“So! I received a date invitation!”
Out of nowhere, Elise, who suddenly dragged me away, blurted that out.
“Huh?”
“A DATE! I got asked for a date by Sieg! What should I do?”
Elise, normally grinning, looked genuinely troubled, her eyes glistening with tears as she anxiously paced back and forth.
Wait, Sieg asked for a date…?
‘…Come to think of it, there were a few events like that in the game.’
There were definitely events that occurred when the affection level rose to a certain point.
Does that mean those two have been steadily building affection for each other?
Well, anyway.
“What do you mean, what should you do? If you like him, go! If you don’t, just reject him!”
“You fatty! That’s not what I’m saying!”
Then what the heck are you saying?
“W-What should I do? What should I wear? What should I talk about? Wh-What kind of girl does Sieg like?”
Elise clung to my clothes, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Wait a second, senpai…! Why on earth are you asking me?”
“Because you’re popular! And you get along well with Sieg! I need your help!”
“Me…? What does that even mean?”
Do I look like a popular guy? She just called me a fatty!
Also, aren’t dating advice usually given to same-sex friends?
If anyone needs dating advice, it should be that Adrian guy…
“I know everything! You’ve got three girls after you at the same time! So you must have a lot of experience! Please help me!”
“Who said that?!”
“The kid with hypnosis! He said everything!”
That Alicia, huh.
What the heck is she saying?
How do those two even know each other?
“Huh? You didn’t know? That kid is famous at the Academy. A couple maker.”
I heard that a fair number of girls ask Alicia for dating advice.
Especially if you give her some cash, the success rate skyrockets!
I can’t believe Alicia is doing business like that with hypnosis…
“So did you ask Alicia for advice, senpai?”
“N-No! I just told a friend to try consulting with her. But that’s not what’s important right now!”
Oh right.
The reason Elise kidnapped me.
It was some kind of worry consultation to successfully have a date with Sieg.
It’s strange to think that this fatty would be useful for dating advice.
But it turns out she came to the right person.
Since Sieg is a target character in the game, I’ve played through that scenario a few times.
“So, what are you curious about?”
“Um, well…”
As soon as I agreed abruptly, Elise was a bit taken aback, then she blushed and carefully asked,
“Could it be… w-what is his ideal type?”
Sieg’s ideal type, huh.
Well, that’s written in the strategy guide. You generally have to choose conversation options compatible with his type to raise affection.
“Yeah… I guess it’s a girl he can rely on.”
“R-Really?”
The hints from the choices that raised Sieg’s affection towards Emily felt like that.
The focus on working towards goals with steadfast dedication, and the protagonist helps him when he’s stuck.
Every time I chose those options, his affection would skyrocket.
“By the way, have you decided where to go for the date?”
“At noon tomorrow, at the city fountain… Hehe.”
Aha, a flower-viewing date.
There’s a walking path that features beautiful gardens only blooming during this season.
It’s one of the date routes with flower-loving Sieg.
“Then…”
After that, I gave Elise a few pieces of advice.
What to wear, what food to bring for the picnic, what conversation topics to choose, and so on.
Just some simple information that showed up as choices in the game.
“Could you come out tomorrow and watch for a bit?”
“To that extent?”
“Just in case something happens, I want to sneakily ask you!”
“…Fine, I will.”
“Thanks! Really! I’ll definitely repay you later!”
Elise expressed her joy and gratitude.
I was curious since I hadn’t seen their date in the game before.
Watching it as a fan while strolling around the city isn’t too bad either.
In fact, even without my help, those two will probably end up fine on their own.
Because, in the end, if it’s not with Emily, Sieg always ends up happily with Elise.
But still, Elise might feel uneasy.
‘Still, I guess I’ll help as much as I can.’
Even though I’m just a clumsy guy, I have experience clearing female-oriented dating simulation games several times.
I felt a strange thrill.
—
“Wait, both of you! What are you doing?!”
Emily shouted urgently, tugging at the clothing of both Elise and Raphne.
But paying her no mind, they both lost their sanity and kept moving forward.
“Ken has another girl after him…!”
“If there’s a chance Ken is in danger, we need to keep watch. Let go of this!”
“Calm down, both of you!!”
Of course, Emily wanted to chase after Ken and ask what was going on with him right away.
But seeing the two of them lose their minds, she felt a sense of responsibility to stop them, at least for herself.
“Then, how about we secretly watch?”
Emily decided it was impossible to stop them and proposed a backup plan.
If she kept aiming for Ken, things would only get more complicated.
“…No.”
“That’s even weirder.”
But the two ignored her and kept going.
“Ahh━! Seriously! Ken’s going to hate this! At least if we’re going to find out why he’s being called, we should sneak over, you idiots!!”
In the end, Emily’s argument about how they would be hated by Ken and need to find out why halted their march.
Thus, the three girls stealthily made their way to where Elise and Ken were talking.
Emily, Mary, and Raphne peeked their heads around the hallway and watched the two.
“…Ugh, I can’t hear anything from this far.”
Raphne complained, unable to catch the words due to distance.
“I wonder why she called him…”
“To make a move on him…! Obviously to lure Ken in!”
“You haven’t heard anything yet! And be quiet! We can’t hear!”
With Emily’s reprimand, the trio fell silent, straining to listen.
“…She said ‘date’ just now.”
“I heard it too.”
“Is it a confession?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Both of them stiffened at Emily’s casual words and turned to look at her.
“No, I mean… she invited him out, and she’s blushing like that….”
“…Oh no. We’ll lose Ken…!”
“Oh come on, don’t jump to conclusions like that…!”
Emily grabbed Raphne’s arm, almost like a commanding general, and lightly yelled.
“…They just said something.”
And with Mary’s murmuring, both of them paused their fussing and focused back on Ken and Elise.
A tiny voice echoed from them.
“Uh, maybe… w-what’s your ideal type…? what is it?”
Then the moment Elise’s voice clearly broke through, all three of them looked like they were hit with a hammer.
Ken’s ideal type?
The fact that she asked this means she clearly has an interest in him.
Most importantly, this was an opportunity to learn about Ken’s ideal type.
All three girls, who were previously noisy, now united in maintaining silence.
‘…Ken’s ideal type… I wanted to know.’
Mary swallowed hard.
‘W-What if there’s nothing in common…!’
Emily gripping the wall corner tightly in tension.
‘Big-boobed girls, big-boobed girls, big-boobed girls….’
Even Raphne stared at Ken with lifeless eyes as if sending telepathy.
Although their thoughts were different, fundamentally, they all wanted the same thing.
━I hope it’s me…!
And then the moment Ken opened his mouth after some contemplation.
“Yeah… I guess it’s a girl I can rely on.”
The words hit the three girls’ ears sharply.
The first to react was Raphne.
“Uh, uhhhh, what should I do…! I-I’ve only relied on him! What’s going on…!”
“C-Calm down, Raphne…! Just don’t hang on to my skirt!”
Tears filled Raphne’s eyes as she clung to Emily.
Although Emily sympathized with the shocking feelings, she desperately pushed Raphne away so her skirt wouldn’t be pulled off.
Meanwhile, Mary clenched her fists.
“That’s what I wished for. Because I decided to protect Ken.”
With her boldness, both of them looked at her.
“…Isn’t being reliant a bit different from being protected?”
“…Yeah.”
“Huh, r-really?”
Surprised by those words, Mary’s confident expression darkened for a moment.
Because she didn’t understand much about what it meant to be a reliant woman.
“Oh, they said something more.”
And as the conversation between Ken and Elise continued, the three of them listened closely again.
“At noon tomorrow, at the city fountain… hehe.”
Elise’s voice rang clearly once more.
“A date…”
“A date.”
“…This is confirmed.”
Having accurately grasped the reason Ken was called, the three of them shot angry looks at Elise with shadowy faces.
—
After hearing Elise’s concerns, for some reason, Raphne, Emily, and Mary started acting strange.
For instance, in class, Raphne, seated next to Ken.
“Ken, I know this well! Let me tell you!”
“Huh? Uh, how do you know? You took a year off.”
“Because I studied at the Tower for a year! …W-What do you think? Isn’t this enough for you to rely on?”
“Y-Yeah, thanks.”
For some reason, her gaze looks scary.
Then after class, Emily came up to him.
“Have you had any tough times lately?”
“Suddenly…?”
“Well… I was worried since you disappeared for a week!”
“Ah, right. I’m sorry.”
“…If anything happens, just tell me anytime. I’ll help you any way I can.”
“Uh, yeah? O-Okay.”
It felt strangely kind.
So did Mary, whom he met in the hallway.
“Ken, haven’t you been on a diet?”
“Ah, can you tell? I lost a bit of weight. Haha.”
“…I’ve thought deeply about this too.”
“Huh? What do you mean, Mary?”
“I mean, how about exercising together next time? I think relying on each other is better than one-sided support!”
“Uh, sure… Thanks.”
For some reason, they seemed overly enthusiastic.
It just felt like they were trying to comfort him, accept him, and lead him.
‘…Am I really that unreliable?’
Maybe it had something to do with disappearing silently for a week.
In any case, it doesn’t feel good being recognized as a clumsy person in the minds of these three.
It’s a blow to my pride as a man.
I really need to show a more seasoned side of myself.
—
The next day.
Ken left for an early lunch at Raphne’s Tower to watch over Elise’s date.
“I’ll be back shortly! I’ll be back before dinner.”
“Okay! …But where are you going?”
“Ah, …just running some errands in the city.”
It felt weird to say I was going to watch someone else’s date, so Ken made up a vague excuse.
He worried if she might pry further, but Raphne sent him off with a sweet smile.
“Okay! Then I’ll prepare your favorite for dinner. Have a good time!”
“Ah, yeah. I’ll be back.”
Feeling a bit awkward, Ken waved his hand in a lackluster way and left the tower.
Creeeak Bang.
Once Ken left the room, Raphne’s expression turned dark as she turned to the window.
There, a new form of magic servant waited to fulfill Raphne’s request.
“Let them know. Ken has gone out on a date.”
Watching the bird soar into the sky towards its target, Raphne began to change her clothes and prepare herself.
As she put on her outfit and exited the tower, a dangerous aura surrounded Raphne.
