Chapter : 597

Sayma felt completely relaxed. Her brilliant plan was working perfectly. She just needed to spend a few hours in the city with the lazy slacker. It would be a very easy afternoon.

But the peaceful mood in the living room suddenly shattered.

Naomi stood up from the sofa. She moved incredibly fast. She stood right next to Ken. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. Her green eyes flashed with intense, undeniable annoyance. She glared directly at Sayma.

"Absolutely not," Naomi declared loudly. Her voice was firm and strict. "I completely object to this plan. You are not taking him on another date."

---

The living room went totally silent.

Sayma blinked her dark eyes in pure surprise. She looked at the fierce vanguard leader. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. "You object, Naomi? Why? It is a highly logical solution to a very pressing family crisis."

"It is not logical!" Naomi argued quickly. Her face turned a very bright, vibrant shade of pink. She refused to look down at Ken. She kept her green eyes locked on Sayma. "You are just monopolizing his time! You already took him to the market last week! You bought him street food!"

Laxmi stood up from the rug. The fire user grinned a massive, mischievous grin. She loved watching her teammates argue. It was incredibly entertaining.

"Naomi is totally jealous," Laxmi teased loudly. She pointed a finger at the red-haired warrior. "Look at her face! She is blushing! She wants to go on a date with Ken!"

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Naomi shrieked at the top of her lungs. Her blush reached all the way to her ears. Her face was as red as a tomato. "I am thinking about the security of this unit! The Emperor just resumed the Succession War! The other factions are probably plotting attacks right now! We cannot afford to send two of our members into the Inner City with absolutely zero protection!"

"I can protect myself," Sayma countered smoothly. She maintained her polite, calm posture. "I have my barrier magic. And Ken is perfectly safe."

"Ken does not even carry a sword!" Naomi yelled back. She aggressively pointed a finger at the lazy boy on the couch. "He trips over his own shoelaces! He falls asleep standing up! If an assassin attacks you in the botanical gardens, he will just hide behind a bush! He needs an actual vanguard to escort him!"

Ken slouched deeper into the sofa cushions. He shoved his hands into his pockets. He let out a long, dramatic yawn.

"She is completely right," Ken mumbled lazily. He stared at the ceiling. "I am very good at hiding behind bushes. It is a highly advanced tactical maneuver. You should never underestimate a good bush."

Stolen from NovelPhoenix, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Naomi ignored his comment. She glared at Sayma. "You cannot take him alone. If you absolutely must go on this fake date, then I am coming with you. I will act as your personal bodyguard. I will walk right behind you."

Sayma let out a soft, exasperated sigh. She clicked her pen. "Naomi, that completely ruins the illusion. My parents' spies are looking for a romantic couple. If my heavily armed vanguard leader is hovering three feet behind us, it does not look like a date. It looks like a military escort. They will know it is a fake arrangement."

"I do not care what they think!" Naomi insisted fiercely. She crossed her arms even tighter. "I am not letting you monopolize him. You just want to buy him more snacks so he likes you best!"

Sayma’s polite smile vanished. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly. "I am not trying to buy his affection. I am trying to avoid a forced marriage to a wealthy snob. You are being completely irrational, Naomi."

Before Naomi could shout another angry response, a new voice entered the argument.

"Statistically speaking," a flat, robotic voice announced.

Everyone turned their heads. Ira stepped away from the doorway. The pale water mage walked slowly into the center of the living room. She wore her neat dark blue uniform. Her silver-white hair rested perfectly on her shoulders. Her face showed absolutely zero emotion. She stared blankly at Sayma and Naomi.

"Statistically speaking," Ira repeated calmly. "Naomi's emotional response is highly predictable. However, her proposed solution is entirely inefficient. Adding a highly visible vanguard leader to a covert romantic operation results in a ninety-five percent failure rate."

Naomi smirked victoriously. She looked at Sayma. "See? Even Ira agrees that your plan is flawed."

"I did not agree with you," Ira corrected smoothly. She turned her blank eyes toward Naomi. "Your presence would ruin the mission. Sayma's presence is also highly problematic."

Sayma frowned. "Problematic? How?"

Ira placed her pale hands neatly behind her back. She stood perfectly straight. She delivered her logical breakdown with absolute, deadpan precision.

"Sayma, you are visibly stressed by your family's demands," Ira explained in her monotonous tone. "When you are stressed, your heart rate elevates. Your conversation becomes overly formal. Ken Eliot requires a low-pressure, highly relaxed environment to function properly. Your current emotional state will cause him unnecessary fatigue."

Ken popped a potato chip into his mouth. He chewed it loudly. Crunch. Crunch.

"Ira is a genius," Ken agreed lazily. He gave her a goofy thumbs-up. "Stress is very bad for my digestion. I prefer zero stress."

Ira did not smile at his compliment. She just stared at the other two girls.

"Therefore," Ira declared flatly. "I am the only logical solution to this family crisis."

Naomi’s jaw dropped wide open. She uncrossed her arms. "What are you talking about, Ira?"

Ira looked directly at Sayma. "You must tell your parents that you have ended your relationship with Ken. You must inform them that he has chosen another partner. You will tell them that Ken is now romantically involved with me."

The entire living room went completely, undeniably silent.

Laxmi stopped tossing her sparks. Zinia raised an eyebrow. Luna snored quietly on the bench. Risa hugged her teddy bear very tightly. Princess Iris covered her mouth to hide a small, amused smile.

Ken stopped chewing his chip. He blinked his sleepy dark eyes. He looked at the emotionless water mage.

"Wait," Ken said slowly. He slouched his shoulders. "You want to be my fake girlfriend now? That sounds like a very complicated plot twist. Are you going to buy me desserts too?"

"I will purchase exactly two pastries," Ira answered mechanically. "One for you, and one for me. It is an equitable distribution of resources."

Sayma pushed her glasses up. She looked completely baffled. "Ira, that makes no sense. Why would my parents believe he left me for you? And how does that solve my problem? They will just resume the arranged marriage with Scott!"