Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage
Character page: Here
Chapter 208 – They were resolved
“…I can’t accept this. This all happened because of his selfish misunderstanding. I’m not even sure if he’s truly remorseful. He said he wanted to change because he couldn’t forgive his own powerlessness? Then he should’ve gone off to train instead. Smashing the shrine and statue is no difference from throwing a tantrum. I knew it, I have to use this drug—” [Tiel]
“Please stop.” [Youki]
She still seemed completely set on getting revenge. What should I do? If we just let her go home like this, I have the horrible feeling she’d end up setting traps around Satoya’s house. There was a murderous gleam in her eyes.
“Hey, Gai. Seriously, do something. At this rate, we’ll be coming back here later… to bring her in as a ‘suspect’.” [Youki]
It’s bad enough to commit a crime in your own hometown. Actually, scratch that. It’s bad to commit a crime anywhere.
“Indeed. That person will be facing a formal judgement by the village elders. It wouldn’t be right to punish him any further. Kiddo is right. Going beyond this won’t do you any good, Tiel.” [Gai]
“I understand, I do, but still… I just can’t forgive what he did, Guardian Deity-sama…” [Tiel]
“Hmm…” [Gai]
Gai seemed deep in thought, probably trying to figure out how to make Tiel-chan back down.
Yeah… maybe it’s better if I leave them alone for a bit.
“Alright then, I’m going to go repair the shrine and statue.” [Youki]
“Got it. I’m counting on you… Sorry, but please make sure it’s good enough to satisfy Tiel.” [Gai]
“I know, I know. Do you have any idea how many times I had to redo it yesterday?” [Youki]
She made me redo it over and over again, even for the smallest details. This time, I’ll make it so perfect that even Tiel-chan will thank me on the spot.
“Once you two are done talking, come join me. Alright, I’m off.” [Youki]
I said goodbye to the two of them and headed off alone to repair the shrine and statue.
The key was the image, not my own image of it, but the kind that would satisfy Tiel-chan. Spending more time on it wouldn’t necessarily make it better. What mattered was focus.
“I can do this… I will do this.” [Youki]
My switch might have flipped at that point, but I carried out my task with full responsibility. Gai should be able to convince Tiel-chan and bring her here. That was what I thought.
……..
……
…
..
“Hey! What the hell took you so long!?” [Youki]
The sun had already set completely, and I’d been standing around waiting without so much as a bite for dinner. I kept telling myself, They’re coming soon, they’re coming soon… and ended up waiting like a fool until nightfall.
“My apologies…” [Gai]
Gai lowered his head, looking genuinely apologetic. Meanwhile…
“I’m sorry, Youki-san~” [Tiel]
Tiel-chan, on the other hand, wore a broad, carefree smile. Was she even feeling remorseful? What happened to this girl?
“Did Tiel-chan accidentally take the wrong medicine or something?” [Youki]
“Grrgh… S-Sorry, kiddo. I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t ask about that…” [Gai]
“Guardian Deity-sama told me he wants to build a future together with me~!” [Tiel]
“H-Hey, Tiel!” [Gai]
Gai quickly clamped a hand over Tiel-chan’s mouth, but it was already too late. Apparently, while I’d been ‘sweating and bleeding’ to repair the shrine and statue, these two had been busy planning their future together. Judging by her current mood, she didn’t seem to hold any lingering resentment towards Satoya. I’d say Gai had fulfilled his duty. However…
“…”
I stared at Gai with dead eyes, empty and devoid of all emotion.
“W-Wait, kiddo…” [Gai]
“…May you two be very happy together.” [Youki]
“Hold on, it’s not what it looks like. I was just—” [Gai]
“Don’t worry. I’m sort of joking.” [Youki]
“…That sounds almost completely serious.” [Gai]
“Hahaha… Let’s head home first thing tomorrow morning, yeah?” [Youki]
Maybe it was the pressure I was radiating, but Gai could only give a silent nod in response.
♦♦♦
The next day, we rode the carriage back to Minerva. The moment we reached, I headed straight home and made a beeline for my bed. It was still early in the evening, and I hadn’t even had dinner, but all I wanted was sleep.
“Ahh… When will I ever finish this move…” [Youki]
Muttering that heartfelt wish, I let drowsiness pull me under…
“…Huh?”
A knock on the door jolted me awake.
Someone’s here again? Who is it this time?
Honestly, I didn’t care anymore. I was the ever-reliable advisor, right? …Right? Maybe it was the exhaustion from running around the past few days, but my mind still felt oddly alert. So what if my chuuni switch got flipped again? Whoever it was, it was probably someone I knew.
“Who is it? Sorry, I just woke up. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be right there! Just hang in there until then!” [Youki]
Hang in there…? What kind of situation even needs that? I ended up retorting to myself as I waited for the reply.
“I’m not quite sure how I’m supposed to hang in there, but… very well.”
“Wait—what!?” [Youki]
Crap! That voice! It was Cecilia!
I scrambled to pull myself together and flung the door open.
“Good morning.” [Cecilia]
“Yeah, good morning…” [Youki]
Just as I thought, it was Cecilia at the door. Not like I could’ve mistaken her voice anyway, so that was obvious.
Did we make plans for today or something? I can’t remember… no, I’m pretty sure we didn’t.
“Sorry for showing up so suddenly.” [Cecilia]
“No, it’s fine… I was just asleep, that’s all.” [Youki]
“I see. Um, Youki-san, do you have anything planned for today?” [Cecilia]
“Not really… I think.” [Youki]
Though there’s always a chance something will come up. Lately, I’ve been constantly on the move.
“Well then, would you like to go out with me today? …Youki-san, you haven’t finished with your move yet, right?” [Cecilia]
“You really know me too well. I mean, yeah. Everyone’s been busy with their own stuff, so before I knew it, nothing’s really unpacked, I haven’t finished shopping, and the cleaning’s only half done…” [Youki]
Trying to organize a two-storey house on my own was a lot tougher than it looked. Back at the Demon Lord’s castle, I’d always split the chores with Duke and the others. Now, I couldn’t help but wonder if I could really manage living alone and keeping everything in order.
“That’s why I’d like to help. You still have small items and furniture to buy, and cleaning isn’t fully done yet either, right?” [Cecilia]
“Eh? No, it’s fine. I mean, the only reason it’s not done is because I’ve been slow with it.” [Youki]
“You’ve been busy running around helping other people lately, haven’t you? Then, it’s okay to let someone else help you, too.” [Cecilia]
With her saying all that… could I really say no? She’s my girlfriend, and she’s offering to help. Shouldn’t I just accept? Honestly, if Cecilia were around, shopping and cleaning would go way smoother. She’s more capable than I am, after all.
“…Yes, please.” [Youki]
“Then let’s head out.” [Cecilia]
We left my new home together, but before long, I realized it was actually me who was being taken around.
“Youki-san, this store has a great selection, and the prices are reasonable too.” [Cecilia]
“Ah, okay.” [Youki]
“Don’t you think this cup is nice?” [Cecilia]
“Yeah, I think so too.” [Youki]
“As for curtains… I think something around here looks good. What do you think, Youki-san?” [Cecilia]
“Alright, let’s choose from this section.” [Youki]
Seeing her enthusiasm got me thinking.
I’ll be living alone, right? I mean, I’m not moving in with Cecilia or anything. Still, she seems to be having a blast. Well, she does live in a mansion, so maybe this whole ‘moving’ thing is completely new to her. I am relying on her quite a bit, but it’s not like I’m letting her decide everything. I just happen to like the things she picks out. I’d like to believe I’m not being completely useless.
With all that, we finished shopping faster than I expected and headed back home to clean. But another thought crept into my mind. Cecilia’s a noble lady. She probably doesn’t do much cleaning at home, right?
That was my stereotypical idea of what a noble lady was like until…
“What’s wrong, Youki-san? Your hands have stopped moving.” [Cecilia]
“Ah, yeah. Sorry.” [Youki]
Cecilia stood there with a triangular cleaning scarf tied around her head, sleeves rolled up from the outfit she’d worn out, moving briskly with a rag in one hand and a duster in the other. She looked sharp. Focused. Efficient. Meanwhile, I just stood there with a broom, frozen in place, stunned by this completely unexpected side of my girlfriend.
“Cecilia… You don’t usually clean at your mansion, right?” [Youki]
“I only really tidy up my own room a bit. One time, I tried cleaning myself, and Sophia-san scolded me. She said, ‘This is our job, young mistress,’ and confiscated all the cleaning tools.” [Cecilia]
“Yeah, I guess it would’ve hurt the maids’ pride… But still, how are you so good at this?” [Youki]
“I often clean together with the children at the orphanage.” [Cecilia]
“Ahh, that makes sense. So that’s why you’re so used to it.” [Youki]
“Yes… Now then, let’s give it our all, Youki-san. We’re going to finish everything today, including sorting out all the stuff we bought.” [Cecilia]
“…Are you serious?” [Youki]
There’s actually a lot to do. Are we really going to be okay?
Apparently, my earlier cleaning didn’t meet her standards, so she decided we might as well do a full-on deep clean of the entire house. And that was on top of organizing all the new things we’d bought; dishes, shelves, the works. It was like everything I’d done so far had been wiped clean, literally and figuratively. And now she wanted to wrap it all up in a single day? Seriously?
“I don’t tell lies. Now then, let’s get started.” [Cecilia]
And so began the joint effort with my girlfriend. Cecilia moved swiftly, carefully, and with absolute precision.
I can’t just stand here holding a broom forever. This is my castle. One that is hard-won through much effort, and mine alone.
“If we’re working together, we’re unstoppable… No obstacle is too great! Let’s do this!” [Youki]
With broom in hand, I threw myself wholeheartedly into the rest of the moving and cleaning.
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