After giving Miss Emersy a rose adorned with lower-level spirits, a temporary lull ensued until the results of the wiretapping came back.
Until now, I had no choice but to meet with Miss Emersy for information gathering.
However, with the listening device planted, there was no need to risk meeting him.
Therefore, I deliberately pretended to be busy, making various excuses to delay the meeting.
Of course, it wasn’t just pretending to be busy.
Although some things had been resolved, there were still many tasks to handle, and I had a spoiled brat to deal with…
“Haah. Is it coming again…?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ urges impatiently to open it quickly.]
A letter flew towards me today as well, and I held the luxurious yet plain envelope used at the Imperial Magic Academy, letting out a deep sigh.
In the past, I would have eagerly ripped open a letter from Yuri without hesitation.
Nowadays, the thought of opening it feels uncomfortable.
Could it be because I discovered that this kid is no longer a pure adolescent boy but a dangerous one with strange s*xual preferences?
“Well… I still have to open it.”
He is like a father-in-law who will marry off Julia and Charlotte to me in the future.
I can’t let things go awry if I want to get a safe engagement approval.
I will somehow bring this hopeless kid back to the right track.
With that determination, I took a deep breath and was about to tear open the envelope when…
“What is this?”
I froze upon seeing the recipient’s name written on the back of the envelope.
It wasn’t Mr. Black, but Aslan Vermont.
It was referring to me directly.
A momentary sense of crisis hit me, fearing that Yuri had discovered my identity. However, upon noticing that the sender’s name was not Yuri but Yuria, I let out a sigh of relief.
This letter wasn’t from Yuri, a student at the Imperial Magic Academy, to a patron.
It seemed to be a letter from Yuria, an employee of Vermont Security, addressed to Count Vermont.
I felt somewhat reassured.
Then he wouldn’t reveal his secret preferences.
I could now relax and open the envelope comfortably.
– Greetings, Count. This is Yuria, temporarily instructor of training at Vermont Security.
– The reason I am writing is that I urgently wish to discuss the impacts of the significant changes to the training program and the results of recent commissions, and I would like to visit the mansion.
The letter was written in a neat hand.
Skimming through it, it seemed she intended to come not only to report but also to offer her opinions.
Apparently, there was much to discuss that couldn’t be fully expressed in just a report.
Good. I had planned to write back saying she could come whenever convenient.
Now that I saw the date she intended to come was today, perhaps the postal delivery was a bit delayed?
“My Lord. Instructor Yuria has arrived.”
At that moment, the door burst open, and Sylvia entered.
Had he already arrived?
That was quick.
“Yes. I heard she was coming. Have her come up here.”
“Um, but my Lord, you might be a bit shocked, so please prepare yourself mentally.”
“What the hell is it?”
“You’ll understand when you see.”
Sylvia, unable to meet my gaze, fidgeted with her lips.
It was just a staff member requesting an audience with the boss.
What could possibly make her act like this?
Could it be that Yuri brought a weapon?
If that were the case, Sylvia wouldn’t let her in just like that.
At the very least, it couldn’t be something that threatened my life.
If nothing else, I could completely trust Sylvia.
“Is there really a need to prepare mentally? Unless you’re bringing news that Vermont Security collapsed overnight… huh?”
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
Come to think of it, Irene targeting only me wasn’t impossible.
It wouldn’t be strange at all if she tried to ruin my business.
Surely the news Yuri brought wouldn’t be of that kind…?
As I anxiously shuffled my feet on the ground, I waited.
The soft footsteps drew closer from the end of the hallway until the office door quietly opened.
And the moment I inadvertently raised my head, I realized why Sylvia had said I needed to prepare myself mentally.
“You’re here. Please summarize the key points and report…”
“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Count.”
“…”
The protagonist appeared, having applied makeup to her face and wearing a dress.
.
.
.
I messed up. I messed up. I messed up. I messed up.
I really messed up…!
Yuri felt her mind go completely blank as she stood before Aslan.
Instead of gathering her hair under a hat, she let her short bob fall naturally.
And the black dress she bought after much deliberation every time she passed by the clothing store.
With the help of her senior, she also put on makeup for the first time in her life.
Looking in the mirror, she was surprised herself.
She didn’t know she could look this feminine.
With this, Aslan Vermont wouldn’t be able to say she looks like a boy anymore…!
‘It’s a frontal assault. I have to endure the embarrassment.’
There’s no choice.
To protect Charlotte and Julia from that wicked man, she had no other option but to attract Aslan’s attention with her own body…!
She purposely timed her arrival perfectly.
Now is the time when Charlotte and Julia are out visiting the Vermont Security training grounds.
So, she won’t have to worry about her friends catching her in this embarrassing outfit!
As Yuri squeezed her eyes shut, Aslan’s impressions as he gazed at her for a long moment were as follows.
‘She looks like someone who’s really struggling with their mental health…?’
A dress dyed only in black, adorned with frills.
A large ribbon decoration on her head.
And shoes that looked way too big for her.
No matter how you looked at it, this was a fashion style someone with poor mental health would wear.
To be more specific, it seemed like a fashion choice made by someone with low self-esteem and fragile mental health, suffering from a severe lack of affection, desperately trying to attract attention from the opposite sex.
The atmosphere gave off the impression that once involved, it wouldn’t end well.
‘What on earth is his intention!?’
Aslan broke out in a cold sweat, trying to decipher Yuri’s motives.
The last letter he received from Yuri was almost a lament, complaining that Aslan Vermont didn’t acknowledge his cross-dressing skills.
What did I reply to that?
Aslan quickly retraced his memory and soon fell into despair.
– Since you’ve shared your secret with me, I can’t help but share one of my own. I occasionally meet Count Vermont, and during a private conversation with him, your name came up. At first, he thought you were a boy, but as time went on, he increasingly saw you as a girl…
– So, why don’t you try not to get too discouraged and put in a little more effort?
I added an unnecessary footnote.
Because of the advice to try a little harder, did he take it literally and come fully armored!?
Where in this was it ‘just a little’?
Aslan was momentarily dumbfounded but quickly composed himself and continued the conversation.
“…What kind of look is that?”
“Oh. Ah, I usually go around like this when I don’t have work.”
“…Is that your casual wear?”
“Yes.”
“What was the reason for choosing that outfit?”
“Because I thought it was cute… so I picked it.”
Aslan’s gaze remained fixed on Yuri’s outfit.
Inside, Yuri was cheering.
‘Yes! He seems really interested! The rumors about Aslan Vermont being attracted to young girls are true!’
Finally, Aslan Vermont began to react!
The one who always treated me like a boy and never even glanced my way!
At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before she could seduce Aslan.
She would be able to prevent Charlotte and Julia from becoming countesses!
Yuri was so happy that she felt like she was flying.
“Yuria…”
“Yes, Count.”
“If you ever face any hardships, feel free to tell me. I’ll help you as much as I can.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Aslan extended a sympathetic gaze and reached out his hand.
Yuri took that hand with an innocent smile.
The moment their hands touched, Aslan felt like he could burst into tears.
‘She must have been struggling so much that she wanted to escape reality through this bizarre act of cross-dressing…’
Until now, I hadn’t tried to understand Yuri.
Just because he was the protagonist, I had selfishly believed he was a flawless, perfect superhuman.
But Yuri’s mental state was far from whole.
I should have realized it from the moment he took up cross-dressing as a hobby.
Somewhere along the way, Yuri had become unable to escape reality without this hard-core hobby.
I hadn’t noticed how pushed to the brink Yuri was.
I had thought he was just a little kid with a yellow sprout.
Aslan reflected deeply on the past and felt tears welling up.
“This can’t be! How about we go to the bathhouse together? When you’re feeling gloomy, a good sweat can clear your mind!”
“Y-Yes!?”
Yuri’s pupils shook wildly.
This guy.
He was even more of a p*rverted uncle than I had imagined…!?
