“But now...after thirty long years, my slumps is finally over!”
Dorothea pointed her finger dramatically at Allen and Charlotte as she roared triumphantly.
Her eyes sparkled with intensity, radiating the pressure of a predator who’d just spotted prey.
“The moment I saw you two, inspiration hit me like lightning! I know this pairing is perfect for my next novel! So come on already get to flirting!”
“I told you, we’re not in that kind of relationship…”
“Then just act like it! Fake it! Pleeease!”
"Even if you say that..."
Allen trailed off.
Even if she said "just flirt," he had no idea what to do.
Especially now, he had just sealed away his feelings for Charlotte. If he let things slip, even a little, those feelings might break free. And if that happened... there would be no going back.
Then he suddenly an idea.
He gently patted Charlotte on the shoulder.
“Actually, I think we’ll have to pass! Charlotte wouldn’t want that either, right?”
“Huh? M-me…?”
“Yeah. Pretending to be lovers with a guy you don’t like...that’s totally unreasonable, right?”
Any normal woman would absolutely hate that. If it were someone like Eruca, she’d probably say, “What? Not even if you buried me in gold and jewels,” with a straight face.
But Charlotte blinked in surprise… then looked down, her voice barely a whisper.
“U-um… I… I wouldn’t hate it.”
“Right, Charlotte? Even Charlotte...wait, huh?”
Her words didn’t register immediately.
Like a rusty automaton, Allen slowly turned to look at her.
A faint vermilion shining on his cheek. Charlotte slowly raised his head, staring at Allen with upturned eyes――
“I-if it’s with you, Allen-san… I really wouldn’t mind at all. Uh...Allen-san!?”
WHAM!
A loud, heavy thud echoed through the living room.
Allen had slammed his head against the nearest wall. Full force.
Thanks to this, Luu got up and cried out in protest, "Grrrr!"
Charlotte rushed to Allen, who had crumpled to the floor.
"What's wrong, Allen-san! Are you okay?!"
“Oh...sorry. I just… kind of lost myself for a moment. Needed some emergency treatment.”
“Just what happened?! Your forehead is bright red!”
"Ah, yeah, yes. No problem. It's fine."
The headbutt had calmed him down a little, but now Charlotte was peering down at him with genuine concern. His heart thundered in his chest. His body felt like it was burning up. His breathing was all over the place.
The emotions he’d sealed away were straining to escape.
(This is bad…! Even emergency measures aren’t enough…!)
At this rate, even stopping his heart wouldn’t help.
While Allen sat frozen in mortified agony, Dorothea let out a delighted squeal.
“Hyahaa! I knew my rom-com radar was never wrong! This is the real deal! You can’t pay for this kind of fresh, authentic, raw romantic tension!”
She giggled and danced around while scribbling furiously in her notebook, absolutely thrilled.
Allen radiated an overwhelming surge of murderous intent… but with great willpower, he managed to suppress it.