The aroma of roasted pork made Zane’s stomach gurgle.
His mouth watered, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Professor Reed had bragged about the excellence of the dishes he’d had when he last visited this place.
I pity you.
The thought of being a system unable to physically enter the worlds they were assigned to, and forced to watch all kinds of good food without the chance to taste them, was depressing.
[…] The system, which was currently snacking on spicy barbecue-seasoned fries, wondered if it should correct the host’s wild thoughts.
Not only could it enter the world whenever it pleased, but it could practically eat and do whatever it wanted while the host was burdened with completing the task.
[If Master wishes, you can give me an offering of the things you want me to try.]
The system decided to bullshit the dumb host into doing crazy rituals for fun.
For real?
[Yes.]
“Go and sit somewhere else!” Oliver wasn’t ready to let it go.
The way Zane could easily draw both Clyde and Michael’s attention got his nerve.
He had to work hard, not only to rekindle their waning friendship but to turn their dynamic into a romance, which took him more than a year.
What does this buffoon know of hard work!?
Having to sell himself, to use his body as bait to gain the love of these two men, Oliver believed that no one else was more worthy of them than he was.
His impossible childhood friends, the people he and many others secretly loved due to their attractive qualities and charm.
Oliver had always harbored deep feelings for them, only for the two men to reject him and treat him like some little brother.
His heart was broken, and more importantly, he feared being abandoned by the two men, so he begged his parents to send him off to boarding school.
If he couldn’t make them fall for his personality, he would force their bodies to fall for him.
He spent most of his time learning how to please others with sex.
And when the time came for him to return, he planned every single accidental bump, every single glance, every single word, and every single interaction, carefully curating and controlling how the men should feel about him.
Even his sexual relationship with Michael was built on manipulation.
His tearful cries after their drunken mistake made Michael feel guilty and responsible for him.
Oliver’s gaze lingered on Clyde’s unruly appearance.
His lips felt dry as he rubbed his legs together.
He could already imagine what Clyde would look like beneath him.
Clyde’s beautiful hands gripped his waist as he slammed into Oliver, sending sparks of ecstasy every time their hips met.
He knew that beneath that beautiful face was a ruthless man, and that ruthlessness would definitely translate to when they had sex.
He wanted to be the one to conquer Clyde, but Zane’s appearance hindered his progress.
“I didn’t come here to sit with you,” Zane retorted.
“I came to eat with Clyde.”
[TARGET Clyde’s current goodwill towards Master is 11%.]
“So annoying!
What are you sticking to him for!?
Are you going to ask Clyde for five million!?”
“NUH UH.
I’d ask for his bank account instead.” Nothing Zane said should be taken seriously.
He only wanted to mess with Oliver, who continued to bother him since their very first meeting.
[TARGET Clyde’s current goodwill towards Master is 20%.]
“Gold digger!” Oliver’s face turned purple from anger.
“Clyde!
This man is shameless!
Chase him away already!”
“I’m digging for more than gold.”
“Settle down, you two.” Michael interrupted.
He looked toward Oliver with some confusion, unsure why he was falling for the rage-baiting nonsense that Zane sprouted.
He feared that if the two continued to argue, they would attract more attention than they already were.
The surrounding tables had all been secretly listening in on their conversations.
Soon, food was served, and all was forgotten.
Everyone felt exhaustion kicking in after their bellies were filled.
They quickly lined up to wash their own dishes and headed off to get ready for bed.
Zane, however, didn’t need to use the village’s main kitchen to wash his dishes.
He sneaked away and asked for an extra serving of food, and quickly made his way back to his cabin.
The Chief definitely thinks I’m a weirdo.
You’d better like this!
He remembered the wide grin that the chief and a few other villagers gave him when he asked for things to use in offering rituals.
[…] The system watched its host light the incense and burn the papers he was given.
It silently recorded everything for its own amusement.
[Thank you.] The food disappeared from the plate right before Zane’s eyes.
Zane swore that he could hear the laughter in that monotonous, mechanical voice.
He brushed it off as his own imagination and went to shower.
By the time he lay down to sleep, it was already midnight.
It couldn’t be said for other students who were still waiting to use the bathroom.
Luckily, they didn’t have to wake up early tomorrow, since the professors wanted everyone to be well rested from the long journey.
The latest they could get up was lunchtime.
“Aren’t you a bit too carefree?” Zane felt something brush his bangs aside.
The movements were light enough that he thought he was dreaming.
It wasn’t until something pressed against his lips that he woke up with a fright.
Something wet slipped into his mouth.
It was warm and soft as it coiled around his tongue.
He instinctively tried to push away the shadowy figure atop him, only for his hands to be gripped by another’s.
His eyes hadn’t adjusted in the dark, so he couldn’t make out who it was.
The assault on his lips stopped, and a head full of hair rubbed against his neck affectionately.
Zane’s brain short-circuited, unable to respond or process whatever was happening.
“That was disgusting.” He instantly recognized the person’s voice.
“Huh!?” Zane felt offended.
Why didn’t you warn me that Clyde was here!?
[Master always says that my notifications are annoying.]
Zane felt like the system was purposefully messing with him.
He shook Clyde’s grip off his hands and pushed him away.
Not only did he sneak into my room, but he kissed me and called it disgusting!?
Let me hit the male lead just once!
“I didn’t mean you.” Clyde noticed the irritation in Zane’s action.
His huffing and puffing was funny to hear.
It made the agitation he felt earlier disappear.
“I just ran away from something terrible.
Console me.”
“No!
Jail even for you, Clyde!
You could have knocked.” Zane grumbled as he tried to rub away the scare he felt.
“That shit scared me…” Zane was so startled, he didn’t even bother calling the other ‘Senior.’
“I was in a hurry to get away.
Don’t be angry.” His words were soft, making it hard for Zane to stay mad.
“Let me sleep here with you.”
“Absolutely not.” They sat on the bed and played tug-of-war with the blanket.
Seeing that Clyde wasn’t planning on giving up, Zane decided to threaten him.
“If you sleep here, I’ll do all sorts of things to you!”
Clyde abruptly let go of the blanket, sending him falling backward.
He pressed his shoulders against the mattress, stopping Zane from trying to move.
“Likewise.” Zane didn’t sense any humor in Clyde’s tone.
For the first time, Zane felt his asshole clench in fear.
[The default setting has been activated.
Master doesn’t have to worry about pain.]
“Wait a second!” Zane didn’t know if he was speaking to the system or to Clyde.
“What is it?” Even in the darkness, Clyde could feel Zane blushing.
“How did you even get in?” The thing that had been bothering him was finally laid bare.
He felt like the system had lied to him about the Male Leads not being able to teleport.
[…]
“You left the door unlocked.”
“For real?”
“CLYDE!” Oliver’s voice cut through the silent night.
“WHERE ARE YOU!?
WHY DID YOU RUN OFF LIKE THAT!?”
“What is he looking for you for?” Zane grumbled.
“He’s going to wake up the Professor if he keeps shouting.” The professor stayed at the cabin next to him.
“He kissed me while we were sleeping.” His usual calm voice now sounded upset.
“And you ran away?”
From that pretty face?
[Would Master feel good if the protagonist kissed you?]
I’d kill myself.
Gross.
The system didn’t say more.
Zane thought back to when Clyde said ‘disgusting,’ realizing that he had meant his kiss with Oliver.
He suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the male lead.
“CLYDE!
WHERE—!”
“Student!
Why are you shouting at this hour!?” Professor Reed was awoken by the noise, as Zane had suspected.
He stormed out of his cabin and scolded Oliver.
“Go back to your tent this instant!”
“BUT MY FRIEND—!”
“I don’t care!
This area is for special people with permission only!”
Oliver left, not wanting to be scolded by the other person.
The Professor sighed and returned to his cabin to sleep.
“I would run, too.” Zane laughed at the scolding.
Even though he was pinned at his shoulders, Zane could still freely move his arms.
He smiled and gently patted Clyde’s head.
“You were right to choose me.”
It’s good that he came here to hide.
I bet he’ll be found if he had gone to someone else’s tent.
Although Zane had said that with pure intentions, Clyde didn’t hear it that way.
His dark eyes narrowed at those words.
His initial plan of riding out the night changed.
He now wanted to know what sort of things Zane had wanted to do to him.
[TARGET Clyde’s current goodwill towards Master is 30%.]
[Update: Mission progression is currently at 60%]