It's Not Like I Want to Play the Role of a Misunderstood, Good-for-Nothing Prince in a Villainess Story! - Chapter 76: Schools Have Quite a Few Confession Spots, Don't They?

“Zeke-sama, um… I’m sorry.”

“Ah… huh?”

Morning, just before class started.

Riti, who had been unnaturally observing from beside Misty, apologized to me.

Since there was no subject, I had no idea what she was apologizing for.

During class, I couldn’t absorb the teacher’s words at all.

During break time, when I asked Misty, she seemed to be thinking about something with a serious face and, unusually, didn’t respond—as if she couldn’t hear my words.

Then when I tried to ask Riti herself, the very Riti in question kept turning her face away and running off.

What should I do?

As I stood with a distant look in my eyes, my shoulder was tapped.

Thinking it was unusual for Zaiku to tap my shoulder, I turned around to find the sullen-faced Levin standing there.

Today is full of unusual things.

I noticed Levin Lindol was looking at me with his arms crossed, as if wanting to say something.

“What?”

“…Come to the back of the school building after school.”

Saying only that, he returned to his seat.

“A fight?”

“No way…”

“Won’t you get your bones broken?”

The surrounding students who had been listening became restless.

I couldn’t say I didn’t understand their feelings.

But I was thinking.

The back of the school building here was the place where, in the game, Misty and Kazar-sensei would sneak in at night after graduation and he’d confess to her.

In other words, a confession spot…

“This has turned into quite something.”

I wonder if I’m going to be confessed to by Levin?

After school.

I wanted Misty to come with me, but she said she had a promise and went home early.

A promise—who is Misty meeting? A guy?

Well, I have a promise too. With a guy though.

—Anyway, it’d be bad to make Levin wait, so I headed to the back of the school building.

The back of the school building was slightly shaded from the evening onward, yet not damp, making it a good place to cool off in summer.

Well, it’s still early summer, not quite summer yet though.

As I walked, Levin was waiting while leaning against the wall with a furrowed brow, looking irritated.

“Sorry, did I make you wait?”

“No, I just got here.”

“…You’re not doing that on purpose, are you?”

“Huh?”

Don’t give me “huh?”—why do I have to do the whole first date meetup vibe with you?

No, it’s true I’m the one who brought up the conversation, so maybe I should be the one reflecting.

“Well, lean against the wall.”

Since he tapped the wall next to him, I took him up on his offer and leaned.

“So, what do you want?”

“…………”

When I prompted him, Levin froze with a subtle expression on his face.

An atmosphere like he was choosing his words.

Huh, wait? Could this really be a confession? What kind of change of heart?

It’s too incomprehensible and my thoughts are doing a triple axel without reaching a conclusion.

But a confession, huh? I have Misty though.

“I appreciate the feelings— ‘Thanks.'”

“…For what?”

“For saving her.”

Her—who is he talking about?

“There’s Riti, right? She’s my provisional betrothed.”

“Is that so?”

Come to think of it, during the adventure training, Driema said something about her being from the Lindol Principality.

“Hmm? Wait, what do you mean provisional?”

“The current me isn’t worthy of being her betrothed yet…”

“Huh.”

I don’t really understand, but apparently there’s a reason he’s not worthy.

“Could it be that Riti apologizing to me this morning was…”

“I told her to. You saved her in the dungeon, right?”

“Though I seem to have scared her.”

“That’s the thing. Being scared when someone saved you is rude, right? When I told her ‘what do you think would have happened if Zeke hadn’t saved you,’ she finally seemed to realize the seriousness.”

Ah, so that’s it.

“Riti has always been smart but makes mistakes, often getting answers wrong. This time too… well, there’s also the possibility you were really scary.”

That’s… I don’t know.

Since even Larba couldn’t stop me, I might have been pretty intense at that time.

But she doesn’t need to be that scared.

“Haha…!”

For some reason, Levin was laughing while looking at my face.

What a rude guy.

Still, was this guy the type to laugh this much? Isn’t that out of character?

He’s not a fake, right?

“Honestly, I hated you. Your reputation was bad enough to reach Lindol, and you took the Jet-Black Knight I was supposed to study under. But when you defeated Hens who injured Zaiku, and when I heard about the dungeon story, I started thinking maybe you’re not as bad or useless as the rumors say. I’m genuinely jealous that you’re strong with the sword… how should I say it—”

He glanced at me.

“Sorry for everything until now.”

He apologized.

But I also misunderstood him.

I thought Levin hated me, and if anything, that feeling wouldn’t change. I thought we’d probably never get along.

But if he properly appreciated what I did, understood I’m not useless, and apologized, then maybe…

“It’s fine. It’s true I took Rubert, and I probably misunderstood you too. Let’s get along from now on.”

“If you… no, if you’re okay with it.”

Levin separated his body from the wall, turned toward me, and extended his hand.

I also separated from the wall, turned toward Levin, and moved my hand closer.

Guys are pretty simple, so even if there’s conflict, they can surprisingly become friends the next moment.

And so I was about to shake hands with Levin— “Wait a minute!”

Both our hands stopped, and when we looked toward the voice, there was the out-of-breath figure of Toprak.

Why is Toprak here? What did he come for?

I thought that… and probably Levin did too, right after.

“Levin Lindol! I won’t allow you to make a move on him… on Zeke!”

Toprak pointed at Levin while declaring that with a serious face.