Chapter 318: The Festival is Grand! Fun! And Decadent! (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 318: The Festival is Grand! Fun! And Decadent! (2)
A few days ago, when I asked if it would be alright to go on multiple dates using my cloning technique…
To be honest, I was prepared to have an extra hole or two opened in my stomach to appease the girls who had looked so disgusted.
I knew I was taking advantage of their feelings for me. Even if it didn’t come to actual stabbings, I planned to grovel as low as possible if they showed even the slightest hint of displeasure.
If they still said no, I was going to give up.
But contrary to my expectations, everyone nodded in agreement after hearing my proposal.
— Um, if you’re doing this out of consideration for me, you really don’t have to?
I had even asked them that, worried they were only agreeing for my sake. Surprisingly, they told me that having a long period of time to monopolize me was better than fighting uncomfortably. They actually seemed to prefer it, which, frankly, I didn’t quite understand.
“Don’t you feel jealous at all?”
The Noona currently enjoying a date with me swallowed the last slice of pizza and looked at me as if I were being incredibly strange.
“I do…? I get jealous. Why wouldn’t I? You have no idea how much I like you, So-hyun.”
She pulled out a handkerchief and naturally wiped the corner of my mouth. I struggled for a moment to reconcile her beaming smile with the words she was saying.
“Then why didn’t you oppose it…?”
“Would you prefer it if I did? If I—no, if we told you not to date anyone else and demanded you cut off everyone who has feelings for you, would that make you feel more at ease?”
I wasn’t sure if it would make me feel “at ease,” but I certainly would have done it.
“I wouldn’t like that. Neither would Ha-ni or Ga-eul. Our So-hyun is so kind and gentle that even if it hurt you or you hated it, you’d do it if we asked.”
…Well, if nothing else, one thing was certain: this wasn’t the kind of conversation to have during a date.
Especially not during a date where I was thinking about properly confessing my feelings if the chance arose.
“We like you much more than you think, So-hyun. We’d rather tolerate more people around you than see you get hurt by force. Is that so strange?”
Honestly, I thought it was a little strange, but that was by my standards.
In this world, where anyone with enough ability—man or woman—could form a harem, perhaps it wasn’t such an unusual thing.
“But if there are too many, I might get sulky. I’ll definitely pout if the time you spend with us decreases. You haven’t really seen me upset, have you? It’s actually quite terrifying.”
Seeing how much consideration she was showing me through her intentionally playful tone, I couldn’t even bring myself to look her in the eye.
“I don’t think I’ll ever have to see you upset.”
“Hm?”
“I have no intention of spending less time with you. Even now, I want to see you for even a second longer.”
It wasn’t a lie.
If I had intended to reduce our time together or give up on staying by their side, I would have already been falling apart, creaking like a broken machine.
They were so lovely and warm that I didn’t even know how to repay what I’d received. There was no way I’d ever want to make them angry.
“…So-hyun, are you actually planning on adding even more people? I’m asking because I might need to prepare myself mentally.”
“What on earth are you talking about…?”
“No, well. Right. Even if you don’t intend to, they’ll probably flock to you on their own anyway.”
I wanted to deny it, saying that was impossible, but unfortunately, the evidence was right before my eyes.
At that very moment, the clone I had stationed at the entrance to greet customers was being asked for his number by a man and a woman simultaneously.
“Um, this is a bit troubling. Customers~”
And he was smiling while maintaining an iron wall.
Exactly. I’m only weak to the goodwill of people I know well; it’s not like I want just anyone to like me.
“Then we can just get to know each other starting now…!”
…But man, those people are persistent.
However, since they were technically customers, I persuaded them politely and sent them on their way.
Clone No. 3, you’re working hard.
* * *
And around the time Clone No. 2 finished his meal with Cathy…
Clone No. 4 was enjoying a date with another person.
“Eek…! Eek…! Eek…! This is weird! I’ve pulled thirty times and haven’t gotten anything higher than fourth prize!”
Aisha Livias.
Claiming she would show me her luck, she had dragged me all the way to the upperclassman district and was currently squandering her allowance on a lucky draw.
It brought back memories. In the past, she used to get drunk at casinos, lose everything, and then beg me to help her smash the place up because it was a scam.
Surprisingly, most of the time it was a scam, so we’d flip the tables, earn some funds, and leave.
…Wait, am I supposed to be nostalgic about that?
I watched her with a fond smile, but eventually, I started to feel bad for her. Since I’d enjoyed the show enough, I decided to give her the answer.
“Well, of course. There’s no string connected to the first prize.”
“…Huh? What do you mean by that?”
I cast a soundproofing barrier, adjusting it so only the senior student, Aisha, and I could hear. The senior’s eyes began to tremble.
“W-what are you talking about? That’s impossible. It’s just because the odds are low.”
“Ah, no. I understand, Senior. It would be troublesome if the first prize was won right now, wouldn’t it? You’re probably trying to guide it so one of the professors wins it, right?”
“Ha, haha. Then do you want to try pulling them all right now? What are you going to do if the first prize doesn’t come out? Can you take responsibility for what you just said?”
“Oh, it’ll definitely come out. Because this is rigged. You’ve set it up so that you can use mana to connect the short string marked ‘1st Prize’ to a blank losing string, haven’t you? You can just claim the slight difference in length is because it’s a student-made project.”
“How did you—!?”
“My eyes are just really good. And I’m sensitive to mana.”
This was a trick anyone confident in mana control could pull off.
Not many would actually dare to do it out of fear, but this guy probably didn’t plan on it from the start. He likely just got greedy when he saw the prize and acted on impulse.
“D-do you have proof?”
“Ayy, I really don’t like that phrase. If you ask for proof instead of claiming you’re being framed, isn’t that basically a confession? Our Senior here has no intuition, right?”
“What!? Y-yeah, exactly!”
Aisha had been staring at me blankly, so her reaction was a bit delayed. Well, this much was fine.
“And you know, you said it earlier. You asked if I could take responsibility for my words.”
As I gripped the draw box hard enough to make it creak, his face turned pale.
“Do you think I can’t? Even if I couldn’t, I have more than enough ability to compensate her. On the other hand, Senior, what do you think will happen if I smash this, find the evidence, and submit it to our very busy and public-spirited Student Council President? Or better yet, the professors?”
“Hey, hey! Let’s talk! Let’s talk this out! What do you want!”
“What do I want~?”
In the past, I would have told him to hand over everything he had.
But I wouldn’t go that far with a fellow student. It’s not that I couldn’t, it just felt… wrong.
“Well, it’s nothing much, really. I don’t intend to lecture you on how to run an honest business, and my friend here needs to reflect on her choices too. So, just give her back 70% of the money she spent. That includes the ‘hush money,’ so it’s not even that expensive. Seriously.”
“I-I’ll give it! I’ll give it right now! Then you’ll just leave, right!?”
“Of course. What do I have to gain by making an enemy out of a senior? Don’t worry. I know what professional courtesy is.”
“You’re not going to tell anyone, right!?”
“Ah, why is your tongue so long? You’re making me want to change my mind.”
“N-no! It’s only natural! Right!? I’ll return it immediately!”
Aisha, who had been standing there dazed, continued to stare at me even after receiving most of her money back.
“So-hyun, do you know something?”
“Hmm? What, are you thanking me for getting your money back?”
“You’re looking really sexy right now.”
“Hearing you talk nonsense tells me I got you back too much money. I should have only gotten half.”
“No, really. I’m serious. I’m not teasing. How can a person get more charming the more I peel back the layers…? Are you really used to threatening people like that? My heart is actually fluttering.”
Of course I’m used to it. Do you have any idea how many casinos I raided with you?
“Still, it’s a bit of a shame.”
“What is?”
“That senior. He’s just going to scam someone else, isn’t he? Turning a blind eye while other victims suffer is…”
“What are you talking about? I already texted the Management Committee and reported him.”
“…Huh? I thought you were going to look the other way?”
“He needs to reflect. Don’t you know the saying?”
“Pardon?”
“There’s no need to keep a promise made to a villain. It’s a very famous quote.”
“…Are you treating a senior like a villain right now?”
“Well? Isn’t a scammer a perfectly fine villain?”
“Wow, you’re seriously so mean. It’s incredibly attractive.”
“How so? If anything, he should be grateful to me for giving him a chance to repent.”
If he had been an adult, I would have half-killed him without hesitation. I was being very lenient.
“And you, reflect too. You have zero talent for gambling, so just stop.”
“Hmph, how long have you even known me? I can win a fair match too, you know!?”
“The moment you think of gambling as a match of luck, you’ve already lost.”
In gambling, it’s rarer to find a game that isn’t rigged.
Aisha subtly tried to slide her arm through mine, but when I dodged, she glared at me with a pouting face.
“Ah, why did you dodge?”
“Oh, why shouldn’t I have dodged?”
“Because the mood was right?”
“I don’t think your affection level is high enough for that yet.”
Who knows. I wasn’t sure what our distance would eventually become, but at least for now, getting any closer than this felt difficult.
“Ah, do you know you were really uncool just now?”
“I know.”
Because the person you are is so different from the person I used to know, I feel like I need to watch you a bit longer before reaching a conclusion.
“…You sly fox.”
“The things that come out of your mouth…”
Well, it’s still fun in its own way.
* * *
And while everyone was enjoying the festival, there were those who couldn’t enjoy it at all.
“You know, Junior. Which number is the clone you sent to me?”
In the Student Council room, where only the two of us remained.
Baek Seol didn’t stop her hands; in fact, she accelerated her work as she threw the question at me.
I, too, was sorting through documents as fast as possible while answering her.
“About the forty-six thousandth?”
“Oh, that’s such an absurd number that I don’t trust it at all.”
The sound of her pen scratching across the paper never ceased, but that didn’t mean she was doing a sloppy job. If anything, she was reviewing the documents with extreme precision.
“Hmm, my guess is that given your personality—attaching meaning to small things—you probably sent me the very last clone you made. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
“Wow~ I’m actually hurt. You should have at least lied out of politeness.”
“Would you have preferred it if I lied?”
“No? Not at all. I would have been disappointed then. Actually, I’m not even hurt. I didn’t think you’d even bother to look after me.”
“I actually put a lot of thought into it.”
“Oh, really? I don’t think it’s because you’ve fallen for my charms, so what brought on this change of heart?”
“I wanted to see if you’re someone who can change.”
“…What?”
“Whether it’s in a positive or negative direction, you’ve already begun to change, Senior.”
“…You hit the nail on the head.”
“So I’m going to watch you closely, think it over as much as possible, and then make a choice.”
“Hmm, what kind of choice?”
“Whether to stop you. Or to just watch.”
“Ah, what. So it wasn’t a confession of love.”
“Am I crazy?”
“But Junior, do you know something? I actually felt really good just now.”
“Suddenly?”
“Because you and Ha-ru are the only ones who noticed I’ve changed. Thinking that you were paying more attention to me than I thought… it makes me feel strangely happy.”
“I’m watching you because I consider you a dangerous element, you know?”
“In the human brain, even negative attention is more easily engraved than indifference.”
“Better than indifference, huh.”
At that moment, I felt her gaze and looked up, meeting Baek Seol’s eyes.
The emotion in her eyes was still far from affection, but it was something close to goodwill.
“You know, I hated it a little when you started becoming different from me and moving further away.”
“We weren’t exactly close to begin with.”
“Still, in my eyes, you were the one who resembled me the most. But lately, I’ve been having thoughts like this every once in a while.”
“Like what?”
“If I can’t stop you from changing, it might be a bit fun to let you change me too.”
Baek Seol didn’t attempt any skinship or excessive expressions of affection.
She didn’t even utilize the weapons she possessed.
Was it because she didn’t understand herself yet, or was there some other reason?
“But all of that is in the very distant future, isn’t it? I see less hostility in your eyes than before, so I don’t think it’s bad to sit face-to-face and help with paperwork like this.”
I felt like she gave a very faint smile.
That slight trace of a smile, which somehow didn’t feel like an act, vanished instantly as her mask returned.
“Well, helping with paperwork like this is how people join the Student Council, stay late drinking coffee, and eventually fall in love, right?”
“If you try to make a move, I’ll sue you.”
“My, how prickly. You really are cute!”
Perhaps she was right.
For our relationship, which had yet to reach a conclusion, maybe this exact distance was for the best.
Baek Seol smiled and handed me a cup of coffee.
“Ah, let’s count this much as not ‘making a move,’ okay?”
“I’ll enjoy the drink.”
The coffee, which I expected to have a bitter aroma, was surprisingly sweet, as if milk had been added.
It made me feel strangely relaxed.