Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Reason for Existence (2)
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"Greetings, Lord Julius."
"...It's burdensome, so ease up a bit."
"Got it. I'll be careful."
"Act naturally."
The woman who introduced herself as Leni Aitz had introduced herself in quite a nerdy, awkward manner. Well, since she was part of a family following Yumin Bertrand on a house-wide basis, it made sense that she was gauging my mood, treating him like some kind of boss figure.
But from my perspective, already set on leaving noble society behind entirely, it felt unnecessarily deferential.
That said, outsiders couldn't just blindly believe I had absolutely no intention of returning, so I decided not to make her any more uncomfortable.
"Um, what exactly do you need me to do?"
"This girl here might suddenly teleport to some weird place. I was hoping for a way to prevent that or at least track it."
"Oh, that's tricky."
To sum up her hesitant, stammering explanation that sounded half like an excuse: even if you plant a tracking seal on the target's body in advance, it could fail depending on duration, distance, or the closed nature of the space they move to.
"If we're being precise, I can do it, but compared to Karin or other experts, there's not much I can handle."
"Even so, I'll ask you to give it a shot."
"...I'll do my best."
Leni looked terribly tense, her face paling to an earthy hue as she placed her hand on Karin's back and began concentrating. Unlike Karin, who cast spells effortlessly, this seemed to require a long, arduous focus.
She sweated profusely while drawing something with her mana, then paused to catch her breath with a sigh.
"Is it done?"
"...No, not yet. A bit more to go."
"If you can pause midway, take a break first."
She glanced at me cautiously and nodded. I brought out carrot cake—to replenish sugar after using her head and mana—along with coffee to have with it.
Karin looked up at me with sparkling eyes, requesting something silently, so I pulled out her favorite sweet cookies and chocolate, then started brewing a cup of nutty coffee to pair with them.
I waved reassuringly at Leni, who was breaking out in cold sweats from the food prep making her uneasy, then sat at the table with them, coffee in hand for myself.
"For now, just think of me as regular old Julius, no title."
"...Y-Yes. You're quite different from the image I had in mind."
"I hear that a lot."
"Hee hee. Yumin drilled it into me to be super careful. I was even thinking of licking your feet if I messed up."
Lick lick.
She mimed licking my foot, then her expression relaxed completely as she sipped her coffee.
This one's got her own quirks too, I thought with a chuckle. Still, Yumin keeps her around for a reason—her skills.
Her black hair swayed like Karin's friend's from not long ago, and with a dopey grin, she chattered away before taking another sip. New to the drink but seeming to like it well enough, she kept sipping and promptly forked off a small bite of cake.
"Lord Julius."
"Can we drop the 'Lord'?"
"For my mental health, please let it slide."
"...Fine, suit yourself."
"Yay!"
She's got some seriously odd vibes.
Emotional rollercoaster, maybe? Or just all over the place personality-wise.
"Cafe Manager. She was like this even when she came to apologize to me before."
"Eh? I always act the same."
"Consistency in people is a good thing."
"Doesn't feel like praise."
Even with that dopey look, she catches on quick.
Yumin told me she's basically a scaredy-cat—runs off like a small animal if she thinks it'll harm her or her family.
If I'm nice, she'll cling and offer up her liver and gall; if I threaten, she'll bolt tail-between-legs.
Maybe because I'd confirmed I don't snap at rude acts by noble standards? She was savoring the cake and coffee with a totally relaxed face.
Of course, I appreciated her enjoying the food I'd made and had no urge to rush or scold her, so I let her eat her fill comfortably.
"Shall we resume?"
"Karin, it's your call."
"Yeah. Good to start now."
"Then, here we go."
I cleared the finished plates and headed back behind the counter. Karin offered her back again, and Leni poured mana onto it, resuming her drawing.
"Brand"... wasn't the best word, but Karin's leg now bore a black heart tied to the demon god, her hand a goddess's crest, and her back was getting Leni's tracking seal. Hard to put into words.
Tattoos just keep piling up on her body, regardless of what she wants.
I finished my dishwashing duties, then prepped some cookies and coffee packs for Leni to take back—perfect for the approaching evening.
Thinking about it, few at the Academy have tried my food, so this was a chance to send Yumin a simple gift.
He's hounded me from before enrollment through my school days, and was a pain up until recently, but he doesn't do what I forbid and grants my requests.
If he starts begging me to return, though, I'd boot him again.
After much grunting effort, she finally completed the seal with a heavy exhale and approached me.
She'd sweated buckets, so I handed her a towel. After wiping down, she spoke.
"It's done for now. It'll basically signal me, but I've linked it to this pendant too. Obviously, without space magic, you couldn't follow, but I could warp straight here."
"Good work. Take these to share with your friends or that Yumin punk."
"Whoa, really? I can?"
"...Yeah, yeah. No need for the dramatics."
I loaded her up with cookies, bread, easy-drinking cold brew, and even some old coffee packs I'd prepped despite low sales potential.
She'd burned plenty of mana heading back, so the three of us—Karin included—headed to the back alley, and I sent her off with Karin's spell.
With one sent off, just the two of us on the way back.
Karin spoke first.
"Cafe Manager. Honestly, I've just been receiving so much. I want to do something for you."
"It's fine. I told you to just relax."
"Still."
I'm human too—it's nice seeing someone want to repay me. Hard to hate someone helpful who causes no trouble.
Karin fumbled and erred at first, but now she discerns right from wrong well enough and strives to stay kind amid hardships.
"Just keep doing what you're doing. You're already great as is."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Why would I lie? Everyone wish they had someone like you."
She's been dragged into issues around her and suffered, but never intentionally harmed me. Any fallout, she shouldered herself.
I see her as a kid with room to grow through more experience into a proper adult.
"Then, um."
"Yeah?"
Summer evenings now. With longer days, the sun dipped toward the western horizon.
East sky a pale purple, west a deep red in sunset glow. Karin, flushed not from the dusk, looked at me and said:
"Later. Once everything's sorted. And your plans are set. Could we... be together then?"
"...I've got an honest answer and a considerate one."
"Honest, then."
"No clue yet. Honestly, I don't know my surroundings well, let alone myself. Can't predict my path. Tough to answer."
"So... maybe possible depending?"
"Could be."
"That's enough. That's all I need."
Still wearing the heavy collar—Reimi Big Sis's reverse-engineering unfinished—Karin stuck right behind me, clutching my collar as we walked.
Time with Rias lacked that fresh innocence; with Labyrinth City folk, adult-to-adult kept a subtle distance even with affection.
"You won't change, right Cafe Manager?"
That "change" probably included what she wanted from me.
What I'd done was simple: protect, wait, be a pillar when trouble hit like last time.
And if that's it...
"Probably not."
