"Absolutely not!" she snapped, crossing her arms. "I don't like you, you jerk!"
"Is that so?" Rei Ao raised an eyebrow.
He turned to walk away, muttering, "Well, I was planning to confess to Yui today. Maybe I'll just go back to her instead"
Hearing this, Yumiko's heart skipped a beat. She could see through his transparent provocation, but that didn't stop her from panicking.
Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his arm.
"No! You're not allowed to go back!" she exclaimed.
Yumiko couldn't stand the idea of him pursuing Yui. If she couldn't resist his charm, then Yui, her sweet and trusting best friend, certainly wouldn't stand a chance.
"Why are you like this?!" she grumbled, punching him lightly in the stomach with a weak fist. "You're such a jerk. You said you'd pursue me, but this is how you do it?"
Her voice grew louder as her frustration bubbled over.
"All you've done is use Yui to provoke me! You you're so despicable!"
Her words, spoken with deliberate emphasis, were the harshest she could muster.
Yet to Rei Ao, they sounded as sweet as a spring breeze.
Seizing the moment, he pulled Yumiko into his embrace.
He felt her body tremble slightly but, after a pause, she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist.
A smile tugged at Rei Ao's lips as he whispered in her ear, "Yumiko, will you be my girlfriend?"
"..."
There was a long silence, and then Yumiko, shy but pretending to be annoyed, finally replied.
"Idiot! I was the one who confessed to you firstyou should answer me first!"
Rei Ao chuckled, his mind drifting back to the school infirmary where she had indeed confessed first.
"My answer is simple"
"Waaah!"
Yumiko cried out in surprise as Rei Ao suddenly scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the hotel.
Inside the room.
"Rei Ao, there are cameras in here, maybe we should"
Yumiko stammered, trying to back out in a moment of nervousness.
But Rei Ao reassured her with a confident smile.
"Don't worry, I checkedthere aren't any cameras."
"Okay"
Her protest silenced, Yumiko realized there was no escaping tonight.
Blushing deeply, she pleaded softly, "T-Then at least turn off the lights."
"No problem."
Rei Ao obliged, turning off the lights.
Though darkness filled the room, it didn't hinder his vision at all.
At Yui's house.
"Yui? What's wrong?"
Hearing the sound of the door, Mrs. Yuigahama emerged from her bedroom in her pajamas, her face filled with concern.
She saw Yui at the entrance, looking utterly exhausted.
"Nothing, Mom, I just got tired from hanging out. I'll head to bed now."
Yui forced a smile and brushed past her mother, tossing her bag onto the sofa before dragging herself to her bedroom.
"..."
Once everything quieted down, Mrs. Yuigahama hesitated before approaching the sofa.
She picked up Yui's bag and opened it.
Her eyes widened in shock.
The six condoms she had discreetly placed inside earlier were all gone!
Remembering Yui's tired and worn-out expression, Mrs. Yuigahama came to her own conclusion.
She sighed deeply, her heart aching for her daughter.
"Which boy is so inconsiderate that he'd tire her out like this?"
Still, this seemed to confirm that Yui's boyfriend was quite capable.
She'd heard that such traits could lead to a harmonious marriage later, though she didn't fully understand these things herself.
"Sigh"
She exhaled heavily, hoping that Yui's boyfriend was a responsible young mansomeone who would marry her after graduation.
Mrs. Yuigahama had no objections to her daughter's romantic endeavors, but she also didn't want Yui to get hurt.
Ironically, Yui wasn't heartbrokenher mother's assumptions were completely off.
Yui was simply overwhelmed by her experiences that day.
Lying in bed, her mind was a whirlwind of images from the cinema.
The monsters, the angels, the demons Rei Ao.
"Ahhh! It's all too much!"
Clutching her head in frustration, Yui couldn't make sense of the day's events.
Her thoughts lingered on Rei Ao's words:
"Take some time to rest and decide what you want."
"Decide"
She buried her face in the soft pillow, pushing all thoughts aside.
Right now, she didn't want to think about anything.
She just wanted to sleep and hope that everything would make sense in the morning.
"Phew"
Within moments, Yui drifted off to sleep.
In her dreams, she had already forgotten Yumiko's existence entirely.
~~~
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My New Work! "My Techniques are a bit off"
Chapter 117: Mabel Rayveil, God-Freezing Sword!
Mrs. Yuigahama had no idea what Yui was currently enduring.
While Yui might be having a sweet dream, Yumiko was finally experiencing firsthand the reality of what Saeko Busujima and the others always discussed when it came to Rei Ao.
What it truly meant to be a man.
She never imagined it was possible to feel blissfully happy and on the brink of death at the same time.
"Rei Ao, I"
"No need to explain, Yumiko. Weren't you trying to protect Yui? Try harderif you slack off, I might just go confess to her instead."
"You that's just too much!"
Late at night, on a dimly lit and deserted street.
A girl dressed in icy blue, as if carved from frost, stood trembling and crying.
"Where is this place?"
Fearfully gripping a sword made of ice, the girl prepared to embark on her otherworldly adventure.
In the early hours of the morning.
"Rei Ao please have mercy"
Yumiko had completely lost her earlier confident demeanor.
All her strength was gone; she'd learned the hard way not to drink more than she could handleor bite off more than she could chew.
Rei Ao, who was preparing for one last round, was interrupted by a notification from the chat group.
[Ding! Mabel Rayveil has joined the chat group!]
Frieren: "Oh? A new member, welcome!"
Stella: "Frieren, do you ever sleep?"
Frieren: "Of course I do, but I'm very perceptive. Any activity wakes me up."
Stella: "And you're talking to me right now because?"
Rei Ao: "Instead of chatting, how about focusing on the newcomer?"
Mai Sakurajima: "Shouldn't we be worrying about you instead?"
Stella: "What's wrong with Rei Ao?"
Mai Sakurajima: "I woke up and found he wasn't home."
Rei Ao: "I told you in the morningI'm on a date."
Stella: "You left your girlfriend at home for a date, and you're flaunting it? Truly, Rei Ao."
Rei Ao: "This is a private matter."
Mai Sakurajima: "Shouldn't you be back by now?"
Rei Ao: "Not yet."
Mai Sakurajima: "Hmm?"
Rei Ao: "I'm currently with Yumiko."
Oh?
At that exact moment, he felt Yumiko tighten her grip around him.
Rei Ao's eyes lit up.
Rei Ao: "I'll head back once I've finished discussing things with Yumiko."
As expected, just mentioning Yumiko's name provoked a reaction.
Satisfied, Rei Ao continued.
Those familiar with him immediately understood the subtext.
Mai Sakurajima: ""
Mai was speechless.
Earlier, he'd said he was on a date with Yui, and now he was with Yumiko.
Rei Ao's escapades were becoming more and more outrageous, and Mai could hardly keep up.
Frieren: "Impressive as always, Rei Ao."
Stella: "What's there to praise?!"
Shizue Izawa: "It's always lively here. Nice."
Stella: "This isn't livelyit's chaos!"
Saeko Busujima: "Chaos can be a form of harmony."
Shizue Izawa: "Agreed."
Sui: "Speaking of, isn't the newcomer going to say anything?"
Rei Ao: "@Mabel_Rayveil, I've shortened your nickname to 'Mabel.' Anything you'd like to share or ask?"
The name immediately reminded Rei Ao of someone.
When he checked the newcomer's profile, his suspicions were confirmed.
[Name]: Mabel
[Level]: Level 1
[Abilities]: None
[Possession]: God-Freezing Sword
The confirmation came from the sword itselfit tied her to the same world as Sui.
Mabel: "I I'm so hungry"
Shizue Izawa: "Huh?"
Sui: "Then eat something."
Mabel: "I have no food"
Rei Ao: "Why don't you tell us your story?"
Yumiko: "Wait, Rei Ao, at a time like thishey!!!"
Rei Ao: "Yumiko, it's about welcoming the new member. Let's wrap things up, shall we?"
Mabel: "I was abandoned"
Mabel: "I'm the last descendant of the Ice Clan, but today I was cast out. Sob sob sob"
Sui: "Ice Clan?!"
Something clicked in Sui's mind.
Sui: "Your Ice Clan do you guard the God-Freezing Sword?"
Mabel: "How do you know that? The God-Freezing Sword is with me right now."
Sui: "I've heard of the Ice Clan and their connection to the God-Freezing Sword."
Stella: "What kind of weapon is the God-Freezing Sword? Is it powerful?"
Sui: "Very. It's said to be capable of defeating the Fire Dragon, an immensely strong being."
Stella: "That does sound impressive. But if you're so important, why were you abandoned?"
Mabel: "Because everyone said I was lazy and greedy"
Mabel: "Uh I-I don't know, I was just following my mother's teachings"
Sigh
Rei Ao let out a long sigh.
After releasing everything he had, he finally relaxed, but a smirk lingered on his face as he observed Mabel fumbling with her words.
This girl getting exiled wasn't a surpriseit seemed her clan had long been fed up with her.
Rei Ao: "A parasite who refuses to work, living off the legacy of her ancestors, depending solely on the God-Freezing Sword."
Rei Ao: "Heh, was this what your mother taught you?"
Stella: "Hahaha! Are you kidding me? This doesn't sound like a teachingit's a guide to being useless!"
Frieren: "It's hard to believe a powerful clan would adopt something so absurd as their principle right?"
Even Frieren wasn't entirely certain about her conclusion.
Sui: "The Ice Clan's legends are pretty grand. It doesn't make sense for them to be so odd."
Having read about their legends, Sui still held some respect for the Ice Clan.
Sui: "Right, Mabel?"
Mabel: ""
On the roadside, Mabel hugged her knees and trembled.
"Am I really just useless?"
No! That's impossible!
Mabel: "M-my mom was amazing!"
Sui: "???"
Saeko Busujima: "She didn't really answer the question."
Stella: "Wait don't tell me she's actually this useless?"
Mai Sakurajima: "An entire clan built on laziness is that even possible?"
Sui: "I don't know anymore. I only read about them in a book about Ice Clan legends."
Even Sui was beginning to doubt herself and felt the need to distance herself from the situation.
Mabel's face turned as red as a ripe apple.
She had to prove her mother's greatness!
Mabel: "My mom was super decisive and bold! When I was nine, she ran off with a younger man!"
Mabel: "Isn't that amazing?"
Frieren: "That's called abandonment."
Shizue Izawa: "Are you sure 'amazing' is the right word for that?"
Rei Ao: "No need to question itabandonment is exactly what it is. And yes, that's very much a problem."
As Rei Ao expected, the Ice Clan's situation was as ridiculous as he thought.
Mabel, supposedly a guardian of the God-Freezing Sword, was only at level 1, as weak as an ordinary human.
"!!!"
Mabel's eyes filled with tears.
She'd just been brutally called out by everyone.
And deep down, she knew her mother had abandoned her.
But she couldn't cry nowshe had to prove her worth!
Mabel: "My mom was great at business! She even sold the secrets of the Ice Clan as a book and made a ton of money!"
Saeko Busujima: "Did did I hear that correctly?"
Shizue Izawa: "I think probably maybe you did?"
Stella: "Pfft! That's not just betrayalthat's outright treason! Selling your secrets isn't keeping them secret anymore!"
Sui: "Books Oh! I know!"
Frieren: "What do you know?"
Sui: "The book I bought about the Ice Clan's legendsthat must've been written by her mom!"
Mai Sakurajima: "...I don't even know how to respond to this."
Rei Ao: "No need to overthink itjust know that the Ice Clan is absolutely unbelievable."
Rei Ao: "@Mabel, so you've been following your mom's 'guide to being useless,' and that's why you were exiled, right?"
Mabel: "I'm not useless!"
Her voice trembled as tears streamed down her face.
But then her stomach let out a loud growl, adding insult to injury.
Mabel: "Why?! First, I'm abandoned, and now I'm stuck in a completely unfamiliar place with no one to help me! Sob sob sob"
Sui: "Even though we're in the same world, I can't help you without knowing your location."
Saeko Busujima: "What do you mean by 'unfamiliar place'?"
Mabel: "I don't know it's just very unfamiliar."
Stella: "You're not making this any easier for us to help you."
Mabel: "Sob sob sob"
Saeko Busujima: "Maybe you could ask Rei Ao for help directly?"
Mabel: "How? @Rei Ao, c-could you give me food?"
Rei Ao: "You can initiate a trade with me."
Mabel: "Trade?"
She thought of the new knowledge in her mind.
"This chat group is so magical; it should be able to save me, right?"
Clinging to this last ray of hope, Mabel initiated a trade.
[Ding! Mabel has initiated a trade request!]
[Trade Content]: Hungry, she wants to eat a full meal!
Mabel waited nervously.
In just a few seconds, a reply appeared.
[Ding! Your trade request has been approved!]
[Trade Conditions]: God-Freezing Sword
[Ding! Confirm the trade?]
"~Freezing God-Freezing Sword?!"
"No way, no way!"
Mabel clutched the God-Freezing Sword tightly.
If she lost the sword, she really wouldn't have any chance to turn things around.
Fortunately, the system promptly clarified that trading it wouldn't mean permanently losing the God-Freezing Sword.
"Phew that's a relief"
The once-precious sword was tossed carelessly to the roadside.
After confirming the trade conditions, Mabel now only wanted a proper meal.
[Ding! The trade begins!]
[Trade Partner]: Mabel
[Trade Content]: Hungry, she wants to eat a full meal!
[Trade Conditions]: God-Freezing Sword
[Duration]: Unlimited
Sui: "She really traded away an artifact?"
Stella: "And just for a meal"
Frieren: "What can we even say? It seems the Ice Clan is truly a group of freeloaders."
Mabel: "Waaaah, I was starving! What else could I do?"
Saeko Busujima: "Wait, doesn't anyone notice something strange about this trade?"
Shizue Izawa: "The duration is unlimited!"
Mai Sakurajima: "I have a bad feeling about this!"
