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In the early morning, before the sun had even risen, the information broker Leonard walked in with a big yawn.

Maybe he was called in unexpectedly, but he grumbled as he approached me.

“Yawn… why do people insist on calling me out this early…”

“Shut it… I couldn’t sleep because of you…”

Upon seeing my haggard face, Leonard looked startled and asked.

“Whoa… you look like you’ve aged a decade. What happened?”

“What happened…? Do you really want to die?”

I hadn’t been able to sleep at all thanks to Stella, who incessantly tempted me, whether I was eating, going to the bathroom, or even trying to go to bed.

“Try this, Nova! Here, say ah~”

“Where are you going, Nova? To the bathroom? I’ll go with you!”

“Let’s just share our room! Honestly, we don’t need private rooms at all! Or should we sleep together in my room?”

My patience was pushed to its limits by her not-so-simple obsession, bordering on madness.

I wanted to cross the line so many times but barely managed to escape her clutches.

“Damn it… it feels like I’m hearing things; her voice is stuck in my head…”

“It must be effective. Thanks for the great intel.”

I seriously wanted to slap that guy for being the top information broker in the underworld.

“Just shut up and give me the antidote; you have one, right?”

“Why are you so on edge? It was probably a good experience for you.”

“I didn’t have one! Do I look like a beast that preys on minors?”

“You’re still a minor yourself; what are you saying? You haven’t touched her at all, have you?”

As I nodded in acknowledgment, Leonard looked at me with a confused face, as if to say, “Is this guy even human?”

As much as I was astounded at how I managed to hold back my desires, I was truly reaching my limit.

“I mean… it’s hard to even eat when I can’t get that out of my head.”

“It’s not that… it’s just, this isn’t the real Stella.”

If Stella was acting that way because she wanted to, then I should be happy, but using this situation against someone who couldn’t help their circumstances went against my beliefs.

Realizing my sincerity, Leonard just stared at me in silence and sighed.

“Well, if that’s the case… the solution is simple: just wait.”

“Wait? How long do I have to wait…?”

“About 72 hours? Just so you know, there’s no antidote.”

Three days?! I barely managed to survive one day…

If this continues, I’ll be dried up and dead in no time. That was clear.

“Isn’t there any way to quickly get back to normal…?”

“Just wait it out, okay? What’s so hard about that? Isn’t it kind of a reward?”

At that moment, I felt a presence lurking down an empty alley, and a chilling voice called out.

“Nova~”

“…Hey. Hey! Hide now!”

“What’s going on… ugh!”

I shoved Leonard against the wall and hid around the corner of a nearby building.

Before long, Stella appeared, smiling brightly in the place where we’d just been.

“What’s this all about…!”

“Shut up and don’t make a sound.”

“I woke up and couldn’t find you… do you know how hard I searched for you? Huh… where did you go…?”

As she looked around, searching for me, Stella whispered to herself, her expression gloomy like a child who lost their favorite toy, sending shivers down my spine.

“I could swear it was Nova’s presence… why? Why did he run away?”

“Wow… is that your girlfriend? She’s ridiculously pretty. It’s no wonder she’s called the Saint of the Magic Tower.”

With a girlfriend like that obsessing over you, this guy sure is full of himself…

“……”

I understood why Leonard was reacting this way. After all, she was among the most beautiful characters in the story, a real doll-like beauty you couldn’t easily forget.

So this made it even harder to endure—even more challenging than to hold onto my beliefs against my desires.

“Besides Nova, I felt another presence… what, is it a girl?”

Suddenly, Stella appeared terrifying, as if plucked right out of a horror movie.

I had never seen such a fearsome sight, even during sparring—is this what happens if I get caught?

“…Let’s move.”

“Nova… where are you?”

Avoiding her gaze, we entered an ordinary dining establishment.

Given the situation, I decided to eat while thinking about how to deal with this.

“So, I really don’t know. I’m not the creator here…”

“Stop that and give me a solution. I’ll treat you to a meal!”

“Fine, fine… then just talk to that creator person.”

“To Serena? Is that even possible?”

While saying this, Leonard handed me a magical tool that looked like a cosmetics pouch, along with a piece of paper that had a number on it.

When I opened the lid, I found a set of numbered buttons, much like a flip phone.

“This is a new communication device developed by the Magic Tower; any mage from there should have one. Just call this number.”

“So Stella has one too? Let me see…”

I dialed the number listed on the paper, and after a few rings, Serena answered with a cautious voice.

“…Hello?”

“Serena, it’s me, Nova. Can we talk for a moment?”

“Nova…? Oh, long time no see! How’s your break been?”

Hearing her voice brighten as she recognized me, Leonard murmured sadly from beside me.

“Wow… she was so cold to me but is so sweet to you… what a rotten world…”

“Anyway, there’s this potion you made… I need to ask you about it…”

After I explained the situation, Serena’s voice mixed with panic and regret came through.

“I’m so sorry to hear that…”

“Yeah, just tell me, is there an antidote or something?”

“Um… it’s not quite like a curse. It amplifies one of the emotions they originally had. There isn’t a separate antidote… The more feelings someone has built up, the more it will break through and be released.”

“I see… is that so…”

Putting aside the question of how she made such a potion, are you saying that Stella’s feelings for me have exploded?

Then this isn’t just the potion; it’s something she’s wanted to do for a long time… uh… um…

“Just a rotten world, let that alpha male die.”

“It’s still in prototype stage, so it’s not guaranteed, but there’s a way…”

“What’s that?”

“It works by making the target crave attention more as they feel it. If you don’t give them any attention, the potion should wear off quicker.”

“So… does that mean I need to completely ignore Stella?”

“You probably don’t have to stay away completely; just not respond to her at all. If you do that, her symptoms should calm down within a day. But there’s something you need to watch out for…”

“What is it?”

“The more you try to ignore her, the more her obsession will deepen. With the amount of emotion she’s wasting, who knows what she’ll do? You’ve got to be careful.”

That was probably the scariest thing I’d heard. I already found her obsession alarming; it’s frightening to think it could get worse.

I wondered if it would be safer to hide for a few days instead.

As I was about to hang up, Serena suddenly asked in a hurried voice.

“Well… about this incident… can you tell Stella it wasn’t intentional on my part?”

“…”

I could hear the tremor of her voice through the phone, perhaps fearing the backlash.

Honestly, I felt a bit annoyed, but it was a valuable experience I wouldn’t easily find again.

“Okay, for now, I’ll defend you as best as I can.”

“Really? Thank you so much! I’ll leave it to you.”

After hanging up, I took a deep breath and looked at the menu before asking Leonard.

“Anyway, a promise is a promise. What are you going to eat?”

“…”

“Hey, why are you silent? Just tell me what you want. And just so you know, don’t order anything expensive.”

“…”

“Are you deaf? What are you going to eat? Speak!”

I got annoyed with the ongoing silence and looked up to see Leonard’s expression was abnormal.

“What will Nova eat?♡”

“I’ll have… an omelette rice?”

Leonard was sitting across from me at the table, but the voice came from beside me…?

He looked like he’d seen a ghost, staring at the side next to me.

When I slowly turned my head while lowering the menu, a girl with a bright smile was grinning at me, her small and cute face beaming, but her jewel-like shining blue eyes were chilling, like ice.

“What are you doing here?”

“…Stella…”

“I’m asking what you’re doing.”

That day was one of the scariest moments of my life, so terrifying that it could haunt my dreams.

 

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