owlsbooks Chapter 1022 The Last Routine 201
Chapter 1022 The Last Routine 201
Chapter 1022 The Last Routine 201
Christmas was approaching, and one day, Alice and Claire arrived at the mansion outside Axel.
“…That’s it.” After explaining her purpose, Alice made a request: “I hope that the people of the capital can also experience the joy of Christmas. Beautifully decorated streets, exchanging gifts with important people…everyone will love it.”
She seemed enthusiastic and eager to make the capital city lively, but Kobayashi was somewhat troubled and therefore did not notice Claire's wary gaze beside her.
Who does Lady Alice want to exchange gifts with? Perhaps with Lord Kobayashi...? No, no, no, none of that matters right now. What's important is how to prevent this event from going smoothly.
“Lady Alice, I object.” Claire refused earnestly, stating righteously, “As far as I know, Christmas is originally a custom from Lord Kobayashi’s hometown. I am very worried about whether the people of the capital will be able to accept it. If we fail and Lady Alice’s reputation is damaged, I…!”
"What a worrier," Kobayashi interrupted her, then gave the two of them a thumbs-up and said, "Axel will be fine too, so feel free to leave it to me!"
Claire's concerns were not unfounded; after all, royalty had to be mindful of their reputation and avoid any embarrassing incidents that could cause serious trouble. However, Kobayashi felt slightly annoyed at being treated so casually, and therefore decisively offered to accept the task. After all, even the capital wasn't much different from a rural area like Axel, was it? In fact, with the royal family's help, the event would certainly proceed more smoothly.
However, Claire hesitated, sounding worried, and said, "I...may let this man stop breathing."
"Huh!?" Kobayashi was startled. He thought Claire was worried the event wouldn't go well, but it turned out she already believed it was going to fail and was determined to kill him to make amends. How could someone be like that, wanting to kill him before the event even started?
"Seriously, Claire, you must be joking."
Alice said this with a smile, and Claire returned the smile, but it looked incredibly fake, and her eyes were completely serious, as if she really meant it.
“If it’s your brother, he’ll definitely make Christmas a success, so Claire can rest assured.” Alice gestured for Claire to stop scaring Kobayashi, then looked at him and said, “Well then, please allow me to explain in detail. Ah, it would be so nice if Claire could leave for a little while…”
She wasn't just hinting; she was making it explicit. It seemed she wanted something from Kobayashi, and Claire's mouth dropped open when she heard Alice was telling her to leave.
"Why not, Lady Alice! I have a duty to monitor this man and see if he has instilled anything bad in you! So I absolutely cannot leave!!" Claire insisted that she did not want to leave.
But Alice pleaded somewhat shyly, "Y-because it's a secret. Anyway, please. Oh, and it would be even better if you could invite Lalatina and Aqua along too..."
Not only Kobayashi, but even Darkness and Aqua were included? I never expected her to be ranked behind those two. However, Claire didn't hold a grudge against them. Instead, she glared fiercely at Kobayashi, as if it were all his fault.
So, the next day.
Darkness is handing out flyers in the capital. She is dressed in a special Christmas reindeer costume, which is very eye-catching due to its revealing nature and her alluring figure.
"Please, please come and check out the Christmas party activities that start tomorrow!"
She was acting strangely coy as she handed out flyers, and passersby pointed and whispered about her, which made this rich young lady, who loved being in the public eye, extremely happy.
"Oh my, as the daughter of the Dustinis family, wearing such an outfit for promotional purposes, what a reward this is!!" She was overjoyed, even blushing with excitement, and almost had a nosebleed.
Soon, Claire joined in, though she was dressed as Santa Claus. But she felt different, so she asked curiously, "Um... Lord Dustinis's outfit is a little different from mine. Is that also for Christmas?"
Compared to her own clothes, Darkness's clothes were slightly... no, they were very revealing, and she didn't look much better than a streetwalker. It really made one wonder where to look.
"Ah, Lord Claire!?" Darkness, somewhat agitated by the misunderstanding, explained, "This, this, this is... it was used to lure them out of their clothes during the reindeer hunting quest not long ago..."
That's right. A while ago, Xiaolin and his group went out on a mission. Because the reindeer population was too large, they didn't know what to do, so they decided to exterminate them all. Since they were fast and scattered across the grasslands, Xiaolin came up with this idea—to have someone impersonate the most beautiful reindeer to lure the others, then wipe them out in one fell swoop. The mission went smoothly, and the group successfully eradicated the reindeer infestation. Although two or three remained, they ignored them for the sake of ecological conservation, and also reaped a large bounty.
The most beautiful reindeer among them was played by Darkness. Her cheeks were flushed and her body was constantly writhing, as if she was still savoring the pleasure she had just experienced, and her whole body was trembling.
"When Kobayashi forced me to change into clothes I didn't want to wear, the way his eyes gleamed... he was like a wild beast... Waaah!!"
For a moment, it was hard to tell whether she disliked or liked her; it was probably the latter. Her twisted delusions made her seem terrifying. Seeing Claire's unfriendly gaze, Kobayashi immediately began to loudly defend herself, clearly annoyed.
"Don't confuse fantasy with reality!" Kobayashi quickly said to Claire, who was about to draw her sword but couldn't, "This guy was saying things like 'If I can withstand a heavy blow, I'd be happy to!' and then happily changed his clothes! It really has nothing to do with me!"
Lord Dustinus sometimes says these strange things. Could it be that he is influenced by Kobayashi?
Unfortunately, Claire didn't believe Kobayashi's explanation. Compared to Kobayashi's past misdeeds, she trusted the young lady of the Wang Guo Huai Ren family more.
"Anyway, the preparations went very smoothly." Looking at the decorations hanging on the streets and the smiles on the faces of the pedestrians, Kobayashi felt his efforts hadn't been in vain. He nodded and said, "Tomorrow will definitely be lively. That's wonderful... Hmm?"
Just then, a few snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Kobayashi reached out and caught a few, then watched them melt in his palm. With a slight smile, he said, "It's snowing too. Looks like tomorrow will be a white Christmas."
It has to be said that white is a better color for Christmas. After all, snow can be used to paint all kinds of buildings pure white, and then combined with Christmas decorations, the unique atmosphere is something that can't be replicated under normal circumstances.
However, the next day arrived.
With Aqua's help, Kobayashi and the others changed into their Christmas outfits. Darkness was still in her reindeer costume, while Alice was in her Santa Claus costume, but unlike Claire, she had a red hat and large wool stockings as decorations.
"Wow...!" Alice looked at the outfit with emotion and said happily, "It's a very beautiful outfit. As expected of my brother, and thank you for Lalatina's help too."
"Thanks to the merchants from the capital setting up stalls here, the atmosphere is quite lively." Kobayashi looked at the pedestrians coming and going on the street. They moved in groups, occasionally entering a shop to buy goods, and then leaving happily. At the same time, Kobayashi slowly said, "I also opened a jewelry store and a cake shop."
Then he pointed to the shop with the best location at the end of the street. He had begged the shop owner for several hours before he reluctantly agreed to open a shop together, and the profits would be split 50/50, which was really a headache.
"...I admit it looks great, but is there really no problem?" Claire looked at the pedestrians coming and going on the street and the bustling capital. "If a riot breaks out, it will put a lot of burden on the guards."
"It's okay, it's okay, no one will cause trouble on such a happy holiday, so don't worry." Kobayashi waved his hand reassuringly and said, "Even bad guys need to rest, right?"
But this is just sophistry. How could bad guys possibly rest? They love to cause trouble during holidays when people are less vigilant.
As the group strolled along chatting, a familiar face suddenly appeared. Quite the fashionista. She was also dressed in Christmas attire, but unlike Alice, Claire, and Darkness, hers was a mainland-made item, clearly purchased from Kobayashi's shop.
"Hehe. I felt like you guys were doing something interesting, so I came to gather some material. Isn't the atmosphere great?" You Gouhui had a satisfied smile on her face, seemingly enjoying the atmosphere. However, just as Xiaolin was about to boast, she suddenly said, "What's about to happen is either a tragedy or a catastrophe...?"
"What!?" Claire exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this, "Tragedy and tragedy...!? As expected, Christmas is no good!"
"No way!" Kobayashi held down the frantic female guard, then complained to the chuunibyou novelist in an annoyed tone, "Hey, don't suddenly say anything weird, it's too much."
This guy always speaks without thinking. Although Kobayashi is very satisfied with his good figure, his personality is really unpleasant. Together with Huihui, he is the kind of person who gives people a headache.
Darkness, with an embarrassed and apologetic expression, explained helplessly, "Lord Claire, Miss Claire is a Crimson Demon, so..."
“…Ah, I see.” Upon hearing Darkness’s words, Clarendon’s expression immediately changed, and she was no longer nervous. She waved her hand and said, “Is that so? Sorry. I lost my composure without realizing it.”
"It was me, I'm so sorry for this suddenness." You Gou apologized just as politely. She knew she had caused trouble for others, which was a major taboo for the Crimson Demon Clan, but—"It's a writer's good fortune to disturb others' feelings with one's own words." As a novelist, she was quite proud of herself.
"...Yes, my creative spirit is ignited!" Perhaps Claire overreacted, but the man clenched his fist excitedly and shouted, "I can't go on like this! I have to write it down as soon as possible! Well then, farewell...!"
"Wait a minute!" Just as You Gou was about to leave, Kobayashi grabbed her arm and said, "The jewelry store is short-staffed. This is a good opportunity. I hope you can help out..."
"I refuse." She was quite decisive in her refusal, and said unhappily, with her hands on her chest, "The only way to achieve true mastery of writing is to sit at a desk and write."
"Please help me, no matter what!!" Kobayashi pleaded, raising his hands, then, as if remembering something, offered his reward, "Oh, and I'll pay for tonight's accommodation!"
"...Well, some people say that literary giants can't live without patrons." After thinking for a moment, You Gouhui agreed to the request. "Okay, it's not bad to do this once in a while."
Everyone is driven by the need to make a living, and You Gouhui is no exception. The capital is currently bustling with activity; both locals and visitors are gathered here for various events. Staying here is difficult, not only in terms of price, but even rooms are often hard to find.
Then, Xiaolin took her to the jewelry store—one of the two shops he owned was a jewelry store, and the other was a clothing store.
"Hehe..." You Gou looked at the various magical ornaments in the jewelry shop, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "There are forbidden ornaments here. You are not chosen, but rather you are chosen. This is fate...!"
Then they kept pulling out even more horrifying items and displaying them on the counter to sell to other customers.
Just because she likes it doesn't mean normal people don't. Claire, in particular, grabbed Kobayashi by the collar and demanded, "What do you mean by selling these dubious goods to the people of the capital?!"
"I don't know either!" Xiaolin shouted in a panic. "Wow, what are you selling? This should be a regular jewelry store!"
"Because it wasn't handsome enough, I adjusted it to suit my style." You said this so matter-of-factly, even asking with a strange look, "Is there a problem with that?"
"Of course there's a problem!!" Kobayashi shouted angrily, then ordered her, "Alright, quickly restore the original product!"
"It's really sad that I can't understand this kind of emotion."
She shook her head helplessly.
(End of this chapter)