Marriage Hunt Warring States - Romance Battle Royale of Cheat Skill Holders - Frozen Juice and a Natural Trap

The Marriage Hunt Warring States event had barely started—probably not even three minutes in. Tanabe Shinji pressed his back flat against the wall of Serene Hall, holding a bottle of mineral water in both hands, doing his best to erase his presence. Operation name: Wall Strategy. If no reincarnators entered within a two-meter radius, his Complete Memory Return wouldn't activate. Which meant staying against the wall made one entire side a completely safe zone. In theory, it was perfect. (If I'd noticed before we started, I could've claimed the space behind that pillar in the corner.) Shinji glanced quietly around the venue. Nearly fifty participants moved about at a leisurely pace. Smiles, handshakes, introductions. Conversations sparked here and there. It looked like a normal marriage hunting party. Except Shinji could see the skills leaking out from each person. The black-haired woman near the entrance had a glass that shimmered white. The girl in the center looked like she was gradually wearing down in the crowd. And over by the sofa in back—someone was there, but their presence was almost nonexistent. Probably an invisibility skill holder. They were physically present, but everyone around them treated them like they were talking to themselves. Only Shinji understood: "There's definitely someone over there…" The wall strategy was going smoothly. Until fifteen seconds in. "You're Tanabe, right?!" A tall man appeared directly in front of him from nowhere. He wore his suit well—early thirties, with a fresh, likable face. His smile was natural, his manner friendly. He looked like someone who'd make a good impression. But Complete Memory Return activated without mercy. —Images flooded in. Overcast sky. A vast plain. Tens of thousands of soldiers standing in perfect formation. Military columns stretching to the horizon. Flags fluttering in the wind, metal armor gleaming dully. At the center, a man on horseback raised his arm. "Forward!" His voice shook the earth, and the army surged forward with a rumble— "Sales really is tough, huh! I did a little sales work at my last job, and I really felt like it's all about whether you're cut out for it or not." Friendly small talk in reality and a battlefield in his mind proceeded simultaneously, completely divorced from each other. Shinji gave a distant nod. "Y-yes, that's true…" "You're such a good listener, Tanabe! I really like people like that, so I just had to come talk to you." In his mind, the general was issuing orders to his staff. In a low, commanding voice: "Send the right flank around, if we can hold the eastern ridge—" "…I'm honored to be of service." He answered with that distant look, maintaining a calm smile on his face. The "show no emotion" technique he'd cultivated as a record keeper's assistant in his past life was being put to full use at this modern marriage hunting venue. (Maybe I wasn't actually a record keeper's assistant. Maybe I was trained as a diplomat.) He was musing on that self-deprecating thought when the general reincarnator finally walked off toward another participant. Shinji exhaled quietly. The battlefield images in his mind scattered like sand, dissolving away. His head finally went quiet. (…I survived.) He took a sip of water. Calming. Good. That's when he noticed someone standing beside him. He had no idea when they'd arrived. Shinji turned, startled. —It was a woman. Long silver hair caught the light of the hall's lamps with a faint gleam. Straight, flowing from her shoulders down to her chest. Her eyes were a pale water-blue, clear as glass marbles, and somehow—gave off a distinctly cold impression. She was slightly shorter than Shinji. Pale skin, quiet posture. Her gaze remained fixed forward, unmoving. (When did she…?) Complete Memory Return activated faintly. Not as strong as the general reincarnator. Fragments of images trickled in—a glittering palace hall, white corridors, noble clothing—then vanished just as quickly. The woman, still facing forward, opened her mouth. "I'm Fujiwara Ruka. I work as a part-time lecturer at a university. My specialty is the translation of Valtiza ancient language." Polite, measured speech. Little inflection, a calm voice. Valtiza ancient language—so she was a researcher of the language reincarnators had used in their past lives. Since she was here at this marriage hunting party, hosted by Kaikyo-kai, the organization that arranged gatherings for reincarnators, she had to be one herself. "I'm Tanabe Shinji. I work in sales at a stationery company." "I see." "…Yes." Silence. Ruka remained facing forward, showing no sign of searching for anything, just standing there. Shinji searched for a topic. Since this was a marriage hunting party, he felt like he should say something, but his conversation partner didn't look like the type who'd engage in small talk. Before his hesitation could show on his face, Fujiwara Ruka spoke again. "My hobby is effective time management." She said it with a completely straight face. Shinji's spine reflexively ordered him to retort, but adult rationality held him back at the last second. His face maintained an expression of "…I see." Internally, he was screaming. (That's not a hobby, that's a life philosophy! It's like saying "my hobby is never taking a break!" Isn't a hobby supposed to be reading or movies or something?!) "…That sounds very worthwhile." "Thank you." The words "you're welcome" almost came out, but Shinji swallowed them. He had no idea where this conversation would end up if he kept going. During the conversation, he felt oddly chilled. At first he thought it was his imagination. Maybe the hall's air conditioning was too strong. But other participants scattered around were glancing over here, pulling their coats closed, rubbing their arms. (…Is it just cold around here?) That's when his gaze fell on the glass in his hand. What should have been ordinary orange juice until just moments ago—was completely frozen. An orange-colored solid. The entire contents of the glass, perfectly crystallized. Frost clung to the outside, his fingertips growing numb with cold. (…What?) Shinji lifted the glass and examined it carefully. Even when he tilted it, the contents didn't budge. Perfect ice. He'd drunk mineral water, then switched to orange juice when a staff member offered it, and was about to drink it while talking to the general reincarnator—and somehow it had become this. (Room-temperature juice? In the glass?) On impulse, he held the frozen glass toward Fujiwara Ruka. "Um, this…" Fujiwara Ruka glanced at the glass. After observing it for a moment, she spoke without changing expression. "Indeed." "…'Indeed'? That's all?" "How unusual. A room-temperature beverage freezing solid. I wonder if there's some physical cause." She was observing it like it was someone else's problem entirely. Shinji's inner voice screamed. (You did this! The circumstantial evidence is completely pointing to you! This isn't just "your body temperature drops when you're near people"! This is—!) But he kept his expression cool. He quietly set the glass on the counter. In that moment, the distance between him and Fujiwara Ruka decreased slightly. Complete Memory Return activated more vividly. —A palace hall. High ceilings, ornate candelabras, nobles in silk clothing. Among them, a young noblewoman. Silver hair. A quiet smile. Her fingertips brush against a wineglass beside a man. One second later, the wine freezes solid. The man starts to stand, saying "wh-why…" and collapses— The image cut off. Shinji leaned against the counter, pressing his temples. (I haven't made a single bit of progress since my past life!) "Tanabe." "Yes?" "My presence seems to lower your body temperature." Her face was completely serious. "Perhaps I naturally attract people with cold constitutions. The compatibility of body types is a scientifically fascinating phenomenon." "…Scientifically." "You should stay warm." With that, she stepped closer. The glass began to frost over again. (Getting closer makes it colder! She's trying to warm me up by getting closer but it's having the opposite effect! The logic is completely broken!) Shinji froze. His face maintained an expression of "…Th-thank you," while internally he was struck by the simultaneous realization and resignation of: "So this is what 'natural' means…" After standing together against the wall for a while, conversation naturally continued. Given the nature of the Kaikyo-kai party, the topic drifted toward their past lives. "Where were you in your past life?" When Shinji asked, Fujiwara Ruka paused before answering. "At court." She said nothing more after that. Complete Memory Return flickered again—this time a brief fragment. A diplomatic setting. A drowsy envoy sitting in a chair. The noblewoman's fingertips brush the chair's leg. The chair tilts slightly, and the envoy jolts awake. The noblewoman pretends not to notice, looking at documents— (She wasn't just freezing political enemies. She was freezing sleepy envoys to wake them up too. She's been consistent since her past life…) "That sounds impressive." It was a safe response. He couldn't think of anything else to say. "What about you?" "I was a record keeper's assistant in a remote region. The Seventh Records Bureau, in a sparsely populated area beyond the Silverpeak Mountains in eastern Gevrilant." "…Records?" "Yes. Writing numbers, copying them, writing them again. Producing documents no one would ever read." He started to say it self-deprecatingly, then changed his tone. "But the numbers I recorded never lied. That was the only thing I liked about it." There was a pause. "Numbers don't change with emotion." Fujiwara Ruka said it quietly. "That's right." "…I understand." It was a short statement. But it conveyed something. Shinji found himself looking at her profile. Her pale water-blue eyes gazed at something distant. Perhaps in the palace court, where things that couldn't be measured in numbers swirled around, there had still been a part of her that believed in numbers—he thought vaguely. (…Talking to this person isn't so bad.) That realization was somewhat unexpected. "I still press too hard on my smartphone screen because of my habit of using a stylus on parchment. I'm going to break it one of these days." He said it before thinking, then felt a little regretful. Why was he saying this? But Fujiwara Ruka let out a small laugh. "…Hehe." Not quite a voiced laugh—more like a breath escaping—but definitely a laugh. Shinji froze for a moment. He'd thought she was always composed, emotionless. But she laughed. Unexpectedly, his chest felt slightly warm. Immediately after, he mentally retorted at himself, "Why is it warm?" but the sensation didn't fade. Then the atmosphere of the venue changed. Multiple participants began moving in Shinji's direction. Mid-way through the marriage hunting time, when free conversation was becoming more active. Complete Memory Return activated multiple times simultaneously. An imperial minister giving a speech in parliament. An assassin drawing a bow. A desert caravan negotiating prices. Three images overlapped on the same screen, flowing in together. The sounds mixed. Voices tripled. (Loud, loud, loud…!) A headache shot through him. Shinji gripped the wall. His temples throbbed. Multiple simultaneous activations were the worst. "…I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the crowd." He told a natural lie and moved to the far end of the bar counter. The corner with fewer people. Here, he could maintain some distance. The headache eased slightly. After a while, someone came to stand beside him. It was Fujiwara Ruka. "…I've heard that my presence tends to cool things down." She said it matter-of-factly, quietly. As a result, Ruka's cold aura kept other participants away from this

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Episode 2

Name: Marriage Hunt Warring States - Romance Battle Royale of Cheat Skill Holders
Author: Novelia

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