episode_0008

Irene hugged my arm.

That too, so tightly that my forearm was buried between her breasts.

I used to be a man, but I was into skinship that only lovers would do…

He tilted his head with an indifferent expression.

‘…Why is he like this?’

-Gyah.

If something like this had happened to me as a man, I would probably have been turned on.

However, I have already lived for about 10 years where I had to squat down whenever I had to urinate.

Maybe that’s why my identity was closer to that of a woman.

To the point where I’ve even forgotten my name when I was a man.

… I don’t think I remembered the name right after I got the iceberg, but anyway.

Even if you tried to make this kind of physical contact with me, it would only make me feel a little awkward.

So I started to worry calmly.

I wonder why he is like this.

-Gyah.

“Huh… ?”

‘She’s smaller than Elena… No. Irene, was this her original character?’

Irene. The original heroine and the last witch left on the continent.

She had her witch powers sealed away by some means.

If you’re caught being a witch, you’ll be immediately and horribly witch-hunted.

But even so, it was not possible to hide all the traces.

The constitution of a witch who is hated by everyone, as opposed to the ‘saint’ who is infinitely loved by all things.

Because that constitution couldn’t be hidden no matter how hard you tried.

Because of this, she is consistently hated, bullied, and devastated in the original.

Since I’m so bad at writing, the main character’s personality isn’t very well described, but I’m saying that he wouldn’t be the type of person to cling so affectionately to her.

But, why would she be so attached to me like this…

‘… Ah. Is this what it’s like?’

As I was pouting and thinking, I suddenly tried to organize the current situation from her perspective.

She lived her entire life being hated because of her constitution.

But then, suddenly, the prince saved him, and the princess clung to him and rubbed his cheek.

I was so touched by the protection I received for the first time in my life that I couldn’t help but hug it tightly. Yes.

The corners of my mouth went up involuntarily.

‘I just saved you from the villainess Yeong-ae, so this is the level of reaction you’re getting. What kind of skinship are you planning on having with Louis in the future?’

“Hehe, hoohehe.”

Could it be because it hasn’t yet reached full scale devastation?

Irene is happy even with such small things.

How sweet and affectionate will she be as she enjoys her happy academy life with Louis?

I couldn’t wait to see it.

‘What, what, aren’t you two going to break the speed limit like this?’

“… … !! Sorry, sorry… .”

“No, I’m totally fine? More importantly, were you scared? Was it hard? Oh my. Don’t worry, I’m fine now~.”

So instead of blaming her for her rudeness, I patted her on the head.

As if blessing Irene, who will be with Louis for a hundred years to come, with a big smile.

‘Haha. I’ll take care of all the dirty work, so you two just keep dating and feed each other cookies!’

-Mumble.

“… Is this the first time you’ve seen Esti smile like that?”

‘Louis Jean, what does he keep saying?’

But Louis’s strange gaze was fixed on us.

It’s probably nothing.

* * *

While Esti was having sex with Irene.

Louis continued to maintain a state of readiness.

Summon the window at any time…

To pierce Irene’s heart.

-Gooo… .

‘Estido, really. If she’s an assassin, what would she do?’

A visionary spear technique passed down through the Blazer family to overcome one’s small stature and height.

The eldest son, Louis, also practiced the Blazer style spear technique to the extreme.

Louis’ skills, acknowledged even by the Commander of the Imperial Knights, are such that he can respond immediately to anything that happens within 3 meters.

Using all his skills, Louis guarded Esti tightly.

If Irene does anything stupid, she will be killed immediately.

but…

The moment Irene hugged Estee’s arm.

He stopped and couldn’t respond right away.

-Hug.

‘That guy, he’s finally showing his true colors… .’

“Hehe♡”

“… … Hmm?”

Louis’s brain stopped at the sound of bright laughter.

Esti just smiled as she imagined their happy future.

But to Louis, her smile seemed a little different.

A situation where even I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I’m jealous.’

Esti’s appearance with a carefree and innocent laugh…

Of course, it seemed like she was happy about that skinship.

‘Wait a minute. Now that I think about it…?’

-Stop.

Louis’s mind went back over the events that had happened so far.

Estee ran to the woman being bullied.

Estee asked him to wipe her face.

With the saying, ‘It’s a shame to waste the most beautiful face in the world.’

… She’s not that pretty, but because she’s dirty and unkempt, she seems more dirty than pretty.

After that, he continued to protect her against Shepor Youngae.

Even to the point of declaring that they would become friends.

‘Something seems a bit strange?’

Even taking into account how kind and quirky Estira was, this was clearly strange.

Was it simply a pity for a common girl who was being bullied?

No. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have hugged you like that and rubbed your cheeks.

I don’t think we would have even said anything like “friends”.

Louis’ eyes turned back to Estee.

-Obviously.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay now~ Hehehe♡”

Esti looks at her while hugging her arm.

Honey was dripping from her eyes.

… Has Estee ever seen someone like that in her life?

After a brief moment of deliberation, the conclusion reached was no.

Esti had never seen anyone like that.

Louis was confused.

‘If it were a man and a woman, I would have thought it was love at first sight. But she’s a woman, so that can’t be the case. What is it? Why is Estee acting like that?’

-Mumble mumble.

“Two, what is this…?”

…with a muttering that was just like Estee’s.

* * *

After some huge event, a while later.

Irene, sitting on the bench, opened her mouth with a trembling expression.

“Hey, that’s… .”

“If you’re thankful, I’ll show it to Louis later. Should I introduce myself first? Can you look over here and tell me your age and name?”

What catches her eye is Esti, who is also sitting on the bench, laughing out loud.

Irene, who was at a loss, muttered questions to herself.

‘That little girl is the princess… No, more than that. Why is she sitting so uncomfortably?’

“… Estee. It’s already cramped, do I need to sit down too? Can’t you just sit down and talk amongst yourselves?”

The one who took up her question was Louis, who was stuck between the two with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

It was a natural question, since the three of them were sitting closely together on a narrow bench.

There, Estee returned the world’s most sloppy smile.

“Hehe. We’re going to be classmates from now on, so what’s wrong with this?”

‘It would be awkward if I suddenly told them to sit down together. So I’m connecting them naturally like this. Wow~ I’m totally Cupid!’

“Come on. Okay. Okay. What’s your name?”

-Bubibubibubib.

Instead of falling, he clung to her tightly, pressing her down as if pushing her towards him.

Of course, Louis’ trained body didn’t move at all, and as a result, Esti ended up just rubbing her body against Louis.

Irene’s eyes narrowed.

‘Those two are dating, I see. Ha, these are good times. These are good times.’

Because to her, as an adult woman, it just seemed like a bunch of little kids who got along well with each other were dating.

… Estee really didn’t have any thoughts, and Louis was gritting his teeth to keep from his soul screaming, ‘It’s not ripe.’ Anyway.

Irene, who had been laughing inwardly for a moment, saying, ‘The little ones are getting away with it,’ put strength into her voice again.

‘Well, thanks to you I was able to overcome the crisis. I guess I’m lucky.’

“That, that, that’s Irene… .”

In stark contrast to her cynical nature, what came out of her mouth was a weak, trembling voice.

This was the kind of acting she learned to incur even a little less hatred from people.

I haven’t seen much benefit so far…

A synonym for sloppiness, not knowing how to suspect others. Esti was completely fooled by that acting.

‘How hard must it have been for you to have your voice tremble like the legs of a newborn baby deer… .’

“Irene! That’s a pretty name. Right, Louis?”

‘To you, here is the prince on a white horse. I introduce you to King Louis!!’

Esti, fooled by Louis’s pretense of weakness, rubs her body even more against Louis’ shoulder.

Louis’s stomach started to hurt.

“Ugh… Yeah, yeah.”

‘I know you like her, but please stop… .’

‘Oh my, the little ones are getting all worked up.’

However, the result of Louis holding on to his face until the blood rushed to it was that, from Irene’s perspective, she only saw herself blushing in embarrassment.

As the misunderstanding deepened, she began to worry.

‘Then, how should I use these innocent nobles… so that I can survive in the Academy?’

For Irene, the academy was a land of opportunity to somehow graduate, obtain a decent status, and dispel suspicions that she was a witch.

For her, who had been determined to endure no matter how hard it was, this little couple that had been embraced by her was worth using.

Friend? I could play friend games all I want.

I don’t know if he has a fantasy about commoners, or if he’s intoxicated with himself for being so kind to them.

You just have to match the rhythm there.

So she made a vow to herself.

Unlike the tearful acting, it is resolute.

‘Okay. Play friend game, I’ll hang out with you. But in return, protect me like you did today.’

“But, by the way… What do you mean by friend… .”

“Heh. Why, you don’t like it? Let’s spend time together and eat delicious food. Here with Louis!”

“Wait, why am I… .”

“Hey, don’t do that~.”

‘… Are you trying to use me as an excuse to hang out with your boyfriend? It shouldn’t be that hard.’

Although there was a terrible misunderstanding hidden there, none of the three noticed it.

* * *

After a few pushes and pulls from Irene,

Estee and Irene shook hands.

It was a commemorative handshake to mark a new friend.

-Hug.

“Well, then… I’m just an ordinary person with nothing special to do, but please take good care of me… .”

“Hehe, please take care of me. Irene!”

‘Haha, it’s all according to my plan! I’m totally behind the scenes!’

‘It’s so sloppy. I can’t believe she’s 20 years old.’

Of course, there wasn’t even a single gram of pure friendship in there. Anyway.

As soon as the two finished shaking hands, Louis, who had been stuck in the middle and unable to move, quickly got up.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat.

-Suddenly.

‘I thought I was going to die… .’

“Whew… It’s almost time, aren’t you going?”

“Ah, the entrance ceremony is about to start. There’s also a ceremony, so let’s go now.”

“Yes, no… !”

Esti and Irene stand up and follow him.

The three of them headed towards the entrance ceremony hall.

With a lot of chatter.

‘… That’s right. Now that I think about it, where was he hiding? Why did he only come out today? What’s that look like?’

“But Irene, your clothes look like you’ve been homeless. Did something happen to you?”

“… … .”

In the midst of the small talk, a question came up that Irene found difficult to answer.

The reason why she looks so messy.

The decisive reason why it differs from the original that Estee knows.

For a moment, Irene hesitated whether to lie or not…

‘… Since they’re such good kids, I guess it’s okay to say this much.’

Soon she slowly opened her mouth.

Just a moment ago, he unconsciously hugged Esti’s arm.

With a little favor.

-Tiring!

[Irene’s favorability rating is readjusted.]

[Current favorability rating of ‘Irene (22 years old, female)’ toward the target: 40]

[As a result of the favorability effect, the probability of winning the other person’s favor is ‘moderately’ increased.]

“This is a secret… but there were people who tried to kidnap me… .”

“Kidnapped!!? Did you get caught by some bad guys?”

“Yes.”

and…

For the first time since coming to the academy.

An expression of confusion that could not be hidden appeared on Estee’s face.

“In a strange place called the TS Brigade… They keep chasing me… … .”

“… … What, what what what what what what?!!!”