Chapter 300
“Not only does she care about love, but she also treasures friendship… Luna is truly remarkable.”
“How could she be so lovable… I’m moved to tears.”
Yuridia and Victoria wiped their tears with their sleeves.
When did these stalkers show up? Could it be that they’ve heard Luna is a descendant of the Lester family?
“But for Miss Luna and Miss Rezé to argue… that’s unusual. What could have happened?”
“It must be the doing of that filthy demon spawn.”
“That makes sense. It’s definitely because it was jealous of them and caused a rift!”
“To commit such a heinous act! This Victoria will not forgive the mastermind behind it!”
You think I’m the villain? The real terrible ones are you love-obsessed cockroaches!
Well, I guess I was the mastermind behind this incident, though.
“L-Luna is coming this way!”
“Tactical retreat!”
Rustle-!
The two stalker cockroaches scurried into a room on the lower floor. Their movements were surprisingly natural and skilled.
‘No way… Did they actually live here while taking care of Luna?’
That thought sent chills down my spine.
Let’s not delve any further. Just thinking about what goes on in those stalkers’ minds is enough to drive anyone insane.
“Rezé, watch your step.”
“L-Luna, you be careful too.”
Luna and Rezé began descending the stairs.
They couldn’t see me, of course, since I was wrapped in a cloak with the [Invisibility] function.
I was currently on the 4th floor, and our lodging was on the 2nd floor.
I carefully descended the stairs, making sure to tread lightly. The [Invisibility] function doesn’t hide the sound of footsteps.
Rustle-.
Huh? Did my movements just make a cockroach-like sound too?
It must be a mistake. There’s no way I’m a stalker cockroach. That’s impossible.
Click-.
I arrived on the 2nd floor and cautiously opened and closed the door.
Then, I took off the cloak, stored it in my pocket dimension, and sat in a circular chair, resuming the position I was in before Luna left.
“Whew…”
Perfect crime(?) success. I could finally let out a sigh of relief.
After a moment of waiting, the door slightly creaked open, and Luna peeked her face through the gap.
“Um… Hello?”
“Keke, what’s with the sudden greeting? You look like a child who’s done something wrong.”
“K-Kugh!”
Did I hit the mark? Luna let out a groan and threw the door open, entering confidently.
She was accompanied by Rezé, who had her head hung low.
Luna and Rezé were holding each other’s hands tightly.
“So, it’s come to this. Well, I expected as much.”
“If you expected this, why did you even bother doing such a thing?”
“Because I thought that, as someone who values her friends, there was a chance Luna might not go through with it. But to drag your friend into your own revenge… I guess your talk of valuing friends was all a lie.”
“K-Kugh…!”
I provoked Luna without hesitation.
I needed to make her feel indebted so I could keep her in check. With a wild card like Luna, this was especially necessary.
“N-No!”
“Yes?”
“L-Luna was worried about me. She tried to push me away.”
I know. I saw it myself.
But that’s a secret. I raised an eyebrow, pretending to be surprised by Rezé’s outburst.
“I-It was my choice. I’ll help Luna. I’ll help clear her name!”
“Rezé…”
Was she moved again? Luna’s eyes started to glisten with tears.
They then exchanged sparkling gazes with each other.
Was it the embodiment of friendship and trust? Something sparkling passed between them.
‘…Why can I see that? This isn’t a comic.’
Well, this is a game world, so I can’t say it’s impossible. Besides, the status window I use is even more nonsensical.
As I swatted away the sparkling gazes encroaching on my space, I fell deep into thought.
I ended up helping Rezé, but the situation wasn’t necessarily bad.
‘She’s grown.’
In the past, she would’ve collapsed in tears just from seeing a demon, but not the current Rezé.
After facing four low-level demons and even Bineus, she stood her ground without retreating.
She even managed to land a critical hit, something that seemed impossible before.
Though she still has the fatal flaw of fleeing the battlefield when targeted, if we reframe that…
‘She might be able to overcome that too.’
-That’s what it means. Besides, Rezé is actually an incredibly high-spec character.
100% accuracy, mana tracking, danger detection radar, near-perfect execution of commands, stealth that can even fool Caron, concealment, overwhelming firepower, reduced food expenses thanks to her diet of just carrots, Luna’s emotional control puppet(?), and so on.
‘And the fact that she can wield a magic gun is a huge strength too.’
As time passes, magic guns continue to undergo innovation after innovation.
Despite its powerful firepower and the recoil that leaves its accuracy below 20%, Rezé is different when she uses it.
‘Rezé is a character with 100% accuracy.’
If raised well, she could become a walking cannon… no, a one-woman nuclear missile by the endgame.
This means she’s fully qualified to be part of the final boss raid party.
Of course, that’s only if she overcomes her ‘Coward’ trait that makes her flee when targeted.
In the later stages, even common mobs will start using full-area attacks like Bineus, so if she doesn’t overcome that trait, it’ll be a pipe dream.
‘There’s the big risk that if things go wrong, all the investment could go down the drain, but…’
I witnessed it clearly. Rezé, who dealt a massive blow to Mabelga’s shield that was said to be unbreakable.
Rezé overcame the critical hit issue by herself.
That’s why I gave her a little push on the rooftop.
‘Because she worked hard.’
There’s nothing sadder than not being rewarded for your efforts.
So, I helped her out. That’s all there is to it.
It’s not because I’ve grown attached to her over time, or because I felt soft-hearted seeing her cry. Definitely not!
“Hehe…”
Unaware of my thoughts, Rezé just kept grinning.
Ugh, my head already hurts thinking about how I have to raise this pufferfish rabbit into a nuclear missile-bearing rabbit.
‘Well, whatever. If I keep pushing, I’m sure she’ll manage somehow.’
Rezé will pay the price for the choice she made today.
With the three hellish trials: hellish training, hellish hunting, and hellish war.
So, I might as well go along with it for now. After all, I already have a mountain of tasks to get through.
I grabbed both of Rezé’s cheeks with my hands and gently pulled.
“What are you smiling about? You’re just going to run away again.”
“I-I won’t run away!”
“Really?”
Overcoming the ‘Coward’ trait. Could it really be resolved this easily?
If so, that would be…
“Y-Yeah, maybe that’s a bit too hard…”
This damn pufferfish rabbit! How can she change her resolve in just one second!
Just as I was stretching Rezé’s cheeks to the sides.
Right before Luna could pounce on me, a commotion erupted outside the door.
“What’s that noise?”
“Bullying is grounds for demerit points!”
Two figures burst through the door.
The line belonged to the righteous student council president, Rodelin, but the ones who entered were far from righteous.
Luna’s stalkers, Yuridia and Victoria.
It seemed they had been eavesdropping again, waiting for the right moment to intervene.
“Miss Luna, are you alright? I’m so glad you’re up and well.”
“This Victoria might have helped a little. But it was nothing much, so no need to thank me. Oh~ Hohoho!”
Luna wore a conflicted expression as the two girls made their entrance.
They were the leaders of rival factions. Despite that, Luna had received considerable help from them.
In the fight against the demon, during her recovery, with gifts, and even with an elixir.
Even Luna, no matter how tough she was, couldn’t act harshly toward them in this situation.
“I should at least thank you. Thanks. I mean it.”
“No need to mention it. I just did what I had to. We’re all comrades when facing demons, after all.”
“Oh~ Hohoho. In fact, it’s us who should be grateful. Without Miss Luna’s sacrifice, none of us might still be here.”
Yuridia and Victoria were being unusually friendly. Perhaps they were using this opportunity to get closer to Luna.
‘They like her enough to form a club, after all.’
The club created to cheer for love, ‘Love Aid Club.’ But that was just the surface reason.
Its true identity was the ‘Luna Admirers Club.’
At first, I thought it was just child’s play and didn’t pay much attention, but not anymore.
It had grown into a formidable force, so much so that even some members of Teron’s faction had joined.
‘Could it be… Luna will end up claiming the first-year throne?’
Luna unifying the first-year students? That would be like turning the story into a soap opera-level mess.
I have to stop that from happening, no matter what.
‘Anyway, it’s a great opportunity for those two.’
An excellent chance to get closer to Luna. Conversely, it was a moment of crisis for me.
The closer those three became, the higher the chance Luna would claim the first-year throne.
“Are you feeling okay? You’ve been in bed for a few days, so your muscles might be stiff. There’s a nice massage parlor nearby… Shall we go?”
“That sounds like a great idea. I’ll cover the cost as a token of appreciation for your recovery. Oh~ Hohoho!”
A massage parlor. A place where they could converse without my presence. These two were no ordinary girls.
The problem was, our Luna wasn’t ordinary either.
“No, thanks.”
“I-I see. How about we go to a bakery for some bread and coffee?”
“I don’t want that either. We’re not close enough to be hanging out like that.”
Luna’s answer was incredibly straightforward. Even I was caught off guard.
Well, considering Luna’s personality, it wasn’t really surprising.
‘She’s someone who has trouble making friends.’
She’s cautious of others. She’s especially wary of favors without strings attached. That’s one of Luna’s safety rules.
Ever since the fall of the Lester family, up until she enrolled at Annwood Academy, she had set these rules after going through various incidents.
Not knowing these facts, Yuridia and Victoria could only look flustered.
“Take this back.”
What Luna held out were two small boxes. They contained the elixirs from Yuridia and Victoria.
“I’ll just take the thought behind it. I didn’t do enough to accept…”
I quickly covered Luna’s mouth. Luna looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I leaned in to whisper into her ear.
“Are you out of your mind, rejecting a gift like that?”
“Mmmph!”
Yeah, you’ll enjoy it, right? As expected, our Luna is a good listener.
Still covering Luna’s mouth, I turned to face Yuridia and Victoria.
“Keke, nonsense. Just ignore it. She’s saying she’ll enjoy it.”
“…That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“How could that be? Look, she’s thanking you, isn’t she?”
I forcefully pushed Luna’s head into a bow. Just then, a sharp pain shot through my right hand that was covering Luna’s mouth.
“Argh!!”
“Ugh, gross. If you want me to talk, take your hand off first.”
Luna wiped her mouth and pointed at me with her finger.
“You might be stupid enough to be fooled, but I’m not. They’ll expect something in return. Nothing in this world is free.”
Though she seemed to have improved since meeting me and Rezé, Luna was still broken.
She was like a stray cat that had been hurt many times. That’s all there was to it.
‘It’s like she can’t distinguish between people’s goodwill and malice.’
Because she couldn’t make that distinction, she treated everything as malice and preferred to engage in transactions over one-sided acts of kindness.
For Luna, that was more comfortable and natural.
Of course, friends were an exception, but…
‘The problem is that the process of becoming friends is difficult.’
It wasn’t easy for me, and it wasn’t a smooth journey for Rezé either. If Rezé hadn’t been of the non-aggressive kind, it might have been difficult from the start.
But Yuridia and Victoria, the leaders of rival factions?
Weasels and martens are undoubtedly carnivores. It might be difficult for them to become friends with Luna.
“Whatever you’re proposing, it probably has something to do with Zero. Am I right?”
Luna’s eyes shone. The gaze of a detective who had seen through everything.
But Yuridia’s response was shockingly simple.
“No, that’s not it. We just… just wanted to give it to you.”
Whoosh-.
A breeze blew between us.
A hollow breeze born from Luna’s realization that none of her deductions had been right.
–TL Notes–
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