Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 11 - Chapter 1

Tulip

Tuesday, March 16th

As March begins, school clubs have an important job to do: recruit new members.

As a public school, Kisshouharukaze High School holds its entrance exams on two different dates, and the results are announced on the 5th and 20th of March accordingly. But since clubs are such a big part of school life at Harukaze High and all of the students take their clubs seriously, no one is willing to wait until the school entrance ceremony to try and start recruiting new blood. No, the intense battle to recruit promising new students starts on the days the entrance exam results are announced.

Of course, both Koutarou and Harumi of the knitting society would be taking part in the recruiting battle too. And in preparation for that day, they had come to the shopping street to purchase some supplies. They were feeling especially motivated, and were prepared to spend their own personal money in addition to their remaining club funds.

“We have to recruit some fresh faces this time around.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t any help...”

“Th-That’s not what I meant!”

Since they hadn’t had any luck on the first announcement date for the entrance exams, they were hedging their bets on the second round of announcements that would come on the 20th.

On the first announcement day, Harumi had been whisked away by the drama club and forced to wear a princess dress to help them promote their club. Koutarou was left to recruit for the knitting society on his own, and the results were lacking, to say the least. The knitting society wasn’t very popular to begin with, and having an athletic-looking guy recruiting for them drove just about everyone away.

But after that, Koutarou and Harumi put their heads together and decided they’d put their all into recruiting on the second day.

“It doesn’t look good if the president of the society isn’t present, does it?”

“Don’t worry. The drama club is supposedly changing up their tactics for the second day, so we shouldn’t have a repeat of last time.”

The drama club was ordinarily a small one, but they’d seen a great surge in applications this year. The two plays they’d put on recently had had quite a showing and really helped spread interest in what they were doing. That’s why they’d wanted Harumi around in her Alaia costume to help get people’s attention.

It had been so successful, in fact, that they’d gotten plenty of applications already, so they were planning on trying a different approach for the second day. This time around, they were going to line up their best-looking boys and crossdressing girls to attract a different crowd. Since neither Koutarou nor Harumi would be any help with that, the knitting society would be off the hook, allowing them to properly do their own recruiting.

“But...”

Despite that, a small worry was budding in Harumi’s chest.

I would be happy if we got more members... but then it wouldn’t be just me and Satomi-kun anymore...

As the president of the club, Harumi absolutely wanted new members. She wanted to keep the knitting society from being shut down before she graduated, and she was hoping to recruit at least one new girl before then. It was obvious what would happen if Koutarou was left to recruit on his own next year.

But at the same time, she also secretly wanted to protect the time she had alone with Koutarou. To her, club activities were a way to spend time with the boy she loved. That was precious to her. As a girl, she hoped that no one would join so that things would continue as they were with the just two of them.

Those two conflicting desires tugged at Harumi’s heart, and she couldn’t help the introspective look on her face as she turned them over in her head.

“Is something wrong?” Koutarou asked, peering over at her.

“Oh, u-um... I was just thinking that if we get more members, w-we’ll probably have to change how we do our activities...”

Harumi hurriedly gave an ambiguous answer. She couldn’t even imagine admitting what was really on her mind, so that was the best she could manage.

“Ah, right, it’s always just been the two of us. If we get more people, we’ll probably be able to do more, so I guess we do need to think about that too.”

Koutarou took Harumi’s words positively and nodded. Since he’d been in the baseball club in middle school, he knew what getting more members could mean for them. There was a big difference between having eighteen members and being able to play practice matches within the team, for example, and only being able to play against other teams because they didn’t have enough people to fill every position. Of course, the knitting society was probably nothing like a baseball team, but having more people around would still mean more opportunities for them as a group. At least, that was the conclusion Koutarou came to—and he couldn’t have been further from what Harumi was really thinking.

“I’m more concerned about what we won’t be able to do...” Harumi mumbled in a whisper so that Koutarou couldn’t hear her.

She wouldn’t be able to feed Koutarou cookies she’d baked herself. They wouldn’t be able to listen to new CDs together. She wouldn’t be able to get Koutarou to try the new boxed lunches she’d made. And she wouldn’t be able to secretly have Koutarou rest on her lap when he fell asleep. If they got more members, they wouldn’t be able to do anything intimate like that anymore, and that was a serious problem for Harumi.

“I’d love to do an exhibit during the cultural festival. Of course... I’m sure my handiwork would be a disaster.”

However, Koutarou was still oblivious to Harumi’s real worry, and was excitedly thinking about what they could do with more members in the club. Seeing that, Harumi pouted childishly.

“What’s with that face?”

“Satomi-kun, you nincompoop.”

She looked so adorable to Koutarou when she said those words that he couldn’t contain himself.

“Wh-What’s this? Ahahaha!”

“Nincompoop! I said you’re a nincompoop, Satomi-kun!”

Harumi hadn’t revealed how she truly felt to Koutarou because she thought it was still too early for that. But even so, she was frustrated that he didn’t understand her. She couldn’t just let it go, so it would be a while yet before she stopped pouting and Koutarou stopped laughing.

After finishing buying the supplies they needed, including a foam signboard and a permanent marker, they walked to the bus stop. Harumi would be taking the bus home from there.

“From time to time, you’re extremely cute, Sakuraba-senpai.”

Koutarou recalled Harumi’s uncharacteristically pouting face from earlier and began chuckling again. In response, Harumi blushed and looked down.

“P-Please forget about that.”

“No way. I’ll remember that for a while whenever I need a good laugh.”

“Satomi-kun, you meanie...”

Her face dyed red, Harumi glanced up at him pleadingly before looking away again. She was blushing so hard now that even her neck had turned red, and given her ordinarily pale complexion, it stood out quite vividly.

I guess I went a little too far. I’ll stop it here.

After deciding to back off, Koutarou paused for a moment to put his shopping bags on the ground and began swinging his arms in circles.

“What are you doing?”

Noticing his movements, Harumi curiously raised her head. She follow his arms with her eyes, looking quite confused. She was gradually returning to her normal self.

“Actually, my shoulders have been feeling stiff lately.”

Koutarou stopped swinging his arms as he answered Harumi’s question. He then formed a fist with his right hand and beat at the scruff of his neck. Stiff shoulders wasn’t something he’d invented just to change the subject. It was something he struggled with from time to time, but it had indeed been getting worse lately. He’d been through so much over the last year that he figured it was a sign of fatigue.

“Stiff shoulders...?”

After watching Koutarou for a moment, Harumi finally revealed a big smile.

“Then let me massage them for you, Satomi-kun.”

Harumi seemed quite pleased with her idea as she began pantomiming rubbing his shoulders in the air in front of her with a big smile on her face. It was even more adorable than her pouting, and Koutarou almost burst out laughing all over again. But he did his best to hold it back. She’d offered to help him out, and he didn’t want to get on her bad side again.

“P-Please do.”

“Then let’s have a seat over there, Satomi-kun.”

A cheerful Harumi beckoned him towards the bench by the bus stop. Koutarou obliged, still trying to hold in his laughter. He had to be careful. If he slipped up even a little, he was still primed to bust a gut.

“You do seem really stiff.”

“Pfft...”

Harumi took Koutarou’s odd behavior as a sign of his condition, and she eagerly sat down next to him on the bench. He was lucky that he’d already turned his back to her and couldn’t see her adorably grinning face. If he had, he wouldn’t have been able to keep his laughter in any longer.

“Here I go.”

“Okay.”

Harumi put her slender fingers on Koutarou’s shoulders.

Satomi-kun’s back...

Harumi froze. With Koutarou’s broad shoulders and muscular back right in front of her, she was seized with a strong urge to hug him. When she imagined embracing Koutarou and whispering a confession into his ear, Harumi’s heart began racing and her face turned red. Her body stiffened and she was unable to move.

“Senpai?”

Confused that Harumi had suddenly stopped moving, Koutarou turned around to look at her. His carefree glance freed her from her frozen state.

“Is something wrong?”

“Um, it’s just been a while since I massaged someone’s shoulders... so I was wondering how I should do it...”

“Ah, feel free to be rough. I’m built pretty sturdy.”

Koutarou smiled and looked forward again. He didn’t seem to have any idea what Harumi was really thinking.

“Okay, then...”

Relieved by that, Harumi collected herself and began to move her fingers again. Since Koutarou had told her not to hold back, she put some pressure into it.

“Sakuraba-senpai, that kind of tickles.”

“Oh? Then... should I do it harder?”

Harumi’s eyes opened wide in surprise. She felt like she was being rather forceful, but as weak as she was, it was nothing more than a tickle to Koutarou.

“Y-Yeah, go for it. Right now, that just... Wahaha!”

“Okay... Then I’ll do it a little harder...”

Seeing Koutarou laughing, Harumi poured all of her strength into her fingers.

“Ah, now it’s getting good.”

When she did, Koutarou stopped laughing. Harumi had finally reached the kind of force that he desired.

“...Y-You’re not just big, Satomi-kun, you’re tough too.”

Harumi felt honest admiration for Koutarou as she massaged his shoulders with all of her strength. To her, Koutarou didn’t exactly look like a body builder. But as she touched him, she could tell that his muscles were all well defined and regularly trained. It was nothing like rubbing her father’s back.

“I’m working hard at my part-time job at the dig site, after all.”

Koutarou’s physique had undergone a transformation during his continuous training in Forthorthe. But it wasn’t like he could tell Harumi that. Since Harumi was the spitting image of Alaia, he often found himself almost talking about Forthorthe with her. But he knew that bringing it up would only confuse her, so he took care not to say too much.

“Your part-time job sounds rough.”

“Well, thanks to that, I’m getting buff... Take a look!”

With that, Koutarou looked back towards Harumi and flexed a little.

“Kyah!”

The shoulders that Harumi was massaging tensed up and pushed back against her slender fingers.

“Jeez, Satomi-kun! I can’t give you a massage like this!”

Harumi clenched her fist as she complained to Koutarou, but it was hopelessly unconvincing. Adorable, peace-loving Harumi didn’t look like she could even hurt a fly.

“Pfft!”

And it was that very contradiction that caused the strength to leave Koutarou’s shoulders. He saw Harumi’s puffed up cheeks and her small fists held up in front of her chest, and couldn’t take it anymore. All of a sudden, the laughter he’d held back before come roaring to the surface.

“S-Sakuraba-senpai, pfft! Ahahahahaha!”

“Satomi-kun!”

“I-I’m sorry! Y-You just looked so adorable, I couldn’t help myself... Ack, ahem...”

“You don’t have to laugh so hard you choke!”

Harumi fussed at Koutarou while he suffered through his laughing fit. It lasted until Harumi’s bus came, so Koutarou didn’t end up getting any help with his stiff shoulders.

After parting ways with Harumi, Koutarou headed for home alone. His steps were light since he was in a good mood.

“Sakuraba-senpai has really been beaming lately, like she’s coming out of her shell. It seems like having her participate in the play kinda did the trick.”

Koutarou and Harumi had met roughly a year ago now, when Koutarou came to get his own exam results. Back then, Harumi was introverted and guarded. She hardly ever revealed how she felt. At best, Koutarou only got to see a smile every now and then during their club activities. But that had all changed over the past year. Harumi had gotten to meet lots of new people, and she’d made friends in her class. Before that, her only friends were Koutarou and Yurika, so this was all a big step forward.

“I guess this is all really thanks to Theia.”

Theia’s manuscript had served as the catalyst for Harumi’s change. It was being chosen as the heroine of the play that had gotten her proactively involved with the people at the drama club. And it wasn’t like she could do the play by herself; she’d had to practice and work together with the other actors, too. And after being the center of attention on stage, she’d even built up some courage. As a result, she was a stronger person now. And tracing it all back to the start, Koutarou felt like it was thanks to Theia that Harumi had been able to make such progress.

“Well, Theia’s changed too, honestly...”

Theia was also a different person than she was a year ago. She’d had to learn to cooperate with everyone for the sake of the play. Koutarou was convinced it had been a positive experience for everyone involved.

“Oh?”

It was then that Koutarou spotted a familiar girl up ahead. Her golden hair stood out even from afar. It was Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe. Since he was just thinking about her, Koutarou reflexively smiled when he saw her.

“I see... I didn’t know it was such a pretty flower...”

Theia was squatted down in front of a storefront, staring at something in the window. Koutarou wondered what she was doing, so he walked right over to her to find out.

“Hey, Theia.”

Standing next to her, Koutarou lightly tapped Theia on the head to get her attention.

“Hmm?”

In the past, that alone would have been enough to enrage Theia to the point of summoning weapons from Blue Knight. But not anymore. Instead, she looked up to see who it was, and when she saw Koutarou, she smiled happily.

“Oh, Koutarou.”

“What are you doing here?”

Theia was staring into a small flower shop. Now that it was the second half of March, the shop was filled with colorful spring flowers. Koutarou could tell that there was something in particular that had caught her eye, but since there were so many possibilities, he decided to just ask her outright.

“Well, I came to look at the tulips.”

As Theia said that last word, she lightly touched her cheeks and smiled softly. She then looked back into the store, right at some crimson tulips in full bloom.

“Tulips, huh? Oh yeah, reminds me of your old nickname.”

During their first meeting, Sanae had stopped Theia’s rampage by flipping her voluminous dress up over her head. It made her look like an oversized flower, so Koutarou had taken to calling her Tulip for a while. But as time passed and his relationship with Theia changed, he gradually started calling her by her real name.

“Yeah. As I was thinking about it, I realized I didn’t know much about them. So with that in mind, I came here to see one.”

Theia had never seen a tulip before. Back when Koutarou was calling her that, all she knew and cared to know was that he meant it as an insult. She’d never felt the need to research something he was using to make fun of her. But now Theia had grown curious about tulips. She wanted to know what kind of flower the boy she loved had compared her to.

“So what do you think?”

“I never imagined it would be so pretty.”

Theia’s face was practically pushed up against the glass as she intently stared at it through the display window. The moment she’d spotted it, she was left breathless by its beauty. The big, vivid crimson petals that formed the flower made a strong impression on her.

“You’ve taken a liking to it?”

“Yes. It is a simple, yet dynamic and beautiful flower.”

Looking at Theia’s profile as she stared at the tulips, Koutarou could see the incredibly gentle look on her face. It was something a little out of the ordinary for her—a glimpse into the feminine side of her that she hid away.

I guess Theia’s a normal girl too after all...

As Koutarou came to that rather obvious realization, Theia unexpectedly looked over at him.

“Say, Koutarou, if you so wish, I will allow you to call me Tulip again,” she said with a happy smile.

“Hey now...”

However, Theia’s offer puzzled Koutarou. Tulip was the nickname he’d used to tease her over a rather compromising incident. It wasn’t particularly playful or friendly since he’d always intended it to embarrass her.

But as time passed, Koutarou had developed a real friendship with Theia and grown to respect her. Though she was still stubborn and he enjoyed fighting with her from time to time, he no longer had the desire to heckle her like he used to.

So if he did start calling Theia “Tulip” again, it would have a very different meaning now. He would be comparing her to the real thing, like calling her a pretty, vividly colored flower in full bloom.

Koutarou felt like it was a nickname truly befitting Theia now. It was her dignity as a princess that made him feel that way. She was in no way inferior to these pretty flowers. But with such complicated circumstances intertwining inside him, Koutarou felt a certain resistance to calling her Tulip again. It was embarrassing. Maybe if they hadn’t gotten so close to each other, it might have been a little easier.

“There’s no reason to call you by a rude nickname anymore, is there?”

So Koutarou decided to try to dodge the issue. Comparing her to a flower honestly would just be too much for him.

“I no longer find such a nickname offensive.”

But Theia immediately shook her head. She didn’t mind being called Tulip anymore, even if he meant it to be mean.

“It’s true that it comes from a rather embarrassing time, and even that is a precious memory to me now.”

If Koutarou called her Tulip to tease her, she would just have to work hard to be more like the real flower. And if he called her that affectionately, she could take pride in what she’d done to earn such a nickname. Either would make her happy, and it would give her a way to gauge her own self-improvement. That was how much she trusted Koutarou.

“...You sure are whimsical.”

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

But there was one more reason Theia wanted him to call her that again. She wanted a special bond between just her and Koutarou, and a nickname would do the trick. It’s the wish of young, love-struck girls everywhere—no matter the planet or era—to receive such special treatment from the object of their affection.

“Go ahead. You have my permission.”

“You saying that makes it harder...”

To Koutarou, calling Theia “Tulip” was almost like telling her how he honestly felt about her. It was a very difficult position to be in.

“...Tulip...”

After some hesitation, Koutarou was finally able to say it. And the moment he did, Theia answered him with an especially happy expression.

“What is it, pleb?”

That was what Theia had called Koutarou in the past out of contempt for the people on this undeveloped planet.

Theia...?

But despite using the same word now, it didn’t sound like it held the same meaning. That was because it was now a sign of her love, disguised as contempt. Hearing it, Koutarou stared blankly at her in admiration.

“Heh...”

Seeing him like that, Theia’s smile turned into a grin of satisfaction. She could tell what Koutarou was thinking.

“Wh-What? You’re the one who told me to say it...”

Koutarou responded to her defensively as he suppressed the awkward feelings inside. Ever since Theia had confessed to him on Valentine’s Day, she would throw him for an emotional loop every now and then. But she didn’t push any more than that. She understood that if Koutarou entered a relationship, it would cause serious problems for Kiriha. That’s why all she did was make her feelings for Koutarou clear to him. Apart from that, things were the same as always.

Don’t let this get to you... Just keep it cool like normal... That’s the best for everyone...

However, despite knowing all of that, Koutarou was having a hard time keeping his own feelings in check. Compared to the Theia before him now, dealing with Theia when he first met her was much easier. Right now, he felt like his heart would be stolen away the instant he let his guard down.

“That’s right, I did.”

Theia flashed a small smile, and awkwardly tried to stand up after squatting in front of the shop window for too long. Koutarou reflexively offered her his hand, and Theia took it without hesitation.

“Say, pleb.”

Once standing, Theia turned to Koutarou. Still holding his hand, she looked straight into his eyes.

“One day, I will become a splendid flower of a princess that you will be proud to embrace. So keep walking the knight’s path, just the way you are.”

Theia believed that Koutarou was an exceptional knight. That’s why she believed that as long as she could become an exceptional princess, their paths would never part. As things stood, she couldn’t draw a clear line between her desire to become a splendid princess and her desire for Koutarou. Those desires merged into one and lit the way for her.

“I...”

“Your Highness! Satomi-sama!”

Just as Koutarou was about to answer Theia, they could hear Ruth calling to them from a distance.

“Ah...”

As a result, Koutarou cut himself off mid-sentence.

“You’re finally here, Ruth! Come on, let’s go, pleb!”

Flashing a bright smile, Theia let go of Koutarou’s hand and began running towards Ruth, who was smiling just as brightly. Rather than following immediately after her, Koutarou was left standing there for a moment wondering to himself...

What was I just about to say...?

Not even Koutarou himself knew for sure how he was going to answer Theia after declaring she’d become a splendid flower for him.

“Ruth.”

Theia held her hands out to Ruth as she ran up to her.

“You may give me half the bags.”

Ruth was on her way home from shopping. In her right hand was her regular shopping bag, and in her left hand was a plastic bag filled with everything that wouldn’t fit in the shopping bag. Theia had wandered off while Ruth was in the checkout line in order to come look at the flower shop.

“I’m honored, Your Highness, but I can’t have you carrying shopping bags.”

“If I were any ordinary princess, I suppose not. But we made a promise the other day that we would do everything together from now on.”

“...So we did. In that case, they’re a little heavy, but please take one of my bags.”

“Leave it to me. Besides, I’m stronger than you are.”

“Heehee, that’s true.”

At first Ruth was resistant to let her master carry anything for her, but she ended up giving Theia the plastic bag with a smile. Theia smiled in return, and contentedly checked the contents of the bag. Seeing Theia in a good mood, Ruth already knew what had happened, but she decided to ask anyway.

“By the way, Your Highness, were you able to see the tulips?”

“Yes! They’re exceptionally pretty flowers!”

“How wonderful.”

Theia said exactly what Ruth had thought she would, but there was more to it. Based on her beaming smile and the fact that Koutarou was with her, it seemed like something truly special had happened. Whatever it was had made her princess happy, and that made Ruth happy too.

“They’re lined up in the display window of that flower shop, so you should take a look too, Ruth.”

“Yes, I would love to see—”

Theia took Ruth’s hand and was about to lead her back to the flower shop when...

“That won’t be necessary,” said Koutarou.

As he said that, Theia felt something large bump up against the back of her head. It wasn’t very hard, but she couldn’t imagine what it was based on the size. It was at least as big as her head.

“You fool, I...”

Despite Theia’s insulting words, she didn’t really sound like she was in a bad mood.

“Ah...”

And when she turned around, what she saw wasn’t Koutarou, but a bouquet of tulips with the stalks bundled in white wrapping paper.

“Tulips...”

“Here.”

As Koutarou pushed the bouquet on the puzzled Theia, he took her plastic bag from her. Theia, scarcely able to process this turn of events, just stood there holding the bouquet in both hands.

“Satomi-sama, could these tulips be a present for Her Highness?”

“Something like that.”

Embarrassed, Koutarou scratched his head as he nodded in response to Ruth’s question.

“They’re... for me?”

“Yeah. I’m repaying you for the Valentine’s Day chocolate... or something like that.”

Koutarou had decided to repay all the girls he’d gotten valentines from, but since he was inexperienced with this kind of thing, he had an extremely hard time thinking of what kind of presents to get them in return. Such a hard time, in fact, that even though White Day had passed already, he still hadn’t gotten anything for most of the girls. Theia was on the list, but after seeing her look at the tulips today, he decided that would be her thank-you gift.

“I see. Well done—No. Thank you, pleb.”

Now that she understood the situation, Theia smiled happily.

“Y-Yeah...”

Seeing Theia’s moist eyes, Koutarou grew even more embarrassed and looked away.

“Isn’t that great, Your Highness?”

“Yes... Huh?”

The wrapping paper crinkled in Theia’s hands. Looking down, she realized that she was holding not one, but two bouquets.

“There’s a second one, pleb...?”

Confused, she looked to Koutarou for an answer. Though he was still looking away, he quickly answered her question.

“I can’t just give you flowers, now can I?”

Koutarou had gotten Theia flowers as thanks for the valentine, but Theia wasn’t the only one he needed to thank for it.

“Apparently these are for you.”

Theia quickly realized who the second bouquet was intended for, and happily presented them to her.

“Oh my!”

The second bouquet was none other than Ruth’s. She and Theia had worked together to make Koutarou’s valentine, so he wanted to thank both of them equally.

“Isn’t that lovely, Ruth?”

“Yes! Thank you very much, Satomi-sama!”

Receiving the bouquet, Ruth held it to her chest like a child would a precious toy. It was an unexpected present from the boy she loved. Since she hadn’t expected to get a bouquet herself, it made her especially happy. With large tears streaming down her cheeks, she repeatedly thanked Koutarou.

“Thank you, Satomi-sama! I will take great care of them!”

“Thank you, pleb. And I’m glad you didn’t forget about Ruth.”

“S-Sure...”

Koutarou couldn’t help but feel embarrassed with both Theia and Ruth looking at him with stars in their eyes. He was inexperienced in this kind of gift-giving, so he didn’t know how to handle their overflowing gratitude, either.

“I’m... gonna go on ahead.”

“Satomi-sama?”

“What’s wrong, pleb?”

That’s why, after taking Ruth’s shopping bag too, he quickly made an exit like he was trying to run away. He wanted to get away as soon as possible to catch his breath.

“Heehee... We were only thanking him, so he should have just proudly accepted it.”

“But that’s just how Satomi-sama is.”

“Indeed.”

With tulip bouquets in hand, Theia and Ruth watched Koutarou as he hurried down the street. After he disappeared around the next corner, Ruth looked down at the flowers she was holding.

“Your Highness, do you know the meaning of tulips in the language of flowers?”

Hearing Ruth say that, Theia also looked down at her bouquet. The crimson tulips were beautiful, but with the tears welling in her eyes, she couldn’t appreciate them in their full glory.

“No. I only just learned what they look like, and I’ve never bothered to look up what they symbolize.”

When Theia shook her head, her tears spilled from her eyes and fell onto the bouquet she was holding.

“They say crimson tulips represent true love.”

“True... love...”

As Theia repeated those words, she looked up at Ruth. Their gazes met, and they simply stared at each other for a moment. With a light nod, Ruth continued.

“But since it’s Satomi-sama, he probably didn’t know that.”

Kenji might have been able to pull off something slick like that, but it was hard to imagine Koutarou picking out flowers for their meaning. He’d only gotten them because Theia seemed to have taken a liking to them. That was the conclusion the two alien girls game to.

“Even if he did choose them on purpose, he probably wasn’t thinking of the love between a man and a woman. But even then—”

“That is, without a doubt, true love.”

Theia finished Ruth’s sentence for her. Gently squeezing the flowers in her arms, the paper wrapped around them crinkled.

“Yes, I think so too.”

Ruth agreed with a smile. Theia had taken the words right out of her mouth.

“Seriously... what a difficult man...”

“Master... thank you very much...”

Both Theia and Ruth knew that the flowers standing for true love was only a coincidence, but they didn’t doubt at all that the gifts they’d received were indeed a sign of true, honest love. They knew Koutarou treasured them, and although they were a bit disappointed it wasn’t romantic love, they were grateful for his feelings for them.