If They Get Obsessed, I’m Doomed - Chapter 46
RP: Haebaragi_syk
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Chapter 24.1
Ariel was quite taken aback by Skylar’s sudden intrusion.
After a while, she realized that his interruption was out of concern for her.
Feeling very grateful, Ariel wanted to make sure he got some rest, even if just a little, after running in looking like a mess. Still, he rejected her kindness. Not only did he push her away and tell her not to come closer, but he wouldn’t even meet her gaze. Then, she had to reluctantly pass on the towel and water, along with the clothes, through a servant since he wouldn’t accept them from her directly.
Ariel wanted to try speaking to him at least a little, but she couldn’t even get close to him. She wondered if something big would happen if she saw his face.
Then, Skylar disappeared in the distance without even a glance.
Nevertheless, since it was late, Skylar didn’t refuse the Countess’s offer to stay for the night. However, he declined to join them for dinner. She only moved back and forth between the provided rooms and the parlor, speaking only with people other than her. It was a situation where it was hard not to realize he was purposely avoiding her.
Feeling uneasy, Ariel checked her phone. To her surprise, Skylar’s favorability rating remained unchanged.
“…Is he embarrassed?”
It was a sudden conjecture that crossed her mind.
Given Skylar’s personality, it was difficult for him to feign or express himself honestly. Perhaps he couldn’t bear the direct expression of concern today.
‘At times like this, maybe it’s best not to bother him unnecessarily?’
Ariel absentmindedly tapped the screen before closing the profile window. Only the bird’s eye view of the Count’s residence, with the marked location of the target, filled the screen.
The portrait of Skylar on the map was still in the parlor.
In addition to his portrait, there was also a portrait of Lexius in the reception area. According to Canon, the Countess seemed to be there as well.
“What on earth are they doing…”
Were they just having casual conversation, or perhaps discussing something else entirely…
She had no way of knowing.
Ariel sighed and turned off her phone before she lay down on the bed.
What should she do if Skylar continues to reject her like this? Since his favorability was already leading among the characters, there was no need to chase after her. However, she was worried that if this situation persisted for too long, her hard-earned favorability might not stay in this state for too long.
“What should I do with him?”
As she felt like she was having a headache, Ariel pressed on her temples. While she was reminded of the phrase that there were no right answers in a relationship, she needed the right answer.
“Why doesn’t it fall down from somewhere… like a perfect strategy guide to reach a special ending.”
Bzzzzzz—
Her cell phone rang at the most convenient time when she was desperately seeking help.
Ariel grabbed the phone she had been holding loosely with her fingertips and held it up in front of her eyes.
When she turned on the screen, she was greeted with a welcome message. Then, she touched the notification, hoping the content would be helpful and welcoming.
『 Basic help has been added. 』
『 ▽Basic Help
….
* When a character’s favorability reaches ♥♥♥♥ or higher, you will enter that character’s individual route.
* Once you enter an individual route, it would become more difficult to raise the favorability of other characters. 』
Under the familiar help message, two new sentences had been added.
After reading the screen, she opened her mouth in astonishment.
The new information wasn’t what she was looking for, and rather, it was more like a caution than a help. This was a penalty that would make her future even more complicated. Ariel, who had turned on her phone hoping to get some help, only became more distressed as her thoughts became more tangled.
‘…Skylar has two hearts right now.’
There was still some time.
‘Lexius has one heart. Racine has none, and Devoncia’s status is unavailable due to an error.’
Folding her fingers one by one, she counted the status of each of her targets.
Currently, the progress of targets other than Skylar was dismal. If she were to enter Skylar’s route, it would be the worst-case scenario. She couldn’t even imagine if there would ever be any connection with Racine, whom she could hardly even meet face-to-face with now. Considering her goal of evenly filling three hearts and aiming for an average relationship, pursuing an individual route was definitely out of the question.
‘Would it be better to keep some distance from Skylar until the favorability of the other characters fills up?’
Fortunately, Skylar was currently avoiding Ariel. While she wouldn’t know how long it would last, his reaction to her now was something to be thankful for.
‘Let’s take this opportunity to relax and balance things out a bit.’
Ariel organized her thoughts with a newfound calmness.
The condition for a special ending was that everyone’s favorability rating was three or more. The condition for entering the individual route was a favorability of four or more. She needed to walk an extreme tightrope strategy of maintaining favorability at exactly three—neither more nor less.
“It’s tough…”
Ariel let out a small sigh.
It was like trying to navigate relationships between characters who weren’t on good terms with each other and had contrasting personalities. She would rather just raise the favorability or simply avoid it and become a bystander.
“It would be nice if it were simpler.”
The game wasn’t going smoothly.
‘Now that I think about it, the aptitude test… what happened with it? Did I pass it well?’
Ariel looked through her phone as a question suddenly occurred to her.
‘Didn’t it mention giving me rewards?’
As she repeatedly opened and closed the system window, she hoped to find something useful for her strategy. Nonetheless, no additional information was added.
Ariel held onto his phone for a few more minutes before shutting the screen off with a despondent expression. Though the screen went dark, her mind was filled with various thoughts. At the same time, negative prospects and anxious worries would subside and then reappear, occasionally overwhelming her. With anxiety tangled like threads, she closed his eyes quietly, feeling uncomfortable.
The bedsheet was soft and plush, and little by little, the complexity faded away, and drowsiness crept in.
And so she fell asleep like that.
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