Sajou Residence, several tens of minutes ago.
"That guy only just met Rei yesterday, why are they cooperating so well already? I'm supposed to be his 'Master'..."
"As I thought, this child is too soft-hearted. But that's a part of him I don't dislike. Still, I've never seen this spell before. Is it for summoning some kind of otherworldly creature..."
"He blew up Caster's workshop directly? While that's a relatively good way to handle it, he should be more careful next time. What if the barrier didn't block the aftershock and he accidentally got hurt..."
Ever since the crystal ball on the table began to show images of Aozaki Rin and El-Melloi II exploring the sewers, Sajou Manaka had been muttering to herself, the expression on her lovely face changing from moment to moment.
Opposite her, Ritsuka and Mash, sitting at the table, had no idea what to say.
In fact, according to the original arrangement, the two of them were supposed to still be locked in the special bounded field in the [Botanical Garden], held as captives to prevent El-Melloi II, who had gone out with Rin, from getting any ideas.
But not long after Rin and El-Melloi II had left, Sajou Manaka, acting out of character, had released them both and brought them to the living room.
Ritsuka didn't think for a second that this meant the girl already trusted them.
After all, if that were the case, it would have been the young man, not the girl before them, who had brought them three futons last night when he saw them sitting uncomfortably in the bounded field, and who had also untied their hands.
Comparing their actions towards her group, Ritsuka couldn't help but feel that the young man Manaka called "Rei" was practically an angel. He treated his captives so well, even bringing them breakfast this morning.
A wave of emotion passed through her. Ritsuka was just thinking about how to ask Manaka why she had specially released them from the bounded field when Mash, sitting beside her, not thinking so much, asked directly.
"Um, Miss Sajou, may I assume you can somewhat trust our identities now? After all, Mr. El-Melloi II did help find Caster's workshop... But, may I ask, why did you suddenly let us out? Wouldn't it be safer to do so after our identities are officially confirmed?"
"...It makes no difference. You don't really think you can just easily escape now, do you?"
Seeing that the situation on Rin's end was calm, as he was just continuing to search for Caster's whereabouts with El-Melloi II in the sewers, Manaka finally tore her gaze from the crystal ball and answered with a smile.
"Besides, I'm only a little curious about your identities. Whether it's true or not isn't important to me. Of course, if it is fake, as the price for deceiving Rei, you had best start thinking about what to engrave on your epitaphs now."
"As for why I let you out early, it was just to have you help me taste-test some dishes. That child worked very hard last night, and he'll probably be busy with that long-haired man until late today, so I plan to make a slightly more lavish dinner."
"But because there are too many options, it would be a bit troublesome for me to try them all alone, so I decided to have you try them. A friendly reminder, don't leave your seats. Otherwise, it won't end with just turning into rainbow frogs."
Manaka stood up, completely ignoring the still-suspicious Mash and Ritsuka. Humming a cheerful little tune, she walked with light steps to the kitchen and tied on an apron.
Honestly, in that moment, Mash felt that the way the girl looked at her was like looking at a white mouse, which made her freeze for a second.
But she had felt this kind of gaze from many of the Chaldea staff in charge of experiments ever since she could remember, so she didn't mind it that much.
It was the first part of Manaka's words that truly scared her. She could feel that if her side had truly deceived "Sajou Rei," the consequences would be dire.
But after thinking carefully about Manaka's words, Mash seemed to understand something and said with a flash of realization.
"I know! Miss Sajou, you must like Mr. Rei very much to be so worried about him!"
You're only just figuring that out now, Mash?
Ritsuka gave Mash a strange look, but considering her friend's personality, it was reasonable for her to be so slow on the uptake.
But there was no point in stating this fact directly now. When dealing with a yandere, this kind of affirmation from another female could backfire and arouse suspicion and resentment.
I hope Sajou Manaka doesn't walk up to Mash with a kitchen knife and interrogate her, saying something like, "Don't tell me you have feelings for that child too," Ritsuka worried.
However, to her surprise, after Mash's words, Manaka, who had been about to prepare the vegetables, nearly dropped her kitchen knife. She immediately turned around, her eyes flickering.
"Wh-What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly like that child! You know, that child is still far, far from my ideal type!"
"Eh? Is that so? But I thought you two looked very good together..."
Mash blinked in confusion. Based on her observations and the books she had read, her previous guess shouldn't have been wrong.
"Good together..." Manaka murmured the words, a sweet arc instantly forming on her lips. But she immediately remembered her "Prince Charming Plan" and quickly denied it.
"Th-That's just your imagination. After all, that child still needs to work hard. If he meets my conditions in the future, maybe I'll agree... Alright, I'm going back to preparing the food. Don't disturb me anymore."
Hurriedly ending the conversation, Manaka pretended nothing had happened and continued to prepare the vegetables. But because of Mash's blunt words, she felt a strange sense of shame, as if something she had deliberately tried not to think about had been exposed. A faint pink blush appeared on her fair, delicate neck.
Oho? This reaction... yandere plus tsundere?
What kind of high-attack, paper-defense romance protagonist are you? Isn't this personality a bit too troublesome? Don't you realize your actions and words completely contradict each other...
Watching Manaka instantly switch from a calm and composed witch to a flustered young girl experiencing her first love, Ritsuka couldn't help but ridicule her inwardly, not understanding what the girl was so insistent on that she developed such a difficult personality.
However, this might be a breakthrough...
A flash of inspiration struck her. Ritsuka, pretending to be nonchalant, started a quiet conversation with Mash, but without lowering her voice too much.
"Speaking of which, Mash, the reason you said that just now is because you've been reading too many romance novels lately, right? But real relationships aren't as simple as they say in the books."
"Eh? Really? But why do you seem so experienced, Senpai..."
"Th-That's because I'm a high school girl, after all. Before coming to Chaldea, I had a very rich emotional life. Even my classmates who used to ask me for relationship advice would respectfully call me 'Master Fujimaru'."
She told the lie without hesitation. The curse would only trigger when facing Aozaki Rin anyway. Ritsuka thought that her side couldn't just rely on El-Melloi II alone; she had to play a part too.
"So you were that amazing before, Senpai..."
"Ahem, anyway, that's all in the past. Also, don't you doubt me. When it comes to matters of the heart, I'm quite an expert. For example, in a relationship, if the woman just constantly cares for the man and sticks to him without getting tired of it, it's very easy for the man to feel bored."
"Wh-Why is that?"
"Because that's just how men are, Mash. Compared to things they can easily get, things that are desirable but unattainable are what they truly want in their hearts. So, maintaining a sense of distance is very important. Of course, this doesn't mean deliberately being hot and cold, but giving the other person their personal space. Otherwise, it might just be seen as gold-digging."
"Um, Senpai, what does gold-digging mean?"
"Ahem, that's not important. You don't need to know, Mash. What I'm trying to say is, if you simply believe that a confession will lead to a happy ending as written in the books and use that as your final move, you will definitely fail in the end. You see, a mature relationship doesn't need something like a confession; it needs seduction. And to learn seduction, you must first stop being human. There are generally three ways to stop being human: either you become a cat, you become a tiger, or you become a dog wet in the rain..."
Watching Mash's adoring expression, Ritsuka secretly glanced at Manaka in the kitchen. She noticed that although her hands were still chopping vegetables, her movements had inexplicably slowed down, and she had tilted her head slightly, as if she were secretly listening.
A small smile, signaling "plan successful," curved on her lips. Ritsuka wracked her brain for all the relationship knowledge she had and continued to chat quietly with Mash.
Finally, after more than ten minutes, Manaka, who had been in the kitchen, returned to the table as if nonchalantly, her fingers lightly brushing the hair by her ear, and said as if it didn't matter.
"You two seem to be talking about some very strange things... Um, do you mind if I join you?"
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