Black Killer Whale Baby [EN]: Chapter 232

I felt a chill run down my spine.

But first, I blinked calmly, betraying no reaction.

Because I didn’t know how to process the déjà vu I had just experienced.

Just now, Levi’s words sounded like he knew Hauser well, but on the other hand, they also seemed like mere speculation.

It meant I couldn’t say for sure yet.

“…You speak as if you know Hauser well?”

The voice that came out of my mouth was perfectly calm.

As if having a casual conversation.

“Yes, I wouldn’t say I know him *well*, but I got that feeling.”

“……”

“Don’t I have an eye for people?”

But it kept scratching at my senses.

“Ah, of course, he *did* talk as if he had known me for a long time.”

Levi said this and began to look at the documents in his hand again.

“By the way, the purchase of the third batch of medicinal herbs that you ordered last time…”

After that, only Levi’s gentle voice echoed through the office for a while.

While answering nonchalantly, I keenly watched Levi’s face.

The power of water that flowed out of me secretly created a very thin film between us.

A barrier that prevented sound from leaking out.

Levi didn’t seem to notice this and was already staring at the last document.

“The order of soldiers to be sent to patrol the wasteland is also being decided smoothly.”

“…Is that so?”

As I replied leisurely, Levi asked without raising his head from the documents.

“What are you so curious about that you’re staring at me like that?”

“You noticed?”

“Even though I have a body that can’t fight and will collapse in 10 seconds, I’m quick on the uptake.”

“Holding a grudge.”

“It’s not a grudge.”

“I looked because you’re handsome.”

Levi raised his head.

“You’re handsome, aren’t you? The maids squeal behind your back whenever you pass by.”

“Don’t the maids here like strong Suin [beast-people]? Like the young masters, for example.”

“The criteria for strength are diverse, aren’t they? Power is also one of the privileges that the strong have.”

Levi smiled slightly.

It was close to a cold smile.

“I didn’t know I had enough power for someone to covet.”

Even in the 3rd timeline, the maids squealed behind Levi’s back whenever he passed by.

It wasn’t that there weren’t any handsome guys among my subordinates, but he was especially in demand, so to speak.

‘Come to think of it, now that we have Duke Yong and Whale, it feels a bit more dispersed…’

Handsome men with different vibes.

Especially the moment I thought of Duke Yong, as if by coincidence, that name came from Levi as well.

“When it comes to appearance, there will probably be the most stories about Duke Yong.”

“Ah, maybe.”

“Yes, even though there’s no need to keep it a secret now, if we still had to hide the fact that he’s here, wouldn’t we have had a hard time because of his appearance?”

That was true.

A handsome man you can’t forget once you see him.

Besides, the story of a handsome man of unknown origin could have leaked out no matter how much we tried to hide it.

“Are you interested?”

While I was lost in thought, the question came out very quietly.

When I glanced at Levi, he had his eyes back on the documents.

“Well… I like handsome guys too.”

“I see. Is that your type?”

It wasn’t so much a question out of curiosity, but rather a way to continue the conversation.

But I’ve been watching him for a long time to just let it pass.

This guy was the type to start interrogating criminals like this too.

“If I had to say, it *is* my type.”

Even if I kept my eyes on the documents, the letters didn’t really register.

Should I be grateful that there are no urgent matters?

“…”

“Is this the last of the documents I need to see?”

To put it in perspective, a tense tug-of-war was going on.

“Yes, there aren’t any. For now. And…”

“Yeah.”

“Do you like me?”

The gentle voice was tinged with a dispassionate coldness.

So I couldn’t tell if it was a question out of curiosity, or if it was a question that came out of the inertia of the conversation.

But.

“Why are you asking such a question?”

“…”

“Why, *do* you like me?”

The Levi I remember was good at lying and hiding his expressions.

“I respect you. And… you are the head of the family, so how can I, as your closest aide, not think about the future successor?”

“Is that so? I have you as my aide and strategist, not as my secretary.”

I chuckled and crossed my arms.

“That’s right, I like you.”

I liked that child who might be the only one understanding of my life.

If that child had grown up…

If I hadn’t lost my memory. I think this feeling would have evolved and grown into another feeling.

So I hate the man who lost his memory.

The long-suffering depression, loneliness. Unfairness.

Because I realized that Yong was the only one who could truly understand a regressor [someone who has returned from the future].

“It’s a shame you lost your memory. You’re not the same person I knew anymore.”

“…I see.”

Levi nodded lightly.

There was no agitation in his sharp eyes behind his glasses.

Rather, the usual sharpness was lingering like air.

I stared at him and let go of the rope.

Letting go of the rope in a tug-of-war was also a sign that I would no longer continue this game.

If he didn’t want to show me, I wasn’t going to try to find out anymore.

“Okay. If there’s nothing more urgent, go out. I’ll send the letter to the sea lions through the maid.”

“……”

Levi held the documents he was going to take in his arms and bowed politely.

Just when I thought his steps were getting farther away, he approached again.

When I raised my head, the documents fell in front of me with a thud.

In the blink of an eye, a disgruntled face was reflected in my vision.

“You promised.”

“…Huh?”

“Wasn’t I even allowed to wait?”

My mouth opened slightly.

It was a sudden statement, but my head had already interpreted what it meant.

W-wait a minute?

“Levi. Wait, now.”

“You said we’d live together when everything was over.”

“Wait a minute…!”

“You said you’d take responsibility for me for the rest of your life then.”

Where else would you find a strategist grabbing the lord by the collar?

But, ridiculously, there was only one person who could do this in that chaotic time in the 3rd timeline.

“If you’re going to make a choice you’ll regret, it’s my job to stop that choice even if it means sacrificing my arm. Do you understand? Just think about surviving!”

The dolphin strategist who said he would punch me with his fist if I made the wrong choice.

“…What, you.”

The man with the same face as then was looking down at me.

“…How long have you been remembering?”

There had been signs all along.

Levi is a meticulous guy.

The clues I felt might have been what this guy put out for me to notice.

But every time I tried to find out, he pretended not to know, so I couldn’t help but be half-doubtful.

The beautiful face of the man wearing glasses contorted in front of me.

Whether it was anger, regret. Many things that I didn’t know whether it was sadness or injustice passed by.

It ended with a smile.

“Since when?”

“……”

“From the beginning, my respected lord.”

“…What?”

I grabbed Levi’s wrist that was holding my collar tightly.

Even though the blood wouldn’t be flowing, Levi didn’t let me go.

“Liar, you really seemed like you didn’t know anything back then…!”

“Do you remember, we once became examiners at an educational institution and made problems together, and we had this conversation.”

It was a trivial conversation.

But in this moment when my brain is working fast, I immediately realized what conversation he was talking about.

“The one who can create a thorough and perfect wrong answer in the entire problem…”

“…Must actually know all the correct answers.”

He admitted that he had been remembering from the beginning, but had been silent for a very long time, a really long time.

But why?

Was there really a need to do that? What reason would there be?

“The moment I saw you, all the memories came back.”

I moved my lips.

“On the one hand, I was curious.”

“About what?”

“If I acted exactly the same as in the past life.”

“……”

“If I acted like that, but only without the memories.”

Levi’s face frowned as if he was about to cry.

His glasses slid down, but neither he nor I could catch them.

“Wouldn’t I be able to wish for this much for another life?”

He was always calm, firm, and admirable in his mental strength, even though his body was not the strongest.

He was my strategist.

“If I had waited this long for a word you would say yourself.”

The man who never started foolish things was smiling as if he was about to cry.

A stream of tears flowed down between his clenched teeth.

“Would you scold me for being stupid? I respect you.”

“……”

“My beloved lord.”