How to Steal the Protagonist's Women

Chapter 21: How to Steal the Mage's Woman [5]

"No, thanks."

"..."

I refused with a bright smile, speaking casually.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere shifted from a cool summer beach to an icy Arctic shore with biting winds.

Luna's faint smile from earlier disappeared, and she stared at me with a stiff expression.

Even the girls who had been hostile toward Luna earlier were now looking at me with wide, startled eyes.

The silent standoff between me, smiling at Luna, and her, glaring back at me, showed no signs of ending.

"...Isn't that a bit rude?"

Finally, Louis intervened.

"Ah, sorry. I can't eat with someone I don't know."

"Still, you didn't have to say it like that."

His intervention felt more like a one-sided display of hostility toward me.

He frowned and glared at me.

"And even though we've just met, what kind of etiquette allows you to speak so casually?"

"Ah... I thought it was fine since you didn't say anything last night. I'll be more careful."

"What? Last night?"

Hearing my statement, which could easily be misunderstood, Louis turned to look at Luna.

But Luna, unfazed by my provocation, calmly replied.

"I don't mind how you speak, but please refrain from making statements that could lead to misunderstandings."

"Ah..."

I smiled and said, "So I can keep speaking casually, then?"

"What...?"

Luna's face was filled with confusion.

This wasn't just a subtle change in her demeanour.

She was genuinely flustered.

'Hehehe, I wanted to see that expression!'

[Guardian, aren't you pushing too hard? I'm worried.]

'Well, I should stop here.'

I wiped the smile off my face and put on a serious expression, bowing my head.

"Sigh... I'm sorry. I couldn't handle being ignored and acted immaturely for my age."

"Huh..."

Only two people in the room understood what I was saying: Louis and Luna.

The others looked completely lost, unsure of what was happening.

My sudden apology left them baffled.

I bowed my head toward Luna and apologized.

"Luna, I'm sorry."

"Oh... it's okay. I'm the one who should apologize..."

Luna couldn't hide her confusion at my sudden change in demeanour.

'By now, she should realize that this situation is her fault.'

[But it seems like the others still don't understand what's going on.]

'It's fine. As long as Luna knows, that's enough.'

Given her sense of responsibility, the guilt would slowly start to eat at her.

Plus, her desire for growth would make it hard for her to avoid approaching me.

"I'm sorry for ruining the mood. I'll take my leave now."

With that, I stepped out of the group.

***

I sat on the outdoor terrace, just like the day before, watching the sunset.

The view was breathtaking.@@@@

"Wow, it's beautiful."

[It doesn't seem like Luna is coming.]

"Well, if she doesn't come, there's nothing I can do."

I might have been too optimistic, but what's done is done.

I had to trust what was written in her nature and push forward.

Maybe there was some conflicting nature we didn't know about...

"If she doesn't come, I'll have to think about what to do next..."

[Guardian, someone's coming.]

'Huh?'

The sound of low heels echoed from a distance.

The footsteps stopped behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder.

Luna Stadtfeld.

She stood there, quietly looking at me.

Her neat uniform made her look stunning.

The flustered expression she had shown earlier was gone, replaced by her usual stoic demeanour.

I ignored her and turned back to the sunset.

Her voice came from behind.

"...I'm really sorry."

I glanced at her again.

[That's not the only reason, but it's the biggest one.]

'But if they paid, they could've gathered more Enel. Why didn't they?'

[...I heard they didn't do it because it hurt their pride.]

'Ugh...'

Now, the reason they can't pay is because of their financial troubles.

The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.

I could understand since I also dislike spending money on games.

Though, to be honest, there weren't many games with pay-to-win elements, so I didn't have much to spend on.

But it's sad... The fate of free-to-play players is financial ruin...

'Even the agents are just like humans, huh...?'

[They weren't always like this.]

'Huh? What were they like before?'

[When they were first created by the gods, they didn't have emotions.]

Initially, when they were created by the gods, they didn't have emotions.

And they weren't divided into two factions like they are now.

But as they manipulated and nurtured protagonists across the universe, they began to change.

The protagonists' emotions flowed into them, and they started to feel them.

That's how they developed emotions and began to clash, leading to the current situation.

'Ah, so they're not just blindly manipulating things?'

[No. They don't feel or experience all emotions, but some do flow into them.]

That's how affection develops...

It's kind of like me, huh?

When I play games, I immerse myself in the protagonist's role.

While Armonia was explaining, a weak male voice called out from behind.

"Uh... student? Is something wrong?"

"Huh?"

I turned around to see a man with dark circles under his eyes standing there.

He looked like a clown in black makeup.

He was the teaching assistant here.

"We need to close the lecture hall now."

"Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought."

"Haha... It's okay. Here's your schedule."

The assistant handed me the schedule with a weak smile.

'Wow, I've never seen such a drained smile before.'

[Just looking at his complexion, you can tell how demanding the work here is.]

I took the schedule and stood up.

"Thank you. I'll be going now."

"Okay, take care."

I left the lecture hall, leaving the black clown behind.

***

As I passed by the terrace today, I glanced over.

Luna was standing near the chair I usually sat in, her posture straight.

'Wow, she's been coming every day for a week. She's really committed.'

[How long do you plan to leave her like this?]

'Hmm... As long as possible?'

[I'm worried she might give up.]

Armonia had a point.

Even if Luna had a strong desire for growth, if she decided that persuading me was impossible, she might choose to give up.

So, I needed to keep her on edge.

'Don't worry. That's why I keep making eye contact with her after every class.'

I'm letting her know that I'm still paying attention to her.

I don't plan to drag this out for months, though. I'll give it another week or so before making a move.

'No need to rush. In fact, the more time she spends alone, the better for me.'

[Why is that?]

'When people spend too much time alone, they start overthinking.'

Even bad connections are still connections.

Sometimes, when a character I dislike keeps appearing in my dreams, I suddenly feel like playing that game again.

Even if the character has no charm and the game isn't fun.

And sometimes, my dislike for them suddenly flips.

No matter how Luna feels about me, the more she thinks about me, the better.

After all, she probably feels guilty toward me now. And she wants something from me.

"Alright, let's head back."

I left Luna behind and headed to the dorm.

***

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