Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: What Happened on the Airship (3)
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‘Ahh… Slept great.’
After sleeping deeply and waking up refreshed, a system window popped up right in front of my eyes.
[Rolling Around in the Special Lounge (Completed!)]
[Airship Experience with the Saintess (1/3)]
It was a notice that I’d successfully cleared the quest’s first mission.
And fulfilling the [With the Saintess] quest condition meant…
She hadn’t left while I was asleep and had stayed here the whole time.
I subtly shifted only my eyes to glance beside me, and there was Justina, sitting on the sofa, completely absorbed in her novel.
She must have been at a really intriguing part.
To the point she hadn’t even noticed me waking up.
‘…How badly did she want to read it to act like that?’
Knowing her true nature, I felt a little sorry for her.
“Mm.”
So I deliberately made some noise as I sat up.
“…!!”
Justina jumped in surprise, closed her book, and pretended nothing had happened.
‘…But doesn’t that make it even more obvious?’
Justina’s usual acting was nearly flawless.
However, with her severe otaku tendencies, she had a hard time hiding her flaws when it came to novels she loved.
‘Oh? Hold on.’
I was recalling that detail when it hit me.
In my current situation with low affinity toward Justina, I had a great idea for clearing the quest.
During the comprehensive evaluation period, worried I’d get bored, Lily had lent me a bunch of novels.
And among them were a few I recognized—novels that appeared in the game.
One of them was a novel Justina absolutely adored.
The one she later praised as her all-time favorite after her mask fully came off.
I deliberately pulled out that book and started reading it.
Sure enough, I could feel Justina peeking over at me.
‘By the way, this novel slaps.’
The story was fun.
It suited my tastes too.
But just reading it enjoyably like this probably wouldn’t get more of a reaction from her.
‘Then…’
Justina, whose mask got dangerously shaky around novels.
A way to win her over.
‘Should I poke at it?’
What if I set up a situation that would inevitably rile up any novel fan?
There was no such option in the game, so I’d never tried it, but now it was totally possible.
I immediately switched into acting mode.
I put on the most bored, disinterested expression and tone I could muster.
“No fun.”
Then, I dramatically tossed the book up over my head.
“W-What do you mean by that…!”
She reacted instantly.
Justina bristling in an instant.
‘Got her!’
I turned my head to look at her.
“…Ah.”
She looked extremely flustered, covering her own mouth.
I stared straight at her and asked.
“What did you just say, Saintess?”
“Oh, it’s nothing… I was just muttering to myself suddenly… Ahaha….”
Justina laughed awkwardly and waved her hand.
“I see.”
She thought she’d gotten away with it and let her guard down.
…But this wasn’t the end.
“Still, the male lead in this novel is so spineless. Why doesn’t he confess to the girl he likes?”
I picked up the book I’d just thrown and sighed loudly enough for her to hear, grumbling on purpose.
“They’re just going to keep misunderstanding each other forever like this. It’s so frustrating. Frustrating.”
At that moment, Justina couldn’t hold back anymore and shot back.
“It’s n-not frustrating! The male lead can’t easily trust in love because of his past trauma…! That’s the most important part!”
“Oh. Is that so?”
I grinned and looked at her.
“So the Saintess has read this too, I see.”
“Ah. Th-That’s…”
Justina’s eyes shook violently.
She hesitated for a moment.
“I-I’ve read a little of it.”
In the end, she had no choice but to admit it.
She must have figured denying it further was pointless.
“But you mustn’t misunderstand…! I only read it to better understand the hearts of my sisters, since these kinds of popular novels are trending among them lately. It’s definitely not because I like it or anything!”
Justina spouted an absurd excuse.
She hadn’t fully dropped her mask, but she was at least a bit more honest now.
“How considerate.”
I smiled and said.
But Justina looked anxious.
“Um… Could you keep this a secret from everyone else, Brother Jeron?”
She pleaded with me, eyes full of desperation.
“Sure, why not.”
“Phew… Thank you.”
Justina let out a sigh of relief.
But the very next moment.
‘Now’s the time.’
I activated [Aura of the Sovereign] and spoke.
“In exchange, you’ll have to grant me one request.”
***
‘…!’
Justina swallowed hard.
Jeron’s atmosphere, which had been so languid until just now, had completely changed.
He sat with his legs crossed, chin propped up, staring at her with purple eyes.
His gaze gleamed coldly.
Just like the northern grand duke from the novel she’d been reading earlier.
‘…Eek.’
Under that overbearing stare, Justina couldn’t help but shrink back and avert her eyes.
‘What kind of request is he going to make, using my secret as leverage…?’
She grew worried.
‘N-No way, not that, right?’
Suddenly, a scene common in romance novels flashed through her mind.
The one where the male lead makes an indecent proposal to the heroine whose weakness he’s grasped.
No way he’d try blackmail like that…!?
The thought made her heart pound like crazy.
“Wh-What kind of request?”
Justina tried to feign the composure of a saintess, but her voice trembled.
“Come with me…”
Jeron’s lips slowly parted.
Justina tensed, waiting for his “request.”
But what came out next was completely different from what she’d expected.
“Let’s go get ice cream.”
“…?”
***
“Ice cream…?”
Justina echoed back in disbelief.
I nodded.
“Yeah. They say the airship’s signature ‘Rainbow 7-Layer Ice Cream’ is famous, and I’ve been dying to try it, but it’s too much for one person, so…”
“Oh, oh… So that’s the request?”
How to hang out with the Saintess when affinity is low.
Simple: grasp her weakness.
Her mask was usually ironclad, making her nearly impossible to approach, but luckily, I could poke at her soft spot in a way the game never allowed.
On top of that, I’d used [Aura of the Sovereign] to set the mood.
It wasn’t a combat situation anyway, and with her high level, it wouldn’t stop her or anything—just for atmosphere.
In the game, her timid personality setting made her especially reactive to the Emperor’s Aura, and it seemed to work decently in reality too.
“I-I suppose that much is possible… But…”
Justina hesitated a moment before adding with a troubled expression.
“As you know, my position as Saintess draws a lot of attention. If people see me alone with you, Brother, weird rumors might start.”
“No worries there.”
I immediately opened the Sloth Shop and bought an item.
A Hero-rank item for 200 points.
[Disguise Kit].
Light burst from thin air, materializing a black briefcase like something out of a spy movie.
Justina startled at the sudden sight.
“What’s this…?”
I opened the case, revealing all sorts of disguise tools: fake mustaches, wigs in various colors, glasses, even a voice modulator.
The quality was top-notch.
“Why do you carry something like this…? It looks like professional gear from the Assassination Department…”
“Tools for when I want to dodge people and relax sometimes.”
Of course, I’d just bought it now, but I played it off smoothly.
“You prepare this much just to rest without being noticed?!”
“Of course. Rest is a serious matter.”
“I-I see…”
Justina looked a little impressed.
[Sloth +10!]
‘Nice.’
This girl Justina has some great reactions.
Hanging out with her seems like it’ll rack up Sloth points nicely.
Anyway, I used the kit to disguise us both.
I wondered how it worked, but thinking ‘use the item’ made my hands move on their own.
Looks like items from the Sloth Shop all come with system assistance.
I turned into an ordinary black-haired male cadet, and Justina into a plain brunette with glasses—perfect transformations.
‘This is exciting.’
My heart raced thinking about clearing the side quest and raking in Sloth points.
***
Justina stared at her reflection in the mirror from Jeron’s kit, wearing an awkward expression.
Plain brown hair, oversized horn-rimmed glasses.
Not a trace of the Saintess remained.
‘…It’s perfect.’
To go this far with professional techniques and tools just to relax.
Jeron really wasn’t an ordinary person.
It was almost admirable.
She’d wanted to dodge attention and rest like a normal person too, but she’d never thought to go this extent.
Thanks to him, she could finally indulge in the little rebellion she’d dreamed of for so long.
Wander the streets without worrying about eyes on her, just as one ordinary cadet.
‘That said… This is my first time alone with a male cadet for something personal.’
Realizing that, her heart fluttered for some reason.