Many of the visiting adventurers had taken shelter from the midday sun under the gazebo’s roof. As people chatted, food and drinks started coming out and, before anyone had realized, the ladies had formed an impromptu tea party.
With these maidenly hallowed grounds established, the male adventurers could no longer enter the gazebo—only able to gaze enviously from a distance.
“... So, why am I in here?” Louis asked, mildly perturbed by the number of envious glares directed specifically at him.
“?? Why wouldn't you be?” Lily asked back, tilting her head.
“Dunno, something about the death stares I’m getting is telling me that I should leave.”
“Goodness, why are you worried about what they think?” Gen sighed before shooting a disdainful glare of her own back at the offending individuals. “If it truly bothers them, then they can join us themselves.”
Obviously, there weren't any actual magical barriers stopping the men from going into the gazebo; it was simply that directing their frustration at Louis was much easier for them than actually talking to women—a fact that particularly annoyed Gen.
Intimidated by either the ferocity of her gaze or the mere fact that a woman was looking in their direction, the socially-inept men quickly turned away to check on more important things, like the weather or their shoelaces.
Louis sipped his tea.
… Well, I don't know how to talk to women, either. HA HA.
Even without the men’s ire directed at him, the situation was still stressing Louis out a bit; his tension was starting to get weird.
“—Good gods, man, just relax already!” Annoyed by how stiff Louis was, a crimson musketeer chucked a biscuit at him. Thunk.
“Ow—hey, hey!” Louis raised his arms to shield himself from any additional projectiles. “Gimme a break, Saber!”
The musketeer, Saber, carried herself with the swashbuckling confidence and poise that one might expect from such a debonair figure. She wore a fairly classic cavalier’s outfit: a crimson tabard over a white blouse, with dark pants and a set of leather gloves and boots. A similarly-red feathered hat sat atop Saber’s short (and much darker) blood red hair; her steely, hawk-like eyes occasionally glinted from underneath its wide brim.
Indeed, Saber had a very romantic image… so long as they kept their mouth shut.
“No can do!” Saber said, winding up for another pitch. “You have two ladies inviting you to tea, and you’ve still got the nerve to act like a freakin’ virgin!”
“The nerve!” Gen and Lily echoed as they spectated from the sidelines.
“Why are you guys on her side?!” Louis cried, ducking under the high-velocity jam cookie.
“It's funnier that way.” Gen replied with a straight face.
“Damnit!” Louis completely understood—he would have done the same in that situation.
Despite the ruckus that the loud duo were making, the other ladies were surprisingly composed about it.
“Ooh, that was a good dodge…” “Lead your target a bit more, darling!”
… Or, rather, it seemed that they were treating it as entertainment.
“Aren't you all adapting a bit too easily…?” Lily asked, mildly dumbfounded.
They gave Lily an odd look.
“... What is it?”
A bucket-headed macho (still half-naked, but now wearing a detached collar and bowtie), approached the table with a teapot and a ‘More tea, madam?’
“Ah—yes, thank you...” Lily nonchalantly accepted the refill before realizing why the others gave her that look. “... Oh.”
“T-that was--" She started stuttering, her face progressively getting redder. “His manners were so good that I didn't realize that-- I-I’m used to being served, okay?!”
“Ara?” Something about Lily’s idiosyncrasies suddenly clicked inside Gen’s head. "Is Lily a tycoon’s daughter?”
“N-no!” she denied it, before trailing off. “I-I mean, my parents are a bit rich, but…”
“... Anyways,” Louis—who was pulling on Saber’s cheeks while she pummeled his abdomen—decided that there was a more important topic to cover. “What's the deal with your get-up, Bronston?”
The bucket bro embarrassedly scratched his head (helmet).
“The merchant supplying the food said I could earn some geld if I dressed up a bit…”
“... Y’know, I don't think that's quite what they meant."
Suddenly, a boyish voice called out.
“Au contraire, dear customer!”
———
(EXTRA: After Lily tilted her head...)
Gen and Louis glanced at each other.
She's picking up Fen's mannerisms...
———
(EXTRA 2:)
“Ara? Is Lily a tycoon’s daughter?”
“Woah, a rich girl?!” Saber’s sparkling eyes immediately locked onto Lily. Those sheltered types were her favorite.
“Oh no you don't.” Louis sternly grabbed Saber’s cheek as she lunged to ‘put the moves on’ Lily.
“—?! Thawb huwts, you bawsbard!”
———
(EXTRA 3:)
“My family owns a fancy restaurant, so I ended up learning the manners there,” Bronston explained.
———
(EXTRA 4: How Louis sees the women around him...)
Lily – sibling
Gen – sibling (?)
Saber – sibling (derogatory)
Louis has surprisingly low confidence, but he’s too familiar with these three to be awkward around them.
———
Spoiler
wimbledon
Minor edit: I reorganized this as chapter 30.5 instead of chapter 31.
In hindsight, the way I've been deciding which chapters are "extra" chapters (like this one) feels kinda arbitrary... Eh, I'll deal with it if it becomes a problem for whatever reason.
Another edit: Aaand back to Ch. 31.
I'll figure it out. Eventually.
[collapse]
Many of the visiting adventurers had taken shelter from the midday sun under the gazebo’s roof. As people chatted, food and drinks started coming out and, before anyone had realized, the ladies had formed an impromptu tea party.
With these maidenly hallowed grounds established, the male adventurers could no longer enter the gazebo—only able to gaze enviously from a distance.
“... So, why am I in here?” Louis asked, mildly perturbed by the number of envious glares directed specifically at him.
“?? Why wouldn't you be?” Lily asked back, tilting her head.
“Dunno, something about the death stares I’m getting is telling me that I should leave.”
“Goodness, why are you worried about what they think?” Gen sighed before shooting a disdainful glare of her own back at the offending individuals. “If it truly bothers them, then they can join us themselves.”
Obviously, there weren't any actual magical barriers stopping the men from going into the gazebo; it was simply that directing their frustration at Louis was much easier for them than actually talking to women—a fact that particularly annoyed Gen.
Intimidated by either the ferocity of her gaze or the mere fact that a woman was looking in their direction, the socially-inept men quickly turned away to check on more important things, like the weather or their shoelaces.
Louis sipped his tea.
… Well, I don't know how to talk to women, either. HA HA.
Even without the men’s ire directed at him, the situation was still stressing Louis out a bit; his tension was starting to get weird.
“—Good gods, man, just relax already!” Annoyed by how stiff Louis was, a crimson musketeer chucked a biscuit at him. Thunk.
“Ow—hey, hey!” Louis raised his arms to shield himself from any additional projectiles. “Gimme a break, Saber!”
The musketeer, Saber, carried herself with the swashbuckling confidence and poise that one might expect from such a debonair figure. She wore a fairly classic cavalier’s outfit: a crimson tabard over a white blouse, with dark pants and a set of leather gloves and boots. A similarly-red feathered hat sat atop Saber’s short (and much darker) blood red hair; her steely, hawk-like eyes occasionally glinted from underneath its wide brim.
Indeed, Saber had a very romantic image… so long as they kept their mouth shut.
“No can do!” Saber said, winding up for another pitch. “You have two ladies inviting you to tea, and you’ve still got the nerve to act like a freakin’ virgin!”
“The nerve!” Gen and Lily echoed as they spectated from the sidelines.
“Why are you guys on her side?!” Louis cried, ducking under the high-velocity jam cookie.
“It's funnier that way.” Gen replied with a straight face.
“Damnit!” Louis completely understood—he would have done the same in that situation.
Despite the ruckus that the loud duo were making, the other ladies were surprisingly composed about it.
“Ooh, that was a good dodge…” “Lead your target a bit more, darling!”
… Or, rather, it seemed that they were treating it as entertainment.
“Aren't you all adapting a bit too easily…?” Lily asked, mildly dumbfounded.
They gave Lily an odd look.
“... What is it?”
A bucket-headed macho (still half-naked, but now wearing a detached collar and bowtie), approached the table with a teapot and a ‘More tea, madam?’
“Ah—yes, thank you...” Lily nonchalantly accepted the refill before realizing why the others gave her that look. “... Oh.”
“T-that was--" She started stuttering, her face progressively getting redder. “His manners were so good that I didn't realize that-- I-I’m used to being served, okay?!”
“Ara?” Something about Lily’s idiosyncrasies suddenly clicked inside Gen’s head. "Is Lily a tycoon’s daughter?”
“N-no!” she denied it, before trailing off. “I-I mean, my parents are a bit rich, but…”
“... Anyways,” Louis—who was pulling on Saber’s cheeks while she pummeled his abdomen—decided that there was a more important topic to cover. “What's the deal with your get-up, Bronston?”
The bucket bro embarrassedly scratched his head (helmet).
“The merchant supplying the food said I could earn some geld if I dressed up a bit…”
“... Y’know, I don't think that's quite what they meant."
Suddenly, a boyish voice called out.
“Au contraire, dear customer!”
———
(EXTRA: After Lily tilted her head...)
Gen and Louis glanced at each other.
She's picking up Fen's mannerisms...
———
(EXTRA 2:)
“Ara? Is Lily a tycoon’s daughter?”
“Woah, a rich girl?!” Saber’s sparkling eyes immediately locked onto Lily. Those sheltered types were her favorite.
“Oh no you don't.” Louis sternly grabbed Saber’s cheek as she lunged to ‘put the moves on’ Lily.
“—?! Thawb huwts, you bawsbard!”
———
(EXTRA 3:)
“My family owns a fancy restaurant, so I ended up learning the manners there,” Bronston explained.
———
(EXTRA 4: How Louis sees the women around him...)
Lily – sibling
Gen – sibling (?)
Saber – sibling (derogatory)
Louis has surprisingly low confidence, but he’s too familiar with these three to be awkward around them.
———
Spoiler
wimbledon
Minor edit: I reorganized this as chapter 30.5 instead of chapter 31.
In hindsight, the way I've been deciding which chapters are "extra" chapters (like this one) feels kinda arbitrary... Eh, I'll deal with it if it becomes a problem for whatever reason.
Another edit: Aaand back to Ch. 31.
I'll figure it out. Eventually.
[collapse]
