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

“64 times 13 is… 832.”

I sat at the table, muttering to myself while focusing on the calculations, my point ledger spread out before me. Of course, using a calculator would be more efficient, but I chose to do it mentally to keep my mind sharp. As a player in a combat game, our characters were all practically arts and sports majors, but I couldn’t let myself become like that. I needed to retain my mathematical intellect. 

It would be a waste not to utilize the brain, marked with ‘high’ intelligence, that I seemingly inherited from reality. 

Suddenly, I felt a warm presence behind me and a weight settled on my shoulders. Akata had rested his chin on my shoulder, peeking at the ledger. His damp hair, fresh from a recent wash, brushed against my cheek. The subtle scent of fragrant shampoo wafted along with the rhythmic pulse of his heartbeat. 

With my vulnerable back exposed, I stiffened, struggling to maintain a composed voice.

“Akata, do you want to try calculating?”

Pushing the ledger toward Akata, I wanted to test him a bit.

“First, review the trend of sponsorship points coming into our guild. Here’s a rough graph I’ve recorded. Use it as a reference. Then calculate the remaining points after excluding our necessary expenses. Tell me how much we can allocate for leisure.”

Having explained, I looked up.

Akata, with a smile on his face, was staring blankly at me, his gaze dreamy and lethargic.

“Akata, did you hear what I said?”

“Of course.”

He replied promptly, leaving me with a peculiar feeling. Somehow, after the third round ended, he seemed more laid-back and mischievous. Hmm, maybe…

[Emotion Status] Euphoria

Ever since the ‘sense of loss’ completely vanished from his emotions, he had been like this. Although it had only been an hour since the third round ended, it was still too soon to draw conclusions, but I felt a strange atmosphere from this beautiful boy.

“Now, you finish the calculations.”

“Yes.”

As I vacated the seat, Akata took the pen in his right hand and pulled the paper closer with his other arm, sitting down. For the record, I hadn’t provided him with a calculator. He had to rely solely on pure mental arithmetic.

Scribble, scribble, scribble.

After briefly glancing at the ledger, Akata quickly began jotting down numbers in neat handwriting. It didn’t take long, and there were no hiccups in his process of reaching a conclusion. Throughout the process, he didn’t jot down any intermediate numbers in a notebook.

In other words, like me, he could perform three-digit arithmetic operations mentally, and his speed seemed much faster than mine. But that wasn’t all; he also had the knack for predicting point trends by looking at the graph, demonstrating a sharp accounting mind.

[Name] Akata

[Gender] Male / [Age] 15

[Intelligence] High

“Yes, my assumption was correct.”

Akata proudly showed me the completed notebook, and I nodded. As I had calculated, we had around 80,000 points available for leisure expenses.

Despite having already confirmed this, my purpose for making Akata do the calculation was different. I smiled.

I had heard that high intelligence was quite rare. Unahar had mid-high intelligence, and so did Kanel. Honestly, the only ones I knew with high intelligence were Shemarin, Blance, and the deputy guild leader of the Ice Castle, Ifrea.

Akata had been overshadowed by ‘Aria’ and had not been able to demonstrate his potential, but the possibilities within him were boundless.

Now that Akata had awakened, I would ensure his talents flourished without exception. And someday, I must uncover the secret behind Akata’s ‘bug’.

“Where will you spend the leisure funds?” Akata reached out and touched my cheek.

…If it were any other boy’s pale and slender hand, I wouldn’t tolerate it. But I could bear it from animals and children.

I placed my hand over Akata’s and replied, “Since you and Lilith performed so well in the third round, I want to throw a small celebration. I’ll prepare a luxurious and delicious dinner banquet.”

In the second round, the victory for Gio and me wasn’t really worth celebrating. But Lilith and Akata’s performance deserved recognition.

“Will you spend 80,000 points on food?”

“It takes that much to feed Gio things like lobster and lamb… And it’s not just for food. There are other expenses too.”

Having already ordered the food from the dining manager, it was time to gather the others. I took Akata’s hand and led him outside.

Though he had already changed significantly through his own efforts, I wanted him to grow even more.

“Akata, could you go to the boys’ individual rooms corridor and call Kanel and Unahar? You need to go alone and clearly tell them that we’re having a celebration, so they should come to the dining room. You know who Unahar and Kanel are, right?”

Until recently, it would have been an unreasonable request for a child who couldn’t even make eye contact with others besides me. However, Akata nodded firmly.

“Yes, I’ll go.”

Suddenly, he seemed so endearing. I still had these feelings, the urge to kiss a cute puppy when I saw one. I gave a small kiss on Akata’s palm, and he tilted his head in curiosity. He stared at his palm where my lips had touched, looking puzzled.

I laughed and stood up. “I’ll go find Lilith and Gio. Let’s meet back here.”

* * *

Lilith emerged onto the rooftop after opening the observatory ceiling. She sat by the railing, her legs dangling outside the building, happily swinging her feet. The setting sun painted a red horizon before her, with the twilight casting a rosy hue on her skin. 

Though the landscape outside the guild fortress was artificial, it had the advantage of being customizable from the guild master’s office, offering a perfect view every time.

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps came from behind. Lilith’s smile widened immediately. She didn’t need to look back to know who it was.

“This, this.”

A large, muscular man climbed up the ladder, gripping a strap attached to a thermos in his mouth. He poured the sweet brown liquid and handed it to Lilith. It was clear there was more cocoa in it than in Gio’s own container.

“Thank you.”

Lilith almost handed it back, telling Gio to drink it all, but for some reason, she decided to keep it. Instead, she patted the ground next to her, signaling him to sit beside her. 

Thanks to the sunset’s light, Gio’s flushed face wasn’t as noticeable as usual. He nervously sat down next to her. He glanced at the delicate skin of the girl sipping cocoa beside him.

No matter how intense his training had been, his heart pounded wildly when he met Lilith’s green eyes tinged with crimson. Suddenly, Lilith turned to look at him, making Gio gasp in shock.

“Thanks to you, we did great in this third round. Thank you, Gio.”

“I, I…”

“I am so hopeless and weak, but did I seem a little better in the third round?”

“Of course!”

Gio shouted loudly. If Rudel had seen this, she would have been stunned, thinking, ‘Can this fool really say something like that?’

Lilith smiled back at Gio, making him tense up again.

“Still, could it compare to you in the second round? You were much, much more amazing.”

Gio clamped his mouth shut. If he didn’t, his heart might leap out of his chest. 

She can probably hear my heartbeat.

Lilith kept looking at Gio’s face, which couldn’t even meet her eyes, and then she giggled. For some reason, she just found it funny. Gio always made Lilith laugh.

“Gio, can I ask you a favor?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“To celebrate our second-round win and our third-round win, I want to give you a kiss. Can I?”

Gio completely froze.

At this point, it was hard to tell if the pounding was from Gio’s heart or Lilith’s.

Lilith swallowed and prepared herself. She cautiously moved closer.

“Stay still.”

Lilith’s voice trembled as she gave the warning. 

Gio, dazed with his flushed face, breathed out like a steam engine as Lilith’s pretty face came close.

Lilith chuckled.

“That tickles.”

Gio’s breath hitched completely. His tense chest and arm muscles twitched, and it seemed like he might break the rooftop railing at any moment.

Just before their lips met, Gio squeezed his eyes shut.

“…Found you! We’re having a celebration-.”

The whole world seemed to turn pink, and they couldn’t see or hear anything but each other.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from behind, ominously.

“…What?”

Rudel’s face turned cold as she climbed the steps.

Startled, Lilith raised her head, and Gio, belatedly realizing, jumped back with a gasp.

Seeing the two caught red-handed, Rudel’s expression gradually became more and more chaotic as she took in the situation.

The observatory quickly turned into an uproar.

“Y-You! Ahhh!”

Rudel, unable to even form words, stormed in, pulling Gio away. She shook with rage as she slapped his back.

“You! How dare you with Lilith, you!!”

It looked like fire would burst from her mouth. The Agasa Guild leader was utterly furious.