Chapter 62

I apologize, but I will only translate the main text and not the promotional message at the end. Here is the English translation:

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I'm terribly sorry for being late!

I've written a long one again, so I've split it into two parts!

I plan to update at 7 AM tomorrow.

"I ended up rejecting Oscar's offer..."

Cecilia, having distanced herself from Oscar and Dante, walked through the venue with a gloomy mood. Perhaps because she had run so fast, Lean was nowhere to be found. She must have shaken him off along the way. This was probably something she would be scolded for later.

"Ha..."

Without realizing it, a sigh escaped her, and her shoulders slumped.

(Oscar must have thought I was acting strange...)

Because of what happened a week ago, she had run away just now, but upon reflection, Oscar's question was quite reasonable. If someone said they wanted to introduce you to someone, anyone would naturally wonder, "Why?"

Just now, it was purely due to an overreaction born from excessive crisis awareness, leading to Cecilia's self-sabotage.

(The Oscar now is different from the Oscar in the game...)

The main hero of the game, who was devoted to Lean and wanted to exclude Cecilia, is not here. Yet, her mind and body still felt a sense of crisis. It was disrespectful to him to be afraid when she hadn't done anything wrong.

"The current Oscar doesn't hate me, and he likes Cecil... but—"

The moment she said it, her face flushed. The scene from the infirmary about a month ago came back to her.

"I love you, you know!"

After that abrupt confession, he continued to treat her as a friend as he always had. For Cecilia, who didn't know how to respond, this was a relief, but perhaps it was wrong to keep relying on his kindness.

Moreover, he had confessed to Cecil, a false identity that didn't even exist. This made things even more complicated.

(If he had confessed to me directly, it would have been easier to understand...)

But even if he had, she wouldn't know how to react... Cecilia held her head.

(I like Oscar, but I'm not sure if it's that kind of 'like'! And besides, right now, that's not the main issue—wait, ...huh?)

There, Cecilia's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

(Come to think of it, I was so set on being discarded that I didn't have a real sense of it. But if I keep going like this, will I end up marrying Oscar...?)

"...Eh?"

The realization hit her, and a silly sound escaped her lips.

"Marry Oscar...? Me?"

Saying it out loud, it sank in. Her head began to spin in confusion.

"Eh? Eh? Eh? So, if he doesn't hate me, that means our engagement won't be broken off. But Oscar likes Cecil! But, but! Cecil is Cecilia..."

The situation made her dizzy, and her footing became unsteady.

"Whoa!"

Her unsteady feet stumbled, and her body lurched forward. Just as she was about to fall face-first, someone's arms caught her.

"Are you okay?"

"Eh? ...Ah, yes."

The arms around her waist, Cecilia looked up. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

A man of about the same height as Cecilia, with a slightly petite build, he had downcast eyes. His large green eyes were framed by lashes so long they could be mistaken for a woman's. His light reddish-brown hair was braided on one side, giving him an ethereal appearance.

(Zwei!?)

She quickly suppressed the exclamation that almost escaped her lips.

After confirming Cecilia was alright, he said, "Be careful," and left the scene.

(I found him!)

While his twin, Ein, was not there, this was a significant discovery. She quietly followed Zwei without being noticed.

Zwei arrived at the back of the school building. There was no one around, and he stood alone, as if waiting for someone.

Cecilia watched him from the shadows of the school building.

(What's he doing here? ...I'd like to talk to him if he's free, but wouldn't it be suspicious here?)

After he had just helped her, it would be strange to approach him in such an isolated place. If she did, he might think she had been following him, which would immediately label her as a "suspicious person" and ruin any chance of improving his opinion of her.

(I'll wait until he leaves here. Somewhere with more people... )

"Are you there? Come out."

The words, spoken without turning around, made her body stiffen. Had she been discovered?

(Well, in this case, I should come out and introduce myself properly!)

Cecilia took a deep breath, preparing to step out from the shadows.

Just then—

"Did you bring the agreed item?"

The voice from in front made her freeze. Peering out without being seen, she saw a tall, obviously wealthy-looking male student standing in front of Zwei. Behind him were two other male students, one with strong arms and pride, and another who seemed to only shine during mischief. They looked like first-year students, but they didn't seem to be friends.

(They look like a boss and his two henchmen...)

The tense atmosphere made Cecilia's brow furrow.

Zwei took a step toward them.

"I, I brought it!"

"Then hand it over quickly! Otherwise, we'll kill this guy!"

One of the henchmen pulled out a large burlap sack from his back. Something inside was struggling, causing the bag to bulge and shift.

"Koko!"

"Meow."

In response to Zwei's call, a small cat's meow was heard. There was definitely a cat inside the bag.

(That's terrible...)

Cecilia, watching this, bit her lower lip in distress.