The glowing info board hovered before Nero.
He still hadn't answered the question.
‣ Would you like to romance Merlin Arclight?
[YES] [NO]
Nero blinked. Then blinked again.
His hand hovered awkwardly in the air.
"Seriously…?"
He muttered under his breath.
He leaned back and stared at the floating prompt like it might explode.
This was still a game.
But it felt so real he'd almost forgotten.
『It's a VR dating sim for goodness sake…』
It was enough to make him forget that behind this beautiful illusion… he was still Nick Aarden.
A nobody. A fat, bullied loser in real life.
"Uhm, is everything alright?"
Merlin's gentle voice broke through his thoughts.
She was using a smaller towel now to gently dry her long, messy black hair while giving him that raised eyebrow look only a mature woman could pull off.
He snapped upright.
"I— I'm fine! Don't worry about it!"
Merlin tilted her head slightly, still watching him like he'd grown a second head.
Nero flailed his hands.
"Seriously, it's nothing! Just, uh— a lag! Yeah!"
On the inside, he was already sweating like he'd just been caught cheating on an exam.
『I'm gonna die in a dating sim. This is how I go out.』
He turned back to the interface as he bit his lip.
"I just… don't wanna screw this up…"
He whispered to himself.
"I've never been good with women. Probably because I'm so ugly. But maybe… maybe trying to romance a game character could make me better at it."
Even saying that made him cringe inside.
"Am I seriously this lame…?"
He sighed, looking back at the options again.
[YES] [NO]
"Alright, so what actually happens if I romance her—?"
Before he could even finish, the screen went black.
A spinning circle appeared. Then—
[Loading…]
[Romance Route: Merlin Arclight (Secret)]
[Unlocking this route will grant access to the event Late Study Night (+20% overall stat boost)]
[Progression: Acts I-VI (Difficulty increases per act)]
[Rewards: Exclusive magic scrolls, date events, and hidden dialogue.]
‣ Note: This is not a main route. Other romance paths will temporarily lock.
Nero tilted his head.
"Huh. So it's not a main route…"
He folded his arms to think.
"I mean… she's my teacher. Maybe it's better if I don't cross that line."
He sighed again.
The usual self-doubt had crept up like poison ivy.
"The last time I tried to cozy up to a woman that didn't want me… I ended up looking like the biggest loser alive. I… I don't know. I'll just let it go for now."
The glowing text faded.
[You've declined the "Forbidden Teacher" route!]
The interface vanished.
Now his mind felt so quiet.
･･･
Merlin looked at him again, still a little confused.
"Hmm? What's with that face, dear?"
He didn't answer.
His eyes looked far away, unfocused, like he was somewhere else entirely.
She pouted slightly, then smirked.
"I don't like seeing my precious student sad…"
She suddenly gave him an impish smile and started walking closer as one hand lightly held the towel wrapped around her curvy body.
"Do you want me to fix that~?"
As she got nearer, she lowered the towel bit by bit.
"It's one of my… specialties~"
Her eyes narrowed like a vixen's.
And her voice felt smooth enough to feel like butter slowly melting in the ear.
But Nero wasn't even listening.
His mind was looping the same thought over and over again.
『A gross guy like me doesn't deserve her…』
He sighed, head down.
"Sigh~ so gross."
"Eh—!?" (╬ Ò﹏Ó)
Merlin's expression spiked like someone had thrown cold water on her. Her cheeks flushed instantly red as she tightened the towel around her chest.
"You smug bastard! I try to be nice to you and the first thing you can think of is to call my body gross!?"
"Wait—what?!" Nero froze.
Merlin was already panting furiously.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
She barked and pointed at him.
"I'll have you know that I have zero stretch marks, the best bubble butt in all of Camelot, and the perkiest tits this side of Albion! So suck it, kid!"
She flipped him the middle finger.
"Suck it? Like your tits?" Nero tilted his head.
Merlin jerked back even more.
"NOT MY TITS YOU IDIOT!"
She was infuriated by how selectively blatant he was.
Nero narrowed one eye in confusion.
『What is she…』
A ding! echoed in his head.
[Dating Notes: Merlin Arclight is highly sensitive about comments regarding her body. She once used excessive magic in her youth, which aged her prematurely, forcing her to develop a spell to preserve her beauty. Compliments and insults both deeply affect her.]
‣ Tip: Do something to regain her favor. QUICK!
Nero's brain went blank.
『WHAT DO I DO!? WHAT DO I DO!?』
He saw her charging a small ball of lightning in her palm.
"Oh crap— Merlin, wait—!"
"You smug son of a—"
She started, but Nero was already in front of her.
He grabbed her slender shoulders.
The contact made her flinch.
Her lightning fizzled out instantly.
For a split second, both just froze there.
"Uhm… Nero?" she said, blinking.
His hands were warm on her skin — strong, steady.
She could feel his pulse.
She looked up at him.
『Wow, he's tall…』
That was all she thought.
His face and height were charming, his calmness too.
But that was only on the outside.
Inside his head, he panicked like a mad man.
『Oh crap oh crap oh crap— this is the first time I've ever touched a woman's shoulders! Stay calm! Don't faint! Don't you dare faint!』
Trying to act cool, he gripped her shoulders a little tighter.
Unfortunately, that just pulled her closer to his chest.
"Achk—!"
He internally screamed.
『WHAT DID I JUST DO—!?』
But Merlin didn't step back.
Instead, she glanced down… at his chest.
"Hmm…"
She murmured, resting a hand against him.
"I never thought someone who's never trained with a sword could be so…"
She poked his pectoral.
"Sturdy."
She squeezed lightly, like she was testing produce.
"All I'm saying is…"
She gave a small approving nod.
"You're built well. Huh."
Then she awkwardly patted his chest like she was returning a borrowed item.
A notification popped up.
[Ding! Merlin's affection level has risen to 2%]
Nero blinked.
"Wait, what? It works even if her route's locked—!?"
Excitement flared in his chest.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"See, uh…"
He scratched his cheek nervously.
"You've been working so hard lately, so I was wondering if you'd let me make you breakfast."
His voice cracked a bit.
The smile he gave her was painfully awkward.
Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
Panic again.
『Oh no, she thinks it's weird, doesn't she!? She thinks I'm weird! WHY DID I SAY THAT!? I'm crossing lines again! It's never okay to hit on your teacher! Even in an erotic dating sim like this one. AGGGGH! She's right… who wants an ugly dude making them breakfast—!?』
But before he could continue his spiral—
[Ding! Merlin's affection level has risen to 5%]
The blue text flickered gently.
His eyes widened.
Merlin touched her chest softly.
"Wow… it may sound weird, but no one's ever offered to make me breakfast before."
"Really?" Nero asked, genuinely surprised.
"Well, I do live alone."
She gestured to the bathroom and chuckled faintly.
"And even though we've been staying together for over a year, it never really felt like we were comfortable around each other."
Her voice softened even more.
"But… maybe that's starting to change."
She smiled warmly.
Her eyes looked like a pool of stars and her smile made his heart tremble a bit.
Nero's lips twitched.
"Huh? You're literally standing half-naked in front of me. How's that not comfortable?"
He chuckled under his breath.
Merlin tilted her head, pretending not to hear.
"Chop chop, get on with breakfast!"
She picked her bra and panties off the floor and dangled them at Nero.
"Cook me a great meal and maybe I'll graduate you to finally washing these, fufu~ ❤️"
She giggled and ran off.
Nero immediately barked back.
"I'M NOT THAT KIND OF PERSON DAMN IT!"
A ding sounded once more.
[Congrats! The Bewitching Archmage seems amused by your clumsy sincerity.]
‣ Would you like to unlock her route now?
Nero smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Erm, still not sure yet…"