CH 99

“What? What’s going on!?”

Hearing the noise, Kenneth rushed out into the storefront from the kitchen, and within the mess of plates and glasses, was Latina, plunked down onto the floor.

“What’s wrong!?”

“Fueh!”

Seeing the strange situation, Kenneth asked with a stifled expression, and Latina, who was hugging onto a tray for some reason, jumped up in shock. And then she once again started looking around restlessly at the cutlery spread out on the floor.

“I….I dropped them…. I… I’m sorry…”

“Are you hurt?”

It didn’t seem like anything bad happened, and so Kenneth calmed his voice and expression as he asked. Although it was in an extremely mistimed manner, it seemed Latina finally noticed that the cutlery was broken.

“Fuaaah…. I’m sorry, the plate’s broken….! ……Ow!!”

Latina reflexively reaches out towards the shattered pieces, and quickly brought her hand back. It seems that she ended up getting cut just then.

“Are you okay?”

“I was just cut a little…. I’ve got 『recovery magic』 so it’s alright….”

“Just stay here and wait for a little bit. I’ll go get something to clean this mess up now.”

“Fueh…. I’m sorry…..”

Kenneth goes back into the kitchen, leaving behind Latina, who had her shoulders dropped, sounding pitiful.

Latina had been helping out at the 『Dancing Ocelot』 ever since she was younger, but she had never messed up as much as this.

Kenneth tilts his head, puzzled, as he grabbed a broom.

And, the regulars too, who also saw the poster girl slip up, were panicking, for a different reason to Kenneth’s.

They had just witnessed the instant that their idol, that young girl, being confessed to.

It wasn’t all the customers, but for most of them, their favourite thing to 『snack on as their drank in this store』 was every one of the poster girl’s lovely actions. It was 『normal』 in this store for someone or other to be looking at Latina.

Then the 『confession』 happened. That young man, whose actions would have become the target for punishment due to where he currently was, ended up running out the store before they had the time to reproach him, but immediately after that, Latina seemed to be in a state of confusion.

There was no time for ridicule.

Nor any time to poke fun at her.

This was the first big incident ever since the establishment of the fanclub, but they missed the chance to add a retort.

“Fukyaaa!”

“Latina!?”

Seeing Latina tumble over after slipping on a small puddle of water on the floor, Kenneth once again let out a voice in panic.

It was the first time for everyone, seeing Latina like this.

Latina kept making mistakes even after that, as if her heart wasn’t really here.

For example — Forgetting orders. Sending the doubles back to the customers. After being held onto for a little while, she would forget what was happening just a second ago, and look around restlessly. And she would slip, over and over again.

— That was how she was behaving.

“Fuehhh…. I’m sorry…. I’m really sorry….”

And each time, she would let out a pitiful voice, and turn red as she bowed in apology.

They saw a rare sight. — And, the atmosphere that would forgive even her most boneheaded mistakes, was held true by the regulars of the 『Dancing Ocelot』, but it was still an unbelievably sinful 『incident』.

“Neene. Egg, bitter.”

“I’m…. I’m sorry, Theo…”

“There’s no helping you is there, Neene~”

“Wafuuu.”

This condition of Latina’s continued onto the next day.

She had even failed the omelette that she would always make for breakfast, and half of it became a scrambled egg while the rest got burnt.

Seeing that she failed at something she was familiar with, making an omelette, she panicked even more — It was a vicious cycle.

Theo munched upon his breakfast as he spoke out his thoughts with the naivety of a child.

He had a condescending attitude for some reason, but seeing that even Wind, who was next to him, agreed as well, Latina dropped her shoulders, looking more and more miserable.

Carrying those series of failures inside her head, Latina went to visit her best friend as soon as her morning shift finished.

“Ummm….you’ve just now realised it?”

“‘Just now’!?”

Chloe who went out with a surprised face, seeing that Latina was visiting her earlier than usual, replied with that immediately after hearing about what happened last night.

“Well, it is Rudi (That loser)… Should I say that only his confession was done well? …..Or should I say finally….?”

“Eh? Eh? Chloe, you knew about this?”

“I knew about this? I’m pretty sure everyone knew about this except for you, Latina.”

“EEEeeeeeehhhhhh!?”

Latina shouts out in surprise and tried to understand the situation somewhat, with her cheeks red.

“Was it back when… we met for the first time in a while, at the Night Festival?”

However, the guess that Latina put out was quite a bit mistaken, and Chloe quietly shook her head.

“No. Rudi had allllways, been screwing up his first love.”

“……?”

Seeing that her best friend was looking even more puzzled, Chloe sighs.

“I’m saying that…. when Rudi says that he likes you…. It was before we even went to school.”

“EEEEeeeehhh!?”

She had known it would be like this, but seeing the reaction she had predicted come out of Latina, Chloe looked even more complicated.

“There’s no way, I mean, Rudi has always been bullying me.”

“So obvious.”

“He’s alllways, teasing me.”

“Yeah. That’s why it’s obvious.”

“?? What’s obvious?”

“Yup. We’ve got to fix that first.”

In Latina’s heart, the very idea that ‘It’s precisely because I like you that I would pick on you’ doesn’t exist, was something that Chloe, someone who has been with her for so long, had somewhat guessed.

There are times when this air-headed girl was somewhat clueless regarding the things that they all thought were 『common sense』. There would also be times when she ends up forgetting, but Latina was of a different race, and since her hometown was in another country as well, there were some particular ideas and values that were different.

“That attitude that Rudi puts on, is all, just to try to hide his embarrassment.”

“Eh….? Then…. Rudi…. Has alllllways…..?”

“Yes. Alllways.”

“I’ve…. never noticed…..”

“Well, Rudi had also noticed the fact that you didn’t notice so…”

“Chloe….. Just now, you said 『everyone』 but…”

“Yeah, 『everyone』. It’s not just Silvia, but even Marcel and Anthony. …..Maybe some other people noticed it as well.”

“Fuehhhh…..”

With a reddened face, making a face as if she was almost about to cry, Latina’s gaze swam around restlessly.

“What sort of face am I supposed to make the next time I meet everyone….”

“Before that, have a thought about meeting with Rudi.”

“Fuuehhh….! That’s true, Rudi, has been coming to the shop everyday…. What do I do….”

“….I mean, he said that he went to see you, right?”

“H-he did…. what do I do….”

Latina, who was panicking, with a wholeheartedly perplexed look on her face, was something that surprised even her as her best friend, but it seemed she really has not had any experience with these kind of situations.

(They really went overboard being so protective of her, didn’t they. Those people around her.)

Chloe had a half stunned look on her face as she let out a sigh once again.

Although she was such a beautiful girl, who Chloe, as her best friend, would be proud of wherever she goes, it seems that up until this point, she had never been confessed to by the opposite sex.

It’s obvious that they had been completely and utterly erased by those around her.

“So? What’ll you do?”

“….? What I’ll do? ….Like, about what sort of face I should be making….?”

“Not that. About Rudi. What are you going to do about him?”

“….Rudi said that, he just wanted me to hear him out though….”

“There’s no way that’ll be fine. What are you going to tell him?”

“….I knew it…. I have to answer him huh…”

Latina looked downwards with a face of burden.

“I’ve never thought about it. That Rudi would like me.”

“…..Yeah.”

“Why, is it me?”

“….Isn’t that something you should ask Rudi?”

“….I mean…. I’m of the Demon race and, we have different lifespans… and we can’t even have a baby together….”

“Say, Latina. In the first place, it isn’t you who should be saying those things, you know?”

“…..?”

Hearing Chloe’s question, Latina looks up slightly, facing her best friend directly.

“Are you okay with 『us』? We don’t have a long life span like the Demon race, and are just a weak race, some of whom can’t even use magic.”

“Chloe?”

“I’m talking about how you look down on yourself way too much. The fact that you’re beautiful is such a privilege, after all. Also, isn’t it good to 『always be able to stay young and beautiful, like what all the boys want』?”

“Fueeh….?”

Of course, Chloe herself, didn’t think that this best friend of hers would have such a point of view. Nevertheless, she wanted to speak out her thoughts at least.

“Latina, your self evaluation is too low.”

“I mean… I’m….”

“You’re my 『dear friend』. I won’t forgive anyone who would say anything bad about my 『dear friend』. Not even if that person is you, Latina. Alright?”

“Chloe….”

“Or are you trying to say that I don’t have an eye for people?”

“No.”

Seeing Latina panickedly shake her head, Chloe loosens up her face a little bit, and continued.

“I don’t know how the people in your hometown thought of you. What I do know is just that, you’re my 『dear friend』 who I met in Kroix. However, that’s all I need to know, and even with just that I can be proud, and say that you’re important to me Latina.”

“Chloe….”

“Which is why, it’s fine to be confident. If you keep making fun of yourself then it’s almost like you’re making fun of Rudi, right?”

“Yeah…. I get it. …..I’ll think about it, properly.”

“Well, if I had to be honest, Rudi is easy to making fun of though.”

“Fuehh!?”

Hearing Chloe continue by looking down on their childhood friend with a serious look on her face, Latina was shocked and forgot about the seriousness of this for an instant.

Seeing the reaction she had expected from Latina, Chloe held back her laughter as she smiled teasingly to her best friend.

“The next time that we meet Silvia, we’ll be bringing up this topic again so get ready for it, ok~”

“Fuehh….”

Seeing that her best friend, who had a panicked and reddened look on her face, had more or less returned back to normal somewhat, Chloe thought about saying a little more, trying to tease her.

It’s perfect for her best friend who was way too serious, to banter a little every now and then with those around her. That was the opinion of Chloe, who had been long time 『best friends』 with Latina.