Besides, McClain’s affection increases at an incredibly slow rate compared to others.

Let it go, just let it go. The ending won’t fail to appear just because I don’t end up with the original male lead.

If that were the case, messages about affection notifications wouldn’t appear.

Only after making the resolution to not worry about it hundreds of times did she finally fall asleep.

The next morning, as she came downstairs while pressing her throbbing forehead due to lack of sleep, Natalie couldn’t help but widen her eyes at the sight of McClain—or more precisely, at the affection score glittering above his head—as he picked at his food with dark circles under his eyes.

McClain Lindhart’s a؃tion has incڣڒ৶ed by 24%.

McClain’s a؃tion: 48% ▶ 72%

She couldn’t understand the situation before her eyes.

It hadn’t been like this when she was faithfully following the original plot while transmigrated into Natalie’s body.

Everything had proceeded with logical consistency until McClain let her go and she reluctantly decided to join the expedition. In other words, the developments were predictable even with minor twists to the original story.

But everything changed after joining the expedition.

Unexpected things kept happening, and it was even difficult to trace cause and effect.

Of course, Natalie knew well that things shouldn’t unfold exactly according to the original story. After all, she had crossed over to this world because she didn’t like the ending of that original story.

Suddenly, Natalie became confused.

What exactly am I supposed to do?

Am I not supposed to abandon the original male lead, or am I supposed to find a new one?

Though she had never played a dating simulation game, she knew enough to understand that affection was an element that could fluctuate like a stock graph.

Right now, that man’s affection had increased for some reason, but it could turn into a bear market without her knowing.

Fickle. Yes. He’s a fickle man.

That man, or rather, that man’s affection is like an unpredictable stock.

A non-listed stock that a super ant like herself should absolutely never touch or even take interest in.

“Please… sit. The other members will… come down soon.”

McClain invited her to sit with an awkward voice, slightly averting his gaze from her.

“Ah… yes.”

Natalie moved her stiff legs and sat in an ambiguous spot across from him, neither directly opposite nor beside him. The man seemed displeased with where she had chosen to sit, as she noticed him sighing softly and frowning.

I can’t sit right next to you or directly across from you. The atmosphere is already uncomfortable enough as it is.

On the table were chunks of dried meat, hard bread, and jam.

It looked as if McClain had roughly taken out supplies they had brought along.

She knew intellectually that she should eat something before departing, but she just stared at the food plate, finding her appetite lacking.

Just then, she heard a small throat-clearing sound, and McClain spoke with a deeply subdued voice.

“I apologize for yesterday. I hadn’t considered that you might have other plans.”

“Ah… no. You were being considerate by making the offer, so…”

“I hope things work out as you wish.”

“Yes, same to you.”

And then silence returned.

Chop, chop. Clatter. Thud.

For a while, the only sounds were the man nervously cutting his food, occasional sighs escaping him, and Natalie spreading jam on bread with a face that suggested she might choke.

“Haah.”

Hearing another muffled sigh from the man across from her, Natalie flinched and glanced at him.

Looking at the top of the man’s head as he focused on cutting his food, and whatever meat or substance on his plate that was being shredded to the point of becoming powder, she felt her already poor appetite diminishing further.

Why today of all days am I alone with that man?

I should have made an excuse earlier, saying I forgot something upstairs, and gone back up.

Natalie found the current situation so awkward and uncomfortable she felt like dying.

As she stared at the bowl without actually putting any food in her mouth, her head began to throb again.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she put down her spoon and was pressing her forehead when it happened.

Scrape.

The man roughly pulled his chair back and stood up, then walked somewhere with long strides.

Is he done eating?

But his plate was still on the table.

The man seemed to be rustling around in a corner of the dining room, then returned with a plate full of something.

Did he not like what he was eating and get different food?

As the puzzled Natalie turned her gaze, McClain was striding toward her, not to his seat.

Clunk. Then he set down a plate piled high with bacon, dried fruits, and cheese in front of her.

“Please… eat properly. We may find it difficult to have regular meals from now on, so it would be good to eat heartily today.”

“Oh, no, if I eat this much…”

I’ll definitely get indigestion.

As Natalie tried to politely decline, the man added in a solemn voice.

“I’ve finished my meal, so I’m thinking of leaving now. Please feel free to eat comfortably.”

Interpreting this, was he saying that she seemed uncomfortable eating properly with him there, so he would leave?

Guilt and remorse layered over her uncomfortable and awkward feelings.

Natalie asked the man, who was turning to leave with a gloomy face.

“But where did all this come from…?”

“Yesterday, bacon from the territory’s storehouse that we found during the search. There wasn’t much, so I set some aside separately, but you seemed to have no appetite. And also.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“About what I said yesterday. When I asked you to date me—”

However, he couldn’t finish what he was about to say as he turned his gaze to the dining room entrance. Orlando, who was just about to enter the dining room, gasped in surprise.

“Gasp!”

The most flustered person was not McClain, the party involved, but Natalie.

He was probably going to ask her to forget about yesterday, but it just had to be cut off right after mentioning that he had asked her to date him.

Isn’t this the perfect situation for a misunderstanding?

Natalie hurriedly stood up and acknowledged Orlando.

“Um… Lieutenant Orlando… Please come and have your meal.”

However, Orlando, who stood at the entrance with a surprised face, not only didn’t enter but actually took a step back.

“Ah… um, that… You two seem to be having an important conversation, so I’ll go back upstairs and come down again a bit later.”

“Ah, no, Orlando. That’s not necessary. It wasn’t anything important.”

Despite Natalie’s explanation, Orlando showed no intention of changing his mind.

Instead, his bitter smile deepened, like someone who had learned something he’d rather not know.

“Well, it sounded like quite an important conversation to our commander. I’ll give you some privacy.”

“No, it’s fine…, ah….”

As Natalie took a step toward Orlando and inadvertently checked his affection score, her expression contorted.

Orlando Blythe’s a؃tion has decڣڒ৶ed by 8%.

Orlando’s a؃tion: 60% ▶ 52%

After confirming the message glittering above Orlando’s head, Natalie made a tearful face.

What’s wrong, Orlando? What did I do to you?

Judging by how sharply it dropped, he clearly had a serious misunderstanding.

Yet it was difficult for Natalie, who wasn’t even directly involved, to step in and explain.

While she stood there in a daze, Orlando hurriedly went upstairs.

Somehow having approached from behind, McClain’s embarrassed voice reached her ears.

“Um… please eat. It seems the Lieutenant has misunderstood, but I’ll call him separately and explain.”

“Ah, yes….”

“Then I’ll go upstairs first.”

“Yes….”

The man gave a slight nod and trudged out of the dining room.

Even after returning to her seat with heavy steps, Natalie couldn’t touch the mountain of food piled on her plate.

She had a headache over the issue with Orlando’s affection.

Perhaps he cares too much for his commander, so he’s giving up his own feelings?

Thinking back on her conversations with Orlando, he seemed to be a man with deep loyalty to his superior.

‘The commander actually seems to care quite a bit about you, Pereira, despite how he appears.’

He had also tried to clear up misunderstandings when McClain was being prickly.

‘In fact, our commander could probably clear out an entire goblin village by himself. We wouldn’t even need to lift a finger.’

He seemed to deeply trust McClain’s abilities as well.

She had an ominous feeling that if the other members developed the same misunderstanding as Orlando, they might also experience a similar dramatic drop in affection.

And that premonition proved true not long after.

“Miss, still not finished with your meal?”

“Oh, Umsa… I mean, Munash, Muki. You’re awake?”

“Our commander already left? Orlando said you two were talking….”

“Ah….”

Munash Pagabe Umsamati’s a؃tion has decڣڒ৶ed by 9%.

Munash’s a؃tion: 59% ▶ 50%

Muki Pagabe Umsamati’s a؃tion has decڣڒ৶ed by 12%.

Muki’s a؃tion: 63% ▶ 51%