Must have felt overwhelmed, huh.

"Well then, I won't hold back."

With a smile on his face, Tenan Mas picked up the red tea cup in front of him and drank it briskly.

But it seemed a bit forced, that smile of his.

After taking a sip.

"Ah, it's my first time tasting tea brewed by the captain, didn't expect it to be so delicious. Haha."

Uttered sincere words of praise.

"Thank you."

Acknowledged Crepes·Clair after being complimented, then continued to calmly gaze at Tenan Mas.

...

Seeing the other's posture, Tenan Mas couldn't help but find it hard to smile, but couldn't say anything either.

Well, as the most guilty person, being stared at in silence by the person involved would make anyone feel uneasy, no matter who it was.

"Oh, I remember now, the car seems to have not been serviced for a long time, I'll go check if there's any issue, it would be terrible if the car breaks down later."

Tenan Mas hastily finished the remaining red tea.

"Well then, Captain, I'll take my leave."

With a smile on his face, he finished speaking and disappeared in a flash.

...

Hey, hey, you, you sneaky guy, you left me behind, what am I supposed to do now?

Next, Ryuto's greatest fear finally came to pass.

After Tenan Mas fled, Crepes·Clair's gaze naturally shifted towards Ryuto.

Umm...

Although not as guilt-ridden as that person, being stared at by the person involved still made Ryuto a bit uncomfortable.

...

Can't go on like this forever.

Why do I feel like I'm walking the same path as that guy earlier, he had the excuse of checking the car, what should I say?

No choice, I'll just have to say I need to use the restroom, forcing me to resort to making excuses.

So Ryuto spoke up.

But before that, he was pre-empted by the other.

"In fact, as Tenan just mentioned, that matter is not a secret."

Crepes·Clair said with a solemn expression.

"Is that so..."

Comrade Tenan, so your words were heard by the person involved? Let's see how you handle this.

"So, I don't blame Tenan, after all, that matter has nothing to do with him."

"..."

Comrade Tenan, you lucked out.

"And since Mr. Amagi wants to know, I won't deliberately keep it from him. Just like I said earlier, it's not a secret, even if I don't mention it, Mr. Amagi would find out through other means. Of course, I believe Mr. Amagi is not that kind of person."

"Is that so..."

Is it really okay to trust him like that? Why does he have this invisible sense of guilt?

"I didn't mention it at that place earlier because I felt there should be an appropriate time."

"No, even if you didn't mention it..."

"But Mr. Amagi must be feeling quite puzzled."

"...I can't deny that."

"And if Mr. Amagi feels puzzled, it might affect the plans for the afternoon, I don't want my personal matters to disrupt the bigger picture."

Saying so, Crepes·Clair looked directly at Ryuto.

"..."

Is this Crepes·Clair's own insistence?

Regardless, he doesn't want to affect others because of himself, even if it means enduring pain...

Even though this matter is not a secret, at least...

This is not a topic Crepes·Clair wants to discuss, which means it's not something worth mentioning. Although Ryuto didn't know what it was about, judging from Crepes·Clair's previous reaction, he could infer some things.

And for Crepes·Clair, it's likely a rather negative topic.

But even so, Crepes·Clair has no intention of concealing it, once he realized Ryuto was confused about it, he had already made up his mind to tell him. When he understood that it might affect other matters, his determination only grew stronger.

"So, since it has to be said anyway, let me be the one to say it."

As if expressing some kind of resolve, Crepes·Clair's eyes showed no hesitation.

In the end, not wanting Tenan Mas to feel guilty, he decided to tell Ryuto himself, even if it meant causing himself pain.

Not wanting to cause trouble for others because of himself, even if it inflicted pain on him.

Though it might seem a bit arrogant, even overly self-conscious, but undoubtedly...

This is Crepes·Clair's insistence, no matter what others say or think, it won't change.

After a brief silence, Crepes·Clair spoke again, looking Ryuto straight in the eyes, his words filled with determination.

"...In fact, I'm a bit different from them, because I was born a slave."