Chapter 26
We'll Clean It
Up
Translator : PolterGlast
"It's about the
woman I like."
Hmm, hmmm, hmmmm...
My mouth involuntarily
formed a "く" shape. Was it
just my self-consciousness to think he might be talking about me? Lotus
probably had all sorts of acquaintances. I really hoped so.
"Of course it's
not me, I'm a demon, and I've only shown him weird sides of myself, it's
definitely not me," I thought, but my hands kept wiping the table
frantically. But I didn't care, it definitely wasn't me. I wouldn't care. I
would polish this table until it shone.
【Listening skills acquired】
Please stop.
Please stop turning my
inner turmoil into skills so accurately. Sutra-san and Lotus's conversation was
clearer than before. "Y-you like someone...?" Even though I had asked
myself, I hadn't expected such a reply, and Sutra-san staggered back a step,
looking faint. "Hagyaa!" And with a manly scream (but from a woman),
she clutched her twisting ankle, trembling from an old injury that still hadn't
healed. Was she okay?
Sweat beading on her
forehead, she looked up, saying, "Like? What? Seriously? Seriously?"
Ignoring Sutra-san's
bewildered face, he silently ate his stew. "Yeah, well." "Try to
be a little more embarrassed...!!?" Lotus was a man strong against
teasing. For some reason, I was the one feeling embarrassed. Clenching my teeth
at the unexpectedly developing love story, I circled around them, cleaning. The
cloth I was clutching was crumpled. As I awkwardly lifted it, Nii's hand gently
stretched out and touched mine.
We'll take care of the
cleaning.
The three slimes who
had rushed over to fix Sutra-san's dropped jaw were now trembling around me. I
was terribly sorry for making them worry for some reason.
Ichi and the others,
already stepping into the realm of professionals, combined their power and made
the shop sparkle in the blink of an eye. The landlady was holed up in the
kitchen, Sutra-san was too surprised by Lotus's words to notice my movements,
and there were unusually no customers, so I just sat down with my knees curled
up. Why? I just felt so sad.
"E-eh, eeeh, what
kind of girl? How old? Where did you meet her?"
"Hmm? Probably
the same age or older. We met around here."
As more information
flowed, "Ugh, ummm," I thought privately. We met in my adult form on
the roof of Harapeko-tei, and I looked about that age... And when asked what
kind of girl, Lotus thought while chewing on the hard bread.
"Really,
cold-looking..."
"You said that
earlier..."
Sutra-san looked like
she wanted to say, "That's not what I'm asking!"
"I mean, what's
with 'cold'? You're the one who's bundled up too much. Girls have... all sorts
of things! Clothes aren't just functional, there's the aesthetics of fashion!
You wouldn't understand, though!"
Lotus frowned slightly
at Sutra-san, who patted her chest with one hand. He seemed to be thinking
about something.
"Well, I
understand that much. But there are limits, right?"
"Limits? What?
She's wearing clothes properly, isn't she? It's not like she's completely
exposed."
"But she is
completely exposed."
"Isn't she a slut
then?..."
The change in tension
was extreme. "'Completely exposed'?" Sutra-san quietly covered her
mouth. And then, "She's a total slut...?" She said it twice.
In conclusion, Lotus
nodded at Sutra-san's words, "If she likes it, then you don't have any
right to complain," but it was a conversation that just made my chest
ache. No, maybe they weren't talking about me. There was a chance, maybe a
really small chance.
Lotus grew up in this
city. That's why he knew a lot of people and was often relied upon. He probably
had many acquaintances. It wouldn't be strange for him to know one or two
sluts. So it wasn't me, it was fine, I thought, placing a hand on my chest and
facing Lotus. The reason I couldn't look the young man straight in the face was
because of the guilty, strange feelings stirring inside me.
On the cobblestone
path, I met Lotus at night. Lotus was always leaning against a tree trunk, his
eyebrows furrowed in a grumpy expression, but he wasn't angry, he always had
the same look, so I had gotten used to it lately. More than that, remembering
the word "completely exposed," I tried to wrap the blanket around me
more carefully than usual, but it felt so flimsy and flapped around with the
slightest breeze.
"Oof,
buh-shoo!"
Just as I was about to
call out to Lotus, a strong gust of wind flapped. The blanket sadly clung to my
face. "Ah, au, au, ouch." You know what? People call this hopeless.
Because I was flailing my heeled feet, only aggressive footsteps echoed.
"What are you
doing?"
His voice sounded
exasperated. Lotus used his hand to part the blanket clinging to my face and my
tangled hair. "S-sorry..." When I sneezed again,
"buh-shoo," he forcefully wrapped his own scarf around my neck.
"Gueh," this was no time for jokes.
"Just keep that
on."
I felt relieved when
my neck was securely covered. It was thick fabric. Since I wasn't wearing this
outfit by choice, I felt troubled about whether I should borrow it, but with a
pure feeling of gratitude, I sniffled and thanked him, "Thank you..."
When I looked up, there was a surprisingly kind face there. No way.
When our eyes met,
Lotus's expression returned to his usual grumpy one. He slightly raised an
eyebrow as if asking "What?" then immediately looked at my neck, tied
the scarf, and facing forward, struggled with it, "So you can't do it
yourself? Like this? This? It was like this, right?" He tilted his head.
Little by little, my
fingertips warmed up, and it wasn't just because of the scarf.
"...Did you not
like it?"
"Eh, no, it's not
like that."
Was he worried about
what Sutra-san had said, about me wearing what I liked and no one having the
right to complain? He seemed relieved by my reply. Whether it was because of
her warning or not, Lotus didn't say anything more. But it wasn't like I was
wearing this by choice, you know?
He must have tied it
to his satisfaction. "Yosh," Lotus said, showing his white teeth with
a grin. The long scarf was wrapped around and around, making my neck fluffy,
and my anxious chest was securely hidden. He was surprisingly skillful.
I had been thinking
with a little bit of an escape route in mind, "Maybe it's not me,"
but I wasn't that stupid. I remembered the terribly kind face Lotus had shown
for just a moment. My chest tightened. It was cold, but I didn't feel cold. I
moved my mouth to thank him, but my voice was surprisingly faint, so Lotus
seemed a little surprised. But that's not the point.
I had realized his
pure kindness.
I didn't know what to
do.
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