Chapter 13 - Patting Yukino's Head (Nade-nade)
Patting Yukino's Head (Nade-nade)
Translator : Elizabeth
Having had a brief moment of relieving her desires alone in her room, Charles washed her body again and moved her steps for the social adaptation education for the Astraia people, including Lily.
Her career in the Settlement Support Division was only a little over a year now, but since she had been watching what Jung Hyun-soo did right next to him like a university student on teaching practice all this time, she had reached the level where she could conduct education alone even without him now.
While conducting the education, Charles periodically made eye contact with the woman with long blonde hair and green eyes in the very front row, Lily Amarua.
As an instructor, she didn't show it outwardly at all, but Charles disliked her quite a bit.
'Hmph, she married Senior in a previous world? So what. Right now, here, they are just strangers. In the first place, she herself lives without caring much about the fact that she married Senior, doesn't she? And yet she showed such an annoyed attitude to me?'
Lily, who maintained an attitude of speaking informally and ticking her off abruptly from the first time she saw her.
Charles also instinctively felt that she was someone she couldn't mix with, and while smiling outwardly, she blatantly sharpened her claws. Now that she was in a position looking down with the status of an instructor like this, she liked the situation quite a bit.
"Now, you have understood the content I taught you until now well, right? This is a part you must keep in mind to live as members of society in this society called the Republic of Korea, stepping out of the fence called the Settlement Support Division in the future. Especially those among you who know how to use magic!"
Charles turned her eyes to Lily and her various disciples.
"I don't know how it was in your previous world, but here, you must not try to resolve any conflict with magical superiority or force. It is a mistake commonly made by interdimensional transferees who used to be influential in their previous worlds. Especially those with strong power do it more."
When Charles stared at Lily blatantly, Lily spoke in a crooked voice.
"... Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I can't even distinguish that much and will make a mistake or something?"
"Lily-nim? During Settlement Support education, you must show an attitude of respecting the instructor? If you continue to maintain such an attitude, while others all go out into society, you might remain here alone and receive additional education?"
Crack crack
This was not Charles abusing her power, but actually an evaluation factor of the Settlement Support Division.
Charles didn't abuse her power absurdly but pressured Lily strictly within the lines allowed by the regulations, using only the content of the regulations. Since Lily also couldn't refute it, she made a face like she chewed a bug and answered with clenched teeth.
"...... I wlll beee caaarreeefuuull..."
Charles snorted inwardly and continued the education, and after the education of nearly 2 hours ended, she approached Lily when other people were leaving and asked.
"Lily-nim? You aren't angry because of what I said earlier, right?"
"I'm about to get angry because you're doing this right now?"
"Oh my? It seems you forgot again in that short time? To the instructor—"
"You said to show a respectful attitude 'during education'? Education ended, right? Then it's done. Why come even during personal time and flirt around?"
Crack—
'Flirt around...?'
Charles held back her sudden flare of anger for a moment and forced herself to smile more as much as possible.
"There is a proverb in Korea like this. A gourd that leaks inside also leaks outside. Seeing your attitude is like this here already, I wonder if our Lily-nim will be able to play her role properly when going out into society~"
"Ha, you seem to think I act like this to everyone? Sorry, but the only person among these people who receives this kind of treatment from me is you, Rude Girl."
"Oh my, really? Looking at the attitude you show to Senior Hyun-soo, it didn't seem particularly like that either?"
"He is a very special person to me. Even if I do the same action, doing it to him and doing it to you have meanings that are waaaay different. You call yourself an instructor but it seems you lack such sense?"
Crack crack
Charles held back the urge to extend her claws right away one more time and smiled while causing a spasm around her eyes.
"It seems our Lily-nim has really~ bad memory. Seeing you forgot in that short time who the person who helped stop you from being sent to the Special Management Bureau is and say things with such a nasty tone one by one, it seems your head is bad too; did you pay people money and order them to call you Archmage?"
Crack crack
This time, a spasm occurred around Lily's eyes.
"...... Ha? I paid money and ordered others to call me Archmage?"
"Wasn't it? Usually, if someone is a mage, they would be smart and competent, but seeing you can't even distinguish the person who gave you help and act like this, I thought ah~ just because one is a mage doesn't mean they are particularly competent and smart~."
"Ah, you wanted to hear thank you? Okay, thank you. Done?"
'... What?'
Since Lily was the one who screamed and ran away without even saying thank you to Jung Hyun-soo, Charles thought if she told her to say thank you to herself, Lily would tremble with her pride trampled.
But when she tossed out the thank you as if it were nothing, Charles felt like she became a human who really came to beg for thanks.
Originally, she intended to humiliate Lily and confirm who was superior...
Since getting angry here would make her look like more of a fool, Charles forced a smile and answered.
"Ohohot, don't mention it. Still, it's a relief that you didn't forget your benefactor. In the future too, if you owe someone, it is basic etiquette to express gratitude, you know?"
"Fufufu, okay, I'll keep it in mind. But actually, since Hyun-soo did everything and you just added one sheet of paper and try to receive thanks instead of Hyun-soo, it's a bit iffy, so from next time, it would be good for you too to grasp well who played the bigger role, right?"
The two smiled while pouring tremendous curses at each other inwardly.
Heading to my office to talk with Yukino, I checked the assigned education schedule.
Fortunately, I had no more schedules today, and it was the day Charles conducted education.
"Well, since she learned the work by my side to that extent, she'll do well without any issues!"
Since Charles isn't someone who can't work, and rather is on the quite smart and capable side, I opened my office door with peace of mind.
When I opened the door, Yukino, who looked somewhat intimidated with her head dropped low, raised her head upon hearing the sound, hurriedly looked back, and met my gaze.
I smiled lightly, then rummaged through the supplies in the back of my office.
Since this place is my office but also doubles as a counseling room for interdimensional transferees having difficulty adapting to society, there were quite a lot of miscellaneous things like Doraemon's 4D pocket.
Taking out a small bag containing tea leaf powder, I asked.
"Yukino, want a cup of matcha? You like matcha."
"Matcha...? Is there that here too?"
"Probably most things that were in Omitamano are here too?"
"Then... please give me just one cup."
I filled water from the purifier, put it in the electric kettle to boil, poured the boiling water into a cup, and poured matcha powder over it to dissolve in the water.
After stirring a few times, a cup of hot matcha was completed in an instant, and Yukino received the cup I held out with surprised eyes.
"Did you boil water without fire? How...?"
"Hmph, this is the product of the modern civilization of the Republic of Korea, which didn't exist in Omitamano. You'll see much more amazing things while living here in the future. In the first place, didn't you see all kinds of devices the Search Team Hunters brought in Cheonan?"
"... I didn't look closely. I wasn't interested in what they had, and after that cat yokai and yellow-haired woman appeared, I was busy paying attention only to those two."
Cat yokai? Is she talking about Charles?
Well, with Charles's appearance, she was perfect for being treated as a half-yokai in Omitamano.
"Charles isn't a yokai. She is a person interdimensionally transported to this side from a world where beastkin live. She just has some animal characteristics, but she is no different from a human. Saying such things is very rude, so absolutely don't say such things in front of the person herself, and don't even think it."
"...... You're defending her?"
"Huh?"
I, who was looking for document forms to teach Yukino this and that basic things of this world, raised my head at Yukino's voice, which had become somewhat chilly.
She was staring at me quietly with a considerably cold expression while holding the teacup with two hands.
"... This philanderer."
"Uh... Yukino?"
"Of course, for gathering opinions of various people for me to avoid punishment, for that point, I am clearly grateful."
Yukino bowed her head slightly while saying that.
However, her expression when she lifted her head was still extremely chilly.
"But I still can't forgive you. All responsibilities as a shrine maiden, the duty of protecting the shrine passed down through generations in our Kamishiro family, laying everything down and just as one woman... being able to live as someone's wife... I thought I came to live enjoying true freedom and receiving only love."
"......"
"Such a sweet dream of mine didn't last even a day. As I said, I couldn't sleep properly for 1 year due to sorrow, and for 2 years due to anger and desire for revenge against you. I vowed that if we met, I would break all your limbs and sear that crotch that took my purity with vengeful fire."
"P-Please spare me..."
"But you... while I was suffering like that, were playing around with other women somewhere? The yellow-haired woman blabbers that she is your wife, and the cat yokai is exuding your spirit all over her body. Was I only that much to you? Was I just a woman to enjoy for one night and throw away?"
"Yukino! Absolutely not! It's a misunderstanding—"
"After seeing that, I thought I couldn't forgive you even more. Including how you subtly defend that cat yokai even now. But... But..."
Yukino's hands holding the teacup, and her body trembled.
"Seeing you collapse helplessly after being hit by my arrow and bleeding from your buttock, I felt like my mind went blank. I vowed again and again to make you suffer something worse than that... but just because you bled a little from my attack, I..."
"Yukino..."
Yukino teared up, then quickly wiped her tears with her hand and drank tea to calm her mind.
"I can't forgive you. I knew you didn't just enjoy my body and run away, but what does that matter. You had wives in other worlds too, and even in the original world..."
No, Charles isn't in that kind of relationship...
"No matter how much I think, I can't forgive you. But... life without you... I hate it now. Do you have any feeling of sorry towards me?"
"... Of course I do. No matter how much it wasn't my will, I made you a living widow like that..."
"Then from now on, you will have to respect my will."
"Huh? Of course I will do so... but is there anything you want?"
"I can no longer tolerate you abandoning me and disappearing. I never want to experience the man who took my heart disappearing ever again. Be where my vision reaches. Be where my breath reaches. Always prioritize me the most. Give me the love you should have given me for 3 years.
Your sleep, meals, work, even all your daily life, I will manage it. You just have to be with me and love me."
Somehow I felt like Yukino's eyes had rolled back (gone yandere).
"The words I said to you at Mikami Shrine... I'll apologize. Saying I never held a wedding or anything with you, that wasn't my sincerity. Saying I would only be satisfied if I took revenge on you was also a lie. I'm really sorry for shooting the arrow. So you have to love me, okay? If you abandon me again... if you leave me and disappear again... then I'll just die. You can do that for me, right? You don't want me to die, right?"
"... Yukino-nim?"