Seeing the lovey-dovey vibe of the first-day couple, Ravi's face darkened rapidly.
Lenis and Elfin, eating at another table, looked the same.
Well, their own romances had just ended yesterday, so watching the guy they liked finally get together with his rival would surely twist their guts.
Whether they knew how those three felt or not, the Brayden-Celine couple scooped up food together, scanned for a table, spotted me across from Ravi, and hurried over.
"Hey, Alvis! Are you bothering Ravi again!? It's graduation day, and you're pulling this right up to the last moment..."
A sleek young man with long black hair.
True to his romcom protagonist roots, he was the type who coasted on looks alone—and soon enough, he'd become the Holy Warrior chosen by the light, the original light novel's lead and the sequel game's protagonist as well.
Brayden's scolding stung my pride a little.
Who was it that spent all this time sweet-talking this guy into making a move? I wasn't wrong, but...
Still, I'd set the stage, so now it was time for me to bow out gracefully.
With the two of them here and me gone, that would leave Ravi with them to chat things out—and with any luck, prevent them from clashing down the line years from now.
"I figured your attitude might actually change on the last day or something."
Celine looked down at me as she spoke.
"You really never change, do you? Move already. Ravi looks uncomfortable. What are you doing, interrupting her meal?"
"I never interrupted. She was giving off such a gloomy vibe, so I came over to liven things up. Perfect timing, actually. You two are way closer to her than I am, so now you can keep her company—"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙▶You receive a Level 1 Backlash.◀
Thud—
The moment I tried to hand Ravi off to them and stand, a sharp abdominal pain hit me again, forcing me to clutch my stomach.
What the hell!? I set everything up perfectly for them to have a real heart-to-heart!
Is this saying that's the wrong choice? That I can't leave Ravi with them?
But if I just let things sit like this, who knows what mess it'd turn into later—high chance of that garbage ending from the JOAT game...
Damn it... we're already past the Loveholic original's ending! Killing me like this with zero hints?!
Sweating cold bullets from the pain, I desperately racked my brain.
Handing her off to them was definitely the wrong move—that much was clear from the Level 1 backlash.
I hastily revised my strategy.
"—keep her company, but now I get why."
"Why?"
"Why our bunny lady's been moping around since morning, looking like death. You two decided to date?"
I pointed at the Brayden-Celine pairing. Their faces flushed as they nodded.
At that instant, Ravi's expression darkened further, and I seized the moment to chew them out.
"Then you two should back off first, don't you think? Brayden, even an outsider like me could tell how much Ravi was into you. Have you even considered how she feels with your new girlfriend right here in her face?"
"Uh?! Th-that's..."
"I get that you're closer to her, but right now, you leaving is the right call. Don't go rubbing it in with those happy faces. Go be all lovey-dovey somewhere else."
Maybe even they realized it looked bad—a fresh couple flaunting in front of a heroine who'd just lost the love battle the day before. Brayden and Celine shuffled off with awkward expressions.
Before leaving, Celine gave Ravi an apologetic look and murmured, "Sorry, Ravi..."
But Ravi wouldn't meet her eyes.
Now it was just me and Ravi again.
No stomach pain this time.
Is this really it? Me personally looking after Ravi?
Ravi still wouldn't meet my gaze, but she expressed her gratitude.
"...Thank you."
"Bet you're not feeling great right now. I won't spout useless crap like 'it'll get better' or 'time heals all wounds.' I can't read your mind anyway."
"Yeah, that's better for me."
"Not sure any words would help right now, but it's graduation today. If you make that face during the ceremony when they're recording everyone with the magic orb, you'll regret it forever. At least try to cheer up for that part. Want a few macarons? Sweet stuff usually lifts the mood."
"Pfft, surprising. Never knew you had a serious side, Alvis. I figured you for nothing but flighty and shallow."
"You're saying that to my face? And figuring it out on graduation day? If you were gonna learn, do it sooner."
"Better late than never."
Ravi's expression had softened a bit. She sliced into her salad, swallowed, then shifted her gaze to my face.
"But Alvis, are you hurt somewhere?"
"Hm? Nah."
"Doesn't look like 'nah' to me. You were breaking out in cold sweats talking to Brayden earlier."
"Uh... guess facing that guy got me tense or something. You know how much he's chewed me out and beaten me down before."
"Liar."
Ravi cut me off flat, and I shut my mouth.
"I'm a Bunnykin, remember? I can tell just from the smell if it's tension sweat or pain sweat. Alvis, you're hurting right now, aren't you? Where? You're sweating that much—it doesn't seem normal."
Damn, forgot Bunnykin have killer noses on top of their hearing.
I scrambled for an excuse and whipped up a white lie.
"...Can't fool a Bunnykin nose, huh? Keep it secret from the others?"
"Yeah."
"Chronic condition. Some rare disease—don't know the name myself. Hits me with pain like this every now and then."
"What?! But in three years, I never..."
"Didn't want anyone seeing me like that, so I managed it. Guess with today being the last day, I let my guard down. Must've miscalculated my meds."
It was a spur-of-the-moment fib, but pretty convincing. The pain really did come out of nowhere, like a chronic illness.
"I-is it okay? I had no idea you had something like that..."
"No clue how bad it'll get. That's why I tried hitting on you, Celine, Lenis, and Elfin during academy days—wanted to enjoy my youth while I could. Heh, got shot down spectacularly every time. Should've aimed lower."
"Why me too...? The other three make sense, but..."
"You've been talking weird for a while now. What's the reason I shouldn't hit on you? In my book, you're one of the top women in this academy. Honestly, I can't wrap my head around why Bunnykin get discriminated against."
This part was dead serious.
How do you discriminate against a natural-born bunny girl who's pure eye candy, just because of species?
Strip the ears, and they look human—hell, in the horniness department, Bunnykin have humans beat. That's just common sense.
Seeing other students trickle out of the cafeteria, I hurriedly finished eating and got Ravi up.
"Took too much of your time. Graduation ceremony's soon, so I'll head out first. Pull yourself together and follow when you can. Sucks to be late on the last day."
"Huh? Oh, yeah..."
Thankfully, no pain came back by then.
This should count as handling it well enough, right?
Once Ravi sorts her feelings, she'll face Brayden again no problem.
Nice job, me as Alvis!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Left alone, Ravi stared at her empty plate, mulling over Alvis's words.
She hadn't sensed any lies in what he said.
She'd always pegged him as a weirdo who'd spent three years throwing himself at her, Celine, Lenis, and Elfin.
But today, for the first time in three years, he seemed different.
He'd always been a whirlwind of chaos, rattling everyone around him—but today, that presence felt like a gentle breeze.
Noticing her heartbreak, approaching first to keep her company, chasing off the Brayden-Celine couple when he saw how painful it was for her, and on top of that, his clear fondness for Bunnykin.
Anyone with a chronic illness ignoring their own pain to comfort a heartbroken stranger wasn't something just anyone could pull off.
Ravi's droopy ears perked up just a little, regaining some energy.
If he'd been like this from the start... it might've felt different.
Today's brief chat with Alvis lingered far stronger in her mind than the three years of Alvis she'd known before.