[After a two-hour drive, you finally arrive at the destination for the outdoor instruction.]
[Please perform a Luck and an Endurance Check.]
Two dice roll, but the results are deliberately hidden.
[This utilizes the Dark Roll mechanism. The result you just rolled will take effect at some point today, influencing the direction of your story.]
Looking at the text description of the life simulation, Ei couldn't muster much enthusiasm. He slumped his head, looking out the bus window at the scenery.
As far as the eye could see, there were mountains, clothed in a new emerald coat by spring and dotted with deep green. Even though the window wasn't rolled down, just seeing the overlapping peaks made him feel like he could smell the refreshing scent of nature.
The river water flowed with a gurgle, playing a joyful tune like Tristan's harp strings.
"..."
Barghest next to him noticed he was listlessly leaning on the back of the front seat.
"What's wrong, Ei... Are you carsick, or has your cold worsened?"
"A combination of things, I suppose..."
His physical condition wasn't great today to begin with, and the bumpy ride, followed by his wading into the Chaldea anonymous forum chat, only made his body feel heavier. He had just arrived at the destination, but Ei already had the feeling of, "Maybe we should just end this now."
Suddenly, a warm hand rested on his forehead.
It was Barghest's hand. She placed one hand on his forehead and the other on her own, using this method to check his temperature.
Feeling the touch of her palm on his cheek—that delicate, gentle sensation, the concerned look in her red and green heterochromatic eyes, and the visual pleasure of her tall, voluptuous, perfect body leaning close—his heart couldn't help but race.
"Although you have a cold, it seems you don't have a fever yet," Barghest said. "Are you alright, Ei Mochizuki? Your face seems to have gotten a little redder."
"I-I'm fine..." Ei blushed and quickly turned his head away.
Despite being taller and stronger than most men, she was unexpectedly gentle and careful—such high Womanly Power!
[At 10:00 AM, your outdoor instruction begins.]
[Director Finn teaches you how to pitch a tent, how to use charcoal for a barbecue picnic, and necessary fire safety knowledge. Only after confirming you have fully mastered these skills does he allow you free time.]
[As you excitedly set up the grill, Barghest prepares to start the charcoal fire by the river but suddenly discovers that the ingredients are missing.]
"The ingredients are missing?" Ei and Baobhan Sith asked in unison.
"I'm so sorry, I think I misplaced them," Barghest said with a look of shame. "After I took all the backpacks containing the ingredients off the bus, they just completely vanished when I looked away for a moment."
"Could another classmate have taken them by mistake?" Ei asked.
"I don't think so. I've asked the classmates nearby, and none of them saw anything."
"That's strange. They couldn't have just disappeared into thin air. Impossible. They must be nearby... Oh, I know," Ei said, crossing his arms, his eyes suddenly sharp. "The culprit in this case must be Baobhan Sith!"
Baobhan Sith just rolled her eyes. "Why do you suspect me whenever there's trouble? We're on the same team; I'm a victim too."
"Self-sabotage that benefits no one is exactly your style."
"Are you trying to die, you渣滓 (scum)? Hurry up and find the ingredients, or we'll starve at lunchtime."
"No, if we don't find them, we'll starve for the next two days and one night," he frowned.
[You activated the skill 'Instinct']
[Check failed. Your intuition has no specific reaction at this moment.]
[You have no clues.]
Perhaps the skill level dropped due to the cold, resulting in the failure.
The serious-minded Barghest seemed still lost in her regret, her beautiful face flushed with shame. "I apologize. I am a Knight, and yet I couldn't even keep watch over the ingredients. This is a dereliction of duty...!"
"It's alright. Baobhan Sith and I didn't keep watch over the food either," he said. "It's just one meal's worth of ingredients. How can we use something so trivial to judge your knightly conduct? If the ingredients are gone, we'll go find them. It's not worth making a Knight like you apologize."
Facing Barghest's sincere apology, Ei couldn't help but give an equally sincere response.
"Ei-kun..." Barghest let out a soft gasp but quickly regained her Knight's imposing composure.
Although Ei wasn't an expert on a girl's heart, Barghest's thoughts were far too easy to read. Seeing her feign calmness while her hands were nervously fidgeting, her lip was unconsciously bitten, and her heterochromatic eyes drifted, he knew she was deeply affected.
Why? I didn't say anything remotely romantic.
"...I'll go ask Gawain and the others for some ingredients," he waved his hand. "Wait for my good news."
Ei had only been gone for a moment when the anonymous chat group, which had been silent for a while, received a new message on his phone.
G-ko: "What do I do? What do I do? Whenever a handsome guy treats me gently, I get carried away with myself."
G-ko: "I am clearly not a flighty woman, but in front of him, I always seem to have no resistance..."
Why does this woman look like she's in heat twenty-four hours a day!
He shoved his phone back into his pocket with a look of exasperation and walked straight to Gawain's group.
Tristan was lying on the grass with a look of severe anguish, eyes closed, his expression desolate, as if all the joy in the world had been cut off from him.
"Yo, what has you so sad, Tristan the Sad, Tris-pain?"
"Don't even mention it. I was discovered by my King while chatting on the anonymous forum... I'm currently thinking about how to write a 10,000-word self-reflection report. Maybe I should just write one hundred songs instead."
You're still in the dark! The person you were chatting with today wasn't Artoria; it was just Gawain impersonating her!
However, Ei had no intention of telling him the truth. It was better to let Sir Tristan reflect deeply on his own and become a better person.
"Lend us some of your ingredients, please. Our group's stuff seems to have been stolen..."
Saying this, Ei opened the suitcase containing their ingredients.
What met his eyes was a suitcase completely stuffed with potatoes.
"I thought we bought barbecue stuff, snacks, and drinks last night. Why did it all turn into potatoes today?"
The next second, he knew exactly who the culprit was.
"Gawain!!!"