Chapter 5 Just Because I Am Gay
The man before Aether had mesmerizing eyes, each glance and smile carrying a subtle electric charge that seemed to strike straight at the heart. It was impossible not to be drawn to him.
Zachary seemed to possess an effortless, almost hypnotic charm. Anyone who saw him would fall under his spell.
His warmth was disarming, his gaze almost predatory—locking eyes with him felt like standing exposed. That piercing look was a weapon in itself, hard to resist.
His looks had fooled plenty of naive young women, but Aether knew better. He was dangerously charming, and that was exactly why she kept her guard up.
“So Zachary isn’t just into women, he’s into men as well?” she wondered.
Realizing this, she immediately rejected his offer. “No, thanks. You’re from Class S, while I’m from Class F. We’re not even in the same class, so how could we live together?”
“You’re different from others,” Zachary said, surprised. “Everyone in Class F tries to suck up to us, but you don’t seem to care at all. You’ve got some backbone. I respect that. Let’s just hope that living with all those guys from Class F doesn’t end with you getting completely devoured by those perverts.”
Hearing that, Aether completely panicked. “Hold up—so all the guys in Class F live together? Like, in one shared dorm? There aren’t any individual rooms?”
“I thought you knew,” Zachary teased. “And here I thought you were willingly offering yourself up to those perverts. After all, aren’t you gay?”
“Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I’m easy!” Aether explained seriously. “I only do that with someone I really like! If there are no feelings or commitment, how could I just mess around?”
“Ah, I see,” Zachary said, appearing to understand. He didn’t press further, simply waiting for her to cave.
And sure enough, because of her real identity, Aether was genuinely terrified of sharing a dorm with a bunch of perverts. Left with no choice, she finally said, “Actually, we could share a dorm. That is, if you’re okay with that.”
Now that he had the upper hand, Zachary decided to play hard to get. “Hmm, let me think about it.”
Aether was a nervous wreck. To avoid being stuck in a dorm full of perverts, she had no choice but to fight for herself.
“I can do laundry, cook, and keep the dorm spotless! If you let me stay with you, I’ll work my butt off to repay you, and I’ll do whatever you say!”
Zachary looked hesitant. “The thing is, with my family’s wealth, I’m not exactly in need of a housekeeper.”
Considering how dangerous it would be for Aether to live with the rest of Class F, Gloria decided to step in and help. “Zachary, why don’t you just let him live with you? He’s timid and easily scared. He won’t survive if you leave him with those perverts.”
This was exactly what Zachary wanted. He pretended to agree reluctantly. “Fine. Since you’re the one asking, I’ll put up with it. But you can’t turn me down the next time I invite you to dinner.”
“Okay.” Gloria had no choice but to agree.
Hearing this exchange, Aether grew anxious. She needed to room with Zachary to escape the perverts, but she didn’t want Gloria to owe him anything. So she butted in, “Dinner sounds great! Where are we going? I’m coming with you!”
Zachary was speechless, wondering if Aether had any sense of social awareness at all.
[Zachary Conner’s favorability -5. Current favorability: -105.]
Zachary couldn’t help but retort, “Are we close or something?”
“We’re going to be roommates, so it’s just a matter of time before we get close,” Aether declared shamelessly. “And let me tell you, I’ve got a serious appetite. My old roommates used to say watching me eat makes food look even tastier. So you should consider yourself lucky to have me as a roommate.”
Zachary became momentarily at a loss for words again.
[Zachary Conner’s favorability -5. Current favorability: -115.]
There was no way Aether was going to let him take advantage of Gloria.
Although he was annoyed, Zachary couldn’t say much. After all, he still needed to befriend Aether to get information on Gloria. Not to mention, he had to keep up appearances in front of her as well.
Grudgingly, he made an excuse to leave. “Here’s the key card. It works until 8:00 pm tonight. After that, you’re on your own.”
Once Zachary was gone, Gloria whispered, “Aether, are you really gay?”
Aether pulled out her phone and typed carefully.
“I’m going to tell you the truth, but you can’t spread it around or tell anyone else.”
“You were dragged into this mess because of me, and that was why you lied about being gay, right? You didn’t want to be targeted by the Fabled Four,” Gloria replied in the text.
“You didn’t drag me into anything. In fact, weren’t you the one who stepped in to save me when I was getting beaten up?”
“So it really is like that.”
[Gloria Anderson’s favorability +5. Current favorability: 10.]
Gloria then asked in a low voice, “And just now, when you invited yourself to dinner, it was because you couldn’t bear to see me being bullied by Zachary, right?”
“Nah, I was just in it for the food.”
“Really? Just for the food?” Gloria asked dotingly. “Aether, I want you to be completely honest with me—no secrets, no holding back.”
Aether caved and finally told the truth. “If I go with you, and if he tries anything… I can protect you, just like you protected me.”
[Gloria Anderson’s favorability +10. Current favorability: 20.]
“You idiot,” Gloria said, deeply moved. “That’s a very risky move. What will you do if he finds out that you’re not really gay?”
“I don’t know.” Aether scratched her head sheepishly. “I’m just taking it one step at a time. But even if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
[Gloria Anderson’s favorability +10. Current favorability: 30.]
Gloria was somewhat touched. “No one has ever been this good to me. You’re the first.”
Aether flushed with embarrassment. It wasn’t like she could actually die. After all, she could just reload from her last save.
Still, seeing how much Gloria trusted her made her think that if she really could become good friends with the Fabled Four, maybe she could try to convince them not to kill Riley or force Gloria into anything. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but she thought that it might help Gloria somehow.
…
That night, Aether wheeled her luggage to the dorm address on the key card. After taking the elevator to the third floor, she swiped in and entered with her luggage in tow.
Zachary had just finished showering, wrapped only in a towel, with his upper body exposed as he walked out of the bathroom. He wasn’t surprised to see her.
Aether, on the other hand, was so startled that she instinctively dropped her luggage handle and covered her eyes. “W-Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”
“I’m not?” Zachary deadpanned. “Is this towel invisible?”
“You—” Aether turned away. “At least put on a shirt!”
“We’re both guys, so why are you being so dramatic?” Zachary sat on his bed, still shirtless. “I thought that you were gay. Since when do gay guys freak out over a little skin?”
“Gay guys can have emotional propriety, too!” Aether said seriously. “I can’t just go around staring at a random half-naked man!”
Remembering that he still needed information on Gloria, Zachary finally grabbed a black robe and wrapped it around himself. “You can look now.”
Only then did Aether turn back, cautiously peeking to confirm that he was decent before unpacking her luggage.
Seizing the moment, Zachary asked, “Has Gloria ever talked about me to you?”
“Yeah.”
Zachary was visibly excited but continued cautiously, “What’d she say?”
Aether stopped unpacking her stuff, instantly wary. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
“I know that you Class F kids are broke.” Zachary took out a card from his wallet. “This card has a million dollars on it. Tell me everything you know and work for me. If things work out between me and Gloria, I’ll give you another 100 million dollars afterward.”
He tossed the bank card at Aether.
