Next evening Jax was trailing behind Astrid in a mall while practically buried under a mountain of shopping bags that she either bought or was handed for free because apparently, when your father is the wealthiest tycoon in the academy lands and owns shares in half the shops along with the whole mall, the entire commercial district essentially functions as your personal free giveaway.

Sticking around with Astrid had taught Jax a lot of new things that he had never gone through in his previous life. He had mastered reading people back in his prime days but when it came to Astrid he always got beaten. Maybe love was the thing that turned his sharp mind into a completely different and far stupider persona.

First he had learned how to apologize even without being at fault and even before the girl pointed it out. This was the complete opposite of how he treated the rest of the world where he never apologized even when the mistake was clearly his.

He had also learned to treat every single sentence she spoke like a complex riddle that needed to be decoded with caution. After yesterday’s disaster he realized he had to analyze every double meaning and indirect hint she dropped because if his translation failed the penalty wasn’t a failed mission. It was a devastatingly painful elbow strike straight to his spine.

Jax got a painful jolt even thinking about it and tried to grab his back but couldn’t because he was wearing the armor she had forced him into.

And then came today’s lesson which was a masterclass on how to reach a bad ending in a completely rigged game. Astrid was the final boss in this place with no save points and zero strategy guides available to counter her.

The game would begin with the final boss picking up any accessory like a tiara or a hair chain and then asking with narrowed eyes. "What do you think of this one?" And then she would wait for a response while her gaze slowly turned into a lie detector.

To any normal guy the answer seemed obvious. But Jax had learned the hard way that answering honestly in this game was a guaranteed game over.

His calculations had told him that Option A, the standard praise like "it looks beautiful you should buy it," would fail immediately. Because to Astrid that would sound like a npc response from someone who wasn’t really looking and just wanted the shopping to end faster.

And then there was Option B, the honest critique like "I don’t really think it suits you." That was an even faster game over. Because Astrid had spent more than fifteen minutes picking it out which obviously meant she already liked it.

She wasn’t asking for his advice. She was asking him to validate her excellent taste and to praise how well it looked on her. So in short, rejecting her choice was a direct hit at her ego which would ricochet straight back into Jax’s face.

Therefore in this rigged game the only hack Jax came up with was to stare at her for a minimum of ten seconds with his jaw dropped as if he was stunned by her beauty. Then say while stuttering slightly. "I-it’s breathtaking. Honestly it looks like absolute perfection on you."

Then take a heavy and frustrated sigh while clenching his fist and add. "But I genuinely hate it. I won’t be able to stand those perverts who will stare at you if you wore this at the banquet. In fact I won’t stand anyone staring at you at all. So it would be really exhausting for me to beat those nobles senseless while trying to stay by my lady’s side."

Jax survived his fatal ending with that move as Astrid went full beetroot with anger and embarrassment. "Y-you absolute idiot! Who told you to say such violently embarrassing things in public?!"

Then she turned to the lady of the store and said. "Just wrap this up immediately before he says anything worse!"

Jax still received some painful remarks on the way out but he was satisfied looking at her walking ahead of him with a smile of victory on her face. And that alone was enough reward for his effort.

Astrid was getting stares and bows from all the staff as well as the people around them because she was roaming freely without hiding her identity.

Meanwhile she had made Jax hide inside her order’s armor to avoid anyone getting suspicious about the relationship between a student and her professor.

Jax wanted to complain about everything and was ready to challenge Astrid on why she was going this hard on him. But that resolve completely evaporated the moment she turned and said. "I am going to the ladies only section so wait for me here. You can wander around but remember, when I return I want to see you standing right here."

Jax nodded like a trained puppy and watched her walk away.

He was clenching his fist in the frustration of a domesticated man when a glowing sign caught his eye. It hung above a lavish storefront that read: "High-Grade Relics & Artifacts. Buy, Sell, and Appraise. Highest Offers Guaranteed."

Jax went to the store while struggling with all the bags when Delphine appeared and walked toward him.

She had been wanting to meet him since the afternoon but couldn’t find the right moment because he was always accompanied by someone. So she had no choice but to follow him around the mall knowing he would eventually show up here because of Astrid’s request. Or rather her order.

She had questions that were eating her alive but before she could even open her mouth Jax handed over every single bag to her and said. "Hold these for a sec."

And just like that he transferred the entire mountain onto her without waiting for consent. Then he pulled out the shoes from one bag that he had gotten from the dungeon and said while turning away from her. "Also, just a friendly tip. Stalking people through a crowded mall is a terribly unladylike habit. Also you need to seriously work on your stealth because it is honestly terrible coming from a marksman whose entire existence revolves around hiding like a rat."

"Y-you noticed me the whole time?!" She stammered with her cheeks burning. "But I wasn’t peeping!"

Jax didn’t reply and was already walking into the store.

"Fine! And it is entirely your fault that I had to do it! Do you have any idea how—"

He still didn’t care. He was already talking to the shopkeeper.

-x-X-x- 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

[A/N : Guys thank you for the recent golden ticket spam, it’s really heartwarming to see this kind of support 🙏 B_Marsh, Outsxder, David_Salisbury_6692, tony_adams_4787, Ordici_T, redwolf86, Littleboy18794 and Stephen_Watchorn appreciate the daily support, you guys never miss 🔥

Also Outsxder coming in with a massage chair on top of everything 😭 thank you so much bro ❤️

(👍🏻ᴗ _ᴗ)👍🏻]