"Tatsumi-san, this is your room. Since you insist on sharing a room with Ieyasu-san."
Pushing open the door, Cornelia smiled at Tatsumi.
"Hehehe, thank you, Miss Maid. Oh, by the way, may I ask where Sayo's room is?"
"Uh, please don't misunderstand, I don't have any other intentions."
Afraid that Cornelia might think too much, Tatsumi explained nervously.
"Hehehe, Tatsumi-san is really adorable. As for Sayo-san's room, it's the third one across the hallway."
Smiling lightly, Cornelia found it quite interesting to see such a naive and pure young man in this already decaying world.
"Well then, good night, both little guests."
After bowing, Cornelia didn't linger any longer and left the two's room with graceful steps.
Watching Cornelia leave with a smile until she disappeared from sight, Tatsumi quickly closed the door. The smile on his face vanished, and he leaned back against the wall, panting heavily.
"Hey, Tatsumi, are you okay? What's wrong?"
Ieyasu, seeing Tatsumi's sudden change, was startled and asked with concern.
"Ieyasu, hurry up and pack your things. We need to leave here!"
With a solemn expression, Tatsumi said seriously to Ieyasu.
"Huh? Tatsumi, are you sick? Why are we leaving here in the middle of the night? Even if we're leaving, we should at least say goodbye to Mr. Sora and Miss Aria!"
"Hmph, that old village chief used to say I didn't understand manners. I think you're much worse than me, Tatsumi!"
With his hands crossed over his chest, Ieyasu said with a look of disdain, feeling that he was much better in this regard than Tatsumi. The thick-skinned kid couldn't help but feel smug in his heart.
"Ieyasu, you don't understand what I mean. I mean we have to leave here quietly, don't let anyone else find out."
Shaking his head helplessly, Tatsumi had nothing more to say to such a teammate. He could only patiently explain.
"Hey, Tatsumi, make it clear. Why do we have to leave secretly? And what about Sayo if we leave?"
Realizing that Tatsumi wasn't joking, Ieyasu also put away his usual carefree expression and asked Tatsumi seriously.
Knowing the personality of his friend he had grown up with, he knew that if he didn't make things clear today, Ieyasu wouldn't leave with him. Taking a deep breath, Tatsumi said:
"Ieyasu, perhaps you don't know what the Capital is really like, but I do!"
"The people here are selfish, corrupt, cruel, and dark. They will stop at nothing for their own interests. They arbitrarily trample on other people's lives and dignity to satisfy their perverted pleasures!"
"This is no longer our village where everyone would help out whenever someone had difficulties. Do you really think Mr. Sora and Miss Aria are really helping us out of kindness?"
Recalling what he had seen, heard, and personally experienced these past few days, Tatsumi grabbed Ieyasu's collar and growled excitedly.
Slap!!!
A loud sound rang out as Ieyasu's hand slapped Tatsumi's face.
"Tatsumi, what's wrong with you? This isn't the Tatsumi I know! Just because you were deceived once, do you consider everyone to be a bad person?"
"I don't know what's good or bad, but I only know that when Sayo and I were penniless and starving on the street, it was Miss Aria and Mr. Sora who took us in! If Miss Aria hadn't taken Sayo and me to find you today, you might have already died by the roadside!"
Ieyasu was truly angry this time. He wasn't a complex person; he said whatever was on his mind. Even with his childhood friend and companion, he wouldn't pretend to agree if he thought they were wrong.
Touching the spot where he was hit, Tatsumi didn't show any sign of anger. Instead, a nostalgic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
As expected, this is what Ieyasu is like!
"Tatsumi, hurry up and explain, otherwise I'm going to punch you! Although I've never won against you much since we were kids."
Seeing how strange Tatsumi was acting today, Ieyasu clenched his fists and threatened fiercely.
Actually, the kid was also putting up a brave front and feeling a bit guilty. If it came down to a fight, he was no match for Tatsumi. Although he always spoke tough, Ieyasu knew his own capabilities.
"Huff... Okay, Ieyasu, then I'll tell you the real reason why I want to leave."
Taking a deep breath, even though Ieyasu had just hit him, it completely relieved Tatsumi, and he continued:
"Sayo is fake. Although I don't know what's going on, the Sayo we saw earlier is definitely fake!"
With a tone of absolute certainty, Tatsumi's expression was extremely solemn.
"Huh? Tatsumi, what are you saying? You don't have a fever, do you?"
With a look as if he had seen a ghost, Ieyasu wondered what kind of reason Tatsumi would come up with. He touched the other person's forehead and said strangely.
"Ieyasu, I'm not joking. There's definitely something wrong with that Sayo!"
"Since you rescued me until now, she has barely spoken to me. Although she did ask a few questions out of concern, her tone and expression are completely different from the Sayo we know!"
"Although Sayo is usually fierce, she is very caring towards the people around her. Do you think the real Sayo would be so indifferent?"
Listing the suspicious points he had found, Tatsumi questioned Ieyasu in return.
Actually, for Tatsumi, who was only slightly better than a simpleton at the moment, spotting Chelsea's disguise was largely due to luck. These past few days, Sayo had been occupied by a certain person for training and brainwashing, which prevented Chelsea from having the opportunity to learn about the girl's personality and habits.
One could say it was already quite good that she managed to last this long without being discovered. Of course, the thick-skinned nature of Tatsumi's friend Ieyasu also contributed a lot!
"But... But even so, you can't say Sayo is fake, can you? Maybe she's just not feeling well today and doesn't want to talk!"
"Besides, Sayo looks exactly the same as before, it's impossible for someone else to be impersonating her!"
In fact, Ieyasu was also a bit shaken, but he still couldn't completely believe it. He was thick-skinned, but not a fool. For example, Sayo used to hate sweets the most, but now she's always sucking on lollipops. He had seen all of that!
"If it were before, I wouldn't believe it either, but the Capital is different from our village. There are still too many things we don't know here."
Thinking of the seductive woman who tricked him, with cat ears and a slender tail, if someone had told Tatsumi before that there would be such a person in this world, he wouldn't have believed it. But now the facts were right there, and he had to believe it!
"Uh, don't you have a better reason? If it's just like this, I..."
Scratching his head and ears, Ieyasu was also troubled. His brain wasn't very good to begin with, and now he was encountering such a troublesome and unbelievable matter. Who should he believe?!!!
"Actually, there is still one reason..."
Twirling his fingers shyly, Tatsumi's weak voice echoed in the room.
"Uh... what reason?"
He was no longer in the mood to care about Tatsumi's girl-like expression, and Ieyasu asked eagerly.
"When that Sayo from before was next to me, I smelled her carefully. The scent on her body was completely different from the previous Sayo's..."
Hesitantly, his face full of indecision, but seeing Ieyasu's impatient urging, Tatsumi finally spoke.
"Huh?!!!"
Ieyasu was dumbfounded. This reason... was quite something...