Chapter 10
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Chapter 10: Gothic Lolita Is Cutely Decorated With Frills VIII
“Did you see it? I mean, where did you get it from?”
“No, from under that bookshelf over there.”
I pointed to the encyclopedia. It was wrong to have looked at it without permission, but I didn’t expect to make her cry this much. Maybe because Rei-sama is smaller compared to Haruka-neesan, I felt even more guilty.
“Ah, I thought I had lost it somewhere. Finding it is better than nothing.”
Rei-sama, with a relieved expression, looked at the notebook as if it were her own child and smiled.
“So, how was it?”
“Huh?”
I asked back, not understanding the meaning of the question. But, I couldn’t ask for more details because Rei-sama was staring at me with such intense heat in her eyes that it felt like she might kill me at any moment.
“Well, I thought it was good.”
It was such a bland answer. Even if she said that, I’m not a professional manga artist or anything, so I didn’t know how to respond. But it seemed that was enough for Rei-sama. She hunched over, clutching the notebook, and struck an overly enthusiastic victory pose with one hand.
“Yay!”
When she lifted her face, her cheeks were flushed and tears were welling up, and she looked at me with a beaming smile.
“It’s the first time I’ve been praised! It’s also the first time I’ve shown it to anyone.”
Rei-sama was so overcome with joy that it almost seemed to match the word “frenzy,” as she pounded on the tatami mats in the room. She was acting more like a wild animal than a human, and I was struck by the illusion that Rei-sama’s ladylike demeanor and mysteriousness were gradually crumbling away.
“What’s going on!?”
“It’s nothing! Go back!”
Seeing the black-clad servant rush into the room due to the noise, Rei-sama finally regained her composure. It felt like a storm had passed right in front of me, and my vision blurred.
“Ah, but Nao isn’t really a professional.”
“Well, yeah.”
In reality, I’m terrible at not only manga but even at school art.
“Oh, but there were only male characters, right?”
“What!?”
Rei-sama’s body jumped. It seemed that my casual comment had hit a nerve. She hugged the notebook tightly, resting her head on the table, and leaned on it.
“I thought so. I need to be able to draw various characters.”
Umm, how should I comfort her? If it were Haruka-neesan, I would probably pat her head to calm her down, but if I touched Rei-sama’s head, I felt like either she or the black-clad servant would execute me on the spot. As I fumbled my hands in the air, Rei-sama murmured softly.
“I’m going to leave this house and become a manga artist.”
It was a small voice, but it was a clear and strong declaration of intent.
“I don’t want to live off things inherited from my parents. Wealth and honor should be grasped with my own hands.”
“That may be true, but—”
Honestly, I don’t think so. What you were born with is undoubtedly yours. It’s not necessary for everything to be something you’ve grasped with your own hands. Also, just because something was close from the beginning doesn’t mean you can necessarily make good use of it.
For example, even if you’re born as the grandchild of a kendo master, you might be short and not be able to match up in skill.
“Isn’t that right? It’s quite easy to understand.”
Rei-sama seemed not to notice what I was thinking and continued excitedly pounding the desk. Since the noise was more subdued than before, the black-clad servant didn’t come into the room.
“Oh, I just thought of a great idea.”
Looking at my face, Rei-sama flashed a bright smile. It was such a cute expression that I wanted to keep watching, but when someone says something like this, I have learned from experience that they usually come up with inconvenient ideas for me.
“Nao should cross-dress, and then I’ll use that as a model for my drawings.”
See, like this. It would be fine if she drew herself in a mirror or from a photo instead of using me. Rei-sama is a genuine girl after all. Besides, she has a good style too. Without waiting for my response, Rei-sama spread out the notebook she had been holding and started drawing with a serious look.
“Hmm. It’s no good with randomly chosen clothes.”
Rei-sama stopped drawing and groaned.
“What do you mean?”
“I think there might be clothes that would suit you better.”
Rei-sama, still holding the open notebook, walked over to her dresser and began to open the drawers one by one, searching inside.
“Hmm, this isn’t good either.”
“No, since this is just practice, isn’t it fine to use this today?”
“Don’t interfere. You’re my doll, so changing your clothes as I pleased is my freedom.”
“There’s no such freedom.”
I said that, but the truth is, I am always made to change clothes according to Haruka-neesan’s instructions, and Rei-sama knows that too. It’s not really an argument against it.
Apart from that, clothes and underwear have been spilling out of the dresser that has been messily rummaged through for a while now, and I don’t know where to look, so I just want to get out of here as soon as possible.
“Alright, I’ve decided.”
“So it’s decided, huh?”
I had already given up. I knew from experience that it was better to finish it quickly since changing clothes was inevitable.
But Rei-sama, being a true lady, had a way of thinking that seemed to jump to a far-off place.
“We should go buy some now.”
“Pardon?”
Rei-sama clapped her hands, and the dry sound echoed in the room. As if that was a signal, two black-clad servants appeared in the room.
“Kanshou, Bakuya. Start getting ready to go out.”
“Understood.”
The black-clad servants named Kanshou and Maya gave a small bow. Kanshou, the male servant, went to prepare the car at the entrance, while Maya, the female servant, helped me, who was sitting frozen, to get up.
“So, this is what it ends up being like, huh?”
As I sighed in exasperation, Rei-sama’s eyes were shining so brightly next to me that she looked as if she could start skipping at any moment.