Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 61: Once in a Lifetime Chance

"Senior!" A cheerful voice called out. "I was accepted to Company ***** after following your tips!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"This company doesn’t treasure you, senior... Why don’t you come with me and jump over?"

Her brown eyes shimmered with worry, her youthful face still radiant with enthusiasm, long black hair cascading over her shoulders. There was no way I could forget her—the person I destroyed.

Even now, I can still remember the disappointment in her gaze when I refused her offer to join her at the company I had pushed her toward, where she could escape our suffocating, gray workplace.

Right, my words back then were—

"It’s fine. This kind of backwater place is fitting for an old man like me. Instead, just work harder and treat me to a meal as thanks when you get promoted."

A superficial reply, empty of substance. Yet Hannah had taken my words at face value, smiling bitterly.

"Is that so... It’s a pity I won’t be working with you anymore, senior. Really, thank you for teaching me so much."

"Don’t mind it. I only did it because it was part of my job description, nothing more."

"I promise, when I get promoted at Company *****, I’ll treat you to the most expensive meal you’ll ever see!"

"Haha, then I’ll look forward to it!"

Right... That moment was the turning point, wasn’t it?

If I had turned around and accepted her offer... if I had just acknowledged her feelings instead of brushing them aside... then—

"But it’s too late for that now. No matter how much I lament the conclusion, that was the best choice I could make back then..."

Hannah was the very first—and only—intern I had personally mentored. I spared no effort in nurturing her into a capable, brilliant professional. But I must have overdone it—because she ended up falling for someone as dull as me.

We were a decade apart in age. There was no way I could accept her feelings—the judging eyes of society wouldn’t allow it.

Even if we pursued such a mismatched romance, both of us would have suffered in the end. So I pushed her away, disguising it as helping her move on to something better.

I never imagined that my decision to protect her would backfire so horribly.

Half a year later, out of the blue, I received an email from her. By then, I had assumed she had long forgotten about me, so I was surprised—almost touched—by her sudden contact.

But the contents of the message sent a chill down my spine.

Four words. Two sentences. Yet their weight was heavier than a mountain.

"Thank you, senior. Goodbye."

I was initially confused. I called her immediately, but her phone was off. Panic set in. Dread. A crushing fear I couldn’t shake.

But reality is a bitch.

The next day, I saw the news headlines.

Hannah had jumped from the very building of Company *****.

Her will—sent straight to the police the day after her death—revealed the true story behind it. She had been relentlessly bullied after rejecting a section chief who had taken a liking to her. She had refused him because she already "liked someone else." It was a sad, but quite common story.

Of course, she didn’t fall without a fight. She left behind everything—the names, the proof, the evidence of their harassment. Justice was served; everyone involved faced at least four years in prison for their crimes.

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But none of it mattered.

’If only I hadn’t let her leave. If only I had stayed by her side...!’

That thought haunted me ever since.

After that, I refused to mentor anyone else. I took the penalties for refusing orders without complaint. I didn’t care. I couldn’t handle the thought of leading someone else to their death under the guise of "helping."

Instead, I drowned myself in games. At first, it was just an escape. A distraction. But over time, I found something else to work toward, something that numbed the pain.

And then, somehow... I ended up in a world terrifyingly similar to the game I played.

"Anyway, enough of this nightmare. I need to wake up soon..."

From the start, I knew this was just a dream of the past—a recollection. But unlike a lucid dream, I had no control. I could only relive it.

The sensation of my consciousness rising grew stronger. Slowly, reality began to pull me back.

I was waking up.

---

"..."

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the cold. Deathly cold. Well, being cold is a given, since I don’t have any clothes on my upper body. If not for the two sources of warmth on either side of me, I would’ve thought I was on the verge of freezing to death.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

The dim glow of blue cove lights barely illuminated the room, but I recognized it instantly—my quarters aboard the Range Falcon, a room I had barely used.

I was lying in the middle of the bed, a blanket draped over me from the waist down.

But that wasn’t the problem. When I saw the two sources of warmth pressed against me, I nearly gasped.

To my right—Eva. A redheaded beauty, with her long eyelashes trembling slightly, likely from the cold. She clung to my arm tightly, pressing it against her voluptuous body—covered with nothing but a risque pair of pink underwear.

’Black or purple would’ve suited her better than pink...’ I found myself thinking absentmindedly.

To my left—Cassandra. The blonde angel, breathing slow and steady, while mirroring Eva’s actions. She had pulled my other arm deep into her cleavage, her warmth seeping into me.

What made me nearly panic was that, unlike Eva, she wasn’t wearing any underwear. Her pristine white skin and faint pink peaks were in full view, pressed against my arm, making me freeze in place.

’W-What’s going on?!’

My memory was a mess. Weren’t we deep inside some cavernous tunnels, fighting that T-Rex-like alien? And then—I was injured?

This was bad. I could barely recall anything.

"M-Mmmh..."

"...!"

Eva stirred, and my heart nearly stopped.

I could feel my right hand being sandwiched between two soft thighs, the back of it pressing against something silky. Given the position and angle, I didn’t need to guess where my hand had ended up.

This is bad. This is really bad.

I could already picture how this would play out when she woke up!

Panicking, I did the only logical thing—I shut my eyes and controlled my breathing, faking sleep. Slow, steady breaths. Nothing suspicious.

A shift in weight. The pressure against my arm changed. I could feel her heartbeat now, calm at first—then accelerating rapidly.

"F-Fuck...! There’s no way...!" Eva’s voice came in a hushed panic, letting go of my arm.

D-Did she realize I was faking it?!

"Cassandra, wake up!" she hissed. "Arthur’s heart is beating so hard! He must be having palpitations!"

Eh?

Well, yeah, having two beauties wrapped around my arms like this, who wouldn’t get excited? My heart’s currently beating over a hundred twenty BPM!

The only saving grace was that my little buddy was staying quiet despite the overwhelming stimuli. Otherwise, I had no idea how I’d face both of them later.

Beside me, Cassandra stirred. Her soft peaks brushed against my arm, making it really hard to focus on my fake sleeping act.

"Mmm?" she murmured sleepily.

At that moment, Eva moved closer. Suddenly, I felt her breath—warm, soft, right on my nose.

’W-Wait, is she—?!’

Just as I thought she was about to pull a Sleeping Beauty role reversal kiss, I felt her forehead press against mine instead.

Her breath—tinged with menthol—brushed against my ears as she muttered, "His temperature feels normal. It’s great that he’s no longer at risk of hypothermia..."

Then, she pulled away.

"Hey, wake u—y-you...!" Suddenly, she stuttered. "Cassandra! Why are you naked?! I lent you my unused ones, didn’t I?!"

...Ah. So her being naked wasn’t planned. That made sense.

"Mmm?" Cassandra hummed, still half-asleep.

"Ah... Yours were a bit tight on me. I must’ve taken them off in my sleep," she admitted groggily. "See? They’re right there on the floor."

"Bitch, dress up properly! What if Arthur suddenly wakes up?!"

"Eh?" Cassandra sounded reluctant. "But he’s been asleep for a week since healing up in the medical pod... Oh, right. That means he might wake up soon, huh?"

She let out a light yawn. "I guess this is the last time we’ll have to work together to keep him warm... Once he wakes up, he can fix the air conditioning system himself."

Wait.

Medical pod? AC System? A week...?

"...A week?!"

""...?!""

I blurted out before I could stop myself, eyes flying open in shock—only to realize my mistake a second too late.

Eva and I locked eyes. She was still hovering over me, her expression frozen in delayed realization. Two ripe fruits, wrapped in pink, hung in my direct line of sight.

To the side, Cassandra sat up slightly, her twin peaks swaying gently—a sight for sore eyes.

Abort. Abort!

"Ah! I’m just sleep-talking. Don’t mind me, go on..." I attempted the worst possible excuse, shutting my eyes again.

Silence.

Then—

"Ah... You’re awake," Cassandra muttered matter-of-factly.

"...!"

Eva, on the other hand, reacted by reflex—before her brain could even process what was happening.

Her fist moved faster than I could react.

With a solid punch to the center of my face—

—I blacked out instantly.