Chapter 171 Friend？What’s That… Is It Tasty？
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
As usual, after the exhausting morning combat drills ended and break time rolled in, the manor’s lounge had gotten weirdly noisy. Curious, Ayumu peeked inside—and froze.
Sasami was there. With a little girl he’d never seen before.
According to Sasami’s breathless explanation, “This is Sasami’s friend from school♪”
…Friend?
”Wait. Friend? …You mean, like… an actual friend? (The legendary creature? …It really exists?!)”
No way. Absolutely not. This had to be a trick. There was no universe in which a chaos gremlin like Sasami could actually have a friend. Ayumu could talk just fine with people older or younger than him, but anyone his own age? In seventeen years, he had never once managed to hold a proper conversation.
”S-so… a friend, huh…?” His voice cracked embarrassingly.
Then his brain caught up with itself. …Wait. What if this girl didn’t actually think she was friends with Sasami? What if Sasami was just deluding herself again?! Yes. That had to be it.
Determined to confirm, he put on his best Lordly smile, set out juice and snacks for the two of them, and casually tested the waters. “She can be… kind of a handful, but please get along with Sasami, okay?”
”Soo… your name’s KukKuk, huh…”
”Yup♪ Kukuri—oh, just call me KukKuk, okay♪”
The kid, being a kid, was easily bribed with sweets. “Waaah♪ thank you, Lord♪” she chirped, taking the candy with sparkly eyes. It worked—she started talking.
KukKuk had big round eyes like shiny black buttons, and when Ayumu asked about Sasami at school, she beamed.
”SasSas is amazing, you know♪ When the Yugan boys were teasing us, she chased them off swinging a broom like—whack, whack, whack♪”
Ah. There it was. Sasami and her broom rampages.
The number one most-destroyed supply item thanks to her. The broom shop probably sent her a thank-you card every month.
Ayumu sighed and popped a bit of butter caramel into his mouth—only to be immediately scolded.
”Ah?! That’s Sasami’s caramelꐦ Lordꐦ!!”
”Cruel… I was the one who brought them out in the first place…”
He let out a pitiful “Oyo… o-oyo…” and sniffled, and KukKuk instantly turned on Sasami like a knight defending the innocent. “SasSas! Stop it! Lord-sama looks so sad~!”
…What a kind child. So kind he almost wanted to fire Sasami on the spot and hire KukKuk instead.
Almost. But once you hired a maid, firing her as a noble was… politically messy.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling cheated somehow.
Fine. If nothing else, he could make sure KukKuk knew the *truth*—the real daily cruelty he suffered at Sasami’s hands.
”Oyo… o-oyo… listen, KukKuk. Every day… Sasami bullies me, even though I work so hard as Lord… sniff sniff…”
Naturally, Sasami—who had the emotional range of a brick—snapped, “Eh? …That was you *working hard*?” and shot him down completely.
Ayumu actually teared up. For real.
KukKuk gasped, her little hands clutched to her chest. “SasSas… that’s so mean… Lord-sama really does work hard…”
Yes. Finally, someone understood him.
”…By the way, Lord, how many friends do you have?” KukKuk asked sweetly.
Ayumu opened his mouth.
And Sasami, smiling like a snake, added, “Yeah, Lord. How many?”
Friends? What’s that… is it tasty?
”Ghh—!” Ayumu choked, clutching his chest as imaginary blood sprayed.
Sasami.
There are things… you should never say.
Ayumu collapsed forward in silence, the light in his eyes gone, utterly burned out to ash by Sasami’s merciless words.
—
This chapter is basically “Ayumu gets hit by a truck named Social Interaction.”
Notes:
• Sasami – Birene girl, small and sharp-eyed with messy brown hair | First in Ch.126 | Servant maid from the slums, does chores with chaotic energy | Has many starving siblings she secretly sends wages to | Bonds with Cocoa as her junior but constantly drags her into trouble | Meets Ayumu as part of the first servant group, wakes him with flying tackles and endless pranks | Unique note: loudmouthed gremlin who hides deep loyalty and homesickness behind mischief
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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