There were times in life that made me regret my decisions. This was one of them. I opened up Auorora's log just to be greeted with a long paragraph. Perhaps it was more like an analytical essay. I sighed. I knew it was important to read these things, but this was too much.
"First, he treated my sister and me with respect, and then he seemed to not care about the position of head of the clan! Did he not know the power that the Dragonborne had? No, I was sure he did. Then why wasn't he fazed about his class? About potentially losing any standing in the clan? Perhaps he was tired of the schemes and scandals that his father was involved in… But what caused the drastic change in Sir Dragonborne's heart? I was aware that it had been a few years since I last saw him, but still…
But then, he said 'More importantly.' He actually smiled at us… without any malice or underlying motives. He was more focused on keeping his word to us than his position. Who was this young man that stood in front of me moments ago? Even when my twin sister didn't even show respect, he wasn't fazed. Was he just patient? Was it because we are two years older? Or did he know something that we did not?
No… it must be power. He must have gained some sort of considerable power that gave him confidence. My sister and I must have been so weak that he thought it wasn't worth correcting us! But he didn't have any motives! I'm so confused!
Warning: Possible Outcomes:
Loyal Servant
Coup d'etat Leader"
Why can't anyone just be simple? Aurora could have just thought, 'Smarus is cool, so let's be friends' or something. Also, why was that log in first person?
First-person logs indicate heightened emotions and upcoming Paths of Life. Interaction with the user will result in changing the trajectory of their life.
Noted. If that was the case, Aurora could turn on me during dinner… great. I pulled up Myra's log.
"I called him a twerp and didn't even show any respect, so why did he invite me to dinner!? Twice! He also treated me as a separate person… Unlike most who just compare me to my sister since she's such the 'perfect girl.' What a load of shit. That was just a mask she put on in front of people. Even Sis had a loss of words from his actions. We should be careful. I'll follow Aurora's lead during dinner.
Warning: Possible Outcomes:
Lover
Coup d'etat Accomplance
Loyal Servant"
I often thought I had good luck, but this was clear evidence that I didn't. Obviously, I didn't want either sister to turn against me, but I also didn't want to be Myra's lover. She was my favorite character, sure, but I had boundaries. I was not like those shut-ins who prayed and hoped for a chance to be able to sleep with their favorite anime or game characters. And of course, the log was in first person as well, so I didn't have the option to push it off.
My dinner with the sisters just gained an indefinite amount of importance. I was never a social person to begin with. I invited them mostly out of courtesy, but that backed fired immediately. Well, there was no use in complaining. How should I approach this dinner? I began to formulate a plan based on my game knowledge.
Aurora was a very intelligent yet humble woman. She was able to read a room and control the flow of a conversation. Also with her class, Light Mage, if she sensed any malice, she had all the right tools to expose you. Unlike me, she was a prime example of a diplomatic leader. In the game, the player actually had to get into a moral debate to get her to join the party, but the player could choose from a selection of multiple choices! There was no way I could just come up with what to say on my own. Wait, my intelligence was now five, and if I remember correctly, Aurora's intelligence was four… But her charisma was also higher than mine. I was bound to have challenges but this was too soon.
Meanwhile, Myra was a lot more straightforward person. She was blunt, rude, but honest. She truly believed that her sister was better than her in every way. She would join the player's party if the player either saved her from a mid-game boss or never talked about Aurora to her. Both were difficult. One minor detail about Myra was that she had perfect memory, unlike her sister. So even if I managed to outsmart Aurora with wordplay, Myra would catch me in my own trap. I sighed.
The most difficult part was getting them both to join the party. The player had to get to know both characters AND spend some downtime with both of them, along with the requirements I mentioned before. Without looking up their traits, it was nearly impossible to do this because they would both join the party right before a boss battle. Obviously, most players would spend their time leveling up their character, so getting both sisters meant the risk of being under leveled for the boss.
But I wasn't in a game anymore. I had an advantage. I actually had to spend every waking second in this world while before, time was sped up because it was a game. Somehow, I had to convince the sisters to serve me without creating a paradox. This was truly a pain. With that, I only had one more info that I had to read, Ace.
"Ace was confused about his perception of his friend group. You disappeared for a month while Ace spent time with Luna. Yet she was focused on you, always wondering what you were doing. Ace knew she wouldn't lose feeling immediately. However, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. But after he had Awakened, he was infuriated. You congratulated him, but he saw something in your eyes. You didn't care or show interest in even the slightest. He still wanted to be your friend, but too much changed between the two of you, too fast.
Warning: Possible Outcomes:
Eternal Rival
Enemy"
I guessed rival and enemy are considered two different things. Wait, more importantly, Ace was basically destined to bump heads with me. I didn't want to lose a friend, but at the same time, I felt relieved. The world was correcting itself bit by bit. I will have to come up with a plan to stay friends with Ace later. I closed the tab since the carriage was pulling into my father's property. As I opened the carriage door, I was tackled by a familiar figure.
"Young Master! How was the Awakening? I missed you! Did you get a good class?" A jumble of words came at me all at once while Anne squeezed me.
"Air…" I repeatedly tapped her arms.
"Oh, sorry Young Master," She backed off and bowed repeatedly.
I forgot about Anne. She seemed to be getting more and more comfortable expressing herself. I wanted to discipline her, but I had the odd feeling that it would have the opposite effect. I sighed.
"That's alright… just don't do it again. Have the chefs prepare dinner. Lady Aurora and Lady Myra will be over for dinner.
"Yes, Young Master. Also, I prepared your camping equipment for tomorrow."
She seemed so proud of herself. I wasn't able to bring myself to tell her that I probably wouldn't need it anymore. This would be the perfect chance to actually use my spatial inventory for once.
"Thank you, Anne. I greatly appreciate it," I smiled to show my gratitude.
After that, I went to the bathroom. Naturally, a bath was already prepared for my return. I took a relaxing bath, but I knew I shouldn't relax too much. There was a lot of work to do before my cousins came over for dinner. I sighed. My inner nerd wanted to just hole up in my room for the rest of the night, but I didn't have the luxury.
After my shower, I went to my room. I read Aurora and Myra's character logs over and over again. There was nothing that I didn't already know before. Even so, I read the logs repeatedly. I paced around my room. There was bound to be something that I could use to my advantage. My very livelihood… and I guess the fate of the world, rested on how well this dinner goes. I felt stress begin to build up before I decided to just close my tab.
I lay down on my bed and took a deep breath. When I was stuck on a level, I would often do a handstand against the wall. The new perspective and rush of blood would often help me calm down and think. Before I could think of anything, I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," I called without moving from my current position.
Anne walked in, clearly surprised by me doing and handstand, but she remained composed. She bowed to greet me. Why did people bow so often here? It was more annoying than anything else.
"Young Master, your guests have just arrived."
I dropped to my feet and stood up, straightening my suit.
"Thank you, Anne. I'll be out in a moment."
Anne nodded her head and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I took a deep breath, in order to calm myself. I was hoping that my stats would help me with holding a conversation with two nobles. I looked at the logs one more time. Looked like my handstand worked once again. I smiled as I saw a piece of information that I hadn't noticed before. Perhaps there was hope for me after all.