CH 176.1

Chapter 176.1. New Year, Deceptive Spirits Of Mountains And Rivers

-Masatoshi’s POV-

Masatoshi panics as he watches Shin and Sena-san, who are sparking with each other.

It’s strange. Masatoshi, being a god, has covered the original story and is a prophet who grasps all futures. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this world is in the palm of Masatoshi’s hand.

And yet, what is the meaning of this situation? Sena-san, who had her life saved at the Coming-of-Age Party, should harbor gentle feelings for Shin.

“If my words were misunderstood in any other way, I apologize.”

With a refreshing smile, Shin bows his head obediently. He’s now 10 years old, no, 11 years old. He’s a mature protagonist.

Sena-san seems to have accepted the apology as well. She covers her mouth with her hand and smiles delicately.

“Hehe, just kidding. Shin-san, there’s no way you would say something like that. As the heir to the Duke’s family, I think you should be careful with your words, right?”

“Yes, you’re right. Phew, I’m glad the misunderstanding is cleared up.”

Scratching his head, Shin makes an embarrassed mischievous face, and Sena-san chuckles.

The heavy atmosphere dissipates, and the surrounding children also breathe a sigh of relief. Despite their mature actions, they are still children. Even the cheeky Elizabeth and the bro-con Tsuki clearly show their relief.

In contrast to these children, Masatoshi, a god-like adult, calmly smiles.

He almost dropped the glass he was holding because of its slippery surface.

“Masatoshi-san, a happy new year once again. I hope we can work well together this year.”

Bowing slightly, tilting her head, and looking up with a mischievous smile Sena-san looks adorable in her kimono. Seeing the main heroine, whom he loved in the original work, in such a lovely form, Masatoshi’s heart is captivated.

Internally doing a victory pose as his favorability definitely increases, Masatoshi coolly brushes his hair back to prepare for a greeting.

Surely Sena-san will fall for him as well. It must be because she fell for me that Shin became so tense.

He’s apologizing to Shin while thinking that he ruined the original work.

Masatoshi got drenched with juice over his head.

It wasn’t someone else who poured it.

Forgetting the glass in his hand, Masatoshi tried to brush back his hair.

Naturally, the juice splashed onto his hair, dropping with a plop.

“Hehe, happy new year, Sena-san.”

Without minding it, Masatoshi returns the New Year’s greeting.

I was confident that if I showed any signs of being flustered.

I would embarrass myself. Believing that everyone would think it was intentional, I gave the wrong answer with a confused mind.

“U-Um, is your head okay?”

Even Sena-san hangs her mouth open and asks him worriedly.

It must be about his hair. Masatoshi prays that it’s not about his mental state and raises the corners of his mouth, snapping his fingers.

[Dry]

Instantly, the magic is complete, and the wet hair makes a “bofuu” sound as it dries up.

The slicked-back hair has transformed into a tightly curled perm.

“Hehe, I wanted to show Sena-san my magic skills that I’ve been training, so I was just joking around.”

Masatoshi, with his dramatically transformed curly perm, coolly smiles again.

It seems like the magic failed a bit.

“Oh, I have a perm now?”

“W-Well, yes, of course. It was intentional. Maybe I got carried away at the party and went overboard.”

Though I wanted to interject with a fake Kansai dialect, “Why the curly perm? This isn’t a comedy novel.”, I kept a straight face and didn’t let it show.

From an undercut to a curly perm, Masatoshi, with a dramatic before-and-after transformation, casually glanced at the gray-haired girl who was trying to dip a cup into the chocolate fountain.

“You see. I thought I should show something amusing, like that girl over there. Ahahaha.”

I made a full-fledged appeal, saying it wasn’t a failure, but intentional and true.

I did my best to show that I got caught by a girl who does stupid things. It wasn’t a mistake. It’s true.

I had a slight suspicion the smart girl might be a reincarnator, but her childish behavior convinced me she wasn’t one.

If she wasn’t a reincarnator, she was just a childish gray-haired girl. I felt relieved she wouldn’t be angry about being used as bait and laughed at her foolishness while putting on a fake smile.

Of course, the kind and gentle Sena-san, like a goddess, would smile and let it slide, or so I thought.

“Ha, hahaha! Well, Masatoshi-san, that’s quite a stretch. Ahahaha. You, of all people. Ahahaha.”

But she burst into laughter, holding her stomach. She lightly tapped Masatoshi’s arm and even had tears in her eyes.

It seems like she found it quite amusing.

That’s right, I sighed. It would be suspicious if I were treated kindly in this situation. Those around us also chuckled and laughed.

“Don’t worry, Masatoshi-kun. If I could use magic, I might make similar mistakes.”

“Thanks for the comforting words.”

Shin consoled me with a fake smile, and I casually replied. Elizabeth muttered that Shin-sama wouldn’t do such foolish and idiotic things, which irritated me.

It was like a scene where the supporting character, the mob made a foolish mistake and felt jealous of the protagonist.

“S-Sorry, Masatoshi-san. I can’t help it. It’s just… Hahaha, I can’t hold it in. I can’t stop laughing.”

I seemed to hit Sena-san’s funny button. She clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

“No, I’m glad I could see Sena-san’s genuine laughter.”

But before my embarrassment, I couldn’t help but be captivated by Sena-san’s laughing face, and I inadvertently spoke my mind.