I was Reincarnated as the Villainess's Older Brother, but it seems My Sister is Obsessed With Me. And for Some Reason, the Male Love Interests are also Doting On Me.(BL) - Chapter 29

After that, the robed men had vanished without a trace.

Alice and I asked Finn to help locate Stefan and the others, and thankfully, we were able to reunite with them safely.

Seeing the two of us looking like a mess, Stefan and Sphere apologized over and over again.
Though to be fair, Alice had already healed our wounds—our clothes were the only thing still in tatters.

“If only I hadn’t suggested going boar hunting…”

“No, Sphere, it’s not your fault. I should’ve just carried the two of you myself.”

“Yeah… I don’t think that would’ve helped.”

As Stefan offered his half-serious, half-bizarre apology, Alice let out a soft laugh.

“Haha… ah, sorry. I don’t know why, but I just felt relieved somehow.”

“It’s alright. You were scared, weren’t you?”

“Yes. Very.”

Huh… is this a mood I’m sensing?

Did I go through all that just to create this nice little romantic moment?
Now I’m actually kind of pissed off.

“Stefan, you’re buying next time.”

“Of course. I’ve got money to spare.”

“Brother…”

Now I’m really annoyed.
What is this guy’s deal? Is he doing this on purpose?
Sphere looked so done she couldn’t even speak.

I figured I’d explain the details to Stefan later.
Since Sphere was there, I chose not to mention the part about us falling from the cliff or the robed attackers.

I didn’t want to be the reason the outdoor activity got canceled.

More importantly, I had a promise to keep—

“I’ll make sure the two of you get some time alone later.”

I had promised Fiona she’d get to be alone with Allen.
And I’ve never broken a promise to Fiona. No way was I going to start now.

My injuries were healed, I had a spare set of clothes—everything was under control.

I had Finn return to her rabbit form and decided to just say she snuck into my bag without anyone noticing.
All contingencies covered.

◇◇◇◇

Why…
Why the hell did it end up like this?

“Hey. Are you listening?”

“Y-Yes, Master Allen.”

Right now, all I can see is Allen, up close and personal.
He’s pinning me down on a creaky cot, arm braced on the floor.
Just the two of us, inside a dimly lit tent.

Let’s rewind.

After asking Sphere to grab my change of clothes, I returned to Allen and Arnold as if nothing had happened.

Arnold greeted me with a smile and a warm, “Welcome back.”
But Allen just gave me a sharp glance and said:

“Clive. Come with me. No one comes in until I say so.”

And the moment we entered the tent—this happened.

“What happened out there?”

“Nothing. Really.”

“You think you can lie to me?”

“Y-You’re… really close, Allen…”

Allen’s hand slowly traced the front of my shirt, unbuttoning it one by one.

“Um… Master Allen?”

His hand slipped inside, brushing lightly against my stomach.

“Hyah—!”

“There’s holy magic residue. And it’s strong. You were stabbed, weren’t you?”

“…”

“Sigh… That’s why I told you to stay near me.”

For some reason, Allen looked… genuinely pained.
He reached up and gently caressed my face.

Seeing that expression—how could I resist?

“Did you see their faces?”

“They were wearing hoods, so I couldn’t. But one of them controlled undead, and the other used earth magic.”

“I see… That’s enough. Take this and get some rest.”

Allen rummaged through his belongings and tossed me a potion.
After confirming I caught it, he silently left the tent.

“Ugh—bitter!
Wait, this is a high-grade potion… Of course. Royalty, huh.”

Still… Allen’s hands earlier… were seriously way too smooth.

No! That’s not the point.

Had I really done something to deserve all this?

Since regaining memories of my previous life, I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong.

Then… was it something from the first five years of this life?

No, that can’t be.
I mean, logically speaking, how could a toddler under the age of five possibly do something that would make someone want to kill them?

Maybe I should just ask Allen directly.

But if he gets that close again… and stares at me with that face while we talk… my heart won’t survive.

At this rate, I really might end up crossing a line I can’t come back from.

Yeah. If we’re going to talk, it has to be somewhere bright and public—during the day.

With that thought lingering in my head, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

◇◇◇◇

“Whoa—! I overslept! Sorry, everyone!”

When I opened my eyes, it was already pitch dark.
Panicking, I scrambled out of the tent.

“Arclight-senpai, are you okay? We saved a portion of dinner for you.”

“Ah—thanks. Sorry I didn’t help with anything…”

“Lord Clive, Lord Arnold is quite good at cooking. Come, please eat.”

Arnold and Sphere warmly offered me a meal, which I gratefully accepted.

The ingredients were the mountain vegetables and mushrooms that Stefan had picked in ridiculous quantities earlier—they’d apparently shared those among the groups.

“This is amazing! You could open a restaurant.”

“Hehe… thank you. Alice—my childhood friend—she loves cooking. We used to cook together a lot, following recipes from a chef we knew.”

As Arnold talked about Alice, his expression turned a little bashful—he looked just like a boy in love.

I didn’t know much about Arnold since he and I rarely interacted, but he often followed Alice with his eyes.
If Alice ever chose him, it’d probably be a done deal in one shot.

“By the way, where’s Master Allen?”

“Right here.”

“Wha—?! You were there?!”

Allen was lying on a mat, gazing up at the stars with a strangely subdued presence.

Unlike his usual commanding aura, tonight he looked lost in thought—his profile silhouetted under the night sky was… oddly emotional. Almost poetic.

“Master Allen, would you spare me a moment later?”

“Hm? For what?”

“That’s a surprise for later.”