Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 148
After hearing that, Rose wasn’t in a state to be reasoned with.
Still, it was the best decision Claude could make at the time…
However the issue was that none of that mattered to Rose.
She had declared she would diligently earn money in the Guide Division until she made up for the 400 billion Berks.
And indeed, she had been running around attempting to earn that small sum…
Rose was well aware that even a lifetime of work in the Guide Division wouldn’t earn her 400 billion Berks. Yet, she didn’t care.
Of course, it wouldn’t have been difficult to confine Rose so she couldn’t leave the house.
But after finally clearing up misunderstandings and having her quietly snuggle into his embrace, he didn’t want to scare his poor, small Guide with such matters again.
She would probably give up halfway, since Rose was inherently lazy.
Consoling himself with that thought, he decided to wait and see…
But these days, it had become really difficult to even properly see her.
In the morning, she would rush out as soon as she woke up, only to return exhausted and weary in the evening.
As much as they had been apart all day, just when he finally got to sit her down to ask about her day, Rose would start to nod off.
The number of times he had swallowed his frustration while watching Rose mumble incoherently before falling asleep was countless.
Lately, Rose, who had been toiling hard, had lost weight. The flesh that used to be soft and plump had disappeared, and her once plump cheeks had halved in size.
…He had worked so hard to fatten her up.
Claude had seriously considered overturning the Guide Division several times, seeing how quickly Rose was reverting back to her original state, given all the effort and time he had invested.
Just what were they doing to that fragile girl under the guise of training? He wondered if the Guides were bullying her with their cliquish behavior, feeling that only turning the place upside down would satisfy him.
Yet, since Rose had made it clear she didn’t even want him near the Guide Division, he couldn’t muster the courage to do so.
Therefore, there wasn’t much Claude could do.
To placate her, he too started earning money, though not immediately reaching the 400 billion Berks but at least getting close to that figure.
Thus, now, when they should be inseparable, Claude found himself, quite out of character, diligently marking his attendance at the Esper Division daily.
“…It looks like she’ll be earnest about it for a while, so please keep an eye on her for me.”
As Claude said this, he rubbed his face with both hands out of frustration.
Recently, Rose had even attended an outdoor mock training. It felt like just the other day when she got knocked over by Valan, yet why she wanted to go to such a harsh place again was beyond him.
Now that everyone knew Rose was his imprinted Guide, nobody could treat her carelessly, but he still couldn’t help worrying.
Thus, he reluctantly entrusted Oscar, another Guide, to watch over Rose. He had told her not to come to the training herself, not that she couldn’t have someone watch over her.
“Rose is too small, too weak, and too delicate to live as a Guide.”
He wondered how she had survived in this harsh Center as a mere office worker before meeting him.
Sometimes she would cause trouble at the most unexpected times and on a grand scale, making his heart drop.
Yet, just raising his voice slightly or showing anger would make her scared and tearful.
And then, for some unknown reason, she’d become happy and giddy again.
Looking at her innocent face, he found her endearing, but at the same time, he felt overwhelmed about how to introduce her to the world.
The moment he took his eyes off her, he felt anxious as if he had left a child by the ocean.
“Even if it’s something small, please tell me right away. If she’s having trouble adjusting or if someone is bullying her.”
“Who’s bullying who, honestly?”
“What?”
“?”
“…”
Claude scoffed irritably. The idea was that if Rose was being bullied, she was the victim, not the perpetrator.
Oscar chuckled.
“Let’s get things straight. First, I’ll admit she’s small. But weak and delicate? Who? That Azalea?”
Claude looked as if he was wondering why that was even a question.
“Or, I mean, you should know that despite being small, that girl could handle herself well enough too, right?”
Oscar clicked his tongue.
“Do you know what nickname she’s got these days in the Guide Division?”
“Nickname?”
Claude instinctively sensed something was amiss.
“…What’s the nickname?”
“You don’t know, do you? Of course, you don’t. That’s why you’re spouting nonsense about her being weak this, and delicate that.”
“Oscar, answer me.”
Finally, Oscar whispered to him, lowering his voice.
“These days… among the Center’s Guides, she’s called… ‘Honey Badger’…”
“…”
Claude sighed deeply.
…His Guide always exceeded his expectations.
T/N: For context, just know that a honey badger dont give a shxt lmao
From Wiktionary:
Etymology From their badger-like appearance and their liking for honey.
The slang sense was inspired by the 2011 viral video The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger, for which original narration (including variations of “honey badger don’t care”) was dubbed over preexisting footage of a honey badger fending off various dangerous situations.
