Chapter 44: School Opening (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: School Opening (4)
The "Daisy is the Root of All Evil" theory, which I had firmly believed in, began to waver.
In truth, the root of all evil wasn't Daisy, but Boradori.
No, I mean Violet—wasn't it that bastard?
While it’s not like there are no RoFan heroines who are good at blackmail...
Based on the original work Violet mentioned, Daisy definitely wasn't supposed to be this kind of character.
Just what kind of "early education" did he give her? The RoFan heroine, who should have been clueless and innocent, had transformed into this.
"Is this blackmail?"
"Yes, it is."
Her beaming smile was as refreshing as a typical RoFan heroine's, but the words coming out of her mouth were anything but.
"And why exactly would that be blackmail?"
I tried to play dumb, but...
"You hate it when I'm around Ellen, don't you, Adam?"
Daisy replied instantly, her expression saying she saw right through me.
"What makes you think that?"
"I can just tell by looking?"
This is the intuition of a RoFan heroine?
What on earth has that damn Boradori created?!
That bastard Boradori went and destroyed the original plot herself, yet she had the nerve to nag me about it?
I really wanted to show the current Daisy to the guy who, when we first met, insisted I stick to the original story.
"Do you really think I'll do it?"
"I figured you'd really hate this kind of thing, so I thought you might actually refuse. But I also had a feeling that if I poked you the right way, you might just say yes? So, I thought if I started the negotiations by using Ellen as bait... wouldn't it work out somehow?"
What do you mean, "work out somehow"?
"Do you realize how much of a scumbag you sound like right now?"
The words slipped out without a filter. Daisy scratched her head, looking a bit sheepish.
"I guess it does come across that way, doesn't it?"
"Of course it does. Setting aside the guys who are just being annoying... what about the people around you who genuinely like you, Saintess?"
There’s a reason RoFan heroines are usually portrayed as clueless.
If they knew everything and still acted that way, the moment the author slipped up even a little, the heroine would turn into a "trashy girl" who manages a harem.
That’s why, unless it's a novel where the male lead is set in stone from the start, even the most perceptive RoFan heroines are written to be dense when it comes to romance.
"But..."
Daisy replied with a troubled expression.
No matter what she said now, she was going to look like a jerk.
"It would be one thing if they confessed first... but I can't just go up to someone and say, 'I know you like me, but I don't like you,' out of the blue."
"......"
I was momentarily speechless.
I had been waiting to hear what kind of excuse she’d make, but hearing it, she actually had a point.
It wasn't just one or two guys; more than half the club members were in love with her.
If she went to each one and told them she wasn't interested, that would be the behavior of a crazy person.
And on the surface, weren't they all supposed to be "good friends"?
"To be honest, they really are good friends. But as romantic partners? It’s a bit burdensome, I guess? Besides, we haven't known each other that long, so for it to become 'love'..."
She was right.
I wouldn't deny the existence of love at first sight, but expecting the person you fell for at first sight to love you back is pure greed.
Especially when it wasn't just one guy who fell for her, but several.
Pretending not to know someone likes you is "managing a fish tank," but accepting everyone who likes you just makes you a total bitch.
"As time passes, I might come to like someone. But that's not the case right now. So, that's why I can't exactly ask them to play the role of a fake boyfriend..."
In that sense, there was no one better suited for the job than me—someone who, far from falling for her, was actually repulsed by the whole idea.
"So, this is a bit embarrassing to say, but..."
Ahem.
Clearing her throat softly, Daisy looked off into the distance and spoke.
"You'd better not fall for me, okay?"
"......"
The RoFan heroine of our world is, no matter how I look at it, definitely a piece of work.
Now that I realized Daisy was far from the RoFan heroine I had imagined...
I couldn't be sure what would happen if I just sent her away.
"Let's hear the details first."
I had no choice but to sit down at the negotiating table.
"Thank you. Out of everyone I know, the only ones I could ask this of are you and Senior Bellian... but the Senior would probably just run away."
For a second, I wondered who Bellian was, before remembering it was the name of the narrow-eyed Club President.
Well, he was the only person in the Flower Arrangement Club who actually did any flower arranging.
If the club leader was driven away by a "confession attack," the remaining club time would inevitably descend into chaos.
"Is there no one else?"
"The only guys I'm close enough with... are all in the club. So, if you don't accept, I'll inevitably have to ask Ellen."
"......"
"Ah, this is blackmail... I know! But I'm not just saying it to threaten you. If you weren't here, I really would have asked Ellen."
What was she talking about now?
"Why?"
"Because... Ellen is the one who's currently the most distant."
Hearing the explanation, I realized this wasn't Violet's fault, but mine.
Because I had stubbornly kept Ellen out of major events, including the Holy Kingdom incident, he paradoxically had the least narrative build-up with her, making him the most suitable candidate for a fake lover among the male lead candidates.
"Wait, isn't there that guy Gerard?"
I brought up the name of the Border Count's son, who Boradori had mentioned was a minor character alongside Ellen in the original work.
"Ah! Gerard is third on the list."
Unfortunately, he was only third.
"......"
Should I consider this a reward for all my hard work?
"So, will you do it?"
The way she looked at me with sparkling eyes was the very image of a RoFan heroine, but her internal contents were nothing but an Academy-style terrorist.
To think a RoFan heroine would take a hostage and threaten to blow everything up if I didn't cooperate with her terrorism.
"Don't look at me like that. If you keep looking at me like that..."
"Like what?"
"I feel like I might fall for you."
"That's great. Then you'll play the boyfriend role, right?"
I thought she’d back off if I said I might fall for her.
It seemed that didn't work on a quick-witted terrorist.
"Do you really hate it that much?"
"Yes. Isn't it a bit much to ask someone who hates the idea to do this?"
"To be honest, it actually feels fresh, so my heart is kind of fluttering?"
Damn Boradori. What on earth did you create?
Seeing Daisy skillfully dodge everything, I eventually had to wave the white flag.
This girl was the real deal. She was the type who really would go and ask Prince Ellen next if I said no.
"Let's just do it for one month."
And so, I moved straight to the negotiation.
No matter how great a RoFan heroine she was, she couldn't beat someone who had been signing contracts with the royal family since the age of ten.
"Until the break. If it's only a month, people will just think it's a joke and keep pestering me."
"Then until midterms. We're in different departments, so let's just say we broke up because we were too busy to meet because of the exams."
"Absolutely until the break. I'm even willing to change departments if I have to."
"...Really?"
"I've received a lot of requests from the Swordsmanship Department to transfer since before the break anyway."
I had made the request myself, but it seemed the Sword Emperor had been doing some heavy promoting.
"Besides, the rumors from the Holy Kingdom... are circulating in a much more exaggerated way than I expected. I think everyone would understand even if I transferred now."
I had heard the rumors too.
It seemed the rumors varied by region; unlike in the Leon Kingdom, the most famous rumor at the Academy was that Daisy had split the sky.
And besides that...
"The Sword of Light reached the heavens, splitting the sky. The Goddess poured down swords of light like rain to judge the corrupt. You cut down a thousand Holy Knights in a single strike, right?"
If you combined all the information gathered by the Intelligence Bureau that had spread across the continent, you got a ghost story like that.
If that were true, why even bother being a swordsman?
She should just be a Holy Knight.
"Ah, no, that's..."
She seemed to think so too, as she shouted with a flushed face.
"Most of that is exaggerated, so don't actually believe it!"
"Most of it?"
Does that mean some of it is true?
I thought back to all the effort I’d put in just to beat Ellen.
...Did I learn swordsmanship for this? I'm starting to feel miserable and full of self-loathing.
"A-anyway! What's important right now is that we're becoming a couple until the break. Got it?"
"Got what? I said let's just do it until midterms."
"It's not like you have a girlfriend anyway! We just need the rumors to last for half a year! I won't ask for anything else!"
"No, the rumors are the problem."
"Ah, do you perhaps have someone you like? I heard you've been meeting Violet often lately. Don't tell me..."
The way she widened her eyes and covered her mouth was truly loathsome.
If it had been yesterday—no, even this morning—I might have misunderstood and thought she genuinely believed that.
"You know that's not true, don't you?"
"Oh, so you're going to play hard to get!"
The way she deliberately provoked me felt like something she’d learned from a certain someone.
The negotiations lasted longer than expected.
Despite ignoring everything a RoFan heroine should stand for, she maintained a RoFan heroine's stubbornness.
What do I mean by that?
"Fine, until the winter break."
She absolutely refused to budge on the duration.
This girl, Daisy, knew all too well that she held the upper hand in the negotiation.
When I didn't give in, she immediately declared a year and a half.
In other words, she threatened that if I didn't yield, she would engage in a fake relationship with Ellen until next year.
"In exchange, you must strictly follow the conditions."
"Of course."
Instead, I succeeded in attaching a long list of other conditions.
First, she had to inform the RoFan male leads, including Prince Ellen—basically, the people in the Flower Arrangement Club—that it was a fake relationship beforehand.
And second...
"I didn't know my first boyfriend would be such a jealous person!"
"Sigh..."
She had to minimize contact with Prince Ellen during the fake relationship.
I added this condition to make it feel like I was actually doing my job, but seeing her beaming as if she’d caught me in a weakness made me regret even mentioning it.
"In return, you have to listen to my conditions too."
"Fine. But tell me at least a week in advance. I have my own schedule."
In exchange, she requested one "Date Ticket" per month.
She called it a date, but it really meant using me as a scarecrow to ward off annoying men at events.
I was a sandbag for the men, and now a scarecrow for a woman.
I was already worried about how the Captain would react.
Rumors at the Academy travel fast.
That was true even during the break—and on a Saturday, no less.
"Where are you heading?"
Even though it was the break, many students were already on campus.
Some classes at the Academy were difficult to keep up with unless one was a genius.
Professors or TAs often held private lessons in empty classrooms during the break.
Even if that wasn't the case, many people met up under the pretext of taking classes to build social networks.
"Ah, well."
With a bright smile, Daisy thought to herself.
Who is this?
Even before becoming a Saintess, many strangers had acted like they knew her because of her friends in the Flower Arrangement Club.
After becoming a Saintess, that number had increased exponentially.
And after returning from the Holy Kingdom, almost everyone at the Academy acted like they were her close friend, so this was nothing new.
Daisy was used to people whose faces she didn't even remember acting friendly, but...
Actually, people like this are perfect for spreading rumors, right?
Daisy spoke as if it were nothing.
"The Academy is opening soon. I just went and confessed to the person I like."
"...Pardon?"
The aftermath of the nuclear bomb she’d dropped in the Holy Kingdom hadn't even settled yet.
And now, she had just dropped another massive nuclear bomb on the Academy.