Category: Shadow Hero

“Master (Goshujin-sama), I have something to report.” (Sakura)

“…What’s with that way of talking?” (Louis)

“Oh, no! I just thought that this way would fit the atmosphere more!” (Sakura)

As Sakura-chan began to speak with a respectful bow, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered. She subtly flashed a mischievous smile. Apparently, that was just her usual playful self.

“Isn’t this the kind of atmosphere more common on the villainous side of stories?” (Louis)

“Hahaha, busted! I actually prefer villains over the good guys!” (Sakura)

Putting aside the chuunibyou-like¹ comment, for the time being, I decided to listen to her report.

In the Yui-Cyrus matter, the most crucial aspect was understanding Cyrus’s true feelings. Once I knew that, I could tell Maria and let her handle the resolution.

Of course, I didn’t plan to provide too many solutions or hints; she would have to figure it out on her own. Though, if she seemed to be going off course, I might extend a helping hand.

“For now, it seems like Cyrus-kun does like Yui-chan.” (Sakura)

“Hmm, I see. So, do you know why he’s been acting cold towards her?” (Louis)

“Ah, about that. Apparently, I think it’s because he naturally has a lack of expression and when combined with his shyness, it comes off as being cold.” (Sakura)

…What a straightforward, youth-like, easy-to-understand reason. Well, I guess it’s much better than having some complicated explanation.

“Thank you. That really helps.” (Louis)

“So, can I get something as thanks!?” (Sakura)

“Oh, yeah, of course. As long as it is something I can get my hands on.” (Louis)

When I said that, Sakura-chan immediately responded with:

“Irina’s underwear!” (Sakura)

“…Eh?” (Louis)

“…Nn?” (Sakura)

Wait a minute, I might have misheard.

Let me ask again.

“So, what do you want?” (Louis)

“Irina’s underwear! Louis, you must have some. Just one piece.” (Sakura)

“What makes you think I have one, you idiot! And why underwear!” (Louis)

When I inquired, Sakura-chan suddenly became fidgety.

Huh? Is she into that kind of thing?

I mean, I don’t want to judge her preference, but suddenly admitting to that is a bit bewildering.

“Well, you know… If I have Irina’s underwear, I can assert my dominance when the time comes.” (Sakura)

“To who!?” (Louis)

“Huh? Of course, it’s to Mina. We’re competing to see who can understand Irina better.” (Sakura)

What’s with this competition…

It’s appreciative that she’s trying to understand Irina better, but this feels a bit off…

I mean, isn’t taking her underwear stirring things in a different direction?

“Well, I can’t help you if Irina doesn’t know about the competition between you and Mina-chan.” (Louis)

“Huh? I already told Irina, though.” (Sakura)

Why on earth are they discussing this with the person involved…?

Well, maybe she’s not that upset about it..?

If you set aside the underwear part, it’s just your typical friendship between girls.

Maybe Irina didn’t tell me because it was a bit embarrassing.

Yeah, even I would feel embarrassed if my friends were competing to understand me better.

It’s all just speculation, though! I don’t even have friends! I do have a girlfriend, though! I do have a girlfriend! (I said it twice because it’s important.)

“Well, anyway, thanks in advance for the underwear!” (Sakura)

“Hey, wait a second! She’s fast!” (Louis)

By the time I heard her say thanks, Sakura-chan had already darted away.

What a hyper girl…

Well, what should I do now?

If it’s revealed that I stole Irina’s underwear, both Sakura-chan and I will definitely get scolded.

At the very least, if I’m suspected, I’ll make sure to throw Sakura-chan under the bus.

However, the fact remains that she did gather the information I needed.

Should I sneakily try to steal the underwear…

With such thoughts swirling in my mind, I pondered how to explain the situation to Maria the next day.

＋＋＋

“Now, Maria, I have a request that I want you to take care of.” (Louis)

“Oh, finally! What is it?” (Maria)

“Yeah. So, about the details—” (Louis)

The next day after school, as we gathered in the club room, I informed Maria about the request.

Without revealing everything, I only shared things from Yui’s perspective on the issue and observed Maria’s reaction. After contemplating for a moment, she spoke up with a slightly troubled expression.

“I’ve never dealt with this kind of issue before, so it seems challenging. Can I really do something?” (Maria)

Maria expressed her uncertainty.

Well, usually, the requests she receives are things like doing homework, cleaning, or standing in for committee duties—mundane and troublesome tasks.

I suppose she hasn’t had someone come to her with a serious, sincere concern like this before.

“It’ll be fine. If Maria sincerely tries to resolve it, she can do it.” (Louis)

After all, Maria isn’t stupid. It’s just that she usually gets more straightforward requests.

If she takes a step back and properly thinks about things and acts on them, this shouldn’t be that hard.

Besides, this is a request that can absolutely be resolved.

“Do you really think so…?” (Maria)

Still sensing her unease, I took Maria’s hand and reassured her.

“Don’t worry. If things don’t go right, I’ll step in and help. Just relax and do it however you like.” (Louis)

Finally, with my words, Maria managed to smile. She stood up as if I were guiding her and nodded.

“Yes, you’re right. If Louis-san is here, I can do it. Thank you, I’ll do my best.” (Maria)

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Are things really going to go that smoothly…? Well, we have caught up with the author, so you’ll just have to find out next month or something lol.

---

Footnote:

1. You know, chuunibyou is eighth-grade syndrome, where someone is obsessed about supernatural stuff.

“Leila, are there any people around you who are troubled?” (Louis)

The next day after school, I visited the student council room, which I had been frequenting lately. Leila was, as usual, working at her desk. However, today she was alone, and I didn’t see signs of the other council members around.

Well, there’s a reason for that, but I’ll leave that for when I need to save Leila. For now, let’s focus on Maria.

“A person who’s troubled…? Ah, right, you mean for Maria-san.” (Leila)

“Yeah. I’m looking for a lost sheep to connect with her.” (Louis)

I had properly informed Leila about the details of this plan, so she nodded in understanding almost immediately. Then, she tilted her chin a bit and began to think.

“Well… there are some, but… ” (Leila)

“Oh? What kind of troubles are they facing?” (Louis)

Even when I asked, Leila seemed a bit hesitant to speak. Was there something difficult for her to say?

…Huh!? Could it be that it’s a naughty conversation!?

I don’t even know what kind of conversation qualifies as “naughty,” but naughty stuff is a no-go!

“Naughty stuff is not allowed, you know.” (Louis)

When I said that, Leila shot me a sharp glare.

“Ani… What weird thoughts are you having?” (Leila)

“Oh, no, I’m not thinking anything weird.” (Louis)

“But you said naughty stuff is not allowed.” (Leila)

“It must be a misunderstanding. Yeah, that’s probably it.” (Louis)

Leila sighed as if she were annoyed with my nonchalant attitude. After that, she reluctantly told me about the person she was thinking of.

“I would prefer that you keep this confidential, but it’s about Yui-chan, who is in the same class as me.” (Leila)

With that preface, Leila began to share the details.

Apparently, this girl named Yui seems to be in love with a certain boy. At first, things seemed fine, but lately, the boy’s behavior has become strange, and he has become incredibly distant. When Yui asked her friends to investigate, they mentioned that the boy in question might be the son of a prostitute and could be sexually promiscuous¹.

Due to this revelation, Yui finds it hard to trust the boy completely. Yet, she doesn’t want to doubt him either. That’s the source of her distress.

“…It’s quite a heavy story.” (Louis)

“Right? And there’s also the issue of privacy, so I was hesitant to bring it up.” (Leila)

Certainly, this isn’t really the kind of thing to share with others. Moreover, I wonder if Maria can resolve this issue…

But if things go well, I have a feeling that this might help put a stop to Maria’s indiscriminate acts of service.

Maria’s tendency to serve others stems from a lack of self-approval and a distorted perception of receiving love from others. In other words, she recognizes that her worth comes from being used by others.

So if this situation can help her learn how to build healthy relationships with others and understand her own self-worth…

Yeah, for now, I might have to investigate on my own, and if it seems like a problem that can be resolved, I could consider connecting Maria to it. If the situation is too complicated, I might just let it pass for now.

“Thanks for telling me this, Leila. I really appreciate it.” (Louis)

“No problem. I’m happy to see my Ani helping others.” (Leila)

Despite saying that, there was a shadow in Leila’s expression. However, I failed to notice it as I left the student council room.

＋＋＋

Now, whether the issue with Yui-chan can be resolved depends on the feelings the other person has toward her.

For example, if the other person is just messing with Yui for fun, it might not be possible to resolve the situation. Everything would be up to Yui’s state of mind.

On the other hand, if he genuinely wants to be in a relationship and there’s just a misunderstanding, it should be relatively easy to resolve.

For now, I decided to do some research on that guy—Cyrus. 

Well, my bad reputation is still lingering around the school. If I confront him directly about the details of the situation, there’s a high chance that weird rumors will start spreading. While I don’t mind having strange rumors about myself, if it becomes known that I’m asking around about Cyrus, it might lead to unnecessary complications.

I’d like to avoid that, so I’ll take a more indirect approach.

“Hey, Sakura-chan, I’ve got something I’d like a little help with.” (Louis)

I called out to Sakura-chan, my first friend I made through Irina.

“Nani Nani!? What can I help you with!?” (Sakura)

She was an energetic, freckled girl with reddish-brown hair². Considering the nature of the task, I felt it might be a bit too much to ask for help from her shy, glasses-wearing friend.

“Sakura-chan, you seem to have good social skills, so there’s something I’d like you to find out for me.” (Louis)

By the way, it seems that she’s aware of the truth from Irina and is one of the few allies I have in the school. The glasses-wearing girl, Mina, is also one of my allies.

“Eh~ I don’t think I have good social skills at all!” (Sakura)

“Oh come on~! You definitely do!” (Louis)

As I said that, she visibly lit up with joy. Despite saying otherwise, she’s an easy-to-read girl.

On the flip side, she’s almost too easy, which makes me a bit uneasy. However, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s the most suitable person for the task.

Leila, being a student council member, has a wide network, but she’s not good at casually extracting information with a friend-like approach. The goal this time is to investigate without being noticed, so I thought someone friendly and approachable would be better.

After buttering up Sakura-chan a bit, I explained what I wanted her to do. Essentially, I asked her to find out about Cyrus’s background and his feelings.

“Got it! That’s easy peasy! Leave it to me!” (Sakura)

She flexed her muscles as she said that.

Yeah, having reliable friends is definitely important.

And so, Sakura-chan and I began our investigation into the Yui-Cyrus issue.

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

You basically asked her to do everything lol. Also, the amount of confidence she has to say that it was easy. She must have some incredible social skills, either that or she’s been buttered up too much.

---

Footnote:

1. Promiscuous refers to having or involving many sexual partners and is characterized by not being restricted to one or few sexual partners
2. This was one of the girls with Irina in ch 9 and the glasses girl is the other one. 

“This is a problem…” (Louis)

I mutter to myself as I sort through the papers containing the consultation requests sent to the troubles consultation box.

Maria went to the church today to offer prayers as a saint, so I am currently working alone.

Thinking that now was the only chance, I checked through the papers sent to our club and the various messages sent. However, the contents were filled with complaints about me taking away Maria’s time, requests for help with homework, or requests to assist with various committee tasks. It’s nothing but a bunch of requests for a lackey.

“Hmm, there’s really nothing decent inside here.” (Louis)

Originally, I thought that more genuine concerns would be sent if the process was made easier but I guess not.

Well, looking back on my own student days, I remember only ever being troubled by trivial things and being tossed around by trivial matters.

So, it’s only natural that such consultations are sent, but even so, couldn’t there have been at least one good request?

“Oh well. If they don’t come to us, then I’ll go looking for them. Tomorrow, I’ll take Maria and go find someone who seems troubled.” (Louis)

With that decision, now comes the problem of where should I start searching.

The courtyard, the library, behind the school building…

I think those are the usual places, but will it be that easy to find someone?

Well, at worst, I can ask around Leila’s circle of friends to see if I can find anyone who fits the criteria.

If she introduces them, they probably won’t be weird or anything.

“Well then, it’s about time for my meeting with Irina.” (Louis)

Today, I managed to make some time for just the two of us after a long while.

Lately, I’ve been so preoccupied with Maria, that I haven’t been able to spend much time with Irina.

Of course, I know it’s important to spend some time alone with her occasionally.

After all, we finally became a couple after dreaming about it for so long.

＋＋＋

I had arranged to meet Irina in her dorm room.

When I arrived, she was already there, scribbling something on a piece of paper.

“Sorry, am I late?” (Louis)

As I spoke from behind, Irina jumped in surprise, her body twitching. She quickly stowed away the paper she had been writing on into her bag and turned towards me.

“…Mouu, Louis. Don’t startle me like that.” (Irina)

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” (Louis)

“Hmph, are you saying that I startled myself?” (Irina)

Irina puffed out her cheeks in a sulky manner, but it seemed more like she wanted to be spoiled.

As expected of the cutest girl in the world.

“Haha, sorry about that, it was my fault~” (Louis)

“I won’t forgive you. You’ll have to make it up to me.” (Irina)

“Alright, alright, I’ll make it up to you. What should I do for you, my princess?” (Louis)

Hearing this, Irina put on a dignified act and declared:

“Then, for the rest of today, you must go along with any of my whims.” (Irina)

“…Eh, what are you going to make me do?” (Louis)

Irina’s words make me instinctively tense up, but she continues to smile mischievously and raises her index finger.

“First, I’ll ask you to clean my ears.” (Irina)

“Ear cleaning…?” (Louis)

Using an earpick, huh?

Before I can say anything, Irina lies down on the bed, welcoming me at any time.

I cautiously sit down near her head as she lifts it up and places it on my thigh.

…Well, I haven’t been able to pay much attention to her lately so let’s let her indulge to her heart’s content.

With a cotton swab in hand, I gently clean Irina’s ears.

She closes her eyes, looking blissful and content.

After finishing one side, she lifts her head and pats her own thigh.

“Um…” (Louis)

“I’ll do it for you too, Louis. Put your head here.” (Irina)

I did as she said and rested my head on her thigh.

…It feels very soft and elastic. And despite being toned, it has a good amount of flesh, giving it a supple feel.

After that, she started slowly and gently cleaning my ear.

I can safely say that this was the most pleasant thing I have ever experienced throughout my entire life, including my past life.

Afterwards, we engaged in trivial conversations, did homework together, and spent some much-needed quality time together.

“The sun is going to set soon.” (Irina)

“Yeah, I should head back before the girls from the dorms return from club activities.” (Louis)

“Fufu~ I don’t think anyone would think much if Louis was in the girls’ dorm at this point.” (Irina)

“No, that would still be a problem.” (Louis)

Certainly, given my already questionable reputation, being in the girls’ dormitory wouldn’t shock anyone.

…But I’m sure there would be still some disapproval among the many girls living there.

“Either way, it’s not good for everyone to see, so I’ll head back.” (Louis)

“Yeah, see you, Louis.” (Irina)

With that, I returned to my own room.

Normally, due to the influence of the absorbed ‘Dark Factor’, I would always have terrible nightmares at night… but just for today, I was able to have a slightly pleasant dream.

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

And we’re back… for like a few days. The author posted 3 chapters so this is gonna last for like 3 days. I wonder if this will ever get finished during my lifetime.

---

Footnote:

1. None

“Recently, my Ani has started to become more popular so I’m worried!” (Leila)

For some reason, Leila began to speak with a very serious expression, her eyes cast down.

Upon hearing that, I involuntarily twitched my cheeks.

Seriously? 

Am I really becoming that popular?

Sure, I managed to date Irina, but I don’t feel like I’m popular.

You know, to me, being popular is like getting a lot of attention from many girls.

But the only one who likes me is Irina, and I doubt Maria likes me that way.

And seriously, don’t talk about this kind of stuff in front of me…

Leila is probably just saying these things in front of me to tease me.

“Leila-san’s brother (onii-sama) is a very attractive person, isn’t he?” (Maria)

Maria, after hearing Leila’s consultation, seemed to have ended up at some strange thoughts and started saying such things.

No, no, I’m not attractive at all.

I’m just a boring guy with a dull and plain face.

But for some reason, Leila nodded in agreement with Maria’s words.

“Yes, that’s right. My Ani is a very attractive and dignified person.” (Leila)

Upon looking closely, you could see that Leila’s mouth was twitching trying to hold back her laughter.

She’s definitely teasing me with this, right?

However, Maria, who didn’t seem to understand anything, innocently threw a sharp question.

“I see… Leila-san, could it be that… you might be jealous because your onii-sama has started to become popular?” (Maria)

Wh-What!

Could that be it?!

What a shocking revelation.

Well, I highly doubt that’s the case.

However, for some reason, Leila became flustered, her eyes darting around, and her ears turning bright red.

“N-No, that’s not it! I don’t feel like that at all!” (Leila)

“Hmm~ is that so? Don’t you like your onii-sama, Leila-san?” (Maria)

Hey, Leila, your mask is starting to slip. Are you okay?

But Maria is asking some really interesting questions…

Leila, upon being asked that question, was visibly flustered, her mouth opening and closing.

Well, she dug her own grave, but I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her.

“Well, I don’t hate him…” (Leila)

She doesn’t hate me.

Well, that’s a relief.

Maria continued to stare intently at Leila, whose eyes were darting around frantically, and she began to drop another bombshell.

“Is that the truth? Leila-san, I think lying to yourself will only make it harder.” (Maria)

Oh, that’s quite a saintly line!

If you think about it, Maria doesn’t really lie to herself.

In her case, she’s unknowingly cornering herself.

That’s why solving her problem is quite challenging.

Upon hearing that, Leila turned completely red and clenched her fists while looking down.

Feeling sorry for her, I decided to step in and stop Maria.

“Well, Maria, maybe there’s no need to rush for an answer?” (Louis)

However, when I said that, Maria shook her head.

“No, that won’t do If you don’t properly understand you’re own feelings, you will find yourself regretting it a lot when it’s too late.” (Maria)

It was a line that seemed to be filled with lots of emotion.

Upon hearing this, Leila glanced briefly in my direction with upturned eyes, then lifted her head with determination and spoke.

“That’s right… It might be bad if it’s too late.” (Leila)

“Mhm, I think it’s important to face your feelings and communicate them to the other person.” (Maria)

Maria nodded in response to Leila’s words.

I was left entirely out of the conversation.

After nodding in agreement with each other, Leila turned forward with a determined expression.

“I… I might be jealous just like you said. I want to talk to my Ani more, but I wonder why I couldn’t bring myself up to be next to him.” (Leila)

Her direct confession left me flustered.

I tried my best to hide my agitation from Maria, but my heart was pounding.

“You might be jealous because it wasn’t you who could change you’re onii-sama, but someone else.¹” (Maria?)

I see… She felt that way.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

I should probably interact more with Leila from now on.

Both Leila and I couldn’t meet each other’s gaze, but Maria, who was oblivious to this, wore a loving smile, moved closer to Leila, and gently patted her head.

“You were able to speak your true feelings well. Now, it would be good if you could convey that same thought to the person in question.” (Maria)

Well, it has already been conveyed loud and clear.

That so-called onii-sama person is sitting right here listening to everything.

In the end, Leila, who tried to tease me under the disguise of a consultation, would unknowingly receive a counterattack from the bottom of Maria’s heart and end up embarrassed instead.

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Leila taking super-effective damage in this one. Maria basically asking Leila to quickly join the harem before it’s too late.

And with that, we have caught up with the author. So the thing is that we are probably gonna only get occasional chapters now. 

Before I started this series, I noticed that the author had a habit of not posting much for his series after like 20ish chapters. He has like 5 other ongoing series right now. 

So I guess what is gonna happen is that I’m probably gonna take a break and focus on my current series while starting to find a new series to work on in the future.

---

Footnote:

1. This line is super weird. The raw of this line used Onii-sama instead of Ani, which implies that Maria said this line… But Maria doesn’t know that Leila wasn’t the one who changed MC so I was thinking that it could have been Leila. Either Leila decided to use Onii-sama for this line, or I’m missing some context somewhere. Take a look for yourself if you know “お兄様を変えることが出来たのが私ではなく、別の人だったことに嫉妬しているのかもしれません”

“Alright! The poster is finished!” (Louis)

I shouted with both hands raised after working tirelessly on the poster for about three hours. Most of the students had already left the school as it was about to close.

“Oh, it’s finally done.” (Maria)

“Sorry. It took a little longer than expected.” (Louis)

Maria’s poster had been finished much earlier, and I had kept her waiting for quite some time, so I bowed my head in apology.

However, Maria shook her head and smiled.

“No, it’s okay. But I’m sure Louis-san has made a wonderful poster, right?” (Maria)

With a pure smile on her face, Maria clasped her hands together.

To which, I couldn’t help but interject.

“Huh!? Aren’t you raising the bars kinda high?! And don’t say that with such an innocent and bright smile, you’re making me nervous!” (Louis)

However, Maria just tilted her head curiously.

For some reason, my comment didn’t seem to get through to her. Could it be that she is naturally like this?

To break the sudden awkwardness, Maria redirected the conversation.

“Um, anyway, shall we show each other our posters?” (Maria)

“Oh, uh, can I go first?” (Louis)

“No, that won’t do. I want to see Louis-san’s work later.” (Maria)

It was rejected…

What’s with her confidence? Please don’t set the bar that high.

However, ignoring my confusion, Maria spread out her poster on the desk.

It was quite a girly poster.

It was colored in pastel shades, and the typography was quite playfully designed.

『Maria will solve all your worries! Please come visit our club room!』

The text had that kind of message.

What’s more, there were cute illustrations of rabbits and cats plastered around.

It was quite an impressive piece of work, considering how quickly she managed to make this.

“Alright, I’ll show you mine…” (Louis)

“Yes, I’m really looking forward to it.” (Maria)

Come on! Stop raising the bar higher with that innocent expression!

…Is she really doing all this naturally?

I thought it might not be the case, but Maria’s expression is somewhat hard to read, making it difficult to tell whether she’s joking or serious…

“A-anyways, here’s what my poster looks like.” (Louis)

Saying that, I presented my carefully crafted poster.

Of course, given the time I spent on it, I was quite confident in the end product.

However, I was a bit uncertain whether it could surpass the high bar set by Maria.

With those thoughts in mind, Maria looked at my poster…

“I guess it’s still not good enough, huh…” (Louis)

“N-no! I think it has its own unique style!” (Maria)

Maria tried to console me desperately, but those words are usually said when there’s nothing else positive to say.

Well… I don’t plan on becoming an artist for a living anyways. So I’m not that down about it, really.

As I was making excuses to myself, Maria looked at me with a serious expression.

“Louis-san.” (Maria)

“Yes, what is it?” (Louis)

“You don’t need to be able to draw or have artistic skills. You’re already a wonderful person, and I think you should have more confidence in that.” (Maria)

As expected of Saint-sama.

She provided a reassuring follow-up.

With such a beautiful smile, being told that made me feel relieved.

“I-is that so? A wonderful person, huh? Heh~, I guess Maria saw through me.” (Louis)

“Well, there are times when I don’t quite understand you, though.” (Maria)

Oof!

But at least she didn’t call me creepy, right…?

“Um, so is it okay to put up my poster?” (Maria)

“Well, it’s true that Maria’s poster is better, so it’s not a problem.” (Louis)

When I nodded, Maria happily clutched her poster in her hand with a smile.

And so, with those posters in hand, we headed to the staff room and used magic tools to make about twenty copies of each.

＋＋＋

After putting up the posters all over the school, visitors started coming to the club room the next day.

“Hello, ojamashimasu.” (Leila)

It was Leila.

Of course, I was the one who asked her to come and be her first client.

I thought it would be quite bad if someone a bit intense arrived right after we finished helping out at the orphanage.

So, I decided to ask Leila first, as she seemed like a reasonable person.

She had mentioned recently that she had some worries, so the timing was just right to ask her for help.

Knowing Leila, she probably wouldn’t dive into anything too deep right away in front of me. I wonder what kind of worries she has.

“Oh, welcome. Are you here for a consultation?” (Maria)

“Yes, please.” (Leila)

In response to Maria’s question, Leila lowered her head in a ladylike manner.

It seemed that Leila had no intention of revealing to Maria that she was my sister just yet.

“Please have a seat.” (Maria)

Leila sat across from Maria and immediately began to talk about her worries.

“Well, I recently had some worries about something… It’s actually related to my Ani…” (Leila)

…Huh??

Ani? She means me, right?

I don’t think there were any mentions of us having another real brother or a half-brother… I think?

Ignoring my puzzled expression, Leila continued to open up about her worries while wearing a faint smile.

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Leila is ready to start trolling. But maybe it’s actually something important…? Nah probably not.

---

Footnote:

1. None

After saying our goodbyes at the orphanage, Maria and I returned back to the school. 

Right now it was after school, so there weren’t as many people around to see us. I quickly brought Maria to an empty classroom.

This classroom had been prepared for us by the student council at my request.

It seemed to have been cleaned properly as if they were welcoming us.

“Um, do we have some business in this empty room? …Huh?! Maybe this is a confession?!” (Maria)

“No, it’s not that. I mean, I do think you’re cute, Maria, but it’s not a confession.” (Louis)

“Oh… So that means you’re going to attack me, right? You’re going to strip me down and say, ‘Guhehe, sis (nee-chan), you’ve got some good stuff there,’ aren’t you?” (Maria)

…You know, I have gradually come to understand something recently—Maria has some wild fantasies sometimes.

Due to her position as a saint, she has been practicing abstinence¹, which seems to have led to her developing these twisted fantasies.

The stress from her constant volunteer work might have also pushed her further in that direction.

I suspect that the reason she brought me to her room and nursed me when we first met was also because of these fantasies.

Even in the games, she didn’t display this part of her personality much, but now that I think about it, she did subtly hint at it from time to time.

“I would never do something like that…! And are you aware of what ‘good stuff’ even means?!” (Louis)

“I thought my first time would be with someone I love, but to be taken in such a forceful and tainted way…” (Maria)

“Did you hear what I said!? I told you I am not going to do that!” (Louis)

When I panicked and shouted, Maria tilted her head with a bewildered expression.

“Eh? You won’t do it? I didn’t think Louis-san was such a pushover.” (Maria)

“I’m sorry for being a pushover! Or rather, are you purposely encouraging me to do it?” (Louis)

I never thought I would end up playing the straight man in this situation…

After hearing my words, Maria inexplicably blushed and looked away.

“Louis-san, you shouldn’t say that. These things are better left unsaid even if you secretly desire them. It adds to the atmosphere.” (Maria)

“What kind of atmosphere are you talking about?! Isn’t this the atmosphere of an R-18 doujinshi!” (Louis)

After making that retort, I took a deep breath and sighed.

I realized that I would be spending a lot of time in this room with her in the future.

If this continues any longer, my sanity won’t hold out.

“Well, for now, let’s forget about it. We’ll leave that for next time—” (Maria)

“You sure are looking forward to it.” (Louis)

“—So, what are we going to do in this room?” (Maria)

My retort was smoothly ignored as Maria asked the question I was waiting to hear.

Finally, we were getting to the main topic.

I took a deep breath and stood in front of the long table at the back of the room.

“We’re going to start a new club from here! I’ll be the club president, and for now, the only member is Maria!” (Louis)

“…What kind of club is it?” (Maria)

“The club name is still temporary, but it’s called the ‘Saint-sama’s Advice Club.’ In essence, we’re going to turn what Maria has been doing all this time into a club, helping everyone with their problems.” (Louis)

There are two benefits to turning this into a club.

Firstly, Maria herself can add structure to her volunteer work. She has always seen her volunteer work as part of her daily life. However, by turning it into a club activity, she can perceive it as being part of club activities instead. Hopefully, this will somewhat help in changing her thinking process over time.

Secondly and most importantly, it will be easier for me to manage all the requests that Maria receives. After all, I’m the club president.

This means that any requests she receives have to be filtered through me first.

However, Maria tilted her head with a somewhat confused expression as she listened to my words.

“Is it really necessary to turn it into a club?” (Maria)

For now, I don’t need to honestly explain all the benefits I’m thinking of to Maria, so I evade the question.

“Well, this way, Maria’s actions will become more recognized, and there will be more people to seek your help, right?” (Louis)

“Indeed, that makes sense… Alright, let’s do our best then!” (Maria)

Wow, she accepted it so quickly.

But it really worries me how easy she is.

I do think that Maria should be a bit more sensitive to other people’s intentions.

Anyways, for now, I took out a large stack of blank sheets of paper and some pens from my bag.

“Now then, let’s get started with some club-like activities!” (Louis)

“Ohh! That sounds fun. It feels like we are living our youth to the fullest.” (Maria)

It certainly feels incredibly youthful.

Ugh, that thought is reviving some old scars from my previous life…

It reminds me of my gray high school days.

“…First, let’s start with making posters. We need to make everyone aware of our activities.” (Louis)

“That’s a good idea. It’s time for me to make good use of my artistic skills.” (Maria)

For some reason, Maria suddenly seemed motivated.

But, when you think about it, it kinda fits with the saint-like image so she probably does have some artistic skills.

I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of posters she’ll create.

“Alright then, let’s each make a poster! We can show each other what we made later.” (Louis)

“Hehe, please look forward to it, Louis-san.” (Maria)

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Somehow I feel that Maria was serious about the MC pushing her down thing. 

In other news, I didn’t expect NU to already transfer to my new website so soon. Anyways, how is it? Since I hard-coded this (except the theme) there is still some buggy stuff like the sidenav constantly disappearing and appearing when click the green comment icon thing below. Idk how to fix it, it’ll probably take some time to diagnose.

Btw, what fonts do you guys want? I have room to add in a couple more fonts, but idk what readers use.

---

Footnote:

1. Abstinence means not doing any kind of sexual stuff with anyone

When I went to the student council room during lunch break for the first time in a while, I found Leila eating her lunch as usual, looking somewhat down.

“Ani… It seems like you’re getting hated on again. Are you okay?” (Leila)

As soon as I entered the student council room, she said that with an angry expression.

It’s true that the hate is accumulating again. It wasn’t a big surprise considering the current events.

Lately, I have been having lunch with Irina at noon and then going to the orphanage with Maria after school. 

As a result, my reputation has turned into “the annoying guy who monopolizes Maria, the convenient one who always listens to requests.” 

Taking into account the incident with Irina too, things aren’t exactly going well reputation-wise.

Irina and I have had a proper talk about this before, and she understands, but it might be a good idea to check up on her later.

However… it seems like Leila stopped worrying too much about me. Her words may be formal, but deep down, she probably thinks that I’ll be fine.

She either “trust” me or “given up hope” for me.

However, it’s true that she doesn’t have to worry, so I’ll choose to see it as trust.

It’s better for my mental well-being that way.

“Heh, you see, my sister (imouto)… Men tend to shine brighter in difficult situations.” (Louis)

“…Yeah, I still feel like worrying about you is a waste after all.” (Leila)

When I playfully said that in a proud manner, Leila shook her head in disappointment.

I continued with a cheeky grin on my face. 

“Oh come on, you weren’t really all that worried, were you?” (Louis)

“You caught me. I already knew that Ani doesn’t care about what other people think of him anymore.” (Leila)

Leila playfully stuck out her tongue in response.

As I sat across from Leila as usual, I wore a serious expression.

Seeing me like that, Leila also adopted a serious expression and continued with the topic at hand. 

“Hey, Leila… I have another favor to ask.” (Louis)

“Well, I expected as much. So, what is it?” (Leila)

As expected of my sister, it seems like she understands that I came here to discuss something.

So, I decided to be straightforward with my request.

“Yeah, that’s right. I’ll cut to the chase… Leila, would you consider trying on a nun’s outfit?” (Louis)

“Ha?” (Leila)

As I voiced my request, it felt like the room’s temperature had dropped a lot. 

Leila’s icy gaze pierced through me.

“I’ll start by asking for the reason behind this. If it’s a frivolous reason, I might just have you leave the academy.” (Leila)

Oh, this is serious. 

Her eyes genuinely convey the intention to expel me.

“…I’m sorry. Lately, I’ve been looking at Maria in her nun’s outfit and I just thought Leila might look good in it too.” (Louis)

Leila’s chest isn’t particularly large or small. Her facial features are dignified, and she leans more towards the cool type of person.

But precisely because of that, I thought that wearing a nun’s outfit might create an interesting contrast.

You know, if Leila, dressed in a nun’s outfit, were to look down on me with disdain, it might open up a whole new world

Leila had been giving me a cold stare for a while, but she suddenly sighed and loosened up.

*Phew* it seems like I’m in the clear…?

“I won’t expel you, but I’ll make sure everyone knows that Ani is a pervert.” (Leila)

“Yeah, that’s fine. It’s not like it matters at this point.” (Louis)

When I casually responded to Leila’s words, she suddenly jumped as if she had just realized something.

“I-I see… This person really doesn’t care about what others think…” (Leila)

“Hehehe, those tactics won’t work on me at all.” (Louis)

“Ugh, maybe I should just expel you after all…” (Leila)

“Hey, wait! Spare me! There are still things I need to do!” (Louis)

As I hurriedly plead, Leila sighed as if she were tired of dealing with me.

I’m sorry that I’m this kind of person.

“So… what is it that you want? What’s your real request?” (Leila)

“Oh, my real request, huh? Well, this time it’s not something too complicated…” (Louis)

And so, I made a request to Leila and left the student council room.

Yeah, I’m relieved that she agreed.

This should be a step forward in the Maria rescue operation.

But I’ve been relying on Leila a lot recently… I should definitely express my gratitude to her as well.

＋＋＋

And so, two weeks had passed since I started visiting the orphanage.

I had already gotten to know the children quite well, and it seemed like Maria, in particular, had warmed up to them quite a bit.

…However, their treatment of me hadn’t changed even after two weeks.

“Onee-chan, aren’t you coming anymore?” (Kid)

“Please, come visit again!” (Kid)

“I don’t want you to leave.” (Kid)

I had previously informed Ruin that we would only be helping for two weeks.

So today marks the end of our time at the orphanage.

However, upon learning this, the children were crying as they clung to Maria.

“…Louis-san, are we really not going to help at the orphanage anymore?” (Maria)

Maria looked at me with a pleading expression as she said that.

She probably still wanted to continue helping at the orphanage.

But I shook my head.

“It’s getting difficult to obtain permits to leave every day, and I have already pushed my luck with the principal. I think it’s going to be tough to continue beyond this.” (Louis)

That’s one of the reasons, but it’s also not good for Maria and the children for us to keep coming here.

For now, I believe it’s better not to let her come here. I do think there will come a day when she can return, but at the very least, it should be after her own issues are resolved.

Upon hearing my words, Maria lowered her eyes with a sad expression.

The children, on the other hand, started hurling insults at me while giving me angry glares.

“Devil!” (Kid)

“Monster!” (Kid)

“Bad-tasting meat!” (Kid)

Although there was an odd one mixed in, I didn’t really want to play the role of the villain this time.

Even though the children had looked down on me, they still happily talked to me from time to time, and I would have liked to stay with them if I could.

But that wouldn’t be the right thing to do.

If Maria were to continue visiting the orphanage as she is, she might start depending on the children more.

She might start devoting herself to them because they rely on her.

She might even try to build the close relationship she always wanted.

But, even though, the children rely on Maria right now, what’s going to happen when they grow up?

In this world, adulthood starts at the age of 15, so they will become adults in five more years. Then, the children will no longer have to rely on Maria as they become independent adults.

If this were to happen, she might truly break down if their relationship were to drift apart.

Even if the children continued to rely on Maria, that would also be a problem.

Maria needs to understand that “Unconditional love¹ doesn’t require her to sacrifice herself”. 

To achieve that, she needs some time apart from the children and a chance to realize that they still care about her even without her constant service.

In addition to that, I have already asked Leila for help and she has already started on her side. 

So, I’ll need to act on that plan, and once that’s in motion, we probably won’t be able to come here after school for a while.

Maria had been looking at me with a pleading expression for a while, but when she realized I wasn’t nodding in agreement, she sighed as if giving up.

“Yeah… I understand. Maybe it’s not a good idea for me to stay here any longer.” (Maria)

It seemed that Maria was slowly starting to understand herself better.

She was beginning to sense that continuing to visit this orphanage might not be in her best interest.

“Well, that’s how it is. Take care, everyone.” (Louis)

“Thank you, Louis-san, Maria-san. Thanks to you, we had a really fun time.” (Ruin)

As we were about to leave, Ruin lowered his head and said those words.

Upon hearing that, the children seemed to understand that they couldn’t keep us here any longer, so they reluctantly separated from Maria, still sobbing.

“Well then, see you later, onii-chan, onee-chan.” (Kid)

“Bye-bye…” (Kid)

“Let’s meet again one day.” (Kid)

The children all said their farewells.

Even the silent boy who didn’t say anything, smiled sadly when our eyes met.

It seemed like he wasn’t going to mock me this time.

As I turned my back to them, I spoke these words:

“Heh… Real men communicate using their back, you know. So, I won’t say anything more than this.” (Louis)

That was a pretty cool exit…

With that, Maria should be impressed by my coolness…

“Louis-san, you looked kind of uncool at the very end.” (Maria)

Oof!

As we walked through the twilight streets of the slums, Maria said that to me, and I couldn’t help but clutch my chest in response.

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Yay, finally back to the plot at hand. 

Also, I think MC was trying to pull off the ‘cool guy one-liner with his back turned’ except the one-liner kinda sucked.

Btw the latest chapter is 22 so there isn’t much left until we caught up. And you may or may not know, but I’m working on a new website which is about to be finished soon. Once it’s finished, I’ll try to quickly catch up.

---

Footnote:

1. Unconditional love means loving someone for who they are without considering how the relationship will benefit you, etc.

“We’re getting meat!” (Kid)

“Delicious meat~!” (Kid)

“Me~at, Me~at!” (Kid)

The children were walking through the slums with big smiles on their faces.

They sure are looking forward to this huh.

“Onii-chan is meat too~!” (Kid)

“We’re going to chop him up~!” (Kid)

“Delicious meat~!” (Kid)

…Should you really be saving that out loud?

Or rather, why am I so disliked?

“Hey, onii-chan here isn’t food, you know?” (Louis)

“Huh?” (Kid)

“Eh?” (Kid)

When I said that, the children tilted their heads with puzzled expressions.

What do you not get…?

“Besides, I wouldn’t taste good…” (Louis)

“Definitely bad.” (Kid)

“Absolutely awful.” (Kid)

“Yeah, I don’t want to eat you.” (Kid)

…I can’t help but feel a bit sad hearing them deny it so emphatically, even though I’m the one who said it. 

As I dropped my shoulders in resignation, I made eye contact with the boy who had been silent since earlier.

“…Hmph.” (Kid)

He laughed at me with a snort again!

This is the second time!

This boy has been silent since earlier, but every time our eyes meet, he just laughs at me with a snort.

This is starting to get on my nerves…

After walking with the children for a while, we arrived in front of a house.

“Excuse us, please!” (Kid)

The children knocked on the door and called out like that.

Then, a burly-looking guy with a shaved head came out from inside.

He looked really intimidating.

But when he saw the children, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh, you little rascals here to get some meat again?” (Old uncle)

“Yeah! Give us meat!” (Kid)

The guy smiled and was about to pat the children’s heads when he finally noticed me.

“Hmm? Who are you?” (Old uncle)

“Um, well, I just started helping out at the orphanage today. My name is Louis.” (Louis)

He inspected me suspiciously for a moment, but after a while, he seemed to be satisfied and nodded.

“Well, I guess a guy as dull as you couldn’t cause any trouble.” (Old uncle)

“Urgh! Why does everyone keep calling me dull?!” (Louis)

“Hahaha! Did Ruin-chan say that to you too?” (Old uncle)

“Uh, well, not her, but…” (Louis)

I said that and looked at the children.

The children were desperately avoiding eye contact.

“I see. These kids are straightforward, so they probably just speak the truth.” (Old uncle)

…Isn’t that basically the same as saying I’m definitely dull?

Are you purposely saying this?

I dropped my shoulders in disappointment again, for who knows how many times today, and the guy patted my shoulder.

“Well, cheer up. Even if you’re dull and not particularly impressive, you good a pretty good-looking face.” (Old uncle)

“Uh… thanks.” (Louis)

Is he complimenting me?

Well… I guess he is.

“So, how much meat do you want?” (Old uncle)

“Hm~ a bit more than what they usually order.” (Louis)

“Got it. I’ll prepare it for you, so just wait inside.” (Old uncle)

The old uncle (ossan) led us into his house.

The inside looked like a pretty rundown warehouse, but for some reason, it didn’t feel unsettling.

And inside also laid a huge boar and the guy began to dismantle it.

“Did you hunt this boar yourself?” (Louis)

The old uncle nodded while he was dismantling.

“Yeah, that’s right. I used to be an adventurer, you know. Well, I retired after I injured my left shoulder. There are quite a few other former adventurers like me around here.” (Old uncle)

Ah~ I see.

Well, adventurers rely heavily on their physical condition.

If you get injured too badly, it probably just means the end of your career.

“That’s basically why I hunt weaker monsters for a living now.” (Old uncle)

“Aren’t boars quite strong?” (Louis)

“Well, among adventurers, they’re considered pretty weak.” (Old uncle)

Come to think of it, I have never fought any monsters before.

Well, I would definitely die if I did.

I’m a guy who dies from slimes, so there’s no way I could handle boars.

“So, is this amount enough?” (Old uncle)

“Yeah, it’s fine. Thank you!” (Louis)

I handed the sliced meat to the children as the old uncle stood up.

The children handed the basket they had brought to him and then remembered something.

“By the way, it would be great if you could dismantle this one too.” (Kid)

“This guy needs some disassembling too!” (Kid)

“We hope it turns out delicious!” (Kid)

The children then pointed at me.

Are they seriously planning to eat me…

As I grimaced in shock, the guy gave me a sympathetic look.

“You seem to be getting quite the rough treatment, huh…” (Old uncle)

“Ugh… I’d like to think of it as their way of expressing affection…” (Louis)

And so, we returned to the orphanage with the meat we had obtained.

Ruin and Maria were waiting, chopping vegetables.

“Oh, welcome back!” (Maria)

“How did it go? Did you manage to get the meat?” (Ruin)

The children rushed over to Ruin and Maria and told them what had happened.

“Yeah, we did our best!” (Kid)

“Praise us!” (Kid)

“But we couldn’t get onii-chan’s meat though.” (Kid)

“Onii-chan wasn’t really that helpful.” (Kid)

Ruin and Maria smiled and petted the children as they spoke.

“Good job!” (Ruin)

“But we don’t need Louis-san’s meat, okay?” (Maria)

After that, under Ruin’s guidance, we all put our efforts into making curry.

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Quite the uneventful chapter lol. It’s literally just a shopping trip. 

I mean I wish I can come up with more things to say but it’s like 3am and I have a few hours of sleep before work ;-;

---

Footnote:

1. None

“Big chest.” (Kid)

“Big butt.” (Kid)

“Meanwhile, this one feels really dull” (Kid)

“Doesn’t seem like he is anything special.” (Kid)

Currently, Maria and I were brought to a field next to the church by Ruin.

There, children around ten years old were diligently working in the fields.

There were six of them to be exact, three boys and three girls.

Then, as soon as they noticed us, they immediately surrounded us.

I smirked at the children who started talking nonsense and pointed my index finger.

“Tsk tsk, you guys don’t get it.” (Louis)

“What don’t we get?” (Kid)

“This guy is trying to assert dominance over kids.” (Kid)

“What a nasty guy.” (Kid)

“So immature.” (Kid)

Hold on a second.

Seriously, big bro, you’re getting really worked up about this statement.

And where did you learn a phrase like ‘assert dominance’?

While thinking that, since I’m an adult, so I won’t let my anger show on my face.

I maintained a calm smile and decided to teach the kids.

Just as I was about to speak…

“This guy’s mouth is twitching!” (Kid)

“Wow, he’s really mad!” (Kid)

“Getting angry over this? So immature!” (Kid)

Well, you know, I can’t just stay silent after being told all this.

I decided to teach the kids a lesson while containing my quiet anger.

“You really don’t get it. You see, guys like me who don’t stand out are often the ones secretly pulling all the strings behind the scenes. This is what you call a ‘Shadow Hero’. So, you shouldn’t go against me. Got it?” (Louis)

Upon hearing my words, the children chuckled.

“This guy is someone who’s gone crazy from reading too many hero tales.” (Kid)

“He can’t see himself objectively.” (Kid)

“He’s the kind of person who believes he’s a hero and starts traveling around the world.” (Kid)

Ugh! I couldn’t help but take out a handkerchief and bite it.

Those were some harsh words.

I was genuinely shocked by the children’s cutting remarks.

I mean, is there anyone who wouldn’t be shocked after being told all that?

But more than that, I wanted to smack the past me who thought that children were pure and genuine.

I briefly thought Maria might also become prey to the children and have her kindness repaid with cruelty…

But then…

“I like this big sister (onee-san) more, she’s cute!” (Kid)

“So cute! I like her!” (Kid)

“I want to be like onee-san when I grow up!” (Kid)

What in the world…

The difference in their attitude is too extreme…

“Fufu, thank you.” (Maria)

I glanced at Maria, and she seemed rather pleased with their attention.

I felt relieved, but at the same time, I couldn’t help feeling frustrated.

Why was I the only one to receive such treatment…?

Sure, I may have a plain face, but… There must be something…!

As I was feeling dejected and slumped my shoulders, my eyes met with one of the boys in the group surrounding us.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t said anything mean to me yet!

Could it be that he understands my feelings…!?

“…Hmph.” (Kid)

Ah, he just snorted through his nose!

Damn it! What is wrong with them?!

As I quietly sobbed, Ruin, seemingly feeling apologetic, scolded the children.

“This is unacceptable! Just because Louis-san here is a bit dull, doesn’t mean you should say such things! He’s going out of his way to help you!” (Ruin)

“…Ruin-san. Those words are causing major damage, you know.” (Louis)

“Oh… I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it that way!” (Ruin)

“Sigh… It’s fine. I’m just a dull, unimpressive, and worthless, mob character with no value after all…” (Louis)

Oh no, I’m in danger of falling into darkness, even without the additional ‘Dark Factor’.

Just as I was being all negative, Maria muttered softly.

“…I actually quite like how Louis-san looks, you know?” (Maria)

Yep, all is forgiven.

Maria is truly a saint.

She seemed to excel even at salvation.

“So, what can we help with?” (Maria)

Maria asked, trying to steer the conversation back to the original topic.

To that, Ruin looked over the field.

“Hmm~ it seems like today’s fieldwork is already finished…” (Ruin)

Upon hearing this, the children started chattering again.

“It seems like big brother (onii-chan) is no longer needed.” (Kid)

“We’ll forgive onee-san because she’s cute.” (Kid)

“Onii-chan can go home now. Lucky you.” (Kid)

Why are they so harsh…

Honestly, onii-chan here is starting to feel sad.

It seems that while the children continued with their antics, Ruin and Maria decided to ignore them and carry on with their conversation.

“Well then, do you have dinner prepared or something?” (Maria)

“Not yet. In fact, we might have to go exchange some food with people from other parts of the slums.” (Ruin)

“I see. What do you usually exchange?” (Maria)

“We exchange vegetables and grains we grow here for meat since we have no way of getting them ourselves.” (Ruin)

“I see… Can I help with the exchange?” (Maria)

After Maria asked that, Ruin took a moment to consider.

“Hmm, if a stranger goes there all of a sudden, they might refuse. I think it’s better for us to stick together and just focus on cooking for today.” (Ruin)

Maria nodded in agreement with Ruin’s words.

“That sounds like a good idea. I would be happy to help with the cooking.” (Maria)

After her words, everyone’s attention suddenly turned towards me.

“W-What…? Why is everyone looking at me all of a sudden?” (Louis)

“W-Well… Louis-san, can you cook…?” (Maria)

“…Ah, right. I can’t help if I can’t cook, huh?” (Louis)

In my past life, I never cooked for myself and survived on convenience store meals. I definitely didn’t have any cooking skills.

When they heard that, the children strangely exchanged glances and nodded.

“Sister, let’s take this guy with us.” (Kid)

“If worse comes to worst, we can use him as the meat.” (Kid)

“If we are lucky, it would taste good!” (Kid)

I wanted to respond to those overly harsh words, but the fact remained that I was indeed a hindrance due to my inability to cook. So, all I could do was lower my shoulders in resignation.

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

I’m telling you, kids who are not yours are the hardest to deal with. They know that you can’t do anything to them. On the bright side, Maria is well-liked as expected.

---

Footnote:

1. None

“Um, where are we heading to…?” (Maria)

After ambushing her in front of the classroom, I took Maria out of school and we are currently walking through the town.

Of course, I had already obtained the necessary permits for the two of us to leave in advance.

Normally, you can’t get someone else’s permit, but the principal managed to pull some strings to somehow make it happen.

I know that it is wrong to use the principal’s power for something like this, so I firmly apologized to her afterwards.

“Well… You will find out once we arrive.” (Louis)

I continued to walk with her towards the outskirts of town while skillfully evading her question.

As the area got darker, an eerie atmosphere began to surround the area making Maria look anxious.

I could have told Maria where we were going, but that wouldn’t have been any fun.

Hehe, seeing a nervous girl glancing around is kind of precious…

Anyways, putting aside my shitty thoughts, the place we are currently heading to is an orphanage.

Moreover, it’s a small orphanage located in the slums.

You might wonder why we’re going there; well, it’s because I want her to do volunteer work there.

I believe that the best way to cultivate a genuine sense of trust and receive something in return is to interact with children.

As people grow older, we tend to become more calculative, trying to do good deeds without losing out on our own benefits. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing since it’s human-natured, but it can backfire in this scenario.

That’s why I thought it would be best to have her interact with children who are still pure and can offer genuine gratitude.

…It’s definitely not because I wanted to admire a scene of Maria playing with children or anything like that.

I mean it, okay?

As we kept walking deeper into the area, rundown houses could be seen all around us, and there were some men chatting near them.

They looked at us with suspicion, but quickly lost interest and returned to their conversation.

“We’ve come all the way to the slums, but… I’m a little nervous since it’s my first time here.” (Maria)

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. The people here aren’t really that bad.” (Louis)

In the game, Allen had been to the slums numerous times, but even then, there weren’t any bad people who approached him. 

In fact, personally, I thought the students at our school were way worse.

Many of the students were highly intelligent, which naturally led to meritocracy, and they unconsciously looked down on and discriminated against others based on that. 

In contrast, the people in the slums operated on simple likes and dislikes, making them much more straightforward.

But if you get on their bad side, who knows what will happen?

As long as you don’t rub them the wrong way, you’ll be fine. This is why I’m wearing my regular clothes instead of my school uniform. I don’t want to make them think I’m showing off.

However, it’s not a good idea to dress like a local from here since other physical features might cause them to be suspicious, so I’m dressed like an ordinary person from the town.

That’s why the people in the slums aren’t coming at us aggressively when they see us.

“…Well, yes, that’s true. It’s not good to have prejudice just because they’re from the slums.” (Maria)

Maria nodded in response to my words.

What a saint.

She’s trying to properly look at others for who they are.

Well, I guess it’s not the strangest thing considering the fact that she was originally a village girl.

If she had been born as a noble or something, she might have developed a sense of discrimination.

“We have arrived. This is our destination.” (Louis)

“…A church, is it? No… it also looks like an orphanage.” (Maria)

There stood a rundown church with holes all over the walls.

Next to it was a building that resembled a tenement¹.

“Correct. This is the slum’s orphanage and church.” (Louis)

“I see… Does that mean that we are going to be helping out here?” (Maria)

“Yep. You catch on pretty quickly.” (Louis)

As expected of Maria.

She’s sensitive to the scent of volunteer work.

With Maria already seeming enthusiastic, we hastily entered the church.

“Ojamashimasu!” (Louis)

Not long after, Sister-san² came out from the back of the church.

“Yes, coming. Hmm…? Who might you be?” (Sister-san)

The first thing that caught my attention was that, unlike Maria, the Sister-san in front of me had a small chest coupled with shoulder-length blonde hair and she looked somewhat frail.

She’s definitely the kind that makes you instinctively want to protect her.

“We have come to help out. We are just your average Mob Boy 1 and Mob Sister 2!” (Louis)

I quickly introduced us to Sister-san.

Greetings are important after all; it’s even written in the Kojiki³.

“M-Mob…? I don’t quite understand what you’re saying…” (Sister-san)

“Well, in essence, it means we’re just ordinary people with nothing special, no particular skills or anything like that.” (Louis)

I definitely consider myself a mob character, but calling Maria a mob character is a bit ridiculous.

However, I had to deliberately say we were mob characters here.

If the people here knew Maria was a saint, there would inevitably be some distance between them.

This might make them more reserved and less likely to interact with her with genuine feelings.

“I-I see. So when you say you want to help…” (Sister-san)

“Mob Sister 2, Maria, here really loves children and wants to shower them with affection.” (Louis)

I have no idea whether Maria likes children or not.

But it would be suspicious if we said we came to help from the bottom of our hearts.

I thought that saying this would definitely make it easier to gain their trust.

And it seemed like my plan had worked…

“That’s wonderful! We would really appreciate your help!” (Sister-san)

Sister-san gave a warm smile to Maria.

I gave a quick glance at Maria, and she seemed like she wanted to say something, but for now, I ignored it.

“Thank you— Let me introduce myself. My name is Ruin and I’m the Sister here in the slums.” (Ruin)

“Nice to meet you. I’m Louis, and this Sister here is Maria.” (Louis)

Similarly to my situation at school, I didn’t mention that I was a noble.

Of course, this was out of consideration for Leila who was aiming to become the student council president in the future..

“Well then, I look forward to working with you two.” (Ruin)

“Yes, of course! We’ll do our best to help!” (Louis)

As Ruin and I exchanged these words, we shook hands.

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Of course how could you not have orphanage and church when talking about nuns.

I don’t know man, children can either be brutally rude, or genuinely grateful. Of course since it’s Maria she’s probably gonna be well-liked.

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Footnote:

1. Idk what this is, so here’s a quora ans. Tenements are a specific type of apartment building, up to 6 stories in height, and built cover the whole space, and often with air shafts for ventilation. They also are synonymous for badly cramped slums.
2. Basically something like a nun
3. Kojiki is an important source book for ceremonies, customs, divination, and magical practices of ancient Japan