If The Villain Catches Me Alive

Chapter 6

Once the colored glasses came off, he saw a completely different person. He wondered why he hadn't realized it before... until this point.

Dante's behavior and words were so different from before that Theodore was almost in a state of cognitive dissonance, wondering if he was even the same person.

So, Theodore decided to assume that the insignificant man who had once been his master was now dead and a completely new person had appeared. He even gave the man in front of him a new name. 'Dante', not 'Master', but 'Dante'.

With that thought, he felt lighter. He was a different person, and it was only natural that he should behave differently, and just like that, he had become a part of Theodore's inner thoughts.

Theodore spent days and days observing him as if he were seeing a new person, and in the process, it was easy to recognize. That he was... as much as he hated to admit it, a pretty sincere and upstanding person.

"Yeah. I'll take care of it. Oh, and if you're new here, would you like to have...this? I've only read this booklet once, it's a collection of commonly asked questions."

"Oh... Thank you."

Theodore blinked for a moment at the unfamiliar sight as he descended upon the R&D Department*. A seemingly apprentice-looking kid is standing in front of Dante's desk, and he's being friendly and... humane.

'......I never thought he was capable of smiling like that.'

Another line of information about Dante's identity is written in Theodore's mind. In Theodore's mind, 'Dante' and 'Master' were still sharing the same information half the time, which made the other person seem a little... foreign.

The low point in his memory was... At first, he was just greedy and clueless, just like those idiots who would get their foot kicked out of under them... And at one point, all he could remember was seeing him cry......

It was the first time he realized that Dante could laugh.

Dante's eyes followed the apprentice mage as he trotted out with the booklet. Noticing the affection, the interest... something in his eyes, Theodore felt his insides being twisted. ......Strangely.

Dante's pupils dilated in surprise as he spotted him.

"Theodore! What's the matter?"

As if he hadn't expected to see him here, he beamed. In all the time that Dante had been working in the R&D Department, Theodore had never visited him once.

Of course, he wouldn't. Why would anyone go to the trouble of seeing someone they didn't even want to see...?

Theodore paused for a moment before explaining his planned excuse.

"I was thinking about getting lunch... with Jeffrey..."

"Oh, already? Is it already past one o'clock?! I'm sorry, are you waiting for him? You can both go without telling me! Go on!"

This foolish man... he couldn't understand what Theodore meant just by his words again, and he was rambling on like this. ......If he doesn't understand, then forget it. Theodore wasn't kind enough to repeat himself. Nor was he in a position to, therefore,

"......Yes."

And with that, he walked away.

***

It was surprisingly easy for Theodore to get along with Jeffrey.

After that incident, he was forced to reconcile with him at Dante's urging.... but only because he realized that Jeffrey was quite similar to him.

"What about Master? Isn't he going to eat?"