'Wait, I'm Supposed to Become a Goddess?! But I'm a Guy!'

Mize took a slow breath, squared his shoulders, and began walking away, Liam’s watchful eyes following him from a distance.

It was… a bit awkward at first.

He had gotten too used to Liam’s presence, always lingering around like an overly attentive shadow, and now, being suddenly thrown into the crowd alone, he felt an odd sense of discomfort.

'But I’m a big boy already. This much won’t be a problem.'

With that self-reassurance, he puffed his chest, patted his cheeks lightly, and strode forward with deliberately wide steps, as if increasing his pace would somehow make him feel more confident.

The moment Mize blended into the crowd of young people, the whispers started.

He could hear them clearly, but he pretended not to notice.

"Damn, she’s cute."

"Yeah… probably not much worse than those top beauties on the country list."

"Hiss… yeah, each time I steal a glance, she just keeps getting prettier."

"She might even be worthy of getting into the top 10 most beautiful women in the country!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your glances down. Haven’t you noticed her brother and the guards around them?"

"Ah, right… looks like she comes from a really powerful awakener family."

"My dad told me that her brother might even be comparable to the city lord."

"Are you serious?!"

"A potential high lord?"

Mize internally rolled his eyes.

'Gossipers.'

Still, he kept his cute acting mode on.

Because at the end of the day, he was farming.

The more people gushed over his appearance, the more beauty points he could gather.

And considering it now took 100 points just to increase by one, he wasn’t about to waste any opportunities.

So, he continued walking, maintaining his pitiful, soft aura, pretending he didn’t hear anything.

Anything for that one point increases into the next realm of beauty. By then, just by existing alone would provide him with points.

It was a solid strategy.

But sometimes, unfortunately.

It invited trouble.

Like, right now.

Because some people weren’t content with just whispering.

Some people actually had the nerve to try and socialize.

Mize, barely holding in a sigh, skillfully avoided each attempt.

'Nope. Not today. Not ever.'

And soon enough, he finally stepped into the grand hall, blending into the crowd of participants.

The hall was massive, an empty, circular space, with high concrete walls arching up toward an intricately decorated domed ceiling.

In the center of the room, several government workers were gathered around a car-sized floating orb, adjusting various tools and mechanisms that surrounded it.

'Looks like a giant grave,' Mize thought idly, his ruby-red eyes scanning the area. 'Smells like grave too' he wrinkled his nose.

His gaze eventually landed on a cluster of chairs near the front, where most of the participants were slowly being seated.

Deciding to just go with the flow, he approached one of the male workers nearby.

"Where do I sit, Mister?"

The man turned, and immediately froze.

For a second, his entire brain stalled.

Because instead of just another participant, he was suddenly face-to-face with an angelic-looking girl, staring up at him with big, expectant eyes.

The worker blushed instantly, rubbing the back of his head like some awkward teenager in a rom-com.

"U-uh… over here, Miss! P-please walk carefully, wouldn’t want you to trip!"

Mize barely held back a deadpan stare.

'Do I look like I’m gonna fall at any second?!'

Still, he nodded sweetly, following the worker as he led him toward the first row of seats, reserved for the students

The moment Mize settled into his seat, he felt eyes on him.

The first row already had a few other people seated, each of them carrying themselves arrogantly, you know the basic smug and cold face of rich people.

And the second Mize sat down, they all turned, not subtly at all, and stared.

It was the "who the hell is this?" kind of stare.

A girl seated nearby took particular interest, her gaze lighting up the second she got a good look at him.

"Hey, what’s your name?"

Her tone was bright, her expression friendly but her eyes were greedy.

Not in a bad way, but in the way someone stares at a particularly cute kitten and has the uncontrollable urge to squeeze it.

Mize could see it already.

That overwhelming urge to pinch his cheeks.

He hesitated for half a second before deciding to go all in.

"Me?"

He pointed to himself, eyes wide with an innocent, surprised look.

And then, with a cute tilt of his head, he smiled.

"My name is Mimi!"

Blatant.

Lies.

But the straight-faced way he said it?

Absolutely flawless, absolute cinema!

And sure enough.

The girl immediately melted.

"Nice to meet you, Mimi! My name is Ailin!"

"Mhmm, nice to meet you too, Ailin!"

Mize squinted his eyes slightly, tilting his head just enough to exude maximum cuteness.

"I’m Mimi, you’re Ailin, nice to meet you!"

Ailin’s entire body jerked.

Then, without warning.

She lunged forward.

"Aaahhh!!"

Mize barely had time to process before she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly and pressing her cheek against his like some sort of rabid fangirl.

'W-WHAT THE HELL—?!'

Her fingers poked at his soft cheeks, her eyes sparkling under the chandelier light as she let out small squeals of excitement.

"You’re soooo cute! I’m sorry, but I can’t help it! I had to hug you!"

Mize’s soul left his body.

"Uweek!"

He squeezed his eyes shut, completely surrendering to his fate as Ailin continued to rub her face against his like he was a plush toy.

'Liam, help. This is harassment.'

But Liam was nowhere near.

Mize had to fend for himself.

"U-Urghhh…"

Mize squinted his eyes shut, tiny squeaking noises escaping from his throat as Ailin continued her relentless cuddling.

She had been rubbing her face against his for the last few minutes without stopping.

And honestly?

He was starting to get dizzy.

"Ailin… air…!" Mize pleaded weakly, his voice barely above a breath.

"Breath… need to breathe…"

Ailin paused mid-rub, finally realizing she’d been suffocating the poor thing.

"Oh—hahahaha! S-sorry!"

She quickly pulled back, letting go of him with a sheepish giggle.

But the moment she took a step back.

Her eyes immediately filled with stars again.

Like she had just discovered the cutest thing on the planet.

Mize, still slightly dizzy, blinked up at her warily.

Being stared at so intensely like this made his spine tingle.

He had seen hungry gazes before, but Ailin’s?

It was the kind of look someone gave a small, helpless bunny they wanted to squeeze to death.

Just when Mize was about to escape the situation, Ailin suddenly gasped.

"Oh! I almost forgot to ask!"

Her expression shifted, regaining a sense of calm composure, though the excitement in her eyes never faded.

"I saw your brother just now," she said, tilting her head slightly. "He was so handsome! And the aura he exudes, along with those guards… you must have come from a very big awakener family."

Mize’s brain stuttered for a second.

‘Brother…?’ 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Oh.

OH.

She was talking about Liam.

He took a moment to process that information, before giving a small, well-practiced nod.

"Mhmm. Brother brought many guards today."

He kept his tone light, innocent, just vague enough to let her keep assuming what she wanted.

And it worked perfectly.

Ailin gasped dramatically, drawing the attention of several other people sitting nearby.

Some even subtly perked their ears, pretending not to listen, but definitely eavesdropping.

"Oh, could it be… those guards in the parking lot were your family’s personal guards?!"

The question rang loudly, causing more heads to turn.

Mize blinked, tilting his head cutely before nodding again.

"Mhmm. They are my guards."

The reaction was instant.

Ailin’s breath hitched, and her gaze subtly changed, from one of playful excitement to cautious respect.

Because now?

Now she knew there was a status gap between them.

Ailin herself came from an awakener family in this city, but her family’s power was limited.

Only her father, aunty, and grandparents were awakeners.

But Mize?

If she really had so many powerful guards, and if the brother she spoke of was really as terrifying as she had seen outside.

Then she was on a completely different level.

And the rest of the people sitting nearby?

They had the exact same thought.

Whispers spread.

Some stole quick glances at Mize, then immediately looked away, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.

And just as the tension was starting to build

Mize dropped another bomb.

"Actually, there are several guards under my shadow right now."

His voice was sweet, casual, as if he was talking about something as normal as the weather.

"Don’t worry, Ailin. Stay close to me, no one can hurt us."

Then, he smiled.

Pure. Innocent. Sweet.

And somehow.

That made it ten times more terrifying.

A deep, uncomfortable chill settled over the surrounding students.

It wasn’t the words themselves that scared them.

It was the way she said it.

With such lighthearted confidence.

Like it was normal for her to have an army of hidden assassins protecting her at all times.

Keep your gaze down.

Don’t make trouble.

Or else.

They wouldn’t even know how they died!

Even Ailin visibly stiffened.

Her fingers twitched slightly as she shifted in her seat.

‘T-this is real, isn’t it…’

She swallowed hard, her mind flashing back to the moment in the parking lot.

How her father’s face had drained of color the second they stepped near Liam’s convoy.

She had never seen him that nervous before.

And now, sitting beside Mize, hearing this casually spoken confession.

She knew why.

‘I-I’m lucky…’

‘Lucky that she seems to like me…’

‘Otherwise, even my family wouldn’t be able to save me.’

Before Ailin could fully process her life choices, Mize suddenly leaned in closer.

Then.

Without hesitation.

He latched onto Ailin’s arm.

Like a koala.

Soft, small, cuddly.

Ailin froze.

‘D-DOES SHE THINK I’M A PLUSH TOY?!’

She wasn’t sure what to do, her body going completely rigid.

'Hehe, payback woman!' mize grinned inwardly.

And then.

Her gaze drifted down toward the floor.

And for just a second.

She saw it.

The shadows.

Moving.

Eerily.

Like living things, shifting and rippling under the seats, stretching ever so slightly toward the people who had been eavesdropping too much.

Ailin’s throat dried instantly.

‘G-GULP.’

She immediately forced herself to relax, laughing awkwardly as she carefully patted Mize’s head.

"H-haha… of course, Mimi! I’ll stay close to you!"

‘Oh God, I don’t want to die.’

‘I don’t want to die…!’