009 – Chaos Before the Start of School #2
TL/ED: Lolz
Victoria was completely overwhelmed.
The first day of the new school year was always hectic for the Student Council, and chaos was a tradition they had come to expect.
“Sigh.”
But Victoria’s level of chaos far surpassed that of the other council members. In reality, the workload didn’t faze her efficient nature.
What really overwhelmed Victoria was something else entirely.
Flutter.
“…He didn’t break up with me! I did! Victor! Those newspaper club guys are just writing these rumors and articles because they have too much budget? We should investigate once school starts!”
The newspaper reported on the breakup between Victoria and Victor, with the story heavily favoring Victor’s side, claiming that he had initiated the breakup.
The ‘Daily Rumor’, the second-year vice-president of the newspaper department must have gotten the facts right. She was furious that such an “unfounded” story had been published.
Whisper. Whisper.
“Shouldn’t someone calm down Senior Victorica?”
“Mirene, then why don’t you try?”
As everyone in the student council office watched Vice President Victoria, their friend and Student Council secretary, Shadi Franco, approached and tapped Victoria on the shoulder.
“Victoria, stop frowning and let’s go shopping together. You must have received a generous allowance when the ships came into the harbor this time, right? It’s the last weekend of vacation, so let’s buy some clothes.”
“Shadi, I don’t have the time for that. You know my family only provides the essentials, right?”
“Yeah, I remember your family’s situation. Okay, I’ll buy you one new spring outfit. Go on, get dressed up and maybe find a new boyfriend during this opportunity. You can do all the le*d things you haven’t done before…”
“Shadi!”
“Alright, alright.”
Shadi, the second-year student with brown wavy hair, laughed at Victoria’s irritation. “Our princess is funny.”
In the end, Shadi and Victoria headed into town. It made sense to stock up on necessities before the new school year began.
And then, they ran into him.
“Hey, Victor. What are you doing over there?”
Victor was on the taller side, with a height measured at 183 cm during the last check.
He also weighed around 77 kg.
His tall and muscular physique emitted a considerable sense of authority as a Disciplinary Committee member when he wore the red armband.
That’s why he easily stood out wherever he went.
“Are you really hiding behind that lamppost?”
Even if he tried to hide, his broad shoulders were clearly visible, making it more amusing.
Victor replied,
“I’m not a criminal, so why would I hide? I was just looking at the interesting patterns on the lamppost.”
“…”
Was he telling the truth?
Victor never lied.
He did have a slightly uncomfortable expression, but for now, they decided to let it go. What completely stole Victoria’s attention, however, was not Victor but the girl standing next to him.
“A girl… right?”
She was wearing a tattered hooded jacket, and she was about 160 cm tall.
Only the worn Ludens girls’ school uniform gave away her identity as a student.
‘Is this the new girl Victor mentioned…? She doesn’t look like a student; she seems more like a street kid.’
Could it be that this ragged girl is the one he mentioned?
‘Could it be that he broke up with me to ended up with this girl?’
She quickly scanned the girl from head to toe.
“Uh, hello Victoria… I mean, Miss Arkwright. Nice to meet you. I’m, uh, Mokemoke…”
Like a squirrel in front of a predator, Nike, who was just an ordinary student, fidgeted nervously.
She was one of those average students who couldn’t even afford to enter the dorms and stayed in the outskirts’ inns.
‘I won.’
Victoria didn’t like people who ignored and looked down on others like Enio did. However, strangely, this time she felt a sense of satisfaction.
But it was short-lived.
‘Did I lose because of this girl? No, not lost, but we broke up because of her? Am I really inferior to someone like her right now? What will people say if they find out?’
In reality, Victoria’s other childhood friend, Shadi Franco, was struggling to hold back her laughter.
“Puhaha, you two look great together. Haha… Victoria, you deserved to get dumped!”
Victoria Arkwright, a high-society girl, couldn’t bear to hear such things.
No, she couldn’t.
However.
All of this was just Victoria’s speculation.
She decided to confirm it.
“Victor, is this the woman you were talking about?”
“Well…”
“No, I don’t want to hear it from you. I’ll ask her directly. Hey, you.”
“Uh, yeah? I’m called Mokemoke…”
Mokemoke.
Strange name.
Where did she hear it before?
‘I’ve heard this name before… What was it? I saw it in some document…? Mokemoke. I’m sure I remember it because it’s a strange name.’
No, it didn’t matter right now.
“Miss Mokemoke, what’s your relationship with Victor here?”
“Me? Well, our relationship is… uh…”
That’s when it happened.
“We’re just sharing a pot. And we stamped each other’s life for it.”
“What? Stamped?”
Victoria felt like her world was spinning at Victor’s words!
* * *
In front of Victoria, Nike was completely unable to regain her composure.
Was she even more overwhelmed by Victoria’s beauty than other women?
“Uh…”
In front of the elegant high-society girl Victoria, Nike, who came from a humble background, felt weaker than a hamster!
The issue was that Victoria’s gaze as she looked at both Nike and Victor was strange.
Maybe I should intervene.
“She and I have that kind of relationship. Got it?”
“That kind of relationship… Sharing a pot… Stamping… Then, no way…”
Although Victoria misunderstood it slightly differently, it was true that they had shared meals from the same pot and stamped each other’s loan documents.
So, it wasn’t a lie. Perhaps that’s why Victor’s conscience, which couldn’t tolerate lies, remained intact.
Okay, Victor. So, it’s like this, right?
As long as it’s not a lie, it’s fine, right?
Victoria asked, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Is that true, Mokemoke? Tell me honestly.”
“Yeah, it’s true. Victor even said he’d treat me to delicious meals. We even swore to the Order of the Gods…”
“On the Order of the Gods…”
Victoria swayed unsteadily.
Then, the brown-haired woman with waves, who looked like a model, and had a small mole the left side of her lip, supported her.
Was she Shadi?
Shadi Franco, the Student Council Secretary.
Seeing her in person was touching.
“Hey, Victoria. Are you okay?”
“Shadi, am I dreaming right now? Huh? Am I taking a nap because I’m tired and exhausted…”
“Snap out of it. This is real.”
“Why am I in this situation…”
Victoria regained her composure.
“Victor, are you really in your right mind? You broke up with me because of this creepy girl? Seriously? Are you breaking off your engagement with me because of this?”
“You call her creepy?”
“Yeah, she is. She’s overly finicky and messy. To be honest, she doesn’t have a single thing better than me.”
“… … .”
Victoria’s critical comments caused Nike’s shoulders to slump visibly.
Had the in-game Victoria always been this critical of others?
No, there were more important things to address at the moment.
“Apologize, Victoria. This girl may be finicky and messy, just as you said. Say it now. However, she’s not without her merits. In a sense, she has as much potential as you do.”
Nike, like Victoria and Enio, was created as a heroine. She was the flagship character of the DLC released in conjunction with the remastered edition, ten years after the original game.
Her potential was boundless, to the point that even hardcore D&A fans like myself couldn’t fully comprehend it.
“Potential…?”
Victoria’s golden eyes seemed to waver at the mention of potential. Was there something bothering her?
“Potential, yes. Let’s see what kind of potential she has. You, as well as this strange girl named Mokemoke.”
Then it happened.
“I’m not strange.”
Nike, who had been shaking like a leaf just a moment ago, suddenly spoke with calm and seriousness.
“Mokemoke is a precious name my father gave me. It’s absolutely not strange. I always admired you, Miss Victoria. So why are you mocking my name? It’s a bit disappointing.”
“U-Uh…?”
It was an unusual display of confidence.
Victoria, who hadn’t shown signs of being flustered even in the main storyline, took a step back.
Was the name “Mokemoke” some sort of Achilles’ heel for Nike?
Phew…, I’m glad I didn’t make fun of her. I was tempted to do it a few times. I should remember to keep certain boundaries with people.
“…In that case, I’m the one who looks like a one-sided villain. Am I the aggressor here? When you think about it, I’m not much different…”
Victoria seemed to feel unfairly treated, but she quickly sighed and changed her expression to one of cold composure.
“I apologize, Miss Mokemoke. Everyone has the right to take pride in their name. I was clearly foolish. However…”
Swoosh.
But right as Victoria was about to say more, she bit her tongue and turned her head abruptly.
“Let’s go, Shadi.”
“Huh? Oh, right. Let’s go.”
Gone?
Totally gone, right?
It felt like a storm had just swept through. If Victor’s temperament were a bit lighter, his legs might have given way, and he would have collapsed in shock.
“Hiyah, my legs are giving out… How could I upset Miss Victoria like that? What if she hates me now? But I had to say what I had to say!”
Nike slumped to the ground, her legs finally giving way. It seemed that the recent encounter had been quite challenging for her as well.
“…Still, I couldn’t refute that I was being finicky.”
“It’s true, you’re not. You’re a Dirt Mage, after all.”
“…Not dirt! Well, whatever. Okay, so I am. But more importantly, what did you mean by that just now? That I have as much potential as Miss Victoria.”
“Did I say that?”
I extended my hand toward Nike, who had collapsed.
Even though it was a fact, I couldn’t just say, “You’re a top-tier heroine like her”, okay? I had to be careful.
Fortunately, Nike didn’t press further on that topic.
Swoosh.
She grabbed my hand and got up, as if something had come to her mind.
“But… What’s this about breaking up because of me?”
“Oh, that… Well…”
This was a little too much to let slide.
Something I might be able to get Nike to help me with.
Grumble, grumble.
I briefly explained the situation and said,
“In that sense, would you mind adjusting your acting to match mine?”
Nike was shocked, exclaiming,
“You mean lie…? Victor, you’re suggesting you lied…!?”
“Hush, your voice is too loud.”
The idea of Victor lying was something we shouldn’t spread.
The proposition that “Victor never lies, so he’s trustworthy” needed to be upheld.
In any case, due to the unexpected turn of events, our plans were slightly delayed.
Time was of the essence.
“As planned, let’s go buy clothes.”
“That… sounds good.”
I thought Nike would hesitate more, but she surprisingly agreed easily. Could her encounter with Victoria have led to a change in her mood?
“But before that, it would be a good idea to wash up first.”
