Chapter 141: Public Trial
"In short,"
Jeanne Alter pretended to casually point her finger at him, but she couldn't help repeating her reminder,
"During your date tomorrow, you'd better restrain yourself and not take even one more step with that lust-filled queen. Got it?"
"Okay, okay, okay, I got it… But seriously, you call her something different every time. Do you really hate her that much?"
Eikou smiled wryly.
He felt that this time Jeanne Alter was truly overthinking. From the start, he had been doing his best to resist Marie Alter's temptations. No matter what she did, he had never changed his resolve.
It's just that…
"Hm hm~"
Eikou showed a faintly happy smile.
Jeanne Alter was clearly tsundere, yet when it came to expressing herself, she would still muster up the courage to speak — even if it was embarrassing or jealous, even if it came from a desire to monopolize him.
What was this called? A cute, jealous tsundere girlfriend?
It hit him right in his weak spot.
His heart couldn't help but race.
A girl this cute, this easy to tease, really made him want to mess with her a little.
Thinking that, Eikou couldn't resist stepping closer, while Jeanne Alter, face red as a tomato, instinctively took a step back.
"W-what are you doing?" Dragon Witch asked cautiously.
"If that's the case, can you give me a bit of the reward deposit in advance?" He looked at her expectantly. "If I keep my promise but you change your mind later, wouldn't I be the one losing out?"
"Deposit?"
A look of confusion appeared on Jeanne Alter's beautiful face.
But right after that, Eikou wrapped his arm around Jeanne Alter's slender waist, his face slowly leaning closer, as if he were about to kiss her.
"I-if someone sees us, what will we do, you idiot!"
Jeanne Alter's cheeks instantly turned bright red, and she hurriedly tried to push him away, but despite having Strength A standards, she didn't use any force at all.
Even though she felt a little flustered inside, Eikou decided not to care about her words right now — he just really wanted to see how she would react.
"..."
Seeing that he truly didn't intend to let go, Jeanne Alter quietly sighed, then, like a kitten, wrapped her arms around his neck, as if responding to his request for a kiss.
Those golden, honey-like eyes shimmered with the shy expression of a girl who wanted to refuse but couldn't bring herself to.
"Mou, do as you like…" she murmured in a voice so soft it was barely audible, "kissing a gloomy woman like me — what's so fun about that…"
My Jeanne Alter-chan is just too cute!
Eikou could only feel his heart beating faster and faster. At first, he had only wanted to tease her a little, to play around with this girl who was just beginning to experience love.
But seeing her shy reaction like that, it ended up being him who was getting swept away instead.
"Cough cough..."
Right at that moment, a light cough came from behind the bushes.
Both of them stiffened at the sound, startled, quickly pulling apart and pretending nothing had happened as they turned toward the source of the voice.
There stood Tomoe Gozen behind a nearby tree, her expression somewhat awkward.
Judging by her reaction, it was clear she had seen absolutely everything — not a single detail missed, not even a gap for misunderstanding.
Realizing this, Eikou felt his face burning hot, while Jeanne Alter's face turned so red it looked like she might start steaming.
When Eikou released her, the Dragon Witch, now utterly humiliated, turned and ran away without looking back.
In just a few short seconds, only Eikou and Tomoe Gozen were left at the scene.
"Um…"
Tomoe Gozen spoke a little awkwardly,
"Eikou, could you come with me for a bit? I have something I'd like to talk to you about."
"What is it?"
Eikou asked reflexively, then, sensing an ominous air in the atmosphere, quickly nodded,
"O-okay…"
...
[Tomoe Gozen leads you to the riverside — the very place where you and Jeanne Alter were together last night.]
[The river water rushes cold and fierce, its surface reflecting dazzling light, looking far more violent than it did at night.]
[Tomoe Gozen stands with her back to you, silent. Only the sound of the flowing river beats against your chest. You can't tell whether the atmosphere is ambiguous or tense.]
"Miss Tomoe Gozen, what did you want to talk about?"
Eikou asked nervously.
Tomoe Gozen stared at the surging river and slowly said to him, "Eikou, come a little closer to me."
"Huh?"
Hearing that, he couldn't help swallowing hard, thinking to himself — could it be that she too had been struck by love at first sight?
Still, since she'd said so, Eikou carefully took a few steps forward, watching her reaction.
Clang—
Just as he stepped closer, Tomoe Gozen suddenly turned around, a sharp naginata flashing in her hand.
He only felt a cold, razor-like wind sweep past, grazing his face.
"Do you remember, Eikou,"
Tomoe Gozen said coldly,
"that last night, right here, you were kissing Jeanne Alter?"
"…I can't deny that."
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Eikou's forehead.
Tomoe Gozen's discovery was far more terrifying than the naginata in her hand.
"I've been keeping a close eye on you these past two days. From the start, the Disciplinary Committee was certain that you're a heinous scoundrel — someone who toys with women's feelings. But I didn't want to sentence you to death based only on rumors, so I decided to use this camping trip to investigate further."
She slowly lowered her naginata, but the threatening light in her ruby-red eyes didn't fade in the slightest.
"After my careful investigation, I can finally reach a conclusion…
"You truly are the enemy of all women!"
Tomoe Gozen declared seriously.
Damn it — Eikou really wanted to refute her, but he had absolutely nothing to refute with!
"We, the Shadow Disciplinary Committee, will not allow a man who disrupts order like you to exist. This time, I'm only giving you a warning in advance. When I return to the academy, I'll immediately report this to Raikou-sama and the school to initiate a public trial against you."
"P-public trial?!"
Eikou trembled in fear, unable to stop his mind from picturing that unbelievably humiliating scene.
At that time, would the jury and the witness stands all be filled with the female Servants who had once been involved with him?
If those girls were to appear in court one by one to testify, wouldn't that mean his "Disaster With Women" would explode in a truly spectacular fashion, completely exposing the tangled mess of his relationships to the public?!
Just imagining it made Eikou break out in a cold sweat.
[Your relationship with Tomoe Gozen has reached an irreconcilable state.]
[Quickly find a way to repair your relationship with her — only three hours remain.]
...