Chapter 28: Lady

I had been delayed by a strange girl, but in terms of time, it wasn’t even ten minutes.

For a time loss like this, Senpai should…

“You’re late!”

Yep, she’s angry. Furious.

She looks like she’s sitting on an invisible chair with her arms crossed, but I’m sure Transparent Senpai is acting as the chair. Please, just forgive him already.

“Sorry. A classmate started talking to me…”

“Oh? So, deepening your bonds with classmates is more important than spending time with me? Kogoro-kun, are you the kind of guy who prioritizes work over his wife? The type to leave his wife alone and go drinking with coworkers? Unforgivable.”

I had become an unforgivable man. Even though I jogged here just in case, I should’ve sprinted.

“Don’t say that. I wanted to talk to you, so I even watched the drama you recommended.”

“Oh, that’s quite admirable.”

Oh, she’s interested.

She’s trying to act composed, but it’s obvious she’s interested.

How do I know? Because she’s clearly happy—her lips are twitching upward.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Senpai stood up abruptly.

With that much force, isn’t Transparent Senpai going to take serious damage? Is he okay?

I think I just heard a groan, even though I shouldn’t be able to hear anything.

“Huh? Go where?”

“According to this guy, normal high schoolers stop by fast food places on their way home.”

By “this guy,” she must mean Transparent Senpai.

Huh? You learned that secondhand?

Man, she’s had it rough in so many ways…

“You’re going to a fast food place with me?”

“I didn’t say ‘fast food’ specifically…”

“Oh, sorry. It’s just that fast food usually means burgers… though sometimes takoyaki comes to mind.”

Honestly, I can’t think of anything else. I don’t have many friends.

Would gyudon count as fast food? Going there after school has never crossed my mind, but do normal high schoolers go there?

“Burgers, huh… Do you know a place?”

“Well, yeah… there are a few nearby.”

There are two by the station, if I remember correctly. There’s also one along the highway, but that’s too far, so I’ll rule it out. There’s another in the shopping mall basement. It seems pricey, but it might be a good chance to try it.

“You said you don’t like crowds, though. Will you be alright? It’s usually noisy and full of students.”

“…Do you think there’ll be students from our school?”

“Of course. In fact, I’d bet our school has the most students there.”

The school frequently holds assemblies where they say stuff like, “We’ve received complaints from the staff at XX location about the behavior of our students. If this continues, we’ll have no choice but to conduct patrols.”

Our students are probably everywhere.

“Are you okay with it, Kogoro-kun?”

“Okay with what?”

“Being seen with me?”

…Huh?

Kaede and the class president would head straight home, and Kumanokyo would probably be fine. Back when she hung out with her gyaru friends, it might’ve been different, but now that she’s isolated, she’d head straight home too.

Yeah, there’s no one I’d be in trouble being seen by.

“I don’t mind.”

“You know I’m hated by the other students, right?”

“…Yeah, I know. It might be rude to say, but I’m aware.”

So what if she’s hated?

It’s not like people are going to throw rocks at us.

“Then… do we really not need to meet at the location?”

…Huh?

What’s with this… her gauging my reaction?

“Wait, were you planning to meet at the location? Let’s just walk and chat about the drama on the way.”

“…”

Huh? Did I say something weird?

No, I don’t think so. If anything, Senpai’s the strange one here.

Not understanding why she went silent, we made it to the school gate.

We made some small talk along the way, but Senpai’s voice was quieter than usual. She must still be dwelling on that earlier awkward moment.

What kind of mistake did I even make…

“Um, Lady Miyabi?”

As we passed in front of a black car, a man inside hurriedly got out and rushed over.

If I hadn’t known beforehand that Kurokawa Senpai got chauffeured home, I’d have mistaken him for a yakuza.

Not just because of the car model—the guy’s demeanor didn’t look like that of an ordinary person.

A black suit and sunglasses… it’s such a stereotypical SP image. People like this really exist, huh?

“I forgot to inform you. I’m making a stop on the way home today.”

Without even stopping, she coldly dismissed the man who had hurried over.

What a… haughty—no, arrogant attitude. That’s the term that fits best.

“I cannot allow Lady Miyabi to walk unescorted…”

What a professional—insisting even against Kurokawa Senpai.

Well, that makes sense. If something were to happen to her, this guy would probably face severe punishment.

“Not Alone”

She stopped, softly tugging at my sleeve as she said those words.

S-so cute. I mean, I like it when someone clings to my arm, but this kind of subtle gesture… it’s irresistible for a guy.

“Um… is this man some kind of servant?”

Wow, what a greeting. If anything, you’re the servant here, aren’t you?

The fact that the word “servant” comes to mind before “boyfriend” or “friend” says a lot. I mean, it’s nothing new, but I’ve really caught the attention of a peculiar person.

“He’s my friend. I won’t allow such insults.”

She seemed upset about being called a servant, her voice lower than usual.

I couldn’t see Senpai’s expression, but judging from the man’s face, she must have looked terrifying. Even with his sunglasses on, his fear was clear.

It might sound odd, but seeing a tough-looking guy so scared reminds me of a big, clumsy animal—it’s oddly endearing. Like, a fat hamster or something.

“F-friend? Lady Miyabi has a friend?”

What a rude reaction. If it were about me being her boyfriend, sure, but a friend? Is it because I’m a guy? Or does the concept of her having friends at all seem unbelievable?

“Kneel and apologize for calling him a servant, or swallow that pebble over there. Your choice.”

That’s basically no choice at all.

“I-I deeply apologize!”

Without hesitation, he dropped into an impressive dogeza (kneeling bow). His voice was loud, but the force of his movement was even more intense. His knees looked like they were in pain—I couldn’t bear to watch.

This has to be workplace harassment. He should file a complaint.

Not that I’d have the guts to do that if I were him—I’d be too scared of being cursed.

“Let’s go, Kogoro-kun.”

Without giving the dramatic dogeza much thought, she pulled at my sleeve and started walking.

Wait, are we just going to leave him there? He’s still bowing, you know?

“How far did you get?”

“Huh? Oh, you mean the drama?”

“…? Of course.”

I thought she was talking about the dogeza. There hasn’t been any noise, so he’s probably still there.

This is the perfect moment to say it, don’t you think? The classic, “Raise your head.”

“I watched the entire first season.”

“All in one night?”

Senpai reacted with a voice louder than usual.

Of course, she’d be surprised. Even I’m surprised at myself.

“Then you didn’t get much sleep, did you?”

Bullseye. Since we’d already stayed up late chatting, watching twelve episodes of a drama on top of that left me in shambles.

“I really wanted to talk to you about it, Senpai.”

If I may be selfish, I wish she’d recommended something a bit more interesting.

Both Senpai and the class president have tastes that seem… off.

Maybe it’s just me, but the drama had low review scores, so I think my sense of judgment isn’t wrong.

“I see.”

Her words sounded indifferent, but her tone suggested she was happy.

If seeing her happy means pushing myself a little, then so be it… or so I’d like to say, but neglecting sleep is something I’d rather not repeat. This will be my first and last drama binge.

“By the way, was it okay to just leave your driver like that?”

“It’s fine. Whether or not I get in the car doesn’t change his paycheck.”

No, I was talking about the fact that he’s still bowing.

Is he planning to stay like that until we’re out of sight? We’re already about a hundred meters away, you know?

Look, even the students coming out of the school gate are scared. I don’t blame them—seeing someone bowing to empty space would freak anyone out.

“Well, if you’re fine with it, Senpai, I guess it’s okay. By the way, you’re called Lady Miyabi, huh?”

“That guy calls me that. Some call me ‘Ojou,’ and others call me ‘Miyabi-dono.’”

Oh, so it’s not standardized.

“Ojou” definitely adds to the yakuza vibe. But weirdly, it fits.

“Miyabi-dono” feels more like something a loyal retainer would say. Actually, it gives off a maidservant vibe. Am I watching too much anime?

“Can your attendants use curses too?”

“…”

Oh, no. She went silent again.

I can’t figure out her triggers. Is it bad manners to ask about her household?

“Um, I wasn’t trying to pry into your personal life or anything…”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not trying to keep it a secret.”

Apparently, I misunderstood.

Then what was the problem? What did I say wrong?

“Only my parents and I can use them. I don’t know about my relatives, though.”

“Oh, I see.”

I’d suspected her attendants couldn’t use curses, but both of her parents being able to was unexpected.

One of them wasn’t originally part of her family, right?

That strange girl I met earlier mentioned something about other families that can use curses.

So, was it a marriage between curse practitioners?

Does that make Kurokawa Senpai a hybrid between different branches, with strong curse abilities as a result?

“My mother’s brother can’t use curses, but her sister can. So, there’s no guarantee that a child between you and me would be able to use them.”

I see. I’d always assumed it was something children inherited unconditionally.

Seems like a lot of pressure for successors. Do they keep having kids until one’s born with the ability?

It’s ethically questionable, treating childbearing like a gacha game, but I guess families like hers don’t have a choice.

That aside, why is her face turning red? Is she hot?

“What happens if a child between me and Kurokawa Senpai can’t use curses…?”

“Wait… stop saying ‘child’ over and over.”

Huh? Is her blushing because of that?

Does she… imagine things like that? Like the process of making kids, or what married life would be like?

Isn’t she way too innocent?

“Can I ask you a question now? I will, even if you say no. Why are you suddenly asking so much? I thought we were going to talk about the drama.”

Ah, so that’s why she went silent earlier.

Now that I think about it, I did say I wanted to talk about the drama, only to immediately start asking unrelated questions about curses and attendants.

No wonder she got annoyed. That one’s on me.

“I wanted to know more about you, Senpai.”

“…So you can break the curse?”

“No, I was just curious. I hardly know anything about you, after all.”

“I see.”

Wow, is she easy to please or what?

If it weren’t for the curse, I think she would’ve fallen for me already.

Come to think of it, all the marriage and clan talk caught me off guard, but if we’d started off with a normal relationship, none of this would’ve happened.

Yeah, before anything else, I should focus on clearing up that misunderstanding.