The Extra's Harem In Dead End Game

Altarando.

Her favorite white wine to drink.

Made from a grape variety that only grows properly in regions with harsh winters, it was a wine with a cool and refreshing clarity.

It was a wine that suited her, a northerner, all too well.

Anyway, this time there was definitely a bit of a reaction.

Choosing a menu that matches her taste exactly two times in a row?

It could be a coincidence.

But maybe not.

So, it must be bothering her.

"I've heard your answer well," Regina changed the subject.

That was the very reason she had called me.

I adjusted my posture.

"Well, I did my best. I refuse to be someone who spouts empty promises."

"Good, at least you're not all talk."

Acknowledgment.

It was the first acknowledgment.

Given my situation, it was a very important first step.

Especially considering the relationship that had been on the brink of collapse.

"So has the grace period been extended?" I asked directly.

"What grace period?"

Regina asked back, as if she didn't understand what I was talking about.

This is what's difficult.

And not so great.

She never shows her cards easily.

That's the kind of woman she is.

It's like struggling to flirt with a tough woman who seems to have experienced all the vicissitudes of life.

The problem is that in reality, you could just give up, but here, that choice is not easy.

Especially if it's a heroine like Regina, if there's a sliver of hope, you have to hold onto it and see.

"Breaking off the engagement," I said again, directly.

A woman like Regina might actually respond better to that approach.

"Breaking off the engagement? It's funny that you bring up such a topic."

"Huh?"

"I thought that's what you wanted since you've been so persistently fooling around with other girls."

I was at a loss for words.

Because there was nothing I could say, even if I had ten mouths.

I made a mistake.

She was always more perfect than anyone, more thorough than anyone, and more cold-hearted than anyone.

That's why she was an object of will, not an object of consideration.

Even less so, an object of worry.

I had forgotten just how much wrong Max had done to her.

Even strong people get hurt.

Because they are human beings of flesh and blood as well.

I had failed to remember that obvious proposition.

She must be the same.

Regina Erenbert.

To the outside, she felt like a cold steel blade, without a single wound.

But surely even she had traces of various wounds that had been scraped up until now inside.

And among them, Max's part was surely quite large.

Even if it was a political engagement, he was definitely her fiancé.

For such a fiancé to go around with the worst behavior was an act that smeared her name as well.

On top of that, he blatantly ignored her by frequenting brothels and playing around with other women.

Wouldn't that have hurt the pride of the perfect her?

Realizing this, I felt sympathy for Regina for the first time.

It was an emotion I had never felt as a protagonist.

"I'm sorry."

I apologized honestly.

That was all I could say now.

But that apology seemed to have been very unexpected to Regina.

I felt a clear ripple in her cold eyes.

She must not have thought that Max would apologize.

Probably because it was the first apology.

"What's your ulterior motive?"

Regina narrowed her eyes and stared at me, suspecting even the motive behind my apology.

It was a black comedy that it was natural for her to do so from her standpoint.

"Sorry. I've been reckless and crossed lines I shouldn't have. But it wasn't because I wanted to break off the engagement. Don't get me wrong."

I apologized again and said.

"A misunderstanding. So you're saying your mind hasn't changed, and you didn't want to break off the engagement from the start?"

I was about to answer Regina's question when the food arrived.

The waiter placed the pasta and filled the glasses with wine.

"Please enjoy your meal."

The waiter left.

The arrival of the food made the timing of my answer a bit awkward.

But before picking up the fork, I added,

"That's right."

"Is that so."

Regina glanced at the food and then looked back at me.

"Eat before it gets cold."

"Yeah, you too."

Shrimp rosé pasta.

It tasted quite good.

But I wasn't in the mindset to enjoy the taste leisurely.

Because the conversation was flowing in a different direction than I had thought.

As I ate, I continued to organize my thoughts.

So, she also wanted something from the relationship, and that's why it continued.

Does that mean she wasn't the one who broke it off first?

Thinking about the conversation I just had with Regina, it seemed that she hadn't thought of breaking off the engagement yet.

It was strange.

According to my memory, the breakup wasn't far off, so how could her feelings change so suddenly?

It couldn't be.

That means.

Could it be that this guy dumped her first?

I almost choked on the pasta I was eating out of disbelief.

No, the victim, her, had endured the relationship for years.

And this scoundrel shamelessly dumped her first?

It was fortunate I didn't turn evil.

No, that's not it.

There's no way it didn't have an impact.

It must have had a negative effect.

Was that wall possibly created by that incident?

Regina Erenbert, who you can approach up to a certain point, but it's almost impossible to penetrate the wall within that line.

That's why, in a different sense than Hiresia, she is a representative heroine who is impossible to capture.

Even I, a hardcore player, had never managed to break down that wall.

But now, I felt like I had accidentally come close to the reality of that wall.

Everyone has a wall in their heart.

But few have a heart as solid as hers.

The reason for that solidity.

I seem to understand it now.

A debauched fiancé who kept scratching at her and then painted her heart with negative emotions with the final nail.

It's highly likely that's the case.

That means.

Her wall isn't solidified yet.

I realized this and my eyes lit up with opportunity.

An opportunity I had never grasped as the protagonist lay before me.

I can't miss this relationship.

I resolved.

To carry this engagement relationship to the end.

And somehow to burrow into her heart.