How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 413: Questions in love interlude.

”So, youʼre saying… you got stuck in there for who knows how long, and you and Riley had to work really hard just to defeat the boss monster inside?”

Lorraine raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed, clearly not entirely convinced.

Alice, sitting across from her with a warm drink in her hands and a plate of freshly toasted bread and jam in front of her, offered a sheepish smile.

”Well… something of that sort~”

”Hmmm…”

The two of them had finally settled down after their emotional reunion, taking a table near the edge of the caféʼs second-floor balcony.

The morning sun had climbed higher by now, casting soft light through the slightly gray clouds, and the quiet hum of other early patrons provided a calming background.

Alice had ordered a light breakfast—nothing too fancy, just something warm and simple—and between sips of her drink and bites of food, she had begun recounting everything she could about what had happened.

Or rather, everything she could say.

She left out the finer, more impossible details: the godlike entity that had distorted reality, the twisted dimensional world theyʼd been trapped in, the near-apocalyptic events she and Riley had narrowly prevented.

She wrapped the truth in half-lies and vagueness—mentioning only that she and Riley had fallen into a high-level dungeon rift and had spent weeks trying to survive, fighting their way to freedom, eventually defeating a powerful boss-level monster at the end.

It wasnʼt false, per se.

Just... safer.

But Lorraine had known her long enough to see through the gloss.

”Y-You donʼt trust me?” Alice asked.

”What? No, itʼs not that...” Lorraine said as she sat up straighter. ”Itʼs not exactly a matter of trust, itʼs just… well, how would I even begin to just causally accept all of that without being absolutely dense?”

”B-But itʼs true...”

Lorraine leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, eyes sharp.

”Then look me in the eyes when saying it.”

”Eh?” Alice flinched.

”Come on. Look me in the eyes and tell me thatʼs all that happened.”

Alice hesitated. Her gaze wavered for a second.

”Is that really necessary?” she asked, voice small.

”No, maybe not. But lying isnʼt exactly a good thing either, Alice. Especially not between friends.”

Aliceʼs shoulders dropped slightly. Her fingers curled tighter around her cup.

”Iʼm sorry…”

”There you go again,” Lorraine sighed, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. ”Apologizing like youʼre always in trouble.”

Alice lowered her gaze, guilt tugging at her features.

”But,” Lorraine continued, her tone softening, ”at least I know itʼs really you. Youʼre definitely the real Alice, alright. I didnʼt mean it in a bad way. Letʼs just say… itʼs objectively disappointing. Thatʼs all.”

Alice peeked up at her, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

”Donʼt feel too down about it. I know you probably have your reasons—and Iʼm slowly getting used to that, I guess.” Lorraine smiled faintly. ”Iʼm just… glad youʼve returned. Safe and sound.”

Alice stared at her for a second before giving a small smile in return, warm and genuine.

”Thanks, Lorraine.”

Lorraine raised her cup slightly. ”Hereʼs to you not disappearing again, yeah?”

Alice chuckled and clinked her cup against Lorraineʼs. ”Iʼll do my best.”

Alice smiled quietly at Lorraineʼs words. It really had been a long time, but somehow… nothing had changed.

Lorraine was still the same—blunt, sincere, and full of teasing remarks that masked how deeply she cared. It was strange how easily they slipped back into old rhythms, as if no time had passed at all.

It was a mystery, really—how Lorraine had always managed to put up with her nonsense over the years. Alice had never quite understood it.

Even when sheʼd been a naïve, starry-eyed girl with no real understanding of the world or how to trust others, Lorraine had stuck by her.

She was one of the few people Alice genuinely and deeply appreciated—without her, she might never have learned what true friendship actually meant.

”Iʼm glad you havenʼt changed, Lorraine,” Alice said softly, her voice tinged with nostalgia.

Lorraine tilted her head, raising a brow with playful suspicion.

”Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

Alice blinked, then gave a sheepish laugh. ”Of course it is!”

”Really?” Lorraine leaned back with a dramatic sigh. ”Because it kinda feels like an insult?”

”No, itʼs not, really!” Alice waved her hands defensively. ”I meant it in the best way possible!”

Lorraine chuckled, taking a sip of her coffee. ”Relax, Iʼm just messing with you. But still… saying youʼre glad I havenʼt changed might not be all that great, you know?”

Alice tilted her head in confusion. ”Why not?”

Lorraine gave a dry laugh.

”Because my love life hasnʼt changed either. Itʼs been the same train wreck since the beginning of our school years. Boys just come and go—fluttering around like moths to a flame and vanishing just as quickly.”

She sighed, leaning her cheek into her palm.

”Haah… Why canʼt I find true love like you, Alice?”

”T-Thatʼs—” Alice blushed immediately, flustered.

”You donʼt have to answer,” Lorraine said with a small smirk, eyes still on her cup. ”I have a feeling I might just hurt myself even more if you do.”

Alice bit her lip, unsure how to respond.

”That aside…” Lorraineʼs tone shifted slightly, her gaze now narrowing thoughtfully at Alice. ”I think youʼre the one whoʼs changed a little.”

Alice blinked. ”What do you mean?”

”You feel more... mature, somehow,” Lorraine said, eyeing her curiously. ”Not just older, but like… something in you settled. Did something good happen with Riley, perhaps?”

She added the last part with a mischievous grin, clearly fishing.

”Thatʼs—well—” Alice stumbled over her words, the flush on her face deepening. ”Thereʼs… quite a few things, actually…”

”There is!?” Lorraine leaned forward, eyes sparkling with intrigue. ”Wait, wait—hold on. Quite a few? I thought youʼd give me the usual ʼitʼs complicatedʼ and brush it off like always!”

Alice looked away, suddenly very interested in the pattern on her cup. ”Itʼs… not something I can sum up in a sentence…”

”Is that so?” Lorraine hummed, smirking. ”Now I really want to know what happened while you were gone.”

”I… I canʼt really put it into full detail,” Alice stammered, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. ”B-But letʼs just say Riley and I have… gotten close enough to be really comfortable with each other…”

Lorraineʼs brows lifted in slow delight, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes. ”Ho~? How comfortable are we talking here~?”

Alice turned crimson almost instantly. ”J-Just enough… to—to touch each other openly, I guess?”

Her voice had dropped to a whisper by the end of that sentence, as if speaking too loudly would somehow make it worse.

She glanced around nervously before adding, ”A-Anyway! W-We shouldnʼt really be talking about this stuff here and now, right? I can tell you everything later… somewhere private…”

Lorraine leaned back, grinning like a cat whoʼd found the cream. ”Youʼre so cute when youʼre embarrassed, you know that?”

”Iʼm not…” Alice mumbled, hiding her face behind her hands.

”You are~ But hey,” Lorraine said with a softer smile now, ”Iʼm glad you made some progress, at least. Ever since you told me about accepting that casual shotgun proposal from Riley, I was genuinely worried. I thought you were going to end up as the last one in line in his so-called harem.”

”Sh-Shotgun proposal makes it sound so exaggerated,” Alice muttered, peeking through her fingers.

”Is it not?” Lorraine laughed, placing a hand over her heart dramatically. ”Still, I guess I donʼt have to worry now. Looks like my cute, innocent Alice is finally growing up and stepping into adulthood. How… saddening.”

She gave a mock sob, dabbing her eyes with a napkin.

”C-Come on, itʼs not that serious!” Alice protested, but couldnʼt stop the shy smile from creeping up.

”Oh, but it is,” Lorraine said theatrically, slumping against her chair as if the weight of realization had crushed her. ”The young bird Iʼve always carefully watched is about to properly leave her innocent little nest… Iʼm both proud and disappointed at the same time.”

She glanced at Alice with a warm grin before adding, ”Although I may not be much of an expert when it comes to love—considering my track record—but if you ever need anything, anything at all about romance or relationships, Iʼm your girl. I may not be strong or powerful, but Iʼm pretty sure I can beat some sense into Riley if he ever treats you wrong.”

”H-He wouldnʼt…!” Alice said quickly, then hesitated. ”But… actually, there is something I wanted to ask you.”

Lorraine raised a brow, leaning in with curiosity. ”Oh? Are problems already brewing on the love battlefield?”

”No! Not at all!” Alice waved her hands frantically. ”Everythingʼs going great with Riley! Itʼs just… the question is about something else entirely.”

”Go on then~” Lorraine said with a teasing tone.

Alice hesitated, biting her lip.

Her eyes darted to the side, then back to Lorraineʼs, before she took a deep breath and asked, voice barely audible:

”…H-How can you tell if youʼre already pregnant or not?”

”...…”

”...….”

”…L-Lorraine?”.

”...…”