Andvaranaut was different from the terrorist groups that had appeared so far.
No, to be precise, it seemed to differ slightly from what one would typically call a terrorist organization.
The fact that they sought to seize financial power meant they were trying to change the Empire through non-violent means.
After all, the Empire didn’t even have monopoly laws to begin with.
In all of history, Andvaranaut was the only merchant guild that had managed to expand its business this widely and succeed.
In that sense, Andvaranaut was likely the most powerful faction. However, when it came to fighting power, they were inferior to any of the groups encountered before.
They weren’t even candidates for a final boss. At best, they were like mid-bosses.
Still, the reason the Andvaranaut merchant guild was designated as an enemy was clear.
These bastards were funding other terrorist organizations.
Truly, they couldn’t help but be called sons of bitches.
“If Andvaranaut is here, then going out doesn’t sound too bad.”
Despite such a terrorist group walking around openly, I was able to say this without hesitation.
First, because there were very few people who would dare touch a store run by Andvaranaut, the financiers behind other terrorist groups.
Second, because of the quality and reasonable prices of their products….that was how they had managed to take over the Empire’s markets in the first place.
Of course, all the new products and trends were also led by Andvaranaut.
Even in the game, once these guys showed up, the items available in shops changed.
Indeed, given their methods, there were definitely helpful aspects to them.
“Alright, then it’s a date, Johan.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Looking at Yuna beaming at me, I slowly finished getting ready to head out.
I wondered what they would be selling. I left the Cradle feeling that same thrill you get when a big supermarket opens right in front of your house.
And then…
“Ah, Mr. Johan. Long time no see. Are you here to eat?”
“Hello, Doctor.”
“……”
I regretted it immediately.
Ugh, why did I even expect things to go differently?
When we arrived at the restaurant, we ran into Kult and Helena, better known as the Hereticus siblings, who were already eating.
Yeah, there had always been a chance we’d run into them.
At the moment, the only restaurants open were those with the Andvaranaut logo on their signs.
On top of that, I was the one who had told Kult the location of the sacred relic, giving him some breathing room.
When it came down to it, all of this was a stage I had set myself.
The huge butterfly effect was enough to make me tremble.
“Doctor, thanks to you, my brother seems much more relaxed these days. He plays with me often now.”
“…That’s good to hear. But why am I a doctor?”
“Because you helped my brother! You’re a doctor!”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes!”
Looking at Helena whispering into my ear, I forced a smile.
No matter how much I disliked Kult, I couldn’t badmouth the bastard in front of his little sister.
Apparently pleased with my restraint, Kult gave me a gentle smile.
“And the person next to you is…?”
“A friend.”
“You had a friend?”
“…Huh?”
“No, no. Of course you do. That makes sense.”
What the hell did these people think of me, anyway?
“What do you say, Mr. Johan? We have an empty seat here. Would you like to join us?”
“Well, I’m not sure my friend would be happy about that. Right, Yuna?”
“Um… I-I’m sorry. I get really shy around strangers…”
“There you have it.”
Yuna had picked up on my intent perfectly and gave a polite refusal.
It was the first time I’d seen her pretend to be timid, but surprisingly, it didn’t come off as awkward at all.
“In that case, it’s unfortunate, but I understand. Please enjoy your meal.”
“Yes, Mr. Cult, Miss Helena. Please enjoy yours as well.”
“Okay! Thank you, Doctor!”
Yuna and I left behind the sight of Helena enthusiastically waving at us and decided to look for another restaurant, even if it was a bit farther away.
As we were walking along the street for a while—
“Sorry, Johan.”
“For what?”
Yuna suddenly apologized with an awkward expression.
“For forgetting that you’re the kind of guy who has terrible luck?”
“I’d appreciate it if you were more sorry about actually saying that out loud.”
“Puhihi, sorry, sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like I didn’t expect something like this to happen, and it’s not like anything serious came out of it. We just happened to run into them, that’s all.”
It hadn’t been a pleasant encounter, but at least we hadn’t gotten caught up in a terrorist attack or anything.
“Since it’s a rare chance for us to go on a date, let’s just enjoy it. Don’t let the little stuff get to you.”
“…Okay.”
Yuna smiled brightly, as if she were genuinely moved by my words.
How should I put it…
“This really feels like a proper date now.”
“Puhihi, did your heart flutter a bit?”
“No.”
“Well, mine did.”
“……”
“Puhihi. And what about now? Hmm? Wasn’t it kind of nice?”
She really knew how to mess with people. What a bad person.
***
Time passed, and the moment finally arrived. The Damus family was due to arrive in the capital.
In the meantime, I had been working on a plan to break this engagement…
And I had come to the conclusion that the first step would be convincing my family.
“Yuna, I’m counting on you.”
“Mhmm, count on me. I’ll pull it off perfectly, just like we’re really dating.”
The first step of the plan was this:
– I already have someone I like, so I don’t think I can go through with this marriage.
I was planning to use that line to persuade my family, at least for now.
When I first explained the plan, I had worried about what kind of expression Yuna might make. But instead, she declared enthusiastically that she’d help me.
Truly, everyone needs a friend.
With Yuna, there was no need to question her acting skills, so that was a relief.
Still, I was a little concerned about what kind of price she might demand later in return for doing this…
But that was a problem for future me to deal with.
It was while I was waiting at the promised café with Yuna.
“They’re late. I mean… not that something happened… probably.”
In this harsh Empire, the weak simply didn’t survive.
If I had to guess, they probably ran into at least five bandits on the way.
Still, a noble was a noble, even if they lived on the frontier. They had guards and personal strength as well. Unless something truly unusual happened, they’d be fine.
“There aren’t many who’d dare mess with them anyway.”
Besides, I had connections even if they were loose with Eden, Under Chain, and even Lemegeton.
“If you’re worried, should I go check on them, honey?”
“……”
“Why aren’t you reacting? You’re making it hard for me. I’m the one cooperating here, remember?”
“Sorry. It’s just… seriously awkward.”
I shuddered as Yuna naturally linked arms with me.
Wouldn’t it have been more natural for her to put me in a submission hold instead?
Sure, Yuna was usually the touchy type, but even so, this felt like too much.
“Isn’t it a bit early for this, anyway? They’re not even here yet.”
“What, you think the café employees don’t have eyes? Johan, that level of acting won’t fool anyone, not even a friend, let alone your parents!”
“S-Sorry.”
But why was she the one getting angry?
Just how seriously was she taking this whole performance?
“Alright, then let’s practice naturally. Starting now! Honey, should I go check?”
“No, there’s no need. We already got word this morning that they’d entered the capital. If something had really happened, it would’ve hit the rumor mill by now.”
“I see! But are you sure that was acting just now? It didn’t feel any different from how you normally talk.”
“Yuna… maybe you’ve got a few too many fantasies about romance.”
“Watch your mouth, honey.”
“…Okay.”
“If you’re going to apologize, show a little sincerity.”
“How should I do that?”
“Hmm…”
Actually, neither Yuna nor I had ever been in a relationship.
So our attempt at acting like a couple felt more like testing out things we’d seen or heard somewhere.
“Like… feeding each other food?”
“Classic.”
“But still, it’s something real couples do.”
“Except we don’t have any food. We only ordered drinks.”
“Then maybe… feeding each other drinks?”
“How would that work?”
Yuna paused for a moment, thinking, then covered her mouth with her hand.
“Like mouth-to-mouth? Ah—no, never mind. That would be way too embarrassing for me.”
Right after saying it, she shook her head. It was like her words had come out before her brain could stop them.
“Maybe we’ll get there someday, but right now it feels a little too soon.”
“What do you mean, ‘someday’?”
“Someday just means someday. Uh… maybe I should just lift the cup and feed you like that?”
“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
I picked up the coffee cup I’d been drinking from and tilted it toward Yuna’s mouth.
Honestly… it felt less like something between lovers and more like volunteering at a nursing home.
“Kehhk!”
“Oh, sorry.”
Even that got messed up when Yuna choked on it.
Was this really how it was supposed to go?
“What are we even doing to ourselves?”
I sighed and wiped the corners of Yuna’s mouth. After coughing for a while, she started glaring at me with an annoyed expression.
But she was the one who suggested we do this in the first place, so that glare felt a bit unfair.
“Ugh, I don’t know anymore. I’m just gonna go with whatever’s most comfortable for me.”
With that, Yuna laid down with her head resting on my thigh.
I guess for her, physical touch was the easiest option.
I stroked her hair as she lay there, and we waited for my parents to arrive.
About thirty minutes later—
“Johan.”
“You’re here?”
“Haah…”
There stood my father, looking utterly worn out.
At least they arrived safely.
“It really shouldn’t be this hard to find an inn in such a big capital.”
“Ah, I didn’t think of that. Because of the recent terror incidents, a lot of people have left the city.”
“Then if people left, why are there no rooms available?”
“Because the innkeepers left too.”
“Good grief…”
My father let out another sigh and glanced sideways at Yuna, who was sitting beside me.
“Hello, sir. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Yuna.”
“Ah, right… Are you Johan’s friend?”
“I’m his girlfriend.”
“Johan, you really don’t quit, do you? Don’t you think this is a little too obvious?”
“So you don’t trust me at all, huh?”
“Miss, how much did he pay you?”
As expected, that’s my dad.
He sees right through me like it’s nothing.
“I didn’t take any money. I really do love Johan.”
“……”
But Yuna was a top-tier actress.
Even I was briefly caught off guard by how genuinely she spoke, her tone, and her expression. It was all perfectly convincing.
My dad, clearly unused to facing someone like her, widened his eyes and fell completely silent.
…And to be honest, I’m not even sure what’s real anymore.
The way Yuna passionately explained why she liked me, right in front of my dad, was genuinely impressive.
“If he hadn’t helped me back then, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
She placed a hand over her chest with a sincere expression on her face.
There wasn’t a hint of dishonesty in her eyes. Or at least, it didn’t look like there was.
“Ohh, so that’s what happened… That’s my son for you. Just as I’d expect.”
Setting aside how quickly my dad flipped his attitude—
…This is still acting, right?
It all felt so natural that I couldn’t tell if she was just that good… or if she was actually being serious.
With anyone else, I’d know. But with Yuna… I really can’t say.
“That’s how I fell for Johan. Ah, now that I’ve said it out loud, it’s kind of embarrassing.”
Is that part still acting? Or is that… real?
Now that I had come to understand her personality to some extent, I found myself thrown into confusion once again.
What if Yuna actually liked me?
Even just having that thought made me feel pathetic, but I couldn’t help it.
I’d done enough to deserve it.
Hmm… maybe being too popular is a problem in itself.
“I see. I’ve heard what you had to say, Miss Yuna. I apologize for being overly suspicious. Guess I’ve grown too paranoid with age.”
“There’s no need to apologize, Father. It’s a situation anyone would be suspicious of. But if you’re willing to accept our relationship now…”
“But the part about you two dating, isn’t that a lie?”
“…Huh?”
“My apology was about the feelings. I was wrong to doubt your sincerity.”
Yuna, who had been smiling cheerfully with a kind easygoing look, froze in an instant.
We’d been found out. I was sure we had him fooled, so how did this happen?
“Johan, everything shows on your face. You idiot. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was real or not, but then you went and made that unsure face of yours…”
“Ah… crap…”
It was my fault.
Because I started doubting whether Yuna’s performance was genuine, that confusion ended up showing and my dad caught on.
Fooling family really is the hardest.
“Well, at the very least, Miss Yuna’s feelings definitely came through to me!”
“No, um… please just consider that part a lie too…”
“They were passionate.”
“P-Please stop…”
Yuna trembled with embarrassment.
So she does know what shame is. I’ve never seen her like this before.
“Now then, could you give us a moment? There’s something I need to discuss with my son…some family matters.”
“Yes! Please excuse me! I hope you both have a good talk!”
And with that, Yuna completely broke her promise to me, raised the white flag, and dashed away.
Any plan that involved using her… was now officially scrapped.
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