CH 40

“So, from today on, I’ll be in your care!”

“――Eh?”

Introduced without any context was Fusaki-kun, who was with Duke-sama.

Yuren-kun and Hisui-san had visited the workshop together and brought up the topic of introducing someone, and he suddenly appeared.

“Nice to meet you, Nee-san! I look forward to working with you!”

Fusaki-kun showed an innocent smile.

When I looked into his sparkling eyes, I had an impulse to hug him.

Irina-chan is like that too, but why are children of this age so cute?

Suppressing my rising impulse, I asked Yuren-kun.

“Well… what does he mean?”

“Well, you know… this guy was involved in that thing we talked about, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

We had talked about it in the hallway. He used a knife to hand me a letter.

Apparently, it was at Duke-sama’s command, but Fusaki-kun claims he did it on his own.

I had already heard that.

“Although there was no actual harm, what this guy did is a fact. Have you talked to the Duke? So Fusaki’s custody will be in our hands now.”

“I see.”

“Yeah. So, I’ve been thinking…”

“The decision has been made for me to become Nee-san’s assistant and bodyguard!”

Fusaki-kun stood up straight and saluted.

Assistant?

Bodyguard?

“For me?”

“Yes. We’ve been considering it for a while. He’s the perfect fit for the job, so we decided to hire him.”

“Huh?”

I looked bewildered and didn’t quite understand.

I understood that Fusaki-kun was going to be my assistant, but I didn’t quite understand the reasoning behind it.

It felt like there might be some complicated circumstances surrounding it.

“Well, anyway, we want him to be your assistant. If you’re uncomfortable with it, you can reject it.”

“Please don’t reject it, Nee-san! If you do, I’ll have nowhere else to go!”

Fusaki-kun looked up at me with his round, animal-like eyes.

I couldn’t refuse his hungry expression.

“W-Well, it’s not like I hate it or anything.”

“That’s great! I’ll work hard as Nee-san’s assistant!”

Fusaki-kun salutes with a snap.

Just then, the door opens, and Irina-chan shows her face, returning from her errand.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back, Irina-chan.”

“Oh? Onii-sama and the others were here?”

“Yeah. We had some business.”

Irina-chan’s gaze turns towards Fusaki-kun.

“Fusa-kun?”

“Long time no see~, Princess.”

“It’s Fusa-kun after all! It’s been a while!”

Irina-chan runs over to Fusaki-kun like a dog who has found its owner and grabs his hand, shaking it up and down.

“Hey, don’t get too excited. You might hurt yourself.”

“I’m happy to see you, Fusa-kun! You haven’t come to play with me recently.”

The two talk in a friendly manner.

While watching their interaction, Yuren-kun whispers to me.

“Fusaki was originally Irina’s guard when she was fighting her illness.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Or more like a conversation partner? The Duke was considerate and assigned someone close to Irina’s age to be her guard and allowed them to come and go. To talk about the world outside with Irina, who couldn’t go outside.”

“Duke-sama…”

He not only cared about Yuren-kun, but also about Irina-chan.

He’s a very kind person.

“Well, I appreciate him, but it’s also true that he pointed a knife at Aria! You can use him as you please, okay?”

“Hahaha~.”

“Hey, you can’t say things like that, Your Highness! Nee-san is a kind person, so she can’t use me like, ouch, ouch, ouch!”

Yuren-kun rubs Fusaki-kun’s head vigorously.

It looks painfully obvious.

“It hurts, Your Highness!”

“Shut up and reflect a little! Remember what you did, so make proper amends and contribute.”

“I know! I’ll do my job properly!”

“Onii-sama and Fusa-kun are good friends, aren’t they~?”

The workshop became more lively.

I was happy because there hadn’t been many times like this lately.

Then Hisui-san, who had been behind me, walked to the front and stood next to me.

“Fusaki may be childish, but his skills are top-notch. You can rest assured that he will protect you from danger.”

“Yes.”

“Also, I’m sorry I couldn’t help this time.”

“Oh no, I was just happy you listened to my concerns.”

Thanks to Hisui-san’s advice, my anxious feelings had really calmed down.

So I was very grateful.

Then Yuren-kun, who had stopped “guri guri” Fusaki-kun, came over.

“Can I be angry with you for a moment? You knew about this midway but you left it alone.”

“Eh? Is that true?”

“Well, actually. I knew Fusaki was involved, but what could I do? I had my own position, didn’t want to hurt that person, and it was Duke’s orders to begin with, so I couldn’t move.”

“Ah, so…”

I thought there was no news from him.

It seems like Hisui-san was struggling behind the scenes too.

“Do you understand? From now on, consult with me first, okay?”

“No, report to me first. Because if you tell Yuren first, he’ll get ahead of himself.”

“I won’t get ahead of myself! I’m cautious!”

“Where’s the caution? After she consulted you, you were ready to complain to the Duke.”

R-Really?

“You would have gone if I hadn’t stopped you., right?”

“Well…maybe.”

“See? That’s why I’m asking you. But really, it’s up to you in the end.”

“Yeah, I guess. For now, if anything happens, rely on someone. Don’t try to deal with it alone, okay?”

“Okay.”

And so these busy days came to an end, and a new daily routine began.