(Arin's Perspective)
The sharp sting of antiseptic assaulted my nose, mingling with a suffocating silence. Afternoon sunlight filtered shyly through the gaps in the window blinds, creating beams of dust motes dancing slowly in the air. The VVIP room of the Academy Hospital was quiet, but it was not the peaceful kind of quiet.
It was a tense silence, similar to the anxiety felt seconds before a time bomb detonated.
I sat stiffly on a hard wooden chair, trapped helplessly between two hospital beds. It was a terrible strategic position. If war broke out between these two sides, I would be the first casualty.
In the corner of the room, Doctor Edna stood tall. Her current presence was far more terrifying than any Tier 3 monster I had ever encountered.
The woman didn't say a word. She simply stood there, scribbling something on a clipboard with pen strokes that sounded harsh and full of suppressed rage.
Scritch. Scratch. Tap.
Every time the pen stopped moving, my shoulders flinched reflexively.
Edna walked over to Erika's bed on my right. The girl was wrapped in three layers of thick blankets, resembling a giant burrito.
Erika tried to open her mouth, perhaps to lodge a protest, but Edna only needed to glare sharply from behind her thick glasses. Erika's courage shrank instantly. She shut her mouth tight, swallowing all her complaints.
With terrifyingly efficient movements, Edna injected nutritional fluid into Erika's IV line, then fluffed her pillow hard enough to make the girl's head bounce slightly. Without pausing, she moved to the left bed.
There, Elena sat reclining gracefully despite her pale face and heavily bandaged stomach. When Edna approached, even this noble daughter of the Rhyms Family turned her face away. She didn't dare meet the doctor's eyes.
Edna checked Elena's bandages, pulling them a little too tight. Intentional? I was one hundred percent sure. It made Elena wince soundlessly. Edna didn't care and went back to writing on her clipboard.
Tap.
Edna closed the clipboard with a firm sound. She looked at the three of us in turn. Without needing to speak, her gaze clearly sent a message: One noisy sound, and I will medically terminate you.
Then, she turned and walked out, closing the door with a soft click that echoed like a judge's gavel delivering a verdict.
Silence seized the room again.
One minute passed. Two minutes passed. Suddenly, a crunching sound broke the stillness from the corner of the room.
Crunch.
Rose, who had been perched atop a low cabinet in the corner for who knows how long, bit into a red apple casually. That crisp sound crumbled the remaining tension left by Edna's terror.
I sighed deeply, trying to position myself as a wise mediator. "Alright. Doctor Edna is gone. Can we talk like civilized humans now?"
"She is... a monster," muttered Erika from inside her blanket roll. Her teeth were still chattering softly. "I'm still freezing, but she set the room cooling artifact to polar temperature."
"That is to prevent inflammation in my wound, Stupid," Elena retorted coldly without looking. She was busy straightening the silk blanket she brought from home. "If the temperature rises even a little, my stitches could itch."
"Itch?!" Erika tried to sit up, but her thick blanket made her lose balance. She rolled to the side with a flushed face. "You only care about your smooth skin while I almost became an ice block?!"
"At least I'm not whining," Elena replied curtly.
"Okay, enough," I cut in quickly before Erika rolled off the bed. "Listen, you are both severely injured. Erika has hypothermia, Elena was nearly sliced in two. Can we agree that the duel yesterday was a bad idea?"
They both turned to me in unison.
"Not a bad idea," Erika denied stubbornly.
"It was a matter of pride," added Elena.
"And the result?" I asked demandingly.
"I won," they answered simultaneously again.
Silence for a moment. Their eyes met, as if an imaginary lightning bolt struck right above my head.
"Excuse me?" Erika narrowed her eyes. "You passed out first, Princess. I saw your eyes roll back."
"That was a hypothermic hallucination," Elena replied calmly while flipping her silver hair. "Your robe system beeped first, a split second before mine. Technically, your mana ran out first to withstand my ice attack."
"That is because my cannon output was massive! If it hit, you would definitely be dead!"
"The keyword is 'if it hit'. Unfortunately, your accuracy is pathetic."
"Argh!" Erika struggled in her blanket, looking like a giant caterpillar in a rage. "Arin! You were the witness! Who fell first?!"
I swallowed hard. This was a trap. Answering honestly was wrong; lying was also wrong.
"Listen," I said carefully, choosing words as if defusing an active bomb. "Karim saw the indicators turn red simultaneously. I jumped the fence when you both fell simultaneously. Even the arena system recorded identical times. It was a draw. Period."
"A draw is for losers," commented Rose from atop the cabinet. She jumped down lightly, landing soundlessly like a cat, then walked closer while twirling the apple core on her finger.
Rose stood at the foot of the bed, looking at Erika and Elena with an annoying smirk.
"You two are so funny," said Rose. "Arguing about who won, even though the prize might not even want to be taken."
"The prize is Arin! And I want my prize!" exclaimed Erika defensively.
"I also won't give up my right," Elena chimed in quickly, then hurriedly corrected, "I mean, the right of victory. Not Arin himself. Well, Arin too, but as a trophy."
"Wow, I feel so valued as a human being," I remarked sarcastically.
Rose chuckled. "Well, since you are both stubborn and Arin is too cowardly to choose..."
"Hey!" I protested.
"...how about we compromise?" continued Rose, ignoring my protest. "Elena won't yield. Erika won't back down. In that case, Arin has to split himself. Or..."
Rose leaned in slightly, her face decorated with a mischievous grin.
"You go on a triple date."
Silence fell upon the room again. This time it felt much heavier. My brain needed three full seconds to process that sentence.
"What?" I asked blankly.
"Wait, wait," Elena raised her right hand attached to an IV. "You mean, I have to walk side-by-side with this barbarian girl? In public? With Arin?"
"And I have to share Arin with this arrogant Princess?!" Erika stared in horror.
"Yup," answered Rose casually. "Fair, right? You can watch each other. If Arin smiles at Elena, Erika can step on his foot. If Arin holds Erika's hand, Elena can freeze his hand. Fun, right?"
"That isn't a date! That is hell!" I shouted in frustration. "I refuse! This week I want to sleep! My body aches all over from carrying both of you here!"
"Oh, Arin refuses," Rose straightened up, then looked at me with a seductive gaze that was fabricated and very exaggerated. She tucked her red hair behind her ear.
"In that case, the date quota is forfeited. Such a shame. Even though I am free this Sunday. Arin, would you like to accompany me to the shopping district? I need someone to hold my bag while I try on... a new swimsuit model."
The effect of that sentence was instant.
Erika stopped shivering. The cold aura around Elena vanished, replaced by the hot aura of competition.
"WE AGREE TO THE TRIPLE DATE!"
Their shout was so compact and loud that the flower vase on the table shook.
I stared in horror at the two girls on my left and right. They had just sold my soul to the devil just because they were afraid Rose would take me swimsuit shopping, which was likely just a bluff.
"You're joking, right?" I asked weakly. "You hate each other. You can't possibly last five minutes without trying to kill each other."
"To prevent a greater disaster, I am willing to sacrifice," said Elena with a serious face, as if discussing state war strategy.
"I will stick to you all day, Arin. Don't hope that snake woman can get close," hissed Erika, glaring sharply at Rose.
Rose just laughed out loud, throwing her apple core into the trash can with a perfect three-point shot. "Deal, then. The day after tomorrow at the academy gate. Don't be late, Double Couple."
I leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling with a blank gaze. My life history was over. My plans for a nap and rest were completely destroyed.
"Arin," called Elena suddenly. Her tone was no longer arrogant or competitive, but hesitant.
I turned to her. Elena was looking down, playing with the edge of her silk blanket. A thin blush began to spread from her neck to her pale white cheeks.
"What is it now? If you want to ask me to wear a butler suit on the date tomorrow, I'm going home right now."
"No," squeaked Elena. She took a deep breath, trying to gather the remnants of her noble dignity. She looked up, staring at me straight. "This is outside the matter of that silly date. This is Rhyms Family business."
Erika, who was about to protest, immediately fell silent. The name 'Rhyms Family' carried a different weight.
"My father sent a letter via magic telegraph yesterday," continued Elena softly. "He heard my report about my recovery and about your role."
"Oh, good that he knows you're cured," I nodded.
"Not just that," Elena bit her lower lip. "Father wants to meet you. Personally."
My feeling suddenly turned bad. "Meet... where?"
"Dinner. At the main Rhyms residence. This weekend."
Damn! It was real. I thought the dinner invitation Elena mentioned yesterday was just a joke.
Cough!
Rose choked on her own saliva. Erika stared until her eyes nearly popped out.
"Dinner?!" squealed Rose, her eyes sparkling at the potential for new drama. "At the Capital Mansion?! Arin, do you know what that means in ancient noble culture?"
"I get free food?" I asked innocently, though cold sweat began to drip down my back.
"It means you are being audited!" exclaimed Rose enthusiastically. "A thank-you dinner for saving a noble daughter is usually just a cover. The real agenda is two-fold. One, appointing you as a vassal knight. Or two..."
Rose grinned widely. "...assessing your eligibility as a son-in-law."
"WHAT?!"
Erika's voice shrieked high, breaking the frequency normal humans could hear. "S-SON-IN-LAW?! ARIN AND ELENA?! IMPOSSIBLE!"
Erika tried to jump off the bed, but her legs got tangled in the blanket. The result; she fell face-first onto the floor.
THUD.
"Ouch..." moaned Erika from the floor, but she didn't care. She lifted her head, staring at Elena wildly. "Tell me that isn't true!"
Elena's face was now as red as a boiled crab. She didn't deny it.
"Father... Father is indeed a bit excessive," muttered Elena, avoiding our gazes. "He wrote in the letter... he said, 'Bring the young man. I want to see what kind of man makes my cold daughter unable to stop writing his name in her weekly reports'."
"YOU WRITE MY NAME CONSTANTLY IN REPORTS?!" I asked, shocked.
"It was a medical report! Of course, the doctor's name must be there!" denied Elena in panic, her voice rising an octave. "And... and at the end of the letter, Father asked..."
Elena stopped. She glanced at my hand.
"Asked what?" pressed Rose curiously.
"Your finger size," squeaked Elena softly.
Total silence fell over the room.
"RING?!" Erika screamed again from the floor. She tried to get up like a zombie refusing to die. "HE ASKED FOR FINGER SIZE FOR AN ENGAGEMENT RING?!"
"No!" snapped Elena quickly, though her face was already beet red up to her ears. "It is for gloves! My father is a collector of magic artifacts in the form of gloves! He surely wants to give you a gift of mana gloves! Don't think dirty!"
"Who collects gloves in this era?!" Rose laughed until she clutched her stomach, tears coming out of the corners of her eyes. "Arin, your life is over. You will enter the lion's den. Cut the steak wrong, your neck gets cut. Smile wrong, you get forcibly married."
I massaged my throbbing temples. A hell date tomorrow and a judgment dinner this weekend.
"Rose," I called weakly.
"Yes, future Young Master Rhyms?"
"Please call Doctor Edna. Tell her I am critically ill. I need an artificial coma for at least a week."
Without waiting for an answer, I immediately moved toward the exit with an expression of extreme exhaustion. The three girls didn't stop me. After all, they knew I was tired after taking care of them all day. At least they understood I needed a little rest.
However, when the door opened, my hope for rest vanished.
Suddenly, Instructor Karim stood outside the room. His gaze looked heavy, as if carrying news that would crush the entire peace of my life.