(TN: I'm not entirely sure what the title is supposed to mean, so do correct me if I'm wrong. The closest thing I can find is that people often argue in them since they are kind of private. It became a meme from how frequently it happened, and yeah.)
"Enrique walked out... shaking his head?"
"How is that possible? According to the script, the boss should have swept Anna up and rushed straight to the church, going through the marriage vows and honeymoon in one smooth sequence!"
"I told you my wife isn't the type who's dazzled by vanity."
"Both Texas and Enrique failed?"
"They must have raised her affection, we don't stand a chance."
"Did you notice how both Texas and Enrique came out looking..."
"Like death?"
A newbie player blurted out, and everyone immediately stepped five meters away from him, quickly distancing themselves.
Texas and Enrique each gave their followers a look, and soon enough, the big shots would probably thoroughly "educate" the straightforward newbie.
Stepping out of the courtyard, Enrique had lost his initial imposing manner. He exchanged glances with Texas, who just shrugged.
For a moment, they seemed less like business rivals and more like companions sharing the misery of rejection.
—I just got rejected by Anna. You?
—What a coincidence, me too.
The gift-giving method for increasing affection was limited to once per day. Given their status, they could easily arrange for others to stay and monitor the situation. There was no need for them to remain.
The players watched Texas and Enrique leave, then fell into an extremely brief silence.
The Watertown Merchant Association and Lone Star Merchant Association, ranked first and second in the Kingdom of Michel, were undoubtedly the seeded players among the masses. Ordinary players generally believed they could produce better resources.
Some players retreated to the background.
Among them were players dressed as luxuriously as Texas and Enrique, warriors in armor, and nobles in fine attire. Perhaps after seeing the situation with the merchant associations, they chose to step back and observe.
Judging from the players' communications and my knowledge, giving gifts was the simplest and most direct step to increase affection. However, what surprised me was that whether affection increased or not depended on my subjective judgment rather than the game's design.
That's somewhat reassuring—my heart is steadfast... Yes, nothing will shake my resolve.
Speaking of which, since both major merchant associations faced defeat, everyone should give up now, right? I have other things to do today.
"Wait, could it be..."
"We have a chance?"
Eh?!
No, you're still continuing?
"Anna—"
"Get out of the way! You're blocking my view of my wife!"
"Where's the backup?! This old man can't hold much longer!"
Hang in there, Uncle François!
Not only did the players not give up, they actually started a riot after seeing a glimmer of hope.
Finally, the dark mass of people broke through Uncle François and his men's defense line, rushing into the mansion grounds one after another.
"Anna! This is a golden apple I collected from Mount Olympus! Please accept it!"
[Item: Golden Apple, Transaction Successful]
[Congratulations, Affection +0]
"Eek?!"
I-I'm terribly sorry! You really went through so much trouble...
"Anna, Anna, do you like red roses?"
[Item: Red Rose x999, Transaction Successful]
[Congratulations, Affection +0]
"What?!"
I actually prefer irises...
"Miss Anna! Please accept this!"
[Item: Bunny Girl Outfit, Transaction Successful]
[Congratulations, Affection +0]
"Then... could Anna-chan please look at me with contempt and scold me harshly?"
What a strange request?! I can't do that! And why give me a bunny girl costume?
"This is definitely what Anna's interested in!"
[Item: Young Dragon's Root, Transaction Successful]
[Congratulations, Affection +0]
Bull whip = bull's unspeakable part, dragon root = ? (TN: It's a dirty joke.)
"...Sir, this is very troubling."
Players who finished giving gifts were quickly pushed aside by those behind them. Some players barely made it to the front before being forced back by others.
This is bad... if this continues, it'll never end...
"Back off! Everyone, back off!"
Before I knew it, a group of players was valiantly maintaining order in the crowd. Though I didn't know who they were, they were all fully armed, possibly from some [Mercenary Group] organization.
Suddenly, some players seemed to recognize their identity.
"It's the [Anna Support Group]!!!"
"What! The Anna Support Group that hunts anyone from 80-year-old grannies to 3-year-old children?!"
A thunderous exclamation spread among the players, and they instantly scattered outward, warily eyeing the dozens of mercenary-dressed hunks in the courtyard.
"Yes! We keep our name and stay true to our cause! We are the [Anna Support Group], whose very name stops children from crying!"
Is that really something to brag about?! Please consider my feelings about being in your organization's name!
But regardless, they helped me out of this urgent situation.
"Thank you."
I needed to thank them—honestly, I was scared by the players' frenzy.
"No problem, we'd walk through fire and water for Anna-chan!"
The nearest player laughed cheerfully, and then...
Put his hand on my head.
"Hmm?"
Pat pat pat...
"Excuse me?"
Is this some expression of friendliness I don't understand?
The player didn't answer, just kept patting my head.
I stepped back unhappily—becoming shorter was troublesome enough, and now head pats? My maid headdress is all messed up.
That player froze, his eyes widened, and he turned to shout at a scholarly-looking male player who kept pushing up his glasses.
"Strategist! The head pat attack isn't working!"
"What nonsense, head patting is the most effective strategy for raising a girl's affection! Your patting technique must be wrong!"
No no no, I don't think any girl would increase their affection from being frantically head-patted by someone they just met...
"Curse you, Anna Support Group. Don't think we're afraid of you! We've been enchanted by Anna since the moment we first saw her. How could we let you stop us now?"
"You weaklings who change wives every month! We've been exclusively supporting Anna since birth!"
Both sides drew their weapons, completely disregarding that fighting in a safe zone was illegal. Uncle François even made a statement of giving up treatment: "Oh my, youth is wonderful..." Before reinforcements arrived, Uncle François had no way to stop the players' large-scale riot.
Stop it, stop fighting, this is my home...