Aside from playing around with the small block of clay Clyde had gotten, Zane contributed nothing to the fixing of the broken sculpture.
I have talent.
The system looked away from the TV show it was watching to see what its host was talking about.
[It’s a little odd for a frog.]
Frog?
This is clearly a horse!
[Master should consider yourself lucky to see TARGET Clyde’s skills.
He is known as the prodigy of the ceramic arts community.
Although widely praised for his pottery, he is more known for his realistic sculptures.]
Zane glanced at the person beside him.
He didn’t want to admit that the system had piqued his intrigue.
From the concentrated gaze to the nimble and practiced movements of his hands, Clyde reminded Zane that this was one of the main characters in this world.
He possessed the ability to capture anyone’s attention without trying, and that made Zane somewhat jealous.
His long fingers held the brush as he covered the broken lines.
His strokes were practiced and steady, making it seem easier than it actually was.
They hadn’t spoken a word since they were left alone.
By now, the sculpture was more than 80% fixed.
What should I do about my assignment?
[Answer: Master has automatically acquired the original body’s skills.
It will activate automatically once the skill is required.]
Can I get other skills?
[No special skills are required due to this world’s easy mode.
Once Master completes the mission, you will receive skill options that are necessary for the completion of the next mission.
You can choose then.]
What am I supposed to woo these men with?
Can I use items?
He had long given up on his idea of making the male leads fall for the villain.
At this point in the novel, the villain had already lost against the protagonist and transferred to another city.
[Does Master want to use hypnosis or aphrodisiac on TARGET Clyde?]
Absolutely not!
[Master should consider kissing TARGET Clyde to break the ice.]
You are not helping.
Zane smashed his clay horse to release his annoyance.
This caused the table to rock, interrupting the careful brush strokes of the person beside him.
Clyde paused mid-air, only slowly setting the brush down a few seconds later.
His entire body shifted, turning toward the troublemaker who was still fussing about without a care.
Upon closer look, the seated junior had a proportionate body and face, even more so than Oliver.
He wasn’t as pretty, but was more on the handsome side.
Clyde had originally thought that someone like this would certainly join the entertainment industry.
To his surprise, the junior was an aspiring archaeologist.
His gaze unconsciously lowered to the other’s hands, watching with interest as he pinched and pulled the clay Clyde had given him.
“What upset you?” Zane jumped at the suddenness of the question.
“No…just.” He peered at Clyde’s face, deciding whether or not he should do as the system said.
“The horse looks ugly…”
“You were making a horse?” Clyde looked toward the sorry figure that had been squished.
His lips curled at the corners, finding it funny that such an ugly thing was supposed to be a horse.
“Let me see.”
“It’s fine.
Don’t bother with this shit of a horse.” Zane reacted almost instantly when the other reached for the clay.
He lifted it away, making sure that it was out of reach.
Is he bored?
He didn’t quite understand why Clyde was suddenly all up in his business.
“The leg proportions are wrong.” Even though Zane was sure the clay was out of reach, Clyde still managed to swipe it from his grasp.
Zane suddenly felt awkward at the close distance.
His left shoulder was pressed against Clyde’s chest.
He could feel Clyde’s right hand gripping the back of his seat.
It would occasionally brush his back, causing him to jolt in surprise.
[Please kiss the TARGET]
“Fuck…” Zane cursed under his breath at the sudden urging of the system.
He was so conscious of their distance that he hadn’t paid attention to anything Clyde was saying.
“If you knead it with too much strength…” Clyde was mid-explaining the pressure difference when he heard him curse.
His eyes shifted to the handsome face, watching him press his lips into a thin line while his face turned red.
“You know…”
“AH SHIT!
FUCK IT!” Zane turned to face Clyde.
His left hand grabbed the fabric of his shirt near the chest area, yanking him close before planting a kiss.
“Wha….WHAT IS HAPPENING!?” Oliver’s piercing cry of surprise and anger was a cue for Zane to escape.
He jumped to his feet, nearly knocking Clyde off the chair, and sprinted for the open door.
He was quick enough that neither Oliver nor Michael reacted fast enough.
Once he had run far enough, the system suddenly alerted him to Clyde’s goodwill.
[TARGET Clyde’s current goodwill towards Master is -20%.]
FUCK ME!
YOU SAID THIS WOULD WORK!
The notification came just as Clyde looked down at his shirt.
The muddy stains left behind by Zane made him frown.
“Clyde!
What just happened?” At being reminded of what happened, Clyde could still feel the warmth on his lips.
His eyes fell to the ugly horse and then back at his stained clothes, and he sighed.
“What brings you here?” He nodded toward Michael, who was also approaching him as a greeting.
“I bumped into your professor, and she told me you were here.” Oliver pouted.
“I texted you, but you didn’t answer…”
“I was busy.”
Busy?
Kissing some dude!?
The more Oliver thought of what he saw, the angrier he was.
His feet stomped against the ground to release some of his frustrations.
“Why…did you kiss him?” Seeing that Clyde ignored his question and was fiddling with some clay, Oliver spoke again.
This time, he sat beside Clyde and hugged his arm.
“You said that you liked me…why did you kiss someone else?
This is cheating—”
“Don’t preach what you can’t practice.” Clyde reminded Oliver that he was no better when he was the one who remained undecided.
It was becoming annoying to have his every move controlled by Oliver.
“Cl-Clyde…”
“Don’t be too harsh, C.” Michael had been listening and watching in silence.
He wasn’t one to interfere much with his best friend’s actions, but seeing Oliver about to cry made him speak up.
“Am I wrong?” Clyde looked up at Michael with a questioning gaze.
He had long known that Michael and Oliver had already done more than kiss.
Even if they were friends, it was hard to accept the thought of sharing a person.
“You don’t like people touching you for no reason.” Michael gave up on arguing.
He knew that Clyde was right, so he changed the topic.
“What’s up with that kid, C?”
“Nothing.
Just a stupid junior.”
“Hm.
Alright.” Michael gazed at Clyde’s hand that was still toying with the ugly horse thoughtfully.
Neither of them noticed the anxiety in Oliver’s gaze.
“What is that supposed to be?”
“Apparently, a horse.” They both let out a chuckle, completely forgetting Oliver’s presence.
“I’ll make it into something better!” Clyde suddenly stood up from his seat before Oliver could even grab the horse.
“I’ll get you new clay.” The horse was brought back to the drying rack.
He found the ugly bastard fun to look at.
After giving Oliver new clay, he went to the sink and tried his best to dab the stain away.
The three of them quietly did their own thing.
Michael was busy on his phone, Oliver tried to make a horse while pouting, hoping the two men would comfort him, and Clyde gave up on cleaning the stain and went back to fixing his sculpture.
They had all grown up together.
Not only were their parents best of friends, but they were also neighbors.
It wasn’t until a year into high school that Oliver left to study abroad.
Clyde and Michael stayed best friends, even choosing the same college and similar class hours so that they could hang out during their free time.
They reunited with Oliver shortly after their first year of college began, but the time spent apart made it difficult to act casually like they used to.
From treating Oliver as a younger brother to a stranger, and now as someone they had feelings for, they both had a hard time adapting.
“Coach is looking for me.
Gotta go.” Michael shoved his phone back into his pocket.
He gently ruffled Oliver’s hair and gave Clyde a pat on his shoulder.
“See you for lunch!” Oliver waved goodbye and waited for the door to close.
“Can you teach me how to make the legs stick to the body?”
Compared to Michael, Oliver didn’t get many chances to spend alone time with Clyde.
Although still annoyed by the kiss from earlier, he softened his attitude and sweetly asked for help.
Even though Clyde had finally confessed to liking him after much coercion, Oliver still felt his grip on him was loose.
This was the perfect chance to move their relationship to the next step.
I haven’t even kissed him yet, and some annoying guy managed to do it first!
“I need to finish this.” Clyde didn’t bother looking up from his work.
“It’s almost class time.
You should head out for yours, too.”
[TARGET Clyde’s current goodwill towards Master is -19%.]
“Huh?” At some corner of the campus, Zane muttered in surprise while he washed his hands.