Chapter 36: A Weapon Fit for a Weak Heroine (IV).
"Hmm~ Hmm~ Thank you for coming! Hope to see you next time too!"
The elderly she served waves a hand goodbye, feeling youth was definitely in the season seeing the heroine being so diligent in her work, despite knowing she can just marry rich with her kind of beauty!
Oh, how hardworking she was... it made all of them wish they had a granddaughter like her to call their own.
The heroine was still at her work, picking up plates and moving them inside the kitchen where they'll be cleaned.
Clatter!
The sounds of plates bustling down were heard, and the blonde girl wipes the sweat right by her forehead and smiles seeing no love interest in sight that will be disturbing her peace.
No crown prince sticking his head out on her business.
No Lord Ein too well... Actually the heroine was growing fond of the lord so she didn't mind him visiting to eat and dine.
No lying elf prince, arrogant butler, a manipulative demon lord, and some rich merchant who had all the money trying to buy her love-
None of them were in sight!
And it makes her heart be at peace, but not fully for times of silence mean a storm must be brewing.
"Whew... Business is a little slow, mostly because it looks like all the ones that visited today were all the elderly." (Analissa) sighed in relief looking around the empty shop.
Thankful that no nobleman has spotted her come inside and form a crowd that they couldn't handle.
She began cleaning up the floors, sweeping and mopping happily.
"I love money~ getting money~ in a totally legal way~ yes!" The girl sang quietly to herself as she worked, making sure that no spec of dust was left leaving everything shining to the point you'd see your reflection down on the wooden floor.
And that's wood.
"Whew all done now I just have to wait for another hour and I can go home." She praises herself for the effort she did. She didn't have that many chances on cleaning much in her past life and now she's rather growing fond of the chore.
But... There was this eerie feeling that someone or something was watching her the entire time she was working, Analissa just didn't know if it was paranoia or her instincts were right since the inside of the restaurant was pretty empty nearing afternoon.
"Hmm? Is it just me or..." she looks outside the window, where she felt the stare was coming from, and sees the same bird that would usually come to her dorm room to do whatever it wanted- it was sitting in a small space near the corner of a window looking cold.
"What the bird-" (Analissa) stops herself from overreacting too much to not blow her cover and acts like everything was normal.
That bird was clearly up to something.
Analissa could never mistake it, that was the same bird from her dorm room- the one who gave her the uniform so she was sure it didn't mean any harm.
"Hmm~"
She continues to diligently do her work as Losimer, the Villainess' familiar watched intently planning to do his best in reporting everything he could.
"Tweet..."
Well, that and the fact that he's mostly hungry and cold on the job made him a bit sad while trying to hide his presence by the window.
"Ergh... I can't believe I'm getting a few stalker vibes from a bird. The new world of this visual novel surprises me every time."
Sweep... Sweep...
It just feels weird being watched and such, not knowing who in the heck would order a bird to keep tabs on her. "Only two of the love interests were introduced so they would usually be the suspects. Lord Ein doesn't give a damn about me now and the crown prince- I don't think he owns any bird."
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The only one she knows who liked birds to the point they would keep one was-
"Lady... Evelyn?"
The Villainess was a no brainer guess. She had books about birds, story books- showed a clear fondness for them and the Japanese had read it in a game forum about what the character's interests were.
It would all make sense if it was her pet bird. Summoned familiar? Contract animal?
The game... never mentioned it.
Whenever the Villainess would plot something against the heroine spying on her if she's getting anywhere near the crown prince, she calls her source of information "anonymous source" in her dialogues.
Could it be that the anonymous source was- the bird?
"Hmm..."
Logical braincell was trying to rack her brain on knowing the full truth and how high the percentage of it being the Villainess' familiar. It was very high, and the pieces of evidence were stacked with one another, her heart and mind being swayed that the bird belongs to the Villainess.
However, she shouldn't assume just yet.
Not without proper evidence... or thorough interrogation.
...
"Birds like seeds... and some bread crumbs right?" (Analissa) devised a little plan on making the bird answer all of her questions with a little bit of help.
The blonde girl rushes into the kitchen carrying her broom, but knowing that there was still dust in it she throws it by the side and catches Farrah's attention who was baking something inside the oven.
With her toned arms, she grabs a metal tray pan with her cute little pink gloves with little flowers on them before inserting it inside the fire, the fire roars the light bouncing off the right of the girl's face.
"Hah..." (Farrah) stands up, wiping the sweat right by her arms with her apron, and sees the heroine gawking- staring- admiring- drooling- at those muscles...
No!
Focus Analissa!
Smack!
Analissa refused to be chained to this addictive thing called SIMPING. She slapped herself, but not too hard- just enough to get her head back in the game.
Literally.
"Um... D-Do you need anything?" (Farrah) sees Miss Analissa Blanchet go through a series of mixed emotions wondering what the girl could need?
And why did she slap herself like that?
...
"Ahem!"
The heroine clears her throat, and finally, her head is clear as the sky. No more muscle images, please horny braincell control yourself.
"Farrah? Excuse me but do you have anything that birds might like? Like some grain, corn, or soft bread- biscuits?" (Analissa) tries to guess what would be good for birds, after all, if it's Lady Evelyn's familiar she should be careful not to harm its health.
Even if it's not her familiar and some ordinary bird- she should take responsibility for the animal's health.
Readers always remember!
Before feeding an animal something, especially human foods! Make sure it's alright for them first!
Farrah blinks a few times at all the items she requested.
Slowly, she smiles knowing everything she said was available in the pantry! Her heart was happy she'll be able to help the heroine with her request.
"I... have them all," she answers a bit shyly, staring at Analissa where she was secretly... waiting for the heroine to invite her to feed the bird together.
Farrah had a small image of them together feeding birds, and it made her happy.
Analissa on the other hand, wanted to do it alone because for her it wasn't some happy feeding time.
It was interrogation time!
"Oh! If you don't mind there was this cute bird just right over the window and I want to feed them- alone!" (Analissa) tells the girl in front of her, scratching the back of her head and laughing guiltily.
Farrah who was imagining them doing something together had the image in her heart torn apart.
"...Ah."
Immediately Analissa felt guilty, in her defense mechanism she immediately thought of excuses- one that might be able to give comfort to the kind giant.
"It's um... It's kind of my thing since err? I feel a bit shy showing my uh- nature side around others, so I hope you don't mind, Farrah." (Analissa) felt such a jerk!
But she can't interrogate properly when someone is watching her roast a bird's answers that she needed. Especially topics regarding Lady Evelyn.
"I... I-It's okay. I have some biscuits for the bird... please be careful and if it's a very small bird, break the biscuit into small pieces... so that they can eat it without getting hurt." (Farrah) removes the pink gloves that she used and finds her fresh batches of cookies made just this morning and places it over a small plate.
"If it's a wild dangerous bird. C-Call me... I will come running." The girl bites her lip, giving the plate of biscuits, the smell of it being strong and fragrant it would make anyone's stomach growl.
Farrah bites her lip and plays with her hands waiting for the girl's reply.
Ever the worry wart she was, Analissa thought. She takes the plate in her hands and gives Farrah a big grateful smile.
"Thank you, I owe you a lot for the next time we get together." (Analissa) turns her back around and walks back into a corner that was isolated from the restaurant.
Farrah waved goodbye slightly looking back at the oven realizing... that the bread that was still inside the oven was a little burnt.
"...Oh." (Farrah) mutters feeling sorry for the state of the bread and tries her best to focus on baking the whole day.
The bird did follow behind and even sat on the small porch of the window trying its best to sneak carefully.
"Tweet..." (Losimer) couldn't help but peek his head to the side, trying to see where that little blonde hair had gone to?
Left and right he looked, but there was no sign of her until-
"Tweet?!"
He chirps loudly seeing the heroine's face so close to the window it almost gives him a heart attack. The little bird flipped backward on its own, and the head of the heroine went up so fast it gave a blur effect making her seem like a demon.
"Silly little bird, did anyone teach you some manners that you can't watch people without their consent? I don't remember giving you my consent to watch me. Hngh..." (Analissa) opens the glass window and Losimer was about to fly away, afraid of being caught but-
"Tweet~?!"
The tone of his chirp went melodic, soothing, and even a bit ecstatic.
"Hey there birdie, say... would you like some biscuits freshly made this morning and some temporary free lodging while you watch me work?" (Analissa) holds out that delicious smelling biscuit for Losimer to smell.
She knows what a hungry person would look like, it would apply to birds too at this point!
"Come on now, I know you want to. Why don't we get to know each other for a little while, cute birdie?" Like the devil herself, she even smiles widely, enjoying the look on the bird's face when her hand that was holding the biscuit sways front and back.
Closer to the bird's beak and then... pulling it away.
A treat that's so close yet so far.
"Tweet...!" (Losimer) was conflicted seeing the juicy biscuit presented to him.
Now he must choose. Loyalty for the Villainess his master or- The biscuit that the heroine is holding so temptingly?!
"Hehehe." (Analissa) hovers over laughing evilly at her prey.
The heroine's main weapon... was her cunning personality.