Chapter 2: The Tabletop Journey
[Scenario loading...]
[Please select the special person in your life.]
[Currently available special person for simulation: Baobhan Sith (Fairy Knight Tristan)]
Eikou looked at the line of information displayed on the screen – there was only one person listed as the special person for now.
"What does 'special person' even mean..."
[She will be the female character who shares a deep connection with you during this deduction process. Once selected, you will be placed in the same class as her, and your life will be tied to hers in many ways. Simply put, you will enter this character's story route.]
[And at this moment, this is the only available route you can choose.]
"So that means I'll be able to enter the story routes of other characters later on?"
Eikou had a lot of questions in his mind.
But for now, there was only one choice in front of him.
So, he tapped confirm.
[Begin deduction.]
At the exact moment the process officially began, Eikou suddenly felt dizzy.
Although his body was still in reality, he could observe the life being deduced in the parallel world – lines of text assembled into images, like troops charging in, flooding into his mind...
[First day of enrollment.]
[You open your eyes and realize you forgot to set your alarm clock. You're about to be late for the opening ceremony.]
[In a rush, you throw on your uniform, grab your bag and luggage full of daily necessities, take the 1000 QP in living expenses left by your parents, and hurriedly head to Chaldea Academy.]
[As far as you know, Chaldea Academy is a prestigious school with extremely strict rules. Although most of the Servants attending are adults, they must still strictly follow the rules – repeated violations or low grades will result in expulsion.]
[If you're caught being late, your student life is basically over...]
[As you rush to the street corner, at that exact moment, a red-haired girl in a school uniform also steps out from the opposite direction.]
[The moment you both turn the corner, Eikou catches a glimpse of the girl.]
[Long blood-red hair, pale skin like all life has drained from it, and a red skirt fluttering beneath the uniform jacket.]
[Just one glance at that red hair, and he immediately knew – this was the most striking girl in the Britannia Department class at Chaldea Academy, stunningly beautiful yet with a terrible personality: Baobhan Sith.]
"Oh, so this is where I meet the heroine Baobhan Sith in a traditional way, huh? I'm just some guy on his way to school, running late, turn the corner and bump into the heroine with bread in her mouth – classic romcom opener."
[Something like that.]
[Completely unprepared, the two of you slam into each other. The high heels she was holding are also flung away by the impact.]
"Why high heels? Who carries high heels on the way to school? You seriously emphasizing her high heel fetish in this situation?"
Eikou could clearly see the scene where they collided, unable to react in time.
Baobhan Sith let out a soft, sweet cry of pain, her petite figure losing balance and falling backward, while the high heels she was holding were flung far away.
At that moment, two choices appeared before Eikou:
[What will you do?]
[1. Catch her to keep her from getting hurt (Requires Agility B or higher)]
[2. Take this chance to run away before she sees your face.]
What's with the second option? Is this the chaotic route? Am I a hit-and-run driver or something?
"What do you mean the first option requires Agility?" Eikou asked curiously.
[Your life deduction process operates using dice rolls to randomly advance the story. Important choices require your personal stats to meet a certain threshold to have a chance of success.]
[Success rates are categorized as: Failure, Great Failure, Success, and Great Success.]
[Your Agility stat is B+, so the success rate for catching her is very high.]
"Oh, I see how it is."
At this moment, Eikou began to feel genuinely intrigued by the deduction process—he hadn't expected it to include random elements like a tabletop game.
Without giving much thought to option two, he immediately chose option one.
A die dropped in front of him—the result was: EX.
[You rolled an EX difficulty value, far exceeding your personal stat.]
[Great Failure!]
"???"
How the hell do you get a great failure right at the start!?
Wait—if a failure just means failing to catch Baobhan Sith, then fine, but how far off-track will a great failure send the storyline!?
Whoosh!
The moment the system determined it was a great failure, Eikou's body moved of its own accord...
In that instant, he decisively flung both his luggage and school bag aside.
Then, Eikou dashed straight forward.
[You are swift like a flying arrow.]
[However, you completely ignore Baobhan Sith, who is about to fall, and instead charge directly toward the falling high heels, sliding to catch them.]
[You embrace the high heels tightly in your arms.]
"Why the hell am I hugging her high heels?!"
[Because you rolled a "Great Failure," you mistook your target for help.]
"Mistook what exactly?! Who mistakes a pair of shoes for a person?! Even if it's absurd, there should be a limit—!"
Before he could finish yelling, Eikou saw his in-simulation self hugging the high heels, eyes overflowing with tears, screaming in panic:
"Don't give up!"
He stared desperately at the broken heel and cried out in agony:
"Achilles! Don't die on me! I'll get you to a doctor right now!"
Achilles—what the hell is that supposed to mean!?
In his head, "Achilles" was just a heel! Were the rest of the parts just accessories!?
Hey! Turn around and look at the girl falling behind you! She is the one who really needs help!!
Baobhan Sith—completely ignored just now—finally got up on her own. Her pale and beautiful face was now brimming with pure fury.
"Hey! You piece of shit, what the hell did you just do?! You broke my high heels?! Those were a gift from my mom for my school entrance!"
—The proud blood princess roared in rage.
Absolutely amazing—her first reaction wasn't anger from being knocked over, but… fury because her high heels got damaged?!
[Baobhan Sith is about to explode. Murderous aura gathers in her ash-grey eyes as if she wants to rip you into a hundred pieces.]
[If you don't explain yourself quickly, your relationship with her may become beyond repair.]
[What will you do?]
[1. Explain the situation and soothe her emotions (Requires skill "High-Speed Divine Words A" or higher)]
[2. "This Young Master takes responsibility for his actions—it was I, Jason! If you want revenge, find me in the Greek class. This Young Master welcomes all challenges!"]
[3. Run away]
...Seems like there's a seriously scummy choice mixed in here.
"No, there's no way I'm picking that second one…"
Though he was seriously tempted to see if it would lead to something hilarious, if he went through with it… this connection with Baobhan Sith might be severed completely.
"Let's go with one—explain things properly."
The die rolled again.
[High-Speed Divine Words – Persuasion Successful.]
Fortunately, no ridiculous outcome this time—everything proceeded smoothly.
He didn't expect "High-Speed Divine Words" to have a use like this.
[You clearly explained everything to Baobhan Sith, using a gentle tone to comfort her.]
[Baobhan Sith was still a little angry, but she accepted your explanation.]
"So you mistook my heels for Achilles, huh? Well… can't really blame you for that then."
Baobhan Sith sighed helplessly, cheeks puffed slightly in lingering annoyance.
Wait a minute… Why did he actually explain that? And how did she even understand?! Does everyone in this world seriously treat Achilles as a living, breathing heel!? Someone apologize to Achilles and his fans right now!
"Exactly, because they looked just like him,"
In the simulation, Eikou even looked like he was saying it with a smug little "sodayo~."
Baobhan Sith's pale gray eyes flicked over Eikou, glancing at the name tag and grade insignia on his uniform.
"Mochizuki Eikou..." she softly read the name on the tag. "You're also a new student in the Britain class?"
"Spot on."
"Well, that's perfect then," Baobhan Sith gave a wicked smile, revealing an adorably sharp fang. Her razor-sharp gaze swept over him, "Since you're also in the Britain class, I can settle this debt with you slowly, later."
So in the end, she never actually intended to forgive him…
But that's fine—most school romcoms start out like this anyway. One character breaks something the other cares about, and from there, a stable relationship of interactions begins.
"But, Baobhan Sith-san, we're about to be late."
Eikou hurriedly picked up his school bag and luggage, speaking with a hint of concern.
"Uwaa! It's all your fault! We really are going to be late! If my mom finds out about this—"
[Just then, a luxury black car suddenly pulled up in front of the two of you.]
[The window slowly rolled down, and you saw the woman sitting in the driver's seat.]
[Your first impression of the woman was of a proud blue blossom blooming at the peak of a snowy mountain. Her features were noble and cold, like a noblewoman straight out of a theater stage. She wore a long black-and-blue dress with elegant dignity, her white hair neatly tied up behind her head with a cute black ribbon.]
[Though she still looked young outwardly, her aura exuded a maturity far beyond her years. Sitting in the driver's seat with an air of regal grace, she radiated the composure of a queen.]
[That was Baobhan Sith's mother—the Queen of the Fairy Kingdom: Morgan.]
[Morgan cast her beautiful ocean-blue eyes over the two of you, first sternly scolding Baobhan Sith for not learning her lesson, oversleeping and running late; then ordered her to get in the car so she wouldn't miss the opening ceremony.]
[Then, Morgan turned her gaze toward you.]
"You get in too," Morgan said gently, her voice like a winter breeze passing through a wind chime.
"Y-yes… thank you, ma'am," Eikou replied, nodding a bit timidly.
"No need to be so polite. Judging by your name tag, you're also in the Britain class, right? That means you'll be in the same class as my daughter. You two should look after each other."
"Feel honored, trash," Baobhan Sith said arrogantly. "Not just anyone gets to ride in my mother's car! Especially someone as useless as you!"
Before Eikou could say a word, Morgan's voice turned stern: "Baobhan Sith, is that how you speak to your classmates? Apologize to him right now."
"Yes~ dearest mother~"
In front of Morgan, Baobhan Sith had none of her earlier aggressive or defiant attitude. On the contrary, she was like a well-behaved kitten, instantly replying in a spoiled tone.
"Sorry about that, Mochizuki-san~!" she apologized sweetly. "I shouldn't have called you useless. After all, even the most pitiful ant in the world still has one or two strengths."
"...Thanks a lot."
[You ride in Morgan's car, heading to Chaldea Academy. You no longer have to worry about being late.]
[At this moment, you realize this is a great opportunity to deepen your relationship.]
[You're now in a relatively closed space—not only can it shorten the distance between you and her, but even if she doesn't want to interact with you, she can't escape. On top of that, her family member is also present—this might be a chance to learn some useful information and personal matters.]
[You begin conversing with her. (High-Speed Divine Words A)]
[...]
[You learn that Morgan is not part of Chaldea Academy—she's the CEO of the Orkney Group in this city.]
[You learn that Baobhan Sith is Morgan's adopted daughter.]
[You've come to understand her a little more.]
[You've gained a Special Action Turn.]
Two choices appear in front of Eikou:
[One, share about your own past and show your interesting side. (God Slayer B, High-Speed Divine Words A)]
[Two, stay silent in the car]
Of course he picked the first one!
But wait a second—why was God Slayer part of the requirement too? Could it be… because of that time he beat up Gilgamesh?
But what's so "interesting" about that? Wasn't that just plain bullying?
Still, he decided to go all in with this skill combo.
Worst-case scenario? Just another Great Failure. Maybe the mother-daughter duo would throw him out of the car. Eikou had mentally prepared for the worst.
Two dice dropped at the same time.
When he got a good look at their faces, his heart jolted slightly.
[God Slayer B… Great Success.]
[High-Speed Divine Words A… Great Success.]
"Hiss…"
Holy crap, this was peak luck right here!
[You recount your past stories in a vivid, engaging tone that makes her laugh heartily—it's been a long time since she's laughed like that.]
[Your eloquent delivery completely wins over her heart. Affection level skyrockets.]
[You can clearly feel a strong wave of affectionate emotions.]
The plot suddenly accelerated in the best direction possible—this must be the power of back-to-back Great Successes!
He'd nearly maxed out her Bond from the very beginning—did this count as already nearing the finish line?
And this was just the opening of the game.
However, the actual scene in the car… was completely different from what the simulation text described.
By now, the car had already stopped in front of the academy gate.
"What? You punched that Glittery Gold Guy when you were little? What's so funny about that?"
Baobhan Sith gave him a deadpan side-eye, her face full of boredom.
Hmph. Playing it cool, huh? You're probably laughing your ass off on the inside, aren't you, Baobhan Sith?
Fine then. You can keep acting high and mighty a little longer—once school starts, I'll slowly peel that fake mask off your face.
"…If you didn't like it, forget it then."
Eikou shook his head slightly, pretending he didn't want to argue.
And just as he was about to hop out of the car with his backpack and luggage—a hand suddenly reached out, holding a phone.
It was Morgan's hand.
"Eh…?"
Eikou turned around, only to see the face of the Queen of the Fairy Kingdom unexpectedly tinged red, flushed with the shy, expectant look of a young girl.
"Student... may I have your contact information?"
"???"
What the hell is happening here!?
So this is why Baobhan Sith didn't care at all—it turns out both Great Successes landed on her mother instead?!
So the one who's into me… is you?!