Chapter 135: The Fluttering Little Heart
[The lie detector detected a lie. Drink one glass of Water of Life.]
[Perform an Endurance check.]
"..."
Eikou swallowed hard.
Under everyone's curious or expectant gazes, he grabbed a bottle of Water of Life and tilted his head back, pouring it down his throat in one go.
A die immediately rolled.
[Result: C — check successful.]
[Through strong Endurance, you manage to endure the intoxication and keep your mind clear.]
[Next time you drink Water of Life, the Endurance check difficulty will increase to High.]
"…Alright then,"
Eikou set down the empty bottle and wiped the trace of liquor from the corner of his mouth.
"Let's move on to the next round."
Though he looked calm on the surface, inside, his heart was already starting to panic.
… Not good, Marie Alter has exploited a BUG!
What had just happened made him realize one thing clearly:This so-called lie detector was merely a Kiyohime-brand product — it could never be as accurate as Kiyohime herself sniffing out lies.
As long as a player's heartbeat sped up while answering, it could easily be judged as lying.
To put it bluntly, this was just a heart rate monitor!
And Marie Alter clearly knew how to use that mechanic to take him down.
… As long as the girls touched him intimately while he answered, or tempted him enough to make his heart race, it would almost certainly count as a lie.
Damn it, wasn't this just another way of being led around by these girls?
Not only would he be forced to drink, but being mistaken for lying would make Tomoe Gozen's Affection toward him drop again—that was basically losing twice.
Eikou looked thoughtful.
It seemed that during the next Truth rounds, it would be best to close his eyes while answering.
He could also choose Dare, but his instincts told him that was where the real danger lay.
[The next round begins.]
[The bottle spins rapidly.]
[Everyone performs a luck check.]
Once again, several dice rolled all at once.
[Your result is E — lowest.]
[You must perform a round of Truth or Dare.]
"Damn it, me again…"
Eikou sighed and casually drew a card from the Truth pile.
"Sometimes I really doubt my supposed A-rank luck — feels exactly like Tristan's instead…"
He glanced at the Truth question he drew.
"…Yeah, I'll skip this one."
Eikou fell silent for a moment, slightly embarrassed, and placed the card into the discard pile.
"What's this, Eikou? You want to skip again? No matter how embarrassing the question, you still have to answer it," Melusine reminded him, "You're not the type who can't handle the game, right?"
"It's not that… it's really just have nothing to answer," Eikou said, his face flushing. "I seriously can't answer this one."
Melusine frowned curiously, picking up the Truth card he had thrown away.
It read clearly:
[Describe your first time in detail.]
Umu, definitely worth skipping.
"I have nothing to describe."
Eikou placed his hand on the lie detector like a devout believer swearing upon a Holy Scripture.
Beep beep.
The lie detector glowed a safe green.
Jeanne White looked slightly surprised, her violet-blue eyes full of intrigue. "Really? A boy adored by so many girls, and you're still pure?"
"I'm a firm believer in 'only after marriage!'"
Eikou placed his hand back on the lie detector, answering with full seriousness.
This time, with his eyes closed, Marie Alter couldn't do anything to interfere.
Jeanne Alter looked a little surprised, raising one eyebrow.
Tomoe Gozen, however, nodded thoughtfully.
"So that's how it is…"
[Affection from Tomoe Gozen increases↑]
[Affection from Jeanne Alter increases↑]
"...Hmph."
Eikou revealed an expression of "just according to keikaku."
Although it was embarrassing, this Truth question was exactly what he needed.
By using the Truth or Dare game to express his pure and conservative view on love, he indirectly proved in front of Tomoe Gozen that he wasn't an enemy of women — completely erasing her prejudice toward him.
Jeanne Alter might look rebellious, but in truth, she also held a rather traditional view on love — this answer satisfied her as well.
But then Melusine, sitting beside him, smiled softly and said: "That's wonderful."
"?"
Eikou froze when he heard that.
What did she mean by "That's wonderful"?
Could it be… "That's wonderful, it makes me like you even more"?
"Umm…"
Eikou suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as he cautiously observed each girl's reaction.
Melusine was smiling sweetly at him.
Marie Alter silently unbuttoned another button, revealing more of her smooth, pale chest — her body seemed to be burning up.
"So that's it… so my little brother's a believer in 'after marriage,' huh…"
Meanwhile, Jeanne White's face flushed red as she hugged his arm even tighter.
[Affection from Jeanne d'Arc increases↑↑↑]
[Affection from Melusine increases↑↑↑]
[Affection from Marie Alter increases↑↑↑]
[Your answer has completely captured the hearts of all the girls. Reward: +1 dice!]
Hey, I wanted to raise Tomoe Gozen's Affection, so why did yours increase even more?! Why are you all getting happy over such an embarrassing Truth question, this is getting scary!
A cold drop of sweat slid down his chin.
Could it be… confirming that I'm still intact actually excites them more?!
"Holding it in on purpose isn't good for your body, little brother…" Jeanne White whispered by his ear.
Thanks for the concern, but why do I feel like the ones who can't hold it in anymore are you thirsty girls?!
Eikou wanted to break free from her soft embrace, but escaping from the grip of a Strength B French Saint wasn't easy; the French gravity around him grew tighter and tighter, and in this scorching summer heat, skin-to-skin contact like this nearly suffocated him with warmth.
"…Alright, let's start the next round."
His heart was pounding wildly, his face flushed red as he spoke.
[The bottle began spinning rapidly.]
[Everyone, perform a luck check.]
[Jeanne Alter's score is C, last place.]
Thank heaven, finally not me.
Eikou let out a sigh of relief.
Well, it's only fair that Jeanne Alter — who carries luck E — "enjoys the blessing" once in a while.
"Tch…"
Jeanne Alter pouted disdainfully, pretending to be indifferent as she casually drew a card.
"I choose Truth."
What, this damn tsundere chose Truth?
Could it be she thinks Dare would be even more embarrassing?
"What are you staring at,"
Perhaps noticing his surprised gaze, Jeanne Alter showed a mischievous, defiant smirk on her beautiful face,
"I'm not like you, I don't have shady secrets I can't say out loud. I have nothing to hide from others."
What's with this jealous comment disguised as composure?
She carelessly flipped over the card, but the moment she saw the Truth question, her golden eyes widened in shock.
Seeing such a big reaction, Eikou also frowned, leaning in curiously.
Then, he burst out laughing — a loud, gleeful laugh.
"Muahahahahahahahahaha!"
On the card was written: [Has there ever been someone of the opposite sex who made your heart race? Describe in detail how you felt at that moment.]
Finally, it's your turn to suffer today, Jeanne Alter!
...