23. Rudeness
23. Rudeness
"Hmm... Is this all the coffee you have?"
"......Informal speech?"
I was running the convenience store like any other day when a customer suddenly started using informal speech with me.
Looking at her, she was clearly a student.
She was a kid who I thought was probably around the same age as Noah or that girl, Iris.
Of course, looking at her sharper eyes and flashy blonde hair compared to those two, she was likely a noble, but... regardless of that, using informal speech was just rude.
She was a noble, alright.
Though all those noble bitches are like that.
It had always been that way.
She was incredibly rude.
"I asked if this is all the coffee you have."
"Haa...."
Basically, I was in the position of doing business with students, so I usually treated customers with polite speech.
After all, most of the Academy kids were younger than me, since I'm the owner.
The shop owner.
So I usually used polite speech or kept things courteous, but...
This year's one was incredibly rude.
No, she just had zero manners.
Most of the people who came here were just kids, and they were all much younger than me.
I usually let things slide within reason.
It wasn't like I treated people unfairly based on age, anyway.
It wasn't that this kind of thing had happened before, but... when someone suddenly picks a fight like this, honestly, as a person, I couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"Owner, are you deaf?"
"If you want to drink a different kind of coffee that isn't here, why don't you just drink it somewhere else?"
"I want to drink it right now. By any chance, is there anything other than those four types inside?"
"......Haa."
I tried to speak nicely in my own way, but the blonde bitch in front of me answered back rudely.
Does she just lack any sense of awareness?
Even my friend Vivian wasn't like this.
I actually thought she was much worse than Vivian.
"Owner?"
I was thinking about how to respond to the noble student glaring at me.
It wasn't like this had never happened before.
There were plenty of times when rude students would pull some nonsense on me.
Back then, I would do one of two things: crush them or ignore them.
Even though she was a noble, I wasn't interested in politics anyway, so I had no reason to worry about any retaliation.
That was even more true since this Academy was basically quite removed from power.
Anyway, since the Academy aimed for mutual equality, it tended to minimize outside interference.
It wasn't like anything would happen if I gave the noble student a bit of hell.
I knew that even if I cursed at the blonde noble in front of me, there wouldn't be any major problems.
But these bitches are cunning, so I had a lot on my mind, thinking she might spread malicious rumors about the convenience store.
She would definitely pull some nonsense over something trivial....
"The coffee ends with the products over there. I'd like you to choose one of those, please."
"Hmm.... I'll pay you, so why don't you go outside and buy some? Something cold. It's hot out, and I'm too lazy to walk around."
"...Haha."
She's fucking rude.
I'm an adult, and I tried to hold it in, in my own way.
I didn't expect this kind of reaction.
If I followed my heart, I would have frozen her right there and left her as a landmark for the convenience store, but.
I really had to hold it in, right?
She was just a brat, and there was no need to get serious with a brat.
"I don't do things like that. Why don't you just head to a cafe? I'll give you an ice cube instead. Why don't you hold that and run your heart out?"
"Tsk."
"......."
It's true that I've lived for quite a long time in a woman's body, but.
I always think about this.
I really wanted to crush bitches like this.
When you actually give them hell, they can't do anything, so what kind of pride are they acting on....
Male nobles don't pull this kind of nonsense.
It was absurd because it was always the female nobles with such dirty high pride who acted like this.
"Then just ring this up."
Seriously, seriously, seriously, seriously.
I felt an urge rising to freeze only her head so that she couldn't do anything.
I felt like I could freeze her just by breathing out right now.
It was already hot outside, and I was stressed out from living with that friend of mine.
As an adult, it was getting difficult to control myself.
"Katrina?"
"......What, Noah. What a surprise meeting you here?"
"Ah, yeah. What are you doing here?"
As we were having a kind of staring contest, a familiar boy walked into the convenience store.
...Walking in was normal, but.
I was a little surprised that his first words weren't a greeting to me, but to the blonde bitch in front of me.
Her name was apparently Katrina, and was she an acquaintance of Noah's?
She had a completely different, shitty style compared to Noah's childhood friend, Iris.
So he hangs out with a bitch like this, too.
Seeing him have a normal conversation with a bitch like this, Noah's personality was definitely better than most teenagers.
"I'm trying to buy some coffee. What about you?"
"Just for a bit before training."
"Hmm? Is that so? Then I guess you have some spare time?"
"Ah...."
It was a very short conversation, and nothing special.
A conversation that didn't even last 30 seconds.
But just from that conversation, I could roughly understand.
At least that this rude noble student had feelings for Noah.
I didn't know if it was love or affection, but I knew for sure that there was at least some interest.
"Noah, have you had lunch?"
"Ah, not yet."
"Is that so?"
"......Hah?"
So, I just decided to give her some hell.
And hell that was worthy of her level.
I did the thing that would scratch her the most.
"Hmm, then shall we eat together? Like we did last time. How about it?"
"If I eat with you... Nunim, I'd be happy to, but."
"I told you last time, didn't I? Just treat me comfortably."
I felt a bit sorry for using the kid who had a crush on me, but.
It was exhilarating to see the expression on the bitch in front of me changing moment by moment.
It was funny to see that smug expression of hers turn venomous in an instant as she glared at me.
I didn't like that a brat the same age as Noah was acting up to me.
But now, she was just glaring, unable to do anything.
Even though I've never had the experience of dating, I knew very well... how easily people react to emotions.
"How about it, shall we eat together?"
"...Yes."
"Hmm, really? Then wait a moment. Do you want to go inside?"
"Ah... then...."
It was true that Noah was more mature than his peers.
He was a deep thinker, and he was quite smart, too.
Even to me, he was better than most kids.
But in the end, he was just a kid.
And the blonde brat right in front of me was just a brat to me, too.
"Hmm, customer? What will you do? Are you going to buy the coffee?"
"......Hah?"
"As you can see, it's almost my lunch time. What would you like to do?"
I continued the provocation with a smile.
Well, it might be a simple provocation.
But it must have been quite unpleasant for the brat right now.
"...What?"
"I'm the convenience store owner, you know?"
"......What is it?"
"Hmm...?"
And then I tilted my head back and forth as if I didn't know anything.
"Being annoying" would be a more accurate expression.
Well, it didn't matter.
The goal was to screw with her anyway.
I actually wanted her to do that.
If she raised her voice, said bad things, and spoke rudely, and Noah heard it, it would be quite fun.
"...Noah."
The student, who had been making such an angry face, quietly called out to Noah in the break room.
With a much gentler tone than when she was talking to me.
Can't she act like a normal noble when dealing with a commoner, instead of being so shitty in front of the boy she likes?
Just looking at how she spoke, it was like a slightly playful girl calling out shyly.
"Yeah?"
"Are you close with the owner here?"
"I wouldn't say close... but we talk often."
"Haa... is that so?"
"Yeah."
"Noah, it's partly because you keep coming here, you know."
"......Hah?"
That was that, and I continued to do what I had to do.
There were no other students anyway.
And it seemed like Noah didn't have anything else to do today other than visiting me.
I spent my time running my mouth at the bitch who was being rude to me.
Noah's childhood friend who visited last time was truly gentle.
She was cute, innocent, and a really good kid.
"I'll come too."
"Huh? Why?"
"That's... just...."
"Tsk tsk...."
"...I haven't eaten lunch yet. Isn't it okay to eat together? Between friends."
Still, the blonde noble talking to Noah right now was, in the end, still a student and a brat.
It was so obvious that she was trying to be as gentle as possible in front of the boy she had feelings for.
That's why it was even funnier.
Anyway, I was the one who asked Noah to eat.
"...Nunim, what should we do?"
"Hmm.... What should we do? Noah, do you want to eat with just me? Or do you want to eat with that girl?"
"Ah, um."
I decided to tease them a little more.
I made her pay the price for treating an adult rudely.
"Noah, if it's your friend, I can easily buy lunch. What's the harm? They're just kids, after all."
"...Then Katrina, do you want to eat with us?"
"......."
In the end, she was much younger than me, just a 17-year-old brat, after all.