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RChapter 7: Told You I Don’t Need Hangers-On!

A few days have passed since my first day at school.

As expected, Ekaterina is still all alone.
Well, can’t be helped.

Actually, there was a group that invited me. On the first day during lunch break, they asked, “Would you care to join us for lunch?” I was relieved—at first.
That was the beginning of my misfortune.

I joined a trio of girls and had lunch with them in the cafeteria.
And right away, I thought:

(*This won’t do.*)

At first, the trio showered me with flattery. Their words were so sugary they could rot teeth, and I could only smile awkwardly. But once they realized I didn’t respond much, they quickly lost interest and started chatting among themselves.
And their conversation is, to put it bluntly—trash talk. Apparently, they didn’t like two particular groups: Flora, the commoner-born (yet beautiful) girl in their class, and the “sparkly” group of count’s daughters (the high-rank, popular type in the school caste system, I think?).
Then came the gossip. They were literally fabricating nasty rumors out of nothing, going, “Oh, that must be true! Yes, yes, of course!”
That’s when I thought, *Oh no…*

(*Aah! These girls—they’re the “Yes-Yes Trio!”*)

That’s right. These three were the villainess Ekaterina’s lackeys in the game.
They never had names, their faces weren’t distinctive, and they were always standing behind her saying “Yes, yes!”—so I hadn’t recognized them. The name “Yes-Yes Trio” came from my previous life: when I played the game and heard their constant “Yes, yes!”, it reminded me of a lyric from a song that went “Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes!”, so I just called them that.¹

This won’t do. Sticking with them is a one-way ticket to doom.
And honestly, their conversation is simply unbearable.

Hiding my thoughts behind a graceful smile, I finished my meal, dabbed my mouth elegantly with a napkin, and stood.

“Pardon me. I must go see my brother, so I shall take my leave. Good day.”

Thank you, Mina. As you advised, I’ll use my brother as a shield to escape!
And indeed, I made my escape.

.

But! The Yes-Yes Trio was persistent.
Whenever I was alone, they’d approach me right away. No matter how many times I ran from them, they wouldn’t give up. Come on, I’ve run away this many times, how can you not tell I don’t want to be around you?! Well, they can’t, evidently.
Apparently, they were desperate to leech off the Jurnova family’s wealth and Ekaterina’s status. Thinking back, even at that first lunch, their words were practically dripping with gold-digging intent.

…Could it be that the game’s Ekaterina was being exploited by these girls?

During short breaks between classes, I focused on reviewing and preparing lessons since I’m conscious of my studies, so I kept telling them; “I’m sorry, but I have no time for chatting.” After that, they stopped approaching me during breaks. Maybe because there was no benefit to gain during such short times.
Now the three would cluster together and make snide remarks—just loud enough for Flora, who sat beside me and studied diligently, to hear. Flora ignored them completely, but it was *me* who got irritated.

The biggest problem, though, was lunch break. Because of the Yes-Yes Trio, I couldn’t eat in the cafeteria.
So I decided to have sandwiches made in the dorm cafeteria instead. But when I was eating quietly on a bench in the courtyard—

“Lady Jurnova~”

I saw the Yes-Yes Trio running toward me and almost spat out my sandwich.

“Oh my, it’s improper to eat alone in a place like this. People will laugh at you, you know,” they said, snickering among themselves.

Oh, give me a break!
Whose fault do you think this is? And anyway, as a thirty-something former office worker, eating alone is no big deal! If I were so weak I couldn’t survive without a lunch buddy, I’d never have made it through all those years of overtime!
Of course, I couldn’t possibly say any of that, so I just ran away again.

I didn’t want to bother anyone, but maybe the only way to avoid these goblins was to stick with Aleksei.
So here’s Ekaterina, steeling herself and going to the senior classroom—only to be surprised.

“The Duke? He’s in his office.”

Said one of Aleksei’s classmates.
And by the way, that classmate was a handsome, athletic, older-brother type—a tall, broad-shouldered man with fiery red hair and golden eyes. Friendly and confident, definitely likable.
Wait, wasn’t there a character like this in the game? I only ever played the prince’s route, so my memory is fuzzy.

“Excuse me—did you say office?”
“Yeah. Apparently, he borrowed one of the academy’s conference rooms for estate business. He’s been there most lunchtimes and after school since the start of the term.”

You’ve been working even at the academy, Onii-sama?!
Since the beginning of your school year?! Even before inheriting the title?!

He probably studies late into the night, too… Oh no, that’s a *death-by-overwork flag* if I’ve ever seen one!
And they call him “the Duke” even in class? It sounded more like a nickname than a title.

Following the kind and muscular classmate’s directions, I went to the office—and it truly was an office.
Aleksei sat at a large desk piled high with papers, surrounded by his subordinates or local officials, who reported to him or worked busily at other desks. The whole place felt like a real company office or an executive boardroom. Really bringing back memories from my previous life.

He actually is working hard!

“Ekaterina. What brings you here?”
“Um… I wanted to have lunch with you, Brother.”

At that, Aleksei smiled and accompanied me to the cafeteria.
But since I’d taken up his time, he’d probably end up working even longer after school—and his subordinates too. The guilt is crushing.
Damn you, Yes-Yes Trio!
I asked him what he usually did for lunch,and he said the cafeteria sent up the same day’s menu for him to eat while working. I told him his food would’ve been cold by the time he’d eat them, so why didn’t he ask them to prepare something easier to eat while working, but he only shrugged. Even though he’s at an age where he should have a big appetite, he didn’t seem to care much about food.
Hmm…

.

Terrifyingly enough, the Yes-Yes Trio even came barging into my dorm room. There are *ten* dorm buildings for first-years—so why on earth are those three in the same one as me? What horrible luck.
But come to think of it, in the game too, Ekaterina, the Yes-Yes Trio, and the heroine Flora all lived in the same dorm… so, well—guess it can’t be helped?

Thankfully, Mina promptly turned them away. I had expected some resistance, so this came as a surprise.

“Thank you, Mina. What did you say to them?”
“I just told them that you were studying, my lady. Then I stared at their necks in silence while imagining how much pressure it would take to stop their breathing.”
“………………I see.”

My beautiful maid might actually be a bit of a psycho.
Well, she’s useful so I’m fine with it. …am I fine with it, me?

“My lady, are those three a nuisance?”

Mina asked in her usual flat tone, leaving me unsure how to reply.
If I just said “They’re a nuisance” outright, something bad might happen. Probably won’t—but still.

“They aren’t bothersome to that extent. Merely annoying. Thinking of them as a nuisance would feel like admitting defeat, in a way.”
“Understood. So they’re annoying.”

…Somehow this still feels dangerous. But, oh well.

“I’ve been thinking things over, and I plan to take care of the matter myself. So please don’t worry about it, Mina.”

The short breaks and the dorm situation seemed manageable now—the only problem left is lunch.
Also, I want to improve Aleksei’s meals.
That’s right! Forget worrying about the Yes-Yes Trio—thinking about Onii-sama is a thousand times more fun. I want to bring a little joy of good food into his lunch!
Working through lunch with no break—it’s just like a corporate slave in my past life!

Alright then. Instead of wasting effort on those three, I’ll try doing something for my brother.
Maybe it’d interfere with my doom flags countermeasures, but who knows?