After Bolt and Lillis left for their one-on-one conversation, the atmosphere in Celesta’s dormitory became tense.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Ethan, Agnes, and Celesta were left in the meeting room, with an awkward silence hanging over them. Lillis was close to both Ethan and Agnes, while Bolt was familiar with both Agnes and Celesta. Now that Lillis and Bolt were gone, the remaining three were essentially just friends of friends. It wasn’t too uncomfortable with three people present, but with just two, it would have been challenging to find a natural conversation topic.

Given the situation, it wasn’t surprising that the atmosphere grew awkward. It was Ethan who eventually broke the silence.

“It seems like no one has much to say. Without Lillis and that hero, I suppose there isn’t anyone here who’s particularly close.”

“…Yes, that’s true.”

“……”

“If neither of you has anything to say, would you mind if I speak for a moment?”

“Oh, by all means, Lord Blackwood!”

“…Go ahead.”

Just as Lillis and Bolt were taking advantage of a rare opportunity to talk, this meeting between Ethan, Agnes, and Celesta was also quite unusual. Despite having different interests and connections, Ethan had identified a commonality among the three of them, which related to his personal goals. He decided to draw the other two’s attention to it.

“It’s about the two people who are outside right now.”

“Yes?”

“Hmm?”

“Is there anyone here who actually wants to see Lillis and that hero get closer?”

“……What?”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is exactly what it sounds like.”

Since Ethan judged that Lillis and Bolt wouldn’t return for a while, he decided to lay out his personal goals and intentions before the two women in front of him.

“To be honest, I don’t want Lillis to get closer to that hero.”

“W-What?!”

“That much is obvious.”

“And I’m guessing you two feel the same way. Isn’t that right, Lady Celesta?”

“W-What are you talking about? I-I don’t really…”

“There’s no point in pretending. I already know that you have feelings for the hero, Lady Celesta.”

“W-W-What?!”

Celesta, suddenly confronted with her feelings by someone else, stammered like a startled hamster, trying to come up with a denial. But it was clear that both Ethan and Agnes were already convinced of her affection for Bolt.

“N-No…! I-I would never harbor such improper feelings for the hero…!”

“You might want to lower your voice. If you’re not careful, the hero might overhear us outside.”

“Gasp?!”

“…Yeah, I knew too. It’s pretty obvious.”

“Eep?!”

After confirming Celesta’s flustered expression, Ethan turned his attention to Agnes.

“And I’m guessing you’re not too thrilled about Lillis getting close to that hero either, Lady Blaze?”

“…I’m not particularly fond of the hero.”

“I know that. But that means you wouldn’t want to see Lillis getting involved with him either, right?”

“……”

“He already has a complicated relationship with other women. Do you really want to see your only close friend getting entangled with a man like that? Plus, there are rumors that your other friend, Princess Seraphine, is also interested in him.”

“W-What?! The princess?!”

“I doubt you’d enjoy watching your two friends fight over one man. Am I wrong?”

“…You’re not wrong.”

“W-Wait a minute… The idea that the princess has feelings for the hero must be a misunderstanding… A-Also, I’ve never had improper feelings for the hero…”

“So, it seems we’ve found a common goal.”

Ignoring Celesta’s awkward denial, Ethan confidently continued with his plan.

“To be blunt, I absolutely cannot let my Lillis fall into that hero’s hands.”

“I-I see…”

“…Do as you wish.”

“So, I’d like to ask for your cooperation. From both you, Lady Blaze, and you, Lady Celesta.”

“C-Cooperation? What exactly do you want us to do…?”

“I’d like you to help ensure that Lillis doesn’t end up alone with the hero.”

“I-Isn’t that a bit wrong? I believe the hero always has good intentions…”

“I’m not forcing you. If you’re not inclined to help, feel free to disregard what I’ve said. After all, if you truly have no such feelings, there’s no reason for you to be swayed. But one thing is certain: I’ll do everything I can to keep those two from spending time alone together. Even if you disagree, that’s how it’s going to be.”

“……”

Ethan’s sudden declaration to sabotage any relationship between Lillis and the hero left Celesta feeling flustered, but also with a strange sense of excitement. If Lord Blackwood was determined to keep Lillis and the hero apart, then the truth about her being the real saintess might never come to light, meaning she could stay by the hero’s side longer.

It was Agnes’s response, though, that tipped Celesta toward making her decision.

“…I’ll help.”

“Really?”

“But only if you promise to take full responsibility for Lillis.”

“I swear on the name of the Blackwood family. With Lady Celesta here as a witness, it’s a perfect arrangement.”

“…Then I’m in.”

“I-I’ll… I’ll keep it in mind…”

“Thank you, Lady Celesta.”

“N-Not that I have any improper feelings for the hero, or that I’m jealous of Lillis… I just think the hero needs to maintain some decorum…”

Ethan nodded to himself, satisfied with securing even Celesta’s unexpected cooperation.

In that moment, an alliance was formed between Ethan, Celesta, and Agnes.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Hey, you’re definitely ‘LilGirlBlade,’ aren’t you?”

“…I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sir Bolt. Who is this ‘LilGirlBlade’ you’re referring to?”

“Come on, stop pretending! You were so brazen in the conversation just now, so why start acting all coy?”

“……”

Oh, damn it.

I never expected to be outed with my old username in this world.

I should have been more cautious in our conversation. Instead of getting carried away and saying too much, I ended up revealing something I shouldn’t have.

If Bolt had just remained suspicious, I could have brushed it off somehow. But because I hadn’t heard that name in so long, my body instinctively reacted before I could think.

“Wow, seriously? You’re really that ‘LilGirlBlade’?”

“……”

“You mean the guy who used to troll Luminor Academy forums by calling Lillis a ‘slutty whore’ actually ended up possessing Lillis? Wow, that’s legendary, man… Hahaha…”

“Ugh, shut up…”

Oh, damn it.

How did I end up in this mess, being outed like this? How could the hero, of all people, have been a player on the same forum, and how could the guide he read be the one I wrote?

This was such an absurd twist of fate that it left me feeling almost defeated.

“Man, I guess karma really does exist. How else could ‘LilGirlBlade’ end up as Lillis? This is priceless, hahaha.”

“…What was your forum name?”

“Me? It’s been so long since I possessed this body that I barely remember, but I think it was ‘PureLoveSavior.’”

“…Oh, so that was you. No wonder you’re playing so by-the-book.”

I don’t have the best memory for IP addresses, but I do remember the names of a few people who frequently commented on my guides. One of them used the nickname ‘PureLoveSavior,’ and this guy always asked questions on every guide I posted. He left such an impression because he practically commented on every guide I put up.

Honestly, I suppose it’s a relief that it was him who ended up possessing the protagonist. Given the mental state of some of the other forum users, at least this guy always followed my guides to the letter.

If I hadn’t died, I probably could have finished that 25th playthrough and completed the final chapter of my guide, but I had stopped just short of the ending. It wouldn’t have affected his ability to clear the game, though.

…Even so, I never expected to be outed as ‘LilGirlBlade.’

“Ugh, damn it. Let’s just get back before we arouse any more suspicion.”

“Yeah, sure thing, ‘LilGirlBlade.’”

“…And just so you know, don’t call me that in front of Ethan. I’m not joking—he’ll seriously try to kill you.”

“Heh, okay, got it. Must be nice to be so loved, haha…”

“Ugh…”

I only wanted to confirm that we were both from Earth, but instead, we ended up revealing our old forum usernames to each other.

‘I should have just pretended to be an anonymous user…’

Bolt kept chuckling all the way back to Celesta’s dormitory, clearly finding it hilarious that the infamous ‘LilGirlBlade’ had ended up possessing Lillis.

When we finally returned to the meeting room, we were met with an atmosphere that had become even more awkward than before.