Chapter 43

Since then, Iris has been empty.

No matter what I say to her, she only responds with "ah" or "sure." Her appetite has also decreased, and she no longer asks for seconds. She used to eat heartily when she first came, but now she forgets meal times and just stares off into the distance. I'm starting to worry that she might start writing poetry soon, which is making me nervous.

"Hey Vine, can you do something about this?"

"Even if you say that, I don't know what to do."

Neither of us knows how to handle Lady Iris. We can't think of any solutions. Moreover, she's not just any lady. She's a lovesick young woman, charging ahead without looking back. Right now, she's like a wild boar. You shouldn't approach a wild boar easily. They're really big and dangerous, with tusks. Imagine them being twice as big as you think. If you see a wild boar, you should report it to the authorities and wait for them to handle it. You should never try to deal with it yourself. It's really dangerous!!

Oh no, I've started talking about wild boars.

If she were a lovesick wild boar, it would be much easier. You could just eat her.

But she's a lovesick future queen, and that's a big problem.

Who is she in love with? Iris, wake up!

I feel this way, but every time I hear her troubled sighs, Vine and I can't help but sigh too. It's frustrating.

We want to support her, but we don't know what to do.

"Iris, why don't we go to the villa? I think Rozon will be there."

"What!? Why!? I don't have any business there!"

What!? That's my line.

Do you think she hasn't noticed? Even the insensitive Vine is worried about her.

I get it!!

"Well, I wanted to see Rozon too, so why don't we go together if you're free?"

"Oh, I see. Yeah, sure, that sounds fine, either way."

Her response is so hesitant.

Come on, this doesn't feel like a summer fling. It's serious.

What if she doesn't come back to the academy?

Maybe I should go and beg Prince Arc.

"Kururi!"

Vine had a rare look of panic on his face. What's going on? We can't deal with another wild boar.

Vine pointed with his eyes, and there was Rozon.

It seems he's come all the way to our front door.

Here comes the center of the storm!!!

As I panicked, Iris came over and looked at him.

This time, Iris suddenly panicked and started fussing over her hair.

"Hey, Kururi, does my hair look weird!?"

"It doesn't look weird! But, you have some unusual shadows!"

Iris's nervousness is contagious, and I'm starting to stutter.

"What!? What should I do? What should I do?"

Iris ran around the room, making exasperated sounds.

Calm down, you're making me nervous too.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

I've never been so nervous about a doorbell before.

Am I in love too?

Suppressing my racing heart, I went to the front door.

"Hey, Rozon."

When I opened the door, there was the same stern and handsome Rozon.

Hmm? Now that I look at his face, he is quite handsome.

No, Rozon is just plain handsome. He looks like a mature man in his early twenties.

Iris and Rozon should just get together already. They're both good people.

"It seems you're not asking for seconds, Kururi."

"Ah, neither are you."

"I came to give a regular report on the villa's management. I plan to visit frequently while you're here, so I hope you don't mind."

"That's a relief, in many ways."

"By the way, the last report was well done. Especially the financial documents were excellent, and I got a good understanding of the situation. I'm not too worried about the site since you're there. Your financial reports are really helpful."

"Thank you. I'll put even more effort into the financial documents from now on."

I invited Rozon in and we went over the documents he brought.

During this time, a figure peeked from behind a corner.

The housekeeper, Iris, is watching!!

Well, she's not really a housekeeper.

Vine couldn't stand the tension and fled.

The report began, and various documents were taken out. Iris still hasn't come over.

"Kururi, are you paying attention?"

"Ah, sorry. Please continue."

"Yes, the overall management status is good..."

Rozon's report was concise and easy to understand.

However, it's not really sticking in my head.

That's because I can sense Iris trying to come out from behind me, but then backing away.

Should I step in and help?

"Wait a moment," I interrupted Rozon and turned around.

"Iris, Rozon is giving a management report, and it's also a good opportunity to learn about accounting. Why don't you join us?"

"Huh!?"

Iris muttered, "What should I do?"

"Come on," I urged, and finally, Iris came over, her steps unusually light.

Rozon and I were sitting across from each other, and Iris sat next to me.

The fact that she can't sit next to the person she likes is just...

In the end, Iris wasn't paying attention to the report more than I was, and she kept looking at me for some reason.

"Today's report is over."

"Ah, thank you. It's a relief to have someone capable like Rozon."

"It's only possible because of someone like Kururi."

"No, Rozon is amazing!"

Iris interjected, finally managing to say something.

Rozon nodded with a "ha" at her enthusiasm.

A lovesick young woman is clumsy. Well, it's probably because she's so headstrong.

"I'm going to leave now."

"Eh," Iris responded in a barely audible voice.

...There's nothing I can do.

"Rozon, why don't you stay a bit longer?"

"No, I have work to do."

"Come on, stay a bit longer," I insisted, pushing him into a chair.

"Then I'll go get some food, and you two can talk."

"...I'll take you up on that."

The reserved Rozon and the overly excited Iris.

I thought about leaving them alone, but decided to let it be and left the room.

"Kururi, are you running away too?"

When I went outside to get some fresh air, Vine was practicing with his sword.

"Yeah, I left them alone. I thought it would be better without any distractions."

"Kururi is a good guy."

"Not really," I said, since I ran away too.

"Will they be able to get along?" Vine asked, looking worried.

"Probably."

Thinking about it, we went to the window and peeked inside, just our faces visible.

We couldn't hear their conversation, but they seemed to be having a good time.

Iris's smile was bright. It was the smile Prince Arc had dreamed of. Hang in there, Prince.

"They seem to be having fun."

"Yeah."

"At least we don't have to worry."

"Yeah. By the way, is it okay for us to spy?"

"Not really."

"Then, shall we practice sword fighting?"

"Sure."

Since we were in sync, we practiced sword fighting for the first time in a while.

Vine said that moving your body helps you stop thinking.

As he said, we were able to enjoy pure sword practice.

"Kururi, your sword skills are amazing."

"Vine too."

We drew our beloved swords and engaged in several intense bouts.

We forgot about time and continued until our stamina ran out.

This is how men should be. I stopped overthinking and did what I wanted. That's the happiest thing.

Our sword practice ended naturally when we were both out of breath.

"That was a good practice."

"Yeah."

We were both out of breath and couldn't talk properly, but it was fun.

Moving your body is always good.

After congratulating each other on our efforts, we heard clapping from the side.

Looking over, we saw Iris and Rozon there.

"Rozon is leaving now. So we came out together."

"Yes, I've overstayed my welcome. I'll leave now."

"Okay. Please come again anytime."

I realized quite some time had passed. They must have talked a lot. Iris looked satisfied.

After seeing Rozon off, the three of us returned to the house.

I thought it might not be good to ask, but I decided to say one thing.

"You and Rozon seemed to have a good talk."

"Yeah, but you were the topic of conversation. What you did in the past and all that. It's not fair!"

She pointed at me and puffed out her cheeks, showing a slightly discontented face.

But it seems she had a lot of fun.

"Ha ha ha, let's move around and get hungry. Let's have dinner after we take a shower."

"Okay!"

Iris nodded enthusiastically.

Her face looked much brighter compared to this morning. She seems to have cleared her mind.

I have a feeling she'll ask for seconds tonight.