Chapter 147: What are you willing to do for love?

She fell silent, but her face betrayed a range of emotions, none of them positive.

They ranged from guilt to fear to regret and more.

It seemed that those few words alone made her realize something, and she reached her own conclusion.

But I didn’t think much of it; just as I’d been thinking before she opened the door, the fact that she was a customer didn’t really matter to me.

It’s just that I find it hard to understand whether she herself possesses Dweller skill or has the potential to find the one who does.

Come to think of it, perhaps that possibility that opened up with Lys and all the others who came from the academy was actually about Miss Camellia… I still don’t know.

Maybe each one has her own possibility , and the same goes for Olivia.

But even if she doesn’t possess that possibility herself or if it’s already been fulfilled, it doesn’t matter, because, aside from that, there’s always one thing I keep in mind: the “Chains of Lethargy” mission.

After all, that’s a constant threat hanging over Iris and me.

So, regardless of whether or not she was a potential client, I couldn’t let this just end here.

And I spoke about her plan that way not because I’d changed my mind after the synchronization ended, but because I had to solidify it .

So I spoke again in the same dry, emotionless tone.

“Miss Olivia, if you’ll allow me, I’m going to be frank and direct about this matter.”

“Y-yes, go ahead.”

“That plan is absolutely absurd, and honestly, I feel it shouldn’t even have been considered.”

“…”

At my words, she grew even more gloomy, as the conclusion she’d reached was becoming even more solidified.

Even so, I continued speaking.

“Iris told me that you were an intelligent person whose strengths lay in your quick and sound reasoning, but that doesn’t seem to be accurate, since you accepted that nonsense Iris proposed to you.”

“I… /_ So I really was deceived… I’ll leave.”

My words obviously made her realize that I truly didn’t agree, and therefore, her entire plan had failed from the very beginning.

She really seemed to want to run away, since her last chance—the one she’d fought for and had to pay a “price” for—had never existed.

But I stopped her.

“Wait a minute, don’t rush off. Let me finish speaking.”

“…”

I spoke in a loud, concise tone, and she—who was already beginning to show faint tears at the corners of her eyes—stopped, but it was mostly because of the loud tone I used rather than because she wanted to keep listening to me, so I spoke quickly.

“What I said earlier is what I truly think, since I personally consider myself a rational person, and, in my mind, a plan like that is simply stupid…”

“I-I don’t want to keep listening; I-I already understand… Tell Iris that-“

“No, you still don’t understand anything, because, in addition to all of the above, I haven’t yet mentioned that, unfortunately, It seems that you and I are actually very similar in more ways than one.”

“Huh?”

“And because of that, even though I already know the answer, I’ll ask you… Miss Olivia, what are you willing to do for love?”

“I-I… U-um, I…”

“As I said, you don’t need to answer; the fact that you accepted Iris’s proposal and gave her your body is already an answer in itself.”

“I-I… Huh? Wait, did you say ‘similar ‘? Ah!”

At that moment, as if she realized something, her downcast, tearful expression changed to one of astonishment and, once again, to one with a hint of happiness.

It was as if she understood where I was going with my words.

I already knew that, but she’s really good at understanding and connecting the dots.

“Ah, I see you get where I’m going with this, but first and foremost, I want to make it clear that, even though I have the occasional complaint and, generally speaking, I don’t agree with almost anything she wants—and, honestly, she’s mostly a pain in the ass, almost impossible to handle or control…”

I paused briefly, since I thought Iris might say something to me mentally at this point, but—seeing what she’s doing and how she’s playing with the dragon… I guess?.

I realize she hasn’t noticed that Olivia woke up and that I’m talking to her.

The rooms here are very soundproof, so she won’t notice until she takes a look.

So I said the following without any pressure—I don’t have to worry about how Iris will react.

“…I want you to know that, without a doubt, I love my wife with all my heart and would do whatever it takes for her (ㆆ_ㆆ).”

Well, I said it.

Honestly, if she heard me, she might start pestering me to repeat it or use it against me in a future argument—something I can’t allow.

“Are you telling me that you…?”

“Correct. I haven’t said I’m against it or anything like that. I’m just saying that, from my point of view, this is an absurdity that’s hard to accept. You understand that, right? Or do you really think something like that plan is reasonable?”

“Y-yes, I mean, no, I know it’s strange too, but…”

“Yes, I understand what all this means to you. Anyway, I’ll be straightforward about another point here: personally, I don’t look favorably on the whole open relationship thing and bringing other women into our relationship, but I don’t stand in the way of it, and I help Iris for one and only one reason.”

“Because you love her.”

“Exactly (ㆆ_ㆆ) In a way, your situation and mine are the same: for the sake of the person we love, we throw common sense, moral values, and everything else out the window, just so we can hold on to this love… Or am I wrong to think that?”

“No… that’s really the case. For Lys’s sake, I accepted everything, and even though I told myself I wouldn’t… I ended up liking it and—a-and…”

“Wait a minute.”

“…”

Apparently, my words brought back a lot of memories for her, and she seemed on the verge of bursting into tears, but I stopped her in her tracks.

It was kind of funny how she actually stopped, unsure whether to keep venting or not.

“I understand that you’re feeling emotional, since it all happened recently and you have a lot of mixed feelings about your goal, what you did to achieve it, and how that affected you. But I’m not here to talk about that. For now, I’d prefer to keep this conversation on a rational level and not get into the emotional side of things.”

Yes, I’ve maintained this emotionless, formal tone precisely because I want to keep everything at this level.

I don’t want to comfort her, offer reassuring words, or anything like that. I want to set the record straight, because that’s what’s needed right now.

“…I understand… What you’re saying makes sense. I apologize for losing my temper.”

She quickly realized that getting emotional wasn’t the way to go, so she wiped away her tears, put on a serious face, and made up her mind.

“It doesn’t matter, and it’s good that your nervousness has subsided. That will make everything easier.”

“Yes… it’s easy to talk to you… You’re like a teacher.”

“I’m glad you feel comfortable now. Well, at this point, I don’t need to explain that I personally have no interest in either you or Miss Biancalys, right?”

“Yes… You’re doing this for Iris.”

“Correct. From the start, I had no ulterior motives regarding Miss Biancalys. Yes, I saw her in a difficult situation, gave her some advice to help her get out of it, and also mentioned a few of my grievances toward Iris. But that was all—nothing more, nothing less. However, once that was over, Iris, who noticed Miss Biancalys’ interest in me, saw her as a potential candidate.”

“I see, so that’s what it was. I understand, so you…”

“Yes, for Iris’s sake, I’m willing to try to seduce anyone and make her plan work, even though my interest in her isn’t really romantic. At most, I think of her as a nice girl, as well as a pleasant client who leaves good tips, but that’s all.”

“Are you really willing to do that? Aren’t you afraid she’ll end up falling in love with those girls and eventually leave you?”

Well, she’s no longer staying passive; now she’s on her own, trying to probe things—and me.

Her questions were certainly critical; after all, I actually did come to think that way.

Unfortunately for her, she won’t get anything out of me.

After coming into this world and experiencing all the synchronicities and fusions, I think I understand Iris better than ever.

It made me realize that all of that is nonsense created by people like olvia and me—people who always let ourselves be guided by what’s rational and logical, and who overthink things.

“I won’t take offense at your question, since it really is a completely valid point. But, even though it’s rude to answer questions with questions, I’ll ask you: Are you really willing to let someone else seduce the person you love—and do a whole lot of other things to them? Aren’t you afraid that it will all be in vain? That in the end, you’ll still be left alone?”

“gnn…I’m sorry…. my questions were inappropriate.”

“Yes, I’m trying to keep him, and you’re trying to win him over, but we’re both doing it for the same reason.”

“Yes… love… Haaah~ that really is…”

“Disgusting, isn’t it? I can totally understand that thought. It’s really disgusting because of how irrational it is. People like us aren’t cut out for that, and even knowing that…

“We can’t escape it… It’s like a curse.”

“Right, and just one curse is more than enough; anything more would simply be…”

“illogical and asking for trouble.”

“Indeed… I see our thoughts are in sync on this. So you understand why I’m telling you all this, don’t you, Miss Olivia?”

“…Yes, you’re not interested in either Lys or me, but you’re committed to this, and even if you don’t like it, you’ll do what you think is necessary—and you want me to commit and cooperate as well… If I’m not mistaken, you want me to actively intervene so that your relationship with Lys goes smoothly.”

“That’s right. Personally, I don’t know what Miss Biancalys saw in me or what she found attractive about someone like me, but at this point I can see that she’s undoubtedly interested in me.”

“Yes, she is, and if you play your cards right… You know, ugh! It’s not that she’s easy, but it seems like with you she… Ugh! Is it because she’s human?”

“I think I understand what you mean, but that won’t make for a lasting relationship, will it? For this to work, it has to be something long-term, not a relationship based on emotional impulses, and your cooperation as her best friend is indispensable.”

“…What you say is absolutely true. We can’t focus on short-term goals; we have to think ahead and build something sustainable… I’ll commit to this absurd plan, too.”

“That’s a relief, Miss Olivia. Now we’re truly on the same page, and your cooperation will make things easier for me.”

If this was what she wanted to achieve—to reach this point—she was now completely calm and relaxed.

In fact, even though it had gotten a little cold, she finally had time to drink the tea I gave her, which confirms what I thought: this has come to a very good resolution.

Now she understands that, in addition to an impulsive Iris, there’s someone just like her caught up in this situation, even though she really doesn’t want to be.

Now she won’t feel like she’s alone in this situation, and, in a way, the same goes for me.

Having your help makes things easier for me… after all, Bianca isn’t the only objective in all of this.