Konbini Ossan Volume 6 Chapter 14 — Because It Would Be Her Wish
I wandered through the castle without any idea what I should do.
Before long, I found myself in what appeared to be an inner courtyard.
I drifted among the trees and flowers, walking aimlessly.
I wanted to empty myself of everything for a moment, to let my mind settle.
After some time like that, I suddenly realized someone was standing directly in front of me.
“Um… my beloved lord. Are you all right?”
It was Nanakamado Yashiki — the girl who stalked me among the group of summoned heroes.
She had promised never to appear before me uninvited.
So her showing up like this could only mean something was seriously troubling her.
“What is it, Nanakamado-san?”
“That is… what I want to ask! I-I just had to know why you’ve seemed so sad lately, and, um, I was worried!”
Tripping over her words, she still looked genuinely anxious for me.
That alone told me how strange my behavior had seemed.
That she would break her promise not to approach me… the shame was almost unbearable.
“I’m sorry to have worried you. I’m all right now.”
“U-um… is that really true? You’re thinking about Mikimoto-san, aren’t you?”
She cut straight to the heart of the matter without hesitation.
Considering she stalked me, she was likely the only person besides myself who knew every detail.
In fact, as a third party, she might understand my circumstances better than I did.
“Yes. You’re right. I ignored Arisa-san’s feelings. I used her for my own sake. And even now… some part of me still feels as though she belongs to me. I’m ashamed of myself. I feel pathetic… the worst kind of man.”
I sighed deeply after admitting the truth.
Nanakamado responded with a smile so bright it was almost frightening.
“It’s all right! My beloved!”
I tilted my head, unsure what she meant. She pressed on with full force.
“If it’s for your sake, I would do anything! Your happiness is my happiness! If you told me to marry some random nobody for your benefit, I would gladly do it!”
Her words were so extreme I was left speechless.
But she went on without stopping.
“So please don’t worry! If it’s for you, I would be happy to do anything! That means Mikimoto-san must surely feel the same! So there’s no reason at all for you to suffer or torture yourself!”
Her attempts to encourage me only amplified a terrible suspicion growing inside me.
Impossible… or was it?
What if Arisa, like Nanakama, had made her decision for my sake?
An alliance with the Roosevelt Marquisate would greatly benefit my business and social standing.
In that sense, Arisa’s engagement could be seen as a step toward my success.
If Arisa believed that…
If she thought she was securing my future by marrying the marquis…
If that was why she suddenly went to him alone and proposed it…
It would explain everything.
And the possibility wasn’t small.
After all, I myself had been making similar choices.
If Arisa was to be happy, then I could not treat her as a woman I loved.
She should marry someone respectable, someone other than me.
That was the conclusion I had chosen.
So if Arisa had also chosen something she originally would never have chosen — for the sake of someone more important to her…
Then everything I’d believed until now collapsed under me.
All this time, I had thought I was acting for her happiness.
But if she had acted for mine…
Then everything I’d done was nothing but self-serving.
My vision darkened.
A wave of sickening emotion — despair, confusion, dread — rushed over me.
My thoughts wouldn’t form. Only panic.
There was one thing left I could, no, I had to do.
I needed to confirm Arisa’s true intentions.
“Thank you… Nanakamado-san.”
I cut her off mid-sentence and muttered it quietly.
“Thanks to you, I finally understand.”
“Eh? W-wait! What is it, my beloved!?”
Leaving only those words behind, I turned and ran, abandoning her bewildered expression behind me.
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E/N:
I had completely forgotten this crazy girl was also there in the plot ðŸ˜! But why she spitting facts?!
Now Ossan's feelings will be tested! Stay tuned for what's to become of these two!
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