Mob Yandere

[Part 3/4]

Here, by "unusual," I mean whether there's any form of mental manipulation, illusion, or curse. And from the perspective of a non-expert servant, there doesn't seem to be any such thing. As far as I can see, this is probably... a nightmare?

"Princess? Princess? Please calm down! What's wrong!?"

Once I determine that there's no danger, I act quickly. I rush over, shake her body, and desperately call out to her. After shaking her repeatedly, Princess finally opens her eyes with a start.

"Hiiiii!"

A voice trembled with fear. Eyes wide open, tears welled up in the corners. It seemed like her focus was off. She scanned her surroundings anxiously, her breathing heavy. Oh, this must have been a pretty terrifying dream. I can guess the general content.

"Huff, huff, huff... a-a dream?"

"At least until a moment ago, Princess was asleep. As far as my observations go, I don't sense any threats. Do you have any questions?"

I report to Loli Gorilla-sama, who appears to be frightened and on edge, seemingly in doubt about everything around her. Normally, for a child of her age, I should comfort and soothe her first, but considering Gorilla-sama's personality, that might backfire. She might think she's being made fun of.

I can see at a glance that she's trying to calm her rough breathing, desperately trying to calm her heightened emotions, and struggling to organize her confused thoughts.

"That's right. It's a dream. Just a dream. It's nonsense. Their nonsense... just nonsense... Yes, it's ridiculous..."

Loli Gorilla-sama keeps muttering something to herself. Finally, she manages to regain her composure.

"Yes, it's okay. It's okay. I... I have a servant?"

"Yes."

"~~~~!!?"

She looks at me as if she just noticed me. When she gets a reply, she's momentarily dumbfounded, then quickly turns red and hurriedly wipes away the tears from her eyes. Forgetting about her paralysis, this just results in her losing her balance.

"Whoa..."

"Be careful. Would you like me to help you wipe those tears?"

"I don't need your meddling!! I can do it myself...!!"

I support Loli Gorilla-sama's collapsing body and ask, receiving a rebuke in response. Along with the rebuke, her eyes become even more watery and swollen, and the sound of her sniffing can be heard. It's not befitting of a princess, but it's fitting for her age.

"It's fine to be strong, but please distinguish between what you can do and what you can't. ...After all the unprincess-like scenes you've shown so far, there's no need to be stubborn over something as trivial as tears, right?"

I say this and take out a handkerchief. It's to wipe away her tears and runny nose.

"Despicable of you. Can't you understand a noble's heart!?"

"I'm not a noble. ...If you're going to say that much, you might as well consider altering my memories. After this incident is over, you can erase the embarrassing memories. How about that?"

"...Are you serious?"

"If it helps you without leaving any aftereffects, I'll consider it."

I explained to Loli Gorilla-sama, who had turned from hostility to bewilderment. Honestly, it's all nonsense. It's just a stopgap measure to prevent her from acting tough and enduring any further. I don't know anything about what happens next.

Probably, with her observational skills, Loli Gorilla-sama has already noticed this. However... at this moment, what's important is not whether to implement it but the presentation that such a choice exists. It's an excuse to deceive each other's current relationship.

"...Say whatever you want!"

"It will make you feel better, right? There you go."

"And stop being so condescending!"

Loli Gorilla-sama, who spits out her frustration, pushes the handkerchief onto her face. She makes an unprincess-like slurping sound as she wipes her nose. The mucus is sticky, leaving strings behind. I quickly wrap it up so it doesn't drip.

"...I'm becoming less and less of a princess."

"Children don't need to grow up too fast."

"I'm going to sleep!!"

I shrug at Loli Gorilla-sama's countless outbursts. I shrug and furrow my brow. Her small hand slowly lifts and grips my arm before she realizes what she's doing.

"What are you doing?"

"Saying irresponsible things, so I'm going to keep surveillance to make sure you don't run away in the middle of the night. Got it!?"

She declares, trying to act tough. Her hand trembles slightly, probably due to the paralysis toxin. Or... maybe she's just being overly self-conscious.

"...As you wish, Princess."

"You're so cheeky!"

With a sniff, Loli Gorilla-sama, who had been resentful just moments ago, falls asleep as if she's forgotten everything. Her grip on my arm is weak, but it's probably the best she can manage in her current state.

"...Right. Servant."

"What is it?"

"Tell me your name again."

"...?"

In response to my puzzled expression, the young princess answered somewhat displeased and averted her gaze.

"I forgot... I mean, we'll be traveling together for a while, so calling you servant all the time might sound... awkward, right?"

Loli Gorilla-sama explained the reason for her question, as if trying to gauge my mood. It's a considerate conversation, perhaps because she's feeling timid after the nightmare.

"...I'm part of the servant groups. My name is Tomobe."

I didn't mention my real name. There was no point in explaining that far, and she probably wouldn't be interested. We weren't that close. After all, for now, we were just fellow travelers in this moment.

"I see..."

She murmured softly, seemingly recognizing my intentions to some extent, and stared straight at me for a while. Then she closed her eyelids again.

"...Good night, Tomobe."

Her small, childish voice before falling asleep seemed to be the calmest and most peaceful I had heard so far... or maybe it was just my imagination.

"...Good night, Princess."

I whispered while holding her small palm with a gentle grip. As long as we were holding hands, I forced my posture a bit, but I still stayed close to her. There were no scoldings from Loli Gorilla-sama, who had closed her eyelids again. I, too, succumbed to drowsiness and closed my eyelids, falling into the world of sleep.

...

...

...

"...Um, hey? I suddenly felt like 'picking some flowers.'"

"...Seriously? Would you really erase my memory when we get back?"

"Rather than what happens after we return, I'd like to get through this moment... Um, you see, I've been holding it in for a while now, and honestly, I can't take it anymore."

"Since when?"

"About 12 hours ago."

"...Holding back can be harmful to your body, you know?"

I didn't say it was literally toxic because it's not released from the body. I wanted to preserve her dignity.

For now, I didn't ask what she meant by "picking flowers" but managed to meet her request in some way. Let's make it clear here.

* * *

The next time I woke up, it wasn't because of a scream. I woke up naturally. If I had to say, I heard what seemed to be bird calls from somewhere. In my hazy vision, purple butterflies danced...

"...Butterflies?"

With a sense of doubt and déjà vu, I raised my upper body. I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but there was no sign of such things. Was it just my imagination?

"No, more importantly..."

I looked up at the bright sunlight. The sun had already risen. It was too late to call it morning. The sundial was about to enter midday.

"After a night's sleep, maybe things have improved somewhat..."

While my head still throbbed dimly, I muttered. The wound still hurt and was swollen, but... the high fever and joint pain had eased considerably. Was it thanks to the ointment and pills Yakuko had given me? If so, they worked wonders. I'd have to bow deeply when I got back to the mansion.

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