NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Confessions, Lightning, and the End of My Dignity?
Haruto: "I'm not dying, right? Just got a little crispy, that's all..."
So, I'm lying there, smoke rising from my crispy self, when my eyes start focusing again. The world still kinda spinning, but through the haze, there's Lucia. And wow, she sure knows how to make an entrance.
She wasn't your average villainess. Nah, this was the type that looks like she just stepped out of some high-budget anime. Long black hair flowing like she had a personal wind machine, crimson eyes practically glowing with malice. Her dark robes clung to her like they were made of magic, hugging every inch of her... yeah, you get it.
But hold up, the real kicker? Her big forms. I mean, it was hard to miss. They practically had their own gravity.
She looked me up and down, that smug smirk plastered on her face like she was expecting me to do something heroic. Like I was some kind of big shot who could actually take her on.
Lucia: "So, sidekick," (sidekick?! Seriously?) "What's it gonna be? You gonna challenge me to a fight, or are you just gonna stand there looking pathetic?"
Now, at this point, I'm stuck between Lucia, the world's most dramatic villainess, and Alicia, my childhood friend who was still trying to figure out what just happened.
Haruto (internally): "Challenge her to a fight? Are you out of your mind? I just got hit by lightning! I can barely feel my legs!"
I could practically feel Alicia behind me, all fired up like she was gonna protect me or something. Too bad she had zero clue about the mess that was about to go down.
And, of course, she steps right in front of me like she's ready to take on Lucia herself. Talk about no chill.
-----------------------------
Okay, so there I was. Stuck between Lucia and Alicia. One's a freakin' evil archmage and the other's my childhood friend who has absolutely no clue what's going on.
Lucia was staring me down with this smug grin on her face. It was like she was expecting me to do something epic, like challenge her to a fight. I mean, really? What am I, some kind of hero?
She spoke, slow and deliberate: "So, sidekick," (yes, she called me that) "What's it gonna be? You gonna challenge me to a fight, or are you just gonna stand there looking pathetic?"
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally):"Wait, WHAT?"
------------------------------
I stared back, wide-eyed.
Haruto (internally):"Challenge her to a fight?
Did she seriously just say that?"
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally):"I'm literally the sidekick. I have zero battle skills."
-----------------------------
My mind was in a whirl. But before I could say anything, Lucia crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, like she was just waiting for me to do something stupid.
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally): "I'm not fighting this woman. What, do I look like a hero? I've barely survived one lightning strike, and now I'm supposed to go toe-to-toe with an evil archmage?!"
Lucia wasn't stopping either. She was all "Come at me, bro" while I was stuck in panic mode. Behind her, the heroes party (Alicia included) were still totally clueless about what was going on.
-----------------------------
Alicia: "Haruto, what's going on? Why are you just standing there?"
Priestess: "Is this some kind of trap? Or… is he planning something?"
Mage Girl: "Should we help him? I mean… he is supposed to be the Thunder Sage…"
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally): "Thunder Sage? Yeah, okay. Sure. I just wanted to scream."
But then, the system hit me with the worst news ever.
-----------------------------
˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗ [DING! NEW QUEST TRIGGERED!]˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally): "WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW?!"
-----------------------------
˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗ [DING! ROMANTIC FLAG TRIGGERED WITH VILLAINESS. PERFORM ROMANTIC CONFESSION. TIME REMAINING: 60 SECONDS.]˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally): "ROMANTIC CONFESSION?! Are you kidding me?! In front of her?!"
I barely even remembered how I got here! It's been like, five minutes since I ended up in this freakin' isekai world, and now I'm getting hit with quests and lightning bolts and… and… romantic confessions?! What is this, some kind of messed-up dating simulator?!
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally): "NOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoOOOOOOOOOOooo."
This isn't a romantic comedy! This is a nightmare! What am I supposed to do? Stand here like some idiot and pour my heart out to the evil archmage?! I don't even know her favorite color!!
-----------------------------
The timer was counting down, my heart pounding. 60 seconds. I'm gonna get struck by lightning if I don't do this… whatever "this" is.
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally): "Alright. Screw it. I'll just wing it... because why the heck not? It's not like I'm gonna make this any worse, right?"
-----------------------------
I turned to Lucia. What am I supposed to say?
I took a deep breath and did what any guy would do in this absurd situation: I decided to go full-on ecchi anime mode.
-----------------------------
"LUCIA!" I shouted, my voice coming out way louder than I intended. "I—I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT YOU!"
Alicia, standing there with that dazed look, blinked at me like I had just sprouted wings. The rest of the heroes were just as confused.
-----------------------------
Lucia, however, looked… entertained. Like she was watching some weird reality show, and I was the clown in the middle of it.
Alicia blinked again, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "W-What are you… doing?" she stammered, clearly not getting what was happening.
The rest of the heroes? Yeah, they were just standing there like they had no idea if I was about to spontaneously combust or if I'd totally lost my mind.
Haruto: "Your beauty, your power, your body!" I blurted out, my voice shaking like I was about to explode. "It's everything I've ever dreamed about! Ever since I first saw you, your big forms—your curves—I can't get them out of my head! I've had dreams, wild dreams, about—uh—us, together, all night long! I just want to—ahhh—spend the night with you, in every possible way!"
Haruto (internally): What am I even saying right now? Did I just turn into an anime pervert?!
-----------------------------
˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗ [DING! ROMANTIC CONFESSION REQUIRED. TIME REMAINING: 50 SECONDS.˗]˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally): Crap, CRAP, CRAP! The timer—I'm running out of time!
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally): What the hell am I even saying? Why is this so hard?
Haruto:"Lucia, I need you!" I shouted, practically gasping for air. "I want to spend the night with you! All those dreams, everything I've fantasized about, it's all about you and your top notch body!"
Haruto (internally): Okay, I'm losing it. I've never even confessed properly in my life, and now I'm saying this crap? I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die here and now.
Haruto:"Please! Let me be the one to show you love! To hold you, to touch you, to—oh god, I can't breathe…" I sputtered, my chest tight. "It's all for you, Lucia! I've dreamed of your—your big forms—your curves—EVERYTHING! Since the first time I saw you! I need you in my life… in every possible way!"
Haruto (internally): This is it. This is the most embarrassing thing I've ever done. I'm 25 and I've never confessed properly. Why did it have to be this?!
-----------------------------
Alicia was just standing there, not moving a muscle. Everyone was staring at me like I had just gone mad.
-----------------------------
˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗ [DING! ROMANTIC CONFESSION REQUIRED. REMOVE CLOTHES TO UNDERWEAR AND CONTINUE CONFESSION.]˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗
-----------------------------
Haruto: WHAT?!I HAD TO STRIP TO MY UNDERWEAR?!
Haruto (internally): No way, no freakin' way. This can't be real. Is this some messed up joke?
I looked at the timer—45 SECONDS. That ticking sound was like a countdown to my inevitable demise.
Haruto (internally): Okay, okay, think. If I take my clothes off, the cops are gonna show up any second. Public indecency or whatever, and my life's over. How do I get out of this?
But the timer was speeding up—40 SECONDS LEFT. There was no choice. If I didn't strip, I'd get hit with lightning again. And trust me, I really didn't want another blast of divine judgment.
Haruto (internally): The gods are messing with me. They've got to be. First, I'm in a game world, and now I have to act like a freakin' pervert. Great.
"Lucia! Please, I—AHHHH, I can't believe this is happening to me!" I was practically losing my mind, but the clock didn't care. It just kept ticking down.
Haruto (internally): There's no way out. I'm done. This is the end of me. Lucia's gonna think I'm some kind of psycho and run away screaming. And the rest of the heroes? They'll never look at me the same. I've gone from sidekick to freakin' criminal in seconds.
30 SECONDS LEFT.
I sucked in a deep breath and started peeling off my clothes. Every fiber of my being screamed to stop, but there was no stopping it. The timer was a ticking time bomb, and if I didn't go along with it, I was toast.
-----------------------------
I tugged off my clothes in a panic, realizing the absurdity of it all. I was supposed to strip down and keep confessing my undying obsession for this archmage. I was practically shaking at this point.
-----------------------------
Lucia's face was redder than a tomato. She was looking at me like I had just eaten a whole pizza with my feet.
-----------------------------
Haruto (internally): I can't believe this is happening... Is this seriously my life now?
I took a deep breath, trying to get through this. Okay, no backing out now, Haruto. Just do it.
"LUCIA!" I yelled, my voice coming out way too loud. My face was probably on fire at this point. "I've always wanted you! Your body! I want to love you! I've dreamed about it since the first time I saw you!"
Oh my god, did I just say that? I wanted to sink into the ground.
Haruto (internally): No, seriously. What kind of freak am I?
I wasn't done though. Nope, the timer was still ticking down, so I kept going.
"But... uh, yeah, that's right! I want all of you! I can't stop thinking about it, about us, about our, uh... sweet love!"
I glanced around, still processing the fact that I was confessing like this. The hero party had no clue what to make of me, and Lucia looked... well, confused and kinda entertained?
Haruto (internally): I don't even know what I'm doing. But the timer's still ticking, and I'm pretty sure if I don't finish this, something worse is coming on my ass....
-----------------------------
˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗ [DING! ROMANTIC CONFESSION REQUIRED. TIME REMAINING: 15 SECONDS.]˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗
-----------------------------
This is it. I was halfway to a mental breakdown, but I couldn't stop now.
I dropped my pants. Underwear exposed. But still, the confession had to come out.
"Lucia, please. I want to be with you! I want to touch you, feel you… I want to spend the night doing whatever you want—kinky stuff, everything. Please, Lucia!"
Alicia, the priestess, beast folk girl and the mage girl were frozen. They looked like they were watching a trainwreck. Lucia was now shaking her head like she was trying to stop her brain from short-circuiting.
-----------------------------
˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗ [DING! ROMANTIC CONFESSION SUCCESSFUL.]˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗
-----------------------------
"WHAT THE HELL, SIDEKICK?!!" Lucia screamed, her eyes wide with confusion, then bam, she turned around and took off like she was running for her life.
She was moving so fast, she tripped on her robe and basically face-planted. I think I saw her flailing around like a cartoon character. It was kind of impressive.
Haruto (internally): Did I just break her? Was that it? Like, is this it for me? Am I dead in some alternate universe where stupidity is punished by lightning? Is this a punishment for... I don't know, just existing?
I just stood there, frozen, still trying to catch my breath, wondering if I'd actually died from being an idiot.
Alicia was still standing there, eyes wide open, staring at me like I had just sprouted wings and tried to fly into the sun.
"Haruto…" she said, voice filled with pure confusion. "What the hell was that?"
I could only blink at her, still not processing what had just happened. Was that really the worst thing I've ever done? Yeah, probably. No, definitely.
"I… honestly don't know, Alicia," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck like a total mess. "That… wasn't even a confession, right? I think I just started some sort of disaster. Like... single-handedly ruined any hope I had of being cool in this world."
I didn't know if I should laugh at how ridiculous it all was, or just curl into a ball and cry. But, hey, at least I was pretty sure Lucia wasn't going to try to kill me.....Today....Probably....
˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗ [DING! ROMANTIC FLAG TRIGGERED SUCCESSFULLY WITH VILLAINESS.]˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗