“What happened?”
Mary approached me with a worried look. I was late for school because of Raphne.
“I didn’t see you in class this morning.”
She probably thought it was because I got caught up in some bullying again. Sure, there was that incident last year when a girl bullied me and wouldn’t let go while I cried like a fountain.
“I just found a stray cat. I zoned out and lost track of time. Haha…”
There’s really no need to tell the truth. For the time being, I’ll have to keep visiting the tower where Raphne is, and if word gets out about her, it could cause trouble.
It’s not that I don’t trust Mary, but better safe than sorry.
“A cat, huh?”
Fortunately, it seemed like Mary didn’t suspect me after hearing my story. If anything, her eyes lit up with excitement. Oh, so Mary likes cats, huh? That’s some fresh info since in the game, I had no idea about such trivial details.
After becoming Ken, I realized the information I had was far from complete. In the game, I could only get info from Emily Epiris’ perspective, the main character.
“Well, if anything happens, just call me anytime.”
After checking up on me, Mary went back to her side. I never realized that part while playing the game.
According to the game settings, Mary couldn’t stand bullying or leaving isolated students alone. I thought her followers just blindly chased her around, but here she was, checking on my safety every single time.
It makes sense how a fan club could form around her.
‘First things first, I have a plan.’
Right now, the most important thing I need to do is diet and item crafting. I have no idea how much my physical abilities will increase through dieting. But reducing weight is the most effective way to improve my stats right now.
In the original game, if I were the main character, Emily, the correct approach would be to gradually strengthen my initial skills and stats. There are various ways to grow by adventuring and acquiring items or skills.
In some playthroughs, players might train swordsmanship to skip all events by force, while in others, they might max out magic skills to choose various magical options. Or there are those funny business routes, where they just earn loads of money through daily skills.
There are a variety of ways to play, yet there’s a problem.
Right now, I’m not Emily Epiris.
[Name: Ken Feinstein
Unique Skill: Item Crafting, Calorie Burn.
Unique Trait: Physical abilities amplify as weight decreases.
Inherited Trait: Obesity.
Current Physical Specs: 175cm, 110kg]
‘No matter how much of an extra I am, to not even have basic stats set…’
I’m Ken Feinstein, the extra character in this game. The one without any events happening.
I’m just another secondary character with a standing illustration, mostly.
It seems the game devs didn’t think about what basic skills and traits would be given to such a character.
All I have left is a unique skill and a unique trait.
‘So, obtaining the basic skills and traits is part of my tasks.’
I still don’t know how I might acquire skills or traits. If it were Emily, there’d be a separate skill tree screen.
Of course, there are hidden items that can grant skills scattered here and there, but going to find those is like going to die.
So first, it’s all about losing weight.
For now, it’s my only option to level up.
Then, there’s the next ability I have.
Item Crafting.
In the setting of “Epiris Academy,” all characters in the game have unique skills. The timing of their manifestation varies, but one’s life often changes based on their innate unique skills.
‘System, open the detailed window for Ken Feinstein’s Item Crafting skill.’
[Unique Skill: Item Crafting.
Skill Level
Dexterity LV 2
Basic Equipment Crafting LV 1
Potion Crafting LV 1
Magical Tool Crafting LV 1]
‘So, the abilities are all split up.’
Originally, item crafting was a feature given to an NPC appearing later on. Emily would commission that NPC to craft items.
When you have the recipe and materials, you can craft anything, so normally Emily wouldn’t possess it for the sake of early-game difficulty.
The only means of getting necessary items is to either collect or buy them.
Thus, this detailed skill set for item crafting is something I’m seeing for the first time as well.
‘To make the Goddess’s necklace, I guess I need to have some skill proficiency, huh?’
In the game, if NPCs were handed money and materials, they would create items without fail.
But considering Emily’s other skills, having only skill wouldn’t guarantee the ability to create anything.
Even basic magic skills have their attack stats affected by other stats.
‘I need to level up my stats too.’
There’s a lot to do.
Normally, I’d focus on increasing physical ability through dieting. However, I need to act faster if I want to save Raphne.
As time delays and the parts pass, eventually, the event with the Demon race will happen.
This event will showcase itself in the final chapter regardless of the characters Emily bonds with or the ending routes she takes.
When the war starts, the Demon race weirdly targets the academy first.
If that happens, I can’t guarantee Raphne’s safety trapped inside.
‘And for my own sake, Raphne needs to survive too.’
It’s not solely because I feel bad for her. She’s a character renowned for her strength in the game settings.
Even after being defeated by Emily in the first part, she was said to rival the strongest in the academy with her unique skills and latent potential.
Rescuing someone like her and having her as an ally would naturally increase my chances of survival.
‘Alright, I’ve got my thoughts sorted.’
I closed the notebook where I was secretly organizing my thoughts during class. Just in time, the bell signaling the end of the class rang.
Time really flies when you’re deep in thought.
“Ken, want to have lunch together today…”
It was lunchtime soon, and Mary quickly came to my side, followed by some other students.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I have someone to have lunch with for a while.”
“…Is that so?”
Until Raphne is freed from her curse, or until her mental state recovers, I must eat with Raphne.
[Ken Feinstein’s immersion drops.]
It seems that engaging in actions that contradict Ken’s base instincts causes immersion to drop.
The pressure I feel standing in front of Mary eased a bit.
I learned something new there.
“…Then should I also join you?”
As I packed my things, Mary said that.
“Wha-? But the others…”
“They’re a bunch, so it should be fine.”
No, they’re gathered because of you, so it can’t be fine.
“…The friend I’m eating with is a bit shy. We’ll have lunch some other time. Ha, haha.”
Naturally, having Mary along would be problematic.
Not only did Raphne and Mary not get along, but eating with Raphne, who bullied me last year, would raise suspicions too.
More importantly, Raphne’s curse means I can’t even approach her.
“Ah… is that so. I understand.”
Mary nodded and turned to the group waiting for her.
Did she misunderstand that I would eat alone?
She’s really considerate in many ways. If she weren’t a villainess in the game, she would definitely have tremendous popularity.
Before going to Raphne’s tower, I first swung by the dorm to gather my stuff.
Inside the big wooden box, various tools rattled around.
“Huff, huff.”
With so many items, they were quite heavy, and carrying them with this fat body was exhausting as hell.
If I think of it as part of my weight loss journey, it’s not bad, but it’s incredibly hard.
‘First, I need to get that item quickly.’
I recalled the item hidden in the Droplet Forest at the edge of the academy.
The main stage for this game, Dedris Academy, is located in Lilias Kingdom, at the edge of the Prasia continent.
In the midst of that kingdom, the Dedris Academy is surrounded by vast forests, forming a huge city centered around it.
Ken’s dormitory in the Applelor dorm and Raphne’s tower are almost opposites in terms of distance.
“Seriously, huff, I’m gonna die.”
It always feels like I’m doing a massive workout every time I head to the tower.
The items I was carrying were various crafting tools.
While I hadn’t seen this info in the game, Ken’s memories revealed that he was the child of a rich merchant in Lilias Kingdom.
Lilias Kingdom is the only country guarding the teleportation stones that connect the land of humans on Prasia continent and the land of demons on Karab continent. Hence, it serves as a hub for continental trade full of rare resources like magical stones.
Thus, foreign dignitaries often send their kids to study at Dedris Academy to build connections with the upper class of Lilias Kingdom.
…at least that’s the general setting in the game.
So, Ken Feinstein, being the son of a wealthy merchant, means he has quite a bit of money.
It’s only fitting given his bulky body—a physique that decent commoners couldn’t have made.
That’s why all the crafting tools were set up in Ken’s room.
“Woah!”
While my mind was wandering, I tripped over something and fell with a great thud.
“Ugh!”
I made a pig-like noise, but thankfully, I managed to protect my things somehow.
Enduring the rushing pain, I looked up to see three female students laughing as they passed by.
Did those punks stick their feet out?
The giggling students were the ringleaders behind Ken’s bullying.
Last year, they looked so bold, walking around with Raphne. But now, with Raphne gone and Mary protecting me, I thought the harassment would lessen.
Today, however, they were openly bullying me again in the rain.
And on sunny days, they sneak in small harassments without Mary knowing.
‘I’ve got to lose weight fast.’
It’s painfully obvious why they’re bullying me.
I’m fat and an easy target.
In the game’s setting, there wouldn’t be a character so easy to bully.
To avoid this miserable situation, I need to lose weight as soon as possible.
“…Hah.”
With the perspective of having possessed Ken, I felt less of a psychological blow from their bullying.
The physical pain I can’t avoid, but at least I can remain calm.
Ken must have felt terrible being treated this way.
He simply got his just desserts for not losing weight.
“Hmm?”
As I brushed off the dust from falling, I spotted someone watching from afar.
It was none other than Emily, the game’s protagonist.
She looked at me with indifferent eyes, but when our eyes met, she frowned and turned her head away.
It was a look like she’s seen something disturbing.
“…I really can’t get used to this.”
The Emily Epiris I had played in the game showed limited personality descriptions for immersion’s sake.
The info I had about her was just a few lines from the official game setting.
She’s righteous, can’t ignore those in distress, and won’t tolerate injustice.
‘Where does she see that personality?’
No matter how I think about it, Mary would suit that righteous character description more.
When I played the game, Emily would at least approach someone who fell over to help them.
Is it because she’s a good-looking male character?
Or does the overweight loser not count as human?
Regardless, there was a strange sense of dissonance as this was nothing like the protagonist I remembered.
It appears this world has a lot more hidden settings than I know.
“Are you not helping him?”
Adrian, who was with Emily, casually asked.
“Huh? Why should I?”
Emily looked back at Ken Feinstein again.
He was struggling to lift his unregulated bulky self and walk while trying to carry his things again.
His wobbly and unattractive gasping for breath made me cringe.
“I thought you wouldn’t leave someone in trouble. Did he do something wrong?”
“…No, it’s just…”
Adrian wasn’t wrong. Emily couldn’t bypass someone in trouble or danger.
But Ken Feinstein invoked even more dread than that.
The reason being Ken was exactly as she loathed from the game’s setting, which had everything to do with Emily’s past.
A few years before enrolling in the academy, Emily had been an ordinary girl living in a small village on the outskirts of the Lilias Kingdom.
She lived a very average life until she was directly recommended for special admission to the academy with her ‘Child of Prophecy’ status.
And that noble with the tainted ambition often seen in common villagers popped into Emily’s thoughts.
He was a fat and unpleasant man, just like Ken, was an aristocrat overseeing Emily’s village.
He often cast lascivious looks at Emily and her sister during village inspections, and one day, tried to force her to come along while she gathered herbs in the forest.
That fat hand gripped Emily’s slim wrist, with coarse breathing and a steamy odor invading her senses.
Just remembering that made Emily shudder.
Fortunately, thanks to a passing blonde knight, she was saved from that noble’s harassment.
Her heart raced so hard as she watched him drive the noble away with such a noble and dashing look.
From that day forward, Emily clearly divided handsome boys from despicable men in her worldview.
Ken Feinstein was precisely the embodiment of what she hated.
“Let’s go.”
Leaving behind the pitiful sight of his waddling self, Emily urged Adrian and walked away.
