Wait, System! Stop Helping The Protagonist!

"Now that we are together, then can you explain to me about you and what is happening?" Lovia asked curiously while also being surprised to see Ashton agree with her quickly.

"Miss Lovia, before that..." Ashton pointed his finger and said with a smirk. "We can be friends, but we are business partners in a pure sense. So don’t you think as business partners we should also lay down business conditions?"

Lovia was dumbfounded; she who was pure in heart didn’t expect she would be reminded of her office life in a new world. She had always hated that office, filled with liars and backstabbers. They would do anything for their promotion and money. She had dreamt of the days spending her time making office buddies, drinking away late at night with them, and getting punished together for attending late. But the cold reality hit her, burying the innocence of a little girl inside her.

Because of that, she loved Sanctuary of Blemished Divines and its protagonist, who will never betray his friends and family, no matter how harsh the world treats him.

"If we are business partners, then go hell with our alliance! I’d rather be enemies with you!" Lovia spoke with visible anger, breathing heavily.

On the other hand, Ashton’s eyes widened in surprise. He didn’t expect her to react like that, and from the looks of it, she was about to have a panic attack.

Ashton hurried, raised his hand, and spoke with guilt. "Hey, hey, hey, I am joking, joking. Who wants to be a business partner with a beautiful lady? As a friend I wanted to make a small request."

After Lovia heard that, she gradually calmed down. Yet she spoke with suspicion. "Really?"

"Really, I swear on my life! If you stay with me, you will know I joke most of the time. So don’t take my words too seriously." Ashton said with embarrassment while thinking to himself. ’There is something wrong with this girl. I should not use the word ’business’ as it is a trigger word for her.’

"Good. Please don’t ever mention stuff like this to me. Now tell me what your request is." Lovia nodded her head, satisfied with Ashton admitting his mistake.

"It’s nothing. I am seeing you want to be the first female lead."

"Yes, I am."

"Then, you can become the first female lead, but you have to let other girls enter the harem too. Can you do it?"

"Huh, just that? If I am Rias’s first, then I don’t know who comes after."

"Really?"

"Really."

Now it was Ashton’s time to get suspicious. He knew modern-age girls only like having one partner, as polygamy is frowned upon and hated in many places and additionally banned too. So he didn’t expect her to agree so easily. ’Does she love the protagonist so much that she would do whatever to keep him happy? Perhaps that is also the source of her happiness.’

"Is that it? Do you have anything else?" Lovia raised her eyebrows, curious as to why he had such a simple request.

"Ah...this..." Ashton stammered a little before saying it. "The...there is also relaying day-to-day information on Rias’s story progress, making him not deviate from the path of the original storyline and so on."

"Oh, why do you need this? Aren’t our entries already messing up the original storyline?"

"That brings us back to the question you asked earlier. What am I and what is happening?

Ashton shook his head and organized his thoughts to explain to her shortly. "Just like you and me, there are also others who have entered inside the book. Now not everyone has the same goal. Some might want to save the world by themself, or some might want to kill the protagonist to become the protagonist themselves, or some might have joined another faction and exploited everything with their knowledge. Anything can be possible, and I don’t know even the full extent of it, and some might not even be from the current earth we know."

"So like you, I am also in the dark. My mission is to maintain that the storyline does not deviate from its original self. Minor plots can change but not major ones. For example, you. You can become a female lead, and it won’t change much because that handsome devil has no shortage of women." In the end, Ashton spoke with a tint of jealousy.

"Hey, don’t speak about him like that. He can’t help it himself." Lovia pouted, quickly defending Rias. "But why are you trying to save the original story? You don’t get anything, do you?"

’I do! My system makes me do it, and it is my only path to survival! Do you expect me to care about the storyline? Well, I do care somewhat, as I want to see how the final arc ends. But I also want to play with this world like everyone else.’ After Ashton was done complaining inwardly, he spoke with a serious expression. "I sort of do. I am working for a divine being, and they gave me this mission. If I continue saving the storyline, I get a reward."

"I see." Lovia was jealous yet not so much at the same time. As she knew how hard it is to protect a straight path from getting destroyed by complete unknowns when you are already an unknown yourself.

"Now that I have said everything, I can also promise to protect you and give you rewards for doing my task." Ashton extended his right hand forward as he spoke with a smile.

"Hmph, who wants you to protect me when I have my darling protagonist by my side? But I don’t mind the rewards." While scoffing at Ashton, Lovia still extended her right hand.

As they shook hands, they both said it simultaneously.

"May we be best friends forever."

"Hahaha."

"Hehehe."

Ashton and Lovia laughed and giggled, not expecting such youthful words coming out of their mouths.

"Okay, let’s go. They are waiting for us." Lovia shook her hand and walked forward.

Ashton followed behind her, who was happy with the development and finding a true ally in this foreign-known land.

As they walked, Ashton all of a sudden asked. "Did you read the book?"

"The Sanctuary of Blemished Divines? Yes, I did."

"How much?"

"Till the part where Rias fought his first divine being. I transmigrated here right after I finished reading that Chapter."