Chapter 18: Respect x Pitiful Shizuka x Bennet Manor
Classes for the day were already over and everyone was heading home. I was saying goodbye to a few classmates who were asking me a few things about music, mainly about my inspirations. I tried being as honest as I could and said that I liked music that provided people with a place were they could vent their emotions in. Besides that I clarified that I liked many genres and didn't like to remain static in the same style. When I caught Megan at the school's entrance she looked at me with a smile
"You know Alan, I like seeing you being confident, but please don't become like those douches in novels"
Hearing Megan's words made me quite shocked. I was certain that I was behaving the same way the last few days. I don't remember any instance of me treating anyone differently. Maybe I was a bit more confident and perhaps shameless, but I really couldn't think of a single time I treated anyone poorly or acted as if I was above the rest. I could only guess her words were a warning more than anything else, so I simply smiled and nodded.
'I have no intentions of being like that' was what I thought when she grabbed my arm and began dragging towards the limousine that would act as our transport on a daily basis.
Shizuka was already waiting for us inside it, this time acting as our driver. I asked her if this was going to be a full time thing and she almost immediately said that it was not. That made me happy, as I didn't want her to work like a maid. She was my right hand, not my servant. In fact, the prospect of having servants didn't seem that alluring to me, since I didn't like people treating me like I was some kind of deity. I liked respect, not reverence.
I tried to make light conversation with Megan and Shizuka, but I had no time to. Apparently, my new house was a block away from Kindredville High. When we got out of the limo, I almost fell on my butt from the surprise.
"Shizuka... I told you to get a big residence, yes... but isn't this a... mansion?"
"This is the closest place to school available, my Lord. Besides, it is an abode worthy of a Campione"
I knew that what I was going to do was kind of a dick move, but I couldn't help it. Shizuka was acting so seriously that I needed her to relax. So I did what no man must ever do: attack her sore spot.
"You know... if you are so stiff all the time you will never get married"
I expected her to get violent, since that was the way she would usually react in the series. Alas, I was wrong. It would seem that, since she knew that she couldn't act violently towards me, she got sad and began sobbing. I immediately felt guilty, and Megan's reproaching gaze made it even worse. Hence, I took responsibility and tried to bring her mood up.
"Hey, I was just joking Shizuka. You are a beautiful woman! There can be no man that isn't interested in you! Unless, you know... he swings that way"
"D-Do you *sob* m-mean it?" she asked while looking at me with puffy puppy eyes. Damn, even a grown and serious woman like her could look so damn cute? Fuck, why was everything so tempting in this world "Of course I mean it, why would I lie to you?"
Her demeanour changed and she looked happy, probably the happiest I had ever seen her. But her next words left me shocked "Then... does that mean that you find me... attractive?"
I didn't know if it was the fact that I was technically her "boss" or the fact that I was a "Campione", but she seemed to have forgotten that there was more or less a decade in between us. Still, I did find her beautiful and attractive, but didn't want to just say it out loud like that. Thus, I turned to Megan in hopes that she would sace me from this situation, but my salvation never came.
Megan just looked at me with a smirk and pointed with her head towards Shizuka, who was looking at me with eyes full of expectation. I understood she wanted me to answer, so I had no other choice but to do so. In any other circumstance, I would've done so without problems, but I was trying to focus and Megan while slowly biting at Jean. Alas, it didn't seem to be possible.
"Yes, I do find you attractive, Shizuka. Extremely so, at that"
The brunette in question shined with a huge smile plastered on her face. I couldn't help but smile softly at her. Seeing people around me happy actually made me feel content with myself, something that I had just realized at that moment.
*
Shizuka gave us a tour around the mansion and god was it perfect. It counted with many rooms and an entire wing dedicated to staff living quarters. When I asked how the place would be maintained, Shizuka told me she was thinking of hiring maids and butlers to take care of that. I told her to please make sure they didn't treat me with reverence. Respect was enough.
Back to the newly named Bennet Manor, it was just perfect. The main hall was big enough to throw a party, which I was sure to do once we had settled down. My room was the biggest in the house, and it counted with a few other rooms adjacent to it. The Bathroom was big enough to be considered a public one and there were at least four others spread through the place. The room right next to mine was Megan's and in front of hers was Jean's. Shizuka told me that Yuichiro had decided to move in too, which I wasn't against. He would be occupying the room next to Jean's. The basement had been conditioned to be a recording room. It was soundproofed and every instrument I would ever need was already in there, together with a state-of-the-art computer and MIDI console, a few microphones and cameras. She said a few things were there in case I ever felt like streaming. She was such a considerate woman.
Once we had explored the entire inside of the house we went to the "backyard". To say it was huge was an understatement. The entire block belonged to me now, so the backyard could only be unnecessarily big. Though I still loved it, which was obvious. It had a huge pool and a fireplace beside it, with a few hammocks and long beach chairs covered by sun umbrellas.
"I love it. You really outdid yourself with this place, Shizuka"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone