episode_0035

Our trip didn’t end in just one or two days.

The distance to the destination was quite long to begin with, and I had to adjust my speed appropriately while taking various factors into account, so I ended up traveling for quite a long time.

However, the process itself was not boring.

… Unfortunately, that is.

Surrounded by three women, in the sometimes awkward and sometimes sharp atmosphere, I couldn’t even afford to feel bored.

The situation was so suffocating that I even tried to change seats in the carriage.

Failed.

In the face of fierce opposition.

I tried asking fellow men Alexis and Cedric for help, but they paid no heed to my earnest gaze and were only looking at Mary the whole time.

I felt disgusted by that fact.

How much have I supported them on the inside, and yet they so coldly abandon me?

I promised myself that I would no longer support them.

In addition, he looked for a savior with hopes of help, but without success.

Carlson was busy escorting the group, Del just clicked his tongue at me, and Mary didn’t even notice that I wanted help.

Just like that, my little struggle came to an end without any results.

And the result.

“Look over there. I guess he’s an acrobat.”

“Mu, Mugu point… You can’t look around… ?”

“Hmm. That’s food I’ve never seen before.”

I was in a situation where I was surrounded by three women anytime, anywhere.

Even in the city where I stopped for a break, I ended up being dragged around like this.

“… … .”

Naturally, this situation was not very pleasant to me.

Because it was my role to coordinate the opinions of three women with different personalities and to prevent an unpleasant atmosphere from forming.

That alone was enough to make me feel exhausted, but that wasn’t the end of what was making me difficult.

Sight.

The eyes focused on us subtly gnawed at my nerves.

It was natural for all eyes to gather. Rachel, Ira, and Estelle all have looks that make them stand out.

Even if you are walking alone, there is no way that you will not be attracted to the three women who attract attention from those around you, as they are gathered together in one place.

Even, what if there is a guy between the three?

There is no choice but to focus even more attention on that man.

Yes, right to me.

“… … .”

I feel the extremely stinging gaze.

Everyone I encounter looks this way and at me.

Some have eyes filled with interest and wonder, some have eyes filled with jealousy, and some have eyes filled with anger.

There is no need to say that most of the owners of jealous and angry eyes are men.

Honestly, you can just ignore each and every one of those looks. However, when those views come together, it becomes something that can never be ignored.

Even more so, if the stimulation never seems to go away, you can’t help but worry even more.

The good news is that there are no people who directly bother me, just because their gazes are intense.

There may be many reasons, but the biggest one is probably the atmosphere they give off.

Although they avoided flashy clothes in order to divert attention even a little, the atmosphere that implicitly emanated from them was not ordinary.

Even if you don’t know the details, you will get the feeling just by looking at it. At least I felt like I was not a child from an ordinary family.

That’s probably why there aren’t people who attack it openly. You wouldn’t want to touch a precious child and see blood for no reason.

Also, the fact that this is a city of its own size and has good security probably played a big role.

If it was a place with poor security, it would probably have been more difficult than this.

If it were some kind of lawless city over there, all the bastards from the entire city could have come together and attacked.

… Well, actually, it’s not like there weren’t such guys here at all.

The world is large, there are many people, and among those many people, there are sometimes strange people.

There definitely exists someone who commits and sees things before their instincts rather than reason.

There were definitely people like that in this city too.

These guys are showing signs of coming towards us with a look in their eyes that says, “I don’t know.”

However, before they could even take a few steps, they disappeared from the spot.

At a speed that no one around you will notice.

I knew what the phenomenon was.

That it was done by Estelle’s guards.

They usually escorted Estelle at a certain distance, but whenever Estelle went out to this distance, they became even more alert and circled around.

And if anyone or anything that might be a risk was seen, they were immediately excluded.

The men disappearing was also part of that action.

It was a good thing for me. That’s because they take care of things that might otherwise be bothersome.

I was worried about the men who disappeared without even knowing, but I didn’t think I needed to worry too much about him.

As a result of tracking the sign, it seemed like they ended up just knocking him out and throwing him into a back alley.

Anyway, it was a good thing for me. That’s because they take care of things that might otherwise be bothersome.

… Of course, that didn’t make all my stress go away.

“Wade?”

“Way, Mr. Wade… ?”

“Hmm? Why are you doing that?”

I heard a voice calling me.

“… I’m going.”

I answered weakly and took a reluctant step forward.

***

“Ha… … .”

Exhale deeply to remove the air from your lungs.

Then I took a deep breath, and the damp and lukewarm night air flowed in.

It wasn’t cool or refreshing, but I felt a sense of liberation in that subtle air.

In the first place, air quality didn’t matter.

This situation itself gave me a sense of liberation.

This situation itself, sneaking out of the dorm.

It wasn’t just the weekly story that had to worry about the three women.

At night, even when it was time to stay at the dorm, the girls gathered around me, and I couldn’t have any alone time until I went to bed.

I could tolerate it for a day or two, but since it lasted for several days, I needed some time to catch my breath. That’s why I sneaked out of the dorm today.

I left a letter saying I was going out for a while so that it wouldn’t turn into a big problem, so even if someone notices that I’m gone, it won’t turn into a big problem.

I was careful not to be noticed by Estelle’s guards surrounding the outside of the hotel.

This way, even if they are looking for me, I don’t have to worry about my location being discovered right away.

After shaking off my worries, I went out into the streets with a light heart.

And the vibrancy of the city welcomed me.

Perhaps because it is a fairly large place, there were a lot of people on the streets even at a fairly late hour. Of course, there were many stores that were still open.

I walked aimlessly through the night street, which was quite different from the daytime.

I couldn’t bear the frustration and ran out, but I didn’t have a specific destination in mind.

Literally, it came out to change the mood.

It happened while I was walking without thinking.

I heard a commotion.

“Please let go of this… !”

“Uh huh. Anyone who sees me will think I’m doing something bad. Let’s go play together for a moment?”

A situation that could be described as fairly typical was unfolding.

A large, scary-looking man grabbed a woman’s wrist, and the woman tried to escape somehow.

After watching the scene for a moment, I walked forward and intervened between the two.

“Stop it.”

“… What is this?”

The man rolled his eyes.

Combined with the inherently bad impression, it created a very intimidating face.

Of course, I wasn’t saying I felt threatened.

“I’m a bit busy right now? If it goes out smoothly, it will be a bad situation… Wow!”

The man could not continue his words and screamed halfway through.

The reason was simple. Because I grabbed his wrist. Apply moderate force.

The man, who was no more than a street thug, screamed and immediately let go of the woman’s hand.

After confirming that, I let go of his wrist.

“Ugh, ugh… !”

Maybe it was because I applied pressure with just the right amount of force, but he looked at me with trembling eyes and quickly ran away.

After seeing the guy walking away in an instant, I turned my head towards the woman.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes, yes… ! Thank you for your help… !”

With her shoulder-length chestnut hair flowing, the woman repeatedly bowed her head towards me.

To the point of being a bit excessive.

“No. It’s no big deal.”

I shook my head lightly.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yes… . Thanks to you, I’m okay.”

“That’s a good thing. Well then, I’ll just leave.”

Since the confirmation was over, I said hello to the woman and left.

“Yes, yes?! Hey, wait a minute… As a repayment for your help… !”

The woman tried to grab me with her wide innocent eyes that reminded me of someone else.

However, I didn’t stop.

“No. it’s okay. I’m a bit busy right now.”

“Well, then at least it’s a name… !”

I kept hearing voices calling me from behind, but my legs didn’t stop moving.

I moved my legs nonstop.

Until you no longer feel any signs of being chased.

How long did it take to walk like that?

When I could no longer feel the woman’s presence, I finally stopped moving.

Then I remembered the woman I saw a little while ago.

“… … .”

The reason I helped the woman was not because of a burning sense of justice.

It was because there was a problem.

And what is the catch?

‘Living.’

It was the life I could feel from the woman.

Although it was felt for a moment and then disappeared immediately, it was definitely a life.

It’s also quite thick and sharp.

That’s why I got caught between the two right away.

I was wondering if something like this might happen.

So, strictly speaking, it was difficult to say that he intervened to save the woman this time.

Rather, it should be seen as an attempt to save that man.

As a result of a close examination during the process, I was unable to feel that intense life from the woman again.

Also, there was nothing else that was unnatural.

The woman really looked like an ordinary person.

Even to the very end.

‘… Was it because of my mood?’

Until now, I have never been mistaken about living.

Even with that type of life, it’s hard to be mistaken… I think so.

But there is no evidence.

There was no sign of life, and there was nothing special about the woman.

I was worried for a moment due to an uncertain feeling, but soon shook my head to shake off the lingering feelings.

It was already over. Even though I thought about it, there was no answer.

I just thought it was a mistake because I was exhausted over the past few days and decided to move on.

Above all, this time was too precious to be wasted like this.

After shaking off my worries like that, I wandered around here and there to freshen up, and then went back to my lodgings before it got too late.

I got scolded by Rachel, Ira, Estelle, and Mary who were waiting inside.

… I decided that in the future, I would think carefully about sneaking out before doing it.

***

“… I really went.”

The woman looked vain.

Feeling lingering, she looked around, but the person she was looking for was nowhere to be found.

‘… ‘What do you do?’

The man who suddenly stepped in and helped her.

Although his appearance was somewhat sudden, she did not find him intrusive.

No, to be honest, I quite liked it.

The goodness of helping someone in trouble without hesitation.

Transparent eyes that seemed to have no ulterior motive.

And above all… … .

“The face was my type… .”

It was a face that suited my taste quite a bit.

Because of that, the intention was to have a conversation, but the man left as if he was being chased.

In a development like this, shouldn’t we at least have a cup of tea?

The woman tapped the floor with her toe a few times in disappointment and then let out a small sigh.

In fact, the help itself was not needed.

Because she could have easily solved it on her own.

I was so annoyed that I almost lost my hand, but I didn’t really want to kill it because it would be a hassle to kill it.

But, at that exact moment, a man intervened.

As if he had read her life leaking out.

The life that flowed out was really only for a moment, just a moment, and even that was at a weak level.

She said she didn’t mean it, but what about her skill in resisting pursuit and disappearing?

No matter how much I thought about it, he was a man who got on my nerves.

“… Ha, that’s it.”

The woman, unable to let go of her regrets and wandering around, sighed heavily and finally decided to leave.

I couldn’t afford to stay like this.

Because there was a mountain of work that needed to be done right away.

If we wait any longer, it’s obvious that the higher-ups will peck at her for no reason.

“Oh, indeed.”

Just before leaving, the woman stopped as if remembering something.

Then, he reached out his hand and stroked his face once.

Then, surprisingly, the woman’s appearance changed to look like a different person.

The eyes, nose, mouth, shape of the face, and even the hair, there was no resemblance to the woman from before.

The woman’s change did not end there; in the next moment, even her body shape had changed.

The woman, who had become a completely different person, left only after confirming her change.

“I wish we could meet again… .”

Muttering a few regretful words, she slipped into the darkness of the city.