Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Cecilia’s Secret

The early morning sun pierced through the thin mist hanging over the residential area of Gray Rock Town.

The rich aroma of wheat wafted from the bakeries lining both sides of the street.

But amidst this tranquil, peaceful atmosphere, a wooden table at a corner open-air cafe presented two completely different scenes.

Cecilia was sitting upright in her chair.

She held a heavy Magic Book in her hands, a spread-open parchment notebook resting beside her.

A quill pen rustled softly across the paper.

This was the daily routine of a top student from the Violet Academy. She spent nearly every waking moment of her free time studying.

In contrast, Lance’s current state could only be described as "drenched in sweat."

He had cursed that old geezer Necros a thousand times in his head.

He seriously suspected the old man was getting forgetful in his old age. When Necros had handed over the commission, he hadn’t mentioned a single thing about internship mentors needing to write reports!

If Cecilia hadn’t casually mentioned this morning that her supervising professor at the Academy hadn’t received her periodic evaluation, Lance would’ve had no idea such a strict rule even existed.

Every five days, the internship mentor was required to submit a detailed observation report to assess the intern’s performance.

If he failed to submit it on time, all of Cecilia’s internship progress and her marks for this period would be nullified.

Today was the deadline, and there was no way he’d have time to do it tonight after getting back.

His only option was to use this small window of time before picking up their morning commission to frantically catch up on his "homework" by the roadside.

Just as Lance was scowling at his paper, Cecilia stood up and went into the drink shop next to them.

By the time the young woman emerged, Lance finally let out a long, pent-up breath, set down his quill, and stretched lazily.

"Senior, for you."

A chilled glass of fruit juice, beaded with condensation, was offered to Lance.

Cecilia stood by the table, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled at him.

Perhaps it was because Lance had casually taught her that friends should know how to share food.

Over the past few days, Lance had frequently been on the receiving end of all sorts of snacks from the Half-Elf girl.

Lance, of course, didn’t stand on ceremony. He simply took the glass, smiled, and said, "Thanks."

Hearing his thanks, Cecilia instinctively raised a hand to gently scratch one of her pointed ears, which tingled as if a faint electric current had passed through it. She then obediently sat back down.

He watched the girl across from him carefully fold the newly completed internship mentor report and tuck it into her old canvas bag.

Lance chewed on his straw, his mind starting to churn with an idea.

He’d been mulling something over since last night.

Today was the perfect opportunity to test just how broadly the Illustration System defined the prerequisite of "defeating" someone.

Lance set down his glass. He nonchalantly reached into his pocket and pulled out a cool Silver Coin.

"Cecilia."

Lance suddenly called out to her.

"Hm? What is it, Senior?"

Hearing his uniquely magnetic voice, Cecilia’s pointed ears twitched reflexively.

She immediately stopped packing her bag, placed her hands properly on her knees, and sat up ramrod straight.

"Let’s play a little game."

Without explaining, Lance tossed the Silver Coin high into the air.

The coin tumbled in the sunlight, refracting a dazzling glare.

Then, Lance clapped his hands together in mid-air, catching the falling coin and cupping it tightly in one palm before separating them.

He held out both clenched fists to the girl, his eyes twinkling with eager anticipation.

"Guess which hand the coin is in."

"If you guess right, I’ll treat you to the best grilled cutlets in town tonight."

"But if you guess wrong, you’ll be responsible for all the dirty work of packing up the Magic Material this afternoon."

Cecilia was clearly taken aback by this sudden, childish game.

But when she saw the expectant look in his eyes, the corners of her lips couldn’t help but curl upward.

’My usually so calm and reliable senior has such a childish side to him, too.’

She didn’t find it boring at all; in fact, she found the contrast rather cute.

"I guess the right hand!"

Without a moment’s thought, the girl decisively pointed at Lance’s right fist.

Hearing her answer, Lance grinned happily.

"Too bad."

He slowly opened his right hand. His wide palm was completely empty.

Then, he slowly uncurled his left hand, revealing the Silver Coin resting quietly in the lines of his palm.

The very instant the truth was revealed, the long-awaited Blue screen of light finally popped up on his retina.

[You have achieved victory in a game of rules against a character of renown. Illustrated Guide entry recorded.]

[Organization Recorded: Violet Academy and Rosenthal Clan (Major Extraordinary Faction)]

[Individual Recorded: Cecilia Rosenthal]

’It worked!’

Lance excitedly clenched his fist.

’Just as I expected. The scope of the system’s judgment criteria is far broader than I initially thought.’

’It’s completely logical.’

’After all, my system is a product stripped from one of those extremely ridiculous games.’

’How could a setting full of such twisted humor only allow victory to be determined through physical combat?’

’Diversified interactive gameplay is the core essence.’

Seeing the irrepressible joy on Lance’s face, Cecilia couldn’t help but smile along with him.

But she quickly remembered that she was the loser.

She quickly wiped the smile off her face, feigning a look of pitiful annoyance.

"Alright then, I’ll take care of packing up the Magic Material this afternoon."

Lance was in a great mood.

He picked up the drink Cecilia had just given him and took a large gulp.

The cool, intensely sweet liquid slid down his throat. It tasted wonderful, as sweet as his current mood.

Out of habit, he reflexively opened Cecilia’s newly recorded Illustrated Guide panel in his mind.

His gaze jumped straight down, locking onto the "Secrets" section.

However, the moment his eyes swept across the first line of blue text, he was dumbfounded.

[Cecilia’s Secret 1: She has recently been suffering from a strange physical affliction. Whenever she hears her senior’s voice or comes into physical contact with him, her body uncontrollably heats up, and her skin is left with a tingling, numb sensation that is slow to fade.]

[So as not to make her senior feel insecure or guilty about her strange Talent, this kind-hearted girl has decided to grit her teeth and endure this strange physical torment alone.]

[Every day, she suppresses her impulses, vowing never to show any discomfort in front of her senior. Strangely, however, the skin sensitivity seems to have eased recently. She suspects her body might be starting to adapt.]

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