I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 231

Chapter 84: Only You and Me

A summer night is a rare cool moment of the day.

The evening breeze is pleasant, carrying the mixed fragrance of damp flowers and grass.

Chef Alice, in her light apron, is fully focused on managing the barbecue grill. Amy and Vanilla are helping to plate the food, while Jenny and Chuck sneak bites from the still-preparing ingredients, getting caught by the former and receiving a good scolding.

The girls are as rowdy as ever.

But Roy notices that Nia seems a bit different today.

Previously, she would be the most boisterous one, constantly going over to Alice to watch and join in the fun, or flaunting snacks with Jenny and Chuck, never able to sit still.

But today, she’s much quieter than usual, sitting on a bench with Roy, gazing at the laughing girls in the distance, lost in thought.

“Aren’t you going to play with them? Didn’t know you could sit still sometimes,” Roy teases casually.

Nia rolls her eyes at him: “What do you know? This is called thinking about life!”

Roy finds it hard to believe, but before he can ask, Nia wipes the playful look off her face and forces out a rather vague smile.

“You’ll find out soon.”

Once the dishes are ready, everyone takes their seats. Typically, at this time, it would be the loudest and most lively Nia raising her glass, hosting a messy but lively gathering.

But today, she adopts a serious demeanor, hesitating for words before finally letting out a deep sigh and a bitter笑声 under the curious gazes of the crowd.

“I have some bad news for everyone.”

“Actually, I ran away from home and faked my identity to sneak into the Academy. My mom chased after me and insists on bringing me back, so I might have to leave soon.”

This news catches everyone off guard.

Jenny and Amy are so shocked they can’t speak, Alice’s eyes widen slightly, and even Roy is taken aback, his expression complex.

Until Chuck weakly comments.

“So, you really have a mom?”

“Hey! What nonsense are you talking about?!” Vanilla awkwardly and angrily yanks her silly sister’s tail for that remark.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere isn’t so stiff anymore.

Jenny starts crying on the spot, and Amy reluctantly grabs Nia’s hand.

Nia helplessly waves her hands, complaining, “Don’t look at me with those faces like I’m dead, okay?”

“It’s just going home, not dying! We’ll have a chance to see each other again! And it’s not certain yet, I can still resist a bit more!”

“Stop making those sad faces! This meal is a farewell feast for me, so let’s just enjoy it, okay?!”

With those words, Nia transforms back into her usual cheerful self, even more enthusiastic as she raises her wine glass.

Alice is the first to perk up, gently patting her chest, and says to Nia softly, “If there’s anything Nia wants to eat before leaving, just say it! I’ll definitely satisfy you!”

Her enthusiasm lights up the mood, and soon everyone’s somber expressions lift.

“Wah, this is my sister’s prized dried fish, please take it!” “Why is it my stuff?!”

“By the way, does Nia’s family have a good background? Is my pocket money going to be paid back?” “I knew you must come from somewhere decent, keeping this secret from us for so long, not enough sisterly love!”

Cheers and farewells echoed, followed by friends joking around, reluctant to see her go.

On a summer night, with enchanting moonlight and a gentle breeze, laughter rises and falls, but Nia’s eyes begin to glisten with unshed tears.

Amidst this farewell banquet belonging to Nia, watching the girl wrapped in the warm light of her friends, Roy’s heart is tinged with quiet melancholy.

Has it unknowingly come to this moment?

Though Nia still conceals something, Roy knows everything.

In the original work, Nia’s timeline ends the earliest.

As an Extraordinary Being who inherited the Forest Elf bloodline, Nia will inevitably inherit the position of the head of the Green Council in the future.

Her identity is sensitive, and the head of the Green Council, being a loving yet strict guardian, naturally wouldn’t allow her daughter to wander outside.

Ultimately, Nia, with her weaker position, couldn’t possibly compete against her mother. This little escape from home was doomed to end with her being captured and brought back from the moment it began.

In the original work, no matter the outcome – good or bad – Nia’s fate was already sealed.

A bad ending would have Nia resist until the end, forced back by her family without a chance to say goodbye to her friends.

A good ending would be Alice falling in love with Nia, dropping out of school and marrying into the Green Council.

Now that Nia still has the leisure to gather one last time with friends, the situation is better than a bad end, but she still cannot escape her mother’s grasp.

As for the good ending, not to mention that Alice and Nia currently show no signs of that direction, Roy’s understanding of Nia has long surpassed the fragmented scenes in the game through these past days of being together.

Nia is like a bird yearning for the blue sky and white clouds, craving freedom and adventure. Is the so-called good ending in the original work really what Nia wishes for, ultimately compromising with her mother and returning to the suffocating Elf Forest?

Watching the smiling girl, Roy unconsciously tightens his fists, then loosens them, falling into a deep confusion.

No banquet lasts forever; as time passes, Nia’s farewell banquet reaches its conclusion.

Only Nia herself is being supported by her two close friends, who open up another topic.

“Since you’re leaving, this is your last chance!”

“Exactly, you can’t leave any regrets in life, go do what you have to do!”

Her friends lean in close, full of anticipation, giving her a final boost of encouragement.

This time, Nia no longer denies it.

She turns around, hesitantly peeking at the black-haired boy sitting nearby, and after some internal struggle, she finally steels her resolve.

Just as Jenny and Amy said, this is the last chance.

So many things she wanted to express have piled up unknowingly; at this moment, Nia doesn’t want to drag it any longer.

“You guys are right! I’m going now!”

Nia downs a big cup of honey wine boldly, steeling herself, and under the eager gaze of her two friends, strides with gusto towards the black-haired boy.

With every step, each inch closer makes Nia’s heart race faster.

As she reaches Roy’s side, her heart is almost bursting out of her chest; her face is burning up. Not sure if it’s the honey wine, the familiar face of the black-haired boy feels a bit ethereal and blurred, adding a special beauty to it.

…Maybe I should just forget it.

At this point, Nia starts to hesitate again, the courage fueled by alcohol dissipating drastically.

But then, Roy looks over and opens his mouth, “Want to chat for a bit?”

“Just you and me.”

The two close friends in the corner wiggle with excitement, Vanilla looks frozen, and Alice, who’s tidying up the plates, pauses for a moment.

Nia is slightly stunned, then, as usual, she breaks into a smile warmer than the spring breeze.

“Sure.”