Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Ignition! Yume's Confession Great Operation!
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Isihoon was in a very complicated state of mind.
Rubelt, Rize, and Yume.
To him, all three were incredibly precious friends.
Yume was his childhood friend, someone he'd known since they were kids, while Rubelt and Rize were people he'd met in high school—but he didn't think the length of time they'd known each other mattered. They were that close.
Rize could come off as a bit curt with anyone besides Rubelt, but he could sense her kind and caring heart toward her friends.
Yume would point it out whenever he acted carelessly, and she'd call to wake him up if he was about to oversleep.
And above all, Rubelt.
They just clicked in conversation, and gaming together was always a blast.
He wasn't some obnoxious chaebol heir straight out of the media stereotypes, despite being the heir to the world's top conglomerate.
He knew his privileged position but still had the character to consider others and lead them.
Especially at the academy, Isihoon had received tons of help from Rubelt.
He'd invited Isihoon and Yume to the mansion separately to help them adjust and study.
He'd put them through special training until they could use ultimate techniques.
And most importantly, the number one thing on his mind right now: Rubelt had been a huge help in advancing things with Kim Yesl.
Isihoon wouldn't have even figured out if Kim Yesl had feelings for him or not on his own.
But Rubelt had spelled it out and pumped him up, so he'd gotten bolder in approaching her.
Even to Isihoon's eyes, it was clear now that Kim Yesl had feelings for him, and they'd reached the point where they could enjoy those warm moments together.
Without Rubelt, it might've taken until next year for him to realize.
To such an Isihoon, Rubelt was truly a grateful and close friend.
And that Rubelt had a proper fiancée named Eli Glassner.
He'd been surprised when he first learned about it at the academy, but it made sense—Rubelt was Rubelt, after all.
Besides, it was obvious at a glance how much Eli adored Rubelt; she was so proactive about it.
From an outsider's view, they were a perfectly matched chaebol couple.
Deep down, Isihoon hoped Rubelt and Eli would make it work.
But then.
'Yume... likes Rubelt? For real...?'
During lunch, what Yume had said to Rubelt.
Even the oblivious Isihoon could tell it was a date invitation.
And Rubelt had accepted Yume's date invitation.
On the surface, he probably just wanted to let her repay him, so Isihoon figured that's why he'd gone along with it.
Eli, who'd been right there, hadn't reacted strongly either—probably because she thought the same as Rubelt.
'Or maybe Rubelt accepted, so she's reluctantly staying quiet... Yeah, that's gotta be more likely...!'
Isihoon shuddered at the words "women's psychological warfare" flashing through his mind.
'As a friend, I can't just sit back and watch this...!'
Isihoon mustered his courage.
For his friend and benefactor Rubelt to live happily with his fiancée.
And to prevent his childhood friend Yume from doing something wrong.
It was understandable that Yume had feelings for Rubelt, but Isihoon felt bad for her while believing people had to uphold propriety. After school, back home, he called Yume.
Even squeezing out that much courage wasn't enough to say it face-to-face.
[Hello? Isihoon, what's up?]
"Yume... what the heck were you thinking?"
[Thinking about what?]
"Today, you... asked Rubelt out on a date. Right in front of Eli! What were you thinking!?"
[Oh...]
"Even if, you can't do that in front of his fiancée! More than that, Yume, since when have you... liked Rubelt?"
[Isihoon.]
He'd barely mustered the courage to scold her properly, but before he could blurt out his curiosity about when her feelings started, Yume calling his name stopped him cold.
[Listen, I'm gonna confess to Rubelt this weekend.]
"Yume!?"
Isihoon couldn't help but be shocked by the bombshell that followed.
[As for when I started liking Rubelt... yeah, back in high school, I've liked him ever since. You probably never noticed.]
'For real? Since back then?'
"Uh... but in front of Eli..."
[And this time, Eli will accept it too.]
"Accept it?!"
[Yeah. So that's why... I said that back then.]
'Accept it? What does that even mean? How? No way...!'
A drama unfolded in Isihoon's head.
Yume, unable to suppress her feelings for Rubelt despite his fiancée.
But kind-hearted Yume wanted to sort out her emotions somehow.
So she'd explained everything to his fiancée Eli beforehand and begged her: please let her go on a date today so she could put an end to her feelings for Rubelt.
So she could cut off her lingering attachments.
Broad-minded Eli, as Rubelt's fiancée, understood and gave Yume the chance to confess.
To get cleanly rejected and move on without regrets.
And oblivious, kind-hearted Rubelt would think it was just repayment, go on the date, get confessed to, and be flustered!
Flustered but gently rejecting her, while Yume holds back tears and finally lets go of her lingering feelings. That was the story.
'Y-Yume... you'd resolved yourself that far...!'
Tears welled up in Isihoon's eyes at the tragic tale of the gentle-hearted Yume in his mind.
"Sniff! Ugh! Y-Yume...!"
[Huh? I-Isihoon? Are you... crying? Why?]
"Hang... in there! Ugh, sniff! I'll cheer you on! Sob...!"
[Ch-cheer me on? Th-thanks...? But why are you crying...?]
'I can't keep talking! Ahh, Yume...!'
"Sorry, gotta hang up! Please convey your feelings well, Yume...! Guhuhu!"
[Isihoon? What the he—...]
Click! Unable to hold back the surging sadness, Isihoon ended the call.
"Yume... hang in there...! Overcome the heartbreak! Waaah!"
For his precious childhood friend he'd known since childhood, facing such a sad heartbreak in the future, Isihoon prayed she'd overcome the pain and smile again as he wept.
"He said he'd cheer me on... Ah, did Isihoon hear about the harem from Eli or Rubelt too? So when I told him my resolve..."
'Isihoon accepts the harem and is cheering me on. But crying about it... he's such an overreactor.'
Yume thought Isihoon understood the situation and was warmly supporting her.
A few days after Yume asked me out, the weekend arrived.
The academy had been pretty chaotic in the meantime.
And for good reason—they'd fully taken down the Strenzer.
They'd even held a commendation ceremony for forcing it to retreat, but the very next day, me, Rize, Isihoon, Yume, and Kim Yesl got called together for another one.
We even took commemorative photos, which they said would be displayed in the academy forever as a symbol of its honorable students.
The chairman himself wore a deeply satisfied smile, saying he'd never felt this proud and joyful as chairman.
After that, journalists swarmed the academy, kids from other classes came asking about the battle with Iron Mountain, and the days were hectic.
Yume didn't really have a chance to talk to me alone during all that.
But she didn't seem anxious or dissatisfied about it.
Which made sense.
She could easily suppress any complaints with the excitement of our approaching weekend date.
I, too, had planned our date to make it a good one for Yume, and along the way, I'd raised my proficiency by handling Ayame and Kagura at the same time sometimes, or doing Netorase play with Anna, or going once each with Eli and Rize—so I'd be even more skilled at giving Yume a pleasurable experience when the time came.
Chisaki seemed like she wanted to do it with me too, but like last time, I was waiting for her to approach first.
And then Saturday came.
The day of my date with Yume.
"Alright, I'm off, Rize."
"Yes. Have a good time, Young Master."
With Rize seeing me off, I headed to the same spot where I'd met Yume before and found her waiting.
"Rubelt! T-Today, I'll properly re-pay you!"
Yume's face was flushed with shyness, but her eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Oh, your outfit looks really cute today, Yume."
"Eek...! Th-thanks..."
Today's look for Yume was a subtle frilled top and skirt set—not over the top.
"Y-You look cool today too, Rubelt."
"Yeah?"
What I had on was a simple white shirt and black pants.
Of course, all designer brands, so insanely expensive.
"So, how are you gonna repay me today?"
"I came up with something... If you don't like it, tell me right away! I'll change it on the spot! F-Follow me!"
Yume had clearly planned the date with the genuine intent to repay me before confessing, in her own way.
And the place she took me to was...
"This is..."
"We haven't hung out just us since enrolling at the academy, right? So... how about it? It's been a while."
An arcade.