025 - For Whom is the Club Room #2

TL/ED: Lolz

Victoria opened her shimmering lips and spoke.

"Nike told me everything. She said you and she aren't dating. You’ve only been together for about ten days."

"...."

"So, the story about you having another woman was a lie. Is that ring fake too? Just a prop to make it seem like you have another woman."

"Yeah, you're right."

「Beginner Charm Ring: +10 to the user’s Charm. A pure gold ring from Parthas, very popular with women.」

This was a fake coupling ring.

Swiftly, as I removed the ring, Victoria's body trembled slightly.

"...Victor, you seem more cynical all of a sudden. Is it because of your mood?"

The effect happens immediately when you take off the ring.

I should just keep wearing it.

As I put the ring back on, Victoria blamed me.

"Nike Mokemoke seemed nice. How could you involve such a kind girl in your lie? The lie about Nike Mokemoke liking you and even kissing you. It could have led to a big misunderstanding."

"..."

I had nothing to say.

I was prepared for this level of selling, so I felt surprisingly calm.

Well, it's actually less spicy than I expected.

I thought Victoria's personality would at least lead to a nice slap in the face.

"And Victor, you're not the kind of person who tells lies like this. More than anyone else, even more than Enio or Nike, I know you better."

Victoria strangely emphasized the names of Enio and Nike.

While I was wondering what it meant, Victoria spoke to me in a calm and subtle voice.

"Victor, you actually knew all along, didn't you?"

"I knew?"

"This time, Enrique... no, Fimblevet and the Arkwright family were connected."

"Is that so?"

"No need to act surprised. I heard everything from Enio. You knew that Enrique was coming to this warehouse and waited in advance, right?"

Yes, that's right - if I answered with that, it would be a lie.

But both Enio and Victoria interpreted the situation in their own way.

"Victor, you knew about Enrique. You knew about Fimblevet too. So, you also knew that there was a deal between them and the 'Wolf' Leroy, and my brother Orca, didn't you?"

Orca.

Orca Arkwright was her older brother, two years older than Victoria.

He was an elite who served as the student council president for two consecutive terms.

When I was lost in thought, Victoria shivered.

"I can't believe it. My bloodline had a deal with those lawless rogues. I don't know what the deal was about, but the Fimblevet guys weren't disintegrated. They just pretended to be."

"Yes, it seems that way."

"Victor, you couldn't stand having an Arkwright involved in such a deal, could you? That's why you intentionally got demoted by losing to the transfer student."

That was not true.

But at the same time, if I said that, it would become a lie.

In fact, my breakup with Victoria was largely to sever ties with the Arkwright family.

Victor's return to the Arkwright family turned him into a monster for some reason.

"...The true enemy was within us. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow that had to follow. Victor, tell me. Who is involved in this?"

You want me to say that?

Victoria's line, "The true enemy was within us. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow that had to follow.", is from the student council route's Act 7.

So, the line that Victoria delivered as she plunged the knife into Victor's reluctant heart was a speech intended for the protagonist, Luke, while hinting at a certain aspiration.

So, the fact that Victor finally hears it at the end of Act 1 was a surprising development.

What would happen if I were to speak the truth here, saying, "In fact, your father is delving into forbidden magic"?

It would be a total mess in various ways.

Do you think you could overcome the Arkwright family's current state? Absolutely not.

The reason I didn't directly say, "It's not you, it's your family that's the problem.", when I broke up with Victoria was precisely this.

"..."

And so, I chose silence.

After several trial-and-error attempts, I came to realize that Victor preferred silence over telling lies.

My stomach hurt less this way.

Victoria said.

"No, you're not an Arkwright anymore. Even if you say these things, it's just a formality for me. This is my problem. So, Victor..."

"What is it?"

"...I'm talking about the breakup. I've thought about it quite a bit. I've thought about it starting from our engagement. Back then, you and I were young. We didn't know anything."

"Well, it was an engagement arranged by the family. It was an irrational relationship from the beginning."

"...I see. Yes, there was no mutual consent. So, what I wanted to say is..."

Victoria hesitated a lot.

Victoria's personality was as cool as her sleeveless outfit.

This roundabout way of talking was something I had never seen in my countless hours of playing the student council route.

"Stop beating around the bush and just say it. Time is money for me, unlike a wealthy person like you."

"Yes, you're right. So..."

Finally, it seemed like Victoria had made up her mind, and her golden eyes gleamed brightly.

"Victor, are you here?"

Someone appeared inside the old warehouse. Unlike Victoria, who shone in silver, she radiated a deep black.

Black and white.

Perfect symmetry.

"Oh, Miss Victoria, you're in such a busy place."

"Enio, what are you doing here?"

Tension.

Lightning seemed to be flying from both of their eyes.

Their stare-down was a given.

Victoria is the vice-president of the student council.

And now, a lady of the Arkwright family.

Enio is one of the seven delegates who keep an eye on the student council.

And now, the only lady of the Blackstar family.

They can't mix with each other.

Who spoke first in this situation was Enio.

"Victor asked me for a favor."

"Victor asked you?"

"Victor asked me for a pair of socks. While he was at it, he visited to take a look at the clubroom."

"Socks… ?”

Victoria seemed to not understand what Enio was talking about. But whether Victoria understood or not, Enio sat down on the mat on the floor and took off her black shoes.

Ssssh.

By doing so, her white thighs were exposed, and you could see a mole on the inside of her left thigh and a yellow ribbon wrapped around her slender ankle, but Enio didn't seem to care.

I didn't care either.

"So, why do you need this now? Do you know the reason I'm thinking of?"

Enio took off her socks and exposed her bare feet.

The feet were very white and small.

"Ha, what's going on now? Seriously, this is ridiculous. I'm leaving."

Victoria blushed and turned her head away as she tried to leave. I asked her.

"Victoria, weren't you trying to say something important?"

"I don't know! You idiot! Just die!"

Victoria eventually left the club room, telling me to die.

Did her favorability toward me drop during this conversation?

Or was it something else she wanted to talk about?

As I was reflecting on the events that just transpired, Enio handed me the black socks.

"But why do you need this? Do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Enio, I don't know what reason you have in mind, but I asked for new socks. It's for decorating the club room."

The "Christmas Tree" was an incredible furniture item that reduced the consumption rate of Ludens facility usage by a remarkable 10%.

It was one of the first items to be installed because it significantly lowered the prices of various facilities, such as vending machines in the Adventurer’s Guild or item random boxes in the underground market.

"I see. So you needed new socks. I guess I should put them on again."

Enio put the black socks back on her white legs and then put on her shoes.

* * *

I thought Enio was just here to look around the club room and leave, but she stayed and talked about various things.

Among them were some stories that were quite helpful to me.

For example, something like this.

"It's a secret, but during a Delegates meeting, there was a discussion about granting Victor permission to carry weapons on campus."

"If it's a secret, should you be telling me?"

"I just muttered it to myself. If someone overheard, there's nothing I can do about it."

Classic Enio.

Granting permission to carry weapons?

Well, it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Most of the materials needed for decorating the room, cooking ingredients, and crafting materials are obtained by defeating monsters or animals.

"Nevertheless, there are seven delegates, and I would need the majority's approval. Even if I manage that, convincing the remaining three might not be easy."

"Indeed, delegates are just as strong-willed as student council executives."

As far as I knew, there were six delegates seen in the game.

One delegate remained veiled and hidden, and had not made an appearance.

Among players, there were jokes like, "They haven't made the seventh one yet, have they?" or discussions like, "They're probably saving it for a DLC."

"..."

Thinking about it now, those jokes seemed to make sense.

Enio continued.

"First, I think I can persuade people like Eris and Morian. The problem lies with the one remaining member. Delegates often have differing opinions among themselves."

Enio was strangely friendly towards me.

Perhaps she felt the need to repay me for my assistance in finding the yellow ribbon for her, or maybe because I protected her from Enrique.

However, I found her kindness somewhat burdensome.

Too much repayment for a favor could lead to an endless cycle of reciprocal favors, and I preferred to maintain a clean and simple system of exchange.

"Enio, I appreciate your kindness, but this is my job, so I'll handle it."

"Alright. I remember Victor being that way."

With that, our conversation ended briefly, and I continued to ponder where to place the furniture. While I was lost in thought, Enio called me again.

“Hey, Victor.”

"Why are you calling me?"

"When you think about it, I'm a member of this club too, right? Victor, I’ve never tasted your cooking, and I was wondering if you could make something for me."

“Didn’t you say you were going to be a member only on paper?”

"That's true. But I put in quite an effort to give this room to Victor."

Enio gave me a meaningful look with her narrow eyes slightly squinted.

She had a point.

I felt I owed her a bit for securing this club room. If I didn't repay it soon, it could lead to trouble later.

While I was fine receiving debts from others, I felt it was better to repay the debt as soon as possible, especially with Enio.

 Otherwise, it could become overwhelming.

"Alright, since I was thinking about introducing a new menu, this is the perfect moment. I'll take your request. What would you like to eat?"

"Me? I ...uh..."

Enio seemed to be in deep thought.

From what I knew, she favored milder flavors, like plain tofu or simple noodles.

"Well, now that you've asked, it's suddenly become quite a dilemma. Victor cooking for me... Hmm..."

She was taking her time to decide, and it felt like the clock was ticking slowly.

Maybe I could help her with the menu choice.

"How about a tofu dish?"

Once you defeated Enrique, the underground market would soon open to civilians.

It was the place to get the tofu that Enio enjoyed.

"Tofu? How did you know I like tofu?"

Just a hunch."

"Hmm... I'll go with that. Victor, even though I like tofu, I'm not really in the mood for it right now. It's more like... what should I call it? I'm craving something sweet."

Something sweet?

In a world where survival was the primary concern, sweet things were considered luxury items, even for young ladies like Victoria and Enio. Within Ludens, sweet items were portrayed as hard to come by, regardless of whether you were a noble or not.

"Even if you're Victor, creating something sweet on the spot might be a bit challenging."

"No, it's not a problem."

I didn't know if it could be a mass-produced item.

Making just one wouldn't be a big challenge.

However, the main concern would be bracing for the potential bee stings.

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