There was a lot I didn’t know about Histania Hanna.
I didn’t know what she liked.
What she disliked.
What her hobbies were.
Though the favorability window provided some hints, firsthand experience was different from reading about it.
Moreover, she wasn’t a character from the novel, so I knew relatively little compared to Yuria or Michail.
The mentions in the novel were limited to Rowen reminiscing about his youngest daughter. That was about it.
What I knew was that she was the youngest daughter of the famous sword family, Histania, and that she died young.-Is it very awkward…?
I didn’t know she could be this shy either.
-It doesn’t suit me, does it?
I wasn’t aware that she was as beautiful as Yuria, though perhaps not quite on par with the young lady. She was undeniably beautiful, like a blooming violet.
*****
As usual, I headed to the meeting place 30 minutes early and saw a young girl loitering around a bench.
“Sigh…”
“Aaah!”
“Pull yourself together, Histania Hanna! The book said confident women win over handsome men!”
Clearly, she was nervous. She was pacing around the bench with a hand on her chest, taking deep breaths.
“Good! Good…!”
Watching Hanna come back to her starting point like a pendulum, I couldn’t help but laugh quietly and walked over.
“Why are you here so early, Hanna?”
“Eek! When did you get here?!”
“Since you were playing by yourself on the bench?”
Hanna’s face turned red like a tomato. Spluttering, she stammered, “Y-you’ve been watching since then?!” and then screamed, covering her face with her hands.
I spoke to Hanna, who was still hiding her face.
“I was about to ask if I could join you, but too bad.”
“Don’t talk to me… I’m a dead, embarrassed corpse from now on.”
“I’ll bring you back to life, so it’s fine.”
Hanna stomped her feet and cried, “Agh! Don’t tease me!” punching me in the chest.
Maybe because she’s a swordswoman.
-Thump thump…!
Her punches were quite strong.
Hanna kept her face hidden behind her hands for a long while. Her face was bright red with embarrassment. Then, slowly, she peeked out from behind her hands.
As she brushed her hair behind her ear and looked up, I couldn’t help but stare.
The moment Hanna’s face, which I hadn’t seen closely before, came into view, I was left speechless.
I was struck with the illusion that my breath had stopped.
I was even more surprised than when I saw the devastating result of the young lady’s makeup skills. Not in a cute, laughable way, but in the opposite emotional spectrum.
Hanna was too beautiful.
She had dressed up.
Not in a frilly dress or a glamorous outfit, but in everyday clothes. However, the attire was unique in this world.
I thought I’d dressed neatly in my uniform, but Hanna had put in so much more effort compared to mine.
Light makeup.
A short leather skirt that reached her thighs.
A white sweater and leather jacket accentuating her figure, a style common in modern-day attire.
She looked like an idol.
No, perhaps even fresher than that. I was so stunned by Hanna’s appearance that I stood there, dumbfounded.
“M-Mr. Butler?”
Hanna fidgeted with her fingers and looked up at me.
Seeing my sudden silence, Hanna, who flustered, fidgeted restlessly.
“Is it really strange?”
Despite wanting to tell her she was beautiful, the words wouldn’t come out. I was speechless.
She looked incredible.
Hanna had arrived much earlier than the scheduled time, which surprised me first, and her changed appearance surprised me again.
“I’ve never worn anything like this before…”
“Do I look very strange?”
Seeing Hanna’s trembling eyes, I hurriedly grabbed her wrist as she tried to head back to change her clothes.
“Where are you going?”
“I-I think the clothes are too strange.”
“No…”
“They are, right? I’ve never dressed up before…”
Shaking my head firmly, I spoke.
“You look beautiful.”
“W-what?”
Hanna looked up with wide eyes like a broken doll.
Her initially bowed head, lacking confidence, lifted slightly, her eyes growing rounder as she looked at me. I smiled and spoke.
“You’re so beautiful I couldn’t find the words.”
“What kind of joke is that… I’m gullible enough to believe it.”
Hanna blushed and shook her head. Like a shy elementary school student, she nervously fidgeted with my hands, moving them like a seesaw.
Holding Hanna’s wrist firmly, I spoke honestly about my impression.
“Really.”
With a quivering smile, I added.
“You are beautiful.”
[Histania Hanna Lv. 38]
[Occupation: Academy Student]
[Favorability: 100]
[Favorite Conversation Topics: Ricardo/Benefactor/Compliments on clothes/Swords/Dolls/Praise for efforts]
[Disliked Conversation Topics: Cursing Ricardo/Malice towards Ricardo/Belittling Olivia/Father/Histania/Orcs/Her own weakness]
*****
After a simple lunch, Hanna and I started walking towards the theater to see the dance performance.
“Wow… There are so many people here.”
Hanna, seeing the packed crowd, spoke in a trembling voice.
So many people.
I nodded in agreement and replied.
“Indeed. I’ve never seen so many people in Hamel. This is more than the line for the Friends of Forest.”
A huge crowd had gathered to see the dance performance.
The visit of the empire’s most famous dancer had clearly stirred the imperial subjects living in this remote area.
Staring at the crowd, Hanna looked at my empty hand.
Looking at my big hand, it seemed Hanna had something to say, but she hesitated, glancing at me. I tilted my head in curiosity and asked Hanna.
“Is there something on my hand?”
“Huh?!”
“No, you keep staring at my hand.”
“Oh…”
Fidgeting with her fingers, Hanna shook her head and muttered, “It’s nothing,” in a disappointed voice.
Hanna’s head drooped in dejection.
Smiling slightly, I grabbed Hanna’s hand.
“Huh…?”
Hanna looked at me in shock, surprised by the warmth of our joined hands. Her face openly expressed the question of why. I spoke in a calm voice, maintaining my smile.
“There are so many people; I don’t want us to lose each other.”
Looking straight ahead as I spoke, I couldn’t see Hanna’s face. Worried that she might dislike it, but thinking it was better than getting lost, I cautiously asked Hanna.
“If it bothers you, you can let go.”
“N-no!”
“Really?”
I smiled faintly and looked at Hanna.
“Y-yes…”
Nervously looking at our joined hands, Hanna followed me to the theater, gripping my hand firmly.
How should I say it?
It felt like… warm and fuzzy.
Our first meeting was awful, but our relationship had grown closer, as if spring had arrived.
I was grateful to Hanna for coming closer despite likely being shocked when I cleaned with Ruin’s head.
Had it not been for Hanna, I would have been living a hectic life paying off my debt. Perhaps I would have ended up in a gloomy one-room with the young lady.
Thanks to Hanna, I met Malik.
Thanks to Hanna, the young lady made a friend.
Thanks to Hanna, I had friends.
To me, Hanna was a benefactor. She might not see me as such, but I genuinely thought of her as a benefactor.
Although.
“Whew… My heart feels like it’s going to explode…”
She seemed to be gradually becoming more like me, but even that was adorable.
Caring for your mentee is naturally essential. Besides, Hanna was genuinely cute. Smiling slightly, I held Hanna’s hand gently.
Hanna’s fingers trembled in my hand. I tightened my grip, holding her hand more firmly.
“It looks like it will be fun, don’t you think?”
“Yes…”
“Can’t wait to see it.”
“Me too, I want to quickly…”
Hanna, staring at me, hid her face shyly.
“What did you say?”
“Just… I want to keep being like this with Mr. Butler.”
“Well, I am kinda handsome.”
“…”
Hanna blushed and replied.
“Yes, you are.”
Once seated, we let go of our hands.
“Hmm…”
Seeing a familiar face on stage, I burst into laughter.
“No way, haha, Manager!”
“Brother!”
-Shhh.
The empire’s greatest dancer.
No one ever claimed the dancer in the fox mask was a woman.
As Malik energetically danced on stage, Hanna sighed, rubbing her face, while I laughed, intently watching his dance.
“So, the busy work was for this…?”
-Spinning around~!
He sure knows how to dance.
No matter how I look at it, it feels like Malik is the protagonist of this novel.
End of Chapter
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