn’t so dense as to miss that. His heart sank.
“What did he say? That student council president bastard.”
The woman, hardened and dulled by the gray city, asked bluntly. He stammered, barely managing to reply.
“Expulsion. For all of them.”
“Ah, for fuck’s sake. So you just legally helped them stop studying.”
Grumbling, she scuffed the dirt with the toe of her shoe. Then, she broke into a grin and added.
“Still, that’s a pretty good outcome. I heard they’d never even gotten suspended before, let alone expelled. Expulsion…”
“Yeah…”
He stared blankly at Elysia’s smile.
Don’t you dare touch her. She’s precious to me. She’s the one who, in a single motion, drew back the curtain that had shrouded my world, a world filled with nothing but darkness.
There’s no way I’d stand by and watch someone treat the person who chose to stay by my side like a toy. So this displeasure I’m feeling is only natural. But what if Cain approached her with genuinely deep feelings?
I think I’d still hate it.
“Why are you so out of it? Is that bastard giving you shit now, too? Has his range of assholery expanded from me to you, Senior?”
…But I’m the one who must never do that. It would be a betrayal. Then you would lose me and be lonely. I, of all people, must not be the one to drive a knife into you.
She would rather be hated by me than have my filthy love forced upon her. He repeated the thought over and over in his mind as if to brainwash himself. If that’s the case, then the right thing for me to do is run away from you.
♥ SYSTEM: Evan Sylvester’s Favorability -20 | Current Favorability 160 | Route change is [email protected]#$%? @!#$? ♥
♥ ……loading…… ♥
♥ SYSTEM: Evan Sylvester’s Favorability -20 | Current Favorability 160 | There is no route change ♥
As if she had noticed something, the woman’s expression hardened. Elysia grabbed his shoulder roughly and asked.
“What was that? What’s going on? What did I do wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Then why—”
“I have to go.”
He deliberately used a stiff tone and quickly turned to walk away. Hearing Elysia’s furious voice behind him, he paused for a moment.
“Hey! Don’t you dare walk away!”
Forcing himself to ignore her angry shout, Evan fled from her. Because besides running away, he had no idea what else to do.
*
Elysia sat at a dining hall table with a sullen expression, her chin propped in her hand. Glittering fabrics stretched from a magnificent chandelier, covering the ceiling. Amid the cheerful chatter of the crowd, she was alone.
♥ SYSTEM: The ‘Art Festival’ event has begun. ! POP-UP ! The probability of a Favorability Event occurring has increased.
♥ SYSTEM: Limited edition ‘Art Festival’ costumes are now on sale! Check them out in the Shop! ♥
Elysia irritably closed the system windows that appeared in her vision and let out a long sigh. Ever since that day, Evan had been avoiding her.
Being the indifferent type, she might have just brushed it off, thinking, ‘He must be busy,’ but not this time. It was true that Evan was acting noticeably strange, but there was also an indicator that was impossible to ignore.
‘His favorability dropped for real!’
His favorability, which had been steadily climbing to the point where she thought, ‘This guy is really affectionate,’ had fallen. And this time, it wasn’t recovering. That meant she’d done something wrong, but what on earth had she done? Panicked, Elysia started tearing at her hair.
What is it? What? What the hell is it!
Her eyes fell on several young couples, chatting happily and exchanging glances. Good for you. Real good. Doing this shit in a sacred school, you bastards.
Annoyed, Elysia deliberately pushed her way through them, then took the reagent she had made from her pocket and stared at it intently.
To her, it was a simple item created by applying a formula she already knew, but in this world, this reagent was an innovation. Just as she was about to start thinking, she heard joyous laughter from students walking around wearing ornate flower crowns made of red roses.
The tension in her body, which had been coiled tight while pondering the source of the drugs, finally eased. She let out a hollow laugh, pressing her fingers against her eyes and muttering.
“Who the hell is it…?”
She was curious to see the face of the bastard who had sprinkled something so hideous into a world that was supposed to be bright and sparkling. Suddenly, the place where she had met Alma came to mind. If she went back to that place, rife with gambling, drinking, and drugs, would she have a chance?
Elysia flicked a finger to check her stats window, then groaned and shook her head.
Elysia Hemming (LV.5): HP 3,600 | Defense 625 | Attack 5,000
Her face was already known there. If she went to where Alma was, she’d have to be prepared to take about four bullets to the stomach. She had leveled up, but going there alone was tantamount to suicide.
Ah, dammit, what the hell am I supposed to do with this garbage body?
“Hey there, junior, what are you thinking about so hard?”
“Agh, shit! You scared me!”
Someone’s friendly, smiling eyes suddenly appeared right in front of Elysia’s face, who had been lost in thought. Startled, she stumbled backward and slammed the back of her head against the wall. A damage notification popped up before her eyes again.
SYSTEM: HP -200 (3,400 / 3,600)
Dammit, my precious HP! She glared resentfully at the person, but the man just gave a smooth smile and held out his hand as if to shake hers.
“Hahaha, my bad! You looked bored, so I thought I’d say hi. I didn’t realize I’d startle you that much.”
Warily, she cautiously extended her hand. The man took it lightly and introduced himself with a grin.
“The name’s Johan Coleman.”
“…Elysia Hemming.”
“I know. You’re the freshman from the Chemistry Department, right? You’re a celebrity.”
A look of confusion crossed Elysia’s face as she scrunched up her nose and asked.
“Why?”
“Huh?”
Frowning at her confrontational tone, Johan let out a small ‘Ah’ of understanding before answering cheerfully.
“Siene Reve has been the center of attention for everyone in the art departments since she enrolled. Naturally, you’d get famous too, right? Besides, word is you’re the one who kicked out all the troublemakers from the Art Department.”
Remembering how she’d been ready to wring Siene’s neck on the first day of school, Elysia understood what he meant and nodded. Yeah, it would have been strange if I hadn’t drawn attention.
“You’re not busy right now, are you?”
Stunned by the unexpected question, Elysia was smoothly pulled by Johan toward a door in the wall she’d been standing against. He spoke slickly.
“Perfect. Want to see a play?”
“…Huh?”
“A seat just opened up, and I was in a bind. I’ll give you a ticket for free.”
Before she knew what was happening, Elysia found herself stepping into a theater packed with an audience, her eyes darting around in confusion.
In an instant, the man closed the door behind her, smiled slyly, and pressed a ticket into her hand. He then stretched his arm out, pointing the way.
“Tenth row from the front. It’s a great seat, right?”
“Hey, wait a minute?”
“Enjoy the show.”
What was that?
She hadn’t paid a single cent, but she had the nagging feeling of having been ripped off. But she was already deep inside, and it would be awkward to leave now.
Well, whatever. Maybe I’ll enjoy a game event for once. After only participating in events like ‘The Appearance of the Murderer Reaper, Who Brutally Killed 26 Victims!’, this atmosphere was actually quite refreshing.
Alright, then, let’s see…
“…Huh.”
♥ !LUCKY! Chance Encounter Event:
‘The One I Met by Chance’ event has occurred! ((っ´ω`)♥(´ω`⊂ ))
Led by an NPC, you have found your fateful encounter! ♥
Beyond the event window with its exploding fireworks, she could see a man with a stern expression sitting there. As soon as he heard her voice, Evan flinched and looked up at her.
His face, which was always smiling, was expressionless today. No, it actually seemed a bit flushed. His gaze was fixed on Elysia, and then, in that moment, his expression suddenly crumpled into a deep frown.