Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Favorability in Every Spare Moment!
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The next day.
I headed out to the city with Rize to hang out with Isihoon and Yume.
"Rubelt~ Rize~ Over here~."
Yume waved at us from the meeting spot.
"Hey, Isihoon, Yume."
"Hello, Isihoon, Yume."
"Yeah! Hey! It's been forever since we all hung out like this!"
"Isn't it almost two weeks? We were gonna hang out at Christmas, but you got shot down."
Isihoon grumbled a bit from beside Yume.
"There was the Eldra family party at Christmas, you know. I was planning to invite you guys originally. But I figured it'd be awkward having you there with all the corporate bigwigs."
"Ahh~ Yeah, I guess. Us regular folks would stick out like sore thumbs."
"A party full of corporate execs... Sounds kinda stuffy."
"It's not that bad. At least not for me."
"Well, yeah, you're the Eldra heir, Rubelt. Everyone's watching your every move, so they wouldn't dare pressure you."
"Hahaha!"
"Look at you, not even denying it."
Well, it's true, isn't it?
"Anyway, let's have a blast today. Where to first? The arcade we talked about?"
"Yeah! Hurry up, Rubelt—I'm gonna crush you this time!"
"Isihoon, still haven't given up? After losing to Rubelt like that?"
"Yume, be quiet! Us guys... we don't give up! Especially in games!"
"Sigh... What do you think, Rize? Who's gonna win? Isihoon?"
"Yume, why even ask a question with such an obvious answer?"
"Oh, sorry."
"Rize! Yume! You two just wait! I'm beating Rubelt today!"
"I'll show you the gap in our skills again today."
We all headed to the arcade together.
While Isihoon and I duked it out in our usual fighting game, Yume and Rize went off to play other games on their own.
"Today, I'm finally gonna win!"
"Bring it. I'll wipe the floor with you."
Going to the same school as Blaze Blood's protagonist Isihoon and getting close to him gave me a new hobby.
Fighting games.
The kind people call "grudge matches" or whatever.
In my past life, my reflexes weren't great, so I never really got into them.
But with Rubelt Eldra's killer specs, my dynamic vision and reaction speed were through the roof. Inputting commands was way easier than before.
And when I used those skills to utterly demolish a decent player like Isihoon? It felt amazing.
I finally understood why vets slaughter noobs.
Plus, true to his canon personality, Isihoon never gives up. Getting repeatedly crushed by me just made him more determined to challenge me again.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
I could hear Isihoon desperately working the stick and buttons, trying to pressure me into a mistake and strike.
Speed that'd be impossible for a normal person to read.
But I'm no normal person.
The moment his character went for a light jab.
I crouched mine low, landed an uppercut to launch him up, and flowed right into a combo.
"Argh!"
For the record, I don't drop combos.
Isihoon's health bar got shaved in half in one go.
Using the delay while his character was down and recovering.
-That all you got?
I hit him with the taunt.
This is the real good stuff.
"Rubelt! You!"
"If it burns, do better, Isihoon."
"Grrr!"
Isihoon went full rage mode.
At this point, his reaction speed ramps up, making it fun for me to really go at him.
Having played with me so many times, Isihoon could predict my patterns to some extent.
That's why I could never perfect every round against him.
But that's what makes fighting games fun.
If I swept every round, it'd get boring fast.
Tied at 2-2.
Final round.
Both our characters were low on health.
Tat-tat!
Isihoon input a jump attack as our characters closed in, but I ducked first to evade.
"Argh!"
I could hear Isihoon's scream, already anticipating the follow-up.
Yeah~ Scream all you want; no mercy.
Click-click-click!
Isihoon flailing desperately to escape the pinch.
But I knew his panicked timing inside out.
Tat!
The instant his character landed, I targeted the unguardable moment with a low attack to finish him.
Wham!
-Kyrraaagh!
"Kyrraaagh!"
-GREAT!
Isihoon leaped from his chair, clutching his head and howling in defeat as his character crumbled.
Ah, that scream hits just right too.
"One more round!"
"Nah. You always say 'one more' and keep going, Isihoon."
"For real! Just one more for real!"
"No."
"Why not!"
"Yume and Rize are here too. If it was just us guys, maybe, but we can't keep hogging it with them around."
"One round won't hurt, right?"
Isihoon gave me those pleading puppy eyes.
They worked, so I caved.
"Just one."
"Yes! This time, I'm wiping the floor with you!"
After one more round with Isihoon, we went to find Rize and Yume.
Of course, I won.
"Damn! Damn...!!! If I hadn't dropped that! Right there! Hey, Rubelt! Seriously, just one more...!"
"Nope~."
Yume and Rize were playing spot-the-difference.
"Whoa! We cleared it! Thanks to you, Rize!"
"No, Yume, you spotted a ton too."
"Hehe. Really?"
They'd just finished a round, looking all buddy-buddy.
"Oh. Isihoon, Rubelt. Back from your duel?"
"Yeah. And I won, obviously."
"It was super close! I didn't get crushed!"
"Sure, sure~."
"Yume, you don't believe me! It's true!"
"I know~ I've seen you lose super close to Rubelt a bunch of times."
"Ugh...!"
"As expected of the Young Master."
"Where to next?"
We always hit the arcade whenever the four of us met, so no need to linger.
Plus, stick around too long, and clingy Isihoon would beg for another round.
"Oh! Karaoke then! Karaoke!"
Yume beamed, picking our next spot.
"Perfect! Next up: karaoke score battle, Rubelt!"
Still salty about losing, Isihoon challenged me to something else.
"I can hit 100 on every song. You confident, Isihoon?"
"N-not every one! Gotta try!"
"I approve as well."
Unanimous vote. Off to karaoke we went.
We booked two hours. Drinks and snacks arrived as service when we entered the room.
"Rubelt~ We're adults now, so shouldn't we order booze?"
"I can still picture you grimacing from unfamiliar booze. Stick to drinks."
For reference, I'd had my first taste of wine from Dad at family dinner last night.
Never really drank in my past life, so it was my first time.
People say it's smoother and sweeter than soju or beer, but booze is booze.
It was bitterer than expected; nearly winced. Thank goodness for my genius-level poker face training.
Eh, it'll get easier with practice.
Got that promise with Master to drink Brain Bright Brew someday. Gotta adapt quick.
"Seriously, Isihoon. Don't get all showy just 'cause you're legally an adult. Regret chugging later, and it's wasted cash."
"Fine, fine. Geez, Yume, you're not my mom—quit nagging."
"This isn't nagging? You're just barely an adult~."
"Songs! Let's sing! Me first!"
"Look at you dodging."
And so we had a blast belting out tunes at karaoke.
Isihoon went heavy on passionate rock, Rize and Yume stuck to trendy pop.
Me...
"Aaaah~."
I sang opera.
-100 points! Wow! Incredible! You're the song king!
Heh, child's play with Rubelt Eldra's specs.
Clap-clap-clap-clap.
"Impressive, Young Master."
"Whoa! Thought I was at a concert!"
Rize and Yume applauded my stellar vocals.
Isihoon clapped too, albeit half-heartedly, then asked,
"...You sing great and all, but why opera at karaoke?"
"Singing normal songs is boring. Gotta drop something memorable once in a while."
We kept going for an hour—singing our hearts out, hyping each other with tambourines during others' turns.
"Ah, bathroom. Ugh, stomach's... acting up."
"Go for it."
As Isihoon rubbed his belly and left, I shot Rize a quick glance.
"I'll step out to the restroom as well."
"Sure, go ahead, Rize."
Rize left too. Now it was just me and Yume.
A brief silence hung in the air.
"Uh... Wh-what're you gonna sing, Ru-Rubelt?"
"Gonna chill till Isihoon and Rize get back. You?"
"Huh? Oh, I-I sang a bunch already. Break time."
"Same."
Thanks to steadily building her favorability, Yume got all stuttery and shy around me now—like she was with Isihoon in the game.
She was even more lively and naggy with him, though.
Having that fresh crush vibe directed at me? Perfect.
Truth is, Yume couldn't help liking me.
Three years of high school together, being a total gentleman the whole time.
No girl hates a guy who treats her well.
Vice versa too.
"Come to think of it, Yume."
"Y-yeah? Wh-what?"
"Looks like it suits you, huh?"
Last time we met.
To test the results of my three-year favorability grind, I'd suggested a new hairstyle to Yume.
A single side-braid.
The style she switches to in the late Seo Yume route of Blaze Blood, thrilled by the protagonist's hair accessory gift.
Last time, I'd gifted her a nice accessory for securing braids and recommended the look.
And here she was, rocking it.
Girls don't change their hair on a whim from some guy with zero pull.
Proof she was into me.
"Oh, yeah. Tried braiding one side. How's it look?"
"Cute. Suits you perfectly. Worth gifting that accessory."
"R-really? Hehe, good."
Yume blushed, scratching her cheek.
Well then... Time for a little more favorability work to confirm?