Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage
Character page: Here
Chapter 128 – We held a reflection meeting
Raven ran off, leaving everyone in the group in a state of shock, but the group wasn’t the one to stay idle. First, we changed location to decide on what to do. We entrusted Happiness to Irene-san while Cecilia, Duke, and I held a reflection meeting.
“To begin with, I think something’s off today.” [Youki]
Cecilia and Duke’s behaviour was unnatural. It was something that I needed to address.
“What are you talking about? I was just being cautious around Captain, that’s all.” [Duke]
“I’m sorry. Me too.” [Cecilia]
“Why are you both so wary of me!?” [Youki]
I had tried to behave myself to suppress my usual tendencies – I would be only a normal young man who’s in love today. I didn’t do anything weird after we all met up.
“You’ve run into Irene before the meetup, remember? She was really excited and said things like, ‘Captain was amazing. I didn’t get it but he seemed so cool. As expected of someone Duke calls Captain’… and so on. When she said all that, I thought today was going to be bad.” [Duke]
“And that’s why I took the role of keeping an eye on you, Youki-san.” [Cecilia]
“What?” [Youki]
So it was my fault? The two of them were cautious, but I had decided to behave myself. As a result, Cecilia tried to stick with me the whole time while Duke kept his focus on Irene-san and me. Raven ended up being neglected instead.
“Hmm, I’ve forgotten about Irene’s clumsiness. Captain, this is all because of your usual antics.” [Duke]
“And, why is this my fault!?” [Youki]
“For now, let’s all calm down!” [Cecilia]
“Yes, sorry.” [Duke]
“Got it.” [Youki]
Our argument settled down after Cecilia stepped in. There was no point fighting here since nothing would be resolved.
“There’s no denying that our baseless suspicion towards Youki-san is one of the reasons we’re in this situation. Youki-san, I’m sorry.” [Cecilia]
Cecilia bowed her head towards me. Honestly speaking, I didn’t mind it at all. I had fun being alone with her.
“Captain, wipe that grin off your face!” [Duke]
“Oh, whoops… No, there’s no need to apologize. The real issue here is Raven.” [Youki]
“Yeah, we’ve got to track down Raven who’s on the run.” [Duke]
“Absolutely. We’ll find him no matter where he’s hiding!” [Youki]
“You’re both making it sound like you’re catching a criminal…” [Cecilia]
Cecilia, being the kind person she was, tried to defend Raven, but running away from someone he was interested in was totally unacceptable. Even someone like Happiness would be hurt after being left behind like that. However, when I glanced in Happiness’s direction, there she was, happily eating crepe with Irene-san. She was enjoying her dessert with a content look on her face.
Happiness, do you really care more about your crepe than about Raven?
“Well, after pulling a stunt like that, it’s no wonder she’s acting this way. Captain, any idea where Raven might be?” [Duke]
“Am I a dog or something? He’s still nearby. He hasn’t gotten far.” [Youki]
When I enhanced my sense of smell, I caught a whiff of his scent. I could probably catch up with him if I ran. However, saying so made me feel like a police dog. I supposed it was nothing new seeing as I was always the one hunting for someone.
“As expected of you, Youki-san. Let’s chase after him right away.” [Cecilia]
“Yeah, leave any people hunting to me from now on.” [Youki]
I didn’t mind being praised. It was one of my few skills after all. Not that I was getting a big head just because Cecilia complimented me or anything like that.
“You look pretty happy about it.” [Duke]
“Of course I am! We’ve found Raven. Now let’s go capture him!” [Youki]
“…Well, whatever. I’m ready to restrain him whenever you are.” [Duke]
I didn’t know where Duke pulled them from, but he took out a sturdy-looking rope and a chain with a padlock while looking all fired up. It seemed that Raven was treated like a full-blown criminal.
“But I like your enthusiasm, Duke. Let’s work together and start the ‘Operation to catch Raven’!” [Youki]
“Roger that.” [Duke]
“…In the end, it always turns out like this, doesn’t it?” [Cecilia]
Cecilia sighed, her shoulders slumping in resignation. Her expression showed that she had already given up on something. I noticed that she was gradually getting used to these kinds of situations.
“It’s all for Raven and Happiness’s sake. Here, this rope is for you, Cecilia.” [Youki]
“I don’t need it!” [Cecilia]
“How about a collar then?” [Duke]
“No, thank you!” [Cecilia]
Both of us were flatly rejected. Well, the thought of Cecilia tying up Raven with a rope, or leading him around on a leash was slightly… something that I’d want to see.
“Youki-san? You’re not thinking of anything weird, are you?” [Cecilia]
“Nope, definitely not!” [Youki]
Cecilia’s icy, emotionless tone sent chills down my spine, so all I could do was nod fervently.
Sometimes, I think she might have even sharper instincts than I do.
“Now, as for our ‘Operation to capture Raven’, I’m thinking of leaving Happiness and Irene behind as lookouts.” [Duke]
“I see. So you want Happiness to keep an eye on Irene-san.” [Youki]
If we were to leave her alone, there was no telling what she would do. That was part of her nature. Happiness, on the other hand, was quick-witted and alert to her surroundings, so she was perfect for the job.
“No, no. You’ve got it backward!” [Duke]
“Backwards?” [Youki]
“I want Irene to keep an eye on Happiness. We don’t know what kind of state Raven is in right now, so it’s dangerous to let them make contact.” [Duke]
“Ah, I see.” [Youki]
“That sounds like a better plan.” [Cecilia]
Cecilia and I both agreed to follow Duke’s suggestion.
…Irene-san, I apologize for doubting you. Please keep an eye on Happiness.
“All right, let’s go.” [Duke]
“Um.. she’s already gone ahead. What should we do?” [Irene]
“Huh?”
“What?”
Just as Duke gave the order, Irene-san suddenly joined in, dropping a bomb.
“Don’t tell me, did Happiness wander off somewhere?!” [Duke]
“Y-Yes. We were talking while eating crepes, and when I asked Happiness-san if she was going to eat both since she had bought two, she said ‘together’ and then ran off…” [Irene]
The other crepe might have been meant for Raven.
Good for you Raven, and Happiness too. Let me correct myself. It’s not a matter of choosing crepe over Raven, but she has chosen both the crepe and Raven.
“All right. I feel better now!” [Youki]
“…You just thought of something that’s probably not relevant, isn’t it?” [Cecilia]
“No, it’s somewhat relevant.” [Youki]
“Somewhat… so it’s not that important now. Let’s go after Happiness-chan.” [Cecilia]
“Cecilia just brushed it off!?” [Youki]
I wasn’t exactly joking, but I expected some kind of comment with a bit of punchline.
“Youki-san, please confirm Happiness-chan’s whereabouts. This is something only you can do. First, let’s catch up to her. We’re counting on you.” [Cecilia]
“Got it. Leave it to me.” [Youki]
What kind of guy wouldn’t try his best when the girl he likes says she’s counting on him? I’ll make sure not to overdo it, though.
“Duke-san, it seems that Captain-san’s expressions change easily. Now that I think about it, when we met before everyone gathered, his way of speaking was different too. Could this be that they call multiple personalities?” [Irene]
“For now, just keep quiet and follow along while you eat your crepe.” [Duke]
“Ah, okay. As for Captain-san…” [Irene]
“Irene, there are times in life when you desperately want to know something, but once you do, you end up regretting it because you realize it doesn’t really matter.” [Duke]
“R-Really?! Duke-san, I’ve learned something new!” [Irene]
“All right. That’s good to hear.” [Duke]
He was like a father skillfully deflecting a tricky question from his child. In this case, it was true that my flipped personality wasn’t worth dwelling on.
“Enough with the idle talk. Let’s move. This way.” [Youki]
It was almost as though helping Raven and Happiness had been my intention from the very beginning. Regardless, I decided to try to put some effort into this matter.
RinkageTranslation 
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