Chapter 73 – Estelle Is Smiling (2)
“Manager, thank you for your help. Instead, I’ll buy macarons… I’ll skip it this month and buy them next month when I get my allowance.”
“…It’s okay though. “It’s natural for people in the same group to help each other.”
“Still…”
Rather than helping each other, this was a situation where I received help from Estelle unilaterally.
“I said it’s okay. …More than that, Ian.”
“Yes, manager.”
“…Call me Estelle, not Manager.”
“Uh? Why?”
Even if it is a club with only two people, shouldn’t the authority of the manager be respected?
So Estelle is called In the library.‘Manager’Outside‘Estelle’It was.
“…Now, we are working on assignments as members of the same ‘team’ rather than as a club.”
“Oh, I see. Okay, Estelle.”
“…Huh.”
When I called her name, one corner of Estelle’s mouth twitched up slightly.
That slightly mischievous smile made me think that Estelle might actually have a very playful personality.
“Then, shall we do the homework?”
“…Huh.”
Slick- Slick-
As I was making presentation materials, Estelle gave me advice.
“…Ian. “I think it would be a good idea to make it a little bigger.”
“Like this?”
“…No…Not that one, the one on the right.”
“Oh, this?”
“Uh… But don’t make it grow like that, just a little more vertically… Haha…”
“…Sorry. “Is this what you meant to do?”
“Stop… Don’t touch me any more.”
Kklik- Kklik-
Estelle, who was sitting in front, probably felt frustrated that she couldn’t understand what I was saying, came up next to me, pushing a wheelchair.
Swoosh- Swoosh-
“I meant to do it like this…”
“Oh! “It’s definitely much easier to see.”
As expected, it was a skill worthy of being the valedictorian of the grade.
As soon as Estelle touched the presentation material that I had been whining about for a long time, it instantly became neat.
“…Well, what do you think?”
“Is it really good? But don’t you think it would be easier to understand if you put this at the front?”
“Um… I see. Well then, let’s do that.”
Sseuhum─
As I inhaled, I could smell Estelle’s body.
‘Why do the women around me always smell good?’
Evelyn is honey, Monk Yuuri is milk, Laplace is Lily of the Valley.
…Elfriede is Mint? I’m not sure because I didn’t really take care of it, but I just remember that it was very refreshing.
And EstelleWhat can I say, that unique fleshy smell that newborn babies have? OrPowderThere was a nice scent that resembled .
‘I really want to hug you and sleep…’
I didn’t mean it in a sexual way, but I really felt like I could sleep very soundly if I hugged Estelle and smelled the top of her head.
“…Ian?”
At that time, the sound of Estelle calling brought me back to reality.
I guess I was too focused on the smell of flesh.
“Yes, Estelle.”
But this time, she confidently looked into Estelle’s eyes and answered.
Like last time, she didn’t have lewd delusions about Estelle, she just purely thought she wanted to sleep together!!
“…So I’m just asking without much meaning…Is there a fruit you particularly like?”
“Fruit? Hmm…”
As long as it wasn’t something as weird as ‘mint chocolate’ or ‘pineapple pizza,’ I tended to eat it regardless.
“Well, I eat just about anything. There is nothing in particular. If I were to be specific, a lemon?”
“Okay…”
“But why suddenly? Oh, maybe it’s a gift for ‘Elise’s Day’?”
It was said as a joke, but…
Shake it off-!
Estelle, her eyes wide, dropped her pen.
“…How…How…Did you know?”
“Uh? Was this just something you said? Was it real?”
“Ah…!…Umm…Well…As I said before…As a manager, all I do is take care of my fellow members. But… It would be better to give a gift… Something you like as a gift.”
I was slightly moved.
I had no idea that Estelle valued her team members so much.
“Thank you. “Honestly, I haven’t received much ‘Elise’s Day’ presents so far, so I’m a little looking forward to it.”
“…You barely got it? “Didn’t Evelyn give it to you?”
“Ah… Yes, Evelyn gave it to me, but… I guess it feels natural for Evelyn to give it to me…”
As I spoke, it felt like I was being deceptive…
Still, I couldn’t even imagine not receiving a gift from Evelyn on ‘Elise’s Day.’
“Well, anyway, other than Evelyn, I only received it very rarely.”
“That’s probably Ebel…”
Estelle, who was about to say something for a moment, closed her mouth.
“What? Why don’t you stop talking? “You know what’s most frustrating is being interrupted while talking, right?”
“…No. Nothing.”
“I don’t think it’s nothing. I will not tell you?”
“…Yeah, I won’t do it.”
“Okay? Even if it’s really like this, don’t say anything…!”
Startle-!
She must have been so relaxed that before she knew it, she almost tickled Estel like she was doing to Ibelin.
“…Ian, what are those hands?”
“Oh… Estelle… There’s something stuck in her hair.”
It wasn’t a lie.
She found it as she spoke, but something really stuck.
“…Where? Here?”
“No, not there… A little higher…”
Swoosh- Swoosh-
Estelle stroked her head a few times and shook her head.
“…I don’t know…Ian…Can you take it off?”
“What? Estel… Didn’t you hate this kind of thing…?”
Once again, I am a very quick-witted man.
Even though he didn’t say it directly, he knew that Estelle absolutely hated touching her body or objects.
“…Yeah, I don’t really like it. So… Please… Be careful.”
Sigh-
Estelle closed his eyes and lifted the tip of his chin as if that was the end of the conversation.
“…”
Maybe it’s because I’ve been hanging out with Evelyn and Monk Yury too much lately, but even though I know that’s not the case, It even looked like Estelle was asking for a kiss.
“…Okay.”
I stretched out my hand carefully to avoid touching Estelle’s skin, but…
Sarak- Sarak-
“Tsk..!”
The piece of paper was so close to her ear that her fingertips brushed against it.
****
She swallowed her saliva as she saw Ian reaching out for her hand.
I lied to Ian.
“…”
In fact, the hair‘Piece of paper’I knew it was attached.
Because I was the one who put it on.
Of course, I know that Ian is not interested in things like me.
…Still, I thought that kind Ian would definitely take it off.
So, I explained some things in a way that was difficult to understand, so that I naturally walked next to him and could see what was attached.
At first, I almost felt a little sad that Ian was so focused on the task that he didn’t notice, but…
When we started chatting instead of doing homework, he noticed right away.
Sarak- Sarak-
‘Sorry.’
Even though he was delighted with the feel of Ian’s hand in his hair, he couldn’t be happier.
‘So as not to get in the way of the two of you’, ‘So as not to be greedy’, ‘So that you can be satisfied with being by your side’
I decided not to want any more than this…
Even though I knew that everyone who came close to me would become unhappy, I wanted to reach you.
Self-loathing arose from extremely selfish and ugly feelings, but this brief moment with Ian would make the lonely life I would experience from now on bearable.
“Tsk…!”
At that time, Ian’s hand passed by my ear and I was startled.
He made such a pervert sound just because he touched his ear…!
I was afraid that Ian would be disappointed by my ugly appearance.
“Ah, Estel are you okay?”
“…Yes I’m fine. Ian, is that why you took it off?”
“Uh, here. It was a piece of paper. “Where did it come from?”
“I know…”
Fortunately, Ian didn’t seem to care.
“…”
Ian must have grown up in a harmonious family and received a lot of love.
In a family like that that once existed in me too.
If that family still existed, would I have been able to approach Ian more confidently?
“…Ian.”
“Huh. Estelle.”
“…What kind of people are Ian’s parents?”
“Ah… Um…”
After asking the question, I could see that Ian was embarrassed.
Do you really not want to tell me about your family life?
Wow-
I thought we were getting a little closer, so I acted too presumptuously.
“Sorry… I was presumptuous… Forget it.”
“No, it’s not like that, it’s just that I don’t remember my parents.”
“…What?”
Ian continued, scratching his cheek sheepishly.
“Actually, I’m an orphan. When she was five years old, the Marigolds saved her from lying in the snow. “I don’t remember what happened before she was rescued because she got hit on the head at that time… So I don’t know who my parents are.”
“…”
I hadn’t even thought about it.
Ian is an orphan like me.
I thought that with such a confident and active personality, there would naturally be a harmonious family.
And a little later, a feeling of disgust came over me.
‘I am…’
Perhaps because of his desire to know more, he used ignorance as an excuse to inflict pain on Ian.
And…
Maybe he was making excuses.
Compared to Ian, who doesn’t even remember his parents, I was full of happy memories from my parents.
…Yet Ian and I were living completely opposite lives.
“Ian, I’m sorry. …I’m…Sorry.”
“No. It’s really okay. It was a long time ago anyway. And even though my parents aren’t here, the matriarch and Audrey treat me so well… It’s embarrassing, but I actually consider them my parents.”
“…Huh.”
With that, our conversation stopped for a moment.
Normally, Ian would have naturally asked about my family,‘The Black Dahlia Family Disaster’He probably knows it too.
I have never told anyone about my family history, but it was a major incident that shook the empire.
‘…Ah.’
Let’s look at Ian’s profile for a moment…
A soggy feeling arose.
There’s no comparison with just a moment agoUgly and disgusting feelingsBecause of this, I will never be able to convey it.
But…
I finally found something that could help Ian more than Evelyn.
‘…Ian.’
Because I experienced the same pain as you…
Ibelin, who has a happy family, says she can share your pain that you will never know.
So Estelle smiled softly, calling her name in her heart.
