A few moments later, when the boyish man, shaking with nervousness, did his best to bring enough tea for all of us and put it on the table, meikko-chan as well as imouto-san and her husband were able to talk calmly.
No one noticed that I was alone in my determination.
It was the result of my acting skills.
I thought for a moment that I might have looked like I was snubbing imouto-san and her husband from the side, but I decided not to think about it.
Also, I didn't think about the fact that there were not many people around before that.
I tipped the teacup in front of me and shook the tea inside, and a nice aroma softly hit my nose.
The scenery was also very elegant.
It's so elegant that I feel as if I myself am an elegant being.
It's all ruined when it's me on the inside, though!
But I guess the tea served in such a place must be made with the best ingredients.
They may have prepared a very expensive cup of tea for me because of Augusto-san’s position.
I'd like to leave aside the possibility that it's because he looks scary.
By the way, the boyish man left like the wind the moment he finished pouring the tea.
It wasn't very refreshing.
I could feel the desperation in his eyes.
It’s not like I was gonna take him and eat, but it was terrible. I want to cry.
“… uhmn, ojisama, thank you very much."
As I put my mouth on the cup and sipped the hot tea while thinking about something unimportant, meikko-chan suddenly thanked me in an embarrassed manner, and I almost spewed the tea in my mouth because it was so cute.
"Hmhuhn, what are you talking about?"
I swallowed the tea, trying my best to hold back a gulp, and succeeded in asking back quietly and with dignity, as if it was nothing.
At any rate, I definitely don't want to ruin Augusto-san's image.
There's no dignity in it, a Ojisama suddenly spewing out tea.
Meikko-chan is so damn cute because of Augusto-san's memories, what the hell!! Idiot!!
If I get all dere dere¹ here, I'll ruin everything! As expected of me! Well done, me!
By the way, I wonder what the heck is hettakure².
However, the moment I thought about the question, which is not important at all, I saw meikko-chan's smiling face, looking very happy.
“Fufu, I was really happy to see that ojisama was angry for my sake."
Her cheeks were slightly red as she looked up at me.
What is this?
Eh? Is this a trial?
I'm not sure what to do, but I really want to pat her on the head.
But that's completely out of the question.
I’d have to call the police.
That's no good. Good luck me, hang in there me.
No, there might not be police though.
Pushing down the urge with all my might, I desperately opened my mouth quietly with the same expression as before.
"...... Because not too long ago, Christia got mad for me."
“Something like that is natural! Right, mother!"
“Fufu, that’s right. If something that rude is said, right dear?"
“That’s right."
No, even if you agree with such a nice smile.
"... But I can't believe I didn't notice until you pointed it out ...... I'm really sorry."
Suddenly, Dan’na-san³ began to feel depressed, but he didn't have any of the mended smiles he had a while ago, and he seemed to be a natural.
... Well, but probably he was able to notice it because it was pointed out from Augusto-san's mouth.
I'm sure he was skeptical if someone else had told him.
What do you know? It would probably be something like that.
It must have resonated with him because I was the one who said it.
"… Still, quite quite inexperienced, I suppose."
"Haha, Augusto is still as harsh as ever."
"... Hmm, not that I can really speak of others."
He smiled a somewhat troubled smile, but at the same time he seemed to regret it.
I think it's immature to have dragged it out for 12 years.
Augusto-san, you're a real bastard.
"… That aside, oniisama, why don't we get down to business?"
“Aah, at this rate I’m forget after all"
When imouto-san puts the cup of tea on the saucer, the china scrapes against each other and makes a small clinking sound.
Uhm.
What's the main topic again?
"Well, let me ask you straightforwardly, Augusto, what exactly do you mean but a hard to say safe return?"
Inside, what was it, while desperately thinking about it, I acted like it was nothing on the outside, and then Dan’na-san directed a serious look at me.
Ah, that’s right, we were planning to talk about that, weren’t we.
I was completely blown away by meikko-chan’s situation.
I can't help it, she's meikko-chan after all.
I just realized that I had told meikko-chan that I was a wise man, but is it okay to talk about my situation in more detail in front of her?
Isn't that wrong? Probably not. Maybe.
“… Hmm, before that, Christia. The words I’m about to deliver may give you a hard time."
"... Is that so?"
When I said this to meikko-chan again, she tilted her head curiously.
Cute.
Wait, wrong, calm down me.
"Oh, if you don't want to hear this, you'll have to excuse yourself for a moment. It's not something I'd recommend you hear.
As I stared at meikko-chan, she stared back at me silently, as if trying to figure out my true intentions, and then seemed to think about something.
To her, I opened my mouth with determination.
"As for me, I don't want you to hear."
She may have been upset by my words, but she seemed uncomfortable as she tried to put down and lift up the cup of tea in front of her, her gaze moving back and forth between the tea in her hand and me.
It's a sin to be cute like that, meikko-chan
“Why?"
"... Because I'm afraid you'll be disillusioned with me, I guess."
I'm confident that if meikko-chan said that to me or showed that kind of attitude, I'd be seriously disappointed.
Just how much doting love is this, well it's all because of Augusto-san's memory.
I feel even more uncomfortable because my own feelings, when I think about it calmly, are that of a desirable child.
Despite these calm inner thoughts that I feel as a soul, the first emotion and thought that comes to my mind is that meikko-chan is cute as she stares at me with serious eyes.
“… You don’t mind mother and father?"
The quiet question brought my consciousness back to reality.
The two parents who were the brunt of the situation seemed to be leaving the decision-making to meikko-chan, and they didn't interfere, but rather kept quiet and watched over their child.
“… It's not that I don't mind but it's something I'm going to have to talk about sooner or later.
But Christia, you are still a child, albeit a bright one. There are times when it's too early to tell."
I thought it was important to get her consent, because I didn't want her to say later that she didn't want to hear it.
However, my fears were unfounded.
"... Ojisama, I'd like to hear your story.
It was a determined look in her eyes.
"You must know sooner or later, mustn't you?
"... Yes, I do."
When I answered in agreement, she said crisply.
Then it doesn't make any difference whether it's early or late.
Uhm, you're right.
She was so right, I couldn't find the words.
I think she is a strong girl, even though she is still in the upper grades of elementary school.
"… I won't be responsible if you regret it, okay?"
"Even if I regret it, it's all my own fault."
The question again did not make much sense.
"And I don't want to be the only one who doesn't know what's going on."
With a stern, challenging look, she asserts.
“...I see."
"Please, tell me about it."
The sheer seriousness of the situation confused me as a soul, and moved me in emotion.
It's a very complicated feeling.
"...... Are you sure you want to do this?"
“I’m prepared”
“...Okay, I get it. If you're so sure, I won't stop you.
When I asked her again, she said so crisply, and I felt indescribable.
It's impossible not to say something with this.
I had no choice but to make up my mind and looked around at everyone.
I confirmed that they were all looking at me with serious expressions, and took a small breath.
"... Well, first of all, the premise is that I was ill."
Using the breath I took, I spoke the words.
As far as this goes I’m pretty sure imouto-san and her husband knew about it, but I’m just saying it in case, something like that.
"I was poisoned and assassinated by someone."
When I finished, I felt a gasp from meikko-chan, but I didn't care and continued.
"But luckily, I came back to life."
“Could it be…!"
As if having noticed something, it's quietly delivered to Dan'na-san who stood up, looking at me.
"Yes, that's when I became a wise man."
This is a revelation that can no longer be kept secret.
Since it caused such a commotion yesterday, it will eventually spread throughout the country.
It's absolutely pointless.
Immediately, imouto-san raised her voice with a mixture of joy.
“My…!"
I glanced at her and saw that she was looking at me with a happy but complicated expression.
Wiseman are outsiders so maybe it's not surprising that she has mixed feelings.
At any rate, I'm going to continue before I lose my nerve.
"But I'm not too happy about that."
"Why? It's a great pleasure to be a wise man, isn't it?"
I breathed in again, my eyes darting to his face in response to his most pertinent question.
"... If I were just a wise man."
"Then what exactly is the problem?"
I looked at her, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dan’na-san casually taking a seat again, and pondered.
Let's see, in this case, how should I explain it?
I've already told the king and queen about the contents of my body, but if I tell them, I don't know if it will leak.
In a world where magic is a normal thing, there may be magic that can read memories.
If the word got out that I'm someone else, there would definitely be some kind of problem, and at worst I would be beheaded.
Uhm, let’s not.
"Perhaps it's because I've been poisoned, or maybe it's because I've lost so many memories in my head that I can't recognize them as my own."
I explained calmly, but with a hint of guilt on my face.
"I'm sure I'm no longer the Augusto Werstein you know and love."
“No way…!"
“How could that be…!"
The next moment, meikko-chan and imouto-san let out a scream of pain.
“So, about us too…?
“I am aware that you're family.
But I don’t recognize that as the truth."
I answered Dan’na-san’s question with the same expression as before.
There's no way I can say that I'm not the same person inside, I’d just feel guilty for nothing.
The only thing that makes me feel guilty now is the fact that I'm deceiving him.
"I'm sorry."
The apology spilled out of my mouth because I couldn't stand it.
"No, it's not your fault!"
“That’s right, oniisama, please don't apologize."
Meikko-chan and imouto-san rushed out of their seats, looking desperate for words of comfort.
"... Thank you."
I said to them, the girls sat down with unchanged expressions, but still with words of gratitude, and somewhat regretfully.
Somehow, I seriously only feel guilt.
"... Do you know who did it?"
When I turned my gaze to the voice of Dan’na-san, I saw him looking at me with a serious expression.
“Ahn, I'm on top of that."
"Well, that's a relief, then."
"I'm sure the culprit must be terrified right now, after all it’s oniisama."
“It’s ojisama after all"
At my words, all together, child and parents wore gentle expressions of relief and reassurance.
It was as if they were congratulating me from the bottom of their hearts, without any negative emotions like you don't have to worry about me anymore.
I'm sure they have many things to say and ask me, but they were smiling happily.
... What a kind world.
They all love Augusto-san, and that's why they've been worrying about him for so long.
Even though these people were there, Augusto-san was completely oblivious to them, and pushed himself until he broke down and passed away.
It's beyond stupid.
After all, Augusto-san is the one who should be here now, not me.
I really don't know why I'm here.
Suddenly, I was reminded of my family, but I hastily decided not to think about it.
If I thought about it now, I would probably cry.
That's no good.
Absolutely not, not in this place.
I took a small breath in and exhaled the same way, trying not to be noticed.
I thought that this would help me think things through a little more calmly.
Thanks to Augusto-san's knowledge, I could easily imagine the damage that would be caused to the people around me by the magic power that would leak out if I got too emotional.
Anyway, I forcibly suppressed my emotions and pretended it didn't happen.
"Well, I'd better get going."
That's all I said and drank the tea from my cup.
Then meikko-chan opened her mouth as if in a panic.
"What, aren't you coming with us?"
“I don’t plan to get in the way of your family reunion.
Besides, I couldn't make it to the meet and greet last night for various reasons. I'm sorry you guys had to keep me company."
"I see…"
I thought it was cute that meikko-chan was so depressed by my words, but I didn't have time to get excited and let my thoughts drift from left to right.
"Christia, don't embarrass brother-in-law too much."
"Yes, Christia, I know you're disappointed, but you're busy too, so let's be patient this time, okay?"
"Yes…"
Guilty and uncomfortable with the feelings of meikko-chan’s unconditional adorableness, but I still couldn't leave it at that, so I said some follow-up words.
"Christia, don't worry about it, you can come to my house again. You're always welcome there."
Meikko-chan instantly smiled and gave me a cheerful reply.
"Yes!"
As I was having mixed feelings about it, the parents also interrupted the conversation between me and meikko-chan.
“Only Christia is unfair, oniisama, this time let us visit you as a family."
"That's good, please let us do that"
They smiled happily, and I smiled thinly, mixing a calm and somewhat confused expression with the convenience of the setting.
“I don’t mind, I’m looking forward to it."
“Hear what he said, that’s great right, Christia"
"... Yes!"
I felt like I was going to vomit at the sight of the happy family and the overly kind space.
Still reeling from the memory, I left my seat and walked away from them.
I walked back the way I came, not revealing any of it.
There was no time to look at the scenery.
I had no destination in mind and was just walking along when I suddenly saw someone standing in front of me.
When I turned my attention back to reality, I was surprised to find that it was someone I hadn't expected to see.
“Oh, if it isn’t Werstein- koshaku-sama. It’s been a long time since I've seen you, I am Ragsdew Reinbach."
One old man, with a gentle smile, said those words of greeting and name, and bowed to the nobility of this country with his hand on his chest.
…… This old man has the nerve to show his face to me.
[1] : デレデレ - like the dere in tsundere, kuudere, etc; swooning, fawning · slovenly, being a slob
[2] : へったくれ - to hell with, be damned
[3] : means husband here okay, in this case someone else’s husband, otherwise you wouldn’t include san to it, that’s how Youko usually refers to Emilio in her head. I'm going to distiguish like this between her talking about Emilio and when it's in English as "her husband" alongside imouto-san it's because it's actually saying couple, imouto-san's couple, or the couple imouto-san is part of, something like that.
The villain has come! Thanks for the chapter.