Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage
Character page: Here
Chapter 140 – I vented my feelings to the mother of the girl I like
“Status, title, occupation… Celia-san, what should I do?” [Youki]
“Oh my, Youki-kun, were you such a weak-willed child? I’m afraid I can’t give you the answer you seek. In times like this, you should express your honest feelings.” [Celia]
“…I love Cecilia.” [Youki]
I could say it clearly, even in front of Celia-san. However, she quietly shook her head.
“Is that something you should be saying to me?” [Celia]
The gentle smile she had earlier was gone, and her serious words weighed heavily on me. She’s right. This is something I should say directly to Cecilia.
“…You’re right. I’ve been making excuses and avoiding the issue. Even though I love her, I was content just being by her side.” [Youki]
“Come to think of it, I never asked you before, Youki-kun. Why did you fall in love with Cecilia?” [Celia]
Is there any guy who wouldn’t be flustered when the mother of the girl he likes asks him such a question? Well, I guess a certain hero would say it without hesitation, but setting him aside, I do have my answer.
“…She reached out to me.” [Youki]
“Oh my, so Cecilia helped you too. That’s how you met, isn’t it?” [Celia]
“Yes. Back then, I was just going with the flow, living day by day. Then I met Cecilia and fell in love at first sight.” [Youki]
“Oh my, how romantic.” [Celia]
“So, I confessed and got rejected. Thinking back now, it’s only natural.” [Youki]
I scratched my head as I reflected on those days. At that time, I confessed in a rush as I felt that my life had no other purpose after the Demon Lord was defeated.
“Even so, I couldn’t give up, so I came to Minerva, and here I am now.” [Youki]
“…So, it was love at first sight, wasn’t it?” [Celia]
“At first, yes. But, after coming to Minerva, a lot has happened. I went on guild missions, chatted with her over tea, and also caused her a lot of trouble. Now, after spending time together… well, um…” [Youki]
I was starting to get more and more embarrassed, but I couldn’t stop there. I finally arrived at the answer I was seeking.
“Hehe… Thank you, Youki-kun, but that’s enough.” [Celia]
“Huh?” [Youki]
“I was being a little mean. As I said before, you should keep the rest of those feelings close to your heart. The first person who should hear them isn’t me.” [Celia]
“Ah, y-yes. Understood?” [Youki]
My answer ended up sounding like a question as I didn’t know how to respond. Was this some kind of test?
“Please continue to take care of Cecilia. Also, that girl isn’t good at relaxing, so help her unwind when you can. I think she’ll be quite exhausted from this arranged meeting.” [Celia]
“…Understood. This time, it’s my turn to be the one to comfort Cecilia, isn’t it?” [Youki]
Healing magic is my specialty. I can heal any wound, but that won’t help in this case, will it? Or I could just go with a straightforward approach here. I heard from Sheik about herbs that have a soothing effect on fatigue, so I could gather them and prepare herbal tea. For snacks, I could buy the cakes from the bakery where the macho pastry chef works.
Seeing how desperate I looked as I tried to come up with a plan, Celia-san smiled.
“The arranged meeting will take place at our house a week from now, in the early afternoon. It’s just a brief introduction, so it shouldn’t take much time.” [Celia]
“That’s quite sudden, isn’t it?” [Youki]
“It is. Although they have had some contact with Cecilia, they’ve only met a few times. The timing is strange too. You’d think the proposal would’ve come much earlier.” [Celia]
“It seems like the person has recently grown fond of her and is now rushing to secure the connection.” [Youki]
“…Cecilia hasn’t taken on any work that requires her to go to the neighbouring country recently. She’s mostly been visiting the temple or checking in at the orphanage. She’s been going out with you quite often, but you haven’t travelled far, have you?” [Celia]
“We’ve been running all over Minerva. Along the way, we didn’t get caught up in any serious trouble either.” [Youki]
I had taken Raven’s advice to heart, sealing away my chuunibyou side after the first day. All I did was disguise myself lightly before gathering information and checking every place where the incidents had occurred. Most of the disturbances were dealt with by the knights on patrol or adventurers who stepped in to stop them.
“Hmm, it’s hard to figure out… Oh?” [Celia]
As we were thinking about it, there was a knock on the door. The door then opened after the person on the other side said, “Pardon me.” From the voice, I could tell that it was Cecilia. Could there be an issue?
“Mother… and Youki-san?” [Cecilia]
“Well, I was called here by Celia-san… but that outfit—” [Youki]
Cecilia had entered the room, but she wasn’t in her usual clothes; she was wearing a dress. Her hair was styled, and she had makeup on as well.
“Even though it’s just an introduction, it is an arranged meeting after all. She’s trying on outfits for the meet.” [Celia]
I almost blurted out compliments that she was cute or beautiful, but the moment I recalled that this was for the upcoming arranged meeting, I felt conflicted.
“…It suits you, a lot.” [Youki]
Even so, when the person you deeply care for showed up all dressed up, there was no way you could stay silent. They were just simple words of admiration, but they were my heartfelt thoughts.
“Th-Thank you…” [Cecilia]
Cecilia looked slightly flustered, but she didn’t seem to mind the compliment.
“Madame, Youki-sama has approved of this dress as well, so we should go with this one for that day.”
Sophia-san, who was standing behind Cecilia, voiced her opinion. It seemed that when Cecilia was trying on the dresses, they were having trouble deciding.
Wait a minute. If she’s worrying about what to wear, does that mean she’s seriously preparing for the arranged meeting?
“We must prepare in advance so as not to be disrespectful to the other party. Deciding on the day itself is out of the question. Regardless of the outcome of the meeting, I cannot stand the thought of young mistress’s dignity being looked down on.” [Sophia]
As if she could see right through my thoughts, Sophia-san provided a detailed explanation. She further added that if Cecilia attended the meeting with a half-hearted attitude, it would reflect poorly on her. Sophia-san was quite adamant when she said she couldn’t stand for that. Upon hearing what she said, I realized that my biggest rival might actually be Sophia-san.
“Sophia is right. Cecilia doesn’t usually get to dress up since she’s always working, so today, you should let Sophia take care of everything.” [Celia]
“Understood, Madame. Well then, let’s return to your room, young mistress. We still have many dresses to try on and we need to consider the accessories as well.” [Sophia]
“Understood. Mother, if you’ll excuse me. Youki-san, please take your time…” [Cecilia]
Cecilia, who looked slightly tired, followed Sophia-san, who looked oddly pleased. Cecilia was probably not really comfortable with this sort of thing. After the two left the room, it was just Celia-san and me again.
“In the end, what did those two need?” [Youki]
“Oh, you didn’t realize?” [Celia]
“They didn’t mention why they came into the room before they left.” [Youki]
“I think Sophia probably realized that you are here, so she decided to show off Cecilia while she is all dressed up.” [Celia]
Would Sophia-san really do something like that? Or perhaps they simply left to discuss something they couldn’t say in front of me?
“That look on your face says you’re doubtful. I’ve known Sophia for a long time. Maybe not as well as her husband, but I do understand her.” [Celia]
“And by that, you mean…?” [Youki]
“Sophia seems to have taken a liking to you, too… and considering that Cecilia is always working and rarely gets to dress up, she might have been quite happy about it.” [Celia]
So, Sophia-san guided Cecilia to this room for that reason. It could also be that she was just hyped up at that moment. Whatever the reason, I was glad to have seen Cecilia all dressed up.
“…Celia-san, would it be all right if I stayed a little longer?” [Youki]
“Oh, of course. I invited you, so feel free to stay as long as you like.” [Celia]
“Thank you. Then, I’d like to ask about Cecilia’s match for the arranged marriage…” [Youki]
I gathered as much information as I could about her potential match, for as long as Celia-san allowed. Though, halfway through, our conversation had turned into a casual chatter. Now and then, Sophia-san and the dressed-up Cecilia would come into the room. Each time they did, Cecilia’s dress and hairstyle would be different, so it seemed like they were coming in just to show her off.
By the way, the next day, I asked Clayman about Sophia-san.
“When she got back, she was in an unusually good mood. I even ended up hugging her.” [Clayman]
“…And after that?” [Youki]
“Asking that is a bit nosy, don’t you think? Well, if you insist, the fact that I’m here at work without injuries should be your answer.” [Clayman]
“That’s a rather unpleasant way to prove it.” [Youki]
It seemed that Clayman and Sophia-san simply enjoyed some time together. It was true that Sophia-san was in a good mood the other day.
From there, Clayman started boasting about his wife while I sat at the counter listening to him for a while.
RinkageTranslation 
Thank you!
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