Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

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Chapter 181 – I tried to follow my friend, former subordinate, and the mermaid

“Huh, a love triangle?”  [Youki]

I thought they’d settle things, but instead, they brought her along. Was that really okay? Everything seemed peaceful, but what were they really thinking deep down? I didn’t know how the conversation led to this, but something felt off about the situation.

“Oh my, are we too late?”  [Caius]

“No, not at all. For Happiness-chan’s sake, this needs to be made clear. Youki-san, Caius-san, please wait here. I’ll pretend to run into them and handle it directly.”  [Cecilia]

“Wait, Cecilia!?”  [Youki]

Before I could stop her, she marched straight towards Raven. She was moving much faster than usual today. Usually, she’d be the one holding me back, always more cautious. It must be because this involved Raven and Happiness.

While I was crossing my arms, deep in thought, Caius spoke to me.

“Is something the matter, boy?”  [Caius]

“I told you before, I’m not a boy anymore. You should know that by now.”  [Youki]

“My apologies. Shall I call you ‘The One with Wings’ then?”  [Caius]

“Hey, that nickname totally reveals my identity! Just call me Youki!”  [Youki]

If he kept calling me that in public, I’d stand out in the worst way. Even an ‘X’ sign popped out of the coffin. It seemed that his girlfriend agreed with me.

Upon noticing my gaze, Caius tapped the coffin three times.

“I understand. From now on, I’ll call you Youki-kun.”  [Caius]

“…Thanks. By the way, why did you tap the coffin just now?”  [Youki]

“Tapping three times is a way to express my gratitude.”  [Caius]

“…I see.”  [Youki]

There had to be other ways they communicated. I decided to ask him about it later.

“By the way, your girlfriend seems pretty impatient. She ran off without thinking things through. From my observation, I thought she’d be the one stopping you. Based on what I’ve gathered, she’s usually very considerate, making insightful remarks and adjusting her conversations to match the other person.”  [Caius]

“Does she really interact with people that way? I always thought that was just her nature.”  [Youki]

“If that’s the case, then how do you explain her current behaviour?”  [Caius]

“Hm, she does seem a bit different today.”  [Youki]

“What do you think is causing her to act so hastily? Is it because this situation involves someone close to her? Or is it the fear that it might affect her as well? Either way, it might be best if you stepped in. Look.”  [Caius]

I turned my gaze towards Raven and the others. Cecilia had already reached them, and Raven looked like a man caught cheating, with his girlfriend witnessing the scene. It really looked like Cecilia was playing the part of Raven’s main girlfriend. No, no, no!

“I’m Cecilia’s partner!”  [Youki]

“Yes, yes. Off you go.”  [Caius]

With Caius sending me off, I took off running. I wasn’t losing control – just following my instinct. Whatever awaited me, I’d deal with it.

“Dropkick!”  [Youki]

“…Ugh!”  [Raven]

Raven went flying from my kick. Cecilia’s eyes widened in shock, Shike-chan watched Raven soar through the air, and Happiness responded by punching me in the stomach. In the end, Raven and I were both left crouching on the ground. I wasn’t sure if this was the outcome I wanted, but it was what it was.

“Eh? What happened? The Memo Swordsman-san was suddenly attacked. Wait, you’re a friend of Memo Swordsman-san who had saved me before!”  [Shike]

“Youki-san…”  [Cecilia]

Shike-chan looked a bit shaken, probably because she wasn’t used to this kind of situation. Meanwhile, Cecilia sighed, likely thinking, There he goes again. But I didn’t regret my actions. In my opinion, Raven deserved more than just a dropkick.

“Alright, next up, I’m going for a joint lock – ugh!?”  [Youki]

As I cracked my knuckles and moved towards Raven, I was met with two punches to the gut. Even Shike-chan, who had been rattled earlier, had joined in, fist raised. And so, I found myself lying down next to Raven, both of us in silence.

“Raven.”  [Youki]

“…Yeah?”  [Raven]

“The sky’s pretty blue, huh?”  [Youki]

“…Yeah.”  [Raven]

“Trying to wrap things up neatly like that and forcefully ending it isn’t going to work.”  [Cecilia]

Cecilia delivered her merciless judgement. Nope, it didn’t work.

“…Lunch.”  [Happiness]

“Now that you mention it, it’s past noon already. Let’s grab something to eat. Shike, Happiness, let’s go. You two coming, Youki?”  [Raven]

“Yeah, sure. Cecilia, you good with that?”  [Youki]

“Yes, as long as Raven-san and the others are fine with it.”  [Cecilia]

With everyone in agreement, we headed out to grab lunch. The place I ended up picking was one of Mikana’s favourite restaurants.

Once we were seated and took a breather, Raven spoke up.

“…Who is this?”  [Raven]

Raven’s eyes were locked on Caius, who had casually taken a seat next to me, coffin and all. I’d noticed Raven glancing behind us while we were walking, so his curiosity made sense. After all, having a guy with a coffin at the table like it was perfectly normal would naturally raise some questions.

“Haha. My name is Caius. In a certain town, I play cupid, helping with all things related to love. If you ever have love troubles, feel free to ask.”  [Caius]

“…Youki, you know him?”  [Raven]

“Yeah, Caius is telling the truth. Both Yuuga and I have been helped by him.”  [Youki]

“…Birds of a feather.”  [Happiness]

I sensed a bit of malice in Happiness’s comment, but she wasn’t entirely wrong.

Birds of a feather, as they say. If that’s the case, Raven, you’re in the same boat as Caius. Whether he realizes it or not, I’d guess from his usual tone that it’s the latter.

“Um, what exactly is inside that constantly moving coffin?”  [Shike]

Shike-chan threw out a tricky question. It was natural she’d be curious, though it would’ve been nice if we could’ve sidestepped that one. Raven and Happiness both shot suspicious glances at the coffin.

“So, do you plan on coming up with an excuse?”  [Cecilia]

Cecilia whispered to me. Knowing Caius, he’d probably give a straightforward answer, so I decided to step in and handle it smoothly.

“The truth is, it’s packed full of jelly.”  [Youki]

“There’s nothing inside but someone very dear to me.”  [Caius]

Caius went ahead and gave a direct answer, just when I’d thought I delivered a perfect excuse.

“Did you really think Raven-san and the others would be convinced by that?”  [Cecilia]

“Well, I was hoping it’d lighten the mood and brush things off.”  [Youki]

“…”

Cecilia shot me a sharp look. Glancing around, it seemed like no one else paid much attention to my comment.

“…Can you cast some healing magic on me?”  [Youki]

“I don’t think it’ll have the effect you’re hoping for.”  [Cecilia]

It seemed that magic couldn’t heal emotional wounds.

“…Sorry, but could you come with me to the knight’s headquarters? Even though you’re Youki’s acquaintance, I can’t just overlook this.”  [Raven]

Raven, acting as any knight should, made the obvious call. A rejection card was quietly slipped out of the coffin. I suppose the person inside heard the conversation.

“Raven, you know… every couple has their own way of being together. I’m sure it’s the same for you and Happiness. As for Caius and his partner, she’s fully aware and agrees with this arrangement.”  [Youki]

This time, a circle sign emerged from the coffin. It was a nice assist from his girlfriend. However, Raven still didn’t look convinced.

“Raven-san, when I first met Caius-san, I was surprised too, and well… we had a lot to talk about. While I can’t say I’ve accepted everything, I don’t think there’s any danger.”  [Cecilia]

“I see. So Cecilia’s already dealt with it. If that’s the case, I can feel reassured.”  [Raven]

Cecilia’s reputation, earned from resolving countless issues during their travel, really spoke for itself. Now, time to drive the final point home.

“Caius has helped both Yuuga and me in the past. I can’t go into details, but I can tell you he truly cherishes his partner and hasn’t done anything inappropriate.”  [Youki]

At that moment, I gave Happiness a subtle signal with my eyes. She gently tugged at Raven’s sleeve, drawing his attention towards her.

Yeah, this should do the trick. Though, I couldn’t help but notice there hadn’t been an ‘O’ sign from the coffin yet. I wasn’t sure what Caius and his girlfriend did in their free time, but hopefully, they kept things in moderation.

With about half of the misunderstandings cleared up, we all sat down for lunch. Since we were in a public place, Raven and Happiness toned down their usual lovey-dovey behaviour, or rather, there wasn’t any. Meanwhile, Cecilia and I mostly just shared thoughts on the food. Nothing particularly special happened. Caius, on the other hand, was the most affectionate.

“Eating with you is the best.”  [Caius]

“What would you like to drink? Shall I use the usual glass? Oh, sorry, that’s only when it’s just the two of us, right?”  [Caius]

“What should we have for dessert? As for me… haha, don’t sulk, I was just kidding.”  [Caius]

It seemed Caius modified the coffin so they could communicate through it now. I could hear his voice, but not the woman inside. I could have enhanced my hearing to eavesdrop, but that would have been distasteful, so I refrained.

Just from Caius’s words, though, it was easy to guess what they were talking about. That explained why the ‘O’ sign hadn’t appeared earlier. Well, like I told Raven, every couple has their own way of doing things.

I guess that’s just something I’ll have to remind myself of.

“…Shall we get going?”  [Raven]

“…I’m done.”  [Happiness]

“The food was delicious. Everything I tried was new to me, so I ended up eating a lot. Is this what you normally eat?”  [Shike]

Raven paid the bill, and the three of them left the restaurant. It wasn’t all on Raven; I paid my share as well, covering Cecilia’s and Caius’s portions.

“Thank you, Youki-san.”  [Cecilia]

“I always get treated to tea by you. Anyway, let’s catch up to Raven and the others.”  [Youki]

As we stepped out of the restaurant, I noticed Raven and the others waiting for us.

Now, the question is, should we keep tagging along or not? I feel a bit guilty about following them around any longer. There’s no love triangle tension here, and I don’t think Cecilia or Caius sense anything like that either.

“See you, Raven.”  [Youki]

“…Yeah.”  [Raven]

“…Forever.”  [Happiness]

“Don’t act like it’s a final farewell!”  [Youki]

As I thought, Happiness seemed her usual self, so everything was probably fine. Although I disliked being treated as a gauge, it was the easiest way to assess the situation. I watched the three of them disappear into the crowd.

“Youki-san, maybe you were worrying too much. Raven-san really is a sincere person. And Happiness-chan seemed normal too, don’t you think? Maybe he just brought her along for some sightseeing.”  [Cecilia]

“Yesh, I didn’t sense any tension between Happiness and Shike-chan either… Hmm…”  [Youki]

After some thought, we both came to the conclusion that I was probably overthinking things. However, as we were talking, Caius kept staring in the direction Raven and the others had gone. Maybe something bothered this cupid of ours.

“Caius, is something wrong?”  [Youki]

“Sightseeing… hmm…”  [Caius]

“Hey, don’t say it like that. What do you mean? Was it something else?”  [Youki]

“Well, sightseeing. I suppose, like us. Anyway, I’ll be taking my leave now. I want to buy some clothes for my girlfriend. Do you know of any good shops?”  [Caius]

“Uh, yeah. In that case…”  [Youki]

The clothing store we found during Duke’s trailing date should be a good choice. I offered to guide him there, but he politely declined. I wanted to show him as a way to thank him for all the advice, though.

“Boy, from here on, it’s time for you to spend with your lover. Do your best.”  [Caius]

With that, Caius, carrying his coffin, headed towards the clothing store.

“…So, what should we do now?”  [Youki]

“Well, how about a light sparring match in the garden at my place?”  [Cecilia]

“Wait, what!?”  [Youki]

“It’ll be some exercise after a meal. Did you have any other plans?”  [Cecilia]

“No, nothing at all! Alright, leave it to me. This is my speciality, so I’ll stick with you until you’re satisfied, Cecilia.”  [Youki]

“Please go easy on me.”  [Cecilia]

Afterwards, we had an intense sparring session, followed by tea time.

This is what relaxes me the most. It’s precisely the kind of relationship Cecilia and I have.

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