Chapter 14: Lunch part 2

…I was the one who said it, he says…?

“Oh, Brother!? That’s…”

[‘As expected of a cook from the Duke’s family—it was absolutely wonderful. I want to make Japanese sake.’]

Oh…was it all…Did I really say all of that!?

Right in front of my brother??

It hurts…I’m a pain…Why…

I looked up at the air with eyes like a dead fish.

“…Soy sauce, miso, mayonnaise, Japanese sake. I’ve never heard these words before. What are they? Who is Izumi? Charl doesn’t have any friends, and neither of the servants have that name, I’m sure.”

—!?!?

He said that I don’t have any friends!

Is that really the case!?

…He’s right, I don’t have any friends. But it can’t be helped, right?

My debut had been before I entered the academy, and I haven’t even gone to the academy yet!

The only people who are friends with me now are Marianna and the other maids.

…I should ask Marianna to be my friend…

“And what was with that magic from earlier?”

Did he even see that cheat-like magic?!?

“Charlotte certainly has a huge amount of magical power, but it was sealed off so that only a small part of it could be used.”

Sealed? I had never heard of such a thing. Although, if you think about it, it sort of makes sense.

While her parents and brother were able to use a variety of magic, Charlotte was the only one who was only able to use a small amount of magic. That would explain a lot.

“So? Who are you inside of Charlotte’s body?”

My brother staring at me had a smile on his face, but his eyes were not smiling at all.

When I tried to subtly escape, he immediately caught on to me.

“There’s no point in escaping. I’m not going to let you go in the first place.”

…I was a frog being stared at by a snake.

He also pushed me against the table and trapped me between his arms. This was what was commonly called the ‘kabe-don’ situation. (***Kabe-don is when someone traps another against the wall with one/two hands or leans against the wall and makes the sound of “don.” This has become popular as a “clever move of confession” in anime. Kabe=wall, and don=the sound it makes when you slam your hands against the wall.)

No, in this case, it’s a…table-don?

I had always wanted to be ‘kabe-don’-ed, but…it’s actually really scary!

I guess it depends on the person who’s doing it, but—

—To me, this just seems like a threat…

“…I’m Charlotte, remember? I don’t know what you mean by…”

I’m scared. My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my mouth. Both of my hands are tightly clenched and sweating.

Big brother gave me a generous smile.

“Do you think you can deceive me?”

He gently strokes my cheek and looks into my eyes.

“I’ve noticed that Charlotte’s character has changed since she collapsed yesterday. Hey? When did you learn to eat onions, Charlotte?”

Huh?…Onions?

……???

…Ah-Ahhhh!!!

The Charlotte in the game hated onions. No matter how skillful the cook is at cooking them in a way that is unrecognizable, she would stile able to tell if there were onions! Charlotte refused to even take a bite. That’s how much she hated onions.

And yet, what about Charlotte now?

That ham sandwich had chopped onions in it, didn’t it??

And ‘Charlotte’ just ate it deliciously without saying a word!

My brother, who knows that I don’t like onions, would definitely be confused, right?

Onions…I can’t believe this happened just because of onions…

By the way, Izumi loved onions. I especially liked sweet pearl onions, soaked in water for a little while, dressed with plum flavored dressing, and topped with dried bonito flakes. Onions were also good for stir-fries, curry, and just about anything else.

I think it was because Izumi and Charlotte got mixed up that Charlotte became able to eat them….or rather, to like them. Maybe.

It was just onions…

I’m trapped.

I looked up at the air with the same dead fish-like eyes.

“I’m not trying to harm you, okay?”

Brother slowly stroked my head as he said this.

…Really???

I gave him a desperate look.

“Because you are the ‘Gift of the Red Star.’

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