Time to Grow (10)

Well... since I’m testing if they’ll trust my words, why don’t I kill two birds with one stone?

How about I provide a little Arthur-tailored service while I’m at it?

Clip-clop. Clip-clop.

With the Aegis skill active, I took a step forward in my slippers. Every time I took a step, a visual effect of pure white flames erupted from my feet.

...Come to think of it, I don’t even know the rank of my skills. I just vaguely assumed they were GOD rank or something...

"...Whoa."

Arthur couldn’t keep her mouth shut at the overwhelming visual effects. I walked right up to her, as she stared at me blankly, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and stood quietly by her left side.

"...Huh? What are you..."

"..."

And then, I answered her curiosity with my body.

I wrapped my right arm around Arthur’s shoulders as if we were close friends, lifted my left hand to point at the sky, and looked down at her face with a gentle expression, keeping just enough distance for a soccer ball to fit between us.

"...W-w-what are you doing right now!!!!"

"..."

Arthur’s face turned bright red. Unable to look me in the eye, she squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.

I don’t have any close male friends to trade insults with... but would a female friend treat me this comfortably?

They’d probably just be like, "King of Knights..." or "Lady Arthur..." all the time.

I’ll show her properly today. It’s the penalty for her earlier behavior.

"...Hehe. Open your eyes and look at your body, starting from my left hand."

"W-what? Look at my body starting from your left hand... Oh!?"

Just as I expected, Arthur’s body, where it touched mine, was covered in the same pure white liquid, emitting a brilliant, snow-white light. Arthur, who had scanned her body starting from my left hand, was shocked once again.

"I thought it might work... and it does."

"...What is this..."

"I told you earlier that it has both offensive and defensive capabilities. If I activate the defensive mode, it means it’s a tool that can protect you like this."

"...Me? Protect... me? You...?"

"Yeah. Look, just like this. My ability is covering your body, too. Hmm... what’s the fastest way to test this?"

"..."

After locking eyes with Arthur for a moment, I decided to summon Cheonma.

If it’s Cheonma, the avatar of jealousy, she’ll definitely... throw her sword at me...

...That’s going to hurt a lot, right?

No... I wonder if my mana will hold up...

"Switching to Aegis defense system."

"...Heeh...?"

Slosh, slosh, slosh.

Wooooooong-!

The jelly-like pure white mass instantly grew, forming a giant, blurry knight-shaped armor—only the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upper body, about 10 meters tall, roughly the height of a three-story apartment building. It took the form of a giant knight, surrounding and protecting us within the armor as if to shield us from anything.

Of course, since I lacked proficiency and many other things, it wasn’t a perfect manifestation.

"Ha... Hawawawa! Th-that is? D-don't tell me... a k-knight's form...? Wh-what is this, really...! It’s a rough shape, but... the joints between the metal...! That is definitely a knight’s form!"

As expected of the King of Knights... Arthur, a total knight-nerd, seemed to have broken down. She stuttered, her eyes darting around as she inspected my Aegis defense mode, which had taken the form of a knight.

After switching the Aegis skill to defense mode, I called out to Cheonma, who must have been waiting desperately for her turn on top of the gacha machine.

"Cheonma-!"

A few seconds later...

Cheonma poked her head out from the top of the machine.

She looked down at me with eyes that seemed to ask why I was bothering her, but then her eyes widened to the size of saucers.

And when she saw Arthur, who was affectionately draped over my shoulder, it looked like sparks were flying from Cheonma’s eyes.

Yeah... that’s exactly the look!

Go ahead and get absolutely furious!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The Aegis skill, which had been in defense mode, flickered and faded as my mana bottomed out. The knight-shaped armor vanished, and the sword returned to Cheonma’s hand.

Clack.

It was... pretty sturdy!

It really is a good skill...

I was deeply satisfied with the test results, and with a smile on my face, I collapsed into Arthur’s arms and lost consciousness.

"Hey! Wake up!"

"#%$!%!#*%^$#%#$!$"

...

...

...

...

..

.

Gasp!

As I struggled to open my eyes, I felt that my body was somehow unnatural.

?

What the? Why can’t I move my body?

No way!

In an instant, I could guess what had happened to my body. It seemed that the heroes had actually realized their words about needing to tie me up.

Ugh-

I tried to put strength into my body, but it was tied so tightly that I could only tense my muscles; I couldn’t budge at all.

Anyway, where am I...

Looking around carefully, I saw the machine’s screen directly in front of me, which meant I was tied to something on top of the machine with my hands behind my back.

Where did everyone go...

Huh? Wait a second.

But I had to sit on top of the machine, right...?

What is restraining me?

As if waiting to answer my curiosity, the voices of the heroes, led by Merlin’s, drifted up from below the machine.

"Eodum... that guy! We didn’t know what he’d do next, so we used a binding spell and even added a stun effect. He probably can’t move a muscle."

"Is it reliable? Eodum seemed to use an amazing, supernatural power... you know?"

"...Given Eodum’s personality... shouldn’t we just wait until he comes up, since we’ve gone this far?"

"Lancelot. Keep a close watch on Arthur. What kind of behavior is that, acting like that when there’s nothing to do? Wow... I was shocked. Seriously... I thought they were actually dating. They were affectionately hugging and putting their arms around each other."

"Hmph. If you’re jealous, do it yourselves. Ouch!"

"...Cheonma... I got it. Arthur... you’re bad!"

..Arthur, I’m sorry...

I just... I just wanted to show you that it was a useful ability...

Tap-tap. Tap-tap.

"The moment he opens his eyes, he goes around seducing everyone..."

"He’s caused every accident imaginable..."

"My, what a seductive little scholar..."

"Oh... you’re awake?"

The heroes, who were coming up to the machine one by one, stopped in their tracks and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cut off their sentences when they saw me smiling and greeting them happily.

"Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Awake? Oh. You’re awake. If you have something to say, spit it out yourself!"

At Cheonma’s question, delivered with glaring eyes, it seemed all the heroes shared the same thought; they swarmed around me in an instant, applying blatant, silent pressure, demanding an answer from my lips.

"Uh... first ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of all... Arthur is innocent..."

"Ha- so you’re going to defend her here?"

"It’s the truth. I did it because I wanted to. I was just testing out my ability, and... well, one thing led to another."

"..."

"...I told you I’d help if you wanted to experiment like that...! You could have just asked me! I’m good at using attack magic, too!"

"Eodum... I’ve been trying to brush it off as ‘just because,’ but after hearing what Cheonma said earlier, I’m sure of it, so I’m going to ask."

"...What are you curious about?"

Hwaryeon, who said she was sure of something and wanted to ask, hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.

"...Is your behavior always this loose?"

"..."

Loose, she says...

What is she talking about? She’s got a huge misunderstanding!

To think she’d slander me, a man who lived in the Land of Eastern Courtesy! A country of traditional Confucianism where men and women shouldn’t even sit together after the age of seven!

I swallowed my saliva and opened my mouth calmly.

"...I suppose... from your perspective, it might seem that way. Listening to you all... it seems the men here act quite modestly... is that right?"

"Of course. How could a man dare to treat a woman so casually? It’s rare, except for family."

"In the world I lived in, it was the exact opposite... So. Hwaryeon... do you... hate that I act like this? To me, right now... you are my only family. It’s hard to even... play a joke... I see..."

"...Only family... *Gasp!*"

When I looked at Hwaryeon with a gloomy expression and said that, she clutched her chest with her hand as if she were having an arrhythmia.

Hup... ha, haak... ha... haak... ha-

She bit her left fingernail and took a deep breath. Her pupils dilated and contracted repeatedly as if she were excited, and I could see her trying to calm herself down as her face turned bright red.

Isn’t that the early symptoms of Qi Deviation?

...She’ll handle it herself, I’m sure.

With my hands tied behind my back, I decided to change the subject to the gacha before I said one more word and Hwaryeon, having lost her reason, tore my T-shirt to shreds and caused a real disaster.

"I won’t do anything else today, so... why don’t we finish rolling the gacha? Who’s left?"

"...Everyone has used up their coins. All that’s left are the 500 coins from Cheonma that you gave us."

"...Huh? You’ve already gone through a full round, and Judang even blew through the extra coins she got?"

"...Th-that is so..."

I tried to change the subject, but I couldn’t hide my bitterness at the news that even Judang had run out of coins.

I looked at Judang, who was feeling gloomy, with a moment of pity, then turned my head to face Cheonma.

"...Why? What?"

"No... I was just thinking that Cheonma is our last hope. I wonder if our Cheonma will show us once again! That she is the woman strongest at dealing with crises among all the heroes!"

"Ha! Well, obviously!!!!!!!!!!! Who else is there if not me?"

Gotcha.

As expected, Cheonma is full of pushover tendencies.

Now then... shall I play a few more pranks on Cheonma?

"Cheonma."

"Yeah?"

"I know a way to increase the probability of a gacha hit, even if just by a fingernail’s width... want me to tell you?"

"...R-really!?"

Look at this.

She’s such a gullible Cheonma.

"Then repeat after me, slowly."

"Okay!"

"If I roll the gacha, I shall pull the item I desire! Even if the probability is at rock bottom, I will break through that probability! If I pull the item I desire, it is my victory!"

Hearing my spell(?) where I spouted nonsense in a confident tone, Cheonma, with her excellent memory, began to follow along slowly.

"If I... roll the gacha... I shall pull... the item I desire... Even if the probability... is at rock bottom... I will break through... that probability... If I pull... the item I desire... it is my victory..!?"

"That’s it. Well done. Now, go ahead and roll the gacha. You can roll 50 more times."

"Hehe, okay!"

Cheonma approached the machine with a joyful heart, looking at the screen with a cautious expression as she began to insert coins into the machine’s slot.

Watching her with a fatherly smile, I locked eyes with Hwaryeon, who was looking at me with a dissatisfied gaze, as if she had finally calmed down.

"..."

"..."

What?

Why?