The D-Rank Guild Master of the No. 1 Guild

Looking around, it seemed like Unahar wasn’t really doing anything. He was just leaning against the wall.

So, he hadn’t stopped to do something, but rather, was eavesdropping on my conversation with Akata?

“Were you listening?”

“…Yes. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on purpose.”

[Name] Unahar

[Emotional State] Nervous

Was he really eavesdropping on purpose?

Ever since that previous mistake, I’ve been a bit cautious about checking Unahar’s emotional state, but despite the guilt, it’s too useful to ignore.

It allows me to thoroughly understand the guild members’ conditions.

“Since you’ve been caught, I’ll ask you. What did you mean when you said you were busy at night?”

Unahar asked.

“Are you asking because you don’t know? I’m talking about the training schedule with you.”

There was a brief silence for about two seconds.

“Right? I just wanted to make sure. Then, I’ll go get my exercise in.”

Watching the back of the blond man who immediately left, I felt a strange sensation.

Did he ask just to hear the answer directly from me?

One of the comments from before came to mind.

‘All in on Rudel x Unahar stock’

‘Is Rudel dense, or is she pretending not to know?’

To think I’d be called oblivious by the viewers.

Of course, I wasn’t completely unaware that Unahar gets particularly flustered or excited around me. It’s quite obvious.

But seriously, would Unahar see me as a woman?

I believe he’s simply grateful for the opportunities I’ve provided and follows me out of deep gratitude, not out of romantic feelings.

Above all, I don’t have the luxury to feel romantic emotions for a game character. I don’t even have the time for that.

So, let’s stop thinking about it here.

* * *

Before the announcement of the second round, I made some time to be with Akata.

As soon as he saw me, his previously blank face showed some color.

Good, it’s time to start.

Let’s stir the calm waters in Akata’s heart, maybe throw some stones and create ripples. This might take a while.

When I suggested we go out together, Akata naturally took my hand and got off the bed.

Without letting go, we wandered around the villa.

Akata had been here for quite a while, but I thought it was necessary to give him a proper introduction.

Once Akata’s social skills improve, I’ll take him to the subordinates’ group lodgings as well.

While we were wandering around, Akata’s brown eyes swept over the neat and tidy wallpaper.

For some reason, an excuse slipped out.

“Isn’t it a bit bland? Maybe because I’m a person without much mood, and lately, it’s been reflecting me-.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Akata interrupted me.

Wow. I didn’t expect him to speak so firmly.

“Aria reminds me of the vibes I used to like.”

I looked down at Akata, surprised to see how dark his expression was despite his words. He said he liked the atmosphere? In the past tense?

I closed my eyes, trying to hide my sharp thoughts. This isn’t the time to delve into this yet.

We wandered around for a while longer, but Akata didn’t seem impressed by most of the interior. The first thing that caught his interest was a common chair. It was the oldest-looking piece of furniture in the house.

…That’s because Gio broke it a while ago.

“Who made this furniture? There’s no brand label on it.”

“The system created it—”

I stopped mid-sentence.

“Brand?”

Akata, how do you know the concept of a ‘furniture company’? Characters in this game world shouldn’t have any idea about such commercial entities.

Akata’s eyes widened, and he quickly looked down, muttering quietly.

“Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”

The guild members don’t know this, but Akata has a ‘high’ intelligence level. As someone else with high intelligence, I clearly saw through Akata’s thoughts just now. He seemed to realize he made a mistake by mentioning something a ‘game character’ shouldn’t know. He immediately shut his mouth to avoid revealing any more.

‘…So, there’s someone else in this game who shares my concerns.’

Even though we couldn’t discuss this openly right now, it didn’t matter. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief, as if I had met someone from the same country in a foreign land. 

When I subconsciously tightened my grip, Akata squirmed in pain. We passed through the arcade and entered the library, feeling a shadow lurking behind us. It’s unlikely anyone was following us in this peaceful fortress, but someone was clearly spying on us.

Lilith was hiding around the corner, and Kanel was openly watching us without any intention to hide.

It was only natural for the guild members to be curious about a new member, regardless of Akata’s indifference towards others. Excluding the fool Gio and the stingy Unahar, of course.

Suddenly, Kanel approached and spoke up.

“Akata, why did you call Rudel ‘Aria’ in the 1.5 round? Did Ispan tell you a different name, or was it a mistake?”

Kanel, seriously? He just asks these questions out of nowhere…

Moreover, Akata might still be traumatized from round 1.5, and here Kanel is, carelessly poking at his wounds.

Despite usually ignoring other people’s questions, Akata turned to look at Kanel. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke.

“Aria is…”

No, wait a minute! He shouldn’t talk about Aria!

Sure, I really want to know too, but the GM is watching us!

Characters in the game aren’t supposed to remember anything from before they were created! Damn it, I can’t even warn him about this—

In the meantime, an unexpected answer came out of Akata’s mouth.

“I just thought it was a fitting name when I saw Rudel.”

“Is that so? It is a graceful name that suits her. I’m convinced.”

What was that conversation?

That’s not how it’s supposed to go… Anyway, Akata is quite clever.

He managed to dodge the question smoothly. Even the sharp Kanel was fooled.

But wait, did Akata just respond to someone other than me?

Kanel became the first guild member to have a conversation with Akata. What an honor.

Lilith, who had been watching this, seemed thrilled. Her face lit up with anticipation as she approached Akata quickly.

“Akata! Isn’t our villa really cute and nice?”

“…”

However, Akata reverted to his vacant stare, as if facing an invisible person.

Akata, do you not like Lilith?

She’s trying so hard to talk to you, unlike the other guys. Why do you keep rejecting her?

I felt the urge to let go of Akata’s hand, but instead, I put an arm around Lilith’s shoulders to comfort her.

“Lilith, think of Akata as a cat. Cats usually don’t open up easily, no matter how much effort you put in.”

Akata stood with his back to us, seemingly indifferent to my words. It wasn’t that he couldn’t hear; he was deliberately ignoring us, whether intentionally or due to some emotional issue.

Our new guild member was proving to be quite difficult to handle. After showing him around the fortress, I guided him back to his room.

When he naturally tried to crawl into bed, I caught him and plopped him down in front of the desk.

“You can’t just laze around after one lap around the villa. How about a bit of activity?” I nearly scolded him.

But considering he wasn’t lazy but rather unwell, I held back my lecture.

I handed him a book, suggesting he read a bit. Instead, he lay down with the book under his head.

…Maybe he is just lazy.

“I want to sleep.”

“Try to stay awake a little longer, okay?”

At my words, Akata lifted his head off the book and sat still for a moment. Soon, he frowned and pressed his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Does your head hurt?”

“…Yes.”

“You should’ve said something.”

Ugh, my conscience. I decided to lead Akata to bed. It didn’t seem like he was faking just to sleep; he was genuinely struggling, frowning with his eyes closed.

He leaned on me, his soft cheek and neck touching my palm.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m used to the pain.”

He looked at me with a calm face and smiled gently.

Despite looking so fragile, Akata never says a word when he’s in pain or struggling. Instead…

From under the blanket, Akata’s hand peeked out. His eyes seemed to be saying, “Hold my hand, please.”

Feeling a sudden pang of sympathy, I took his hand with one of mine and used the other to gently pat his head.

“Should I cut off my hand so you can hold it all the time?”

“What??”

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

I realized I needed to be careful with my jokes around him. I didn’t want to scare him to the point of fainting.

“Please don’t say things like that, even as a joke!”

Wow, I got scolded.

I never thought this kid would reprimand me.

It seemed he was quite startled because his pulse was racing under my fingers as I held his wrist. I gently pressed my fingers against his pulse, like checking a heartbeat.

“Don’t say things like that, even as a joke…” I repeated his words quietly, and Akata tilted his head in confusion.

It felt like I was being cared for by the very child I wanted to look after.

Looking into his sparkling eyes, I stroked his head a few more times.

* * *

[Tomorrow at 9 AM, the first round of the guild war will commence.]

[The ranking of the first-generation guilds will be determined after three guild wars over rounds 2, 3, and 4.]

[And the theme of the first round is… ‘Death Run’!]

After an early dinner, I gathered with the guild members, excluding Akata, to listen to the announcement. Soon, the manual for the second round appeared on the status screen.