Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

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Chapter 129 – I broke the seal

“By the way, who should we regroup with first? Happiness or Raven?”  [Youki]

At that moment, I was using my enhanced sense of smell to track both of them down. But considering what would come afterward, I wasn’t sure who to go after first.

“U-Um, does Captain-san know where the both of them are?”  [Irene]

“Irene, here’s the candy I just bought.”  [Duke]

“Ah, thank you. Wait, why do I feel like I’m being tricked?”  [Irene]

“Irene-san, please have these cookies I baked at the mansion.”  [Cecilia]

“Ah!!! Cookies baked by Cecilia-sama herself! Can I really have these?”  [Irene]

It was nice of them to distract Irene-san together. They were working to keep things from getting worse, or rather, to keep my true nature hidden. However, this also made it impossible to consult with them. In other words, I would have to decide what to do on my own. Normally, I would just forge ahead, but it would be different today.

“Let’s split up. Happiness should be down this alley. Raven is a bit further ahead. Stop Happiness, then we’ll go after Raven.”  [Youki]

“Got it.”  [Duke]

“I understand.”  [Cecilia]

“U-Um… Okay, got it.”  [Irene]

One of the three people clearly didn’t understand the situation at all, but there wasn’t any time to explain it to her. I hoped she would do the best she could.

“Okay, I think it’s better to split up based on gender here. Cecilia and Irene-san, you go after Happiness. Duke and I will pursue Raven.”  [Youki]

None of them seemed to object as they nodded in agreement. Although, it looked like Irene-san was just nodding along without understanding a thing. I decided not to worry about it as I made my way down a side street to chase after Raven.

“Captain!”  [Duke]

“What is it?”  [Youki]

“Are you sure it’s okay to leave Irene and Happiness to Cecilia-san alone?”  [Duke]

“…They’ll be fine.”  [Youki]

After all, Cecilia was someone who could easily deal with someone problematic like me. So, she would be able to handle both Happiness and Irene-san with no problem.

“You seem to have some kind of unclear reasoning there, Captain.”  [Duke]

Duke seemed to have caught on, but it was no surprise since we had been together for a long time.

“Well, it’s because I trust her. Cecilia can handle it, no doubt. You know the reason without me saying it, right?”  [Youki]

“Ah, yeah, yeah. I get it. Thank you very much. That’s too much information. Sorry for asking something so unnecessary.”  [Duke]

“No, I didn’t mean it like that…”  [Youki]

“Come on, let’s catch up to Raven quickly.”  [Duke]

Duke responded to me curtly. As we were running, I noticed that Raven seemed to be heading towards a more deserted place, avoiding all the crowded areas consciously.

“Where is Raven going? Is he planning to head to the outskirts of town?”  [Youki]

“Maybe he’s looking for a place where he can be alone.”  [Duke]

“He must be really troubled then…”  [Youki]

What drove Raven to this point? It couldn’t just be the incident at the sea. There must be something more.

“Hmm, from what I saw, he seemed to be behaving normally today. That’s why I didn’t say anything when we decided to split up and act separately.”  [Duke]

“I see… Wait a second.”  [Youki]

Come to think of it, Raven did ask me if Cecilia and I were already dating.

“Do you have any idea what might have triggered this?”  [Duke]

“Yeah, I might. Raven was concerned about the relationship between Cecilia and me. He asked if we were already dating.”  [Youki]

“Ugh, given Raven’s current mental state, he might have completely misunderstood the situation.”  [Duke]

At that time, he seemed convinced by my answer, but when I tried to shield Cecilia earlier, he had probably misunderstood the entire thing again. He might have been also comparing himself to Duke and Irene-san.

“…I’m starting to think that meeting him now might only make things worse.”  [Youki]

“Leaving him alone could be worse. They say it’s better to regret something you did than to regret not doing it.”  [Duke]

“…Is that phrase really applicable to the current situation?”  [Youki]

It felt like I was analyzing the situation quite calmly while we ran. As we were conversing, we finally caught up to Raven, who looked highly uncomfortable when he saw us.

“All right, the game of tag is over.”  [Duke]

“…You chased after me?”  [Raven]

“Of course we did.”  [Youki]

There was no way we could move on to the next spot after a farewell like that.

“Now, let’s hear what you have to say before we head back. We’re still not done with today’s plan.”  [Duke]

“…What good will it do for someone like me to return? I ran off without saying a word.”  [Raven]

“That was your decision. Neither I nor Captain can take responsibility for that. But what are you going to do if you keep running away like this? What about tomorrow or the day after that? Acting without thinking about the future is really foolish.”  [Duke]

When Duke started giving a long, steady lecture like this, it was either because he was genuinely angry, or because he wanted to bring the person back to their senses. I decided to let Duke handle it for the time being.

As the lecture went on, it seemed that Duke’s words were getting through to Raven. The latter started averting his gaze, but Duke didn’t fail to notice that reaction.

“Why are you looking away from me? Do you have something to feel guilty about? Ah, I get it. I’ve told you about it before, right? Happiness is like a younger sister to me. When I first met her, she was pretty timid, but I thought it would be fine as long as she could find happiness. But now, I’m disappointed.”  [Duke]

Seeing as Raven wasn’t responding, Duke laid it on thick. Well, I had my moments of timidity, so I didn’t have the authority to comment.

“Besides, why did you run off just like that? ‘Oh, Captain and Cecilia are getting cozy, but what about me?’ Don’t tell me that you ran off because of these thoughts? If that’s the case, then that’s just jealousy, isn’t it? If you’re frustrated, shouldn’t you be thinking of ways you can step up your game? How to grow? If you don’t try to do that at the very least, then all the support I’ve given you and my trust in you would have been for nothing!”  [Duke]

That was true. If that were the case, the efforts of all those who had supported him would have gone to waste. Duke had put in a lot of effort in helping not just Raven, but Happiness, too. Although, I was also one of the people who had caused him trouble.

“…Even after all that, you’re still silent. Well, in that case, there’s nothing more I can do. Captain, I’ll leave the rest to you.”  [Duke]

“Wait, you’re just going to hand this over to me now!?”  [Youki]

Having said his piece, Duke decided to leave Raven to me instead. He seemed to have conveyed what he wanted, so he was already satisfied.

“I’ve said everything I needed to say. I’ll be waiting with the others at our usual cake shop.”  [Duke]

Duke left right after that leaving just Raven and me.

“…Well, for now, why don’t we sit down?”  [Youki]

It was a dimly lit back alley, cluttered with abandoned objects. I sat on a piece of wood lying around and Raven soon followed suit. Silence took over the space. The purpose was to give him some time to collect his thoughts, so he would start talking when he was ready.

“…Phew, it’s been a while since someone scolded me like that.”  [Raven]

“Isn’t it a pretty common occurrence for you?”  [Youki]

“…You’re not wrong.”  [Raven]

Seeing Raven smile a little made me feel somewhat relieved.

“So, what do you want to do, Raven?”  [Youki]

“It’s pathetic, but…”  [Raven]

“The reply, ‘I don’t know’, isn’t an option.”  [Youki]

I was only looking for a definite answer. If things were left ambiguous, they would probably continue to be so. If today had ended as just another lively triple date, that would’ve been fine, but since things turned out this way, we must find a resolution or it wouldn’t work out. I might have been poking my nose where it shouldn’t be, but so be it.

“…I know I can’t stay like this. You remember the mission at the sea, right?”  [Raven]

“Yeah, I won’t forget.”  [Youki]

Even if someone told me to forget that merciless right hook, it would be hard to. There were other unexpected things during that mission, too.

“…She said there’s a secret.”  [Raven]

“Huh?!”  [Youki]

“She told me there’s something she’s been hiding from me.”  [Raven]

Was Happiness trying to reveal her true identity? But when did they even talk about that? I had no idea.

“…Well, there are other memories I can’t forget, but please let those remain just between me and Happiness.”  [Raven]

“Y-Yeah.”  [Youki]

It must have been the time when I was forcibly kicked out. Raven didn’t want to talk about it, or rather, he didn’t want anyone to know. I decided not to press any further. Those memories should just stay between the two of them.

“…And about the secret, Happiness usually doesn’t show her emotions much. But at that time, I think she looked scared. It must be something really serious.”  [Raven]

“Yeah, you could definitely infer that.”  [Youki]

“I’m worried if I could handle what she wanted to tell me. No, at this rate, she might not even talk to me at all.”  [Raven]

“What are you trying to say?”  [Youki]

“…I…I was jealous when I saw you talking normally with Cecilia and getting along so well. Duke was right. I’m not fit to be a knight, to be troubled and suffering from things like these. Not only do I lack the courage to accept everything about the woman I love, but I also can’t honestly be happy for the romance of my friends and comrades.”  [Raven]

I thought sitting down would help calm things down, but it had taken a turn for the worse. I never imagined that Raven was this troubled. The alley somehow felt even darker.

Raven felt silent again as if waiting for me to say something. He looked like he was bracing himself for harsh words or insults. But I…

“Like hell I’m going to say something kind to you!!!”  [Youki]

Something inside me snapped even though I just wanted to be a normal, average guy who was in unrequited love today.

“Hmph, jealousy is something everyone feels. It’s nothing to be pessimistic about. In fact, would you feel nothing if you saw the person you like getting cozy with someone else of the opposite sex?”  [Youki]

“There’s no way…”  [Raven]

“Exactly! If you didn’t care, it would mean that person wasn’t important to you. So, Raven, are your feelings for Happiness really that insignificant?”  [Youki]

“…No, they’re not.”  [Raven]

“That’s right. In that case, you should just face her honestly with your true feelings. If you lack courage, I’ll at least give you a push. Do you know who I am? I’m more often on the side of being jealous than being the one people are jealous of!”  [Youki]

Don’t underestimate me. I’ve been living a life surrounded by happy couples and I’ve accumulated plenty of experience by now. And now, it’s time for my long-awaited signature pose! I’ve broken my seal, so you’re going to stick with me until you bounce back, Raven. My switch has just been flipped!

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