Breaking the Pride of Young Masters and Ladies (5)

Two buddies, each with a canned coffee in hand, sitting side by side on a park bench and talking about the future — pure coming-of-age movie energy.

"Dude, look at you. Magnum, you've already got the build of a tank."

That was the vibe, exactly. The only difference was we had paper cups of black tea instead of canned coffee.

"Y-you think so?"

"Obviously, man! Train for defense and endurance, slap on a giant set of armor, and plant a greatshield in front of you. Even an S-rank Void Beast's fangs wouldn't punch through that."

And I, standing safely behind him, would be just fine too.

Every game with a tank-DPS-healer setup revolves around the tank. Tank. Secure a tank. If you see a newbie, raise them as a tank.

"But… House Rodrimure has produced swordsmen for generations."

"No, I'm telling you — you've got the talent of a warrior."

I slapped Magnum on the back.

"Just look at those broad shoulders. You're optimized for the warrior class."

"I-is that so?"

"Yeah. You've got talent. When you charged me earlier, if you'd been holding a sword I could've just dodged. But picture you rushing in with a greatshield that size."

I slapped his back again.

"You become a wall. A wall. How safe do you think your allies would feel standing behind you?"

"A wall…!"

I wasn't just saying it. I meant it.

"Be honest with yourself. What's higher — your odds of making it big as a swordsman, or your odds of making it big as a warrior?"

"…Our house is…"

"Ugh, you idiot."

I leaned back against the bench and took a long, slow sip of the hot tea.

Was the black tea this ridiculously fragrant because this was a romance fantasy world, or because it was a subculture game? Either way, the fact that it wasn't a manure-stinking medieval fantasy was something I could happily live with.

"You've got way too much unnecessary tension in those shoulders."

"…You're already an excellent swordsman, brother."

"So what? Your brother is your brother, and you are you."

"…!"

Magnum's hand tightened around his cup.

So complimenting a guy still gives points, huh.

But why so little?

Marong, Professor Kadisha, Princess Elettra… a few compliments each and I could farm hundreds of points off them.

Was there some special reason women paid out better?

…No way. Was the system misandrist?

Yikes.

And I was being pretty sincere about it, too.

I'll say it again — Magnum genuinely has the makings of a tank.

More useful than the makings of a great demon, at lea—

"Urrrgh…!!!"

"What's with you all of a sudden?"

"I just mentally self-harmed."

Magnum laughed like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"How do I put this… you're a little different from the infamous Gilliam I've heard about."

"People can change."

"…I suppose they can."

Magnum sighed.

Looking at him like that…

"Hey. You like Princess Elettra, don't you?"

Magnum practically leapt out of his seat.

"What absurd nonsense…!! My feelings are nothing more than loyalty!"

"Sure, sure. Loyalty. Yup. Totally."

About as convincing as "we're just guy friends and girl friends."

Elettra didn't just have zero interest in Magnum — she seemed actively put off by him.

"But you should probably tone down the approach a little."

"…Are you rooting for me?"

"It's not my business either way."

Elettra was pretty, sure.

But it wasn't like she had any particular fondness for me either.

Anyway.

"Oh right — help me find my dorm room. I forgot where it is."

"I don't mind, but… a room? What are you talking about?"

"?"

A whole stretch of villas lined up along one side of the academy campus.

"…This is the dormitory?"

Unbelievable.

Even for a subculture game, this was ridiculous. Commoner students lived two to a room in shared housing, and the noble brats each got a private villa?

…Or is it? I guess descriptions of the upper class enjoying this kind of privilege aren't that far-fetched.

Among them, I found the villa with the nameplate that read Everchess.

Ah. Here it is.

A two-story villa identical to the ones on either side.

The only difference was a broken first-floor window — smashed by a rock someone had thrown.

"Hmm."

Childish.

Thinking they can get away with it because I wasn't around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to catch them?

Truly childish.

As I moved to go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inside, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a woman stuck her face out from the villa next door.

She had a languid look about her, and white hair.

As if the game needed any more confirmation it was a subculture title, her outfit was extremely revealing and her chest was genuinely enormous.

"Hey, boy."

"I'm a little old to be called a boy."

"At the very least, you clearly don't know how to respect your elders."

"Aren't we both first-years?"

"How old are you?"

How old was Gilliam supposed to be, again?

"Beats me. Not sure."

"Heh…"

The woman smiled.

"You're an interesting boy."

"I told you, not a boy."

"Boy. Want to know who did that to your place?"

"Yes."

"Hoo…"

The white-haired woman brought two fingers to her lips in a V.

"I saw them."

"I see. It was Shupi Valier, right?"

"…?"

The woman blinked.

"How did you know that?"

Because I saw it.

With the skill I'd just bought from the shop for three hundred points.

Two sets of footprints walked away and headed straight for a nearby villa bearing the nameplate Valier.

Was she in a bad mood?

I wasn't sure, but maybe she got mad because the party invitation didn't go the way she wanted.

Well. That happens.

People get angry and smash someone else's window when they're not home. It happens.

And if she could do that, then so could I.

"H-hey? Where are you going, boy?"

"…"

Come to think of it, maybe I should compliment this woman first.

"You're pretty."

"Hic."

Good thing I invested in the point-protection feature.

I was about to praise her a little more when, as luck would have it, Shupi Valier herself stepped out of her villa.

"See you tomorrow, then."

"Uh, uh… yeah…"

I bent down and scooped up a fistful of gravel.

"Hey! Shupi Valier!"

Shupi and the man beside her turned to look at me, then both sneered.

"My, what seems to be the matter?"

"Is the lodging really that unsatisfying compared to Everchess ducal estate?"

I strode toward them.

"Oh my, whatever happened to make you so angry?"

"Looks as though he's about to resort to savage violence!"

I flung the gravel clutched in my full hand.

A little hard, though.

Dozens of pebbles blasted forward like a shotgun blast.

CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Every window across the front of Shupi's villa shattered at once, and gravel punched into the wall, gouging it full of holes.

"Wh…?"

"…W-what…"

The pair stood so dumbstruck they couldn't even react. Of the two, Shupi recovered first.

"W-what do you think you're doing!? How dare you commit such a barbaric act!!"

"So what? You guys broke my window first."

"D-do you have proof!? And even if you did — we only broke one window, and you completely wrecked the entire front of this house!!"

"…What kind of garbage logic is that?"

I scowled.

"Hic…"

Shupi flinched and stumbled back in terror.

"Why should I only pay you back exactly what you did? If you didn't like it, you shouldn't have started something in the first place."

I shook my head as if they were pitiful, then turned and headed back to my own place.

"Ah…"

Shupi muttered blankly.

"The Everchess… scoundrel…!!!"

The next day.

Following the timetable to a different lecture hall from yesterday, I found Marong spotting me and lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"Liam! Over here, over here!"

She looked exactly like a big dog wagging its tail at the sight of its person.

No reason to sit anywhere else, so I took the seat next to her.

"So you're in this class too."

"Ehehe, I guess so… I'm happy…"

"Hm?"

"Ah, it's nothing! But Liam… did something happen yesterday?"

The truth was, the moment I walked into the lecture hall, a barrage of prickly stares had locked onto me.

What happened yesterday, again?

A lot of things, actually.

"What did you do yesterday?"

Come to think of it, Marong never did end up going to the party.

"I just read a book in my room and fell asleep…"

"Impressive. Reading's a good habit."

"Ehehe…"

Yep. Women definitely paid out better.

This misandrist system, I swear.

Looks like I'll have no choice but to keep focusing my compliments on women from now on.

"Is this seat free?"

A voice I'd heard before.

I looked up to find ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Princess Elettra pulling out the chair beside me.

"You're taking this class as well, Your Highness?"

"I wasn't originally, but since the first lecture hasn't even started yet, I changed my timetable."

"Ah. Did you take an interest in the subject?"

Princess Elettra rested her chin on her hand and stared straight at my face.

"Your Highness?"

"…I'll just say that something caught my interest."

The intensity of the hostile stares aimed at me suddenly multiplied several times over.

Why, though.