Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 75

The best scenario would be for Lafne to request it from the academy herself.

But she’s not foolish enough to do something like that.

She wouldn’t help me without any benefit to herself.

“……Wait, if it’s a benefit…”

Then, what if I presented something so enticing that Lafne would be willing to make such a foolish request?

Thinking back to my memories of Lafne, it seemed quite possible.

“……”

I stood still for a moment, organizing the ideas that had come to mind and creating a scenario.

‘…This could work if I play it right.’

As a fairly plausible image formed in my mind, a smile naturally appeared on my face.

“…Alright, let’s do it.”

I returned to the classroom and organized the plan in my head.

First, the operation's goal is to stimulate Lafne's emotions.

Before she lost her memories, Lafne would feel uneasy if I wasn’t by her side.

Of course, her state had improved quite a bit after breaking the curse, but even so, she still wanted to stay by my side.

When I wasn't right next to her, she would feel anxious, struggle to eat, and have trouble sleeping.

Thus, the current Lafne, influenced by those emotions, would likely feel the same.

In fact, if I actively tried to avoid her, it might provoke those feelings even more.

Therefore, today, I made an effort not to show myself to Lafne.

The desired outcome is for Lafne to desperately search for me.

The method is simple.

During breaks, I would leave the classroom and kill time, returning just at the right moment.

‘…Just as I thought, she came looking for me.’

While I was spending time on the rooftop, as I turned the corner of the stairs to head back to class, I spotted Lafne loitering near the classroom door.

She looked quite anxious, pacing back and forth in front of the classroom door, biting her nails and peering inside.

‘Should I go now…?’

As I pondered, I shook my head.

‘No, not yet. I need to keep her from regaining her composure for as long as possible.’

A thirsty person’s desire for water grows as their thirst intensifies.

Moreover, what if an oasis that had always been there suddenly disappeared?

Then, their craving for water would increase even more.

I would offer her the water when she could no longer bear it.

‘…She’s gone.’

After watching her for a moment from around the corner, I confirmed that she had returned to her classroom, annoyed.

I then returned to class and attended the lesson.

Of course, I attended but didn’t truly study.

My thoughts were entirely focused on the plan.

‘…What if she barges in during class?’

I imagined the scenario where an impatient Lafne bursts into the classroom during the lesson.

After running through the simulation, I concluded that it would actually make it easier to create justification, so I decided to maintain my stealth operation.

Of course, the current Lafne seems to retain rational judgment, unlike before she lost her memories, so it was unlikely that she would disrupt the class.

‘Let’s keep dodging her like this.’

Following the plan, I successfully remained unnoticed by Lafne.

Once, when class ended and I stepped outside, I immediately saw Lafne’s hair as her classroom door opened.

However, thanks to my ‘conceal presence’ skill from training with Siegfried, I was able to hide from her safely.

I continued executing my plan of hiding from her.

When I occasionally watched from a distance, it seemed that Lafne’s anxiety was growing.

‘Should I maintain this until tomorrow?’

I thought of observing her condition for about another day without showing myself.

That was my plan, but…

I ended up getting caught by Lafne sooner than expected.

As I had predicted, she had laid in wait for me, anticipating my escape.

“Where have you been every break time━!!”

At the same time as yesterday's dismissal time.

Today, just like yesterday, I had spent time in the classroom, but as I stepped into the hallway, Lafne was waiting for me.

With an annoyed voice, she spoke to me, clearly angry.

It seemed she had timed her exit to meet me at all costs.

Hmm, would this mean she’s in a state of desperation?

Originally, I had planned to avoid her face for at least another day, but since I had already been caught, I felt it would be best to proceed.

Thus, I began with my prepared excuse.

“…I was just running some errands.”

Although I had spent most of my break time on the rooftop.

I chose to say that instead.

“…Errands?”

At my vague words, Lafne's expression shifted.

The old look of emptiness reappeared.

Her eyes, devoid of light, were filled with obsession, losing her rationality.

I confirmed with that look that my attempt to stimulate her imagination had succeeded.

She was probably misunderstanding my relationship with Emily to be that of ‘liking each other,’ and my previous words were perfect for misunderstanding.

Lafne immediately came closer, looking up at me.

Her dark, swamp-like gaze scrutinized me.

As I faced her eyes directly for the first time in a while, cold sweat trickled down my back.

But I mustn’t show it. I needed to act as calmly and casually as possible.

“Hey, you…”

Lafne called me quietly, growling.

The current Lafne, unlike before she lost her memories, was quite aggressive, and I felt overwhelmed by her gaze.

As she glared at me, she asked.

“What have you been doing, running around?”

Why did it feel like I was in the position of a cheating lover caught red-handed?

Of course, this was intentional on my part, so I didn’t feel wronged.

But I almost found myself instinctively apologizing, bowing down under Lafne’s glare.

However, I needed to stay calm. The strategy I had to adopt now was to provoke Lafne even more.

“Well, whatever I’ve been doing… why do you care?”

I stammered, avoiding her gaze, but I managed to say it.

I’d say it was quite a provocative statement even to myself.

For Lafne, who had been tormenting me until now, she probably never expected me to say something like this.

“What… did you say?”

Seeing Lafne’s tightly clenched fists trembling with anger seemed to indicate that my words had an effect.

Good, let’s give it one more push…!

“By the way, Lafne, aren’t you being too clingy these days? Why are you suddenly changing your method of tormenting me?”

“What, what…?”

Lafne stuttered in surprise at my sudden change in attitude.

Things were going as I had hoped, so I continued speaking.

“Or is it that now that I’ve lost weight and changed my appearance, you’ve suddenly taken an interest?”

“Huh?! N-No way?! I-I don’t care about your appearance…! Ugh…!”

Lafne faltered, her face reddening as she took a step back.

Then, she smiled slightly, as if trying to hide her embarrassment, and glared at me.

“…Ken, you’ve become quite cocky since you’ve lost weight and changed your looks, huh?”

The Ken, who had always been taken lightly, suddenly shifting his attitude must have made her quite angry.

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Moreover, she had been feeling frustrated because I hadn’t shown myself until recently.

Seeing that she was already anxious, Lafne looked even more agitated now that I wasn’t acting as she expected.

I felt that if I pushed just a bit more, the picture I had in mind would emerge.

I faced her, determined not to back down.

“Y-Yeah… I’m not the same as I used to be.”

“Hmm, looks like you’ve really become overconfident.”

With her hands ready to strike, Lafne looked like she was about to lash out at me at any moment.

“Good, it’s been a while since I’ll teach you a proper lesson, Ken.”

She smiled gently as she gazed at me.

Of course, that smile was filled with anger.

Good, now’s the time…!

“Ha, do you think I’ll just let you do as you please? You better be prepared too!”

I provoked her with a somewhat arrogant smile.

For a moment, Lafne stared at me blankly.

It was as if she was thinking, ‘What is he talking about?’

Then she soon smiled disdainfully and replied.

“Hmph, so you’re feeling confident, huh?”

“I am. …Or rather, how about we make a bet?”

“…A bet?”

Lafne tilted her head at my sudden proposal.

She probably didn’t understand why I was suddenly mentioning a ‘bet.’

Before she could suspect anything, I quickly tossed out the bait.

I wanted her eyes to be distracted by the carrot I was offering, smoothly guiding my real intention.

I looked at Lafne with a challenging expression and met her gaze directly.

“We’ll settle it with a duel. You’re confident, right? If you win, then…”

I pretended to ponder for a moment, drawing out the conditions I had in mind.

“If you win, you can do whatever you want with me.”

“…Whatever I want?”

That was the carrot I had prepared.

By hiding myself in front of Lafne, I stirred her anxiety.

Then, when we finally met, I’d act as if she couldn’t have me, emphasizing her lack of control.

Finally, I’d present the opportunity to have authority over me under the guise of a bet.

“...Do whatever you want with Ken….”

As Lafne heard about the reward for winning, the anger she had moments ago disappeared, replaced with a dazed expression as she stared at me.

She was likely contemplating what “whatever you want” meant.

In that case, I would tell her a story that she would find appealing.

“Yeah, whatever you want. Whether you want to roast me, or keep me locked up somewhere to have me by your side forever, it’s all fine.”

I provocatively tossed out more bait.

I thought this was the condition that would most entice Lafne.

…But was it too blatant? I worried she might notice something strange about my proposal.

I braced myself for a reaction like, 'What do you mean by ownership?! Don't mess with me!'

I sincerely hoped that Lafne wouldn’t doubt me.

“Alright! Let’s bet! Right now! We’ll settle it right now!”

And without a moment’s hesitation, Lafne agreed to the bet.

Was she coming on a little too easily…?

“W-Wait, Lafne! It’s too sudden to do it right now!”

“Are you kidding me?! You were the one who suggested a duel━!”

It seemed my conditions looked too enticing, and Lafne lost her composure.

But I couldn’t settle it right away.

I needed to prepare appropriately.

“What if I say I can’t accept the duel?!”

It would be a disaster if the loser said, ‘Let’s forget about it!’ afterward.

Above all, it would put me in a difficult position.

I finally had Lafne in a bet, and if she backtracked after losing, it would defeat the purpose.

Of course, from Lafne’s standpoint, this was also a reasonable explanation, so I proposed a solid countermeasure.

“We’ll make a contract. In front of the academy professors.”

“…A contract? You mean, regarding magical interference?”

“Exactly. It should be clearly stated: ‘If Ken Feinstein loses to Lafne Bell Martinez, he becomes her possession.’ …Like that.”

“P-Possession…?!”

She had eyes sparkling with wonder, much like a child who had just spotted Santa on Christmas.

Her breath became more erratic, and her eyes were filled with desire as they looked at me.

Seeing her hands itching to pounce on me, it was clear that my bait had worked.

“Alright! Let’s do it! Let’s set the date for tomorrow after class! I’ll get the professor on board!”

“Y-Yeah, that would be great….”

She didn’t seem to consider for even a moment that she might lose.

After all, there would hardly be anyone in the second year who could defeat Lafne.

Besides, it seemed she was willing to handle the explanation and recruiting of the professor herself.

How tempting must the thought of possession be…?

I suddenly recalled Lafne, who had previously imprisoned me.

Under the moonlight, she had climbed onto my lap, luring me with a lost rationality.

‘…I can’t lose, no matter what.’

If I were to lose this time and my ownership passed to her, I might truly never be able to escape.

I might not be able to keep the promise of not crossing any lines until I could take responsibility.

The situation of being together and then becoming three…

Of course, I had no intention of losing.

But just the thought sent a shiver down my spine.

“Then, see you tomorrow━!! Make sure to keep your promise━!!”

With the brightest smile I had seen from her recently, Lafne dashed down the hallway.

‘Alright, now the preparations are completely finished.’

As I watched Lafne run away, I clenched my fist.