Free Web Novel"I'll be right back. I'm going to the restroom."
Although Reisir, who had been the most talkative today, left his seat for a moment, the atmosphere did not turn awkward.
That's because Helga led the conversation skillfully.
It wasn't that she kept bringing up special topics like "photography."
Rather, it was the opposite.
Should I say there was no need to narrate it, or that it would normally be omitted?
The stories were that trivial and ordinary.
The content was not much different from the conversations we had every time we ate at the campus cafeteria.
Only the location had changed.
Yet the atmosphere was different from usual, and the attitudes of those engaging in conversation had also changed.
Vigdís, who used to speak cautiously with a somewhat timid expression, was now speaking actively with a smile on her face.
Ríolíkin also joined the conversation more frequently than usual.
And despite his attitude, Helga never showed any sign of discomfort, instead listening to him and responding appropriately.
Yor was also very excited, meowing happily, and Reisir, who quickly returned to his seat, naturally joined in as well, adding his voice with a bright expression.
As for me, I only opened my mouth to answer when someone spoke to me, as always, but...
'This feels... kinda... fun... Ah, no. What on earth am I thinking right now?'
I almost got swept up in the relaxed atmosphere and let my guard down.
From now on, I have to think of this as being caught in a tiger's den and keep my wits about me.
Otherwise, I might get swallowed up by the flow of the original work.
Pulling myself together, I subtly covered the corners of my mouth, which were trying to curl upward on their own, pretending to wipe my mouth with a napkin.
"Since everyone seems to have finished eating, shall we settle the bill and get going?"
"Ah, about the bill, I already paid earlier, so we can just leave."
Reisir stopped Helga from pressing the employee call button and said something absurd.
Was his claim about going to the restroom just an excuse to go pay for the food first?
I couldn't have been the only one surprised by his statement.
Everyone was staring at Reisir with dazed expressions.
"Ah... th-thank y..."
"Why did you pay?"
My voice, filled with dissatisfaction, overlapped with Vigdís's voice expressing thanks.
Because of that, Vigdís glanced at me and fell silent, but now was not the time to worry about that.
'I remember the prices on the menu being considerable...'
Private room restaurants inevitably accommodate fewer customers relative to the space compared to regular restaurants.
So naturally, the food prices are expensive since they include a room usage fee.
Nevertheless, the reason Reisir chose a private room restaurant was out of consideration for me, since he had noticed that I was always conscious of the gazes around me.
Was that all?
He must have also carefully considered the taste and quality of the food, taking into account the palate of this possessed body, the son of a noble family.
In short, it meant we came to such an expensive restaurant entirely because of me.
And didn't I even order two portions, including one for Yor?
"I proposed today's gathering. And I wanted to treat you all to at least one meal as a way of saying let's get along well in the future." ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Even so.
To leave the person overflowing with money aside and have the most financially strapped person pay, did that make any sense?
But I couldn't say such things.
If I did, the other party's pride would be hurt.
So I decided to pick on something else.
"In the future... what exactly are you asking for? Whose permission do you have?"
"If you're worried about my wallet situation, you don't need to be. Originally, I would've had to eat out every day, but now that I can eat cafeteria food, I have quite a bit of leeway."
As if he knew exactly what I wanted to say, Reisir brought up the topic of money first.
And seeing him grin like that, as if saying, 'I know you're being careful with your words out of consideration for me,' made me feel uncomfortable for no reason.
"In the first place, wasn't it because of me that you wasted money eating out?"
"But I couldn't ask you, who came here reluctantly, to pay, could I?"
"Why not? Since I'm the reason we reserved such an expensive restaurant, you could use that as an excuse, or you could demand compensation for the money you've spent eating out until now, couldn't you?"
"Okay, then I'll correct myself. It's not that I couldn't, but that I didn't want to. Happy?"
"What on earth is there to be happy about?"
"......"
Suddenly, Reisir fell silent and stared intently at my face.
Then didn't he let out a deep sigh?
"What's with that reaction...?"
"Actually, I asked Ríolíkin a few days ago. You, Ríolíkin, and Tryggdrik. Whether you three ate together, went to an exhibition, or whatever. When it came time to pay, how did you handle it?"
I felt like I already knew what Ríolíkin would have answered without even hearing it.
There's no way the scion of a Ducal Family would go around mooching off the scions of Viscount families.
Moreover, Karvaldr has an arrogant and prideful personality, and he grew up under a father who freely gave him money without giving him any attention.
'So naturally, he would have volunteered for the role of patron.'
Feeling a headache coming on, I silently touched my forehead.
I think I know why Reisir tried to pay first, even using the excuse of going to the restroom during the meal.
He judged that if he didn't, I would pay before he could even stop me.
Furthermore, if by any chance everyone took my actions for granted and just watched, I would end up thinking that they too were keeping me around to use me.
It was obvious he made the first move to prevent such a situation from happening at all.
"The reason I half forced you to come along was purely because I thought it would be fun to hang out together. I have absolutely no intention of dumping the cost of having fun on you. Not just me, but the other kids are probably thinking the same."
Since the friendship route doesn't open no matter how many times he repeats the influence event alone, is he now trying to drag others in to attempt it together?
The effort is commendable, but there was a huge flaw in saying the other kids think the same.
I glanced at Ríolíkin, who had used my possessed body as a patron together with Tryggdrik last semester, and who had snitched about that fact to Reisir.
"Th, th, that... last semester, Tr-Tryggdrik..."
"Ríolíkin."
"Uh, um, well... S-sorry... It wasn't my i-intention... but still..."
Ríolíkin tried to shift the responsibility to Tryggdrik, who wasn't present, but at Reisir's scolding call, he immediately changed his words and apologized.
It's certain he got an earful from Reisir when I wasn't around.
"The amount is pocket change to me anyway, so I don't really care. But if you truly feel sorry, consider it repayment for all the meals you mooched off me until now and pay for the photography session yourself."
"Y-yes...! I, I will...!"
"Wait a minute! Even if we all take two photos each, it only costs as much as one cake."
Helga cut off Ríolíkin and intervened.
I don't know the price range of the cake she used as a standard, but I know very well that the photography cost is far below what I had estimated.
I guessed it would be expensive since it was a new technology that had only recently become commercialized, but apparently not.
'Still, the price of one cake is too cheap... Surely it isn't a proper studio shoot with a professional photographer and a decorated set, but something like entering a photo booth and taking self serve four cut photos?'
It was a truly ridiculous thought, but it occurred to me that in this world inside a novel, that was more than possible. free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Then how about asking him to pay for the photo studio and the board game cafe too?"
Reisir's suggestion confirmed my suspicion.
If we're going to a board game cafe, then the photography shop Helga mentioned is definitely an instant photo studio.
'This is seriously driving me crazy... I transmigrated into a fantasy novel, but does a course of eating, taking photos, and going to a board game cafe even make sense...?'
At this point, I was starting to worry there might even be karaoke rooms too.
There's no way Author Senna directly included a setting where karaoke machines exist in this world, but the problem is that "Aether Engineering items" are reminiscent of modern conveniences.
Since this is a world where an Ether Espresso Machine exists, I can't let my guard down.
"Ríolíkin. What do you think of Reisir's proposal?"
"Yes...?"
"I mean for you to cover not only the photography cost, but also... all expenses incurred at the board game cafe. Do you have any complaints?"
"N-no, I don't...!"
Directly mentioning "board game cafe" with my own mouth gave me a feeling I couldn't tell was a sense of reality crashing in or complete dissonance, but.
Anyway, I had achieved half of my goal of relieving the burden on Reisir, who had undertaken a large expense.
Now it was time to achieve the remaining half.
"I'll buy dinner."
"Do you have to? We can just calculate what each of us ate... It's called Dutch pay. People do it a lot these days."
"Do you think I said I would buy dinner because I didn't know that?"
"If not that, then what? Were you worried I might reserve an expensive restaurant for dinner too, so you stepped up to reduce the burden out of concern for my wallet situation?"
Is Reisir's insight excellent because he's the protagonist?
Or am I just easy to read?
I suppressed my bitter feelings and slightly lifted my chin, feigning arrogance as I presented my counterargument.
"Don't misunderstand. My dignity won't allow me to simply be treated, so I only said that for my own sake."
"In short, you're saying not to feel burdened either financially or mentally, right? Thanks."
"I told you... it wasn't like that...?"
"Mhm, I see~. It wasn't~. I misunderstood~."
"......"
"Right, dignity is very important. Of course~, of course~."
"......"
"I believe you. I said I believe you~?"
"Just shut... that mouth of yours..."
"Pffft, pfffft..."
I told Reisir to shut his mouth, meaning for him to stop teasing me, but he merely clamped his mouth shut and burst out laughing.
More than anything else, it was that annoying attitude of his that made my ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) face heat up.
But then...
"About your fiancé, is he angry right now? Or is he being shy?"
"Well...? In my eyes, it looks like he's being shy..."
"Then being shy must be right, since a fiancée's eyes would surely be more accurate than those of a complete stranger like me."
"T-that's right. My eyes must be accurate. Since Kar and I are engaged...!"
Faintly, the whispering voices of Helga and Vigdís reached my ears.
I wanted to snap at Vigdís and ask what exactly was right, but unfortunately, that was impossible.
Because of Clause 4 of the broken engagement contract, I couldn't speak to her first.
