On the way back home with cotton candy in hand.

The lady on my back was still not over her anger, apparently, as she grumbled, explaining the truths of life.

“That’s why! The guys who pay a lot of money are usually the bad ones.”
“Is that so, even though that person gave us meal tickets? Is he a bad person, then?”
“What?”

In the past, the lady had said this:

The one that gives you delicious food is not a bad person. If you feel that person is bad, then it’s either because you have a bad eye or there’s something wrong with you. She had taught me that.

As one of the model students learning from the lady’s philosophy, I felt discontent with the lady’s teachings and spoke out.

“The person gave you the meal ticket?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because of good work?”

Suddenly, the lady fell silent.
After a brief contemplation, she nodded in agreement.

“Then he’s a good person.”
“Right?”
“Still, you can’t work with that person.”
“Why not? If he pays well and even treats you to delicious food, there can’t be anyone kinder, right?”
“That… That’s because it’s dangerous! He didn’t even tell us what the job was.”
“It was just catching insects. Really rare insects.”
“Ugh… Stop lying!”

The fact is, I knew it too.

The kind of work where you can earn a million gold in just one day either involves endless shady dealings or is about hunting down a notorious monster. That’s the kind of job where you earn that amount of money.

If we’re being honest, I got the named criminal, but it was more because of luck.

Pascal didn’t suit me well.
Since he was an antagonist appearing in the original story, I knew his weaknesses well, which allowed me to handle him easily.

I understood and agreed with the lady’s worries and reprimanding, but teasing her and enjoying this kind of banter was quite fun for me.

“So what do you think?”

The lady, still hitched on my back, answered indifferently.

“About what? Paying off the debt?”
“No, I figure you’re naturally pleased about that. I meant about something else.”
“Something else?”
“Look over here.”

I lifted my head to look around.

Despite the darkness of night, the streets were brightly lit.
Streetlights illuminated above us.
Even though it was a weekday, people bustled through the streets, and street vendors clapped their hands to attract customers.

Normally at this hour, we would have turned off the lights and gone to sleep or would have been talking in the bedroom.

I was curious about how the lady felt being outside after so long.

“How do you feel being outside after such a long time?”

The lady looked around just as I did.

The bright and lively scenery of the street.

The overly-beautiful view of the night made her eyes shine bright.

The lady buried her face in my back.
It seemed too embarrassing for her to speak frankly, hiding her face and speaking in a delicate tone. I wanted to pinch her cheeks.

“I like it.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah.”

I felt relieved.
Because the lady was pleased.

A part of me had been worried that the lady might dislike this outing.

After losing her legs.
She hated meeting people.
Living in a giant mansion, which felt like a cage without friends and family.

I was anxious, with my heart in my throat, worrying about how the lady locked up in her room would dread going out next time if she got scared.

Ruin’s appearance along the way, too, was a concern.
I wanted to create good memories for the lady, and hearing her shy response eased the worries I had been carrying in my heart.

It felt like all the hardships had melted away.

“Then, shall we go out again next time? Visit street vendors, eat skewered chicken, what do you think?”
“…Maybe we could.”

We promised each other.
Next time, we’ll spend our time more enjoyably and rewardingly as we made our light-hearted way back to the mansion.

***

On our way home.

Olivia fell asleep for a moment.

Perhaps she was tired from the rare outing, or exhausted from scolding me for doing dangerous work.

The spacious butler’s back.
It was reliable and sturdy.

When she was young, she thought he’d grow up tiny, like a dried-up twig, but now he had grown so tall that she had to look up at him to see him—he had become an adult who could carry her.

Olivia liked Ricardo.

Not as a romantic interest, but genuinely as a person.

Ricardo was always kind.
Always ready to smile.
He would rush to her whenever she had troubles. How could she not like him?

Whether Ricardo felt the same about her, Olivia didn’t know, but she liked her butler named Ricardo.

She hoped he thought well of her.

That’s why she even looked for work in the newspaper, but Ricardo went and paid off all the debt, making her search meaningless.

She was genuinely annoyed.

That’s why she shed a few tears today.
Not many, just a little.
Just a tiny bit of tears.

She never imagined the debt would have been paid off.

He must have done something really hard.

Olivia hugged Ricardo tightly. She remembered when her mom used to hug her like this; it made her feel good.

She hoped Ricardo would feel better too.

– Definitely.

The warm embrace was felt in her heart.

The butler who had been by her side unwaveringly for 13 years had a broad and warm back.

“Excuse me, my lady.”
“Hmm?”

Ricardo’s trembling voice rode on the wave of approaching sleepiness, gently echoing in her ears. The low baritone voice tempted her to sleep, but Olivia did her best to stay awake.

She felt it’d be even more embarrassing to fall asleep while being carried on his back.

“How have you been feeling lately?”
“Just so-so.”
“I see.”

A quietness lingered in the street.

The steady footsteps of Ricardo as he walked seemed like a lullaby. This silence wasn’t too bad.

The waves of drowsiness were surging closer.

‘I shouldn’t sleep.’

Olivia snuggled closer to Ricardo’s body.

Ricardo flinched and trembled. She didn’t understand why.

Is he cold?
No, it should be warm.

It was still early autumn.
The leaves hadn’t even turned colors of fall yet.
Why was he reacting like that?

Olivia was concerned about Ricardo’s shivering even though it wasn’t cold.

“Are you cold?”
“No.”
“Then why are you trembling?”
“Well…”

Ricardo let out a sigh.
His ears were red with heat.

“It’s because the lady is clinging to me too much.”
“Why? Is my body cold?”
“Not at all. It’s just… When you cling too much… I mean, it’s kind of nice, actually. No, no. What am I even saying…”
“Is it okay?”
“Yes, you look sleepy, so please rest. I won’t leave you behind, so don’t worry.”

Indeed, he was a butler well aware of his own condition. A capable butler who would bring what you wanted without being asked and say what you wished to hear, but today, she decided not to listen to her butler’s advice.

Because it has been too long since they went out together.

“I’m not going to sleep.”

Olivia firmly refused.

The sky was scattered with stars.
As they were nearing the mansion and there were fewer people around, she felt happy.

Olivia looked at Ricardo.

He was as always, dressed in his black suit. Ricardo, with his reddened face, was walking towards the mansion, trying to hide it.

Doesn’t he ever get tired of that suit?

Always wearing the same clothes.

But, now that she thought about it, something was off.

A question bloomed in Olivia’s head. She wondered why Ricardo wore nothing but long sleeves.

One year ago. Since that day.

Ricardo’s attire had been stuck in white shirts and black suits.

Initially, she thought it’s because he had some unpleasant business to keep dressing in black suits.
Later, she assumed it’s because they didn’t have money, so he wore his butler’s uniform.

But now that she thought about it.

Even last summer.
And this summer.

Why is he wearing only that outfit?

He used to wear short sleeves.

Over the past year, Ricardo had only worn long sleeves that she had seen.

It was strange.

Disliking her own curiosity, Olivia asked Ricardo directly. She decided to ask why he wore long sleeves and if he wasn’t hot.

“Ricardo, aren’t you hot?”
“No. The weather today is quite cool, so it’s fine.”
“Really? Wear short sleeves if you’re hot.”

Suddenly, Ricardo fell silent.
Olivia’s curiosity only grew as he gave an awkward smile without saying anything.

Did he do something when she wasn’t around?

Like getting an embarrassing tattoo or maybe he’s wearing a gold bracelet – Olivia was convinced by her intuition that Ricardo was hiding something underneath his clothes.

Hmm…

Olivia brought her face close to Ricardo’s neck.

She thought she might see something between the collars of the shirt. Pretending to sleep, she placed her eyes on Ricardo’s nape and squinted.

It was perhaps a perverse act, but curiosity was something Olivia couldn’t contain.

As Ricardo walked, his shirt opened slightly to create a small gap.

And as Ricardo’s body threatened to become visible through the gap in his clothes.

“Peeping is a bad behavior.”

Ricardo’s stern voice about wrapping up his clothing came through. She felt flushed. She thought she had acted flawlessly, but to be caught outright!

Especially since she was caught trying to steal a glance at her butler’s body. Olivia couldn’t raise her head.

“I didn’t see anything!”
“Lies. I felt your lecherous gaze.”
“I wasn’t lecherous!”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t look at me like that!”

Ricardo fastened his clothes.
As if to not allow even a small peek, he wrapped himself tight, and Olivia was irritated by it.

“I’m not looking!”

Olivia made a promise to herself.

Someday she would definitely see it.
Olivia was resolved in her mind.