What is this sensationā¦? Ah, this is the feeling of fleeting youth!
When I arrived at the hotel where Neko-sensei was staying, I found a crowd of people standing in front of the hotel. Most of the people gathering there were men, and they all seemed nervous, occasionally trying to take a peek inside the hotel. A female hotel employee eventually ended up coming out of the building and tried throwing cold water at them to disperse them, those men were so fired up that it was like sprinkling water on hot stones. She was booed at so badly that she ended up running back into the hotel in tears.
I couldnāt understand just what the heck was going on, so I had no choice but to see what this group of men was up to for a while. According to what some of them were saying, a very beautiful woman seemed to have started staying over at that hotel since the other day. Well then! Itās only natural for men to flock around a ridiculously beautiful woman! Count me in!
Still, I made my way through the crowd and towards the hotelās front door. As soon as I stepped in, the hotel employee from earlier was standing there looking like a demon with a bucket full of cold water.
āAh! Wait! Donāt!ā
āDonāt you dare come in here! ā¦Ah? Arenāt you Lord Helan?ā
āThatās right. So please put the bucket down.ā
āAhā¦ yes.ā
That was close. She was about to empty that bucket against my face. If I had gotten soaked with such cold water under this weather, I would have surely caught a cold. Ah, but then I would have gotten a chance to have tasted Eriās potato soup, which wouldnāt have been bad at all.
āBut why have you come here this early, Lord Helan?ā
The woman asked me that question after having finally calmed down. She seemed very suspicious of me.
āIām here for work. Thereās an important guest staying here.ā
āAh, so thatās what it was!ā
Her suspicions suddenly disappeared from her face.
āOf course, I imagined our lord would have come here to see our guest. Look at that lot outside! I wish they would follow after your example, Lord Helan!ā
Ahaha, donāt tell me youāre so interested in me and my work. I hoped you would have noticed that at a glance as soon as I came into the hotel, and without threatening to throw the contents of that bucket to my face, thank you very much.
āYou donāt have to be so suspicious. I donāt have anything to do with those guys outside.ā
āThatās right, huh? Thatās definitely not the case, even though Eri-sama is here~ā
A burst of dry laughter echoed through the room. Hohoho!
Well, letās get to the point.
āI heard that someone going by āNeko-senseiā was staying at this hotel. I wanted to meet this person, so could you take me to her?ā
āEh!? She was your guest!? I wish youād come here sooner then! At last youāve come to pick her up, havenāt you!? Ah, she seems really conspicuous, so Iām really so glad youāre here!ā
Conspicuous?
If you asked me, Iād think Neko-sensei looked like a bipedal cat-like person with a lion-esque constitution. Well, yeah, that does sound like it stands out a bit. Does she look that suspicious to trouble this employee so much? Does she have a weird taste for food, or maybe she meows at night? Meow!
Hmm, but thatās cute! To tell you the truth, Iām confident that all creatures can love me, since Poobe loves me so much. And Iām confident I can love all creatures, too! A large bipedal cat-like person? I bet she feels fluffy and everything. No matter what awaits ahead, I will not be swayed. Iāll make her the presiding judge of the Helan territory!
The employee led me to a room and knocked on the door. A voice from the other side said āCome inā.
Then the employee opened the door and announced me to Neko-sensei. I heard the words āOh, he can come inā. The employee then came out of the room to tell me that I could come in.
After having received permission to come in, I readied my heart. Even if she ended up being a big cat or something like that, Iāll treat her like a kitten, so Iām sure sheāll like me.
I went through the door and gently closed it behind me.
ā¦There, in the middle of the room, right in front of my face, was the source of the fleeting youth I felt earlier.
Eh!? Whatās this!? This is definitely not what I expected! Thisā¦ This is Neko-sensei!?
No way!? Did I get the wrong room or something!? No, her name is not so common to have it confused with another guestāsā¦ Then, whatās this standing in front of me!?
There was this kind hearted-looking adult woman whose light-brown hair gently blew against the wind coming from the window, and she was sitting on a rocking chair. Not to mention her beautiful face, her skin looked so nice. It seemed almost transparent, and not only on her face, but on her arms and legs too. Speaking of her arms and legs, they were very slender and well proportioned, something rarely seen in this part of the Helan territory, not too thin nor too thick, they were just about right. Her waist looked tight and beautiful, and her chestā¦ well, Iām out of words.
This magnificent woman turned to see me with a smile.
Whatās this fleeting sensation? A bittersweet but fresh aroma tickled the back of my nose.
Ah, this reminds me of my first love. Those days of early youth when I still chased after butterflies, jumped right into the river as soon as I saw the fish, and wondered why the sky was blue. And that beautiful woman who had suddenly arrived at that peaceful rural townā¦
She was wearing such vivid colors which I had never seen, and her shoes looked painful but she still walked normally on them. A faint line of sweat had appeared over her skin so white that it looked like it had never seen the sun as she stood there.
Hey, look at me! Iām waving at you. Back in my younger days, I would climb on top of trees and observe the larvae of insects. I was a bit embarrassed by our age difference, so I jumped down from the tree I was on and tried hiding behind it. She then walked up to where I was and continued to wave at me as she peeked at me.
No way. She must be lost and trying to ask someone for directions, so Iāll gladly help her out. Heck, Iāll even take her wherever she wants to go myself. But does my body not move at all? Come on! Move! Come on! Itās no good! What a horrible feelingā¦ The world keeps moving on and on, and yet that boy isā¦
Huh!? Whatās with this sudden reminiscence!?
No no! Those werenāt my memories! I had no such experience during my younger days! No way!