The day Hyunjin was treated to a lunchbox by Ohana.
As usual, Hyunjin played at the game center with Ryunosuke and Sojuro, stopped by a bookstore, and went to a café. After that, returning to the mansion felt one-sided.
To Amelia’s request to come in a little late today, Hyunjin understood… He decided to kill time by responding. Ryunosuke mentioned he had to go home early because of work, and Sojuro also apologized, explaining she had personal business to attend to.
“Hmm.”
He pondered aloud. “She told me to come back late, so I guess I’ll figure out what to do.”
“I wonder what’s going on, though.”
He debated his options. Should he head to the game center again?
Thinking to himself, Hyunjin decided to head there.
“Oh! Look here!”
“Amazing, this woman!!”
“You’re already on a 20-game winning streak?!”
Cheers erupted from the game center.
“Oh…?”
Upon closer inspection, it was a familiar game: “Queen of Fighters 99.”
This was a simple game where female characters fought one another. Despite its simplicity, it remained a highly popular type of game.
He was surprised to find Queen of Fighters 99 in this possessed world. Hyunjin admired it inwardly as he surveyed the area.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the Queen of Fighters 99 arcade machine.
“Queen of Fighters 99, huh…”
“It’s been a while. Should I give it a try too?”
The 20-game winning streak seemed to belong to the same machine.
Hyunjin slowly assessed the situation.
“Ahh! I lost again!!”
“Who is this person?!”
“Who can stop this dark horse?!”
Hyunjin smirked. He was confident when it came to fighting games. Besides, he needed something fun to kill time.
He approached the machine. Most people avoided the losing device, likely intimidated by the opponent’s strength. However, Hyunjin was thrilled to find an empty seat.
As he sat down, cheers erupted.
“A new challenger has appeared!”
“Ohhh!!”
The opponent’s character was a maid, while Hyunjin chose a standard fighter.
‘Hmm…’
He decided to start with a cautious approach, evading the opponent’s attacks while landing short checks.
The maid character relied on sword techniques, excelling in linkage and range, while Hyunjin’s fighter character specialized in forced connections.
‘The linking skills are top-notch.’
If caught once, he could lose up to a quarter of his health. Though he lacked time to study the opponent, he felt confident this was manageable.
Shifting from his earlier careful pace, Hyunjin began pushing his opponent aggressively.
“Oh! Finally, someone who can pressure her!”
“Is a pro player here?”
Hyunjin ignored the surrounding noise. A gamer’s focus had to remain steady.
‘Forward, down, down-back, forward A, up, down-diagonal, forward B!’
His combo execution was flawless, chaining aerial moves seamlessly.
[K.O.!]
[2P, WINNER!!]
Hyunjin claimed victory in the first round with ease.
“Finally! Someone managed to win!”
“That’s incredible!”
The crowd roared in excitement as the second round began.
In Queen of Fighters 99, matches were best of two. Though his first victory came easily, the opponent’s strategy changed drastically.
Fighter characters had a natural disadvantage against maids. Fighters required opportunities to close the gap, while maids excelled at keeping opponents at bay.
Hyunjin found himself at a disadvantage.
‘If I can just break through, I’ll win.’
He marveled at his opponent’s skill in maintaining distance. Yet, the crowd remained unaware of one thing: why Queen of Fighters 99 failed as a game.
It was due to advanced players. And unfortunately for his opponent, Hyunjin was such an expert.
For fighting games, frame catches were everything. Even the best characters lost to precise timing and skill.
With his current body, Hyunjin’s reaction speed was sharper than ever.
[Kyaaak!]
The maid character screamed as the match ended.
“What…?”
“Did Hakari always have such long arms?”
“Isn’t Ashiko supposed to be unbeatable in street fights?”
Hyunjin exploited Hakari’s extended range through a rare grab technique, finishing the match with a super special move.
“Done.”
As cheers erupted, Hyunjin muttered to himself while standing up. However, the screen displayed a re-challenge request.
“Oh?”
Another challenge? He considered switching characters.
This time, Hyunjin chose Ashiko, the maid character, while his opponent picked Hakari.
***
Meanwhile, at the Lionheart Mansion, Ed and Amelia were deep in conversation.
“Ed, what do you think of this video?”
“Hmm.”
Amelia showed Ed a clip of Kamiyama Ohana giving Hyunjin a lunchbox earlier that day.
“If you look closely, he looks oddly happy, doesn’t he? Ugh…! I can’t stand it! Smiling like that at someone other than me…!”
Ed chuckled, amused by Amelia’s reaction.
‘When did my lady grow up like this?’ he mused. Not long ago, she had been childlike, but now, she seemed more thoughtful and independent.
Ed’s heart swelled with pride as he spoke, eager to express his thoughts.
“Come to think of it, my lady, do you know what Hyunjin usually eats at school?”
“… Isn’t he managing just fine on his own?”
“Well, you might be misunderstanding something. Apparently, Hyunjin eats bread from the cafeteria every day. Did you know that?”
“Bread…? Bread?!”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Why? How could that be?!”
Amelia’s indignation was evident.
“I’ve spoken to other staff members about preparing lunchboxes, but Hyunjin refused. He said it would help him blend in better as a normal student.”
“Ugh… ugh…!”
Amelia clenched her fists in frustration.
This cannot continue!
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Check out my other projects: Rehabilitating the Villainess, Pushover Extra Trains the Villainesses, I Picked Up an Amnesiac Witch, My Summons Are Special, My Wife is the Devil,