Don't Say a Word
"Hey, my lady. Could you please let go now? My back's starting to hurt..."
She shook her head vigorously. Yeah, that meant no. I really felt like my spine was about to snap.
For some reason, I found myself slowly patting the back of the young lady who had suddenly burst into tears and thrown herself into my arms. She seemed a little calmer than when she'd first seen me, but...
She's just too embarrassed to let go, isn't she...?
I wondered if she was ashamed of showing such an unseemly side to her own butler. Though, objectively speaking, clinging to said butler was probably more embarrassing.
—Twitch!
At that moment, she must have had the same thought. Like a wriggling octopus, she slipped out of my embrace in an instant.
"Y-you... don't say a word!"
She pointed a finger at me, issuing a stern warning.
Well, I understood she was embarrassed, but...
"Um..."
"I said don't say anything, you little punk!"
—Thud!
"Guh...!"
The moment I tried to speak, her fist drove straight into my solar plexus. I got that she didn't want to talk about it right now, but we were in the middle of class! The professor was lecturing!
***
Contrary to my expectations of getting scolded, the two of us entered the classroom without any issues. In Starlight, classes were usually glossed over in a few lines, but here they simply let us in without a word. It seemed odd that a student who'd missed half the lesson could return so easily without any warning, but the Floyd ducal house was no ordinary family. Even if she was the despised daughter, she was still a child of that house—untouchable.
Well, a family of that caliber would naturally provide their daughter with a private residence.
Not that I was jealous. Even though my parents had passed away when I was young, I at least had memories of being loved in my childhood. The young lady didn't even have that.
When I looked at her sitting beside me with a sympathetic gaze, she blushed and snapped, "W-what are you looking at! Stop staring at people with those intense eyes, damn it!"
I hadn't been staring intensely. I tilted my head in confusion, and she lowered her gaze, her body trembling slightly. Then, as if refusing to talk, she turned her head away in a huff.
The professor was diligently lecturing up front—was this really okay? I poked her back repeatedly.
"My lady, aren't you going to listen to the lecture? I heard this will be on the exam..."
"I-I don't know! Why should I care? You pay attention!"
"But I'm not actually an academy student..."
As her attendant, I wasn't enrolled. Naturally, I didn't need to attend lectures or take exams. In short, the only one who would suffer from not listening was her.
"Ugh...!"
She seemed to realize this too. After glancing around, she reluctantly turned her attention to the front where the lecture was taking place.
That's more like it.
That said, there was one thing that worried me about not being able to attend regular academy classes.
My own combat abilities are seriously lacking.
This body itself seemed to have decent physical capabilities, but I lacked the skill to fully utilize them. How could someone who'd just arrived from Korea immediately start flying around fighting? And right now, there was no one to teach me how to fight either.
So, what I needed most in this situation was...
Items, obviously.
I'd snatch up all the hidden pieces Faye Nicare hadn't taken. She probably hadn't left many, having cleaned them out neatly, but I should still be able to get a few useful ones.
And I'll make a few allies too!
Not riding the bus... well, sort of. I'd gather a few playable characters and decent kids to use as tools for my Demon King capture journey! I'd build a solid team so the strong ones could take down the Demon King for me while I watched from the back!
Then, once the Demon King was caught, I'd just drag the corpse to that altar or whatever and offer it up. Wouldn't that work?
If I did that, the game developers watching my play would probably say...
Something about me being a freeloading bus-rider. But such a low-class expression didn't suit my perfect plan. I wasn't some weak bus—I was more like a tank. A massive tank armed with a huge cannon, at that.
"Heh heh..."
Besides, the truly strong ones sent their subordinates to do the work. I was simply a guardian maintaining the balance of the game's average stats!
"This punk, showing off again with that creepy grin..."
The young lady muttered disdainfully as she watched me smirking to myself. Even so, being treated like that would normally hurt a bit... but this was all for her sake.
By the way, where exactly is that altar where I have to offer the Demon King?
I'd never heard of such a thing while playing Starlight, so I was puzzled, but I figured it must be part of the Stardust DLC and moved on.
Just like with the status window, the creator will probably tell me the location once I defeat the Demon King!
...Probably?
"Next class will be practical training. If anyone hasn't changed into their training clothes, please do so and head to the training hall!"
At that moment, a voice reached my ears. Practical training—the flower of fantasy academies. I was a little excited to witness it firsthand. It would be perfect for scouting future tank pilots.
"That concludes today's lecture! Thank you all for your hard work!"
With that, people began heading toward the training hall in droves. Soon, the large classroom was left with only me and the young lady.
Huh? Just the two of us? Why wasn't she going?
"My lady, we're supposed to go to the training hall. Aren't you heading there?"
Instead of answering, she twisted her body awkwardly, unsure what to do. Then, as if snapping out of it, she poked me and asked, "You... you're not thinking of quitting or anything, are you? It's not too hard being my butler, or... you don't hate seeing my face, right?"
...Hmm?
The fact that she was asking this meant I'd reached the point of being someone she "cared about" by her standards. In Starlight, she only asked this kind of question after the mid-game. For her to ask already...
"R-really? Are you trying to quit?"
Since I didn't respond, she took it as silent confirmation and started stomping her feet in panic.
I didn't know exactly why she was acting this way, but I had a rough idea. Having been starved for kindness and affection, she was reacting strongly to this direct show of goodwill.
"Hmm... I wonder..."
"W-what?!"
Honestly, for her sake, I should have said I had no intention of leaving. But... a little teasing wouldn't hurt, right?
"Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel either. I want to protect you, but sometimes I wonder if my abilities are lacking and I should give up..."
"N-no! You're excellent! You're practically the best butler I've ever had!"
A pure young lady flustered in front of me—not the corrupted version from the monitor, but the perfect, real version before her fall. This was too precious.
"No, I'm not good at my job at all. All I do is eat your food. I'm not fit to be part of the Floyd family..."
"What nonsense! If you leave, I'll personally drag you back! You can't go anywhere until I allow it!"
Wasn't that the line an yandere said before evolving? The kind that went with "We'll be together forever..." after tying someone up.
I mulled over this new side of the young lady I'd never seen in the game and laughed. "But I'll have to get married when I get older. After that, who knows what'll happen? Still, until then, I'll do my best..."
"Y-you...! That stupid marriage! If I just do it for you...!"
She spoke in anger, then quickly covered her mouth as she realized her mistake. Too bad—I'd heard everything.
"What was that, my lady? You'll marry me?"
"N-no! You misheard! How dare you say something like that to the daughter of the Floyd family?"
I'd originally planned to tease her a little and stop, but her reaction changed things. With such an entertaining response, it would be unmanly to leave it alone.
"But I clearly heard it. What was it again... 'That stupid marriage! I'll do it for—' Gack...!"
Before I could finish, she struck my abdomen hard. Ow... that really hurt. I felt sorry for her future husband.
Don't tell me that future husband is me?
If things went according to the creator's scheme, it might turn out that way, but I shook my head and pushed the thought aside.
Anyway, the teasing had gone far enough. I'd had my fun, so it was time to apologize and stop...
"Aaaah! Be quiet...! When did I ever say that! Just don't say anything!"
The moment I decided to stop teasing her, I saw the young lady frantically waving her hands, her face flushed as if it would burst, desperately trying to deny her own words.
Ah, I couldn't resist this.
"My lady."
I hadn't said it out loud, but I was quite the petty man. The type who remembered every little thing someone said to tease me and paid it back in kind. That was why I chose the words she'd casually thrown out earlier—the ones that would deal the most damage to her now.
Turnabout was fair play.
"Do you like me, by any chance?"
Reflect on your unconscious seduction and repent, villainess.