64 - Kaya Messner
When afternoon came, I was taking measurements with Tabitha, about to start making clothes for the bear plush, newly renamed Jinbei, when Bart came to call me. It was unusual to be summoned by Leonardo twice in one day. What business could it be? I wondered, and tried to head toward Leonardo's room, but was led to the first-floor living room instead. Apparently it wasn't Leonardo's business after all.
...What is it? How unusual.
I entered the living room with curiosity, and there stood a red-haired woman who somehow felt off. She was wearing pretty clothes, but the substance didn't match. That was the impression I got. I felt I should call her a lady, but my instincts refused. A woman of this level shouldn't be honored with that title. My mind was filled with that thought. It was the first time a mere first impression had stirred such harsh feelings about someone.
"Hello, Tina-chan. I've heard about you from your brother Leonardo-sama. I am Kaya Messner. From today, I'll be coming to this residence as Tina-chan's teacher."
The woman smiled, making a pretty face as she said "Nice to meet you," but her eyes weren't smiling at all. Not only were they not smiling, but despite claiming to be my teacher, she wasn't even properly looking at my face. She was making a smile with her thick false eyelashes, but behind those lashes, what she was staring at was Leonardo.
...Sooo obvious.
Obviousness was appreciated, but frankly, she was the type I'm bad with. The kind of woman who puts on makeup for men, I suppose. Even though she was supposedly a little girl's teacher on the surface, even from a distance the smell of perfume was overwhelming.
...Definitely the type I can't get along with.
I thought she was the type I couldn't get along with, but that didn't mean I could ignore her since she was greeting me. I tightened my face, which wanted to scream "I don't like you" at full volume, and put on a social smile.
...Well, sometimes when first impressions are bad, you end up getting along later, right?
I put on a huge cat face over that shred of a possibility. Personally, I had nothing but a feeling we wouldn't get along, but if she was someone Leonardo had a working relationship with, I couldn't let her see my true feelings.
"Nice to meet you, Kaya-san. Tina desu."
"...Desu?"
Kaya tilted her head slightly, her eyes not smiling even one millimeter. Even though it was just a little girl fumbling her words a bit, her eyes said far more than her mouth, as if to say "What are you doing acting cute, how calculated, you little female brat."
...This definitely isn't my imagination, right?
I'd like to put up a defense line and say it's just a fleeting feeling. But this woman Kaya hates children. And she's the type who can't even stand to have little girls in her sight. But in front of men, she's the type who plays the "I love children and I'm domestic" role. She smiled brightly at Leonardo and started saying the exact opposite of her true feelings, like "She's got a childish lisp, so adorably childlike."
...Why is this person even a children's teacher?
Kaya kept staring at Leonardo, as if she couldn't even stand having me in her field of vision, and I genuinely wondered about that. However, while I was curious, I didn't want to ask. I didn't have enough interest in this woman named Kaya for that.
"Ms. Messner the elder is a famous private tutor who's frequently invited to the capital, and her daughter Ms. Kaya also works as a tutor."
Apparently her tutoring schedule was free until autumn, so they decided to have her come to the mansion. By the way, during this explanation from Leonardo, Kaya was squirming and putting on airs, flirting with Leonardo. If this was just a meet-and-greet for today, I could tolerate it, but I didn't think this was appropriate behavior for someone who'd be working at this workplace from now on.
...Leonardo-san, what am I supposed to learn from this person...?
How to pile on heavy makeup? Or how to flirt with men?
According to Leonardo, Kaya was supposed to provide me with a feminine education. It was an area Leonardo, being male, supposedly couldn't handle.
...I can see the logic in that, I guess.
But what exactly was I supposed to learn from a woman who, even in front of a child, clung to Leonardo's body, pressing her non-existent chest against him as she leaned into him? Surely he wouldn't tell me to actually learn how to flirt with men. He called himself my guardian and older brother, and said he'd raise me in place of my father. An ordinary father wouldn't educate his daughter by pressing her non-existent chest against a man's body.
...Ah, could the "teacher" thing just be a pretext, and she's actually Leonardo's lover... or something?
Thinking about it that way, I felt like I could forcibly accept it. Even her attitude, paying attention only to the parent, not the student, putting on airs and pressing her body against him, behavior that didn't seem like a proper working adult at all.
"...Do you think you two can get along?"
Apparently today really was just an introduction. After seeing Kaya off at the entrance, I was staring at her retreating back when I heard this sleepy comment from above.
...No way. I'll pass. Actually, I don't think she has any intention of getting along with me either.
I recalled the woman who had been clinging to Leonardo and flirting with him the whole time, and felt drained. The strong perfume smell had worn me down too. Were Leonardo's eyes just holes in his head, to say she'd be my teacher?
"I jusht want to check one thing."
I prefaced with that and looked up at Leonardo. Depending on his answer, I was fully prepared to land a kick to his knee with my new shoes.
"Ish that pershon Leonyaldo-shan's lover, and you're gonna make her your bride, sho I should get ushed to her from now? Ish that what this ish desu?"
If that were the case, I could make some effort toward mutual understanding. If she was going to be Leonardo's wife, then she'd be my new family, no question. Since you can't choose your family, even if we didn't seem like we'd get along, I'd need to find a way to make it work.
"She's hired only as Tina's teacher. She's not my lover or a bride candidate."
...She seemed to have that intention, though.
Leonardo didn't seem embarrassed or evasive, so he really did just invite her to the house as a simple tutor. His lack of discernment was extreme.
"Her makeup wash really shtrong, wasn't it."
I wanted to ask if that was really the kind of person who should be teaching children, but I chose my words carefully. Maybe it was just my bad first impression, and Leonardo's impression of her might be good.
"...Well, the perfume was a bit strong, but she's the daughter of a family so famous for educating noble girls in the capital that they're often called upon. I actually wanted to hire the mother..."
So the mother was famous as an excellent teacher, but they couldn't hire her herself. So they went with her daughter instead.
"I undershtand that the mother ish famous for being kind, but did you check the daughter'sh reputation?"
"No need to worry there. The daughter also has an excellent reputation, more than good enough as a teacher."
...She really didn't look like someone who could get such a good reputation.
Was my first impression really just that bad? She was someone who gave me an indescribable sense of unease, but I felt like I needed to observe her a bit more.
This was supposed to be a set with yesterday's jinbei story, so it's short today. I thought I'd throw in a nasty character sometimes, so I put in the type I'm bad with, but she was so unpleasant I couldn't make progress (idiot).
I'll fix typos and errors another day.
I found and fixed some typos and errors.