Absolute Loser Becomes The Pleasure King Using Satan System

Chapter 17: 17.A connection to begin our story- 2

The silence lingered between them. Neither of them seemed eager to break it.

For the first time since they had met beneath this lonely patch of trees, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence.

It was simply... quiet.

Reina absentmindedly adjusted her glasses.

’...Trust him.’

The words continued echoing inside her head. She still didn’t understand.

She doubted she would for quite some time.

There were too many things he wasn’t saying.

Too many questions left unanswered.

And yet...

When she looked into his eyes...She couldn’t bring herself to doubt him.

’Maybe...’

’Maybe every protagonist has something they can’t tell anyone.’

The thought appeared so suddenly that she almost laughed at herself.

’What am I even thinking...?’

’This isn’t a manga...’

Her fingers lightly tightened around the strap of her bag.

’...Even so.’

Her gaze slowly drifted toward Mylo again.

’Maybe... starting as friends isn’t such a bad ending after all.’

No. Not an ending.

’A beginning.’

The realization made something inside her chest feel surprisingly light. For the first time today...

She wasn’t thinking about how to make him fall in love with her. She was thinking about how to get to know him.

The difference was small.

Yet it somehow felt much more real.

"...So."

Mylo scratched the back of his head, his expression carrying the same awkwardness she felt.

"I guess...We never actually introduced ourselves properly."

Reina blinked, her eyes widening a little.

"...You’re right."

Thinking back...

They had skipped nearly every normal step two strangers were supposed to take.

There hadn’t been a greeting.

No small talk.

No awkward first impressions.

Everything had spiraled out of control before either of them had even learned anything about the other.

"My name’s Mylo Zane." He smiled as he introduced himself.

"I’m eighteen. Computer Science. I grew up here in the central city."

He paused before adding with a helpless laugh,

"...And apparently, I’m not very good at first meetings."

A tiny smile escaped Reina before she could stop it.

"...I don’t think either of us is."

Her answer earned a soft laugh from him. It wasn’t forced.

It was the first laugh that sounded genuinely relaxed.

"My turn..."

She quietly straightened her back.

"I’m Reina Voss. I’m eighteen too....Same department."

She hesitated.

"...I came here from Northbrook."

For a moment, she considered stopping there. But the words slipped out anyway.

"...I don’t really know anyone here. I didn’t try to connect with anyone."

As soon as she finished speaking, she lowered her head.

’Why did I say that...?’

’Now he’ll think I’m weird...’

To her surprise...Mylo simply nodded.

"Guess that makes two of us."

She slowly looked back up.

"Hm?"

"I mean..." He shrugged lightly.

"I know a few faces from orientation. But I wouldn’t really call any of them friends."

’Does he not have other friends? But he is such good boy...he should be popular...is he just saying that to make me not feel bad...?’

He smiled.

"So...I think we’re both starting from zero."

Those simple words settled gently inside her heart.

’Ah! I keep making mistake of judging him...’

He hadn’t pitied her. He hadn’t awkwardly tried to comfort her. He had simply placed himself beside her.

’w-well I’m gonna be his friend from now on...so I better take care of him well..hmm...’

Without realizing it...

The corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly.

Mylo noticed.

There it is...

She looks much better when she smiles.

The thought caught him off guard.

Almost immediately, he shook it away.

Don’t overthink it.

You already made enough mistakes today.

"...Can I ask you something?"

Reina tilted her head.

"...Of course."

"What do you usually do when you’re not studying?"

She looked at him blankly. The question seemed so ordinary...

Yet it completely caught her off guard.

"What... do I do?"

"Yeah. Everyone has something. A hobby. Something they enjoy. I was just curious."

I probably have good idea but it would be better to just hear things from her.

Her crashout earlier told me alot about her, but it’s better to let her speak about herself, slowy, step by step we can know each other.

Reina instinctively looked away.

"...It’s a little embarrassing."

"Hm?"

She rubbed her thumb against the strap of her bag.

"...Most people think it’s childish.

"...I like reading."

"Novels?"

"...Not exactly."

She hesitated again.

"...Manga."

Silence.

Reina’s shoulders unconsciously tensed.

She waited.

Almost expecting him to chuckle politely before changing the topic.

Instead...

"Manga?"

His voice carried nothing but curiosity.

"I’ve actually never read one."

Reina blinked.

"...Never?"

He shook his head.

"I’ve seen people reading them. But I never really had the chance. My life was mostly school. And then wasting time playing game.

’’I did try playing some games that had multimedia expansion but i never truly explored it.

"So I honestly don’t know much about them."

Reina stared at him for several seconds. He wasn’t pretending.

There wasn’t even a hint of judgment on his face. Only genuine curiosity.

"...Really?"

"Really."

He laughed.

"So if someone handed me one today...

"I probably wouldn’t even know where to start."

For some reason...

That answer made Reina’s nervousness disappear. Her eyes brightened ever so slightly.

"...There actually is a good place to start."

Mylo noticed the subtle change immediately.

"Oh?"

She gave a small nod.

"It depends on the person.

"What kind of stories they like.

"There isn’t really one manga that’s perfect for everyone."

She stopped.

"...Sorry."

"I started talking without thinking."

Mylo smiled.

"I’m the one who asked."

"...Still."

"You tend to ramble."

"I’ve been told that before."

"I don’t mind."

His answer came so naturally that she looked up in surprise.

"I mean...If someone likes something enough to talk about it like that...It usually means it’s important to them. So I’d rather hear them out."

For a brief moment...

Reina simply looked at him.

Nobody had ever said something like that to her before.

Not once.

’...This is impossible.’

A ridiculous image suddenly appeared inside her mind.

A single manga panel.

The heroine stared at the boy across from her as soft cherry blossoms drifted through the air.

"Could this be... the beginning?"

Reina immediately shook her head inside.

’No!’

’Don’t compare everything to manga!’

’This is real life...’

And somehow...

She found herself smiling.

Reina quickly looked away, hoping he hadn’t noticed the smile that had escaped her.

’Get a hold of yourself...’

’He’s just being nice.’

’Don’t turn every conversation into the first Chapter of a romance manga...’

Her cheeks warmed slightly. She had done that countless times before.

A kind classmate would lend her a pen.

Someone would wait and hold the classroom door.

A stranger would smile at her on the train.

For a brief moment, her imagination would run wild before reality inevitably reminded her that life wasn’t drawn in black and white panels.

This time...

She quietly stole another glance at Mylo.

’...It still isn’t a manga.’

’But... maybe that’s okay.’

A friendship wasn’t a bad place to begin.

Some of her favorite stories had started exactly that way.

Not with dramatic confessions.

Not with fate.

Just two awkward people talking.

"...So."

Mylo’s voice gently pulled her from her thoughts.

"What kind of stories do you usually read?"

Reina blinked.

"Oh..."

"There are a lot."

She unconsciously adjusted her glasses again.

"I like drama.

"I like fantasy.

"And romance."

’All of them mixed with shojo elements! Though I can’t say that now, can I?

Her voice grew noticeably quieter at the last word.

"But...

"I think my favorite stories are the ones where the characters slowly change.

"They aren’t perfect.

"They make mistakes.

"They misunderstand each other.

"They get hurt.

"But they still keep moving forward."

A gentle smile appeared on her face.

"I don’t know...Those stories just make me happy."

Mylo listened without interrupting. He wasn’t really paying attention to manga. He was paying attention to her.

Just moments ago she could barely bring herself to speak.

Now...

Her eyes carried a faint light whenever she talked about something she loved.

She really enjoys this...

It reminded him of something his mom had once said.

"If you ever want to know someone, don’t ask them what they’re good at."

"Ask them what makes them forget the time."

Looking at Reina now...

He finally understood what his mom had meant.

"...You know."

She suddenly stopped talking.

"I’ve been talking for a while, haven’t I?"

"A little." Though I don’t mind it.

She immediately lowered her head.

"...Sorry."

"But I don’t mind," She looked back at him.

"I actually think it’s nice."

"...Really?"

"Yeah."

He smiled.

"I don’t know anything about manga. So hearing someone explain why they enjoy it...It’s kind of interesting."

Reina stared at him for a few quiet seconds.

"...Nobody’s ever said that before. They usually just tell me..."

She gave an embarrassed laugh.

"...That I’ll grow out of it."

"And will you?"

Mylo asked.

She answered almost immediately.

"...No."

The confidence in her voice surprised even herself.

"No matter how old I become...

"I think I’ll still enjoy reading them."

Mylo nodded.

"Then there’s nothing wrong with that."

Her lips parted slightly.

"So many people worry about whether their hobbies look mature."

He shrugged.

"If something makes you happy without hurting anyone...

"I don’t see why you should give it up just because someone else thinks you’re too old."

The words were simple.

He didn’t say them to comfort her.

He genuinely believed them.

Reina quietly looked down at her hands.

Nobody...

Not even her parents...

Had ever put it that way.

They had always told her she should spend more time on things that would "matter."

Yet the stories she loved...

The stories that had kept her company through lonely evenings...

The stories that had helped her understand emotions she couldn’t express herself...

Had always mattered to her.

"...Thank you."

She spoke so softly that he almost missed it.

"Hm?"

"...Nothing."

She smiled sheepishly.

"I was just thinking...

"I’ve never had someone listen to me talk about manga without looking bored."

Mylo laughed quietly.

"I haven’t heard enough yet."

She couldn’t help laughing with him.

Very different from the tearful sobs that had echoed beneath these trees only a short while ago.

The silence returned once again.

But this one felt warm.

After a while, Mylo spoke again.

"...Would you do me a favor?"

Reina looked up curiously.

"...A favor?"

"If I’m really going to try reading manga..."

He scratched the back of his head.

"...I’m probably going to need help."

She blinked.

"...Help?"

"I have absolutely no idea where to start.

"I don’t know the genres.

"I don’t know what’s considered good.

"I’ll probably end up picking something completely random.

A small smile tugged at the corner of Reina’s lips.

"...You probably would."

"So..."

He smiled back.

"Would you mind introducing me to it?"

For a moment...

She forgot to answer.

’...Introduce him?’

Her?

To someone else?

Nobody had ever asked for her opinion on something she loved before.

Usually...

She was the one trying to convince people to give it a chance.

Not the other way around.

"...I..."

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.

"I’d like that."

The words came out almost as a whisper.

Then, gathering a little courage, she continued.

"I have a lot of favorites.

"...Although..."

She giggled nervously.

"I’ll have to think carefully.

"If your first manga is bad..."

"You might never read another one."

Mylo laughed.

"That’s a lot of pressure."

"It is."

She nodded with surprising seriousness.

"My first recommendation has to be perfect."

Seeing her suddenly become so earnest over something so ordinary made him chuckle again.

’She’s... surprisingly expressive.’

Her entire demeanor changed.

The timid girl who struggled to make eye contact slowly disappeared, replaced by someone who could speak with quiet confidence.

It was...

Nice to see.

And for reasons he couldn’t quite explain...

He found himself looking forward to hearing more.

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