For a moment, Zenon couldn't process what Melt had just said.
He was supposed to use his status as the protagonist to guide the narrative into a perfect flow. He was supposed to expose Hugo’s villainy, and Melt was supposed to thank him for opening her eyes as he won her back.
However, the girl standing before him didn't wear the bright smile he had envisioned.
Instead, her face was twisted in sheer revulsion, mixed with an anger she didn't bother to hide.
"You're saying that whole incident was staged by Hugo? That I'm being tricked? Don't be absurd. How can you say something like that when you weren't even there? Your argument is flawed from the start, and more than that, it's incredibly disrespectful to everyone who suffered through that attack."
"Ah...?"
Zenon let out a stunned murmur as Melt violently shook off his hand.
Something was wrong. This wasn't the script. As the words swirled through his head, Melt raised her voice, tearing his logic apart.
"I felt everything that day. The killing intent of those Magic Armor Beasts, the terror of battle, the relief of having a partner I could trust... and the gratitude of the people we saved. There's no way Mina’s smile was a lie. There's no way the tears of that mother and child, happy to be reunited, were fake. Don't speak so selfishly when you didn't see a thing and don't know anything!"
"A-Ah, I... Why...?"
It was wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Melt was meant to be his. She was supposed to be grateful to him and abandon Hugo.
"And the rest of you—you're all being ridiculous! One second you're mocking Hugo for being a disowned failure, and the next you're all claiming he's using high-society connections to cheat! Deep down, you all know how contradictory you're being, don't you? This talk about 'saving' me is a lie, too. It’s obvious you just hate Hugo and want to attack him, so you’re fishing for convenient excuses. And yet, none of you have the guts to say a word when you're alone... it's pathetic."
Zenon stood aghast. There was no way Melt would defend Hugo. There was no way she would turn on the students who supported him. He tried to convince himself this was some kind of glitch, but Melt’s next words cut through his delusions like a blade.
"Everyone calls you a hero, so I wondered what kind of amazing person you were. But you... you're the exact opposite of the rumors, just like Hugo is, but in the worst possible way. You're despicable!"
"A-Ah... ugh..."
Despicable. The word hit Zenon with the force of a sledgehammer.
It was impossible. This couldn't be happening. For him, the protagonist, to be rejected by Melt, the heroine... Bewildered that his plot armor wasn't protecting him, Zenon trembled violently as he turned his gaze toward Hugo.
"Hugo Clay...! Fight me! I challenge you to a duel! If I win, Melt is a free woman!"
It was just like when he had taken Claire for himself. If he wanted something, he just had to seize it through a duel. He had beaten this man once before, and he had every bit of the character's data memorized. There was no way he could lose.
He just had to win. He would trigger his protagonist privilege and subjugate the villain. Then everything would return to how it should be. It had to work.
That was what Zenon thought, but his final gambit was about to be crushed in a way he never could have predicted.
"Hugo, look at me."
"Eh? No, but Melt—"
"Just do it! Now!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Melt barked the command at Hugo, who had been staring Zenon down. Overwhelmed by her intensity, Hugo turned toward her, only to see Melt standing on her tiptoes, her face closing the distance between them.
"Mmph...! Mmm, nnh..."
"!?!?!"
A soft, warm pressure met his lips.
A faint, sweet sound echoed in the back of Hugo's mind. Seeing Melt’s face so close, her eyes squeezed shut, Hugo’s brain short-circuited into a state of total panic. He froze where he stood, unable to move.
"A-A-A...!?"
Zenon wanted to scream that it was a lie. He wanted to believe the scene before him was a nightmare. The shock was so profound that his voice failed him. Watching Melt—one of his favorite characters—kiss Hugo right in front of his eyes, Zenon's legs gave out, and he collapsed.
Ignoring him, Melt continued the kiss for a long, heavy silence. When she finally pulled away, her face was flushed crimson, but her voice remained steady as she addressed Zenon.
"Don't ever say you're dueling to 'set me free' again. I am with Hugo by my own choice. Your 'help' is nothing but a nuisance. Did the rest of you get that? Don't you ever use me as an excuse to harass Hugo again."
A heavy silence fell over the grounds, as somber as a funeral.
As the crowd stood speechless at the unprecedented turn of events, Melt acted as if she had said all she needed to say. She grabbed Hugo’s hand and began to lead him away.
"Let's go, Hugo. Fee, you're coming too."
"A-Ah, r-right!"
"Ahe? He? Wh-What just...?"
Melt marched out of the duel grounds, dragging along Fee—whose face was bright red after witnessing his brother’s display—and Hugo, who was still in a state of total catatonic shock.
Abandoned and defeated, Zenon remained slumped on the stone floor, staring vacantly at nothing. He sat there in a heap, a pathetic, dejected figure exposed for all the academy to see.