LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 275
Another happy day at the Academy.
“Do you really have to do this?”
Hiding behind a pillar, I looked down at the violet crown of Shuen’s head and spoke to her. No matter how important preliminary research might be, this seemed unnecessary.
“Even if Miss Shuen has never held a man’s hand before and is a lifelong single… this is going too far.”
“Shh, be quiet, commoner.”
“Sigh…”
“What a lifelong single like me needs is preliminary researrrrch! This girl is currently conducting an investigation to capture a man’s heart!”
“People call that stalking.”
-Flinch…!
Startled, Shuen flinched and stammered.
“It’s observation!”
“No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like observation.”
“Don’t overthink it! If I say it’s right, then it’s right!”
Shuen, who was preparing herself to confess to Mikhail before their one-on-one date, was busy readying her heart.
What time would be best to confess?
What kind of expression should Mikhail have when she confesses for the best chance of success? She was stalking him to figure out these unnecessary details.
-Lifelong single, indeed…!
-That much was obvious.
-Argh… Then help this girl out!
-I have to watch the convenience store.
-Didn’t you say you were looking for a part-timer?
-Miss Hanna agreed to cover for a while.
-Hanna is too popular, so I can’t rely on her! Wouldn’t it be better for a commoner like me, who’s living a miserable life and has worse grades than Hanna, to step in as the next option?
-You just want to monopolize the opportunity.
-Flinch!
-You’re too obvious, Miss Shuen.
-Anyway, help me out!
A few days ago, Shuen had outright refused my help, saying she didn’t need anything from a commoner. Now, here she was, asking for my assistance, saying nobles always speak with two tongues.
-Hmm…
And so, I ended up accepting Shuen’s proposal, as it was quite appealing in some ways. After all, I needed someone to fill in for me at the convenience store, and Shuen, who was somewhat familiar with the job, seemed like a decent choice.
That’s how I got Malik’s permission and ended up stalking Mikhail with Shuen. We were now wasting time here pointlessly.
“By the way, Miss Shuen.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think anything will change by doing this?”
“Huh?”
“Mikhail’s daily routine is just classes and training at the grounds. Watching that won’t change anything, will it?”
“Eek?”
Shuen, hit by the truth again, awkwardly raised her head to look at me.
“You’re right?”
“What do you mean, ‘You’re right’?”
“I don’t really know either!”
“Remarkable.”
Shuen scratched her head and soon refocused on watching Mikhail. The current time was 6 p.m. With summer approaching, the sky remained bright for longer.
And Mikhail was, as always, tormenting a training dummy at the grounds.
-Haaaaah!!!!
-Damn…! Damn…!
-…I need to show something different…!
‘He’s improved a lot.’
Perhaps meeting the Apostle had motivated him; Mikhail’s sword strokes were short and precise.
He had even changed the sword he was using.
It seemed like the experience of meeting the Apostle hadn’t only had a negative impact on him.
As I considered about ten areas where Mikhail’s swordsmanship could be improved, I heard Shuen’s voice of admiration from below.
“Wow…”
“Impressive, isn’t it?”
“Huh?”
Shuen, busy jotting something down in her pocket notebook, looked up at me.
“What exactly is impressive?”
“Mikhail. His focus is incredible, don’t you think?”
“Hmm?! Oh, right, that’s true!”
“Wait a second, Miss Shuen. What have you been writing this whole time? Weren’t you taking notes about Mikhail?”
Shuen smiled brightly and showed me her notebook.
-Tonight’s dinner menu.
1. Lunchbox
2. Meat
3. Canned food
I was a fool to have expected anything more.
After watching Mikhail swing his sword absentmindedly for an hour, we finally noticed him heading toward the dormitory after finishing his training early. Awkwardly, we looked at each other.
“So, did you gain anything?”
-Nod.
“What is it?”
Shuen nodded and said,
“I have no idea!”
“…”
I genuinely wanted to flick her forehead.
With a deep sigh, I grabbed Shuen by the back of her neck and tucked her under my arm. In my previous life’s terms, this was a headlock. Since I couldn’t hit this frustrating woman, this was the best punishment I could give her.
“Ack! Commoner, what are you doing?! How dare you choke a noble’s neck?!”
“I’ll buy you dinner, so just be quiet.”
“Commoner!”
Shuen shook herself free from the headlock and glared at me. Whether she was trying to scold me for putting her in a headlock without permission, she snorted loudly and declared,
“I like meat!”
“Hah…”
“Hehe!”
“Say that again.”
“How insolent! Aaaah! I’m sorry!”
Still in a headlock, Shuen was dragged to the restaurant.
***
A famous steakhouse in the capital city.
-Gulp.
“Wait… Commoner.”
“Yes.”
“You must like me after all. Bringing me to such an expensive place!”
“Shut up and just pick something from the menu.”
“Gulp…! If you leave the bill to me, I won’t be able to pay for it.”
I let out a dry laugh and said to Shuen,
“Miss Shuen, I’ve been curious about something for a while now.”
“Huh? Ask me anything!”
“Are you really a noble?”
“…?”
“…Nod.”
“Of course! I am the proud eldest daughter of the Tetra Household, Tetra Shuen…!”
“Then why… Never mind. It’s nothing.”
As I hesitated to speak, Shuen looked startled and shouted at me.
“What is it! Why are you stopping mid-sentence!”
“It’s nothing. I just thought you seemed like a well-mannered noble.”
“Oh-ho-ho! Thank you for the compliment, commoner.”
“…I truly envy your positive outlook.”
“Oh-ho-ho… By the way, commoner.”
Shuen quickly glanced around and then whispered to me in a small voice.
“What should I choose?! I’ve never been to a place like this before, so I have no idea. I can’t even read what’s written on the menu!”
Shuen pointed to the item at the very bottom of the menu and spoke.
“Should I just order the cheapest ‘Fairy’s Tears’?”
“Um, Miss Shuen.”
“Yes.”
“That’s wine.”
“Yes…!?”
“That section is for beverages.”
Shuen leaned in close to the menu, her face full of disbelief, and alternated between looking at the menu and me.
“Y-you… You really think of me as…!”
“I’ll pay, so please just pick something without making a fuss.”
“Gasp…! Commoner, you’re wealthier than I thought!”
“Sigh…”
Shaking my head at Shuen’s unexpectedly impoverished life, I selected the most expensive items from the menu and addressed the staff.
“Ah! Wait a moment! I can’t let your wallet be emptied, commoner!”
“Shh! Please, just be quiet, Miss Shuen!”
“Thud…”
Shuen pouted her lips, glanced at me, and then lowered her head.
“Understood! Then I’ll contribute even a little!”
-Clink.
“…”
I watched Shuen trembling as she handed over three gold coins, and a bittersweet smile crept onto my face.
“Oh dear…”
“Do not underestimate a girl’s wallet!”
“Then the payment will be on you, Miss Shuen…”
“Feel free to underestimate it as much as you like!”
Shuen’s quick change of attitude was truly remarkable.
With a moment of respite, I looked at Shuen and quietly began to ask her the reason I had brought her here.
After all, it didn’t seem appropriate to discuss something important over a lunchbox at the academy.
“So, Miss Shuen, have you made your decision?”
“About the menu?”
“No. Something more important than that.”
“Hmm… There’s nothing more important than this!”
“Your confession.”
“Ah-ha!”
Shuen responded enthusiastically while putting the pre-meal bread into her bag.
“That’s right! This time, I will make Senior Mikhail mine!”
Where should I even begin?
Watching Shuen stash away more of the newly replenished pre-meal bread, I started giving her some advice.
“First of all, don’t steal bread in front of Mikhail.”
“Isn’t that obvious!”
“Then why do you do it in front of me?”
“Good question?!”
Shuen scratched her head with a bashful smile.
“I don’t know! Tee-hee!”
What should I do?
With a bittersweet smile, I began to offer her words that would leave no regrets, knowing full well how her confession would end.
Even if it wasn’t a novel.
Knowing that this could never ethically work out, I took a deep breath and spoke to Shuen.
“For now, I’ll teach you as much as I can. I’ll be nearby on the day, but there are things you’ll need to handle yourself, Miss Shuen.”
“Oh… Commoner.”
“Who do you think I am?”
“A pervert!”
“…?”
“Nod, nod.”
Shuen looked at me with eyes full of expectation and nodded. Receiving the most absurd expectation of my life, I let out a hollow laugh and reluctantly nodded back.
“Yes, I’m that famous pervert, so you’d better listen to what I say.”
“Yes!”
“First…”
.
.
.
“Understood!”
Shuen nodded vigorously in response to my words.
To confirm that Shuen had properly understood, I looked into her sparkling eyes and asked.
“The confession?”
“In a place where we’re alone!”
“And how did I tell you to dress?”
“As plainly as possible!”
“I told you to wear something simple, not a dress. Mikhail doesn’t like things that stand out. If you don’t have anything like that, just wear your school uniform.”
“…Understood.”
“And the leftover food?”
“I shouldn’t pack it up!”
Nodding at Shuen’s excellent responses, I let out a sigh of relief.
“Perfect. Just do exactly that.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll write it all down in a notebook for you, so make sure to study it.”
-Nod, nod.
And so, the morning of the confession day arrived.
Shuen stood in front of her wardrobe with a serious expression.
“But being too plain might not work either.”
Shuen tossed aside the simple outfit Ricardo had chosen for her onto the bed and began rummaging through her wardrobe, layering items one by one.
Starting with a large pearl necklace.
To a dress full of frills.
She adorned herself with everything Ricardo had told her not to wear and smiled in satisfaction.
“Perfect…!”
Shuen was unaware.
Unaware that this choice would lead to the most embarrassing conclusion of her life.
She didn’t know.