Buying the Dip (7)
Late at night. If you're a responsible adult who turns in early, it's about time to start getting ready for bed.
"Casey. You done washing up?"
"Yeah~ Got it!"
My roommate Casey was busy as usual, trading messages on her crystal. She'd been at it for two whole hours since dinner ended. Impressive, really. It's not like modern messenger apps where multiple people can chat at once—this thing barely does more than feature-phone texting. Yet here she is, glued to it.
I flopped onto the bed in just my underwear, fresh out of the shower. The mattress was surprisingly plush. I hadn't swapped out the dorm bed or anything, so this had to be the standard-issue one given to every student. Still this comfortable? The Imperial Academy name really does mean something. The bed back at the hideout wasn't bad, but it couldn't compare to this. That one was something Theo and I bought with our own money, after all.
Come to think of it, maybe we should upgrade Theo's bed to something bigger and nicer? Mine's fine since it's just me sleeping there. But Theo's going to be hosting a whole harem of heroines in his room eventually. Or… maybe not? The heroines could wait in their own rooms while he picks and chooses whose door to knock on. That works too. I vaguely remember playing an adult game with a similar setup back in the modern world.
Either way, the hideout still needs some proper decorating. Right now it's way too barren. From Theo's reaction yesterday, though, anything too aristocratic or luxurious doesn't seem to be his style. Maybe something modern… sleek and contemporary. Another project to add to the list. No chance of getting bored around here. Hehe.
- Scraaape.
"Nngh~" Casey pushed her chair back and stood up from the desk, stretching every which way. Her joints popped loudly with each movement. How long had she even been sitting there?
"I'm gonna go wash up too~"
"Oh. Casey, wait a sec."
"Hm?"
"Lemme borrow your crystal for a bit."
"Huh? Just use it. It's not like it's mine anyway."
She wasn't wrong. The crystals ran on the dorm's ambient mana and were provided per room, not per person. Still, I'd learned from experience.
"Who said anything about asking permission? Just delete or hide anything you don't want other people seeing before you hand it over!"
Maybe it was because the only function was basic texting, or maybe this generation just hadn't fully grasped how dangerous messenger apps could be. Either way, Casey's exchanges with the other girls sometimes contained stuff you really wouldn't want a guy reading. Relationship advice? That was cute enough. Even without any personal experience, I understood men's hearts better than most women. I'd even given her pointers a few times.
Stories like "I had my first time with my boyfriend yesterday" were embarrassing but still wholesome. I could look the other way. But once things crossed a certain line…
One-night stands with classmates and detailed comparisons of certain sizes, boyfriends suggesting partner-swapping, that sort of thing. Reading messages like that made it awkward to even look those girls in the eye the next day at the academy. At least this was a game world—plenty of lewd content, but no actual crimes. Maybe Casey had already filtered the worst of it herself.
"C'mon, what's so embarrassing about that stuff? You wear super revealing clothes but get weirdly shy about the weirdest things, Luna."
"You think I want to dress like this? That's beastman discrimination, you know."
"Anyway, I really don't care if you see it, so don't worry about it. The other girls already know that messages sent through the crystal aren't private to just me anyway."
With that, Casey disappeared into the bathroom. She had a point. Since the crystals belonged to the rooms rather than individuals, anyone sending messages would already assume others might see them. They wouldn't send anything truly private.
…Wait. Did that mean everything I'd read so far was stuff they considered "safe to show"? A shiver ran down my spine. I shook my head to clear the thought and sat down at the desk, carefully pushing aside the pile of message-filled crystals without reading any of them.
Time to send a message. Recipient: Theo.
- How'd it go today? [Luna]
Kept it vague since Theo probably had a roommate too. This much should be enough for him to understand.
I sat there, ears twitching, and got a reply almost immediately.
- It went well. [Theo]
Huh? Really? When I left the café, the count's daughter had been completely unwilling to negotiate. Hypnosis hadn't even worked on her.
- What did you do? I was already thinking I'd need another plan. [Luna]
- I just took my time and persuaded her. [Theo]
- You mean "persuaded" as in physically, right? [Luna]
- What does that even mean? …Actually, I think I get it. That's a funny way to put it. [Theo]
The biggest worry had been resolved without incident. That was a relief. One message had already accomplished the goal of checking in, but it felt rude to just hang up after hearing only what I wanted. Some people could do that without blinking, but not me.
After that, we just chatted about nothing in particular. We couldn't discuss anything important through the crystal anyway, so it was all small talk.
"Whew! That feels so much better."
Before I knew it, Casey had finished her shower and come back out.
"Oh? Luna, you're still using the crystal?"
"Yeah. The important stuff's done. Want me to move?"
"Nah, it's fine. I'm not busy or anything. I was just wondering who you were talking to that had you smiling like that."
"Smiling?"
Now that she mentioned it… yeah, I had been enjoying myself. Why? Well, obviously. Just talking to someone made me happy. That's what friends were for.
I sent one last message saying I'd see him tomorrow and stood up.
"Huh? You're ending the conversation because of me? You don't have to do that."
"It's fine. I already told you the important stuff was over. The timing just felt awkward to stop."
"Hmm. Really? If you say so."
I handed the desk back to Casey and lay down on my bed again. If things had gone smoothly, Faye would probably be joining us soon. But recruitment was just the middle step. Eventually we'd need to bring her into the harem too. For that, we'd have to raise Theo's sparring win rate… How should we go about that…
…Mmmnya…
◆ The next morning.
Before Professor Ines could even arrive to deliver the morning announcements, a group of girls came looking for us. It was the noble young ladies' party, with Faye in tow.
"Good morning. I trust you've been well?"
"Hey. Isn't that greeting a little weird? We literally saw each other yesterday."
"A single night is more than enough time to say 'have been well.' Hehe."
The count's daughter smiled lightly and swept her gaze over our party. When her eyes met Theo's, her pupils trembled ever so slightly. It only lasted a moment, but I didn't miss it. Just what had Theo done to her? He must've used hypnosis, but since I hadn't seen it happen, I had no idea how it worked.
"Ahem. The reason we've come to see you is… well, it's about Faye."
"About her?"
"It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but we should be honest when it matters. Staying with us right now isn't helping Faye grow. If it's all right with you, would you consider taking her in instead?"
"Huh? Really? You're okay with that?"
Faye turned around in surprise at the count's daughter's words. They hadn't discussed this beforehand, apparently.
"Of course. Faye, your opinion matters most, of course. If you don't want to join Theo's party, you don't have to. We'll simply work that much harder on our end."
Listening to her, it almost sounded like she'd made some grand, noble decision for Faye's sake. But really, she was just repeating the exact logic we'd used when we first tried to persuade her yesterday. Still, the pretty lie—that the count's daughter had bent her thinking for Faye's future—was far more beautiful than the truth: that she'd desperately resisted hypnosis just to keep Faye close. So I decided not to point it out.
"U-um… I want to go with Theo's group!"
"…I see."
The count's daughter muttered with a hint of bitterness. She probably hadn't expected Faye to choose us without even a moment's hesitation. Hopefully this would give her a chance to reflect on her own actions.
Finally, the count's daughter faced Theo. Her fingers fidgeted nervously, though she tried to keep it out of her voice.
"Please take good care of Faye, Theo. You were so passionate about persuading me yesterday, so I trust you'll treat her just as well."
"Obviously. Don't worry."
Faye's eyes went wide as she looked between the two of them. This part of the story was news to her too.
"Theo asked you to do this?"
"Yeah. He said he had something to discuss with the count's daughter when he left yesterday, right? I guess this was it."
I'd been there too, but I conveniently left that part out. After all, the story sounded more touching if Theo had persuaded her all by himself. Had to keep those affection points coming.
Once their business was done, the noble party returned to their own seats. Faye stayed behind with us instead of following them. According to the original plan, Faye wouldn't have joined our party until much later. But now another thought occurred to me.
Maybe recruiting her this early meant we'd bought her at her lowest price? After all, Faye was only going to keep growing faster and faster from here on out.
In other words… successful low-point purchase!