No Catfight
After returning to the academy from the Catel Marquisate, I spent my days as usual. I attended classes, sparred with Rachel, and trained my Intelligence stat along with the soft-sword skill Sonic Sword. It was the same routine as always, yet something was clearly different.
My sword feels a little more flexible and responsive, doesn’t it?
It was a tiny difference, but the change was undeniable. And the reason was obvious to anyone who looked.
Arcane Neuron.
Even though the progress was only 0.1%, the microscopic neurons that had formed in my body were responsible. As expected of a hidden trait evaluated as the pinnacle trait for mages, even the slightest numerical increase produced a noticeable effect.
If this reached 10%… no, even 1% would probably boost the efficiency of my Contractor of Divine Artifacts skill by a significant margin.
Increasing my Intelligence stat and skill proficiency was important, of course. But since unexpected variables had appeared because I was following a path different from the standard route, there was no need to stubbornly cling to the textbook method.
After a few more days of sparring, I reached a conclusion.
“Sparring alone isn’t going to cut it.”
My Intelligence and skill proficiency were steadily rising, but that was all—just steady growth. Against the monstrous entities of the Evil Dragon Cult that I’d have to face early on, this pace was far too slow.
Therefore, I needed something more dramatic. And for that dramatic growth, I chose Arcane Neuron.
At 10%—no, even 1% or 5% progress—the efficiency with which I handled divine artifacts would clearly skyrocket.
“Let’s try it.”
I experimented by channeling mana into my body and exercising, checking whether the enlightenment value for Arcane Neuron would increase. As expected, though, spending the entire day working out only left me with sore muscles and zero progress.
I clutched my head in frustration.
As I thought, regular exercise and muscle training just don’t mesh with my body.
Which meant, of course, that I had to have sex. It was the only “exercise” perfectly compatible with my constitution.
But that also meant I needed to clearly define my relationship with Rachel.
I can’t keep leaving things this ambiguous forever.
We were having sex, yet I was keeping our relationship vague just because I supposedly disliked heroine conquest routes? What kind of trash behavior was that? I’d feel sorry toward the Catel Marquisate, her guardian family.
And Rachel herself… sure, she had that slightly dim-witted idiot-girl trait, but she wasn’t an unlikeable character. She was pure, proactive, pretty, and had her lovable sides. Honestly, I didn’t dislike her.
Never thought the day would come when I’d have to conquer a heroine for my own growth… but I guess I have no choice.
Once I made up my mind, the rest was easy.
“Rachel, instead of sparring today, want to go to the shopping district with me?”
“Shopping district?”
“Yeah. Let’s go shopping, buy some stuff… it’ll be fun.”
“Okay!”
One day after class ended, I asked her, and Rachel nodded without hesitation.
I took her down to the shopping district and enjoyed a date with her there.
“Wow!! This looks delicious!!”
“It does. Eat as much as you want.”
I bought her favorite snacks and fed them to her. Rachel smiled happily as she ate everything I gave her. She might be a bit of an idiot, but she was a good kid. Watching her beam like an innocent child made me feel like I was taking care of a daughter, yet the memory of that passionate night reminded me she was very much a woman. She was a heroine with a strangely mixed charm.
After we’d had our fun, I led Rachel to the atmospheric terrace of a nearby café, sat her down, and quietly held out the ring I’d bought while shopping.
“Rachel. Do you know what this is?”
“A ring!”
“That’s right. It’s a ring. Do you know what it means?”
“Mom said it’s something pretty you wear as decoration.”
Rachel tilted her head in confusion. I explained it to her slowly.
“When two people wear these, it means they’ve become lovers, Rachel.”
“Lovers?”
“Yeah. It means sleeping together, living together, washing each other… becoming friends who share a much deeper relationship than normal friends.”
“Ooooh… lovers!”
Rachel’s eyes sparkled as she stared at the ring. After a brief hesitation, I picked it up and slipped it onto the ring finger of her left hand.
“You wear it here. When both people wear them, it means they like each other.”
Rachel looked at me with those bright, childlike eyes. I almost avoided her intense gaze, but instead straightened my back and met her eyes directly.
“Rachel. Remember what we did in bed…?”
“Kiss?”
“Not a kiss. It’s called sex.”
“Sex.”
“Right. Since we’ve done that, we can’t stay as ordinary friends anymore. That’s something only lovers do. That’s why I asked you out on a date today—so we could make our relationship official.”
The words felt like they were stuck on the tip of my tongue, but I forced them out with courage.
“Will you date me, Rachel? I’ll cherish you and protect you. Let’s become a relationship where we help each other.”
“Then can we sleep together now?”
“Yes. Since we’re lovers, we can sleep together.”
“Then can we bathe together too?”
“Yes.”
“Then yay!!!”
Rachel beamed and accepted. It was such a childlike response, perfectly in character for her. Finding it adorable, I let out a small laugh and slipped the matching ring onto my own finger. Guess this made us a couple.
“As long as we’re wearing these, it means we’re in a romantic relationship. Got it?”
“Got it!!!”
“I’ll be counting on you from now on, Rachel.”
“Yeah!!! I like Asbel!!”
Rachel smiled brightly and suddenly threw herself into my arms. Then, completely ignoring the stares around us, she kissed me passionately on the lips.
“W-wait! Not here!!”
“Not here?”
“Only when we’re alone! Not in public! Understand?”
“Okay!!”
She probably didn’t get it. The way she kept smiling so brightly suggested she hadn’t understood… but oh well. I’d just have to teach her one thing at a time.
Now that I’d accepted it, my mind felt lighter. Fine. Since things had come to this, I’d just run both the mindless 19+ sex route and the standard combat character training method at the same time. It didn’t seem impossible. After all, I was rotten to the core.
I might be completely clueless about the heroine conquest part, but… I’d figure it out somehow.
I looked down at Rachel, who was smiling happily in my arms. She really was cute. I gently kissed her forehead and stroked her hair.
“Let’s have sex tonight!!”
“Rachel, please. Don’t say things like that in front of people. Okay?”
“Okay!!”
Rachel giggled happily. The people inside the café had started giving us strange looks, so I quickly took her and left.
“Let’s head back. When we get back, we’ll wash up and then—”
“Asbel. Who is that woman next to you?”
The moment I stepped out of the café with Rachel, I froze in place. Standing there like a stone statue by the entrance was a familiar face.
“Lady Cassandra?”
The atmosphere felt off. The spot where she stood had a perfect view of the terrace where Rachel and I had just been. She had probably seen and heard everything we’d said and done up there.
Cassandra was smiling.
Heroine Cassandra's jealousy has exploded!
But the status window was saying otherwise.
“I was walking down the street when I heard your voice, so I turned my head and… well, I saw everything. She’s a pretty young lady. Who is she? Your little sister? A friend?”
“That…”
How the hell was I supposed to explain this?
While I carefully chose my words to keep Cassandra from exploding, Rachel beat me to it.
“I’m not Asbel’s little sister! We’re lovers!! Look, he gave me a ring!”
Rachel, you absolute idiot, you just dropped a bomb.
At those words, Cassandra’s smile deepened.
“Lovers, you say? How nice. As far as I knew, Asbel didn’t have anyone he was dating just a few days ago. That was fast, wasn’t it?”
Her fist clenched slightly. She was smiling, but her face was filled with jealousy and regret. She was probably a busy person. Being a seventh-year student with her own private laboratory meant she was highly recognized for her research achievements. That was why, unlike Rachel, she couldn’t make time to see me every single day.
So while she was busy, another girl had completely stolen me away. It was only natural she’d make that face.
“He asked me out today! The ring is so pretty!!”
Please, Rachel, read the room.
Rachel grinned from ear to ear as she proudly showed off the ring, then looked at Cassandra with an innocent expression.
“By the way, who are you? Asbel’s friend?”
The question seemed to leave Cassandra momentarily speechless.
Right. What exactly was my relationship with Cassandra? Were we in a budding romance? Had we kissed once? It was ambiguous. But after a brief moment of thought, Cassandra smiled faintly and struck back.
“We’ve gone on dates together and… we’ve also kissed.”
Her tone was strangely aggressive. You two might be dating, but a halfwit like you isn’t enough for him. I’ll take him back. Her voice was packed with that combative spirit.
It was the exact moment a catfight threatened to break out in full force.
But Rachel didn’t pick up on any of that.
“That smell I noticed on Asbel last time!! So that was you!”
Without a hint of hesitation, Rachel looked at me.
“Then Asbel, since you kissed this woman too, are you going to give her a ring and make her your lover as well?”
At Rachel’s words, Cassandra’s eyes widened in shock.
“E-excuse me?”
“I’m okay with it!!”
Rachel smiled brightly.
“Asbel, if you like this woman too, make her your lover! I don’t mind! She’s really pretty! I want to have sex with her too!”
Along with Rachel’s explosive statement, the status windows detonated in front of my eyes.
Heroine Rachel is feeling sexually attracted to Heroine Cassandra.
Heroine Rachel likes Heroine Cassandra very much!
What the hell was this supposed to mean? This girl… she liked women too?
“Can I hug her? Her breasts are so big! Can I touch them!!”
As Rachel approached Cassandra with that pure, childlike smile, I quickly grabbed her hand and started walking toward the academy.
“Rachel! No! That’s rude! Lady Cassandra, I’m sorry. We’ll be going now.”
“Why? Can’t I touch her?”
If I let her keep going, there was no telling how far she’d spiral. In my rush to leave, I didn’t see what expression Lady Cassandra wore at the end.
But the status window told me everything.
Heroine Cassandra is feeling confused about Heroine Rachel!
This wasn’t going to turn into a normal catfight.
One side was an airheaded idiot-girl overflowing with innocent charm. The other was a fiery mage from a flame-specialized magic family whose passion matched the color of her skin. And now the airhead was aggressively coming on to the mage.
“Aren’t we going to sleep together? With Cassandra too?”
Heroine Rachel has awakened to a new sexual desire!
Was this suddenly drifting into yuri territory?
One thing was certain.
At least when it came to Rachel, there would be no catfight.