Chapter 343 I'm in a women's banter?
Lumiere & Lucretia Arc.
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(POV: Lumiere)
In the bed room,
Me and 10 women, I still couldn't wrap my head around it.
But somehow, the situation just seemed to worsen by the second. As if each time things were supposed to get worse, something made it ten times more than what you'd expected.
I need some normal company. Strangely, the first person that popped into my mind was the most abnormal person.
"Fanatio," I spoke under my breath.
Then, Lucretia asked her question again as she smiled at me. Her eyes were looking oddly thirsty, and I meant that in a sexy way.
"So Lumiere, what do you think?"
"Eh?" I answered.
Her voice came out like melted butter. "Would you like to accompany me to the snowworks festival?s closing ceremony?"
I pretended to ponder her question. "Well..."
Anastasia suddenly stood up from the soft bed she had been sitting on beside me. Written in her eyes was frustration as she turned to face Lucretia. "Professor Lucretia! That's not fair," she exclaimed. "I was just about to ask him to accompany me to the snowworks festival!"
A proud smile graced Lucretia's lips as she responded, in her usual superior tone. "Ah, but that's where the difference lies," she remarked. "You may have been on the verge of asking him, but I took the initiative and seized the opportunity to have him with me."
Fair point, I thought.
Still, that didn't mean I was planning to get involved. I had enough experience when it came to being around bickering women— the secret was to let them wear themselves out. However, if it was getting a little more hostile, getting involved was the only choice.
"B... Bu... But..." Anastasia stammered, her cheeks puffing up with a jealously that she couldn't hide.
A sip of her tea, Lucretia chuckled. "No buts, I'm just that more suited."
"You aren't!" Anastasia fired back.
Lucretia maintained her calmness. From her perspective, she'd already won the game of asking me out. "Sore words from a sore loser..."
Those words got Anastasia a little more infuriated.
It was time to get involved... Sigh.
As I sat there on the bed, I tried to diffuse the tension by interjecting. "There's no need to get worked up, Anastasia," I gently assured her. "Nothing?s been decided yet."
"Hm?" her anger immediately flushed away as she fixed her sights on me. "Wait, you... your really mean that...?"
Lucretia raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced by my words. "How can you say that nothing has been decided?" she questioned, her voice came out flat, completely impassive. "Are you implying that you're not planning on going to the closing ceremony with me?"
"Eh?" I said.
She glared at me as she held her teacup in hand. "That is what you're implying... If I'm not mistaken..."
I turned to face Lucretia. My expression turned earnest as I tried to explain. "No, that's not what I meant," I replied hastily. "I just wanted to..."
But before I could finish my sentence, Lucretia interrupted me. "If that's not what you meant, then you should judge this situation from a fair and reasonable standpoint," she declared firmly.
I could already feel the exasperation edging at her voice.
Anastasia's voice rose, her frustration reached its peak as she accused Lucretia of cheating. "But you cheated, Professor Lucretia!" she exclaimed, an obvious anger ringing in her throat.
Lucretia cleared her throat, her eyes closing gently as she composed herself.
Anytime she spoke, her voice was always calm and collected.
"Cheated? I don't recall ever doing such a thing," she responded coolly. "What I do recall is being a little more straightforward with my feelings than you, Anastasia."
Anastasia, her voice trembling slightly, shot back at Lucretia. "I was being straightforward with my feelings too," she protested. "You just didn't let me finish!"
Lucretia adjusted her saucer and teacup before slowly crossing her legs. "That's an absolute lie," she proclaimed, just that statement alone made Anastasia fume a bit. "The only woman that he needs in his life is a bold one, and that undeniably makes me the right choice for him, nobody else."
With a dramatic flourish, she placed a hand on her chest, her proud actions had clearly emphasized her conviction.
"I'm also bold!" Anastasia exclaimed.
Gently shaking her head as she chuckled, Lucretia said, "Trust me honey, you aren't when it comes to matters of the heart."
I don't think Lucretia should be saying that...
Stellaria, unimpressed by Lucretia's theatrics, let out a soft sigh and gracefully floated off her chair, hovering over to the bed where she lay down. "Well, if we're going to compete for his attention, I should be the one going with him," she stated, but there was a constant tiredness tugging at her voice. "But alas, I'm just too tired to partake in such frivolous contests. Besides, as a goddess such as myself, shouldn't stoop to competing with mortal's for my Lumiere's affections."
"Eh?" Anastasia looked at Stellaria.
I then waved my hand dismissively. "Don't mind what she said, you know how she can be," I told her.
Lucretia sipped her tea. "That's quite the god-complex you have, Miss Stellaria," there was some mockery in Lucretia?s voice.
A yawn, a smile and then a destructive statement. "And that's quite the flat chest you have, Lady Lucretia..." said Stellaria with a nonchalance that denied all hesitation.
No... She made it worse...
Lucretia immediately placed her teacup on the small table and glared at Stellaria.
"What did you say?!" she raised her voice.
Stellaria simply yawned and stared to the side.
"Lumiere?!"
"Yes, Lucretia," I answered her.
"Are you really going to let her speak to me like that?!" Lucretia was infuriated.
How to respond...
I looked around and then my eyes met Simone. Simone gently placed an index finger upon her lips, as a way to inform me not to speak or I'd likely make things worse.
So, I decided not to give Lucretia a reply.
And surprisingly, it turned out Simone was more correct than I'd expected.
It was a rhetorical question.
I flashed Simone a thumbs up, and she bowed her head in response.
Suddenly, Lumila cleared her throat loudly in order to make her presence known.
She captured the attention of every woman in the room.
"In all honesty," she began, her expected authoritative and condescending voice was ever present. "The only person who is truly suitable to accompany the professor during the closing festival ceremony is..."
Everyone eagerly waited for an answer for some reason.
Like as if her choice was the deciding factor.
With a swift motion, she grabbed Elise by the shoulder and positioned her in front of everyone, causing Elise to blush and sink her head into her scarf.
Lumila continued. "Elise possesses not only a gentle and sweet soul, but in our personal conversations, she provides valuable advice and unwavering emotional support," she praised, a gentle smile gracing her lips. "And let's not forget her tight hugs that make you feel like you're on top of the world."
Elise's face grew even redder as all eyes turned to her.
"Um, Lumila, this is embarrassing," Elise mumbled shyly, naturally, her voice was barely audible.
Lumila's smile remained, but a faint blush danced across her cheeks.
It was the first time we'd seen Lumila acting so out of character.
But then, she too noticed she was out of character.
She cleared her throat sharply and assumed her usual stoic expression, effectively hiding any signs of embarrassment.
"Well, that's my honest assessment, at the very least," she concluded, her voice returning to its calm and composed demeanor.
Ruri placed both her hands on her chest and closed her eyes shyly. She then said, "I would also love for Professor Lumiere to accompany me to the festival."
"Wait," Anastasia?s voice rose again. "Professor Lumiere will accompany me to the festival, not you guys!"
I sighed, it was getting worse by the second.
I leaned towards Lucilia and told her, "Come on Lucilia, help me."
With only a chuckle and a shrug that told me that I was on my own this time, Lucilia told me, "Why? It looks so fun to watch this, I think I'll stay out of it and see you resolve this one..."
Damn it!!
Lilith dressed her hair and smiled at me from where she stood. "You're quite the popular man aren't you, Lumiere, well I shouldn't be surprised in the end..."
Then, Anastasia looked like she'd just gotten a brilliant idea.
It was written all over her face.
She then said, "I know how we can settle this."
Everyone immediately asked, "How?"
"We'll let the Vice Principal decide, she's the oldest here and as such she should have the most experience when it comes to dealing with romance... She'll know who's best suited for Professor Lumiere."
That was an absolutely wrong evaluation. Lilith didn't know a thing about romance from my perspective.
Before me, she hadn't gotten laid in over 900 years.
Could such a person really make the decision.
Strangely so, everyone agreed in the end. I had no say in the matter so I just kept quiet.
"The choice is simple," Lilith began. "The person who will spend time with Lumiere is.."
No one could take the suspense any longer.
"Me." Lilith smiled.
Everyone froze up instantly.
"EHHHHHHHHHH?!!"
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