Inside a stone building located in an unknown place.
There were two figures, a man and a woman.
The former Student Council Vice President Diggerus and the current Student Council President Alkiné.
No matter how you looked at it, they didn’t seem to be close.
Well, one of them was stuck inside a massive cage, and unless they were enjoying some kind of weird play, the word “close” certainly didn’t fit.
In fact, they weren’t really that close at all.
To be exact, they had known each other for a long time, but they had diverged along the way.
One side had sticky love, while the other had a clear sense of camaraderie.
Even when they acted together, there might have been an unspoken distance.
Thinking that this mismatch caused the current situation made her realize… people really should learn to make friends well.
Tick tock… how long has it been?
Inside the cage, Alkiné slumped against the bars, lost in thought.
It hadn’t been long since she was kidnapped.
However, whether it was due to the heavy mental toll, it felt like an eternity.
“Hey, President. Do you remember the first time we met? Back then, I…”
“When we first entered the Rift together, while I was just trying to keep up, you were out front, doing great things. It was really impressive.”
“That day you appointed me as your Vice President, I was so happy I stayed up all night. Did you know that?”
Maybe that’s why. She suddenly realized she was paying attention to the voice she had been trying to ignore.
But now she didn’t feel like blocking her ears again.
The only thing she could do now was listen to that story.
His long-winded tale was really just trivial things.
Like the time they had lunch together or the time they moved to the Student Council room after class.
Regardless of what it was, it was a story about times spent with Alkiné.
She vaguely knew it, but he certainly seemed to have feelings for Alkiné.
But the direction of those feelings is quite skewed.
If it were healthy affection, it wouldn’t have suddenly disappeared, and this situation wouldn’t have happened at all.
Perhaps noticing her thoughts, his story began to shift into a more negative direction.
“That day, if that arrogant brat hadn’t come in, we would have stayed happy… He ruined everything.”
“President did nothing wrong. It’s all that brat’s fault.”
“The president was just temporarily blinded, right?”
“Ah… but wasn’t it all fate? In the end, I gained power and got the president in my hands.”
His words, interpreted in his own way, came out under the assumption that he alone was right.
However, maybe because of the name of the man who always delivered more than expected, she found herself oddly interested.
Intrigued by a story she couldn’t ignore, her lips unsealed against her will.
There was no hope for quick salvation, so her despair made her more accepting of the conversation.
But that was a bad move.
“How did you gain that power?”
“…Even in a state of helplessness, your tone remains unchanged, President.”
“…Ugh!”
His twisted affection began to crumble her dignified persona.
A disturbing aura oozed from him, wrapping around her body.
She was surrounded by cold and ominous energy, yet somehow couldn’t move her body.
“I wanted to enjoy the original president a bit longer. But seeing you trying to act strong in this weakened state… I can’t hold back any longer.”
“W-wait! Diggerus, what are you trying to do…?”
Diggerus’s hand slowly approached her, rendering her immobile.
Before she knew it, his hand slipped inside the cage and lightly touched her face.
Diggerus smirked as he saw her body flinch and her eyes tremble.
“So, the president is scared in a situation like this? You’re human too.”
Now she understood. Because the president told her.
That statement revealed he didn’t truly understand her but was merely memorizing information, making his clear fondness feel all the colder.
No, it might not even be accurate to call it fondness anymore.
“I hope the president walks the same path as me.”
“What… what do you mean, Diggerus? Calm down and let’s talk…”
“I’m going to forcibly mix my energy with your body. It might be painful for a moment, but… just hang in there. You’ll feel refreshed in no time.”
Under normal circumstances, emotions like his wouldn’t be described as fondness.
If it meant walking the same path as him, it likely signified the end of life as a human being.
What a foolish thought that was.
It was nothing but a delusion thinking he had no intention of harming her.
He had planned this from the start.
He just didn’t notice because he didn’t think it was harming her.
Was this how it would end? So simply?
To end without being able to do anything, without receiving anyone’s help.
If I had known this would happen, I would have lived a little more freely.
Perhaps it was too sudden, making it hard to feel real. She oddly prepared herself to accept her end.
…And then it happened.
Just when she was about to lethargically close her eyes, Diggerus’s expression froze, and he abruptly turned his head.
At the end of his line of sight was the only door in the room… beyond which a faint, raucous noise was coming.
“…It seems like a guest has arrived. I didn’t expect them to come so quickly.”
A guest? The only people who could arrive so soon would surely be the members of the Student Council who were together during the exploration.
As that thought crossed her mind, a chill shot down her spine.
The moment they stepped through that door, they would face this man right in front of them.
After all, Diggerus was skilled enough to hold the position of Vice President.
They wouldn’t stand a chance against him now that he had become a demon.
“Don’t worry, President. I’ll handle it so you can leave without any regrets.”
And… it seemed Diggerus had no mercy for the comrades he once fought alongside.
The only one he had feelings for was Alkiné.
If things went on like this, surely….
“No… stay away…”
She tried to say it forlornly, but the noise beyond the door grew closer and closer.
Facing an obvious tragedy, she felt powerless to intervene.
And then shortly after, a loud crash echoed right in front of the door, and the noise suddenly stopped, but she felt something approaching.
It wasn’t the presence of multiple individuals.
If it was the Student Council coming, there shouldn’t be this few of them.
“Wait… what’s going on…?”
BANG!
By the time Diggerus noticed something was off, the door had already swung open.
And beyond it appeared…
“KYAAH! Rudion! Stop pulling me towards you like that!”
“I’m not doing it on purpose! I can’t help it when I’m moving. But do I smell bad? I don’t think I’m sweating much.”
“That’s not the issue… Ugh, forget it.”
She somewhat vaguely recalled it, but she never expected Rudion to actually show up.
And there he was, holding the slightly blushing Seria in his arms.
Seeing this, both Alkiné and Diggerus changed their expressions dramatically.
Whatever it was, Rudion was someone meaningful to both of them.
Especially Alkiné’s expression was a sight to behold.
Caught off guard by an unexpected surge of hope from despair, the goofy look on her face had to be the most ridiculous expression of her life.
“Ah, President! Are you okay? Did anything happen?”
Seeing him calling out to her with genuine concern helped her regain her focus.
And once her emotions settled down somewhat, what she felt wasn’t joy or relief.
…What is this feeling?
A vague sense of displeasure coursed through her.
Each time she caught a glimpse of Seria nestled against him, her heart tightened slightly.
She knew she shouldn’t feel this way in this situation, yet she couldn’t suppress her displeasure.
Does she know?
That this feeling was similar to the one Diggerus harbored.
She was used to hiding her emotions and repressing her desires, making it hard for them to surface.
Yet she was still human, merely a young girl overflowing with emotions at this age.
The interest she felt while receiving help from someone exceptionally talented turned out to be a deeper crush than she had thought, and the passion behind her doll collection, which she had only considered youthful sentiment, was revealing the concept of possessiveness.
And the emotion she felt now, overlapping those two sentiments… could easily be described as obsession.
[The affection system has been activated!]
[Reaching a specific level of affection will grant special rewards and unique stats.]
[Current affection level: 17/100]
[You need 3 more for the next reward.]
Well… whether she realized she was being obsessive or not was irrelevant.
Affection… level?
Understanding her feelings would probably be overwhelming for her right now.
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