"Amon, how are things? The battle record in the 23rd ward..."
"Uh, Lancer, you know, Mr. Mado said not to talk to you about work until you've recovered..."
"Alright~ alright~ I won't ask anymore~"
Lancer, who was lying on the bed, could only wave his hand helplessly as he looked at Koutarou Amon embarrassed face. He didn't know who told Kureo Mado about his serious injuries before the final blow. When he woke up in the hospital, he was not greeted by the warm embrace of his comrades but by a furious scolding from a certain 'senior.'
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Akira Mado, who was sitting on the side with one leg crossed over the other. It was no surprise that she was the 'informant.' But seeing one leg in black stockings and the other wrapped in a bandage, it really was a different kind of...
Ahem~
And Akira Mado, who seemed to have noticed Lancer 'shameless' gaze,... crossed her other leg instead.
Although the other person was still looking down at some documents, Lancer wasn't an idiot with an IQ in the negative. How could he not see that the other person's attitude towards him had changed since that day?
But the problem was... so what? His time was running out...
In a little over ten days, he was going to leave. The other person was the daughter of his benefactor, and also his only living relative. He didn't want to leave any bad memories for the other person, so he simply pretended to be clueless and acted as if he didn't know anything. It was better to disappoint a woman than to hurt her.
It must be said that although Lancer claimed to be an experienced veteran who had played over 300 H-games (Integrity counted his hard drive), he was essentially just a senior apprentice wizard who had never had any real combat experience. This could be seen from the fact that he actually turned away Ryōko Fueguchi, a 'widow,' when she offered herself to him.
After all, even if something did happen, Ryōko Fueguchi would definitely have hidden it from her daughter and the people at the Anteiku cafe. It would have been a no-loss, all-gain situation, but his personality made him choose to give up directly.
There was no doubt that Lancer logic was not a big problem, but he forgot one thing. In H-games, besides those that are not picky about anything, in those pure love games with a bit of a brain, the most important attribute of the protagonist is pretending to be clueless. After all, if you don't pretend to be clueless, how can girls foolishly offer themselves to you?
For example... now.
As mentioned before, Akira Mado didn't like Lancer personality. He would rush into everything first, and she had to spend a lot of time in the hospital watching him while being his partner. It was a complete waste of time. After all, her goal was the same as her father's. She wanted to avenge herself on the 'Owl'!
But for some reason, every time she saw the other person rushing forward without any regard for himself, the unconscious act of protecting her behind him gave her an indescribable sense of security. She hated this feeling, but she was also unconsciously attracted to it.
It was only at this time that she would forget that she was an elite who graduated first from the Investigator Academy and remember that she was just a 21-year-old girl. Her peers should be enjoying sweet love in college, but she had to fight on the front line in a life-and-death struggle with ghouls.
But looking at the other person's expression, which she couldn't tell if it was genuine cluelessness or fake, made her furious.
"Um... Akira, why are you glaring at me?"
"..."
Looking at the other person's foolish expression, scratching his head, and turning his face away but also secretly peeking at her from time to time, what else could Akira Mado do besides sigh? She really didn't want to admit that she had fallen for a man like this. It should be known that when she was in elementary school, there were boys who would secretly 'confess' to her. This guy was in his twenties and was tall and big, so why couldn't he be a little more proactive?
Compared to the hospital room, with one person pretending to be clueless and the other with a murderous look on her face, Koutarou Amon, who was peeling an apple for Lancer, was the first to notice that something was wrong.
'Although I don't know what happened, it's best to retreat at a time like this.'
If Lancer was pretending to be clueless, then Koutarou Amon was truly someone who had no common sense when it came to relationships.
Having grown up in an orphanage, he was already lacking some things compared to ordinary people. What's more, his 'foster father' was a ghoul, which made him go through things that ordinary people could not even imagine. It could be said that he was naturally lacking in some things when it came to emotions.
But even though he was lacking in some things, his 'instinct' still told him that the thing he needed to do the most at a time like this was to lower his presence and hope that the two of them wouldn't notice him.
He thought so and acted accordingly, but things did not go as he wished...
"Tap~ tap~"
"Mr. Lancer, are you awake?"
Accompanied by the polite knocking sound, the hospital room door was pushed open. A girl with short purple hair peeked into the room, and the three gazes that suddenly shot at her made her shiver all over.
From a certain perspective, Touka Kirishima also experienced what Lancer had gone through before, but she was luckier than Lancer. After all, Lancer was being looked at by one SSS-rank, two SS-ranks, and two S-ranks, while she was just being looked at by two First Class Investigators and one Second Class Investigator.
But the three of them looked at her with different expressions. Lancer was surprised. He was surprised why Touka Kirishima, a ghoul, would come to see him. Koutarou Amon was a look of 'so that's how it is.' It was clear that this silent but imaginative man had thought of something else. If Lancer knew what he was thinking, he would probably hit the other person on the head and ask him, 'What do you know again?!' As for Akira Mado, her gaze was the most normal, a look of scrutiny.
"First Class Lancer, is this your friend?"
"Uh, she's a girl who works at the cafe I often go to. Haven't you met her before?"
Maybe it was because Akira Mado personality was naturally more dominant, or maybe it was because of his guilt for pretending to be clueless, but Lancer seemed a bit weak at this moment. And Akira Mado also seemed to not have expected Lancer to answer her question so 'bluntly.' She was also stunned for a moment.
And Touka Kirishima on the other side also didn't expect why that female investigator would inexplicably target her, but she was the kind of person who was outwardly gentle but inwardly tough. Faced with this inexplicable 'provocation,' she naturally fought back.
"Mr. Lancer, I was quite worried when you hadn't come to the store for a while. Later, I learned from the manager that you were recovering in the hospital. Here's the coffee you usually drink..."
While saying that, she took out a thermos from behind her back. It must be said that bringing coffee to a hospital visit was a bit strange. After all, she had never seen anyone bring coffee to a hospital, but unfortunately, Touka Kirishima didn't know how to make anything else besides coffee.
Looking at Touka Kirishima pouring the hot coffee into the cup and handing it to Lancer mouth, Akira Mado eyes immediately became dangerous. But unfortunately, she, who had no experience in relationships, had no idea that Touka Kirishima at this moment had no thoughts about Lancer at all. She had simply come to see him at her manager's suggestion to lay some groundwork for future cooperation.
And her actions undoubtedly stirred up something that was very common at a certain age —————— a rebellious mentality.
Although I don't know why you're unhappy with me, I'm going to stay anyway.
Instantly, a strange atmosphere filled the room. Lancer looked at Touka Kirishima, who had a completely different expression from her usual cold face and was now smiling, with an embarrassed look. Then he looked at Akira Mado, who was sitting with her arms crossed, her legs crossed, and her head slightly raised, 'looking down' at him. He realized that he seemed to have no idea what to do.
Instantly, he could only turn his gaze for help to the last person in the room ———————— Koutarou Amon!
Oh my god! This guy finished peeling the apple and was now carving?! And judging from his eyes, he was being serious (pretending to be clueless) at this moment!