Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage
Character page: Here
Chapter 157 – I lost my position
“Special mission? Why?” [Youki]
“First, I want you to tell me more about him. I usually don’t rely too much on opinions from others, but I’d like a more objective perspective this time. Please, no bias.” [Caius]
“…All right.” [Youki]
I was the one who threw Yuuga at him in the first place, so I decided to describe his personality to him without any personal feelings, just from an objective point of view.
“I trust there’s no personal bias in your description?” [Caius]
“Yeah, no tact, doesn’t listen to others, poor sense of judgement, a natural flirt, clueless about reading the room, and always causes trouble…” [Youki]
“Okay, that’s enough. I’ve learned enough about him. Let’s break down the issue. He told me he hurt his childhood friend, got punched by you, and was told to come to me. I advised him, but I couldn’t shake this bad feeling. It’s a first for me.” [Caius]
For Caius, who had dealt with countless types of romantic advice, to say it was his first, well, that’s Yuuga for you. I was too stunned even to say anything.
“So, where is he now?” [Youki]
“He jumped out of the carriage as soon as it stopped. He said something about another reliable person he could count on.” [Caius]
“Another person…?” [Youki]
Did Yuuga actually have someone else to help him? I didn’t know much about his connections, so I wasn’t sure who it could be.
“Oh, and he was also asking about how the engagement was going or something…” [Caius]
“CECILIA!” [Youki]
I left Caius behind and dashed out of the room anxiously. Knowing how Yuuga often attracted trouble, there was a good chance Cecilia would get dragged into something troublesome. She could probably handle it immediately, but I still couldn’t help but worry. Besides, there was no way I could sit idly by when another man, who obviously likes my girlfriend, was headed to her place.
I ran as fast as I could, reached the mansion, and spoke to one of the guards I had gotten friendly with, mainly from the occasional tavern outings.
“Haah, haah… has Yuuga showed up?” [Youki]
“Oh yeah, he’s here. Seemed like he was in a real hurry, though.”
Of course, Yuuga went to see Cecilia. Seeing he was in a rush, there was a real chance that his emotions would cause him to act impulsively. The guard tilted his head, curious if something had happened, but I didn’t have time to explain, so I just asked him to let me into the mansion.
“Please refrain from running in the mansion… Oh, Youki-sama?”
As I hurried to Cecilia’s room, Sophia-san stopped me.
“It seems we’ve had quite a few unexpected guests today.” [Sophia]
She delivered the remark with a perfectly composed expression, but the fact that there were ‘quite a few’ guests meant someone other than me had shown up.
“Could it be Yuuga?” [Youki]
“That’s correct, Youki-sama. The young mistress is seeing him right now.” [Sophia]
“I’d like to join if that’s all right.” [Youki]
“I will confirm for you. Please wait a moment.” [Sophia]
She quickly accepted my request with a polite bow and gracefully headed towards Cecilia’s room. Though she was walking, she seemed to disappear in no time at all. It was probably necessary for all the servants, given that they weren’t supposed to run in the mansion. Still, I had never seen any other servants moving that fast.
“Well, I guess Sophia-san’s also the one disciplining the guards.” [Youki]
Thinking about how fast she could move while just walking, I chuckled to myself as I wondered how fast she’d be if she ran. I reflected on her almost superhuman abilities, realizing that there was no way I’d ever be able to escape if I tried.
“Thank you for waiting, Youki-sama. Young mistress has no objections to you joining them.” [Sophia]
“All right!” [Youki]
“…I will escort you.” [Sophia]
Even though I knew how to get there, it would have been rude to refuse the head maid’s personal escort.
“I will take my leave here.” [Sophia]
“Thank you, Sophia-san.” [Youki]
“It’s my duty, after all. Please take care of young mistress.” [Sophia]
The slight difference in her bow compared to usual indicated that her words carried a different weight this time. This wasn’t just Sophia-san speaking as a servant of the household; it was her personal request to me. I responded firmly, “Leave it to me,” and bowed my head until she was out of sight.
“All right then.” [Youki]
I took a deep breath, prepared myself mentally, and opened the door.
“You’ve arrived, Youki-san.” [Cecilia]
“Ah, Youki-kun…” [Yuuga]
“What’s going on here?” [Youki]
As I stepped into the room, I was greeted by a familiar scene. Cecilia stood there with her arms crossed, looking imposing, while Yuuga was sitting on the floor in a formal seiza position. He was taking the spot that I am typically in.
“What’s going on? You already knew the situation, don’t you?” [Cecilia]
“I was referring to him sitting in that position…” [Youki]
“…As a fellow woman, I cannot forgive this.” [Cecilia]
It seemed that even the Saint couldn’t tolerate the hero’s foolishness. She placed her hand on her forehead, shaking her head with a sigh. Yuuga, who appeared uncomfortable sitting in that posture, repeatedly adjusted his knees as he checked for numbness.
“Don’t worry. I gave him a good smack.” [Youki]
“Violence is not acceptable.” [Cecilia]
“I made sure to heal him without leaving scars, so it’s fine.” [Youki]
“It’s not fine. Instead of resolving things with violence, it’s important to use dialogue to make the other person understand what they did wrong.” [Cecilia]
Even so, I doubted Yuuga would understand his mistake from this. He seemed to be the type to forget what he learned in just a few days. After consulting Caius the other time, he had previously vowed to turn over a new leaf, but he still showed no real growth. I finally realized why Caius had to come on this special assignment. Moreover, there were others who wanted to discipline Yuuga as well.
“Cecilia, may I have your forgiveness already? …My legs are at their limit.” [Yuuga]
Yuuga started slumping down, pleading for forgiveness from her. His tearful and weak gesture towards Cecilia was far from what one would expect from a hero.
“That’s fast. Youki-san could usually remain in that position until I finish speaking.” [Cecilia]
“I’ve built up my endurance from all the times I’ve been trained to kneel in front of Cecilia.” [Youki]
“…I don’t remember training you for that.” [Cecilia]
I’ve grown resilient enough to endure long seiza sessions. After all, how many times I’ve knelt and apologized to Cecilia correlates with how much trouble I’ve caused her. In the end, it wasn’t exactly something to be proud of.
“Youki-kun, what kind of relationship do you and Cecilia have?” [Yuuga]
Yuuga’s innocent question popped out, following the topic of seiza. A month ago, we would have been friends who chatted, went on requests together, and had tea together. She was also someone whom I had caused trouble for from time to time.
But now, things are different. Yuuga is involved, and most importantly, I love Cecilia. I don’t want to lie about Cecilia’s special relationship with me. Still, even so, there are times and places for everything.
“We’re—” [Youki]
“Youki-san and I are now dating, so we’re a couple.” [Cecilia]
“Ah… Cecilia-san…” [Youki]
Cecilia had beaten me to it, and I’d just suffered an enormous blunder. I was caught off guard because I hadn’t expected her to be so upfront about it. But someone seemed even more shocked than I was – right in front of me.
“A-Ah… U-Uh… N-No way.” [Yuuga]
Yuuga was petrified, mouth agape, and shocked. From the few words he managed to utter, he clearly couldn’t accept our relationship. I felt terrible for piling it on, but staying silent now wouldn’t feel right. Even though Cecilia beat me to the punch, I still needed to say it.
“I’ve liked Cecilia since the moment we met. I confessed my feelings to her recently.” [Youki]
Whether my words finished him off, Yuuga froze as if he had turned to stone.
RinkageTranslation 
Thank you!
LikeLike