CHAPTER 21: WORRIES ON BOTH ENDS

Nadine practically yanked Susan off the recliner.

"Come on, slowpoke!" (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

She hissed and dragged her friend across the marble floor, past the pool, past the confused maids, straight toward the front gates.

Susan stumbled after her, tablet still in hand.

"Why are we even... Nadine, wait—!"

"No time! Hot guy protocol! Let’s MOVE!"

They burst out of the Fox residence like two overexcited paparazzi rushing a red carpet.

Across the street, Nick stood by the gate of his new luxury house and blinked cluelessly at his phone as he read the property code slowly and carefully.

"Zero... six... nine... two..." (ㆆ_ㆆ)

He lifted his head.

"Oh. So this is the place."

He reached toward the keypad—

"HEY! YOU THERE!"

Nick froze.

That voice.

That specific pitch of self-declared authority.

He turned.

Standing proudly on the sidewalk like some slender blonde general was Nadine Hodges.

A very busty bronze-skinned young woman.

Bronze skin with the faint glow of a summer dawn.

She had short, messy blonde hair that hung over one of her blue eyes. The one you could see was calm and blue like the ocean when she stared right at him.

She was one of the school’s top beauties.

From her slim figure, and a bust that’s generously full and hard to ignore.

Just seeing distracting her bust reminded him of how the guys always showed up in droves to watch her during her regular track and field practice.

They’d be drooling by the time she started running.

But no one ever had the confidence to ask her out.

"Oh no..." Nick whispered.

But then his eyes slid right... and landed on her.

Susan Fox.

His soul screamed terrifyingly like an opera singer thrown into cold water.

『WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING HERE!?』 (°〇°)

He spun back to the keypad like a man trying to defuse a bomb before someone noticed.

"Come on, come on—enter the code—"

Before his fingertip could even brush the keypad—

Nadine materialized in front of him with the speed of a pouncing cat.

"Hey!"

She said cheerfully and waved.

Nick didn’t even realize she had appeared until his finger poked her right in the face.

"Huh?" He blinked. "Ah—uh—SORRY!"

Nadine grabbed her cheek with a wince.

"Ow—! What the hell, man!?"

Nick panicked. "Sorry! I—I didn’t—uh—"

She waved him off dramatically.

"Oh, no worries. You can make it up to me..."

She leaned in, eyes glinting mischievously.

"... by telling us your name." (｡- .•)

Nadine’s voice was pure trouble.

Low and velvety, like an ASMR whisper that just hits all the right spots.

Even the male teachers would squirm behind their desks when they heard it.

It was so soft, so smooth, so off-limits that it made you think up shameless scenarios.

Nick leaned back like she was holding a knife instead of a charming smile.

His thoughts spiraled instantly. ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!

『They’re after me. BOTH of them. What if they know I’m Nick!? What if Susan recognized me!? I shouldn’t have gone to school then! I’m dead. I’m DONE.』

He screamed internally.

『Bury me NOW.』 (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

His eyes darted sideways.

Susan stood a little behind Nadine who stared at his house with sheer boredom on her face.

She yawned like she was reviewing tax documents.

Nick exhaled a breath of relief.

『Good... she’s not suspicious. That’s great. Please stay disinterested. Please.』

Suddenly, Nadine grabbed his face with both hands and yanked him forward.

"HELLO? I’m right HERE." (⩌_⩌)

She was a little forceful which was unlike her.

"Eyes on me, Mister Sunshine."

Nick nodded rapidly.

"Y-, Yuh—yuh—uh—"

The sound that escaped him was so pathetic it could only be described as "vegetable noises."

Nadine stared at him.

Her thoughts instantly shifted gears:

『OMG he’s adorable. He looks so innocent! Total easy mode! He’s THAT type... the stupidly handsome guy everyone assumes is arrogant but in reality he’s just TERRIFIED of women. Jackpot. YOSH! I hit the absolute JACKPOT today!』

She cleared her throat, brushed her stylishly messy blonde hair into place, and tried her hardest to look "normal and approachable" for once.

It lasted all of half a second.

Her natural slutty smirk took over anyway.

Paired with her vixen eyes, they always made it look like she was flirting with anyone she looked at.

"So~"

She took some light steps closer.

"As I was saying... can we know your name?"

Nick’s gaze slid sideways again toward Susan.

She was still just... standing there.

Barely paying attention.

She adjusted her glossy black hair with the lazy elegance of someone who had no intention of caring.

Or maybe it was the emotionless look on her face.

『Maybe I should visit Nick at sundown...』

No one would tell she was worrying out of her mind.

Neither did Nick who just nodded at her with a smile.

『Good. Good. She still doesn’t see it.』

Nadine’s eyebrow twitched.

"Ahem. I’m HERE!" (¬⤙¬ )

She spoke very sharply.

"Not over there as you can see. I hate it when people don’t talk to me directly."

Nick snapped back.

"S-, Sorry, I was just—"

PING.

A holographic panel popped up in his vision.

[ⓘ Preliminary scans have been completed!]

[Potential Race: Dark Elf]

[Class: Mage]

[Magic Caste: Witch]

[Potential Affinities: Water, Fire, Lightning]

Nick tilted his head.

『The system can... SCAN PEOPLE!?』

He didn’t have time to question it.

He needed to leave.

Now.

Nick drew in a long breath...

Straightened his back...

And put on the most toffee-nosed face he could do.

"Listen."

He managed to force out a deeper voice.

He imagined he was Ardan addressing his knights.

"I just want to live here quietly. No disturbances."

He looked away and Nadine could’ve sworn sunlight hit him so right he was literally glowing.

"So no... I won’t be telling you my name."

Then—

He turned, inputted the code, and hurriedly slipped through the gate.

Click—! Locked.

Nadine’s jaw dropped.

"He... he DIDN’T JUST—"

She clenched her teeth.

"He just turned down an opportunity to talk to TWO beautiful girls!? Who the hell does he think he IS!?"

She ruffled her hair in frustration.

"I swear I’m gonna—!"

Susan remained calm.

"Nadine, relax."

She rubbed the back of her neck.

"Some people value privacy. A lot of people don’t want to be friends with their neighbors."

Nadine grumbled under her breath like a gremlin.

Susan, however, stared at the house...

At the spot where he disappeared.

『Strange... for a second, he almost felt like... Nick.』

She immediately shook her head.

『No. No way. He looks nothing like him.』

She adjusted her shiny hair and sighed.

"Let’s just go."

"Fine!"

Nadine snapped as she stomped away.

It was almost like watching a spoiled princess march home after failing to secure a suitable spouse.

"And THANKS for the help, Sue. You were just SO useful back there."

Susan replied dryly.

"Mm-hmm. Totally..." ╮( ˘_˘ )╭

–

–

–

Inside the house.

Nick watched them leave from the state-of-the-art video door phone.

He had a hand over his chest and exhaled dramatically.

"Phew... thank GOD they’re gone."

His shoulders slumped.

"For a second I thought they were gonna punch me for being ’arrogant’ or something..."

He stared at the screen.

"Wouldn’t be the first time... or second time a girl’s kicked my ass just cause."

Then again, he used to be in a very dark place.

He’d take Bree’s loogie to the face any day than to be ignored by everyone.

『I’m glad that’s changing...』

Nick smiled warmly.

PING.

[ⓘ Notice: Actually, both Nadine Hodges and Susan Fox found your ’arrogant’ response attractive.]

Nick jolted forward.

"THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!"

[ⓘ Correction: Thanks to your title (The Charming Mage) your first impressions gain +10 points in character upon meeting new individuals. Since Susan Fox was present, your points doubled.]

Nick grabbed his head like he’d rip it out.

"WAIT—WAIT—WAIT."

He was smiling like a mad man.

"So I can use game abilities HERE too!?"

[Affirmative!]

He immediately punched the air out of excitement.

[ⓘ New achievements unlocked!]

[Show strength and character to one woman!] (1/2)

[Show strength and character to two women!] (2/2)

Nick blinked.

"But... it’s not my first time meeting them? We’re childhood friends."

[It is their first time meeting the new version of you.]

Nick paused.

Then nodded slowly.

"Oh. Actually, that makes sense."

He collapsed against a wall with a dramatic exhale.

"God... this is insane."

But his grin slowly stretched.

And stretched.

And stretched.

"This is... kinda awesome."

He dusted his hands with exaggerated flair and then threw himself onto one of the massive L-shaped couches in the downstairs living room.

A soft whump.

The couch felt expensive.

He bounced once, sank slightly, stared up at the ceiling and groaned into the cushions.

"Ughhh... rich people furniture is weirdly fluffy."

He sat up and looked around the room.

"Wow... minimalistic as hell..."

Merlin’s cottage was cramped but much livelier.

"Everything’s gray and depressing."

Still...

He nodded quietly.

"It’s okay."

PING.

[Noted. Would you like to redesign this residence?]

[Furniture purchases and full interior remodeling are all available at your request.]

Nick blinked... then snorted.

"Pfft—no. No, thanks."

He chuckled and lay back again, stretching his legs over the armrest like a lazy cat.

For a minute, he just... played with his fingers.

Letting them wander idly as he stared at the abstract ceiling patterns lit by soft LED strips.

Silence.

Then—

"...Hey. Uhm. System?"

[Yes?]

Nick kept staring at the ceiling.

"Why... didn’t you tell me?"

His mind went back to when he first saw the VR pod.

"That the game was real. I mean, you tell me tons of stuff I don’t ask, so why hide that?"

A brief pause.

[Based on your psycho assessment, you had critically low levels of confidence. If informed too early, you would either panic, behave erratically, or present yourself poorly to Merlin then proceed to hate yourself more.]

Nick blinked slowly.

"...Oh."

He nodded to himself, absorbing it.

"Honestly? Yeah. That checks out."

But the System wasn’t done.

[Additionally, I ensured your first quest centered around hunting so you would enter the Great Demon Forest under the assumption it was simply "game content" and nothing else.]

[Entering that forest while fully believing it was real would have resulted in you panicking, refusing to proceed, or performing poorly.]

Nick fell silent.

He nodded again, but this time... slower.

"You really planned that much about me, huh."

He lifted his hand and stared at it.

If he had known it wasn’t a game... he wouldn’t have pushed himself.

Wouldn’t even have thought of using a new spell against an «Aether Elk» of all things.

He formed a tight fist and held it to his chest.

"I guess... I’ve been scared of failing so much that I don’t even try anymore."

He laughed weakly.

"But when I thought it was just a game... it felt easy to take a risk."

Befriending random villagers.

Speaking to strange knights he didn’t know.

Saving Eurvaine like that.

Kissing Merlin on the cheek.

It felt good.

He stretched out again over the couch with a grin.

"You know what? System... you’re awesome."

[Just performing my duties.]

[For example, I didn’t mention that your mind is now fully bound to your avatar in the game world. Logging out does not pause time anymore.]

Nick shot up so fast he nearly flipped the couch.

"WHAT—!?" (°〇°)

He grabbed his hair.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO PAUSE TIME!?"

He threw his arms in the air.

"THAT’S AN IMPORTANT DETAIL!!"

[You did not ask.]

"THAT’S—THAT’S NOT HOW IT WORKS!!"

He ran circles in front of the couch like a panicked rat.

"So that means Merlin is—OMG she’s alone! Back at the cottage!!"

His voice softened.

"She’s alone..."

He pressed his palm against his forehead.

"And she hates being alone..."

–

–

–

Meanwhile, at Merlin’s Cottage.

The garden looked deceptively peaceful.

Birds sang. Leaves rustled.

And in the middle of it—

Merlin sat slumped at her little wooden table with a mug of booze in hand and several empty bottles rolling on the ground.

She took a heavy swig.

"Hahhhhhhh..." (⸝⸝ᴗ﹏ᴗ⸝⸝) ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

Then she lifted the mug toward the sky profoundly.

"You know... life is stupid."

She squinted at nothing.

"People worship immortality, but it’s SO BORING. You live so long that birthdays stop mattering, love becomes a seasonal hobby, and eventually you start talking to squirrels just to feel something."

She drank again. Pu-haaa! (⸝⸝⸝╸w╺⸝⸝⸝)

"And the squirrels never talk back. Tch, bastards."

Thorin sat beside her with a face that screamed "I regret being here" loudly.

Merlin slammed her mug down.

"My precious student is gone... he’s not here to wash my panties anymore!"

Thorin choked on his drink. "C-, Cough—what!?"

"Yes! My PANTIES!" she declared proudly. (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝)

Then stopped.

Blink. (O_O)!

"Wait... did I say panties already?"

Thorin gently nodded. "Aye... you did."

Merlin’s face scrunched.

"Ughhh..."

And then she started crying like a baby.

"H-, He’s SO good at washing panties!! Who else will do them now!? Who will wring them perfectly!? Who will fold them with the tender love and care of a man who has nothing else to live for!?"

She downed her entire mug in one go.

"Now I must return to my noble, tragic life of wearing one panty per week! Braving the frostbite on my back from so many clothless nights! Oh, woe! Oh, PAIN!"

Thorin stared.

"Lady Merlin, what?"

Merlin wiped the foam from her mouth.

"His funeral... will be in two weeks." (╥‸╥)

Thorin’s eyes widened. "Fun—? Who died!?"

She nodded gravely.

"I must invite the old party. The barbarian twins. Then there’s Lancelot and Vivianne. The necromancer with halitosis. The halfling with the gambling problem. The dwarven smith who hates pies. So many arrangements..."

Thorin opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Opened it again.

"Lady Merlin... ye woke up an hour ago."

Merlin blinked slowly, like a startled owl.

"Oh."

She looked at her mug.

"Ohhh..."

Then—sip.

She drank in shame.

Thorin sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Aye. That’s what I thought."

Merlin groaned and leaned her head back.

"I never want to see him again!" ₍₍⚞(˶ᗜ˶)⚟⁾⁾

She sniffled.

"Come back soon." (｡ó﹏ò)