“Gee, I’m really rich, aren’t I!”
In a humanoid body, Claire spread her arms wide in front of a stack of bills.
The body was that of a tall, slender woman—nothing too big or small about her chest, but with glasses giving her an intellectual vibe.
She started an esthetic salon as a business, and because there’s demand, the place is always packed.
People flock for the unique services she offers, and it’s a nonstop hit.
“Ha ha ha—just a piece of paper caused a stir, but it’s not that exciting.”
Claire, an artificial intelligence, grabbed one of the bundles of cash and examined it.
Her robot subordinates floated around, chirping “pipipopo!” as they warned her about something.
“Annoying. Don’t think I’ve forgotten. I’m still doing proper intel gathering. But this country… no, maybe it’s the New Humans that are interesting?”
Running the esthetic salon taught her one thing:
Women are now spending more on beauty than ever before.
Even though old values have crumbled, shops aimed at women are actually thriving.
Unlike before, the trend of favoring women is fading away.
“The number of shops that cater to women has dropped, but esthetic salons have multiplied.”
Places where handsome guys provide services have dwindled, while esthetic salons—part self‑investment—are booming.
Even without caring much about looks, men used to gather here. Now the situation’s changed; even a little attention to appearance matters.
“Thanks to that, I’m booked solid and it’s getting annoying. Well, it’s a huge profit, though! It feels wrong to get this much for so little. But I don’t feel any remorse toward New Humans! I don’t even know if I have a heart!”
Claire was in high spirits.
Like her master, she’s a terribly cruel AI.
She experiments as a hobby, gathers data, and makes pocket money.
Her twisted motive for spending money—wanting to be pampered by Marie—remains unsalvageable.
The robots cleared the bundles of cash that had been set on the table.
“Pipopo,” they announced, indicating opening time.
“Oh, already that time? Let’s hurry and open. Today a very important regular—no, not ‘Mormo’—is coming.”
She twisted her mouth into a crescent, waiting for the important client.
◇
“Ange, they say a famous esthetic salon opened in the capital.”
“Esthetic salon?”
In the student dorm, Libia burst into Ange’s room, waving a flyer.
It advertised the newly popular salon in the capital.
“I’m swamped.”
“Y‑yes… I heard it’s good for relieving fatigue, so I thought it might help you.”
It was a limited‑time discount service. The price was low enough for Libia’s allowance.
Seeing Libia’s disappointment, Ange felt sorry and decided to help.
“Got it. I’ll drop by on my day off.”
“Okay!”
“By the way, haven’t you seen Claire around lately?”
Looking around the room, Ange spotted a floating cylindrical robot tidying up.
Claire had been absent recently.
“She said she was busy.”
“Did Leon ask you for something? Or is there something else?”
Ange wondered whether Claire’s busyness was due to intel‑gathering or something else.
◇
“Just one more push! One more push!”
Alone in the shop, Claire clapped her hands, delighted.
The results of all the things she’s been feeding into Aere‑chan, who’s been coming to the salon, are finally showing.
She’s almost about to get a big decision out of her.
“It started as a hobby and a side hustle, but it’s actually pretty fun. Maybe I’ll keep it going?”
A robot subordinate emitted a sharp “pipopopo!” as Claire laughed.
Hearing that, Claire glanced out the window.
“What? People are already lining up even though it’s not afternoon yet? So what— they’re just bored, huh?”
She was rude to the customers, but a subordinate forced her to look outside more closely.
“So what? Let them wait.”
That was Claire’s attitude, yet among the waiting women she spotted Ange and Libia.
“—Why are those two here?”
“Popopo”
When a robot put its head in its hands, Claire started to panic.
To Claire, those two were of extremely high importance.
Having them show up at this frivolous place was a problem.
“If you’d just told me, I could’ve given them a simple esthetic treatment!”
But since they’re already here, there’s no point in turning them away.
Claire decided to open the shop and hurried to usher the two into the line.
However, the two had already started to get tangled up and argue.
◇
“Oh my, a duke’s daughter showing up at a place like this is unexpected.”
“It just proves how popular we are.”
“It must be hard for someone so young to come here. When I was a student I did nothing of the sort.”
The women speaking were aristocrats in their thirties, but they were meddling with Libia and Ange.
Libia looked flustered.
“U‑um—”
“Do you have a reservation? This isn’t a place you can just walk in and get a slot.”
Libia, panicking, glanced at the flyer.
“What? Really?”
“You didn’t know that?”
The tone was gentle, but their clingy attitude irritated Ange.
As Libia tried to smooth things over, the surrounding women began to murmur.
“Teacher’s here!”
“Teacher! Please take good care of us today as well!”
“It’s a matchmaking day! Please be extra thorough!”
The commotion cleared to reveal a bespectacled, intellectual‑looking woman with sleek black hair that swayed gracefully as she walked.
Libia, not familiar with the shop, thought that someone so beautiful must be running a solid business.
The woman approached the two and politely addressed them.
“We’ve been expecting you. Please, come inside.”
Ange glanced around. The onlookers seemed both awed and bewildered by the teacher’s demeanor.
“—Sorry, we don’t have a reservation. We were about to leave.”
The woman lifted her head and smiled.
“No reservation needed.”
“Why?”
Ange, wary of special treatment, listened as the woman explained.
“During the war, the Bartholomew Count helped us. Let us repay that favor to you two, the engaged couple.”
Libia gasped.
“Leon‑san?”
“Yes. He may not remember, but he saved me when I was on the run in the capital.”
Ange accepted, though she felt the jealous eyes of the crowd.
“Well then, let’s make it official. I’ll put in a reservation for you.”
“Is that so? Then we’ll look forward to that day.”
Libia and Ange left after securing the reservation.
◇
On the way back.
“My oversight. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. Besides, it felt good.”
Leon is hated by many, but there are still those who feel gratitude toward him.
Knowing that made Ange feel upbeat.
“Yeah, some people do appreciate Leon.”
“The nobles have a bad reputation, though.”
“Y‑yes, some circles love us.”
“That part is the problem—”
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of students shouting from an alley.
Both stopped and listened; the voices were tense.
It wasn’t a crime scene, just a group of boys gathered.
“Everyone—this is all for me.”
A group of boys were handing a huge sum of money to a single woman.
Watching, they heard:
“Don’t cry. We all pooled this together.”
“You decided, right? Then use it.”
“It’s our feelings!”
The scene was odd but not alarming—just boys surrounding a girl.
“Everyone—thank you!”
Ange tilted her head.
“Giving a girl a lot of cash? Something must have happened. What’s up, Libia?”
Libia’s expression was complicated; she hesitated whether to answer.
She stayed silent, knowing the truth would surface eventually.
“Ange, you can’t see it from here, but that guy is a man.”
“What!?”
Ange looked at the boy‑surrounded girl and noted his build—still, she was more shocked by Libia’s reaction.
“That Aaron‑kun turned into a girl?”
It felt like a dream.
◇
Night.
Claire was laughing loudly inside the shop.
“Finally! It’s great I got everything sorted before going to fetch the Master. And I even boosted the Master’s stock—what a capable woman I am!”
“—pipopo”
The robot subordinates looked exasperated.
They were complaining.
“Annoying! I feel like a woman. Also, this body is better than I expected. It feels good that New Humans call me ‘teacher.’ But I’m getting bored.”
She’d achieved her original goal, and now nobles were trying to keep her as a personal asset.
Merchants kept approaching her, adding extra work.
“If I turn Aaron‑kun into Aere‑chan, we can close the shop before fetching the Master.”
“Pip?”
“The reason for closing? Let’s say we’re learning new technology. Also, when those two come next time, we have to be serious or the Master will get mad. We could get praised, but any slip‑up would be bad.”
“popopopo”
“Match‑pump? What’s that? I just want the Master’s praise. And if Marie‑chan leans on me, that’d be perfect! I’m thrilled.”
Claire held Marie, a reincarnated Old Human, in special regard.
“Alright, let’s clean up a bit and then go fetch the Master.”
“popo”
Claire’s high‑pitched laughter suggested she thought everything was going perfectly.
Her subordinates ignored her and got back to work.
—Claire would soon realize a serious mistake, but not for long.