Chapter 414: Nakiri Mana's First Love, A Girl's Secret
On the other end of the phone, a beautiful woman's fair, delicate face was flushed a deep crimson. It was the aftermath of shouting. She could swear that from her most ignorant childhood days until this very moment, she had raised her voice in such a manner no more than three times in her entire life.
The woman, Leonora Nakiri, drew in a shaky breath, steadying herself for one final, exasperated cry. "Hmph… A—"
"Mom, I heard you!"
"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"
The sudden interruption from her daughter nearly made Leonora choke on her own breath. Alice was truly a little devil. But right now, Leonora had no time to dwell on that. Her mind was racing, trying to process what her daughter had just been doing.
Taking a quick sip of water to soothe her throat, Leonora composed herself. "Alice, what did you just say? What was that about 'Aunt Mana'?"
Alice, meanwhile, wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Because I saw Aunt Mana!"
"In a magazine?" Leonora asked, her voice laced with skepticism.
"No! The real, living, breathing Aunt Mana!"
At Alice's declaration, Courage and the others in the shop turned to look at Nakiri Mana with peculiar expressions. Mana's own mouth twitched. Good heavens, this girl was no ordinary imp. The way the little troublemaker phrased it, one would think Mana had just risen from the dead.
Leonora, on the other end of the line, was stunned into silence for a moment before her voice erupted again, a torrent of questions. "Really?! Mana is out? She's in Japan? Is she at Totsuki right now?"
Alice shook her head. "Aunt Mana is out shopping."
"She's at a shoe store!" she added with a flourish.
"Eh?! Truly? What kind of shoes?"
"Mmm… you know, those formal high heels, and boots, and things like that. They're all so pretty!"
"Really? I want to buy some too… No, wait!" Leonora's train of thought screeched to a halt. "Mana, wearing boots? And high heels? Alice, are you absolutely certain you didn't see wrong?"
"Nope, not at all! I also saw Shopkeeper Ren."
"Oh~" A knowing, singsong tone entered Leonora's voice. "Give the phone to your Aunt Mana. I have something to say to her."
Alice nodded brightly and offered the phone to Nakiri Mana. While Mana had felt a pang of embarrassment at being discovered shopping, it was manageable. But the moment Alice mentioned that Ren was also there, she felt her hands clench into fists at her sides.
Just as Mana had predicted, she could practically hear the playful, scheming smile spreading across Leonora's face. She stared at the phone as if it were a venomous snake, hesitating for a long moment before finally taking it.
"Leonora, what is it?"
The ensuing conversation was a whirlwind.
"Hmm? What's going on with me and Alice?! Of course I'm alive! My God Tongue is already cured, didn't you know? I told you that very night, you haven't forgotten, have you?"
"What kind of dream is this…?"
"Mhm, I've already moved the WGO headquarters here! This way is not only more convenient, but it's also quiet and easy on the eyes. It's wonderful."
"I'm staying at Shopkeeper Ren's place…"
"Nonsense! You're staying there and you're still calling him 'Shopkeeper'? That's just plain rude! Leonora, I'll have you sent to etiquette class for that!"
"Mhm, I've decided… I… I want to have my own life, too. My own happiness."
"Eh?! You're coming to Totsuki? Then just have Alice bring you over when the time comes. It's quiet and safe here; no one will disturb you."
The two old friends chatted for a while longer, catching up on their recent lives before finally hanging up. Nakiri Mana, her face still faintly flushed, let out a soft sigh and mumbled indignantly, "Leonora is still the same as ever… that sly fox…"
Alice and the others looked on, completely baffled. They had no idea what Mana meant. The conversation had seemed perfectly normal to them. Weren't all conversations between good friends like that? Where was the slyness?
On the other side of the world, Leonora did not disappoint Mana's assessment in the slightest. The moment the call ended, she tossed her book aside, flopped onto her bed, and hugged a plush pillow to her chest. Covering her mouth with one hand to stifle her giggles, she kicked her feet in the air. "Oh my~ Is this what they call Nakiri Mana's first love? She's actually going shopping with a man now… and buying boots, of all things! How lovely."
The thought sent another wave of laughter through her. She whispered the words to herself, savoring them. "'My own happiness'… 'my own happiness'… Mana, that adorable idiot, seems to need a little push."
A sudden, fierce joy lit up her features. "But if that's the case, then that disgusting man, Azami Nakiri, should have absolutely no connection with Mana anymore, right? That's wonderful! That vile creature is finally gone for good!"
Energized by this thought, Leonora flipped over and sat up, her eyes sparkling with the mischievous glee of a young girl about to orchestrate some grand plan. She hopped off the bed and scurried away, a new mission in mind.
Back in the shop, Nakiri Mana let out another weary sigh. She looked at Alice, who was sticking to her side like a shadow. "Alice, aren't you going back?"
Alice shook her head emphatically. "Nope, not going back. I asked Erina to go shopping with me today, but she said she needed to practice her cooking, so I came out alone. And then I ran into you, Aunt Mana! I wonder what Erina will think when she finds out about this later."
"And what does that have to do with you following us?" Mana pressed, her patience wearing thin.
"Because shopping alone is boring!" Alice declared as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "So of course I have to follow you, Aunt Mana. You're being so strange."
Mana sighed again. It seemed there was no shaking the little girl off today. 'If only I'd run into her this morning,'she thought,'I could have pawned her off on Lanterby. Lanterby, Cerberus, and Alice… the three of them would definitely have a grand time together.'
"But I really didn't expect it, Aunt Mana," Alice chirped, her eyes wide with fascination. "For you to actually buy and wear boots! And over-the-knee boots, at that! This is the first time I've ever seen you wear them!"
Ren stepped in with a gentle smile. "Mana's legs look very beautiful in boots. Before, it was a matter of her usual clothing style, and besides, she couldn't go out often, so there was no real need for them. Now that she can move about freely, she should always try more things for herself. Right, Mana?"
Nakiri Mana nodded repeatedly, a grateful look in her eyes. She desperately wanted to pull Alice over and force her to learn from Ren's example. This was how one was supposed to speak. She was beginning to doubt if this girl was truly her niece; the child seemed to enjoy stabbing her in the back far too much.
Decora, who had been reviewing the shopping list, tilted her head in confusion. "So, whether it was Lanterby or Lady Mana, why did you both buy this thing called… uh… a 'Maiden's Treasure Chest'? What is that?"
Courage's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah! I know! Lanterby mentioned it once. She said it's like a small safe, but it can only hold things like letters, keys, rings, or jewelry. Legend has it that if you try to smash it open without the key, it will lock itself permanently. It's supposed to be very sturdy."
Decora nodded, a knowing smile on her face. "It looks like that girl Lanterby has something precious to hide, then."
Lucifer considered this for a moment. "Mmm… sounds useful. I'll buy one too. Pandora, do you need one?"
Pandora hesitated. "I don't… Hmm! I'll buy one too."
"What were you just thinking?" Lucifer asked, noticing her pause.
"Nothing at all," Pandora mumbled, her gaze drifting away. "A maiden's secret… Boss…"
Lucifer's face instantly flushed a bright red. She cleared her throat, her voice suddenly sharp. "Is it wrong for me to have a maiden's heart?!"
Alice's gaze immediately darted to Nakiri Mana. Mana felt the look and met her niece's eyes. The two stared at each other for a silent, charged moment. Just as Mana was about to speak, Alice broke into a wide, triumphant grin.
"Aunt Mana, you have a maiden's heart too!"
"I knew it…" Mana groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I knew she was going to say that…"
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]