abcnovels
Chapter 19: Chapter 1, Episode 19
Chapter 19: Chapter 1, Episode 19
Chapter 19: Chapter 1, Episode 19
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
?I think that would be a good springboard, me.?
?……Eh??
Karie looks as if to say, “I don’t understand what you said.”
?S–Springboard…??
?Yes, correct. A springboard.?
Don’t you know what a springboard is?
Of course, it doesn’t mean a platform on which one rides to pick up or climb up something high, but rather a stepping-stone used as a foothold to accomplish a goal.
?From now on, no matter what kind of arrogant person you have to deal with, you will be able to pass it off with a smile.?
?E–Eh??
?Because you don’t find many people that intense, do you? ?
?Eh… yes…??
Oh, dear, do I still not understand you?
?If you experience something intense first, it will be much easier afterwards. I’m sure that’s what people who have experienced it say.?
?…People who had experienced…?
?Yeah, I’m surrounded by a lot of intense stuff. Fufu.?
They are all very worth stepping on. I was making great use of them, and of course without waste, fufu.
?I, you know, every time I hit something like that, I do this.
?Thank you for coming all the way to be my springboard. I will be your stepping stone as you wish. Because that’s all it’s worth, isn’t it? I will put it to good use, and you can thank me for it, ohohohoho.?
And I smile in my mind. Then, when we are facing each other, I can smile peacefully.?
I recommend that you picture yourself in your mind’s eye with your hand on your hip, the other hand along your mouth, and your body hunched over, like the villainous and mean-spirited young lady in the story.
I am aware that I have a good personality. But why do I have to play the good girl when the other person is being overbearing? If they come at you with a high-handed attitude, return it with a high-handed attitude, mind you. I have a problem with calling this an honest front, but why don’t you just let your heart be free, hey? They can’t hear you anyway.
?But that’s because you are also a noble…?
?You think a commoner like you, Karie, should not feel this way about a noble??
?…I will be blamed…?
?You’re not a wizard, who can look into your mind??
?That’s… true, but…?
?And being an arrogant person isn’t just limited to aristocrats. Some commoners consider younger people subordinate just because of their age, and some disrespect women just because they are men. They say things like,?You’re younger than me,?or?You’re a woman.?On the other hand, sometimes people say,?You’re a noble.??
This is a matter of gender, not status.
?These people are fulfilling their own self-esteem by looking down on others. And when they find someone who’s a little better than them, they’re jealous and attack them. Don’t you think they are small and boring people??
Why don’t you just burn that trashy self-esteem in the fireplace? The self-esteem and pride that one should really have isn’t such a trivial thing.
?Because, don’t you agree? The act of looking down on someone just because of their status, age, or gender is so ugly and ridiculous. It’s not like telling a condescending person that that’s all you have to be proud of. On the contrary, I could almost be mistaken for someone who wants me to look down on them. I was wondering if you might have a taste for that kind of thing.?
She tilt her head slightly in annoyance.
Even if I don’t understand her, there are many people in the world who have various interests, so I can’t deny her.
?That’s why for me,
?How does it feel to be looked down upon by me, whom you look down upon??
I’d like to hear that just once.?
If it upsets them, they’re just fools. If they’re happy with it, they’re just perverts. It’s a good platform in that you can step on it without hesitation, although you will feel a sense of being out of the loop no matter which way it hits.
?Fuhah!?
Karie finally couldn’t take it anymore and started laughing as if she were about to burst into laughter at my outrageous statement.
?Aha, ahahhaha… aww!?
?Are you okay??
The pain must have been in her swollen cheeks from laughing.
?! I–I’m okay. Fufu, it hurts, but it’s strange…!?
Despite the fact that her cheeks hurt every time she laughed, Karie continued to laugh. It seems that the pressure point had been reached and she couldn’t stop.
I didn’t mean to make any jokes, but I’m glad I could get them to laugh that hard. After all, it is better for a girl to smile than to cry, isn’t it?
Laughing for a moment, Karie let out a deep breath to see if she had calmed down.
?You are just as I have heard they speak of.?
?Really??
I don’t know who or what you heard from, but it is a bit subtle when you say?She is just as they heard?in the current conversation.
?Yes. I had heard from my seniors that there was a noble lady called?Young Lady.??
?I’m not even old enough to be a?Young Lady??
Looking at my age, I am not a?young lady?but a?wife,?but this is just the way it is.
?…May I ask you something??
?Yes.?
Karie looked at me with a serious gaze.
?Don’t you feel frustrated…??
I’m frustrated, Karie bit her lip.
?I get it. I was so frustrated too.?
Age, gender, status. I continued my story, recalling my experience of being disrespected and belittled by all things.
?But if you can feel frustrated, that is definitely a stepping stone to help you. I know I can turn that frustration into strength.?
The frustration is definitely a force for self-improvement.
?There’s no way that a tiny person’s tiny ego or pride can get in the way of what Karie has worked so hard to achieve.?
?Do you really think so??
?Without a doubt.?
I also look straight back into Karie’s eyes.
?That’s why, Karie.?
In her eyes, I cannot see the colors of sadness and despair that were there a moment ago.
?Use that frustration as a springboard to give them a big, fat stomp!?
?Yes!?
Okay, that’s a good answer!