I Was Rejected by the Main Character in a Romantic Fantasy.

TN: Thank Nepper for the chapter.

It was a peaceful day.

The lunch break after morning classes is always enjoyable. As mentioned before, the academy meals are quite delicious.

The food suits not only Felix’s taste buds in this life but also Shin-woo’s taste from his original world, making eating quite enjoyable.

But today, I couldn’t enjoy lunchtime as much as usual.

“Damn… what a lucky bastard…”

I couldn’t help but smile bitterly as I overheard a passing male student’s mutter.

I feel piercing gazes staring at me from all directions. Sitting in the cafeteria, I had to bow my head deeply, even though I’m not usually one to care about such stares.

“Wouldst thou not like to try this as well?”

“Ah… th-thank you…?”

I thanked Ashillya as she handed me food with a benevolent smile.

She didn’t often come to the cafeteria. Usually, her personal chefs prepared her meals.

Moreover, given Ashillya’s personality of not preferring to dine with others, she rarely visited the cafeteria unless it was for something important.

“How does it taste?”

“… It’s delicious.”

The food prepared by Ashillya’s personal chef couldn’t possibly taste bad, even as a polite lie.

While the academy food could be called delicious, this was even better, which says it all.

“Eat this too.”

A white, slender hand placed food on my tray with a thud.

When I turned my gaze to the owner of the hand, Pamela was pretending nothing had happened, turning her head away from me and feigning innocence.

Just as I noticed Pamela’s earlobes turning bright red…

“This is delicious too! Felix…!”

I also gratefully ate the food Sylvia offered.

While eating the offered food, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.

What is this, some new form of bullying?

I’ve heard that food torture is a thing in some places…

Anyway, having filled my stomach to about three times its usual capacity, I rubbed my full belly as I walked.

I thought this was the end, but I was surprised to find out it wasn’t.

During break time, Ashillya came to my classroom.

“I hear this is a famous snack from the capital. Wouldst thou like to try it?”

“…Thank you.”

Similarly, during break time, Pamela, who was in the same class, placed a drink on my desk.

“Here…! This is popular these days. I bought an extra, but it doesn’t suit my taste, so you drink it.”

“Thanks…?”

Sylvia suddenly approached and handed me candy.

“Felix… Do you want some candy?”

“Ah, thanks.”

What is this?

Really, what is going on?

With the lollipop Sylvia gave me in my mouth, I fell into thought next to Sylvia, who was grinning and smiling brightly.

The cookies Ashillya brought during break time were still carefully stored in my bag.

I had deliciously drunk the grape-flavored drink Pamela had given me after visiting the school store during break time.

Now I’m eating the lollipop Sylvia got from somewhere.

…Are they trying to fatten me up?

I don’t know why these three suddenly started acting like this towards me, but I accepted the food they gave me without knowing the reason.

Clack, clack.

I started walking around the school grounds with Sylvia while eating the lollipop she gave me.

This, too, was at Sylvia’s suggestion. She said she’d give me a lollipop if we went for a short walk.

The lollipop wasn’t important to me, but I had eaten so much that my stomach was too full, so I gladly accepted Sylvia’s request.

“The wind feels nice.”

The weather was quite cool.

Since the semester had just started, it was still fully spring weather.

Sylvia smiled softly and muttered at the gentle breeze. I also nodded at her words, enjoying the cool wind.

“Felix.”

“Yes?”

“Are you free this weekend?”

“This weekend?”

Thinking about something while feeling the wind for a moment, Sylvia asked me a question.

Weekend, weekend…

“I have time, but why?”

In fact, there was no need to think deeply. It would be more surprising if I had anything to do on the weekend, as I was quite free these days.

Of course, I had to prepare for the midterm exams coming up soon, but I was the type to cram at the last minute anyway.

Anyway, when I answered Sylvia’s question, she asked me in a much brighter tone.

“Then can you spare some time for me this weekend?”

“…Huh?”

At Sylvia’s sudden words, I blinked slowly, and Sylvia looked at me with her face turning red for some reason.

Ah, could it be that she wants help shopping like last time? If that’s the case, I could certainly help.

It’s a bit too much for a girl to carry luggage alone, and moreover, Sylvia was in the healing department.

But thinking about it, it hadn’t been long since I went out with Sylvia. Because of that, I tilted my head and asked her.

“Is it already time to go shopping again?”

“Hmm…? What do you mean?”

“Weren’t you asking me to help you shop like last time?”

Why would she ask me to spare time on the weekend if that was not the case?

As I blinked and asked, Sylvia also looked into my eyes and blinked slowly.

After having a staring contest that wasn’t really a contest for a while, Sylvia seemed to recall something and shook her head, letting out a deep sigh.

“No, that’s not why.”

“…Then?”

Then what could be the reason Sylvia was asking me to clear my weekend schedule?

At my question, Sylvia exhaled again. But if the previous one was a sigh, now it was more like…

It felt like a deep breath taken before steeling one’s resolve.

After regulating her breathing, Sylvia slowly raised her head and looked into my eyes. I could feel her blue eyes brimming with some kind of determination.

“I’m asking you on a date.”

“…Huh?”

Did I just hear that wrong?

I felt like I had an auditory hallucination… no, I thought I might have misunderstood Sylvia’s words, so I asked again, but Sylvia, still in an unwavering tone…

“I’m asking you out on a date, Felix.”

She drove the point home.

***

Sylvia Bersche.

She partially agreed with Ashillya’s words.

Perhaps Felix wasn’t seeing other girls as potential romantic partners. However, she didn’t think that included ‘Sylvia’ herself.

Because Felix had already confessed to her once before.

Who would confess to a girl they didn’t see as a potential romantic partner? Even if it wasn’t true for others, Sylvia herself must be seen as a potential romantic partner by Felix.

That’s what Sylvia thought.

So, Sylvia made another resolution.

Before others—women like Ashillya, Pamela, or Helena—could shake Felix’s heart, she would capture it.

What was planned as a result was this weekend’s outing with Felix.

“… I’m asking you out on a date, Felix.”

In truth, Sylvia hadn’t intended to speak so directly to Felix.

While she had thought about doing ‘something’ at the end of her outing with Felix, she hadn’t planned to approach him so directly right now.

So when Felix brought up ‘shopping,’ she had briefly considered agreeing with his words, but,

‘No.’

She instinctively judged that she shouldn’t do that.

Felix wasn’t the type to understand on his own if she spoke indirectly. She felt that talking directly to him would be more helpful.

That’s why Sylvia directly asked Felix out on a date.

Seeing Felix staring at her blankly, dumbfounded by her suggestion of a date, Sylvia clutched her pounding heart.

“Da-date…?”

“Y-yes… Sa-Saturday! At noon! Let’s meet at the academy’s main gate…!”

She couldn’t wait for Felix’s answer any longer.

Her face was burning red, and her heart was beating too fast. Sylvia started quickly walking in the opposite direction from Felix, hiding her reddened face and shouting those words.

With his dazed face, Felix couldn’t even think of stopping Sylvia, and just stood there, mulling over her words.

“A date…?”

Hearing a word I thought I’d never hear in his life from a girl… and from Sylvia no less, made my head spin.

I ran my hand through my red hair and turned to the sky.

“Me and you?”

A date?

I had never thought about it before, so it felt like I had been hit hard on the head.

Moreover, since Sylvia had seemed to have little interest in men, the shock was doubly impactful.

At the same time, I couldn’t help but think of one possibility.

“Then maybe…”

Could it be Ashillya and Pamela too…?

“No way…”

While thinking it might be too presumptuous…

Recalling that all their actions seemed to point in that direction somehow made it strangely credible.

I shook my head as these thoughts occurred to me.

Somehow, it felt like a storm was brewing.