4. A World Where Even NPCs Are Handsome
For a moment, the world seemed to stop, leaving only Cedric and me.
In truth, Cedric had frozen too.
‘Duke Cedric Edwin’ has requested a dance!
1. Take his hand.
2. Refuse.
‘They’re sitting here giving me a choice for this.’
Lete immediately extended her hand.
The instant her hand selected option 1, the world began moving again. Before she knew it, Lete had placed her hand in Cedric’s.
I’m holding my ultimate bias’s hand, everyone. I could die now with no regrets.
“Thank you for accepting my request.”
“N-No, I’m the one who’s more grateful! It’s an honor to the family!”
“Pfft.”
Oh heavens. Lete felt as if she were moving in a fainted state.
Cedric naturally escorted Lete forward into the hall.
Then, carefully, the dance began.
“Wooow.”
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“The world surrounding you, Your Grace.”
Everyone’s gazes were fixed on Cedric.
With every step he took, the air around seemed to shift. As if everything revolved around him.
Moving with skill and ease despite the countless eyes upon him, he was truly the perfect protagonist.
“You should look at your partner while dancing.”
No, it’s the protagonist smile.
Lete felt as if her eyes might go blind for a moment and desperately tried to look at Cedric, only to eventually shift her gaze to his chest.
She simply didn’t have the courage to look at him from such a close distance.
Meeting her ultimate bias this closely was bound to bring tears. She couldn’t embarrass herself by crying in the banquet hall.
“You’re too close. Isn’t my heartbeat too loud right now? But don’t worry, Your Grace. I’m a person with manners, in my own way.”
“Hm, Lady Étoile. Is that why you keep calling me ‘Your Grace’?”
“Of course. There’s a clear hierarchy.”
“I won’t deny the existence of status. However, I don’t wish to maintain a hierarchy with you, Lady Étoile.”
“Uh…….”
The next line was surely,
‘Will you permit me to call you Lete?’
“Will you permit me to call you Lete?”
Exactly. It was good that she had memorized the game story and dialogue line by line for five years.
Lete burst into a bright smile, her chest tightly filled with joy.
“Yes. Cedric-nim.”
“Cedric. Please call me that.”
And so the dance ended, and at the same time, the chapter drew to a close. If she closed her eyes now, the scene would probably shift.
Lete felt tears welling up but didn’t close her eyes. She wanted to keep this moment etched in her eyes for as long as possible.
“Cedric.”
“It sounds nice, Lete.”
“I wish this world had a capture system.”
With those words, Lete closed her eyes. And when she opened them again,
“……As expected.”
It was Lete’s room.
Lete trembled with an unbearable emptiness.
This was why she only liked beings that couldn’t break the laws of physics. She hated this feeling.
Lete quickly wrapped herself in the blanket and curled up.
The meeting with Cedric made her mind explode like popcorn; she couldn’t think straight.
Her hair stood on end to the tips, and her heart pounded as if it might leap out of her mouth.
But now, it was nothing. A silent room. Peaceful air. All that remained were memories.
“System. No illustration reward?”
As Lete asked the empty air, a faint mechanical sound soon rang in her ears.
The menu cannot be found.
“Then is there a log of the story I progressed that I can view again?”
Player’s play content cannot be viewed again.
“What am I supposed to replay in a simulation game without a log?”
Raise the favorability of the capture target to reach an ending!
Lives: 10/10
Sanity: 60/100
Favorability: 16/100
She knew. The ultimate goal in this game was to see an ending.
Yet, having seen Cedric moving as if alive, Lete couldn’t simply view him as a mere capture target.
She wanted him to be happy.
But the Cedric she faced wore a face that seemed to know neither happiness nor unhappiness.
“Why did my sanity drop?”
“Because sanity includes happiness levels as well.”
The answer didn’t come from the screen. Startled, Lete turned her eyes toward the source of the voice.
There stood a man dressed in butler attire.
With deep blue hair and indifferent gray eyes, the man exuded a chilling aura.
His extremely expressionless face, devoid of even a speck of emotion, made him feel like a doll.
“Who are you?”
“Hello. I am Ethan, here to assist the player’s smooth progress.”
“Ah, then can I just call you Ethan?”
Lete unrolled the blanket she had wrapped herself in and gestured for Ethan to take a chair.
Ethan lightly bowed in greeting, sat down, and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, two teacups half-filled with warm tea appeared on the table.
“Oh. Magic…?”
Lete exclaimed in admiration, sitting across from him and taking a teacup in hand. Steam rose gently, and a fragrant tea aroma lingered at the tip of her nose.
“Let’s call it a game allowance. Speak casually. Unless you want to be looked down upon by nobles for being formal with commoners in the mid-story.”
At Ethan’s advice, Lete tilted her head sideways.
“Would being looked down upon in high society hinder a happy ending with the capture target?”
“Not exactly, but it would consume a lot of sanity.”
As if her question was unexpected, Ethan’s eyebrow twitched.
“Then it doesn’t matter. This isn’t reality anyway. What’s the big deal about being cursed at by game characters?”
As long as she was in this game, only one thing mattered. Cedric Edwin.
Anyone who has held their ultimate bias in their heart would know. The source of my emotional highs and lows shifts from real life to my bias.
The moment you’re fangirling, the noise from those around you is less than a fly’s buzz.
“……Not reality. Is there a difference between reality and here?”
Ethan murmured, repeating Lete’s words; his complexion darkened for a split second before returning to his mechanical expressionlessness.
Fortunately, Lete, who had no interest beyond Cedric, didn’t notice the expression and innocently opened her mouth.
“Of course. In reality, this is attached.”
Lete pressed her thumb and index finger together to form a circle. Money.
Why would money be needed?
To fangirl, you need money.
Cedric special posters, limited edition plushies, hidden story unlocks, and such.
“Is the reason your attitude differs between reality and the game because of money?”
“Of course. No matter how dirty or petty, there are things you have to endure to make a living. But in a game, there’s no reason to hide my true self, right?”
“There is currency here too.”
“But things that money can never achieve in reality are possible here without money, so no need to obsess over it.”
Excellent NPC Ethan.
He had been recognized by the system that routinely replaced NPCs through updates and maintenance, serving as a player guide from the early days to now.
He had faced countless ‘Lete Étoiles,’ but this was the first time one had nothing in her head but fangirling.
“Your goal is a happy ending with Duke Edwin, correct?”
“Yes.”
An answer without a hint of hesitation.
“Then appearing close with me will be helpful.”
“How exactly would that help?”
“Spoiler prohibition, so I can’t say right now.”
Ethan replied coldly, setting down his emptied teacup. He seemed to quite enjoy drinking tea.
‘…Is it okay to use the word ‘spoiler’ in this era?’
“I can use it. I’m not a character bound by the world setting.”
“…Did I say that out loud just now?”
“It shows on your face what you’re thinking.”
“Ahem, got it. Looking forward to working with you, Ethan.”
Ethan stared blankly at the hand she extended. She’d be leaving soon anyway, so why this?
Ignoring Lete’s outstretched hand lightly, Ethan opened his mouth with an expressionless face.
“Then, shall we proceed to the next chapter?”
“The next one is the temple, right?”
It might have been embarrassing to be rejected, but Lete casually withdrew her hand and answered. As she said, if it wasn’t her ultimate bias, it didn’t matter much.
“Yes.”
“Can I skip an episode without progressing it?”
“Impossible.”
At Ethan’s mechanical response, Lete leaned back in her chair and sighed.
“That’s tough. I won’t even see a single strand of Cedric’s hair there.”
The next chapter was thoroughly composed to raise the Holy Knight Commander’s favorability.
Ethan gazed at Lete as if observing her, then spoke.
“Instead, rewards are given based on story progress.”
“Cedric goods?”
Lete suddenly sat up straight. Her eyes sparkled at the word ‘reward.’
“Is that the only word in your head?”
Ethan swept back his deep blue hair.
Beneath the revealed thick eyebrows, his gray eyes, unreadable in emotion, seemed to flicker for a moment.
“If you say it like that, it sounds really weird! It’s Cedric, Cedric! My ultimate bias, who I thought I could never reach, is breathing in the same world as me—how could I fit anything else in this tiny head of mine besides Cedric?”
“Breathe… Easy now, Lete.”
Ethan couldn’t understand Lete.
It was just a game character created by the system—how could she be this happy?
