The Ribbon of Three Colors
I stood in the middle of the bustling skill shop district, surrounded by stalls selling all kinds of accessories and trinkets. “There are way too many people here. It’s honestly gross.”
It’s not that I hate people. I’m not some demon king who screams, “Humans disgust me! Let’s wipe them all out!” I’m not that kind of lunatic. I just dislike noisy, crowded places. The feeling of strangers brushing against my body as they pass by… yeah, that’s what I can’t stand.
“So make sure you don’t let go of this cute disciple’s hand. Unless you want to get lost, of course. That’s fine too.”
“Are you seriously treating your master like a child right now?”
“Honestly, Master, you can’t even fold clothes properly and your cleaning skills are terrible. So yes, you’re basically a kid.”
“After I changed your shitty diapers for you, there’s nothing you won’t say to me, you little brat.”
I gave Airi a light smack on the top of her head, then looked around. There were quite a few clothing stores nearby. I picked the one that looked the most decent and stepped inside—only to find a familiar face already there.
“Werner…? And even the Leader’s daughter.”
Camelia, who had been examining some gloves, walked over to us. Airi had already apologized for her rudeness last time, so there shouldn’t be any more issues.
“Oh, Sis, you’re shopping here too? My disciple said he didn’t have any decent clothes, so I came to buy him some.”
At that, Airi tightened her grip on my arm even more. Damn it, my blood’s not even circulating anymore.
“…You said it was a date.”
“Yeah, yeah. A date. Totally a date.”
Camelia let out a soft chuckle and gently ruffled both of our heads.
“It’s nice to see such a warm bond between master and disciple.”
Airi’s expression darkened instantly. In a wary voice, she asked, “By the way, A… I mean, Sis. What brings you here? Weren’t you supposed to be leaving?”
She had definitely been about to say “auntie” just now. That much was obvious. But the way she corrected herself mid-sentence was some advanced-level technique that made it hard to call her out on it.
Thanks to her years of experience, Camelia didn’t even bat an eye at the provocation.
“The Leader and the other comrades asked me to do something.”
“Father and… the other uncles and aunts?”
Why does she politely call everyone else uncle and aunt, but acts like that toward Camelia? Did Garitos-sensei reincarnate as a tsundere pretty girl or something?
“Yes. They asked me to protect their youngest, Werner.”
“Oh my. Since Sis is so strong, wouldn’t it make more sense for you to help Father with his work?”
Airi really is the perfect dutiful daughter. She’s trying her hardest to send away the person who offered to protect me so she can help her dad instead. If there was ever a daughter worthy of a monument for filial piety, it’s her.
“Anyway, Sis, honestly, like Airi said, it would probably be better if you went to help the others…”
“And they told me to pass this message to you, Werner.”
“Huh…?”
Camelia relayed the messages from Werner’s comrades—the older brothers and sisters who had looked after him in his childhood.
"Youngest… My strength was too weak to stop the overprotective opinions surrounding you. Even my own daughter is already a handful… Just don’t get hurt, okay?"
"Youngest, if you mess around and get hurt, you’ll get hurt badly by your big sister’s hand. Listen to Camelia properly before I come to fold you in half at the waist."
"Makdung-ah, honestly I want to break all your limbs and station you in the rear, but I’m holding back."
"Youngest, do you remember running away the day before your engagement ceremony with my daughter? Your big brother still remembers. If you don’t want me to hold you accountable, you’d better listen to Camelia."
The rest of the messages were more or less the same. They wanted to come here themselves to watch over me and make sure I was safe, but since I hated that, they were putting it on hold for now. Instead, they were sending Camelia as my safety proxy, so I should listen to her. If I didn’t, they’d come find me, dismember my limbs, snap my spine, and feed me to wild dogs. That kind of thing.
Wow, is the title of this novel ‘My Brothers and Sisters Are Obsessed With Me’? The tag would definitely be yandere. I don’t need this kind of obsession, damn it. Still, being treated like a baby who needs his diapers changed at the age of twenty-nine was a fresh experience, I’ll give them that.
“Still, don’t worry too much, Werner. As the others said, I don’t plan on sticking to your side twenty-four hours a day.”
That was a relief. If I had to be monitored 24/7 under the excuse of keeping me safe, I would definitely go insane. As expected, Camelia was one of the sensible ones.
“That’s really fortunate, Sis. By the way, have you decided where you’re staying?”
“Your house.”
“Excuse me?”
I’ve never listed my house with a real estate agency, have I? This is my house—why are you saying you’re moving in? Am I getting my house NTR’d?
I turned my head toward Airi.
“Disciple, did you lose my house as collateral in a gambling den? If you’re going to bet someone else’s name, at least win, damn it. Or don’t bet at all.”
“Master, please stop saying weird things.”
“Then why is Sis suddenly saying she’s moving into our house?”
I needed to organize the situation first. Above all, calmness and reason were important.
“Alright. I have never sold my house. So there’s only one possibility—my house was used as gambling stakes. But I don’t gamble… which means the remaining possibility is…”
Airi pinched my wrist with an angry expression.
“Ouch! That hurts!”
“Master, calm down and listen to the story… I was surprised too, you know.”
We turned our gazes back to Camelia.
“It’s exactly as I said. I noticed there are quite a few empty rooms in your house.”
There were quite a few empty rooms, but the only ones with proper beds were mine and Airi’s. That’s why I had let Camelia sleep in my room last time.
“Well, it’s a house I bought after the inn went bankrupt and renovated… but that doesn’t mean I can just let anyone move in.”
I spoke firmly. Just because there were empty rooms didn’t mean people could come and go as they pleased. This was exactly why Werner’s older brothers and sisters were such a nuisance. They weren’t even related by blood.
“I’ll pay rent every month. The other comrades also said they would send you monthly allowance under the pretext of financial support.”
“I will prepare a bed by tonight. So you can move in tomorrow.”
As expected, only the older brothers and sisters would do this. Blood is thicker than water, but molten gold is thicker than blood. Where else in the world could you find older brothers and sisters who love their youngest this much?
“Airi.”
“Yes, Master!”
“I’m going to go buy some furniture to set up in the new room. I’ll be back soon.”
“But what about my clothes?”
“Honestly, I’m a man, so choosing women’s clothes is a bit difficult for me. Camelia Sis would probably know better.”
“…Understood.”
Airi looked visibly sulky. It seemed I would have to use my secret weapon. Since my wallet situation would be comfortable for a while, spending some money shouldn’t be a problem.
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After buying reasonably good quality furniture at the furniture store and arranging for delivery, I stepped back outside. It was already late afternoon. Since Airi seemed quite upset, I figured I should buy her a gift. But if I only gave Airi a present, Camelia might get sulky too, so I prepared something for her as well. While I was at it, I decided to buy something for my angry fiancée, Glacia, to soothe her temper.
With those thoughts in mind, I wandered around the accessory shops until I found a stall selling decent items.
“Excuse me, miss. How much are these ribbons?”
What had caught my eye were three different ribbons.
One was a golden ribbon with a bird-shaped ornament in the center.
One was a blue ribbon with a flower-shaped ornament in the center.
And one was a ribbon with a snowflake-shaped ornament in the center.
The middle-aged woman running the stall laughed heartily and gave my shoulder a light slap.
“Oh my, calling me miss? You really know how to talk, young man. Tsk, I’ll sell you all three for the price of one.”
“Thank you so much!”
After paying the satisfyingly cheap price, my steps felt much lighter on the way back.
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While I was preparing dinner, Airi sat there with her cheeks puffed out, glaring at me.
“Master, you really are an idiot.”
“If I’m an idiot, then you’re on the same level as a frog.”
Airi walked over and poked me hard in the side. My ribs throbbed, and my face automatically scrunched up.
“Ow, that hurts, damn…”
“I was the one who made plans for today… and yet you’re decorating a room for that woman… and you only bought a ribbon for her…”
Airi looked genuinely hurt. Honestly, this had been part of my plan all along.
“Is my dear disciple feeling very upset?”
“What date… You spent the whole day only with that woman and didn’t even get me a gift…”
When her sulkiness reached its peak, I pulled out the golden ribbon with the bird ornament from my pocket.
“Here. I was originally going to give it to you after dinner, but if I wait any longer I’m scared you won’t even eat.”
“This is…”
“You like birds, right? And the gold color reminded me of your eyes, so I bought it.”
“Master…”
“Honestly, the one I gave Sis was just because they were sold as a set. I gave it to her first so we could part ways nicely. Don’t tell her I said that. If she finds out, I’m dead.”
“Yes! I understand, Master!”
Airi smiled brightly and pinned the ribbon to her chest.
To be honest, I had given Camelia the blue ribbon with the flower ornament. But I had secretly slipped a note into her pocket. The note said this:
Sis, I bought this while getting a gift for my disciple because I thought it would suit you.
Your name is a flower name, right? And the blue color reminded me of your eyes, so I got it.
It doesn’t have any special meaning compared to what I gave my disciple… but if I say that, my disciple will get sulky again, so please keep it a secret.
I was a little worried whether this would work, but seeing how happy Airi looked, I was sure it would work on Camelia too. Most people feel good when they think something is given to them specially.
Now I just had to send the last one to my fiancée.