A small beast-eared girl was carrying goods on the pier.
Her clothes were tattered, her expression numb, and her eyes vacant; she looked incredibly pitiful.
Perhaps because the items in her hands were too heavy, or maybe she hadn't eaten enough for too long, she stumbled, and the goods in her hands scattered, hitting someone.
It was a fat, bald man with fierce eyes.
This was the local Lord, the greatest noble.
Seeing her mistake, the beast-eared girl trembled, wanting to make amends.
However, she had dirtied the noble Lord's expensive clothes, and being penniless, she could only become a slave.
The beast-eared girl was taken back, asked to clean herself, and then sent to the noble Lord's room.
She signed a contract of servitude.
She had to clean two rooms every day, work four days a week, and only had thirty days of annual leave, with extra leave only granted for illness.
Such harsh working conditions were simply unbearable.
Even her meals were restricted; she couldn't eat dog food with the cute pet dog, but had to eat a table full of lavish dishes with the noble Lord.
This made her think of the happy times she used to have dining with her family, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Because she was illiterate, the poor beast-eared girl also had to attend school every day.
The noble Lord, with the fiercest expression and the most ruthless words, did the gentlest things.
If the beast-eared girl broke a vase, he would scold her...
for not cleaning up the shards and hurting herself.
When the beast-eared girl looked forward to Santa's gift on Christmas, he would personally transform into Santa Claus and give her a handmade toy bear.
If the beast-eared girl fell ill, he would personally take care of her.
Eventually, when the beast-eared girl grew up, the noble Lord finally made his move.
He moved to test her boyfriend to see if he was suitable.
Finally, the beast-eared girl got married and brought her daughter back to the home where she had spent happy times.
And the noble Lord, with his usual fierce words, teased his granddaughter.
Ah, no, it should be his slave's daughter.
Afterword.
It turned out that the noble Lord was a very good mayor, constantly combating gang crime and ensuring a good life for the residents.
However, this also made the gang resent him, and after some plotting, they killed his wife and beloved daughter.
Their message to him was:
"Never let others know what you cherish."
Since then, the noble Lord had become a person with a fierce exterior, but this could not change his kind heart.
And the beast-eared girl's parents had also unfortunately died in that attack, leaving her an orphan.
Two people who had both lost their families then formed a new family.
...
The story ended, and Eriri wiped the tears from her eyes, a little choked up.
"Waaah~, this noble Lord is really a good person, and he's so pitiful. His wife and daughter, whom he loved so much, actually left him.
I can't imagine how sad he must have been when he received that news."
Sawamura Sayuri was also touched.
"Tanaka-kun's concept is as consistent as ever: a seemingly evil person with a kind heart, creating a huge contrast."
The mother and daughter chatted about their feelings. They looked at Tanaka Masao and found him still drawing something. Curious, they leaned over.
"Tanaka, what are you still drawing?"
Tanaka Masao replied while meticulously carving the drawing in his hand.
"The noble Lord's handsome appearance."
"Handsome appearance?"
The two women looked at the paper. It was a handsome man with a square face, sharp eyes, and a polite demeanor.
He gave off a feeling of power, handsomeness, and elegance.
He looked somewhat like Dracule Mihawk, the Great Swordsman from One Piece.
Looking at the person in the drawing, both the mother and daughter's eyes lit up, and they couldn't help but exclaim:
"So handsome."
"Tanaka-kun, are you planning to put it at the end of the manga?"
"Exactly, I think everyone will love it."
Sawamura Sayuri nodded.
"Yes, I think after reading the story, everyone will feel that the noble Lord should be this handsome. He completely deserves it."
Sawamura and her daughter left Tanaka Masao enough space to continue his drawing.
When Tanaka Masao finished the drawing, Eriri leaned forward, looked at the heroic man in the drawing, and declared:
"I declare that from today onwards, this is my male god."
Sawamura Sayuri looked at the man in the drawing thoughtfully.
"The noble Lord looked like that when he was fat, but he's so handsome when he's thin. Will Tanaka-kun also be this handsome when he loses weight?"
Tanaka Masao scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed.
"I don't think so. After all, this is a manga, go through artistic processing. It's hard for real people to have such a big change."
"Oh, Tanaka-kun, don't be shy. What if? Big sister believes you're a stock with potential."
Eriri, on the other side, remained silent. For some reason, she actually felt a little hopeful.
Perhaps it was because she had been drawing manga with Tanaka Masao recently, which changed her stereotype of fat people.
From being just a 'fat otaku' to a 'kind-hearted fat otaku'.
All three of them had strong drawing skills, and after some meticulous processing, this manga was ready for publication.
It was now past midnight. Tanaka Masao stretched his stiff body, rested for a short while, and then took the first train back to Tokyo.
Sitting on the train seat, for some reason, every time he stayed overnight at Eriri's house, he would wake up the next day with a sore back, general fatigue, and not feeling his best.
Tanaka Masao secretly made a decision in his heart.
"I need to visit Eriri's house less, otherwise my body really can't take it."
After resting on the train for a while, that familiar figure soon got on.
"Yo, Bocchi-chan, over here."
Goto Hitori always took the first train to school every day, so it was not surprising that they met.
Hearing someone call her, Goto Hitori was startled. Seeing it was Tanaka Masao, she walked over excitedly.
"Meeting a friend on the train first thing in the morning, is this what a 'normie's' life is like?"
"Tanaka, why are you here?"
Looking at Goto Hitori sitting beside him, Tanaka Masao thought that if he were to say at this moment:
"I specifically waited here to go to school with Bocchi-chan."
This would surely move her to death.
Literally to death, with no exaggeration.
"I stayed overnight at a friend's house yesterday and am just heading back now."
"I see."
While Goto Hitori was marveling at how many friends Tanaka Masao had, she couldn't help but wonder if she could also have him stay over at her house.
That way, they could play games that only 'normies' played, like pillow fights.
Tanaka Masao stated that he wasn't very interested in pillow fights; if he could, he'd rather play blanket fights.
Those were bigger and more powerful.
"By the way, Bocchi-chan, did you see the gift I gave you? How do you like it?"
Upon hearing this, Goto Hitori nodded frantically.
"I love it! I've already framed it and hung it in the most prominent spot in my room."