NOVEL NEXT Chapter 85.2
Gender Doesn’t Matter
However, Leopold, who was being bowed to like that, let out a sigh. He looked up at the two, exhaling a troubled breath. Even such a gesture was beautiful, but due to the freezing hell he still carried on his back, it was incredibly terrifying.
“It doesn’t make sense for you to apologize to me, does it? The one who should apologize is Yuuri-chan.”
““That’s right, that’s right!””
“Okay, you two, stop teasing.”
“…But why do I have to be the one to be apologized to?”
““Yuuri!””
“No, I mean, I don’t really care, and I haven’t been wronged or anything? Besides, this happens fairly often, right?”
Yuuri couldn’t understand why everyone was making such a fuss. This kind of exchange was common back in his hometown. With family, a few friends, relatives, and friendly neighbors. Yuuri had often been told things like, “If you were a girl, I’d want to marry you.” Most of it was a joke, and it was meant to praise his household skills rather than deny his character.
…Apparently, in this other world, such a comment was something that couldn’t be ignored by the overly protective people regarding Yuuri. Yuuri wondered what this situation was, where both the speaker and the listener thought nothing was wrong, yet the surroundings were making a big fuss. It vaguely reminded him of how people react to social media scandals, he thought cheerfully.
“Yuuri-kun.”
“Yes, what is it, Hallow-san?”
“Even if you don’t find it unpleasant, we have judged that his statement is disrespectful to you.”
“But I’m not bothered by it?”
“Of course, the feelings of the person involved are the most important. However, don’t you think it’s also important to consider the feelings of those around you?”
Hallow, with his gentle expression, admonished Yuuri, who tilted his head and nodded for now. He understood that there was such a way of thinking. Even if the person involved wasn’t bothered, if those around them felt inconvenienced, there were countless situations where one should correct that. He understood that this seemed to apply this time, so Yuuri politely bowed his head to the man.
Before someone could point out why he was bowing, Yuuri raised his head and opened his mouth to the man, speaking in his usual laid-back tone.
“I think, ideally, I should have judged this first. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“No, um, it was our fault. We acted thoughtlessly.”
“No, no. I actually like being complimented on household skills.”
“…Yuuri-chan, you should have a little more average boiling point.”
“Eh~? I do get angry when I’m angry, you know?”
““We know that.””
Yuuri replied with a gentle smile to Leopold’s exasperated comment. The words of agreement directed at him from those around him were based on the doubtful expression of Leopold. Yes, they knew. That usually gentle and fluffy Yuuri could get quite angry under certain circumstances. Not wanting to meet the angry great demon again, they carefully avoided stepping on Yuuri’s landmines every day.
However, to this day, no one had clearly identified where those landmines were. If anything, there was a prediction that it would likely be related to others’ safety or health.
“Well then, let’s end this discussion here.”
““Yuuri!””
“…The baked sweets I made for snacks are ready to eat, but don’t you want any?”
““We want some!””
“Okay, I’ll prepare them~. Could someone help carry them?”
“Ah, I’ll help!”
With the snacks dangling in front of them, they were easily compliant enough to have their stomachs captured. The male, Hallow’s subordinate, who likely wasn’t used to such commotion, had wide eyes. Their speed of changing was too fast. Seeing such a scene, Leopold sighed, appearing to be exasperated.
“What was all the fuss about?”
By the time Ali appeared in the living room from his room, everyone was already happily chatting with baked goods in hand. He could probably sense that the commotion he heard from afar was different from this. Ali, half-closing his eyes at the beautiful man who averted his gaze, took the baked goods offered by Yuuri.
“It was just a little difference in perspective.”
“Huh?”
“That’s all. Oh, Leone-san, how about another one?”
“They’re delicious, so I’ll take another. …But if they’re this tasty, I might eat too much and it’ll be a problem. I might gain weight.”
“Leone-san, I don’t think you’re overweight, so I think you’re fine.”
“Oh, thank you. I’m desperately trying to maintain my figure, you know?”
The beautiful man, chuckling happily, was no longer attached to the freezing hell. Thus, even though Ali thought, “This guy must have done something,” he decided to say nothing because it was troublesome. He wanted to avoid making unnecessary comments that would escalate the situation. If everything was resolved peacefully, that was good enough. That was how Ali felt.
By the way, the aforementioned man, when he returned to the store, seemed to have been thoroughly grilled by Hallow’s wife and son about what had happened. Amen.