Neuvillette's POV
"You're acting quite particular today, Monsieur." Alhaitham remarked.
"Come now, Alhaitham. Do you have to pick up that ridiculous nickname as well?"
"At this point, it isn't a nickname but a title." He chuckled.
Oh dear me.
"At least improve your pronunciation."
"You wound me, Monsieur. My pronunciation is just fine."
This time, I simply ignored him.
While I am happy he found someone to be with, ever since he moved in with Kaveh he's been talking way more compared to the past. He picked up some of the architect's bad habits too.
"Do you want me to pick your car up tomorrow?"
"No need. I'll just pick it up on the way to Lyney and Lynette's showmanship courses tomorrow."
Hmm...
That reminds me. I should take Freminet diving again in the near future.
It feels kind of unfair to keep taking his siblings to lessons every week while he stays behind.
Ugh...
There is no easy solution to this problem.
I only have so much free time.
On that note.
"How is the project I gave to Kaveh going?"
"Oh, please don't ask. That idiot is completely obsessed! It's only gotten worse since he took an interest in interior design because of you!"
I reckon it is going well then.
"What kind of project did you give him anyway? I've never seen him so excited."
Oh, that.
"I gave him a budget and a general idea, He is allowed to do as he pleases otherwise."
The horrified expression on Alhaitham's face was honestly amusing.
"You let him do as he pleases?!"
"He works better that way."
And that, even Alhaitham couldn't deny.
So instead he changed the topic.
"So you and that Wriothesley guy..."
"We are simply acquainted." I cut home off.
"Right. Cause people usually spend that much mora buying clothes for an acquaintance."
"Alhaitham-"
"Allowing an acquaintance to carry you around in their arms is also something you usually do." He continued mockingly.
"Do I have to remind you that I pay your salary?"
"Do I have to remind you that I don't really need the salary you pay me?"
"Do I have to remind you that I pay your partner's salary as well?"
"How many times do I have to tell you that Kaveh is not my boyfriend?" He scoffed.
"I said nothing about Kaveh or him being your boyfriend. I merely mentioned your partner, as in work partner."
Alright.
Maybe it is time to stop here before he bangs his head into the steering wheel.
"Are you really not gonna bring me back to the office?"
"Nope."
"Alhaitham-"
"How is your leg?"
...
"It's fine." I spat out.
"Still hurts like hell then. Have you been stupidly indulging the kids and sitting around on the ground again?"
I almost flinched.
"You really should stop doing that or someone will eventually sell you out to them. At that point, they'll just feel incredibly guilty."
He was right, but still...
"Children should be able to play around."
"Children can play on the couch as well."
"How about we change to topic." I interrupted.
"Let's go back to Wriothesley then."
...
"My private matters are not something you should care about, Alhaitham."
"I just went shopping for half an hour before driving your private matters around, Monsieur." He pointed out.
Sigh...
But there truly wasn't anything to say.
There was nothing between us, not even friendship.
As Furina put it, he must hate my guts.
Understandably so, really.
"Just bring me home, Alhaitham."
And.
"Stop keeping your guns in my car. I don't mean the one on your hip, but rather the one under my seat that I am quite sure isn't registered."
Fortunately for him, he didn't have either of his passengers sit in the front.
I reached down below my seat and slightly pulled out the weapon.
...
I took a quick look before hiding it away once more.
"If you want to have fun with your partner, please use your own car. I do not wish to pay for cleaning more than necessary."
"Excuse me?"
"That one is Kaveh's gun, not yours."
The next thing I knew he was slamming down on the breaks.
Good thing we were already close to my house and this road in particular was always empty.
A blush ran up his neck as he looked at me completely flustered.
"Monsieur, that- We did not- We definitely didn't-"
"I don't want to hear it." I stopped his ramblings.
He's like this and he still denies that they are together?
Sigh.
It doesn't help that Kaveh does the same.
At least he got the car cleaned.
-
Wriothesley's POV
"You two..."
When did they get food?
By the time I got back, I found Sigewinne and Nahida eating a large variety of foods.
This definitely wasn't here ten minutes ago.
"Oh please, Mr. Wriothesley, come join us. We have no way of finishing it with just the two of us." Nahida smiled.
"Yeah, Dad! Come and eat! The pretty mister got us food!" Sigewinne called excitedly.
Neuvillette did?
"It's from that one place you brought me to on my birthday last year."
Wanmin Restaurant?
...
I wanted to calculate just how much Neuvillette spent on these clothes and return it to him but seeing this much food from one of the most expensive restaurants in the city makes me want to rethink my decision.
I'm gonna go broke if I pay him back for everything.
On that note.
Since when does Wanmmin do delivery?
I'm pretty sure they were strictly dine-in only last time I checked.
"You think too much, Mr. Wriothesley. Neuvillette has some kind of weird agreement with the owner of this place. Just forget about it and eat." Nahida waved it off.
Were my thoughts written on my face so clearly?
"It's not like it's the first time this happens either. He does something like this every other week." She continued to grumble.
I sat down and started eating while Sigewinne told me about what they had been up to today.
Apparently, instead of talking about the newest test Neuvillette gave her, he helped Sigewinne with one of her more difficult subjects.
French.
Sigewinne was having a surprising amount of trouble with that one and Neuvillette turned out to be an amazing teacher.
Nahida's offhand comment during this conversation revealed another interesting piece of information.
"Of course he can teach. He isn't my go-to emergency substitute teacher for nothing."
Should I add that one to the list of things Neuvillette is amazing at?
If I told my colleagues they would want to go off and kill him out of frustration.
Can this guy be bad at something?
The next thing Sigewinne showed me was a photo album she and the dean had used to tease Neuvillette prior to the game.
The photo album contained pictures of different kids, some of them with a graduation picture next the their first, accompanied by a few group pictures.
"This was made by the first group of brats Neuvillette sent to school here. He paid for their tuition, clothes, and everything else. They made this for him as a sign of thanks and every year new entries are being added to it." Nahida explained.
Oh wow.
How many are there?
There are at least a few dozen.
Damn.
I know damn well just how much this school costs. It's a private school after all.
And he paid for everything?
...
Maybe he isn't that much of an annoyance after all.
While Wriothesley was looking through the picture book he didn't notice the glances Sigewinne and Nahida exchanged.
'Enough? Or should I pull out something else as well?' Nahida asked Sigewinne with her eyes.
'Should be fine. Look, his impression of the pretty mister has obviously improved.' Sigewinne shot back.
This conversation went unsaid and unseen, as such, neither Wriothesley nor Neuvillette were aware of this little attempt to, as Sigewinne put it, put in a good word for Neuvillette.
None shall know of the deal made between the dean and her student.