Sniff... Ah, how I missed being near this cafe.


    I remembered the good times I had here, enjoying my coffee breaks. How nostalgic!


    Now that I was at Viavagano Cafe, all that remained was to witness the events leading up to this point.


    I had even stayed clear of the main characters to ensure this scene yed out exactly as I intended.


    Lyra and Cam would be alone, waiting for the others, when Han''s thugs, disguised as mercenary workers, would appear to harass them and create a scene.


    I couldn''t recall all the details, but I was sure Cam would be at the center of thatplicated mess.


    Then, after all that... he would arrive.


    I know that this build-up wasn''t meant to be anything special, but for a character like him, I couldn''t miss out on it.


    Even I, the author, knew he was a rival and a true menace to society.


    I had a lot of ns for the future, and I hoped to be on his good side when the time came.


    "Excuse me," a person with ck hair murmured, moving past me as I leaned against the cafe wall.


    "Sorry," I took a step to the side, and he entered the cafe.


    I felt a smile creeping up my cheek. Nothing could make my day better.


    "That damn bastard, he''s finally here."


    ***


    Rel watched as a figure appeared before Lyra and the mercenary worker.


    Wait... why is Lyra there? That can''t be right because that would mean... He paused for a moment and that''s when he came to a realisation.


    Oh it is what it means.


    "... It''s you!"


    The mercenary worker yelped, and he withdrew his hand quickly as he escaped his grasp.


    "Damn right. Address me with respect while you''re at it."


    KEUK!!!


    With a sharp twist, the ck-haired person seized the thug''s face, lifting him off the ground.


    "I figured it was one of you ruining this ce for me, but to think it was all three," he said, his voiceced with disdain.


    "How disgusting, you dirty thugs..."


    The other twockeys froze, shocked by the disy of strength.


    "You''d let me go if you know what''s best for you!" the leader retorted, even while trapped in that man''s grasp.


    Ugh...


    His face frowned. "Don''t get cocky just because my father''s under your control."


    DOOOSH!


    With a powerful heave, he threw the leader out the door and into the canal and water sshed upwards from hisnding.


    "Leave," hemanded.


    WOM!...


    A tremor of pressure emanated from him, and the two thugs shivered, unable to meet his intense gaze.


    EEEK!


    With a yelp, they scrambled to their feet, jumped into the canal, and dragged their soaked leader away from the cafe.


    [Anouz Zan Montir - The Exiled Genius]


    As Anouz watched them flee, he turned around and felt a wave of warmth enveloping him.


    Confused, he looked down to see Lyra hugging him tightly.


    "...!"


    Rel and Cam stared in shock.


    What the F**k am I seeing?


    Oh no... Lyra''s innocence is going to be stolen!


    "Thanks for helping us out," Lyra said, looking up at Anouz with wide, grateful eyes.


    Anouz froze. His usually cold expression faltered, and he felt a faint blush crept up his cheeks.


    "N-no problem..." He tried to gently push her away. "Uh, I have to go."


    But Lyra wouldn''t let go.


    As she felt a slight push, she grabbed his hands, and her grip was surprisingly strong.


    "Can you tell me your name?" she asked, tilting her head with a hopeful expression.


    "I''d like to know!" She gave him an even brighter smile, and he felt like he was going to melt.


    His mind went nk. How had he gotten himself into this situation?


    He couldn''t handle Lyra''s innocent charm. He had no choice but to do this...


    "Look! Is that the Miracle Guild leader?"


    Everyone, including Rel and Cam, looked in the direction Anouz pointed.


    Taking advantage of the distraction, he fled the cafe.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    I couldn''t believe my eyes. Lyra hugged Anouz. It wasn''t entirely unexpected, but I still needed to check to confirm it was real.


    After all, this could... wait a minute.


    This won''t have any effect, but it''s always safe to be sure.


    FWANG!


    [The following character status has been updated.]


    [Side Character: Lyra te -> Romantic Interest -> [???] Anouz Zan Montir]


    "Holy shit..."


    So it was true. Lyra had gained a legitimate romantic interest.


    And here I thought she would never find love.


    This chain of events happened simply because Cam wasn''t the one leading the scene.


    I had to take some of the me, though. It made sense after Cam''s love interest changed.


    I didn''t think that simply changing a role would impact the plot to this extent, but of course, I was wrong.


    It would take more than this for significant butterfly effects to ur, but I could only hope for more positive changes in the future.


    [10 minutester]


    After finishing breakfast at Viavagano Cafe, Lan led us to the nearest bridge, which offered a lovely view of the flowing canal.


    We gathered in a circle, and Lan pulled out a pile of sticks, each with a small number marked on the bottom.


    "Okay guys, draw a stick out of my hand and those with the same numbers will be the partners for today!"


    "''Okay"''


    I watched everyone draw a stick from Lan''s hand, leaving my partner all to luck.


    I took thest stick from Lan''s hand and got number 4.


    So... who''s my partner? I wondered, scanning the group.


    I peeked over Jan''s shoulder and saw he had ''2''.


    Jae held up a ''5'', but the others kept their sticks hidden.


    "This is making me nervous..." I muttered.


    All I could hope was that my partner wasn''t Valencia.


    With a few members absent today, the odds were higher than usual.


    "Now let''s do the reveal, guys!"


    Right now?!


    Wait, no one hasn''t said anything yet!


    "Three, two, one! REVEAL!"


    DUN...DUN!


    Everyone flipped their sticks around to show the group.


    Jan was partnered with Lan. Cam got Alice. Jae got Louise. Bazz got Lyra.


    And thest person... the unlucky one, the person I was partnered with...


    "...I got 4" she mumbled, holding her stick.


    "I did too." My eyes widened in disbelief.


    Yes, it was Valencia.


    I thought luck might be on my side this time, haah...I was wrong.


    So I''m stuck with her for the meantime, so I''d need to have a n at least, right?


    I should just discuss what she wants to do first since I don''t want anyints.


    I nced over at Valencia, trying to see how she felt about being stuck with me.


    "...!"


    Turn...


    She just looked the other way. Seriously?