I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 181

Chapter 34: Just Passing By

Nia, hearing this, showed no signs of embarrassment. Instead, she playfully tossed her hair, squinting her eyes with utter self-satisfaction: “What can I say? That’s just my charm.”

“Sigh, being popular really is a hassle.”

“Confidence is good, but I have to remind you of something.” Roy casually glanced over, noticing a few unfriendly glares nearby.

“Walking openly with me will affect your reputation.”

For boys, he was an annoying rival who stole two school beauties. For girls, he was a scummy playboy with two boats.

Roy thought Nia would just hand the clothes to Alice, but he didn’t expect her to come running over in person.

Upon hearing this, Nia paused mid-step.

“Reputation? That can’t be eaten.”

The girl folded her hands behind her back, took a few steps forward, and twirled gracefully, her green hair and pure white skirt dancing like butterflies in the sunlit hallway.

Her returning smile was like a spring breeze through the forest—fresh and healing.

“Only fools believe those unverified rumors; all I need to believe in is you.”

The elven girl’s cheerful words made the corners of Roy’s mouth lift slightly.

“But, there was that one fool who actually believed those ridiculous rumors and broke in at night…”

Nia’s lips twitched, and she nearly stumbled as if hit by an invisible blow.

“Ah~ah~ what did you just say?!” The thick-skinned girl skillfully changed the topic.

One class in the academy lasts an hour, so the break is fairly long—about twenty whole minutes.

Roy followed Nia to a small grove by the teaching building.

In a little tree hollow, Nia pulled out a paper bag containing the clothes Roy had lent her.

Both their reputations were significant, and if she walked around with the clothes in hand to find Roy, people would immediately assume she was his girlfriend, and the whole school would be buzzing.

To protect their innocence, they had to sneakily return the clothes in private.

However, unlike Nia, who had to hide the bag beforehand, Roy had it easier. He simply fetched the cleaned clothes from his storage ring and handed them to her.

“Oh! A storage ring, you have one of those?!” Nia’s eyes lit up.

“That’s great! Besides the mineral-rich Golden Sands Kingdom, this thing should be rare, right?”

“Indeed, it was a gift from my family.”

Seeing how much she liked it, Roy decided to let her examine it as much as she wanted.

Nia wasted no time and started feeling all over the ring.

As she enjoyed the soft, warm sensation, Roy felt a bit embarrassed.

If she liked it that much, it wouldn’t be hard to give her one—Roy had initially thought of gifting an extra ring, but on second thought, giving a single woman a ring was a bit too suggestive, so he swallowed his words.

After she was satisfied, Nia’s attention shifted back to the paper bag, and she sniffed the contents, suddenly looking up: “By the way, you didn’t do anything bad with my clothes, did you?”

“What bad thing?” Roy didn’t catch on.

“Don’t play dumb; what would a beautiful girl’s intimate clothing be used for?”

“Wait, what do you think I am?!” Roy felt a headache coming on.

Nia innocently blinked and giggled: “Hey, I’m not targeting you. Aren’t boys in their puberty all fascinated with girls’ clothes?”

“Apologize to all the boys in the world, hey! Besides, your clothes were wrecked with slime, so there’s no way I could use them!”

The green-haired girl realized: “Oh, I get it. So, without slime, you would’ve gone for it, huh?”

“Not a chance!”

This girl’s thought process was something else.

Unlike Alice, who knew too little, Nia clearly knew too much.

But after being tired of the reserved and restrained exchanges between nobles, it was actually refreshing to chat freely like this. In truth, Roy found it easier to relate to laid-back girls like Nia.

With time still left before class, Roy didn’t want to go back to face that blonde, malicious girl, so he stayed to chat with Nia.

Their relationship wasn’t that familiar, and they didn’t share many common topics, but Alice, being the biggest connection between them, naturally became the focus of their conversation.

Roy took the opportunity to ask about his little maid’s school life: “So, how’s Alice doing recently?”

Nia seemed puzzled: “Which aspect are you talking about?”

“Everything.”

“Like whether she can keep up in class, feel lonely, if anyone bullies her, whether she’s happy or not…”

Once Alice was mentioned, Roy couldn’t stop.

Even though Alice’s fate had significantly diverged from the original plot, Roy still worried about her life like a protective father.

Especially with Alice being the quiet type, he couldn’t just ask her directly. Nia, being Alice’s friend, was the perfect person to get information from.

But Roy’s barrage of questions left Nia dizzy.

“Wait, Alice isn’t a three-year-old! There’s no need to worry this much!”

Even so, the black-haired boy was completely unaware of his actions: “I’m not worried; I’m just showing basic concern as her master.”

“You jerk…”

Nia couldn’t help but roll her eyes, feeling speechless.

But she didn’t dislike this trait.

Just like when Alice talked about Roy with warmth and happiness, Roy always wore a smile whenever Alice was mentioned.

Nia could see that this black-haired boy genuinely cared for Alice with pure kindness.

So, she suggested, “If you’re this concerned, why not go see her yourself?”

“Go see her?”

“Yeah, we have practical training in the afternoon, so school will end a bit later.” Nia nudged Roy with her elbow, raising an eyebrow: “A certain master who can’t let go of his maid can swing by for a visit. Alice would definitely be thrilled.”

Roy walked Alice to school every day, but she walked home alone.

He felt it was necessary to give her some space.

Practical training—what if Alice gets hurt?

That thought struck Roy as absurd.

Alice was a Rank 8; how many first-years could pose a challenge to her? Plus, it was supervised training.

There was really nothing to worry about!

No, Alice was destined to become the world-renowned Destined Saintess, so how could he spoil her like this?

“No, forget it. Every young bird needs to learn to fly solo, and Alice has to grow; my presence would just distract her.”

The boy’s serious reply made Nia feel an unexpected respect toward him.

Yet, when school was over, Roy found himself unconsciously heading toward the training field.

Of course, it wasn’t that he was worried about Alice; he was merely passing through to take a look!

However, the moment Roy stepped downstairs, his face darkened.

Because Yana was already lurking around, waiting for him.

This malicious girl, why is she here again?

Don’t delay me from meeting Alice!