I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend Chapter 202 - Side Story 2 - Friends or Lovers

After much deliberation and frustration, I decided that I would rather ask a friend I knew for relationship counseling. 

 

So I confided in Olivia, my best and most serious friend at the academy…

 

“Didn’t you end up not liking him when you met him?”

 

Excuse me? I stared at Olivia wide-eyed.

 

Olivia Holton.

 

The second daughter of the Holtons, the continent’s rising powerhouse, a family that made a fortune in the clothing business.

 

Because of their success in the clothing business, most of the Holtons dressed extravagantly, but Olivia was different. 

 

She wore her black hair in a single braid, wore glasses, and kept her outfit simple.

 

But I know. Olivia’s love of books and how those green eyes sparkle when she’s exploring something.

 

And how pretty she looks when she takes off her glasses!

 

‘So this is beauty hiding strength?’

 

I still remember seeing Olivia at a party when she had just entered the Academy. 

 

When she took off her glasses, let her hair down, and put on a tight-fitting evening dress, I almost fainted at the voluptuous, bewitching figure she revealed…

 

‘…I didn’t get to know her because she was pretty.’

 

I’m sure that was part of the impression, I thought to myself.

 

Of course, Olivia’s charms don’t stop there. I chose her as my consultant because of her wealth of knowledge and broad perspective, her open-mindedness, and sincerity, and…

 

‘A surprising amount of relationship experience!’

 

Yes, she has. Olivia was a woman who knew she was pretty and knew how to use it to her advantage!

 

As far as I know, Olivia hasn’t had a boyfriend since she entered the Academy. I’m told she didn’t even have one before that.

 

So what better counselor could there be?

 

“Olivia, help me!”

 

Without further ado, I rushed over to Olivia, who, as usual, was in the library exploring the knowledge within the pages of a book, and she graciously granted my request.

 

Sitting on a bench with her, I shared my troubles with her over a snack…

 

“What do you mean, you don’t like it? What’s wrong with it?”

 

“What am I supposed to say…”

 

Olivia glanced at my shocked, trembling eyes and cupped my chin.

 

“I thought you guys had been friends for a long time.”

 

“We have.”

 

“Well, if you’ve been friends for a long time, that means you’ve gotten along well enough that you think it’s okay to date.”

 

“And?”

 

Olivia adjusted her glasses.

 

“Well, friends, and lovers are kind of like different things. You know, you’re comfortable and happy to be together, but you’re hesitant to take it any further, and when you start being lovers, it’s not what you imagined.”

 

My mouth fell open.

 

“That’s a common mistake when you’ve known each other for a long time. Why do they say there are no friends between men and women, honestly, how many couples have gone from friends to lovers and then broken up?”

 

“Broken up? How many?”

 

“Well, what can you do, you’re not as sexually attracted to each other as you were as friends, and I’ve even heard of people who tried to kiss and couldn’t do it.”

 

Was that true, Rudrick? Did you try kissing me and realize it wasn’t for the same reason?

 

No, he seemed so excited when I kissed him… I saw him cover his mouth and smile when I asked him to kiss me… and then when I tried to pull away, he tried to grab my shoulders, and I swear I saw him…

 

And I was like, ‘What the hell do those words mean?’

 

My stomach twisted in knots as Olivia continued to talk. 

 

Sensing my confusion, she paused for a moment before turning to me.

 

“So I guess that means there has to be at least a bit of tension between you, right? You said you’ve kissed, but have you been avoiding it? Have you been making out first?”

 

I broke out in a cold sweat.

 

“Uh… I don’t think he’s avoiding it… but most of the time I initiate…”

 

“And?”

 

“We’ve never gone beyond that… and I don’t think we’ve even thought of trying anything more with each other…”

 

“That’s right.”

 

What’s wrong, teacher?

 

“Well, there are plenty of other reasons, actually, like premarital chastity and the pursuit of spiritual love.”

 

Olivia nodded vigorously, as if she had concluded something that even I hadn’t. Then she abruptly stood up.

 

I gazed off into the distance at Olivia, who smiled confidently.

 

“Anyway, don’t you think you should try everything to find out?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You said you hadn’t even thought about trying. Well, I guess this is your chance to do it. Either you can go beyond that or you can’t.”

 

“How?” I asked, genuinely curious. 

 

Could I, a natural-born romantic, try something like that?

 

“I’ll help you.”

 

Suddenly, I saw a halo behind Olivia.

 

Immediately, I clamped my mouth shut. Goddess Olivia, my light and savior, held out her hand to me.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“Where?”

 

She laughed then said, “To the underwear store.”

 

✨

 

Olivia’s reason for taking me to the underwear store was simple and clear.

 

‘You have to get in the mood for it.’

 

And to do that, we need to get in the mood, and visual stimulation works best.

 

Why do newlyweds wear naughty pajamas on their first night? It’s all about setting the mood. To give off that whole ‘Catch me!’ vibe!

 

“I see!”

 

Olivia’s plausible explanation had me hooked. And she’s a femme fatale who’s never had a boyfriend. I couldn’t help but believe her.

 

“Wow, so you’ve been hitting on guys wearing this?”

 

“No? I didn’t even have to ask her out.”

 

‘…?’

 

Can I…?

 

Although I felt a little uneasy about the conversation that followed, it was not like I had any other choice.

 

I knew that if I confided in my old acquaintance Jeron, I would have gotten a rant of ‘Please keep that stuff to yourselves!’ a

 

And if I told Hestia, I would have gotten a ‘Do you want me to brew you a love potion?’ response.

 

That was actually what Hestia said… and yes, she did make a real potion… but…

 

‘I don’t play those tricks!’

 

Aside from my pride, I wanted it to be purely consensual, with each of us desperately wanting the other at first.

 

And how nice it would be to imagine Rudrick desiring me, lusting after me, unable to control his passion, and finally, overcome with desires, pouncing on me like an animal… and then we’re hot.

 

“Ha, ha, ha!”

 

Chuckling lasciviously, I loosened my timidly stiffened shoulders. 

 

Yes, it was indeed naughty underwear, and I’d never handled one before in my life, but so what?

 

‘Hold on, Rudrick. Here I come into my super sexy underwear!’

 

“Okay!”

 

And when I pushed open the store door ahead of Olivia.

 

“Not good.”

 

I huffed and closed the door behind me.

 

‘What, what, what did I just see?’

 

No, it was definitely underwear.

 

There were two circles, so it must have been a bra… but there was no fabric in the middle.

 

There’s… no fabric? It’s see-through? It’s hanging down the middle, which is supposed to cover the most important part?

 

“What are you doing? Get in.”

 

“Wait, hang on. Olivia.”

 

Yet again, I grabbed Olivia as she tried to open the unknown door. 

 

The innocence in her eyes as she looked at me in confusion, as if asking what was wrong, was suddenly terrifying.

 

“Are you sure we’re in the right place? I think I just saw something strange…”

 

“Wrong place?”

 

Olivia giggled and double-checked the sign. She grinned and drove a stake into my heart.

 

“This is the right place.”

 

And I felt my heart drop.

 

“Now, don’t just stand here, let’s go inside, there are tons of stuff to see.”

 

‘A ton of stuff? What, tons of stuff?’

 

My mind suddenly went blank. I was about to lose it when Olivia opened the door, and I was immediately distracted by the sight of a ghastly bra with a see-through center that peeked out again.

 

Okay, I admit it. Maybe I was too complacent.

 

In a country that still wears corsets more than bras, how risqué could lingerie be? 

 

At the most, it’s a padded bust, colorful lace, or a semi-sheer négligée that reveals the silhouette of your body…

 

“Voilà, it’s a G-string.”

 

What’s the deal with the undies?

 

“Olivia, I need to talk to you.”

 

In a life where the closest I’d ever come to underwear was a pair of boxers, this was serious enough to make me wonder if I’d die of shame if I wore them. I straightened my expression seriously.

 

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much? I don’t think even adult theater actors would wear that…”

 

“Put it on, we’re delivering.”

 

“Oh, I see… Anyway, I’m not an actress, and I don’t know if wearing something like that would make the mood better or worse…”

 

“Dahlia.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Olivia said flatly, “You’re pretty.”

 

Ouch, what if she’s just going to swoop in…

 

“And you put up with that for a year, your lover, or is it your friend?”

 

I don’t know. But as Rudrick’s lover, I feel like I should at least protect his pride, so I simply shook my head.

 

“No.”

 

Maybe…

 

“Then he must be quite patient, isn’t he?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And it doesn’t take much to provoke a patient man, does it?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“You’re going to wear it, aren’t you?”

 

“Yes…” I replied with a sob.

 

“I…”

 

I was completely defeated.

 

So that’s how the Academy’s senior woman talks. 

 

The next Lady of the Holtons, despite being the second daughter, has as much influence as the eldest. I swallowed dryly and clenched my fists.

 

“Okay, good, let’s do this.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

After that, I don’t remember the details.

 

There were too many flashes of grandeur.

 

“Woo-hoo, this is called a ‘net’…”

 

“Huh.”

 

“Woo-hoo, this is called ‘full body stockings’…”

 

“Whew.”

 

Olivia pulls out a bunch of colorful underwear that I’ve never seen before and displays them in front of me. 

 

She even proudly held up a pair of black lace panties that she claimed to have designed herself.

 

‘Are they… see-through?!’

 

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I looked down at the sheer fabric.

 

After a bit more browsing, Olivia and I were able to compromise and pick out some underwear that we both could stomach.

 

‘Eek, I did it… I bought it… I made it!’

 

Although I was only going to buy one, Olivia insisted that I buy two, so I ended up with one beautiful pair and became a ‘naughty lingerie collector’.