Konbini Ossan Volume 6 Chapter 16 — Thank You
Ever since I steeled myself, the days felt like an old film reel played on fast-forward — everything slipping past without weight or reality.
I kept reminding myself:
I am only her guardian. Her stand-in parent.
And if that is what I am, then what should I do?
I followed that answer — the answer reason dictated — every hour of every day.
No lingering attachments.
No complaints.
No weakness.
While those strangely tranquil days passed, Arisa also behaved with a certain practiced composure.
Like a daughter relying on her father.
Like a girl looking forward to a happy future.
Both of us hid everything we truly felt, walking carefully so as not to touch the other’s heart.
After about a month, the two things I needed to prepare as her guardian — the gifts she would wear at the engagement banquet — were finally complete.
The dress Rosa made had no excessive decoration, yet wasn’t plain at all.
Its beauty came from the fabric itself, shimmering with a soft seven-colored glow like pearl.
It was extraordinary.
The necklace was made from Alesium, the metal extracted from Aresvelg’s scales.
I fashioned it into an emblem hung from a chain, all made completely from the same material.
Shuri-kun’s tests confirmed Alesium was harmless to the human body.
Its magic-repelling field could be blocked by substances like water, meaning it wouldn’t disturb the body’s internal magic.
In fact, it could deflect sudden magical projectiles — an unexpected protective charm.
The emblem shaped from that metal resembled the flower of the sal tree.
In Buddhism, the sal represents rebirth and renewal.
And more importantly, it was not the same as the summer camellia planted in Japan as a substitute for the actual sal.
I chose the design to reverse the curse hidden in Arisa’s name, and to pray for her future strength and wellbeing.
Then — another month passed.
Today was the day of the engagement banquet, arranged through exchanges with the Marquis Roosevelt.
It was a rushed schedule for nobility, but since Arisa was originally a commoner, too grand a preparation would seem improper.
Thus, this timing was settled on.
I spent the time restlessly pacing as I waited for her preparations to finish.
The professionals hired by the Marquis dressed her, set her hair and applied her makeup.
There was nothing for me to do but wander back and forth in front of her room.
Eventually, the door opened.
“Please, come in.”
One of the professionals guided me inside.
The moment I saw her back, I froze.
The dress shimmered beautifully, and her hair — braided and pinned up — revealed the line of her neck.
It was a perfect balance of purity and feminine allure.
But when she turned around, I truly lost my words.
The headpiece decorating her braided hair, likely provided by the professionals, matched the necklace and dress seamlessly.
Her makeup made her features both regal and endearing.
Her natural charm seemed multiplied several times over.
“How… is it?”
She asked with a nervous look.
I hurried to answer.
“It’s beautiful. I believe… right now, you may be the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Ahaha, that’s way too much praise.”
She smiled softly.
“But thank you. The dress and the necklace — both are the best presents ever. I’ll never forget today. I’ll treasure them for the rest of my life, Yuuichi-oniichan.”
“Hearing that makes all the effort worthwhile.”
I nodded.
“Then… I’m going.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll come watch, right?”
“Yes.”
She was then escorted out by the professionals, heading to the banquet hall prepared by the marquis.
A carriage waited outside to take her ahead.
Those who received invitations, myself included, would follow later.
It would be around afternoon.
I needed to prepare as well.
No matter how reluctant my heart felt, I couldn’t attend in my usual clothes.
I had bought a formal suit long ago.
And yet…
For a long while afterward, I simply stood there, alone in the room she would never use again — unable to move.
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E/N:
Don't do something you will regret later, Ossan! Do something you won't regret later! The ground ain't gonna move you! Fight!
Stay tuned!
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