This quest will be told from the perspective of the young boy.

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"Aqua. This is sudden, but I’ve decided to assign you a bodyguard."

"Huh...? Wh-what do you mean...!?"

One day, my father suddenly called me into his room and dropped those words the moment I walked in. I was so shocked and confused that I asked him what he meant. With a complicated expression, he slowly began to explain.

"Just the other day, an intruder was caught on our estate. One of our guards spotted him hesitating near the mansion and apprehended him immediately. When we questioned him, he confessed that he had been hired to break in. After further investigation, we discovered that assassination requests targeting you are circulating in the underworld."

I stood there frozen, unable to process what I was hearing.

"I don’t know who placed the request or why they’re after your life, but since an actual intruder has already appeared, we can’t ignore this. We intend to identify and apprehend the one behind it."

"B-but... that means I’m really being targeted...!?"

My father continued with a heavy tone.

"We don’t know how long it will take to find the person who made the request. If something were to happen to you before then, it would be the worst outcome. We considered strengthening security, but the captured intruder revealed that there were insiders helping him. Although we’ve already caught those involved, there may be others still hiding. That’s why simply increasing guards might not be enough."

He looked at me seriously.

"Therefore, we’ve decided to assign you a completely independent, dedicated bodyguard."

"Oh... so that’s why..."

Seeing my reaction, my father nodded and kept explaining.

"To avoid arousing suspicion from any suspicious individuals, I’ve hired her under the pretense of a personal tutor. I interviewed her myself—she’s an excellent person. I’d like her to stay with you not just during this crisis, but indefinitely. I’m sure you’ll like her too. I’ve already hired her, and she’s waiting in the reception room next door."

"Huh!? She’s already here...!?"

I was startled. Before I could even prepare myself, my father urged me.

"Now then, Aqua. Go and greet her right away."

"U-um... okay..."

Still overwhelmed by how suddenly everything was happening, I stood up from the sofa and walked toward the door leading to the reception room.

I wondered what kind of person this bodyguard would be. Since it was a bodyguard role, I assumed it would be a big, tough-looking man. Even if he was pretending to be a tutor, he’d probably be strict or scary. The thought of suddenly having a stranger around me after learning my life was in danger made me anxious.

With those gloomy feelings swirling inside, I opened the door.

"Huh...!?"

The moment I saw the person sitting on the sofa in the reception room, all my worries were instantly blown away.

There wasn’t a burly man waiting for me. Instead, it was a beautiful young woman.

"Oh...? So you’re Aqua, the eldest son of Baron Sidesea Bright."

"Uh... ah..."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Shiori. Starting today, I’ll be your tutor... or rather, your bodyguard. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Shiori placed the small handbag that had been resting on her lap aside, stood up gracefully, and gave me a polite bow. When she lifted her head, she gently brushed her lustrous black hair back and smiled.

My heart instantly began to race.

"Y-yes... Nice to meet you too..."

The moment I saw that gentle, beautiful smile, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I had never felt anything like this before.

My father soon entered the room behind me.

"Please take care of my son, Shiori."

"Yes, leave it to me, Lord Bright."

Shiori turned toward my father and replied politely. Even while they spoke, I couldn’t stop staring at her.

She was incredibly beautiful, stylishly dressed in a black turtleneck and white pants, and carried herself with a refined, elegant aura. Just looking at her made my chest feel tight.

"Alright, Aqua. I’ll begin investigating who placed the assassination request. You can rely on Shiori for everything else."

"Uh, yeah... I understand."

After saying that, my father left the room, leaving just the two of us.

"Okay then, Aqua. Could you show me to your room for now?"

"Ah... y-yes! This way...!"

Her soft, gentle voice made my heart pound even harder as I led her through the mansion.

"So this is your room, Aqua. It’s very spacious and nice."

"I-is it...?"

When we entered my room, Shiori looked around with a smile. She then walked over to the desk.

"Hehe... Since I was hired as a tutor on paper, shall we start with some studies, Aqua?"

"Ah, yes...! I’ll get my things ready right away...!"

Normally, studying didn’t excite me at all, but the thought of doing it with Shiori made my heart flutter with unexpected eagerness. I quickly took out my textbooks while Shiori picked them up one by one, flipping through the pages.

"...The content seems to be standard elementary level. This shouldn’t be difficult to teach..."

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"...No, it’s nothing."

Shiori smiled softly.

"So, where would you like to start? I’ll adjust to whatever you want to study, Aqua." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

I pointed at one of the textbooks, my cheeks feeling warm.

"Ah... then, this one...!"

"Understood. Let’s begin..."

As I prepared my notebook and opened it on the desk, I kept stealing glances at Shiori. My heart wouldn’t stop racing.