Chapter 1.3

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Chapter 1.3
n.o.blesse Oblige

I’m currently sitting at a table in a footbath maid cafe. I gave a quick greeting to Lyanna, who I just happened to meet by chance, and was now being stared at by Alice.

“What…what’s wrong?”

“Cheater…Leon is seducing other girls right in front of me. I feel like you’re having an affair.”

“Wai-! Don’t just say such terrible things about people!”

I just wanted to tease Lyanna a bit, but I didn’t mean anything like that.

Does she have to go as far as saying I’m having an affair? It’s not like Alice and I are actually dating — Using that as an excuse would probably end badly for me.

I don’t know why she’s acting like this with Lyanna. If I were to do this to Claire or Sophia, she’d probably encourage it. Either way, there’s no way I’m cheating by just talking to another girl.

“Hey, Leon. Lyanna-chan isn’t your older or younger sister.”

“Well, that’s true, but…..why does that matter?”

“You’re definitely cheating if you put your hands on any girl that isn’t your sister.”

“What’s with those standards!?”

I don’t understand her at all. Even if she were just talking about a sister-in-law, saying that is just strange — Rather, it would be normal to say the exact opposite.

“So are you saying if Lyanna becomes my sister-in-law it would be okay to put my hands on her?”

“Eh? Is that what you’re planning to do?”

“……That’s just strange. Your standards are so strange.”

“Hey, Leon? Have you heard of the term n.o.blesse oblige?”

“I’ve heard of it, but…..”

It means something like people born into a higher status have certain obligations in life.

In the case of the n.o.bility, they were supposed to adopt talented individuals and encourage that individual’s growth.

“If you understand that, then don’t you agree? As a n.o.ble, you have a duty to add a girl that is a commoner to your harem. So, you need to find a way to make that girl your sister-in-law.”

“There’s no way that’s what n.o.blesse oblige means!”

Is Alice still trying to convince me it’s okay to be with her even though she’s my sister from my previous life?

I no longer have any intention of denying Alice, so that’s really unnecessary……There’s no way I’m telling her that. I don’t know what she’d do if she knew that.

— Then, the maid came in carrying our orders on a tray. I’m more than happy to end this conversation here.

“Master, Lady, I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Here’s your strawberry shortcake and milk tea.”

Oh, no matter how you look at this place, it is a maid cafe. It’s the exact same as a maid cafe in modern j.a.pan….

Huh? Now that I think about it, it’s a bit strange for there to be a maid cafe in a different world. There were no cafes in this world before this town was built.

Now, there’s suddenly a maid cafe. Alice is definitely involved in this.

“Is this what you ordered?”

“—Ah, yeah.”

“Then, please enjoy.”

The maid bowed to us and turned to leave.

“Hey, Alice. Is this maid cafe…..”

“Did you not see the name on the cafe? The name is Footbath Maid Cafe “Alice.””

“As I thought — eh? Your name is on the shop? Are you the owner?”

“

Yep, I’m the owner. So, today is my treat.”

“Ah, okay. Thank you…why did you create a maid cafe in this world?”

“Because Claire wanted a cafe from our world, so I thought a maid cafe would be fitting…were you surprised?”

Saying I was surprised would be putting it lightly…no, that’s not entirely true. This town has developed at such a rapid pace, that seeing a maid cafe isn’t so shocking to me.

“I thought that you would like a maid cafe. Do you not like it?”

“I like the idea of a footbath cafe, but I’ve gotten used to seeing maids.”

A maid cafe is made for people that have fantasies of having maids wait on them. Now that I’ve been living in this world for a while, I’ve gotten used to seeing maids all the time where I live.

“So, does that mean a school uniform cafe would be better?”

“I already see plenty of school uniforms at school.”

— That’s not to say I created the school for that specific purpose.

“Would it be better if they were wearing outfits designed to fit Leon’s tastes?”

“My tastes? You’re the one designing the outfits.”

“But you were the one that told me to start making clothing.”

“……..”

“What could they wear that you’d like…….Oh, right what about a kimono? Or maybe a school swimsuit?”

Alice starts listing various outfits and I do my best to avoid making eye contact with her. I can feel a bead of sweat roll down my cheek.

“I wasn’t complaining about the maid outfits, so can you stop exposing my interests to everyone?”

Honestly, how does she even know about all of that? She was hospitalized for so long. She shouldn’t have ever had the opportunity to learn about those things.

I was still somewhat concerned about this as I started eating the cake. The sweet cream from the cake spread throughout my mouth.

Clearly, this cake is absolutely delicious. I can attest to this because I’ve been reincarnated; the quality of the cake is probably on par with a modern j.a.panese shop.

“Leon, how does it taste? I came up with all of the recipes here.”

“It’s delicious. Alice, you’re really doing many different things lately.”

I knew she was setting up her Alice brand clothing, but I didn’t know anything about her managing this cafe.

Will this city soon be filled with Alice brand shops?

“Claire just wanted my help with this.”

“Are you helping her because you feel like you owe her?”

If it wasn’t for Claire, Alice would have been sold into slavery.

So I asked her this, but Alice just shook her head and smiled.

“It’s because she’s my friend. Claire is my best friend in this world.”

“I see. Well, that’s fine. As long as it is what you want to do, you can do whatever you want to, Alice.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine. I’ve decided I want to continue improving this town with you, Leon. I haven’t had to do anything I don’t want to.”

Alice didn’t seem to be lying.

But, I could still remember seeing her look envious when she looked at the students talking to one another at that cafe.

After all, Alice is the reincarnation of Saya — I’m sure she still wants to attend school.

I think she could be a little more selfish.

Even if Alice won’t say anything, I already know how she really feels. By the way, I’ve secretly put plans into motion to get Alice enrolled in the school as a student.

For the past two years, I’ve kept Alice away from the school. The only student there that knows who she is, is Sophia.

Now, Alice can live an ordinary life as an ordinary student. She can live as a regular student, something that she was never able to do in her previous life.

Now, I just need to talk with Claire so we can go through the enrollment procedures.

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