(Damn it! I’ve got to do something, I’ve got to find a way out...!)
Zenon Ash was desperate. A gnawing sense of urgency clawed at him, fueled by the conviction that he had to shatter the status quo.
The catalyst was, of course, the forced restrictions on his movements, a penalty arbitrarily imposed during that recent "discussion."
In his attempt to shield his favorite character, Claire, from the villain Hugo Clay, he had veered off-script. His disregard for the scenario had triggered a cascade of mysterious events never seen in the original Luminous History.
The other reincarnators had pinned the blame squarely on Zenon. As a consequence, they had slapped him with a temporary ban on independent action.
Technically, he’d brought this on himself. Given the catastrophic losses—the death of a named character like Rush and the failure to recruit the popular heroine Melt—the punishment was arguably justified.
Yet Zenon knew better. This "penalty" was a transparent power play by the other reincarnators to kneecap their rival. Knowing their true intentions, he couldn’t afford to sit idly by.
If he didn’t act, the girl he’d fought so hard to snatch away from Hugo would be stolen by his peers. That was a reality he refused to accept.
Worse still, if he submitted to this treatment now, in the early game, his future was forfeit. He’d spend the rest of his life being stripped of top-tier gear and powerful allies by those vultures.
He had to break through this situation somehow. With that singular thought driving him, Zenon paced through the halls of Luminous Academy, searching for a solution.
The academy was technically on hiatus following the incident Rush had instigated—though few were privy to that particular detail. Since the dormitories were on-site and the essential facilities like the dining hall and shops remained operational, a smattering of students still loitered about the grounds.
Not long ago, his mere presence in the halls would elicit high-pitched squeals from the girls and envious looks from the boys. Now, that adoring atmosphere had evaporated into a stifling silence.
It wasn’t that he’d become an outcast, and he hadn't lost that inexplicable "protagonist charisma," but the difference between then and now was night and day.
Desperate to reclaim his former glory—though it felt a bit early in the story to be reminiscing about better days—Zenon marched toward the Student Affairs Office.
His goal was the requests posted there. In other words, he was looking to trigger a sub-event.
“There. This is the one...!” A predatory grin spread across his face as he spotted his target among the notices.
He touched the flyer, syncing the details to his Student Handbook. He read over the text one more time to confirm his memories.
[Luggage Delivery to the Mountain Hut Request]
[We require assistance delivering luggage to the mountain huts scattered across Mount Yumyum in the north. Due to the volume of cargo, we are seeking a large number of participants. The luggage is currently stored in a village just inside the mountain trails; please report there first.]
(Perfect. No mistake. If I take this on, I still have a chance to flip the script!)
Drawing on his deep reservoir of meta-knowledge, Zenon smirked as he simulated the upcoming events in his head.
If his theory held water... He scanned his surroundings with bated breath and soon spotted Melt, who was examining the very same request.
“Hey, Melt! Are you looking for work, too?” He called out with practiced ease, as if their meeting were pure chance.
“Oh...! Well, yes, I suppose...” Melt offered a non-committal reply, her posture stiff with wariness.
The sight of her guarded expression reminded him of that villain Hugo kissing her. A wave of bitterness surged in his chest, but he forced it down with an iron will and continued his pitch.
“Are you signing up for this one? What a coincidence—me too! I’ll be in your care on the day!”
“Right... I see. See you then, I guess...” Her voice was uncharacteristically flat, but she still accepted the hand he offered.
Zenon nearly lost his composure at the sensation of her soft, smooth hand. Suppressing a shiver of delight, he gave her his best hero-smile.
“If anything goes wrong, you can count on me! I’ll show you exactly how reliable I can be. I’ll see you there!”
“Haha... ha...” She laughed nervously, her eyes darting away.
He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she was distancing herself. He just didn't care.
This request was the ultimate stage for him to rehabilitate his image. On the surface, it looked like a mundane delivery job in the mountains, but Zenon knew the secrets of Luminous History.
In the game, this quest automatically locked Melt into the party. That was the real reason he’d sought her out.
The quest would eventually spiral into a major incident involving the protagonist and his partner. None of the other students—not even his rival reincarnators—knew what was coming. The others had written off this job as a tedious chore with low rewards.
Let them ignore it. Their oversight was his gain. He would farm experience, boost his reputation among the student body, and completely reset his standing with Melt. He was the protagonist, after all. He was the absolute center of this world.
(I’ll max out Melt’s affection during the trip, trigger the hidden event, and then I’ll... Hehe, hehehehe...!)
An unsettling giggle escaped his lips as he strutted down the corridor. In his mind, he was already savoring his inevitable triumph, picturing the "special scenes" that would surely follow once he’d won back Melt's heart.