Third Person Perspective
"What? So, the rumors about the foreign student Mileisha are false rumors being spread deliberately by Keidith, the third son of the Kurvarich family, and his entourage, who are plotting something nefarious?"
"Maybe they want to ruin Mileisha's reputation and then sweet talk her into a situation where she's in trouble?"
"What a scumbag! The worst kind of vulgar person!"
Mitsuha's Perspective
"Counter rumors... no, this is the whole truth... but the rumors are spreading smoothly.
"After all, Society (we) are more numerous than their entourage, and we are much more trustworthy...and we're all women.
"It has already become widely known that Mileisha-sama has been targeted by villains and is the victim of baseless rumors being spread, and people with whom she had no prior contact are now reaching out to her to offer comfort and encouragement, and several members of high-ranking noble families are always by her side to protect her.
"And anyone who spreads a strange rumor about Mileisha-sama is immediately questioned with questions like, 'When and from whom did you hear such a horrible lie?' and, 'Aren't you ashamed as a lady to utter such slanderous remarks without even checking whether they are true or not?', so the spread of the enemy's rumor has almost come to a halt.
"Those who were involved in spreading the rumor are in a panic as their ratings have plummeted, and are working hard to revoke the rumor and spread the counter information that we are spreading."
"...mother of perfection!!" (Mitsuha)
Everyone looked confused at the words I blurted out. Well, if you don't know the original source and there's the language barrier, of course you wouldn't understand the meaning. Usually, I try to make puns using words that have a similar nuance, but sometimes I can't think of a good word, so...
"It's perfect! False rumors and slander can be spread around because it's impossible to know who spreads them. So, if they receive strong criticism, the moment they tell someone about it and are accused of spreading it, they have no choice but to turn their back in panic. ...And what are the perpetrator and his associates, whose names have spread as the mastermind behind a crime, up to now? We, Society, have won the information war by a landslide! We, Society, are invincible!!" (Mitsuha)
"Oooooooohhhhh!!" (Everyone)
...No good. Also, I ended up making the other members (everyone) get too cocky... If they get too cocky, I'm afraid they'll do something stupid or get out of control... But since they're doing a lot of work for free, I need to flatter them and boost their morale after they've finished. Instead of a reward, I need to give them a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. ...Well, I guess this should be okay...
What will the perpetrators do now that they're in hot water? Members of Society and other high-ranking noble families were guarding her in case they came into direct contact with Mileisha-chan, but fools and those who were backed into a corner could sometimes act recklessly. I guess this was a phalanx shift after all?
Third Person Perspective
"...What on earth is going on?!" (Keidith)
A nobleman's son was yelling at those around him in his room. Currently, among the noble ladies of the royal capital, he was the "Person of the Time" in a bad sense. He was the third son of the Kurvarich Count family, Keidith.
It was not that those around him were particularly attracted to his personality. They were simply the sons of vassals or lower-ranking nobles whose territories were adjacent and in a position similar to that of his underlings. So even when they were yelled at unreasonably and unilaterally, they didn't rebel. ...Until this time...
"Why is it being spread that I'm the one who started the rumors about that woman! How could anyone possibly find out who first started a rumor? So why is it being said that I was the one who started it?!!" (Keidith)
...Those around him thought that it was in fact because he was the one who started saying it, but they couldn't bring yourself to say it out loud.
"And why are the members of Society defending her! To make Society our enemy in this country is to make all the noble women our enemy!!" (Keidith)
Normally, no matter what force you make your enemy, there is always an opposing force, and by currying favor with that force, you can somehow maintain balance. —If only it was something other than Society...
Society was a gathering of the daughters of influential nobles that beyond faction. They were the finest girls in the country, talented and capable, with good personalities and noble character. A strong sense of unity, bound by strong friendship. A sign of the goddess's favor shown time and again. And they had full backup from a mysterious foreign noblewoman, Viscount Yamano, and Lephilia Trade, who handled all the imported goods sent from her territory.
Cosmetics, alcohol, and various other luxury items from Viscount Yamano's territory. No nobleman would risk losing these things, and even if they did think of doing so, they would be fiercely opposed by their wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, and all their family.
Besides, Society did not engage in political activities, it was merely a social gathering for the daughters of nobles. It did not cause any trouble, and on the contrary, there were many benefits to being on friendly terms with them—And above all, there was no one in this country who was foolish enough or foolish enough to think of picking a fight with a group of daughters of influential nobles who were favored by the Goddess, and pitting them against each other. The same could be said of Kurvarich's third son, Keidith, and his entourage. So Keidith and his entourage were very upset.
"What's going on, Enrud? It's a plan you came up with!!" (Keidith)
"Well, that's... I never imagined that she would be able to interact with the members of Society, who even the children of our nobles have difficulty forming friendships with, and that she would receive such proactive support..." (Enrud)
One of the people who appeared to be the originator of Mileisha's incident tried to defend himself by saying this, but...
"Shut up! It's all your fault! This is not good, do something!!" (Keidith)
"Y-Yes, I understand..." (Enrud)
"What's going on?! Why hasn't the situation changed... No, it's only getting worse!!" (Keidith)
"...Um, well...even if we wanted to spread new rumors, there's no one to listen to us... Far from listening to what we had to say, when they saw us, they panicked and distanced themselves..." (Enrud)
Finally, one of the followers seemed to realize how cornered they were.
"Shut up! That's not the excuse I want to hear! ...By the way, what happened to Rody and Nerei?" (Keidith)
Among the people around Keidith, the two of them were nowhere to be seen. Even though they were always sticking closely to him...
"…Ah, those two have returned to their territory. Apparently they received a message from their parents telling them to hurry back… Didn't they come to greet Keidith-sama?" (Enrud)
"What……" (Keidith)
In response to Enrud's reply, Keidith looked puzzled and said, "I didn't hear that."
...The two not present men had a high ability to sense danger and were skilled at maneuvering around. Be the first to escape from a sinking ship. That's the kind of sense of smell they had.
Already now, the name Keidith was spreading as bad news. And while for now they were only referred to as "Keidith's entourage" and "comrades," it would likely only be a matter of time before they started being referred to by their real names. If that were to happen, it would be impossible to predict what would happen to their own engagement, their siblings' marriage plans, or even their family's honor. ...Not only would it be Society, but if the worst kind of bad reputation were to spread not only among young women all over the country, their families, relatives, and friends, and if it were to be seen as an act that harms relations with other countries—then they'd be screwed.
Therefore, they probably made a suitable excuse and quickly escaped from the sinking ship (Keidith). And in order to avoid any trouble before sinking, they greeted those around them, but without telling Keidith anything, they fled to their territory...
Yet the two who remained by Keidith's side, Enrud and Weiss, were they loyal, or were they just idiots who couldn't understand the position they find themselves in...?
"Damn, in these difficult times... Anyway, the priority now is to deal with this strange rumor. There's no evidence, so we just need to silence the source of the rumor. ...Got it?" (Keidith)
Author's Note
There are three announcements! (^^)/
The spin-off comic of my work, "I Shall Survive Using Potions!", "I Shall Survive Using Potions! Hanano and Lotte's Journey (2)" (Sirius KC) will be published on February 7th! (^^)/
The manga artist is Sukima-sensei, who is in charge of the illustrations for the novel version of "Potion."
This volume is the final volume, so if you haven't read it yet, please get volumes 1 and 2 together!!
And the 10th volume of "Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement" was published on January 31st. Thank you for your support!
And finally, volume 20 of "Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!" will be published on February 6th!
Reina finally awakens!!
Thank you very much! (^^)/
And to commemorate the 20th volume of "Noukin", we will be giving away acrylic stands of "Noukin" to 20 lucky winners!! (^^)/
For more details, please visit https://magazine.jp.square-enix.com/sqexnovel/special/cp/watashi/20/.
(Due to the application method, only those who have purchased the paper copy are eligible. Sorry...)
The bonus SS included with volume 20 of "Noukin" is as follows.
"Mile 001's Engagement" ⇒ Melon Books
"Asukam Territory" ⇒ Online bookstore
"Princess Morena's Change of Mood" ⇒ Bookwalker (online bookstore)
"Lenny-chan's Battle Chronicles" ⇒Animate
"The Daily Life of the Female Guard Squad" ⇒ Wonder Goo
"Rare Monsters" ⇒ Listed on the official website
"Juno, Commander of the Marquis of Ascham's Army" ⇒ Published at the end of the e-book (This time, e-book purchasers were not able to apply for the acrylic diorama giveaway, so this is an apology... m(_ _)m)
Please continue to support the "Trilogy of Small-Breasted Girls Who Look 12-13 Years Old"! (^^)/
Extra Credits
Thanks to TV.Station for the corrections