A gentle breeze brushed against my skin, stirring the clothes I was gazing at with quiet intensity.
Noelle floated gracefully under the amber sky, and for a moment, I was captivated.
I froze where I stood, watching her silhouette flutter in the wind, that fleeting, mesmerizing sight etched itself into my mind.
White...
It was as if that single layer of her attire carried a stronger magic than the paralyzing spell Marie had cast on me.
Both women were now arguing in front of me.
Marie, standing with her back to me, shouted toward the sky, "Haa...?! You again?! What are you doing here?!"
Her sharp tone rang out as Noelle appeared just as Marie began offering me another troublesome proposition.
Noelle, who had been glancing at me earlier, turned her gaze toward Marie. "Hmm... and who are you?"
I understood, Noelle was probably irritated because of me. Perhaps a teacher woke her up after she had fallen asleep at her desk, or maybe she had been punished to stand in front of the class until the session ended.
Earlier this morning, we had met alone under the tree near the garden. She must have assumed I was the one who dragged her into the classroom... though she didn't even know my name.
Marie's voice rose even higher. "You idiot! I'm in the same class as you!"
Her clenched fists and sharp tone told me she was fuming at Noelle's dismissive attitude. From what I knew, Marie always had a short temper.
Meanwhile, I still couldn't move, bound by her spell.
Strange. This should've been a basic-level spell from the Magician's first skill tree, something weak and temporary.
So why was its duration this long?
I tried to resist, but the more I struggled, the stronger the effect became.
It felt like being pinned down by an unseen weight, except I was standing... not lying down.
Then, Noelle pointed a finger toward me.
"Ohh... I have business with that man."
Her voice was soft, almost drowned by the wind.
Marie's expression twisted. "Ha?! You know each other?! What kind of business do you have with him?!"
Her tone sounded like a challenge.
The argument dragged on for nearly ten minutes. I just stood there, listening in silence, unwilling to be dragged into an even bigger mess.
My gaze remained fixed on Noelle, until she descended and finally set her feet on the ground.
The wind calmed, and my thoughts slowly followed.
Noelle took a step toward me, but Marie quickly blocked her path.
"Mind stepping aside?" Noelle asked calmly.
Marie refused and shoved her roughly by the chest. "You're the one who should leave!"
In an instant, Noelle released her aura, a gust of energy strong enough to lift pebbles from the ground.
Marie smirked and responded in kind, her golden light flaring brilliantly, nearly blinding my eyes.
My lips trembled. "C-can you both stop this already?"
I pleaded, hoping to defuse the situation.
But both of them glared at me and snapped, "Stay out of this!"
God help me...
They were both furious now. I knew Marie was destined to cross paths with me in the game's plot, but why Noelle too?
Maybe I shouldn't have teased her earlier. I should've just let her sleep until the protagonist came to wake her.
The two faced off, ready to unleash their power—until a voice echoed from afar.
"Marie! That's enough!"
My chest loosened in relief.
Ahh... Raven. Thank goodness.
It was the protagonist himself, walking back to the boys' dormitory, with someone beside him.
And that someone... was Rix.
Rix, Raven's close friend, had shoulder-length hair slicked back, his forehead gleaming under the sunset. The lower half of his black hair faded into maroon, any player would instantly recognize that eccentric look.
The two managed to calm the women down. Marie reluctantly backed off, while Noelle, ever the cool-headed one, simply chose to leave, muttering about getting some sleep.
At last, peace returned.
Thanks to Raven and Rix, the paralysis spell faded, freeing my limbs once more.
But the next challenge came unexpectedly, right after I returned to my dorm room.
"Wait... why are you two following me? I was planning to rest," I said, sighing by the doorway.
"Wahaha! Your room's so neat, Alvein," Raven laughed as he threw himself onto my bed.
Rix, ever the mature one, rubbed his temple. "Hah... Sorry, my friend. He's always like this."
I hadn't expected this at all. These two were supposed to be my future enemies in the game's storyline, but now they were casually hanging out in my room. I smirked. "Well, make yourselves comfortable. I'll prepare some tea."
"Thanks," Rix said politely.
Raven grinned, "Make mine extra sweet."
As I brewed the tea, Raven watched me with curious eyes. "I didn't know you were this tidy."
Rix chuckled. "Heh. Not everyone lazes around like you, Raven."
"Haha. Anyway, you two showed up at the right time. I owe you one," I said while stirring the tea.
Rix waved a hand. "Don't mention it. I was sparring with Instructor Tamas earlier when I ran into this fool on a date with that famous Saintess." He pointed at Raven's face.
Raven's voice jumped an octave. "Hey! Don't make people misunderstand my relationship with Zehra'alya!"
I blinked. Zehra'alya? You mean Aurelia Zehra'alya? One of your heroine candidates?
So Raven had already met the Saintess... interesting.
I wondered what direction the story would take from here after all, this world didn't follow the exact same routes as the game.
Every encounter was a new trigger event.
I handed them the tea, still processing what I'd heard only for Raven to suddenly raise his hand with a mischievous grin.
"Tea tastes better with bananas," he declared.
Dark mist swirled around his palm, and from it, he pulled out a bunch of bananas tied with a rope.
My eyes widened. "W-what did you just do?!" A banana. He just pulled out a banana. Is that... an inventory?! I gasped.
Rix sighed. "Hah... I told you not to show off your magic." Raven laughed. "Relax. I trust Alvein, he's a good guy, hehe."
I trembled. "I-it's really an inventory, huh...?" But both of them tilted their heads. "Inventory?" they said in unison.
They didn't seem to recognize the term at all.
Good. At least they didn't know this world was based on a game.
Still... I couldn't help but feel jealous. Damn you, main character! Not only are you surrounded by beautiful women, you even have the system itself! Why couldn't I be the MC?!
As I watched Raven fool around with his conjured bananas, a thought suddenly resurfaced.
Back in my old world... I slipped on a banana peel while playing FLA. My head hit the floor hard.
Was that when I died? Or am I just in a coma right now?
Either way...
I just want to go home.