chapter_0034

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
34

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
34

The deep blue eyes looking
down at me were as indifferent and cold as their colour.

Anyone unaware of the
circumstances would have been so frightened by that gaze that they
would unconsciously take a step back.

But I remained unfazed, even
meeting those eyes.

I knew very well what kind of
personality Joy Partan had.

Joy looked like a villainous
lady straight out of a romance novel.

Sharp eyes and a tall stature.

Her slightly curled blonde
hair, often styled in a bun—a look commonly called a ‘ringlets.’

Her beauty, as if it would
prick you if touched, matched perfectly with the image of an elegant
and noble lady from a ducal family.

But inside, she was different.

The Duke Partan family,
contrary to the many vicious rumours about them, was an ordinary
family.

Joy, who grew up receiving
love from her withdrawn but doting father and a nagging mother, was
just a normal girl inside.

Even the character description
said so.

A person with the appearance
of a villainous noble lady but with the soul of a timid high school
girl.

Soul Academy players used to
jokingly call her the “ditzy lady” because, despite her
great abilities, she easily got flustered and forgot her skills under
pressure.

“It’s been a while.”

As soon as I heard her blunt
and authoritative tone, I was inwardly impressed.

When viewed from behind a
monitor, I always thought the game’s depiction of Joy as a figure of
fear for anyone outside her close circle at the Academy was
exaggerated.

Her appearance might give the
impression of a bad person, but it seemed far-fetched for her timid
and kind nature to be a source of fear.

However, meeting Joy in
reality made me understand that setting.

Both her voice and her gaze.
Her actions, too. She naturally lorded over people, pressing others
down beneath her, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Even I, who knew the whole
backstory, felt slightly intimidated. Anyone unaware of the
circumstances would have surely bowed their head in fear upon seeing
Joy.

“Did you come to visit
Tierra Mas?”

‘Yes, that’s correct.’

“Yes. I heard the rumours
and decided to come, but it turns out this trashy place only allows
entry to guests with reservations.”

Hearing my words, which had
been translated into Mesugaki, Joy’s lips tightened into a straight
line.

At first glance, it might seem
like Joy was irked by Lucy’s rude remark, but that wasn’t the case.

Joy is someone who could be
described as a good-natured fool, like someone you’d find at least
one of in any school.

Though she didn’t have the
all-embracing kindness of a saint, like one they would soon meet, she
didn’t get angry or even annoyed over trivial matters.

Even when a friend stole her
crush, she wished them happiness in front of everyone, only to cry in
private—there’s no way a kind-hearted lady like that would get
angry over such remarks.

Her current expression was
likely just a bitter smile.

If you looked closely, you
might notice the corners of her lips were slightly tilted upwards.

“Didn’t you know it was
by reservation only?”

‘No…’

“No. I just came after
hearing the rumours. I had no idea this place would be so rude.”

Because of the [Mesugaki]
Skill, speaking was terrifying.

I had no way of knowing how my
words, spoken plainly, would be distorted.

Until now, no matter what came
out of my mouth, it never caused any serious trouble.

The attendants said nothing
because of my status,

Benedict just laughed off
everything I said,

And the knights shrugged
things off, saying it was nothing compared to what they heard on the
battlefield.

But now, things are different.

Joy wasn’t my subordinate, nor
someone who would laugh at everything I said.

If I were to be rude, it would
end up making Joy dislike me.

I don’t want to be hated by
the character I like.

I once joked about not minding
being criticised, but that was just a joke after all.

Who in the world would be
happy about being despised by someone they like?

At least, not me!

For now, let’s avoid
mentioning Joy’s name directly.

And let’s not call her “Lady”
either.

Given that my mouth has called
Benedict “foolish father,” I can’t even imagine what it
might call Joy.

If I avoid this title part, it
might come off as just a slightly rude remark, something Joy might
smile wryly over and let slide.

Thankfully, when I’m
technically in the lower position, I use formal speech.

If I had said something like
“Hey, sloppy” to a duke’s daughter, it would have been
unfixable.

“It’s unfortunate, but it
can’t be helped. Rules are rules.”

‘It’s my fault for not
checking properly.’

“Even though I didn’t
check, what a cheeky restaurant.”

Joy being here means she was
also planning to visit Tierra Mas, right?

She didn’t seem surprised when
I mentioned the reservation, so it looks like she came with one.

That thing she’s gripping
tightly in her right hand must be the reservation ticket.

I’m envious. I really wanted
to try the food at Tierra Mas, which even made the rare-to-smile
heroine beam with delight.

It’s a pity, but what can you
do? It’s my fault for coming empty-handed to a place where even the
daughter of a duke makes a reservation.

I’ll just have to make another
reservation and come back next time.

But where should I eat now?

How about that cake shop I
always visited with the characters I could date from Soul Academy?

That place was so good at
raising affection that people would joke they must have put something
in the cakes.

It could be fun to investigate
what’s behind those affection-boosting cakes.

It felt a bit strange to have
dessert for my first meal, but as long as it’s delicious, why not?

Having made my decision, I
tore my eyes away from the ticket and raised my head to say goodbye.

At that moment, my eyes met
Joy’s, which looked unusually stern.

Why is she looking at me so
intimidatingly?

I know she’s not really angry,
but it still stings a bit, you know?

“Lady Allen.”

‘Yes?’

“What is it?”

“…Would you like to have a
meal together?”

Excuse me?

Joy stared at Lucy Allen
sitting across from her with a sullen face and screamed internally.

‘What was I thinking?

Why did I ask Lady Lucy to
have a meal with me?

I was so looking forward to
eating at Tierra Mas, why did I have to ruin it by adding Lady Lucy
to the mix, stupid me!

But it was inevitable at that
moment.

Lady Lucy couldn’t enter the
restaurant, and she looked so irritated as she stared at the ticket
in my hand.

What else could I do when my
ticket was caught by the radar of a bristling hedgehog?!

Leaving Lady Lucy outside and
going in alone?

She would have thought I was
boasting and left!

She would have held an even
bigger grudge against me than if I had just acted like I didn’t know
her!’

Joy didn’t want to be hated by
Lucy.

She was indeed scared, but
that wasn’t the only reason.

After all, Joy was the Lady of
the Partan family, so Lucy couldn’t exactly harm her.

But the reason she was
uncomfortable with Lucy was because of her attitude.

Most people found it difficult
to deal with Joy.

She was the Lady of the Partan
family and had an intimidating appearance.

Except for friends and family
she had known since childhood, most people would show her kindness.

There were exceptions, but no
one had ever shown overt hostility like Lucy.

Joy still remembered the first
time she met Lucy, even after all these years.

She had been drawn to Lucy’s
small and beautiful appearance, which looked like a living doll, and
struck up a conversation.

And then she heard, “Who do
you think you are, talking to me?”

Despite having looked up at
her from below, Lucy’s gaze gave off the feeling of looking down on
her.

“Do you think just because
you’re a sloppy giant I would be scared of you?”

Later, Benedict had understood
the situation and brought Lucy to apologise, but Joy could never
forget that day.

It was the first time she had
ever faced such direct hostility and insult.

Eventually, she came to
realise that directness was sometimes better.

Reflecting on the past, Joy
found it odd that Lucy was so quiet today.

It was strange. It might be
rude to say this, but the usual Lucy was far from being quiet.

She always seemed eager to
make at least one more person feel uncomfortable, constantly at the
centre of any commotion.

But today was different.

Lucy waited for her food to
arrive.

Though she glanced around and
watched others eat, that was all.

The silence felt strange and
awkward, but Joy didn’t want to point it out.

There was no need to light the
fuse of a time bomb that had decided to stay calm.

“Here is the soup, the
appetiser.”

As they spent time in silence,
the server brought the first dish.

The server said something
about the soup, but Joy didn’t pay much attention.

As long as the food tasted
good, that was enough.

It was hard enough to study
regularly; there was no need to study food too.

Once the server left, Joy
picked up her spoon and took a bite, her eyes widening in surprise at
the flavour.

A gentle smoked scent filled
her mouth, followed by the rich taste of butter.

The potatoes and onions melted
the moment they touched her tongue.

And among it all, the salmon
played its part perfectly.

There was no need for the
server’s explanation.

This dish was a
self-explanatory masterpiece.

‘I wonder if Lady Lucy feels
the same way?’

Stealing a glance at Lucy’s
face, Joy saw Lucy moving her spoon nonstop and hurriedly covered her
mouth with one hand.

Her large, round pink eyes
were fixed on the soup.

Her mouth, which had been
tightly closed until a moment ago, now seemed lost in savouring the
taste of the soup. Her tiny hands moved so quickly that they almost
left afterimages.

What surprised Joy even more
was that despite Lucy’s hurried eating, she still adhered to the
minimum etiquette.

Joy, who was observing Lucy so
intently that she forgot about her own food, only resumed eating when
she saw Lucy gaze longingly at her empty bowl.

The dishes that followed from
Tierra Mas were just as delicious.

Even Joy, who had tasted all
kinds of delicacies from the Duke’s family, was impressed.

However, she focused more on
watching Lucy eat than on the food itself.

Honestly, if she just didn’t
speak, she’d look like a cute doll.

‘In some ways, we might be
alike in being different from what we appear.

While I look fierce but am
soft inside, she looks soft outside but is fierce inside.

Wait, isn’t that the
complete opposite?’

As they finished their meal,
Lucy wore a satisfied smile Joy had never seen before.

Maybe she was enchanted by
that smile. Joy forgot who Lucy was for a moment and asked; “Did
you enjoy the meal?”

Lucy heard the question, gave
her a smile, and replied,

“It wasn’t bad, Airhead
Lady.”

What? Airhead Lady?

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