Greg gave himself a silent pat on the back, feeling that his judgment and decision were exceptionally wise.
After all, this not only allowed him to avoid trouble, but also let Victoria get acquainted with Chloe early as an ordinary customer. Perhaps they wouldn't end up having the same bizarre friction as in the original game later on.
However, just as the thought crossed his mind that everything was set, Silvia, who had been quietly observing beside him, suddenly covered her mouth with a hand. Her pink eyes widened slightly, filled with surprise and a hint of... unease.
“Ah! H-How is it her?”
“Hmm?”
Greg's heart sank, a foreboding premonition swelling within him. He turned to look at Silvia and asked, “Do you two... know her?”
Silvia nodded, the worry on her face deepening as she spoke in a hushed, hurried tone:
“Y-Yes... On the very first day rumors of Senior Greg's disappearance began spreading around the academy, Victoria and I were suddenly blocked by her on our way to the library.”
She paused, seemingly recalling the unpleasant encounter from that day:
“She... she seemed to be in a very bad mood at the time. The moment she saw us, she started throwing around... um, not very nice words. She deliberately made things difficult for us, questioning Victoria's magic control and claiming we were blocking her way... In short, she picked a fight with us for no reason at all.”
Silvia's voice carried a hint of grievance:
“In the end, it was only because a young professor happened to pass by and stepped in that she finally left. Otherwise, that incident last time would've turned into even bigger trouble... Besides, we still have no idea why she acted like that. We didn't even know her before.”
Greg: “...”
He silently raised a hand and covered his face.
Sure enough... the butterfly effect hit anyway...
His disappearance had inexplicably moved a conflict forward that was supposed to happen much later in the story... And just like in the original game, it was pure, unadulterated harassment just because she found someone eye-piercing.
Were Chloe Ivy and Victoria Cecil simply destined to clash every single time they met?
Now, Greg held virtually no hope for this transaction.
It seemed all three of them clashed naturally with the aura of this bratty Representative in the shop.
Sure enough, the scene inside the shop unfolded just as Greg expected.
The instant Victoria saw clearly that the person stepping out was Chloe, she froze, her expression rapidly switching to vigilance and displeasure.
As for Chloe, who had looked eager just a moment ago, the instant she pulled back the curtain and realized the person standing in front of the counter was Victoria, her expression underwent a dramatic 180-degree turn.
That eagerness and faint expectation melted away like snow under a bright sun, replaced instantly by unreserved annoyance and contempt.
Crossing her arms over her flat chest, she tilted her chin slightly and glared askance at Victoria with eyes brimful of irritation, her lips curling into a sneer:
“Heh, so the acquaintance Mary mentioned was actually you, small fry. And here I thought—”
She swallowed the second half of her sentence, the displeasure on her face growing even more pronounced, as if Victoria's appearance had ruined something she was looking forward to.
“Hmph, anyway, you small fry just ruined my rare good mood. Now, how do you plan to compensate me?”
Still the same unreasonably bratty attitude.
Victoria didn't have a good impression of Chloe to begin with, and the frustration from being targeted for no reason last time was still pent up in her heart. Hearing the girl call her a small fry out of the gate and demand compensation sent her temper flaring right up.
“Huh? Compensate you?”
Fire ignited in Victoria's gray eyes. Possessing none of Silvia's gentle temper, she immediately retorted without holding back:
“You crazy alchemist girl! Same thing last time, picking trouble with us out of nowhere! Is there something wrong with your head? Do I need to introduce you to a professor in the psychiatry department?”
Her words were sharp, showing she wasn't scared at all.
“You—! You arrogant small fry! How dare you look down on me!”
Chloe's cheeks flushed red with fury at Victoria's words. Lowering her crossed arms, she clenched her hands into little fists, looking like she was ready to pull some dangerous alchemical item out of her pocket at any second to teach her a lesson.
The atmosphere in the shop instantly grew tense and volatile, thick with powder keg tension that a single spark could detonate.
Seeing this from outside the door, Silvia grew even more worried.
She nervously looked inside, then back at Greg, whispering:
“Senior Greg, things look really bad... Should we... hurry and call a professor like last time?”
Greg felt a massive headache coming on as he watched the two girls confronting each other inside like bristling kittens.
His original intent was to avoid conflict and smoothly make the transaction, never expecting it might spark an even bigger fight instead.
It seemed he had no choice...
Although stepping inside meant he would likely be targeted by a troublesome character like Chloe and dragged into an even more annoying dispute,
but letting Victoria continue arguing with her was a recipe for god-knows-what.
He couldn't let Victoria fall into danger just because she was helping him.
“I'll go in and handle it. I do hold the title of Disciplinary Committee member, after all. At worst, I'll just count this as working overtime.”
Greg said to Silvia, then took a deep breath, pushed open the shop door, and stepped inside once more.
His entry immediately drew the attention of the two inside.
Seeing Greg walk in, Victoria furrowed her brow, seemingly about to say something like, “What are you coming in for? Didn't I tell you to wait outside?”
Meanwhile, Chloe, whose back was to the door, turned around impatiently at the sound of the opening door and footsteps, looking ready to spew a fresh volley of taunts:
“Which blind small fry is it now? Can't you see I'm—”
Her gaze landed square on Greg's face.
In that split second, time seemed to freeze.
The overbearing, textbook bratty combat expression on Chloe's face vanished without a trace in an instant, like a chalk drawing wiped away by an eraser.
The moment she clearly recognized Greg's features, her pretty eyes opened wide, her pupils slightly contracting as if starlight had instantly flared within them, bursting into radiant splendor.
Then, before Greg had any time to react at all—
Throwing all restraint to the wind like a puppy finally finding its owner, she threw her arms wide open and charged at full speed, filled with resolute momentum, straight toward Greg, who stood rooted to the spot in utter bewildered shock!
“B-Big Brother!!!”
In a voice brimming with endless excitement and grievance, Chloe shouted out the form of address that instantly caused everyone present to crash mentally.
Victoria: “???”
Silvia: “!!!”
Greg: “...!!!???”
Rate on N.U.
