Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Mary Heidi (4)
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After the day Ken led Mary into the rain.
The raincoat Ken gave her became her treasured possession.
She loved the gift so much that she wore it to school almost every day.
“Ken, let’s go to school together.”
“…Y-Yes?”
After breakfast with Rafne, as Ken emerged from washing up in the dorms, Mary greeted him.
A little awkwardly, she twirled her hair around her finger and stole a glance at Ken.
“You said you’d protect me.”
“…It’s clear today, though?”
That day, for the first time in ages, Mary had felt a profound sense of calm amid the downpour.
Overjoyed that she’d pulled it off, she threw her arms around Ken right there on the spot.
And like the rain cascading from the sky, tears streamed down her face.
Thanks to that, she could now make it to the academy even on rainy days.
“Ken, are you done?”
“Huh, Lady Mary? What’s up?”
“Let’s head back together.”
“……Yes?”
And from that day on, she started seeking out Ken Fine Stein far more often.
She even worried if she might be dropping by too much.
‘This is for Ken’s safety.’
The fact that she’d long made a habit of checking on Ken—who was usually bullied—gave her actions a veneer of legitimacy.
But that was merely Mary’s self-justification.
From Ken’s perspective, things felt entirely different.
‘…Lately, she’s been clinging to me in this weird way.’
Since Mary could now attend school even on rainy days, just as Ken had hoped, Emily’s bullying had come to a halt.
But this time around, Mary was the one excessively seeking him out.
“Somehow, it feels like we’ve been bumping into each other a lot lately. …H-Ha ha.”
“Is that so? Doesn’t it feel the same as always?”
Mary found her heart settling into a quiet calm whenever Ken was nearby.
The Mary who usually upheld a flawless, icy persona without a single misstep was perpetually locked in tension, her body rigid.
Yet beside Ken—the one who’d vowed to protect her—her mind gained some breathing room.
Next to him, her body and soul both eased into comfort.
It was exactly what Mary had always craved.
Someone to accept her cowardly, timid self full of mistakes—and to shield her.
She’d yearned for a protector so deeply that she’d forged a persona built to safeguard others.
But becoming capable of protecting others meant she no longer needed protection herself.
And so she had longed all along for this.
Someone who would truly protect her, not the fabricated persona.
“By the way, Ken. Isn’t it about time you let me call you by name more casually?”
“Huh? B-But for someone like me to address Lady Mary so informally…”
“I feel like we’re close…. Don’t you think so, Ken?”
“Ah, no! I think we’re close too!”
“Then it’s settled. Looking forward to sticking together from here on out, Ken.”
“Y-Yes….”
Ken had picked up on her changes too.
It filled him with pride and warmth that she wore the raincoat he’d made every single day.
But somehow, it felt like she was leaning on him even more than the raincoat itself.
‘How did things end up like this?’
He’d simply meant to provide a way to stay dry on rainy days.
Yet the outcome had veered far off course.
“Does the outfit fit well? You’ve been wearing it so often lately.”
“Yes, it fits like it was tailored exactly to my measurements. Which shop did you get it from?”
“Ah, well…. I actually made it myself.”
“……Yourself.”
Mary tugged the raincoat’s collar up to cover her mouth.
‘She had a talent like that.’
Beneath the cover, her lips curved into a faint smile.
Knowing he’d handmade it made the raincoat she wore feel all the more precious.
Made by Ken himself.
The one and only raincoat in the world.
“Ken…. You’re eating lunch with that friend again today, aren’t you?”
“…Y-Yeah, my friend gets lonely pretty easily.”
She frequently invited Ken to share meals.
Up until he began eating with his friend, Ken had joined Mary amid her entourage for meals.
But lately, not once had they eaten together.
A touch miffed by Ken’s constant rejections, Mary refused to yield this time.
With a spark of stubborn resolve, she pressed a little harder.
“Wouldn’t it be fine to eat with me once in a while? I’m sure your friend would understand.”
“No, that friend’s really lacking in empathy…”
“Then, could I join you too? If it’s Ken’s friend, I bet we’d hit it off.”
She was confident when it came to mingling with people.
After all, folks adored her for aiding even the toughest sorts. Ken’s friend would surely warm to her too.
And she was curious who this person so close to Ken might be.
But Ken’s response was oddly hesitant.
“Th-That’s…. um.”
He looked genuinely troubled, somehow.
That realization made Mary feel a pang of guilt, as if she were imposing.
“…If it’s a bother.”
“Hold on a sec.”
Then, someone utterly unexpected chimed in.
Mary and Ken turned toward the voice, only to find a blonde woman eyeing Ken with icy disdain.
It was Emily Epiris, the game’s protagonist.
An unwelcome presence. Mary’s expression hardened instinctively.
“…What do you want?”
Aware of what she usually put Ken through, Mary bristled on alert.
But brushing her off, Emily addressed Ken directly.
“Ken, eat with me today. Skipping one day won’t kill you, right?”
The girl who’d appeared out of nowhere demanded it outright of Ken.
To Mary’s eyes, it came off less like a request and more like an order—hardly endearing.
“E-Eh. Um, I…”
“What, you hate the idea?”
“No, I already have a lunch date with a friend…”
“…You have a friend?”
“Urk…!”
Seeing Ken’s clear lack of enthusiasm, Mary rose and stepped between him and Emily.
“What.”
Mary blocking Ken’s front.
Emily glaring daggers at her.
Mary holding her gaze without flinching.
“Sorry, but Ken’s uncomfortable. Please back off.”
Emily let out a scoffing laugh at Mary’s words, as if it were absurd.
“You’re one to talk—you’ve been glued to Ken lately, haven’t you? You’re the one making him uncomfortable.”
“…….”
Mary had no comeback for Emily’s jab.
Truth was, it had been nagging at her a bit. Ken flustered by her own selfishness.
But he wasn’t outright refusing, so it should be fine, right?
‘…Maybe I have been coming around too much.’
She hadn’t realized it showed so plainly to outsiders.
A sudden wave of embarrassment heated her cheeks; Mary averted her eyes from Emily’s.
“W-Well, haven’t you been popping up for Ken out of nowhere? I’m just visiting because we’re genuinely close.”
“W-Who’s popping up out of nowhere! W-Why would I bother with a pig like him…!”
As their voices escalated, eyes from around the room began to turn their way.
It was quite the spectacle, after all.
Two of the academy’s top beauties squabbling over meal time with a pathetic fat slob.
Classmates started murmuring among themselves.
“What, why over a loser like Ken…”
“Didn’t Emily hate his guts?”
“Wait, then what about Adrian? I was sure it was him she was…”
“Don’t be stupid. It’d look like Adrian got outdone by fatso Ken.”
“La-Lady Mary…! Why give him such special treatment…!”
And at the eye of this storm: Ken Fine Stein.
Gazing at their standoff, he thought.
‘…This feels like that event from the Adrian route.’
But why was it triggering now?
Ken’s mind reeled in confusion.
In the canon route, it kicked off after Mary’s affection for Adrian spiked.
Mary picking a fight with Emily, Adrian’s close pal.
Situation reversed or not, this was unmistakably that event.
‘No, more than that—lunchtime’s a real pain.’
He didn’t mind eating with Mary, nor Emily.
Emily was fine too, long as she skipped the torment.
The issue was Rafne up in the tower.
Miss even a single mealtime out of the day’s three, and she’d spiral into panic.
Alright.
Time to bolt.
Ken settled on that.
“Anyway, Emily. Trying to bully Ken again? I’ve heard from others. I know what you’ve been doing to him.”
“Hah, sure. What if I have? I was just prodding that pig to shed some weight faster.”
“Ken slimming down is Ken’s choice. Bullying him into it isn’t right.”
“Ever seen Ken slim? Bet you’d shut up after.”
“…N-No, I haven’t. …But whether Ken’s fat or thin, I…”
“W-Wait. Why’re you blushing all of a sudden…. Hey, Ken! Say something…!”
Emily’s shout rang out to empty air—her target already gone.
“…Huh?”
“…Um, Mary. Emily. …Ken just left.”
The classmate’s words hit Mary and Emily like a brick; their faces froze in unison.
“Hah?”
“Eh?”
...
Slipping out of the classroom while they were distracted by their argument, I beelined straight for Rafne’s tower.
Opening the door to the familiar top floor, a mouthwatering aroma wafted out alongside the redheaded girl who welcomed me.
“Ke-Ken! You came!”
Rafne bolted straight for the door and seized my hand, shaking it wildly.
Just like this morning—same reaction every time.
“Sniff, thank goodness…. I was so worried you might not come…”
“Rafne.”
Normally, I’d brush off the familiar routine with ease, but not today.
Fresh off that chaotic mess, my mind flashed back to Rafne from days ago.
‘No, I hate it! If Ken gets a girlfriend, he won’t come here anymore! He’ll drool over some girl and forget all about me!’
Back then, I’d felt so unfairly accused.
As if I’d ditch Rafne over something so trivial.
At my call, Rafne tilted her head and peered up at me.
“Why, why…?”
“You said if I got a girlfriend, I wouldn’t come to the tower anymore, right?”
“Uh, uhh? …D-Did you?”
Rafne’s face clouded over with worry in an instant.
I poured my sense of injustice into my words right away.
“No—even though I just turned down meal invites from two girls, I came straight to you!”
I declared it proudly to Rafne.
This ought to put her at ease.
“……Huh?”
“See? You can trust me now, right?”
I felt a swell of inner pride.
Rafne was my top pick, sure—but Mary and Emily were meticulously crafted beauties from the devs.
Turning down lunch with both? Pretty impressive, if I do say so.
And Rafne, who’d sobbed about getting abandoned if I found a girl? A tad resentful there.
Now this misunderstanding would clear right up.
I grinned in triumph.
“…Girls invited you to eat?”
Rafne wasn’t smiling.
“…Huh? No, that’s not the point…”
“What bitch?”
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ A trait has manifested in Rafne Bell Martinez. Owned Traits: Despair 72%, Dependency LV 6, Rage LV 2 It had been ages since I’d last seen the Rage trait flare up in Rafne.
“…Ha, haha.”
“…….”
Eh?