Chapter 5
Chapter 5
I’ll Only Overlook Your Arrogance This One Time.
[Chat] ……I somehow survived tonight too.
Author:
Wow... seriously thought I was gonna die. My heart’s still pounding.
Today I trusted the skill and pushed a little harder.
Basically hit Elara with some brutal truth bombs.
‘ Weren’t you the one who stopped because you didn’t want to become the very color you despised? Isn’t that why you’re trapped in this mansion right now? ’
I hit the nail right on the head like that.
Then her eyes completely flipped out and she screamed, “Get out!”
I did get kicked out, but right before leaving, [ Her second defense mechanism has collapsed. ]
That popped up.
If I got +10 affection..... does that mean I actually did well? Fuck, I seriously gambled my life on that.
[Comments]
WhiteMage: This bastard’s holding up way better than expected? Seriously getting veteran vibes......
KangkangRobot2nd: Damn, that aside........ how the fuck did you survive?
: Just barely survived by using her black-and-white logic against her and thanks to the Psychological Insight skill.
AnywayTheLegalWifeIsOne: If you’ve got Psychological Insight, are you a counselor? Didn’t you get a totally broken class?
: What’s the point when I could get stabbed to death any second, fuck;;
KimSilsil: Still, seeing our rookie get past Elara, the queen of unfair bullshit patterns, this well? Gotta
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: Things are going smoothly...
Smooth my ass. I wiped my sweat-soaked palms against my pants.
Again, I had just been kicked out of Elara’s room after making her hate me.
But strangely enough, the system encouraged me instead.
I kept rereading the phrase displayed in the system window:
[ Beginning to transform into ‘trust.’ ]
……For now, that alone was enough.
Gogumador: Our rookie’s pretty admirable...... Oh, you even got a second collapse and affection points?
It was the gallery poster I had first met. Reflexively, I replied to him.
: Is raising affection by 10 really that big of a deal?
KangkangRobot2nd: Idiot. The important thing isn’t the +10, it’s that the “affection” went up at all. The villainesses are heroines too. You need to build trust and raise affection points to get the “happy ending.”
WhiteMage: And if you don’t get the happy ending but the bad ending instead, you just die. Just like how we’re trapped in this gallery like ghosts right now. Your role is to reform them and reach the happy ending.
In short, if I failed to max out their affection and save them, I would die.
Haa, I’m barely hanging onto my life for tomorrow as it is……
And now I have to manage affection levels too? This game really is fucking awful.
KimSilsil: Look at this guy getting happy over +10 lololol Elara’s just the starting point, rookie. This is only the beginning...
: You don’t have to tell me, Silsil. I already realized it, fuck.
KimSilsil: Oh, catches on insanely fast. Definitely talented lolololololololololol
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: Psychological Insight really is broken as hell. Seeing affection rise already means it’s no ordinary skill.... Usually people just get torn apart on the first night. Is this guy really a newbie?
KangkangRobot2nd: Breaking through the second defense mechanism is legit. But that bitch’s mental state is unstable now, so be careful tomorrow. It’s basically a rule that they go even crazier once their defenses collapse.
: Fuck, I barely survived today... what am I supposed to do if tomorrow’s even worse?
“ Hoo…… ”
Tomorrow could end up even harder than today. Still, amidst the seemingly hopeless situation, there was at least some good news.
WhiteMage: Nah nah, it’s still okay, rookie. The fact you gained affection means you properly entered Elara’s route. From now on, the “main events” will start appearing. Be prepared for them.
: What the hell are main events now?
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: Simply put, they’re past-related events connected to why Elara became twisted. You build trust and affection with her, clear the events, and guide her to the happy ending. See? Super simple, right?
No, fuck. It’s not simple at all.
‘Main events,’ huh…….
So this meant the real game was only beginning now. My head already throbbed at the feeling that this hellish difficulty was about to get even worse.
I temporarily closed the gallery window and summoned the system. Instead of being swayed by the gallery bastards, I needed to check the information myself.
＊＊＊
[ Player: Aris Mardia ]
Owned Skills: Psychological Insight (Passive) Lv.1
[ Target: Elara (The Mansion’s First Villainess) ]
Current Status: Confused (Temporary psychological vulnerability due to defense mechanism collapse)
Affection: 10 / 100 (Trust conversion in progress)
Special Notes: Elara’s second defense mechanism has collapsed.
＊＊＊
Elara’s current state was “confused.” Since I had struck right at the core, the beliefs she had trusted in were probably shaking apart completely.
The important thing was “Affection 10.” Reach 100 and it meant “salvation.” Fail, and it meant “death.”
Good. I could finally see the path a little more clearly. I just needed to continue counseling and raise that number to 100.
At that moment, another notification rang out from the gallery.
Gogumador: Just letting the rookie know, but remember that the 「 God of Under World Gallery 」 has a shop. You get points every month, so you should’ve received 10,000 points. You can buy useful items with them. Things you can use for Elara’s main events from now on, for example.
A shop? At Gogumador’s words, I looked through the gallery tabs again.
Post writing, nickname change…… and there really was a [Shop] tab.
“ Is this it? ”
The moment I pressed the tab, a blue translucent window floated in midair. Above the item list was the number [10,000pt].
“ I can buy things with this? ”
Scrolling down, I checked the list of items.
Stealth robe, master key…….
This one looks useful, but Rocketman Delivery Anywhere? Golden Banana Peel?
……There were plenty of suspicious names that looked like jokes, but each had its own unique effect.
The idea was probably to use these to overcome the difficulties of the “main events.”
Gogumador: And even if 10,000 points feels like enough at first, it won’t be later. If you run out, you can earn more yourself.
: How?
Gogumador: Well, simply by using the main events to make money... those points also function as currency in this world, so anyway, try investing them or something.
Fuck…… investing?
I could practically hear my brain exploding. Still, learning that useful weapons existed was a huge gain.
I closed the gallery window.
It felt like my head would burst from all the information flooding in, but I couldn’t stay up all night.
Tomorrow…… I’d have to deal with an Elara who would “go even crazier.”
♣
Knock knock……
Ugh…….
The continuous knocking irritated my ears. Feeling the stinging sunlight at the same time, I sluggishly rose from the bed.
— Teacher, are you still asleep?
……That’s the old butler.
Naturally muttering, “Yes, yes, I’m coming out,” I opened the door with a creak.
Standing outside was the old butler, giving off that same skinny and unsettling atmosphere despite the bright sunlight.
“ Apologies for disturbing your sleep, but my mistress wishes to see you. ”
“ Excuse me……? ”
She’s looking for me in broad daylight?
Haa……
So this is where the real insanity starts?
My head already felt like it was throbbing.
I briefly closed my eyes and steadied myself.
The information I’d gotten from the gallery last night flashed through my head.
Main events, affection 100, and bad endings…….
Yeah, the insanity had definitely begun. But there was no avoiding it.
Swallowing dryly, I once again forced on the mask of the capable counselor, Aris. At times like this, looking weak meant death.
“ Understood. Please guide me. ”
“ …… ”
At my answer, he silently scanned me once with his shadowy eyes before turning around.
“ ……Follow me. ”
“ …… ”
Quietly, I followed behind the butler.
As our footsteps echoed through the hallway—
I once again replayed last night in my head.
Last night, Elara’s defense mechanisms had collapsed and she had screamed at me to get out. And now, after only one night, she was summoning me through the butler?
……That couldn’t possibly be a good sign.
[ KangkangRobot2nd: It’s basically a rule that they go even crazier once their defenses collapse. ]
The warning from KangkangRobot2nd echoed through my mind.
The insanity had definitely started. But this was different from the kind of insanity I’d expected.
Instead of personally coming to stab me or throwing a fit, she was formally summoning me through the butler?
What was her intention here?
I was nervous inside, but swallowing my dry saliva, I endured by forcefully pressing the mask of Counselor Aris over myself once more.
The second-floor hallway where I had been kicked out last night.
But unlike last night’s emotional chaos, the corridor was now cold and silent.
The closer we got to Elara’s room, the stronger my unease became.
Unaware of my thoughts, the old butler had already stopped before Elara’s door.
Knock, knock.
The old butler knocked exactly three times in perfect rhythm.
Come to think of it, even this old butler’s knocking never seemed to deviate once in rhythm or timing.
It was perfectly calculated and precise.
“ Mistress. I have brought the Teacher. ”
Just like before, no answer came from inside the room.
A suffocating silence.
It almost felt like last night’s screams were overlapping in my ears again.
Receiving no response, the old butler grabbed the doorknob and turned it without the slightest hesitation.
Creeeeeeak─────
The door opened, and the butler merely gestured at me while remaining outside in the hallway, as if he had no intention of entering himself.
Taking one last deep breath, I stepped into the room, now completely different from the night before.
The madness of last night was nowhere to be found. The room was perfectly organized.
No broken objects, no scattered cushions.
As if nothing had ever happened.
And in the middle of the room, Elara sat quietly in a chair facing the window.
Without turning around, she spoke in a voice as cold as ice.
“ ……Close the door. ”
The moment Elara finished speaking, the old butler slammed the door shut behind me.
Bang!
“ ……. ”
I felt my throat go completely dry.
Elara’s expressionless face, different from usual, only made me more tense.
“ ……Are you just going to stand there? Sit down. ”
“ Ah, yes…… ”
What Elara gestured toward with her chin was the same sofa I had sat on last night.
As I awkwardly sat down, Elara kept her eyes fixed outside the window as she spoke.
“ ……Would you like some tea? ”
“ ……Excuse me? ”
Out of nowhere, tea? In this situation?
The completely unexpected and utterly “normal” offer left me speechless for a moment.
“ ……Never mind then. ”
When my response came too slowly, Elara immediately cut herself off.
Only then did she slowly turn around in her chair.
A perfectly arranged dress, silver hair flawlessly brushed back.
There was no trace left of last night.
……Except for one thing: her eyes were slightly swollen red.
‘She cried.’
I could tell even without Psychological Insight.
As if trying desperately to hide that fact, Elara glared at me colder than usual as she spoke.
“ Let’s get straight to the point. About last night……. ”
Finally, the main topic. I steadied my breathing.
After several seconds of silence, Elara spoke again.
“ ……Forget it. ”
She lifted the teacup on the table and took a sip.
But the fingertips holding the cup were trembling ever so slightly.
The system window displaying 「 Status: Confused 」 had not been lying.
“ Understood. ”
Smack!
The moment my answer ended, Elara harshly slammed the teacup onto the table.
Red tea spilled across the white lace cloth.
“ What is with that attitude……? ”
For a moment it seemed like last night’s hysteria was about to explode again, but she bit her lip and steadied her breathing.
“ ……Hoo. ”
Forcing herself to ignore the spilled tea, she glared at me once more.
“ If I say forget it, then just forget it. Last night…… I was just a little tired……. Understand? I acted emotionally without meaning to. ”
‘Tired?’
A complete collapse of her defense mechanisms……
No, getting hit with brutal truth bombs……
And she was trying to dismiss it all with the single word “tired?”
She really was a young lady whose pride reached the heavens.
It was absurd, but I was a capable counselor. Hiding my thoughts, I nodded.
“ Understood. Anything else……? ”
“ …… ”
Perhaps because my compliance was unexpected, she fell silent for a moment.
Then she rose from her seat and slowly walked toward me.
I remained seated on the sofa while she stood before me. Naturally, the situation became one where she was looking down at me.
“ And you…… . You seem to be misunderstanding something. You were hired as my ‘ counselor. ’ ”
She emphasized the word “counselor.”
“ I’ll only overlook you acting arrogantly like last night this one time. ”
She tried to put on a satisfied expression, as if she had successfully forced me into submission.
But the very next moment—
Elara avoided my gaze and slightly turned her head away.
“ ……And. ”
“ ? ”
“ ……What you said yesterday. ”
Her voice shrank down to the level of a mosquito’s buzz.
I looked up at her face. Unlike the cold expression she tried to maintain, her pale ears were……
……Red as though they were about to burst.
“ Every single thing you said was wrong……! ”
Unable to control her emotions, Elara suddenly shouted.
Bzzzzzt.
Static rang in my ears.
This was definitely a lie.
She claimed I was wrong, but apparently every word had been true.
“ I-I’m…… I’m not like that! So don’t misunderstand me! ”
Not only the skill, but even her tone gave it away.
She said I was “wrong,” yet also told me “not to misunderstand.”
Perfect proof that my brutal truth bomb from last night had struck dead center.
Trying to hide her embarrassment and shaken emotions, she instead lashed out at me in anger.
[ Due to last night’s ‘Defense Mechanism Collapse,’ Elara has begun developing strong ‘awareness’ toward you. ]
[ Affection +5 ]
A new system window appeared.
My affection increased?
Unexpectedly, that had nothing to do with her “going crazy.”
“ Did you understand?! Answer me! ”
Trying to hide her bright red face, Elara deliberately raised her voice even louder at me.