Chapter 256
"Hmph!"
Luna, leading the way, turned to look at us.
"Tch!"
After making an indistinct noise, she turned her gaze forward again.
"Ptui!"
Then, she kicked a stone and let out another strange snort.
"Hmph!"
With a repetition of strange behaviors and the sounds 'Hmph, Tch, Ptui!', she continued to look back.
Luna's odd actions showed no sign of stopping.
By about the twentieth repetition, I decided to make an assumption.
'Could she be... upset?'
It was hard to believe. Always bold and spirited—that was Luna.
The idea of her being upset was unimaginable. In fact, Luna had never shown signs of being upset before.
'She would have bitten or beaten me up, that’s more likely.'
The word 'upset' didn't exist in Luna's vocabulary.
"Hmph!"
Luna looked back again.
Watching her, I laughed, and then I realized.
"What are you looking at? Never seen a person before?"
...Luna was indeed deeply upset.
Yes, Luna was clearly expressing that she was upset with every fiber of her being.
Being not prone to getting upset easily, it took me a little longer to notice.
Alright, I got it—Luna was upset. But...
'Why is she upset?'
The problem was that I didn't know why.
All we had done in Area 1 was defeat Amonga—there was no reason for her to be upset about that.
It was a real mystery.
If it weren't for my quick perception, others might still be unaware of it.
"Hmph, Tch, Ptui!"
This wasn’t good. We were soon to reach Area 2.
In this game, a 'Confusion' status effect exists, where confused characters cannot be controlled and act randomly before ending their turn.
Opponent’s skills or provocative dialogue, and in special cases, can trigger the 'Confusion' status.
'And right now, that's exactly what’s happening to Luna.'
One of those 'special cases'.
When there's a serious argument within the party, occasionally, the 'Confusion' status effect occurs.
'Luna’s specs are pretty good. Normally, she could handle fighting without much issue...'
Kroga’s 'Wind Spear' is a skill that can knock out allies in one hit.
If Luna doesn’t listen to me once the battle starts, it could lead to a disaster.
'That means, I need to find out why Luna is upset and cheer her up before we reach Area 2...'
Not knowing the reason was the issue.
'Calm down. Let’s piece together the puzzle.'
The puzzle of the character Luna unfolded in my mind.
Piece by piece, I fit the scattered puzzles together.
Combat, Teron faction, Amonga, time, and Rezé.
Suddenly, a small puzzle was completed.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I could see it.
Luna, slightly lowering her shoulders, was kicking stones with her feet.
'So, that was it?'
It was a tricky problem, enough to make even me, a master of 'Luna studies', ponder.
But fooling this great detective Zero was impossible.
The truth is always singular!
I hurried over to Luna’s side.
"Keke, Luna. I understand now. I've got it 100%."
"...What do you mean?"
"About why Luna is upset."
"Who, who’s upset?"
"Keke, aren’t you? Then let’s say you’re just a bit grumpy."
"...It's the same thing."
Luna pouted her lips, no longer hiding that she was upset.
But I knew then. Luna's mood had already lightened.
"Hmph, not upset, just a bit annoyed then. Well... lucky you figured it out now."
"Keke, you could’ve shown it a bit more. I almost didn’t catch on until the end, you know?"
"Sorry. Anyway, don’t do it again."
Luna lightly punched my forearm.
She was returning to her usual self. Good. It was time to deliver the final blow.
"Keke, not from now on, but starting to correct it immediately."
"Hmph~ Right. Now we’re getting somewhere. It’s clear why you were my first choice for a friend."
Luna's lips quirked upwards unevenly, a clear sign her mood had completely brightened.
To not only grasp the intricacies of the game but also a woman’s heart perfectly.
'I really am amazing.'
I was praising myself when Luna tilted her head curiously.
"But what do you mean by you’ll correct it from now on? What can you do right now?"
"Keke, of course."
I pulled out a rice ball from my pocket.
A hidden gem from the dining hall, the 'Annwood Academy Special Rice Ball.'
Tasty, nutritious, and beautifully shaped—a rice ball that Luna was sure to love.
"Weren't you hungry?"
"...Huh?"
"Weren't you upset because you were hungry? How did you know I had food... Luna, you truly have a keen nose."
Was she profoundly moved? Luna bowed her head deeply.
"So... you think I was upset because I was hungry?"
"Hm? Wasn’t it?"
"Of course not! What do you think I am, a pig!?"
Luna threw the rice ball.
My precious rice ball!
I threw myself towards where Luna had thrown the rice ball.
Though I rolled across the field, my desperate dive saved the rice ball unharmed.
"Hmph!"
Luna snorted and started walking forward again, stomping her feet hard enough to shake the ground.
She was decidedly more upset than before.
'So it wasn’t because she was hungry? Then why is she upset?'
It’s scarier when someone who normally doesn’t get upset acts like this.
I would have preferred the usual beatings.
It hurts physically, but it's easier on the heart.
"Hmph! Tch! Ptui!"
Thump! Thump!
Luna's peculiar behavior intensified.
It was then, quietly following her, when Yuridia, the leader of Area 2, approached us.
"Zero! Luna!"
She ran towards us, waving her hand.
"Was there trouble in Area 1? I heard a huge explosion..."
"Keke, a demon appeared."
"A demon?"
Yuridia's eyes widened.
The fact that a demon had appeared was surprising, but our safe arrival was even more astonishing, implying we had defeated it.
I glanced at Luna subtly, pondering the reason for her upset mood.
Could it be that she felt she didn’t perform well in Area 1? If that’s the case...
"Keke, we just finished dealing with it on the way here. If it weren’t for Luna’s help, it would have been a disaster."
"No need to exaggerate, okay? You dealt with it on your own, what are you even..."
Luna let out a small laugh. My strategy of praising her didn’t work.
This was a crisis, a serious crisis.
"Luna, are you okay? You seem upset... Did you get hurt?"
"...Mind your own business."
Luna coldly brushed past Yuridia.
Such a cold response to Yuridia, who was just concerned. Such a wayward girl. But.
'That’s actually better.'
Yuridia likes Luna, but she’s human too.
If treated coldly, she’s bound to be hurt.
'If I use this opportunity to drive a wedge between Luna and Yuridia...'
It might place significant constraints on Yuridia’s leadership in the 'Love Support Club' activities.
Yuridia, staring dumbly at Luna's retreating figure, heard my whisper.
"Keke, that’s too harsh. To treat Yuridia, who's just worried about you, with such coldness."
"..."
"Are you okay? No, of course you’re not. Sometimes even I find it hard to deal with. That’s why you can’t always be nice. It spoils them."
It was a shameful way to sow discord.
But it was enough to crack Yuridia’s steadfast faith.
'If we keep building this up... Yuridia will realize.'
That Luna actually has a nasty temper.
And what Luna does to me isn’t affection but literal biting.
Someday she'll figure it out, and that will be the moment to dismantle 'Love Support Club.'
The disbanding of 'Love Support Club.' I was dreaming of that beautiful day.
Yuridia raised her hands to her face.
"Ah, I'm so happy."
"...?"
"To see the usually kind Luna showing such a cold attitude. Ah, the kind Luna is good, but... this icy demeanor isn't bad either."
Blood trickled from Yuridia’s nose.
I discreetly moved away from her.
Pervert. And one that enjoys being mistreated at that.
Sharing the same space with such a pervert was too much for a normal person like me.
"Hmph!"
Luna, far away, met my gaze once again and swiftly turned her head away.
Was it because she saw me?
Yuridia, wiping her nosebleed with a handkerchief, nudged my side.
"Hmph~ So that's it. You were wondering why Luna was behaving like that... She was grumpy? And it's because of you, Zero. To upset the kind Luna... What did you do wrong this time?"
Doesn't she think she could be the one at fault?
And 'kind Luna'? That's something that doesn’t exist in this world.
"Keke, I haven’t done anything."
"My goodness... That’s it. You've made a huge mistake."
"...?"
"You're so clueless you don’t even realize what you've done. There’s nothing more serious in a relationship than that... This is serious."
Indeed, Yuridia was right.
Not knowing why she's upset makes it impossible to figure out what to do, ending up just watching her.
Of course, it’s not like we are in a romantic relationship, but it was clear I needed Yuridia’s help now.
"Listening to you, Miss Yuridia, it seems I am at fault. Could you help me?"
"Hohoho! Finally, a chance for Yuridia, the romance genius, to shine. Okay, why don't we start with what happened in Area 1?"
*
"...and that’s what happened. Why do you think Luna is acting like this?"
I had explained what happened in Area 1 in relatively great detail.
And Yuridia’s response, with a smile, was.
"Hm~ I'm not sure?"
A romance genius, really! But what if she doesn’t know!?
"Keke, when the romance genius says that... I am deeply disappointed."
"Hmph~ It’s a fact that I am a romance genius, you know? I just didn’t have enough information."
"...Information?"
"Yes. For example... stories about secret physical affection between you two?"
Yuridia leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Ah, I see. She just wanted to hear some juicy stories?
I pushed Yuridia’s face away with my hand.
"Hmph!"
Luna, who was watching us from atop a hill, turned her face away. Her lips were jutting out, visibly even from a distance.
As I looked at her through my fingers, Yuridia hummed.
"Hmph~ So that was it. I thought Luna was too cool for that. But love has a mysterious power, doesn’t it?"
"Do you understand why?"
"Well, roughly."
Her tone was firmer than before. It seemed she really had figured out why Luna was upset.
"Keke, could you share with me? I would like to reconcile with Luna."
"I'd rather not."
"...?"
"It seems more fun to watch... But figuring it out on your own will be more helpful for both of you. Trust me, I am a romance genius."
Telling would be more helpful, I thought.
As frustration built up, I scratched my head, and Yuridia gave a sly smile.
"If I may give you a hint... it's related to something Luna is obsessed with."
Something Luna is obsessed with? There aren’t many things.
The Lester family, friends, food, getting stronger, and...
'Nothing else?'
It wasn’t that I didn't know Luna well; there was just nothing more.
That was everything about Luna, her entire world.
As I was pondering Yuridia’s hint, a moment arrived.
Boom!!
A deafening explosion rang out, and a large crater formed in the field.
As the dust slightly settled, everyone in Area 2 could see it.
Glowing ominous eyes amidst the dust.
"A demon...! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
It had begun. The seventh turn, and the second battle with a demon.
--TL Notes--
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