Chapter 30
For now, I calmly ask Maron to repeat what she said.
“You want to have dinner together at a restaurant?”
“Y-yes… I managed to get a reservation at a place with good reviews….”
Lately, Maron seems to be approaching me a little more boldly.
“A-actually, I don't usually get to go to places like that, so I-I'd be really grateful if you came with me…!”
She's still as timid and stammering as ever, though.
Anyway, she's being proactive, right?
‘I already promised to have dinner with Lucy every evening.’
What should I do?
Well.
There's no point in trying to read the room anyway.
Last time, I tried something beyond my capabilities, like easing into asking Lucy something, and only made the situation even weirder, didn't I?
Let's just be honest.
“Actually, I have plans for dinner.”
“Oh… th-then what about tomorrow?”
“I have plans tomorrow, too.”
“Ah, a-ah….”
“Actually, I have plans every evening.”
“…I see.”
Maron's irises clouded over with despair.
‘So he won't spend his evenings with me ever again, right?’
And it was Liam, of all people.
His dinner dates were definitely with women, too.
‘So that's why he always disappeared right after class. I see….’
And the fact that some other woman would get his evenings from now on meant—
‘I'm just a woman who's only good to have around at the academy.’
Still.
If I could at least spend lunch with Liam, I should be satisfied with that—
“So, about that restaurant… would it be okay if I invited one more person?”
“Of course!!”
So he was giving her the chance to rank up from a daytime woman to a day-and-night woman!
‘All right, I'll pass this promotion test no matter what!!’
Maron's enthusiasm flared.
“I'll see you in front of Le Lapin at eight tonight!”
After class.
“Lucy.”
“What is it? Want me to make something today?”
I made a suggestion to Lucy, who'd been coming to my place to cook for me every day since then.
“Want to eat out together today?”
“Huh? R-really?”
“I heard there's a nice restaurant called Le Lapin. Let's go together.”
“You're inviting me!?”
Lucy's eyes sparkled.
‘He's taking the woman who usually cooks for him out!’
As expected, even if the young man is a bad man, he still takes care of his woman!
I'd heard he'd even gone up against the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince had bullied his women!
‘Mm-hm, our boy really is a kind-hearted playboy.’
Her thinking seemed to have gone past severe and straight to terminal, but I couldn't hear it, couldn't hear it.
“Let's leave around seven-thirty so we get there by eight.”
“No, we can't do that!”
When going on a date, it's basic etiquette for a man and a woman to leave separately and meet up there.
Because women have to get dressed up.
Of course men get dressed up, too, but women usually take much longer and put far more care into it.
“You said eight, right!? I'll make sure I'm not late!”
Watching Lucy hurry off toward her own home, Gilliam thought.
Huh.
Had I done something wrong?
7:50 p.m.
A busty woman in a dress stood in front of Le Lapin, a restaurant that served expensive, luxurious course meals and fine liquor.
An outfit that emphasized her cleavage.
A daring slit that exposed her thigh.
It was Maron.
‘Uuuh… this is embarrassing….’
Revealing outfits themselves were common in this world.
What Maron was embarrassed about was the fact that she'd gone to such effort to dress herself up.
She'd put on makeup, neatly curled her hair, and even worn a jeweled necklace.
It was the exact opposite of her usual self, who tried to avoid people's attention.
‘A-are people looking at me and cursing or laughing at me?’
Her vision blurred with tension.
In Maron's case, it wasn't paranoia; it was something that could really happen.
She wanted to hide.
She wanted to run away.
But.
‘For Liam, I can do this.’
I can do my best.
Let's do this.
For Liam.
“Deep breaths… Hoo, huuuh….”
“Oh? You're the one I saw the other day—”
“Eek! I'm sorry—huh?”
Maron blinked as she realized who had spoken to her.
A revealing dress, makeup, and adornments, just like Maron's.
An even larger bust than Maron's.
Silver hair and blue eyes.
It was the woman next door to Gilliam, whom she'd run into on the day Maron had hidden in his closet.
“Ah.”
“Ah….”
The two women realized.
‘So this bitch is Liam's nighttime woman!’
‘He wasn't taking me on a date—he was planning to have fun with this woman, too!!’
“….”
“….”
‘Are her breasts seriously that big? What kind of chest is that?’
‘She is pretty. Cute and shy-looking… Is she one of the candidates for the primary wife, too? She really brings out men's desire to protect her.’
‘She does seem like the kind of woman who'd be fun to play with at night….’
‘She does seem like the kind of woman you'd want to have around during the day….’
They exchanged glances brimming with envy and jealousy.
“I'm Maron Clearias. I often have classes with Liam.”
Translation: I'm the one who gets to spend the day with Liam.
“I'm Lucy Merhantia. I usually make dinner for him, but Gilliam invited me out today.”
Translation: I've scored way more points, you know?
“Oh, really? I have lunch with Liam every day. We even share our food sometimes, and we get along wonderfully.”
Translation: No way. I've got more points than you.
“…Our Gilliam has a good friend.”
Translation: So what? You're just a ‘friend.’
“I-I'm relieved there's someone who can take such gentle care of Liam like a nanny.”
Translation: So what? Aren't you just his cook?
“Ahaha.”
Translation: You bitch…!
“Ehehe.”
Translation: Get lost, you bitch.
“Oh, you two were already greeting each other?”
Flinch!
Flinch!!
“L-Liam! A-ahaha, I guess this is the person you said you'd bring along?”
“Boy… I mean, Gilliam, is she your friend?”
“Yeah. You saw her once before, right? This is Lucy, and this is Maron. And here.”
Gilliam held out a flower to each of the two women.
“They were blooming prettily by the roadside. They made me think of you.”
There were flowers growing wild by the roadside that were pretty enough to sell at a flower shop.
Was it because this was a romance-fantasy world, or because it was a subculture game where you could gather and hunt?
And what exactly was a flower shop's role in a world like this?
I had all kinds of questions.
But what mattered now was that both women's eyes had gone hazy after Gilliam gave them flowers.
“Liam gave me flowers….”
“I've never gotten flowers from a man before… hehe….”
“Shall we go in?”
“Yes….”
“Mm….”
The two women obediently followed him inside.
Before entering, Gilliam glanced up at the restaurant's name.
‘I feel like I've seen this somewhere… oh.’
Right.
I remembered.
It was a place where a minor event occurred in the original.
I'd forgotten because it didn't give you any special rewards or pose a threat.
‘Will this be okay?’
I hoped Maron and Lucy wouldn't produce some strange chemical reaction after coming here together.
Because.
Le Lapin's concept was—
“For your appetizer, scallop carpaccio. We use fresh raw scallops with a citrus vinaigrette to bring out their seafood sweetness and bright acidity.”
Since it was an upscale restaurant, the waitress explained the menu.
While dressed in an extremely revealing bunny-girl outfit.
This was the world of a subculture game.
There was nothing strange about a restaurant where bunny-girl outfits were the standard uniform.
The problem was.
It was really awkward to be here with women.
“The wine we recommend pairing with it is a southern wine. Shall I pour three glasses?”
“…Please.”
Awkward.
So awkward.
The entire place was blatant male-oriented content.
All the customers were either male nobles or rich male commoners.
The one saving grace was that the place was spacious enough that I didn't have to pay them any mind.
“Of course, sir. I'll pour it right away.”
“Th-thanks….”
The waitress tilted her body in a distinctive way as she poured the wine.
It was a pose that blatantly accentuated the bunny girl's figure.
‘Wow, that ass.’
If I didn't get a tight grip on myself, I felt like I'd start sexually harassing her on the spot.
Terrifying.
Lucy directed a barb at Maron.
“…Was this place your idea, Miss Maron?”
Translation: Honestly, I'm pretty uncomfortable. Who chooses a place like this for a date?
“…It was hard to get a reservation. For Liam.”
Translation: Liam seems to be enjoying himself, so isn't that all right?
“Oh, really?”
Translation: I've never seen a woman try to hand her own boyfriend a concubine before.
“…I think it'd be good for you to learn more about Liam's tastes, too, Miss Lucy.”
Translation: That's why you're just a concubine.
“Oh, really? I'm sorry I ended up coming along, too.”
Translation: I'm not sorry at all.
“It's fine.”
Translation: If you know that, why don't you leave?
“I'm really glad you said that.”
Translation: Yeah, no. I'm not going anywhere.
“Hey, the food here is good.”
“Ahaha, I knew Liam would like it.”
Translation: I win, bitch.
“B-boy, do you like that kind of outfit?”
A sexy outfit that made a woman look like she was dressed as a rabbit.
A bunny girl.
“…Honestly, I don't think there's any man who wouldn't like it.”
“Then…”
Lucy swallowed.
She'd made up her mind.
“Should I wear one next time?”