After finishing my conversation with the Headmaster, Arsene, I stepped out of his office, ready to return to the male dormitory. But before I could take another step, Alia caught up with , tugging at the back of my shirt.
"Hey, wait! I still have sothing to talk to you about." She sounded a bit annoyed.
"I thought we were done. So, what is it? I’m starving, so make it quick."
"Naoki, don’t you think your attitude toward a princess like is a bit much?" Alia glared at , clearly annoyed, though her beauty was undeniable.
"Haha, didn’t you tell to treat you like anyone else at this academy? So I’m treating you like an ordinary girl. Isn’t that what you wanted, Alia?" I replied with a grin, finding her pout amusing.
"Y-you! Humph! Fine, treat like a regular girl. But now you owe dinner!" Without warning, she latched onto my arm and dragged along.
Resigned, I let her lead the way. Before I knew it, she had taken outside the academy grounds, aiming for one of the city’s most renowned dining spots.
Reflexively, I protested, reminding her that leaving academy grounds was prohibited. But she used her authority to convince the guards to let us through.
To avoid attracting attention in the city, Alia pulled out a peculiar crystal. With a snap, she shattered it, transforming her blonde hair into jet black.
"Hehe, how do I look with black hair? Do you like it?" she asked teasingly, her tone playful.
"Well, it suits you. We look like siblings now."
THUD!
She smacked on the head, visibly annoyed.
Resigned again, I followed her closely. She clung to my arm the entire ti, and I couldn’t help but notice her floral fragrance. My mind raced, This is bad! I won’t survive if this keeps up. Envi, take over! I need you to handle this!
"..."
Envi, the useless system, stayed silent. No response.
Realizing I was on my own, I steeled myself for whatever lay ahead with Alia.
After walking for a while, we arrived at one of the city’s famous eateries. Alia excitedly told it was a place she’d always wanted to visit but had never had the chance.
It didn’t take long to figure out her real plan. She’d dragged along just to try this place.
We were seated at a table for two, and the staff warmly welcod us, asking for our orders.
"I’ll have three servings of fried chicken, three steak als, a large portion of ice cream, and an apple juice," Alia declared confidently.
"W-wait! You’re eating all that? That’s way too much for a princess—I an, for a girl!" I whispered, utterly shocked.
"Stop questioning ! If I order that much, I’ll finish it all!" she replied, full of confidence. I decided to let it go.
I only ordered a single serving of fried chicken. Alia mocked my modest appetite, but I didn’t let it bother .
"Alright, Alia, what did you want to talk about?" I asked seriously.
She pulled out a piece of paper with a list of nas and photos. I stared at her, confused about why she was showing it to .
"These are the nas of people who might be involved in the kidnappings happening at the academy," she said, her tone grave.
I examined the list carefully. There were about ten suspects, including professors and students.
"Professor Morgan?! And Aisha?!" I exclaid, shocked to see two familiar nas. I’d always found Professor Morgan suspicious, but Aisha? That was unexpected.
"You know them?" Alia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Y-yeah... Professor Morgan is enigmatic, but I never imagined Aisha would be on this list."
"You know this half-elf girl?" Alia’s tone grew sharper.
"Y-yeah. She’s Milly’s roommate—Milly is my sister—and also the class president of 1-A. Besides that, her, uh, chest is... big... Oops." I slapped my hand over my mouth, realizing too late what I’d blurted out. mories of my misadventure in the girls’ dorm flooded back.
"What did you just say? Big? HOW do you know that? ANSWER !" Alia’s piercing glare sent shivers down my spine. Her yandere aura was terrifying.
Frantically, I explained the misunderstanding from the dorm incident, where I was beaten up for being in the wrong place at the wrong ti.
"Are you serious? How does stuff like that even happen to you? Hahaha!" Alia’s expression softened, and she burst into laughter, wiping away tears.
"Ugh! Enough! Let’s focus on investigating them," I said, steering the conversation back on track. "Starting tomorrow, we’ll secretly observe these suspects. You handle Morgan and Aisha; it’d be risky if I got caught snooping around them. We need solid evidence to connect them to the disappearances. If anything happens, we stick together. Got it?"
Alia nodded, agreeing to my plan, provided I kept my distance from Aisha. Reluctantly, I promised.
As our discussion ended, the food arrived. Alia’s side of the table was overflowing with plates, and I watched in amazent as she dug in.
"You’re staring! Don’t even think about stealing my food!" she said, her cheeks puffed like a chipmunk.
"I wouldn’t. Eating too much would make fat, like you." I smirked, knowing full well she wasn’t fat.
"What did you say? I’m NOT fat! Look at this!" She lifted her shirt slightly to show her toned stomach, and both of us froze, faces flushing with embarrassnt.
This princess was going to be the death of .
"Close that, you idiot! Have so decency! A princess shouldn’t expose her stomach so casually!" I scolded her, my voice a mix of frustration and embarrassnt.
"I-I’m sorry... I wouldn’t do it if it weren’t with you."
"...!!" Her innocent words made my face flush instantly.
Just as we were stuck in that awkward mont, five burly knights stumbled into the restaurant. They reeked of alcohol, laughing boisterously as they yelled out their orders.
One of them swaggered over to our table, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"What’s this? That’s a lot of food. Mind if I take one?" Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed one of Alia’s fried chicken pieces and took a bite.
I could see Alia holding back her fury with all her might. Before she could say a word, I quickly interjected.
"Hey, old man. Don’t just take soone else’s food like that," I said sharply.
"Oh? What did you say, kid? You’re picking a fight with ? Wait a second... Aren’t you academy students? Hahaha! You’re in trouble now! Sneaking out at night is a serious offense," he sneered, clearly trying to intimidate us.
"If you want to keep my mouth shut, just let eat your food. And wow, your girlfriend here is gorgeous! Mind if I have a taste of her too?" He reached out and grabbed Alia’s wrist roughly. She struggled against his grip, anger flashing in her eyes.
"Hey—!" I started to stand, ready to confront him, but before I could act, my vision shifted. Suddenly, I was thrust into the system consciousness. Envi, who had been silent until now, had taken control of my body.
In one swift motion, Envi grabbed the knight’s wrist and yanked his hand away from Alia. He squeezed it with such force that a sickening crack echoed through the room.
"AAARGH! What the hell?! How dare you!" the knight scread, clutching his injured hand.
"Oh, I dare, alright. Especially when it cos to scum like you," Envi shot back coldly.
Seeing their companion in pain, the other knights drew their swords and charged at Envi. But he dodged their attacks with ease, his movents precise and calculated. With a powerful kick, he sent the first knight flying into his comrades, knocking them out of the restaurant in a heap.
The restaurant descended into chaos. Other patrons scread and fled, while the staff desperately tried to de-escalate the situation, to no avail.
Envi followed the knights outside, continuing the fight. I watched in stunned silence as he displayed martial arts skills that I didn’t even know he had. It was like watching a playback of techniques I had mastered in my past life, but refined and honed beyond belief.
The brawl ended with the knights sprawled out in an alleyway, bruised and battered. One of them whimpered as Envi grabbed him by the collar.
"Never touch a woman with those filthy hands of yours again," Envi growled, punctuating his words with a punch that sent a few teeth flying.
But sothing felt off. Envi’s anger was unusually intense, almost as if he was losing control. mories of our shared grief over losing Rosan flickered in my mind. I tried to intervene, to swap places with him, but I couldn’t.
Then, unexpectedly, Alia appeared behind Envi and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"That’s enough, Naoki. I’m fine... Let’s just go," she said softly, her voice tinged with worry.
Envi froze for a mont before releasing the knight and stepping back. "Alright. Let’s leave," he said curtly, shaking her off gently.
The two of them started walking back to the academy. The silence between them was heavy, but Alia broke it.
"Um... thank you for protecting earlier. But you didn’t have to go that far. I’m okay."
"Okay?! If I hadn’t been there, who knows what could’ve happened to you!" Envi snapped, suddenly pinning Alia against a wall and trapping her hands above her head.
"W-what are you doing?!" I scread internally, horrified by his actions. Envi, you lunatic! She’s the princess! Do you want us both executed?!
He ignored completely. "Try resisting now... I could easily take advantage of you here and no one would stop ," he said, his voice cold and sharp.
"Go ahead," Alia replied, her defiance unwavering. "I know you wouldn’t."
Their faces drew closer, and I panicked as their lips nearly touched. Alia closed her eyes, bracing herself.
But Envi stopped. He pulled away abruptly and released her hands. "Take care of yourself better. Don’t make do this again," he muttered, his tone softer.
Alia lowered her gaze, her cheeks pink. "I understand... Thank you for worrying about ."
They walked back in silence after that, the tension still lingering between them.
When they reached the academy, Envi escorted Alia to Arsene’s residence. Before they parted, Alia turned to Envi.
"Naoki... Thank you for today and for protecting . I’m glad you were there. This is a gift from ..."
Before he could respond, she leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Envi froze, his body rigid as his eyes widened in shock.
"Hehe, see you tomorrow!" Alia said cheerfully, but with a cold and cunning smile.
I was utterly stunned. What the hell just happened?! I thought, watching the scene play out helplessly. Envi, you perverted system! You got a cheek kiss from a girl before I ever did?!
Back in the system consciousness, I exploded in rage. "You bastard! I’ve lived two lives and never even had a kiss on the cheek, but YOU got one?! Damn you, Envi!"
Envi ignored completely, silently swapping back control of the body. He remained quiet for the rest of the night, even as I returned to the male dormitory.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I lay in bed, clutching my pillow in despair, tears of envy streaming down my face.
...
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