Chapter 129: The Strategy Guide Is All Lies!

Although Ruby was the mastermind behind the school festival, he remained at home instead of venturing out. He sat on the sofa, his hands clasped together against his chin. As time ticked by, he remained motionless, which struck Dragon, perched atop his head, as particularly strange.

"Human boy, what's wrong with you?"

Although Dragon could not directly read Ruby's thoughts, he could sense his emotions to some extent. Right now, Ruby seemed hesitant and nervous—two emotions rarely seen in him, especially nervousness. What was nervousness, anyway? In all the time Dragon had known Ruby, he had never once seen him nervous.

"No, it's nothing."

Ruby shook his head and finally stood up. He walked to the door of Moyuna's room and took a deep breath, preparing to knock. However, before his hand could reach the door, the person inside opened it.

"What's wrong?"

Moyuna, who was mid-yawn, hadn't expected to see Ruby as soon as she opened the door. She swallowed the rest of her yawn and asked.

"It's the school festival today. How long were you planning on sleeping?"

Ruby swallowed the invitation he had been about to voice, changing it instead to a scolding about Moyuna being too lazy. During this time, he had thought a lot, and his feelings for Moyuna had gradually become clear.

"Hm? If you're looking forward to it so much, why not go on your own?"

"I want to go with you."

"What’s gotten into you? I’m not planning on causing any trouble this time."

Moyuna naively assumed Ruby just wanted to keep an eye on her. She waved her hand and headed into the bathroom to wash up for the morning.

Seeing Ruby's hesitant expression, Dragon’s branches trembled. He felt he had discovered something significant; Ruby was likely planning to do something big during this school festival.

"Where are we going first?"

After Moyuna finished washing up, Ruby was already waiting at the door. She suddenly felt that Ruby seemed very excited about the festival, which was strange given his personality, though she didn't have any objections.

"Let's start from the main gate."

Since the dorms were behind the academic building, walking all the way around would have been odd. At Ruby's suggestion, Moyuna teleported them to the school gate. It was crowded there, so no one noticed the sudden appearance of two more people.

"Oh, there's food for sale!"

Moyuna hadn't expected so many students to have stalls at the gate. Having skipped breakfast, she was hungry and eagerly ran to a takoyaki stand, ordered a box, picked up a piece with a toothpick, and took a bite.

"Tastes bad..."

Moyuna's face, which had held a hint of anticipation, instantly turned subtle. Naturally, she had eaten the food Ruby made, and she hadn't expected to find anything better here; it was just a novelty.

"Is the taste not good?"

"Try it."

With a look of dissatisfaction, Moyuna held the bitten takoyaki toward Ruby's mouth. Ruby, who usually wouldn't mind such things, hesitated for a rare moment before leaning in to take a bite.

"The octopus is too raw, and the sauce is a bit too salty. It ruins the texture."

"Teacher Ruby, you two can't just flaunt your relationship early in the morning! And saying it tastes bad right to my face—where does that leave me?"

The student selling the takoyaki complained indignantly. Only now did Ruby realize it was Ximei running the stall. It made sense; takoyaki was something he had introduced to this other world.

"Why are you selling things here? You didn't grill that evenly."

Seeing Moyuna run off to another stall, Ruby simply stayed to offer Ximei some pointers.

"I'm learning from you, of course! Girls like guys who can cook, and I'm working hard at it."

Ximei was using his fire magic to heat the iron plate, grinning as he replied. He figured the reason Ruby was liked by Moyuna was mostly because of this.

"You've still got a long way to go."

"Well, I can't compare to you. Are you on a date with Moyuna?"

"Yes, I’m planning to confess to her today."

Ruby caught sight of Moyuna in the distance and hurried after her. His parting words, however, startled Ximei so much that the flames in his hands flared up into the sky. He had only been teasing, never expecting Ruby to be so direct.

"Where now?"

Moyuna took the handkerchief Ruby offered to wipe her mouth. Although the food made by the students wasn't great, it was a gesture of their effort. Now that she was full, she could properly enjoy the festival.

"Let's go to the haunted house set up by Teacher Bai Yu's class."

Watching Moyuna's arm swing as she walked, Ruby felt an itch to reach out and hold her hand. He tried several times, but pulled back halfway each time. Watching this, Dragon shook his head silently. As a spectator, he was getting anxious for Ruby. He thought, "You have so much experience in your head, why not use it? Instead, you’re just panicking by yourself. Is that going to help?"

Of course, Ruby knew he could use the romantic experience in his mind; he could conquer a hundred Moyunas in minutes if he wanted to. But that wasn't what he wanted. If he couldn't accomplish something like love with his own genuine efforts, he would be a total failure.

"Are you interested in ghosts and monsters? I can take you to the Demon Realm to play sometime."

Following Moyuna's strange remark, the two bought tickets and entered the haunted house, which had been converted from a classroom. The academy's classrooms were spacious, and the winding path made the playable space feel even larger. There were already guests inside, and from time to time, blood-curdling screams could be heard.

"Hee hee hee!"

They hadn't gone far before encountering the first scare. A long-haired banshee hung upside down from the rafters, dropping in front of them while letting out a sharp cackle. Red paint was smeared around her eyes and nostrils to increase the visual impact. In such dim lighting, an ordinary person would certainly be quite terrified.

"Aren't you scared?"

Ruby didn't even bother to feign fear. He had been hoping that if Moyuna were timid, it might bring them closer. It turned out the romance manuals from Earth were all lies; who said haunted houses increased the success rate for couples?

"What's there to be afraid of? Her acting is over-the-top."

If Ruby was immune to such scenes because he had witnessed the end of the world, Moyuna was simply confident in her own strength. Since no demon or ghost could beat her, there was nothing to fear.

After the two walked past, the student playing the banshee pulled herself back to the ceiling, feeling dejected. She had scared countless couples with this makeup; the fact that these two were completely unfazed was a major blow to her. Later, they encountered many other strange monsters—zombies with exposed brains, vampires with fangs, and skeletons that chased after people—but these creatures, which had ordinary people screaming in terror, only caused the two to pause their steps for a brief moment.