Volume 1 - CH 8

Volume 1: Chapter 008: Tooru, You’re a Pet

My name is Tooru.

I am brought into the Odelle family by the head of the house [1] to serve the family daughter. It turns out the daughter of this aristocratic family is someone I knew.

Maki!

“Hey, eat this as well! Hey, hey, this one is really tasty too.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Cut it out.”

Maki, I can sort of imagine what kind of good girl image you’ve been acting out so far but please take a look around you now.

People are looking at us, they had to be wondering what’s going on. Your little friends are also staring at us with shocked faces. Your dad too.

What should I do, what excuse should I give?

Also, this girl has been piling food at me since I got here. [1] It gives me the feeling of visiting home after a long absence and having the family members trying to feed you everything and fatten you up!!

Maki, you need to calm down.

“Oh, father, thank you so much! This is the best birthday present ever!!”

“A-Ahh… I’m glad you like it… it’s good that you’re happy but… have you met this child before?”

I’m witnessing Maki hugging her father and hopping about like an excited child. From her father’s reaction, I could tell he notices that we clearly knew each other.

No, to be precise, we never ‘met’ in this world. However, saying that we knew each other from past life would be quite unbelievable too. We are still kids after all, so our words don’t carry much weight.

“Hmm, he’s someone I know~ yet don’t know~ Anyway, it’s fine since I like him. More importantly, he’s to be my attendant, right? He’s going to stay here forever, right?”

“A-Ahh, yes. You did say you wanted friends after all. Make sure to get along with him,”

“I will!”

Oooh, Maki covered it up well with her childish act. As expected of this tyrant girl. She is a master liar.

Right now, I’m silently eating the large amount of food Maki had piled onto my plate. Hmm, the noblewomen are looking at me and whispering to each other. I keep hearing ‘Do you think-’ or ‘right’, so I guess they are probably gossiping about me, the child with doubtful origins.

However, since I’m all dressed up in clothes prepared by Maki’s father, [1] I looked perfectly presentable. Not at all out of place in these expansive clothes. How could I be when it was the norm for me to wear luxurious clothes? [1] Especially in my past life?

“Hey, what’s your name now?”

“…. Tooru Sagaram.”

“Woah, incredible. It’s just like your old name. I’m Makia. Makia Odelle. … Hmmm, looks like your situation now is the same as your previous lifetime. Only half of your name matches you. Moreover, this life’s name is quite similar to the one in your past. I guess a person’s name really is similar to their fate, there’s no escaping it… Maybe that’s why you’re never lucky.”

At Maki’s words, I stopped bringing food to my mouth.

“… I had forgotten, you’re a Name Fate Witch, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I recalled my title when I came here. So long as I know the name of the person, I can see their magical potential… still, you’re pretty impressive. Your MP is higher than mine.”

“Really? How is it compared to before?”

“There’s about 50% increase I’d say”

“….”

I still remember my previous life’s MP. Back then, my magic had probably been the highest in the land, ever. To think that it had actually increased by 50%…

One of the irrefutable facts of this world is that, no matter how hard you try, MP is something that you’re born with and can never increase either through hard work or training. Everyone is born with a certain limit. [1] You might trick your body through buffs or have your magic blocked via magical dampening devices but ultimately, it would not change what you have. I guess the Hero would probably call my current situation a [Magical Power Boost].

“Well, I do feel a little bit different but, as it is, this MP might turn out to be a useless accessory in this world.”

“It’s not good to just carry it around and not make use of it but… that guy can’t track us [1] through your magic as long as you don’t use it.”

“…”

That guy…

Until now, I haven’t had time to speak to anyone about the matter that happened in the Past Life Confession Club room on that fateful day.

That’s because this is something I can only discuss with you guys.

Still, I’m a sensible guy. Now is not the time to talk about stuff like that. Moreover, when it comes to status, I’m just a random commoner hired to be Maki’s attendant.

“Anyway, let’s leave talk about that aside. It’s dangerous to talk about it now. Since I’ve been hired to be your companion, we’ll have plenty of time to talk about things later.”

“…yeah. Yeah!!”

Maki’s cat-like eyes sparkle as she nods crazily. Had she always been this straightforward?

To think that she used to be that crazy scary Crimson Witch… to see her as a child now, I could barely remember what she had been like before.

It’s kind of cute. Like seeing a long lost pet that had returned to its owner.

[1] The party went on pretty normally after that, with everyone eating, chatting and encouraging the birthday person to open presents. Naturally, everything is done in a more sparkly and grand way in this aristocratic world.

[1] Nevertheless, despite my years of experience both as a human and Demon King, Makia’s birthday cake still manages to surprise me.

I have no idea what it’s made of exactly but when the pastry chef, a man with a rather sissy gait came in, confidently stepped into the room with a pure white, 3-tiered cake topped with glossy-looking fruits, my jaw drops open.

At the top of the cake perched three incredibly detailed apple trees made from candy.

All the guests admire the cake.

“Woah, it’s amazing!! It’s perfect, Barnava!!”

“Makia-sama, you did say you wanted to see an apple tree planted on a whole cake, didn’t you? Well, I went ahead and made one.”

The effeminate man winked. I swear, his wink appears to have the power to shoot down stars, so bright it was… On the other hand, Makia is so excited that it looks like she is about to float away.

In fact, this cake is incredibly delicious on top of being pretty [1] and, frankly, an incredible structural accomplishment. This is the first time I taste such smooth icing after being reborn in Maydea. The corners of my eyes felt a bit hot after the first mouthful.

After all, human beings are creatures that live for delicious food. The happiness of tasting delicious things is indescribable.

Ahh, it’s wonderful to be alive. I wonder what sweet tooth Yuri is doing now?

I’m sure he has been reborn in this place too. Considering his luck, I’m sure he has been reborn into a good family and is doing well too.

Wait, Maki?

Is there even a limit to your stomach? You have been eating non-stop for quite a good while now.

“Hey hey, can you stop eating next to me? It makes us stand out too much.”

“What are you talking about!! Let’s go all out!!”

Ah, it’s useless. What are you, Maki? My dad?

She really doesn’t care about other people’s stares.

Count-sama, please accept my apologies.

You have picked me up off the streets but thanks to me, your daughter has reverted back to her horrible nature of eating, drinking and eating without giving a damn to propriety. I do believe that’s the last you’ll see of your once good and delicate girl.

I might just awaken the top-class violent Maki.

Well, I guess that’s fine. Whatever happens, happens.

[Gumihou: Ah, que sera sera is it?]

[1] Filling in the ‘Unspoken’. Often, when it comes to Japanese novels, the translation might be a bit lacking since the author deliberately chooses to use fewer words and let the reader fill in the blanks through a preset cultural understanding.

If the missing info looks too sparse, Gumi will fill in some of the blanks. This is not to imply that the writer’s craft is lacking, but we do have a cultural gap. Gumi will try to fill in these gaps unobtrusively.

[2] The actual title is ‘Tooru, Kimi ha Petto’ I wonder if it has any reference to the Kimi wa Pet available in manga, TV adaptation (Korean & Japanese)

Here’s the synopsis: Kimi ha Petto aka Tramps Like Us is a Japanese Josei manga series by Yayoi Ogawa. It is about Sumire, a young professional woman who takes in a younger man as a pet, and her attempts to keep her co-workers and conventionally perfect boyfriend from finding out about her pet.