A Male Nurse Transmigrated Into An Otome Game As A Capture Target! [BL]

ARC 3 || 021 - He, The Puppeteer

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13 years ago.

An innocent-looking child walked along the dirt path of her neighborhood, a place for the poorer side of commoners. Although it wasn't as extravagant as the noble's, it was much more cozy. She could smell the tasty wafts of cooked food in the air, and her steps slightly hastened.

"Hasegawa!" She excitedly waved to an older boy. This handsome boy was a noble who often visited her neighborhood. On one eventful day, she had met him, and they instantly became friends.

Hasegawa glanced over his shoulder, turning around when he recognized the girl. "Oh? So it's you, Mei."

Mei hurriedly nodded. "Aito and Xing-Xing are free today." She clasped her hands together, "We can all play together! It's been a long time since we've hung out." Mei said.

Hasegawa nodded in agreement. It was true, the four of them hadn't talked in over a month.

Together, they both walked further down the dirt path to find the two, with Mei Yonagi in the lead. She occasionally glanced back to see if Hasegawa was following her. When their eyes met, her face bloomed into a beaming smile.

"Mei, Hasegawa. It's great to see you guys here." Meng Shaoxing waved at them when they approached, with Aito standing right next to him. Meng Shaoxing did not seem like he was a poor commoner, since he had always dressed nicely and had a refined personality. However, when Mei first met the boy, he claimed to be a commoner, just like her.

Although it was hard to believe, Mei decided to trust him. After all, he hadn't done anything necessarily bad to her.

"Ah, let's play hide and seek!" Aito spoke up.

Meng Shaoxing lightly shook his head, disapproving. "Won't do. Last time we played, Mei cheated." He frowned. "...But she was let off so easily. How about we play 'throw rocks at the ugly peasant for revenge' instead?"

Mei didn't ask why Shaoxing had called her a peasant when he, too, was a commoner. She only gripped the hem of her skirt, her eyes tearing up. "You're so mean..."

Meng Shaoxing gave the girl a sinister smile. "I'm not joking." He bent down to reach for a small rock on the ground, and threw it, hard, at Mei's shoulder, causing her to yelp in pain.

Aito was hesitant, but he didn't disagree much with Meng Shaoxing. "People shouldn't cheat, but wouldn't it be going too far if we hit Mei?"

Meng Shaoxing hmphed, picking up another rock. "A peasant must learn their lesson. Discipline should be used before they repeat the same mistake."

Hasegawa suddenly stood in front of the girl, shielding her from Meng Shaoxing. "This isn't right, Xing. If you continue doing this, you will get in trouble. Mei does not deserve this, either."

Meng Shaoxing's frown deepened, but he stopped anyway. "...Hasegawa. You shouldn't place so much trust into her."

***

A week had passed.

Mei carried a heavy bucket of water she had fetched from the river. Her steps were slow and steady as she held it, careful not to let any of the water spill.

The sun was still shining brightly in the air, and she could smell a light floral scent. She was happy, humming as she walked.

As Mei walked down the street, she felt someone's eyes glaring holes into her back. She quickly scanned her surroundings, but frowned when she saw that nobody was around.

She silently continued on her way, but more cautiously now. Mei occasionally glanced back to see if someone was sneaking up on her, since that cold, chilling feeling of being watched still made her sweat with nervousness.