Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Author Note:
Regarding this chapter, I have to apologize to Machias’ fans.
But he’s the easiest person to spark a conflict now. Sorry about that, Macky. 1
Chapter 012 – Fufufu, son. It’s the April Field Study [A]
The Class VII of Thors Military Academy gathered at Trista Station in the early morning for their field study.
After about a month, one would find some members they could talk to.
As a matter of fact, Group A was made up of members who got along well with each other, so they were having friendly chats while joking around.
Emma too, had people who had kept their distance from her when they first learnt that she was Rean’s friend, but after getting to know her personality since she was appointed as class representative, they instead began to feel sympathy for her, thinking it was Rean who dragged her into all his messes.
That was to say…
“Um, Rean-san. Are you really going to take Celine with you?”
“Aah. I got permission from instructor Sara. I guess she was aware that she was acting unreasonably in making the group division, so when I told her it was for animal therapy, she was convinced in the end.”
[“It’s really unbearable for me who was forced to accompany such a arbitrary decision though…”]
[“Fufufu, Miss Celine. I think expanding your knowledge will improve your status as a witch’s familiar, you know?”]
{“Umu. Although I don’t remember, it seems Dreichels had a witch among his close comrades. Even if the other party was not a fellow witch, it’s possible to become friends.”}
[“I don’t like it because you guys are here!”]
Seeing Celine with a troubled expression in Rean’s arms while staring at Emma, Alisa and others thought that back at the entrance ceremony, that perhaps Celine was really trying to escape from Rean.
That was exactly what happened.
“Hey, none of you mind if I bring Celine with us, right?”
The atmosphere in Rean’s group was just terrible.
Rean held up Celine as he spoke to Jusis and Machias, both of whose dissatisfaction were apparent even from their backs.
“…………I personally want to refuse, but since the instructor already gave her permission, I don’t mind. But make sure to take care of it yourself.”
Jusis glanced for a moment, but when Celine meowed, he grudgingly gave his permission, albeit reluctantly.
As for Machias…
“What do you think class is! Field study is still part of the academy’s class, you know! There’s no way it’s acceptable to bring an animal with you!”
“It’s okay, Celine is a smart girl. Her fur is beautiful, and I think Machias will feel soothed as well, you know? Besides, I already got permission from Instructor Sara.”
“Guh… Instructor Sara!”
“Ah~ well. He did say that the cat won’t disrupt the class and that he would look after it when he’s there, so don’t worry. If something goes wrong, feel free to shift the blame to Rean.”
Even though Machias felt angry that it was none other than the instructor that had given permission, since everyone else had accepted it, he had no choice but accept the decision, so his mood grew worse.
Rean’s attitude of holding Celine and bringing her close to Machias’ face made it even worse.
Group A, who had been watching from a distance, each voiced their evaluation of Rean.
“What can I say, Rean doesn’t seem as weird as I think. Well, he’s indeed weird, but he doesn’t seem to be a delinquent.”
“Aah. My younger brother… seems calmer in comparison, but Rean’s innocence reminds me of my youngest sister. He’s like a child, for better or for worse.”
“You’re right, it feels like I’m looking at a younger kid despite him being a similar age. I wonder if Emma likes people like that.”
The things they said weren’t bad, but it continued.
“The other day, he picked up a kid from the Wind Orchestra club using the knight doll and waved her around, right…?”
“The student from Class V who helped at the chapel often ran around to give follow-up for the commotion Rean caused in Professor Schmidt’s experiments.”
“It seems the girl from class III, who is reputed because her fortune telling was so accurate, was trying to raise her power in order to fortune-telling about Rean properly, that she didn’t mingle with him as much recently.”
“Also, some living spirit seems to possess him.”
That was mostly Valimar’s fault.
The three students of Group A sighed.
It was a common thing among adolescents to wonder how to interact with Rean Schwarzer, who had peculiar human relationships.
“Rean, can I touch the cat?”
“It’s okay, right Celine?”
[“Why do you speak as if I have already agreed… well, I don’t mind.”]
“She said it’s okay.”
As Fie received Celine from Rean with sleepy eyes, she stroked Celine’s black, silky fur.
“You did say it’s for animal therapy, but it doesn’t feel bad,” said Fie as she enjoyed the soft sensation. At this rate, she might fall asleep again while standing.
Laura seemed to want to touch it too, but since she couldn’t ask openly, she pretended to observe the surroundings yet didn’t take her eyes off Celine.
Fie noticed Laura’s gaze, but she repeatedly thought that since it wasn’t long since she woke up, she wanted to enjoy it more before passing the cat, but in the end, she didn’t let Celine go until the time of departure.
Eventually, it was time for the train to depart and Class VII split into Group A and Group B, heading to their respective destinations.
Group B, which Rean was part of, was headed to Parm, the Spinning Town.
[“Celine. I’ll keep the telepathy channel open, so make sure to tell me if Rean-san causes trouble.”]
[“So him causing trouble is already an established fact, huh.”]
[“After all, Rean-san alone is already scary enough, but there are also, Osbon-san and Valimar-san, plus I have no idea why they’re stuck with him, you know? He’s even in the same group as Machias-san and Jusis-san, so it would be weirder if nothing happened.”]
[“Emma…………”]
It hadn’t been a month since they enrolled, but the days Emma spent together with Rean brought a strong change in Emma’s emotions.
Celine had a mixed feeling as a familiar seeing her master’s change, wondering whether Emma might reveal her identity as a witch in Celdic.
Despite such worries, Rean and his group bought tickets for five and boarded the train.
Celdic was nearby, so Sara would go there first and join with Group B later.
And so, Rean and Group B headed to the site of the field study.
But the atmosphere of their journey was creaky from the moment they departed.
“…………………………”
“…………………………”
“……………………Guh.”
Jusis and Machias sat in the seats the farthest away from each other.
Laura sat next to Jusis, and Fie sat next to her while falling asleep as she used Celine as a bolster.
Machias sat across Fie, and Rean sat next to him.
Since nobody spoke, Rean naturally ended up having a conversation with Laura.
“Laura, you seem to be looking at Celine for a while now. Do you like cats?”
“Ah, no. I guess it’s just human nature to want to touch when seeing fur that looks that nice.”
“She’s being used as a bolster right now, so you should set your expectations at night or on the return trip. Come to think of it, there’s Vander dojo at Parm. Did Laura go breaking dojos since it’s the rival swordsmanship after all?”
“Why do you think that way?”
“Well, if one wants to improve their skills through friendly competition, then directly going there is the fastest, right?”
“That might be true, but… Well, the dojo I went to was their main dojo at the imperial capital. Although it is in a rural area, since they carry the name of Vander’s swordsmanship, I do want to pay a visit there… I’m not sure I’ll get the opportunity during the field study.”
“I have no idea what we’ll be doing at the destination, but it should be okay to just give greetings. What will you do, Jusis?”
Jusis, who suddenly had a question directed at him, frowned slightly, but replied nonetheless.
“……Why are you bringing the topic to me?”
“Hm, isn’t it a noble’s duty to greet other nobles at a destination? Schwarzer’s territory is unfortunately far away, so we don’t have such customs, but since Vander is still a viscount family, so if there’s connection with Albarea family, I just wonder if it would be better to give greetings.”
“Are you making me do something that you don’t?”
“Huh? Is it wrong?”
[“Fufufu, son. Even if both of their families are nobles, there’s a great status difference between viscount and duke. Rather, if Jusis-kun actually went to give his greetings, it might actually cause unnecessary trouble, you know?”]
“Sorry, I guess I didn’t think it through. On the contrary, it seems it would be more of a nuisance to go and give greetings in your case.”
“Hmph, I didn’t go there as a noble, so I won’t do unnecessary things. I’m just a student right now.”
“Heeh, about that——”
“Hmph, what do you mean you aren’t going there as a noble? Do you think that kind of logic applies to a great noble like Albarea? Since you’re such a great noble who is also known as one of the four great nobles, it’s obvious people will flock around you like a moth attracted to a lantern. It’s just like a noble to get carried away over that.”
Just as Rean was impressed at Jusis, who didn’t wield his authority carelessly, Machias cussed.
The conversation stopped, and silence filled the surrounding.
Machias’ words were spot on, and since Jusis also carried the name of Albarea, he often got noticed by troublesome people.
“Well, our Arseid family hasn’t done anything we are particularly ashamed of as a noble, you know?”
It was Laura who cut through the conversation in a powerful way.
Machias couldn’t continue upon hearing those calm and spontaneous words, and fell silent.
“In the empire, Arseid is like the martial duke. Even if he is the viscount, does he not discipline himself accordingly?”
“Although words of praise are often heard for Viscount Arseid, there’s hardly any bad rumors. But it seems like the vice class rep nitpicks even on sensible people.”
“Guguh…”
[“It seems Machias-kun holds a grudge against nobles. I think something happened in the past that made him hate nobles so much.”]
It seems so… even if it’s not a grudge, it might be a strong trauma. Things like that aren’t something that can be wiped away without help after all.
Rean was also traumatized over the fact he was an adopted son and his power of ogre.
Above all, since he was a classmate, perhaps Machias could be a close friend since there was a precedent like Rosine, whom Rean got along well with despite her being unable to see Osbon.
Judging the Jusis who still had his composure, Rean tried to talk to Machias, who had tunnel vision just because the other party was a noble.
“Hey Machias——”
Just as Rean was about to open a conversation, the train announced that it had arrived at their destination.
I guess there’s still a next time, Rean thought as he took Celine away from Fie’s hands and woke her up.
The town of Parm, located at the southernmost tip of the empire, was as beautiful as the rumors said.
To people who were used to the latest orbal devices, cars, and trains, they might be surprised to see the peaceful scenery, and the sight of a water wheel also gave off a calming atmosphere.
Rean and his group went to the bar where they contacted the military academy and received the list of special activities for that day.
“A request for dyeing material, an extermination request of a wanted monster, and… hmm, there’s also a request from Vander dojo.”
“Hmm? …Hou, so the other party is a disciple there. I think it’ll serve as a good stimulus for both of us.”
“But really, I guess this is the field study, huh. I can’t see anything special about it.”
“No, that’s not necessarily the case. I learned this from helping the student council activities. It’s through requests like these we get to understand the town and find out where things are.”
“That helping activity was your punishment to begin with. Geez, come to think of it, I heard you were chasing a cat during the entrance ceremony, haven’t you?”
“Aah. Isn’t she cute?”
“Why do you only say that! Is that something you’re supposed to do, even going as far as skipping the entrance ceremony?!”
“Well, I’m sorry about that, and I do feel sorry about it, but that’s how important it is to me compared to the entrance ceremony.”
“How come chasing a cat is more important than the entrance ceremony!”
“This is why a noble is just,” Cussed Machias as his stress spiked.
From Rean’s perspective, Celine was the first person who saw Osbon other than himself. It was so important that the entrance ceremony was forgotten in an instant.
“Does Rean like cats?”
“I like Celine.”
[“What are you talking about!”]
“Hisss~” meowed Celine as she slipped out of Rean’s grasp and came to Fie’s hands.
Laura squeaked without composure, but Fie didn’t care and continued what she did in the morning.
Jusis, who saw this exchange, murmured softly.
“I see. I guess it’s just natural to not bring someone like this to social parties.”
“Did you say something?”
“I’m just saying that rumors about the Schwarzer family are spreading even among nobles.”
“Aah, I see. I’m still causing the family trouble in the present continuous tense since they adopted a vagrant as a son, so I’d like to return the favor someday.”
“………………Eh?”
Machias made some dumbfounded sounds. Fie stopped stroking Celine, and Laura also stared at Rean.
Even Jusis, who brought up the topic, widened his eyes and looked at Rean.
“Well then, let’s take a look around for now. I have a lot of marathon experiences, so leave it to me.”
However, Rean spoke in a casual voice as if it was nothing to him.
As a matter of fact, thanks to Osbon, Rean really didn’t feel bothered.
Now, even with Osbon out of the equation, Rean could say directly that he loved his parents and little sister.
Honestly speaking, Rean did want to meet his real father, but that wasn’t his top priority.
After all, it was more important for him to find people who could see Osbon.
Rean ran up to the nearby townspeople, as if announcing the start of the Parm Marathon.
Seeing his bizarre and unaffected behavior, the other four looked at Rean with indescribable expressions.
Want early access to Cannon Fodder, Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer, and I Was a Man Before Reincarnating, So I Refuse a Reverse Harem? Support the translator on Patreon!
