Chapter 95: Advertisement Campaign [3]

As both of us looked back, Carissa rushed toward Lily, who was trailing behind me, and eagerly asked.

"Are you taking a break from work? I was about to meet up with Leon. Wanna go grab food with us?"

"..."

Looking forward again, I continued walking down the street, leaving the two of them behind and glancing through the windows of the various designer brand shops on my left.

Unfortunately, all my money was tied up in investments or gambling bets, so I had close to zero liquidity for the time being.

Of course, though, generational wealth was just around the corner for me with my future knowledge.

The thought that, if not for my morality, I could be lazing around in mansions with supercars while drinking expensive wine and eating five-star meals was somewhat relaxing.

Though if a random gate crash occurred near me or a drin decided to rob me, I’d probably be too weak and die.

Shaking my head, I checked what the dining hall was serving on my smartwatch, looking away in disappointment a few moments later.

Deciding to just skip lunch and save my appetite for dinner later, I yawned and rubbed my eyes, still somewhat tired from waking up early to run.

However, just as I took another step forward, my arm was suddenly tightly gripped, a force yanking me backward.

"And, where are you going?"

Hearing the familiar voice behind me, I awkwardly turned around, seeing Lily gripping my arm while Carissa stood a few steps behind, looking at me oddly.

No way...were they really trying to drag me to lunch with that bastard?

"No thanks."

Activating Anubis’s Ferry for just a second, I took a step forward, my arm phasing through Lily’s grip as she now stood there, clenching the air.

Then, I rematerialized and lifted my leg, ready to walk away.

However...in the next moment, I found my entire body moving in slow motion, as my legs took a full second to even move an inch forward.

"..."

"..."

At the speed of a sloth, my head slowly tilted to the right, as I found Lily glaring at me with her eyes narrowing.

"Do you think that little escaping trick will still work on me?"

My body finally returning to normal speed as Lily gripped my sleeve again, I sighed and shook my head.

"I really can’t go for lunch."

"Didn’t you say ’yes’ two seconds ago?"

"..."

Hearing those words, Carissa gazed at me with her eyebrows raised from behind Lily, speaking before Lily and I could continue arguing.

"Oh? Am I so annoying that you can’t even bear to be anywhere near me? Are you going to run away again?"

Lily paused for a moment, alternating glances between Carissa and me, probably coming to the same conclusion as Carissa.

"..."

What was I supposed to say to her?

The time I had spent with Carissa in the Dreg realm felt almost surreal, like... a dream that had never actually happened.

How was I supposed to face her after she had put all her trust in me, risking her life for our ghost arrow escape?

How could I talk to her normally after we had hugged each other while dropping over fifty feet into a purple pond together, almost drowning?

How was I supposed to look at her after I had carried her on my back for miles on end through a forest while she was on the brink of death?

The feeling of her warm breath on my forehead as she trembled on my back...the sound of her shaky and fearful voice telling me to abandon her.

And that beautiful lightning storm ability she had unlocked to save me from being trapped in the Dreg realm in the end.

Every so often, the image of her lying against that tree trunk, purple veins running through her face, would pop into my head, keeping me up at night when I wanted so badly to sleep.

The nightmares of our time in the Dreg Dimension...that crumbling cave, the despair in the portal room, the hope in the forest, and the fear as the Dreg Demon broke through the mana sphere.

How was I supposed to put aside those things and face her like just another student...another character in this stupid novel I had transmigrated into?

How?

Annoyance, jealousy, misery, hope, longing, desperation, and sorrow...I didn’t dare ignore those emotions like last time, out of fear that my weapon art image would grow weaker.

Martial Arts was based on emotion after all, so suppressing my true feelings was equivalent to hindering my fighting style.

It had been so easy to converse with her, sarcastically joke with each other when we were in the Dreg Realm...but now even just talking felt awkward.

Perhaps it was because back then I didn’t care much about her, simply seeing her as an object that needed my saving.

Did I want her to think I hated her...that I thought she was annoying?

Seeing them both stare at me, I rubbed my forehead and just said, my mind for some reason not wanting Carissa to get the wrong idea.

"You know, I’m not fond of Le- AH!"

Gripping my wrist so hard that a pained scream left my mouth, Lily looked at me in disbelief, a crooked smile on her face.

"Are you this stupid? Of course, we know. EVERYONE KNOWS! It’s not like you didn’t fucking send his lackey to the hospital."

"..."

"Don’t tell me you really thought we were taking you to lunch with him? I think the restaurant would turn into a battlefield if we did that."

"...I see."

Finally letting go of my wrist, her nails leaving a red mark on my skin, Lily groaned and said.

"So, the three of us are going to an expensive restaurant. Is that enough for you, dumbass?"

"*PFFT*"

From behind us, Carissa broke into a fit of laughter, desperately trying to cover her mouth.

"D-did you r-really think i-it wasn’t common k-knowledge *PFFT* that you hate Leon?"

"..."