Siloque brushed past a female student with a bewildered expression and entered the restroom.
He washed his face with cold water and took out a towel from his Ring Chart to wipe himself, letting out a slow sigh.
‘Vitoris’s bloodlust is absolutely terrifying…’
Earlier in that room, every second had felt like sitting on needles.
Siloque had forced himself to stay focused just to keep from looking behind the partition.
The Storyline had finally advanced to this stage.
Due to Cass’s brilliant performance at School, Vitoris had come to conduct an inspection.
Much like other works where prominent older characters appear to praise a burgeoning young talent to emphasize the Main Character’s greatness.
Vitoris had simply come to the School on a whim, perhaps to remark on how her son, Cass, had a promising future.
However, considering the worse possibilities, she might have looked at more than just Cass’s combat records—she might have even checked the classroom surveillance footage.
‘I did something unnecessary then, but I don’t regret it at all.’
School bullying must be nipped in the bud, or it would only grow more monstrous.
“With Vitoris coming to the School, it seems she’s preparing to stir things up here.”
***
“Um, Siloque, is now a good time?”
Just as he stepped out of the restroom, he saw Cass waiting as if he had been there for a long time, straightening up from the wall he had been leaning against.
‘He’s camping me? No way.’
“Not really. Class is starting. Let’s talk after the next period. Is it urgent?”
Just as the words left his mouth, the bell rang.
Cass blinked in a daze for a moment before laughing awkwardly.
“If I had to say if it was urgent… it’s not really. Let’s chat after class then.”
With that, Cass turned to leave.
“Why are you in such a hurry? Let’s head back together.”
Siloque took two steps forward, and the two walked side by side.
“Eh? Is that really okay? Siloque, don’t you usually dislike talking to people at School?”
Cass’s cheeks flushed with joy, and he reached up to scratch his face.
“…That depends on the situation.”
For instance, the warning bell had already rung, and the hallway was empty.
Seeing Cass’s fidgety behavior, Siloque felt a twinge of regret and stepped back slightly.
‘This is exactly why I don’t want to be seen walking so close to you at School.’
Cass was his only male friend, and Siloque knew he wasn’t a bad person at heart, so he didn’t exactly hate him.
It was just these occasional timid gestures that made Siloque want to keep his distance.
***
After class, Siloque prepared to take Cass to the Health Room for their talk.
He wondered what Belen would be wearing today; he was genuinely looking forward to it.
“Wait, Siloque. This way… are we going to the Health Room?”
“Yeah, why?”
Cass lowered his head, his eyebrows slanting downward.
His hands were clenched tight at his sides as if he were afraid of something.
“Can we go somewhere else?”
“Ah… fine by me.”
Siloque began thinking of places with fewer surveillance cameras, noticing Cass’s strange behavior.
Cass’s right hand was gripping his trembling left arm.
“Anywhere but the Health Room… I’m not… ready yet.”
‘Ready for what? A duel before the throne?’
“I won’t force you if you don’t want to go. Although I like going there, it’s not like it’s mandatory.”
“You like going there… I see. Of course.”
Cass gave a timid smile.
‘Your reaction is a bit too much. Do you have some grudge against Belen? Did she steal your family heirloom?’
Siloque glanced toward the Health Room.
Come to think of it… the maid from the House of Cass must have reported the situation between him and Belen to Cass.
However, at most, he would only know her as “Katy” and wouldn’t know she was “Belen.”
Besides, Cass wasn’t the type to spread rumors.
Looking at his reaction, Cass probably perceived his relationship with Belen as “very close male and female friends,” or perhaps, a couple.
Ah.
So that was it!
Siloque slapped his palm, realization dawning on him.
Imagine if your friend had a very close relationship with someone of the opposite sex.
Then, your friend brought you along to meet that person.
What would you think?
A: You feel like your friend is showing off. You laugh on the outside, but inside you want to punch him.
B: You feel like your friend truly considers you a friend. You are happy for him and offer your blessings.
C: You feel like a third wheel. It’s extremely awkward.
Of course, if there was a hidden option “D: You start having feelings for your friend’s partner,” then as a good friend, Siloque would ensure Cass had a quick Death and leave a Full Corpse, then stage the scene as a suicide.
Based on Cass’s current reaction, the most likely scenario was C.
It was better not to let him see Belen.
“Let’s go to the rooftop. There shouldn’t be many people this time of day.”
“Mm…”
Cass responded softly, clutching his chest as if he had been liberated.
Under Siloque’s lead, they changed their destination to the roof of the Second School Building.
Several idle desks were cluttered on the staircase landing leading to the roof, barely leaving enough room for one person to pass.
This wasn’t much of an obstacle for the two of them.
Cass passed through easily, while Siloque simply moved the desks aside, piled them up on the landing, and walked up.
It perfectly fit Siloque’s stereotype of a rooftop; there wasn’t a single soul nearby.
“Um… Siloque, what are you doing?”
There was a raised section on the roof with a ladder leading up to a water tower.
“Just checking something. Don’t mind me.”
Siloque confirmed that there were no delinquent girls lying on the roof pondering the meaning of life, nor were there any hidden listening devices.
He then returned to the platform.
“What did you want to consult with me about?”
“This.”
Cass took out two application forms from his Ring Chart and briefly explained how he had encountered Parenoa and Lorin at the cinema, and how they had invited him to join their team.
‘The protagonist effect.’
Siloque took one and looked it over, reflexively brushing his shoulder-length black hair back as he thought about the original Storyline.
In the First Playthrough, Cass had lost the duel, so he naturally hadn’t received an invitation.
However, he had still formed a connection with Parenoa.
It started when a handkerchief drifted down from above as he passed her house.
He found her and returned it, and using that as a catalyst, the two became friends.
Even though Cass wasn’t strong, Parenoa appreciated his integrity and kindness, and their relationship grew closer.
Cass eventually gathered the courage to confess on the rooftop, and Parenoa had smiled and nodded in agreement.
A handkerchief?
A chance encounter?
A beautiful girl falling from the sky?
Please, this isn’t some romantic comedy by Teacher Yabuki.
The day of the confession was the moment Parenoa died.
It was all just a series of beautiful memories meant to pave the way for a tragic explosion.
“Siloque, what do you think? Should I join?”
“…The point isn’t what I think, it’s what you think, Cass.”
Fortunately, receiving an invitation from Parenoa now meant that the Storyline of the Second Playthrough was running normally.
“It’s a bit rude to say this… but I don’t really want to join. I get along well with Bried and Kersey. Suddenly joining someone else’s new team and starting everything from zero…”
“You’re not used to it, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then that’s it. Just refuse.”
“Eh? Is that really okay? This is an invitation from the First Place student of B Class.”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? Enough, that’s that. If you don’t want to, don’t force it.”
In the Second Playthrough, he had refused.
Cass had been too busy doing Dungeon Tasks to find items for Bug Extermination and had kept delaying the invitation.
“Cass, keep this form for now. If Parenoa doesn’t ask you directly, you don’t need to approach her to give an answer. She said to give it to her by the end of the month, right?”
“Right… wait, you called her Parenoa?”
Cass narrowed his eyes.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“That’s a bit too intimate, isn’t it? It’s really inappropriate.”
“Huh?”
Siloque tilted his head in confusion, wondering why Cass was making such a fuss.
“It’s just easier to call her that. Anyway, keep the form and wait until the last moment to hand it over.”
“…Fine.”
Cass crumpled the form slightly, sounding a bit sulky.
Siloque simply felt that having this form would make it easier to ask Parenoa out later under the pretext of giving her an answer.
Ask her out for Bug Extermination.
“Cass, did Parenoa only give you two application forms?”
“Ah… yeah.”
Cass hesitated, scratching his cheek.
Originally, she should have given him three—one for Cass and two for his teammates.
Another subtle difference from the original Line.
“What was her reason? What did she say?”
A sharp light glinted in Cass’s eyes.
But he quickly looked away toward the distance.
“There’s a new strawberry sandwich at the cafeteria today. Let’s go try it together.”
He gave a nonsensical invitation.
It seemed he really didn’t want to answer.
Siloque remained silent, staring at Cass with the gaze of a judge.
Cass broke into a cold sweat and let out a sigh.
“Siloque, it must be nice. You really are popular.”
Cass’s tone sounded dissatisfied, yet there was a trace of helplessness.
“? What are you talking about? Is it that hard to answer the question?”
“No. Parenoa invited me, and—”
Cass pointed a fair index finger at Siloque.
“You.”
“…Me?”
“That’s right. She said so herself. She gave me one for you as well.”
Siloque grimaced, rubbing his forehead in frustration.
This wasn’t right.
Looking for him?
“…Why is she looking for me?”
“I don’t know. She was in a hurry to watch the movie and didn’t explain clearly.”
Siloque thought back to his only encounter with Parenoa, wondering which part had gone wrong.
He had been very careful lately, and he was certain he wasn’t being followed.
What was Parenoa’s reason for taking an interest in him?
Had he become so handsome after his recent Upgrade that she was interested?
Dammit, no, he couldn’t figure it out.
He would cross that bridge when he came to it.
He’d deal with it when he had time.
“Forget about that for now. Anyway, Cass, didn’t you get an invitation too? Why say I’m the popular one?”
“Siloque, you better be careful you don’t get stabbed to death one day. Though I’ll come to save you if that happens,” Cass said, crossing his arms dismissively.
“…You’re being very strange today, Cass.”
“I have my bad moods too… sorry, I was a bit sharp.”
Cass bit his lip, his voice becoming hesitant and tinged with apology.
Rather than Cass’s frequent subtle mood swings, Siloque was focused on something else.
His gaze swept over the application form, moving down to the Homeroom Teacher’s signature.
The handwriting was neat, legible, and powerful—the kind of beautiful script that only a man could produce.
“Tsk.”
Siloque clicked his tongue.
“Uh, Siloque, do you hate Parenoa? Your face… looks terrifying.”
“No, I don’t have a problem with Parenoa. And I don’t have a problem with you either.”
As expected, it was coming.
Just as Vitoris was making her move, the wedge driven by the Evil Demon Society was starting to tighten.
Lielman Aluzolun.
B Class Homeroom Teacher.
An undercover operative for the Evil Demon Society.
The first Senior Chef—a Black-clad Executive—that the Player would encounter.