The Beginning of Deviation (2)

The time I called Elizabeth wasn’t in the morning, but early lunchtime. I planned to have a meal together, move according to the plan, and then have dinner before executing the final plan. However, this schedule became complicated with the unexpected addition of personnel.

“Hehe.”

Arpi Philadel. After our first meeting, she started appearing unusually often around me. While others also make their appearances here and there but retreat at an appropriate point, Arpi seemed to show her face at every opportunity, either trying to stay by my side somehow or having some other intention. I just met her yesterday, too.

But I didn’t expect to meet her here. No, really, why are you here…? I never thought Elizabeth would bring someone along. Well, if Elizabeth were to bring someone, the most likely candidate would be Amy. But Amy is practically a library ghost, so at this time, she would have quickly eaten her meal and gone straight to the library.

Other faction members? As if. Who doesn’t know they’re all watching and checking each other? If Elizabeth were to recruit people to accompany me on the weekend, there would be plenty of volunteers.

However, they would all come with impure motives. Wanting to get some crumbs by getting close to me, or wanting to push others out and take their place, and so on…

Elizabeth isn’t a fool either, so she knows this much and wouldn’t bring anyone else if she came alone.

I don’t have a perfect grasp of Elizabeth’s social relationships, but from what I’ve observed so far, that’s how it is.

That’s why I thought Elizabeth wouldn’t bring anyone. But Elizabeth appeared with Arpi, a person I found quite unexpected.

Wow, I’m really losing my mind here. How did this happen? While I was confused, Arpi naturally stepped forward and greeted me politely.

“I look forward to spending the day with you, Lady Walpurgis.”

“…Yes, likewise.”

As I returned the greeting, I looked straight into Arpi’s eyes. Most people would flinch or avoid eye contact when meeting my gaze, but her green eyes were gently curved without the slightest hint of agitation.

Arpi Philadel. In the original story, she was an extra whose name didn’t even appear. No, I’m not sure if she was even mentioned at all. But after Elizabeth’s case, I’ve realized that I can’t just ignore someone as a simple extra.

She probably has something too. She’s showing an unusually relaxed attitude in front of me, a duke’s daughter, and also, this is more of a hunch, but when I’m with her, I get a strange feeling. Familiarity? Acquaintance? Gladness? I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s a feeling that starts to form and then disappears. I don’t know how to explain this either.

Ah, I don’t know. I’m hungry, let’s just eat!

There’s a reason why I bothered to come out on this precious weekend. Right now, my image at the academy is too far from that of a villainess. To become an excellent villainess, one must start by messing up their school life. And to mess up school life, it’s important to become an excellent delinquent student. So what should I do? I need to deviate.

For students, deviation is simple. Skipping classes, drinking, smoking, drugs, illicit relationships with the opposite sex, etc.! There are so many options just listing them. Of course, some of these should be excluded.

Illicit relationships with the opposite sex… Obviously excluded. If I were still a man, maybe, but now that I’m a woman, having an illicit relationship would mean doing it with a male student. That’s obviously out! Well, even if I were still a man, it would be questionable whether I could seduce a woman anyway.

Skipping classes. It’s the weekend now. It’s a day off anyway, so pass. Drugs? I don’t want to do that. Pass. To begin with, drugs are extremely poisonous for magicians who rely on concentration. Of course, my concentration is said to be excellent, even vouched for by my father, but still, who knows what would happen if drugs were involved. This is a pass too.

So what’s left is drinking… I’m 18 now. Technically old enough to drink. But that’s only for sipping a glass or two lightly at parties or banquets, not for drinking with intent. My family also strongly advised against it.

‘But there’s nothing left.’

The reason I bothered to come out this weekend was to deliberately commit some deviation. If I chicken out here and don’t do anything, I’ll just end up repeating my usual routine.

That absolutely can’t happen! I need to change. I need to move. For my villainess plan, for Mari’s awakening. To survive!

“Is this the place?”

“You’ve chosen quite an unexpected location.”

The place I brought Elizabeth and Arpi to wasn’t a fancy restaurant or a cozy café, but a shabby, old eatery. In fact, it’s not just an eatery but also doubles as an inn, which means the food quality is lower.

While the area around the academy is well-developed commercially and functions well as a city, like all places where people live, there is a gap between rich and poor. The area around the academy has many fancy shops and facilities targeting nobles, but if you go a little further into the corners, there are plenty of places for poor commoners or those with shady backgrounds.

“Is this really the right place?”

“Yes.”

It’s a place I found through meticulous prior investigation. What I wanted was a place with poor security and mediocre menu, somewhere a duke’s daughter wouldn’t be expected to go. Naturally, Elizabeth questioned if this was the right place, but I nodded without hesitation.

The purpose of coming here is, of course, to lower my reputation. I wouldn’t normally go this far, but now is not the time to be picky about means and methods. Somehow, I need to lower my reputation, connect Mari and Reinhardt, and then break off my engagement with Reinhardt.

To execute this meticulous and grand plan, I can no longer be cautious. Yes. Come to think of it, until now, I’ve been avoiding things here and there, talking about face and whatnot. But that shouldn’t have been the case. To become a truly genuine villainess, I should have thrown everything away and pursued only the goal.

“If anything happens, I will protect Lady Walpurgis.”

Uh, Ms. Elizabeth? I appreciate you saying that, but… I can protect myself too. I’m even carrying a sword.

Needless to say, I didn’t come to a place like this unprepared. I’m carrying a sword and brought a few magical tools just in case. So that I can respond calmly even if an unexpected situation arises.

“You have unique tastes.”

Unlike Elizabeth, who was steeling herself with a determined face, Arpi just made a single comment without losing her relaxed smile. No, is that it? Shouldn’t there be more to say?

As I entered the eatery, I decided to order first from the man who seemed to be the owner.

“Could I have bread and stew, chicken, and milk please?”

Since I don’t know what they sell here, I guess ordering like this should work!

“Stew and chicken. And bread and milk, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Excuse me, customer. Did you look at the menu?”

Menu? Why? It seems they have stew and chicken, and there’s no way they don’t sell bread and milk.

“Yes.”

“…I understand. Please wait a moment.”

I was curious about the owner’s expression, which seemed to have changed somehow, but that wasn’t important right now. What was more important was that the attention of everyone sitting around had focused on us at once with the arrival of new customers.

It’s understandable that three young ladies who look like they’re from well-off families coming to such a shabby eatery would seem strange. I get it. But I wish they’d put away those lecherous gazes.

Of course, as someone who used to be a man, I understand. Looking around, this place is clearly almost a men’s bathhouse, and when three young women come in, it’s inevitable that eyes will be drawn. I can understand even if the gazes are a bit lecherous.

But it’s a bit much when they not only look but also have their mouths gaping open with sloppy expressions.

“Shall I clean them up?”

Noticing that I was conscious of the surrounding gazes, Elizabeth quietly put her hand on her sword hilt. I quickly waved my hand to stop her and decided to sit quietly and wait for the food.

And then silence fell. The eatery that had been bustling when we first entered suddenly became quiet, with everyone whispering as if by agreement, and I sat with my mouth shut, not having anything particular to say.

Uh, um… This isn’t right. What should I do now?

‘This isn’t right?’

Come to think of it, I only thought about coming to a place like this, but I didn’t think about what to do once I got here. Oh no! I was so focused on the schedule after lunch that I didn’t properly plan what to do right now.

‘Should I just stay still?’

Usually, when you sit like this, someone from another table approaches and, you know.

“Hey there, pretty ladies. Mind if I join you? Hic!”

Yes. Someone hitting on us like this… Huh?

Surprised by the voice that was real and not just in my thoughts, I turned my head to see a man with a bright red face, holding a bottle of alcohol in one hand, gesturing towards us. What? I thought this kind of thing only happened in novels? There are really people who do this?

Ah, right. This is a world inside a novel. I get it now.