Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 158 [Bonus chapter]Lonely Lover　　When things were about to get heated on the rooftop, the door suddenly opened and Rudy took Alice on top of the water tank where they waited for the person to come into sight.

However, the person turned out to be none other than Rize.

"What is she doing here?" That was Rudy's first thought as soon as he saw Rize.

The school's rooftop was a restricted area for students and the door was always locked. Only the staff had access to the key, so it was natural for Rize to come there.

The real question was why was she there? Surely, no one would come to the school's rooftop for no reason. Unless they planned to do something.

Sure, there was a chance that Rize was simply on patrol duty, but that made no sense as the door was still locked.

Rudy couldn't help but feel a little anxious after seeing Rize.

Alice realized that after looking at Rudy's face, but she was still confused about Rudy and Rize's relationship.

Rize glanced around everywhere to make sure no one was looking at her. Then, she took off her blazer and unbuttoned the first two buttons of her shirt.

"The fan of my desk has been broken since last week, and they are not fixing it even when I informed them a couple of times…" Rize sighed and waved her hand to fan herself.

She then took out a small towel from her purse and wiped her sweat. Then, she walked to the washbasin in the corner of the rooftop and washed her face.

The washbasin was used to plug the pipe and water the trees and plants on the rooftop.

After washing her face and hands, Rize took out another small towel and wiped herself clean.

She then took out a water bottle from the bag and drank a couple of sips while spilling some.

"Aaah~ That felt good~" she said with a satisfied smile on her face.

After that, she sat on the bench and took out a lunchbox from her bag.

"..." Rudy couldn't believe his eyes. 'She was eating alone all this time? Or is it because the fan of her desk is not working?'

Rize started eating her food, and Rudy could tell that she was enjoying every bite of it.

Most of the time, Rudy ate lunch with Eric in the canteen, where Eric sometimes paid for Rudy's lunch. Sometimes, Rudy brought lunch from home, so he shared it with Eric. But Eric always ate out and ordered food even when he was at home because his mother was rarely home.

Alice, on the other hand, always brought food from home that she cooked with breakfast, but sometimes she also brought leftovers from dinner. Thus, she never had to go to the canteen and always ate lunch with her female friends.

However, on some rare occasions, when Eric was absent, or Alice's friends had other plans, Rudy would eat lunch with Alice.

Of course, Alice's friends always invited her for their plans, but Alice would always turn them down as she had a strict schedule for everything.

"This is not the first time I have seen her eating alone…" Alice said to Rudy. "Even in the staff room."

"Huh?" Rudy turned to Alice with a surprised look on his face and asked, "Are you telling me that Rize has always been alone?"

"Well, as you know, Rize is an intern teacher, and she is only 22 years old. While the rest of the teachers are over their forties. But a new young teacher did come, although I doubt Rize has the intention to be friends with him," Alice stated while looking back and forth at Rudy and Rize.

"I had no idea…"

"I mean, it's not as bad as you think, you know? There is nothing wrong with eating alone, and some even prefer to eat alone. In fact, Rize is the type of person who would want to eat alone."

"That's not true. Look at her face, she looks so lonely…"

Alice squinted her eyes and said, "You did tell me you kissed her and also plan to add her to your harem."

"Yeah."

"I am still not convinced, though," Alice remarked with a judging look on her face. She glanced at Rudy from the corner of her eyes and said, "She doesn't seem to be the type of person to love someone. She is always so strict and scary."

"I used to think the same…." After a brief pause, he continued, "Until, she kissed me that day and I never saw her again."

"If she truly loves you, why does she always call you out and punish you?" Alice asked curiously.

"That's her way of describing her love for me…"

'Simp…' Alice recalled the world Angelica taught her.

Rudy shot a glare at Alice and said, "You do know that I can read your mind, right?"

Alice averted her gaze and said, "You shouldn't be offended if I am wrong."

"Yeah, right…" Rudy let out a weary sigh and watched Rize eat her lunch.

"I will visit her every day during lunch now," Rudy decided.

"So you are choosing her over me to have lunch with?" Alice asked. "Just because you saw her eating alone, and now you sympathize with her?"

"No. I am just using this perfect chance to earn brownie points from her," Rudy asserted in a neutral tone. "I already know that she loves me, so I have to make her realize her feelings before six months."

"Was she killed after six months?"

"No, but that's when her life changed. I have to make her realize her feelings for me, so she doesn't go to that party where her parents sell her. And even if she goes there… no, actually, I want her to go there."

After a brief pause, Rudy frowned his face and uttered, "Because that's where I will meet that piece of shit, and believe me… I hate that guy more than anyone else in this world."

The lunch break eventually ended and Rize left in a hurry.

Rudy and Alice didn't get a chance to do anything, and they didn't even eat.

The rest of the lectures ended and soon, school was over. Alice and Rudy went home together, and Rudy decided to ask her the question he had been meaning to ask since the lunch break.

"Say, Alice, What does your father do for a living?"

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Thanks, @SwordLioN, for the gift!