"Haaa!" Kanaria let out a long sigh with a tired expression. She slammed the door open after a long, stressful interview. "I'm finally done!"
Ragna smiled wryly. Even he had a hard time earlier.
"Thanks for your hard work." Clovis took a peek from the living room while saying, "The food is almost ready. Come in."
"O-oh!" Kanaria nodded. "These are things that you want me to buy. Some desert and snacks."
"Yup. Just bring it to the table." Clovis nodded while going back to the kitchen.
Ragna scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. Normally, the ones who prepared the food were either him or Kanaria. But Clovis could also cook some basic stuff.
Jay and Melody were completely hopeless, so they never really asked for their help.
Still, having someone prepare everything after a long, exhausting day just warmed his heart.
Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot of time. Right after dinner, Clovis got a call from Erwin, saying that he was outside their room. Hence, Clovis just went straight to invite him inside.
"Yo! It seems that everyone is waiting for my great presence." Erwin smirked.
"…" Clovis and the others stared at him for a while before saying the same thing. "No."
"Oi! Why are you all answering? Isn't Jay supposed to have no interest in something ? Besides, Clovis, you should handle this kind of thing better! And what's with the weird pause? It makes you look like you're thinking about it seriously!" Erwin pointed at the group.
Of course, Clovis was just playing a little bit with this new 'friend' of his by involving the others.
"Hahaha." Clovis laughed out loud as if he had gotten some satisfaction.
"Kh. You jerk! Do you think you can do anything to me because you've won against me once?" Erwin gritted his teeth but ended up sitting as if he didn't plan to continue with this.
"To think that you really invited him to the meeting…" Kanaria shook her head helplessly. It seemed that her mother was right.
"Since he offered it himself, I thought it would be a waste to not accept it." Clovis shrugged. "I think all of you have felt something was wrong in the group battle…"
"!!!" Jay raised his head.
"Now that I think about it, it feels like we're being toyed with." Melody nodded with a serious expression.
"That was because of him." Clovis pointed at Erwin.
"What?" Melody opened her mouth wide, while Erwin crossed his arms with a smug.
"I don't know the full extent, but he should have seen through everyone's true nature to a certain extent. We've reached an agreement. This guy will help us a little bit to win against the Eight Swords tomorrow." Clovis nodded, acknowledging Erwin's talent.
"Well… I will only be helping you with some information. It will be up to you whether you trust me or not. For the time being, I'm planning to give you their basic information, strength, and my prediction. That's all." Erwin shrugged.
"So that's how it is…" Jay crossed his arms. He finally understood why their plan failed so badly. Erwin had seen through him. Clovis had seen through Erwin's plan and ordered him to go back, but Erwin knew Jay would ignore Clovis' order.
"Hehehe. I'm good. That's all." Erwin rubbed his chin. He then took out a small notebook from his pocket. "Anyway, I will be giving you their information, starting with their captain. I shouldn't stay here for too long to avoid suspicion.
Will that be alright?"
"Sure." Clovis nodded before glancing at Melody. The latter knew what he wanted and opened the profile of the Eight Swords' captain, Rafael.
"In that case, let's start." Erwin looked at the picture and said, "His name is Rafael, 23 years old, Tier 4, and he has Muscle Affinity. His blood is O-, his girlfriend is currently nonexistent, and his family relationship doesn't seem to be smooth."
"Huh? I understand the first part, but the second…" Kanaria frowned.
"That's important too, Miss Kanaria." Erwin stopped for a moment before opening the page about Kanaria. "For example, what if I say that you have become a bit fatter? Maybe about 2 kg?"
Kanaria's body shook as if she recognized it. Still, she couldn't help but grab her gun and say, "You should know that it's a very sensitive topic, right?"
"I know that you have gained some weight because you haven't done any expeditions for a while. Of course, normal training is the same. It must be because of the competition. I'm sure that you will gradually lose it again after this competition ends." Erwin smiled.
Kanaria was completely speechless.
"See? I can manipulate your emotions a little bit just by showcasing some information."
"…" Kanaria scratched the back of her head before glancing at Clovis as if she were trying to explain.
"Don't worry, Miss Kanaria. I have no intention of shaming you. From the looks of it, Clovis himself doesn't really care about those few kilograms. But I'm sure he wants you to maintain a good body, not only for himself but also for your safety during the expedition.
If he were to reply, it should be something like… 'People call having standards as body shaming nowadays, but striving to be a better person for someone you like is called effort. I respect that effort.' Or something along the lines."
Clovis pinched the bridge of his nose. "It seems that you are extremely accurate in assessing people."
Erwin shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal for him.
"For now, let's listen to what he has to say. All kinds of information are necessary. You should have seen the effect of that information in the group match." Clovis waved down, gesturing for Kanaria to sit down.
"Yeah, sorry." Kanaria nodded. Erwin had proved himself with just a few sentences.
"In that case, I will continue." Erwin returned to the page about Rafael. "Moving on to his strength…"