Help! I'm just an extra yet the Heroines and Villainesses want me!-Chapter 25

"Ugh," William groaned while cleaning his eyes with his forearm as he slowly pushed himself up from his sleeping position and crawled out of the tent.

Today, unlike the other days, was much quieter which surprised him as he stood up and stretched his stiff muscles from sleeping on the ground for over a week now.

To his surprise he found the campsite unusually empty with only Claire sitting beside an extinguished campfire, gulping down a plate of food with surprisingly unrefined movements for someone who usually carried herself with such calculated grace.

"Where is everyone?" William questioned while sitting down beside her at the fire, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes and trying to figure out why the camp felt so abandoned.

"Oh good morning William, and how was your night?" Claire asked with a bright smile while totally ignoring his question, which made William’s eye twitch slightly with veins popping on the side of his head at her deliberate deflection. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Claire," he said with forced patience while giving her a flat look that suggested he wasn’t in the mood for games this early in the morning.

She laughed at his expression and finally relented. "They all went out early this morning. Sara wanted to collect more samples from that area near the northern ridge, and Marcus went with her for security. Lyanna tagged along because apparently there are some rare plants up there, and Seraphina went because..." Claire paused with an amused smile. "Well, Seraphina went because Lyanna went."

William processed that information while wondering why nobody had bothered to wake him, though he supposed eight days of early mornings had earned him one chance to sleep in.

"Why didn’t you go with them?" he asked while noticing that Claire had apparently already prepared breakfast for herself and left some warming near the coals for him.

"Not really interested in hiking through the forest at dawn to look at plants," Claire said while finishing her food and setting the plate aside. "Besides, I figured someone should stay at camp in case the extraction carriages finally show up."

That was logical enough, and William helped himself to the food she had left, finding it surprisingly well-prepared considering their limited supplies and cooking equipment.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while with only the forest sounds and the occasional crackle from the dying fire filling the space between them. It was peaceful in a way the camp hadn’t been when everyone was present, and William found himself actually relaxing.

"Can I ask you something?" Claire said after several minutes, her tone more serious than her usual playful affect.

"You’re going to regardless of what I say," William replied while continuing to eat.

Claire smiled slightly but it didn’t reach her eyes the way her usual expressions did. "Why don’t you seem bothered by being stuck here? Most people would be frustrated or worried by now, but you’ve just been... calm about the whole situation."

William considered the question while finishing his breakfast. "Being frustrated wouldn’t change anything, and worrying about things outside my control is a waste of energy. We have food, water, shelter, and nobody’s in actual danger. It actually seems like a decent situation to me."

"That’s a very practical way of looking at it," Claire observed while pulling her knees up to her chest in a posture that seemed uncharacteristically vulnerable for someone usually so composed. "Most people aren’t that rational about discomfort."

"Most people waste a lot of energy on things that don’t matter," William said while setting his empty plate aside and leaning back against a log that had become his usual spot during meals.

Claire was quiet for a moment before speaking again, and her voice carried an edge of something that sounded almost like genuine emotion rather than her usual calculated tones.

"I grew up in a family where everything was about control and appearances," she said while staring at the extinguished fire rather than looking at William. "My father collected talented people like trophies, and my mother taught me that everyone is either an asset or a liability. Emotions were weaknesses to be exploited in others and suppressed in yourself."

William turned his attention fully to her because this was the first time Claire had shared anything personal beyond surface-level observations and calculated flirtation.

"By the time I was eight, I had learned to read people’s desires and fears and use them to get what I wanted," Claire continued with a slight bitter edge to her voice. "My parents were proud of that. They said I was naturally gifted at manipulation and would do great things for the family name."

She paused and pulled her knees closer while her usual confident posture crumbled into something that looked tired and small.

"The problem is that when you spend your entire childhood learning to manipulate everyone around you, you forget how to actually connect with people," she said quietly. "Everything becomes transactional. Every interaction is about gaining advantage. And you wake up one day realizing you don’t actually know how to just... be around someone without calculating angles."

William listened without interrupting because Claire seemed to need to say this more than she needed him to respond, and he had learned that sometimes people just needed to be heard rather than advised.

"Coming to the academy was supposed to be different," Claire said with a hollow laugh. "New place, new people, chance to be something other than the Hivolt family’s perfect little manipulator. But old habits it seems are hard to break, and I found myself falling into the same patterns within the first week."

She finally looked at William with an expression that was startlingly genuine compared to her usual masks.

"Then you showed up and you were just... different," she said simply. "You set boundaries and meant them. You didn’t play social games or try to gain advantage through connections. You just focused on your own goals and didn’t care what anyone else thought about it."

William raised an eyebrow slightly. "And that interested you because...?"

"Because I don’t know how to do that," Claire admitted with surprising honesty. "I’ve spent my entire life being what other people wanted or needed me to be, using their expectations against them. But you don’t seem to care about expectations at all, and I don’t know how to approach someone who doesn’t have obvious buttons to push."

William considered her words while understanding why she had been so persistent despite his consistent lack of engagement with her attempts at manipulation. She’d been genuinely confused by someone who didn’t operate according to the social rules she’d been raised to exploit.

"So what do you want from me?" he asked directly while meeting her eyes.

Claire was quiet for a long moment before answering with something that sounded like vulnerability rather than calculation.

"I don’t know," she said honestly. "Maybe just... permission to stop pretending for a while? Everyone else at the academy either fears me or wants something from me, and I’m tired of playing those roles. But you don’t seem to want anything and you’re not afraid of me, so maybe I can just... exist around you without having to be the Hivolt heir?"

William understood that request more than she probably realized because he had been navigating similar issues since arriving at the academy with people projecting expectations based on his family name and reputation.

"You can exist however you want around me," he said with a casual shrug. "I’m not going to judge you for dropping the act, and I don’t care about your family politics or manipulation skills. Just don’t try to use them on me and we’re fine."

Claire’s expression shifted into something that looked like genuine relief mixed with gratitude that she didn’t seem to know how to express properly.

"Thank you," she said quietly, and for once there was no calculation or hidden meaning behind the words.

They settled back into silence but it felt different now, more comfortable and less like the careful dance of two people trying to figure out each other’s angles. Claire seemed to physically relax as if admitting her truth had released some tension she’d been carrying.

The morning continued with them just sitting there talking occasionally about random topics that had no strategic value or hidden meanings. Claire told him about books she’d read and places she’d traveled, and William shared observations about essence cultivation and combat techniques he’d been developing.

It was surprisingly easy to talk to her when she dropped the manipulative act and just spoke like a normal person having a conversation. William found himself actually enjoying the interaction rather than tolerating it, and Claire seemed almost surprised by how natural it felt to not be calculating every word.

By mid-morning, the rest of the group started returning to camp with their collected samples and notes about the northern ridge area. Sara was chatting excitedly about some interesting plant species while Marcus looked tired from the early morning hike.

Lyanna carried a bag full of specimens and was already making notes about their properties, and Seraphina looked alert and refreshed despite having been up since before dawn.

"You two have been having fun without us?" Sara asked with a teasing smile while noticing William and Claire sitting together in what looked like comfortable companionship rather than forced proximity.

"Just talking," Claire said with her usual composed smile back in place, though William noticed it seemed slightly more genuine than her typical expressions.

The group settled into their usual midday routine with people organizing their findings and preparing for lunch. Sara suggested they should go hunting for fresh meat since their supply of prepared food was getting lower and they had no idea when extraction would actually happen.

"We’ve been living off rations and preserved stuff," Sara said while examining their remaining supplies. "Some actual game meat would be nice, and the Vale probably has plenty of low-tier essence beasts we could handle."

Marcus agreed it was a practical idea and began organizing a hunting party. Seraphina was immediately interested because it meant actual combat rather than just practice forms, and even Lyanna agreed that fresh meat would be beneficial for maintaining energy during their extended stay.

"Everyone going?" Marcus asked while checking weapons and preparing supplies for a hunting expedition.

William decided it was better than sitting around camp all afternoon and agreed to join. Claire surprised everyone by also volunteering despite not being particularly combat-focused, saying she was curious to see how essence beasts differed from regular animals.

The group set out after lunch with weapons ready and Marcus leading based on tracks he’d noticed during his earlier scouting. The forest was dense in some areas and they moved carefully while watching for signs of essence beast activity.

After about forty minutes of tracking, Seraphina held up a hand to signal she’d sensed something. The group spread out and approached quietly, finding a small clearing where several deer-like creatures with faintly glowing antlers were grazing.

"Essence deer," Lyanna whispered while observing them. "They’re low-tier beasts, not dangerous unless cornered. Their meat is supposed to be excellent because the essence makes it more nutritious and flavorful."

Marcus and Seraphina coordinated the attack while the others provided support. The hunt was quick and efficient with Seraphina’s speed and precision bringing down two of the creatures before the rest of the herd could scatter.

They spent another hour tracking and hunting, bringing down a few more low-tier beasts that would provide adequate meat for several days. By the time they returned to camp, everyone was tired but satisfied with the successful hunt.

Sara took charge of preparing the meat with help from Claire who turned out to be surprisingly competent with a knife despite her noble background. They worked together to butcher and cook portions while preserving the rest for later.

Dinner that evening was noticeably better than previous meals, with fresh meat cooked over the fire and seasoned with herbs Sara had collected. The group ate with genuine appreciation for the change from their usual rations.

"This was a good idea," Marcus said while eating. "We should have gone hunting earlier in the week."

"Better late than never," Sara replied cheerfully. "And now we have enough meat for at least three or four more days if we ration properly."

The evening continued with people relaxing around the fire and discussing the day’s activities. William found himself sitting between Claire and Sara, listening to their conversation about cooking techniques and the properties of different essence beast meats.

As night fell and people started heading to their tents, Claire hesitated near the fire while others dispersed. William noticed she seemed uncertain about something, which was unusual for someone usually so composed.

"Uhm, please can I sleep with you tonight?" Claire said suddenly while her face flushed completely red in a way William had never seen before, and she looked genuinely nervous about asking.

William raised an eyebrow while processing the request and trying to figure out if this was some kind of manipulation or if she was being genuine. After several seconds of thought and seeing her increasingly embarrassed expression, he made a decision.

"Yes, you can sleep in my TENT," he emphasized the last word while giving her a pointed look that suggested he understood exactly what she was asking and what the boundaries were.

Claire’s expression shifted through several emotions before settling on relieved gratitude mixed with slight embarrassment that seemed entirely genuine rather than calculated.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I just... sleeping alone in a tent for eight nights has been getting to me, and after this morning’s conversation I thought maybe..."

She trailed off without finishing the sentence but William understood what she meant. She had dropped her walls for the first time and now felt vulnerable, wanting the comfort of presence rather than isolation.

"Just don’t steal all the blankets," William said while heading toward his tent.

[Clarie Hivolt interest level has increased by 20%!]

Claire followed him with a small genuine smile that transformed her face into something softer than her usual calculating expressions, and they settled into the tent with enough space between them to be appropriate while still being close enough for the comfort of presence.

William lay on his side of the tent while Claire settled on the opposite side, and there was a moment of awkward silence before she spoke quietly.

"Thank you for listening this morning," she said into the darkness. "And for not judging me or trying to use what I told you."

"No point in using information that someone trusted me with," William replied simply. "That’s not how I operate."

Claire was quiet for a moment before responding with something that sounded almost wondering. "I know. That’s why I could actually tell you."

They settled into silence with only the forest sounds filtering through the tent walls and the distant murmur of the stream nearby. William found the presence surprisingly comfortable rather than intrusive, and Claire seemed to relax fully for perhaps the first time since the expedition had started.

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