Chapter 2
Ruiid Seek
Still, this dress is so hard to move in. At least when I get back, I want to change into something comfortable right away. I wonder if they have sweatpants here? …No, probably not. Sigh.
“Hey, you!”
If you make a kid drag around something this heavy, what if they don’t grow tall? What if they end up all musclebound… Muscle… macho… macho…
“Hey! I’m talking to you, slowpoke!!”
“Huh?”
While my parents and brother were busy greeting people, I’d slipped out to take a break on an empty balcony.
From behind me, some brat started talking. There’s no way he’s calling me “Hey” or “You,” so I ignored him—until he grabbed my arm and forced me to face him.
I almost reflexively threw him, but… held back.
His vivid red hair swayed lightly; from cat-like, slightly upturned eyes burned fiery red pupils. Overall, he was well put-together and handsome—not my type, though.
This is today’s guest of honor boy. Oh, so he can talk.
“I’ve been calling out to you for a while! Why won’t you turn around? I’m the one taking the trouble to talk to you!”
…I’m the one… taking the trouble… to talk to you?
So just because you’re the main character of the day you’re acting like a king, brat?
King for a day just because it’s your birthday… wait—king for a day… that reminds me.
He’s that “target character” guy from the game, isn’t he?
Even his little sister was like, Ugh, you’re so pushy!—grumbling about his arrogance.
At school he had a full-blown harem, bossing around beauties like they were his slaves, even giving them drink/seat nicknames… wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait… oh no.
Fragments of my past life memories flicker back.
That girl who was called “chair” and forced to go on all fours so this idiot could sit on her back.
Her bangs fell straight over her face; side hair cut like some weird “princess cut”—different from the CG’s hairstyle but… the CG’s straight silver hair—that’s me.
Long silver lashes, big droopy golden eyes—that’s me.
The lips in the CG curved in a blissful smile while being used as a chair—that is not me. Absolutely not.
The features of the girl who was turned into a human chair in my memories match my current self.
She was never called by name—just “chair” or “slave.”
In other words, a background mob.
And a pervert.
“Are you listening?!”
So irritating. What has this guy done—or is about to do?
I can definitely avoid it now.
Thank you, random stone that hit my head and gave me back my memories.
“I beg your pardon. What is it… um…”
What’s his name again? No idea.
“Ruiid Seek!”
So his name is Ruiid Seek.
He’s angry enough to stomp his feet right there. Just a big red guy now.
Yeah, I guess not knowing the host’s name is pretty rude. I’ll have to bluff.
“My apologies. I was unsure whether I might address you by name upon first meeting. Please forgive my discourtesy, Lord Seek.”
“Hmph. Fine. So? Why are you here? Everyone else crowds around me to flatter me, and you’re holding back?”
Nope. This guy’s an idiot. I don’t even want to talk anymore. So annoying.
“I’m not holding back. I simply have no reason to flatter you or join the crowd.”
The idiot’s mouth hangs open. Funny face.
“Why don’t you return to your group, Lord Seek? Please don’t mind me.”
“Wha—!!”
Now he’s even redder.
Why so excited?
If I recall, he loved groups, then grew interested in the normal heroine, pushed hard, and she fell for a mix of his forcefulness and occasional kindness.
I’ve heard enough about this guy to last a lifetime. I’ll never get it.
“Could you let go of my arm? This is harassment.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m Seek! Don’t you want me to like you?!”
“No.”
“Wha—!!”
Another “wha—!!”
And still not letting go. His grip’s tightening…
“…Arm.”
“Huh?”
“Let go. Now.”
I glare, unable to hide my irritation.
He startles, realizing he’s been gripping too hard.
My freed arm is a little red.
“Ah…”
He suddenly softens, staring anxiously at my reddened arm.
“I’m not going to tell anyone, so it’s fine. You should head back. A party without its guest of honor is lonely, isn’t it?”
I plaster on a perfect fake smile and try to turn him around, lightly pushing—but he won’t move.
Even shoving harder he’s immovable, like a mountain.
My true feeling: Just go already, you jerk.
“I don’t want to go back…”
“Huh? Why?”
Is he unstable?
His drooping back suddenly seems melancholy.
Come to think of it, he’s been in a bad mood from the start—maybe he has a reason.
Just because he treats people like chairs later doesn’t mean he does now.
I feel a tiny pang of guilt.
“All those people who only look at my status and appearance and come fawning over me—they’re disgusting… they make me sick.”
“Oh, I see.”
He spins to face me, staring in surprise.
No anger now—more like confusion.
I’d only known his king-of-the-harem self, but I guess he had his cute moments too.
When did he decide to just give in and play king?
“Eh? That’s all you have to say?”
“What else can you say? If you’ve got status and looks, people will gather. If you hate it, keep your distance. But it’s a waste—you might miss people who aren’t like that.”
“A waste?”
“If you reject everyone from the start, you’ll miss the ones who don’t have ulterior motives.”
“…Such people exist?”
“I dunno. Find out yourself. If you look properly, you might find a jewel among the stones.”
“A jewel… You ‘don’t know’ huh. You really don’t sound like a noble lady.”
Oh no! Slip-up!
My head’s still muddled. A marquis’s daughter would never say “I dunno.”
“My apologies. Please forget I said that.”
“No. I like it. You’re the first person to talk to me that way…”
“But if people learn a marquis’s daughter talks like this…”
“I won’t tell anyone! Don’t underestimate me!”
“Heh… good boy. Maybe you were just lonely and taking it out on the sycophants? Or maybe you built an ideal version of yourself so people wouldn’t leave?”
“…Eh.”
“Eh?”
Oh no—did I say that out loud?!
He’s trembling like a kitten. This is definitely one of those things you’re not supposed to say!
“Sorry! I went too far, didn’t I? Sorry.”
I pat his back to soothe him.
Seek lifts his head sharply, looking straight at me—his eyes sparkling now.
“You don’t need to apologize. You’re really the first person like you… Are you the same? Do you curry favor but get badmouthed behind your back…?”
“Nope. I’ve hardly ever been in public, so I don’t know. But at least you found out who badmouths you before befriending them, right? People like that can only live in someone’s shadow. They’ll lose everyone’s trust. Well, if there are lots of people, you can pick the ones without malice, right? Just take it easy—see it as having more options! Right? Ha ha!”
Seek gapes, then chuckles softly—elegantly.
The opposite of my loud laugh.
“You’re a weird one. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you before. If you’ve never been out in public… are you sickly? Your arm was so thin too. Sorry about earlier…”
Ah, the classic “beautiful boy, eyes up, fidgeting shyly” move. Like a kitten—kind of cute.
Kids are innocent, huh.
I feel a bit bad for thinking “idiot” at him so much.
But, well… you are the guy who was going to turn me into a chair.
