Obviously, you must be disappointed.
Even though she was looking at me with eyes that seemed to say that I was a disappointment.
It seems that Setsu-san has a good opinion of me.
"Hime has changed dramatically since she met Youhei. She laughs a lot, seems to enjoy every day, and has started to express her emotions more."
...Come to think of it, Mei said something similar.
Similarly, it seems that Setsuki is also happy with Hime's change.
"About two weeks ago. The other day, I met my daughter for a moment when I came home, and I was surprised... she has a really gentle laugh. I asked Mei for more details, and she said it was the influence of a boy she had recently become close with."
That means it was me.
...Well, I'm glad that Hime has changed for the better. If I've had at least a small influence on that, then I'm even happier.
Since meeting me, Hime has become brighter... which means she's having fun every day. That makes me genuinely happy.
However, I just wanted to say that it's not just my achievement.
"...It's also thanks to Hijiri-san and Mei-san. I think Hime is able to grow up healthy because she has an older sister who lets her be spoiled and a maid who looks after her."
"Of course I know that. But it was after I met you that Hime clearly changed. Youhei was the one who gave me that big opportunity. So, it's all thanks to you."
Setsu-san really does praise me.
I'm grateful for that... but it's strange.
This person doesn't seem very friendly towards me.
Mei-san was easy to understand. She evaluated me in the same way as Saitsuki-san and was also very kind to me... but her attitude was somehow like it was none of her business.
I can't say it's positive at all.
Rather, there is a coldness to it that could be perceived as negative.
Because of that, I still felt uncomfortable.
If possible, I would like to leave this room right now, but since Setsu-san was still talking, that was not possible.
"When I heard your story, I wanted to meet you right away. I packed my schedule down to the minute, and after two weeks of making arrangements, we were finally able to meet today. I'm more than happy that I was finally able to meet you, Yohei."
"...Although you say you're happy, I don't feel like I'm being welcomed."
"Yes. Unfortunately... no, I'm happy to say that Youhei wasn't the kind of person I expected, so please forgive my attitude. I'm really sorry right now."
See, that's right.
For some reason, Setsu-san seems disappointed in me.
What on earth did this person expect from me?
"...I was hoping that he might be a superior person, so that he could influence Princess. If someone has the "specialness" to make my difficult daughter feel attached to him, then surely he must have great value? If such a person exists, then I wanted to have him."
I want to get it.
Hearing that one word, I was convinced.
I am a person who will never be able to get along with Setsu-san.
"I had no intention of involving Hime or Hijiri in my business. It's no use expecting any 'virtuous character' from my daughters. Even if they succeed, they'll only end up with the same results as me. A frog's child can only be a frog. So, it would be better if they swam in the ocean instead of in a well."
"I think they're too amazing to be called frogs."
"That's true. They're not ordinary people, but they do have similar traits to me, right? But that's meaningless. People won't follow you just because of ability. If I had a great person with virtue in my possession... then I could make the well I had partitioned off into a vast ocean. If it gives me the happiness of swimming in it, then I thought it might be okay to give it to my daughters."
The analogy is abstract and a little hard to understand.
To sum up, it seems that Saitsuki-san expected me, the person Hime had grown attached to, to be a "special person" with good character.
However, as we talked, he seemed to realize that this was not the case.
"But I was wrong. You were just an ordinary person... a mediocre rock that I wasn't interested in. That's why I was disappointed. And I do have a feeling for you."
"evaluation...?"
"Isn't it amazing that my daughter has become so attached to him, despite him being just an ordinary human being?
Hearing those words, all I could do was smile wryly.
Unlike Mei-san, she's not as friendly. That's unfortunate, but... well, what she's being told isn't wrong, so there's nothing I can do about it.
For better or worse, I'm a normal person.
Because it's neither less nor more than that.