The True Nature of the New Heroine?

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    It was the first time I had ridden in a limousine, and I felt uncomfortable that this space, with its L-shaped seats and tables, was the interior of the car.?

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    I feel …… kind of uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable for a commoner by nature.?

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    “Why was Kotaro in such a place? Your house isn’t around here, is it?”?

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    The car drives off slowly.?

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    Mary huddled close to me and spoke to me.?

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    I don’t think I should bother sitting next to her since it’s such a big car, …… and if I got too friendly with other girls, that cute little girl would get jealous, so I kept a good distance from her.?

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    About two seats apart, then I answer her question.?

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    “I was visiting my friend Shiho …… Shiho Shimotsuki’s house. My house is indeed a bit far from here, …… but how do you know that?”?

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    Now it’s my turn to return a question.?

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    It is inexplicable. Mary, who had been acting as if she didn’t know anything about me, had identified not only my name but also my address. That was eerie.?

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    “What if I told you that I have a thirst for knowledge?”?

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    “I would reply, [“That’s not an answer.”].”?

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    “You’re not very perceptive, are you? I mean, it’s uncomfortable to not know something, so I make an effort to know everything……. See, my parents are the only people who have money, which means their daughter, me, can use it to do a lot of things.”?

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    She gives a twisted answer, yet roundabout way.?

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    “So you’re saying that …… you know the personal information of someone as humble as me? I take it that you’re interpreting that to mean that you’ve looked into …… in a dirty, paid-for way that’s hard to talk about…….?”?

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    “Well? I didn’t say that much, but if you want to think so, I won’t deny it. Anyway, the process may be different, but the result is the same. Maybe I know more about Kotaro than you think I do?”?

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    With that, Mary crossed her legs.?

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    Her school uniform was unchanged, but her short skirt revealed her firm thighs. If I were Ryuzaki, I would have turned up my nose at this sight, but for me, with my low sexual appetite, it was of no importance.?

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    I immediately removed my eyes from her thighs.?

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    Seeing this, Mary was somehow nodding her head.?

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    “Heh, …… Kotaro is not interested in a girl’s body? I think a normal boy would be a little more delirious now that he can be alone with me.”?

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    (TLN: Hoes mad.)?

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    “… Didn’t you know that? You know more about me than I think you do, right?”?

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    “Yeah, maybe so, maybe not. So I’ll just pretend that I just found out that Kotaro can’t get through to me in a colorful way, okay?”?

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    What a …… choice of words you’ve been making since a while ago, all you do is make smoke screens.?

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    She was a much brighter and more innocent character at school, very jolly and foreign, but I didn’t quite recognize her now.?

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    Is this the real Mary??

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    Is that overly bright, noisy, high-strung character that she plays in front of Ryuzaki a lie??

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    “Hihi. You’re surprised, aren’t you …… No, you’re confused, aren’t you? Was Kotaro mistaken about me? What kind of person did you think I was? Well, I won’t tell you the correct answer yet, but I will give you a hint. I am not what you think I am.”?

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    Does that mean that Mary I have in mind isn’t really Mary or is she?