LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 270
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 270
After some more time passed.
“Hey!”
“Yes.”
“Give me a discarded bento!”
This time, Shuen, who had shifted her future aspirations to becoming a thief, was threatening me with a fan in her hand.
Raising my hands, I played along with Shuen’s antics and smiled.
“Oh… Miss Shuen, have you transitioned from being a student to a thief? That’s impressive.”
“No…! This is a legitimate demand!”
Shuen struck a seductive pose and winked.
“Yoohoo…!”
“I haven’t eaten yet, so it’s too early to take digestive medicine.”
“You! Are my charms not working on you? You’re not human! Beast! Demon! Eunuch!”
“…?”
“I take back the eunuch part!”
“Thank you… But honestly, calling that a display of charm feels more like a wooden doll trying to dance. Personally…”
Slipping out in front of the counter, I provocatively swayed my hips in response to Shuen’s provocation.
“I think striking a deadly expression like this is what you’d call seductive.”
“Ugh… How infuriating!”
“Even if you’re upset, there’s nothing you can do. It’s only natural that someone like me, who succeeded as the butler of the House of Desmond purely through charm, would be seductive.”
“Hrrrrgh!”
Shuen clenched her fists, genuinely frustrated. Then, she brazenly demanded an expired bento.
“Then give it to me!”
“Haha… What a bold beggar we have here.”
“What did you say, commoner?”
“A commoner said something befitting of a commoner.”
“Oh ho ho…! Then it’s only natural that I wouldn’t understand.”
‘Idiot.’
Shuen seemed to forget the narrative that I had bullied Mikhail and would show up at the convenience store during lunchtime, greeting me before anyone else.
However, occasionally, when her timing overlapped with Mikhail’s visits to the store.
-Where are you going in the middle of your meal?
-Don’t talk to me!
-It’s too awkward to call this hiding. Especially around the chest area.
-Beast!
She drew a line, keeping her distance. But once Mikhail left, she’d act as if nothing had happened, her eyes sparkling as she spoke to me again.
Today was no different.
“Today, I really forgot my wallet and lunch…! I used my allowance to grill steak…! Ugh….”
Shuen, genuinely looking frustrated, boldly demanded food from me.
It seemed like the high-class pride of a noble had been sorted into the recycling bin. Seeing Shuen’s shameless attempt to extort a free bento made me chuckle dryly and lick my dry lips.
‘I think it’s about time we talked.’
The time was approaching for Shuen to confess to Mikhail. A public confession in front of the Academy fountain.
As expected of a noble who loved the attention of others, her grand confession ended in a spectacular failure.
To a fleeting acquaintance, I wanted to offer a small kindness. I didn’t want to see a girl walking a path similar to the Young Lady’s end up heartbroken. I didn’t want to create another wreck.
Especially not over a confession with no chance of success.
“Today’s lunch is the convenience store’s special set meal.”
I placed Shuen’s favorite “Pork Cutlet Lunch Box Set” and “Mango Juice” on the table and smiled.
“Is this a confession?”
“No.”
“Then why are you giving it to me?”
“I just felt like it.”
Shuen glared at me with fierce eyes, as if she couldn’t trust me.
-Broadly.
“It’s not like that.”
“Suspicious!”
It’s not the first time I’ve encountered a woman who complains even when given something, but Shuen’s audacity made me shake my head and sigh.
“Today’s lunch is on me. Not an expired item, but a brand-new product.”
“As expected, you have feelings for me…!”
“Forget it. I’ll just eat it myself.”
“I’m sorry!”
Shuen beamed as she hugged the bento tightly. Her materialistic love for the bento amused me, but her bright smile wasn’t unpleasant.
“Hurry up and sit down to eat.”
“Oh ho ho!”
“Stop laughing like that.”
“Yes….”
Shuen momentarily set aside her noble status and buried her face in the bento, devouring it.
“This isn’t just a bento! The crispy batter has a soul of its own!”
“I don’t think it’s quite that extraordinary.”
“Don’t insult the pork cutlet, commoner!”
“…”
How long had I been watching Shuen? By the time the bottom of the bento box became visible, I cautiously brought up a sensitive question.
“Um… Miss Shuen, this might seem like an odd question.”
“Mmm… Mmph! (Go ahead, commoner.)”
“Please don’t misunderstand.”
“Mmmph!! Huff! Mmm! (I won’t be swayed by a commoner’s words!).”
“Alright, here it goes.”
“Nod.”
“Do you, by any chance, have someone you like at the Academy…?”
As expected, Shuen nearly spat out her food, looking at me with wide eyes and shouting.
“So you really are interested in me or something! You insolent commoner! How dare you harbor impure thoughts about me…!”
“No, you’re not my type.”
“Impure, commoner!”
I chuckled dryly and tried to calm Shuen down.
“It’s just that the most entertaining stories in the world are love stories, aren’t they? At your age, it’s something everyone ponders.”
“…That’s true!”
“That’s why I asked. Not because I’m interested in you, but to see if there’s anything I could help with.”
“What could a commoner like you possibly know?!”
“Haven’t you heard about my reputation?”
“…Ack?”
As Ricardo’s smug smile spread, the outrageous rumors she’d heard from seniors began to resurface in Shuen’s mind.
-He’s just a son of a b*.
-Woof! Woof! Woof! He talks like he’s got a rag in his mouth.
-He goes crazy whenever he sees a woman.
-You all better be careful around him. He might devour you.
Shuen clapped her hands together and declared.
“A lecherous…! Son of a b*!”
“?”
“Not a person, but a panting son of a b* is what I heard.”
“…It seems the story has been greatly exaggerated, but anyway.”
I tried to brush off Shuen’s disgusted gaze, though it stung. Even for someone without friends, being labeled a lecherous dog was a bit much. It honestly hurt.
“When you think of me, who comes to mind?”
“The Villainess!”
“You’re a Villainess too.”
“I am not!”
“Anyway, not our Young Lady. Someone with white hair.”
“The Tower Master?”
“Is your head filled with rocks?”
“A commoner daring to insult a noble…!”
“Mikhail. Mikhail.”
“Ah-ha!”
Shuen clapped her fists together and exclaimed “Ah-ha!” with a bright smile.
“Senior Mikhail? Why are you involved with him? You can’t even compare to him, not even by a claw’s length.”
“…I’m taller than him.”
“I know!”
“…Anyway, didn’t Mikhail and I clash quite a lot?”
“That’s because you were in the wrong!”
“Yes, and that’s why I’m telling you. When someone hates you a lot, you end up knowing quite a bit about them.”
“Oh…”
“Like the words they dislike, or the things they like and hate.”
Shuen naturally became engrossed in Ricardo’s words, which seemed to precisely grasp people’s interests.
“Tell me more!”
I gave Shuen a faint smile as she listened intently, then leaned against the table and moved closer to her.
“Well, I don’t know who you like, Shuen, but if it’s Mikhail, I think I can provide some useful information.”
“…So you do like me after all!”
‘…’
Does she only have rocks in her head?
I shook my head at Shuen’s stubborn reaction.
“Sure. Think whatever makes you comfortable.”
“…!”
“I was just trying to help as a lunch companion, but forget it. Stupid nobles can just eat discarded bentos.”
“Don’t look down on me! I’m a model student, you know!”
“For the record, I stayed in the top 10 during my Academy days.”
“…”
“Idiot.”
Shuen slammed the table with the hand holding her fork, looking indignant, but unable to argue back. Instead, she timidly muttered, “I was 10th in written exams…” as a brief boast.
“That’s impressive.”
“Don’t mock me! Friendless villain!”
“Shuen, you’re having lunch with a villain… I’ll stop talking since it’s getting sad.”
Watching Shuen’s frustration, I gave an awkward smile.
“Anyway, it was fun.”
“Huh?”
“It’s almost time for me to leave.”
“Leave? What do you mean?”
Shuen looked at me with shocked eyes at the mention of leaving, her expression asking what she would do if her lunch companion left.
“Wait a moment…! I can’t date you, but I can be your friend!”
“Haha, that’s alright.”
Shuen lowered her head, looking like she was about to cry.
“Is business… not doing well? Then I’ll give you all my allowance…!”
“I really appreciate the thought, but I can’t accept it.”
“…Why not?”
I gave a bitter smile at Shuen’s tearful question and replied.
“There was a complaint.”
“A complaint…?”
“They said, ‘Why is a criminal who caused trouble at the Academy working here? Get rid of him immediately.’ Thankfully, business is doing well, so there’s no need to worry about the convenience store closing.”
“…”
“And I need to return to my main job. I can’t stay here forever.”
-Misamo members…! He’s here!
Shuen dropped her gaze, recalling her past words, and looked at Ricardo. She knew where the complaint Ricardo received had come from.
“…”
There was nothing she could say in response.
Looking at Ricardo’s bitter smile, Shuen spoke in a trembling voice.
“Are you… really leaving?”
I nodded and answered Shuen. Where there are meetings, there are always farewells.
“Yes.”
Facing Shuen, who looked on the verge of tears, I spoke heavily.
“That’s why I brought it up.”
“…”
“Do you like Mikhail?”
About her feelings of love.
Hoping she would be hurt just a little less.