After returning ho from the Market Fair, Christmas passed, and the New Year ca and went without issue.
Before long, January 3rd arrived, and with it followed the ti for the politician's daughter's classy tenth birthday party.
Spiffed up in my identity as Leander Herington, I sat in a limousine alongside Sana and Sona, Emir, Selina and Minami. The ti was nearing five in the afternoon.
Because the twins and Emir were both officially registered as Leander Herington's children and docunted as such in governnt records, it was expected of to bring them to events such as this one.
Sophie Asanami had no relation to Leander Herington, so she was naturally not present.
As for Selina, she was already officially adopted by Minami. Due to the Absolute Contract, however, she was now able to attend events like these with a guarantee of safety, unlike previously.
Everyone was dressed smartly and had their hair done, with Selina and the twins wearing simple but overpriced one-piece dresses and Minami wearing so of her own neat and casual clothes.
I wore a black suit similar to the one I wore at the parent-teacher conference, of which Emir wore a miniature version tailored to his size. Speaking of which, he seed rather nervous, taking repeated glances at Selina out of the corner of his eye and a drop of cold sweat trailing down his temple.
Not to say that she wasn't anxious either, but the prior etiquette training Minami had her undergo clearly shined through at this mont as she sat in silence with a small smile.
Well, it's not like anything is going to happen here, so they'll cope.
Other than that, everyone donned their thick coats to shield themselves from the rogue winter winds. Although we wouldn't be spending any ti outside during the event itself, the before and after were to be taken into account, as the night would only grow colder.
There was not a lot of conversation during the ride, but eventually, we arrived at a magnificent mansion multiple tis the size of our own.
The car parked just in front of the colossal main gate, and we got out in what seed to be a massive garden containing bunches of bushes and exotic flowers.
The kids all looked around with intrigue, while I exhaled a brief and misty breath.
A bouncer-like individual t us in front of the gate as soon as we exited the limousine and, alongside nurous servants, took our invitations and welcod us politely. Then, escorting us to the grand front door, the servants relieved us of our jackets as we were embraced by the warmth of the indoors.
Low murmurs throughout the great hall prickled our ears as we entered, the sight of dozens of high-class, wealthy, and extrely influential people erged, joined by their children who were chatting amongst themselves separately.
Many of them, upon glancing at us who had just arrived at the venue, had their faces lit up with joy and quickly began to approach us as if this is what they had been waiting for.
"Miss Mochizuki, it is a delight to see you again. Sir Herington, yes? I believe this is our first ti eting. I am Taichi Mizushima. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I must say, you look much younger than I had anticipated, haha."
The first guy to approach us introduced himself like so, and I reciprocated his greeting briefly. Imdiately, he smiled slyly and tried to continue a conversation with , causing to groan inwardly.
Although one of the main reasons I ca here was for connections with powerful people like this, I didn't really feel like bothering with making pointless small talk now that it ca to actually doing it.
I knew it was good in the long run, and I couldn't always rely on Minami for everything as my sole business partner in this high-society world, but...
"Haha, indeed, I heard that you are very..."
His fox-like eyes, and his mouth that flapped uselessly like a suffocating fish.
Ugh.
What a bother.
As much as this was an event for the birthday girl in question, it was also an event for the parent's associates and to reinforce connections and relationships among influential people.
Because I announced my attendance at the event in advance, there were undoubtedly many people like this waiting to ambush here to try and establish rapport with , who was rapidly becoming a growing figure of importance.
That was all pretty much Minami's doing, so it felt odd having these powerful old n congratulate and sing my praises, but it wasn't exactly appealing nor was it gratifying.
A while passed as I was sward with such individuals, sticking to like bloodthirsty ticks, but eventually, I managed to catch a mont of much-needed reprieve.
"Haa..."
I let out a short sigh as I stood by myself at the drinks table, pouring so of the available rosé wine into my glass and taking a sip out of pure curiosity. It bore a pink hue, so I had expected it to taste sweet, or at least like the grapes it was made from, but as soon as the liquid made first contact with the insides of my mouth, my face crumpled and cringed.
"Euh, what the hell...?"
It was the opposite of what I had expected; a nasty, foul and bitter flavour that hit like a truck.
This is disgusting, isn't it...? How can all these people drink such a thing like it's nothing...?
Staring incredulously at the glass in my hands, I didn't hesitate to put it down and repeatedly swallowed saliva in an attempt to rid my violated mouth of that awful aftertaste.
I looked around the room as I did so, wondering just what was wrong with people to make them drink sothing so dreadfully pungent, but I lightly shook my head to erase the thought.
Suddenly, my wandering gaze landed on where my people had gathered; Sana, Sona, Selina and Emir were all talking in a group with so other rich kids. Perhaps so of them were the girls' friends from school, as they were chatting without issue.
I had expected so of the other parents to encourage their children to make connections with through the twins and Emir, but strangely, there weren't as many as I had thought.
Everything seed to be alright on that end for now, though, so I turned away.
Then, I t a certain person's eyes.
"..."
Shizuko Aikawa, eyeing suspiciously from one side of the hall.
Why was she here?
No, she was originally from a relatively rich family, right? It should co as no surprise... I simply never thought about that possibility.
Wait, fuck, hold on, what if she figures out that I'm...
「Shizuko Aikawa's current thoughts are that Leander Herington looks eerily similar to her fellow classmate and clubmate, Oscar Itou」
She hasn't yet figured out the truth.
Fortunately, having done my hair up nicely and wearing very slight makeup on my face seems enough to warrant the consideration that I'm not the sa person.
It was my mistake to not realise the possibility of her coming, but it's not like everything is ruined.
I can still patch things up.
We stared at each other for a mont before she began walking over.
"Um, excuse ..."
Still suspicious of , she opened her mouth. I responded in a voice full of confidence.
"Yes? I apologise if I appeared to be staring at you."
Of course, she might have ordinarily recognised my voice as Oscar Itou's, however as I tend to put on a lower voice as Leander anyway, there shouldn't be a problem.
"Oh, no, that's fine. I was the one staring... I was wondering if you might have a younger brother or a cousin; a boy about my age, perhaps...?"
Shizuko Aikawa asked such a thing. Thankfully, because she was the one to co up with the notion first, she'll be more easily convinced than if I were to be the one to tell her.
Slightly widening my eyes as if to show a hint of surprise in my expression, I asked back.
"Do you know my brother?"
Upon those words leaving my mouth, her chest appeared to rise and fall ever-so-slightly, as if letting out a breath of relief.
"Oscar Itou? Yes, he's a classmate of mine. I had no idea sir Leander Herington was his family, let alone an older brother, but you really look exactly alike..."
With a smile, she spoke comfortably after the mystery was solved. Her misunderstanding was good for , but this could result in more trouble if I deal with it haphazardly.
"Indeed. Actually, the Itou na is taken from our mother. My brother uses it because our original family na, Herington, would cause quite a stir in daily life. I would also ask you not to speak of this matter to anyone else, please."
"Oh, of course! You don't have to worry about that, I would never do such a thing. Ah, right, I didn't introduce myself. I apologise. My na is Shizuko Aikawa. It's nice to et you, sir Herington."
"Likewise. Please continue to take care of my brother, and I wish you a good evening."
Ending the conversation shortly after that, the two of us bid farewell.
"..."
Watching her back carefully as she walked away, I sighed.
...I think it turned out okay, right?
Well, at least there don't appear to be any imdiate concerns. She wasn't lying when she said she would never tell anyone, and I don't think she is the type to be foolish enough to do such a thing in the first place, as she said.
And then, although it was a lie I made up on the spot, there aren't any holes in the story, so it seems solid enough.
Calming myself, I reached for another drink on the table―a non-alcoholic drink this ti.
Taking a few gulps and exhaling, I naturally peered around once more. This ti, I saw another familiar yet unfamiliar person.
A girl the sa age as , with dazzling golden hair that seed to glitter under the fancy ceiling lights and rich athyst eyes that appeared to contain sothing profound deep within them.
This would be the third ti.
The first ti, through the window glass at the girls' academy.
The second ti, at the end of the hallway right after the parent-teacher conference.
And now.
That girl, at every turn, has been endlessly staring at like so.
She didn't pose a threat to , as that was a possibility I had already confird wasn't the case, but I never bothered to uncover more. Looking at her now, though, I thought I might as well use this opportunity to find out what exactly her problem was.
Asking what the deal was with her, I received an unexpected response that caused my expression to distort.
「You do not have access to this information」
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