*
Childhood Friend.
What should you do if a friend you’ve had for a long time starts to look like a romantic interest a few years later?
That dilemma was being pondered by the blonde Hero in front of his Childhood Friend’s room.
Hero Kainel had faced many trials since being chosen by the Holy Sword of Light. So, he decided to keep his distance from the person he liked.
‘..Why is my heart racing like this?’
He was scared that their current relationship wouldn’t withstand a confession, and even if that wasn’t the case, he hated the thought of her being left alone if he were to die due to his duties as a Hero.
“Ariel, can I come in?”
“Wait a sec, Kai!”
“What now? If you take too long, we’ll be late for the Academy.”
He opened the door. Sitting in the middle of the sunlit room was his beautifully dressed Childhood Friend.
An elf who had just shed her girlhood and now exuded a lady-like aura.
Mage Ariel.
“Hehe.. What do you think? Pretty, right?”
Her red hair pierced through his mind, and it felt like he was about to fall into her alluring eyes. Her normally pale face was now glowing.
His heart raced.
However, fearing that he was the only one harboring such feelings, he lied once again to avoid becoming distant.
“..It’s just okay.”
He couldn’t be honest. He barely managed to close his gaping mouth. He took another breath.
“What?! Is that really what you’re gonna say?! Do you know how much effort I put into this?!”
Kainel ended up bickering with Ariel the moment he stepped outside.
*
Lavrance Village. A famous place known for its lavender perfumes and bath products.
A quiet location with very few people around.
It was here that the Hero and the Mage grew up.
The Hero of Light Kainel and the Mage of Glowing Flames Ariel.
As childhood friends, they were dubbed the “Dog and Cat Couple” by the users.
“See? You’re late after all. Am I right?”
The next-door dog chows down without a care. The [Black Heart] has harem routes too. I never understood that stuff, so I didn’t watch.
“Can’t you just say I’m pretty once?! What’s it gonna hurt?!”
The red-haired cat was often quite dishonest about her feelings. Every time she used magic, she’d think of the Hero, but it wouldn’t be until the latter parts of [Night Heart] that she would express her feelings directly.
To sum it up, this is what you get when a clueless guy hooks up with a tsundere.
“Exactly! It’s your fault, Kai!”
“Ariel, you woke up late too.”
‘They start fighting the moment I show up.’
I came here to connect the two of them, but what’s happening?
“Girls need a lot of time to get ready, you know? I woke up early!”
“Who are you trying to impress?”
The two were arguing in front of the stable. Where did those lovey-dovey kids go?
“Hey, you two lovebirds? Can you stop the love fight?”
To assess the situation, I threw a prompt with a likeability option from part one.
Depending on their reactions, I could tell how things were going.
“Huh? Don’t make me laugh! As if I’d be close to this dog!”
“Dog? You mean this red-haired spaghetti beast?”
I shook my head. They were beyond saving.
In the previous game, they were always bickering, but what’s missing here?
“I’m really disappointed! You don’t even get my feelings!”
“What are you upset about this time?”
‘What could be the problem?’
Watching them yell, I fiddled with the notebook in my pocket.
In part one, they realized their feelings after the confession event. In part two, they get married and have a mysterious ending where they run away during the Demon King hunt.
If there’s a lost link in between..
‘Is it because of the Demon King too?’
I mean, only the really odd ones survive the middle school syndrome here. The truth or the Demon King of All Knowledge?
This is seriously cringeworthy. Ugh, this feels like my limbs are disappearing. They seriously need to fire the name-giver. If only that was the only issue, it would be well made.
“Why did you put on more perfume? Do you think anyone at the Academy will like you?”
“You idiot! Moron! Sea cucumber!”
She is seriously thick-headed.
Can’t you see how Ariel looks? The color of her neck and face are practically different! Even I, who only plays games, can tell.
..Wait, thinking back, she’s probably doing this on purpose.
Blood rushed to my head. Looking at the situation, it’s clear the Mage doesn’t have no feelings for him. The same goes for the other side.
‘A classic tsundere elf with a typical clueless male protagonist. How did they get married in part two?’
Ah, the Crown Prince isn’t here yet.
Suddenly, a new character was added in [Black Heart]. A lavish pleasure-seeker, charming only in appearance and wealth. That scoundrel wasn’t here.
He shows up suddenly during the Demon King hunt and confesses to the female lead no matter what.
A character who receives all kinds of contempt, the Mary Sue character.
‘Should I try this method?’
Since it’s still spring, winter like in part one hasn’t arrived yet. We haven’t seen any confession events yet.
Then, let’s go for the route of love rivals. At least it’s a sure path to marriage; that’s gotta be reliable, right?
He was afraid of growing distant from his Childhood Friend by not being honest with his feelings.
“The carriages have all left! What are we gonna do to get to the Academy? Fool Kain!”
“We’ll figure something out.”
A wishy-washy dude. Get a taste of a confession attack.
With my eyes squinting into crescent moons, I imagined the smirk of the Crown Prince. No matter how I think about it, that line doesn’t fit the character at all.
How did anyone even dub this? It was truly spine-chilling.
“Would you accompany me to the Academy, my lovely lady?”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter as my teeth showed. Thank goodness my helmet’s hiding my face.
Thanks, special feature.
“Y-Yes, what?”
“What did you say?”
At that moment, Kainel’s expression froze. Ariel seemed a bit surprised but was watching his change, and seeing her lips curl up, she looked happy.
The reactions were instantaneous. This is good.
“Your ruby-like hair. I was enchanted by your pure beauty! My lady!”
“I.. I’m just a commoner..? But who are you..?”
“Who the heck are you? Why are you acting all chummy with our Ariel?”
I exaggeratedly spread my arms wide. I didn’t want to do this either, but seeing Kainel’s reaction, it was working. I wanted him to feel a sense of competition from this.
“To put an end to this, I should clear my throat and lead us to the Root confirmation line. You’re about to have a rough time from now on. They say marriage is the grave of life. Congratulations.”
“Ahem. So, you have someone you’re dating then. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, I thought you were single.”
“Wait? Me and Kai? N-No way!”
“What a lovely pair you two make.”
“…”
Ariel’s face turned so red, it was hard to distinguish her hair from her face. Kainel fell silent at those words. I was a bit disappointed.
She should’ve said, “You know what? Get lost!” right there. I guess she still needs a bit more growth?
I thought it would end quickly, but how sad it is.
“My name is Licht. I’m also an incoming student at the Academy. I happen to have a carriage, would you like to join me?”
I placed a hand on my chest. Bowing politely while greeting. The Hero hates someone like this showing off, so the effect should be direct.
He wouldn’t want someone like his least favorite type of guy stealing the person he likes.
This was emphasized three times in the settings book.
“Wait? Is that okay?”
“I don’t want to.”
“Kai, teleporting is expensive.”
“Absolutely not, how am I supposed to ride with that butterball.”
“Still..”
Just like that, they wandered off to chat, leaving me behind.
Kainel’s gaze made the back of my head tingle. Is he cursing me out? I felt a bit weird being treated like this by a character I used to love.
‘Should I stop this?’
After a few minutes, he approached me. His footsteps were heavy with authority.
“Don’t try anything funny with Ariel. If you do, I’m getting off the carriage right away.”
“Understood.”
The Hero glared at me with a growl. Does this mean he really likes Ariel? Then why aren’t they dating? I let out a sigh. What should I do to resolve this frustrating situation?
Once he said that, the Hero and Mage couple started moving the luggage to my carriage.
“Ariel, this is heavy; I’ll carry it.”
“O-Okay! Thanks!”
Watching their warm interaction, I racked my brain. I looked at their belongings piled up in the carriage. But for some reason, it felt like someone was watching me.
What’s going on? I only have eyes for our Saintess.
Perhaps because of the anxiety, the Hero started haphazardly tossing the things around. Ugh, don’t do that. I approached them to speak.
“Excuse me.”
I tried to appear as friendly as possible. Maybe it could ease their suspicion.
“Ah.. You’re Licht, right? Thanks for letting us ride in the carriage! Sorry for the late introduction!”
“I appreciate it, but don’t get too close to Ariel. When we get to the Academy, I’m going my path, understand?”
“Why are you acting like this, Kai.. To someone who’s helping us..”
Ariel, who had cheerfully greeted me, and Kainel, who was on guard. Good signs.
They’ll probably get caught in the act sooner or later.
“Can I sort things out myself? I’m pretty good at it.”
“Eh? But it would be hard for you…”
“I’ll keep an eye out to see if anything’s missing.”
I had to use the method I enjoyed as an inventory organizing expert.
Have you heard of item Tetris?
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