Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 39

If not, then what?

“What should I do? What should I wear? What should I talk about when I get there? W-What kind of girl does Ziegfried like?”

Tears brimming in her eyes, Alice clung to my clothes.

“W-Wait, Senpai! Why are you asking me these things?”

“Because you’re popular! And you get along well with Zieg! I need your help!”

“Me…? But what does that even mean?”

How does she see me as a popular guy? She just called me a big oaf.

And usually, people seek dating advice from same-gender friends, right?

If we’re talking about someone popular, she should be asking Adrian instead…

“I know everything! You’ve flirted with three girls at the same time! You must have a lot of experience! Please help me!”

“Who said that?!”

“That little hypnotist brat, Alicia, told me everything!”

Alicia, that rascal.

What on earth is she telling people?

And how do these two even know each other?

“Huh? You don’t know? That girl is famous around the academy. As a couple maker.”

From what I heard, there are quite a few girls seeking relationship advice from Alicia.

Especially if you slip her some money, the matchmaking success rate skyrockets.

I can’t believe Alicia is running such a business with her hypnosis…

“So, did you ask Alicia for help too?”

“N-No! I just told a friend to try consulting her once… But that’s not the point right now!”

Ah, that’s right.

The reason Alice kidnapped me was for advice to make her date with Ziegfried successful.

It’s strange to think that a big oaf like me could help with dating advice, though.

I mean, usually, you’d ask a same-gender friend for that kind of help, right?

And if you’re looking for dating tips, you’d probably ask someone like Adrian…

“I know all that! You charmed three girls at the same time! You must have plenty of experience! Please help me!”

“Who said that?!”

“That little hypnotist brat, Alicia, told me everything!”

Alicia, that rascal.

What on earth is she telling people?

And how do these two even know each other?

“Wait, you don’t know? That girl is famous around the academy for being a couple maker.”

From what I heard, there are quite a few girls seeking relationship advice from Alicia.

Especially if you slip her some money, the matchmaking success rate skyrockets.

I can’t believe Alicia is running such a business with her hypnosis…

“So, did you ask Alicia for help too?”

“N-No! I just told a friend to try consulting her once… But that’s not the point right now!”

Ah, that’s right.

The reason Alice kidnapped me was for advice to make her date with Ziegfried successful.

It’s strange to think that a big oaf like me could help with dating advice, though.

I mean, usually, you’d ask a same-gender friend for that kind of help, right?

And if you’re looking for dating tips, you’d probably ask someone like Adrian…

“Anyway, what’s your ideal type?”

“Ah, that’s right! It would be someone dependable.”

“R-Really?”

It seemed that Ziegfried’s feelings for Emily, or the nuances of the choices that raised his affection, were along those lines.

The protagonist, who helps Ziegfried when he’s stuck on his path to his goals, usually raises his affection levels significantly.

“Oh, by the way, where are you going on the date?”

“Tomorrow at noon, by the fountain in the city… Hehe.”

Ah, a flower-viewing date.

There’s a special walkway where flowers bloom only at this time of year, creating a beautiful garden.

It’s one of the dating routes with Ziegfried, who has a strong interest in flowers.

“In that case…”

I then gave Alice some advice on a few things.

It was just about what to wear, what food to bring for a picnic, and what conversation topics to choose.

These were simple bits of information that had appeared in the game as choices.

“Would you mind coming and watching from a distance tomorrow?”

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Just in case anything happens, I want to ask you what’s going on while pretending to go to the bathroom!”

“…Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you! I really appreciate it! I’ll be sure to repay you later!”

With that, Alice thanked me joyfully.

Since I had never seen their date in the game, I was genuinely curious.

It wouldn’t be bad to watch them with a fan’s enthusiasm while taking a stroll around the city.

In truth, they’d probably end up doing just fine without my help.

After all, Ziegfried always ends up happy with Alice at the end, if not with Emily.

But I guess Alice must be feeling anxious.

‘Maybe I’ll help out as much as I can.’

Despite my appearance, I’m a seasoned player who has cleared several dating simulation games.

I felt a little excited.

“Hey, wait a second, both of you! What are you doing?”

Emily rushed over, grabbing at the sleeves of both of them.

However, her strength didn’t stop them as Raphne and Mary charged ahead, completely losing their senses.

“K-Ken has another girl after him…!”

“I need to keep an eye on Ken in case he’s in danger. Let go of this!”

“Both of you calm down!!”

Of course, Emily wanted to run after them and find out why they were taking Ken away.

But seeing the two of them losing their composure more than herself, Emily felt a sense of responsibility to regain her senses and block them.

“Why don’t we just watch from a distance?”

After realizing it would be impossible to stop them, Emily finally proposed a compromise, blocking their way.

It was obvious that charging in like this would only complicate the situation further.

“…No way.”

“That’s even weirder.”

But the two didn’t listen and kept moving forward.

“Ahh—! Seriously! Ken’s going to hate this! At least we should sneak in to find out why he’s being taken away, right, you fools?!”

Eventually, by arguing that Ken would dislike this and that we needed to know the reason he was called, we managed to halt their advance.

So, the three girls stealthily approached where Alice and Ken were conversing.

Emily, Mary, and Raphne peered around the corner at the end of the hallway, watching them.

“…Ugh, it’s too far away to hear properly.”

With the distance, Raphne complained about not being able to catch every word.

“What do you think they’re discussing…?”

“I bet it’s something flirty…! They’re definitely trying to charm Ken!”

“We haven’t heard anything yet! Just keep quiet! We can’t hear anything!”

With Emily’s reprimand, the three quieted down for a moment, straining to listen.

“…They just mentioned a date.”

“I heard that too.”

“Could it be… a confession?”

“Eh?”

“Huh?”

At Emily's casually blurted words, both Raphne and Mary froze and turned to her.

“Uh, no, I mean… a girl called a guy out like that… on a date, and she’s all flushed.”

“…Oh no. I’m going to lose Ken…!”

“Hey, don’t be so extreme!”

Pulling on Raphne’s arm like a battle commander, Emily shouted softly.

“Just now… they said something.”

Following Mary’s mutter, the two of them halted their bickering and focused on Ken and Alice.

From the two, I could hear faint voices.

“Could it be… your ideal type? …What is it?”

Then, in a moment of clarity, Alice’s voice rang out loud enough for the three of us to hear, leaving us with expressions as if we’d been hit by a hammer.

Ken’s ideal type?

The fact that she asked this clearly indicated that she had feelings for Ken.

More importantly, this was a chance to hear Ken’s ideal type.

The three who had been raucous moments before now joined in silence, united in their attention.

‘…Ken’s ideal type. …I’ve been wanting to ask.’

Mary swallowed hard.

‘W-What if it’s something that overlaps with mine…!’

Emily gripped the corner of the wall tightly, filled with anxiety.

‘A girl with big breasts, a girl with big breasts, a girl with big breasts….’

Even Raphne, glaring at Ken with lifeless eyes as if sending a telepathic message, was caught up in her thoughts.

Though each of their thoughts was different, fundamentally, they all desired the same thing.

—I hope it’s me…!

Then, after a brief moment of contemplation, Ken opened his mouth.

“Yeah… I guess it would be a woman I can rely on.”

The words reached the sensitive ears of the three, and the first to react was Raphne.

“W-Wait, wait…! I’ve relied on him, but I’ve never been able to rely on anyone! What do I do?!”

“C-Calm down, Raphne…! More importantly, stop hanging onto my skirt!”

Tears brimming in her eyes, Raphne clung to Emily’s side.

While I understood the shock she was feeling, Emily desperately tried to push her away to avoid getting her skirt pulled down.

Mary clenched her fists.

“That’s what I was hoping for. I’ve decided to protect Ken.”

With her confident demeanor, both of them stared at her.

“…There’s a difference between being protected and relying on someone, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Eh? Is that so…?”

Upon hearing those words, Mary’s confident facade momentarily faltered.

She didn’t know what it was like to be someone who is relied on.

“Oh, it seems they’re saying something more.”

With the conversation still ongoing, the three leaned in closer to eavesdrop on Ken and Alice again.

“Tomorrow at noon, by the fountain in the city… Hehe.”

Once more, Alice’s voice rang out clearly.

“A date…”

“It’s definitely a date.”

“…It’s confirmed now.”

The three, having learned the reason why Ken was being called away, wore shadowed expressions as they glared at Alice.

Since they had listened to Alice’s consultation about their date, for some reason, Raphne, Emily, and Mary all felt a bit off.

For instance, during class, Raphne sitting next to me would say,

“Ken, I know all about this! I’ll tell you!”

“Huh? Um, how do you know? You’ve been away for a year.”

“Well, I studied in the tower for that year too! …So, how about it? Doesn’t this seem dependable?”

“Y-Yeah. Thanks.”

Her eyes somehow seemed fierce.

Then, after class, there was Emily.

“Have you been okay lately?”

“Suddenly…?”

“Well… I was worried since you disappeared for a week!”

“Ah, right. I’m sorry.”

“…If something’s wrong, just let me know anytime. I’ll support you no matter what.”

“Uh, okay? I’ll do that.”

She was strangely kind.

And then I ran into Mary in the hallway.

“Ken, are you on a diet lately?”

“Ah, can you tell? I’ve lost a little weight. Haha.”

“…I’ve thought about it deeply too.”

“Eh? What are you talking about, Mary?”

“I was wondering if we could work out together sometime. I think it’s better to rely on each other than be the only one relying on someone!”

“Ah, yeah… Thank you.”

There was an overwhelming enthusiasm.

It felt like they were trying to comfort me, accept me, and lead me in a direction.

‘…Am I really that unreliable?’

Perhaps disappearing for a week without a word contributed to that perception.

In any case, it’s not good for me to be seen as someone clumsy in their eyes.

It bruises my pride as a man.

I thought I should show them a more seasoned side of myself.

And then, the next day.

Ken, having promised to watch over Alice’s date, left Raphne’s tower after an early lunch.

“Well then, I’ll be back shortly. I’ll return before dinner.”

“Uh, okay! …But where are you going?”

“Oh, just out to the city for something.”

It felt odd to say I was going to watch someone else’s date, so I just gave a vague reply.

I worried she might pry further, but Raphne smiled kindly as she saw me off.

“Okay! Then I’ll prepare your favorite meal for dinner. Have a good time!”

“Ah, yeah. I’ll be back.”

Feeling a bit uneasy, Ken waved his hand and left the tower.

Creak, bang.

Moments after Ken exited the room, Raphne’s expression darkened as she turned toward the window.

There, a new form of familiar spirit awaited her request.

“Tell them. Ken is going on a date.”

As she watched the bird take to the sky toward its target, Raphne began to change her clothes in preparation.

The expression on her face as she dressed to leave the tower was filled with malice.