I Am, Your Chloe
"I am... your Chloe only."
"......Pardon?"
Her completely unexpected words.
I wanted to say something, but no proper words came out.
Just a hollow echo slipped from the corner of my mouth.
"Hee hee."
Lady Chloe Levantia smiled with her eyes, tilting her head this way and that, as if trying to take me in from every angle.
Left.
Right.
Front.
Even tilting her head slightly for a diagonal view.
...What are you doing? It's creepy.
"Uh, um..."
I barely squeezed out my voice.
At that, she leaned forward eagerly, as if she'd been waiting.
Sparkling eyes.
An urging gaze.
A face pleading for the next words right away.
She seemed genuinely excited, which only made it scarier.
What the hell is this situation?
"Lady Chloe Levantia...? What is going on...?"
The usual form of address.
It should have been familiar.
But at those words, Lady Chloe Levantia's expression fell flat.
Her eye smile vanished, lips pouting.
"What's that?"
"......Pardon?"
"You were so passionate just moments ago."
"No, that's..."
"Teacher said it, didn't you?"
She poked my chest with her finger.
"That I'm special."
Poke.
"Different from anyone else."
Poke.
"Your Chloe only."
What the hell did I say in her imagination?
"Oh? Is that it?"
Her eyes widened round as she spoke.
"Are you embarrassed?"
"Yes?"
"You are, right?"
She covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
But the smile spreading to her eyes wasn't hidden at all.
"You got shy after saying it."
No, what? How did you reach that conclusion?
"It's okay."
She smiled softly.
"I felt a little embarrassed hearing it too."
Her cheeks were indeed faintly flushed, as if it were true.
"I never expected teacher to say something like that."
Where the hell did it all go wrong?
...From the very beginning?
"Your embarrassed look isn't bad either."
Lady Chloe Levantia took a step closer.
I reflexively stepped back.
But the edge of the sofa.
Nowhere left to go.
"L-Lady Chloe Levantia. Please sit down first..."
"......Levantia?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"That's not right, is it?"
Ah, no choices here. To survive, I have to play along.
"Uh, Miss Chloe...?"
It tumbled out almost on survival instinct.
Her pouty face brightened like a lie.
"There we go."
She giggled and sat back on the sofa.
A picture of satisfaction.
"Since teacher gets embarrassed, we'll stick to that normally."
Normally?
What does that mean? Not normally, I have to call you 'my Chloe' or something?
I'm going insane.
Whatever I was thinking, she already looked content.
Smiling brightly as she rose and headed to the door.
But she paused at the door and slowly turned back.
With a low, leaking laugh.
"You said it last time, right? 'As one person.'"
This one was real.
I had said it, even if it was just a vague cover while explaining the rules.
Grasping the doorknob, she said clearly.
As if answering the feelings she'd heard from me all this time.
"Look forward to it. I have a lot to show you, as one person."
Ding-a-ling—
"......"
The problem was that those feelings existed only in her imagination.
Once she left, I frantically rummaged through my notebook.
[5th: When asked about changes after counseling, played word games]
[6th: Gave an expensive-looking cup]
[7th: Watched me drink, then personally adjusted each finger to teach how to hold the cup]
[8th: Softens easily to praise]
I scanned the records from the beginning to find the cause of what just happened.
And the conclusion I reached.
"......This isn't helpful at all."
Too vaguely written.
And it hit me hard.
Looking back, every single one was a sign of affection.
"Well, if I had to pick one, maybe asking at the end if it felt different from usual?"
Playing word games meant she'd grown comfortable enough.
"I need to drink here too. It's like changing my own environment."
That was an outright declaration of coming back.
Adjusting my fingers one by one to teach cup-holding?
"She just wanted to hold hands!"
Weak to praise? Well, anyone feels good getting compliments from someone they like.
But what could I do?
Writing it like that felt too self-indulgent.
So I noted it as a maybe, but damn, it was real.
I groaned and closed the notebook.
Ultimately, the culprit was this.
[※ Effects accumulate with repeated use on the same target.]
"What do I do with this...?"
The 15 minutes of conversation she alone remembered.
The words her imagined me said within that time.
If those filled more and more with 'what she wanted to hear' as sessions piled up.
If she believed those memories were real.
How far had the me in her head gone?
I closed the notebook.
No answers.
Morning came again.
Before opening the shop door, I paused.
Should I open this or not?
Honestly, a bit scary.
Lady Chloe Levantia seemed to harbor emotions I couldn't even imagine.
But no answers meant I couldn't skip counseling.
This was my daily routine.
With a swallowed sigh, I opened the door.
Ding-a-ling—
"Good night, teacher?"
I immediately heard the familiar voice.
Right at the door: Lady Chloe Levantia.
She gazed at me with deep, affectionate eyes, like finally meeting the one she'd waited for.
But wait.
We just saw each other yesterday.
Is that face right after one night?
Like something would happen if she didn't see me for days.
"You... came early, I see..."
My thoughts veered ominous, trailing off.
Her eyes flicked to my lips.
Waiting for the answer she wanted.
...Guess I have to say it.
"Miss Chloe."
"Hee hee."
Only then did she smile in satisfaction.
Murmurs followed from the line of maids.
They'd caught the subtle air between Lady Chloe Levantia and me, whispering among themselves.
Ah, no good.
Sort this out before useless rumors spread.
I promptly called the next three.
"The third maid from the front."
"Yes!"
"And Lize."
"Ah, yes!"
Meeting the sparkling gaze head-on, I added,
"Last... Miss Chloe."
She nodded with utmost satisfaction.
Like someone who'd gotten exactly what she wanted.
The first two sessions ended twice as fast as usual.
Gulp—
Stuff stuff.
Guuulp—
Squeeze squeeze.
Didn't even listen properly, snap hypnosis.
No choice.
Couldn't focus with the humming outside the whole time.
"Hmm~."
I sent off the second guest and opened the door; Lady Chloe Levantia entered as if waiting.
"I'm last again today?"
She beamed.
"Teacher wanted to see me longer, huh?"
"That's not it."
To her, I was already solidified as someone desperate for her.
She brushed off even this lightly.
"Saying things you don't mean."
She stared quietly, then reached for my collar.
"Hold on, excuse me."
"...Yes?"
"It's a bit crooked."
She casually straightened it, smiling as if nothing happened.
Even her fingers brushing my neck, no big deal.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and said,
"So, what brings you today?"
At that, she slowly sat on the sofa.
Neatly clasping her fingertips, she spoke languidly.
"Lately, I can't sleep because someone keeps coming to mind."
"...So you came for counseling."
She smiled quietly.
"Just thinking of them makes my heart race."
Counseling with her had turned into pure romance advice.
No, not even that.
She'd already decided the answer and came to appeal to me.
Feeling burdened by her attitude, I cautiously said,
"Maybe... try putting some distance from that person for a bit?"
That instant, the air in the counseling office chilled.
Her bright smile turned expressionless in a flash.
Her pupils shook faintly, lashes trembling.
"Does that mean... don't come here?"
Straight, no beating around the bush.
Ah, dangerous.
Can't touch this wrong.
I knew instinctively.
Mess this emotion up clumsily, and it's irreversible.
"No."
I waved my hands hurriedly.
"Just general advice. Not about your situation..."
"......"
"Really not what I meant."
I scrambled to fix it.
But her lips stayed pursed.
Gaze to the window, then a glance back, still sulky.
Her pout so vivid.
The me in hypnosis would have comforted her sweetly here.
That's why she was so hooked.
But real me had no such skill.
No skill? Then do that.
Hypnosis has been activated.
After that day, Lady Chloe Levantia visited every other day.
Leaving something behind each time.
"Isn't the sofa too hard? You have to take care of your back."
A pink cushion with a heart pattern.
Licking her lips while saying to cherish my back was a bit creepy.
Next, a small flower vase.
"The counseling office is too plain."
She said, looking at the windowsill.
"A single flower would make it so much better, right?"
The nameless white flower decorated my desk.
Then cups.
"The teacup I gave before might burden other guests."
A few plain ones.
The previous one was clearly 'just for us,' even I could tell.
Before I knew it, the office was filled with her gifts.
At first, I let it slide.
A bit burdensome, but positively, all good things.
The problem: it wasn't 'a bit.'
"Teacher. Did you clean today?"
"Yes?"
One day, she suddenly said while eyeing the table.
Couldn't guess her intent, so I reflexively asked back.
Clean? Pointing out dirt?
Hadn't, but.
"Ah, I did recently... Of course, I kept your seat spotless, Miss Chloe."
"That's weird then."
She cut me off with a soft smile.
Her eyes slowly scanned.
Cushion. Flower vase. Teacups. Everything else.
Then she slowly opened her mouth.
"The positions I remember are different."
