Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 165
Thump, thump, Epine tapped a shoulder, and an Esper turned around with a ‘what do you want?’ expression.
…This felt ominous.
“…Hi?”
Epine greeted him with a sly smile.
Uhh, what is she doing?
Ignoring my tutting, Simeyez explained that this Esper had been sending Epine countless gifts and letters, trying to woo her.
“No matter what, that’s just…”
Regardless of my shock, Epine continued with a deadly – or so she pretended – smile.
“I received your gifts. Sorry for only being able to thank you now. I’ve been busy!”
“Uh, yes, it’s fine.”
“And… you see, we arrived too late. Could you possibly give up your spot for us? I’d be really grateful. And… you know? As a token of my gratitude… though calling it a reward seems a bit much… I might guide you sometime…?”
Privately, just the two of us…
Her whisper added a suggestive tone, but the meaning was clear.
If that Esper gave up his spot for us, in return, she would offer him guiding energy next time.
The Esper glanced at us standing behind Epine.
Something about his gaze… seemed like he was counting heads. Or was it my imagination?
After a moment of silence, he finally moved his lips to speak.
“…You should’ve come earlier.”
“?”
“Next time, come early and secure a spot.”
“…?”
Epine was incredulous. The Esper couldn’t bear to meet her gaze and shyly looked away.
“So, um, it’s just too noisy here, my ears must be failing. It sounded like you said you won’t give up your spot for us.”
“…I’m sorry, but you heard right. Any other time might have been different, but it’s Lord Claude’s first demonstration. I can’t miss this rare opportunity, so please understand.”
Perhaps resigned to rejection, the Esper then sternly faced forward again.
And that’s how Epine got shut down.
“…What!”
Ro, Rose, don’t provoke him, he might explode.
Simeyez whispered urgently, pushing my head down. I obediently averted my gaze.
Naturally, Epine was fuming.
“That ungrateful…!”
“Ep, Epine, calm down.”
Simeyez hurriedly tried to soothe her.
“When sending gifts, you talk big about giving the stars and moon, everything… And now you can’t even spare one spot? All talk and no action…!”
“Epine…”
“Wait till I get home, I’ll tear up all his gifts and letters and burn them…!”
“Just…”
I blurted out, unable to listen any longer.
“…Let’s just leave.”
What are we even doing here?
There are too many people. It’s noisy, there’s the smell of sweaty bodies, and people keep bumping into me…
Is there really a need to endure this discomfort just to watch a demonstration? Especially when I can see Claude anytime at home.
Epine and Simeyez looked at me in surprise at my words.
Feeling a bit awkward, I added,
“We’re so far back, I doubt we’d see much anyway. So, let’s just leave.”
“…Are you serious?”
“We came too late, there are no seats, and no Esper is willing to give up theirs for us. There’s nothing we can do.”
“Rose, are you upset?”
“No, not really…?”
It was just something I said. The crowd and the noise made me unintentionally raise my voice and sound sharper than I intended.
Even after trying to soften my expression and tone, Simeyez and Epine were still looking at me cautiously.
“Rose, are you sure you’re okay with this? It’s something Lord Claude is doing. Wouldn’t it be better to at least watch from the back?”
“I feel… like it’s already a done deal.”
“Ah, right…”
Realizing my point, they murmured.
Finally, they understood that from my shorter perspective, all I’d see was the back of someone’s head.
“What should we do… Should we go back as Rose suggested?”
“But I… still want to see it…”
Epine and Simeyez hesitated, wanting to watch the demonstration even if they had to stand in a crowded space where they might not see much.