The Villain Who Got Pinned Down Until He Ran Out Of Stamina ~ This Time I Raised The Protagonist's Affection Too Much And Everyone Fell For Me~ - Chapter 14: The Villain And His Maid. A Romantic Comedy Has Begun (?)

“Phew, that was quite a meal~” 

“It was delicious, wasn’t it?” 

“Yeah.”

I took a relaxing breath with a sip of my after-meal coffee. It was truly an elegant start to my day off.

“Come to think of it, you’re not with Yuito-sama today.” 

“Well, that’s because school is closed.” 

“Didn’t he invite you out?” 

“Invite? We haven’t even exchanged contact information.” 

“That’s surprising.” 

“Is it?”

I thought that exchanging contact information was a separate hurdle, even if we had become friends.

“…I see. So the money is handed over directly…” 

“I told you I’m not paying him to be my friend! And stop taking notes in your notepad!!” 

“E-excuse me, customer… please keep your voice down in the store…” 

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry…”

I was scolded by the staff…

Of course everyone’s attention turned toward us when I raised my voice in an otherwise quiet café. Well, we’d been getting glances occasionally from the beginning. And those glances…

“That woman is so pretty—” 

“She’s really beautiful… I wonder if the person sitting across from her is her boyfriend?” 

“No way! His face and demeanor are scary. It’s more believable that he hired the beauty with money.”

Hey, you two female customers! I could hear your conversation!!

Grr… I was paying money to employ a maid, so they were not entirely wrong, but…

“Tch, they’re judging everything based on appearances… Damn it!”

Since coming to this world, I’d been painfully aware of the book I’d read in my previous life that had said “appearance accounts for 90% of a person’s impression.”

“It’s not like Master Yuji has only recently started giving off bad impressions. Mm, the coffee here is really delicious.” 

“That may be true… but couldn’t you comfort me at least?!” 

“Comforting you wouldn’t change how scary your face looks.” 

“That’s logical but still!” 

“However…” 

“?” 

“I do enjoy being with Yuji-sama.” 

“…”

My hand reaching for the coffee cup stopped.

…Did Hibari just say she enjoyed this? The always-expressionless Hibari, whose emotions I could rarely read, had said she enjoyed being with me?

“Hi-bari…?”

My eyes widened involuntarily. As I stared at her questioningly, she stood up with her usual poker face.

“…We’ve finished our coffee, so let’s leave the shop.” 

“Huh? Oh, wait… I haven’t finished my coffee yet! Wait! And I’ll pay the bill, so give me the check!”

I gulped down the rest of my coffee and hurried after Hibari.

The black coffee without sugar tasted slightly sweet, probably because of my happiness.

Just a few seconds after Yuji and Hibari left the store, one of the female customers who had been talking about them said:

“I think those two are dating after all.” 

“What? Are you serious?” 

“Well, that beautiful woman was smiling faintly when she followed that scary guy. A person’s true nature shows when they think they can’t be seen by others. If she didn’t feel anything for him, she wouldn’t have been smiling secretly like that.” 

“That’s true, but… so they’re really in a romantic relationship?” 

“That’s what I think. Or maybe the beautiful woman is—”

◆

When we left the store, the sunlight had grown stronger. It would probably get hotter by noon.

“So, where are we going?”

I had been so busy with retorts that I’d forgotten to decide on a destination.

“I’ll follow Master Yuji.” 

“What are you, a stalker? You can decide if you want.” 

“Me?” 

“You’re always taking care of me, and as a token of my gratitude, I’d personally like to go with a plan to visit places you like and buy things you like.” 

“I’m a maid, so taking care of you is only natural. Besides, I receive a good salary as thanks.” 

“Come on. Just this once, forget about such rigid logic and accept my way of thanking you. Of course, I’ll cover all the expenses.” 

“I’m not worried about money since it comes from your father’s allowance to you, but…” 

“Ugh… E-even if it’s from my allowance, it’s still my treat, so let me look cool for once!” 

“I understand. Then I’ll accept Master Yuji’s gratitude.” 

“That’s right. Now, take your time deciding where to go. I’m fine with anywhere.”

Hibari placed her hand on her chin thoughtfully.

Given how mature Hibari was, she might want to visit a fashionable perfume shop or clothing store.

“So it’s really okay to go anywhere? And today I can have Master Yuji all to myself, right?” 

“Y-yeah.”

Of course I’d go along with wherever Hibari wanted to go, but… what was that last part? “All to myself”? Since it was just the two of us, that was naturally the case.

After thinking for a few more seconds, she seemed to have decided on a destination and raised her face.

“I’ve decided. Let’s go then. I’m counting on you.” 

“L-likewise.”