There's Romance in the Cappuccino Foam
The blazing sun slammed down on me the moment I stepped out of the dueling arena after defeating the crown prince. What filled my vision were the grand main building of the academy and the trees planted for the scenic view. And then...
"Jack! Did you win?"
There stood one very unwelcome **Geumtaeyang**.
Why the hell is she here?
"Well, I did win, but... whoa!"
I tried to push her away after giving her just the result, but before I could even finish, a lemon candy was shoved into my mouth. I'd already eaten one during the fight with the crown prince, so I didn't need another...
"You beat the crown prince?"
Lucia, who must have seen my matchup list, gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Did she really think I'd lose? Well, honestly, anyone would have thought that.
"Yes, I used a bit of a trick, but I won in the end."
"Oh... that's reassuring. If we start dating later, you'll protect me well!"
What the hell did I just hear? Besides, Lucia is the kind of woman who beats people with a club. She's a monster who mercilessly crushes her opponents in the academy and climbed all the way to **A-class**. Just getting into **A-class**, which only takes the top 40 out of the 600 geniuses who even qualify for the academy, proves she possesses abilities far beyond ordinary people.
And the biggest problem with her earlier statement was...
"...Why would I date you?"
Let me say it again: I'd rather stab myself in the stomach and die than date Lucia. Sure, I showed a slightly weak side on the train, but that doesn't change the fact that I hate her. At least until she shakes off that **NTR** habit, I have absolutely no intention of getting involved with...
"If I start seeing you, I won't talk to any other guys ever again."
...No. Still not happening. With her track record, who would believe such sweet talk? Plus, this girl is famous for flirting first and then never letting anyone touch her body. Even if we dated, she'd definitely toy with me a few times without ever letting me lay a finger on her before tossing me aside...!
"Hoo, the way we're acting right now, we really seem like lovers, don't we?"
As if she'd read my mind, the **Geumtaeyang** casually slipped her arm through mine. But in the novel, wasn't she supposed to avoid all physical contact with the opposite sex...?
"Hehe..."
Setting that aside, seeing Lucia grinning brightly right next to her made irritation surge through me. Get your arm off me, you idiot. This is sexual harassment.
"Physical contact like this is uncomfortable."
When I pulled my arm away, Lucia clicked her tongue in clear disappointment. Why does she do things to me that she wouldn't dare do to others? What exactly is she planning after she seduces me...? No matter how I think about it, I absolutely cannot fall for this wicked **Geumtaeyang**.
"Come inside first. It's getting hot out here."
She dragged me into a café. I have no idea why a café even exists in a romance fantasy world, but I'd already accepted this bizarre setting eight years ago—a strange fusion of feudalism and oddly advanced modern elements—so I wasn't particularly shocked.
'As long as it doesn't require technology like a PC bang...'
The original work had said most things operated similarly to the modern world. What a chaotic setting this is. A world where horse carriages and modern-style cafés coexist.
"Jack! Hurry up!"
When Lucia, who had been staring at the menu, called me, I quickly stepped inside the café.
"Welcome!"
The part-timer's voice was bright and energetic, but her eyes were completely lifeless. It was like she'd perfectly copied the dead-eyed stare of an office worker desperate to go home.
'So even this world has people like that...'
Just then, as if snapping me out of my thoughts, Lucia, who had been carefully studying the menu, spoke to me.
"Jack, what do you want? I'm getting a cappuccino. Is there anything you like?"
"Ah, just get me an iced Americano please. I don't really drink anything else."
"Then we'll have that!"
After placing our simple order, we headed to an empty table inside and sat down... Wait a second. How the hell did I end up coming to a café with Lucia?
'...Am I insane?'
I'd been so distracted listening to her that I'd just followed along without thinking, and before I knew it, here I was. This wicked woman had used blatant physical contact to steal all my attention and dragged my defenseless self into a café.
"I even paid for your coffee... You're not just going to leave, are you?"
Threatening someone with money? As the proud son of the Grand Viscount of Orlante, I would never fall for such a cheap trick. This was the moment to proudly pay my share and coolly walk away...
"If you date me, I'll pay for all of this from now on. I'm the young lady of a marquis family, you know?"
Hmm. Honestly, that part was a little tempting...
'Oh, fuck.'
I pinched my thigh hard to snap my money-dazed mind back to reality and emphasized to Lucia once again.
"Normally, you're supposed to confess until you succeed..."
"That's not what you said. But what can I do? I really like you."
The way she smiled so sweetly as she said that... Honestly, even someone like me who hated **Geumtaeyang** had to admit she was kind of pretty. But still, a **Geumtaeyang** was a **Geumtaeyang**. I wasn't shaken at all. With the composure of a transcendent who had mastered an immovable mind, I looked out the window and told her,
"I'm really just here to drink coffee and leave. I have zero feelings for you, so stop with the weird tricks and give up."
In response, Lucia poked my cheek repeatedly with an unwrapped stick candy and said,
"If you don't have feelings, I just have to make you fall for me. Besides, you've already fallen for me once, haven't you?"
Wondering what kind of elaborate nonsense she was spouting, I turned my head from the window toward her. Lucia slowly leaned in closer, lowered her voice, and whispered into my ear.
"If you don't remember, should I make you remember?"
"What the mus—ugh!"
My confused words were cut off by a strange sound before I could finish. Lucia had blown into my ear, causing my whole body to curl up like the character from *Jjang x Can't Stop It*.
"Hehehe..."
Seeing that, Lucia smiled slyly like a hunter looking at prey caught in her trap. She tapped her fingers on the table and teased me.
"Your reaction is amazing. Are your ears that sensitive?"
Then she glanced around and added in a voice only I could hear,
"I'll make good use of that once we start dating!"
"..."
I lost. Completely and utterly played.
I'd been thoroughly toyed with by that **Geumtaeyang**. I wanted to leave immediately, but walking out now would be admitting defeat. I had to endure somehow and think of a way to get revenge.
"Your coffees are ready!"
"I'll get them!"
Lucia dashed off at the part-timer's call. Soon after, she came running back with a tray holding two cups and handed me the iced Americano.
"Enjoy!"
She even reached out to stroke my head as she gave me the coffee. Of course, having already seen through her scheme, I cleanly dodged the devil's touch.
"Well, since you bought it, I'll gratefully accept."
Still, as a decent human being, I couldn't drink the coffee she'd bought without at least saying thanks. The moment I did, Lucia's wicked voice, sounding like she'd caught me, pierced my ear.
The problem was what she said next...
"If you're grateful, can't you call my name just once? As sweetly as possible."
"..."
"The more clingy, the better."
Asking me to say her name. Honestly, one name for a cup of coffee was a pretty good deal, but... it somehow felt disgusting, like I was selling my body for money.
But since I'd already accepted it, it was better to get it over with quickly. I closed my eyes tightly and said,
"...Lucia."
She immediately answered while holding back laughter.
"Yes, my dear husband. You called for me?"
"You crazy—"
I almost flipped the table in front of me. So that had been her plan from the start. She was going to mess with me the moment I said her name. And there was something even worse.
After laughing for a while, Lucia pulled out a stick-shaped device.
[..Lucia.]
It played back exactly what I'd said earlier. It was unmistakably a recorder. She held it to her ear like it was a treasure, replayed it several times, then slipped it into her inner pocket and said,
"From now on, I can fall asleep every night listening to your voice."
...Normally, if a girl did something like this, it would be thrilling. But for some reason, I only felt an overwhelming sense of defeat. A sticky, miserable defeat, like I'd been completely crushed without mercy.
'Sigh...'
Seeing Lucia casually sipping her cappuccino only made that feeling pile up even more. Maybe it was because of my unstable state of mind, but as I desperately searched for a way to make up for this loss, my eyes suddenly caught the thick layer of cappuccino foam smeared around her mouth.
Before I could even think, my hand had already grabbed a napkin and was moving toward her.
"Ah."
"Eh."
By the time I came to my senses, I'd already wiped away about half the foam from her lips.
'If I pull away now, it'll look even weirder.'
Even though I'd done it in a daze, the deed was already done. I meticulously wiped away every last bit of foam from around her mouth and tossed the napkin into the nearby trash bin.
"Uh... uhh... uhh...?"
...Seeing Lucia acting like something was broken, I guess this round was my win? But the fact that I'd wiped her mouth like a lover meant it couldn't exactly be called a perfect victory either.
With a complicated feeling, I added one blunt remark so she wouldn't get any weird ideas from what I'd just done.
"Don't eat with foam all over your mouth. Have some dignity."