…this guy sure has a strong mental fort.i.tude—was the next thing that came upon Sharina"s mind.
Not even a day had pa.s.sed since he was accused of s.e.xual hara.s.sment, and yet, here he was.
No matter how much she detested it, Sharina still had to stand up and pay her respect towards this kingdom"s Prince—
—to be honest, I don"t feel an ounce of respect towards him…
When she glanced towards her side, Riol was doing the same—also with the same expression as her. He was probably thinking along the same line.
…This is solidarity at its finest.
"Women do make-up, wear perfumes, and love to eat confections—to put it simply, they like everything that is sweet—even if it"s sickening, to the point that it becomes unpleasant. Hey, don"t you agree with me, Cat?"
…Well, if you find the smell unpleasant, how about holding your nose with a clothespin? However, Sharina managed to keep her mouth shut—
—it was thanks to Riol, who glowered at her behind those long bangs of his—he"s so cool…
"I"m hungry because I didn"t stop at the cafeteria. Give me some of that sandwich and I"ll let this morning"s incident go unquestioned."
—no, he isn"t mentally strong, just thick-faced.
Sharina dropped her gaze on the lunch box on the gra.s.s. …Riol would surely do the same.
Well, the sandwich"s size was originally big, anyway. So big that two people couldn"t finish it—so giving some away probably doesn"t matter…
"I apologize, Your Highness, but this is the sandwich I made. I"m an amateur who"s only imitating my chef—hence, it"s unlikely this"ll suit your palate, Your Highness."
—it"s not about quant.i.ty…
She just didn"t want the food she had wholeheartedly made for her beloved Riol to be eaten by a Thief. Her heart absolutely objected to that.
"Do not worry. I already knew yesterday"s cookies were made by an amateur. By the way, those cookies had an amazing color—just like their maker."
"Eh…"
I was surprised to hear that. Behind his bangs, Riol"s eyes widened.
"W-well, the cookies can be considered as snack, but, to offer something like this as a lunch for Your Highness is too—…"
"—you sure are persistent. I said that I"m fine with it. Hence, give me some—this is an order."
"…Alright."
Tch. She cursed in her heart.
She couldn"t afford to cause more trouble, especially with the kingdom"s prince. Thus, Sharina reluctantly obliged and offered the basket to him—which contained the remaining hamburger sandwich.
"By all means. If it doesn"t fit in your mouth, you"re free to throw it away."
To be honest, she"d rather throw it away than let it be eaten by this guy…
"Ho, that"s quite a huge sandwich."
This is his fourth "Ho" today. Who knows, the First Prince might have been an owl in his previous life.
"—you won"t get owl[1]… my mistake, I"m trying to say, since it"s wrapped in thin paper[2], you shouldn"t get any oil in your hands."
…I inadvertently said what was on my mind…
For some reason, Riol was gagging next to her—could it be that he choked on the sandwich? Sharina couldn"t help but worry.
"Fumu. It"s quite delicious—you hereby receive my compliment."
…Hey—! Shouldn"t "Ho" be your first word there—!?
D-did he deliberately switch to "Fumu"?
"…I"m honored, Your Highness."
"Oi, it"s about time for you to stop your deliberate act."
"Haa…"
After Leonardo finished half of the sandwich, he furrowed his eyebrows. His expression seemed sour. Then, he glanced at Riol.
"Who"s actually paying attention to me, I"m not even sure anymore… what"s the point in pretending this late in the game? You won"t fool me, so stop that."
If I stop, I might just kick you right now, Your Highness.
You must be careful of what you say—such is the danger of talking without thinking.
—in fact, Sharina had already raised one leg. However, she immediately remembered the consequences, and subsequently lowered it again.
…See? It"s because even in rage, I never stop thinking.
…Yup. It was totally not because of Riol who stuck close to her and pinched her face.
"Are you crazy—!?" He whispered.
"Could Your Highness be saying that we should be casual around you? We"re not worthy of such a grand act, Your Highness." Sharina "humbly" objected.
"Oi, Black Rat. Get away from her. Because of you, Uniquely Furred Cat isn"t behaving like her proper cat self!"
"…as you wish, Your Highness." Riol obliged.
"Fun." The Thief Prince started acting c.o.c.ky again.
…I want to smack him down.
"Riol…"
But, alas, the prince had again given his command—Riol couldn"t help but obey. He quietly walked away, picked up his book, and started to leave.
"…after school, I"m waiting in front of the school building."
"Ah—yes!!"
As he pa.s.sed her, he gave her a gentle pat on the back—
—it was enough to fill Sharina with the energy of a hundred people.
"Finally, the nuisance has left. Now, you can finally take it easy."
"…right."
—no, it hasn"t. It"s still in front of my eyes, being such an eyesore.
She stepped back while withholding some curses.
"As a thanks for the sandwich, let me take you to a good place."
"Eh? Kyaaaaaaaaa—!!"
Before she knew it, the prince was approaching her.
He snapped his finger, and a magic circle appeared under the two of them. From the circle, a strong gush of wind came forth. It only took the wind a few seconds to levitate them both.
"Here we go. Follow me—hm?"
As soon as she was about to be dragged towards Leonardo, the wind was dispelled and the magic circle destroyed—just like this morning.
"Ah…"
"…Is that amulet still nearby?"
Sharina"s body fell to ground as if nothing happened.
"Tch. Something gets in the way of our fun again. Alright, I"ll stop, I"ll stop…"
Leonardo, who was still floating midair, waved his hand in a lazy, but exaggerated manner.
"But, I"ll let this one go due to the sandwich. Nevertheless, tell the Black Rat: there mustn"t be a third time."
Leonardo left in a lackl.u.s.ter manner—it was clear that his mood was clouded. When he disappeared off the building"s corner, something fell off Sharina"s back.
"Huh?"
—it was a single use paper amulet. Due to having fulfilled its duty, it fell off—
—…there"s no mistaking it, it"s Riol"s!
Before Riol left, he had stuck it there while pretending to pat her back.
"…I love you—!!!"
Cool…!! He"s just so cool…!!
Sharina gently picked up the fallen amulet and fondly embraced it to her chest. With eyes full of hearts, she swooned.
[1] Owl : f.u.kuro
[2] Thin paper: Bukuro
**T/N: …Yeeees~!!! Riol is so cooooooool~!!! *grow a pair of wings and high five with Sharina while floating mid-air
…–Uggh, the ore-sama prince is using power abuse again, I know that this is part of his ore-sama chara, but UGGH STOP MANHANDLING HER AND FOR ONCE, START ACTING LIKE AN ACTUAL PRINCE, PRINCE.
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~a budding translator~