SCIAW: Chapter 318/319

Chapter 318: Invisible Feeling of Shame

Nagi couldn't help but reflect on what she had just said, and with her sharp mind, she quickly understood.

Maybe it was the same.

She had been avoiding going outside, essentially running away. Despite her comfortable lifestyle, she was like a bird in a cage.

Ren, on the other hand, was constrained by the rules and burdens of his past. He wasn't physically trapped, but his mind and spirit had long been shackled.

She turned slightly and looked at Ren's face without his glasses.

Nagi scooted closer to Ren. From keeping some distance before, she was now sitting right beside him.

"I'm not lonely… Let me say it again, I'm not lonely…"

Ren raised his hand and tried to smooth out the corner of his mouth, trying not to let Nagi see his smile and get upset again.

"Yeah, it's not loneliness, not at all."

Replying in a clearly perfunctory tone, Ren placed his hand on Nagi's head again. This time, she didn't resist.

"Hmph~"

His dismissive tone was obvious, but Nagi only gave a light snort and didn't move away.

"Amamiya, did this actually happen in my story?"

"Yeah, it did. After you lost your inheritance, your grandfather kicked you out of the villa without hesitation. Luckily, your mother's inheritance was still under Klaus's management. It was a shabby Japanese-style apartment. That's where you, Miss Maria, and your housekeeper moved to later."

"Compared to being alone in that villa, the apartment might've been in worse shape, but the atmosphere was completely different. You met new people. Your friends helped you overcome your loneliness and even taught you how to manage your emotions. That's also why Miss Maria chose to leave you in the end."

"…Because Maria was no longer my only person?"

"That's right. She realized that you were capable of growing up, even without her. So, she made the choice to leave."

Stupid Maria… Nagi pursed her lips. Even if she could grow up without Maria, she still wanted Maria by her side.

"So in the end, I matured, but Maria left me. I really don't like this kind of ending."

Nagi absolutely hated imperfect endings. No matter how cliché it might be, she still preferred a perfect ending.

"By the way, the protagonist in my story is that debt-burdened guy, right? What kind of person is he?"

Nagi had suddenly grown curious about the butler in her own story.

"Well… the story says he has a very unlucky-looking face. But actually, his face is kind of cute, and in the early to mid parts of the story, he often wore women's clothes. Oh, and at the beginning, the white tiger you kept was almost mistaken for a female."

"White tiger? So I keep a white tiger in the story too."

"Don't you have one in real life?"

"Of course not. Even if I don't have common sense, I know that humans and white tigers can't live together. Even if it's the most 'humane' tiger."

Keeping a tiger at home would definitely be uncomfortable, right?

Nagi didn't feel confident she could tame one, but she still remembered the white tiger Ren mentioned.

"Did I pick up that white tiger in Africa?

"Yeah. By the way, didn't you release it later?"

"I didn't release it. After picking it up, I put it in a zoo I bought locally. At the beginning of the year, my bodyguard reported that the white tiger was living well and even had several cubs."

Nagi gently traced her cheek with her index finger as she recalled.

That tiger already had cubs… It was hard for Ren to imagine that scene.

The white tiger that could talk, read, and was super interesting in the story ended up with such a different fate.

But thinking about it, if Nagi hadn't kept the white tiger by her side, it probably would have ended up in a zoo.

"The debt-ridden butler also has a feminine side. In other words, he looks androgynous. What else? He couldn't have been hired as your butler just because of his looks."

Nagi didn't believe her character would hire someone so casually.

"In terms of ability, he had a lot. In the story, he was an all-rounder when it came to housekeeping—his level of skill was comparable to Miss Maria's. And because of his tough past, he lied about his age and worked various part-time jobs, so he picked up a ton of random skills and knowledge."

"Well, that's pretty ordinary."

Knowing lots of skills and having broad knowledge wasn't impressive to Nagi. In her eyes, that kind of butler was just average.

"What if I told you he once caught up to a speeding car on a bicycle, and even after getting hit, he was completely unharmed?"

"…"

Nagi's face twitched. After confirming that Ren wasn't joking, she couldn't help but complain.

"Is that guy a humanoid Gundam or something?"

Catching up to a high-speed car on a bike and then surviving being hit? That kind of physical ability was clearly abnormal.

"No wonder I took him in as a butler in the story."

Nagi suddenly felt that this debt-ridden butler had some redeeming traits.

"No. The main reason you hired him as your butler was because when he was desperate and trying to repay his debts, he rushed out of the villa to kidnap you. He even declared he was going to 'capture' you. In the story, you misunderstood and thought he was confessing to you. That's why you brought him back and made him your butler, keeping him by your side."

"…???"

Listening to Ren's detailed explanation, Nagi felt overwhelmed with embarrassment. Her entire face seemed to flush red.

"So it was for such a ridiculous reason!?"

"In the story, am I supposed to be in love? How dumb! Couldn't I tell he was trying to kidnap me?!"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 319: Whether He Wants It or Not?

"I guess he didn't understand."

Ren was completely sure that the Sanzenin in the story absolutely didn't get it. If he had, the story of the indebted butler would have ended right at the start. That guy would've spent the rest of his life in prison.

You have to understand, in this island country, the death penalty is rare, but prison sentences for crimes like kidnapping a wealthy second-generation heir are basically maxed out. Once locked up, the outcome is already set in stone.

Now that he thought about it… how was that debt-ridden butler doing these days? Ren couldn't help feeling curious.

"The me in the story must be brain-dead. I actually turned into someone who accepts any confession just like that."

Nagi found it all too bizarre.

To be honest, she wasn't that kind of person.

"He has a bunch of skills, is tough, has great physical endurance, and looks kind of androgynous… Why don't I see anything in him I'd actually like?"

"It's the suspension bridge effect. I remember, before he set his sights on you, someone else was hitting on you."

"…Hitting on me?"

It was hard for Nagi to imagine such a chaotic situation.

She was being hit on by some random guy while also being targeted by someone desperate enough to kidnap her.

The suspension bridge effect… Nagi thought it over. That explanation actually sounded more reasonable than her suddenly becoming lovestruck.

"Even if I ran off without permission, the bodyguards wouldn't lose me. Anyone dumb enough to try chatting me up must've had a death wish."

"And that guy who tried to kidnap me… Clearly, he had no idea about the Sanzenin family's response protocols for kidnappings."

At this point, Nagi understood what made the story interesting.

It was all the irrational things piled together that made it a story.

In real life, even if she slipped away alone, her bodyguards would be within 50 meters, hiding in plain sight.

They were all armed professionals. If anyone wanted to kidnap her, they'd need a trained team. Nothing less.

"Amamiya, is the guy who tried to kidnap me and later became my butler… still alive?"

"Hmm… Let me divine it."

He pulled out a maple leaf-patterned gold coin, repeated "Is he still alive" silently in his mind, and flipped it. Unfortunately, this time it landed tails up.

"What a shame. Seems he's no longer around."

Looks like that indebted butler didn't survive that snowy Christmas Eve… Ren was a little surprised, but not too much.

If the butler hadn't met Sanzenin that night, a debt of 100 million would've meant he either fell into corruption or got caught and turned into an organ donor.

Nagi wasn't shocked to hear that. Her sympathy didn't stretch far enough for someone she'd never even met.

"So how did he end up with so much debt? Loan sharks? Gambling?"

"His parents tried to win their money back through gambling and ended up owing 120 million yen to a loan shark. Then they dumped the debt onto him."

"Wow~ Leaving a 100 million yen debt to your kid? His parents really were scumbags."

To Nagi, 100 million yen wasn't a lot, but she understood how massive that amount was to regular people.

Parents handing off a gambling debt to their own child was the same as pushing them off a cliff. With parents like that, it wasn't surprising he ended up the way he did.

"No wonder he died. Loan sharks aren't exactly known for their mercy, and most of them are connected to shady foreign organ trade networks. If you can repay the money, fine. If not, there's only one end."

"What a pity."

Nagi shook her head slightly, a hint of pity on her face—but just a little.

That boy who became her butler in the story only earned that much sympathy from her.

Really, the ones who should feel guilty were the butler's parents. But she also knew, people who could dump 120 million yen in debt on their child probably had no sense of guilt.

Suddenly, Nagi thought of something important.

"Amamiya, don't tell me my story turned into a harem?"

"…"

Ren didn't answer. He could only respond with silence.

"…Seriously?"

Nagi's face twitched.

"My story is absurd. I mistook a kidnapper's threat for a love confession, brought him home to be my butler, and now everyone around me likes the guy? This is insane."

"Well~ If you want to sell a story, you need a lot of interaction between the male lead and the female characters. You've drawn manga yourself, so you should know that."

"I do get it…"

Of course Nagi understood, but she still found it hard to accept.

"So, lots of girls like the indebted butler in the story? And they're all people from my social circle?"

Just as Ren was about to answer, Nagi held up a hand.

"Let me guess."

"There's me and Maria at home."

"In my social circle, there's Isumi and Sakuya."

"At school, probably Hinagiku, Segawa, Hanabishi, and Asakaze."

"That's about right, isn't it?"

Following the classic harem logic of the female leads being right around the protagonist, Nagi listed practically all the girls she was close to.

She looked up to confirm and saw Ren giving her a subtle nod.

"Damn it."

Even Nagi was speechless at that.

In the story, the indebted butler she brought home actually swept up every girl around her. It was like he'd deliberately targeted her whole circle.

"This is just ridiculous…"

"Now I really don't feel bad about that guy dying. Serves him right."

Nagi could only say, every harem needs a price to be paid.

Just as she finished ranting, her gaze sharpened. She looked sideways at Ren, a bit of disdain in her expression.

"You're part of this too, Amamiya."

"Yeah, I heard that."

Nagi pursed her lips.

"You heard it… but you're not going to change?"

"If I changed, how could I face Kaguya, Sonoko, and Ran? Just call me a scumbag."

Ren understood. Having multiple relationships meant taking responsibility.

"Whether it's fate or not, some things just can't be avoided. Instead of hurting everyone, I'll just accept their love and be the scumbag."

As he said that, Ren reached out and hugged Nagi, who was sitting next to him.

"So? How about it? Want to be one of the girls who likes me too, Sanzenin?"

"Hmph! Who'd like you!"

She jabbed Ren with her elbow, but in the end, she didn't pull away from his embrace.

(To be continued.)