“Why am I the only one you say that to?!”

“Whoa, Yuriga,” Tomoe interjected, sounding like she was trying to get a horse to stop.

“Don’t treat me like an animal, you little kid!”

“Ohhkay, ohhkay...” Tomoe said through pinched cheeks.

Yuriga and Tomoe started squabbling. Even on the morning of the first day of school, these two were the same as ever. That went for Ichiha, who was trying to stop them, too.

“When you see them like this, Yuriga feels more like my little sister, huh?” Liscia whispered beside me.

Yeah...she did have the tomboy princess thing going on. They were different races, and Yuriga’s ash gray hair was pretty far from Liscia’s platinum blonde, but I felt like they had a lot in common in terms of personality.

As for Tomoe, she was more like Juna, maybe? She could be a little devil at times, too. It was going to be fun seeing what she grew up to be like, but also scary... My feelings about it were complicated.

“Ahem,” Hakuya cleared his throat to get the three of them to pipe down, and the three stopped talking and stood at attention. In a scolding tone, he said, “I certainly see no problems academically, but school is also where you learn to get along with others. You three, in particular, are individuals of status in your respective countries. The academy is a place where no one will be given special treatment, but it is inevitable that others will view you as special. How will you think about your position in the group, and what sort of friendships will you form with whom...? I would like for you to keep these things in mind as you live a valuable school life. Do you understand?”

“““Y-Yes,””” the three of them responded in unison.

“Well, I understand where Hakuya is coming from,” I cut in, thinking he was being a bit too strict. “But you’re going to be spending four precious years of your youth there. Find some friends you get along with, and have a good time.”

“Understood, Big Brother,” Tomoe smiled, as she gave me a salute.

““Okay,”” Ichiha and Yuriga responded in kind.

When the three of them left the room, I turned to look at Hakuya.

“You were talking about there being no special treatment, but... I know you. You’ve got some sort of protection planned for them, right?”

“But of course,” Hakuya said with a nod, as though it were obvious. “I talked it over with Sir Inugami, and we’ve already placed our observers among the academy’s staff. If anything happens with your little sister, I will hear of it immediately.”

“If Inugami’s involved...it’s probably foolproof.”

Inugami adored Tomoe as if she were his own daughter. If that “doting father” was taking part in this, I could expect the security around them to be perfect. As we nodded to one another in relief, Liscia looked at us with exasperation.

“Being a little overprotective, aren’t we?”

“That may be true, but Tomoe’s position warrants caution,” I replied. “She’s a former refugee, now the younger sister of the king. She also gets the credit for setting up the rhinosaurus train. That’s a position that nobles and commoners alike are going take notice of, with both good and ill will. Eventually, she’ll need to handle all of that herself, but I want to protect her while she’s a child, at least.”

When I impressed on her that I wasn’t just being a doting adoptive brother, Liscia shrugged.

“I do understand how you feel, but...I resented having that sort of overprotective environment around me back when I was a student. I don’t think you should be too pushy about it.”

Well, I could sort of see what Liscia wanted to say. Still, though...

“That’s how you felt back then, right? What do you think now? Cian and Kazuha are going to go to school eventually, too, you know?”

“There are times when you need to be overprotective,” Liscia said, easily retracting her earlier statement. Hakuya and I could only smile wryly at how quickly she changed tack. Even if she couldn’t understand her parents as a child, now that she had a child she understood how a parent felt. This is how it looks when someone grows and learns... Nah, just kidding.

“Now then, I guess I should get ready to head out, too.”

“I’ll help you. Carla and the other maids are looking after Cian and Kazuha.”

I was scheduled to give a celebratory address to the new students at the Officers’ Academy and Royal Academy today. Because of the occasion, I had been told I was to appear in formal wear, which meant my military uniform. It always took so long to put that thing on...

“Okay, Hakuya. We’ll leave you to handle the rest.”

“Yes, sir. Take care.”

Hakuya saw us off with a salute as Liscia and I left the office.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Wow...”

Tomoe’s jaw dropped as she got out of the carriage and saw the building in front of her. The red brick building she could see on the other side of the thick, iron gate was the Royal Academy.

The Royal Academy. Situated in Parnam, it was the highest educational institution in the Kingdom of Friedonia. The other major cities had academies, too, but even among them, the Royal Academy was the top.

In contrast to the Officers’ Academy, which was also located in the capital, and was responsible for training knights and military officers, the Royal Academy was a place that taught a variety of different fields, as well as provided the necessary education to the children of the kingdom’s nobility.

“It’s so big,” Tomoe sighed, seeing the academy for the first time. “It’s practically a castle.”

“You literally live in a castle, and you’re going to say that?” Yuriga, who was standing beside her, said in exasperation.

“Now that I think about it, we’ve all been staying in the royal castle, huh?” Ichiha said, a wry smile on his face. “Because Sir Souma and so many of the others don’t make a big deal out of it, it doesn’t usually occur to me.”

“Hmph. My brother Fuuga’s name will echo across this world. Someday, I’ll live in an even bigger castle!”

“You sure do love your brother, huh, Yuriga?”

This time it was Tomoe’s turn to look at Yuriga, who was always bragging about her brother, in exasperation. Then...

“Well, this is as far as we can take you, so please, continue on by yourselves from here. We will be back to pick you up when the time comes,” the servant who had been acting as their chaperone said with a respectful bow.

“Thank you. Okay, Yuriga, Ichiha. Let’s go.” Tomoe thanked the servant, then walked onto the academy grounds hand-in-hand with Yuriga and Ichiha.

“Hold on, we’re not children. We don’t have to hold hands.”

“I-I’m getting a little tense...”

Tomoe pulled Yuriga and Ichiha through the gate with her.

Thus, the three small children took the first step of their school lives... and yet, immediately, their eyes went wide. At the enthusiasm of the many people there. And the noise.

There were many students who would be entering the academy this year, the same as Tomoe, Yuriga, and Ichiha, on the road from the main entrance to the school building. However, on either side of that road, there were older students carrying flags, signs, and banners in many colors, desperately calling out to the new students.

“The Enchantment Magic Club is currently recruiting! Any new students who are interested are welcome!”

“Hey, all you cute boys and girls! Would you like to come unravel the secrets of dungeon relics with us?!”

“You there, you look clever! Please, join our society!”

“Huh? You mean me? But...” said the confused student.

“O young one, our field of study is certain to make great leaps in the future! I say that because they tell me we have promising new students joining the academy this year...”

“Our club members register as adventurers and take part in activities off campus...”

“N-No, I refuse!” the student cried.

“Command Center, a new student has fled, requesting immediate backup.”

“This is Command Center. Roger. Dispatching reinforcements immediately.”

There were the voices of older students’ engaged in enthusiastic (and in some cases weird) attempts at recruitment, and the screams of new students running around trying to escape. There was a scene of unexpected chaos playing out in this house of learning. Having witnessed all of the shouting, the three froze up.

“Th-This isn’t... quite what we were led to expect, huh?” Yuriga said, her cheeks twitching a little.

The three thought back to the advance knowledge of the Royal Academy that their teacher, Hakuya, had imparted to them.

The Royal Academy was largely divided into two sections. There was the school, where students learned the basic subjects, as well as the education, manners, and management skills they would require as nobles; and then there was the research academy where students performed further academic research.

If you were to equate this to Souma’s original world: the former would have been equivalent to a combined junior and senior high school, while the latter was equivalent to university. When a person graduated from the school’s four-year program they were deemed to be able to take care of themselves, but those with excellent grades who wished to continue down the path of a researcher could enter the research academy. Though, in the case of the nobility, the oldest legitimate son would need to manage his domain eventually, so many of those who wanted to join the research academy were people who had been disinherited.

In addition, the research academy was a total meritocracy, so they accepted talented researchers from outside without regard to their identities. Because of that, the research academy was even less hung up on notions of hierarchy than the school. Conversely, though the school was set up so that anyone who had the good grades to get through the entrance exam was able to enroll, it was still a class society, and the nobles acted full of themselves.

The children of the nobility were especially prone to viewing the school as a place to build connections. They looked at the rare commoners in attendance with cold eyes, and spent all their time ignoring their studies and holding tea parties with the children of any house with the slightest influence. Liscia hated this aspect of the academy, which was why she joined the Officer’s Academy instead, despite being a princess.

This had been their understanding of the Royal Academy before now. However, the school had changed greatly in the past two years or so.

“Come to think of it, when Mr. Hakuya was explaining the academy to us, he did say, ‘As for how the school is now... it may be faster for you to see for yourselves,’ didn’t he?”

“He looked exhausted by it, yeah. So, does that mean...?”

With Ichiha and Yuriga both looking to Tomoe, it hit her, too.

“This is Big Brother’s influence... right?” Tomoe concluded with a wry smile. That expression had a strange resemblance to the one her big sister made every time her big brother did something off the wall.

There were two major factors that led to a change in the overall environment at the academy. One must have been that King Souma’s If You Have a Gift event caused a change towards valuing talent highly. The way influential nobles ran around gathering personnel, and even competed to recruit slaves if they had some ability, was still fresh in everyone’s memories. That trend led people to look to the Royal Academy as a place to train talented personnel.

The other factor was the rise of another high school-level educational institution in the capital, Ginger’s Vocational School. This vocational school, which opened with the sponsorship of King Souma, constantly researched fields of study that no one had paid any heed to before, and had obtained quite successful results in many of them. Those results were then covered in the broadcast program Nameless Heroes, spreading knowledge of them throughout the country.

In addition, at Ginger’s Vocational School, if you had knowledge of a special field or ability, and a novel idea, they would accept any student there, regardless of wealth or class. That brought prospective students rushing to their doors. The more attention they gained from the people, the more talented personnel gathered there... and the result was that Ginger’s Vocational School was recognized as an academic center. That made the Royal Academy sit up and take notice of their predicament.

Unlike the Officers’ Academy, which turned out soldiers, the Royal Academy was tasked with training personnel in cultural fields, so there was overlap in their roles. Of course, the sort of research being undertaken at the vocational school would have been summarily rejected at the Royal Academy, so there was differentiation. Still, the Royal Academy couldn’t sit still while talented personnel in cultural fields were drifting to the vocational school, and they were forced to reform their old ways. Now, as for what result that led to...

“Instead of a focus on creating personal connections to powerful families, they’ve placed a greater emphasis on securing talented personnel. Is that it? It’s taken things in a more meritocratic direction,” Ichiha plainly stated the impression he got from this.

The children of the nobility wanted to form connections with talented personnel, regardless of their class background. That was because, under King Souma’s meritocratic politics, that was the road to fame and glory. Because there was a demand for it, if someone had something they specialized in, they would try to improve at it. The classes that everyone took were not sufficient for that, and, as a result, clubs and societies grew more active.

In order to maintain and expand those clubs, they needed people. What they wanted were talented people. But even if they were untalented, it didn’t matter. To even enter this school required a certain level of academic ability, so if someone lacked an area they specialized in, it was possible to train them from nothing into the kind of person that the group wanted.

They set their eyes on talented individuals in both the school and research academy while they were still enrolled, and plotted to have them join their research after graduation. These days, every person of talent in the academy had those sorts of eyes set on them, and even those who had still yet to develop any ability did, too, in their own way. The result was this mad rush to recruit new students.

As they watched the chaos unfold, Yuriga let out a frustrated sigh. “Honestly... this country makes no sense.”

“But I still like this country. The country that my big brother and big sister rule,” Tomoe said with a smile, to which Yuriga shrugged in exasperation.

“You would. But isn’t it about time you realized? The people know your face, right? There’s going to be plenty of people looking for you, aren’t—”

“Oh! Hey! Isn’t that Lady Tomoe over there?!” The voice of a female student cut Yuriga off mid-sentence, and the older students who were doing the recruiting all turned to look towards Tomoe.

“Despite being a refugee, she was adopted by the former royal couple because of her gift...”

“That means she’s incredibly talented, right?”

“Wasn’t there talk of royalty from another country coming to school with her?”

“Then, are those two...?”

“Indeed?! Then, perchance, could the young boy who stands next to Lady Tomoe be Sir Ichiha Chima who our society so admires? He of the Monster Encyclopedia...”

“I like the leg muscles on that winged girl with the twintails. She must have considerable athletic ability. I really want her for our club.”

There were hushed whispers. Then, a sudden gleam in the eyes of the older students. Yes... those were the eyes of hunters who had found their quarry. Their thirst for new blood was almost palpable.

“I-It looks like it’s not just me,” Tomoe winced. “You two are popular, too, huh?”

“Wh-What should we do?” Ichiha asked in a mild panic.

“This is unexpected,” Yuriga said, taken aback. “...I don’t want any trouble.”

“...Should we run?”

““No objection there.”” The three made an immediate decision to flee, but the school building was on the other side of the older students.

“I’m starting to want to go home.”

“You know we can’t go home before the entrance ceremony has even started.”

While Tomoe and Ichiha were struggling with what to do...

“All right, you two, see you later.” As the only one with wings, Yuriga jumped up into the air.

“Hey! No fair, Yuriga!” Leaving a protesting Tomoe behind, Yuriga flapped her wings in an attempt to clear the human wall, but...

“Whoa, hate to break it to you, but you’re not the only one who can fly,” a girl who looked to be a dragonewt rose up to block her.

“Urkh!”

“Now, young lady, why don’t you work up a nice, youthful sweat doing some sports with me?”

“Nooooo!” The dragonewt girl began chasing Yuriga across the sky.

The realization that even flying was not enough to let them escape left a look of despair on Tomoe and Ichiha’s faces. Even now, the older students were closing the net around them.

You won’t get away. That was what their eyes said.

“I-Ichiha.”

“T-Tomoe...”

The two held hands as they trembled.

“““Please, join our society!””” As the mob was rushing towards them... it happened.

Suddenly, Tomoe felt herself scooped up by someone, and the next thing she knew she was floating in the air. Had they jumped about ten meters? From where she was, held in someone’s arms, Tomoe looked down at the green leaves on the branches of the trees. There, beneath them, she saw Ichiha being swept away by a wave of people.

“Ichi—mmph!”

“Shh!” a figure said, covering her mouth. “If you shout, the people down there will find us.”

They had acted fast, just before the human wave struck, so nobody had noticed Tomoe being spirited away.

“I know I was only able to save you, Lady Tomoe, but he is a boy, I am sure he will manage just fine by himself.” It was a girl’s voice that came from behind her. When Tomoe nodded to show her acceptance, they removed the hand covering her mouth.

When Tomoe turned around, behind her stood a girl with dark skin, white hair, and pointy ears—all traits that were the same as Aisha’s. If there was one thing that was different from Aisha, it was that this girl’s hair was cut short. Tomoe’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Are you a dark elf?!”

“Yes, Lady Tomoe. I believe we are not yet acquainted,” the dark elf girl said, bringing a hand to her breast and bowing her head. “I am Velza Norn, daughter of the warrior Sur of the God-Protected Forest. In order to gain the education I will need to, one day, be fit to serve a certain person, I have come here today to enter the same school as you, Lady Tomoe. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Velza smiled at Tomoe, who was clearly taken aback.

About an hour later.

Tomoe and the others were in the Royal Academy’s auditorium. They were in the middle of the entrance ceremony, and the new students sat in rows of seats, listening (disinterestedly) as the stout, white-bearded principal up on stage gave a congratulatory address. Yuriga and Ichiha were on either side of Tomoe, slouched in their chairs with exhaustion on their faces.

“A-Are you okay?” Tomoe asked in a worried whisper. The other two weakly waved their hands.

“I-I thought I was going to die. That dragonewt, she’s too stubborn...”

“I was forced into the Monster Research Society. I wanted to join a group like that if there was one anyway, and once I was in, my seniors protected me from the other recruiters, so it was fine, but...it still took a lot out of me.”

It seemed Yuriga had managed to give her pursuer the slip, but Ichiha had found refuge under the protection of this Monster Research Society. Seeing how exhausted they looked, Tomoe mentally thanked her rescuer, Velza, once again. Speaking of Velza...

“Now, new student representative Velza Norn.”

“Yes!”

The principal called her name, and she walked up on stage. It turned out she had been near the top of their class on the entrance examination, and was chosen to give an address as the representative of the new students.

“But the offer came to you and Ichiha, too, right?” Yuriga, who had recovered a little, asked, and Tomoe nodded with a wry smile.

Tomoe and Ichiha had both received good grades on the entrance exam (Yuriga had received just over a passing grade), and so, in light of their position and status, they were each asked to give remarks as prospective representatives.

“I didn’t want to stand out too much, so I turned them down,” Tomoe explained.

“The three of us already belong to the ruling families of our countries, and we live in the castle. That puts us close to His Majesty, a position which invites both excessive good and ill will. I wanted to avoid standing out too much and having people take note of me,” Ichiha agreed with her, but Yuriga wasn’t convinced.

“You already stand out plenty,” Yuriga replied. “That being the case, why not take in any talented people from among those who approach and build your own clique? You could call it the Tomoe Army.”

“...You think that would be fun?”

“I think it would be too much hassle, so I won’t be doing it myself.”

“Whaa...”

“But the idea of seeing you panic as people give you more praise than you deserve sounds amusing,” Yuriga said with a smug smile. “Seriously, why not do it? If you do, I’ll be your lieutenant.”

“You’re definitely planning to be in control behind the scenes. I don’t want an army like that, either.”

While the two of them were whispering about that, “Ahem,” a woman with pointed glasses cleared her throat loudly. The apparent warning not to chit-chat any more made them both shrink a little. While all this was happening, Velza’s address continued.

“...Therefore, with pride and an awareness of our role as students in my heart, I would like to do my best in academics, athletics, and amicable relations with my school friends. Not just as your new student representative, but as myself, Velza Norn.”

With that, it seemed her remarks were finished. There was a round of applause, and Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga joined the clapping. Velza bowed, then came down from the stage and returned to her seat.

The teacher who was acting as event coordinator tried to announce the next item on the program, but the piece of paper it was written on was shaking in his hands, and he looked tense about something.

“O-Our next guest will offer a congratulatory address. Yes. His Majesty Souma A. Elfrieden, King of Friedonia. I-If you will, please.”

“Huh? Big Brother?” When Tomoe looked up, Souma walked on from the side of the stage. In that moment, every student and every member of the staff rose in unison.

Souma, who was dressed in his black military uniform as formal wear, smiled wryly and said, “There’s no need to be so stiff,” tapping the nerve-wracked teacher on the shoulder as he took the podium.

You were the special guest for the entrance ceremony today, Big Brother?! You could have said something. Tomoe’s cheeks puffed up with a slight dissatisfaction, but this must have been Souma’s way of keeping the surprise for his little sister. Then Souma turned to the students and began to speak.

“I am Souma A. Elfrieden, as I was just introduced. New students of the Royal Academy, congratulations. You must be here because you demonstrated, through the entrance exam, that you were fit to be students of the Royal Academy. That means you may be one of the people who support this country in the future. As king of this country, I look forward to you learning in this academy, and becoming people capable of supporting my country.”

There was a regal confidence in the way Souma spoke, and the students were listening to him closely, without chatter. No one was going to be so impertinent as to talk when the king of this country was speaking. Nobody wanted to be hauled off for the crime of lèse-majesté right after getting into school. Even Tomoe, who knew Souma wasn’t the type to mind, was standing up straight and listening to him now.

Big Brother really is a great king. Seeing him look regal for the first time in a long time, Tomoe felt a little proud, but...

“Okay... I’d say that’s enough of the stiff, formal address from the king. Oh! Standing at attention like that’s got to be hard on all of you, so, please, be seated.”

Souma broke the tense air in the room on his own. The way he suddenly shifted to casual speech left Tomoe and everyone else feeling bewildered. The students and teachers, who were looking at one another, wondering if it was really all right for them to be seated, began to sit down here and there.

“Okay, everyone’s sitting.” Souma spread his arms out towards the students, and grinned. “It’s a fact that our country is looking for smart people. Every person who can do something at an above-average level is valuable. A country can’t run on the people we call ‘geniuses’ alone. The country keeps running because of diligent workers who may never see their day in the sun. I’m sure, if you’ve watched the broadcast program Nameless Heroes, you understand that.”

The students nodded in agreement. Nameless Heroes was a popular broadcast program that shone a light on engineers who supported the country in ways people wouldn’t usually see.

“However! I’d be in real trouble if all I had were people who can study. It’s definitely true that personnel who can do one thing really well are appealing. Those who can run ahead of the pack, pushing into a new era, and those who will help lay firm groundwork. This country needs both of them!”

Souma spoke passionately, slamming his hands down on the podium as he did.

“I hear the Royal Academy has changed since my If You Have a Gift event and the opening of Ginger’s Vocational School. I want to see both kinds of people cultivated here. I want you to recognize every person with a gift, no matter how pointless it seems. Conversely, I also want you to recognize anyone who is able to do everything well because of their hard work, even if they have no outstanding talents. If there are people like that here, please, let the country know.”

When Souma turned to the line of teachers and said that, the principal and all of the faculty bowed their heads as one, as if to say they accepted his request. Souma nodded, then turned to the students.

“That was my request to the school, but I have a wish for you, the new students coming to this academy, too.”

“““.........”””

Hearing the king had a wish for them, the new students waited with bated breath to hear what he might say. After a brief dramatic pause, Souma’s wish was...

“I want you to really enjoy your time at school.”

“““...Huh?”””

...That was it.

Looking at the blank stares he was getting from the students, Souma laughed and said, “It may only be four years, but it’s still four years during your youth. The knowledge and friendship you cultivate in a place like this will be an asset that lasts you for life. We’re creatures whose heads and bodies work more efficiently when we’re enjoying ourselves. That’s why I want you to enjoy learning, enjoy spending time with your school friends, and get the most out of your school life. While you’re doing that, I want you to look for something that you can get absorbed in.”

Souma brought his hands down on the podium with a bang, then grinned and continued, “If, among the things you enjoy, there is one that you can get absorbed in and you want to master it, that’s a great strength in and of itself. It doesn’t matter how small it is, or that no one else can understand it. Naturally, you have to avoid causing trouble for others in the process, but when a person has something they enjoy and are absorbed in, they shine brighter than other people. Someone will be watching that effort, and recognize you for it.

“That’s true of the country, too. In fact, in the music program at Ginger’s Vocational School, there’s this one student pursuing a fanciful topic of research that seemed like hogwash at first glance, but the reports say they’re getting some interesting results. We plan to do everything the country can to test it soon. It involves knowledge of magic, so the Royal Academy will be cooperating, too.”

Even if their research looked like hogwash initially, it could find recognition. These words from Souma earned more applause from the existing students than the new ones. Those cheers came from the members of minor research societies. Their work, which they thought might never see its day in the sun, might receive the recognition it deserved. Seeing the reaction from those students, Souma gave a satisfied nod before continuing.

“You can work hard if you’re having fun. And if you work hard, people, and the country, will be watching. So, to all you new students, I’d like you to enjoy your school lives. That is all.”

With Souma’s congratulatory address finished, the students clapped and cheered. In the middle of that applause, Souma came down from the stage. When he did, he glanced towards Tomoe, and gave her a little wave, warming her heart.

Thank you, Big Brother. I’m going to do my best! Tomoe gripped her hands into fists in front of her chest so Souma could see.

The entrance ceremony ended, and Tomoe and the other children moved to their classrooms. There were six classes in each year, and each class had thirty students. Tomoe and her group were in Class 1-1.

Class assignments were made based on the results of the entrance examination, irrespective of social class, and the most gifted students were assembled in Class 1. While social class was not a factor considered in the assignment, the upper classes often hired talented tutors, which resulted in Class 1 overwhelmingly being made up of the children of the nobility.

“Isn’t this great, Yuriga? We made it into the same class.”

“Of course we did... is what I’d like to say, but it was exhausting.”

Yuriga, who was sitting next to Tomoe, stretched out over her desk. They were apparently free to choose their own seats, so Tomoe had taken one a little to the right of center (closer to the hallway), while Ichiha sat behind her, and Yuriga was to her left.

Tomoe and Ichiha had always had good grades, so it was seen as a given that they would make it into Class 1.

“You really did your best, Yuriga.”

Yuriga’s academic ability would normally have put her in the lower half of Class 2. Not wanting to be put in a lower class than the others, Yuriga had begged Hakuya for help, and studied like mad for the entrance exam. Thanks to that, she made it in to Class 1, but thinking back to those days spent studying always seemed to depress her.

“But you didn’t really need to push yourself to get into the same class as us, did you?” Ichiha asked. “I mean, Class 2 is right next door. It would have been easy to come visit, wouldn’t it?”

Yuriga snorted. “I am going to learn in this country, and become someone who can be of use to my brother. Do you think I could let you two stay ahead of me?”

“You say that, but the truth is you were worried about being in a class full of people you don’t know, right?” said Tomoe. “That’s why you studied so hard, so you wouldn’t be separ—aww, aww, aww.”

“Be quiet, you little kid!”

Yuriga pinched Tomoe’s smiling cheeks. As Ichiha smiled wryly at them getting along as well as ever, things were getting noisy over by the blackboard.

“Looks like they’ve finally settled on one.”

“A-Ahahaha...”

“...Honestly, I can’t see why they care,” Yuriga said in exasperation.

Over at the blackboard, there was a lottery in progress. It was to decide “Who will sit next to Tomoe?”

Tomoe might have been a former refugee, but she was now the king’s younger sister. It was only natural that the people of this kingdom would want to get closer to her; by sitting next to her in class, for instance.

That being the case, when they learned that seating was free, their classmates crowded around, saying, “Please, let me sit next to you!” They were very pushy about it.

“I-I’d like to sit close to Ichiha and Yuriga... I think...” Tomoe managed to force those words out despite feeling intimidated.

None of her classmates wanted to earn her scorn, so those two seats were secured. That left the seat to the front and to the right of her. That is ultimately what led to the current situation, and judging from the noise over there, one of those seats had just been decided.

“...The Kingdom sure is peaceful, huh.” Yuriga sighed, and Tomoe smiled happily.

“Of course it is. Big Brother and Big Sister are ruling it.”

“That’s not what I meant. I was being sarcastic. Sar-cas-tic.”

“Murgh...”

“Ahaha... Oh! It looks like they’ve settled on the other person, too.”

When Ichiha pointed to the blackboard, there was one student jumping for joy in the middle of her dejected peers. It was a petite girl who had forced her short hair into two pigtails.

The girl looked towards them, then rushed over. With distinctive beady eyes, she slammed her hands down on Tomoe’s desk and asked, “Lady Tomoe! Would ya mind me sittin’ in front of you?”

“S-Sure. Go ahead...” Tomoe answered somewhat hesitantly, and the girl’s face burst into a beaming smile.

“Thanks! The name’s Lucy Evans; thirteen years old. I’m the daughter of the representative of Evans Company, and we do business in the capital. Pleased to meet ya!” The girl who called herself Lucy introduced herself energetically with a mix of merchant slang.

Lucy of the... Evans Company? Though she was intimidated by the girl’s vigor, Tomoe remembered them.

The Evans Company was a fairly influential merchant family in the capital, engaged in the operation of restaurants and cafes. They were the first to serve dishes incorporating the recipes from Souma’s world that Souma and Poncho had published, and that had brought them great profit. Her house was one of common birth, but they might have had more influence than a minor noble. She had heard Roroa saying, “Nyahaha, there’s some companies on the Elfrieden side with an eye for business, too, huh!” with a cheerful smile on her face.

Huh? Roroa? That’s when Tomoe realized something. It was about Lucy.

The merchant slang, the beady, personable eyes, and the pigtails, even if her hair wasn’t quite long enough... She was exactly like a mini-Roroa.

“You look... like Roroa?”

“Nice one, Lady Tomoe! You noticed!”

Th-This is a lot of pressure... thought Tomoe.

Then, putting her left hand over her chest, and raising her right hand into the air, Lucy declared, “I’m an adorin’ fan of Lady Roroa. She’s a lovely princess, but she’s also got a good head for business, and that’s won her every merchant’s heart. We always thought of Amidonia as full of uptight men, so who’d’ve thunk there’d be a lady like her there. She’s a business goddess! The way I talk, and the way I look, I’m doin’ it all out of admiration for Lady Roroa!”

“O-Oh... I see...”

Though she was intimidated by the way Lucy was touching her hair as she rambled on, Tomoe managed to nod along. Then, with a sideways glance, she looked to Ichiha or Yuriga to rescue her.

However, Ichiha put his hands together in a silent, “Sorry, I can’t help you,” and Yuriga looked away, resolutely ignoring her.

While Tomoe was agonizing over what to do... it happened.

“Ohh, would ya be so kind as to introduce me to Lady Roroa some—Gwuh!”

Mid-sentence, someone pulled on Lucy from behind. For a moment Tomoe wondered what was up, but then she saw the dark elf girl with short silver hair behind Lucy.

“How about you calm down a little? Can’t you see you’re bothering Lady Tomoe?”

“Velza?!”

It was Velza, daughter of Sur. It seemed she had grabbed Lucy by the scruff of the neck, and was dragging her away from Tomoe.

Then, still holding Lucy by the neck, Velza introduced herself, “Hello, Lady Tomoe. I will be sitting to the right of you, so I hope we will get along.”

“You were participating in the lottery, too?!”

“Yes. In considering the future, I believed it would be best to be seated next to you so that we might form a bond. Fortunately, I was able to draw the seat beside yours, and I am pleased by that.”

“I-I see...” Tomoe gulped.

There was a feeling of heaviness behind this talk of the future. Though she wasn’t as pushy as Lucy, Velza had a certain tenacity about her, too.

“Hey, hey, would ya mind lettin’ me go now?” Lucy, who had ended up like a kitten being carried by her mother, protested. When Velza let go, Lucy angrily said, “What’s the matter with you. Treatin’ me like an animal. Did ya hear me meowin’ or somethin’?”

“I wouldn’t want to have trouble communicating, so please, be human.”

“Oh, come to think of it, I might’ve heard Roroa meowin’ as a joke before,” Tomoe commented.

“Meowhat?! Is Lady Roroa a cute goddess?!”

““She’s a queen!”” Tomoe and Velza retorted in unison.

“Well, aren’t you all oddly in sync.”

“I agree. It feels a lot like watching His Majesty Souma banter with his queens.”

When Yuriga and Ichiha said that with exasperation and a wry smile respectively, the three looked at one another and then laughed.

“I guess you’re right, huh? I have a lot of respect for Big Sister and the other queens.”

“Lady Aisha is the pride of all women living in the God-Protected Forest.”

“Lady Roroa for life!”

Each had a different woman she admired and was trying to be a bit more like, so perhaps that was why their interactions had come to be similar, too.

After a hearty laugh, Tomoe rubbed the corner of her eye and said, “Ahaha... Hey, since you’re both my classmates, can we not do the whole ‘Lady’ thing? I’d really be happier if you’d just treat me like a friend who sits next to you in class.”

“Okay! If that’s what you want, Lady Tomoe... I mean, Tomoe.”

“...Yeah, if that’s how ya want it, I can do that, Tomie.”

The two both gave hesitant nods. From the way she’d already given Tomoe a pet name, you could see Lucy was similar to Roroa in her ability to close the emotional distance between herself and other people.

“I, for one, don’t mind you calling me Lady Yuriga, you know? I am the younger sister of a king, after all,” Yuriga said, maybe because she felt left out.

Tomoe sensed what Yuriga was thinking and chuckled.

“Very well, Lady Yuriga,” she said, bringing a hand to her chest and bowing.

Ichiha, Lucy, and Velza did likewise.

“““Very well, Lady Yuriga,””” they said in unison. Yuriga froze solid, her cheeks twitching.

“...No, don’t do that, after all. It’s kind of creepy.”

“Don’t say that, Lady Yuriga.”

“Gahhhh! I’m sorry, now stop it, you little kid!”

A red-faced Yuriga was pinching Tomoe’s cheeks, and the smiling Tomoe was at her mercy. The remaining three watched them warmly.

They continued chatting until a woman with pointed glasses entered the classroom.

“Hey, hey, Tomie.”

As the first day of lessons came to an end, and Tomoe was preparing to go home, Lucy called out to her while kneeling backwards in her chair. Ichiha, Yuriga, and Velza all came over to see what was up.

Tomoe tilted her head to the side as she asked, “What is it, Lu?”

“I was thinkin’, since we’re all friends now, maybe we ought to go somewhere and have fun?”

“Somewhere... You mean in the castle town?”

“That’s right. You come to my place, and I’ll hook ya up with a whole lotta sweets.”

As Tomoe was considering how she’d respond to the pushy Lucy, Velza interjected, “Lucy, don’t you think that’s a bit too much to ask? Tomoe is His Majesty’s little sister, so I doubt she can go play in the castle town so easily.”

“Well, it won’t be easy without King Souma’s permission. In my case, I’m allowed to go anywhere in the capital. My big brother’s very hands-off, you see.”

“Setting Yuriga aside, there’s a carriage coming for us, too. Oh! I need to report I joined the Monster Research Society. I’ll probably be staying late on meeting days.”

“You’re all no fun,” Lucy said, puffing up her cheeks. “Hangin’ out together after school. Stayin’ together durin’ the summer break. Ain’t that the joy of school life? His Majesty said we were supposed to enjoy our school lives, didn’t he?”

“That’s the same king we’re telling you she needs permission from,” Yuriga sighed, but Tomoe tried to mollify her.

“Now, now. Lu, I really can’t go off without Big Brother’s permission. I made everyone worry the last time I snuck off on my own...”

Tomoe must have been talking about the time they were in the Chima Duchy. When she slipped out of the room she had been told to stay in out of curiosity, some nasty men had picked on her and almost sparked an international incident.

Nothing happened because Ichiha, who she met that time, protected her, and Souma and the others found them in time, but she didn’t want a repeat of what happened there.

At Tomoe’s words, Lucy came to her senses and sat down normally in her chair.

“O-Oh, yeah,” she laughed, rubbing her head with her hand. “I was so gung-ho on gettin’ to know ya, I got ahead of myself. I wasn’t thinkin’ about your position at all. Sorry.”

“Nah. I want to go out and play with everyone just as much as you do. That’s why I’ll talk to Big Brother and the others about it. They’re all really nice, so if I bring it up with them, I’m sure they’ll work things out for us.”

Lucy smiled as Tomoe gripped both her hands. “No need to push it too hard, ya hear? This’s just a selfish request of mine.”

“Sure. I’ll do what I can to get that selfish request granted.”

Tomoe felt highly motivated.

◇ ◇ ◇

That night. Tomoe visited Liscia’s room alone.

When she went to the governmental affairs office to see Souma, there was only Hakuya inside. He informed her that Souma had been relieved of his work for the day, and he had gone to Liscia’s room to be with Cian and Kazuha. If she wanted to see him, she should go there.

When she knocked, she heard Liscia say, “Come in,” and upon entering, she found Souma and Liscia sitting on a king-sized bed holding the babies.

On Souma’s lap was Kazuha in light blue baby clothes, and on Liscia’s lap was Cian in red baby clothes. They were only four months old and couldn’t sit on their own yet, so without support, they would fall on their backs.

The full-body baby outfits they wore were hand-made by Souma, and were modeled on bizarre creatures called Machapin and Zukku from his old world. The faces of the characters on the hoods looked kind of silly, but the two babies wearing them were super adorable.

They were in the middle of playing with stuffed animals and dolls. Cian was holding the hand of a doll like he was shaking hands with it, and Kazuha was hugging a stuffed bear as she nibbled on its ear. Th-This was a carnivore woman (in infant form)...

“Is something up, Tomoe?”

“You came here for a reason, right?”

Tomoe came back to her senses upon hearing Souma and Liscia call out to her.

“Oh! Um... I had something to talk to you about...”

““Something to talk to us about?””

From there, Tomoe told them about what had happened at school. That she had made friends with the dark elf Velza and the merchant girl Lucy. That she had been invited to play after school by Lucy. And that she had wanted to go and play with everyone.

When she had gone through all of that, “Hmm...” Souma groaned in thought, stroking his jaw. “Well... What do you think, Liscia?”

“What do I think? I’m worried, of course.”

“Yeah... We’ve told Naden she’s free to do what she likes in the capital on her days off, but that’s only because of how powerful she is.”

“I can’t see Tomoe being able to protect herself...”

The two frowned. Tomoe thought she might not get permission. While she tensely waited for them to come to a conclusion, “But...” Souma said, “How was it when you were at the Officers’ Academy, Liscia? Did you just go back and forth from the castle to the school?”

“I slipped out all the time, of course. Ditching my bodyguards.”

“Haha! I figured.”

“...I feel bad about it now, okay? Now that I have children of my own, I know how my mother and all the rest must have felt.”

“Whoa, the tomboy princess is sounding all mature now,” Souma said, giving Liscia a little poke.

“Oh, stop teasing me.”

There was a warm air around the newlywed new parents. Tomoe had been bracing herself for a more harsh opinion, so she almost felt a little deflated by it.

“Well, the best part of being a kid is the time you’ll spend with friends, after all.” Souma shuffled to the side a little, creating a space between him and Liscia, and beckoned for Tomoe to come over.

Tomoe sat herself snugly between them, with Souma and Kazuha on one side, and Liscia and Cian on the other. Now sandwiched by the royals, Souma and Liscia both patted Tomoe on the head.

“Though it was for your protection, we did force you to become a member of the royal family. That’s why I don’t want to make you feel too constrained by being royalty.”

“I always hated it when things were too rigid and formal, so I don’t want to force that on you, either, Tomoe.”

“Big Brother, Big Sister...” Tomoe squinted, feeling a little tingle in her eyes, and...

“Dahh.”

“Ahh.”

Imitating Souma and Liscia, Cian and Kazuha started touching Tomoe’s head, too. Though there was no blood relation between them, there was a familial scene unfolding here.

“Okay. I’m going to permit you to go out with friends,” Souma said, patting Tomoe’s head with a grin.

“Really?! Big Brother!”

“I really do think spending time with your friends is important... There’s two conditions, though.”

“Conditions...?”

“Yeah. First, I’ll be sending a unit from the Black Cats to protect you, so you’ll have to accept that. I’ll tell them to watch from the shadows while you’re in the capital so they don’t inconvenience you. But if you decide you want to go outside the capital with your friends, they’ll be protecting you openly, not in the shadows. Well, think of them as bodyguards. I’m sure Inugami can handle it.”

“Yeah... That seems like a reasonable call. It’ll be reassuring for us to know someone is by her side, too,” Liscia said with satisfaction as she made Cian clap his hands.

Tomoe nodded in agreement. “I understand. So, what is the other condition?”

“That you don’t try to ditch your guards. The more active you become, the more you resemble your ‘Big Sister,’ so I’m a bit worried about that.”

Souma shot a cold glance in Liscia’s direction, which she blatantly looked away from. That exchange between the two of them made Tomoe chuckle.

“I understand. I’ll absolutely abide by those conditions.”

“Okay. Well, I can tell from the way you came to talk about it with us that you’re understanding, Tomoe. Those conditions are merely added insurance. I want you to enjoy your time with your friends without worrying too much about it.”

“Hold on, Souma. You say that like I’m not understanding?”

“It’s a fact, isn’t it? Once you set your mind on something, you don’t budge, now do you?”

“...What’d you say to me?” Liscia glared at Souma.

“...What’d you say to me?” Souma glared back.

Invisible sparks flew over Tomoe’s head. Because Souma and Liscia were so close, they occasionally had these little fights. Still, they always passed quickly, and the two would make up in no time. No one wanted to get in the middle of a marital spat, and that included Tomoe.

As she was fretting over what to do...

““Fwah...! #$%&ahh!”” Cian and Kazuha started wailing. Souma and Liscia hurried to soothe them.

“Ohh! Look, Kazuha. It’s Mr. Bear.”

“Don’t cry, Cian. There, there.”

Their desperate attempts to soothe the babies managed to get them down to just sniffling. Tomoe stood up, put her hands on her hips, and told them, “Geez, the scary looks on your faces made Cian and Kazuha cry! Big Brother, Big Sister! Try to get along, for the children’s sake!”

““Right. I’m sorry.””

The royal couple bowed their heads to a twelve-year-old girl. What would the people have thought?

Once they had apologized to one another, “Oh!” Souma seemed to remember something and pulled an item out of his pocket. He then offered the thin object to Tomoe. It appeared to be some sort of wooden token.

The words written on it were...

“Rent-a-Cycle? ...What is this?”

“If you’re going to the castle town, you’ll need to get around, won’t you? You can ask the merchant girl you met how to use it. She probably knows.”

“Okay. Thank you,” Tomoe said, sticking the wooden token under her arm.

For now, she had permission to go play in the castle town.

Tomoe couldn’t wait to tell everyone.

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day. When everyone had gathered at the school, Tomoe’s friends were glad to hear she had been given permission, conditional though it was, to visit the castle town.

Then, when Tomoe pulled out the wooden token...

“A Rent-a-Cycle token?!” Lucy raised her voice in surprise.

“You know what it is, Lu?”

“Do I know? The whole capital’s talkin’ about it!”

“They are?”

That’s when Lucy banged her hands down on the desk, and leaned in closer.

“It’s easier to show you than explain it... No, it’s even faster to have you experience it yourself! You’ve got the token, so how about we all go after school?”

“S-Sure...”

It seemed what they’d be doing after school was already decided.

After school that day.

“So, we’ve come to Rent-a-Cycle! Please clap!”

“““Yaaaay!”””

“...Why are you all so high-strung?” Yuriga said, exasperated by the way Lucy looked like she was ready to play a fanfare, and how Tomoe, Ichiha, and Velza were so willing to go along with her.

After school, the five kids had set out with the wooden token Souma had given Tomoe in hand, and stood in front of a business whose sign simply said “Rent-a-Cycle.” Naturally, the Black Cats were watching them from the shadows, but anyone else watching would only have seen five children getting along.

“This is... Rent-a-Cycle,” Tomoe mumbled as she looked at the shop.

The business was not on the shopping street, but on a main road. Looking at it from the outside, it was plain to see what kind of place it was... There were several of the same thing lined up out front.

Lucy pointed to one of them with a grin. “That’s right. Rent-a-Cycle rents out these here tricycles.”

“Tricycles... Ah, they do have three wheels, yes,” Velza said as she stared at one of the tricycles.

As per the name, Rent-a-Cycle was a business that rented out cycles, these three-wheeled tricycles in particular. Naturally, these weren’t the kind a child might ride, with the pedals attached directly to the wheels. These had a proper chain, and the two wheels in the rear turned as it went around.

“Wheels, a seat... and a basket in back. It looks like this is a vehicle, huh. Could it be that spinning the things down here makes the wheels go around?”

“Ohh, ya got it!” Lucy clapped, impressed that Ichiha had managed to discern the function of the thing from its form. “If ya sit in the seat and pedal, I hear it’ll go forward. You put stuff in the basket, and it makes carryin’ it easy, even if ya don’t have a horse. His Majesty Souma’s the one who invented it, y’know?”

“...Yeah. I sort of guessed,” Tomoe said with a slightly troubled smile.

Off-the-wall ideas like this generally came from either Souma or Genia. If it were Genia, it’d be even more crazy, so she assumed that, because this still showed some semblance of common sense, it must have been Souma’s idea. Tomoe had come to understand how her big brother was over the past two years.

I can just imagine the look on Big Sister’s face when he came up with this. As Tomoe thought that, she looked to the castle where the two of them were.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile.

“Go, go, Darlin’!”

“Right, right...”

In the courtyard of the castle Tomoe was looking at, Souma was pedaling a cycle with Roroa sitting behind him. Instead of a tricycle, like they used at the Rent-a-Cycle, they were riding a more standard mountain bike.

“I’m seein’ everythin’ from a higher vantage point, and the speed is refreshin’,” Roroa said, having fun behind him.

She was standing on bars that came out of either side of the rear wheel, and had her hands on Souma’s shoulders for balance. If a police officer saw them, they’d have received a warning for this behavior, but there were no such laws governing bicycles in this world yet, so give them a break.

“Mweheheh, Darlin’.”

Roroa took her hands off his shoulders, wrapped them around his neck, and pushed herself up against his back. The impact made the bike wobble a bit, but Souma managed to keep his balance.

“Hey, that’s dangerous.”

“I was just thinkin’. I can play all the tricks I want on ya right now.”

“If I go down, you’re going down, too. Behave.”

“Don’t be like that. The truth is, you’re enjoyin’ this, aren’t ya, Darlin’? The way you can feel my breasts on your back.” Roroa snickered, but her cheeks were just a bit red. Even she must have found that line a bit embarrassing.

Souma couldn’t see her face because he was driving, but having lived with her so long, he could pick up on it from the way she was laughing.

That’s why Souma started feeling a bit mischievous himself.

“They are touching me, yeah. Just a little, though.”

“Unyah?!” That direct response made Roroa’s face turn bright red. “Wh-What’re you sayin’, Darlin’! You idiot! You pervert!”

“This coming from the person who touched me...”

“I’m not pressin’ them against you, I wanted to get you flustered.”

“That’s a novel comeback.”

It wasn’t that old, “I’m making them touch you,” line.

When they finished one lap of the larger-than-you-might-expect courtyard flirting like that, Liscia was waiting at the central terrace with a look of exasperation on her face.

“Souma’s gone and made something weird again...”

“It’s a fascinating vehicle, though...”

Beside Liscia was Souma’s personal trainer and sounding board, the old commander Owen.

“Hmm, I think riding with someone will help increase muscle mass in the thigh area. How does ten laps with me riding in the back sound as part of your daily training menu?”

“Riding double with you, Owen?! Give me a break...” Souma groaned. Riding double with an old macho man was nothing but a punishment.

“Whew, that was fun, Darlin’,” Roroa said cheerily as she hopped off the bike.

Liscia looked at the bike Souma was riding and said, “Still, it’s strange. How does it stay upright when there’s only one wheel in front and back?”

“It’ll be a long explanation, okay? First, let’s start with the gyroscopic effect...”

“Ahh, if it’s going to take that long, I don’t need it. I doubt I’d understand anyway.”

When Liscia smiled wryly, scratching her cheek, Souma let out a sigh.

“...Well, just assume anyone can ride one with practice. In fact, using the technique my grandfather taught me, every member of the Hiryuu’s crew learned to ride a bike. Do you want to try it later, Liscia?”

“Hmm. What’s the technique?”

“First, you use really shallow, short strokes to...”

Souma taught Liscia and the others his grandfather’s technique for riding a bike.

In fact, Roroa learned to ride the bike using this technique (Liscia declined), but because there was no guarantee of safety, they decided to put off doing it in public for now.

When she had heard the full explanation, Liscia cocked her head to the side as she touched the bicycle. “So, why did you make this thing?”

“I received a report that there was a lot of trouble moving around our carrier, the Hiryuu. Given that we already carry wyverns, there really wasn’t space left for mounts like horses, too. That’s why I thought bicycles would be a faster, easier way to get around than walking.”

Now that they had access to a rubber-like material, we were able to make tires. Souma remembered how bicycles were put together, and if he gave Genia and the other researchers a rough outline, he figured they could have a bicycle developed in no time. But it wasn’t that easy.

“I never expected making the chain and gears to be so difficult...”

Not once did it cross his mind while riding a bike in his former world, but it was an incredible feat of engineering to make the chain and gears mesh perfectly. The technology was already established, and there was no room for improving it, so not even a genius idea from Genia was going to solve things. In the end, hard work was the only option available to them.

“I asked Kuu to get Taru to help us, and we somehow managed to get to a finished product, but it ended up being incredibly expensive. I had to give up on spreading the technology far and wide.”

“Th-This thing was that expensive?” Liscia asked in shock.

“Nyahaha, almost as much as one of the royal family’s ornamental carriages,” Roroa told Liscia with a wry smile, making her eyes go wide.

“You... can’t mass produce them then, huh.”

“Right? I wanted them to be available to the common folk who can’t afford horses one day, but this is out of their reach. Still, I can’t see the nobles and knights buying them, either. The nobles would never think to pedal a vehicle on their own, and the knights generally have horses of their own. Basically, there’s no demand for it.”

The only place to ride a bike in this world was inside the cities, where the roads were paved. There were roads outside the city too, of course, but in a world full of dangerous monsters, it would be unsafe to keep your hands occupied riding a bike.

Souma had said himself that no matter how excellent a policy or system might be, if it was out of step with the times, it wouldn’t be accepted. That applied to inventions, too. It might have been too soon for this country to have bicycles.

“Huh? But there’s a Rent-a-Cycle business in town, right? Doesn’t that place deal in cycles?”

“Hm? Ohh. I talked with Roroa about how we could use the bicycle, and...”

“I said, if they can’t buy one, why not lend them out?” Roroa said, looking slightly smug.

This was Roroa’s proposal:

Because cycles were expensive, they were unsuited to individual ownership, but they were attractive as a means of transportation that didn’t require mounted beasts. Even if the range of movement was limited to within the city, there were merchants who had used carts for transporting their loads all this time. By renting them out to such people at low prices, the development costs could be recouped, and at the same time, it would ease the flow of goods.

“We decided on mainly usin’ tricycles, which the merchants can ride without trainin’, and to rent them for cheaper than it’d take to keep a horse fed.”

“Yeah. With a one-per-store limit. If they intend to use them for other purposes, the cost goes up, by the way. Because I mainly want them to be for commercial use... But still, between making numbered plates for them as a preventative measure against theft, and having the guards watch closely to ensure they weren’t taken out of the city, there was a lot of annoying work that had to be done.”

Souma slumped his shoulders, having been unable to get a return that was worth the upfront costs in labor. There was no guarantee that every idea he had would end up working out, and things often played out in ways he didn’t expect.

Roroa gave Souma a slap on the back and said, “We’re just gettin’ started. I hear Rent-a-Cycle’s doin’ pretty good business. Apparently it’s a real hit with the guys in the shippin’ business. They don’t get much speed when they’re loaded up with luggage, but they can go through the back alleys. The old ladies who run restaurants were sayin’ it’s made stockin’ up on ingredients from the market way easier, too.”

“...Yeah, I guess it’s good that we’re getting even a little use out of them.”

If they’re not completely useless, the effort wasn’t entirely in vain, thought Souma. Like Roroa said, things were just getting started.

“Why not try spending the income from Rent-a-Cycle on cycle production? We may have a real ‘cyclical industry’ on our hands here... Heh.” Souma intended it as a joke to lighten the mood, but...

Roroa followed up, “Well, duh, they’re dealing in cycles.”

“What are you stating the obvious for?” Liscia groaned.

These times when the joke doesn’t work in their language can be real tough...

Souma slumped his shoulders again.

◇ ◇ ◇

As for what was happening with the five children who had come to Rent-a-Cycle down in castle town...

“Whoa, the wind feels great,” Tomoe said as the background scenery streamed past her faster than usual. She was currently on the back of a tricycle being pedaled by Ichiha, sitting on the luggage rack with the basket removed.

Thanks to the token she had received from Souma, it allowed them to borrow this tricycle for a single day. Primarily, Rent-a-Cycle lent to commercial users for a limited time, so to borrow it for personal use would typically cost a fair bit of money.

“Heehee, keep going, Ichiha.” Tomoe cheered Ichiha on as he pedaled.

“Y-Yes.”

There was a limit of two cycles that could be loaned out for personal use, so they ended up splitting riders for today. One was being ridden by Tomoe and Ichiha (the driver), and the other by Yuriga (the driver), with Lucy and Velza struggling to fit on it together. As such, Yuriga’s pedals felt heavy.

“Th-This... isn’t much fun.”

“Ya think? I’m havin’ a blast.”

“Yes. It’s refreshing to see the scenery stream past us.”

“Well, yeah, you two are just riding! It’s about time one of you took my place!”

“Aw, don’t be silly. A frail little thing like me’d never be able to manage with two people ridin’ in back.”

“I can take over in a little while.”

“I can fly, so why do I need to ride this thing anyway?!”

The three of them, despite their arguing, seemed to be having a good time.

Meanwhile, as for Tomoe and Ichiha...

“Take that!”

“H-Hey! Tomoe! Don’t poke the driver in the cheek.”

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.”

...They were writing another page in the story of their youth.

Some ten minutes later...

“Whew... I’m beat...”

Yuriga was sitting with her head down at a table on the balcony, exhausted from pedaling a cycle with Lucy and Velza on it all the way here.

As she lay there, Lucy brought a spoon to Yuriga’s mouth with a smile.

“Here, Yurie. Say ahh.”

“Ahh?”

Unable to think straight, possibly due to exhaustion, Yuriga just opened her mouth, and Lucy put a spoonful of something inside. To her surprise, Yuriga remarked, “...It’s sweet.”

“Isn’t it, though? I hear when you’re exhausted, eatin’ somethin’ sweet’ll do you good.”

“You’re saying that when you’re the one who tired me out?”

“Here, say ahh.”

“...Ahh.”

It must have tasted really good. Yuriga did as she was told, opening her mouth wide like a baby chick, and let Lucy feed her.

Tomoe, Ichiha, and Velza watched the two of them with wry smiles.

The five had come to the fruit parlor run by Lucy’s parents, The Cat’s Tree. It was a trendy main street shop with, as the name suggested, a cat on the sign. It was two floors, with a quarter of the floor space taken up by fresh fruit they were selling, and the remaining space being a cafe which served sweets made using that fruit.

Tomoe and the others were The Cat’s Tree’s main street balcony, trying out the sweets Lucy was so proud of. There were two plates of them laid out on the table.

Tomoe took a spoonful of the treat in front of her, put it in her mouth, and smiled.

“This pudding is really delicious.”

“Glad to hear it. That’s our best sellin’ item, the ‘Special Pudding a la Mode.’ We pride ourselves on the fact that the pudding, fruit, and cream are all delivered fresh through our own routes.”

Lucy puffed her chest out with pride when her product was complimented. It was that sort of gesture that made her look like Roroa. Then Ichiha, who was also enjoying the pudding, tilted his head to the side. “What’s ‘a la mode’ mean?”

“Dunno.”

“Huh?”

“Couldn’t tell ya why, but that’s what they call puddin’ in Souma’s world when it’s bein’ served with fruit and whipped cream like this. Feels kinda fancy, doesn’t it?”

“I-I guess...”

Ichiha worried whether it might be a strange word, but even if it was, no one from this world would know it, so he decided it was still fine. “A la mode” means something like “modern style,” so there was no issue, but Ichiha couldn’t have known that.

Lucy also seemed to like it, so it would probably have been rude to say anything, too. While Ichiha was thinking about that, Lucy continued to pile the pudding into Yuriga’s mouth.

“Here. Say ahh.”

“Ahh... Wait, how long are we going to do this?! That’s enough! Don’t make me eat any more!” Yuriga said, moving her head away.

“Aww, I was havin’ such fun, I couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, help yourself! And hold on, Velza, what have you been so quiet about all this time?!”

Now that she mentioned it, Velza hadn’t said a word. Wondering what was up, the four turned to Velza.

“Whew...”

She was frozen stiff. A spoon in her mouth, and a look of ecstasy on her face. Her eyes were gazing up and to the right, unmoving, as though her mind had gone elsewhere.

“H-Hold on, Velza, are you okay?!” Tomoe said as she shook Velza.

“Ah!” She blinked as though she had just come back to her senses. “I-I’m sorry. It was so delicious, I lost myself.”

“Th-That badly? I know it’s good, but...”

“Apologies. In the God-Protected Forest, the only sweet food that we have is fruit, so...”

“Oh...”

Aisha did say that, remembered Tomoe. She also remembered Souma watching Aisha with a wry smile and saying, “Half of Aisha’s loyalty might have come from me taming her with food.”

Velza held her cheeks in embarrassment. “Ohh... Ever since I left the God-Protected Forest, the food has been so good I don’t know what to do.”

“Uh, yeah, I sort of get that from having watched Aisha.”

“But, even with that in mind, I think this pudding is delicious... I would very much like to share this with them. And I’d like to come back here with everyone again...”

“Huh? Who’s ‘them’?”

“Oh, just talking to myself there.” Velza smiled and brought an index finger to her lips. It was a soft, mature smile; an expression that implied she would not divulge on this topic any further.

“Huh? Is this a kuku berry?”

“Huh?! Whoa! It is!”

When Ichiha scooped up a round, translucent fruit that was next to the pudding, Yuriga looked surprised, too.

“Kuku berry?” Tomoe asked, tilting her head.

“It’s a little round berry that comes from the Union of Eastern Nations, and it has a distinctive gummy texture,” Ichiha replied as he held up the spoon.

“Nom... Munch... You’re right, it does have an unusual texture,” Tomoe commented, having snapped up the kuku berry that Ichiha offered her.

This was a scene where there were indirect kisses and lines like, “Say ahh,” going around, but Tomoe and Ichiha were both still children, so they didn’t care.

In fact, in order to return the favor, Tomoe took a different fruit and fed it to Ichiha. Once he had swallowed, Ichiha continued his explanation, “Munch... But kuku berries don’t last long. They may not spoil immediately, but I never expected to be able to eat them outside the Union of Eastern Nations.”

“Heheheh. You’d better not go underestimatin’ the Kingdom’s ability to ship things. There’s rhinosaurus trains runnin’ to and from the border almost every day. That’s why we can put these short-lived fruits on our menu.”

“Why are you acting so smug about that...?” Yuriga said, sounding exasperated at the way Lucy was puffing up her still flat chest.

Lucy stood up, and got so close to Tomoe their cheeks might have been touching. “What’re you sayin’, Yurie? The one responsible for gettin’ that rhinosaurus train set up is our very own Tomie here.”

“Hm? It is?”

“I-I only helped out a little.”

Tomoe told Yuriga about how she could speak to animals, and how she had used that ability to arrange an area suitable for rhinosaurus mating, securing their help as a means of mass transportation. Naturally, she kept quiet about the top-secret information that she could speak to monsters and demons, too.

“I was iffy on it at first, but as I was listening, it started to sound incredibly useful,” Yuriga grunted approvingly. “If you have that ability, why not join the dairy farming club, or something like that? If I recall, there was a farm with horses and cows on the outskirts of the school, you’d be instantly useful to them...”

“Absolutely not!”

“Whoa!” Tomoe’s firm refusal made Yuriga bend back in surprise. “I-I didn’t expect you to be so against it.”

“...Okay, Yuriga, try imagining it.”

Tomoe rounded on Yuriga with a face so serious you could hear the dramatic sound effects. Her threatening attitude made Yuriga sweat as she asked, “Imagine... what, exactly?”

“The voices of livestock that will be made into meat. Of chickens having their eggs taken away.”

“...I’m sorry,” Yuriga meekly apologized. It was tough just imagining it.

Tomoe adjusted herself in her chair, then, “Whew...” she let out a sigh. “Obviously, I plan to do whatever I can with my ability if it helps Big Brother and Big Sister, you know? I think I can help with creating an environment that won’t stress the animals... But I don’t want to get seriously involved in farming livestock. I don’t think I’d be able to eat the oyakodon that Big Brother makes anymore if I did.”

“No, seriously... I’m sorry.”

There was an awkward air in the room. The once sweet pudding had lost all its flavor.

In an attempt to change the atmosphere, Lucy clapped her hands and said, “Now, now, let’s get back on topic. So, like I was sayin’, we’re able to offer unusual fruits thanks to a distribution network that includes the rhinosaurus train. It’s just that, well, products that are subject to shipping fees end up being more expensive. The only ones who’ll be orderin’ this puddin’ a la mode regularly are the family of nobles, knights, or influential merchants.”

“Ah... So it is expensive.” Velza looked wistfully at the already half-eaten pudding. Lucy smiled and crossed her arms.

“That’s right. For my part, I wanna make it cheaper so your average girl can come eat, too. If we had reasonably-priced sweets, that’ll make puddin’ a la mode feel more special. If we can manage that, maybe the gals out there’ll buy it as a luxury on special days.”

“Wow... That’s amazing, Lu. You’ve got all of this thought out.”

“Nyah, nyahaha. You’re makin’ me blush.”

Tomoe’s compliments made Lucy a little bashful.

Looking at the way she thought about the common folk at the same time as she thought about business, it was little surprise she idolized Roroa.

“So, it was just as I was thinkin’ about that. The God of Food, Lord Ishizuka, released a new recipe. Hold on just a sec.”

Lucy rose from her seat, and rushed down the stairs to the first floor. Not long after, she returned carrying a single plate. This plate also had pudding on it, but... this pudding was different somehow. It was glossy, shining, and wobbly.

Lucy laid the dish on the table, and, smiling, she said, “Ta-dah! This is our store’s future hero product! It’s called gel pudding!”

““““Gel pudding?””””

The other four cocked their heads to the side in unison.

Lucy confidently laughed and said, “It’s faster just havin’ you eat some. Go on, try it.”

The four dug into the pudding with their spoons as directed, and each took a bite. Instantly, their eyes widened.

“How is this so delicious?!”

“It’s wobbly, but smooth on the tongue. It goes down like a drink.”

Yuriga responded instinctively, and Ichiha analytically.

Though they expressed it in different words, each was extremely pleased with the taste. Tomoe, meanwhile, was smiling despite herself, and Velza even had tears in the corners of her eyes.

“To think there could be something so delicious... I’m so glad I left the God-Protected Forest.”

“Velza, do you need a hankie?”

“Th-Thank you, Tomoe.” Velza took Tomoe’s handkerchief and wiped her tears.

Lucy was nodding ecstatically at their response. “Reactions are lookin’ good. Looks like we’ve got a big hit on our hands.”

“It’s like pudding, but not, right? What’s different?”

“That there’s a good question, Tomie. To make it simple, custard puddin’ is made by boilin’ it, while this gel puddin’ is made by chillin’ it. The base ingredients’re similar, but custard puddin’ uses the way that eggs harden when heated, while gel puddin’ uses the power of an ingredient that isn’t in custard puddin’ which hardens when chilled.”

“An ingredient that hardens when chilled?”

“Like this.” Lucy put a jar filled with a white and slightly greenish-yellow powder on top of the table. Everyone peered at the contents of the container.

“What’s this?”

“Dried, powdered gelin.”

“Gelin?!”

“Huh?! I just ate gelin?!”

Ichiha and Yuriga both cried out in surprise.

Gelins were invertebrates that lived in the fields, and primarily lived by absorbing the remains of animals. The Union of Eastern Nations had no such culture of consuming gelin, so seeing it came as a shock to them.

“The same gelins from gelin udon?” Tomoe asked.

“We had that sent to us in the God-Protected Forest, too, after the disaster,” said Velza. “It was called instant gelin udon, and they told us it was developed for military rations, but it was delicious.”

The children’s reactions were divided into two clear camps. Lucy smiled with amusement as she explained, “For gelin udon, you destroy the core and use the hardened remains, right? Well, this is the opposite. We cut or bludgeon them without destroying the core, and then use the liquid that produces. It turns out, chillin’ liquefied gelin makes it get hard. You know how, when ya boil meat, the juice that comes out can turn into a jiggly lump when you leave it? It’s like that.”

Even after being appointed a minister, Poncho had continued his research on dishes from Souma’s world. He tried, through trial and error, to recreate the sort of gelatin-based pudding he had been told about (the kind where you pull the tab, and it wobbles out of the package), and in that process, he arrived at using gelins. The liquefied gelins were a source of collagen, and he discovered they could be used in place of gelatin to produce an exceptionally smooth result.

Naturally, because gel pudding used raw eggs, it required fresh eggs to make. The Kingdom had put food hygiene laws into effect after taking over Van, the capital of the Principality, so using old eggs was illegal. However, in a situation where fresh eggs could be prepared, gel pudding was less expensive to produce than custard pudding. That was because powdered gelin was cheap, and it meant less eggs and milk were required.

There was also the ease of mixing together the ingredients, then leaving them in an ice room in the basement to set.

The ice could be made by packing in the snow that fell in the winter season, or replenished by hiring a user of ice magic, so most businesses that handled even slightly larger ingredients had an ice room in their basement.

Incidentally, last summer in the castle...

“Liscia, I want to cook. Can you make me some ice?”

“Again? Don’t treat me like an ice merchant.”

“I was planning to make ice cream for dessert, you know...”

“...Well, okay then.” (<- Cheerily producing ice.)

This was a conversation that took place between people at the highest level of power. It reflected how ice was rather important to the people. But we’ve digressed. Let’s get back on track.

This was how a low-cost, delicious gel pudding came to be.

“The God of Food, Lord Ishizuka, sure is incredible. Praise be to him.” Lucy brought her hands together as if praying to a deity.

But for Tomoe, who knew the man personally... I’m sure Poncho would be so troubled to see her praying to him like that...

She could just imagine Poncho laughing (because what could he do but laugh?) with a troubled look on his face.

“Tricycles, rhinosaurus trains, and gel pudding...” Yuriga whispered to herself as she stared at the streets of Parnam from the balcony.

“Yuriga?” Tomoe tilted her head to the side, causing Yuriga to look back to her.

“It’s a weird country, huh... This country of yours.”

“Murgh, there you go, saying that again...”

“I don’t mean it sarcastically.”

Yuriga grabbed Tomoe’s puffed-up cheeks. She didn’t put any force into it. It was more like she was just lightly rubbing them. She didn’t pull like usual.

As Tomoe was thinking this was odd, Yuriga smiled wryly and said, “I don’t really understand what it is your brother is trying to do with his policies. If he were like my brother: stronger than everyone, leading the warriors with his charisma, defeating enemies, and protecting his people... that would be easier to respect. But King Souma is making tricycles and bizarre food?”

“Th-That’s not all he does. He’s always busy attending to his duties.”

“But the people can’t see that, right? They only see the result. The sight of my brother fighting inspires the troops, and the way they sing his praises wins him the support of the people. That united the clans on the once fractured steppe, and is about to unify the Union of Eastern Nations, too. Do you think your people will feel the same way when they see a tricycle?”

“.........”

When she put it that way, Tomoe had no response. It was a fact that Souma wasn’t doing things in a way that stood out.

His dealings with other nations, the place where Souma was most regal, were hidden from the people. He had their gratitude for the Jewel Voice Broadcast programs, but it was hard to see them associating that with how he was doing as a king. Souma had their support, but he was not showing them much that was kingly.

“...That’s what I don’t get.”

“Huh?”

When Tomoe tilted her head to the side, Yuriga crossed her arms and groaned, “My brother is king because he’s been recognized as more regal than anyone else. But King Souma never acts like a king, and yet he is able to continue being one. Even though he’s making nonsensical contraptions like this.”

“...Aren’t you ragging on the tricycle a little much?”

Had being forced to pedal with three people riding on it left her with a negative impression?

While Tomoe was thinking about that, Yuriga let out a sigh and said, “It all looks pointless to me. But from what I hear, it’s helping, isn’t it? I can tell that from looking at the city. Everyone’s smiling, full of energy. They don’t think tomorrow will be worse than today. The people aren’t fanatically obsessed with their king, but they do trust in him. That’s why I said it’s a weird country.”

“Yuriga...”

Though Yuriga called it a weird country, Tomoe felt like it was a compliment.

This country has a set of values not present in Malmkhitan, and it felt like Yuriga was recognizing that. Tomoe grinned at the thought of it.

“What’re you smiling for, you little kid?” Yuriga grumbled as she pinched her cheeks (for real this time).

“Ow, ow, ow.”

As they were jostling about, it happened.

“Huh, Tomoe? What’re you doing here?”

“““““Whoa!”””””

There was a sudden voice from the direction of the window, and all five of them shuddered. The first to realize who it came from was Tomoe.

“Wait, huh? Naden?”

Sitting on the balcony railing was King Souma’s second secondary queen, Naden Delal Souma. For some reason, she was carrying a basket full of vegetables on her back.

The sudden appearance of the second secondary queen made Velza and Lucy, as citizens of the kingdom, stand and salute. Being so startled by the queen they couldn’t speak was seen as rude to them.

““Excuse us, Lady Naden!””

“I don’t really mind. You don’t need to salute, either.” Naden waved her hand and gestured for them to sit down. “I noticed you while I was running, so I decided to call out.”

“Um, Lady Naden, this is the second floor, you know... Did you climb up here?”

“I was running along the roofs, so I climbed down, actually.”

“D-Did ya now?” Lucy said, blinking. The way she started out talking more formally but was slipping back into merchant slang showed her confusion.

“Is this a tea party on your way home from school? It looks like you’re having fun.”

“Y-Yes. Something like that,” Tomoe replied. “What about you, Naden? Are those vegetables...”

“Ohh, when Souma’s cooped up in his office, or when there’s no weather forecast, I have nothing to do. So I’ve been told I can do whatever I like inside the capital. When I’m talking to the ladies in town... I get asked to do all sorts of things. I’m delivering vegetables right now.”

“We have a queen acting as the town’s errand girl?! Does Big Brother know?!”

“I’ve got his permission. Souma sort of laughed about it, but told me, ‘It’ll probably help earn you support among the people, so I think it’s fine.’ Besides, he’s always super happy when he sees the fresh fruits and vegetables they give me as ‘thanks.’”

“They even pay you in product?! Is this why I see Big Brother gleefully standing in the kitchen more often lately?!”

Naden and Tomoe were having a conversation no one would have expected between a queen and the (adopted) royal sister.

As Yuriga stood beside them, watching, she whispered, “Yeah... This country is weird.”

◇ ◇ ◇

That night, Yuriga, who had returned to Parnam Castle with Tomoe, was visiting the kitchen that was near the Souma family’s section of the castle.

This was a simple kitchen, prepared for Souma, who said he still wanted to cook for himself. The question of how long the king should continue borrowing the kitchen that was attached to the cafeteria had apparently become an issue. To sum it up, he had been quarantined.

Now with it decided they would be building him his own personal kitchen, Souma had Genia and the others develop cooking equipment for him. Thanks to that, though it was a narrow space, the room had quite similar functionality to kitchens back in the world he had come from. He obviously couldn’t get a microwave, but he did manage to make a pseudo-hotplate using an ore that absorbed heat.

The door to the kitchen had been removed in the interest of making it easy to bring serving trays in and out, as well as due to ventilation concerns, so when Yuriga simply said, “Excuse me,” and entered without knocking...

“Aisha. Say ahh.”

“Ahh. Hamph... Munch, munch.”

“Souma. Me, too. Me, too.”

In front of a bubbling pot, Souma was feeding Aisha with chopsticks. They were probably taste-testing the food, or something.

Having been fed, Aisha’s face broke into a contented smile.

Naden, who was standing behind Souma, may have been jealous, because she was pulling on the hem of his shirt and making her presence known.

“Here. You, too, Naden.”

“Ahh... Chomp. Munch, munch.”

“...Um, what are you doing?” Yuriga said, exasperated by the syrupy-sweet scene she had witnessed the moment she stepped into the room.

““Guh...! Cough, cough.”” Perhaps startled by the sudden voice, Aisha and Naden choked in unison. When he realized Yuriga had seen him making his wives say, “Ahh,” Souma got a little embarrassed, and he scratched his cheek as he asked, “What’s up? Why are you here?”

“I was looking for you, Sir Souma. I went to the government affairs office, but Mr. Hakuya was the only one there. I asked him, and he said, ‘His Majesty has finished work for the day. I believe he is in the kitchen. He looked giddy, carrying the daikon Naden brought home for him when he left.’”

“Was I that obvious...?”

“So, really, what were you doing?” Yuriga asked again.

Souma pointed at the bubbling pot and said, “It’s just like Hakuya predicted. Naden brought home an amazing daikon, after all. I just had some octopus delivered, too, so I was thinking I’d make oden for the first time in a while.”

“O-Oden?”

“It’s a sort of soup... no, a hot pot dish from my old world. I can’t get any boiled fish-paste products, so it’s just daikon, octopus, boiled egg, and then konbu for the soup base. ...If I were to tie together some gelin udon, would that work in place of shirataki noodles? Hmm, the texture is similar to konjac jam, so it shouldn’t taste bad, but it would take it further away from being oden...”

“...The one thing I understood from all that is that you’re up to nonsense as usual.” Yuriga gave an exasperated shrug. She had begun to get used to the weird atmosphere in this country... or rather, the bizarre actions of the people around Souma.

Why was the king of a nation so happy to get a daikon?

Why was the king cooking it himself?

Why were the queens saying, “Ahh”?

If Yuriga looked at this through the lens of common sense, there were any number of things she could call them out on, but that effort would surely be in vain. She had figured out this much already.

“So, you came because you needed me for something?” Souma asked.

“That’s right,” Yuriga replied, having remembered her reason for coming. “I want to send a letter to my brother about recent events in my time here... I was hoping to get permission. May I?”

Having said that, Yuriga pulled a letter from the tool bag at her waist, and showed the front and back of it to Souma. It had apparently not been sealed yet.

Looking seemingly uninterested, Souma turned back to the pot and said, “Hmm? If it’s about mail, you can hand it to the relevant official. I’m sure they’ll take care of it. There’s no need to come out of your way to report to me.”

“Huh?! You’re not going to check the contents?!” Yuriga’s eyes went wide.

Being treated as a transfer student from Malmkhitan, she belonged to a foreign country, and was trying to contact another person in a foreign country. Shouldn’t he have been concerned she would leak national secrets?

If Yuriga were in Souma’s position, she would have been. That was why she had assumed this letter would definitely be read by Souma and his people. Even if it was only an update on her current situation, why wouldn’t they still search it for anything resembling a coded message?

However, Souma said there was no need.

“...I’m not the one who needs to tell you this, but shouldn’t you be more cautious? What if I were leaking this country’s secrets to my brother?”

“Oh, I’m fully aware of the danger,” said Souma with a laugh. “If someone from another country goes anywhere where they might come in contact with secret information, I have covert agents who will let me know. I just haven’t gotten any such report yet. I don’t think there’s anything you could have put in that letter that would cause me trouble.”

The lack of tension in his voice left Yuriga bewildered.

“That’s... true, yes, but I’m not quite convinced. Okay, what would you do if I tried to find that secret information?”

“In that case, I’d use that fact to send you back to Fuuga. If we judged you under our own laws, it might give him a strange excuse to do something, so you’ll be going home in one piece. I need to treat you respectfully as a transfer student, but I don’t think I need to be so concerned about the feelings of a spy.”

“That you can handle it with such disinterest is... actually more scary in some ways.”

He had absolute confidence in his covert agents, and believed beyond a doubt that Yuriga could never leak his secrets.

In the way he handled her with disinterest as he fussed over how well-boiled the contents of his pot were, Yuriga felt she had seen the image of a king who would not be disturbed easily. It made a chill run down her spine.

Incidentally, around when he got to the, “If you try to leak our secrets...” part, the looks Aisha and Naden were giving her got noticeably sharper.

This country... is frightening. The king and queens, too.

“Obviously, I have no intention of leaking any secrets.” Yuriga put her hands up, unable to bear the way the queens were looking at her any longer. “This really is just an update on my situation. This country has been taking care of me, after all. There’s a lot I want to learn, so I’d rather not be thrown out yet.”

“That makes things easier on me. I wouldn’t want to throw one of Tomoe’s few friends out like that.”

“I-I don’t particularly think of myself as her friend...”

Yuriga was trying to play tough, but she and everyone else already knew she was friends with Tomoe and Ichiha. Her poor attempt to deny it was met with a smirk from Souma.

“Oh, right. Back to the oden, would you like to join us, Yuriga? I was so excited to eat it again after so long, I made too much. I was going to call Tomoe, and Ichiha, too.”

“...Can I?”

The scent of soy sauce and soup broth had hung in the air for a while, and it had Yuriga interested.

She was uncomfortable about joining the king and his queens at the dinner table, but if Tomoe and Ichiha were there, she’d probably be fine. In fact, if they got to eat something tasty, and she was left out, that would have bothered her.

“...If those two are coming, I will join you, too.” Yuriga said with a blush.

That evening, dinner was very lively.

◇ ◇ ◇

— Roughly a week later —

“Hahaha, looks like she’s having fun.”

Far to the north, Fuuga Haan, the King of Malmkhitan, grinned as he read Yuriga’s letter.

“What are you reading, Darling?” Mutsumi asked as she came into the room.

Fuuga handed her the letter he had been given and replied, “It’s a letter from Yuriga. It sounds like she’s having fun in the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

“Oh, it’s from Yuriga?” Then, looking through the letter from her sister-in-law, Mutsumi cocked her head to the side. “Hmm? It seems to be a report on recent happenings in her life. The writing style is fun, though...”

“Does something about it bother you?”

“Oh, no, I thought she might be made to write a letter like this. I wondered if we should really take the pleasant tone at face value...”

“You’re saying Souma might’ve forced Yuriga to write this? Not a chance.”

Fuuga blew off Mutsumi’s concerns with a hearty laugh.

“This is unmistakably Yuriga’s handwriting. Besides, if Yuriga is forced to write letters against her will, she’s been taught to deform her writing in a certain way. Well, knowing how overly cautious Souma is, he wouldn’t do anything so silly as to harm his relationship with me. There may be some censorship, but I’m sure what’s written in there is how Yuriga really feels.”

“Her true feelings... Then the thing she wrote at the end is how she really feels, too?”

“Yeah, it means that’s how she felt.” Fuuga grinned.

This is what was written at the end of Yuriga’s letter:

“Brother,

Friedonia is a weird country.

It is fun living here, but I feel something other than just enjoyment from it. My preconceptions are breaking down, and the values inside me that I thought were absolute are colliding with a set of values that are different from them... It’s hard to put into words. I haven’t sorted it out myself yet, either.

You have been cautious of King Souma since the beginning, so I doubt you will let your guard down, but let me say it regardless. By no means should you underestimate him.

Sincerely, Yuriga.”

“Yuriga believes in me more than anyone, and even she’s saying that. He’s one hell of a guy, huh?”

“...You are enjoying this,” Mutsumi said, sounding exasperated.

There was a ferocious sparkle in Fuuga’s eyes.

“We’ve only accomplished one so far. From here on, I don’t know who, or what, will stand in my way. Not being able to see that excites me. This era’s gonna get so hot it makes my blood boil!”

Then, resting his feet on the walls of a city he had reclaimed from the monsters, he roared towards the sun which hung high in the northern sky.

In the northern lands, a tiger was about to take flight.

“Lady Liscia?!” Aisha exclaimed.

“Whaa?! Bro’s Wife #1?!”

“Huh?! The princess... No, the queen?! Why is she here?!”

“It looks like fun, so I want in,” Liscia said with a smile. “Aisha, leave the rabbit over there to me. You stop these two.”

“...Oh! U-Understood!”

Having come to her senses, Aisha managed to give that much of a response, and then Liscia was off at a gallop, heading towards Leporina.

“Huh? I have to face Queen Liscia?! Master Kuu?!”

Kuu heard Leporina’s bewildered cries in the distance, but unable to do anything about them, he just gave her an off-handed, “Good luck!”

Leporina loosed arrows as she fled, but Liscia cut them out of the air as she gave chase. The fleeing Leporina and pursuing Liscia. It was a scene that looked like a rabbit hunt.

“Eeek! Stay away from meeee!”

“You’re fast, and you’ve got good aim. But a challenge always gets me fired up.”

Liscia looked like she was having fun, and she kept chasing the teary-eyed Leporina. As he watched, Kuu couldn’t help but mutter, “All of Bro’s wives are a little too energetic...”

“...You’ve got a point.”

Halbert could find no words to disagree with him.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Liscia’s so full of life,” I said to myself, sighing as I watched her enjoy her rabbit hunt on the other side of the simple receiver.

She was really in her element. Having to look after the children all the time lately must have left her itching for this. Cian and Kazuha were cute enough that she didn’t mind, but she was a warrior trained by Georg, and she must have wanted to really let loose sometimes.

Suddenly, one of the bureaucrats came in and said, “Y-Your Majesty! This is big!”

“What is? What happened?”

When I asked him, the bureaucrat caught his breath and gave his report. “They’ve breached the walls! Please, head to the hall and prepare to meet them at once!”

“They broke through... Seriously? I thought it was a stalemate...”

I looked to the simple receivers, but all I saw was my wives and companions fighting, the same as before. No matter where I looked, it seemed like the fighting was even.

“Yes. The heads of the attacking and defending teams have thrown the major players at one another, so the places that are being recorded are all at a stalemate. However, in the more ordinary spots, the ones not picked up by the broadcast, there was an ordinary fight, fought with ordinary means, and it has broken through the walls in an ordinary way.”

“Oh... Yeah, I guess that makes sense. It’s not like we’re seeing the whole battlefield.”

I was satisfied with their explanation. There was fighting in the places Ludwin and Excel weren’t concerned with, too, and a result had been decided there.

“It’s not really a satisfying conclusion, but... I guess that can’t be helped. I’ll take it on board as something to learn from.”

I didn’t know if we would be doing this a second time, but if we did, I wouldn’t have them fight in a big, chaotic melee like this. There would be proper routes, and the broadcast jewels would be placed along them.

I feel like that’ll bring it closer to *******’s Castle, though.

“Sire, hurry.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m going.”

At the bureaucrat’s urging, I returned to the hall where I gave my initial speech.

◇ ◇ ◇

“...And so, the winners are the attacking team! Also, the special award for the person who did the most to make things the most exciting goes to Miss Dran for blowing away both Silvan and Akki Taitei.”

“Yayyyyyyy!” ← The crowd roaring.

“...Th-Thanks.” ← Carla wanting to crawl into a hole and die.

“Whew, it’s all done. Lady Roroa was cute as a button, and the whole project was pretty interesting, on the whole, I’d say.”

“Yes. Lady Aisha was as strong and cool as ever.”

With the song battle over, Lucy and Velza, who were both at a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the fountain plaza, both gave their opinions.

Tomoe nodded in satisfaction as she sipped her tea. “Big Sister Liscia was so brave and wonderful, too. And Naden was cool.”

“The fighting was incredible, but the loreleis’ performances were amazing, too. That duet between Madam Juna and Madam Komari was simply enthralling,” Ichiha added enthusiastically.

Tomoe noticed that Yuriga was watching the broadcast in silence. There was no enjoyment on her face, only seriousness.

“What’s wrong, Yuriga?” she asked.

“...Hm?” Yuriga grunted hesitantly. She inclined her head towards Tomoe as if to say, “What?”

“No, um... it’s just that you were just staring so intently.”

“Ohh... I guess I was, huh? I spent the whole time thinking about the purpose of this broadcast. If he’s doing something on this large a scale, there must be some reason for it.”

“P-Purpose...”

Tomoe jumped a little at the mention of it. She had heard from Souma that this was all to, “Investigate the effect of music on magic.” But that information had not been made public. They might figure it out much later, but for now, the people only saw it as another show.

“Big Brother is trying to put on broadcasts that will entertain the people. I guess this is part of that,” Tomoe said. “Look, everyone seems to have enjoyed it, right?”

“Is that a job for the king?” Yuriga said with a sigh. “Honestly, your brother isn’t regal at all, is he?”

“Huh? Uh! Well... Yeah.”

Tomoe was (only slightly) miffed to hear her speak so disrespectfully about the brother she admired. Still, if it meant Yuriga would be satisfied with that answer, that was for the best, so she didn’t push back.

“Did you really think I’d buy that?”

“Huh?!”

Yuriga stared at Tomoe with eyes that seemed to see everything. As Tomoe shuddered, Yuriga shrugged her shoulders in dismay.

“I’ve gradually come to understand it, too. The way your brother’s politics work, I mean. I know the things he does that look pointless often aren’t, and the events he seems to have put no thought into have some deeper intent lurking in the shadows. Even if I can’t figure out what that is.”

“.........”

As Tomoe sat there, unable to respond, Yuriga stared at the broadcast image of Souma. “He’s someone my brother is wary of, after all. I guess you could say that while I may not know what he’s thinking, I know he’s thinking something, at least.”

“Yuriga, you’re...”

Tomoe felt like she saw something in Yuriga’s eyes that resembled the big sister she admired. Liscia once told Souma, “I may not have faith in you, but I do trust you.” ...and Tomoe was reminded of that now. Souma did all these crazy, off-the-wall things, but she knew there was a reason he did them.

Maybe Yuriga feels the same, Tomoe thought. Come to think of it... Yuriga’s personality is similar to Big Sister’s, too.

As a princess who was serious, with a strong will that would not bend once she made up her mind, and a willingness to take up the sword to fight herself, it was true she had a lot in common with Liscia. Even more than Tomoe did, though that was to be expected because they were not blood-related sisters.

In that case... I wonder if Yuriga will grow up to be like Big Sister. She admired Liscia, but though her ability to talk to animals was a valuable asset, it was not suited to combat. No matter how hard she tried, she likely couldn’t be a brave warrior like Liscia.

But Yuriga had that potential.

That’s... kind of frustrating. Tomoe clenched her fists. This was the first inkling of feminine pride inside Tomoe.

The fact was, though she couldn’t touch Yuriga in the realm of physical abilities, in terms of academics, she far exceeded her. This was to be expected, since they each had their own specialties, but Tomoe’s newfound pride as a woman could not accept the loss when it meant she was somehow less of one.

I’m not the same type as Big Sister. I can try all I want, but Yuriga is the one who’ll be more like her. That’s why I have to aim to be someone more womanly than Big Sister... The image of her adoptive big brother’s blue-haired partner flashed through Tomoe’s mind.

The first secondary queen, Juna Souma. Though Juna was also a fighter, her true value was in her beautiful appearance and her refined manner. This was a lady that other women strove to emulate, and one who even Liscia felt slightly inferior to as a woman. I want to be like her, too.

Tomoe felt like she could envision the future she wanted for herself. To be a talented and sexy woman who could support her big brother politically.

I’ll ask Juna for help when I get back. I need her to teach me to be a more wonderful woman. So I won’t lose to Yuriga. Tomoe worked herself up as she clenched her fists.

The other four looked at her mystified.

From this day onward, Tomoe began to learn how to be a woman from Juna, and took her first step towards becoming Tomoe the little devil, who played havoc with the lives of men around her (primarily Souma, Hakuya, and Ichiha), but... that’s a story that comes a little later.

As Ichiha got a relaxed look on his face, Hakuya asked him, “Sir Ichiha, you like researching monsters, right?”

“Huh...? Oh, yeah. I’ve done nothing but study them, so it’s become a hobby. When I see a monster I haven’t before, I want to sketch it.”

Ichiha’s face reddened in embarrassment, but Hakuya smiled gently.

“Then you should think of this as a place to speak about your hobby. People can speak on and on about the things they love, and they want the people they tell about them to love them too, right? I could go on forever about books.” Hakuya said, as he put his hand on top of Ichiha’s head. “Leave the success or failure of the symposium out of your head. You should just enjoy yourself, and say what you want to say. Because everyone has come to see you speak.”

“Mr. Hakuya...”

“You’re still just a child, so leave the complicated parts to us adults... I believe I said something similar to Little Sister not long ago.”

“You said that to Tomoe, too?”

“It’s common to want to act more mature at your age. There’s no need to rush.” Hakuya patted Ichiha on the head.

You should think of this as a place to speak about your hobby. Just enjoy yourself, and say what you want to say. Hakuya’s words seeped into Ichiha’s heart. Don’t worry, have fun...

Ichiha turned to face forward. He could enjoy researching monsters, without burdening himself. That was what having a specialty meant. A specialty that none of his siblings could beat him at. Even once the time came and he took his seat at the table in the middle, Ichiha was no longer hanging his head.

“Now then, Sir Ichiha, Hakuya, you take it from here,” Souma said to them after opening the symposium. Ichiha stood up together with Hakuya and the president.

Standing at the lectern, Ichiha kept his head up, and looked straight ahead as he spoke. “First, I would like to thank His Majesty for granting me the opportunity to speak here, as well as all of the people of the Kingdom of Friedonia who have come. I am Ichiha Chima, an exchange student who has come here from the Duchy of Chima, one country in the Union of Eastern Nations. I am honored to be able to discuss monsters with you here today.”

The way he spoke with confidence inspired everyone who had gathered in this place. Even in the Kingdom, there were rumors about the supposed extraneous eighth child of Duke Chima. However, the people assembled in the audience knew he was the author of the Monster Encyclopedia. That Hakuya participated in a primarily supportive role had been made clear in the text of the book. When they learned that the radical new encyclopedia had been written by an eleven-year-old boy, the research world got excited.

Extraneous and prodigious.

There was a disconnect between these two evaluations, and people were watching closely to see which Ichiha truly was. Judging by the confident way he spoke here, it was likely the latter. Souma had not been stuck with the leftovers, after all. The people here understood that, true to his reputation of a maniac for recruiting capable personnel, King Souma had seen the boy’s potential and brought him back.

“I was worried before he got started, but it looks like I didn’t have to be,” Souma commented, impressed by Ichiha’s sudden boldness.

“You said it. He’s the type that’s really strong.”

“That’s obvious. Big Brother, Big Sister,” Tomoe said proudly. “Ichiha is timid, but that’s because he lacked confidence in himself. But he has a strong heart and he’ll never run away when it really counts. He protected me when we were surrounded by scary people in the Duchy of Chima. That is the real Ichiha.”

““.........””

When Tomoe spoke of him almost like she would herself, Souma and Liscia both looked at her fondly. They could sense an absolute trust of Ichiha in her words.

Eventually, Souma let out a small sigh, and Liscia smiled.

“...If Daddy Inugami could hear, he’d be so jealous.”

“And you aren’t, Souma? Hee hee, it’s so bittersweet.”

“???”

There was a blank look on Tomoe’s face and question marks hovering over her head. She had no idea what they were talking about.

While the Souma family were having their chat, Ichiha was still giving his speech.

“The Duchy of Chima, where I was born, borders the Demon Lord’s Domain. Due to that, incursions as large as the demon wave are infrequent, but small groups of monsters come out of the north on occasion. In short, it is a situation with plentiful subjects for observation. The monsters would be put down by soldiers led by my older brothers, who excelled in the martial arts, but I sat on the walls, where it was safe, sketching the monsters my brothers fought. Of all my siblings, I was the only one with no notable skill, so I wanted to be what little help I could be to everyone by learning about the monsters...”

Ichiha trailed off, and his face brightened.

“...Though, along the way, it just became a hobby. It’s fun, you know? If any of you have the chance to go north, please give sketching a try.”

The whole audience chuckled. It looked like he’d gotten adjusted to the point where he could mix in the occasional joke.

“The first to recognize me for my sketches was my eldest sister. The second was His Majesty’s little sister, Tomoe. I was able to come to the Kingdom because she introduced me to His Majesty, and that let me meet my respected teacher Hakuya. I thank her from the bottom of my heart.” Ichiha looked at Tomoe and smiled.

Ichiha... Tomoe’s wolf ears perked up happily.

He looked forward, and picked up the Monster Encyclopedia he had written.

“This book was produced using those sketches, with the help of Mr. Hakuya. There is also the basis on which we compiled the Monster Encyclopedia. That is the Monster Part Identification system. Ah—”

Ichiha cut off, before continuing again.

“That’s kind of long, huh. Let’s call it MPI for short. Yes. In order to provide a guidepost along the path of monster research, I would like to give a lecture on MPI. President of the Society for Monster Research, if you don’t mind.”

“U-Underst-stood,” the president blurted out. He sounded a bit shrill due to the nervousness of being called on.

Still, he put a large paper up on the movable blackboard that had been prepared. That paper was full of monster drawings. The lizardmen that Souma had encountered in the Kingdom of Lastania were there, as well as the pudgy, winged snake monsters they had gotten them to eat.

Standing in front of the pictures, Ichiha resumed his presentation.

“While I was drawing pictures of monsters in the Duchy of Chima, I realized something. There are monsters that, despite being of different races, shared the exact same parts. Ever since I realized this, I have paid close attention to monsters’ body parts.”

He stood in front of the picture of a pudgy, winged snake and boxed both the wings and the snake’s main body in long, thin, colored paper cutouts.

“Take this monster as an example. There is no official name for it, but I believe that His Majesty’s temporary name, the flying tsuchinoko, feels apt, so I am going to call it that. This flying tsuchinoko is composed of two types of parts: the snake body part, and the wing part. Its defining features as a creature are its powerful jump, and the ability to fly, albeit only for short distances. Also... it’s edible.”

There were hushed voices from the crowd when he said it was edible. Most of mankind did not yet know about this fact. Even in this hall where many experts had gathered, it was a bombshell statement.

“Would God forgive us eating monsters...?” One voice could be heard saying that. It was apparently a Lunarian Orthodox bishop.

There were those participating in this symposium who viewed the study of monsters with a sense of crisis and taboo. In order to learn what reactions there might be to them studying monsters, Souma had not denied them entry.

The whispering continued, with Ichiha unsure as to what to do, Hakuya stepped in and said, “This is a fact. There is a precedent for eating flying tsuchinoko in the Empire. Though, obviously, with monsters like the lizardman, which possess a human body part, it just felt too wrong to try eating them. A flying tsuchinoko is basically snake meat with chicken wings. It should not be that surprising that it would be edible.”

At Hakuya’s words, the room calmed down a little. Thinking it would result in a scandal, he had decided not to include the fact that Jeanne, the younger sister of Empress Maria, had been one of the ones to eat it.

Continuing from where Hakuya left off, Ichiha resumed speaking, “I will address the matter of edible monsters later, so please listen. Now, in regards to the flying tsuchinoko’s wings, there are other monsters confirmed to have the exact same wings. Please, turn to page 5 of the booklet you were provided.”

Ichiha paused to give the audience time to navigate themselves before following up.

“The monster there is a dog with two heads. We will call it an orthrus. Now, for some reason, it and the flying tsuchinoko have the same part despite being two different types of monster. When I noticed this, I sorted my sketches by each monster’s body parts. It was then that I realized there were an unusually high number of cases where this same thing occurred. The orthrus has the same wings as the flying tsuchinoko. And I have found another monster with the body of a turtle and the same head as this orthrus, too.”

Then Ichiha moved to stand in front of the lizardman picture.

“It is the same with this lizardman. This is a monster that the Friedonian National Defense Force fought in the Kingdom of Lastania, and we have been able to obtain many dead samples for research. This lizardman’s upper body resembles a human, but the face and lower body have traits typical of a large, bipedal lizard. It has human elements, but its nature is strictly that of a wild beast. It seemed they had as much intelligence as a shoujou, and could divide labor among their pack, but not so much that we could communicate with them. Isn’t that right, Tomoe?”

When Ichiha asked her, Tomoe blurted out, “Y-Yes!” and rose to her feet.

“I saw a captive lizardman in the Kingdom of Lastania. I have the ability to speak to animals... to understand their hearts, but the lizardman only recognized me as ‘food’... or as ‘prey.’ It was actually creepy how it seemed to lack any other feelings. Normally, if an animal is captured, no matter how hungry it is, I would be able to feel anger and unease...”

Tomoe crossed her arms and clutched her elbows as she recounted the event. That terrifying memory of being seen as prey was seared into her mind.

Ichiha felt bad for her as he continued in a quiet voice, “Thank you. As Tomoe just said, it is interesting that they lack the emotions that they should have as living creatures.”

Checking that Tomoe had sat back down, Ichiha returned to the topic at hand.

“As you can see, monsters are a mix of elements from a variety of different creatures. Furthermore, there are zombies and skeletons, which seem to be existing creatures that have rotted or skeletonized. The reason monsters seem creepy to us compared to wild animals may be because, according to our preconceptions, they have unneeded body parts (parts from other creatures), or unneeded features (rot or skeletonization).”

“Makes sense...” said Souma.

He hadn’t used a loud voice, but the words caught everyone’s attention since they came from the king. When Souma realized everyone was looking at him, he felt awkward about holding up the presentation.

“...May I say a word?” Souma asked, raising his hand.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“Being overly formal is too much trouble, so I’m just going to talk casually, but... I encountered four-legged ogres in the Republic of Turgis. Isn’t that right, Kuu?”

Souma turned towards Kuu, who was sitting at the table opposite his.

“Yeah,” Kuu said with a nod. “Those furry ogres, right? I remember they had big arms, and four legs. They came out of the dungeon, attacked villages, and ate people. Considering how vicious they were, I’ll bet they were the same as the lizardmen, and they only saw us as prey.”

Kuu was making his hatred for the ogres plain to see as he spoke, and Souma agreed with him.

“When I saw those ogres, I thought they were warped creatures. Thinking back now, they had ogre faces, but their bodies must have come from some other creature. The gorilla... That’s a large creature from my world that’s similar to the shoujou, and they resembled it.” Souma crossed his arms and groaned as he spoke. “When I remembered that, and heard what you were saying, Sir Ichiha, it made me feel like I understood why monsters are warped. Sorry. I seem to have ended up interrupting you.”

“No, that was a valuable story you’ve just told us.” Ichiha bowed, then turned back to the crowd and resumed speaking, “It is exceptionally difficult to categorize monsters which are such a hodgepodge of different traits. That is why Mr. Hakuya and I came up with MPI, which sorts each monster into its constituent parts. I would now ask Mr. Hakuya to explain the reason for doing so.”

“Very well.”

Ichiha retreated from the lectern, and Hakuya came to take his place.

“I am Hakuya Kwonmin, the Prime Minister of this country. The Monster Encyclopedia is considered to be jointly authored by Sir Ichiha and me, but I merely made it look nice. The core of the material is in the sketches Sir Ichiha drew, and the method by which they were sorted. I feel bad, taking the lectern when that is the situation, but I would like to explain MPI on Sir Ichiha’s behalf.”

Turning to Ichiha, Hakuya gave a small nod.

“Now then... Normally, monsters are like evil spirits, and unless they form packs all of the same kind, it is difficult to sort them into species. They come in a multitude of forms, and it has been impossible to sort them into species based on their whole bodies. However, when I learned of Sir Ichiha’s system, which sorts the monsters based on their body parts, there were a variety of ways I found it could be applied.”

Hakuya pointed to the monster pictures behind him.

“As you can see, when monsters were sorted in this way, we are able to recognize those which share the same parts. This has made it possible to name monsters.”

“Ohh...” The was an exclamation of awe from some members of the crowd. Those must have been the ones who understood what Hakuya was trying to say.

However, most of the crowd simply went, “Name them? What’s the point?” and cocked their head to the side. Was it even possible to name monsters when they all looked so different?

Having anticipated that response, Hakuya explained, “In order for us to recognize a thing, we must first name it. Because when something has a name, we can take it as a subject, and research becomes possible. By sharing that with other people, it allows us to spread information about the subject of our research— To give a quick example, by giving ‘people’ the name ‘people,’ and sharing that word with others, I can communicate to them that I am studying people.”

He began to pace slowly towards one side of the stage as he spoke.

“Looking back in our conversation a little, we know that monsters have aberrant forms when compared with other creatures. Because of that, it is difficult to perfectly convey what we have seen about monsters to other people. How about the ‘flying tsuchinoko’ His Majesty named, for instance? If you were to communicate the existence of this monster to others, how would you describe it? ...You would say it is a fat-bodied snake-like monster with wings, or something similar, I suppose.”

With a slight pause, Hakuya turned and began pacing back towards the center of the stage.

“It would be nice if that sufficed, but there are monsters with a variety of traits like, ‘Has horns,’ ‘Has two heads,’ ‘Spits poison,’ and more. To name all of these species individually, and share a common understanding of them would be too daunting a task.”

Stopping at the board, he gestured towards the paper filled with sketches.

“This would serve as an impediment to sharing information on monsters. If we were studying them in detail, it would be tolerable. However, when a group of monsters that are a hodgepodge of different traits overflow from a dungeon, there’s no time for that. The situation must be addressed at once.”

Hakuya moved towards the lectern, and placed his hands on it with a sigh.

“When the soldiers on-site contact the military for backup, they won’t have time to report every single one of those traits. The information from the scene will be limited to, ‘There is a monster attack,’ ‘There are around this many,’ and, ‘They do or do not fly.’ If the group is composed of a single race, like the lizardman pack we encountered in the Union of Eastern Nations, their abilities are clearly defined and countering them becomes easier.”

He raised his arm and pointed it toward the board.

“Lizardmen do not fly. However, they have the ability to jump. The green ones do not spit fire, but the red ones require caution... It’s easier because we can share these common understandings about them. Meanwhile, in the case of a horde composed of many species, it is not so simple. First of all, because there are monsters that take on warped forms, and it is hard to even communicate the enemy’s traits.”

Here Hakuya took a sip of the water left next to the lectern and paused for a breath.

“There is a risk that information will be miscommunicated. ‘We neglected to understand the situation before rushing to the scene, and were not equipped to handle the monsters,’ or ‘We took too long carefully preparing, and the damage spread.’ I can imagine either of these situations arising. However, if we identify monsters by their body parts, and have a shared naming system, that time can be shortened considerably.”

Hakuya tapped the picture of the flying tsuchinoko with a pointer.

“Take this ‘flying tsuchinoko’ for instance. We will call monsters with this wing part ‘flying,’ and those with this short, fat snake part ‘tsuchinokos.’ Further, wolf monsters will be called ‘wolves,’ those that are rotting will be called, ‘zombies,’ those that are poisonous will be called, ‘poison,’ those with horns will be called, ‘horned,’ and those with two of a part will be called ‘twin-plus-the part name.’”

He paused again to allow the audience to absorb this information.

“Think of it like how we already call monsters with human parts ‘men.’ In doing this, a group that would once have been reported as containing, ‘fat snake monsters with horns and wings, two-headed wolves with poisonous fangs, and lizardmen whose bodies are rotting,’ can now be reported as, ‘A group of horned tsuchinoko, two-headed poison wolves, and zombie lizardmen,’ and the same information will be conveyed. We know in advance that if there are many flying monsters, it would be wise to send anti-air equipment, and if there are a lot of poison monsters, we should send antidotes and serum.”

“““Ohhh!””” The crowd cried out in awe. They finally understood the practicality of it.

As Hakuya was speaking, Souma thought, Hm... If they used a system of writing that represented ideas, not sounds, we could compress it even more, though...

What Souma was thinking of was ‘kanji,’ which had existed in the language of the country he once lived in. With kanji, those three monster names could be written, 角飛槌蛇, 双頭毒狼, and, 腐蜥蜴人.

However, Souma shook his head. Continental Standard uses an alphabet like English, so it’s not gonna be possible, huh... Maybe if I invented something like pictograms... Wait, those can’t be communicated verbally.

While Souma was thinking about that, Hakuya continued, “Now, MPI does more than just allow us to share information by naming monsters. This came up in the beginning, but it’s also relevant to the question of which monsters can be eaten. The flying tsuchinoko is edible. This has been proven by the cases of them having been eaten in the Empire, and consumed by the lizardmen. Flying tsuchinoko contain a snake part and a wing part, but both of them must be edible. It is probable that monsters made of all edible parts are edible.”

He pointed at the body and wings on the sketch for emphasis.

“Conversely, if they have even a single poisonous part in their bodies, there is a high possibility that those monsters are not suitable for consumption. However, due to the lack of trials at this point, this still remains just a prediction. If we feed the monsters we slay to animals and continue to experiment, we may be able to come to a more precise conclusion. I would like to ask you all to cooperate with demonstrating this.”

Hakuya bowed his head, and the crowd nodded at his reasonable suggestion. The memory of the food crisis was still fresh in this country.

“There are also monsters with human parts, and even if those parts are not toxic, I doubt anyone would want to eat them unless they were in a serious crisis. However, on the front line, if our men are starving for some reason, they could serve as a valuable source of food to keep them alive. It is important to address the legal and ethical implications of consuming meat from monsters with human-like parts. This is something on which I would like to proceed cautiously, taking into consideration the opinions of the state, and, of course, the religions which support our people’s spiritual well-being.”

There was a buzz of hushed voices from the crowd at Hakuya’s words. The researchers leaned towards those nearest them, whispering, “What do you think?” They were exchanging opinions, but the religious figures in the audience had harsh looks on their faces.

The Lunarian Orthodox bishop who had been suspicious of the idea of studying monsters to begin with was glaring at Hakuya unhappily. He must have thought consuming monsters was unthinkable. Even with the opinions of those looking at him so divided, Hakuya continued to speak.

“The third merit of MPI is that, by categorizing the body parts, we can determine just how many human parts are in a subject. This is still just a theory, but it seems that monsters with more human parts are more intelligent.”

He pointed at the flying tsuchinoko and lizardman pictures.

“The flying tsuchinoko acts on animal-like thoughts. The way it flies to attack its prey, then consumes its meat, is a purely instinctual pattern of action. No different from any wild animal. The lizardmen that the National Defense Force encountered, on the other hand, demonstrated the ability to learn. When we showed one lizardman how to cook and eat a flying tsuchinoko, that lizardman cooked and ate one when it was back among its pack. The other lizardmen that saw this imitated it, and they began attacking flying tsuchinokos. The key takeaway here is that lizardmen can learn.”

Hakuya looked out emphatically as the entire hall went quiet.

If there were monsters with the ability to learn, that made them that much more dangerous. It was said that the demons that lived on the northern end of the continent were intelligent. And those same demons had once destroyed the united forces of mankind that were led by the Empire.

Monsters were not intelligent like demons, so it was assumed they were simple to handle. However, if some of those monsters had the ability to learn, they couldn’t maintain an optimistic perspective. It’s harder to deal with a pack of wolves than one great bear. If the beasts were clever, that raised the threat to humanity.

Hakuya continued, “Intelligence is the greatest advantage we hold over the monsters. If they possess even a shred of what we do, that is a threat to us. However, can we not also say this? If those that possess even a small number of human parts are intelligent, then those with more parts will be more intelligent. Perhaps to the point that it may be possible for them to communicate with us.”

He stopped there and looked out at the crowd once more.

“I am sure you can all think of a group this applies to... The demons.”

With his words, the assembled people gulped once more. They had heard that the demons seemed to be intelligent, but they hadn’t thought they were so intelligent they could communicate with humans. An enemy with human-level intelligence was dangerous. It also opened the possibility for dialogue, but with some notable exception, almost no one had realized that yet. Those exceptions were the people who already knew about this.

“Have we finally come this far...?”

“It certainly took a while, huh?”

Up on stage, Souma and Liscia whispered to each other. Only a select few in the upper echelons of this country had been privy to the story of how the kobolds had contacted Tomoe. It was not simple to prove the communication that Tomoe’s power had made possible, though, and they risked condemnation from other countries for being in communication with demons.

If other countries found out and began trying to contact the demons independently, it would be chaos. None of the countries could tell the difference between monsters and demons at the time. Because of that, Souma had kept this fact a secret. But today, it was finally revealed for all to see.

With the advancement of the study of monsters and demons through Ichiha’s MPI, they had newly presented the objective potential that dialogue was possible. If it looked like that was objectively the case, the other countries couldn’t condemn them for it. Of course, there was only a potential at this stage, but the times were slowly catching up to the facts they had gleaned through Tomoe’s ability.

“If demons are intelligent like us, do you think they can understand monsters that have only meager intelligence?”

Hakuya’s words hung in the air.

“Think about it. If you were surrounded on the road by a pack of wild dogs, you would be frightened. What if you were a demon? Do you suppose you would be calm surrounded by monsters? Between monsters and demons, could there not be conflict between them? Do you suppose the terrifying demons and monsters have built a symbiotic relationship? Perhaps we need to think of demons and monsters separately... That is all. Thank you for listening.”

Hakuya bowed and stepped down. There was no applause. Everyone was busy thinking through the new possibilities that had just been presented to them.

Amidst the silence, Souma began clapping his hands. Liscia and Tomoe followed suit, and the crowd, brought back to their senses by that sound, gave a huge round of applause. When the clapping stopped, Souma rose and spoke.

“Now, with the explanation of Sir Ichiha and Hakuya’s MPI system finished, I would like to move on to the exchange of opinions that is the goal of this event. Taking into consideration what Sir Ichiha and Hakuya have explained, I would like to hear your frank opinions about monsters, researching monsters, and the MPI system.”

Then, taking a deep breath, he said, “If you have questions, please, raise your hands.”

There was the swish of clothing. Many hands went up in unison.

“Murgh...” Tomoe had a sulky look on her face. She was turned towards Ichiha, who was in the center of that ring of people.

Because Tomoe was cute, when she sulked like that, she just looked a little upset, but... that reaction...

“Wh-What do you think?” I whispered to Liscia despite myself, and then we both shook our heads with wry smiles.

“I can’t tell just yet. But girls grow up fast, you know?”

“That’s right,” Roroa chimed in. “She’s Big Sis Cia’s little sister, so when she goes and set her heart on somethin’, she’s gonna stick to it.”

The two of them both sounded like they were enjoying this.

“Hrm... If she did that, I could be pretty sure he’d settle down in the kingdom, though.”

But even if that were to happen, just how many people’s expectations would the other party, Ichiha, have to live up to?

There was her birth mother, Father, Mother, Hakuya, Inugami, and me and my wives... More people adored Tomoe like a little sister or daughter than I could fit on one hand. What’s more, a lot of them were in high positions within the Kingdom. They were all hoping for Tomoe’s happiness, so if she wanted him from the bottom of her heart, they wouldn’t get in the way, but... I guess it was too early to worry about it now.

...Well, whatever happens, happens.

I gave up on thinking about it.

A roly-poly hand poked Juno’s exposed back. It was the kigurumi adventurer controlled by Souma, Little Musashibo. Today, Little Musashibo wasn’t dressed as a priest soldier, but as a mummy man wrapped in bandages. However, because of his roly-poly body, he looked like a giant cocoon made by a moth or something instead.

Juno gave Little Mummy Musashibo a piece of her mind, “Ki—I mean, Mister! This outfit really is not okay!”

“But it’s not any more revealing than your usual outfit, is it?”

When Little Musashibo tilted his head to the side, Juno felt like he had said that to her. An angry mark appeared over Juno’s head as she shook Little Musashibo.

“It’s totally different! I don’t have my gauntlets or scarf!”

“Stoooop iiiit.” (Flailing his arms.)

“If you want someone to dress like this, tell your wives to do it!”

“.........”

Little Musashibo blatantly looked away.

“...Don’t tell me you’ve made them before.”

“.........” (Pretending to whistle.)

“You and I both know kigurumi don’t whistle. Huh? Who? Who did you have do it?”

Because of their late-night tea parties, Juno was friends with Souma’s queens too, and her mind raced, wondering who it was.

Naden already had antlers and a tail, so this sort of costume would be difficult for her. Aisha was so fond of Souma you could mistake her for a puppy, and Roroa was a good sport and loved festivals. Either of them would have gleefully done it for him. But she felt like Liscia and Juna would both do it if Souma asked, too.

Unable to come up with an answer, Juno pinched Little Musashibo’s cheek. “Hey, Mister, tell me. Who did you make do it?”

“B-Before that...!” (Pulling away from Juno.)

Little Musashibo patted the placard on his back.

“Let’s do the quest first. You were paid in advance.”

Juno felt like he’d said that to her, and she got upset.

“Oh, fine. Darn it all.”

You better not forget this at the next tea party. King or not, you’re gonna have to let me sock you one, Juno thought. Then, half in desperation, she called out to the people walking past.

“Five days from now, on the 16th day of the 8th month, the castle will be holding the ‘Ghost Festival’! In the king... His Majesty Souma’s world, this is apparently a time when the boundary between this world and the next world becomes vague. And, in this festival, they welcome souls that wander into this world, in order to have them return to the next one!”

Then, Juno twirled around to show off her costume.

“On the day of the event, a parade of people dressed as ghosts (?) like we are now will walk and dance through the streets! If you have time, please, dress as a ghost, and have fun! Cute ghosts and scary ghosts are both welcome!”

“Seeking participants. Feel free to jump right in.” That’s what it said on the sign Little Musashibo was holding.

“Hah, look at them go.”

On the terrace of a tavern not far from where Juno and her party were working, Souji Lester, the resident bishop, watched with a glass of wine in one hand. Next to him was the high elf and Genia’s research partner, Merula Merlin. Because Genia was being called to the castle frequently of late, work on the drill project had been put on hiatus. That being the case, she decided to go out for a drink with Souji since it had been a while, and they were now drinking in the middle of the day.

“Is it okay to ignore them, Souji?” Merula asked with unfocused eyes as her pale skin flushed red from the alcohol. “Don’t religious figures hate it when you dress up as ghosts more than anyone?”

“Well, yes, but... His Majesty spoke to me about it in advance,” Souji explained before throwing a piece of cheese into his mouth. “The day after, representatives from all the national religions will offer prayers, and send back any lost souls that wander in.”

“He’s keeping up appearances then. But will there be complaints from the Orthodox Papal State?”

“I’m sure there will, but I’ll dodge them, as usual. There’s been less nagging from Little Miss Mary’s faction lately, so that makes it easy. ...Though, it might just be that the Orthodox Papal State doesn’t have time to be worrying about external affairs right now.”

“...The conflict between the hardliners and the moderates, right? I believe Madam Mary was one of the moderates, correct?”

There was presently a division over the interpretation of the Lunalith’s oracles. Because she lived with Souji, Merula had heard the story. As well as the fact that Saint Mary had told Souji she wanted to have the moderates and the saint candidates protected by the Kingdom if it became necessary.

“Yeah,” Souji said, crossing his arms. “That’s why, as a reward for my cooperation in this matter, I’ve requested that King Souma and the Black-robed Prime Minister help with Mary’s request. There are a hundred people just counting the saint candidates, and if he was to shelter all of the moderates, that would require taking in even more. It will take time and people to put together a plan that includes their escape and transport. A lone bishop like me can’t do it.”

“Wow...”

Even just thinking about it seems like a pain, thought Merula. In exchange for his support in this event, Souji had passed the whole nuisance off to Souma and Hakuya. I don’t know whether to say he’d shrewd, or shameless, Merula thought in exasperation.

“That must be a headache for Souma and his people.”

“He was clutching his head, saying, ‘Now I’ve got to write another manyewal.’ That’s apparently a book of instructions, by the way.”

“I’m sure he was.” Merula nodded, sympathizing with Souma.

“He also said, ‘Maybe we can put together a gospel choir with the saint candidates. Delivering the love songs of the angels,’ with a far-off look in his eyes.”

“Gospel? Choir?”

“Search me. I have no clue what he was talking about.” Souji shrugged.

“I see you’ve been doing your job as bishop after all.” Merula chuckled. “I’ll have to reevaluate my opinion of you a little.”

The rare compliment brought a wry smile to Souji’s face.

“Well, you’ve got to work just enough to be able to slack.”

“Fine words, those. Is that in the teachings of Lunarian Orthodoxy?”

“Nah. Just my philosophy on life.” Souji raised a glass to the adventurers working on the shopping street. “Young people have no clue that their work may be saving someone’s life. Just like those adventurers are bringing salvation to those who are lost in the Orthodox Papal State. Unknown to man, but not to God. So work hard, young ones.”

“From where I’m standing, you look plenty young yourself, Souji.”

Merula, whose age was unknown, shrugged with dismay.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile...

I was in the castle, speaking to Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire over the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Madam Maria.”

“Not at all. I thought it would benefit my own country, too.”

“That idea of yours, Sir Souma.” Maria smiled. “I’d like to do it in my country, too.”

“You’ll need to gauge your people’s response as you do it, but... Go ahead.”

After that we engaged in some idle banter and then terminated the call. Once we did, Liscia, who had been quietly watching us talk, came over to me.

“If you’re bringing in Madam Maria of the Empire, this has turned into something pretty big.”

“We needed information that only the Empire could possibly know, after all. I had to play some of my cards in exchange, though...”

“The Dungeon Origin of Monsters Theory, right? Was it okay to tell her? Won’t Madam Maria reach the conclusion that both mankind and demons came from the dungeons, too?”

I could understand what Liscia was saying. If possible, I had wanted to keep it under wraps, still.

“It’s too much to ask them for the information we want, while also concealing everything we know. When it comes to Genia’s theory, it’s still an unproven hypothesis. Even if Madam Maria reaches the Dungeon Origin of Mankind and Demons Theory, she won’t spread it carelessly.”

If the information leaked, she would have trouble managing her own empire, too.

“So, for now at least, with Madam Maria’s cooperation, we’ve gained a reason to hold this event. We’ll just have to do what we can currently.”

“Right... For a project that came up so suddenly, it was all prepared pretty quickly, huh?”

“I had already been talking about wanting to do an event this time of year. You know how we did the Gaius Memorial Festival in Van on the 32nd day of the 8th month last year? That was pretty popular, so there were requests to do something similar.”

However, because the Gaius Memorial Festival was aimed at the people of the former principality, it was difficult to turn it into an event that the whole nation would celebrate. That’s why I was taking this opportunity to retool it into a memorial event for the whole country. I called it the Ghost Festival.

It was primarily going to be a mix of a costume party in the style of Halloween (because the “trick or treat” aspect of that event had been taken by the Spring Announcement Festival, that was cut), the Bon-odori, and a certain strange festival held on the border between two prefectures in the world I came from. On the day of the event, participants would dress as ghosts and monsters, and parade through the town while dancing.

Meanwhile, in Van, we would hold the Gaius Memorial Festival, the same as the year before. If we overdid these sorts of events, it could stir up the emotions of the people of the former principality, but if we didn’t do them at all, that could cause a reaction, too. It was safest to make it just one festival of many.

“Hee hee, this takes me back, you know?” Liscia wrapped herself around my arm. “The way you would suddenly come up with an odd idea, and you’re running with it. It reminds me of when you had just been summoned.”

“Well, yeah, but... aren’t you a bit close to me, compared to back then?”

Liscia chuckled. “Of course. We’re married with children now.”

“Things sure have changed, huh?”

“Yeah. But there are things that haven’t, too.” Liscia rested her head on my shoulder. “I stay by your side, watching what you do. That’s not going to change.”

“...You really are amazing, you know that? Liscia.”

I had thought it countless times, but... Yeah, I was no match for her. That didn’t just go for Liscia; I could say it about all of my queens. No matter how our relationships changed in the future, I was going to fall in love with them anew over and over again.

◇ ◇ ◇

Then, on the day of the event.

The sun had set, and normally, at this time of day, the shopping street would only be dimly lit by the lightmoss streetlights. Today, however, there were lightmoss lantern decorations everywhere, making it quite bright. Souma had ordered these lanterns placed there for the event.

The voice of a pretty young girl echoed across the brightly lit streets.

“Woah! Lu, you’re so cute!”

“Nyahaha, thanks.”

Lucy laughed shyly at Tomoe’s compliment. Today she was dressed as a wolf girl, wearing an apron dress along with a wolf ear headband, and a wolf tail on her rump.

Because the Royal Academy was on summer break, Tomoe, Yuriga, Ichiha, Lucy, and Velza were dressed up to participate in this Ghost Festival event. Obviously, a group from the Black Cats, led by Inugami, was watching over them from the shadows.

When she looked at Lucy’s outfit, Yuriga said, “...It looks pretty familiar to me,” with dismay.

Yuriga glanced at Tomoe. It was true, wolf ears and a tail were both traits she naturally possessed. If Souma could have seen Lucy right now, he might have muttered, “The Player 2 palette swap for Tomoe?” to himself.

Lucy grinned, pulling her mouth open with her index fingers. “My crooked teeth are one of my charms. Gotta put ’em to good use. Besides, I always thought Tomie’s ears and tail were cute.”

“You’re super cute, Lu!”

“Thanks. Y’know, it feels like we’re sisters now.”

Lucy hugged Tomoe. Yuriga pressed her fingers to her temples and let out a sigh as she watched the two of them play around.

“Honestly... I mean, how is Tomoe any different from usual?”

“I’m totally different. Look!”

Tomoe raised her hands, and there were puffy paw gloves on them. She has a choker with a bell around her neck, and three whiskers drawn on each cheek with paint.

“Today, I’m not a wolf girl, I’m a cat girl! Meow!”

“That’s barely a change at all!”

“Murgh. You say that, Yuriga, but all you’ve changed are your clothes.”

Yuriga was wearing her usual tribal outfit, but with a small black hat called a tokin on her head. She wore a pompom sash called a yuigesa, which hung from her shoulders to her belly, and she held a conch shell in her hands. These were all traditional tools of a Yamabushi mountain ascetic from the world Souma came from. Because Yuriga also bore the signature wings of a celestial on her back, she looked exactly like a (slightly moe) crow tengu.

“This is supposed to be a monster called a tengu from your brother’s world. He made the hat and sash himself, too.”

“Hee hee, Big Brother made my paw gloves, too.”

“Listen, I’m sorry to say this when you sound so happy, but isn’t it weird for the king to be good at sewing?”

When Yuriga raised that doubt, Tomoe puffed up her chest with pride. “Big Brother is also a good cook. You’ve eaten his food, too, haven’t you, Yuriga?”

“Sure, it was good, but... either way, those aren’t very kingly skills.”

“Well, I love Big Brother anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m sure you do.”

While the two of them were bickering like that, Ichiha and Velza came over.

“You two, if you two keep squabbling like that, you’ll stand out.”

“If too many people gather around, the bodyguards will force them to disperse, correct?”

“Well, yes, but... what are you two wearing?” Yuriga asked.

Today they were wearing their casual outfits, but with round hats on their heads. There was some sort of tag hanging from the front of them. On closer inspection, those tags were made from cloth, not paper, and what was written on them was geometric symbols, not text.

Velza pointed to a stall at the side of the road. “We bought them at that shop run by The Silver Deer. Right, Ichiha?”

“Yeah. They’re apparently for a monster from Souma’s world, the... Janky? Jiangshi? ...Something like that. These talismans are used to control a dead body, apparently.”

“Moving corpses? Are they somethin’ like zombies?” Lucy asked.

Ichiha and Velza immediately stretched their arms out in front of them and stood up ramrod straight.

“I hear they hop like this.”

“They cry ‘paa, paa, paa,’ too.”

Ichiha and Velza hopped along, saying “Paa, paa.”

“Paa paa...? What a weird monster,” said Yuriga with an exasperated sigh.

“Aww, I’m jealous. You two have matching hats.”

Lucy hugged Tomoe. “Now, now, Tomie. We’re a beast girl pair, now aren’t we?”

“Oh, yeah. I guess we are, huh?”

“Hold on! You’re making it sound like I’m the odd one out!”

As Yuriga protested, Tomoe gave her a cute smirk.

“What? Were you feeling lonely, Yuriga?”

“Argh! You’re such a cheeky little kid!”

“Aww, aww, aww.”

Yuriga grabbed Tomoe by the cheeks, as per usual, and then...

Boom... Boom... Cannons sounded from the direction of the castle.

“Oh, looks like things’re gettin’ started.”

The two shots signaled the beginning of the Ghost Festival.

In the next moment, music began playing throughout the town. At the same time, they saw a drum and fife band, each member dressed as a monster, coming towards them from the direction of the castle.

In the midst of the cheering, Yuriga checked the sign nearby. On it, there was an outline of the Ghost Festival.

[Ghost Festival Outline]

- The goal of this festival is to help any souls that wander into the living world return to the next world without regrets by having a good time together -

- In order to make the souls think we are like them, every participant must be dressed as a ghost or monster -

(This is voluntary for spectators, but you will have more fun in costume.)

- When the cannons fire, our costumed band and parade will begin to march -

- Spectators should sing along with the music, and dance -

(All are welcome to jump in and participate.)

...Well, that was what was written there, more or less.

“Yaaaay.”

“H-Hold on, Tomoe, you’re spinning me too much!”

“...Hey, can I have a moment?” Yuriga called out to Tomoe, who had already taken Ichiha’s hand and started dancing.

“Hm? What?”

“Is this festival one of King Souma’s policies, too?”

“...Hmm, I wonder?”

“What? Are you playing dumb again?”

“You can say that, but I really haven’t heard anything this time. Though, knowing Big Brother, I’m sure there’s some deeper thinking behind a fun event like this.”

“.........”

“But before that, come on.” Having finished spinning Ichiha, she now offered her hand to Yuriga. “You can’t enjoy the festival with that look on your face. Let’s dance, Yuriga.”

“...Hmph.”

Even as she acted unamused, Yuriga took Tomoe’s hand.

◇ ◇ ◇

“This is a good place, just like Tomoe said.”

“Nyaha! Everyone needs a younger girl who’ll call them Big Sister, huh?” Roroa said with a laugh.

This was the fruit parlor at The Cat’s Tree, run by Tomoe’s school friend Lucy’s family.

In order to watch the Ghost Festival we had planned in anonymity, we had asked Lucy to reserve the whole place for the royal family. I was here together with my five wives, and our bodyguards and subordinates. To be honest, I wanted to bring Cian and Kazuha, too, but I was told it would put more of a burden on the guards, so they were left with Carla and the others in the castle.

“I know we paid, but do you think we’re hurting them, since this is a profitable time?”

“Don’t you fret. Lucy’s family’ll be makin’ their profit off the stall they’re runnin’ today, so they couldn’t spare much staff for the main business, and were only plannin’ to run it like any other day.”

“Well, I guess it’s okay then.”

“That’s right. But more importantly, Darlin’, we’ve got a good view of the fountain plaza from here.”

The fountain with the Jewel Voice Broadcast receiver system was easy to see from the second floor terrace. The image of the costumed parade dancing to the drum and fife band’s music was projected there, and it made for a fantastic, or rather a nightmarish scene.

If I recalled, Tomoe had used this place during the song battle. It was a bit far away, but you could see the gathered crowd, so it was a pretty good spot.

“Colbert and Sebastian, thank you for your cooperation, too.”

Minister of Finance Colbert, and Sebastian, the proprietor of The Silver Deer, were here too. Their help in arranging this event had been monumental.

Colbert had managed the funding and placement of loreleis, while Sebastian had handled the production of spooky costumes (basically cosplay goods) for the event. The money from goods would go to the business Roroa ran from behind the scenes, so we would be able to make back the costs of running the event somehow.

“If I have been any help to you and Lady Roroa, it brings me the greatest honor, sire.” Sebastian brought a hand to his chest and bowed reverently. He was a true gentleman.

Colbert, meanwhile, slumped his shoulders in exhaustion. “Handling the funding and arranging things with the loreleis was exhausting. I had to place guards along the parade route, and set up areas for them to prepare.”

“Ohh... Yeah, that was rough on me, too.”

I had to make documents, and keep on stamping them... I feel like I worked pretty hard myself.

As we both sighed, Roroa slapped me hard on the back. “What’re you lookin’ so glum for? It’s a festival! You’ve gotta enjoy it.”

“Hee hee, she’s right. I know half the reason we’re here is official business, but it’s like a day off, so why don’t you enjoy it as much as those two over there?”

Liscia was pointing at Naden and Aisha, who were enjoying the sweets (which had been tested for poison) that the staff here had prepared for us.

“After I saw Tomoe and her friends eating here, I wanted to try it, too.”

“I do enjoy your homemade sweets, sire, but the sort of stylish sweets that are sold in restaurants are nice, too... Munch, munch.”

The two of them were smacking their lips at the mountain of cakes and puddings before them. ...Well, they seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I guess I could leave them be. Then...

“Um, sire. Was it all right for me not to take part in the parade?” Juna asked, looking a little restless.

“Did you want to participate after all?”

“Yes... I do somewhat feel that way,” she answered embarrassedly. “It was an opportunity for my songs to be of use to you, so it was a little disappointing... Oh! But I enjoy relaxing here with everyone, too, of course.” Juna smiled softly.

Though she was the first secondary queen of this nation, she was also the people’s Prima Lorelei. If she couldn’t take part in an event that involved singing, she must have felt like a diver in front of a clear sea, but didn’t have their diving equipment. There was a reason for it, but she still felt a little bad about not being part of the event nonetheless.

“I’m sorry. This is an experimental event, so I couldn’t be sure how the people would react to it. I was too scared to let you join in...”

I had the sense that, with the way the people of this country were now, it would be fine. But if I trusted them implicitly, I would be starting from behind if something happened, and might respond too late. If I thought of the potential tragedy that might occur... I had no choice but to be careful.

Juna brought a hand to her chest. “Don’t make that face. I trust in your decisions, sire.”

“Juna...”

“Hey, could you two stop ignorin’ the rest of us and goin’ off into your own romantic little world?!”

““Whoa!””

Roroa suddenly jumped on me from behind, causing me to stumble, nearly taking Juna down with me. I managed to avoid falling over, but Roroa and Juna shrieked as I ended up spinning them both around.

“What’re you doing, geez,” Liscia said in exasperation. “But more importantly, Souma, isn’t it time you told us what the intent behind this plan is?”

“Oh, right. But rather than have me explain, it might be faster if you were to look at that.”

Having regained my balance, and with Roroa still on my back, I pointed to the fountain in the distance. In the sky above the bonfire-lit fountain plaza, there was an image of Nanna, Pamille, and Komari projected.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Oh! Looks like they’re here!” Tomoe, who was watching the parade, shouted.

The costumed band and performers had entertained the people so far, but now an even greater roar of applause came from the crowd. The line of floats that were the main attraction of the parade were here.

One of these floats, which were pulled by rhinosauruses, had the loreleis Nanna, Pamille, and Komari aboard, and another had the male idol unit, the orpheuses, Yaiba. Each of them was engulfed in the screams of their respective male or female fans.

“Hey, people! Are you feeling energetic?!”

The cat girl, Nanna, who was wearing a black tube top and hot pants together with bat wings and a pointed tail, shouted to the crowd. That outfit, which accentuated her healthy body more than her sexiness, made her look like a genuine little devil.

Then, wearing a head protector that looked like the one Hal had, along with a Japanese-style dress similar to the ones that his first wife Kaede wore, Komari stepped forward, dressed forward in an oni costume.

“Tonight, let us show you a song that will make both the living and dead dance like mad.”

“Heheh, hear my song, and be cursed.”

Rather than her usual frilly dress, Pamille was wearing a black gothic lolita style outfit, along with bandages, and an eye patch... In some ways, she might have been the one we’d stuffed the most character elements onto this time.

The members of Yaiba were dressed as Dracula, the wolf man, and Frankenstein’s monster, only modified to be cooler, and their female fans were squealing.

“Oh, hey, it’s the loreleis. They’re lookin’ mighty cute, huh?” Lucy said to herself when she saw them.

“Certainly. Even though their costumes are modeled on monsters, they are still adorable.”

“Bat wings and horns would usually be creepy, but when they’re just one part of the whole, I feel like they actually accentuate the loreleis’ cuteness.”

Velza and Ichiha agreed.

“Hrmm,” Yuriga groaned. “Is it like how, if you eat something salty in between sweets, they taste better?”

“I don’t know about that analogy... but I feel like you’re right.”

Yuriga’s unflattering explanation made Ichiha smile wryly.

The monsters look cute... Tomoe looked at the loreleis standing up on top of the float. They’re dressed like monsters, but no one minds, they’re just enjoying it, and calling them “Cool” or “Cute.” Maybe that’s what Big Brother is after? Tomoe thought that to herself as she watched the lively parade.

“Squeeeee!”

“““““Huh?!”””””

There was a sudden loud squeal from next to them. Tomoe and the others turned to look, and Velza’s eyes were sparkling as she waved her hand wildly. This was so far from the usual, cool Velza, Tomoe and the rest just kept blinking.

With no regard for their eyes on her, Velza shouted, “Lord Haaaal! Over heeeere!”

They followed Velza’s gaze, and there, on the other side of the floats, a massive red dragon was trudging along on four legs. And there on top of it was a soldier with an oni head protector on.

“Is that Hal and Ruby?”

“Isn’t that the red dragon knight who fought alongside my brother, Fuuga?”

While Tomoe and Yuriga cocked their heads to the side in shared confusion, Halbert took notice of them. He hopped down off Ruby’s back and walked over in their direction.

“Hey, Velza. And Young Miss Tomoe, too. Were you all watching together?”

“Yes, Lord Hal!” Velza responded with an energy that made Tomoe and the rest think, Is this girl really Velza?

“Oh, yeah?” Halbert plopped his hand down on top of her head. “I’m glad to see you’ve made some friends.”

“Yes! But why are you in the parade, Lord Hal?”

“Oh... Souma said, ‘You’re the Red Oni, so you can join the Ghost Festival as is,’ and forced me into it. That’s how Ruby and I got put on display in this freak show.” Halbert scratched his cheek, seeming a bit embarrassed.

“You’re not freaks! You’re cool, Lord Hal!”

“Hahaha, thanks.” He patted Velza’s head vigorously.

“Hal... It’s time to get back to it,” Ruby called to Hal telepathically.

“Whoops, gotta rejoin the procession.” Halbert turned around to head back. “Later, Velza. Enjoy the festival.”

“Bye-bye, Velza.”

“Okay! Lord Hal, Lady Ruby!”

Velza waved her hand wildly as she saw Hal and Ruby off. Once they were gone, and Velza turned around, only to be met by blank stares from Tomoe and the rest, she finally realized. Velza coughed and cleared her throat.

“...I apologize. That was unseemly of me.”

“Uh, no, it’s too late to try and keep up appearances now.”

Yuriga’s calm retort made Velza turn red. Then it clicked for Tomoe.

“Wait, could it be that the person you were saying you want to serve is Hal?”

“...D-Did you figure that out?”

“If you’re actin’ that different around him, who wouldn’t?” Lucy chimed in, and Ichiha followed up with, “I-I think it was cute, and very appropriate for a girl your age.”

Velza covered her face with her hands. “I had tried to act aloof and keep it hidden, but it came out so easily.”

“Nyahaha, you’re so cute, Velie.”

Tomoe and the rest just chuckled as Lucy poked Velza in the cheek, who smiled shyly at their reactions.

It was a night during summer break. The children enjoyed the festival to their heart’s content.

Afterword

Thank you for purchasing the eleventh volume of Realist Hero. This is Dojyomaru, who is slightly relieved to see the afterword in its proper place.

This volume is mainly about the kids, Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga, going to school. They’re joined by Velza, who has appeared occasionally since the first volume, and a new character, Lucy, who is like a mini-Roroa. Regardless of whether or not it will be depicted in the story, I’m sure Tomoe and her friends will have a great time at school.

If I were to discuss one alternative possibility here, it was possible that Souma might have gone to school instead.

At the end of volume five, it was mentioned that one option that Hakuya considered to shut down the constant proposals to Souma was sending him to the Officers’ Academy or Royal Academy, (The invitation from the Star Dragon Mountain Range happened to come in at just that time, so the plan was shelved, and he ended up doing foreign trips instead) but this is something the author was considering, too.

I thought a story where he went to the Royal Academy with Liscia and Aisha, and they recruited talented people there, might work, but because there are so many school stories in the light novel genre, it would be difficult to set this one apart from others, so I gave up on the idea. But as I was imagining what it would be like if Souma went to school with Liscia and the others, I thought it was workable.

Well, let’s let Tomoe enjoy school life as much as Souma would have.

They say school is a microcosm of society.

Perhaps that means we can say that the academic scenes which Tomoe and her friends experience are a microcosm of the Kingdom’s society.

The authoritarianism of the Royal Academy has crumbled, and now those with skill and talent are welcomed. The children of the knights and nobility actively vie to build a connection with people of talent, and those who might be called prodigies. When they step out into the adult world, I think the Kingdom will change even more than it already has.

Now then, I’m sure those of you following me on Pixiv will already realize this, but this volume has been separated out from the story set in the Mercenary State, Zem, which originally was part of the same chapter as it.

There were a lot of places where I cut corners in the characterization during the web version of the Zem Arc, so I am taking the opportunity to rework it for the book edition. There is a need to write a lot of new content to make it a full volume, and that requires more time than usual, so please forgive me, as I suspect the next volume will take longer than usual to come out.

Now then, I give my thanks to the illustrator Fuyuyuki, to Satoshi Ueda for the manga adaptation, to my editor, the designers, the proofreaders, and everyone who now holds this book in their hands.

This has been Dojyomaru.

Bonus Short Stories

Encouragement for a Hard Worker

“...How does it look?”

Inside Prime Minister Hakuya’s work room, the girl from Malmkhitan, Yuriga Haan, was standing in front of her teacher, Hakuya. He looked at the piece of paper she had handed him, then sighed.

“With your current grades...” Hakuya said, returning Yuriga’s test paper to her. “It’ll be difficult for you to get into the same class at the academy as Little Sister and Sir Ichiha.”

“I... see.”

With the academy’s entrance examination, which would determine their class assignments, fast approaching, Yuriga was gauging her placement with a mock exam that Hakuya had put together. Because classes at the academy were divided by their results, Tomoe and Ichiha were seen as shoo-ins for the class for students with excellent grades. For Yuriga, though, it was uncertain whether or not she would be able to get into that class with them.

“There’s really no need to strain yourself to get into the same class, is there? You’ll be together at the castle either way, so you’ll only be separated during class time.”

“I-It’s not like I don’t want to be separated from them!” Yuriga turned her head to the side peevishly. “...Sir. I just can’t accept Tomoe and Ichiha getting ahead of me.”

“Is that so?” He could sort of tell that Yuriga was putting up a strong front from her tone, but he knew she would stubbornly deny it if he pointed that out, so Hakuya decided to let it slide. “But if you want to raise your grades any more than this in such a short time... it’s going to be a lot of trouble, you know?”

“I am prepared for that.”

“...Very well. Let’s increase the amount of studying you’ll do,” Hakuya said, as he plopped his hand down on top of Yuriga’s head. “But you mustn’t push yourself too hard. If you ruin your health, Little Sister will be sad.”

“I-I don’t really care how Tomoe feels about it, but... Okay,” Yuriga responded, sounding a little like a tsundere.

After that, Yuriga studied like mad, even late into the night—to the point where Tomoe and Ichiha were worried she was straining herself too much.

Yuriga was once again sitting at her desk studying away, when a sudden knock came at the door, breaking her concentration.

“Y-Yes?” Yuriga called out, slightly shocked. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Souma and Liscia came in.

“Sir Souma? And Lady Liscia, too? What brings you here so late at night?”

“Well, Hakuya tells us you’ve been studying hard,” Souma responded to the suspicious Yuriga with a smile. “That’s why I’ve fixed you a late-night snack. You know, to help encourage you. But I felt like a man shouldn’t be visiting a girl’s room late at night, even if she is just a child, so I had Liscia come, too.”

Souma showed her a tray with a rice ball on it. That must be the midnight snack, Yuriga thought.

Standing next to him, Liscia let out an exasperated sigh. “Souma always worries about the strangest things.”

“I mean, Fuuga entrusted us with caring for her. I’d be in real trouble if any untoward rumors started going around.”

“Well, sure, but...”

“Um... Thank you for your consideration, Sir Souma,” Yuriga cut in. It was going to be a bother for her if they started having a marital spat in her doorway, after all. Liscia shut her mouth and Souma smiled, bringing the tray over to Yuriga’s desk and leaving it there.

“This takes me back,” Souma commented. “When I was studying at night, my grandma would bring me snacks, too. It feels a bit different from dinner, doesn’t it?”

“You studied at night, too, Sir Souma?”

“Yeah. Because this world’s only source of stable light is lightmoss, studying at night isn’t all that common, but in my world, it was bright even in the dead of night. Besides, the year before being summoned here I had entrance exams, too... That’s why, well, even if this is all I can do, I wanted to say, ‘Keep it up,’ Yuriga.”

“...Right. Thank you.”

Once Yuriga thanked them, Souma and Liscia left the room.

When they came out of the room, Tomoe was standing next to the door.

Patting Tomoe on the head, Souma said, “I gave her the rice ball you made.”

“Thank you, Big Brother.”

Tomoe had wanted to do something for Yuriga who was working so hard, and she turned to Souma and the others for advice. Making this late-night snack was Souma’s suggestion.

And so, she made the rice ball. If Yuriga knew it was Tomoe who made it, she might be too stubborn to accept it, so Souma and Liscia, the king and queen, gave it to her instead; that way she couldn’t refuse.

I want us to be in the same class, too, Yuriga, Tomoe thought as she looked at the closed door.

Those Who are Nameless Have Stories, Too

In a dark room, inside a building, within the Royal Academy, a number of people were gathered.

“Everyone, tomorrow is the day that he will grace our academy with his presence.”

“President! Has the day come at last?!” one of the individuals asked excitedly.

The young man in glasses whom they had called “president” gave a big nod and replied, “Yes, our Monster Research Society is about to make a giant leap!”

These were the students enrolled in the Monster Research Society, MonSoc for short.

As the name would indicate, this was a campus group dedicated to the research of monsters, but because of how creepy their subject of choice was, they were often looked at with disdain by other students. In the caste structure of this school, it was fair to say that they were at the very bottom. However, with the publication of one book in the royal capital, that had begun to change greatly of late.

Hakuya, the prime minister of this country, had worked with Ichiha Chima, an exchange student from the Duchy of Chima in the Union of Eastern Nations, to make major waves in the field of monster research. Their result: The Monster Encyclopedia. Before now, the research of monsters had been taboo. But because of the direct connections to national defense and the economy, this book, which included drawings by Ichiha that even a layman could understand, became an overnight bestseller (but not really, because it was mostly being lent out, not sold).

With the importance of monster research having become widely known thanks to the Monster Encyclopedia, MonSoc had seen its own existence reevaluated. The fact that this club, which had only been joined by nerdy guys before, now had female members, was one sign of that... Incidentally, those female members watched the president and the other excitable guys with exasperation.

“Tomorrow is the entrance ceremony, and they say that our god, Sir Ichiha, will be there! We must invite him into our society, no matter what it takes!”

“But President, the competition between clubs and societies for new students is intensifying. How can an indoorsy group like us compete?”

Ever since Souma took the throne, the knightly and noble classes had changed their values, upsetting the basis of authority at the academy that had existed up until that point as demand grew for personnel who were specialized in one particular art. This applied to the clubs and societies as well, and was exactly why female students had joined MonSoc.

“...Yes. That certainly is a problem,” the president said, crossing his arms and groaning.

One girl who had been watching them up until this point raised her hand. “President, if I were to talk to him, I think I could manage it.”

The president adjusted his glasses and asked, “What do you mean to do, Sara?”

“There are some kids from my house who are on the athletics teams. With their help, I believe it would be easy to secure one new student.”

The female student known as Sara was the daughter of a noble family of middling importance in this country. Based on her blonde hair, slightly gaudy clothes, and her lineage, it was honestly a mystery what she was doing in this club.

“Hmm, but are you certain? I’m sure the athletics clubs want new members, too,” the president said, concern rising in his voice. “Is it all right for their members to support us? Besides which, relying on influence like that is frowned upon at the academy now. Won’t this be trouble for you?”

“The athletics clubs want people who are actually athletic,” Sara replied, waving her hand. “He may be highly capable, but like the rest of you, Ichiha’s not that good at physical exercise, right?”

“Yes, most likely.”

“In that case, the athletics clubs shouldn’t want him. If I let them know I’ll be borrowing their members in advance, I think it should be fine.” Sara stood up. “That being the case, President, I’d like to go negotiate immediately, so please come with me.”

“N-Now? I’m, um, not emotionally prepared for this...”

“You want to bring Ichiha into the club, no matter what, right?”

“...Yes, okay. Let’s go.”

And so, the two of them left the room. As they were walking down the hall together, the president tried talking to Sara, “You know, I’m quite happy to see a talented person like you joining MonSoc.”

“No, no. I joined for my own benefit, so don’t worry about it.”

“Your own benefit? Are you aiming for Sir Ichiha, perhaps?” the president suggested.

“Ahaha. I may come from a noble family, but I’m not about to do something as above my station as going after a VIP from another country,” Sara said, wiping the corner of her eye. “Though, I do have instructions from the family to stake my claim on any gentleman I find interesting.”

The president crossed his arms and groaned. “Hmm. I wonder if anyone has been up to your standards.”

“...Yes. Well,” Sara said with a suppressed chuckle. “Have no worries, I’m marking my territory now.”

Those without names have their own stories, too.

Roroa and Mini Roroa

“Squeee! Lady Roroa! You’re Lady Roroa, aren’t ya?!”

“Wh-What, why’re you shoutin’ all of a sudden?”

It was the day Tomoe had brought her friends to the castle. When Lucy saw the object of her admiration, Roroa, she started bursting with excitement, and immediately took Roroa’s hand.

“I’m a big fan! Let me shake your hand!”

Then, without waiting for a response, she began vigorously shaking Roroa’s hand. There were a number of things that happened afterwards, but once it had all settled down, Souma and his five queens, and Tomoe and her four friends, all had tea together in one big group of eleven.

Naturally, Lucy sneakily grabbed a seat next to Roroa.

“Ohhh, Big Sister Roroa.”

The way Lucy was fawning over her put an uncharacteristically troubled look on Roroa’s face.

“Nobody’s ever called me Big Sister before. It feels kinda funny.”

“Then how about Big-Sister-in-Law Roroa?”

“Who’re you plannin’ on marryin’?! Neither me or Darlin’ have a little brother, y’know?”

“Well, how about Momma Roroa?”

“You’re gonna marry my kid?! How big an age gap is that gonna be?!”

“I figure I’ve got a pretty wide strike zone.”

“I don’t care! I’m not givin’ my kid to just anybody!”

“I’m not just anybody. My family runs The Cat’s Tree.”

“I know that much!”

“Oh, yeah, come to think of it, you have an older brother, right?”

“Huh? Well... Yeah, I do.”

“If I were to get hitched with him, maybe I couldn’t be your little-sister-in-law, but you’d be mine, huh? Lady Roroa as my little sister... I could go for that, too.”

“No, you couldn’t! Nuh-uh... Maybe I oughta take this girl down, here and now, for my big brother and big-sister-in-law’s peace of mind?”

“I’m just kiddin’ about all of this. I’d really rather you be my Big Sister.”

“Urgh... After all this back and forth, I’m thinkin’ maybe I’m ready to just accept that.”

“If it means you’ll let me call you Big Sister, I don’t mind bein’ your little brother!”

“You’re gettin’ a sex change?! Do you really need to go that far?!”

“Hey, now, ya never know. I know how I look, but maybe I’m actually a boy in girls’ clothin’.”

“A cross-dressin’ boy?! Those exist?!”

“The opposite does, too, y’know? Ichiha has a cute face, doesn’t he?”

“Ichiha’s a cross-dressin’ girl?! You know... I’d buy it.”

“Hold on, you two!” He hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise up until now, but when they started calling him a cross-dressing girl, Ichiha finally couldn’t take anymore and spoke up. “Who are you calling a cross-dressing girl?! I’m a boy!”

“Oh, but Ichiha would look good in some of my clothes...” Tomoe muttered.

“Even you, Tomoe?!”

Being that she was someone who he got along with, Ichiha became visibly depressed. When she saw that, Roroa gave Lucy a light poke in the head. “Hey, your joke went and got Ichiha real sad.”

“Nyahaha! Soooo-ryyyy.”

“Are ya really? I dunno, I’m not convinced.”

“I am, okaaaay? My regret runs higher than the mountain fold, and deeper than the valley fold.”

“Origami folds?! That’s some paper-thin regret!”

“I’m just tryin’ to paper things over here.”

“See, you’re not really that sorry at all!”

“Jeez, Big Sister Roroa, you’re so needy.”

“Me?! I’m the bad one here?!”

“...You two really are in sync,” Liscia cut-in with an exasperated sigh. Everyone nodded in agreement.

“If you told me she was Roroa’s sister, I would believe it,” Aisha said. And Souma followed up with, “She’s like a mini Roroa.”

Roroa’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, slamming her hands down on the table as she stood up, she jabbed a finger in Lucy’s direction. “Huh? I’m like this?”

“You didn’t realize? Well, I do find that part of you annoyingly cute, you know?” Souma said.

“Drop the annoyin’ bit! I thought I was the lovable type!”

As Roroa was reeling in plain shock, Lucy moved up right next to her. “I love ya. I even keep a tiny shrine to Lady Roroa on the shop’s premises.”

“That’s some overbearin’ love! It’s already turnin’ into a religion!”

“Oh, is Lady Roroa a cute goddess?”

““““““““““She’s a queen!”””””””””” everyone there retorted in unison.

Incidentally, because this exchange was so funny, Souma would later decide to start this world’s first comedy program featuring Roroa and Lucy, but... that’s another story.

In Velza’s Room

Velza had a room in a girls’ dormitory on the grounds of the Royal Academy.

“So you’ve been living in the dorm, huh, Vel?” Tomoe asked.

“Yes. My family home in the God-Protected Forest is quite far from here, after all.”

Today, Velza had invited three of her friends: Tomoe, Yuriga, and Lucy, to come and visit her room. This was because, when they found out Velza lived in the dorm, Tomoe and the others had said they’d like to see her room there. Incidentally, because there was a strict “no boys allowed” policy in the girls’ dorm, Ichiha had been unable to come.

Lucy chuckled. “Well, knowin’ how pretty Ichiha is, if we tried dressin’ him up in girls clothes, I’d bet he could’ve gotten in, wouldn’t you?”

“Ahh, that’s for sure. I think he’d make a real beauty.”

“...Give the poor kid a break.”

Tomoe ended up agreeing despite herself, but Yuriga played the straight man role.

Looking around the room, Lucy said, “Still, it’s more normal than I’d’ve expected.”

“So, what kind of room were you imagining?”

“Weeeellll.” Lucy snickered. “Seein’ as you’re a dark elf, Velie, and they’re famous for bein’ incredible archers and all, I was expectin’ to see a bow and arrow, along with heads from all the animals ya hunted.”

“Honestly. This isn’t the officers’ academy. There are rules banning weapons here, so I left my favorite bow and quiver at home.”

“...So ya do have them then.” Lucy smiled wryly at the matter-of-fact way Velza mentioned it.

Now it was Tomoe’s turn to ask a question, “I don’t see a kitchen. How do you eat?”

“In the cafeteria. Meals are prepared for students who live in the dorms.”

“Hmm. The same as Ichiha and me then, huh?” said Yuriga.

Since they lived in Parnam Castle, it was common for them to eat at the cafeteria there. Because they were foreign guests, they could have asked for room service, but it was boring eating alone, so they went to the cafeteria. Tomoe and her family occasionally joined them, so dinner could get quite lively there.

“Hey, that sounds like it could end up bein’ fun, too,” said Lucy, who had decided to lie down on Vela’s bed at some point. Out of everyone present, she was the one living the most normal life.

“Isn’t it easier being able to commute from home every day?” Velza asked.

“No, no,” Lucy replied, waving her hand at the idea. “If I’m at home, I get dragged into helpin’ at the shop, and that means havin’ to be the lovable poster girl for all our customers, y’know? ...Well, I do get an allowance for doin’ it, so I don’t really mind.”

“Well, aren’t you crafty?” Yuriga shrugged.

“You wanna try workin’, too, Yurie? I think ya’d be popular.”

“...Training for club is too much already. I can’t do work on top of that,” she replied with a serious look on her face. Members of the Mage Soccer Club were often subjected to harsh training.

“Oh, uh, sorry.” Lucy backed down.

Tomoe clapped her hands and said, “But it’s great being able to earn money for yourself. I think it’d be lovely if I could give Big Brother and my big sisters birthday presents with money that I earned myself.”

“If you started working, a third of the customers at the shop would be your bodyguards.”

“Ohh, you’ve got a point there, Yuriga.”

Tomoe smiled wryly as she imagined the faces of the guards who were always so concerned for her. They wouldn’t just be watching from the shadows, there would likely be plainclothes bodyguards mixed in with the customers, too.

“If they’re payin’ customers, I’m more than happy to welcome her bodyguards.”

“You really are a crafty one,” Yuriga retorted again with a shrug.

Velza quietly raised her hand. “In that case, I would like to try working. It seems the Cooking Society doesn’t meet every day.”

“Do you mean it? We’d be thrilled to have ya, Velie,” Lucy said gleefully and hugged Velza’s arm. “We can be the poster girls for The Cat’s Tree. We’ll take the world by storm.”

“I don’t really want to take the world by storm... just make money.”

“Is there something you want?” Tomeo asked.

“I want to give a present to the people who’ve taken care of me, too,” Velza responded shyly.

Who was she imagining? The way her cheeks flushed and she smiled a little made the other three curious.

“A present? Who for? Who for?”

“Could this be for the person you were saying you wanted to serve?”

“I’m not lettin’ go of this arm until you tell us.”

“I-It’s a secret.”

As the three pressed in closer, Velza turned her head to the side. They kept at it until Velza could take no more and exploded, and the girls’ talk continued from there.

Making Goods for the Ghost Festival

“Your Majesty, I have come at your behest,” Sebastian said with a reverent bow upon arriving.

I had called Roroa and Sebastian to the governmental affairs office today. In putting on the Ghost Festival, I was going to be leaning on Roroa’s company, which Sebastian was the public face of, so I needed to talk to the two of them quickly.

“I want to create some things that will make it easy for ordinary people to dress up for the Ghost Festival.” I laid a piece of paper out on the desk where it was easy for them to see. It was a simple sketch of a hairband with cat ears on it. “I’d like for your company to develop and mass-produce items like this one, which lets people dress up with just one part of their body.”

I was thinking of something like the mouse ears sold at a certain “land of dreams” in order to help guests enjoy the park. (Or was it to subject them to peer pressure from their fellow guests?)

“We don’t have much time before the event, but could I ask you to take care of it?”

“Let’s see...” said Sebastian, who looked like the sort of gentleman who should be drinking Earl Grey tea and stroking his mustache. “If we can gain the cooperation of companies with the right connections, mass-producing simple things should be possible. Though, that assumes we have decided on what will be produced from the start.”

That meant we wouldn’t make it in time if we started by just rattling off ideas. That was within the realm of expectations.

“I want to narrow down the number of items, and decide what we are going to do here. I plan to put a lot of detail into the loreleis’ outfits, but for the people’s costumes, cheap, simple, and plentiful is what we want.”

Besides, there would be a sense of taboo around dressing up in any monster costume that was too involved. I had talked this over with Bishop Souji and the higher-ups of the other state religions, but it was the first time we were doing this, so I needed to carefully watch the people’s reactions.

“I’ll be having the loreleis wear demon-like costumes, but we’ll need other ghost costumes, too.”

“Ghosts, huh...? I can’t think of any.” Roroa crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side.

...Oh, right. This world doesn’t have a lot of different ideas of what ghosts are like. There was just the traditional ghost, and the will o’ wisp. Because zombies and skeletons actually existed, they were categorized as monsters instead. The flame pierrots I had invented had been treated like a new kind of monster, too. It had to be the fact that you couldn’t see them that gave ghosts and youkai their flavor.

“So, I was thinking I’d fill in the gap with ghosts from my world. Using the ones that can be made the cutest... For a start, there’s this.” I showed them a cutesy drawing of a ghost I’d drawn from memory.

“Darlin’, what’s this?”

“It’s a jiangshi. They’re a type of ghost from my world.”

“What kind of youkai is it?”

“It’s a reanimated corpse... I guess. Some sort of mage puts a talisman on them, and then is able to control them freely... Basically, it’s like a remote control zombie. This one’s foreign to me, too, so I couldn’t go into detail about the origins of it and whatnot.”

“Hmm... Is there anythin’ a bit more distinctive about it?” Roroa asked.

“Well...” I wracked my brain. “Because of rigor mortis, they can’t bend their arms and legs, so they hop along like this, with their arms outstretched.”

I stood up and imitated the child jiangshi from an old movie my grandpa had, doing the jiangshi jump in time with a children’s song about pigeons. That caught Roroa’s attention, and her eyes sparkled.

“What’s that all about?! It’s an awfully cheerful ghost.”

“No, scary jiangshi are properly scary, though...”

Hrm... I feel like I’m not communicating this right. The only image I had of jiangshi was that movie, and I lacked the information to correct it. Maybe this was what it was like when foreigners got the wrong idea about samurai.

“Got anythin’ else?”

“Well, there’s this one ghost that’s a giant single eye that says, ‘You damn lolicons’...”

That was how I ended up explaining the ghosts of my old world to Roroa. Because my tastes were a tad eccentric, I may have gotten riled up and given her some wrong information, too. The result of all this was some simple costumes for the jiangshi, tengu, wolf man, wolf woman, among others. But in addition to those costumes, Roroa’s company also sold an encyclopedia of Earth’s youkai, which was well-received. That caused a ghost story boom in the castle, and...

“Souma! Would you stop trying to turn the royal capital into a den of demons?!”

In the end, I ended up getting another lecture from Liscia.

The Ghost Festival (The Republic Team’s Perspective)

“Ookyakya! This is getting exciting!” Kuu was enjoying himself as he looked around at all the hustle and bustle of the festival.

The trio of Kuu, Taru, and Leporina had come to the first Parnaam Ghost Festival, which was being sponsored by Souma, as regular attendees. Leporina, who was wearing a short black dress with bat wings growing out of the back of it spun around in front of Kuu.

“Hey, hey, Master Kuu, does this suit me?”

She was wearing a devil girl costume. The thin dress accentuated her figure, making Kuu avert his eyes awkwardly.

“W-Well... I guess it’s okay?” Thump! “Ow!”

He turned around in the direction of the blow to his head, and there, wearing a pointy witch’s hat and black cape, looking a little dissatisfied, was Taru.

“Wh-What’s the big idea, Taru?!”

“You don’t understand how women feel, Master Kuu. You have to look at her properly.”

“You can say that all you want, but Leporina’s...”

“Not just your bodyguard anymore?” Taru asked him with unswerving eyes. Kuu was speechless.

A little before Souma’s wedding ceremony, Kuu had gotten engaged to his childhood friends Taru and Leporina. Basically, that meant that this Ghost Festival was his first festival date with his two fiancées. Up until now, because of his feelings for Taru, even if he noticed his own affection for Leporina, he had done his best not to look at her as a woman. But now that he had accepted her as a fiancée with Taru’s blessing, he had to see her as a woman.

I tried to ignore her all this time... Can you blame me for being confused?

Leporina smiled, as if she could see right through what Kuu was thinking. “I get it, Master Kuu. You’re feeling shy, right?”

“D-Don’t be stupid. Why would I feel that way towards you...?”

“Hee hee, you can look more, you know? I dressed up to get you to compliment me, after all,” Leporina said, striking a pose.

“Oh, yeah? Bring it on! In that case, I’m gonna look!”

Kuu stared hard at Leporina. She had the beauty of a model, with her arms and legs being long and slender, but the rest of her body sticking out in all the right places...

“Take that!”

“Ow! Again, Taru?!”

Taking another smack upside the head, Kuu’s eyes watered a little as he protested the abuse, but Taru held her staff tight as she looked away peevishly.

“When you only look at Leporina... it kind of makes me mad.”

“Isn’t that kind of unreasonable?!”

“...I dressed up today, too.”

“You dressed up, huh?” Kuu said as he rubbed his head. “Yeah, I think you look cute, too, of course. You usually dress like a boy, but today you’re dressed up as a girl, even if it’s as a witch. There’s no way you wouldn’t look cute.”

There was a moment of surprise, then, “...Thanks.”

Taru remained expressionless, but there was something not unpleasant about her expression as she thanked him. When she saw the look on Taru’s face, Leprina’s cheeks puffed up with dissatisfaction.

“Murgh... How is it you can be so forthcoming with praise for Taru? You didn’t even hesitate.”

Kuu let out his trademark monkey-like laugh. “Hey, I’ve been trying to woo her for way longer. How could I be embarrassed about it now?”

“Whaaaa, is that how it works?”

“Yeah. Complimenting you, on the other hand... I feel like you’re going to give me a smug look, so it feels complicated doing it.”

“Wait, what does that mean?!”

“...I kind of get where you’re coming from.”

“Even you, Taru?!”

The unexpected betrayal from Taru left Leporina the one on the verge of tears this time. But seeing Leporina with tears in her eyes, Kuu and Taru both agreed that it was kind of unfair how cute she looked.

They looked at one another, then each offered a hand to Leporina.

“Come on, don’t mope forever. Let’s go, Leporina.”

“We don’t get to have a festival every day. We’ve got to enjoy it.”

Looking at the hands she’d been offered, Leporina wiped her tears and smiled.

“Okay! I wouldn’t want you leaving me behind, after all!”

With that said, she grasped both their hands firmly.

The relationship between the three childhood friends seemed unchanged, and yet maybe a little different... Well, that was about how it was.