How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 737: Fateful Encounter.

I couldn’t sleep.

Letting out a quiet yawn, I kept my eyes fixed on the arena below.

From up here, everything looked smaller... calmer. Not that it really mattered.

No matter where I sat, people still ended up looking my way—especially when the girls were around.

”Did you not sleep properly yesterday, Riley?”

Seo’s voice came soft and flat as always. I glanced at her, and she was already looking at me, her expression as unreadable as ever.

”Maybe I shouldn’t have forced myself to tuck in...”

I let out a small breath at that.

Yesterday had been... something. After that somewhat memorable date with Liyana, I went straight back to the dorms.

Ran into Evelyn for a bit, talked, nothing serious. By the time I got back, the others were already asleep.

Or at least, that’s what I thought.

The moment I stepped in, they all woke up like they’d been waiting for me and dragged me into bed with them.

Still...

Snow and Alice weren’t there last night. Snow was probably buried in unfinished student council work. Knowing her, it was half responsibility, half her way of making it up to the others after keeping me to herself for days.

Alice was off dealing with something in her own realm, I think.

Honestly, I expected Rose to be the one gone more often, especially after what happened with her father.

But... I guess Duke Raymond doesn’t really matter much to her anymore.

Nights without Snow and Alice were rare. I thought I’d finally get some space for once.

Yeah... that didn’t happen.

If anything, it got worse.

Rose gets ridiculously clingy when she’s asleep.

She barely left me any room to breathe, and Seo was right there on my other side.

I’m already used to being sandwiched between them most nights, but when one or two are missing, the rest just... make up for it.

Their grip gets tighter. Their presence closer.

Like they’re trying to take full advantage of it.

Not that I really mind.

”Haha, no, I’m fine. It’s not your fault... I’m just a little tired, that’s all,” I said, waving it off.

”Weird...” Seo tilted her head slightly, her expression unchanged. ”You don’t usually get tired.”

”...Yeah, well. Guess today’s special.”

”Did something happen yesterday? You came back late too...” Rose’s voice slipped in from my left, soft but clearly probing.

I didn’t even need to look to know she was watching me closely.

”No, nothing happened.”

”Hmm...”

She didn’t sound convinced. Not even a little.

”...Well, something did happen,” I admitted after a short pause. ”But it’s not anything dangerous. It just... kept me thinking all night, that’s all.”

”Something that keeps you up all night?” Rose repeated quietly. ”That only leaves two options. Either it’s dangerous... or it’s something you’re planning to handle on your own again.”

I let out a small laugh, trying to ease the tension. ”Trust me, it’s not like that.”

”Then you wouldn’t mind sharing it with us, right?” Seo added, her tone calm but leaving no room to dodge.

”...Well...”

I hesitated for a second before answering.

”I was just... thinking about the future. For all of us.”

”Future...?” Rose echoed. ”You mean like... when you end up marrying all of us and things like that?”

”...Something along those lines.”

It wasn’t really a lie. With Liyana now in the picture, thinking about the future had gotten a lot more complicated. And heavier.

”If that’s the case, you don’t need to worry so much,” Rose said, her tone softening a bit. ”Actually... Snow, Alice, and I already came up with something a very perfect plan.”

”...A plan?”

”You could call it a routine,” she continued, smiling gently. ”For when we reach that stage in our relationship.”

”A routine...?”

”You don’t need to know the details right now,” Rose said, still smiling. ”You just need to accept it when the time comes.”

...Yeah.

That smile?

For some reason, it felt a little dangerous.

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

’What kind of plan did they come up with...?’

Judging from her somewhat light smug I guess she has no plans on telling me.

Boom!

Boom!

Baam!

Bright bursts of magical fireworks lit up the sky even under the daylight, colors spreading across the air like blooming stars.

At the same time, the deep, steady pounding of drums echoed throughout the academy colosseum, shaking the ground just enough to stir the crowd.

It was loud. Lively.

And packed.

Today marked the start of another day in the Continental Grand Festival tournament, and as expected, the entire place was overflowing with people from all over the continent.

Nobles, commoners, merchants, adventurers—everyone gathered to watch.

It had gotten so crowded that even academy students were complaining about not being able to find seats.

Though, with the live broadcasts set up across the academy grounds, that problem had mostly settled itself.

Still...

I didn’t really plan on coming today.

None of the girls had matches, and with Liyana now staying at the academy, I figured things would get... complicated.

Honestly, I expected her to show up at my room the moment the sun rose.

That felt like something she would do.

But... she didn’t.

Guess what she said last night about being busy today wasn’t a lie.

My gaze drifted upward, toward the highest section of the colosseum.

Right there, seated in the VIP section that overlooked everything, was the emperor himself—watching as both a guest and one of the judges for the tournament.

”....”

He hadn’t said anything to me.

Not about Liyana. Not about anything.

Which probably meant...

She already spoke to him yesterday.

And if that’s the case—

Snow definitely knows she’s here.

”...I need to talk to Snow later.”

The thought slipped out with a quiet sigh.

For now, at least, Liyana wasn’t anywhere in the colosseum. Whatever she had going on must’ve been important enough to keep her busy.

...Which, honestly, might be a good thing.

After all, today was the match between Janica and Lucas.

The main protagonist of this world... against his main heroine.

Yeah. Kind of ironic.

But I guess everything has its purpose.

With how many competitors were left, I honestly thought Janica would end up facing Kagami or Vanessa today.

Those two still hadn’t had their matches yet, so it felt like the natural setup.

Then again...

This tournament was never meant to be ”fair” in the usual sense.

Matchups were random. Unpredictable.

And in a way, that made more sense.

If you’re truly strong—if you actually deserve to win—then it shouldn’t matter who you face or what situation you’re thrown into.

You win anyway.

Simple as that.

Since Seo and Snow both secured their victories yesterday, the remaining participants were all from Lumen Academy now.

Not surprising.

With how ridiculously broken the girls are, it’d be weird if they weren’t dominating.

Still...

This match involved Lucas.

The moment I heard about it, I came here immediately.

Especially with Liyana around.

Evelyn said she’d try to keep Lucas occupied for the day, but... I doubt even she expected this kind of matchup to happen today.

”...Don’t worry, Original.”

Evelyn’s voice echoed faintly in my mind from earlier.

”I’ll take care of our dear Liyana. Unexpected situations just mean we adapt, right? Let’s switch targets for now.”

”....”

”I’m sure you’re curious too—how far Lucas and Janica have come. Though...” she added with a light chuckle, ”I doubt you’ll be satisfied with what you see. The gap between them isn’t exactly small.”

Back then, the smarter move would’ve been to track Liyana down myself and keep her distracted.

But Evelyn already stepped in.

Which means...

I just have to trust her.

”...Is fate messing with us or something...”

I muttered under my breath, eyes returning to the arena.

No point overthinking it now.

What matters is simple.

At the very least, I need to make sure Liyana and Lucas don’t cross paths.

Not yet.

If they meet now...

If she reacts to him in any way—

...that would be a problem.

It’s still too early for that.

.....

Meanwhile, just outside the arena—

A young man rushed through the crowd, weaving between people as he hurriedly buttoned up his white shirt.

His academy blazer hung loosely over his shoulders as he forced it on mid-run, barely slowing down.

”Shit... I overslept!”

His black hair bounced with each step, golden eyes sharp as he slipped past groups without crashing into anyone.

Even in a rush, his movements were clean—almost instinctive.

Today was his second match.

And he was late.

”...Janica’s going to be so mad at me...”

He muttered under his breath, a small wince crossing his face.

For once, it wasn’t the match itself making him nervous.

Unlike the others, Lucas had already been informed of his opponent early, yesterday.

Janica.

The moment he heard her name, everything got complicated.

He wanted to win. Of course he did.

But at the same time...

He didn’t want to hurt her.

Not again.

He had already done enough of that.

At some point, quietly and without telling anyone, he made a promise to himself—

No matter what, he wouldn’t hurt Janica anymore.

Not physically.

Not emotionally.

But that just made things worse.

Because if he held back... even a little—

She’d notice.

And knowing her, she wouldn’t forgive that.

She might even hate him for it.

”...Tch...”

Lucas clicked his tongue softly, his pace slowing just a little as his thoughts caught up to him.

Of course, he knew how strong Janica really was.

She wasn’t someone you could take lightly.

But even then...

He could feel it.

The difference between them now.

The gap had grown.

A lot.

”...Does it even matter?”

He exhaled, tightening his grip slightly as his gaze steadied.

Yeah.

Maybe it didn’t.

”All I have to do... is give it everything I’ve got.”

His voice came out quieter this time, but firmer.

”And show her I’m serious.”

That was enough.

No overthinking.

No hesitation.

Just fight her properly.

That alone would say more than anything else.

With his resolve set, Lucas pushed forward, picking up his pace as he slipped through the crowd.

”Excuse me—coming through!”

He moved fast, turning corners without slowing, eyes darting toward the wall-mounted screens along the corridors.

The live broadcast was still on.

The announcer hadn’t started the match yet—just going through introductions, hyping up the crowd, dragging things out as usual.

”...Good.”

He let out a small breath.

’My entrance should be just past this left turn...’

Just as he cut around the corner—

Bam!

”...?!”

The world flipped for a second.

Lucas found himself sitting on the ground, staring blankly ahead.

”...Huh?”

For a moment, his mind just... stopped.

That had never happened before.

Whenever he bumped into someone, it was always the other person who stumbled or fell. He was the one who stayed standing.

But this time...?

It felt like he had run straight into something solid.

Not a person.

A wall.

No—

A mountain.

Something completely unmoving.

”...Oh my~ I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

A soft voice reached him.

Lucas blinked, looking up.

And froze.

Standing in front of him was a young girl.

White hair.

Crimson red eyes.

A face so striking it almost didn’t feel real.

But what made him pause wasn’t just her appearance.

It was her presence.

There was something about her... something he couldn’t quite explain. It felt calm, gentle even—

Yet at the same time, it pressed down on him without him realizing.

The girl extended her hand toward him.

Without thinking, Lucas took it.

She pulled him up effortlessly.

”You’re... today’s competitor, right? Lucas...?” she said, tilting her head slightly. ”You might want to hurry. The match will start soon.”

”A-Ah—yeah...!”

Lucas snapped out of it, quickly straightening himself.

”Sorry about that—I’ll be more careful next time.”

”No, it’s fine.”

Her answer came easily, almost dismissive.

Lucas hesitated for a second before scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

”...If we meet again, feel free to ask me for anything in return... Miss...?”

”Liyana,” she replied without pause. ”Liyana Heavens.”

She gave a small, faint smile.

”And really, there’s no need. You’re the one who got hurt, after all.”

”A-Ah... right... well—anyway, I should get going!”

He stepped back, already turning.

”See you around, Miss Liyana! And sorry again!”

And just like that—

He was gone.

His footsteps faded quickly down the corridor, disappearing into the noise of the arena.

”....”

Liyana stood there, watching the direction he left.

For a moment, her expression didn’t change.

Then—

Her crimson eyes dimmed slightly.

A hand rose slowly to her chest.

”...How interesting~”

Her voice came out soft, almost amused.

But her gaze... lingered.

As if she had just found something she didn’t expect to exist.