"Gawain?!"
Hearing that name from Natasha’s lips, Olivia jolted violently. Her stunned expression and vacant stare froze Natasha mid-step—she’d been dragging her best friend to confront the thief, but now stood utterly bewildered.
"What’s wrong?"
The blonde girl tilted her head, puzzled. Olivia snapped back, clearing her throat twice to mask her shock.
"N-nothing... Just surprised. You mean *that* Gawain? The first-year...?"
Her voice grew urgent without realizing it. Of course it would—because if she wasn’t mistaken, this Gawain...
Was the protagonist of this damn minotaur game!
Worse—he was the poor soul *she’d* played for three sleepless days in her past life!
Olivia had lived as Gawain’s avatar back then. She’d read every thought in his mind, shared his heartbeats, his confusion, his flickering hopes, and the numb despair when fate crushed him again and again. She’d felt the ending’s hopelessness as if it were her own...
Was he her in-game self? Or another version of her?
A strange bond tied them together...
And now—she was about to meet the character she’d controlled and embodied?
The thought alone made Olivia’s heart race.
"Exactly! That pathetic guy whose girlfriends all ditched him for Caius!" Natasha huffed, then trailed off. "Ugh—whatever! No matter how pitiful he is, he can’t just snap and turn into a pervert! I don’t even know him, but he... he stole my panties! I—I came out of swimming class that day and couldn’t find them... had to go *commando* all day. Felt so drafty walking home..."
"Okay, okay, Natasha—keep your voice down!"
Olivia cut her off just as Natasha’s furious confession peaked. The blonde blinked, then glanced around the classroom. Seeing curious classmates staring, her face flushed crimson. She yanked Olivia’s wrist.
"I—I don’t care anymore! Let’s go confront him—*now*!"
*You’re just using this as an excuse to flee!*
Olivia let herself be dragged toward the auditorium. With Natasha too worked up to talk, she finally had space to think.
*So... what’s Gawain’s situation now?*
She’d asked if it was "that first-year Gawain," but in this Western-fantasy world, duplicate names were common. Yet Natasha—who didn’t know the protagonist—immediately knew *which* Gawain she meant. And her mention of Caius stealing the three heroines? That meant the NTR plotline had not only happened but spread through the school like wildfire.
*Timeline calculation: mid-game. The magic academy arc’s second half... right after Gawain discovered the betrayals!*
Olivia’s blood ran cold. *Damn it!*
The blue-haired loli clenched her fists as she jogged. *Why... why did I transmigrate to THIS moment?*
***SLAM!***
Before she could finish the thought, Natasha kicked open the auditorium doors and charged in, dragging Olivia behind her.
Inside the vast hall, a trial-like spectacle unfolded. Students swarmed around several figures, chattering excitedly like spectators at a show.
"Disgusting! Panty thieves should just die!"
"What kind of sicko steals underwear? So gross!"
"Hah—bet he snapped after getting cheated on too many times."
"Tsk. Felt sorry for him before. Not anymore."
"If I were him, I’d kill myself already. What a disgrace..."
"*Pervert Gawain, just die already—!!*"
At the last shout, Olivia’s heart clenched tight. Anxiety flooded her as she pushed through the crowd with Natasha, shoving past bodies until she saw the man at the center...
*Gawain.*
A towering 190cm frame. Handsome, masculine features. A muscular build beneath chestnut hair. The gentle yet emotionally dense Foolish Hero. The unyielding human warrior who refused to surrender...
Yes—that was the character Olivia had played in her past life.
But now, surrounded by jeers, he stood bewildered. His innocent gaze won no trust—most thought he was still acting. Opposite him stood four familiar figures.
Leading them was the sneering blond guy facing Gawain: Caius. *That* blond bastard from the game.
Olivia’s fists tightened. Memories of endless torment at his hands made her want to smash his face in.
*Can’t rush in. He’s terrifyingly strong in-game.*
She swallowed her rage and looked past him—to the three girls behind Caius.
*Mermel. Martina. Rin.*
The game’s heroines. Gawain’s former lovers. Now they stood behind Caius, gazing adoringly at his back. Any glances they spared Gawain dripped with contempt.
Olivia had seen this scene countless times in-game. But witnessing it *live*—with the three lovers she’d grown numb to—threatened to shatter her defenses all over again.
*Wait—!*
Olivia’s pupils contracted. As an observer, she suddenly realized:
*This... this is the branching point for the first BAD END!*
