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“GOOD evening.”
When the white cat with his beautiful fur appeared in her window, Nina ran over with a smile. “Long time no see, Ed. Are you okay? You didn’t catch that cold or anything, did you?”
He hadn’t visited her for a while, not since that day she had a cold. At first, she decided it was because he had no reason to drop by, but then she worried something might have happened.
She couldn’t bear it if this ultimate fluff suffered because of her.
“I’m fine. I came today with your dress for the soirée,” he replied.
“Soirée?” Nina looked back, and a dress, shoes, and accessories had appeared in a row on her bed. As always, the items from this god were beyond comprehension. “This soirée is that party thing we talked about before, right? I really do have to go, don’t I? I’m a bit nervous, to be honest. I have no idea what to do there.”
She couldn’t picture this event beyond imagining it would be quite opulent, but that was enough to make her anxious about it.
“You started attending the academy partway through the year, so this will be the only soirée you can attend. The only other event will be the graduation celebration,” informed Ed.
“Which is where my downfall happens. Right… There’s not much time left, is there?” She believed she’d done everything she could so far, but was that enough to fulfill the heroine’s role properly? She was worried whether or not she’d lived up to Clarissa’s expectations so that she could have fun gloating…but Nina didn’t even know what would happen after all that.
It didn’t matter in the end because she would still play the heroine for Aida’s sake, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t uneasy about it.
“The soirée involves, in short, light refreshments and dancing,” explained Ed. “There is no requirement that you dance, but you are the heroine, so I imagine you won’t be short on potential dance partners.”
“Can’t really do anything about that, not with the heroine boost in effect. But…you mean it when you say I don’t necessarily have to dance?”
“Essentially. I’m certain you’ll be asked to dance, so it will depend on how skillfully you can turn down those requests.”
To skillfully turn down an invitation to dance, you, of course, needed a reason. There was a limit to how far she could use “I can’t dance” as an excuse. She would be dealing with the people who had become captivated by her enhancement, their perverted affection bringing them all the way to wanting to steal away the dishes she finished eating from.
She had a feeling it would be fatal to dive in without a plan.
“Hm… Maybe I’ll ask Prince Dino,” she pondered.
“Ask Dino…to go with you?” Ed questioned, tilting his head to the side. It was so cute that it seemed to lift a burden from Nina’s soul.
If she could, she’d bring this little white cat as her date, but a cat wasn’t going to intimidate the boys away from approaching her. And besides, considering how beautiful he was, even the nobles would end up charmed by him. They’d swarm him, too, and put a strain on him, which she didn’t want.
Even though she didn’t want to go to this event, it was part of her heroine duties.
“He’s attractive and has higher social standing than the others, so nobody will try to start something if he’s there, right?” Nina reasoned. “Oh, but he’s engaged to Clarissa. He’s gonna go with her, isn’t he?”
As the heroine, Nina was supposed to be getting between them. She couldn’t start the party by going with him. Try as she might, there was no one else she could think of.
Well…it didn’t actually matter who she went with, did it? She could invite anyone. But she might end up stirring up unnecessary trouble if she chose a person from out of all those perverts.
“Guess I don’t have a choice. I have to go alone. It’d be so much easier to say no to people if I went with someone though,” she admitted dejectedly.
“You can’t think of…anyone else?”
“Nope.”
Dino far surpassed anyone else in both looks and social status. She couldn’t think of anyone that could come even close. She needed someone who didn’t look at her like those perverts did, who was forgiving enough not to care as she cozied up to Dino, and had the ability to keep all the other students at bay. She couldn’t think of anyone perfect enough to fit all those requirements.
Ed sighed for some reason, then waved his tail back and forth in thought. “I…do have an idea,” he expressed haltingly.
“What?”
“I can’t say for sure yet, but I think I may be able to help you.”
“Really? I’m not sure what you have in mind, but thank you!”
If Ed said so, he would surely be able to help somehow.
The easiest way would be to use the god’s power to get rid of this whole soirée thing in the first place, but that wasn’t possible, was it? Regardless, Nina felt reassured knowing that at least one person—uh, one cat—was working to help her.
The rest was up to Nina and her hard work.
She balled her hands, pumped herself up, and stared at the white cat’s swishing tail.