Not only was my morning disrupted by an interruption while heading to school with Ethan, but I also lost the hour of free time I had before class started.

The cause of it all was a girl who had called me out for the most ridiculous request I could never have anticipated.

"Please teach me how to seduce a man, Senior Lilith."

"...What?"

...Hearing such a request out of the blue left me baffled in many ways.

I didn’t even understand why she had come to ask me this of all people when we barely knew each other.

"How to seduce a man, Senior Lilith."

"You didn’t mishear me. I asked that because it was simply so absurd."

"......"

How to seduce a man? Logically speaking, there’s no way I would know something like that.

Well, if I really wanted to, seducing a man with Lilith's body would probably be easier than eating chocolate while lying down. A slight sway of my chest and a sweet smile could probably make most men fall right into my hands.

But what I could do and what I actually do are two very different things. Ever since entering the academy, I hadn’t used my body to seduce any men... except for Ethan, of course.

Besides that, there’s also the fact that I was a man in my previous life, so I could use my experience to understand what parts make a man like someone or sympathize with them. But that fact is a secret that even -*** doesn't know, let alone this first-year barbarian girl who I hardly know.

‘If I just say no and walk away now, she’ll probably come back by this evening or tomorrow.’

I had absolutely no intention of granting Lyria what she wanted, but I did need to give her a clear reason why I couldn’t teach her. With a troublesome junior like her, a temporary solution wouldn't be enough for lasting peace. If I didn’t respond properly, she might pester me for at least a week, or even a month, or possibly for the whole semester.

"Well, I understand what Miss Fionis wants to ask of me."

"Yes!"

"But I don’t understand why you’re asking me specifically. If you want to know how to seduce a man, I’m sure there are better people to ask than me."

"If not you, Senior Lilith, then who else would you suggest?"

"Um... perhaps a friend from the spear club?"

"...I don’t have any friends."

"...And, uh, none in any other clubs?"

"No."

"..."

Ah, right. She’s a barbarian.

The academy was still a world where the majority of the students were nobles, and some level of racial discrimination persisted. I could understand why it might be hard for her to make friends.

"What about upperclassmen, then?"

"That’s why I came to ask you, Senior Lilith."

"No, I meant someone other than me. Surely there are other seniors you’re close with."

"...A senior I’m close with."

Lyria’s face flushed bright red as if she was recalling someone in her head.

I hadn’t asked with any particular intention, but one thing was clear. The man Lyria wanted to seduce wasn’t a fellow classmate, but rather an upperclassman at the academy.

‘If I had to guess, it's probably -***.’

Lately, I’d been seeing more and more instances of heroines from the original work having romantic entanglements with characters they weren’t supposed to, like Natalie and Thomas, Agnes and Prince Antonio. But regardless, Lyria was still one of the main heroines of Luminor Academy.

And when you thought logically, the only upperclassman she could be talking about was -***.

‘The problem is that no matter what happens with -***, the result will ultimately be meaningless.’

My mind raced with thoughts of how, even if the hero successfully completed the game and returned to Earth, he would abandon all the heroines and leave them behind. Loving that guy would only end in tragedy.

This guy wasn’t Romeo, yet he was creating multiple Juliets in this world and planning to leave them all behind. No matter how much I used to joke about being a unicorn in my past life, producing a line of lifelong virgins was something I couldn’t tolerate.

Virginity was something precious, meant to be shared with one’s true love.

Letting it wither away unused was no different from leaving a delicious apple to rot in storage.

"The senior I’m close with is a man, not a woman."

"And do you have feelings for this ‘close senior,’ Miss Fionis?"

"...Yes."

"I see. Well, I’m not sure if my advice will be of any help, but I’ll do my best to assist you."

"...Really, Senior Lilith?"

"On one condition, though."

"...What?"

To prevent Lyria from clinging to an impossible love and to put a stop to -***'s growing harem, I had to set up some rules.

"I will help you only until the moment you confess your feelings to this ‘close senior’ of yours."

"Okay."

"But if, despite my help, this senior rejects your confession, then you must promise to let him go and never pursue him again."

"...What?"

"I absolutely cannot tolerate anyone clinging to someone after being rejected. If you’re serious about asking someone like me, who you barely know, for dating advice, then that’s the level of commitment I expect from you."

"..."

Lyria’s face showed deep contemplation. She was clearly worried about never being able to get close to -*** again if her confession failed. Just thinking of his face annoyed me even more.

It made me furious to imagine that reckless hero, with beautiful girls lining up for him, abandoning them all and returning home.

"Alright, Senior Lilith."

"So, what will you do?"

"I still want your help, Senior Lilith. If I’m going to confess my feelings just once, I think it would be best to follow your advice."

"...Very well. You’ll keep your promise, right?"

"I swear it on the honor of my tribe."

Well, that was the expected answer.

For someone like Lyria, who, once she started something, couldn’t be stopped, I had no choice but to come up with a very special plan for her.

After all, I also wanted to see that hero panic, just once.

Now that I had decided to help Lyria with her request, there were three key elements that had to be included in her confession.

First, make -*** uncomfortable.

Second, ensure the confession is so terrible that it guarantees rejection.

Third, when rejected, make sure Lyria can cleanly let go of her feelings for -***.

Teach her how to seduce a man? I never intended to do that in the first place.

The very fact that she came to me to ask for help in seducing -*** was irritating enough, and even if she succeeded, that hero would abandon her and all the other heroines the moment he returned to Earth.

If that happened, Lyria, with her steadfast personality, would likely follow the same path as Celestina and Selina, saying something like, ‘Even though he’s no longer in this world, I will forever be the hero’s companion. I could never betray the man I’ve once loved.’

The damage done to those two was already so deep that it was beyond my control. But at least I could try to reduce the number of victims from here on out.

If her confession failed, or if their relationship didn’t grow any deeper, perhaps Lyria might find another love in the future.

"So, why did you call me here?"

Agnes grumbled in a displeased voice as she arrived, having been dragged out on a weekend.

It seemed she was a bit annoyed about her weekend research time being interrupted. Yet she still came when I called, which meant that she valued our relationship over her research, didn’t it?

The reason I called Agnes was simple. I needed someone to back me up in formulating Lyria's 'failed confession plan.'

‘I considered Isabelle, Rigi, and Agnes, but...’

In the end, I decided that Agnes was the best fit for various reasons. After all, she was practically an expert on failed confessions, and for a plan like this, there was no one better.

If I had asked Isabelle, she would have said something like, ‘That’s wonderful! I’ve always been cheering for you two! You and the young master make such a great couple!’ There was no way she would help with ruining someone’s confession.

As for Rigi, I worried that her outgoing personality might accidentally make the confession succeed, even if it was doomed to fail.

But Agnes? She was perfect. In the original story, she had no charm, popularity, or any positive traits as a woman. Naturally, she was an expert on failed confessions.

Even without any prior discussion, I knew she would guide Lyria into a failed confession. Or, at the very least, she’d agree with my outlandish suggestions without a second thought.

"It’s a rare chance to go out with Miss Lyria on a weekend, so I thought it would be nice to have Miss Agnes join us."

"...So I’m just an extra, huh?"

"Of course not. And, after all, friendship is about spending time together for no particular reason. You don’t need a special occasion to build bonds with friends."

"......"

"I considered you a friend, Miss Agnes. Are you saying you don’t want to spend time together on the weekend to strengthen our bond?"

"...No, I don’t mind. I was free anyway."

As expected, she couldn’t resist when I mentioned the word 'friend.'

No wonder Agnes couldn’t stand up to Seraphina’s words in the original story. But now, Agnes was my friend, which made her all the more useful in situations like this.

"Good day, Senior Lilith! And Senior Agnes! I look forward to spending the day with you both!"

"...She startled me. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest."

Lyria greeted us with a loud voice the moment she saw us, causing Agnes to clutch her non-existent chest in shock.

The key figures for the 'failed confession plan' had now all gathered.