SHC51_CH51_CHAPTER 51: AN ELF COMES TO VISIT...

Chapter 51: An Elf Comes to Visit…

The last time I met Viktor-san in the Imperial Capital was around the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. At the time, we agreed to meet again in two months—so I had thought there was still about half a month to go.

But when I returned to the mansion, accompanied by Utsunomiya-san and holding Regulus-kun’s hand, there were four figures standing in the entrance hall.

One of them, nearly two heads shorter than the others, was clearly Rottenmeier-san. The other two must have been Professor Romanov and Viktor-san. But that left one figure unaccounted for.

As we drew closer, I saw Rottenmeier-san looking somewhat flustered, Professor Romanov wearing a sour expression, and Viktor-san pouting and turning his gaze away. The last figure stood facing them—a person with a build similar to Professor Romanov, sporting a head of platinum-blonde hair. They styled one side into intricate cornrows, while the other fell in soft, shoulder-length waves, which they twirled around their fingers.

The tension in the air was so palpable that I almost hoped it was just for show.

Then, in true Utsunomiya-san fashion, he shattered the awkward atmosphere with exaggerated cheer.

“Rottenmeier-san, I’ve brought the Young Master~!”

“My goodness, Utsunomiya-san! Lower your voice—that’s most improper.”

Rottenmeier-san scolded him perfunctorily, sounding more relieved than upset, and stepped away from the trio to do so.

The platinum-blonde elf stopped twirling their hair and turned to look at me.

Pointy ears. The elf's pointy ears were unmistakable.

Their violet, almond-shaped eyes were striking, and their plump, glossy lips even more so. Elves really were beautiful, weren’t they?

“Well, you really are as round as the rumors said.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Mhm. I’m going to call you Roundy. And the one behind you can be Little Chick.”

They had a voice too high for a man, yet too low for a woman—and they just casually labeled me round.

While I stood there, stunned, Viktor-san bristled.

“Hey! You can’t just call someone Roundy like that! His name is Ageha! Honestly!”

“And what about you calling him ‘Aatan,’ Viktor?” Romanov-sensei interjected flatly.

“Huh!? Are you siding with me or with Lara, Alyosha!?”

“I’m on Ageha-kun’s side.”

Romanov-sensei calmly brushed Viktor off, earning a soft chuckle from the elf with violet eyes.

Tall and lean, with a sword at their waist and long limbs that hinted at the same fluid grace as Romanov-sensei, they exuded style effortlessly.

“Um… welcome, Viktor-san. And…?”

I looked toward the elf, unsure how to address them. Viktor cleared his throat.

“Long time no see, Aatan. This rude one here is ‘Lara,’ the one I told you about before.”

 

“Oh, the famously elegant penmanship of ‘Lara’!”

“Yep, that’s her. Lara, go ahead and introduce yourself.”

At Viktor’s cue, the elf placed a hand on their chest and made a dramatic, yet graceful, bow.

The whole gesture was so cool it made my heart flutter.

“I’m Ilarion Rubinsky. Just call me Lara—I quite like that nickname.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kikunoi Ageha. Welcome to Kikunoi.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Regulus!”

Ilarion-san—Lara-san—shook my outstretched hand. Their hand was calloused and tough, more like Romanov-sensei’s than Viktor’s.

Regulus-kun also shook hands with them, then tilted his head and looked up curiously.

“Are you… a big brother? Or a big sister?”

“My, you’re sharp, Little Chick.”

“Eh?”

What… what does that mean?

While I stood frozen in confusion, Lara-san smiled slyly, lips curving like a crescent moon.

“Indeed, I’m not a big brother, but a big sister. But I prefer the name ‘Ilarion Rubinsky’ over ‘Ilariya Rubinskaya.’ And I’d rather be called ‘Big Brother’ than ‘Big Sister.’ However, I want to clarify that I do not wish to be a man.

With a wink that felt like it might knock me flat, she hit us both with a full-blown beautiful person beam. I flinched; Regulus-kun remained unfazed.

So… Lara-san’s a woman who enjoys dressing like a man. Got it.

With that, we now had the full trio of elf-human sympathizers assembled.

With three stunningly beautiful faces gathered in one room, the atmosphere felt more dazzling than anything I’d ever seen. And with Regulus-kun and Utsunomiya-san also being quite handsome in their own right, I—the plump little piglet—felt like hiding under the furniture.

Not that I could escape, with Regulus clinging to my waist from stranger-induced shyness.

Noticing my hesitance, Rottenmeier-san, having finished scolding Utsunomiya-san, gently called out to me.

“Young Master, the tea is ready…”

“Ah, yes. Please, show them in.”

“Certainly.”

And so, I left the rest to Rottenmeier-san and went with Regulus to change clothes and clean up.

We washed our hands and changed outfits as fast as we could. For once, Regulus-kun didn’t play around during dressing—probably because he knew we had guests.

“Can’t keep our guests waiting, right? You’re such a good boy today.”

“Aye! Ree is a good boy!”

“Alright then, let’s go.”

With matching ribbon ties made from fabric gifted by the princess, we headed to the parlor.

The door was already open, and inside I could hear the voices of Professor Romanov, Viktor, and Lara.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting~!”

As we entered, all three of them turned to look at us at once.

With my parents absent, I took my seat as the acting head of the household, Regulus beside me. Rottenmeier-san stood behind us.

“The one behind me is Rottenmeier. She manages the entire household. If anything comes up during your stay, please speak to her or to me directly.”

“I am Rottenmeier. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything.”

She gave a polite curtsy, lifting the hem of her black dress. Her movements might not have been as graceful as Maria-san’s, but they were firm and dignified.

Lara and Viktor nodded with appreciation, and Professor Romanov spoke up.

“I already explained Viktor and Lara’s situation to Rottenmeier-san. They just need to greet Ageha-kun and Regulus-kun.”

“Ah, I see.”

I glanced back to confirm, and Rottenmeier-san nodded in return.

So, the introductions were complete. I should probably ask the reason for their visit.

Although honestly… I was very curious about Lara-san.

I looked to Professor Romanov, and he gave me a small nod.

“The promised two months haven’t passed yet, but Viktor called me out. When I went to meet him…”

“Because Lara wouldn’t stop nagging me to let her meet Aatan!”

“I had a reason to meet him! And anyway, I’ll be moving here in half a month!”

“That’s not the point! The Kikunoi estate needs time to prepare!”

Wait, hold up—did I just hear the word "moving"?

Tilting my head, Viktor explained.

“I told you I’d give you singing lessons, right? So the plan was for me to move here in half a month and stay at your estate.”

“Huh? Really!?”

“Yeah. I wanted it to be a surprise, so I’d been slowly getting ready with Alyosha and Rottenmeier-san’s help.”

“Wha—! Is that okay!? But… aren’t you a royal court musician!?”

“It’s fine. I can use teleportation magic. If I get summoned, I can be in the palace right away. The only reason I needed Alyosha to bring me here was because I’d never been to your place before.”

“Ah… so that’s why Professor Romanov brought you…”

Viktor nodded vigorously. As I processed it all, Lara casually sipped her tea, then smirked.

“I happened to be there, and since I had business with you, I came along.”

“Don’t lie! You sent your familiar to whisper in my ear every night for a week: ‘I have business with the heir of House Kikunoi—call Alyosha!’”

“I had to! You kept saying, ‘No, the meeting is in two months!’”

Viktor scowled, and Lara averted her gaze.

Professor Romanov sighed, clearly exasperated.

“And now, thanks to those two dragging me into it, here I am.”

“Haha…”

I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but it seemed like Lara had something to discuss with me, and Viktor might be moving in earlier than expected.

Either way, if they had business, I needed to hear it.

When I turned to Lara, she smiled and pulled a letter from her pocket.

She handed it to Professor Romanov, who passed it to me.

On the front was written “Letter of Introduction.” On the back, the sender’s name read: Maria Crowe.

“A letter from Maria-san…!?”

“Yes. A letter of introduction—from Marie, if you prefer.”

Lara exhaled softly, lips curved in a rakish smile.

It was so cool, I couldn’t help but stare.

EunieNotes: For anyone wondering... This chapter from the wn is the same as the one in the manga. There's an official translation of the manga and its way ahead of the anime it currently has 27 chapter and chapter 28 is scheduled to be released today and chapter 29 is set on June 30th. each chapter costs around $1.49 or 149 pts (they also have premium member subscription. but I don't really know much about that one😅.) So if you can please support it by buying the official release on mangaplaza

...... asdfg

 

APPRECIATION POST TO THE THRE SPARKLY ELF TRIO 💖

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