NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14: First Impression
Chapter 14: First Impression
As Sevi followed Sir Varric into the classroom, he couldn't help but feel the curious gazes of the students. The room was filled with a mix of young faces, some eager, others indifferent.
Sir Varric stepped to the front of the room and cleared his throat, commanding immediate attention. The chattering ceased as everyone turned their focus to him.
"Alright everyone, settle down," Sir Varric began.
Sevi's eyes scanned the room, and he noticed a small icon above one of the students.
It was subtle, but unmistakable—it resembled the icon above Princess Cressida, one of the capture targets.
'Is that...?' Sevi thought, a mix of curiosity and apprehension bubbling up.
'She's quite far, I can't fully see her.' Sevi thought as he adjusted his glasses.
"We have a new student joining us today. He will be joining our swordsman training starting now."
'Anyways, i'll just look at the target later. I'll introduce myself first.'
He gestured toward Sevi, who stepped forward to address the class.
"Hello everyone," Sevi said, trying to keep his voice steady despite the scrutiny.
"I'm Sevi Bladesworth, and I'm excited to be here and learn from all of you. I hope we can all get along well."
"Bladesworth?"
"Didn't they only have a son?"
"He was rumored to be quite obese..."
'Well, I can hear you guys.' Sevi thought, twitching his eyes.
Sevi forced a smile as he heard the murmurs from the back of the room. The whispers were sharp, and he could feel their eyes boring into him.
"Alright, that's enough," Sir Varric said, his tone brooking no argument.
"Sevi, you can take the empty seat at the back. The one near the window."
Sevi nodded and made his way to the back row, where he noticed the seat was beside the girl with the noticeable icon above her head.
'Unlike princess Cressida, this one just have a somewhat empty icon. Well, I mean we just met.' Sevi thought as he glanced at the girl's head.
She sat alone, her expression stoic and unreadable. He could feel the tension around her, an invisible barrier that separated her from the rest of the class.
She was undeniably beautiful, with her dark hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, and striking sky-blue eyes that seemed to pierce through everything they looked at.
Sevi then sat down next to her. A gust of wind then came from the window beside the girl.
'...She smells kinda funny..? Like smells like some kind of animal or am I tripping.' Sevi thought.
'Anyways, since she's one of the heroines, might as well get friendly.'
Deciding to break the ice, he turned to her with a friendly smile.
"Hi, I'm Sevi Bladesworth," he said, trying to sound as casual and approachable as possible.
"Looks like we're seatmates."
The girl turned her head slowly to look at him, her eyes cold and assessing. After a moment, she gave a slight nod.
"I'm Noemi," she replied, her voice calm but distant.
Sevi raised an eyebrow.
'Noemi...? Is there a Noemi among the heroines, system? Show their profiles pls,' Sevi asked inwardly to the system.
A screen then popped in front of Sevi.
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===== Heroine Profiles =====
1. Lady Cressida Everheart (Human)
Background: Lady Cressida is one of the princesses of the Everheart kingdom, known for its lush landscapes and vibrant culture. As a childhood friend of Sevi, Cressida shares a complicated history with him.
Likes: ???
Dislikes: ???
Relationship Potential: ???
Favorability: -43/100
2. Noemi Nightshade (Half human half beastman)
Background: Born of both human and beastman heritage, she possesses a unique blend of agility and strength.
Likes: ???
Dislikes: ???
Relationship Potential: ???
Favorability: ???
3. Isolde Winterborne (half elf, ???)
Background: Isolde Winterborne, a half-elf with a distinguished lineage, currently serves as the Vice President of the prestigious Celestial Academy.
Likes: ???
Dislikes: ???
Relationship Potential: ???
Favorability: ???
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
__________________________________
'Ohh... she's the 2nd heroine.'
'That explains why she smells like that... she's a hybrid. a half beastman.' Sevi thought, realizing why she seemed so different.
As he was lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice that he had been staring at her.
"Can you stop staring?" Noemi said disgruntledly, snapping Sevi out of his thoughts.
Before he could respond, the world around him seemed to freeze.
Everything went still, and three glowing options appeared in front of him, floating in mid-air:
_________________________
A. Apologize sincerely and explain your curiosity about her unique nature.
B. Make a light-hearted joke.
C. Ignore her comment and try to start a different conversation.
Reminder: Please choose carefully as it can either decrease or increase a heroine's favorability.
_________________________
Sevi blinked in surprise.
'Okayy... This is new.' Sevi thought as he rememebered that this didn't happen during his time with Princess Cressida.
Sevi saw a timer counting down beside the interface: 10 seconds.
'But anyways, let's check the choices.'
He quickly analyzed his options, weighing the pros and cons.
'Choice A seems too personal. We just met, and it would be strange to bring up her nature right away.'
'Choice B feels like I'm trying too hard to be friendly, which could come off as insincere.'
'But Choice C seems outright rude to ignore her comment.'
The timer ticked down to 5 seconds, and Sevi felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead.
'I need to find a balance between being respectful and not overstepping boundaries.'
With only a few seconds left, Sevi made his decision and selected Option B.
The world unfroze, and suddenly, Sevi felt a strange sensation, like someone else was taking control of his body. His mouth moved on its own, and he spoke without consciously deciding to.
Sevi looked at Noemi with a small, friendly smile.
"Sorry about that. I guess I was just trying to see if you have a 'stare-at-me' magnet on you," he said with a chuckle.
Noemi's expression didn't change. If anything, she seemed more annoyed.
"That's not funny," she replied flatly, turning back to her notes.
Sevi blinked, bewildered by what had just happened.
'Did I just say that?'
'But what the... what's with the choice B? Even I think it's not funny.' Sevi thought, inwardly cringing.
He noticed a small notification pop up in his peripheral vision, indicating that Noemi's favorability toward him had decreased.
[Noemi's Favorability: 0/100 -> -5/100]
'...Great. Nice first impression Sevi!'
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