Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage
Character page: Here
Chapter 130 – I encouraged my friend
“Come on, stand up! Are those legs just for show? The time for sitting around is over.” [Youki]
I would make sure Raven gets to Happiness. For that, I was willing to embarrass myself as much as necessary. No, it wasn’t something I should call embarrassing. What I intended to do was for a friend and a former subordinate.
“It’s not just your legs that need to stand up, but your heart as well. Your heart isn’t that weak. Duke said what he said because he believed you could pull through.” [Youki]
Duke’s words weren’t just fueled by anger or frustration. He said he’d be waiting too, which meant he trusted Raven.
“Let’s go, Raven. Come on, walk, run! Happiness is doing things for your sake, so let’s catch up to her already.” [Youki]
“…Yeah. Youki, I’m sorry. No, thank you. I feel like an idiot for worrying so much. Then again, I should see this as a learning experience. Either way, I’m a fool.” [Raven]
“Hmph, don’t worry! If you’re a fool, then I’m an even bigger one!” [Youki]
Raven’s eyes widened at my words. Then, he threw his head back and burst out laughing.
“…Haha, Youki. So, that makes you a huge fool?” [Raven]
“Raven, did you really think I was normal?” [Youki]
“…That’s a question you ask when trying to measure someone else. And the way you’re asking it, it sounds like you’re admitting yourself that you’re abnormal.” [Raven]
“Too bad, Raven. The existence that is me can’t be summed up with mere words!” [Youki]
I’m not a man who can be defined by just any words.
“…Hah, what on earth are we even talking about?” [Raven]
The dark expression he had just moments ago seemed like a lie as he continued laughing. If I said that this wasn’t a case of things spiraling out of control but part of my plan, no one would believe me. Regardless, I would still achieve my goal even without prior calculations.
“If you can make that face, then you’re all right. Let’s head back before Duke scolds us for being late.” [Youki]
“…Yeah, you’re right. I imagine Duke would get tired of having to reprimand the same person multiple times in one day. I’ll apologize properly.” [Raven]
“Of course you will. But remember, today is still far from over. Do your best.” [Youki]
“…Yeah. But today, I’m going to take it easy and just be myself. It’s almost laughable how foolish I’ve been lately. It seems I’ve forgotten how to take a break.” [Raven]
“Hmm, true. You’ve been going through days of lethargy, but it wasn’t exactly resting. If anything, you were just worn out from worrying too much.” [Youki]
It was hard to believe you could rest properly in that state.
“That’s all due to my own weakness. But today, I’m planning to just enjoy myself. Don’t read too much into it, there’s no deep meaning.” [Raven]
“Just enjoy yourself, huh? In that case, I might as well go all out too.” [Youki]
“…Youki, you should tone it down a bit, if only to avoid causing Cecilia any trouble.” [Raven]
“Hmm, very well. Then by the time we meet them later, I’ll make sure to be back to normal. My power – on and off at will!” [Youki]
“…You’re really you, huh?” [Raven]
“Of course. I am who I am. What are you talking about?” [Youki]
What a strange thing he said.
“Yeah, I said something odd.” [Raven]
“Well, I don’t get it, but shall we head back to the cake shop? Those waiting for us might be getting impatient.” [Youki]
“Yeah, let’s go. We’ve made them wait long enough, so we should be prepared for that.” [Raven]
“You’ll have to get through it yourself. Or rather, just accept whatever comes your way.” [Youki]
I thought he might have dreaded going back as he would be facing a series of scoldings, but judging from his expression, that didn’t seem to be the case. Feeling relieved that things would be okay, I led Raven to the cake shop.
♦♦♦
“Youki-san, thanks for your efforts. You managed to bring Raven-san back safely… though it doesn’t seem like you came out unscathed.” [Cecilia]
“…I’d like to crawl into a hole and disappear.” [Youki]
I was determined to keep my persona sealed and be a normal guy today, but I ended up going overboard. Damn it!
After we arrived at the cake shop, my switch suddenly turned off, leaving me squirming in embarrassment. So, we had a scene of Cecilia comforting me played out.
“Youki-san, here are some cakes. They’re new creations. Let’s eat them together.” [Cecilia]
“Ahhh… I’m sorry for getting carried away. If only I’d stopped there… I said too much. I hate my big mouth.” [Youki]
“This time, you’ve used all your strength to help Raven-san get back on his feet. As a result, he has recovered. You didn’t do anything wrong, so cheer up.” [Cecilia]
Cecilia crouched down to speak to me at eye level as I sat on the ground with my knees up. Her kindness was painful to bear. I knew I looked completely pathetic, but the damage was too great.
“…Seriously, why is it that the person who brought Raven back is now the one who’s depressed? I don’t get it.” [Duke]
“…It’s a mystery.” [Happiness]
“A-Ah… um, I’ll help comfort him, too…” [Irene]
“No, leave it to Cecilia-san. She’s used to handling Captain.” [Duke]
My former subordinate seemed to have no issues saying whatever he wanted despite my depression.
Duke, you’re not leaving me to Cecilia because I’m a hassle, right?
My assumption proved to be correct when Duke avoided looking at us after that.
“So, you’re back. Well, I figured Captain would pull it off. And since it’s you we’re talking about, I knew you’d come back.” [Duke]
“…Mm.” [Happiness]
Duke seemed relieved while Happiness, not appearing particularly angry at all, offered Raven the crepe she bought for him. However, he didn’t accept the crepe right away. He just stood there, unmoving. Seeing him like this snapped me out of my own turmoil.
“…Could you hear what I have to say? I’m sorry for leaving without a word while everyone was having a good time. Duke, I’m sorry for running the plans you went through the trouble of making. I’m truly sorry, for all my selfish actions…” [Raven]
Words of apology spilled from his mouth. However, instead of apologizing through his written memo like he always did, he said it out loud this time. He normally avoided speaking in front of people like Cecilia and Irene-san, so we always whispered to each other whenever there were others around.
Once Raven was done with his apology, he bowed his head, eliciting varied responses from different individuals. Duke was probably thinking the same thing I did; Raven had finally broken out of his shell. Even Cecilia seemed a bit thrown off, her expression was pretty apparent as she was unable to remain calm. Irene-san, who had been flustered from the start, didn’t seem to know what to do. As for Happiness, her eyes were wide open, probably being the one who was most surprised among all.
“W-Well you did cause trouble, so it’s only natural to apologize. Come on, Captain, Cecilia, you too. Let’s have some cake and take a little break.” [Duke]
Upon hearing what Duke said, everyone snapped back to reality. After that, we spent the day following the plan Duke had laid out, or so it seemed. As I had broken my earlier vow, my switch was flipped now and then, so Cecilia had to pull me aside to scold me and make me reflect each time. It was an endless cycle. Irene-san, on the other hand, was her clumsy self as usual, but thanks to Duke’s timely interventions, things never got too out of hand. In short, it turned out to be a day full of laughter. Raven had fully recovered, so Duke, Cecilia, and I were relieved.
However, a few days later, a new problem arose. Happiness left behind a note and then disappeared.
RinkageTranslation 
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