<151 - Jonnas Sets the Birthday>
As the sun set, the students who had been waiting in the visitation room left with gloomy faces.
“Oknodie. Aren’t you going back yet?”
“Jonnas promised to come! He’ll definitely be here if we wait just a little longer!”
A lower class student spoke with a worried expression. That face looked somewhat familiar.
“Did you forget who I am?”
“Hehe. Sorry.”
“Maximus Montblanc. I told you my little brother Max and the baby got taken care of at the factory.”
“Ah, right.”
“Originally, Max was supposed to come too, but for some reason, many guardians couldn’t make it aside from me.”
It was such a pity. Guardians of academy students must have been issued visitation tickets by the academy. There are cases where guardians who failed to receive the ticket, lost it for some reason, or had it taken by someone else are unable to visit the academy like that.
But Jonnas lost his ticket? That didn’t make sense.
No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t add up. Jonnas isn’t that forgetful, and he isn’t the kind of butler who would just wait around, wasting time because the ticket didn’t arrive on time.
“Hmph. If you don’t know about Jonnas, don’t say anything.”
“Ugh, such a pitiful guy…!”
Even while speaking with certainty, Maximus was too busy wiping away tears with the back of his hand.
“If you don’t meet your butler tomorrow, come to the store. I’ll buy you something for lunch.”
“Wow, really?”
But I have no intention of letting him know Jonnas’s good traits.
My own butler.
The only creature in the game world I can trust 100%.
An ally who will never betray me.
Who knows what kind of person he is or what he’s capable of; others might even try to steal him away for themselves.
“I’m so bored. I’m hungry. This is such a waste of time.”
But I was slowly reaching my limit.
Being the only one left in the visitation room, alone, keeping my seat was getting tough.
Watching the flickering indoor lights while my shadow leans further and further was disheartening.
“Jonnas… You’re really coming, right…?”
Muttering to myself, filled with anxiety.
Suspecting that maybe Jonnas’s loyalty isn’t 100%.
Accepting that the game and reality are different.
Even wondering if I might just be a plain girl and not a special player at all.
I can’t take it anymore.
I grabbed the whistle and awkwardly blew into it.
The sound squeaked loudly, and chaos ensued.
You get better at things as you do them, right?
You should get better at blowing as you practice.
But for some reason, I felt like I was getting worse.
It felt like there was a lump in my chest, and sadness welled up inside me.
Come quickly.
Why did you make me wait so long?
There’s less than ten minutes left until the visitation room closes, and tears brimming in my eyes, that deceitful butler is nowhere to be found.
“It’s bad…”
What should I do when the janitor comes to close the visitation room?
Should I cast [Hide] and hide somewhere?
But then Jonnas wouldn’t be able to come in either. What would I do then?
Should I pick the lock to the entrance with [Lockpicking]?
But what if they locked the door from the outside?
Is it even possible to hide without getting caught?
As I seriously pondered my worries, a smell of blood filled the air.
Tap, tap.
Drip, drip.
The sound of footsteps approaching with something dripping like rain.
Patter, patter.
The dignified steps exuding an air of grace and calm.
Whenever I heard footsteps, I felt the urge to hide behind the curtains or in the closet.
Creeeak.
When the door opened, I instinctively hid.
“I’m sorry, young lady. I was involved in an accident on the way here, so I got delayed.”
“I missed you, Jonnas!”
Not behind the curtains or the closet, but behind the smiling face of the good child.
“ *”
”How did you get so hurt?”
“There was a lack of management on the academy’s side.”
“Let’s go to the infirmary first!”
His body was a mess from the burst capillaries bleeding everywhere; it looked terrible.
It made me worry if a person could still be alright after losing so much blood.
“It’s fine. The bleeding has already stopped.”
Just as Jonnas made a shocked face and took a deep breath, the bleeding indeed stopped completely.
“Wow, amazing!”
An extremely skilled butler can even stop bleeding if he puts his mind to it.
Jonnas is truly an all-around butler who can do anything!
“Still, your clothes are all stained with blood, so let’s stop by the laundromat!”
“Heh. Who do you think has been washing your sweat-drenched training clothes and your dirt-covered outfits every time?”
“You hand-washed even with those injuries?!”
“…There’s a little thing called Clean Magic.”
[Living Magic - Clean]
A household magic that removes everything from bloodstains to dust, and all sorts of waste—a favorite among housewives.
The cost to activate it is high, but it’s a magic worth learning for a comfortable life.
If handled poorly, it can ruin the embellishments on clothing or cause fading, and sometimes the medals or contents of pockets could vanish, making it a fearsome magic.
“Ah, this smell!”
“It’s a little trick.”
The Clean Magic now carries a pleasant scent of fabric softener.
This is practically a cheat code.
Who wouldn’t feel fond towards someone emanating such a scent, regardless of gender?
“Isn’t Leaf not with you? What were you two doing? Did you miss me? Aren’t you hungry? Did you eat on time?”
Then a flurry of questions burst out like a machine gun, and Jonnas’s grim face relaxed just a bit, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Even though it was nice to see him again after a long time, a chill ran down my spine from his eerie smile.
“Leaf regrets not being here. But instead, I have brought a gift for you from Leaf. The possession and dosage permits have already been secured, so you don’t have to worry.”
A basket covered with a cloth featuring red flowers on a white background.
Given how Jonnas likes to keep things clean, it’s unlikely he didn’t notice the blood stains on the cloth while using Clean Magic.
Inside were pouches full of candy, various sizes and shapes of memory sets, an instrument, and even a manual.
“Wow. What’s all this?”
“It’s a gift from Leaf. Considering your growth rate, it’s enhanced-tasting candy, living weapons necessary for academy life, and a secret instrument.”
“Oh, I just have to grab it by the handle and swing it downwards, like this!”
Grabbing the neck of a mini-violin-like instrument, I swung it wildly, causing Jonnas to raise his hand and stop it in mid-air with just a finger.
The comfort of unwavering stability and confidence reminiscent of a Simmons mattress.
“Though the details are in the manual, swinging carelessly may cause you to cut yourself or even have the instrument explode, so please be careful.”
“…Wait? The instrument can explode??”
“I wouldn’t want to rob you of the joy of learning, so I will refrain from saying too much. I’d rather hear about your stories than share mine. Like about your time at the academy.”
“You know I sent you letters, right?”
“I figured you had so much you wanted to say that you couldn’t fit it all in the letters.”
“Hehe. That’s true.”
It was a peculiar situation.
Ever since I became a child, I often dozed off at nights due to the mana wave, but today, as I excitedly chatted and shared everything that’s happened, I didn’t feel tired even once.
Hehe.
Is this the power of a bond forged by 100 loyalty between a player and a butler?
“When I threw a stone going whoosh, it smashed the wall with a bang, and before anyone found out, I planted a tree nearby where the wall used to be, and no one’s ever figured it out!”
“It was tough to eat in the cafeteria because some kids kept calling me a bad girl, but Isabel prepared delicious meals, so I don’t go to the cafeteria anymore, which is great!”
“And sometimes, Titosso gets incredibly brave. If someone insults me, he suddenly gets that fierce look, just like Leaf, and starts beating people up!”
Just as I was excitedly sharing stories, the atmosphere suddenly darkened as if the night had doubled in intensity.
Looking up, I saw Jonnas’s arm raised, resting over my head—his hand casting a shadow that consumed even the starlight, oddly warm and comforting, but Jonnas didn’t look happy.
“Jonnas, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing serious. I just feel that we need to seriously seek the foundation’s support from now on.”
“Will they give points too?”
“Rather, I plan to find direct solutions that could help you in your academy life. I might seek cooperation from your friends as well.”
“Ah, you aren’t planning a surprise birthday party, are you? A surprise party isn’t needed!”
“Now that you mention it, I don’t recall hearing when your birthday is.”
“My birthday?”
“There’s a clause in the academy rules that guardians can give special gifts to students celebrating their birthdays, so this might be helpful.”
My birthday.
This is a bit worrisome.
Hmm.
I bit my finger and desperately racked my brain.
But the answer was already set in stone.
“I don’t know!”
I’m not a playable character with set settings, and since I possess a character I just met, how would I know my birthday?
As expected.
Muttering briefly and questioning such a miserable human existence, Jonnas’s expression hidden behind an unchanging mask filled my heart with laughter, reminding me of the time I spent in Jonnas’s mansion.
“Well, if it’s really an issue, can you decide for me?”
“Decide? You want me to set your birthday?”
“Birthdays are special days, right? A big day that deserves a celebration.”
If it’s a special day.
“If you set my birthday, it might be even more special.”
Leaning on Jonnas’s broad and sturdy frame, I let the words slip.
A thoughtless outburst of my true feeling, spoken unconsciously like a dagger.
Looking up and meeting Jonnas’s gaze with my wide, sparkling eyes, I sensed a small yet significant shift in his expression.
