Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 43
I never expected Claude to feed me after the scolding I got at the dessert cafe last time. Maybe my rant about him being worse than corrupt officials who’d still feed slaves had some effect.
The stall owner started to brush seasoning on the lamb skewers.
“Cute Miss, you know. You must be the younger sister…”
“Yeah?”
“…Or not, it seems. Why are you following them?”
The owner initially mistook Shana and Claude as a couple with their sibling. But realizing I bore no resemblance to them, he seemed puzzled.
I casually replied, “It’s work, you know.”
“Ah, so they’re on a date and you’re running errands for them?”
“Yes.”
“Poor thing.”
The owner sympathetically handed me an extra skewer, seeing how small and seemingly frail I was. Score!
As I turned back, I noticed Claude giving me a complicated look. Something seemed to bother him again.
I knew better than to ask, so I cheerfully said, “Thank you!”
“…”
“…Um, thank you for the food?”
“…Just take it.”
Claude abruptly turned and left the stall. Shana looked infuriated.
“…You.”
“Ack, Lord Claude, I have short legs. Wait for me!”
I hastily followed Claude, avoiding a confrontation with Shana. Being left alone with her was the last thing I wanted.
I must be in some dark comedy where Claude had become the lesser evil…
Nevertheless, Claude kept buying me food. After finishing the skewers, he got me a fluffy egg bread, a sugary dessert, and even a drink when I casually mentioned being thirsty.
It seemed like Claude was becoming more humane.
Meanwhile, every time Claude fed me something, Shana glared as if she wanted to tear me apart.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure about handling the aftermath, but Shana would dislike me no matter what I did.
So, I resolved to make the most of being dragged around and savored everything I got.
The crowd thickened as the night deepened, and the festival’s atmosphere reached its zenith.
Contrarily, my focus dwindled rapidly.
Although Claude periodically bought me snacks, which lessened the feelings of sorrow and frustration I had experienced at the dessert café, my energy was depleting as rapidly as my hunger was satiated.
Trying to keep up with Claude and Shana, who both had longer strides, left me almost breathless.
My modest office worker’s stamina was no match for their relentless pace.
“Could you slow down a bit…”
I murmured, pausing to catch my breath.
They were already far ahead, but their tall figures were still visible in the distance.
I thought to rest for just a moment, but remembering how Claude had scowled at me for getting distracted while eating bread, I hesitated.
“…Rose lost her parents when she was young… Shana and Claude give her a hard time… Cinderella, Cinderella, always Cinderella…”
I sang a modified version of a nursery rhyme to match my plight, then got up, dusting off my pants.
To my confusion, everyone around me was walking in the opposite direction.
Just then, the crowd’s excited cheers behind me grew louder.
…What?
Turning around, I saw the source of the excitement: a fireworks display had begun.
Caught up in the surge of people moving toward the fireworks, I found myself swept along.
“Oh, oh ohhh!”
I exclaimed, struggling to maintain my footing in the bustling crowd.
Before I knew it, I was surrounded, unable to move. Claude and Shana were nowhere to be seen. I dreaded the scolding I would inevitably receive from Claude for losing sight of them again.
But as the fireworks burst overhead in a dazzling display, a sense of wonder overtook me.
“So pretty…”
I whispered, mesmerized.
In my previous world, large-scale fireworks displays were rare, often limited by noise and environmental concerns. It seemed such restrictions didn’t exist here, as the sky was ablaze with colors.
It was strange – amidst the pushing crowd and the deafening noise, a sense of calm enveloped me.
For a moment, all my worries about Claude, Shana, and the consequences of getting lost faded away, lost in the beauty of the fireworks.
