Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

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Chapter 182 – The elf consulted me

“U-Uh, Duke-san! Duke-san is…!” 

“I-I understand. But for now, can you come inside? I’ll listen to what you have to say, so please calm down. And stop shaking meeeee!”  [Youki]

It was just after sunrise, a time I’d usually still be asleep, but the sound of persistent knocking on the door woke me up. When I opened the door groggily, there stood Duke’s junior, Irene-san. As soon as she saw my face, she grabbed me by my collar and started shaking me before I could figure out what was going on.

I understood there was something serious happening, so I asked her to wait while I washed my face and got ready. However, even as she waited, she seemed agitated and restless. Something significant had clearly occurred. Since she kept mentioning Duke’s name, it was apparent he was involved in some way.

“…So, what’s going on so early in the morning?”  [Youki]

“Y-Yes. I’m sorry for coming so suddenly and without informing you in advance. W-Was it inconvenient for you now?”  [Irene]

“Well, even…”  [Youki]

Even if you had informed me ahead of time, meeting me this early in the morning would still be a problem.

I struggled to get my sleepy brain to start working properly. The topic was probably about Duke, and as his captain, it was my responsibility to listen. I couldn’t picture Duke making any major mistake, but looking at Irene-san now, she didn’t seem all composed. She had a hat over her helmet, an arm cover over her gauntlet, and appeared to be wearing a dress under her armour. Clearly, she was too flustered.

“For now, just come inside. We can talk in my room.”  [Youki]

“Uh, no, it’s fine! I’ll do my best to explain, so I can tell you right here.”  [Irene]

Do your best to explain? I’m more concerned about whether she’ll manage to convey what she wants to say clearly.

“I saw Duke-san flirting and being all lovey-dovey with a beautiful woman!”  [Irene]

“Well, it wasn’t as complicated as you made it sound. Still, I thought I knew everything about Duke’s social life… but I never expected this.”  [Youki]

“I thought, as his captain, you might know something.”  [Irene]

Though Irene-san was speaking hesitantly, there was a desperate look in her eyes. I hadn’t realized she cared this much about Duke.

“…I get it. You can’t forgive Duke if he’s acting like a cheating boyfriend, right? But trust me. Duke would never, ever cheat. The idea of him being affectionate with anyone other than you is just unimaginable to me.”  [Youki]

I tried to reassure her with confidence, but her expression only grew more confused, as if a giant question mark had just popped up above her head.

“Duke and me? We’re not dating. We’re just… a senior and a junior.”  [Irene]

“Huh?”  [Youki]

“Huh?”  [Irene]

A giant question mark appeared over my head as well. Seeing my reaction, Irene-san’s confusion only deepened, leaving both of us completely bewildered.

Wait… you’re telling me you two aren’t dating? You’ve gone on those tailing dates, triple dates, and you’re always working together. And now, you’re so worried about him being affectionate with someone else that you came to see me this early in the morning. But you’re not his girlfriend?

“So, what is Duke to you, then? Just a reliable senior or something?”  [Youki]

“Captain-san, I’m actually Duke-san’s senior, you know.”  [Irene]

“Wait, what?”  [Youki]

She seemed a bit offended, calling it rude, but I was too surprised to react. I had seen them working together a few times, but Duke always seemed to take the lead. I remembered Raven once telling me not to judge elves by their appearances, but looking at her now, I couldn’t help questioning that advice. Even though I knew it was rude, the thought crossed my mind anyway.

“Duke-san may be my junior, but he’s reliable. He even understands my tastes and goes out with me on my days off. He’s always considerate at work, and he’s better at swordsmanship than I, smarter, sociable, supports me all the time… Wait, I am the senior here, right, Captain-san?”  [Irene]

“All I can say is, keep at it. If you want to act like his senior, you’ll need to surpass him. Think of Duke as a wall you need to climb over. I know you can do it!”  [Youki]

I made sure to speak with passion. I clenched my fist and cheered her on – You’ve got this! Don’t give up! You can still go further! You haven’t hit your limit yet!

“Y-You’re right. I might have gotten too used to relying on Duke-san. I need to act like a proper senior and start leading him. I’m going to start training right away. Thank you, Captain-san!”  [Irene]

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, and I heard the sound of her footsteps running off. It felt like something was off, but I was too sleepy to care.

“…Time for bed.”  [Youki]

I collapsed onto my bed. It was still sleeping time, not waking time. Naturally, I fell back asleep.

…

Later that day, I was woken up again by the sound of loud knocking on the door.

“I’m sorry, Captain-san!” 

“No, no, it’s fine. I didn’t give you proper advice because I was half asleep. Besides, I’m also curious about who Duke’s being affectionate with.”  [Youki]

I walked alongside Irene-san, heading towards where I thought Duke might be. Irene-san had mentioned that Duke suddenly took the day off, which made her even more suspicious. Feeling caught up in her enthusiasm, I agreed to help her.

“It’s not like I mind if Duke-san’s flirting with a pretty woman. But, just a little… a little, you know? I feel lonely, heartbroken, restless, and my chest hurts.”  [Irene]

“Yeah, that definitely sounds like you care a lot about it.”  [Youki]

If she’s getting this emotional, it’s safe to say she’s totally jealous of the other woman. Good for you, Duke. You’ve made it as a full-fledged ‘normie’.

While silently congratulating Duke in my mind, I continued leading Irene-san towards where I thought he might be. I didn’t want her to know I was using my senses to track him, so I casually mentioned that this area was one of Duke’s favourite dating spots.

“Oh, there he is! The one in full armour over there- that’s Duke-san!” [Irene]

The moment she spotted him, she dashed off. Yesterday, things ended without much drama, but this time, it might turn into a mess.

As that thought crossed my mind, I approached them. That’s when I realized who the other woman was. She was certainly attractive, but I recognized her.

“Irene? What’s going on?”  [Duke]

“Um… Duke-san was being all lovey-dovey… with someone…”  [Irene]

“Are you talking about me? I’m just here on a tour, and he’s showing me around.” 

It was Misaki-chan, Shike-chan’s mermaid friend. It looked like there was no problem after all. Without hesitation, I turned around and headed back the way we came.

“Wait, Captain!”  [Duke]

Duke called out to me. Since there weren’t many people around, he must’ve spotted me easily. This area usually gets crowded in the afternoon, but in the morning, it was much quieter.

“You’re the one who brought Irene here, didn’t you, Captain? Why’d you bring her?”  [Duke]

“She came to me before sunrise, caught me half-asleep, and I ended up giving her some bad advice. So, I’m here to follow up properly, that’s all.”  [Youki]

“Please explain it clearly.”  [Duke]

I thought I had given a decent summary, but this time I decided to be direct.

“Irene-san is worried that you’ve found another woman. That’s why she showed up at my place first thing this morning, in a full-blown panic. I was in a bit of a panic myself. Just look over there.”  [Youki]

I pointed to Irene-san, who, with her face red as a beet, was confronting Misaki-chan, demanding to know what kind of relationship they had. Irene-san denied they were romantically involved, but from the way things looked, that was hard to believe. They should confess already and be done with it.

“Yeah, this is definitely my fault. I’m really sorry.”  [Duke]

“Whether you had plans or not, don’t underestimate her determination… or rather, her unpredictability. Consider this a warning. Look what happened the moment we took our eyes off her.”  [Youki]

I gestured towards Irene-san, who was now chasing Misaki-chan around. They were just talking earlier, so how did things escalate so quickly?

“Ah…I’ll go handle it.”  [Duke]

“Wait, you seem awfully used to this.”  [Youki]

“Yeah, I’m used to cleaning up sudden messes like this now… It’s kinda thanks to you, Captain.”  [Duke]

“…Sorry about that.”  [Youki]

“Eh, it’s too late for that now. I doubt this kind of thing will change, so I’ve just learned to accept it. Well, thanks for looking after Irene.”  [Duke]

Duke waved lightly and went after the two.

He’s got it tough, doesn’t he? I feel bad, too, since I’m partly responsible for the trouble he has to deal with. Seeing him running at full speed on such a sunny day is… indescribable.

“Well, now that this is all sorted, I guess I’ll head back.”  [Youki]

“Um… excuse me…” 

“Hmm?” [Youki]

It seemed my business wasn’t over yet. The one who called out to me, looking completely out of breath, was Shike-chan.

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