Chirp. Chirp.

Sunlight streams through the window, and the sound of birds chirping can be heard. As usual, Raphne, who stayed by my side during the night, is sleeping soundly with her head on my lap.

And I am here, with the work that I managed to finish. With bloodshot eyes, I stare at the status window before me.

[System: You have created equipment similar to the recipe but using a unique method. Bonus experience points will be awarded.]

[System: You have created ‘Imitated Thunder Spear.’]

[Imitated Thunder Spear – A Rank

Type: Spear.

A spear mimicked after the Divine Thunder Spear Aspetra. The structure is the same, but the critical core has been replaced with a spirit stone, lowering its rank. To replicate the original's output, it uses all its power at once and then vanishes.]

"It's... done..."

I muttered in a state of physical and mental exhaustion. It was something I managed to complete after working all through the night without a moment's rest.

That too, with accelerated progress aided by skills. In reality, without the help of these skills, it might have taken years to finish.

Such was the immense drain on my stamina.

With my eyes about to close, I checked the contents of the status window.

‘…Rank down, well, that makes sense. ...But vanishes?’

What I had created was an imitation that replaced the core of the Thunder Dragon’s crystal sphere with a golden spirit stone.

Therefore, the rank being downgraded was expected. But it vanishes after one use?

Does that mean its disposable? ‘Well, given the rune design emits immense energy in one attack…’

The magic design of the Thunder Dragon’s crystal sphere could withstand multiple uses due to its infinite energy.

However, I forcibly substituted it with a spirit stone. The rank dropped, and while I tried to imitate the rune design, it was cruder compared to the original.

The spear would not withstand even a single use. ‘Still, this is an enormous gain.’ Surely, this spear will come in handy someday.

I looked at the two Thunder Spears, which looked identical on the surface, and placed them into my dimensional pocket.

Then I moved Raphne to the bed and fell asleep immediately after.

“I can’t believe you finished it in just two days, well done, Ken Feinstein!”

On the promised day, Anette came in through the door, listened to the situation report, and praised me with a bright smile.

“Alright, then quickly bring out Aspetra!”

“Before that, I would like my reward first.”

I confidently extended my hand to Annette. It was only natural. How many strong men were surrounding me right now?

If I handed over the spear first and they sealed their lips, it would be like making porridge for a dog (meaning my efforts would go to waste).

“Alright, alright. My, you’re quite sharp for someone who doesn’t look it.”

Annette, looking somewhat deflated, waved her hand and took off her necklace. The necklace handed over by her twisted fingers, it was definitely the Moonlight Necklace I remembered.

I took the necklace from her.

“This is quite a precious item. Normally, trading it like this would be unthinkable.”

“…Isn’t this a fake?”

“….”

I accepted the necklace and immediately scanned it using my material identification skill. The result: a simple metal imitation.

“Well, well… as expected of a craftsman who repairs even divine weapons, you saw through it. It was just a bit of fun, a jest.”

Despite her words, she was sweating and fidgeting with her arms crossed. Anyone could see she was uneasy.

I was really glad I double checked. In the game, her character was known for framing others for crimes.

Pulling off a scam like this would be a piece of cake for her.

“I'm sorry, but please give me the proper reward. My compensation is not just the repaired Thunder Spear."

"Hmm."

"As you know, this includes the cost of keeping my mouth shut. If you try giving me another fake, I'll go directly to the head of the House of Arnoira."

"I said it was a joke! You're such a humorless person."

Annette, now huffing and puffing, tried to put up a front, but when she saw my stern gaze, she eventually pulled the necklace out of her pocket.

"Tsk, what am I going to tell my father about this necklace..."

Her hands trembled as she handed it over. I quickly snatched it from her without hesitation.

Upon inspection, it was genuine.

'...Alright!'

Yay! I got the Moonlight Necklace! The joy was akin to the triumphant music you hear when you obtain an item, and I wished I could turn around and show it off like certain characters in games do.

After confirming its authenticity, I retrieved Aspetra from my Subspace Pocket and handed it to Annette.

"Oh! This is indeed quite an excellent job. Honestly, I entrusted it to you as a bit of a gamble... but this is beyond my expectations! Ken!"

Annette, examining the spear, seemed very pleased with the result, her expression brightening noticeably. Apparently, the necklace was worth the trade.

Well, that's only natural. I put my heart and soul into repairing it, staying up all night.

Feeling proud of myself, I shrugged my shoulders.

"Hmm. By the way, it's a valuable item, but why exactly do you need the Moonlight Necklace?"

"It’s valuable, but it must be hard to sell."

Annette, holding the Thunder Spear dearly, asked with a hint of curiosity.

Of course, she would be curious. The Moonlight Necklace is symbolic rather than having any special abilities.

"Ah, well… There’s a girl I want to give this necklace to as a gift."

It wasn’t entirely a lie, so I spun the story casually.

"Ha! So, you’re taking a necklace from one girl to give to another. You really are a scandalous man."

"If anyone heard that, they might get the wrong idea…"

"Oh, am I to be discarded after being played with and having my precious things taken from me?"

"Anyone hearing this could seriously misunderstand!"

Annette pretended to wipe away tears playfully.

But let’s get one thing straight. I didn’t steal it. I got it through a fair trade.

"Anyway, my opinion of you has changed, Ken. How about working with the student council?"

"Even if that’s just lip service, thank you. But I’m afraid that position is too much for me."

"Hmm, it’s not idle talk. I truly am attracted to competent men."

Annette flashed a coquettish smile, stood up, and approached me. Then, she pressed her body against my shoulder and leaned into whisper in my ear.

"...Next time, how about exchanging something more mature?"

"W-What?!"

Startled by the ticklish whisper and the soft sensation pressing against my shoulder, I quickly pulled away.

"Ahaha! You’re quite fun to tease."

Annette laughed joyfully, seeming thoroughly amused by my flustered reaction.

"Well then, see you later, Ken Feinstein."

And so, Annette Nel Arnoira's repair request was successfully completed.

"What business did you have with the student council? ...You even missed school yesterday."

As soon as I finished my matters with Annette and returned to school, Mary ran up to check on me.

"It's… nothing serious! Everything's resolved now."

"I'm glad to hear that... if it wasn't anything major."

Mary had seen me being dragged away by Annette that day. She didn't seem too worried since she knew it was related to the student council.

However, she seemed a bit concerned that I missed school without any explanation.

Mary puffed her cheeks slightly to express her displeasure.

"Still, if something's going on, please lean on me for support."

"Yes, I'll do that next time."

This matter required confidentiality, so I had to keep the details from Mary.

"Alright then, see you later, Ken."

Satisfied after checking on me, Mary gave a subtle wave and left for her class. Mary always made my heart flutter whenever I saw her. So, I waved back at her with joy.

Ken seems to have quite a fondness for Mary.

‘Anyway, I've finally taken a step closer to the Goddess Pendant.’ I unexpectedly acquired the key to making the pendant.

By creating the imitation of the Thunder Spear, I learned that you could make something with a similar effect even if you don't have the exact specified materials.

So, as I had anticipated, this Moonlight Necklace could substitute for the Goddess Token. ‘Now, there's just one more thing I need to get….’

[Pure Mana Crystal]

I'll surely be able to obtain this at the upcoming event. Humming to myself, I prepared for class as I grew closer to lifting Raphne’s curse. But then.

“…Hey.”

A quiet call came from behind me. It was a familiar voice. Ken’s shoulders twitched instinctively at the sound of it, a voice honed into his memory through repeated encounters.

His heartbeat quickened. I turned my head to look at the owner of the voice. “I have something to ask you.”

The owner of the voice was Emily Epiris.

“Wh-what?”

Emily stood with her arms crossed, staring at me. Even though I had experienced her sadistic tendencies firsthand and naturally felt tense around her, she seemed different from usual.

Instead of the confident and sly smile she wore when trampling on me, this time, she looked at me cautiously, almost nervously.

What does she want to ask?

“You… about Mary Hyde.

What kind of relationship do you have with her?"

Her question caught me off guard.

No, more than that, I was curious why she even needed to ask. What kind of relationship do I have with Mary? Well, that's...

"We're just friends, right?"

When I answered, Emily didn't seem satisfied and pressed further.

"...If you're just friends, you're not... dating?"

"Me? No, of course not."

"R-really? But you guys were together at the festival the other day..."

She was oddly persistent about this.

The thought that Mary and I might be involved romantically... it was an absurd idea. Could it be that merely attending a festival together carries such implications?

Well, Adrian and Emily did hang out together, after all.

This kind of misunderstanding could cause unnecessary trouble for Mary. I needed to clear it up.

"I just happened to get two tickets to the tournament, so I invited Mary to come along. We decided to check out the festival while we were at it."

"So... why did it have to be Mary? Aren't there other people too?"

"No... there wasn't anyone else available."

"...Oh."

If she accepted that explanation, it would still be a painful truth. However, Emily seemed to relax after understanding the context, returning to her usual self.

"Whew."

No, in my perspective, her usual self wouldn't have been smiling gently like that.

"Haha, oh, so that's what it was."

Anyway, she laughed as if relieved.

"Yeah, right, there's no way someone like Mary Hyde would date a fatty like you. Haha."

Then she immediately continued with her usual mischievous smile. I've seen that face many times. The expression she makes when she's enjoying teasing me.

"You and Mary, that's really a funny combination, isn't it?"

Somehow, Emily seemed to be in a good mood, feeling relieved, and she patted my shoulder affectionately. Well, even though she’s right, I didn’t have much to say back....

'...Huh?'

At that moment, a status window appeared before my eyes.

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

[System: ‘Mental Enhancement LV 2’ is interfering with Ken's immersion.]

'Why is Ken's immersion increasing all of a sudden?'

Ken's immersion typically increases when he's with Mary or being bullied by Emily. But why is it happening now?

"I mean, is there even a girl who would actually date you?"

And then I heard Emily's mocking words.

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

'...Wait a minute, could it be?'

"I mean, maybe for a really brief moment... as a joke, I could pretend to date you. But Mary? No way. Haha."

"No, that's, I mean..."

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

The cause was clear.

With each of Emily's mocking remarks, Ken's immersion level kept rising and then it would be relieved by the 'Mental Enhancement' skill repeatedly.

"I just can't imagine someone like Mary would ever like a guy like you."

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

It seems like whenever Mary is mentioned, Ken's immersion increases even more intensely. An inexplicable sense of dread washed over me.

I was debating whether I should step in and stop Emily when she leaned in closer and gently tugged at my cheek. It didn't hurt, but it made me feel mocked.

"So why don't you just give up on that hopeless dream?"

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

"Remember the last festival? Ken, you're a bit naive, aren't you? If you had misunderstood, you could have really gotten hurt."

"Um, E-Emily…."

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

"I don't really like people who give false hope. What do they call them? Teases? It's really not nice."

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

"So next time something like that happens, don't bother Mary with it. She might get the wrong idea again."

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

Emily pressed her face closer and playfully poked my cheek. She was blushing and looked at me with her usual sadistic smile.

"Ah, if you ever have trouble finding someone to go with, you can ask me next time. I-I could hang out with you sometimes too."

That was the last thing she said.

[System: 'Mental Enhancement LV2' has reached its limit.]

'Damn it...'

"Hey..."

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

I felt control over my body slipping away. My mouth moved, driven by someone else's will, not mine.

"Am I crazy? You think I'd get involved with a girl like you?"

That was definitely Ken Feinstein speaking.

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