"Egos-san, do you think it will really be okay? I’m so worried that scum might do something, I can’t stop shaking!"
"Now, now, take it easy, Hao. We’ve only just left. If you’re this anxious already, your stomach isn't going to last the trip, is it?"
"B-but..."
"It’ll be fine! I’m here specifically to make sure your fears don’t come true, and I even brought Cyan along as backup. We have everything under control."
"Y-yes, you’re right. I’m sorry... I shouldn't be unloading all these complaints on you..."
Egos skillfully soothed Hao, whose feelings for Presia clearly transcended mere respect for a senior.
Listening to their conversation in silence, Cyan wondered if this was the result of negotiation skills honed in the corporate world or simply the man’s natural life experience. Regardless, he found Egos remarkably brazen to be able to lie so shamelessly.
Cyan had been surprised when he heard Yugo was participating in the request "I'd Like You to Accompany Me for Ingredient Gathering." It was a mission that only triggered after building up rapport with the Cooking Club... but it was a perfect opportunity.
During this multi-day trip involving overnight stays, he would find a way to take Yugo down and recruit Melt and Anhel into their own party—their harem. For some reason, the two of them had shackled themselves to Yugo, but he intended to change that.
That was the true goal for both him and Egos. They had absolutely no intention of guarding Presia as Hao had requested; if Yugo wanted her, they felt he could do whatever he liked with her for all they cared.
(Presia Rice, huh... Well, her stats aren't exactly bad...)
Presia Rice... As the club president, she was a second-year student, one grade senior to the protagonists. Like Anhel, she was a dual-role character who functioned as both a technician and a party member.
Her Tier Rank sat around B+. While she didn't have much room for growth, she was a solid support unit, providing heals and buffs through her specialty, cooking.
Normally, she was the kind of character players would fight over, yet for some reason, the Reincarnators had ignored her. The reason was insultingly simple: Presia was fat.
In fairness to her honor, Presia wasn't actually obese. She had the average build of a girl her age—a healthy, marshmallow figure.
Unfortunately, this world was teeming with unrealistic women like Claire, the main heroine; Melt, the popular heroine who stood as her equal; and Anhel, whose glamorous proportions put them both to shame. Compared to them, it was undeniable that Presia felt plump.
In addition to that, the way the players of the original game treated her hadn't been kind.
She had been saddled with the blunt nickname "Cooking Fatty." Once the label stuck, the players of Luminous History began to look down on her. The Reincarnators like Cyan were no exception.
To be honest, she was a lackluster character who didn't feel that attractive. After being evaluated as someone they might take only if she were the only one left, Presia had remained un-recruited by any party until now.
(It’d actually be pretty funny if Scum Yugo laid a hand on that Cooking Fatty. Ann and the others would be totally grossed out...)
The scum and the fatty—a match made in heaven, Cyan mocked internally.
Just to be safe, it should be said again: Presia was definitely not fat. It was only men like Cyan, who were indifferent to the actual build and weight of real women, who said such things; she was the very definition of average weight.
Men like Cyan, who had arrived in this world and let their unnecessarily high ideals for women skyrocket even further, were simply delusional.
While piling on such misconceptions, Cyan watched Yugo speaking with Presia and smirked.
(If I can expose his true nature and disillusion Melt and Ann—or better yet, find a way to get rid of him entirely—they'll both be free agents again. Once that happens, the flags should reset. We won't miss that chance; we'll be the ones to claim them.)
Their game knowledge was decent. Their statuses were undoubtedly the strongest among the Reincarnators present. If the two of them teamed up, they could easily eliminate someone like Yugo, who was merely a prologue boss character.
However, since they obviously couldn't just kill him with their own hands, they had to move skillfully to make the plan a success.
Separate Yugo from Melt and the others, take the girls for themselves once they were free... By doing so, they would gain excellent party members and girlfriend candidates all at once.
This wasn't just killing two birds with one stone; it was three. He'd get the girls, the stats, and the pleasure of seeing that scum get exactly what he deserved. Cyan smirked, vowing to use the events in the upcoming village and forest to ensure his plan succeeded.