Chapter 13 (1/2)

Chapter 13: Let’s investigate this once more.

I told everyone to disperse, yet Douglas still remained in the room.

I felt this when he was with b.i.t.c.h as well. I think that his expression is different from the Douglas I knew.

If he’s still here, I wonder if he wants to say something to us. For some reason, he keeps opening and closing his mouth.

He wants to say something, but he can’t find the opportunity.

“Douglas, is it fine for you to not accompany them? ……Otherwise, do you have something left to say?”

To make the starting the conversation easier, I give him some water.

When I inquired about him, Douglas made a surprised face and then looked at us. Judging from his expression, he probably didn’t think that he could receive counselling.

Hearing my suggestion, his face brightened for a moment, but soon his faced changed into a pathetic face on the verge of tears.

For a while, the room fell silent. Since the coffee went cold as well, Daniel started to brew new coffee. I then heard a sound as though Douglas could no longer stifle his weeping.

No one pressed him to calm down, and kept a calm silence.

We continued to sip our drinks until Douglas calmed down.

During that time, I drank two cups of coffee so stomach hurt a little. To which I discovered that Daniel was looking at me like a pitiful child.

Wait! I asked this over and over again, but why are you looking at me like that!! It can’t be helped!? I had to find a way to spend the time!

I’m not a very serious person, so I can’t endure this atmosphere! But I’m still trying my best to ignore this, you know!?

As I desperately complained towards Daniel in my head, Daniel shot a mischievous smile at me that showed that he was enjoying my reactions.

d.a.m.n! Daniel!!

Are you reading my mind or something!?

While I was fooling around with Daniel, Douglas had regained his cool. As his hands were hiding his eyes and his bangs were let down, he spoke in a tiny voice.

“I do not know what happened to me…… ……Please… help……”

During the ten years I spent with him, this was the first SOS he sent to me.

The Douglas I knew was a cunning man, where one had to tread carefully around him.

However, all of that changed last year.

The fiancée with whom they were in mutual love, died due to disease. Since then, he became heartbroken and never smiled. Shutting himself in, he never connected with anyone.

He lost his vigour and never really talked to his family. He ate so little that he started to thin.

But, only Douglas himself could overcome his mental scar.

We could only wait for the flow of time to heal the wound or for him to have a miraculous meeting.

So we watched by on the sidelines.

……Well, except for one person…… Robert.

He can’t read the mood, and on top of that he doesn’t know how to be considerate. To the depressed Robert, “There’s so many women in this world! Cheer up!!” He said something without an ounce of delicacy so shamelessly.

Still, Robert did heal Douglas’s wounds, to some degree.

After a year, Douglas recovered just enough to put on a facade, but then he met b.i.t.c.h.

Because of that, this is why he’s like this now…… The reason why b.i.t.c.h and Douglas got so close together.

……I can somewhat surmise why.

If I recall correctly, in the reverse harem route, there is a specific way to conquer Douglas.

First, conquer Robert. Then, there are more choices in the route with Douglas.

Hmm, uhh, it probably was…… ‘Are you hurt?…… You look like a wounded animal trying to desperately hide its injury,’ or something?

Robert then took an interest in what b.i.t.c.h said, to which he spouted silly nonsense like ‘Mich.e.l.le! You might be able to save Douglas’ and actively created opportunities for the two to meet. Thanks to that, Douglas route’s difficulty drops quite a bit.