I Became a Stalker in a Yandere Dating Sim

103. Three Times a Day

If knowing the way solved everything, then navigation would be a god.

“Ahhh—!!!!”

Erin’s scream, marching boldly forward without knowing what monsters or traps lay in wait, was filled with countless emotions.

It was so colorful that it made one curious about what she had encountered, and a sigh escaped involuntarily.

“Ugh, I told you not to go off on your own like that.”

Cradling the pouting Rika in one arm, I drew my usual sword in my right hand along with something else.

Unlike my always pristine white sword, the single-edged blade I held now seemed to pulsate with a filthy power that denied and ignored everything in the world.

‘Is it because the colorless abyss that summoned weapons and armor has grown? But would that really produce this?’

The colorless abyss, which always spat out the same weapons, this time produced a sword that ignored absolutes and anomalies, not one that would wear down.

Perhaps because it was a place overflowing with ancient knowledge that transcended common sense, it seemed to have yielded a sword that disregarded all principles and logic.

‘The attack power itself is quite ordinary… but for those who deal with abilities or magic, it’s literally a spear of death.’

—

—

With a sword that felt remarkably good in hand, I surveyed the web of blue veins and purple threads, as if trying to grasp the principle while slicing through the texture of the air.

It was so bizarrely twisted that it felt like something was about to be realized, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

However, since it was no different from a hazy memory, I rushed towards the source of Erin’s scream, determined to become accustomed to this strange sensation.

“Uuuaaang!!! My magic feels all sticky, like rotten eggs!!!”

Erin, her face twisted in disgust, looked as if she might faint, trembling uncontrollably.

Before her stood a grotesque, carnivorous flower that sparkled with a ghastly shade of purple, as if made from rusted scrap metal.

I recalled the torrent of curses that had flooded the script when I chose the wizard class in this game.

‘It feels like rotten eggs are flowing inside me instead of magic…’

A peculiar ancient monster that altered the perception of the magic flowing within, turning it into something unpleasant.

Erin, perhaps traumatized by rotten eggs, was flailing her body and face in panic, ultimately fleeing in a rush.

“Ugh… that’s just weird.”

Like a girl who had just seen a ghost, she clutched her collar, her green eyes brimming with tears, ready to burst into sobs.

She had stormed out in a huff over a little teasing, and now here she was, sitting and sniffling.

If I teased her too much, she might start wailing loudly.

“Are you not the weird one?”

“…You crazy b*stard?”

I offered her a sharp word of advice to snap her back to reality.

Perhaps moved, Erin’s tears vanished as she glared at me with an expression that seemed fit for a historical drama—quite effective.

“Get a grip; compared to the trials you’ll face ahead, this is really nothing! With that mindset, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

I subtly omitted the part about possibly dying of embarrassment as I intimidated Erin, and her mouth fell open in shock.

Still cradled in my arms like some princess, Rika shot me a look that suggested she wasn’t impressed by my behavior.

Receiving heated glances from both sides was burdensome, even for me.

“Ugh, I really dislike you.”

“Same here.”

I managed to detach myself from that moment.

With a determined stride, Erin marched toward the still foul-smelling, purple scrap metal.

Unlike before, she seemed emboldened, which made Jane worry, perhaps.

“Hey, Roxer, is it okay if Erin doesn’t get any help?”

She stood on her tiptoes, resting her chin lightly on my shoulder, glancing up at me with a sly look.

Having a beauty act so casually like a puppy felt refreshingly strange.

—

—

For a few seconds, as they locked eyes in silence, Jane blinked, tilting her head as if to ask what she had said wrong.

“Do you really think this guy will help?”

Rika pinched her cheek with a scoff, as if dissatisfied with whatever I did, or perhaps because I had done something wrong and she was letting it slide.

I wondered if I should fix my habit of touching her, but sometimes Rika showed a look that made me think she might actually give up, making it hard to tease her.

If only she were a little gentler. I looked at Rika, who was outwardly kind and pretty, with a sense of pity, wishing her personality matched even a fraction of her looks.

“…Do you want to die?”

Avoiding Jane’s gaze, who seemed to have completely lost her mind, I looked at Rika, who now shot curses just by being looked at.

“You’ll manage to get through it. I was just trying to provoke you on purpose.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than a loud explosion erupted in front of us.

“Ugh!! Why does this kind of magic even exist!!!”

Erin, utterly frustrated and furious, created a massive scythe from steel, feeling the unique smoothness of the metal she had crafted through alchemy.

Surrounded by all sorts of magic and something else, she slaughtered the monsters as if she had coated it with various sauces.

“That must feel incredible to wield.”

“Incredible? How so?”

“What do you mean, attacking from a distance?”

As I explained that attacking felt like crushing the most horrific objects with bare hands, Rika and Erin exchanged sympathetic glances, looking at the back of Erin’s head.

As if to prove my words, Erin trembled uncontrollably, unleashing curses she had never uttered before.

For me, it didn’t matter since I had a sword that could ignore anything.

But Erin, unaware of that, was tearing apart her enemies, so the shock must have been significant.

“Erin! Are you okay?”

Jane and Ciel rushed to Erin, who had collapsed, helping her up.

“…Next time, I’ll do it!”

In the midst of it all, Ciel swallowed hard, insisting that she would take on the painful tasks, comforting Erin.

Indeed, it seemed that those who strive cannot overcome those who enjoy, and I thought no one could defeat a masochist.

But I was not a masochist.

“Hey. How do you even know about those things?”

Now, just hearing Rika say anything made my heart race.

No matter how much I tried to brush it off, she clung to me like a starving lioness, relentless.

As I attempted to charge forward again, Rika abruptly covered my mouth.

“You’re just going to lie again anyway. Right?”

—

—

As if she had already seen through my blatant lies, her face was filled with an immense anger… No, she looked up at me with a face full of worldly sorrow and disappointment.

With a look that seemed betrayed by the world, she pressed her lips tightly together and stared at me, and for some reason, I felt a pang of guilt.

“Fine, if you don’t want to talk, then don’t.”

Rika, seemingly quite upset, climbed down from my arms and approached Erin to comfort her.

“Sigh… Is it tough because of some narrow-minded, childish jerk?”

“Uuuh… Rika…!”

“Excuse me?”

It seemed like they were in perfect sync, as Erin nestled into Rika’s embrace, glaring at me with resentment, while Rika shot me a glance mixed with slight disdain.

“Rockstar does have a lot of unreasonable parts, doesn’t he…?”

Jane also glanced at me, giving me a knowing look with a mysterious expression.

For some reason, she looked as if she empathized with Erin’s tearful behavior.

“Is that so?”

As I approached with an awkward expression, Rika made eye contact with Jane, and something seemed to pass between them.

I hesitated, sensing an ominous atmosphere, but they continued to act as if nothing was wrong.

“You lead the way!!”

Then Erin came rushing up behind me, either her head or her fist—maybe both—thumped against my back.

The punch and headbutt, filled with resentment and frustration, caught me off guard.

“Wow, Erin, you’re really smart.”

“Are you making fun of me!?”

“Of everything you’ve hit me with so far, the headbutt hurt the most. You’re really smart.”

“…..Just die!”

Hearing her casually say something so terrifying made me wonder if Erin might end up becoming a yandere.

It would be amusing if a friend who used to joke around turned into a yandere while whining, but that was a tempting thought.

Feigning indifference, I pretended to scratch her soft hair, treating her like a little puppy trailing behind me.

“What’s your problem? You’re always looking for a chance to tease me, seriously…”

As expected, women are quick to catch on, and she pouted as she grumbled.

It was just a bonus that she kept poking my back with her insignificant punches.

Erin’s question naturally drew out my true feelings.

“I can’t help but tease when I have the chance.”

“Are you really insane?”

—

Erin’s words, filled with shock, stung for no reason.

‘Should I hold back? If I keep seeking only the stimulating things, I might end up like Ciel…’

Perhaps due to my addiction to the thrill of a racing heartbeat, I found it strangely difficult to control my actions when something felt dull or lacking in excitement. As I had said earlier, if it was fun or made my heart race, I struggled to rein myself in.

Leaving it unchecked, I was trying to turn my perfectly fine, albeit flawed, female friend into a yandere, so it would be wise to moderate my actions.

‘I should tease her only three times a day from now on.’

I reflected and made a resolution in my own way.

Thus, while I coaxed and coddled Erin, we eventually reached a hidden area of the dungeon where those who wielded magic could grow stronger.

It resembled a vast examination hall created by scholars, bathed in a faint green light.

Above us, a radiant light, as if the sun were shining down from the heavens, descended from an endless ceiling.

In the majestic atmosphere, reminiscent of the tombs and classrooms of great scholars from ancient times, I felt as if I had returned to my high school days.

“Is this it??”

Erin, seemingly overwhelmed by her passion for knowledge, clapped her hands together in excitement, her eyes sparkling.

‘It’s tough, but it would be embarrassing to die here… Well, since I decided to tease her only three times a day, maybe I should say something appropriate?’

As I climbed the stairs to the platform, I gave Erin a brief hint.

“I’m sure you’ll manage, even if you cry and throw a fit.”

“…Are you challenging me?”