3. Even a Fangirl Can Ride the Waves.
“Your face is flushed. Are you perhaps feeling unwell somewhere?”
The neat uniform accentuated Cedric’s firm physique, and every step he took exuded refinement.
‘Wow… the real thing is insane….’
Lete swallowed dryly.
The character she had seen countless times in the game was right before her eyes.
The male protagonist she had only ever seen through a screen now felt like he truly existed.
A mix of awe and excitement made her chest pound.
“N-No… I mean, it’s not that I usually can’t speak, but… I must look like such an idiot right now, don’t I?”
“Not at all. I only asked out of concern that you might be unwell.”
“My body is very, very fine.”
“Then, for a moment.”
Cedric smiled gently and placed Lete’s hand on his arm.
He had always been kind by nature, but unfortunately, that was merely a setting.
Still, his gentle voice tickled her heart.
It was exactly the same dialogue as in the game. But hearing it directly felt entirely different.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
“For what?”
“Well, for… suddenly requesting to be your first partner and putting you in a difficult position…?”
“Not at all. I was actually troubled for not having found a partner yet, so I was honored that you asked me first.”
Cedric’s eyes curved softly. Yet for some reason, Lete felt a slight sinking in her mood as she spoke.
“That can’t be true.”
“……?”
As a Cedric expert, Lete knew.
The expression on Cedric’s face right now was merely a mask of perfect courtesy and kindness.
Thus, Lete could tell that his words weren’t because he genuinely found the situation acceptable.
Feeling the faint warmth of his body beneath her hand, Lete lifted the corners of her mouth with a touch of bitterness.
“You find people approaching you with impure intentions like me extremely burdensome, don’t you, Your Grace?”
“That……,”
Cedric seemed a bit flustered, his lips twitching. Meanwhile, Lete could only lament that she couldn’t capture the moment in a photo.
“Ah! It’s the banquet hall. My goodness, they’ve recreated it exactly.”
Just as Cedric was about to speak, the stairs unfortunately ended.
Lete’s attention was already completely stolen by the banquet hall.
The hall, bathed in the glow of golden chandeliers, was filled with sparkling crystal decorations, soft music, and nobles in gorgeous dresses.
It felt like gazing at a masterpiece with her own two eyes.
“I’ve really entered –inside. Normally a choice should appear here, but is there nothing like that?”
Lete looked around in a daze. Honestly, she hadn’t expected it to be recreated this faithfully.
Since the game skipped cuts just like this, she thought some landscape descriptions would be blurred, but not at all.
“Lady Étoile.”
“Huk.”
Her heart raced wildly at the face that suddenly drew near.
Unaware of how detrimental his face was to her heart, Cedric went further and lightly pressed the back of his hand to Lete’s forehead.
“Are you really sure you’re all right? It feels like you have a fever.”
Lete experienced a strange phenomenon—her vision spinning, her mind spinning, her hands and feet growing cold, her head burning hot—and unwittingly opened her mouth.
“It’s because you’re too handsome. My eyes are dazzled, my heart is racing, and, well, that’s how it is. Yes. It’s a scenic view.”
“Lady… Étoile?”
Flustered, Cedric called her name with wide eyes.
Only then did Lete snap back to her senses, hastily stepping back from him and bowing her head deeply.
“You don’t need to worry that I’m lowering my gaze because I’m in a bad mood or anything. It’s actually the opposite. Your noble visage sparkles so much that I dare not look up.”
“……?”
Cedric tilted his head with a face full of confusion, as if Lete’s words were in some foreign language.
Lete instinctively realized she had severely malfunctioned in front of her suddenly encountered ultimate bias.
Her face burned so hot she felt tears might well up.
“Th-Then, thank you for being my entrance partner! I’ll, um, run away now!”
“Wait a—”
Cedric reached out but couldn’t rudely grab her.
He blankly watched Lete dash toward the balcony, then pressed the back of his hand to his cheek.
“What in the world was that about.”
The cheek pressed by the back of his hand was quite red.
* * *
“Huk, heok……!”
Lete, having reached the balcony, slid down in a heap.
Insane. My ultimate bias. The one I could never meet beyond the screen, making him all the more desperate, affectionate, heart-wrenching, and sorrowful.
Handsome in a way that doesn’t exist in reality, tall, kind, deeply considerate, responsible…! That ultimate bias was not only moving alive right before my eyes but warm.
Truly, as if he were a living human!
Lete was now at the point of gasping for breath.
“What if I die from my heart exploding and trigger a dead ending?”
That can’t happen. How precious an encounter opportunity is this. I have to stay in this game as long as possible and look at Cedric’s face until I’m sick of it.
……Though it’s not a face I could ever get sick of.
“Phew. I’m calming down a bit now.”
Finally catching her breath, Lete let out a sigh of relief.
Leaning her arms on the balcony railing and resting her chin, she quietly gazed down at the scenery.
It was realistic enough to forget this was inside a game, yet so perfectly replicated that it reminded her it was indeed inside a game.
“Screen.”
Lives: 10/10
Sanity: 70/100
Favorability: 13/100
Tip! To check the favorability of a different capture target, enter the ‘Change Target’ menu.
“Huh? Favorability 13?”
Lete leaned forward with rounded eyes. She couldn’t believe it.
It was still the first episode, and she hadn’t paid anything, so the favorability shouldn’t rise this quickly.
“It’s good, though.”
Lete reached out and gently stroked the ‘13’ on the favorability display.
Absorbed in the system window, Lete didn’t notice someone approaching from behind.
“Lady Étoile?”
“……!”
Startled, Lete turned around but tripped, losing her balance.
She hadn’t realized how far forward she had leaned because of her focus on the screen.
Lete’s eyes widened as she felt her feet lift off the ground.
Wow. Cedric’s face, full of shock, filled her vision. Really wish I could save this as a photo.
Just before Lete’s body completely tipped over the railing, a sturdy arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.
“Are you all right?”
A low, gentle voice resounded from right above.
When Lete looked up, she faced Cedric’s face mere inches away.
Up close, he was even more unrealistically handsome. Mystical golden eyes gazed down at her.
‘Th-This is too much of a foul.’
Feeling her heart pounding madly, Lete quickly pulled away from him.
“You should watch your step, Lady Étoile.”
A perfect smile graced Cedric’s lips.
“Huh….”
For some reason, Lete sensed an uncomfortable dissonance in that smile. However, the dissonance didn’t last long.
‘No, that’s not important! What’s important is that I was just embraced by Cedric. That my heart is racing so much I might die. That Cedric is too handsome, beautiful, kind, and everything!’
Yes. That’s the most important.
Lete quickly erased the earlier dissonance and lightly bowed her head to Cedric.
“Thank you for saving me, Your Grace.”
“Not at all. Shall we return to the banquet hall, then? The dance piece is about to begin.”
The highlight of the debutante was the dancing time.
Gentlemen request dances from ladies, who decide whether to accept.
And finally, the climax of gliding across the hall in dance, rapidly exchanging calculations and emotions.
“Y-Your Grace.”
“Yes. Speak comfortably.”
Lete called Cedric with a rather resolute air. Cedric waited quietly for her words, wearing his usual warm and gentle smile.
“May I make one more impure request?”
“An impure request, you say.”
At Cedric’s question, Lete curtsied and extended her hand.
It was a very polite posture, but closer to a knight’s than a noble lady’s.
“Would you grant me the honor of my first dance with you, Your Grace?”
“Pfft.”
“Huh?”
He laughed. My ultimate bias laughed. That was a genuine laugh. Because in all my game plays, Cedric never laughed like that!
“I wanted to be the first to ask, but you stole the order. Will you kindly yield this request to me?”
“I’m willing to yield even my soul.”
This was sincere. Perhaps growing somewhat accustomed to Lete’s colorful cringe, Cedric extended his hand to her with flawless etiquette.
“Lady Étoile. Will you please grant me the honor of your first dance?”
