Chapter 23: Close to Ohana (part 2)

“As long as it’s Jin-chan, it’s fine, isn’t it?”  

I figured it was about time.  

Lying down, I slipped my hands into my pockets.  

“Eh? What are you doing, Jin-chan…?”  

“Oh, this? Don’t get me wrong… Hana-chan, I bought it for you.”  

I pulled out the white ribbon hairband I had tucked into my pocket. It was neatly packaged, without any bends or creases.  

“This is a gift. Would you like to try it?”  

“Eh… A gift?”  

“Yes, it’s a hairband. I bought it because I thought it would suit you.”  

Ohana stared at the hairband in my hand, then looked between me and the gift, disbelief flickering in her eyes as she repeated the motion several times.  

“Are you really giving this… to me?”  

“Of course. I bought it just for you…”  

Before I could finish my sentence, I suddenly felt something wet land on my face.  

“Huh? Huh? What…?”  

By the time she realized it herself, Ohana was crying, her tears falling uncontrollably.  

Startled, I sat up and asked, “H-Hana-chan, are you okay?”  

“This is the first time… I’ve ever received a gift like this, Jin-chan.”  

“I see… But I never thought you’d cry. Sorry if you didn’t like it.”  

Had I chosen the wrong gift after all? Tsk, I should have picked something better.  

Was this how a protagonist in a romantic comedy felt?  

I was sure I had given gifts like this before…  

But the response I got was completely different from what I expected.  

“No, Jin-chan! I’m crying because I’m really happy! I’ve never received a gift like this since the day I was born…!”  

“I wasn’t crying because I was upset—I’m just really glad!”  

“You could never offend me! Jin-chan, you idiot…!”  

Even as she cried, Ohana started laughing.  

“Hana-chan, you know what they say? If you laugh right after crying, your nose gets itchy.”  

“W-What are you saying?! Jin-chan, you idiot!”  

She playfully smacked my shoulder. It didn’t hurt.  

This whole situation… It made me feel like I was reliving a moment of youth I had never experienced before.  

I never really understood what it meant, but was youth supposed to be this sweet?  

The atmosphere was so sugary it felt like my teeth might rot.  

“Today was fun, Hana-chan.”  

“I’m glad you think so, Jin-chan.”  

It felt as if spring had finally come to my frozen heart.  

***  

Meanwhile—  

Someone had been watching Hyunjin and Ohana’s picnic all along. (G: who could it be?) 

The person who stared at the monitor screen as if her eyes might pop out was… Amelia Iori Lionheart.  

“Seriously, what is with that expression?!”  

Seeing Hyunjin grinning so happily made Amelia bristle with irritation.  

This time was no different. She couldn’t hear the entire conversation, but a few words rang clearly in her ears.  

Jin-chan. Hana-chan.  

Amelia had managed to track down the location, and caught them doing a Yobisute.  

“…Hyunjin.”  

It was an expression he had never shown before.  

No, that wasn’t right. He had shown it before, but it had been different.  

The difference between happiness and love.  

The expression Hyunjin showed Ohana was love.  

The expression he had when he was with Amelia was happiness.  

And Amelia understood that difference.  

“No, this is nonsense. It can’t be…?”  

Did she… like Hyunjin?  

No.  

Hyunjin was nothing more than a servant.  

Besides, the reason she had chosen to hire him as a servant in the first place was out of sympathy.  

She was Amelia Iori Lionheart—the proud daughter of the Lionheart family. And Hyunjin? Just a mere servant, now called an apprentice butler.  

A romance between a noble young lady and a butler?  

She had read about it in books before, but she never thought it would happen in real life.  

Wasn’t that right?  

Hyunjin didn’t see her as a romantic partner.  

So why?  

Why did this feel so unfair?  

“Ohana… What’s the difference between you and me…?”  

Why was someone else receiving the attention that Hyunjin should have been giving her?  

Amelia clenched her fists.  

There was nothing she could do about the situation.  

If she deliberately interfered with Hyunjin’s outing, it would only make her look petty and controlling.  

And exacting revenge for something so trivial would only damage her pride.  

Even if she didn’t want to hold back, Amelia hated that she was sitting here, watching everything unfold.  

The only thing she could do now was call Hyunjin home.  

And then what?  

Even if she got rid of Ohana, Amelia could already feel something blooming between them.  

“Yes, that’s right. You deserve to be punished…!”  

Her mind began spinning with thoughts.  

This wasn’t jealousy. No, it was something natural.  

It was only natural to feel unpleasant when something that belonged to her wasn’t focused on her.  

Trying to suppress the emotions rising within her, Amelia pulled out her smartphone.

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