Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 78

Then, after classes, I would come back to the tower and spend time there until bedtime.

Of course, I slept in the dormitory.

Sometimes, Lafne would tempt me to sleep over, but I turned her down as much as possible since I wasn’t quite ready for that.

After all, I still had to resolve Emily and Mary’s memories.

“I’ll feel so lonely and sad when you leave…”

Now that Lafne was getting better at acting like she was crying, she shot me a glance while trying to evoke pity.

Of course, I felt guilty about it.

But if I kept indulging her like this, I would naturally end up being trapped in the tower with her.

“Well, it’s your own fault, so just hold on for a little while.”

“Uh, huh?”

At my sudden remark, Lafne, who had been pretending to cry, widened her eyes in surprise.

“That’s because you ended up locked up here because you tormented me….”

“Wahh━!!”

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As I brought up her weakness, she panicked and immediately clung to me.

“N-No, that’s not why, right? You didn’t lock me up for that! It’s because you wanted to help me find my memories…! Huh, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… Ugh, I’m so sorry….”

This time, she was genuinely crying as she clung to my waist.

It was heartbreaking, but this tactic was effective.

I gently patted Lafne’s head as she sobbed.

But really, what did I do…?

“Take care….”

“Yeah, I’ll come back for lunch.”

After calming down, Lafne finally released her grip and waved goodbye.

“Oh, right.”

As I was leaving the tower and heading toward the academy, I remembered something I had forgotten.

“Lafne, come here.”

“Uh, huh?”

Thinking I was leaving, Lafne approached me with a bright smile, as if she were a puppy wagging its tail.

“W-What is it?”

She seemed to smile subtly, as if hoping I wouldn’t leave.

Not wanting to keep her in suspense, I quickly pulled something out of my pocket.

“Ah━! Is that━!”

Upon seeing the pendant in my hand, Lafne’s eyes widened in surprise, and she gently touched the area around her collarbone.

The pendant that had disappeared when the past changed.

Of course, it was no longer needed by Lafne.

“Hehe, I’ve missed this so much…”

It was an object that contained our shared memories.

As I carefully placed the pendant around her neck, Lafne smiled shyly and began to fidget with it.

“Well then, I’m really going now.”

“Okay! Take care!”

After receiving the pendant she had lost, Lafne seemed to be in a good mood, her expression brightening.

She gave me a tight hug before reluctantly letting me go.

I wished I could stay in the tower with her, but I couldn’t afford to skip the academy right now.

The reason was that an important event was underway at the academy.

It was the end-of-term skills test.

In the game, it was a significant event where players could showcase their skills while also checking Emily's growth.

But why was it important for the extra Ken?

‘I need to eat and live after graduation too.’

With Lafne’s fate changed, the possibility of war had significantly decreased.

If that were the case, then Ken’s fate of dying should also be quite distant.

That meant I had to think and act with consideration for the future, even after graduating from the academy.

Now I was Ken Feinstein.

No matter how I looked at it, I would remain Ken Feinstein until the day I die.

Of course, I could walk the path of becoming a master craftsman, utilizing my production skills.

Recently, I had made quite a profit in a border town.

But still, maintaining good grades at Dredis Academy was important.

If I could graduate while keeping up good grades, there would be plenty of other paths available to me.

That’s why this skills test was quite important to me.

‘Still, it shouldn’t be that difficult.’

The regular subject classes weren’t much different from modern classes before I possessed Ken.

The awkward subjects, such as magic, potion-making, and history, were all related to this game world.

Moreover, I was confident about the practical test that would follow the written exam.

Now, my stats were at least above those of an A-rank adventurer.

I was ready to take on anything that came my way.

With a somewhat relaxed mindset, I prepared for the test.

But then.

“Hey, Ken!”

“Yeah?”

After attending class at the academy and during the break that followed, I turned when someone called out to me while walking down the corridor.

It was Emily, blushing and turning her head away.

‘Is it about the skills test…?’

Mary, lost in thought, was staring blankly out the window.

That must have been about the upcoming exam.

Although Mary wasn’t particularly worried about her grades, her mind had been complicated for another reason lately.

‘…Should I suggest it to Ken?’

Ninety percent of that thought was about Ken Feinstein.

‘It seems like I haven’t spoken to him much lately.’

These days, Ken seemed quite busy.

Even the usual lunchtime we often spent together, he had been absent often and left the dormitory early in the morning.

Maybe that’s why Mary felt a bit of disappointment and her thoughts about Ken had been increasing.

“Hey, Mary! Are you listening?”

“…Uh, y-yeah?”

“Ugh! You were daydreaming, weren’t you?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was just a bit worried about the test.”

“Really! You’re doing great in your second year, aren’t you?”

For a moment, Mary was distracted, and a group of female students who approached began chatting around her.

They were girls she often spent time with in class.

Most of them approached Mary to talk to her.

“What were you talking about, by the way?”

Having been lost in thought, Mary smiled apologetically as she asked.

“Wow! We were just talking about Ken in the second year!”

“……What?”

At the unexpected mention of the name of the guy she had been harboring feelings for, Mary’s expression changed to one of rare surprise.

Her usually expressionless face was replaced by a look of shock.

Just a little while ago, people had shown no interest in Ken at all.

“Isn’t Ken suddenly looking super handsome?!”

“He’s not just handsome; he’s so good-looking! In my opinion, he’s the best in the academy!”

“Hmm~ But I think Iden from the fourth year is also pretty handsome.”

“Still, he might be number one in the second year, right? Honestly, when I look at Ken these days, the other guys seem like squids to me!”

“Ah, that’s true. Hahaha!”

‘…Squids?’

Mary envisioned the squid-like monsters that inhabit the ocean as she listened to the girls’ conversations.

The topic of the handsome male students at the academy was often brought up among the girls.

And as Ken was mentioned, an unfamiliar feeling of unease began to creep over Mary.

‘Ken was charming from the beginning….’

Most of all, it didn’t sit well with her that evaluations of him suddenly changed after he lost weight.

Ken had been cute and handsome even when he was heavier.

But now, seeing her friends squealing over how handsome he was made Mary feel slightly uncomfortable.

Above all.

“I…I actually have a little interest in Ken.”

A girl, blushing and timidly expressing her feelings.

“Ugh…”

━ Crack.

As her anxious reaction surfaced, Mary let out a small whimper and crushed her pencil with her grip.

“Hmm? Mary? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”

“So, I was thinking! If I could get some snacks for Ken next time…!”

“Um….”

As the excited girls began to chatter, Mary cautiously spoke up.

“I just remembered I have something to take care of, so I’ll step out for a moment.”

“Oh, really? Okay! Be careful!”

Trying to maintain a poker face so that her unpleasant feelings wouldn’t show, the girls waved goodbye without a second thought.

With that, Mary left the uncomfortable situation.

‘…Suddenly, Ken has become so popular.’

He was originally a guy that she had cherished in her heart.

In fact, she hadn’t liked him from the very start.

After he had helped her resolve her troubles one day, she had continued to be concerned about him.

That realization made her recognize her feelings as something special.

And she had never thought that someone else would also have such feelings for him.

After all, Mary was the one who spent the most time with Ken.

Other people showed no particular interest in him.

That’s why she wanted to cherish the time they spent together, holding onto her fluttering feelings until she could express them honestly someday.

‘If things continue like this, what if Ken ends up with someone else?’

“Ugh, what’s going on?”

As the uneasy thoughts flooded in, Mary suddenly felt dizzy and leaned against the window in the corridor.

Her vision wavered suddenly.

And in that fleeting moment, she caught a glimpse of a scene.

In it, three girls were gathered around a campfire, chatting with Ken.

One of those girls was none other than herself.

‘…And the other two are…’

And the strange memory ended there.

‘What the hell…?’

Once the dizziness faded, Mary tilted her head in confusion as she walked down the corridor.

She hadn’t set a specific destination.

But naturally, she found herself heading toward the class where Ken was.

‘Anyway, before someone else gets to him….’

The sudden increase in Ken’s popularity and the other girls developing feelings for him were beginning to amplify her sense of unease.

Mary felt she had to do something.

So, without a plan, she headed toward Ken.

At that moment.

“Ken… and Emily?”

Mary spotted Ken and Emily together around a corner.

‘No way, is she trying to get Ken again…?!’

Emily had been tormenting Ken all along.

While it wasn’t as bad as Lafne, she couldn’t bear to see Ken suffering due to her harassment.

That’s why Mary hurriedly made her way toward them.

But as she approached, she felt something strange.

‘…Emily’s expression is…’

It looked similar to the face of the girl who had just confessed her feelings for Ken.

Eyes that couldn’t meet his gaze, cheeks that were a bit redder than usual.

Mary instinctively sensed the change in the atmosphere.

‘Emily is… developing feelings for Ken.’

Cautiously moving closer, she stood around the corner to eavesdrop on their conversation.

She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but at that moment, Mary couldn’t think of anything else.

She was only concerned about what the two of them were talking about.

“Hey, Ken… about the skills test.”

‘The skills test?’

It was one of the topics Mary had been contemplating just a moment ago.

An event held regularly at the academy.

Mary had planned to suggest studying together with Ken for it.

‘Could it be that Emily is thinking the same thing…?’

Feeling anxious, Mary tightened her grip on the corner of the wall as she waited for Emily to continue speaking.

And what followed was unexpected.

“If I get first place in the test…! Th-then, could you grant me one wish?!”

With an eager tone, she turned her head shyly.

A wish…?

What kind of wish?

What the heck…?

As a wave of instinctive anxiety swept over her, Mary found herself stepping out from behind the wall without realizing it.

“W-Wait a minute…!”

“Uh, huh? Mary?”

“Ugh….”

Surprised by her sudden appearance, Ken stepped back, while Emily awkwardly took a step back as well.

Ignoring their reactions, Mary hurriedly spoke up.

“I-I was also going to ask Ken for a favor!”

“Wait? You, Mary, too?”

Of course, that was a lie.

The idea of asking him for a favor if he got first place sounded selfish and vulgar, and she didn’t have such an intention.

At best, she was thinking about suggesting studying together.

But the situation was different now.

An enemy had appeared.

“Yeah, if I get first place in this test… please grant me a favor.”

Feeling shy while speaking to the person she had a crush on, Mary turned her head, blushing at the same time.

‘Mary too….’

The sudden requests from both girls.

Asking Ken to grant a wish if he gets first place in the test.

Ken felt troubled as he looked between the two of them.

Both gazed at him seriously, as if they were sincere.

‘……Huh? But this situation is similar to what happened before… Ah!’

Then a sudden memory came to mind.

It was something that had happened at the beginning of a survival event in the past.

When two girls had approached him at the event registration area and asked him for favors related to the event’s rewards.

The current situation was eerily similar to that.

‘Wait a minute… if I can use this well….’

Momentarily resting his chin on his hand, Ken fell into thought.

After all, he was also pondering something.

While he had successfully restored Lafne’s memories, he had yet to resolve Emily and Mary’s.

Now, an event similar to what had happened in the past was occurring.

“Okay! Sounds good! If you get first place, I’ll grant any wish you want!”

“What?!”

“Really?!”

The startled reaction from the two girls caught Ken off guard.

He had only meant to offer what little he could provide.

After all, he didn’t have much money.

‘But if it helps me find their memories…’

Though it might seem trivial, it could still be of some assistance.

Thus, Ken responded with a bright smile.

“Yeah, I promise.”

With that, the expressions of both girls brightened, and they smiled widely.

It seemed they were quite serious about this upcoming test.

Then, unexpectedly, Ken noticed two girls watching them from nearby.

The two were whispering to each other, talking about something.

And those two were the source of the problem.

“Hmm? Ken Feinstein? For first place?”

Recently, rumors had begun circulating at the academy.

It was about Ken Feinstein, who had suddenly transformed into a stunning figure.

And the rumor that he would grant any wish for the person who came in first place in the skills test was spreading fast.

“Yeah, it’s a topic that’s been frequently discussed among the second-years lately.”

Upon hearing about the rumor from the vice president of the student council, Arnett Nel Arnaud, Ken fell into thought for a moment.

‘That chubby Ken…’

The one who best understood his abilities was Arnett, who had once entrusted the repairs of Aspertura to him.

Furthermore, according to the rumors, his appearance had become incredibly handsome after losing weight.

Arnett licked her lips, wearing a flirtatious expression.

A man who had tempted her even when his abilities were outstanding.

Now, the rumor was that he had also become exceptionally good-looking.

“This is going to be interesting.”

Although she hadn’t actually seen his looks yet, the idea that he would grant any wish for the first-place winner in the test piqued her curiosity.

Arnett pointed at the vice president, instructing her.

“Vice president. Make sure to rank all grades together for this semester’s skills test.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“And put a notice up on the bulletin board.”

“Understood.”

Always attuned to Arnett’s intentions, the vice president adjusted her glasses as she wrote it down.

“Then, I suppose I should give it my all in this test too.”

While Arnett usually maintained her grades at an average level during skills tests, she now wore a mischievous smile.

And shortly after, a conspicuous parchment was hung on the central bulletin board of the academy.

It contained an announcement from the student council regarding a prize event for the first-place winner of the skills test.

The prize was a wish granted by Ken Feinstein, the second-year student.

‘No, what do I think about this….’

Ken gazed at the notice in disbelief.

And the students gathering around were also staring at him.