Lunch over, I rented the kitchen for a few minutes and then headed for Firman's room.

'Isn't that the dungeon?
'We can't keep Mr. Filman locked up in a place like that forever. Donnis is aware of that.'

Filman, who poured water on Donis, was thrown into the dungeon by Donis.
The servants, who rushed out of the dining room, agreed with Donis' words, 'Lock him in the dungeon. Therefore, it seems that they put Firman in the dungeon as a precaution against the Judgment of the Spirits. He was released in a few seconds.

This must have happened many times before. Filman seems to have obeyed meekly.
And now he's holed up in his room.

He was shown to us by Donis's old butler, Venom.
He was a bit of an old man who respected Donis and seemed to think that working for Donis was the best thing that could happen to him.

'This is Mr. Filman's private quarters, sir.
'Oh, I'm sorry.
'Not at all. You've brought back a smile to Master Donis.'

Venom said that for the past few years, Donnis had been wrinkling his brow and letting out nothing but sighs.
It's the kind of thing that makes people around you ache, so much so that you want to give them a big hug and pat them on the head. ...... Hey.

In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at ....... I'm sure you're very skilled at this.
'Yes, Natalia. There's something very wrong with the point of threat. You should know that.

Oh, God.
I wonder if there's anything we can do about this city's system where the level of perversion increases with each position, like head waiter or butler.

'Donnis-sama's smile is a treasure for me and all the other servants. ...... I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Creamona-sama.
'No,......, I didn't do anything special.'
'As expected of the 'Lord of Smiles'.'
'Can you please stop calling me that?No more!

Estella's nickname has spread to such a distant district?
It will only be a matter of time before she conquers all the districts.

'But, Oba-sama. What is it with you and ......?

Venom looks at my cooking and raises an eyebrow.

'Didn't Filman miss lunch?So I thought I'd feed him this.'
'If it's food you're looking for, I've had our head chef prepare it for you. ...... And, as I mentioned earlier, Mr. Filman doesn't eat once he's in his shell.

So.
When Filman became angry at Donis' comment and retreated to his room, Estella asked Donis. 'What about your meals, Mr. Filman?
The answer came from the butler, Venom, who said, 'Mr. Firman does not eat once he has retired to his room.
However, it seems that he does get hungry and has a cook make him a light meal later on in secret.

In short, he is being stubborn.
Well, I don't understand. I've felt that way before, too.
Back when I was still an immature little shit.

'So I made you a meal that you couldn't stop eating no matter how much you bellyached.

Being hungry makes you feel better.
It's easier to talk to someone who's smiling and eating good food than someone who's irritated.

'Will Mr. Filman please eat?
'No problem. After all, this is a special dish.'

I'm confident, and Venom looks skeptical, but he's willing to let us do whatever we want for now.
He must have decided that letting us do what we want will solve Donnis' problems later on.

'Then, I'll leave the rest to you. If there is anything you need, please let me know.

Venom bowed deeply and left the scene.
That left me, Estella, and Natalia.
There is a servant at the end of the corridor, but no one at the front of the room. Perhaps a sulking Firman has forbidden us to approach the room.
When I was a kid, I used to wish to be left alone when I was frustrated.

At the end of the corridor extending from the front of Filman's private room to both sides, there are several servants standing guard over the entrance to the room.
Although they keep their distance, they are always watching him. It would be more accurate to say that they are watching over us, but I wonder how the young filmmaker sees it. ......
It must be difficult to relax in such a life.

I'm afraid that if I'm repressed too much, I might explode later on.

'Filman. It's me. Let me in.'

I knock on the door and call out to Filman.

But he ...... shuts down.

.................. ignored?
Oh, yeah. Ignored. ............

'Late night, at the gate. It's a story of an encounter with an adolescent boy who has no guilty feelings, but a few naughty feelings -- once upon a time. In front of a certain factory, a boy came to ......'.
I'm not sure what to say.Don't say anything else!

Suddenly, the door in front of him was violently opened, and a greatly flustered Fillman came out.


He grabbed my arm and tried to pull me into the room forcefully.
But the force is not so strong that even I can easily resist.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it....... Please, be careful what you say.'
'All right. If you're cooperative, I'll leave you out of the danger.

They exchanged whispered words as they tugged at each other at the door.
Filman keeps his eyes on the servant at the end of the corridor. 'Don't worry, they can't hear you.

'I just want to talk to you. Please include Estella and Natalia.'
'Yes, ............ no, but I'm not ...... letting a woman into my private chambers.'
'I'll keep quiet about it, Rabbit.'
'Whoa!You told me you wouldn't say anything dangerous!
''Only if you're cooperative.''
'I understand, sir!Please come in!But, please try not to touch anything or come in contact with me, and especially, please promise not to do anything that might cause a strange misunderstanding!

This guy is ......


Is it because of the environment he grew up in?I might believe him if he said he was my son.
We have the exact same idea.

'That's right, Estella. Don't hug me as soon as you enter the room, okay?Don't ever do that, okay?
'I wouldn't ...... do that, would I?'

Estella gave me a very cold look.
Doesn't she understand pretending?

No, well, ...... I know Estella wouldn't actually hug Fillman. Personality wise.

'Estella-sama. But that doesn't mean you can't hug Yashiro-sama too, right?Don't ever hug me, okay?
'What?There's no way I'm doing that!Don't pretend to be something you're not!I won't, I promise!

I'm not sure why Estella is glaring at me after glaring at Natalia.
...... Stop it, you're making a temperature difference like that. You'll get a look of 'I got you' from Natalia.

And anyway, please come in.

Filman invited us in, wary of the servants.
The room was very spacious and, naturally, tidy. Except for one ...... corner.

'...... Looks like you're using the bed pretty hard.'
'Oh, uh, this is, uh, ......'.

The sheets are a mess and the pillows are lying on the floor far away from the bed.
You shouldn't take your frustrations out on things, boy.

'Would you like me to fix it for you?
'No!No, thank you!

' Natalia insisted, holding my food in her hand, but Firman rejected her with all his might.
He doesn't want another woman to touch his bed.
He doesn't want other women to touch his bed. He's worried about the smell coming off of it. You can't even invite the woman you want to ...... your room.

You can't even invite the woman you want to your room. 'Now, let me prepare your meal.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

'...... What's this?I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
'No, I'm the one who made it.
'I see.'

A strangely relieved expression appears on Fillman's face.
............ What?No way.

'Are you ...... thinking, "I want my first woman's home-cooked meal to be her own"?'
'How did you know about that?

Oh my God, she's really sick!
Her first love has gotten too complicated!

'Are you the type that gets nervous when you see a store with the same last name as the girl you like?
'No. There is no store with the same name as her in this ward. ......'
'Well, 'Whitehead' is a rare name.
'Hey, hey, why do you know everything?
'No, you were reacting to 'Rabbit' so much just now!

He doesn't realize how much he's revealing?

'...... Maybe I'm easy to understand?
'Well, if you're not paying attention, you might not be able to be identified. ...... On the other hand, it's a good thing there's no store named "Whitehead". If there had been, they would have known about it by now.

If there was no store named "Whitehead," they would have known about it by now. He would have become suspicious every time he walked past the store, stared at the sign for no reason, and walked all the way past the store even if it meant taking a detour.



'You know, but when I pass by the Benali Bakery, a meat pie store run by a man named ...... Nick Benali, I can't help but ......... ...'
'Serious!You're already terminal!

Why can't you just smile at the halfway point?
'Benna 'Rebecca' Lee'?You've got to stop sulking so much!

'Yashiro-sama. Your meal has been served.'
'Good. Then eat quickly, Filman.'

I lead the 'grinning' Filman to the table.
I want to eat quickly and get on with the story.

In the end, he decided that if he didn't get rid of Filman's love life, he wouldn't be able to get rid of Donnis's prejudice against subhumans.
...... Worst of all, there's the possibility that Filman will be crushed.

So I'm going to start on this one first and get it over with quickly.

'Well,......, I'm sorry, but I don't have much of an appetite right now,...... and this is the first dish I've ever seen,....... ......Some of it is very red,......'
'This is the dish that Rebekah Whitehead had this morning.'
'Are you sure?

I was so excited.
His head snapped up. He turned his head to me.

Philman is glued to the eggplant I made him.
A mysterious dish he'd never seen before. I guess he's curious because his girlfriend Rebeka ate it.

'This dish was made using a seasoning called bean sauce that Rebeka Whitehead is currently making, and the only people who have ever eaten it in this city are Rebeka Whitehead and her right-hand man Bertha.

I don't care about Bertha, but I'm not going to call Rebekah that.
I don't want to call out Rebekah, because I'm sure Philman will have some strange ideas about her.

'In this city, only ...... Rebeka-san has eaten the food .......'
'And Bertha, too.
'If I eat it, ...... we'll be the only two people in this city ......'
'Bertha's still alive. Count him in.'
'Only two people know the taste of ......'
'Bertha's still here, though!
'Yashiro. It's no use, I'm sure. Maybe he can't hear us.'
'And then, Master Yashiro. If you try hard to defend yourself like that, people will look at you like, 'Oh, so Yashiro likes mature women, huh?
'Estella has a good point. Natalia's opinion makes me want to throw her in the manure.

Who likes mature women?
I mean, Bertha's not ripe, she's withered. There was hardly any water left in her.

'Oh, sir!May I eat it?
'Oh, eat it. Since it's your first time, I've made it in the style of Rebecca Whitehead.
'Rebecca's style ......!Oh,............, I'm so nervous, I'm drooling. ......'

This is a physiological phenomenon caused by the sight of something delicious, isn't it?
It's not drooling over the Rebekah in your imagination, is it?

By the way, Ribeka-style means sweet with less spiciness.

'Then, let's eat!

Filman scoops up a heaping spoonful of mabo eggplant and shovels it into his mouth with gusto.

'Hmm!...... Mmm!

As soon as the taste of the eggplant spreads in his mouth, Philman's arms speed up.
As soon as the taste of the eggplant spreads in his mouth, his arm speeds up and the eggplant in his plate disappears.

'Mmmph!Mmm-hmm!

Because his mouth is stuffed to the brim, Filman takes in oxygen through his nose. He breathes very hard.

'It's delicious!It's so good!
'This one is still in the prototype stage. It'll be even better when it ages.'
'And it's still going to get better?...... You're the best, Rebekah-san. ......'

I'm sorry.
I'm not sure I'm the one who came up with the idea.
No, I don't like to be celebrated, but I don't like to be ignored.
Without Rebecca, this flavor would not be possible. That's for sure, but ......

'Thanks to my brainchild, Rebekah Whitehead has been in a much better mood lately,' he said.
'That's great, bro!What's your name, ......?'
'Yashiro.
'Mr. Yashiro, that's great!

Yeah, yeah.
It feels good to be respected like this.

'......You're always saying, "I just taught you how to make the seasoning in my hometown," but ......'


'You get lonely when you are not cared for, don't you, Yashiro-sama?

I'm not going to look at the two of you who are looking blankly at each other over there right now.
Moderation is the best in all things.

'I'm going to ask you straight out, Filman.
'Yes, what is it?

Filman, who had begun to respect me, responded favorably to my question.
All right, let's bring Filman to our side at once.

'The reason you're having difficulty with the successor to the lord is because of what happened with Rebekah Whitehead, right?
'Ugh ............ that.'

Filman was at a loss for words for a moment, but he stared at my face and nodded as if he was convinced of something.

'It's no use hiding things from Yashiro-san, is it? ...... That's right. It is as you say.

Filman seemed to have made up his mind.
He begins to tell us his true feelings, which he has probably never told anyone before.

'I also understand that the job of a lord is a noble one. I'm proud of myself for being able to hold such a position, and at the same time, I'm grateful to Uncle Donnis for taking care of me so that I can do so. ...... but ......
'Donnis has a prejudiced view of the beastman race.
'Beasts and men?
'We have a lot of people like that in our group. We wouldn't call them 'subhumans' by mistake.

Estella explained as an addendum.
Perhaps her words struck a chord with him, but his cheeks flushed and his eyes sparkled.

'That's a lovely way of thinking. ...... I envy you the 42nd district. I'm sure that in the forty-two districts, differences in race will not be an obstacle to marriage.
'I believe that to be true.

Estella herself can't say for sure because she hasn't thought about marriage yet.
But I'm sure she won't give it a second thought.

'You are right, Estella.

Natalia agrees with Estella.
Proudly, she continues with words to prove the validity of her Lord's statement.

'The only obstacle to my lord's marriage is his lack of breasts!
'You don't need to say anything else!
'No breasts!
'Don't leave out the extra part!Also, I have them!'

The choice of the word 'no' instead of 'small' is very Natalia.

'Oh, no!I think women with small breasts are wonderful!
'Mr. Fillman, you don't need to follow up on that. Besides, I know you're somewhat like that.'

Estella, who had been spat upon so much, finally started to spew venom herself.
She's accusing Philman of being a pedophile.
I guess that's understandable. After all, Filman's strike zone is nine years old.

'Can we get back to that now?
'....... When Natalia is around, Yashiro sometimes stands on the 'decent human side', which is ...... a bit frustrating.


I'm sorry. They're always going to be messing around when I'm not around, you know.

'You think Donnis is going to object to us bringing in Rebekah Whitehead, don't you?
'...... Yes. I don't think he particularly dislikes her, but in the first place, he seems to think that marriage with a sub ...... beastman race itself is uncommonly impossible, because he's ...... old-fashioned, Uncle Donis.

In the past, there was no such thing as a nobleman and a beastman.
In the past, there was even a perception that marriage between nobles and beastmen was an abomination. It's not that Donnis is particularly eccentric, it's just that it's the norm.

It is difficult to change that value system.

'So, I'm thinking of taking the next step with courage.
'The next step: ......?'
'Yes!It's a romantic step for me and my libe...... girlfriend!

...... As I recall, this guy is currently at the stage where he's stalking her with the goal of 'eye contact'.
What's the next step?
What's the next step?

'I'm thinking of eloping with her!
'You're skipping too many steps!

Or maybe it's just a really big staircase with a lot of steps!That's not a staircase, that's a wall, a precipice!

'So, when you've settled down, say hello and hold hands with me at ......'.
'Are you planning to elope without saying hello?
'That's kidnapping now, isn't it?
'Yeah . I think I'd better settle down for once.''

No one seemed to agree with Filman's romantic steps. Of course not.

'But Yashiro, what are you going to do?'

Estella speaks to me in a whisper.
There is a hint of tension in her voice.

'Rebeka-san ......, there's someone you're interested in at the church, right?'


'It's still uncertain, though.'
'From the look of him, I'm pretty sure he's right, right?
'You're just guessing, right?
'That's, ...... so...'

Bertha said that there was someone in the church who was very dear to Rebeka.
The way Rebekah reacted suggests that it was the opposite s*x she was interested in.

......, but that's just a guess on our part.
The truth may be different, and even if it is, it doesn't mean that there isn't room for Fillman.

After all, he's the man who's expected to be the next lord.


If not, we'll figure out what to do next.

We're not here to get Filman a girlfriend.
We're not here to get him a girlfriend, we're here to get him out of his overly intense crush.
We're here to tell him to get his feet on the ground, because he's fallen in love and his whole personal life is a blur.

'Certainly. I think we have to meet him first before we can talk about it.

Estella's words seemed to reflect the thought that there was a high probability that she would be rejected.
When our eyes met, she gave me a wry smile as if she cared a lot. Oh, so that's what you think.

'Filman, have you ever talked to Rebeka-san?

The candidate for the next lord and the number one of the koji factory, the key to the district. Maybe you've at least met him.
--I thought, but Filman shook his head.
He had never had a conversation with him before.

'Oh, I thought we didn't talk until after we were married. ......'
'I don't think it's possible to get married without talking!

As expected, Estella couldn't help but comment on this.
Filman. That's no longer pure-hearted.
You're just a slacker.

'But I've seen it many times!
'One way or another.'
'I don't think Rebekah realizes that.'
'Besides, the act itself is just as criminal.

Filman is the only one who thinks we're making progress towards marriage.
Estella's right, it's unlikely we'll be able to talk about it until we've met.

We'll know what to do with Donnis after we see what happens with Filman and Rebekah.

'Then we'll go see him.
'No, no, wait!You can't!'

Filman clung to me, his voice desperate.

'If it's so bright, they'll find us!
'I'm going to see him!

What am I supposed to do, you criminal? He's thinking like a stalker.

'And besides!

The filmmaker crawls over my body and puts his face close to my ear.
Don't get unnecessarily close to me!You don't even let a woman touch your private things!

'...... When I leave the palace, the servants follow me. I don't want them to know about Miss Rebekah just yet, ............ because I don't know what Uncle Donis will ...... say.'

So he sneaks out in the middle of the night because he has a reason to hide in the dark.
I guess Rebekah isn't the only person he has to hide from.

'All right. Then I'll take you out.'
'Can you do that ......?'
'Ah. If Estella and Natalia are willing to help, yes?'

I winked at my trusty companion and she gave me a look of disgust.
Oh, come on, don't look like that. I'm trying to help people,......," he said.