Chapter 137: No, That’s Not It
“By the way, what kind of birthday present would make Lecty happy?”
“Eh? M-Me? Um, well…”
Lecty brought the tips of her index fingers together, her cheeks faintly blushing as she looked up at me with upturned eyes.
“Any present I receive from Hugh-san would make me happy… yes!”
“O-Oh. I see…”
Having her say that right to my face is pretty embarrassing…
“S-Sorry for not being helpful at all! B-But, I think Rouge-san probably feels the same way. I believe she’d be happy with anything from you, Hugh-san!”
“…Yeah. I hope so.”
Unless I gave her a really weird present, I can’t imagine Lucretia not being happy with it. It might be a bit conceited of me, but I’m aware that she cares about me that much, yeah.
But that’s exactly why I think this.
“Since I’m getting her something, I want to give Rouge the present that would make her happiest.”
“…An engagement ring?”
“That’s definitely jumping the gun.”
I couldn’t help but retort to Lecty’s quiet murmur.
She probably didn’t mean for me to hear and just blurted out what she was thinking. Lecty’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth with both hands.
Of course, I do have feelings about that eventually, but we both have our positions to consider, and there’s my promise with Prince Lucas. Actually, I need to start by confessing. Nothing will begin until I properly tell her I love her.
In that sense, maybe a ring is an option…?
In my past life, giving a ring along with a confession would be way too heavy and likely creep her out, but in this world, could it actually be a viable option? More than any other gift, it would clearly convey my feelings. Lucretia would undoubtedly be happy with a ring, too.
“Lecty, what do you think about giving a normal ring, not an engagement one, as a present?”
“I think it’s wonderful! …Ah, but.”
“But?”
“Is your budget… okay?”
“Ah…”
Ryugu gave me a decent sum as a reward for helping with the request, but it’s probably not enough to buy a ring at an accessory shop catering to nobles.
Budget-wise, my only option for accessories is to look for cheap ones at street stalls, but items from stalls could be shoddy, cursed, or even potentially stolen. I can’t have Lucretia wear something like that.
I have no choice but to use it—my trump card.
“Lecty, could you wait here for just a moment?”
“Fweh? Um, is something wrong…?”
“Umm…”
I think it’s fine, but just to be cautious, I stopped and brought my face close to Lecty’s ear.
“I’m thinking of switching my Skill. I’ll be right back.”
“Hya-Hyai! I’ll wait for hyu!”
Lecty, her face bright red, replied with a cracked voice. Maybe I got a little too close.
Leaving Lecty, I ducked into a nearby back alley. Confirming no one was around, I took the hand mirror from my uniform’s breast pocket and switched my Skill from
“Brainwash Release. Hugh Pnosis, your Skill is
Click. I felt the Skill switch inside my head.
Skill: Appraisal Lv.Max … Ascertain the authenticity of all manner of goods.
As a test, I used the Skill on the hand mirror I was holding. Information about the mirror floated into my vision. Quality C, Rarity D, Fair Price… slightly lower than what I paid. I see, it seems like it can even tell the maker’s name, owner’s name, and materials.
During the Lecherie incident, a noble with the
Well anyway, with this, I should be able to search for a present at the stalls without worry.
Just as I thought that and started to head back to Lecty,
“Kyaa!”
Lecty’s short scream came from the street.
“Lecty!?”
I shot forward like a spring, rushing towards Lecty. Hurrying out of the back alley onto the street, what jumped into my vision was—
—Lecty being hugged tightly by Tina.
“Heh?”
A dumbfounded sound escaped me at the unexpected sight. Tina was hugging Lecty in a way that buried her face in Lecty’s neck, while the hugged Lecty waved her hands aimlessly in the air, blinking her amethyst eyes. The only emotion on her face was confusion.
“H-Hey, what are you doing, Tina!?”
And beside them stood Ryugu, his face pale. He seemed hesitant about whether or not to forcefully pull Tina off Lecty.
“Umm, what’s the situation here…?”
“Ah! Uh, Hugh-san!? Um, this is… I apologize for my sister!”
When I asked about the situation, Ryugu bowed his head and apologized profusely.
“I-I’ll pull her off right away! Tina, that’s enough!”
“W-Wait, please!”
The one who stopped Ryugu from pulling Tina off Lecty was Lecty herself, the one being hugged. She gently wrapped her arms around Tina’s back, stroking it soothingly.
Then she whispered something in Tina’s ear, and the two continued to hold each other for a while.
I didn’t understand the situation at all, but for some reason, I felt it was better not to interfere.
Glancing at Ryugu, I saw him watching the two with a face that looked like he was about to cry. …Could this have something to do with the resemblance between Lecty and Tina?
The feeling I had when I first saw Tina, that she resembled someone. Seeing the two embracing like this, I understood that the ‘someone’ was Lecty. Tina was taller, and her hair color was lighter, almost white. But there was no doubt that her delicate features and occasional expressions were somehow similar to Lecty’s.
Long-lost sisters? No, no, maybe cousins, or some other relatives? Surely not Lecty’s daughter from the future… yeah, that’s too much of a leap in logic. This isn’t some cat-robot anime I watched as a kid in my past life.
After watching for about thirty seconds, Tina, perhaps satisfied, slowly pulled away from Lecty. She wiped the tears welling at the corners of her eyes and forced a smile.
“Sorry, she was just too cute, I couldn’t help hugging her.”
As Tina stuck out her tongue playfully to cover it up, Ryugu held his head, looking exasperated. It wasn’t much of an excuse, but perhaps probing deeper would be tactless…
“Um, Hugh-san. Are they acquaintances of yours?”
“Ah, yeah. They’re the Adventurers Ryugu and Tina. They helped me out before when I went to the Adventurers Guild with Idiot. I don’t know if they’ll be with our class, but apparently, they’re participating in the Off-Campus Training Exercise starting tomorrow on a request from the academy.”
“I see. My name is Lecty. It’s nice to meet you.”
As Lecty bowed politely, Ryugu hastily bowed back.
“L-Likewise, pleased to meet you! My sister was terribly rude just now. I don’t know how to apologize…”
“N-No, no! It startled me a little, but I’m alright. Because I think I understand… Tina-chan’s feelings.”
“R-Really…?”
“Yes.”
Lecty smiled softly and turned her gaze to Tina. Tina herself blushed and quickly averted her eyes.
…Lecty, you understand the feeling of seeing a cute girl on the street and impulsively hugging her? That was a little unexpected.