DxD: The Replication System!

Chapter 267 - 267: Alice's strategy, Stella's thoughts and Ikki's painful life

Stella cast a cautious glance at Alice's back as they walked ahead, then leaned in and whispered to Roy, her eyes filled with genuine concern.Hearing her question, the corner of Roy's mouth twitched. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in men."

"That's good, that's good..." Stella immediately breathed a sigh of relief, a relaxed smile blooming on her face.

However, that smile shattered later thanks to a single sentence from Alice.

"Stella, although Roy's appearance is perfectly suited to my tastes, I'm a very dedicated maiden." Alice suddenly turned his head and showed a brilliant smile at Stella.

Caught talking behind someone's back, Stella froze on the spot.

"My sights are already set on a specific target, so I won't pounce on Roy. You can rest easy on that front," Alice said, glancing at Ikki with a suggestive smile.

Ikki shuddered, instinctively trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

His legs moved so uncoordinatedly he looked like a malfunctioning puppet as he walked forward.

It was a testament to Alice's terrifying lethality that Ikki was stumbling around like his cerebellum hadn't fully developed.

"R-Really?" Stella asked incredulously.

"Of course it's true. I fell in love with Ikki at first sight," Alice declared.

Those words almost made Ikki trip over his own feet. The awkward smile plastered on his face looked worse than if he were crying.

"However, this is the first time I've ever truly liked a boy, so I don't know the first thing about pursuing one. Stella, you'll have to help me brainstorm ideas in the future," Alice looked at Stella with absolute sincerity.

"Ah, w-well, I don't actually have any experience with romance either. I've never even dated a boy before. I wouldn't know how to help you," Stella stammered.

As she spoke, she snuck a fleeting glance at Roy, then quickly looked away, terrified he might notice.

Catching Stella's subtle reaction, Alice smiled playfully. "That's perfect! We're both complete rookies when it comes to love. Since neither of us knows anything, we need to communicate and share notes!"

"Who knows, maybe it'll even help you out when you find yourself in a romance of your own, Stella."

"Is... is that so?" Stella was visibly swayed by the logic.

"Of course it is," Alice said, his tone shifting into a sisterly register. "You know, I specifically learned professional makeup skills a while back. I can teach you all my secrets."

"Makeup?" Stella looked surprised. Even though Alice identified as a maiden, Stella was still incredibly curious as to why a boy would go out of his way to learn such a skill.

After all, Alice was ranked fourth among the incoming freshmen.

"Naturally. We maidens must always present our best selves," Alice said proudly. "Stella, you already have such an incredible look. If you dress up and apply the right makeup, you'll captivate any boy's heart!"

"He'll be completely s-p-e-l-l-b-o-u-n-d!"

"S-Spellbound?" Stella's voice pitched up slightly.

She darted another covert glance at Roy, clearly deeply invested in what Alice was saying.

Pretending to be perfectly calm, she cleared her throat and adopted a nonchalant tone.

"Well... such things are a bit too early for a Princess like me. However, my mother did say that when a girl reaches my age, she should learn how to dress up and express her charm. I suppose I am quite curious about your makeup skills, Alice."

"No problem! I've got full set of cosmetics in my dorm. I'll teach you everything when we have some free time," Alice nodded enthusiastically.

After the four of them finished ordering their food, they found an empty table and sat down.

Thanks to the shared topics of romance and makeup, Alice and Stella hit it off instantly.

Sitting next to Alice, Ikki felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

He ate his food with a bitter expression, not daring to utter a single word for fear of giving Alice the wrong idea.

As for Roy, taking pleasure in others misfortune was practically a hobby. He occasionally chimed in with a sentence or two, subtly encouraging Alice's aggressive pursuit of Ikki.

In return, all he got were Ikki's deeply resentful, pleading glares.

As the lunch hour peaked, the cafeteria grew packed. From the moment they sat down, Roy's table had been the undisputed center of attention.

However, as the whispers circulated, the focus of the gossip began to shift. The students were no longer exclusively discussing Roy and Stella, they had noticed Ikki.

"Who are the three guys sitting across from the Crimson Princess?"

"I don't recognize the tall feminine looking one, but the other guy is famous."

"Famous? Is he an upperclassman or something?"

"Hell no. He's the most famous piece of trash at Hagun Academy. They call him the Worst One."

"Oh, I've heard of him! You freshmen might not know, but he's a trash among the second years. If it wasn't for his F Rank status holding him back, he should be a second-year student right now."

"Instead, he was held back to repeat his first year."

"F-Rank? Wait, doesn't that mean he doesn't even meet the minimum admission standards? How is he still enrolled at Hagun?"

"Who knows? He must have used some underhanded tricks to stay."

"He has no shame. An F rank failure clinging to the academy, and now he has the nerve to shamelessly suck up to two A Rank knights?"

Hearing the whispers drifting over from the surrounding tables, Ikki's grip on his chopsticks tightened.

But a moment later, he loosened his grip and continued eating as if he hadn't heard a thing.

He had endured this exact kind of public humiliation for a full year, he was long accustomed to it.

"An F-Rank knight?" Stella, naturally hearing the murmurs as well, looked at Ikki in surprise.

She couldn't believe his classification was at the absolute rock bottom.

"Well... it's true," Ikki admitted, offering a polite but strained smile.

"Stella, don't judge Ikki solely by his Rank," Roy interjected calmly, setting his chopsticks down.

"In terms of sheer, practical combat ability, Ikki easily ranks in the Top 10, perhaps even the Top 5 of all Hagun Academy."

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