Chapter 56

The fourth lady became my supervisor.

I decided to at least greet her.

"U-Um... Nice to meet you..."

If there were someone close by, I could talk normally, but when I’m stared at one-on-one, I start to stutter.

"Likewise," she said, bowing her head slightly.

Yes, she is basically a quiet person.

Even when having tea with Mother, she mostly listens.

Her role is to just listen to Mother’s machine-gun-like chatter.

She has blonde hair and a face that is more cute than beautiful; when she smiles, she looks quite cute, but her face is always serious, like a Western doll.

I don’t know what happened in her past.

Of course, it’s hard to ask her directly, and I hesitate to ask Father, so in the end, I know nothing about her.

(The conversation isn’t flowing...)

I have social anxiety. I have topics to talk about, but the words don’t come out of my mouth. I can’t form sentences.

As a result, silence falls.

Occasionally, the fourth lady’s son, Bond, cries and makes noise, but since I can’t do anything about it, it doesn’t give me a chance to start a conversation.

"Um..."

"Ah! E-Eh? W-What is it!?"

I jump, startled, as she suddenly speaks to me while I’m lost in thought.

"Ah, sorry."

"N-No, no, i-is there something you need?"

I ask, glancing at the fourth lady’s face.

"Who is Rain?"

(Who is Rain?! The question is too vague!!)

It’s a sudden question.

"Um... A person?"

It ends up sounding like a question.

Then,

"…?"

She gives me a look that says, "What is this boy saying such obvious things for?"

After a moment of silence, she seems to realize her words were insufficient and asks,

"Rain grows faster than the other children. Why?"

(I inherited memories from my past life, I guess...)

But I can’t say that, so I try to dodge it, "W-Well... Why is that?"

The fourth lady continues to stare at me without saying anything.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Um, what do you want to know?"

I can’t bear being stared at anymore and finally speak.

Then the fourth lady says something shocking.

"How can my child become like you?"

(Oh? E-Eh? I think it’s over if he becomes like me...)

"I think it’s over if he becomes like me..."

(Ah, damn! I spoke without thinking!)

I’m so surprised that I blurt it out.

"It’s not like that. You are unparalleled among all the people I have seen, a true genius."

(What should I do? Should I act silly?)

"S-Sure, I don’t think I’m that great... Ha ha ha ha!!"

"..."

I slip up.

The fourth lady continues to stare at me with a serious face, not even twitching her cheeks.

(Ahhh, so embarrassing!!)

I feel like rolling on the floor.

"That’s the kind of thing" (that isn’t childish, I guess...)

What is a child? I have a simple question. If I act too silly, it might be too much, but if I act too smart, it might collapse later and be scary.

In my past life, I obviously didn’t have children, and I grew up as a half-baked adult.

When I’m called a child, I honestly don’t understand!

I wish I could get some advice from those who have been reborn as children on how they can act so childlike even after six years.

"Well, there are many precocious people, and it just so happens that I am one of them, right?"

(Can I dodge it?)

"Still," (I am abnormal... right?)

Since her words are insufficient, I have to supplement them.

Since there’s no other way, I decide to use the social skills I developed in my past life to change the subject.

"W-Why does Lady Rose want Bond to be like me so much?

I-I mean, I, um... Did you hear from Mother?"

I’m referring to my bitter experience in the capital. I’m flustered and can’t express my thoughts clearly.

By the way, Rose is the fourth lady’s name.

"I’ve heard.

I want Bond to be useful to London."

She said.

"Ah, s-so that’s it...

Um, why do you want to be useful to Father?"

"To help him at school."

"Help? What did you help with?"

"He stood up for me when I was being bullied."

"O-Oh, I see."

(Huh? Father, was he quite popular? Well, with that handsome face, good family, and excellent abilities, of course he was popular.)

I don’t know if he has a good personality.

Sometimes he shows his noble side, so it’s hard to tell.

(I think he’s a good person in general...)

It’s hard to say without seeing his true self.

Then she started telling me about Father’s student days.

Apparently, Father was from a ducal family and was friends with the royal family, making him invincible in school.

He didn’t bully the weak, and he often skipped school to hunt monsters.

When he did attend classes, he would solve problems in the class.

She was quiet and had been bullied, but Father helped her.

He was at the top of his class and had leadership skills, making him everyone’s idol.

In short, Father was a popular guy.

As we talked, even I, who am usually insensitive, could tell.

Ah, she liked Father, too.

She becomes incredibly talkative when talking about Father.

She starts talking non-stop, and her eyes light up.

Father was very popular.

She wants me to take on that role.

(I will definitely become popular at school!!)

I vowed in my heart.

I was slightly taken aback by the fourth lady’s change, but since I was personally interested and managed to dodge the question, it was a win-win situation.

After visiting other noble mansions, the first day of my journey ended.