"I may be lacking in many ways… but for the rest of my life… please take care of me."
Her face was flushed crimson, the blush spreading across her temples as poignant as the setting sun.
Intermittent tears traced paths down her cheeks, like glistening pearls scattered across pink silk.
Such a beautiful scene, paired with such deeply moving words… a confession entrusting her entire future to you. How could anyone not be stirred?
Platinum was not stirred. Not only was she unmoved, she was thoroughly terrified.
Leap of Faith, with that look in her eyes like she wanted to devour her whole. Platinum suspected if this continued, she'd be trussed up and tossed into a basement.
Help! President, save me!
In the back kitchen, Symboli Rudolf twitched her ears and sneezed.
"Are you alright, President?" Hearing the sneeze, Air Groove looked up and inquired.
"Mm, it's nothing." Listening to the ongoing commotion from the front, Symboli Rudolf lowered her head again.
"Stop causing a scene here—" It was Fuji Kyoji who separated Leap of Faith and Platinum.
Holding Leap of Faith by the collar with one hand and Platinum's with the other, she pulled them apart with a firm pop.
"Kyoji, what are you doing? Why are you blocking my pursuit of happiness—" Leap of Faith's hands clawed frantically at the air.
"What pursuit of happiness? Looks to me like you're just lovesick," Fuji Kyoji retorted irritably, pulling Leap of Faith further back.
Platinum watched Leap of Faith with lingering fear, feeling a cold sweat drenching her back.
A true carnivore, that one. Who'd have thought, with those honest eyebrows and that refined, delicate appearance, she'd harbor such a wild heart inside?
The contrast with her outward appearance was just too stark.
"Wha—? No, I'm sure of it! Platinum is definitely the darling of my life—"
"Just because she changed clothes, she's your darling?" Fuji Kyoji shot back bluntly. "I change clothes in front of you every day, and I've never seen you react like this."
"What's there to see with your terrible figure?"
A vein throbbed on Fuji Kyoji's forehead.
Hah? You dare say that to your roommate?
To the roommate who's lived with you for over a year?
So the dagger is finally unsheathed, and your true feelings are out in the open, huh, Leap of Faith?
I've had enough!
She raised her fist and delivered a solid thwack right on Leap of Faith's head.
Leap of Faith's head spun dizzily. She staggered back two steps, collapsed into a chair, let her head loll back, and went completely still.
Fuji Kyoji stood panting in the middle of the cafe. Platinum, shaking her numb and tingling hands, was at a complete loss.
"What's going on? What happened?" Alerted by the unusual noise from the cafe, Symboli Rudolf rushed to the front hall and was met with this scene.
She stared in shock at Fuji Kyoji, thinking, 'Has the King of Fighters possessed her? Taking them out one punch each?'
It wasn't that Symboli Rudolf misunderstood; the scene in the front was simply chaotic. Leap of Faith was slumped in a chair, leaning over the table, a large bump visible on her head.
Platinum stood frozen in a corner, shaking her hands incessantly, her ears flattened tightly against her head—clearly terrified.
And Fuji Kyoji, the war goddess herself, stood right in the middle, fists still clenched, a vein prominent on her forehead, taking deep breaths—looking every bit the instigator of the whole incident.
?
"Wuuu... I'm sorry." Leap of Faith sat on the chair, rubbing her eyes, a large sign hanging around her neck. On it, bold words were written in marker:
[I AM A LOVESICK FOOL]
"So, have you calmed down now?" Fuji Kyoji looked at Leap of Faith with undisguised annoyance.
"Wuu... I'm reflecting on my actions," Leap of Faith wept. "I shouldn't have moved so fast. At the very least, I should have shared a coffee with her before pledging my life—"
Thump! Fuji Kyoji rapped Leap of Faith on the head again. "You're not reflecting at all, are you?"
"Wuu... I was just joking..." Leap of Faith pouted, her voice full of grievance.
"Alright, alright. Faith has promised she won't do anything so outrageous again." Fuji Kyoji turned to Platinum and patted her own chest reassuringly.
"See? She's promised." Symboli Rudolf also patted the shoulder of Platinum, who was hiding behind her.
"If promises were enough, nobody would ever get arrested," Platinum muttered, rubbing her shoulders and looking at Leap of Faith with a complicated expression, unsure how to face her.
"Ooh, that expression is wonderful too..." Leap of Faith was staring at Platinum again.
"You're drooling," Fuji Kyoji commented coldly from the side.
"Am not!" Leap of Faith hurriedly denied, wiping her mouth with her arm. "See? Nothing there!"
"You had to wipe to find out if you were drooling? And you still claim you're not lovesick?"
"Because... because..." Clutching the large sign around her neck, Leap of Faith clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Platinum just looks so incredibly dashing like this!"
"It makes my heart go doki-doki!"
"And doesn't that just prove your charm?" Symboli Rudolf said with a wry smile, glancing back at Platinum. "I'm certain you'll be one of the main attractions here today."
"If all the customers are like Leap of Faith, I'd rather just go back to my dorm and stay put," Platinum sighed. The mere thought of being surrounded by a horde of Leap of Faiths, each shouting 'I support you!' and 'Marry me!' was too much to handle.
It wasn't that Leap of Faith wasn't pretty. In fact, Platinum rather enjoyed being admired by a beautiful girl.
But Leap of Faith's actions... they felt more like a leopardess hunting prey. Platinum didn't feel like she was being courted; she felt like she was on the menu.
Hearing this, Leap of Faith let out a wail of despair.
If her own impulsiveness meant she could never see Platinum in a butler uniform again... she would be utterly unforgivable.
"In that case, allow me to atone for my crime by—"
"Hey now, that line doesn't really suit your character," Fuji Kyoji interjected, curling her lip. "You're adapting a bit too well, aren't you?"
"Ah... sigh." Platinum scratched her head and let out a long breath. "Anyway, I'll treat this as a joke that went a bit too far."
"Next time, please don't suddenly get so close or touch me without warning."
It wasn't that Platinum hated being touched... Well, okay, she did, but it wasn't that severe.
The main reason was still the Soul Dissolution Syndrome. As long as she had this condition, she had to maintain her distance from others.
"You're willing to forgive me even after I did something so terrible? Wuuu... You're practically a goddess..." Weeping, Leap of Faith picked up a nearby marker and added more writing to the sign on her chest.
[I AM A LOVESICK FOOL]
[AND PLATINUM'S NUMBER ONE FAN]
"Hey, that's enough," Fuji Kyoji said from the side, seemingly at a loss for words.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.