NOVEL NEXT Chapter 233
“Hey… Blanca? Um, wasn’t that a bit excessive back then? Maybe you should apologize to Ageha… You’ve been lectured by the teacher too, right?”
I was halfway undressing, dragged in to take a shower with the heroines. Someone who only appeared in the game suggested I apologize to Ageha.
“I’m really fine, Yeonhwa. No need to worry too much, and… you know, Blanca might have to do what it takes to win.”
Ageha said she was okay, but her expression still looked a bit bitter.
Honestly, I wanted to say that this wasn’t a big deal at all.
If she had really been ruthless for victory, she could have been more merciless and cruel.
Respond to a hostage with a hostage.
The person performing the hostage drama is still a human, so they must have family or friends, and holding them hostage had proven to be an extremely effective method through multiple validations.
In the first place, even proposing a compromise like a hostage situation would provoke Justitia, who would probably glare and bark that it wasn’t heroic.
If there were no such constraints, I had thoughts of using even harsher measures.
Though to defeat Changwon, I did hold Ageha’s life hostage along with Morgan from his side. And I sure got a fiery scolding from Justitia for it.
─But hey, isn’t winning what matters?
“Yeonhwa.”
“Uh, what?!”
As I called Yeonhwa while half undressed, she looked distressed, seemingly surprised that I would turn the conversation back.
Of course, it made sense. Unlike me, who was always a troublemaker, she was genuinely upright in various senses.
I understood why she reacted like that too.
“In your logic, you might think failure is just a chance to try again, and losing is no big deal if you can get back up… but doesn’t anyone consider that for some people, failure or defeat means the end?”
In my life, where failure equated to punishment and discipline, the word ‘defeat’ was intolerable.
Of course, I wouldn’t really get punished. I was unique to that extent. The old man probably threw around those threats more to intimidate than to actually replace me.
But still, it was nerve-wracking every time I heard it.
Being killed before I could achieve my revenge.
“W-well…”
“You haven’t thought about it at all, have you?”
It seemed like it. So I wasn’t even angry. In the first place, not a single soul among these kids had this mindset.
No matter how strong their desire to win was, they wouldn’t match mine.
“That might be true. But just know this: there are people in the world for whom failure is not an option.”
Yeonhwa, who just wanted to see me apologize to Ageha, seemed to struggle to catch up mentally to the weight of what I’d just said.
Not mentally, but emotionally? She wasn’t a dumb kid, after all.
“What kind of life has Blanca lived…?”
Even Ageha, who should have resentment towards me, seemed torn between fear and sympathy as she listened to me.
“It’s a secret.”
On one hand, I found it funny how clueless these kids were, while on the other, I envied their upbringing that allowed them to cherish others.
Would I have had such a kind heart if I had grown up normally, like them?
Contemplating such questions won’t bring any answers, and not wanting to reveal my complicated inner turmoil, I held LaPiz’s hand and headed into the shower room.
“Ah… e-eh? W-wait a minute, I’m not wearing any underwear…!”
“Sorry, I didn’t see.”
I dragged the flustered LaPiz along while leaving a message for the others to come in once they were ready.
It was about ten minutes later when Ageha and Yeonhwa followed us into the shower room.
They looked somewhat determined, as if they’d had a serious discussion of some sort during that brief time.
As I washed under LaPiz’s tail, I greeted them casually, and they approached me, declaring:
“Blanca, we’re going to show you that making mistakes is okay from now on!”
No, saying that while naked doesn’t really have any impact.
– – – –
It had been a while since I had a private conversation with Blanca, but she hadn’t shown any signs of suspicion toward me during that time.
I wanted to say I had slipped out of her investigation… but I wasn’t sure if it was really safe to say that.
She might be quietly watching me after deciding on me as her target for a moment.
I didn’t know. On her side, it felt like she knew way too much about me, while on my side, I was completely unaware of her actions.
…But I had a bit of an idea. It wasn’t something I wanted to know.
No matter how bad they were, I didn’t want to know if they could kill without hesitation. I wanted to erase that from my mind.
If only I could at least eliminate this unbearable distance, I could have been closer to her without ignorance!
I rolled around on the bed, grabbing my head in frustration, but that wouldn’t change the current situation.
Blanca remained a mystery that needed unraveling and could potentially be a risk factor.
Though it was calm for now, I didn’t know what could happen later. So I had to dig into her while she was quiet and friendly with me.
What were her motivations? For whom was she working?
“To do that, I really need to meet her in person…”
It was close. Not too far at all. Literally, just one floor above. If I knocked on the ceiling, she would probably stomp back in response.
There was an odd lack of noise from upstairs, but hey, it was a cat girl; she might have a habit of walking softly, and that wasn’t what was important.
Now that I had my thoughts in order, I made up my mind to pay her a visit. I felt a bit guilty for testing her, but I was just as desperate.
Sorry, but I don’t want to be close to someone whose actions are unpredictable.
Once I decided, I burst out the front door and headed straight upstairs without thinking.
I had no idea what to say. I didn’t know what to investigate. Honestly, I didn’t think raising my favorability would yield anything helpful.
But I knew well enough that nothing would change if I didn’t confront her.
I knocked on Blanca’s door out of the blue, calling to her that I had something I wanted to say.
Then I heard something metallic drop on the other side of the iron door.
Before I even got to ask if she was okay, I heard a very flustered voice from Blanca.
-W-wait a minute!
Honestly, it was refreshing. Blanca’s voice rarely carried any emotion.
Before I could even wonder what had dropped, I was struck by the thought that she could make such a sound.
-My house is a bit messy, do you mind if I tidy up a moment?!
She asked for permission, but if you listened closely, you could hear her frantically cleaning up.
It didn’t seem likely she’d let me in just because I asked.
…Surely Blanca must have something she wanted to hide.
I wasn’t planning to uncover that today. Honestly, I felt I wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath.
So, I just waited in silence.
Until she finally said it was okay for me to come in.
Before long, she opened the front door, breathing heavily, and told me I could come in.
In her underwear.
The beads of sweat rolling down and her oddly flushed face were hard to reconcile with her usual indifferent, unreadable demeanor.
No, even more so, why was she in her underwear? Don’t girls wear something while at home? Surely she must have some home clothes or something?
Questions and doubts flooded my mind, threatening to overwhelm me.
What on earth had she been doing? Why was she in her underwear? What was she cleaning up?
Those were the things I should have asked.
“You look pretty.”
I was captivated by her appearance and just muttered it without thinking.
“Uh, what?”
Blanca frowned as if confused by why I said that, then immediately seemed to realize what she was wearing and covered her chest with her hands.
That was a size that couldn’t be concealed by just that. She wore a face that seemed equally puzzled as to why she was covering up.
After standing there for about five seconds, she promptly closed the door and soon returned wearing a white shirt.
…I couldn’t help but wonder why she didn’t opt for pants or something, but I didn’t want to ask, so I stayed quiet.
“…Come in. It’s cold.”
Since the host invited me in, I had no reason to hesitate, so I stepped inside.
As soon as I did, a disheveled scene of uniforms and bags sprawled out on the floor welcomed me.
“Hey, Blanca? Didn’t you say you were going to clean up because your place is messy?”
It still looked messy by any stretch of the imagination.
Was Blanca’s hygiene perspective a bit different?
I wasn’t sure about a smelly girl… but if it was a cat smell… hmmm.
While I pondered, Blanca let out a brief “Ah!” and began cleaning up those things as well.
Indeed, there must have been something she had to quickly tidy up, even if it meant lying.
What exactly that was, I could figure out later over time.
“…I didn’t just come here to chat. I wanted to ask if you’d like to have dinner since we’re neighbors.”
For now, I needed to close the gap between us.