Chapter 319
Chapter 319
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 319
Chapter Title: Siwoo; Romance Manipulation Squad (4)
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"Hey, Dirk! You made it!"
"What're you waiting for? Grab a drink and join us!"
As soon as I pushed open the door, adventurers greeted me by shoving drinks into my hands. Hmm, yeah. This really did feel like I'd come back. I hadn't expected things to resolve like this... but it seemed like Heroine NTR had pulled through for me again.
"Why're you standing there all hesitant? Come on in already!"
"Haha! Let's get wasted tonight!"
They'd said it was to prevent the world's destruction by resetting spacetime, right? If that was true, then every failure would just trigger another reset. Hmm... not entirely sure, but it was a bit reassuring. Even if something like before happened again, I'd get another shot with just one more coin. Heroine NTR truly was the ultimate ability.
"Are you that famous Dirk I've heard about?"
I'd just taken a reassuring swig when some sleazy-looking guy approached me from across the room.
"Hmph. And who might you be, talking like that?"
"Ah, s-sorry! I should've introduced myself sooner. Name's Siwoo. I'm a swordsman!"
Hoo, his lines were spot-on identical. From his reaction, Siwoo didn't remember a thing about what had happened earlier. So, did that mean I'd regressed alone? Well, yeah—resetting spacetime to avert destruction? It'd be weirder if he remembered.
"Not bad. Got some fire in you, kid. Let's chat."
So, no need to sweat it. With that weight off my mind, I tossed out the same lines as last time and moved with Siwoo to meet Sophia.
"Oh my, Dirk? It's been ages! You remember me, right? Rachel, the girl you called Sophia back in the day! Wow, meeting like this again... I'm so happy!"
"R-Rachel?! You know Dirk?"
"Yeah! We were super, super close!"
Sophia, though—she was a different case. She remembered yesterday. Had her soul crossed over like mine? Her lines and reactions were totally off-script, confirming she'd regressed too.
"...Long time no see, Sopi. Or should I call you Rachel now?"
"No, keep calling me Sopi! Hehe."
So... this had turned into a time loop story? Man, that was intriguing. I'd regressed before, but getting stuck in a loop? First time, and it got my blood pumping. No pressure now—I could experiment freely. Feeling lighter, I grinned and joined the hero's party.
"Ugh... hic... Looking forward... hic... to working with you..."
"Yeah, yeah. Now get inside and sleep it off."
"Then, excuse... urp... me."
-Creak
-Click
For the party formation celebration drinks this time too, we got Siwoo blackout drunk. Unlike last time, we made sure he was out cold, locked the door to block any surprise interruptions, and gathered in Sophia's room to plan ahead. Sure, we could've gone straight into some passionate fun after all this... but with the string of bizarre events, we decided to hold back tonight.
"...Yeah, that's right. The goddess told me."
"What exactly did she say?"
"Well... that you're not from this world, and you want to take me back to yours... and to do that, we have to succeed here? Oh, and not to worry too much—even if we fail, we can try again."
What? That explained why she'd seemed a bit off. Uncharacteristically bold for Sophia—now I knew why.
"I see... So, what do you think about it?"
"Huh? About what?"
"Me... keeping you in the dark all this time."
"Hm... Honestly? I don't mind. Hehe, so what if you're from another world? As long as there's love, right? You love me, so you wanna take me home. No need to feel guilty about the fibs."
"Sopi..."
Sophia giggled and took my hand. What a saintess—no, a goddess.
At this point, shouldn't we start a cult? She had every right to be mad, but showed zero signs of it. Man... she was too lovable! A sweet, beautiful girl truly loving me? I was one lucky guy.
"Hehe, what's with that face? Touched?"
Her affection had to be over 300 by now, easy. All that was left was clearing the goddess's mission—and with infinite coins, it was basically done. Hmm, Royal Road Hero Tale worldline for the win. Good things just kept happening here. I chuckled to myself, but Sophia eyed me and continued in a cooler tone.
"But hey... bro, I'm not the only girl for you, am I?"
"...Huh?"
"You're a dimensional wanderer, right? Bet you've met girls everywhere you go. Am I wrong? Spill it—how many?"
"That's..."
"Hmm... three? Five? Or wait, double digits?"
"N-No, not that..."
"So there are others? Hmph! Knew one girl wasn't enough for you. Saw it coming when you fell for Louise... You're way too susceptible to temptation!"
Ugh... technically, I'm the tempter, but no need to advertise that. Caught off-guard by Sophia's jab, I broke into a cold sweat. Reality waiting with Cecilia and Wi Ji-hye was bad enough... Was this okay? Thinking ahead soured my stomach.
No, no. Focus on now.
Deal with later when it comes.
I desperately blanked my mind, forced an awkward smile, and hugged her.
"But you know, right? You're always my number one, Sopi."
"Hnn... Guess I'm weak to you too. Shouldn't let it slide... Sigh, fine. I'll trust you. Hug me tighter... Hehe."
At least Sophia was more innocent than the other heroines. Thank goodness.
Anyway, dodging that close call, I got serious with Sophia about strategy. Our goal: cut Siwoo loose from her. Tricky, but not impossible—we were confident.
"Can't we just break up? Wait, no—not even dating yet. Even better. I'll go tell him I've lost interest. Honestly, he's kinda meh; I can say it straight-faced."
"Really? But he's your childhood friend."
"So? Brothel junkie. Hits the whorehouse every payday—how do you like that? Bet reincarnated Siwoo's the same. Ugh... still the worst."
"Ahem... But what if you push too hard and he snaps?"
"Eh? No biggie. If he flips, reset and start over! Let's not overthink—just try everything that pops into our heads."
Not a bad idea. One hit lands, we're clear. Her enthusiasm was adorable, so I went along with it.
Next morning, we tracked Siwoo to the training grounds...
"Congrats, Siwoo? We're official now. After you passed out, we had another drink... crossed the line. Hehe, no regrets, though. We look good together, huh?"
"R-R-Rachel?"
"Don't worry, I won't quit the party. We'll keep rocking it! Oh, might sneak off sometimes... just play dumb. Hehe."
"L-Liar, right? How in one day... W-We loved each other!"
"What're you on about...? Sorry, but body and heart are Dirk's now. Snap out of it and hit the brothel."
"Gaaahhh!"
Eh, like Sophia said—reset and go again? Back to square one, rejoined Siwoo's party, boozed up, tweaked the plan. Next morning, hit him with Sophia...
"Siwoo... sorry, but I just don't see you as a man. Can you stop giving me those looks? It creeps me out."
"R-Rachel?"
"And quit subtly marking your territory whenever a good guy like Dirk shows up. Not dating, but acting all possessive? Kinda gross. Got it? Let's be careful around each other from now on, okay?"
"G-Gaaahhh!"
Hmm, didn't expect success on try one or two. Tweak approaches bit by bit, it'll work eventually, right? No sweat. Rejoined, drank, revised...
"Siwoo... can we keep some distance? We have a mission. I'm worried we'll lose our way, forgetting it all..."
"Rachel... there's truth in that, but still..."
"Ah, Dirk bro! Hehe, sleep well? Hey! No headpats this early! Messes my hair. Save it for when we're alone... Oh, Siwoo. What'd you say?"
"G-Guh... Gaaahhh!"
After about ten loops, I realized Siwoo, that bastard, was a total loose cannon.