Chapter 121

Each conversation I had with the heroines added fragments to the main scenario of this story. When only a single fragment came to light, it wasn’t significant, but when many of them gathered, it gradually became possible to guess an outline of the big picture.

After reading the materials provided by the student council president, I felt I had a slight understanding of what lay ahead in the main scenario. However, just faintly grasping the big picture didn’t change anything.

Regardless, I still needed to pass my exams at the end of the semester, and it wasn’t just about doing well—it was mandatory that I either secure first place or tie for it.

My rivals who contended for that top spot weren’t as diligent as I was. One was too busy chasing other women while neglecting her lover; the other was occupied with fulfilling her responsibilities as student council president.

Given the disruption during the school trip, it was unlikely that either of them had been able to focus on their studies. In a romantic visual novel, perfect scores were often achieved, but under the circumstances, such an outcome seemed improbable. Therefore, it wasn’t impossible for me to secure first place, at least.

The day before the test, on Sunday, was my final chance to review everything I’d studied and prepare for tomorrow’s examinations.

Excluding Kim Ha-neul, my main rival for the top spot, three of us convened at my house for a final study session. That group included myself, Inna, who had recently moved in, and Kang Yu-ri, who had threatened me into not studying alone.

“Shouldn’t we take a break and eat something before splitting up?”

Contrary to the stereotype that someone like Kang Yu-ri, prone to delinquent behavior, would distract us from our studies, she had actually been quite focused. Once absorbed, she refrained from pestering me, contrary to her usual habit.

Occasionally, when I had questions, both Inna and Kang Yu-ri were there to explain things to me. They taught me so effectively that I began to question whether I was actually the worst at studying among the three of us.

Thinking back, the former queen of our old school and the current queen of this one weren’t just recognized for their supernatural abilities; they also excelled academically. I had mistakenly assumed they were called queens merely because of their powers, but it appeared their academic prowess was always a given.

Ironically, the women around me, who supposedly helped me maintain my focus on achieving top ranks, might have been more of a distraction in reality.

Still, they were irreplaceable, and using them to my advantage rather than avoiding them would benefit me.

“Alright, I’ll take care of dinner then, but there’s a condition: I’ll do it with her, and you can just relax.”

To my words, Kang Yu-ri closed her book, pointing at me with her chin—clearly referring to me without naming.

It wasn’t surprising that she had begun to participate in household tasks since getting involved in our study sessions. The fact that she offered to cook together, rather than force me to do all the work, actually showed her preference to chat while cooking instead of being alone with her thoughts—a detail I had picked up on recently.

Since I was used to preparing meals for myself, I offered to help, particularly with cutting, but before I could fully stand up, Inna grabbed my hand, pulling me back.

“Let’s not waste time with conditions everyone knows you won’t follow. Just rest. I’ll handle it with Totem.”

Different from Kang Yu-ri, Inna didn’t call me by a dismissive “that guy”; instead, she called me “Totem,” a term that threw me off since she usually avoided nicknames unless permitted explicitly by me.

Her decision to call me “Totem” now seemed deliberate, almost playful.

If this was an argument over whose turn it was to cook and someone called this a “catfight,” I would say it wasn’t exactly unwelcome in this case—such a competition was enjoyable.

“Let’s avoid the quarrel. Why don’t we all collaborate on cooking and have me handle the chopping?”

I thought my suggestion was reasonable, reminiscent of King Solomon’s decree about dividing a baby. Surely, if someone truly didn’t want to cook, they would back out.

““You can’t participate!””

Both of them rejected my suggestion outright, leaving me responsible for their reluctance to cooperate.

Was it because I had messed up the salt balance or ruined an apple by improper kn*fe handling? If they were rejecting me over these past mishaps, it wasn’t fair. I had cooked delicious meals too, ones they now conveniently forgot!

“Just let me listen to you singing and I’ll cook you a meal. Please stay out of it.”

The former queen’s sarcasm was normal, but why was Inna treating me this way? She, whom I had grown close enough to call by her given name…

Feeling betrayed, I stared at her, only to have her look away from me. Shocked and speechless, I became conscious of Kang Yu-ri’s intent stare between me and Inna.

Why wasn’t I answering? Was she analyzing my silence?

After a moment of hesitation, I finally responded, “Trust me both.”

As an independent adult, my ability in the kitchen shouldn’t be questioned. Although Inna had seen me fail a few times, shouldn’t Kang Yu-ri, with even less experience witnessing my cooking, trust me at least?

“What would I have done if Inna hadn’t cooked for me?”

Neither of them knew. A distant older sister wouldn’t have cooked for me, and even if she had, this body would have refused to eat her food. Thus, it was obvious I had cooked for myself.

Using this fact as justification, I could claim my rightful place in the kitchen again.

“All mine…”

“I didn’t make bento for nothing, did I? Are you talking about the days you ate pre-made kits and barely got by?”

Ah, that did sound familiar. While I momentarily lost my bearings, Inna grabbed my hands firmly, saying,

“You should practice cooking appropriately, but don’t dislike it too much, okay?”

Any bystander would think she was soothing a child. My real motive for wanting to help cook was twofold: to avoid owing them too much and to limit my intake of Inna’s addictive cuisine.

Of course, Inna, who knew this fact, must have guessed my intention and possibly aimed to prevent me from over-consuming her meals.

Definitely the times I added too much salt and ruined a dish could have been due to her somehow influencing the ingredients when she was present. She must have wanted to feed me her own food.

Why Kang Yu-ri suddenly decided to get involved was unclear, but Inna’s intentions were fairly obvious.

I resisted checking the translucent window that usually popped up to see Inna’s favorability stats. Monitoring such stats during a break from the main scenario might only frustrate me.

In the end, unable to stop them, I watched as they prepared the food. As expected, the last meal before the exam was the flavorful kimchi stew Inna had made.

[A notification appeared: Your favorability has increased by 1. Be cautious. Your favorability is nearing the second threshold.]

While the dish was delicious and worth protecting against over-indulging, I decided I’d think about it later.

Tomorrow, the exams start. I had no room to dwell on the main storyline; instead, it was time to focus on my studies.

Already having survived a significant event during the school trip, there didn’t seem to be any potential for additional incidents during the exams. Novels or manga might introduce twists here, but this was a romantic visual novel.

The protagonist’s efforts and their payoff during the final exams shouldn’t be interrupted or canceled by any random event in this world.

*

What should I do?

In a room scattered with human anatomy models, a green-haired girl mumbled to herself.

If she did nothing, she’d never create an opportunity to win the heart of the one she desired. Yet, any rash actions might destroy even the faint chance she had of winning that heart.

This conundrum weighed heavily on everyone who sought her. The past brilliance of that individual was undeniable—it was so overwhelming that it incited a desire to destroy and possess her.

Ultimately, if she wanted to secure Erica, she needed to move when Erica was most vulnerable. Timing was the key.

Should she insert her plans involving dolls into Erica’s life during the final exams, which were vital for Erica to maintain her self-esteem, or should she wait until after?

Planning during the break was unwise since Erica’s whereabouts were unpredictable.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

The sounds of a doll’s body parts striking the floor or walls echoed through the room like clock ticks. With those serpentine eyes, the green-haired girl made her decision.

—It would have been easier to wait longer if only Erica had initiated any contact.

A crack began to form on the collar of the dollmaker’s leash, a collar previously restrained by Erica’s efforts. The crack became more visible, obvious enough for anyone to notice.