Chapter 170-4
[Part 4/4]
"Are you thinking that I am going to pursue this further? I''m not that childish. Please remember that I haven''t forgotten what happened."
Murasaki''s reluctant response, wrapped in her spare clothes. It was a loan, after all. That''s what you''d expect from the Ako family. The conversation was going smoothly.
"Thank you very much...!"
Still bowed, I bowed even deeper. A sincere and heartfelt apology. Ako Murasaki wasn''t the kind of person to take it lightly, and if I had to say it harshly, I was half acting by pointing out her naivety.
...No, I really do feel sorry, though?
"You don''t need to bow your head that low. You''re not just a servant anymore. If you keep bowing that low, you''ll end up hurting the honor of the main house. You''ll also be looked down upon."
"Ah."
Murasaki''s attitude, which seemed to ept that there was no other way. Phew. She''s so naive... Ugh. The maid on the side was looking at me with a dissatisfied expression. I need to be careful. "...Can I ask something?"
Murasaki, who seemed oblivious to the maid''s attitude, suddenly asked a question.
"Ah, what is it about?"
"That... What''s with that mask?"
It was a question about the childish, scribbled-on mask I was wearing.
"...It''s for babysitting."
"For babysitting? What?"
"Yes, literally."
"It''s a transparent, teacher-like mask!"
"Cut it out!"
I red at Akane''s sudden interruption, which was more focused on the content than the tone. Was she trying to copy me? Did she have evidence even though there was no picture?
...the mask of a servant, no matter what rank, is honestly unsettling to these kids. It''s as if they''re intentionally making themselves seem inorganic and eerie, giving off an intimidating aura. It''s only natural that they wouldn''t be suitable for childcare. As the number of kids increased, some would feel even more repulsed. The younger kids are all inexperienced in the fox incident too.
So, I had prepare a cheap mask, and the kids scribbled on it. It''s a stupid, foolish-looking face, like aughing Buddha. It''s better than the servant''s face, at least. I''d fallen as far as I could go, and now all I can do is climb back up.
"I, I see..."
"I like it! That way is better!"
"I didn''t ask about your preferences, you kid!"
The purple-haired girl''s response was impossible to understand, like a carefree, whimsical remark. It was tooid-back, and I cut her off.
"...Anyway, why is the youngdy of Ako here? It would''ve been better if you''d contacted us beforehand."
Talking to those kids is a real pain. Let''s just get on with the conversation. Not having an appointment is pretty inconvenient, but... it''s for her sake, after all.
"So, that''s..."
Murasaki hesitated, looking at the maid beside her. The maid coughed and took over.
"The youngdy is still shaken. May I exin instead?"
"Yeah."
The maid, Yona, exined that she hade to offer congrattions as a rtive of Onitsuki, but had been worried about being hindered and hade without warning. Moreover, she hadn''t sent a letter beforehand because she didn''t want to be known to be visiting a half-youkai orphanage like this... The way she spoke was sharp, like a spear, and criticized her harshly.
"Even so, there is ack of control. If this is the case, the kids will never know what''s going on. You''ve received an unusual mission from the Omnyouji Bureau, one that''s hard to understand. As the youngdy of Ako, rted to Onitsuki by blood, she expects you to do this job properly, without any mistakes."
The maid vented her pent-up frustrations, as if she had finished her duties. Then, with a confident smile, she looked at her master. "How is it?"
...It looked like a mismatch between supply and demand, but...
"Wh-what? Eeeeee?!"
Murasaki''s face turned pale after hearing the words. "Isn''t that too much responsibility?!?" she eximed. Her eyes darted around the room, looking at everyone present.
"Youngdy..."
"Youngdy?"
"Y-youngdy?"
From above, I, the maid, and the kids were looking down. Murasaki gazed at us, her eyes fixed on us, and then noticed the little kids peeking from behind the shouji paper door. Ugh, I didn''t want to point it out, but... (I kept quiet, thinking it would be rude to mention it. Mistake.)
"Eeeeee, eeeeee, eeeeee, and and and and...!!? Don''t you think this snack is enough for you lizard people?!?"
"Whoa!!?"
Murasaki shoved the sweets box at me with a loud voice, as if throwing it. She stood up.
"Y-youngdy?"
"What''s with you?! Stop calling me with that childish tone, you pervert!!?"
Murasaki red at me, her eyes spinning wildly. She waspletely flustered.
"Youngdy, what''s...?"
"Yona, I''ve achieved my goal!! I''ll be leaving soon!!?"
The maid, who was equally shocked as I was, still followed Murasaki''s orders.
"Youngdy Murasaki, please wait..."
"How annoying! I''m very busy!! You should be grateful I even came here... Ugh!"
This was right after Murasaki opened the shouji paper door, scattered the kids, and stepped out into the corridor. She slipped and fell, her head hitting the floor in a straight line.
As I had expected, I immediately supported her.
"Kyaa?"
"Are you okay, Youngdy?"
"Hu? ...Huu!!?"
I held her up, asking if she was alright. Her response was vague, and our faces were so close that I could see the colors of our skin. I was stunned, unsure of what had happened... and then, as I understood, Murasaki took a step back.
"I apologize!! Let''s start over!! I''lle back another day, so please respond properly then!! You can do that, can''t you?!"
That deration was like pointing at me and shouting in anger, with amand that made my face turn bright red from shame.
"...O-okay."
"Yes, you replied! I promised, didn’t I?! Yona, let’s go home now!! Hurry up!!"
"Youngdy!? Please wait!!?"
Murasaki, and Yona, quickly escaped to the side, and the maid chased after her like a storm. I was left standing there, unable to keep up with the situation.
...Huh? Is sheing back?
"Ah, this is delicious!"
And then, without permission, the lizard-like girl started eating the sweets and said something. No, she just took them without asking.
"Hey, share them with everyone!"
I quickly confiscated the sweets. Then, I chased after Murasaki. I didn’t understand what was going on, but I had to see her off. Ignoring the little girl who was crying, I ran towards the orphanage gate. The ox-cart was already gone. It was a close call, a real emergency.
"Or should I say, did they drive the cart away too fast and almost get into an ident?"
I was talking about Ako Murasaki. At thest moment, I barely managed to see her off, but I didn’t know what would happen if I didn’t.
And then, I collided with a person who was hiding behind the gate.
"Whoa!?"
A refreshing, elegant figure suddenly appeared in front of me, filling my nostrils with a sweet fragrance. I was confused by the situation.
"E-excuse me?"
I hurriedly apologized and tried to create some distance. But that didn’t happen.
"Oh, this is quite bold, isn’t it? This kind of exposed wee is a first, isn’t it?"
"Huh?"
It was a sarcastic remark. At the same time, my head was gently pushed back, and my vision was filled with a soft, sweet sensation. I ended up in a silly, awkward pose. The sweet, mellow voice whispered in my ear.
"Earlier, I almost got into an ident with Ako''s youngdy. Oh your face was bright red... Maybe you''re the type who gets impatient when ites to girls?"
While my face was buried, I looked up at the other person with a sidelong nce. A captivating gaze and a mischievous face stared back at me.
"Y-you...!"
Before I could say anything, a jet-ck, extremely thick, and high-quality sweets box appeared on top of my head, as if it was ced there.
"Sweets box... A celebratory gift from Princess Miyataka. Please, don’t hesitate to ept it."
Wrapped in a white core and coated with cherry blossom pink, then further enveloped in a dark, soybean-vored exterior, the dorayaki... It was an encounter with a magical dangerous character, brought about by offering the famous confectionery of the capital.