"Heeey!"
"Ouch! Ephera, what the hell was that for?!"
Nyr winced as Ephera pinched his arm strongly.
"I almost dropped the controller, you know..."
"Come on, Nyr, you're not a delicate princess, are you?"
Ephera grinned playfully pushing her shoulder against him.
Nyr felt a bit nervous as Ephera's face drew close to his.
"Y—Yeah, but what's the problem..."
"You're asking me that, Nyr? Look, you should have chosen the second option!"
Ephera pointed at the TV screen in front of her.
The game's cinematic was unfolding before them.
["You're just a human trash, Edward!"]
[!][Miranda attacks Edward! What will you do?!]
The scene shifted from Edward and Miranda facing each other in a lavish corridor to focus on a black-haired boy, Jayden Rayena, the [Main Protagonist] of the game [Princess And Dragon].
[A] ["It's not my problem. I should watch and see what happens."]
[B] ["I should stop Miranda from attacking Edward!"]
[C] ["I'll help Miranda beat that guy!"]
[D] ["I'll scold Miranda!"]
"Easy."
Nyr smirked and manipulated the joystick to select the C option.
"NO!!!"
"Ouch! What the hell!"
Nyr glared at Ephera, but she ignored him and took the controller from his hand.
"Ephera?! Don't tell me you want to go with D?"
Nyr asked, dumbfounded.
"No, I won't go that far. Just the B choice."
"What?!"
Nyr was astonished. Why did Ephera want the protagonist to stop the fight? For Nyr, the second-best choice after C was A, which meant just observing. He thought Edward deserved the beating he was getting, and he was already quite content about it.
"Why, Ephera? We'll get more affection points from Miranda with the C choice! It's already difficult enough to earn points from her!"
"Yeah, but no."
Ephera shook her head stubbornly, looking like a stubborn child. It was such a cute expression that Nyr found it hard to stay upset.
"Why?"
"Look."
Ephera pointed at Edward's frightened face on the screen. He looked absolutely pathetic with his plump stomach...
"I feel sorry for Edward."
"You... feel... sorry... for E-D-W-A-R-D?"
Nyr repeated the name slowly, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. Just a few hours ago, they had watched together as Edward sexually harassed the innocent Main Heroine, so Nyr was quite flabbergasted by this change of heart.
"Yes!"
Ephera nodded vigorously, her eyes earnest as she looked at Nyr.
"He reminds me of you."
Nyr was taken aback by this statement.
"Eh? If this is a joke, it's not funny, Ephera."
Nyr turned his face away in mild annoyance.
Is that how she was seeing him?
He felt genuinely insulted that Ephera would compare him to that lustful jerk.
"Mouhh! It's not about that, you idiot!"
Ephera playfully punched Nyr's shoulder before turning her attention back to the screen.
"I read his full character biography, you know, the one the director posted recently."
"Biography? You mean those character profiles? Nobody reads Edward's biography, Ephera!" Nyr laughed.
"Nobody cares about him, honestly. You should have read Milleia's! She has that innocent charm that's hard to resist."
Nyr smiled broadly as he spoke expecting some jealous expression from Ephera.
"Nobody cares only if I'm dead, Nyr..."
Ephera spoke jokingly, but beneath her words, there seemed to be a faint note of seriousness that Nyr missed. He just brushed off her words, thinking she was kidding.
"He's a major antagonist, Ephera, and a single choice won't change that."
Nyr shook his head, trying to bring some logic into the conversation.
"You don't know that, Nyr. There might be a different outcome for him. Remember what the developers said on their website? There are over a thousand possible endings. Anything is possible."
Ephera was confident.
"Yeah, but in all of them, Edward remains the same despicable character. Plus, he's destined to die in the second game anyway."
Nyr quashed Ephera's hope in an instant, earning a glare from her.
"Do you really hate him that much?"
"Yeah."
Nyr nodded in a robotic manner, his eyes locked on the screen.
"You have no idea how much I hate this guy."
***
[It's time to wake up.]
"..."
[
"..."
[Little Princess? Edward is a man.]
[
[Goddess Cleenah, may I know the meaning behind your words?]
[
Cleenah's tone was serious, but a hint of happiness slipped through when Jarvis addressed her with respect. It wasn't the first time he had spoken to her like that, but each time he did, it boosted her ego, a sensation she secretly enjoyed.
Dammit.
I really wanted more sleep, but with those two, it's impossible.
"You're both noisy, so shut up."
I pushed myself up and stretched my arms.
As expected, I do feel great after yesterday's intense training.
[
Look at her, acting all superior.
It's all thanks to that rigid-minded Jarvis. Unintentionally, he's bolstering Cleenah's ego.
"Who's the sleeping princess?"
[]
"Yeah, yeah."
I waved my hand dismissively and walked to the pond near the cursed temple. For the last weeks now, I've been washing myself in that pond every day, and strangely enough, the water seems to cleanse itself every night. Whatever, it works for me.
I discarded my worn black shirt and dove into the pond.
"Ahh!"
It always feels refreshing.
"Don't watch, you perverted Goddess."
[
"In a what?"
I smirked as Cleenah's sentence trailed off.
Indeed, a month ago, she would have finished that sentence differently.
'[
But not anymore.
I glanced down at my body.
It's completely transformed.
Don't ask me how my physique changed so drastically in just two weeks; I have no clue either!
All that matters now is my current body.
I've shed all my excess weight and gained a lean, athletic form. Observing my six-pack abs, I couldn't help but smile.
Ahahaha!
All the grueling training I endured over the past two weeks has paid off!
Initially, I was only working out for about three hours like a typical couch potato, but my mentality soon shifted. With nothing else to do in this cursed temple, I started training like a maniac every day. I maintained seven hours of sleep, which proved to be more than sufficient.
I would've never believed that I could achieve such a physique. Back on Earth, I had wanted to sculpt my body, but laziness got the better of me. This time, though, I actually did it.
[<...>]
Cleenah didn't respond, but I could almost sense her teeth grinding in frustration.
Good for her.
This perverted Goddess has always taunted me about my weight, yet why was she observing me when I was bathing? Fortunately for me, I can tell whether she's watching me or not, thanks to our pact.
After finishing my refreshing bath, I washed my gray hair, which now reached my neck.
"I should style my hair when I get back to town."
With that thought, I gazed at my reflection in the water.
With my chiseled features and athletic physique, I now resemble Edward Falkrona from the second game.
Now it's time for the most important part.
"Jarvis, bring up my profile."
I spoke with an air of calm, though truthfully, I was eager to see my progress.
[Yes.]