alwaysunqualified

  Chapter 29 - Setting up future failures.

  “Date starto!”

  I was awoken the next day in the same manner as the st.

  ‘Really? Is this going to become a pattern?’ I wondered to myself, gncing at the window.

  [Another delightful home date.]

  [Target: Seraphina]

  ‘Who?’ I questioned internally.

  [First interaction with this target; no history avaible.]

  I indeed did not know her, but considering the number of girls who keep showing up, it's hard to keep track. This feature of the system seems to be the one I've been using the most recently, given all the encounters have long surpassed the number of names I can remember. Angelica seems to manage it somehow, but her method is beyond me.

  I let time resume, and the day unfolded much like the previous one, except this time, Alice gave herself a few sps to wake up.

  This time, at the door stood a girl in a rainbow-colored dress, her teal hair neatly tied up with ribbons that matched her attire. She looked quite young, maybe just into her teens.

  ‘Yep, her clothing screams noble,’ I thought to myself after seeing her. Each day, I regretted going ham in the tournament more and more.

  “And we were just worried about what to do about housing, with our son being so popur,” Miki remarked to the colorful girl.

  "Don't worry, Mother. Although I am no longer a noble, I've utilized our former connections to establish multiple business ventures here," the girl responded.

  'God damn it, Miki, are you going to accept every girl who shows up wanting to be my wife?' I wondered internally. 'Actually, that was a stupid question; of course, she would. Now that I think about it, she's no better than Mom or Angelica.’

  "Looks like the man of the house is here to take over," Miki said, ughing at me.

  The noble girl smoothly turned to focus on me, performing a graceful hybrid of a curtsy and a bow.

  "Greetings future husband, Greetings sisters," she greeted us.

  'She actually noticed Yuno. She must be of a higher tier than I initially thought. I need to stop judging people based solely on their appearance,' I thought, taken aback.

  [Name: ??? Level: ??? Affection: 0 House: ??????]

  I paused at all the question marks. It had been a while since I'd seen that. It was even more peculiar since the system had already revealed her name.

  Seizing her opportunity, Alice flew from Yuno's head, catching my attention and used her favorite skill, this time performing fwlessly.

  [+0 Seraphina Affection points.]

  …

  And that was the extent of it. Alice looked devastated, flying back to me with tears in her eyes.

  "I apologize if I did something to offend," the girl said, looking very confused.

  'Wow, two days in a row and this time there are no other girls to bounce back with; that's got to hurt. I'll buy her something sweet from my shop ter,' I thought before responding. "Don't worry, she just got her pride hurt a bit.”

  "I see… I will endeavor to restore her pride when I am presented with the opportunity," she nodded, as if it all made sense now.

  "Don't worry about it, I'll cheer her up ter," I reassured.

  "I see, then I shall do as I'm told," she replied, giving me an odd wave before csping her hands behind her back.

  'And I thought the princess was bad,' I thought as I watched her.

  “I humbly ask for an opportunity to sell myself,” she said, performing another small bow. The phrase she used transtes awkwardly; it meant showing how she could contribute to our future family. Or at least that's what I believe she is trying to say.

  "I have reservations at The Gilded Truffle Gastronomique & Vinoteca at the Luminescent Court of Eloria of..." she just kept going on so I only half listened, while I gently pat Alice to console her.

  "... for the two of us. If you would be so kind as to join me," she finally finished, causing time to freeze.

  Change date locationTell her to do it here.Tell her to leave.This whole scenario was becoming tedious. When I decided to wait for the nobles to make their move, I hadn't expected one to do so today, and although she didn't technically count as a noble, she certainly looked, talked, and acted like one.

  I toyed with the idea of choosing option three and just going back to bed. My 'Misfire' achievement indicated that the system would warn me if that choice was a mistake, so there wasn't much to worry about.

  On the other hand, if it didn't warn me and went through, it's not like she would simply leave me be. I'd also undoubtedly hear about it from Angelica for a long while.

  With a sigh, I decided to activate 'Social Butterfly.' Not only would this skill help me navigate whatever she was pnning, but it would also cheer Alice up.

  "Here, Alice, I have something that will cheer you up," I said, shifting my perspective out of my body to see her better.

  She had her cheeks puffed out in annoyance until the dialogue options changed. Then she perked up to watch. I let her enjoy the moment until she was smiling again, then I chose the option to change locations.

  "Sure, lead the way," I said once time resumed.

  Miki had said nothing and maintained her position slightly between us. Although she smiled outwardly, I could tell she was inwardly anxious about me heading off alone.

  Seraphina seemed confused at first until she suddenly reassured, “Yes, of course. Do not worry, mother.”

  Two girls materialized out of thin air, causing Miki to flinch slightly. Seraphina expined, “These are my retainers, both are tier 10 and will prioritize his safety.”

  Alice also tapped her small chest, signaling to Miki that she, too, would do her best to ensure my safety. It appeared she was coming along as well. I had no objections, and neither did Seraphina.

  ‘Don't worry, mother, I will be fine,’ I assured her mentally.

  ‘Ah, I was just thinking about all the high-tier liquor there. Make sure to bring some back,’ she pyfully deflected.

  ‘Will do, Miki,’ I replied.

  After receiving a nod from Miki, Seraphina walked backward out the door, keeping her eyes on me the entire time. Once outside, she stepped to the side to make room. “This way, sir,” she directed.

  I followed her out, and she quietly began leading the way. Unlike yesterday, I didn’t have a group of serious girls keeping everyone at bay. Still, like yesterday, no one bothered us during our walk, even as we entered the noble area. The guards simply stood by, and for a moment, I wondered if we were doing something we shouldn't—until we entered a vish restaurant and the hostess immediately greeted us. “Welcome, madam and honored guests, your seats are this way.”

  She skillfully led us to our table where a feast encompassing all my favorite dishes was already prepared and waiting.

  One of the guards pulled out a seat for me while the second pulled out a tiny one for alice. Seraphina took a seat, opposite of us, after I was seated.

  "I am Seraphina from Miravault, the City of Endless Wonders. Formerly of House Invictus, my house was dissolved after colluding with the previous queen here. I was allowed to reside in Cupid City by the new queen, but under strict contract terms. This is all I am permitted to disclose under those terms," she expined in an even tone.

  'She certainly doesn't beat around the bush,' I thought after listening to her.

  "I wish to rebuild and redeem my house, but that seems impossible given the current terms. I thought our family name was destined to fade into obscurity until the first princess contacted me. She proposed a scenario I deemed impossible, but your match reminded me of the founding principles of our house. After further consideration, I decided to take a chance on the impossible," she continued, this time with evident passion.

  "And you can't tell me what this impossible thing is?" I asked.

  "I cannot, unless you attain noble status," she answered.

  "What about what the princess told you?" I pressed.

  "I cannot reveal that unless you rise to noble status," she repeated her response.

  "How about arranging a meeting with the princess?" I attempted another angle.

  "I cannot, she has recently upset the queen, so her freedoms are quite restricted," she expined.

  'Okay, I definitely want to know now,' I thought, until I realized what her first two responses likely implied for other nobles. "Wait, could she even tell me?”

  "She cannot," she confirmed.

  My frustration was mounting until Alice unexpectedly shoved some cake into my mouth, patted my head, and then sat back down, momentarily distracting me from my annoyance.

  I took a deep breath; this changed nothing. I had started this with the princess, so I would just have to deal with the consequences.

  "So, what is your offer?" I asked, starting to eat the food, which was almost as good as what had been served at the tournament.

  "My proposal," she corrected, her hand making an odd gesture. A girl then walked in holding a sheet of paper.

  [Vowkeeper]

  [Name: ??? Level: ??? Affection: 17 House: ??????]

  ‘What is up with this today?’ I wondered.

  Looking over the document, it was a contract. Reading through it, it essentially stated that she was renouncing her pce in the city and would pce herself under my protection as soon as I became a citizen. All her resources and connections would be mine, and in return, she asked to become my first wife.

  "I will also build a mansion worthy of you and handle any noble matters, as it seems you are reluctant to do so yourself. I will document everything and pass the records to Sister Angelica, so you can review my work at any time," she said.

  "Look, this does sound nice, but I don't want any part of what's going on with you or them," I responded.

  “I will bring no added trouble.” She said

  'Wait, I wonder...' I thought, an idea suddenly hitting me. I decided to use 'Charm Her Pants Off.’

  I gave her a smile while saying. “We both know that is not true. Any alterations to the queen's pns will not go unaddressed by her.”

  [+1 Seraphina Affection points.]

  "I see, the princess was right once again; you do py a convincing fool. I couldn't tell at all," she genuinely praised me.

  And that was it. One point and some trivial information about the queen being controlling.

  [-1 Seraphina Affection points.]

  Okay, not even one point.

  I started eating, and she waited patiently for a response.

  This was the second day in a row that something seemingly too good to be true had fallen into my p. And it seemed that even she believed I was destined to fail, at whatever it was.

  I couldn't help but recall a saying my dad used when I was small, "Seeing a mountain and thinking it is impossible to climb is what makes it impossible. Taking the first step up is how you climb it.”

  As a teenager, I thought it was a stupid saying because the guy would just die if he tried that, but as I got older, I realized that the first person to try probably didn't have a clue what he was doing. It was only after he succeeded that people figured out how to replicate his success.

  Without him, others would probably have continued to stare at the summit, deeming it unreachable.

  This led me to wonder: Would knowing more about what's going on help me pn, or would it lead to paralysis if the task really is as impossible as she suggests?

  "What exactly will I be getting?" I asked for specifics.

  The guard handed me a thick book detailing everything she owned, from every piece of nd to every contact. There was even a complete section dedicated to me, outlining the information she had managed to gather.

  As I skimmed through the book while eating, I realized it truly was the answer to many problems. There was equipment for my family, resources to control unwanted information flow, strong guards for protection outside the city, and an extensive network capable of locating particurly powerful girls.

  "You know a lot about me," I remarked, reading the section about myself. It included almost everything about me, except for my origins from another world and Love Land. Some details were incorrect, like attributing to me Blessings of knowledge or foresight, but it was more than I expected anyone to know about me.

  Even more unsettling was the fact that she had detailed profiles on each of my family members, chronicling their daily activities. She even had information that was news to me, such as:

  Miki: The only survivor of an unexpected monster manifestation, all sisters deceased.

  Miki never discussed her past, so I had no idea what this was referencing.

  Amelia (Birth mother): Origins unknown.Suspected origins: Floating angel city in the holy nds.

  Dad: Everything is completely normal and checked out.

  "Knowledge is power," she stated simply, offering this as an expnation.

  Time stopped.

  AgreeDisagreeBoth options had butterflies, suggesting that regardless of my choice, I would likely achieve my desired outcome. At the end of the day, it's better to have resources than not, and I could utilize this. Given her resistance to gaining Affection, if I didn't make a drastic move, it would likely remain low.

  I said after choosing to agree. “Change it so that the marriage will happen when your Affection reaches two thousand.”

  She gnced over, not even bothering to verify the details I referred to.

  “It has been deemed fair,” decred the Vowkeeper, taking the contract. Without hesitation, she amended the document and then handed it to Seraphina, who quickly signed the new term before passing it back to me.

  The contract spontaneously combusted after I signed it, signifying its activation. For the first time, I didn't feel guilty about using someone here.

  "May fa... yes, I guess that wouldn't be appropriate here. Then may the Goddesses pave the way," the Vowkeeper remarked as she rose, her task completed. With a gesture of her open hand, she departed.

  "Now that we've concluded this, would you be so kind as to advise me on how to manage your future household?" she asked, looking at me expectantly.

  "First, don't ever spy on my family again," I said, my voice louder than I had intended.

  "I will ensure no information about them is gathered by me or any other. No guard shall report on their doings. Is that sufficient?" she asked, seemingly dismissing my anger.

  I got up, the food suddenly less appealing, and left.

  [Date end]

  Thanks to Alice, I managed to calm down on the walk back, despite a few frustrated taps for not saving the food in my inventory for her to enjoy at home.

  By the time I returned home, my mood had improved. When I informed my family about what had transpired, Sakura was annoyed about the whole first wife issue, and Angelica promised to ensure everything was handled properly.

  I made sure to turn in early this time. With no pns for tomorrow, I could afford to sleep in.