I Was Reincarnated as the Villain in an Eroge, but I’ll Live Honestly ~Because the Protagonist Was Useless, I Ended Up Making the Heroines Smile and Somehow Built a Harem~ - 16

Chapter 16: Noah Is Asked by Flora to Spend the Night with Her

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After that, some time passed.

“……Noah-sama.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Could you listen to a small selfish request of mine?”

“Of course. You can tell me anything.”

When she said thank you, Flora hugged Noah tightly.

“H-hey, wait, Flora!?”

Noah’s face turned bright red as he flailed in panic, but Flora did not loosen her grip at all.

“Just for a little while…… Hugging someone you like really tightly gives you energy after all.”

“I-I see……”

Calm down, calm down…… When she says ‘someone I like,’ she probably means it in a friendly way. Flora’s true love is Abel, that’s already decided…… Probably.

Even so, he wanted to believe that it was only natural for his heart to race when a beautiful girl was hugging him.

“I’m the eldest daughter, you see. So I couldn’t rely on my little brother.”

“I-I see……?”

Huh? What is Flora suddenly talking about……?

“And I’m already sixteen. I’m not at an age where I can depend on my parents anymore. So when unpleasant things happened at the tavern where I first worked, I used to hug my little brother like this. I’d tell myself that I had to protect him, that as his big sister I had to stay strong.”

As she said that, the strength of her hug around Noah increased.

“That’s why I’m really glad it was Noah-sama who was here. I’m such a lucky person.”

With a gentle voice, Flora let out a soft laugh.

“Hey, Noah-sama. Won’t you let me take care of you after all?”

“W-why are you suddenly saying that…… I mean, if you’re feeling better, could you maybe move back just a little…… You know, um…… It’s kind of pressing against me……”

“Nope. Right now, I’m replenishing my Noah-sama supply, and you said you’d listen to my selfish request.”

As she paused there, Flora brought her mouth close to Noah’s ear.

“Noah-sama, you really are at that age too, aren’t you?”

“Huh!? T-that can’t be helped, can it!?”

Seeing Noah’s face instantly turn red, Flora seemed strangely moved, wearing a dreamy expression. Unable to hold back, she pulled Noah even closer.

“Geez, Noah-sama, you’re really adorable~”

“Okay, okay, I get it, so for now please let go!”

“Nope! Because I really, really like Noah-sama!”

“That’s not a valid reason!”

Somehow Flora is starting to act like Layla…… No, even in the game I’ve never seen Flora like this!

In the game, she didn’t cling to him like this and was much calmer. She was confused by her first feelings of love and gradually closed the distance between herself and Abel. That was when Noah suddenly realized something.

Flora is a huge brother-complex type. And she’s showing a lot of affection toward me…… Maybe even more than toward Abel…… Noah felt like holding his head in his hands. Layla and Flora alike—he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was straying far from the game’s original scenario.

W-well, once we enter the academy, Abel will probably manage things somehow with his protagonist power…… Yeah.

Though doubts still lingered in his mind, he decided there was no point in thinking too hard about it and abandoned the problem for now. After some effort, Noah finally managed to separate himself from Flora. She pouted in dissatisfaction, but seemed to give up for the moment. Then, with a gentle smile, Flora spoke to him.

“Thank you, Noah-sama. Shall we head back soon?”

As Flora started to return to work, Noah hurried after her.

“I was thinking it might be okay for you to take the rest of today off, but are you sure? Won’t things be awkward after those remarks earlier?”

“I’m fine now thanks to you, Noah-sama. And besides, there are things I want to do.”

“Things you want to do?”

“Yes. I need to talk with Layla-senpai about revising my workload. And I also have to thank the person who went shopping in my place.”

Stopping in her tracks, Flora turned around.

“See? There are lots of things I need to do.”

Flora smiled brightly, without a single shadow on her face. Her smile was so radiant it felt like it could blow away even the cloudiest sky. Just looking at it warmed Noah’s heart.

I was able to help Flora, right?

“I see, I see. Do your best together with everyone.”

“Yes. And Noah-sama, please come to me for advice too!”

Not quite understanding what Flora meant, Noah blinked.

“You said your knight qualification exam practice doesn’t go well when you’re alone, didn’t you? Please rely on me.”

With a beaming smile, Flora gently patted Noah on the shoulder.

Now that I think about it, I did say something like that…… And Walter-san told me something similar too……

With a wry smile, Noah scratched his cheek.

“Yeah…… Sorry. If you have time, could you help me with the knight qualification exam practice? When I’m alone, I can’t really tell if I’m copying the forms properly. Just checking whether my movements match what’s in the textbook would be enough.”

“Yes, of course, Noah-sama! Leave it to me!”

Flora clenched her fist and lightly tapped her chest. It was a warm smile, like sunlight filtering through spring leaves. At last, she had returned to being the bright and gentle girl she was when she first came to this mansion. As a gentle breeze blew, Flora narrowed her eyes pleasantly and held down her fluttering hair with her hand.

“Well then, Noah-sama. I’ll head back to work now.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

As Noah watched Flora’s back as she jogged away, a leaf suddenly fell into his hand. Noah gently passed the leaf to the softly blowing breeze. As if encouraged by the rustling of the trees, the leaf rose higher and higher into the air.

“Do your best, Flora.”

Just as Noah was about to return to his room, Flora suddenly turned around and came jogging back toward him.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

In response to Noah’s question, Flora stepped closer and whispered into his ear.

“Noah-sama, I’ll be looking forward to the night invitation, okay?”

“Huh!?”

Just like Noah, whose face instantly turned red, Flora also seemed embarrassed, her face flushing crimson. She opened her mouth as if to say something more, then quickly closed it. And then, in a single instant…

A soft, warm sensation brushed against Noah’s cheek. Flora had kissed him on the cheek.

“~~~~~!”

Covering her mouth shyly, Flora said “Excuse me,” and then sprinted away at full speed…… Her ears were red all the way to the tips.

“▽■〇※×~~~~!”

And it was said—or maybe not—that Noah’s wordless scream echoed throughout the entire mansion.

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