The Extra's Harem In Dead End Game

Chapter 75: A Step Forward [2]

"…Do you understand?"

Finally, her eyes returned to a semblance of normalcy. Indeed, empathy was the answer.

"Yes, I understand. I hid it too well."

"Hid it? What do you mean…"

"Yes. It's probably just as you think."

"What do I think…?"

"Let's leave it at that."

I cut off the conversation there. It's best to throw out some bait and stop while looking cool. Rambling on is something only fools do.

Even with just this much, I could tell that her confusion had been somewhat alleviated. The rest can be left to her imagination.

"Now it's my turn to ask. Why did you tail me?"

I changed the subject to shift the mood.

"…Sorry."

Her gaze dropped, perhaps feeling guilty.

"Why did you do it?"

"…Out of curiosity."

"What about?"

"The sides of you that you hide."

Laying it out like this, it seems like a strangely odd situation. Ah, it is indeed strange.

"I see. Well, I understand. Let's leave it at that."

"Are you forgiving me?"

"There might be forgiveness."

I spoke nonchAllently. She let out a small sigh of relief and then spoke.

"Thank you."

"What for? Besides…"

"Besides?"

"I have something to say too."

I spoke, thinking this was a good opportunity that might not come again.

"What is it?"

"I'm truly sorry."

For the first time since being possessed in this place, I bowed my head deeply. This was the original sin of that 'Max.'

But it was also a sin that I had to take responsibility for.

"For insulting you."

I bowed my head, but I caught a glimpse of her expression in my line of sight. It was a heavy expression.

She was conflicted.

Her wounds were not the kind that could be easily erased. They were not the kind that could be easily forgiven.

If they were, she wouldn't have ended up in such a terrible relationship with someone knowing her personality.

But. I had already turned a blind eye to her mistakes earlier. So I used that situation to bring it up.

In a situation where I had cleared one debt, it would be difficult for her to say something negative, given her personality. It might have been a cowardly timing.

But it had to be done. It was something that had to be resolved no matter what.

"…If you receive something, you have to repay it, right?"

She broke the silence and asked. I immediately understood the meaning of the question. It was creating a reason for forgiveness.

Because it's better for both of us.

"I think so…"

I affirmed.

"I'll accept your apology."

"Thank you."

An awkward resolution. But it was better than not resolving it at all. Although my heart still felt uneasy. That's when.

Elaine murmured in a soft voice.

"…You remembered."

Then I realized another reason that had affected her feelings. It was the fact that I remembered the incident and sought forgiveness first.

The one who caused the wound remembering it has a completely different meaning than not remembering at all.

"Yes."

I continued.

"That's why I called you out."

Finally, she seemed a bit more at ease.

"Anyway, did it work out well?"

I muttered to myself with a thoughtful look as I returned to the dormitory. After that, we talked. Ordinary conversation. It might seem like nothing, but it wasn't for us. It meant that she had accepted me back as a fellow student at the academy, not as someone unworthy of association.

But for now, that was enough. It was a world of difference from before.

"People are indeed good."

I let out a faint smile thinking of Elaine.

**

Swept up in the mood. No, it wasn't just that. It was because he had apologized and sought forgiveness first.

That moved her heart.

"Hoo… I don't know."

'Now I'm not sure. What kind of person this man named 'Max' is. But one thing I've come to know. He's not just a person with a bad personality.'

"…My head hurts. Let's just sleep."

Elaine sighed, leaning her back against the wall of her dormitory. The day had been overwhelming, to say the least. The confusing emotions swirling in her chest hadn't settled yet.

She wasn't sure what to think of Max anymore. The man she thought she knew, the one she had quietly loathed for so long, seemed different now. Apologizing—of all things. It wasn't something she expected.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. As her eyes fluttered shut, Elaine let the events of the day replay in her mind.

Max's calm demeanor, the sincerity in his apology, the way he seemed almost... remorseful. It was hard to reconcile that with the arrogant, lazy figure she had always known.

But what moved her most was his memory. He remembered the very insult that had once hurt her so deeply. He didn't have to apologize, yet he chose to.

Maybe, just maybe, there was more to him than she had ever realized. Elaine's brows furrowed as she pushed herself off the wall.

"Why am I even thinking about this?" she muttered, pacing the room restlessly.

She sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at the ceiling as the weight of the conversation lingered in her mind. Despite her efforts to distract herself, she couldn't shake off the moment when Max had bowed his head. Something about it felt genuine, like a shift in the air between them.

**Meanwhile, Max returned to his own dormitory.**

He stared at his reflection in the small mirror on the wall. His eyes, cold and sharp, seemed to search for something beyond the glass. Did he handle that conversation well?

He wasn't sure, but one thing was certain—he had made progress. The apology, while difficult, had been a necessary step. He needed to set things right with Elaine, not because of some personal guilt, but because that was how things had to be.

Sighing, Max ran his hand through his hair, letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"Well, that's one less problem," he muttered to himself. His mind, though, couldn't fully rest. Elaine's expression after his apology lingered in his thoughts.

"She didn't completely forgive me," he noted aloud, half-smirking. It wasn't surprising. He had hurt her deeply, after all. But he had planted the seed. Now, it was just a matter of time.

With that thought, Max lay down on his bed. .

The room was silent, the faint sounds of the academy bustling outside his window. It was strange how much things had changed in just a short time.

Before he had been 'possessed,' as he liked to think of it, everything had seemed so straightforward. But now, things were more complicated.

More human, perhaps.

Max closed his eyes, allowing the exhaustion of the day to finally take over.

**The next morning came with the soft glow of dawn.**

Elaine stirred from her sleep, her mind still foggy from the events of yesterday. The academy grounds were quiet as usual in the early hours, the peacefulness before the hustle of students filled the air.

As she dressed and prepared herself for the day ahead, her thoughts still lingered on Max. What had changed in him? Was this the real him, or was it just another act? She didn't know, but something compelled her to find out.

"Maybe," she whispered to herself as she fastened her uniform, "it's time to take a step forward."

The sound of the academy bell echoed through the halls, signaling the start of a new day.