28. Main Wife Energy
28. Main Wife Energy
"If you're a noble student, couldn't you act a bit more elegantly?"
"...Excuse me?"
"My friend is like that too, honestly.... I don't know how you nobles act more laid-back than the commoners."
"......Huh?"
Katrina, the noble girl who still hadn't found the answer, visited the convenience store.
She was a student who visited my convenience store whenever she was bored and harbored feelings for Noah, who kept saying he liked me.
Because of that, on one hand, I had a desire for the girl in front of me to step it up a bit.
After all, Noah constantly doing that to me, honestly, couldn't help but act as a nuisance to some extent, and it wasn't like the kid was doing it with real malice.
Falling for another girl naturally and growing distant.
That's clean, right?
Of course, even if that wasn't the case, there was a significant age gap anyway.
Wouldn't he naturally start taking an interest in other young, fresh, and vibrant girls around him?
I'd thought about it several times already, but... I just thought it was because he hadn't met many women.
"Sigh...."
"...What is it?"
"It's nothing. So, what brings you here today? You're not just here to idly buy coffee, right? Did you come to buy school supplies for the upcoming semester?"
But I couldn't force that on her every time.
Swallowing my regret, I asked that question.
Of course, a student from a high-ranking family wouldn't come in, looking around nervously, just to buy school supplies... so surely she was trying to ask something about Noah again.
"...About what you said last time."
"That?"
"...It seemed pretty effective, so I just wanted to say thanks......."
"Aha~ Is that so?"
"......Tsk."
The sight of the girl talking while finding it slightly difficult to meet my eyes was truly youthful.
My friend is a noble, has money, and wants to date, too.
But she could never show a reaction like this.
"How did you talk to him? Did you make any progress?"
"...I just asked him to eat together. We had a light meal, and that was it."
"...That's nothing special."
"......Do you usually say that to someone's face?"
"Well, because it's nothing special."
Since she spoke shyly, I expected she had done something quite impressive.
Unfortunately, it wasn't that much.
I thought she would show some world-class moves, but that wasn't the case; it was just something friends could do.
"What did you do while eating?"
"Just...."
"Ate, and that's it?"
"......."
"Sigh...."
Her first impression was quite vicious and rude, that was all.
Is it an unavoidable fact that she's just a seventeen-year-old girl after all?
But just eating a meal isn't enough to surpass the childhood friend with maxed-out True Wife Potential by Noah's side.
A childhood friend basically has a story built up from a very long time ago.
To break through that story and take the position of the main wife, she has no choice but to put in that much effort.
Of course, Noah is a pretty dense guy, and he didn't seem to notice that there were girls around him who liked him... and he was busy following behind a strange older woman (me), but still.
"So young, so young."
"Then what do you want me to do... He only trains every day."
"You should be like Iris. Follow her and take care of him while he trains, and I heard... she even makes him sandwiches herself?"
"......Huh?"
"Ah, you didn't know...?"
Naturally, she likes Noah.
She didn't particularly like Noah's friend, and in fact, she was a kind of romantic rival.
It was understandable that she wouldn't pay attention to her.
"Anyway. My point is that just doing that isn't enough. Understand?"
"......."
"If you're going to do it, wouldn't it be better to be a bit more proactive? Since you live in the dormitory... inviting him to a house or something would be difficult. Talking at a cafe when you have free time is good, and ah... you said Spear Arts Department, right? Noah seems to really like training. Why don't you offer to help him train and exercise together?"
"......I do it sometimes, but."
"Sometimes isn't enough, is it?"
"That's... true."
Generally, Katrina had a pretty strong personality, but when I kept giving her helpful advice like this... she was a girl who became quite docile.
How should I put it?
A girl with cat-like charm?
That was the feeling.
Like a cat that hisses when you reach out to touch its yellow fur.
But she didn't actually intend to stay away, and yet... she was the type to keep her claws out whenever you approached.
It was definitely a different feeling from Iris.
Although I didn't know that girl very well, of course.
"From what I hear, Noah doesn't hate you, and he's not ignoring you either. If you work hard, won't you be able to shake his heart before you know it?"
"......Then...."
"That would be good, right?"
"......."
The sight of her nodding quietly.
I wonder how she acts in front of Noah.
When we ate together with Noah last time, she showed a slightly irritable side because I teased her quite a bit.
"Hmm...."
I wonder how she acts when they are truly one-on-one.
After all, noble kids... had a big difference between their private and public personas, and they often wore quite thick masks.
Wouldn't she act a little better in front of the boy she likes?
Of course, there wasn't really anything like that last time.
At least...... she'd be better than my friend.
"Now that you're able to properly make plans with him, let's be a bit more proactive. How about it?"
"......Understood."
She seemed to find it quite difficult, but I thought she would manage well enough on her own.
Whether it was Katrina or Iris.
Ultimately, as long as they ended up with Noah, that was enough.
I was just giving advice and cheering her on like that.
*
"Noona."
"...Sigh."
"......Why are you like that?"
"It's nothing."
But even so, seeing the kid naturally visiting the convenience store from the morning a few days later, it seemed like I would have to live like this for a while longer.
There are definitely girls who like Noah.
Why is it that my daily life doesn't change at all?
"Vacation is ending soon. Aren't you doing any preparations?"
"There's nothing much to prepare. I already returned to the Academy a few weeks ago, and as for the Swordsmanship Department preparing anything...."
"That's true.... You must have been busy training the whole time."
I wouldn't have to be as busy as other students.
I forgot because I'd been meeting other students, not Noah, recently.
"Noona, vacation is ending soon for you too, do you have anything going on?"
"For me, it's the same work as always. Nothing changes much. Except that I'm scheduled to get a little busier."
"I see. Ah, Noona. This... you enjoyed the cake last time, right? I bought that one in a different flavor."
"...Again?"
"It's just one slice. If I bought something too big, it might be troublesome to deal with. So I just bought a small one."
"Uh......."
Buying the cake itself.
I didn't really think much of him giving it as a gift, honestly.
But the timing was... quite coincidental.
It was just a few days ago that I told Katrina to make plans with Noah, be more proactive, and try going to cafes together whenever she was bored.
Similar to last time, Noah bought cake from a cafe again this time.
Don't tell me.......
"Did you go to the cafe alone?"
"Yes? That's not it. I just went with a friend, and we were talking, and it was delicious."
"Haa......."
This popular kid here... the girl who likes him gathered the courage to ask him to meet at a cafe.
And surprisingly... even in the midst of that, he was thinking about the cake to buy for me.
And this wasn't the first time either.
When he bought cake before, he definitely said he was with Katrina... he definitely said it wasn't Iris.
"Why?"
"It's nothing. Nothing...."
It just felt like a popular guy was a much bigger cheat code than I expected.
I was a man in my past life.
But that didn't mean I had experiences like that.
Naturally, it just felt fascinating.
Of course, in this life, it was slightly different.
Even to me, it was an objectively pretty face, and the fact that it was an attractive appearance was an undeniable truth.
Naturally, there were many people who approached me just looking at my appearance.
There had to be.
However.........。
"Hmm."
Is it an over-interpretation on my part to think that I should scold Noah a little?
Of course, Noah just likes me.
He just bought the cake because I answered that I ate it deliciously last time, but....
Even so, I thought it was a bit... not right to have a fun conversation with another girl, spend time together, and then buy a gift for another woman.
Of course, that was just my subjective opinion.
"Noah."
"Yes?"
"...Never mind. I'll enjoy the cake. You're going to train today too, right?"
"Of course. My master said that since vacation is ending soon, let's work harder before it ends."
"Yeah.... When you're training, be careful not to get injured for no reason. Since classes start soon. Adjust your condition properly, too."
"Yes, Noona. You have a good day too."
...But it was too early to scold him too much; he was just a kid anyway.
Him, and them.
They were just young boys and girls who were only 17 years old, and as time passed, they would grow and realize things for themselves.
It would be better to let it slide for now.
In the first place, I'm not this kid's family, nor am I any special partner to him.
I was just a convenience store owner.
But I was just a bit close to him, that's all.