CH 81

Still a “Mob Character” from a Third-Person Perspective



“I never expected to meet Kotaro on my way back from hanging out at Ryoma’s house. …… I picked up a good thing. I’ve been looking for a chance to talk to you like this for a long time. Well, it’s my second day at a new school, so the expression ‘all the time’ is a little discomforting.”



Mary is talkative in a different way than …… Shiho.



They are the same in that they ramble on about things I haven’t heard, but they are two very different types of people.



Shiho is emotional. Shiho is not very good at getting to the point, and sometimes I don’t understand what she is trying to say, but I have never felt that I don’t enjoy talking with her.



Mary, however, speaks logic. I don’t enjoy talking to her because of her tone of explaining what is going on, how things are going on, and why things are the way they are ……. I understand what she is trying to say, but I don’t feel good listening to her.



She is the complete opposite of a talkative, soft-spoken person, but that’s why I felt that her ugly side stood out.



“….. Well, well, well, you don’t have to be so cautious. …… I don’t really care whether Kotaro is comfortable or uncomfortable, you know? I just want to know everything I need to know.”



“You mean you don’t care what I want?”



“If that’s what you think, then maybe you’re right. Well, look, …… where do you think this limo is headed?　I wonder if it really is Kotaro’s house?　Let’s say, for example, that I am offended and have you dismissed from the car. Would Kotaro really know where he would be at that time?”



“…… Threats?”



I huffed and looked out the window to see what was going on.



However, I don’t know what principles were at work, but I couldn’t see the scenery outside at all.



This means I don’t know where I am.



For example, …… if I was dropped off deep in the mountains where I don’t know where, …… I was scared in general. No, that’s not going to happen, but Mary would do something like that without a care in the world.



“This car is specially made, you know? You see, sometimes I am in a mood where I don’t want to look at the scenery outside, so I turn the switch off. Then I can’t see out the window. It’s called dimming film, have you heard of it?”



–No.



Don’t resist, your instincts tell you.



This person is not good. She is dangerous. She’s a hedonist who is happy as long as she’s enjoying things, so there’s no point in resisting her. After all, she is the type of person who gets what she wants by any means necessary.



But if you think about it the other way around, she must also be the type who gets bored quickly once she gets to know what she wants to know. She’ll let it go soon enough then.



Refusing in vain will only prolong the time. If that was the case, I decided to be mature about it.



“I get it. What do you want to know? If possible, I’d like you to hurry up and let me go home.”



“Hmm? You’re very understanding. Yes, you have a bird’s eye view of the situation, after all. Well, I like this kind of conversation because it’s enjoyable, so I don’t mind if we keep it up forever.”



“…… Mature up, so don’t torment me too much.”



She raises her hands in surrender.



As she did so, Mary took a satisfied breath and this time put her feet on the counter table.



“Ni-hi-hihi. Yes, that’s the kind of attitude you need to have. …… As long as you’re mature and do what I say, that’s all that matters.”



Then she asked me a lot of questions.



“Do you have any family?” Siblings?” “What are your grades?” “What are your dreams for the future?” “When was your first love?” “What is your type?” “Who are your friends?” “Who is your closest friend?” “Conversely, who do you dislike?”



–And so on.



She asked questions to confirm even information that she probably would have known beforehand.



By doing so, she is probing my background – my backbone.



She is trying to accurately construct the story of a person named Kotaro Nakayama down to the smallest detail.



And after listening to all the information, the following is what she had to say.



“You are a complete ‘mob character’. Kotaro’s past is boring. It’s mundane and boring.”



I am …… aware of this, so it wasn’t a shock to me.



That’s why the line Shiho said to me, “Kotaro-kun is special.” comes to my mind.



It was strange because thinking about that adorable little girl somehow made my cheeks loosen up and I was surprised.