Ian looked at Chiye’s other roommate, dressed in the male uniform of Saint Roland Magic Academy, sitting in his seat, unsure whether to feel relieved or distressed.
The restaurant was so small that each table could barely accommodate two people.
Ian felt a flicker of relief because someone else occupying his seat meant he could avoid Flora’s onslaught of dark cuisine.
But his distress stemmed from the fact that with his seat taken, he had nowhere to go.
If he didn’t sit with Flora, where else could he sit?
With Sephiroth? Or just leave?
Sitting with Sephiroth was out of the question. Ian was determined to steer clear of demons to avoid being swept up in Ethelrina’s eventual purge.
As for leaving, that didn’t seem realistic either. He’d only eaten one piece of Watermelon Stir-Fried with Pork, and Flora wouldn’t let him off so easily.
Even the demon spy beside him, Sephiroth, wouldn’t let him slip away without a fuss.
Ian glanced at Sephiroth and found her still staring at him, sending a chill down his spine.
Her gaze felt off, as if she hadn’t given up on prying something out of him.
Sephiroth, catching Ian’s glance, awkwardly scratched her head and quickly turned away.
As she did, she meant to look toward her roommate, but to her surprise, her roommate was no longer at their original table.
Scanning the room, she spotted her roommate in front of a beautiful elven girl—Flora.
“This guy’s old habits are kicking in again,” Sephiroth muttered, smacking her forehead in exasperation at her roommate’s behavior.
Her roommate, named Yiserin, was an unabashed green-eyed flirt. She claimed to have enrolled at Saint Roland Magic Academy in male disguise to avoid her sister.
But Sephiroth didn’t buy it. She suspected Yiserin’s real reason was to better pursue her romantic interests.
To Yiserin, most people’s preferences were conventional, while hers were not, so she opted to disguise herself as a boy to chase girls.
Sephiroth thought this was wrong—could love built on deception truly be love?
But she didn’t stop her. After all, she was also cross-dressing, albeit for different reasons.
Yiserin’s stunning appearance put her in the top tier, which meant she often attracted male suitors, a fact she found deeply frustrating.
This was another reason for her disguise. Men who pursued other men were rare, and even though she looked feminine, her male attire significantly reduced unwanted attention.
Her delicate features also made her wildly popular among the academy’s girls, feeding her narcissistic personality.
Hearing Sephiroth’s words, Ian asked curiously, “What old habits?”
Sephiroth spread her hands helplessly. “Her habit of chasing after any girl she likes.”
“And let me tell you, she’s so full of herself, she thinks she can win over any girl.”
“Isn’t that ridiculous?”
Ian silently agreed, thinking, Not to mention anyone else, Flora alone is way out of her league.
After all, Flora’s heart belongs to Ethelrina, and that’s not something she can change.
Ian had seen how deeply Flora adored Ethelrina—a near-obsessive, almost unhealthy love. She was so infatuated that she cherished even a single scale from Ethelrina’s body.
She was the epitome of a lovesick fangirl. There was no way someone like Yiserin could sway her.
Ian shook his head, pitying Yiserin’s doomed attempt to woo Flora.
No matter how hard she tried, it was a lost cause.
Hilarious. If you actually managed to win Flora over, wouldn’t that make Ethelrina’s efforts pointless?
Who knows, maybe in the end, Yiserin will fall for Ethelrina and end up in her harem.
Though Yiserin’s face was partially covered by a mask, obscuring her full appearance, Ian deduced from her behavior that she was likely another girl disguised as a boy, and probably quite attractive.
If she wasn’t, she might not survive until the story’s end. After all, she dared to share a dorm with Chiye, one of Ethelrina’s heroines. What more could Ian say?
Yiserin faced two outcomes: if she was male, Ethelrina would surely make her regret it.
If she was female and attractive enough, she’d likely end up in Ethelrina’s “fishpond.”
As Ian pondered, Sephiroth’s eyes suddenly lit up. Looking at the seat Yiserin had taken, she thought, This is a golden opportunity!
Since Yiserin took Ian’s seat, it’s only natural for Ian to take Yiserin’s, right?
Then I can subtly probe him about the Princess!
Sephiroth had been struggling to find a reason to talk to Ian, given they were strangers with no pretext for interaction.
Now, thanks to Yiserin, the perfect excuse had fallen into her lap. Sephiroth was inwardly thrilled.
With a cheerful smile, she said to Ian, “Look, Yiserin took your seat. If you don’t mind, why not sit with me?”
Hearing her offer, Ian’s heart sank. Flora’s dark cuisine assault was brutal, but the potential fallout from Sephiroth was far worse.
Faced with a choice between temporary suffering and lifelong consequences, Ian knew which to pick.
He didn’t want to be purged by Ethelrina. All he wanted was to live a peaceful, ordinary life.
Just as Ian opened his mouth to refuse Sephiroth’s invitation, Yiserin, seated across from Flora, spoke up.
Pointing at the Watermelon Stir-Fried with Pork on the table, Yiserin asked Flora, “May I try this dish?”
The dish had only been touched once by Ian and once by Flora, untouched since as Flora waited for Ian’s return.
Hearing Yiserin’s request, Ian mentally gave her a thumbs-up. You’re brave for even thinking about eating that.
Even though that dish looks inedible, you’re willing to try it just to get closer to Flora?
Ian admired Yiserin’s sacrifice in her pursuit of Flora.
But such a sacrifice was doomed to fail.
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