Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Emily Epiris (2)
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…
"Keeeen!!"
The moment I finally reached the top of the tower and opened the door, Rafne—who had been slumped in place—came charging straight at me.
"Waaah...! You really came...! I thought you weren't gonna show!"
"Th-that's why I told you I was coming."
My legs, already exhausted from hauling all the luggage up, gave out immediately the second she latched onto me.
Man, talk about polar opposites.
Just moments ago, I'd been under Emily's disgusted glare while dealing with her filth, and now here was Rafne greeting me like she couldn't live without me.
Ironically, the former was the righteous protagonist type, while the latter was the ringleader of the bullies.
A laugh bubbled up unbidden.
"S-sob, b-but... what's all this stuff?"
"Oh, right. I said I'd cure your curse, remember? This is all prep for that."
As I mentioned before, the distance between the dorms and this tower spanned the entire academy.
Crafting the items to lift Rafne's curse wouldn't be a one-and-done deal.
To avoid the inefficiency of trekking back here every time I made a test piece, I'd decided to set up my item creation research right here in Rafne's tower from the start.
This room was plenty spacious for someone my size, and it'd be good for Rafne too.
"S-sob... Th-thank you... Thank you, Ken."
Rafne buried her face in my ample belly and sobbed those words.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Trait: Despair – Current Value 56% Thank goodness—after my visit, her Despair value, which had been sitting at 100%, had dropped by nearly half.
She was crying so hard it was borderline dehydration territory, but if her mind was stabilizing, that was progress enough.
"I-I prepared this... and this... Oh, and this too! Wh-what do you think? Like it?"
Once I'd roughly unpacked and settled into a chair at the dining table, Rafne started bringing out the food she'd prepared.
The table was soon piled high with a massive spread, just like at breakfast.
"R-Rafne... You made all this yourself?"
"Yeah, hehe. You like this, right? And this one, too."
The plates she offered were loaded with all sorts of delicious meat dishes.
The instant I saw the menu, my body reacted. And naturally, the thought popped into my head.
This is Ken Fine Stein's favorite food.
Grrrooowl~
A massive rumble echoed from my gut.
"Slow down! Take it easy! Here, water."
I dove into the food like a man possessed.
Grabbing a chicken leg and tearing into it, slurping down meaty soup, biting into crispy pork rind.
This place was heaven.
"Mmm, nom nom... So good... So good, Rafne!"
"Phew... Glad you like it...."
That's when it hit me. The definitive reason Ken could never lose weight.
For this guy, food wasn't just food—it was the pinnacle of life's joys.
Stuffing his mouth full of favorites, savoring the textures, swallowing them down into his empty stomach.
The satisfaction and pleasure flooded his brain.
Shit. How am I supposed to lose weight now?
"Nom, mmm... Hey, Rafne... nom... how'd you know these are my favorites?"
Once I'd sated myself a bit, the question slipped out.
Sure, Rafne and Ken had known each other before, but they weren't close enough to share meals.
If anything, they were bully and victim, so it was weird that she'd know his preferences.
At my question, Rafne hesitated, then looked down with a trembling voice.
"...W-well... L-last year, I... t-took your favorite foods... and ate them myself. ...Sorry... I'm sorry."
"Ah, gotcha."
Makes sense. For a food fiend like Ken, stealing his peak happiness moments? Way more effective than any other torment.
As I mulled that over mid-bite, Rafne must've thought I was pissed.
Her face darkened suddenly, and she panicked, rambling on.
"S-sorry! Are you mad? I'm reflecting on it, so... forgive me. Sorry for stealing your favorite food...! Sorry for messing with something you love so much...!"
I hadn't even been thinking about it, but Rafne suddenly bowed her head low.
Tears welled up in her dull, shadowed eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Trait: Despair – Current Value 78%... 79%... 80%... Whoa, hold up—don't let the Despair spike over something this minor!
"No, really, it's fine! If anything, I'm thrilled to be eating something this tasty right now!"
And I meant it. Whatever crap Ken went through before—food stolen, toys taken, allowance swiped—it was all irrelevant to me.
But Rafne misinterpreted my nonchalance, and fresh tears streamed down her face.
"S-sob... Ken, you're an angel. Thank you.... You're mad deep down but holding back for my sake, right? Sorry...."
"No, that's not—!"
Dealing with a kid whose headspace was this messed up was no joke.
First things first, I had to cap that endlessly climbing Despair meter.
Over the rest of the meal, I poured everything into cheering Rafne up.
No way was I risking a sudden Despair surge triggering some bad end.
Coming here for breakfast only to get greeted by a hanged silhouette? Hard pass.
"S-so, this doll here's one I just got recently..."
"Yeah, uh-huh."
I recalled reading in a book before possessing this body that people crave having their stories heard.
So I listened intently to hers.
Nodding along, agreeing, focusing fully.
After a year cut off from everyone, she must've had a ton bottled up—even if it was delusional chit-chat with her dolls.
The fact that she could share it, and that a real person was there to hear it, would surely heal her mind.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Trait: Despair – Current Value 42% Whew, crisis averted for now.
Rafne chattered on endlessly—hard to believe she'd endured this long without anyone to talk to.
Her mood lifted; life returned to those teary eyes.
"Hey, I never realized this, but... talking with you is so easy, Ken."
That was her takeaway after rambling solo for about an hour.
People bond deeply with those who truly listen, huh? Guess I was proving it firsthand.
...Huh?
Then my eyes caught something else next to the dropping Despair readout.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Trait: ... Dependency LV 6 ......Level... 6?
Her Dependency had leveled up.
No—LV 6? That was swordmaster-adjacent for a normal sword skill.
And she'd hit that on a debuff-type trait like Dependency...?
"Hey, Ken... I thought about something while you were gone earlier."
I was still staring dumbfounded at the absurd number when Rafne spoke up.
Her face wore that same bright smile from before.
But her eyes... they were somehow terrifying.
"What if you leave here? You said you'd come back, sure, but people change their minds. You might suddenly hate coming to the tower... or hate seeing me."
"L-like I said, that's not gonna happen. No matter what, I'll—"
"...But I did stuff to make you hate me. I get it. And if even you leave... I'll have no hope left at all."
Rafne's face hardened. Probably imagining that possible future.
Then she relaxed, flashing a hopeful smile my way.
Her eyes had lost their spark, but she was definitely smiling.
"So I had a great idea!"
"......What... kind?"
I swallowed hard, tensing as I met those eerie eyes.
And her words hit like a bomb.
"I just have to get pregnant with your baby!"
"......Huh?"
She dropped the wildest line with a dead-serious face.
But her gaze was utterly sincere.
"If you stop wanting to come here, that's unavoidable. But if I have your baby and raise it, I won't be alone anymore, right? Even if your feelings change, I'll have hope to keep living, and you won't have to force yourself to visit this tower you hate. I think this is a really good idea—what do you say, Ken?"
Getting pregnant wasn't some casual topic for a girl her age.
Even scarier: there was zero shame, excitement, or rational awareness in her demeanor.
"A-and with a baby... you'd wanna keep coming here, right...? Heh... hehe."
She meant it. She wanted a baby purely to avoid being alone.
Her shadowed eyes seemed to devour me greedily.
"N-no, wait... Th-think about it rationally, Rafne!"
I hurriedly reined in her sudden acceleration.
"Why not? Isn't it a good plan?"
"Sure, it sounds nice! But what about the curse?!"
Flat-out rejecting would backfire. Worst case, she might force it with some skill.
That's the vibe she was giving off.
Best to approach logically and rationally.
"...Curse? Why the curse?"
"The baby could be affected by it."
Exactly. The reason I'm immune to Rafne's Curse of Fear? Gotta be my possessor status—no other explanation.
So a born child? Total unknown.
Rafne flinched like I'd poked a hole in her logic.
She clearly hadn't considered it.
"B-but it's your baby! Maybe immunity's hereditary?"
As if life served up easy answers like that.
"No, Rafne. Calm down and think it through. We assume the worst-case scenario, not the best."
"Worst... case?"
"Yeah. If the baby is affected, it couldn't live here, right? Someone'd have to raise it outside."
No way could you raise a kid in this extreme-stress hellhole.
And Rafne got the implication.
"Th-then..."
"Right. I'd have to stay out there raising the kid, so I couldn't come to the tower. And you'd be alone again."
"Ah... A-ahh... Aaaah...!"
Imagining her solitude, Rafne's eyes sank back into despair.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Trait: Despair – Current Value 74% ...77% ...81% "So it's a possibility! But don't worry—I'll keep coming, no matter what!"
"S-sob... Y-yeah. Sorry."
Never imagined she'd spiral into that level of unhinged thinking.