Chapter 28
Oscar grabbed my arm and clung to me like a leech. It was like the clinginess of a younger cousin who comes to play and throws a tantrum for toys.
“Why? What? Come on. What’s that? Why a dove? Does Claude raise doves? What did Claude do with a dove?”
I haven’t done anything yet. If I have to, I’m going to do it soon.
But sometimes it’s better not to know. I just kept my mouth shut.
Even without my response, Oscar continued to grumble.
“For some reason, he didn’t even look at the numerous female guides. Is he into weird tastes? Avianophilia?”
“…”
“Oh, tell me more in detail.”
“Ugh, please stay away.”
That’s when it happened.
“Oscar.”
A low-pitched voice cut through Oscar’s chatter. Claude, with a sinister face, approached Oscar with long strides, reaching the tip of Oscar’s nose with his long legs.
The dark shadow suddenly cast over my head made Oscar look up at Claude in surprise.
Claude remained silent for a moment. Instead, he just stared down at Oscar’s arm that was holding me.
“…”
“…”
Unknowingly, Oscar withdrew his arm that was entwined with mine. In the meantime, I quickly distanced myself from Oscar as well.
“What the heck? I got goosebumps just now. What’s this?”
Even the oblivious Oscar seemed to catch on this time.
Did he instinctively sense that Claude was about to kiss him?
“Well, Lord Oscar, Claude has something serious to say.”
“What? What’s this?”
“Come on, Lord Claude. Start.”
I discreetly stepped back, leaving them some space. Claude’s eyebrows twitched.
“…You’re not doing it?”
I asked innocently, pretending not to know that he couldn’t do it. Even though I knew he couldn’t, I asked, feigning innocence.
Trying not to sound too provocative, Claude’s forehead veins popped.
“…Are you going to watch from there?”
“Of course. We made a bet. What if Claude denies it without properly confirming? My life is at stake, so I need to make sure.”
“…”
Even from my perspective, it seemed like an argument Claude couldn’t counter logically. His face contorted mercilessly.
Claude and I made a bet.
If I set the stage, Claude and Oscar would kiss. The condition was that the kiss had to be undeniable.
If Oscar wasn’t his Guide, Claude would do as he warned and obliterate my skull. And if Oscar was his Guide, my skull would be safe.
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like I was setting myself up for failure, but… What can you expect from dealing with the final villain?
Oscar, finding our back-and-forth intriguing, looked at us and asked,
“Claude, what’s with this little mouse-bean? Why aren’t you making a bet like this with me?”
“Mouse-bean?”
Claude’s eyebrows twitched.
“Oh, this non-ability right here. It’s just a nickname for her. I made it up.”
I couldn’t believe he came up with a nickname for me based on the fact that I’m not an Esper. He probably forgot that my name is Rose. It’s not like Oscar, who is neither an Esper nor a non-ability person, would care about the name Rose.
Despite my strange situation, I didn’t have the will to refute him. Surprisingly, it was Claude who spoke up.
“Quit it.”
“Huh? What? I didn’t do anything.”
“Don’t call her ‘mouse-bean’.”
“?”
“?”
A strange silence fell between the three of us. Well, even if I feel bad, I should be the one feeling bad. Why was he butting in?
Neither Oscar nor I knew how to react or what to say.
Annoyed, Claude scowled as he took another step toward Oscar. Then, as if cleaning up a dirty tissue, he grabbed Oscar’s wrist with the tip of his finger, even though he was already wearing leather gloves in the first place.
Even with the gloves on, Claude seemed uncomfortable, as he squinted his eyes. Oblivious as ever, Oscar still had a sunny disposition, unaware of what future ahead.
“Ooh, Claude? You used to be frightened just by me passing by, but now…”
“…Oscar.”
With a growl, biting each syllable as if chewing them, Claude called Oscar’s name.
“…Uh, um, why are you like this?”
“…”
“Hey… Mouse-bean. Why’s he acting like this?”
Even the clueless Oscar instinctively felt something and tried to pull his wrist away. He even reached out his other hand toward me, as if asking for help.
But he couldn’t. As if Claude had made up his mind, he gripped Oscar’s hand with his palm, gripping it tightly.
“Oscar.”
“Hey, you, it’s scary… You, with that dirty face…”
“…”
“…M, Mouse-bean, don’t just stand there, help me…”
But what can I do? I’m just a little mouse-bean.
I just sent a pitying look his way.
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