Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: What Happened on the Airship (4)
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In the game, it was simple—just use a disguise skill or item, and you could avoid notice from other NPCs.
But this was reality.
No matter how perfectly you disguised your appearance, your usual voice remained the same.
That was why we even used a voice modulator.
“Ahem, ahem. Ahh.”
Yustina cleared her throat on her own, fascinated by the sound of her altered voice.
But that alone wasn’t quite enough.
“And if we call each other by our real names, we might get found out.”
“Ah… you’re right.”
So before we set out, we established some simple rules.
We decided to use fake names instead of our real ones.
“How should I address you, Brother Jeron?”
“Hmm… Well, Deron?”
“Hehe, isn’t that a bit too half-assed?”
[Sloth +1!]
Yustina let out a small laugh.
With her appearance now ordinary, her demeanor felt a bit more relaxed too.
“Then call me Tina, something like Deron.”
“Got it, Tina.”
But you know.
Every time we came up with names like this, the system kept giving me sloth points…
No, was that a big deal?
***
As we left the special lounge together and headed to the onboard café selling the quest target, “Rainbow 7-Layer Ice Cream,” we passed several cadets in the corridor.
But none of them paid any particular attention to us.
We were disguised as ordinary cadets, so it was only natural.
“No one’s recognizing us at all.”
Yustina whispered to me in a quiet voice.
She seemed a little excited, too.
In fact, during the [With the Saintess] quest, her tension always rose in a strange way, and her favorability increased more easily.
Earning sloth points and building favor at the same time.
For me, it was a quest with no reason to refuse.
We arrived at the onboard café.
It was already bustling with students who had heard the rumors.
“I’ve never been here before.”
She murmured in wonder.
Even this ordinary space seemed somewhat unfamiliar to Yustina.
“Didn’t you come here last time you were on the airship?”
“If I go to a public place like this, too many people crowd around. I’ve never really been to spots like this.”
She stood there dazed, slowly looking around in fascination.
‘…She’s gonna bump into someone passing by.’
Sure enough, I spotted a group of male cadets running over, goofing around with each other.
‘Tch.’
If they collided and her disguise came off, it’d be a disaster.
The moment it was revealed she was the Saintess, this café would turn into chaos.
Which meant the [With the Saintess] quest would fail.
My precious 300 sloth points would go down the drain.
I even bought a 200-point item just to clear this quest—failure would mean a loss, a loss!
That absolutely couldn’t happen.
Right before the group of male cadets collided with her, I lightly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her toward me.
“…Ah.”
“You need to be careful. If you get found out here, it’ll be a huge hassle.”
“Ah, yeah… Thank you, Deron.”
She looked flustered.
In her world, the option of someone bumping into her probably didn’t even exist.
Having lived as a saintess since she was very young, her senses were probably completely different from an ordinary person’s.
I tried to imagine what it felt like.
‘Like being a super famous celebrity.’
A superstar who started as a child actor, something like that.
“…….”
But Yustina was quietly cradling the shoulder I had grabbed with her other hand.
‘Oh, right.’
Touching the Saintess’s body without permission was a serious crime.
Of course, it was an exception during academy enrollment, but people still avoided private contact like this.
I wasn’t from this world to begin with, so I lacked that common sense.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem upset, so I didn’t mention it and just moved on naturally.
After the brief incident.
We ordered the Rainbow 7-Layer Ice Cream and sat down.
‘It really looks like a rainbow.’
A flashy ice cream with seven different flavors stacked in layers.
Even in my original world, it would’ve been pretty popular on social media for its aesthetic vibe.
‘But the portion is huge.’
If I’d come alone, I might not have finished it.
As I was thinking that, Yustina asked a bit sheepishly.
“Deron, did you have breakfast…?”
“Nope. Overslept.”
Come to think of it, I’d skipped lunch too.
“Did you eat, Tina?”
“Not yet… So we’re both starting the day with ice cream.”
“Looks like it.”
“Hehe, back in the place I used to live… I mean, they had a custom meal plan all laid out, so I couldn’t even imagine something like this.”
She seemed to be enjoying every one of these little deviations.
‘It reminds me a bit of ditching class with Artel.’
Similar, but with a different flavor.
Still, I hoped I wasn’t turning the entire academy into a sloth-filled mess.
It was a bit worrying.
***
[Special Rainbow 7-Layer Ice Cream Eaten (Completed!)]
[Saintess Airship Experience (2/3)]
We’d successfully completed the second mission too.
Our next stop was the game center inside the airship.
The third quest goal: “Draw the Claw Machine 1st Prize.”
Originally, the request only went up to the ice cream, but Yustina seemed to quietly enjoy these small escapades, so we naturally ended up coming here together.
“Wow. There’s a place like this too….”
Her eyes widened at the dazzling game center interior.
This was probably her first time here as well.
We stood side by side in front of the claw machines.
It was less a machine and more a wondrous device where countless dolls floated around inside transparent glass using magic.
In front were a few crystal orbs, which seemed to function like joysticks on a claw machine.
“It’s pretty hard…!”
Yustina placed her hand on a crystal orb and focused intently on controlling the claw.
But contrary to her wishes, the claw kept grazing the dolls or barely missing them.
“Ah…! Just a little more and it would’ve been perfect!”
She pouted her lips, genuinely disappointed.
It was different from her usual perfect saintess image.
Seeing a bit of her true self peek out made her seem cute.
After she failed a few more times, it was my turn.
The target was the grand 1st prize bear doll floating at the very back.
Even in the original game, it was subtly hard to win.
‘There’s a gimmick where high luck lets you succeed on the first try, but how’s it work in reality?’
I casually placed my hand on the orb.
But suddenly, my hand slipped right off.
“Whoops.”
The claw went in a completely wrong direction from what I intended.
“Oh no, you messed up.”
Yustina, watching, said in a regretful voice.
But then.
The claw seemed headed for empty air, but it coincidentally brushed the head accessory of another doll.
That doll hit the one next to it like dominoes, the bumped doll struck another…
And miraculously pushed the 1st prize bear doll toward the exit.
Plop.
Out came the giant bear doll.
‘Oh. So that’s how it works.’
“…Huh?”
Yustina stared blankly back and forth between me and the bear doll at the absurd scene unfolding before her eyes.
“Got it.”
I nonchalantly picked up the bear doll.
With this, all the quests were complete.
[Claw Machine 1st Prize Drawn (Completed!)]
[Fun Airship Experience! Quest completed!]
[[With the Saintess] Quest completed!]
[Sloth +500!]
‘Nice.’
I looked at the system window in satisfaction.
“…….”
But Yustina was gazing at me with a slightly envious expression.
‘Hm? Does she want it?’
The quests were all cleared anyway…
Thanks to her today, I’d racked up so much sloth—I could easily give her this.
But I couldn’t just hand it over plainly.
I rested my chin on my hand, pretending to think.
“Hmm. But carrying this around would be too heavy… Maybe I should just leave it.”
“What? Is it that big?!”
“I’m a mage, so my body’s frail. *Cough cough*.”
“But Deron, you’re super strong…! And that cough sounds so forced?!”
[Sloth +10!]
I teased her a little and earned some sloth too.
The Saintess’s grace, giving sloth until the very end.
“Feels like a waste to ditch it, so here.”
Finally, I handed her the bear doll.
“Here, Tina. A gift.”
“For me…?”
Yustina accepted the bear doll, as big as she was, with a dazed expression.
“Th-thank you.”
***
On the way back to the special lounge to undo our disguises.
Yustina peeked at Jeron’s back from behind the giant bear doll hugged to her chest.
Today had been a whirlwind of a day.
Getting caught with her secret hobby, being blackmailed over it (or so she mistakenly thought), eating ice cream alone with a guy for the first time, playing claw machines.
Everything was a first.
But rather than unpleasant, it had been fun.
A break from the responsibilities and pressures of being a saintess.
She could feel like an ordinary girl, if only for a moment, away from everyone’s gazes.
She thought about Jeron.
He was truly inscrutable.
He seemed scary and cold with his threats, but his only request was to eat ice cream together.
He had professional disguise tools and skills, all just to relax comfortably.
He touched her body without hesitation yet showed no ulterior motives.
With insane luck, he snagged the giant bear doll in one go, then gave it to her because it was too heavy to carry.
‘He’s weird.’
A type she’d never encountered before.
‘Still… one thing’s for sure—he doesn’t seem like a bad person.’
She’d felt it when they first met during the practical spar, and now it hit her again.
Yustina smiled faintly.
Not her usual gentle, serene smile.
But the clear, unfeigned one she only made when alone.
***
Onboard café.
Yuria and Artel were sipping drinks and chatting for a bit.
“But where did Jeron go? He vanished at some point, and I can’t find him.”
Yuria said while petting Selbak.
“He’s probably sleeping in his room.”
Artel replied, fiddling with what looked like a new necklace.
“Well, he did look tired this morning.”
Silence fell between them for a moment.
“But Artel, I’ve had this weird feeling since earlier. Like my competitive spirit is suddenly burning up.”
“You too, Yuria? I felt the same.”
“Must be because comprehensive evaluations are coming up.”
“Probably.”
“Let’s do our best…!”
“Yeah. Let’s do that.”
They steeled their resolve.