"What!?"
"What!?"
Both Kira and Fade shouted in unison, their voices so loud that several people nearby turned to look. Their attention first fell on Rio, then slowly shifted to Lia,whose face had already turned as red as a ripe tomato.
Seeing Lia in such a state, both Kira and Fade realized it was true.
For a moment, they simply stood there, staring at Rio and Lia with utterly bewildered expressions. Eventually, they calmed down.
"Uh… congratulations, Lia!"
"Y-yeah… th-thanks…"
Lia's face flushed even more. She glanced at Rio and shot him a glare, but he simply sat there calmly, indifferent as ever. Then he looked at her and smirked.
That smug expression made Lia's fists clench with the urge to punch him,but she restrained herself.
I'll deal with you later. Just wait, you idiot… I-I-I will…!
While Kira excitedly began bombarding Lia with questions, Fade quietly activated his skill. His system allowed him to scan information about others.
[Appraisal]
[Generating information…]
[Error!!!!! Retrying…]
[Error!!!!! Retrying…]
[Error!!!!!]
[Defensive counterattack detected… High energy consumption!]
[Deducting EXP to meet energy requirements…]
[Defense successful!]
[Appraisal failed!]
[System Warning!!!!]
[Please do not use Appraisal on this individual again!]
[Further attempts may cause irreversible system damage!]
[Due to heavy damage, the system will go offline for one day.]
[10… 9… 8… 7…]
[System shutting down!]
…
"WHAT?! WHAT THE F***?!"
"What the hell just happened? Appraisal has never failed before!"
Fade's eyes widened. Something had gone terribly wrong. Not only had the appraisal failed, but Rio had somehow counterattacked after detecting it. And now Fade's system was completely offline for an entire day.
As if that weren't enough, the system had explicitly warned him never to use Appraisal on Rio again,or risk irreversible damage.
A chill ran down Fade's spine. Everything he relied on today came from his system. Without it, he would return to being the helpless person he once was.
Fade slowly looked up,and met Rio's gaze.
Rio stared directly into his eyes. It was clear he knew.
Fade gulped, sweat running down his body. In Rio's gaze, he sensed a cold, ruthless nature lurking beneath the calm exterior,a feeling he hadn't experienced in months.
Fear.
Fade struggled to remain calm, but his mind was already frozen with terror.
Just as the suffocating pressure threatened to overwhelm him, a voice broke the silence.
"Hey, Rio… isn't it time we leave?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
Rio and Lia stood, leaving the restaurant together.
Watching them disappear, Fade released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. For a moment, he thought he might faint.
"What happened, Fade?"
He shook his head, trying to calm his racing heart.
"Nothing."
"Hey! Wh-why did you say that?!"
"What did I say?"
"Don't act dumb! Didn't you say that… that I,I,!"
"Heh. What did I say again? I don't remember. Why don't you tell me yourself~?"
Seeing that shameless smirk, Lia's patience snapped. She instantly pulled her sword from the space ring the academy had provided.
"I-I'll wipe that smirk off your face today! Die, you sex fiend!"
"Heh. You won't even land a single hit on me."
"You,you! Die!"
Rio casually dodged her half-hearted attacks. He was already at peak C-rank, while Lia was still D-rank. Landing even one strike was impossible.
After several minutes of futile slashing, Lia finally stopped, breathing heavily. Normally, she wouldn't tire so quickly,but her emotions had thrown her off balance, and her sword techniques had become sloppy.
"Yo, already tired?"
"Want me to carry you? Princess style, maybe?"
Hearing that, Lia's mind wandered. She imagined herself in his arms.
W-What?! Wait,what am I even thinking?!
This bastard!
She shot him a murderous glare, which only made her look even cuter.
Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Rio decided to stop teasing her. If he pushed further, she might actually cry.
I wonder what she'd look like if she cried after being teased…
…No. Bad thought. I shouldn't make her cry.
He shook his head and gently patted the glaring, adorable girl's head.
"Alright, alright. Let's stop here."
"How about ice cream? My treat."
"I don't want to talk to you anymore!"
"Good grief. And here I was thinking of buying vanilla."
"Who said I wouldn't eat?! Let's go!!!"
Rio could practically see stars sparkling in Lia's eyes at the mention of vanilla ice cream.
No one would ever expect that the coldest, most arrogant-looking girl in the academy would be obsessed with ice cream.
They bought ice cream and sat on a bench near a small artificial lake. The scenery, the weather,it all felt alive, more beautiful. Evening had arrived, the sun casting a soft red glow over the surroundings, filling the air with calm warmth.
A gentle breeze rustled the trees. It was the perfect moment.
Now or never.
"I think I like you, Lia."
"W-wh-what are you saying all of a sudden?!"
"What about you?"
Seeing Rio suddenly serious, Lia swallowed and met his deep black eyes. Her face burned, but determination flickered in her gaze.
"I-I l-like y-you t-too, R-Rio…"
Her face turned crimson. She lowered her head, trying to hide her embarrassment,
,and suddenly, Rio sealed her lips.
A romantic atmosphere enveloped them.
When Lia finally came to her senses, her neck flushed red.
"It was delicious," Rio whispered softly.
Lia's face burned even hotter. Unable to handle the shock, she fainted.
Before she hit the ground, Rio caught her.
"Good grief… maybe I went too far."
Behind a bush several meters away, a silent commotion erupted.
"W-what?! They kissed?!"
"Y-yeah… i-it looks… like it's true…"
"I didn't expect they'd gone that far already! Doing such shameful things in broad daylight!"
"..."
"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Fade looked at the romantic pair, then glanced at Kira. Understanding dawned on her face.
"W-well… I-I mean, if you want, w-we could also…"
Though quiet, Fade heard her clearly. His face turned bright red instantly. Inexperienced as he was, even thinking about it flustered him. He'd never even held a girl's hand before.
Just as the two hesitated, the concealment artifact they relied on began to weaken. It had been provided by Kira's parents and allowed them to remain unseen by anyone below A-rank,so long as they didn't attack or run out of mana.
Its mana was now nearly depleted.
Realizing this, Kira and Fade quickly decided to leave before being discovered.
What they didn't know was that Rio had sensed their presence the moment they began following him.
Ever since acquiring the skill True Resistance, Rio could effortlessly resist illusions and deceptive effects. That resistance extended to skills, artifacts, and other abnormal influences.
He had clearly sensed both of them trailing behind,he simply chose to ignore it.
What truly surprised him, however, was Fade's presence.
If this continues, how will Fade reach the bomb site in time?
If he fails, countless civilians will die… far more than I read in that novel.
Do I really have to fix this mess myself?
Well… this mess exists because of the butterfly effect caused by me.
I don't want to play hero, but if over a thousand lives are on the line…
I won't sleep peacefully if I ignore it.
A villainous smile appeared on Rio's otherwise expressionless face.
Nearby people shuddered. Some even fainted as an ominous aura leaked out unconsciously.
Looks like I'll have to get involved with the main plot myself this time.
Let's dive into this shit-show for once.