CHAPTER 312: RESISTANCE IS FUTILE [PART 2]

Waking up in that kind of situation should have been a blessing to Alex.

Who wouldn’t want to wake up with a beautiful lady sleeping by their side?

But instead of being happy, he felt like he was treading the line of life and death under Lotte’s watchful gaze.

Just as he thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse, a blue window screen appeared in front of him.

———

Hidden Quest Completed!

Quest Name: Become the Pillow of a Heroine!

Reward: 1,000 Arcana Points, 10 additional points to Luck, and 2 Free Level Ups!

———

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

Alex’s body trembled as the notification sound of the two level-ups brought him back to his senses.

His Character Stats also appeared in front of him, allowing him to distribute his stat points.

However, when he saw the note at the bottom, Alex felt that he was entering dangerous territory.

———

Alex Stratos

Age: 17

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Mana: 327/327

Job Class: Oathkeeper

Subclass: Demon Slayer

Strength - 80[+6]

Intelligence - 34 [+3]

Dexterity - 20 [+3]

Agility - 110 [+3]

Constitution - 78 [+4]

Stamina - 78 [+4]

Magic - 324 [+3]

Luck - 34 [+3]

Available Stat Points: 0

AP: 17,740

Note: Something is Rising, and It’s not the Shield Hero.

———

Something was indeed rising, so Alex desperately thought about what to do.

As if on cue, his imagination kicked in at that moment, and it showed him multiple choices on what to do in his current situation.

———

Multiple Choice Detected!

Situation: You are currently being used as a body pillow by a fluffy, beautiful fox lady. Something is rising, and you cannot hide it forever. Choose wisely!

Do not move. Do not breathe. Do not have impure thoughts (Too Late). You’re just a pillow. YOU’RE JUST A PILLOW!

Gently disengage, and try not to wake her up. Ignore Lotte, who is looking down on you with arms crossed over her chest.

Try to Roll a Charisma check. Maybe, just maybe, you will be able to escape this situation alive.

Faint. (Sometimes, this is the only way to live another day!)

Give in. Resistance is futile. The fox fluff now controls your destiny! (YOLO IT!)

———

Alex was very tempted to choose options A, D, and E, but he understood that doing so might cause problems at a later time.

’I-I’m sure I slept on the couch,’ Alex thought as he gently disengaged with Latifa, making sure to gently pry her hands off his body.

Seeing a frown appear on the young lady’s face, as if in discomfort from losing her pillow, Alex immediately grabbed the pillow beside him and stuffed it beside her.

As if moving on instinct, Latifa hugged the pillow, and the frown on her face disappeared, making Alex sigh in relief.

He then carefully left the bed under Lotte’s watchful eye.

For a heartbeat, Alex thought he saw her lips quirk up in a faint smile, amusement glinting in her golden eyes as they shone in the dark.

"Um, I’m sorry," Alex said to Lotte.

"Sorry for what?" Lotte asked with a smile.

"Um, I don’t know how, but I suddenly intruded on Latifa’s territory," Alex replied as he glanced at the sleeping girl.

The bed inside the club room was off-limits to anyone except for Latifa. So, Alex shouldn’t have ended up sleeping beside her.

Even now, he didn’t know how it happened!

Though... deep inside, he wished he could have stayed in it longer and watched the sleeping beauty’s face up close, happily serving as her inanimate pillow.

"It’s fine," Lotte said. "You might have sleepwalked while I wasn’t around."

"Y-Yeah, thank you for understanding." Alex bowed before leaving the clubroom to head to the infirmary.

He didn’t know if Vaan was still there. But if he was, he planned to take him back with him before the academy’s curfew.

When Alex finally left the clock tower, the sleeping beauty finally opened her eyes.

Latifa’s gaze then met with Lotte, with the latter looking at her with a smile.

"So, why did you do that, Latifa?" Lotte asked. "Alex is a good person. You shouldn’t make him suffer from a heart attack after waking up."

"How rude," Latifa replied. "You mean waking up to see me can give someone a heart attack?"

"If the conditions are met, then yes."

"Lotte, you’re being mean as of late."

"Heh."

Latifa also didn’t know why she did that to Alex.

The young man was sleeping peacefully on the couch, but seeing that he might not be resting properly, Latifa asked Lotte to carry him to her bed, so he could rest properly.

Latifa wouldn’t dare to let anyone, especially a man, sleep on her bed.

But for some reason, she wanted to be close to Alex, like how they were inside the Trial in the Heracle Mountain.

At first, she only planned to only hold him a bit.

But that hold turned into a hug that made Latifa feel safe and secure, she forgot to let go.

Alex’s warmth, his soft sleeper breaths, and the gentleness of his expression as he slept influenced Latifa into sleepiness.

Before she could control herself, she had fallen asleep while hugging Alex and entered his dream world.

Lotte made sure to lock the clock tower, so none of their members would stumble upon this scene.

Fortunately, Alex went to the club when everyone else had already left, so there had been no problems.

Latifa sat up slowly, still hugging the pillow Alex had given her. Her golden eyes shimmered faintly under the moonlight as she looked toward the door where Alex had exited just moments ago.

"He’s so warm... and he smelled nice," she whispered before quickly shaking her head as if to banish the thought.

Lotte, of course, heard it. She leaned against the wall, arms still folded, her lips curling into a sly grin. "My, my. So it wasn’t just about ’resting properly.’"

Latifa’s ears twitched, and her tail puffed up. "T-That’s not what I meant! I just... I just thought he’d sleep better next to me."

Lotte tilted her head. "Mhm. And hugging him like a long-lost teddy bear was part of the sleep therapy, too?"

Latifa buried her face into the pillow, muffling her voice. "You wouldn’t understand..."

Ever since that trial in the Heracle Mountain, Latifa never felt so connected to someone like she did with Alex.

She could still somewhat justify it in her head—not only had she and the young man shared each other’s memory, they had also become one in a literal sense after merging their consciousness.

Lotte’s golden eyes softened, her teasing smile fading into something more thoughtful. "No, Latifa. I think I do."

Latifa peeked out from behind the pillow, surprised at the seriousness in her Alter’s tone.

"You like being near him. He makes you feel... safe. That’s not something you can explain with logic," Lotte said softly. "That’s just how it is."

Latifa remained quiet for a while, clutching the pillow tighter. Finally, she whispered, "If... if Alex knew, would he laugh at me?"

Lotte chuckled lightly. "No. If anything, he’d probably faint on the spot out of happiness. Although he looked smug and in control most of the time, he’s a very simple young man.

"But, Latifa, remember this. Alex is also close to other ladies. Sometimes, when it’s Lumi’s turn to watch over you, I secretly follow him around the academy."

"... Stalker." Latifa smirked.

"I don’t want to hear that from someone who tried to order me to peek at Vaan while he is taking a bath to confirm if he is a boy or a girl," Lotte replied.

"Now, let’s return to the topic. I told you I follow Alex in my free time. Sometimes, I catch him looking at Fran, Lapiz, and even Astrea with a gaze filled with tenderness and maybe a little bit of affection.

"Also, Lavinia is making her feelings known. I saw her today in the infirmary, and from what I can see, it seems Alex could tell she had feelings for him as well."

Latifa hugged the pillow in her arms tighter as she listened to her Alter’s report.

"I think it’s very obvious that Alex is quite popular with the ladies," Lotte stated. "So, you mustn’t take things half heartedly or you will get hurt in the end."

Lotte then sat down on the bed and hugged Latifa. The two didn’t say anything else because there was no need to say more.

The one who got to decide was Latifa. Truly understanding how she felt was the most important step, one that would allow her to enter a world she had never known.