48 Innocent Little Bunny

I could only vaguely see the eyes of Raisa's bodyguard through her helmet, but they were definitely glaring at me.

"You are treating this matter far too trivially! Your status may protect you while in public, but not even being the daughter of the archduke is enough to protect you from everything in the black market. Countless desperate and ignorant people are there."

I raised both hands in the air.

"Alright, alright. It sounds like you're quite experienced in it though."

She didn't respond.

Raisa just ushered me onto the carriage and shooed her bodyguard away before closing the door, leaving just the two of us.

"She's always super naggy like that, try to not let it get to you."

I dismissively nodded.

"Yeah, it's fine. But I can't help but wonder why she knows so much. It sounds as though she has gone there multiple times to purchase things."

Raisa scratched her cheek with a finger.

"Well, I never knew another black market even existed. She never mentioned it to me before."

I chuckled.

"It sounds like that place truly is dangerous."

A small smile formed on her face.

"Haha, yes. But... it does sound a bit exciting!"

I rolled my eyes as a smirk spread out across my face.

"You are treating it too trivially."

Raisa gasped.

"E-Eh? Why do you sound like her now?"

I proceeded to ignore her and looked off to the side, instead inspecting the mask that I had bought. Honestly, holding it in my hand, I didn't really feel anything special. After a moment of deliberation, I decided to try it on, hoping it wasn't cursed or anything.

But when I felt the cool wood press against my face, nothing of note happened.

I felt a tad bit disappointed but didn't give up just yet. Maybe there was some way to activate a mechanism that I didn't yet understand. This was a world of magic after all.

I gave Raisa a glance.

"Say, how do I look?"

A small frown formed on her face.

"Um... I don't really like how it looks."

I rubbed my chin and nodded.

"As I thought, it does look pretty bad."

Raisa seemed nervous after saying her opinion but was surprised to hear that I had a similar one.

"Then why did you purchase it?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"For some reason, I felt a calling to it like it was fit for me."

Raisa furrowed her brows and pressed her lips together.

"But how does it fit you? That mask basically contradicts you entirely!"

A laugh escaped me.

"I suppose that's not exactly wrong..."

Silence fell between us for a few moments. Eventually, Raisa let out an uncomfortable hum and spoke up.

"Could you take that mask off?"

Huh? But I was planning on seeing if I could somehow find some mechanism behind it, in light of it not actually just being a normal mask.

"Why?"

Raisa pouted and looked down at the floor of the carriage.

"It... makes me feel lonely. I want to see your face."

My eyelid twitched. This girl was really just too strange.

"Huh? Why does it matter that you can see my face?"

Raisa held onto her cheeks with both hands.

"I... I don't know why! I just really want to see your expressions and eyes."

With a sigh, I took off the mask, though reluctant.

"There, is that better?"

Raisa smiled brightly.

"Yes! Way better!"

A bitter smile formed on my face. She really was just a child that happened to also be eighteen, huh?

"It's really just that simple, huh?"

Raisa blinked a few times and mumbled while looking at the floor of the carriage.

"I... I guess so."

She looked quite sad. Not like it was any of my business though.

"Hey, Bryson?"

Well, I guess if she verbalizes it all, then it becomes my business.

"Yeah, Raisa?"

She walked over to sit next to me and gingerly grabbed my hand.

"I'm really glad that I got to know you."

...She's acting like I saved her life or something. Hasn't it only been a couple of days?

"Haha, you've already gotten to know me in this short period of time?"

Raisa let out a giggle.

"I suppose putting it that way is incorrect, as there is still so much I don't know. But there's just... something so different about you."

I rolled my eyes.

"There are a lot of things that make me different from other people. Everyone is slightly different in height, there are several hair colors, facial structures-"

"That's not what I mean."

Raisa cut me off and held onto my hand tighter.

"It just feels so different with you. At first, I just approached you out of curiosity, but the way you talked to me just felt so... natural."

The fuck was that supposed to mean?

"I... see."

Raisa brought my hand closer to herself.

"If I talk with the other nobles, it makes me feel like my body is actually made out of glass, and could shatter from the lightest impact. Even if it is with my father or my bodyguard that I've trusted to protect me for years now, they still give me the same feeling."

Her breathing got a little heavy. It seemed she was getting anxious, and maybe even on the verge of a panic attack.

"I have to be incredibly careful. Every single step I take must be a cautious one, else I may slip and shatter."

She then pressed her cheek against my hand, which made me shiver in disgust. But I didn't pull away and let her continue on.

"Yet, all of that seems to disappear when I'm with you. It feels as though... I'm just a normal human. One that has a beating heart and has breath in the chest."

Huh.

It was honestly a little vague at first, but I seemed to get at least a general understanding now.

She was the daughter of an archduke. It was a regressing archduke, but it was still one nonetheless. This gave her one of the highest statuses among nobles, meaning she hardly had to bow to anyone.

However, all the status in the world wouldn't change the fact that she was still a person.

A person can feel happy, sad. Have dreams, and desires.

And usually, one of those wants was to just have a friend. It appears she has been desperately clinging to me because she noticed that I don't particularly care for her status.

I gently reached over to pat her head. A small smile formed on my face.

"Haha. From what it sounds like, you haven't had a friend for a long time. That's probably why you feel like this."

Raisa let out a gasp and smiled brightly.

"So that's what it was? Wow, being friends is amazing! I feel so happy!"

Oh, Raisa...

You just want to make genuine friendships. That makes you just like a little kid, doesn't it?

So innocent, so naive. It makes you quite cute, I must say.

But you're not a kid anymore.

In fact, you are already too old now to make true friendships in this type of society. At this age, friendships are closely tied to interests and power. Not to mention, they can be brutally cut off at any moment.

I mean, just the friendship I have with you right now is mostly because of my own interest in investigating your family.

But still, that doesn't mean I won't play into your little fantasy of a perfectly innocent friendship.

After all, it will make you that much easier to manipulate.

"B-Bryson?"

I blinked a few times.

"Ah, sorry, I zoned out a little bit."

Raisa looked at me with a slightly spooked expression.

"F-For some reason you looked a little scary."

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

"Haha, sorry, I just zoned out a little bit."

Hm.

I have to reel in my thoughts a little bit more, don't I?

Let's just tuck that part of me away for now.

"Anyway, is there anything you've been thinking of doing?"

Raisa shook off her previous worries a few seconds later before shaking her head.

"Um, nothing really. I just wanted to see you."

I gave a nod.

"Is that so? I can accompany you for a little while longer. When evening comes, I have to go somewhere."

Raisa looked at me curiously, with big beady eyes.

"Where are you going?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"To the slums."

She leaned in a little closer.

"Why are you going there?"

Damn. I would've just said it from the start if she was going to keep asking like that.

"I've decided to go to the slums and cook meals for those there when I can."

Raisa's eyes widened as an excited expression formed on her face.

"Ah! That sounds so charitable! But I guess that's expected from someone with a kind heart like you. You must've helped out so many people."

A bitter smile formed on my face.

"Unfortunately, it's been a resounding failure. Despite my intentions, the people that came to the table and ate could be counted on one hand."

Raisa looked at me with concern.

"Ah, how can that be? Did something go wrong with the supply of food you had?"

I shook my head.

"Nothing like that. It's more so the commoners are far too scared to take a seat. Apparently, I am quite intimidating to them."

Raisa tugged on my arm as her jaw dropped.

"Ehhhhh? There's absolutely no way that's the case! How could you be scary?"

I clicked my tongue as I shot her a glance.

"Do you not remember how you looked at me when we first saw each other?"

The corner of Raisa's lip twitch.

"Ah... I-I knew that you were a nice person from the start!"

I massaged my temple with the tip of my finger.

"You looked at me with disdain. Your mentality was the exact same, was it not?"

Raisa fumbled over her words.

"Ah, but... but... I..."

She eventually hugged my arm like it was a stuffed doll she owned.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry."

Honestly, the fact she was holding onto my arm like that was annoying me more.

"It's fine, it's fine. That's just how people naturally are."

Raisa looked down with a sad expression.

"But... isn't that just too sad?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I said it was a natural thing, not that it was good."

She leaned against me, using my shoulder as a pillow.

"Could I come along with you to feed the commoners?"

My muscles tensed up considerably.

"What? So you can scare them away along with me?"

Raisa didn't respond immediately. But when she did, it was awfully quiet.

"I just... want to be around you a little longer."

To be honest, that might actually be rather convenient. Given the incident at the ball yesterday, there were probably going to be a lot of nobles loitering around the slums in an attempt to get some of the special meat that they were going crazy over.

Having Raisa there would make things a lot nicer since she was the descendent of an archduke, thus not many would want to mess with her, and by proxy not approach me.

"Sure, why not?"