The Perceptive One -2-

Another peaceful day at the Desmont family estate. Darbav, home earlier than usual, paused while unwinding his scarf at the sight of an unexpected guest.

A strange tension ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hung in the air.

He hadn't been warned of any visitors, yet here was this guest standing boldly at the entrance, locking eyes with him. Darbav stared down the woman seated impassively, her gaze sullen.

"Daddy."

The brazen first word from the woman. Darbav's face hardened as he replied.

"Yes, Olivia."

"Yeah."

No further words passed between father and daughter as they continued their intense staring contest, as if they already knew each other's hearts without speaking.

Darbav resumed unwinding his scarf and asked Olivia,

"Did you come because you missed Daddy?"

"No. Ricardo ditched me."

"Really."

"Nah, he's on vacation. I came to play."

"I see."

A smile tugged at Darbav's lips. He was thrilled at the thought of spending time with his daughter after so long.

But what's that?

Darbav eyed the black-furred lump sitting primly beside Olivia. It hadn't been there last time. What was it?

A bear.

It didn't seem like a pet one could keep. Too many issues with raising a beast like that as an animal companion. The food consumption alone would be massive, and survival when it got hungry was questionable at best.

Darbav pointed at the black-furred lump beside Olivia with his finger.

"Olivia, what's that?"

"A bear."

"I get that much. Why is it next to you?"

"Emergency rations."

Gomtangi, staring calmly at Darbav despite the grim label, turned its head to look at Olivia.

Bear?

Darbav couldn't understand animal speech, but it sounded like a savage curse from the beast.

Olivia, meeting Gomtangi's eyes, pressed a finger to her lips and pondered.

Bear.

"Hmm..."

Bearrrrr.

"Hmmm..."

Darbav watched his daughter seemingly communicate, intrigued, and asked,

"Are you talking to it?"

"No. I have no idea what it's saying."

"Then why respond?"

"It'd get upset if I ignored it."

"..."

Darbav thought his daughter was remarkably considerate. Caring for animals too—who else went that far? Of course, she was ice-cold to people.

He was proud of his animal-loving Olivia.

After some mysterious staring contest with Gomtangi and reaching an apparent accord, Olivia stroked its head and added to her earlier explanation.

"Not emergency rations—cancel that. It's a tonic."

Bear?

"What."

Bearrrrr?

"Can't be helped."

Gomtangi hated Olivia. And Darbav too.

"A bear, huh..."

Darbav suddenly wanted one.

"I want to raise one too."

*I'd thought about it a lot. About this episode.*

*Should I intervene as the possessor to smoothly resolve it, or trust the protagonist to handle it himself? Directly helping came with too many complications, but leaving it to the protagonists meant risking massive penalties for failure.*

*Yuria's corruption. It hadn't even appeared in the side stories. The pure white Yuria turning dark? Unthinkable.*

*And her corruption would derail the novel's core plot entirely.*

*With penalties like that, entrusting the world's fate to those blockheads was absurd.*

*Ha... And three rewards. Intel on vitality, hidden magic talent. Finally, +100 mana stat—an irresistible lure. Especially the vitality info; it pulled at me hardest.*

*The burden grew with every use. The pain after casting, even catching a cold I never would— all tied to vitality. Without knowing what it consumed as cost, I couldn't use it recklessly.*

*What I knew: vitality didn't recover over time, and drops didn't affect stats. Everything else was unknown; I'd have to learn through experience.*

*So. I had to investigate.*

*The penalties for failure, the rewards for success—both made ignoring the quest impossible.*

*Decision made, I now stood before Yuria.*

"Ricardo?"

Her eyes widened at my sudden appearance.

She'd never expect me at a used clothing store, let alone know I was in the capital.

I gave a small smile to the startled Yuria.

"Yes, it's me. How have you been?"

"How did you get here?"

"Needed clothes myself."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I turned out my pants pockets for her to see.

"As you know, I'm not exactly rolling in coin. Heard the empire was hosting this event, so I rushed over."

Yuria stared blankly. Probably no one from Hamel would trek to the capital for a single used outfit but me.

I flicked her forehead lightly and smiled at her bewildered gaze.

"What? First time seeing a flower beggar?"

"No... it's just."

"Pick quick. They'll snag all the good stuff."

A faint blush colored Yuria's cheeks.

I could tell she was embarrassed picking dresses at a bazaar like this. The favorability window said as much, and the novel described her shame at choosing secondhand when others got new ones—laughing at herself for scavenging someone else's castoffs.

So I handled her delicately, easing into the episode to match her mood.

I plunged my hand deep into the clothing pile, rummaging casually. Fixing my gaze on it, I said calmly to Yuria,

"Used stuff's not bad at all."

"...You think so?"

"Prices are brutal these days. Back at the academy, I wore hand-me-downs plenty."

"But academy has uniforms..."

"I just wore butler clothes."

"Ah..."

"Dig deep, and you find gems."

I shoved my hand deeper into the pile again, searching.

Where'd I stash it... Around here somewhere.

The longer we spent together, the more Yuria's stiff expression softened.

Rummaging through the clothes, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she murmured softly,

"I thought you'd hate this kind of thing."

"You misread me. I'd kill for a bargain."

"You hang with Olivia, so I figured fancy clothes only."

"Hmm... Fair point."

I nodded along, affirming her view. Before her downfall, the young miss had been generosity incarnate. Pay, clothes, food—all better than most nobles'. No flaw in Yuria's words, so I kept rummaging silently as she slowly opened up.

"Friends would hate it, so I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn't invite them."

"Yeah, spilling a prime spot like this to friends feels off."

"Pardon?"

"Monopolize the good stuff. Eliminate rivals, snag the best—that's the market's point."

A few more deep dives into the pile. I felt a soft texture snag my fingertips and slowly pulled it out.

...Found it.

Yuria's face was redder than usual.

"Aren't you embarrassed doing this, Ricardo? Scavenging old clothes, grinning at the finds—doesn't it shame you?"

"Nah?"

I drew the soft fabric fully into view, flashing a grin as I unfurled it for Yuria.

"Stuff like this exists too, right?"

"Uh...?"

A pure white dress. Emerging from the heap Yuria had just sifted, it made her eyes go wide as she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"No way... Why is this dress..."

"That's luck for you."

To be clear upfront: this was a new dress I'd bought myself. Not as pricey as the young miss's, and as a newbie millionaire from Young & Rich, it was an easy splurge.

So.

"Take it."

A gift for Yuria. Wearing a dress I knew would let me spot her even if her face changed. You never know. Favorability might glitch.

This was like a tracker.

In this event, Yuria loses her beauty briefly to Hans's hand anyway.