“Ah! Sorry for calling you weak before in the bar!”

  The moment the words left my mouth, I felt a twinge of guilt. It had been necessary to deceive Matias, but I still owed them an apology.

  Sis Hazel tilted her head, her brown ears twitching in amusement.

  "What are you talking about, nya? You only said that to convince him, right? Besides, you already knew we were strong, didn't you? You probably thought we were stronger than him from the start.”

  "Huh? What do you mean?"

  Sis Esta gave me a knowing smile.

  "It was your expression when you praised him," she explained. "You recognized his strength, but then, you glanced at us with an expression like: ‘He is already this strong, yet these two slaves are stronger than him? How strong are they?’ Am I right?”

  My eyes widened.

  【Heh. They hit the nail.】

  H-How? No one had ever seen through me before! Even in my previous life, nobody could tell whether I was genuinely smiling or faking it!

  "D-Did it seem that obvious?”

  "Fufu. Don't worry. Your expression was perfect. Probably only we could recognize it there.”

  "That's right, nya! It's like you're an expert at wearing fake expressions, nya!”

  “T-Then... How?”

  Sis Hazel's playful demeanor shifted. Her gaze sharpened, and her voice grew softer.

  "Because only experts can recognize other experts, nya!”

  A chill ran down my spine.

  Sis Esta's smile faded, replaced by a somber expression.

  "As slaves, we have to wear fake expressions to survive," she said quietly. "The more pain they see on our faces, the more they enjoy tormenting us. So, we learned to hide it. If we show too much suffering, they hurt us more. If we show too much defiance, they punish us. If we look too human, they break us.”

  Hazel nodded. "It's the same for sadness, happiness, and everything else, nya. If they find our expressions boring, they might stop tormenting us. So we have to smile, cry, or act scared—on command.”

  I froze.

  …Torment?

  Have they been tortured by others?

  How much pain did they endure that forced them to master this…?

  “I-I see... Sorry. I didn’t know that at all.”

  “Fufu, that’s okay. We don’t mind it.”

  【Do you believe me now, Master? 】

  Aza’s voice rang in my mind.

  【The ability you thought was so special in your previous life? It’s just a common skill in this world.】

  <"Ugh... My pain seems like child’s play compared to theirs.">

  【Correct. I told you about it a few years ago.】

  The conversation had become too heavy. I needed to lighten the mood.

  “T-Then, let me take a guess too.”

  Sis Esta raised an eyebrow. “Hoo? What is it?”

  “When he scolded you before, you looked sad. But actually… you were angry, weren’t you?”

  Sis Hazel blinked. “Mmm? How do you know, nya?”

  “I saw both of you clenched your fists under the table.”

  "HAHA! That's right, nya!" Sis Hazel's ears perked up. "It was his fault, yet he blamed us! How could I not be angry?”

  "Fufu. Seems we need to learn how to control our limbs too when we’re mad," Sis Esta chuckled.

  "I might not have noticed at all if you didn’t do that.”

  "It means we’re more skilled than you at faking it, nya!" Sis Hazel grinned triumphantly.

  "I don't think that's something to brag about, though."

  ““Fufufu (Hahaha).””

  For a moment, real laughter filled the room.

  “Fufu, it’s been a long time since I laughed like this. Probably… The last time I felt this happy was twenty years ago. Before I became a slave.”

  “Same with me, nya! It’s been thirty years for me!”

  I flinched.

  …Twenty. Thirty.

  How long have they been suffering…?

  I pushed those thoughts aside and forced a smile.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "I'm glad, then. If this expression of yours is real, then I must say…" I paused for dramatic effect.

  "You both look even cuter when you're happy.”

  “Geez! You already told us that before!”

  "Freed is a smooth talker, nya! If you don’t change, in ten or twenty years, a lot of girls will fall in love with you, nya!”

  "Yeah, I think so too." Sis Esta let out a small chuckle.

  The girls in my previous life weren’t that simple, though.

  I doubt the girls in this world are different.

  Falling in love just because I praise them?

  Ridiculous.

  Pushing away my thoughts, I teased them,

  “Is that so? Does it mean Sis Esta and Sis Hazel will fall in love with me if I do that to you after the next ten years?”

  “We are not that simple, nya!”

  Right?

  “Then what if with an addition about what we are talking about before? I will save both of you and become your savior.”

  Esta chuckled. “Mmm. Then why don’t you save us first, then ask us again?”

  "Then I guess I should train harder than before to make that happen.”

  We all laughed again.

  A moment later, they finished eating, and we went down to the bar together.

  Sis Hazel seemed much better now.

  I asked if she wanted to rest since she had been sick earlier, but she refused, insisting she was fine.

  As we stepped into the bustling bar, the noise momentarily died down.

  Then—

  “Whoa! The superstar is here!”

  Laughter and cheers erupted.

  I offered a warm smile and waved back.

  Following behind me, Sis Esta and Sis Hazel stepped forward. Engaging with the patrons, they introduced themselves with a touch of grace.

  “U-Umm. My name is Esta… I will be working here from now on. Please take care of me!”

  “I’m Hazel, nya! Please take care of me too!”

  ““Whoa, so cute!””

  “That bastard Matias owned these two beauties, yet he treated them like trash? Tsk.”

  Murmurs of envy and disapproval filled the room. Even female adventurers shook their heads in disgust.

  A man suddenly laughed. "Hey, cutie! If I offer Matias twice what he paid for you, do you think he’d hand you over to me?”

  Sis Esta tilted her head, delicately pressing a finger to her lips in thought.

  “Umm… I don’t think so. We are cute after all. Why would he release his two adorable toys for a meager sum?”

  Sis Hazel grinned. “That’s right, nya! If you really want us, you should get stronger and beat him in a fight, nya! Maybe then, he’ll give us away for free.”

  I froze.

  They… smiled as they said that.

  Not a trace of sadness in their expressions.

  Not a flicker of resentment in their voices.

  Even as they called themselves toys, even as they referred to themselves as his possessions.

  They laughed.

  I rested my elbow on the counter, supporting my head with my hand.

  Treating their own existences as objects instead of living beings.

  How… broken do you have to be to say that with a smile?

  How cruel was their reality?

  I don’t even think I can do that by myself!

  I couldn't fathom how they managed to navigate their harsh reality with such resilience

  While I was lost in thought, ruminating on the struggles of them, the conversation around me continued.

  “Really? Then I’ll start training hard!”

  "Haha! You’re E-Rank! I’m D-Rank, so I’ll win them first!

  “Fufu, you better hurry,” Esta giggled. “Freed already promised to save us too.”

  "Really? If it's Freed, he might actually do it… He’s a genius, after all!”

  “But, I’m C-Rank. So, I should be able to obtain you two even before he registers as an adventurer!”

  I heard my name twice while deep in though.

  So I, who felt annoyed because they disturbed my thoughts, inadvertently responded with a flat voice and an expressionless face.

  "You’re all just as trash as Matias if you see them as things instead of people.”

  “Only I will be able to regard them as living beings and provide genuine happiness instead of indulging in my own joy alone.”

  A heavy silence fell over the bar.

  【Haa…】Even Aza sighed.

  “F-Freed?” Sis Sasa, taken aback, murmured beside me.

  “W-Wawawawawa.” Hazel blushed furiously, covering her face, visibly shocked.

  Sis Esta, equally flustered, stammered, making it clear to everyone that these were my authentic sentiments.

  “F-Freed! Your thoughts just leaked!”

  …Huh?

  Then it hit me.

  I had said that out loud.

  "—W-Wha!?" My face turned red. "I-I'm sorry! Ouch, ouch!”

  Startled by my own bluntness, I promptly bowed to the customers, but my head collided with the counter.

  It hurts.

  Despite expecting their ire, the response I received was unexpected.

  “Pfft.”

  “Hahahaha!”

  “Whoaa, the super star is truly awesome!”

  “Whoa! I had no idea Freed is such a gentleman!”

  “As expected of the little brother of the two princesses!”

  “Freed! I want to be your fan!”

  “Freed! Grow fast and be my boyfriend!”

  “He is the real man!”

  “He will be a great adventurer later!”

  Laughter erupted around me.

  The chorus of excitement echoed through the bar as both male and female adventurers expressed their enthusiasm, some waving their hands and cheering.

  Sis Hazel and Sis Esta were also joined in the laughter.

  I’m glad that their genuine happiness replaced the facade tonight.

  But still…

  I couldn't escape the red on my face as I found myself at the center of attention for the second time in a day!

  This is so embarrassing!

  And just like that, my popularity in the guild exploded—for better or worse.

  Haa... I’m so tired.

  I don’t think I can train tonight..

  I want to go to sleep swiftly to replenish my introverted energy…