Chapter 111: Academy Romance Manipulation Team (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: Academy Romance Manipulation Team (6)
The next morning.
“…Couldn’t you guys have just explained yourselves right then and there?”
That was the first thing I heard from Uncle Aeryun when I went to see him. He looked like he’d just finished another all-nighter.
“Did something happen?”
“You think it didn’t?”
The rumors hadn't just spread through the Academy; apparently, there wasn't a soul in the Imperial Capital who hadn't heard.
“For your information, the biggest debate in Imperial high society right now is whether the number of people required to kiss to escape the barrier is the minimum of two, or if it’s everyone present.”
“That is a debate I had absolutely zero desire to know about.”
“That’s the wholesome side of it. Want me to tell you what’s in the true abyss?”
“……”
As an agent of the Empire, I offered my sincere gratitude to Uncle Aeryun for his hard work in being forced to gaze into that abyss.
As a bonus, I felt a wave of relief once again that the setting of this RoFan wasn't the Imperial Academy, but the Leon Royal Academy.
“If it came out that we were the ones who changed the room’s conditions, it could cause misunderstandings.”
“I suppose. But you’re usually so good at that thing you do.”
“What thing?”
“Manipulation and fabrication.”
“……?”
“You just had to say the Dark Mage was responsible up to the kissing part, and Princess Ruelle was the one who broke the curse. Simple.”
“……!”
There was a way!
Seeing my expression—which clearly said I hadn't even considered that—Uncle Aeryun let out a deep sigh.
“And here I thought you were usually so sharp.”
“No, Uncle, you really had to be there to feel the atmosphere.”
It wasn't just me; even Princess Ruelle had been so overwhelmed by the mood that she’d agreed to just run for it.
“The students and professors were all gathered there, looking at the Flower Arrangement Club with these expressions that said, ‘We understand everything’!”
“Which is exactly why you should have cleared the air!”
“I’m telling you, it’s not as easy as it sounds!”
“Sigh…”
I tried to comfort Uncle Aeryun as he continued to sigh heavily.
“There were already rumors that many members of the Imperial Family support same-sex romance, and this just added fuel to the fire…”
He seemed to have a massive headache from the rumors that were now supercharging the tabloids.
“But isn't that rumor actually true? I mean, starting with the royal closest to the Crown Prince…”
“Quiet!”
Seeing him get angry for no reason, it seemed I’d hit a sore spot.
Classic Empire.
The future looked remarkably bleak today as well.
I turned my head to look at the gathered group.
Senior Loreliya, the Fire Spammer, and Princess Ruelle.
“Alright, now that everyone’s here.”
It was time for the first hearing of the Academy Romance Manipulation Team.
“So. How did things end up like this?”
At Judge Loreliya’s opening statement, Princess Ruelle raised her hand.
“I believe the fault lies largely with the executor of the plan, Senior Adam.”
True to her Dale bloodline, she immediately sniped at me. Likely an attempt to defend the criminal, the Fire Spammer.
“I’ve been framed!”
“Silence. The first person to speak has the floor.”
I immediately appealed my innocence, but the judge was cold. Even if it was a fake relationship, being shut down like that by my 'lover' hurt a bit.
“Thank you, Senior. To continue, regardless of the outcome, Senior Adam was the one who gathered everyone here. Furthermore, he was in charge of the most crucial part of this operation!”
“That is true.”
It felt a bit unfair, but I could see why she’d think that.
Therefore.
“I have an objection!”
“Speak.”
I calmly stated my grievances.
“I set the table perfectly. I even chased off the thugs who tried to barge in and steal a spoonful. But if the owner of the table refuses to eat and just stands there watching some weirdos eat instead, what am I supposed to do?!”
“…I’ll allow it.”
“Urgh…”
Even Princess Ruelle couldn't find a rebuttal for that.
As everyone’s gaze shifted toward the owner of the table, the Fire Spammer…
“You’re right… I’m the culprit!”
The Fire Spammer squeezed her eyes shut and confessed to her crime, looking like a culprit admitting they were the one who threw the clothes hanger.
“I-I definitely had the chance to be alone with him. If I had, I might have found even a little bit of courage!”
She was even painfully aware of the details of her criminal negligence.
“H-However!”
The Fire Spammer squeezed her eyes shut again, and instead of making an excuse…
“If I were capable of doing that, this wouldn't have happened in the first place!”
She just offered her neck for execution.
“Any rebuttal?”
“None…”
Even Lawyer Ruelle, who had tried to frame me to save the Fire Spammer, admitted defeat. There was nothing she could do when the person she was defending had confessed to everything.
“H-However…”
Wait, she had more to say?
Naturally, my gaze, along with Loreliya’s and Ruelle’s, fell upon the Fire Spammer.
“N-Now that the rumors have spread as much as they have… won’t the number of women who feel attracted to the Prince decrease?”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Her head was bowed low, but we saw it.
A creepy smile was playing on the corners of her mouth.
Something had gone wrong.
We realized it, but none of us could say a word.
“If things stay like this… maybe…”
Maybe the Prince will come back to me.
Hearing the Fire Spammer mumble that to herself, we could do nothing but hold back our tears.
The hearing ended.
However, only the Fire Spammer went home; the rest of us gathered again under the guise of dispersing.
“What on earth happened at the Academy to make her like that?!”
Marie has been broken!
Watching Princess Ruelle scream, we immediately pointed out the culprits.
“Half of it is because of your kinsman who abandoned Marie.”
“And the other half is her own fault for digging her own grave.”
“That’s not what I want to hear! What do we do now?!”
The Fire Spammer had undergone a 'Blackening.'
Of course, the nature of this corruption was different from what I’d heard from Boradori.
Regardless, the girl had turned somewhat… murky.
“The best thing would be for her to just give up.”
“Why won't she?! Even as his own flesh and blood, I’m losing all affection for him!”
“Hmm. I shall exercise my right to remain silent.”
Loreliya kept her mouth shut, knowing that agreeing would mean badmouthing the royalty of another country.
“I agree, though.”
“You…?”
“Don’t worry. It’s a Leon privilege.”
In this world, a citizen of Leon badmouthing Dale wasn't much of an issue.
“Exactly! People from Dale talk behind Leon’s back whenever they’re bored anyway!”
See? Even a royal of Dale admitted it.
“…Are you two close friends or sworn enemies?”
Loreliya, questioning the dynamic, clearly lacked Leon and Dale sensibilities.
“Anyway. The best way is for my brother to snap out of it, since Marie is rejecting him as if she’s been brainwashed…”
Unfortunately, the Magic Spammer, who had been hit by the RoFan Death Beam, was unlikely to do that.
“So, there’s no choice. We have to help my brother.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean by that?”
We questioned Princess Ruelle’s sudden drift in logic, but surprisingly, she had a plan.
“Think about it. What’s my brother’s image right now?”
“Well, it’s…”
“The guy who kissed a dude?”
“Exactly!”
“…I shall exercise my right to remain silent.”
Leaving Loreliya behind as she squeezed her eyes shut and backed away, Princess Ruelle began to explain her plan.
“I’ve heard enough of the social rumors to know. There are young ladies, albeit a minority, who support male couples. But that’s from a third-party perspective. They wouldn't want their own lovers to prefer men over women.”
“It’s a form of cheating, in a sense.”
And even before the cheating aspect, most would simply find it off-putting.
“And from what I know, Senior Daisy, the Saintess, lived the life of an ordinary lower-ranking noble before she became the Saintess.”
“Right.”
“Of course, the fact that she took Senior Adam as her lover—even if it’s fake—is a variable… but let’s move past that for now!”
“……?”
“If my brother, who is suspected of being a sodomite, confesses to an ordinary person like her, what do you think will happen?!”
“It’ll be dead on arrival?”
“Exactly! Of course, since it’s going to fail anyway, it’ll at least be an ‘honorable death’…!”
Once he gets rejected, maybe that idiot brother of hers would finally come to his senses.
It was a fairly plausible opinion.
“And what if even that doesn't work?”
“Then it’s total war.”
“Specifically?”
“I’ll have to summon him to the royal palace during the break and force him into that spatial magic that failed this time…”
“…The kissing one?”
“You think something that mild will work?”
…True, it probably wouldn't.
“But before that, I want to eliminate the variables, so please help me!”
Since it didn't sound too difficult, I nodded.
Daisy had a lot on her mind lately.
Every time she went to the Holy Kingdom during breaks, some incident occurred.
And even after returning to the Academy and working so hard, something always happened there too.
“At this point, am I the problem?”
She had reached a level of insight bordering on the truth of the world.
“…Nah. No way.”
But since humans often flee from the truth right in front of them, Daisy turned a blind eye to the reality and headed to the club room.
“…Empty again today.”
She sighed deeply, looking at the vacant room.
Ever since the day her friends had escaped from that… embarrassing space.
The Academy had been closed for about a week after that, but these weren't the type of people to skip club activities because of that.
This had happened occasionally during their first year, too.
But this incident was…
“Ahem.”
She shook her head violently at the imaginations popping into her mind.
“Well, school is closed, so it’s natural they wouldn't come!”
She was alone in the club room, watering the flowerpots.
“Mr. Adam?”
Daisy tilted her head as a familiar face opened the door and walked in.
“……”
But her eyes narrowed at the sight of the women following behind him.
Another one…
One was Senior Loreliya, whom she was now quite used to.
The other was also somewhat familiar… a woman who bore a strong resemblance to her club friend, though she wasn't someone Daisy saw regularly.
“Senior. Senior.”
“Yes?”
Daisy called out to the familiar Loreliya.
Then, in a small voice, she whispered a question.
“The number of women increased again. Is she ‘Senior-approved’?”
“…Hmm. I suppose one could look at it that way.”
Loreliya seemed to realize something, but Daisy sighed and continued.
“You wouldn't know since this is your first time, Senior. This is my second.”
“Well, my apologies.”
“I should have put an exclusivity clause in the contract when we first signed it…”
As Daisy sighed, Adam and Princess Ruelle looked at her with exasperated expressions.
“Could you at least say that out of earshot?”
“What on earth did my idiot brother see in this person…”
Daisy stuck out her tongue playfully.
“I said it so you would hear it.”
When she complained that it was too much even for a fake relationship, Adam pushed Princess Ruelle forward instead of answering.
“A declaration of war?!”
“If you want to call it that, I guess it is.”
“……!”
Daisy had been joking, but she was flustered when the other party boldly accepted the challenge.
“Wait? Arwen?”
“Yes.”
When asked what she thought of Arwen, Daisy blinked a few times and answered with a lukewarm expression.
“Uh, well. He’s a good… friend?”
“Right. A friend.”
Daisy’s eyes narrowed as she watched Princess Ruelle nod with a satisfied look.
Wait a minute…
Daisy could take a hint.
This person in front of her was checking the status of the relationship between her and Arwen.
Since she was Arwen’s younger sister, it was a natural curiosity, but…
There’s something more.
It wasn't just simple curiosity about their relationship. There was something else.
And her intuition was screaming…
A confession!
She didn't know why, but she felt it.
She glared at Adam with eyes full of resentment.
The contract was supposed to prevent exactly this kind of thing, and yet he’d betrayed her! When she looked at him with that accusation, he subtly avoided her gaze.
That was the moment her intuition turned into certainty.
Of course, Daisy herself preferred a clear resolution over an ambiguous relationship. Getting a confession and becoming 'just friends' was fine, but…
In this atmosphere…
Looking at the empty club room, Daisy squeezed her eyes shut.
If he got rejected here… there was a very high probability that Arwen would never recover.
The other club members would be collateral damage.
And so, Daisy chose evasion.
“Where did Senior Daisy go?”
“I-I don’t know either.”
After that day, Princess Ruelle never managed to run into Daisy again.