279 – The Earnest Person

Another peaceful day at the academy.

Dressed in a convenience store uniform, Shuen held a hot bar handed to her by Hanna, a mischievous smile on her face as she went to ring it up.

“Heheh.”

“…What?”

“Heheh.”

“Hurry up and calculate. I’m busy.”

Hanna clicked her tongue as she looked at Shuen, who was giggling foolishly. Wondering if he had finally lost his mind.

‘Oh dear…’

“Heh…”

After the butler left, Shuen began to act inexplicably. When he came to the convenience store to buy snacks, he would giggle, go ‘Ohoho,’ and slyly touch his hip and wink… His actions, which simultaneously conveyed s*xual harassment and pity, made Hanna feel sorry for him.

“Ohohot…”

It seemed like academy life was getting too hard for him.

Had chasing after senior Mikhail driven him mad, or was it because the butler who used to have lunch with him had disappeared, causing his brain to malfunction? One thing was certain: Shuen, who had become strange after the butler’s disappearance, laughed meaninglessly more often, like a girl in her first love.

Hanna said, looking at Shuen, who was wearing a sly smile.

“Hey…”

“Hehe…!”

“Hey… Shuen.”

“Ohohot! What is it?”

“Why are you acting like this?”

Shuen glanced at the uniform he was wearing, then soon began to boast with a big grin.

“Heheh… Histania Hanna. You’ve finally noticed.”

Shuen pinched his uniform with two fingers and began to share TMI that no one wanted to hear.

“I, Shuen, have gotten a new job. Do you see? My new clothes…!”

“No… that’s not it…”

“If we’re talking about this outfit, it’s the legacy that Phingmin left me before he left! He entrusted me with the future of SU convenience store and this name tag! The uniform with the name tag ‘Employee Shuen’ pinned directly onto my chest by him.”

“…Sigh.”

“With excellent elasticity and sweat-wicking…! This is the clothing given only to those affiliated with SU convenience store!”

“No…”

Hanna shook her head as she watched Shuen bite the uniform and stretch it out with his mouth, wondering how someone could be so foolish.

“Sigh… Never mind. Just hurry up and calculate, I need to go to class.”

“Understood!”

“But Shuen, aren’t you going to attend class?”

“Ah! I’ve given up on graduating!”

“Huh…?”

“I have a whole plan for myself, you see!”

Hanna shook her head in disbelief at Shuen’s innovative way of saying she had thrown her life away, as she took the change Shuen handed her, from a mind uncreased by worry.

“Anyway, I’m off. Take good care of the convenience store. If there’s any work, just let me know, I’ll do it for you.”

“Thank you!”

“Mhm.”

Shuen watched Hanna’s retreating figure with a sly grin.

“Oh, by the way, Miss Hanna.”

“Yes?”

“You said you liked the commoner… no, Ricardo, right?”

“Uh…? Did I tell you that?”

“Yes!”

“Uh… right. So what? Planning to do something nasty?”

Shuen shook her head at Hanna.

“Just checking!”

“How anticlimactic.”

Shuen muttered under her breath as she watched Hanna leave the convenience store.

“Histania Hanna… you’ve become my rival…! Hehe… I’ll graciously give up the official wife position. I’m a generous person after all!”

Shuen was open-minded about polygamy. The more popular the person she liked, the higher her own value seemed to rise.

“Hehehe…”

With a mischievous smile, Shuen pulled out a discarded lunchbox hidden under the counter and picked up a spoon.

“I, Shuen, will not be defeated…!”

-Ding-dong.

“Welcome! To the happy SU convenience store!”

Shuen smiled, thinking of the commoner who would one day return to the academy.

***

Another peaceful day at the Desmont mansion.

“…Hmnyari.”

The lady riding on the back of Gomtangi leisurely picked her nose as she strolled through the duke’s residence.

“To the side.”

-Grooom.

“Eek!! I said to the side.”

-Grooom.

“Eeeek!”

Of course, Gomtang, moving as he pleased, didn’t follow the lady’s commands, but still, she was driving, pulling her hair out in frustration.

“Go on!”

-Gomgom.

“Eek! If you don’t listen to me, I’ll boil you into a stew!”

-Gom.

Regardless, Gomtang, with his short tail wagging, went on his way.

Olivia’s destination was Ricardo, sitting leisurely at the table.

To deliver a blow of justice to the butler who arrogantly ignored his master and sipped tea leisurely, Olivia was making her grand entrance.

The lady shouted at me, feeling the warmth of her teacup.

“Eeeek! Ricardo!”

“Yes, my lady.”

“The snack won’t listen to me.”

“It’s not ‘snack,’ it’s Gomtang.”

“It’s all the same.”

“No, it’s not. If you keep saying that, you might actually make it happen.”

“Eeek… Anyway! He’s not listening to his master.”

I responded to the angry lady with a fresh smile.

“It’s because you’re too easygoing, my lady.”

“Eeeek!!! Bite!”

-Gom.

“Bite Ricardo, not me!”

-Grooom!

It was another peaceful day at the Desmunt Ducal Residence.

I had just finished my convenience store job and was feeling the happiness of the unemployed life for the first time in a while.

‘It makes me wonder if this is what life is all about.’ So to speak.

-Squeeeak!!! Go that way, you dumb bear!

-Grooom!

-Ugh…! Don’t run!

-Grooom!

-Ricardooo!!!

Of course, the lady causes trouble, but still, I was content with such peaceful days, leisurely enjoying life.

-Gulp.

I had prevented the tragedy of a girl dreaming of an unattainable love, and the new business I started was also wrapping up quite successfully.

Although it didn’t receive an explosive response, I was satisfied with my own achievements and lightly rose from my chair to catch the lady disappearing from my sight.

“How far are you going.”

-Grooom!

“Wow…”

The vigorously running bear soup had already reached the vast entrance of the duke’s mansion. At this rate, it could aim to surpass the mascot of Desmont and even become the mascot of the empire.

I followed the lady, who was letting out strange screams, with a smile on my face.

“Lady!”

“Hmm?”

“Please stop!”

“Ricardo. The bear won’t stop.”

Having reached a state of enlightenment, the lady felt the wind against her and relished her freedom, soon reaching the main gate and looking at the tense knights with a blank expression.

“Ah… Greetings, Lady! I am Elang Bator, the guardian knight of the Desmont ducal mansion! The knight next to me is…!”

“Hmm. Hello.”

“So far, there have been 0 visitors and 0 intruders, we’re on ironclad defense…! If… if there’s anything you need, please… let us know at any time.”

“Hmm…”

“Lady, is there, um… anything we can help you with?”

The knight, intimidated by the appearance of a high noble, smoothly introduced himself while keeping an eye on the lady. With the lady who bites passing dogs in front of him, he couldn’t help but be nervous.

Right now, in the mind of gatekeeper Elang Bator, memories from 10 years ago were resurfacing.

-Rumble…

-Lady…! It’s a stray dog. Just ignore it and pass by…

-Squeak! Let go! It started the fight with a ‘growl’ first, you see?!

-Lady…! No matter what, it’s still a stray dog.

“…Gulp.”

As a knight who had dealt with a villainess who couldn’t be reasoned with, Bator was worried that the bear and the princess in front of him might start fighting. After all, the bear would surely not win.

-Sniff sniff sniff.

The bear brought by the princess was rubbing its head against Bator’s armor pocket, sniffing the scent. It seemed to have caught the smell of the jerky he had brought for a snack, and with an intensity as if it was about to bite off his leg, the bear pressed its nose against him. Bator grabbed the handle of his sword at his waist and swallowed his saliva.

Should he be afraid of the bear.

Or should he be afraid of the princess, he wasn’t sure.

“Wait.”

-Bear?

“It’s not food.”

-Bear.

“Sigh…”

Bator let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the well-socialized bear, calming his pounding heart. He wished a monster would appear instead.

And at that moment.

“My lady!”

Bator’s savior had appeared.

Bator looked at me and sent a happy smile. His eyes were filled with affection, as if asking why I had taken so long.

“Butler!”

“Ahaha…! I’m sorry. You must have been quite startled.”

“Not at all. What am I saying haha…. Sigh…”

I gave an awkward smile after seeing Bator’s pale face, which seemed to have aged ten years. I could roughly guess what he was thinking.

I naturally hoisted the lady onto my back and greeted Bator.

“Speak comfortably, Lord Bator. You used to do so 13 years ago.”

“I didn’t know you were a noble then, haha…!”

“From what I remember, you paid me to beat the lady more…”

“Shh… please…!”

Bator glanced at the lady with a question mark over her head and quietly slipped a gold coin into my pocket while covering my mouth.

“It’s all in the past. Please forget about it.”

“Why such a thing again.”

Indeed, it seemed that an educated person was different in every way.

I left Bator with a contented smile, and began to walk slowly towards the mansion. And the young lady on my back asked me.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“Are you friends with that knight?”

“Yes. Don’t you know, Miss? The person who looked after us when we fought in the slums.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s him.”

“Really?”

The young lady nodded lightly and then buried her face in my back. And she grumbled to me.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“When are we going to our house?”

“Hamel?”

“Hmm.”

“Do you want to go home?”

“Hmm. I’m scared someone will steal the chocolate.”

“…”

I smiled faintly at the young lady’s trivial remark and replied.

“We’ll go this evening.”

“Let’s bring some chocolate when we go.”

“Understood.”

Until then, I had thought that the long-unoccupied mansion would be without incident.

There were people guarding the house.

And I didn’t think there would be anyone threatening the mansion.

But.

There was someone unexpected knocking on the door of the mansion.

“…Please, just let me see him once.”

A familiar middle-aged woman was kneeling.

I looked at the pale woman’s face and smiled bitterly.

Her name was Ella.

She was a friend’s mother.