Up Until Now and From Now On
Wednesday, August 4th
The summer sun was mercilessly shining down from above. It was the kind of weather where you could feel your skin instantly start to tan as soon as you walked outside. It was too much for most people, but there was a certain group outside right now who didn’t seem to feel that way at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite. They all wore dazzlingly bright smiles reminisce of the sparkling, clear sea that stretched out before them.
“Yahoo! It’s the beach!”
Sanae threw off the coverup she’d been wearing, revealing the swimsuit she had on underneath, and immediately began running for the water. Each bounding step she took shook the many frills on her swimsuit. She had eagerly been awaiting this day, and was unable to hold it in any longer as soon she laid eyes on the big, blue ocean.
“Sanae, wait. Make sure you stretch before you get in.”
But as quick as she was to run off, there was someone equally quick to douse that burning enthusiasm of hers. It was none other than Koutarou, who had come to the beach with her. Sanae only made it two or three steps before he grabbed her arm and stopped her. To a former athlete like him, stretching before serious exercise like swimming was just common sense.
“Okay, I’ll make sure she does!”
“Huh?!”
However, as it turned out, Koutarou had only really grabbed half of Sanae. He was holding Sanae-san’s arm, and Sanae-chan was still making a beeline for the water.
“Jeez, that girl...”
Koutarou watched her run off with a wry smile.
“I’m... sorry.”
Sanae-san drooped her shoulders and apologized to Koutarou. Though it looked like Sanae had split in half, Sanae-san and Sanae-chan were still ultimately the same person. Sanae-san too had gotten carried away like Sanae-chan had, and her face turned red with embarrassment.
“Well, I guess she’s at least matured a little if she ran off by herself rather than dragging you along too.”
Koutarou knew that nothing would come from scolding Sanae-san. She was conscientious as it was, and she was so introverted that being hard on her might only make that worse.
“Um, K-Koutarou-san, I’ll do my best stretching to make up for Sanae-chan...”
Sanae-san’s face was beet red. Sanae-chan had told her in advance that while they were at the beach, she would give her every possible opportunity to talk to Koutarou herself. It was harder than it seemed for such a shy girl.
“Don’t worry. She’ll be right back anyways.”
“Huh?!”
Sanae-san’s heart almost stopped. She thought for a moment that Koutarou had figured out her deal with Sanae-chan.
“Koutarou, Koutarou! The beach is boring without a body! I can’t touch the water!”
“See?”
“Oh, haha...”
But fortunately for her, Koutarou was none the wiser. Sanae-san laughed a bit to herself in relief.
Today, Koutarou had brought all his friends to the beach for a little bit of summer vacation. The group consisted of him, the nine invaders, Kenji, and the five members of the cosclub, plus the two haniwas. With such a big crowd, just setting up all the blankets and beach umbrellas for everyone was quite a workout.
“Well, that should do it...”
After setting up his fifth umbrella, Koutarou decided to take a load off. He then suddenly felt something cold press up against his cheek.
“Whoa!”
“Good work, Koutarou.”
“Thank you for your diligence, Master.”
In the midst of his surprise, both Theia and Ruth greeted Koutarou. Theia was in an elegant, white swimsuit, while Ruth had chosen one that was simple yet cute. Koutarou looked down and realized that chill on his cheek was a cold plastic bottle Theia was offering him.
“Oh, it’s just you, Theia. Don’t scare me like that.”
“Hmph, this is a display of my affection. Just accept it.”
“You just wanted to startle me, didn’t you?”
Koutarou accepted the bottle with a suspicious glance in Theia’s direction. And rather than apologizing, she responded with a smile.
“You could say that... It seems you’ve finally started to understand the feelings of your lord, Koutarou.”
“That’s not a good thing in this case, you know...”
Koutarou removed the cap from the bottle, watching Theia as she grinned. She’d brought Koutarou his favorite cola. And not even the diet kind. She’d sprung for the sugary kind he preferred.
“Master, I’m sorry for surprising you,” said Ruth, lowering her head and blushing slightly.
“No, that’s okay, Ruth-san.”
Koutarou was confused as to why Ruth was apologizing, but Theia was quick to explain.
“Koutarou, why are you only forgiving Ruth? This was her idea.”
It was true; Ruth had been the one to suggest pressing the bottle up to Koutarou’s cheek. So Theia wanted to know why she was being held responsible for the crime when Ruth was the real mastermind.
“That’s...”
“Your Highness, Master has also forgiven you. But as a man, he’s just being stubborn.”
“Koutarou, is that true?”
Theia looked up at Koutarou, wide-eyed.
“U-Uh...”
Koutarou stumbled for an answer. What Ruth had said was true, but it was extremely difficult to admit in a situation like this. So he avoided answering altogether by taking a nice, long swig out of the freshly opened bottle in his hands.
“Ahhh! Now that’s the stuff!”
The cold liquid and bubbling carbonation felt great in his dry throat. While he’d only taken a drink to get out of his predicament, it was a welcome treat after setting up so many blankets, chairs, and umbrellas.
“See, Your Highness?”
“Indeed... Heh...”
“Heehee...”
Looking at Koutarou, Theia and Ruth began giggling. Embarrassed, he took another swig of cola.
“Koutarou, give some to me too.”
Theia thrust an open hand out to Koutarou. She had been in a bad mood just a moment ago, but now she was in high spirits as she looked up at Koutarou with a refreshing smile.
“Did you really buy this because you wanted to drink it yourself?”
“Certainly not. It was an act of pure goodwill. However, the ideal relationship between master and servant is one where everything is shared.”
“...You’re really only a princess when it suits you.”
“Of course. I’m your princess, after all,” Theia replied, sounding especially proud.
What she’s actually saying hasn’t changed all that much since we first met, but...
In the past, Koutarou probably would have objected to what Theia said. But now her words moved him for some reason. She was ultimately saying the same thing, but the feeling behind it was different.
“Okay, okay.”
Relenting, Koutarou handed the bottle over to Theia, who then passed it along to Ruth.
“Here. You have some too.”
“Your Highness?”
“Koutarou is not my only vassal.”
“...”
Ruth hesitated a moment and then looked at Koutarou, who nodded.
“Then I don’t mind if I do.”
After getting Koutarou’s approval, she put her lips to the bottle and gently lifted it to take a sip. It was a far more elegant way of drinking than Koutarou’s chugging.
“Thank you very much, Your Highness, Master.”
Not only was the way she drank dainty, she’d only taken a dainty sip. And after wetting her whistle, Ruth passed the bottle back to Theia.
“Now it’s my turn.”
Unlike Ruth, Theia didn’t hesitate to put her lips to the bottle. Nor did she show the same reserved manners Ruth had while drinking. The childish way she gulped the cola down almost made her look like a hungry baby with its bottle.
“Hey, don’t drink all of it.”
“Ahhh... I know. Here.”
After taking a nice long swig of the drink, Theia returned the bottle to Koutarou. There was still plenty left for him. What she’d said about sharing hadn’t been a lie.
“I don’t know of any princesses who hand out half-drunk drinks...”
“Hmph, of course not.”
“Hmm?”
“You and I aren’t just any master and servant, after all.”
Theia folded her hands over her heart and smiled at Koutarou as she inclined her head a little to the side. Her smile and eyes were filled with confidence and trust, and just behind Theia, Ruth was looking at Koutarou the same way. It was clear they shared feelings on the matter.
“...You really are unfair...”
Koutarou flashed a bitter smile as he took another swig of the cola. It still felt great in his parched throat, but he was too distracted by the bright smiles of the girls to really notice much this time.
When Sanae saw Theia and Ruth, she invited them over to stretch with her. She was eager to jump in the water as quickly as possible. Theia, who loved exercise, quickly agreed. And, of course, Ruth didn’t have any objections. The three of them lined up to stretch together.
“Make sure you stretch properly,” reminded Koutarou.
“I know, I know. Right, Theia?”
“We aren’t children. Have a little faith in us.”
“Well, Ruth-san’s with you, so you’ll probably be fine.”
“Please leave it to me, Master.”
Koutarou glanced at the three girls out of the corner of his eye as he unloaded their luggage in the shade of the beach umbrellas. Aside from Koutarou, everyone else had dropped off their things to go get changed. And lugging luggage for sixteen people was quite a chore. Koutarou had to make several trips back and forth to get it all.
“Let me help you.”
That was when a fourth girl appeared and offered to help Koutarou. It was Kiriha, who was wearing a t-shirt overtop of her swimsuit. It was actually Koutarou’s, so it was more than large enough to conceal her curves underneath.
“That’ll be great— Hey!”
“Hmm?”
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing special. I just thought I’d try showing you how I felt before helping. Think of it as a little token of my love.”
Instead of carrying some of the bags, Kiriha had embraced Koutarou from behind. She held him firmly, but not too tightly. Koutarou could have easily shaken her off if he’d wanted to.
“Stop it. What if someone’s watching?”
“Don’t worry. I made sure to look.”
Kiriha pressed her cheek against Koutarou’s shoulder and closed her eyes. She was smiling. She was so happy that she couldn’t help it.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“If you hate me, then just say so.”
“I’m troubled precisely because I don’t hate you.”
“I see. That’s good enough of a reason to stop.”
Hearing Koutarou admit he was troubled, Kiriha easily gave up and let go of him. Because of his tragic childhood, Koutarou had a tendency to avoid making connections with other people. While it was a problem that needed to be addressed eventually, nothing good would come from forcing the issue right now. Troubling Koutarou wasn’t Kiriha’s intention. And besides, she’d won a small victory in getting him to admit that he didn’t hate her, so she was more than satisfied for now.
“Have mercy on me. No more surprise attacks.”
“Heh, I told you I was invading.”
Kiriha giggled with a mischievous grin. The other day, she’d declared that she was going to invade Koutarou’s life. Ever since, she’d been much more direct about expressing her love for him. But she didn’t want to make him or the other girls uncomfortable, so she always made sure to choose the right time and place.
“It’s bad for my heart.”
“You’ll get used to it eventually. I’m going to stay in your life, remember?”
“Kiriha-san, you’re really at your worst right now.”
“I’m fully aware.”
Kiriha laughed a bit before picking up her own bags. She was serious about helping him.
“However... I honestly have no intention of troubling you or the others.”
“I know. So no more springing things on me out of the blue, okay?”
“Heh, do you understand what you’re really asking me?”
“What?”
“To take my sweet time with you.”
“Jeez... It’s even worse knowing you’re doing this on purpose...”
Koutarou didn’t have any proper defenses in place against Kiriha’s invasion. In fact, he had countless reasons to hug her right back.
“I told you I was invading for real this time.”
In the past, Kiriha had explained to Koutarou that a real invasion was never immediately identifiable as such. If it were too obvious, the defender would realize it and promptly take appropriate countermeasures. That was why Kiriha’s invasions were always peaceful and subtle, and that was what she was in the middle of right now.
With Kiriha’s help, Koutarou made quick work of moving all the luggage. Now that all the work was done, a smiling Kiriha was sitting next to Koutarou in the shade of the umbrellas. Koutarou was taking a break after all the heavy lifting, and Kiriha was happily accompanying him.
“Satomi-saaan! Kiriha-saaan!”
But before long, they heard someone calling out to them. When they turned to look, they spotted Yurika in a cute, pink swimsuit...
“Ugeh!”
...Who promptly tripped and got a face full of sand. But she didn’t let that stop her. She got right back up and cheerfully ran over to Koutarou and Kiriha.
“Are you okay, Yurika?”
“Oh, I’m fine! Hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm!”
She then began rummaging through her bag while humming and pulled out a life vest, a float, and a large pair of diving goggles. Yurika couldn’t swim to save her life, so she’d come fully prepared. With all her gear on, you could barely see her cute swimsuit underneath.
“I’ll be safe with these.”
“Yurika, is there even a point in going swimming if you have to go that far?”
Koutarou couldn’t understand why Yurika was so excited to go swimming when it meant going to all this trouble. He was especially floored that the chronically destitute Yurika had sprung for a life vest.
“Of course there is. The water is cold and feels great. Best of all, unlike the pool, the beach is free.”
Yurika believed that an initial investment was necessary to get maximum mileage out of this natural resource. Since swimming in the ocean didn’t cost her a single yen, she could come back and enjoy it as many times as she wanted.
“But that was expensive, right?”
“I’ll be fine with you supporting me for a while, Satomi-san.”
Based on what Yurika was saying, it sounded like she’d spent her entire life savings on the life vest. Hearing that, Koutarou shouted at her with a stern voice.
“You idiot! How many times do I have to tell you not to waste your money?!”
“So you’re saying it’d be fine if I was the only one who couldn’t go swimming in the ocean?”
“Put some effort in learning how to swim!”
“That wasn’t possible in the few days we had to get ready for coming to the beach.”
“Koutarou, I have to say Yurika is in the right this time... You’d best support her for a while.”
“Ugh... I guess I have no choice...”
Thinking about it calmly, Koutarou knew that Yurika was right. It was impossible to learn how to swim in just a few days. And Yurika was so bad off that she wouldn’t even go near the water without a float. It would’ve been far too sad to have her at the beach like that, so Koutarou begrudgingly acquiesced and agreed to support her for a while.
“Really?!”
“Just this once, got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
Yurika happily nodded in agreement. She knew she’d be okay now—at least for a time.
“Satomi-san, Satomi-san, let’s get some fried corn!”
Yurika put her hands together in front of her chest and looked up at Koutarou with sparkling eyes. On her way here, Yurika had spotted several different food stalls that had caught her interest. And if Koutarou was going to support her, she wanted to try all of them.
“Don’t get full of yourself.”
A sharp snapping sound rang out.
“I-I’m sorry... I got a little ahead of myself...”
“As long as you understand.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
Yurika nodded as she held her forehead. Koutarou only ever hit his enemies and those important to him. She knew she was in the clear as long as Koutarou would still whop her on the head like that, but if she went too far, he would eventually stop. She wanted to avoid that at all costs.
“Also, you better stretch properly before you get in the water.”
“Whaaaat?! But I have a life jacket and float!”
“Not good enough. You need to get in at least a little practice. You can’t depend on those forever.”
“Uhhh...”
Yurika hesitated. She’d fully intended to rely on her gear forever, but when she thought about it now, it didn’t seem like such a good idea. A magical girl in a life vest and float was a bit too much.
“Kiriha-san, could you take turns with me teaching Yurika how to swim?”
“Gladly.”
Either Koutarou or Kiriha would be enough to teach Yurika, but someone would have to stay with her constantly. If just one of them took the job, they’d never get to enjoy the beach for themselves. Alternating would solve the problem.
“But I want to get to play too...” Yurika whined.
“I know. You can do what you want after lunch.”
“You promise?!”
“Yeah.”
Koutarou wasn’t doing this to be mean, so he would only make her work for the first half of the day. She could do whatever she wanted after that, which would also give them a chance to all play together.
“Then let’s go, Nijino Yurika.”
“Already?!”
“The sooner we can start, the sooner we can stop.”
“Okay, I’ll try my best.”
“That’s more like it.”
Kiriha took Yurika with her as she headed for the water. Yurika seemed more ambitious than before. Her studying with Koutarou had a slow but steady effect on her.
Shizuka and Maki appeared right around the time Kiriha walked off with Yurika. They seemed to have gotten quite close after Maki moved in to room 206 with Shizuka, and they often spent a lot of time together. They were together even now, but all Koutarou could see was Shizuka wearing a bikini and sarong. Maki was hiding behind her for some reason.
“Aika-san, what are you getting embarrassed for now after coming this far?”
“This... This doesn’t suit me...”
“It’s fine. Satomi-kun doesn’t care.”
“I’m basically in my underwear...”
“What? Come on now.”
Shizuka pulled on Maki’s hand in an attempt to drag her in front of Koutarou, but Maki resisted. She was putting up quite a fight.
“You’re surprisingly stubborn.”
“That’s because I can’t show myself in front of Satomi-kun wearing something so shameless!”
“Jeez, already! Satomi-kun, I know it’s hot, but could you come out from under the umbrella?”
“S-Sure...”
With no idea what was going on, Koutarou crept out from under the parasol looking rather puzzled.
“Now... behold!”
“No, no, nooo!”
Emerging from the shade of the umbrella, Koutarou could finally see Maki. She was wearing a dark swimsuit nicely decorated with frilly trim, but she was embarrassed to be seen in it. Especially by Koutarou. She covered herself with her arms and squatted down to try and curl herself into a tiny ball.
She’s awfully cute...
Seeing her like this, Koutarou couldn’t help thinking so. Not only did her swimsuit look good on her, but her being so shy about it only added to the charm.
“See, Satomi-kun? Isn’t she cute?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“You’re lying! This doesn’t suit me at all!”
“Why are you so embarrassed to wear a swimsuit you picked out yourself?”
“Buying it and wearing it are two different things!”
Maki was embarrassed to show off so much skin, and stayed crouched down in a tiny ball. She looked tearfully up at Koutarou and Shizuka. Koutarou looked down at her affectionately at first, but then he caught a glimpse of the darkness behind her teary eyes.
Ah, I see. Aika-san might...
Koutarou knew what that darkness might be. It was something that haunted her from her childhood. Knowing he couldn’t let her continue to suffer like that, he decided to drag it out into the light.
“Aika-san, could it be that it’s not the swimsuit you’re embarrassed about, but your scar?”
Hearing those words, Maki’s eyes shot wide open and her expression froze. She looked as though she’d seen into the gates of hell. She was even trembling. Seeing all this, Koutarou knew he’d been on the money.
“I thought so.”
Maki was born in the slums and had a rough life. She was sold to a slaver at a young age and grew up under constant abuse. Her master had saved her from that life only to train her as a soldier. Of course she was self-conscious about wearing something revealing—it would expose the scars of her past. Her claiming that the swimsuit didn’t suit her and so on was all just an excuse. The truth was she didn’t want anyone to see her scarred body. She would be disappointed if he saw it.
“D-Don’t look, Satomi-kun. If you saw this, scarred body of mine, I’d...”
Small scars could be erased with magic. But there was nothing she could do about the larger, more serious ones—not to mention the scars in her heart. So she pleaded with Koutarou not to look at her.
“You worry about the strangest things, Aika-san.”
Koutarou squatted down in front of Maki and smiled at her.
“What...”
“Look at me.”
Koutarou grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head, revealing his upper body. His torso was decorated with all kinds of scars. Most of them were from his fierce battles in past Forthorthe, such as the burns he’d sustained in his fight with Alunaya or the cuts he’d taken from an assassin’s blade. He hadn’t altered any of his with magic, so his scars stood out far more than Maki’s.
“Do you hate me after seeing these scars, Aika-san?”
“No, of course not! I love you just the way you are!”
Maki adamantly shook her head. Koutarou’s scars had no effect on her opinion of him.
“I feel the same way. It doesn’t matter to me if you have scars or not.”
“Ah...”
Maki’s expression stiffened. Koutarou was the same as she was; there was a persuasive power behind his words. Maki’s senses told her he wasn’t lying, either. He genuinely wasn’t bothered by her scars. That gradually sank in, and as it did, the darkness left her eyes.
“So don’t hide it. So what if you have scars?”
“Satomi-kun, you’re a guy. You have no idea what a girl’s worries are like...”
“No, I don’t. That’s why it doesn’t bother me.”
“That’s... fair...”
Maki quietly nodded. Though nervous, she slowly stood up and let her arms hang down by her side instead of covering herself up.
“Now, where’s this scar?”
“Around here.”
“Ah, there it is! I see it now, but... I honestly wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t said anything.”
“What...?”
Maki went wide-eyed, but Koutarou shook his head.
“Normally, you don’t lean in and get a good look at girl’s stomach like this. Besides, that scar isn’t as obvious as you think it is.”
Even though they were at the beach, it was still bad manners to stare at a girl’s body. On top of that, Maki had used magic to erase most of her scars. Koutarou had to look closely to see anything, and all that remained of her largest wound was a fine red line.
“Haha, what did I tell you, Aika-san? Satomi-kun doesn’t care.”
Shizuka, of course, got a good laugh out of all this. It was just as she’d predicted. Maki was overly concerned about her scar for nothing. Koutarou didn’t mind it any bit whatsoever. Knowing that was how it would all go down, Shizuka found Maki’s reaction rather heartwarming.
“If you can erase them that well, you should take care of mine sometime.”
Koutarou smiled and put his t-shirt back on. His scars were serious enough that they would easily surprise anyone who saw them, so he kept them covered up. He wanted to keep Kenji and the others who didn’t know about his past from seeing them. Having them erased would be convenient.
“...Okay, I will.”
“Give me a discount, okay?”
“Since I’m now the treasurer of your band of knights, I won’t charge anything extra on top of my salary.”
“Thanks, that’s a big help.”
“Heehee...”
A smile finally returned to Maki’s lips as she stood a little taller and stretched her back. She was returning to her usual self.
“Isn’t that great, Aika-san?” Shizuka asked with a cheerful smile.
“Y-Yes,” Maki nodded with tears of joy and relief in the corners of her eyes.
Watching the two of them interact, something dawned on Koutarou.
Landlord-san is always looking after everyone else...
Shizuka was always thinking of everyone else. She’d even noticed the darkness in Maki’s heart and given her a hand—a push, even—to help her out. Koutarou admired that about her.
And Aika-san has gotten more and more expressive. She’s smiling like a girl her age should be now...
Maki trusted Shizuka and had opened up to her. Koutarou was happy to see the once isolated Maki taking steps forward, however awkward she might be. She and Shizuka were good for each other. And, for their own unique reasons, Koutarou couldn’t take his eyes off of either one of them.
“So, Satomi-kun, don’t you have something else to say to Aika-san? Scar aside, she put a lot of thought into picking out this swimsuit.”
“It’s cute. It looks good on you, Aika-san.”
“Aaauuugh...”
Hearing Koutarou compliment her, Maki shrunk back down into a ball again. She was embarrassed, but it was different from before. This time, she was genuinely concerned about Koutarou seeing her in a bathing suit. And this time, Shizuka and Koutarou were both smiling.
The next to arrive were Harumi and Clan. They were often together and today was no exception.
“Harumi, how does it feel walking on the sand?”
“It’s a bit strange. It was very easy to walk, but it doesn’t feel like I’ve come to the beach.”
“Hmm, you can temporarily release the field around your hands for precise work, but I might need to include a function to do the same around your feet.”
“I think that would be nice for a great many things, like playing the piano or dancing.”
The two of them were performing daily experiments with Clan’s invention, the PAF, which was a specialized barrier generation device that adjusted in real-time to assist its user. Since they were at the beach, they figured they might as well take the opportunity to run some tests in the water. Accordingly, they’d taken longer to get out on the beach than the other girls because they had extra preparations to make.
“Hey, Clan, don’t waste all of your time at the beach doing a bunch of research.”
“I won’t! Once I’ve set up the machines to collect data, I’ll let Harumi play like normal.”
“I was talking about you too, you know. I know you love your research and all, but you should get some exercise every now and then. It’s unhealthy not to.”
“Fine...”
Clan was staring into a hologram projected from her bracelet, but she turned it off when Koutarou fussed at her. She knew he was right, but she still wanted to do her research and stole one last longing glance at her bracelet.
“Hahh... The poor citizens of Forthorthe are gonna end up with an unhealthy empress. How sad...”
“All right already! I get it! You’re always such a bully!”
Clan frowned and took off her bracelet. She was more upset about Koutarou picking on her than she was about not being able to get into the nitty-gritty of her research. But as she was griping, Harumi called out to her.
“Satomi-kun sure likes you, Clan-san.”
“I’m not happy about being liked by a bully!”
“But I love you, princess.”
“I’m going to kill you! End you! Destroy you once and for all!”
“Just make it quick, okay?”
“Th-This man is... Gaaah!”
Clan furiously stomped her foot in the sand as Koutarou continued to tease her. Knowing that it was an expression of affection, she had nothing to take her anger out on.
“You... If you weren’t the Blue Knight, I would’ve had you hanged ages ago!”
“Don’t lie. The way you are right now, you’d hesitate to kill even someone who was clearly an enemy.”
“You really are nothing but a bully!”
“Hmm...”
Having watched over the two of them for a while now, Harumi reached a certain conclusion. She then planted one foot firmly behind her and smiled.
“Take that!”
Raising her leg, she kicked up sand at Koutarou.
“What are you doing, Sakuraba-senpai?”
Koutarou looked at Harumi in utter bafflement. He couldn’t even begin to imagine why she would purposefully kick sand at him, so he figured it must have been an accident or she had a bug on her leg or something.
“I’m envious because you never bully me, Satomi-kun. Now take that! And that!”
Contrary to what Koutarou had assumed, her primary objective was mischief. Harumi was a very modest girl by nature, but she had been influenced by the girls of room 106. On occasion, her playful side would shine through. This was one of those occasions, and she relentlessly continued to kick sand at Koutarou like a child.
“Envious, huh...?”
Koutarou flashed a wry smile. Harumi had said that she was envious, but she looked strangely happy right now. She certainly didn’t look like she was jealous. If anything, it looked like she was just using that as an excuse to be mischievous.
“That’s a great idea, Harumi! We should bury this man!”
Clan then joined in and began furiously kicking up sand, a sign of her discontent.
“I won’t lose!”
With a flame lit in his playful heart, Koutarou decided to go on the counteroffensive.
With Clan’s invention, there’s no need for me to worry about Sakuraba-senpai getting hurt. I can treat her like I would anyone else now, and that’s all thanks to you, Clan!
Koutarou always treated Harumi with extra care because he was worried about her health. But with Clan’s invention and Forthorthe’s advanced medical science, he didn’t need to hold back with her anymore. Clan had joined in the fray now too, and he didn’t feel so bad about fighting back when it was two on one. He thanked her from the bottom of his heart as he started kicking sand back at the girls.
“Hyaaah!”
With Koutarou’s toned, trained legs, he could kick up way more sand at once than both girls combined.
“Eeek!”
“Bwah?!”
Harumi yelped in glee as the shower of sand came raining down on them, but Clan looked stupefied. The PAF protected Harumi from most of it, but Clan was completely swamped.
“Ah, uh... Sorry, Clan.”
Seeing her covered in sand, Koutarou felt a little bad and began brushing her off. As he did, he felt a cold gaze piercing into him.
“Veltlion, just what is a princess of Forthorthe to you?”
“Hmm... Maybe a good playmate?”
“Then take better care of me.”
“I thought I was, though.”
“I wonder about that...”
Clan’s face turned red as she allowed Koutarou to brush her off. Whether it was red from anger or embarrassment remained a mystery, even to Clan herself.
“Heehee, but he is taking care of you now.”
But feeling much the same way herself, Harumi knew she was blushing.
Kenji had been out buying more ice to put in the cooler. He’d been chosen for the job after losing a rock-paper-scissors duel to Koutarou, and the five members of the cosclub had decided to go with him. Since they’d all brought cosplay outfits with them to the beach, they hadn’t packed much in the way of food or drinks and wanted to get some while they were out.
“Heh, that’s what you get for acting so cool, Mackenzie.”
“Shut it. How could I refuse when the girls asked me to carry their stuff too?”
“Always the gentleman, of course. Anyways, drink this and rest up.”
“Ah, thanks.”
After finally making it back to the beach, Kenji was lying spread out under one of the umbrellas. Since he’d ended up carrying the cosclub girls’ food and drinks in addition to the ice, he was pretty wiped out. He’d laid down to take a break, and happily took a drink from the water bottle Koutarou offered him. The cosclub girls were already off playing with the girls from room 106, leaving the boys behind at the umbrellas.
“I’m gonna go catch up with everyone else. You should come out too once you’ve recovered.”
“...That’s unusual, Kou.”
Koutarou was about to get up and leave, but he stopped when he heard what Kenji said. There was something serious behind those words. When he turned back to look, Kenji had propped himself up and was looking back at him.
“You actually getting along with others is, well... I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Mackenzie...”
“You used to push others away when you started to get too close to them. And you certainly never would have agreed to go to the beach with anybody.”
“That... might be true.”
Koutarou nodded. It was true. He almost hadn’t come to the beach last year with everyone. Kenji took another sip of water to refresh himself and stared at Koutarou.
“So, Kou, what happened between you and those girls?”
“That’s...”
Kenji usually wore a gentle, smug smile—but not right now. He was staring straight at Koutarou with a serious look on his face. Kenji knew Koutarou better than anyone. Since half-assed excuses wouldn’t work on him, Koutarou would have to tell him part of the truth.
“Since this involves their personal lives, I can’t go into the details, but... something like what happened between you and I happened between me and them.”
“I see, so that’s why...”
There, Kenji finally smiled and nodded. Koutarou’s short explanation was enough for him. He knew what it meant. He and Koutarou had only come to an understanding with each other after butting heads and clashing several times. So if Koutarou said he’d gotten to know the girls the same way, something similar must have happened between them. While he didn’t know the details, he got the gist of it.
“That’s too bad. I had my eye on one of them, but if something like that happened, then I guess I’d better give up.”
Kenji returned to his usual self as he smiled at the girls in the distance.
“If you’re serious, I don’t mind. I like them, but... it’s not like I’m going out with them. Besides, I have nothing to worry about if you’re actually serious.”
However, Koutarou still had a rather somber look on his face. He’d sworn to make sure the invaders were happy. If possible, he wanted to make that happen on his own, but he realized that would be difficult. Koutarou wasn’t that selfish, nor was he that much of an idealist.
Moreover, if there was something important that he couldn’t do himself, relying on Kenji would be ideal. To Koutarou, Kenji was just as special as the girls of room 106. Kenji was the first to ever reach a hand out to him—the first to save him. In a way, Koutarou trusted him more than he did himself. At least, he did when Kenji was being serious.
“And if I wasn’t serious?”
“I’d beat the crap out of you.”
“Wow, you didn’t miss a beat on that one, Kou. You actually scare me, so I’ll hang back until you make your decision.”
“Mackenzie...”
“Kou, don’t get scared and run away now, okay? Keep moving forward.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Good.”
Kenji took another sip of water and laid back down under the umbrella. After having such a direct talk with Koutarou, he was a bit embarrassed and was quick to make an exit from the conversation.
“I’m off, then.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you later.”
The same was true for Koutarou, who turned away and headed over to the girls. But this was only temporary. The next time they spoke, things would be all back to normal again.
Koutarou and the girls all went for the water first thing, but after taking a dip, they split up and began enjoying the beach in their own ways. There were sixteen of them (eighteen with the haniwas), and plenty of things to do.
“Clan, you seem out of breath. Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine! I can’t admit defeat yet!”
“Satomi-kun, I’ll pick up the slack for Clan-san.”
“I’m counting on you, Sakuraba-senpai.”
Koutarou was in the middle of a game of beach volleyball. There were three people on each team, and the first team to ten points would be declared the winner. As for his team, Koutarou had Clan and Harumi on his side. Since Clan wanted to monitor how the PAF was working, she’d ended up on Harumi’s team by default. However, since Harumi had a weak constitution and Clan was wildly out of shape due to a serious lack of exercise, Koutarou was added to their team to help balance things out.
“I thought you’d give up about now, Kou.”
“They’re doing better than I thought they would.”
“Yeah, Sakuraba-senpai can really hop to it when she’s feeling good.”
The opposing team consisted of Kenji, Theia, and Shizuka. In terms of athleticism, Kenji was about on par with Koutarou, but the two girls on his team were also both extremely athletic. They appeared to have an overwhelming advantage, but it surprisingly wasn’t a completely one-sided game. And that was thanks to Harumi. The PAF more than made up for her handicap, so she made a good partner for Koutarou. Most of the points they’d earned were from a combo attack with the two of them.
“Here I go, Mackenzie!”
“Bring it! It’s about time we end this!”
“Then...”
Koutarou threw the ball up into the air.
“...You’re going down!”
He then pulled off a daring jump serve. Because the ball was so big and soft, it didn’t pick up all that much speed as it sailed to the other side of the net. Since it was falling towards her, Theia moved to intercept it.
“Mackenzie!”
She used her whole body to kill the ball’s momentum and pass it to Kenji.
“Got it! Here we go, Kasagi-san!”
Kenji received the ball and passed it forward. Though in a slightly different way, he was just about as athletic as Koutarou, and the ball traced a beautiful arc in the air as it fell towards the net.
“Leave it to me, Mackenzie-kun!”
Shizuka rushed up to the ball. She chased after it with her eyes as she kicked off of the sand. Reaching the apex of her jump, she smashed the falling ball with all of her might. As strong as she was, she hit it as hard as either of the boys could. The lithe and petite Theia would receive incoming balls, Kenji would dexterously set them up, and the mighty Shizuka would spike them. That was their winning attack pattern so far.
“Not so fast!”
But this time, Koutarou jumped up on the other side of the net in an attempt to block the ball. His timing was spot on, but because Shizuka had changed the direction of the ball every so slightly when she spiked it, he only caught it with his forearm. Thanks to the imperfect block, however, the ball lost a lot of its momentum and slowly fell down in front of Clan.
“Wah, ooohh!”
Clan’s legs were getting numb from exhaustion, and it was all she could do to just barely hit the ball and keep it in play. Her awkward shot sent it flying to a part of the court no one was occupying, but Harumi quickly moved into position.
“Satomi-kun!”
With the PAF’s assistance, Harumi could move much faster than the average girl. Thanks to that, she was able to get a hit in as she slid across the sand.
“Make iiit!”
Koutarou had just recovered from blocking Shizuka’s spike, and the ball was now flying right for him. He didn’t have any time to think, much less set himself up. Just reaching out towards the flying ball was all he could manage. His hand just barely made contact with it, changing its direction and returning it to Kenji’s side in the form of a quick attack.
“Not going to happen!”
Theia lowered her posture and thrust herself towards the ball. Having decided that she wouldn’t make it by running, she threw herself forward with arms outstretched, sliding through the sand. But it wasn’t quite enough; her small stature worked against her. She was about a fist’s length away from it when the ball hit the sand. It then bounced up and landed once more before rolling away.
“All right!”
“We did it?!”
“We did! We’ve closed the gap by one point, Clan-san!”
Seeing the ball rolling along the sand, Koutarou’s team erupted into joyful cheers. While it was partially thanks to dumb luck, they’d still scored while at a disadvantage. It was indeed cause for celebration.
“Hmph! You’re pretty good, Koutarou!”
Theia threw a frustrated fist into the sand before getting up and brushing herself off. She’d intended on winning without letting them get any more points, so this was a mortifying turn of events. She’d matured enough that she was no longer totally obsessed with winning, but she still always tried her best when it came to games. She was currently rather fired up, but she wasn’t the only one.
“We won’t lose that easily. Clan and Sakuraba-senpai are different from before.”
“Let’s do our best, Clan-san.”
“I guess I have to... I’ll come up with a plan.”
While the opposing team had the lead, Koutarou’s team also had no intention of losing. Koutarou, Clan, and Harumi were trying their hardest to win the match. The odds weren’t in their favor and it wasn’t like there was a prize on the line, but they were all having fun. It was precious time spent together with friends like this that made summer truly special.
Ultimately, the beach volleyball match ended in defeat for Koutarou’s team. Just after they scored their eighth point, Kenji’s team bagged their tenth and stole the win. But since Koutarou, Clan, and Harumi had been a whole five points behind earlier in the game, it was a considerable feat that they were able to catch up by such a margin.
“That was a close game.”
“What a shame.”
“This is a disgrace.”
Koutarou and his teammates were now sitting down near the volleyball court. Though they’d put up a good fight, their shoulders were still slumped in defeat as they watched Kenji’s team play their next match. Since the winners stayed on for another round, they were now facing off against the cosclub. To make up for the difference in ability, all five of them were on the court together at the same time. Yet even so, Kenji’s team had the upper hand.
“Clan, I hope you learn from this and start getting a little more exercise.”
“That’s not going to happen. I’m too busy with research.”
“I really do feel terrible for the citizens of Forthorthe. Their empress will be―”
“Don’t bring that up again!”
“Clan-san, why don’t we exercise together? I think it would be easy for both of us to build up our strength and stamina with this... um, the PAF.”
“If that’s what you want, then fine... I’ll go along with you.”
“Good. Now... Hup!”
After settling things with Clan and Harumi, Koutarou got up with a shout. The girls looked up at him with perplexed expressions.
“What’s the matter?”
“Don’t you remember? Mackenzie and I had a running bet that the loser would go buy drinks.”
“Oh yeah, I do recall you saying something about that.”
Before the match, Koutarou and Kenji had a little wager. The captain of the losing team would have to go buy drinks for the winning team. And, after losing, Koutarou was about to make good on his end of the deal.
“Considering how he’s faring now, he might have already forgotten about it.”
“Maybe. But where’s the fun in that?”
“How honest...”
“I’m shocked to hear you say that,” Koutarou said with a wry smile and a shrug.
“What?”
“Clan-san, Satomi-kun is a knight, after all.”
Clan hadn’t understood what Koutarou meant at first, but Harumi filled her in. When she did, Clan realized her own shortcomings and sighed.
“Hahh... Then you better hurry up and fulfill your promise, Layous Fatra Veltlion.”
“As you wish, my princess.”
Koutarou somewhat jokingly saluted Clan and Harumi before leaving them behind and heading out to find a beach shop.
Leaving the volleyball court and walking down the beach towards the shops, Koutarou spied the other girls that weren’t playing volleyball. The first he laid eyes on were Sanae and Maki, who were still in the ocean swimming together.
“Maki, you said this was your first time coming to the beach. I’m surprised you can actually swim.”
“Ah, that’s thanks to these two.”
“Me, Karama, ho!”
“And me, Korama, ho!”
“What do they have to do with anything?”
“We’re supporting her underwater, ho”
“With jet propulsion, ho!”
“That sounds fun! Hey, Maki, let me borrow at least Karama-chan!”
“Sure. I’m starting to get used to the water, so I think I’ll be fine with one of them.”
“Karama, let’s have a showdown, ho!”
“I accept, ho!”
“All right, then let’s race to that island!”
“Let’s go, ho!”
“Maximum power, ho!”
“Wawawah! Y-You’re way too fast!”
Sanae and Maki each used a haniwa like a tiny underwater jetpack to swim at superhuman speeds. They were in the water just past Koutarou at first, but they shot off towards the horizon in the blink of an eye. They were so far away now they looked like ants. Koutarou was worried at first, but upon recalling they were a former ghost and evil magical girl, he realized they would be just fine.
“You’re fine now, Ruth.”
“Really, Kiriha-sama?”
“Yes. The problem is Yurika.”
“Ptooey... Ptooey... Kiriha-san, I get water in my mouth every time I open it!”
“Then only open it when your head’s above water.”
“But that’s hard!”
The other three girls—Kiriha, Ruth, and Yurika—were in the middle of their swimming lessons. Kiriha was acting as an instructor for the other two. The serious and earnest Ruth was already getting a hang of it, but things weren’t working out for Yurika at all. She was basically just flailing her arms and legs in the water. It looked like she wouldn’t be swimming on her own any time soon.
“It might be better if you could see how you look when you swim.”
“Then I’ll record it.”
“Whaaat?! You don’t have to do that. I’m swimming properly! See?”
“I’m suggesting this because you’re not. If you would, Ruth.”
Kiriha focused all of her attention on Yurika for the time being while Ruth operated a small unmanned craft to record Yurika’s so-called swimming. She was oblivious to how awkwardly she moved in the water, and Kiriha knew the first step to getting help was admitting you had a problem.
Good, everyone seems to be having fun.
Seeing the girls having a good time made Koutarou happy. He felt better knowing that, despite shouldering so many hardships, they could at least spend some peaceful time together right now.
All that’s left is for me to have fun too...
With nothing else to worry about, Koutarou figured that he should enjoy himself too. The girls worried for him much the same way he did for them. And if he didn’t seem like he was having fun, they’d definitely worry. So he decided to enjoy his time at the beach, for the girls’ sake just as much as his own.
The beach hut Koutarou stopped at to buy drinks was brand new, but had an old-fashioned design. It was quite charming, and filled to the brim with all kinds of merchandise, making it an especially popular shopping hotspot for women at the beach.
“Welcome to the beach hut!”
“Come on in. What can we help you find today?”
“Y-You guys?!”
“Oh, you’re Kiriha-neesan’s friend!”
“It’s been a while, Koutarou-kun.”
The two men that greeted Koutarou when he entered the store were the ghost hunters he’d met several times before. They’d started off as enemies, but they were a huge help during Sanae’s crisis. Koutarou had also heard they’d played a part in handling things with the underground. And after all that, Koutarou no longer felt any hostility towards them.
“What are you guys doing here?”
“Business! We’re going to make a fortune off this beach hut!”
Apparently, the two ghost hunters had started up a beach hut business using the funds they’d gotten from Kiriha. Whenever they didn’t have a mission from Kiriha, they worked as ghost hunters. But it wasn’t like they always had leads on evil spirits, either. And whenever they found themselves without work, their income would stagnate and they’d begin worrying about their future. That was why they’d turned their attention to a beach hut. They’d set up shop on a popular beach where they could sell their products at a high margin. They needed to earn enough during the summer to keep them going during the off-season.
“Don’t mark things up too much, okay?”
“We know. We’ve got it all planned out.”
“We don’t want any trouble. This shop also doubles as a training place for the People of the Earth.”
“Training place? What do you mean?”
“Why don’t you take a look around you?”
“Wait, are they all underground dwellers?!”
The beach hut had several employees, many of which were wearing what looked like traditional Japanese clothing—the costume of the People of the Earth.
“That’s right. The underground dwellers receive vocational training before they’re deployed to the surface on their own.”
“And this is just one facility where they can get it. We needed extra help, and they needed training. It’s win-win for everyone.”
“Hmm... Looks like you’ve put a lot of thought into this.”
A seasonal business like a beach hut didn’t get a lot of regular customers. Most of their patrons would only be there once or twice a summer. That made it a good training environment for the People of the Earth. Even if they made mistakes here and there, it wouldn’t seriously affect the shop’s reputation. Moreover, the hunters’ mansion was nearby, which basically doubled as a dorm for their employees. In that sense, it really was an optimal training facility.
“And just so you know, everyone at the shop’s gonna be acting as ghosts during your test of courage tonight.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it was a direct request from Nee-san herself.”
“Aniki, are you sure we should be telling him that?”
“If we don’t, those extreme girls might make real ghosts out of us. This is Kiriha-neesan we’re talking about. She probably won’t say anything herself.”
“Yeah, I hadn’t heard anything about this.”
“Thought so... Well, I’m glad we bumped into each other here then. Things coulda gotten dangerous.”
The older hunter shrugged, and Koutarou smiled wryly.
“I’ll try to let them know not to use weapons or something else.”
“That’d be a great help! As thanks, I’ll throw in a little bonus on the house!”
“So you’ll give me a discount?”
“I can’t do that, but you can take some of this unsold merchandise with you.”
“Thanks. We’ve got a big group with us today, so I’d be much obliged.”
After getting some drinks and his freebies, Koutarou took another look around the shop. The People of the Earth were already making steady progress in their invasion. Kiriha’s wish had started taking shape. With the People of the Earth working so hard right here in the shop, Koutarou could see it. He was also proud to see that this was what they’d all fought to protect.
After eating dinner that evening, Koutarou and the others headed out to hold a test of courage they’d planned. It would start in the inn’s backyard, and from there, they’d climb a mountain path to reach on old, Western-style mansion. The locals all claimed the place was haunted, making it the perfect spot for a test of courage.
“One of those ghosts is already with us, though.”
“But that ghost isn’t scary at all since Koutarou brought her with him, heehee!”
The old mansion in question was the same one where the ghost hunters had held Sanae captive last summer. They were currently using it as a dorm for their employees at the beach hut, but there had been ghosts there without a doubt. It was a genuine haunted house.
“Hmm, maybe I should be on the side scaring people.”
“No way. It’d just be a hassle later on.”
Though they were participating, neither Koutarou nor Sanae were scared of ghosts. Koutarou already knew what was going to happen during the test of courage, and Sanae had once been a ghost herself. To the two of them, it felt more like they were going on a casual hike.
“By the way, Ruth, what is a test of courage?”
“I’m not very well informed myself, Your Highness, but it’s supposedly a game to prove your courage by heading into territory that ghosts inhabit.”
“Oh... In other words, it’s kind of like a small-scale version of my trial.”
“Most likely.”
Theia and Ruth weren’t particularly afraid of ghosts either. They’d spent plenty of time with Sanae in her otherworldly form, and they had a certain resistance to unusual phenomena being aliens that had travelled across the stars.
“I don’t want to test my courage!”
“It’s okay, Yurika-san. I’ve prepared this shrine maiden cosplay just for the occasion.”
“That’s right! It’s the president’s masterpiece!”
“Real ghosts aren’t scared of cosplayers!”
“Oh, it’ll be fine!”
“Nooooo!”
Unlike the first four, Yurika was terrified. She was so scared of ghosts that she hadn’t even wanted to come in the first place. If the five members of the cosclub hadn’t caught her, she would’ve bailed and run off somewhere.
“Aika-san, is it difficult to defeat ghosts?”
“That depends on the ghost. Even I could easily take care of normal wandering or bound spirits. But when it comes to divine-level spirits like Sanae-san, it would take a magician specialized in spiritual magic armed with prepared rituals to even stand a chance.”
“Hmm... I wonder if Uncle’s powers would be enough.”
“If you don’t mind getting a little heavier for a while, I should be able to deal with anything shy of a divine-level spirit.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I just thought I’d offer...”
If a real ghost appeared, Shizuka and Maki were thinking of exorcising it. Shizuka could use the Fire Dragon Emperor’s spiritual energy and mana, and Maki had her own magic powers. No normal ghost was a match for them, so they had nothing to be afraid of themselves.
“Clan-san, what do you think of ghosts?”
“In the past I thought of them as unscientific, but as of late, I’ve begun thinking they might be an interesting area of research.”
Harumi and Clan were both somewhat neutral on the subject. They weren’t afraid, but they had no intention of doing anything like exorcising them. With Alaia’s memories, Harumi wasn’t bothered by the idea of the supernatural, but her gentle personality kept her from wanting to disturb the spirits of the dead. Clan, on the other hand, thought of ghosts as potential research subjects, but was aware of the potential risks involved. The most she wanted to do was capture a ghost for further study.
“Kurano-san, everyone seems to be having fun.”
“Heh, I told you that girls had a greater tolerance for things like this.”
Apart from Yurika and some of the cosclub members, nobody was really scared apart from Kenji. He looked like he was a cool and stoic guy, but in truth, he didn’t do well with anything involving ghosts or the occult. Kiriha, who was smiling at him, made use of spiritual energy technology and knew quite well that ghosts were very real. That being said, she wasn’t afraid of them.
“I hate creepy stuff like this...”
“Well, it has always been said that women are more in touch with the supernatural. Now then...”
Kiriha smiled at Kenji once more before stepping in front of the group with a small box in her hands. She would be leading the test of courage.
“It’s about time we split into teams. Everyone, please draw a lot from this box.”
Following Kiriha’s instructions, Koutarou and the others each drew their lots one at a time. There were sixteen people in total, and they’d be splitting into five groups of three for the test. That left one person out, but Kiriha wasn’t exactly participating. Since she was in charge of the event, she was acting more like a chaperone and supervisor.
“I’m... Oh, I’m with Sakuraba-senpai and Clan.”
Kiriha had arranged the lottery so that Clan and Harumi would be in the same team. Since there were still concerns about Harumi’s health, Kiriha thought it would be best if they were in the same team in case anything went wrong with the PAF. They were excluded from the lottery themselves, and would just be waiting to find out who their third member was. As such, only thirteen of the sixteen people were actually drawing lots, and Koutarou had pulled the one that read “Clan and Harumi’s team” rather than a number.
“Welcome, Satomi-kun.”
“I can’t say the same, Veltlion.”
“Oh my.”
Harumi welcomed Koutarou with a smile but Clan turned away from him. She was still mad about what had happened earlier.
“Satomi-kun, this is because you tease her too much.”
“I can’t help it. When it comes to Clan, I just let my guard down and end up saying too much.”
“Then I think you should apologize to her.”
“I will... Hey, Clan.”
“What?”
Clan finally turned to look Koutarou. She shot a cold glance at him through her antique glasses.
“I’m sorry about before.”
“Have you thought about what you did?”
“Yeah... But I gotta admit, this is pretty hard.”
“What is?”
“You get mad at me if I’m too rough with you, but you also get mad if I treat you like a princess.”
“W-We’ve known each other for a long time! Learn how much you need to hold back already!”
“I’m trying. So at least forgive me if I mess up once in a while.”
“...F-Fine, I guess I have no choice...”
Clan wanted Koutarou to recognize her as the princess she was, but she also wanted him to acknowledge her as his partner and not treat her like one. In other words, she wanted him to tread a fine line—one that sometimes didn’t match up with Koutarou’s perceptions. She knew her demands were a bit unreasonable, so she decided to relent and forgive him.
“Satomi-kun, if you want to play rough with someone, you can do it with me.”
Harumi accurately understood the subtleties of Koutarou’s emotions. He only ever horsed around with and teased the people he liked. Kenji’s suffering was proof enough of that. And that was why Harumi was a bit jealous of Clan.
“Um... then I’ll start with this.”
Koutarou lightly flicked Harumi’s forehead. Thanks to Clan’s invention, he no longer needed to treat Harumi with extra care. That being said, she was still an upperclassman who should be treated with respect. So he compromised and just gave her a love tap.
“Ow... Heehee.”
Harumi pressed her hands against her slightly reddened forehead and smiled happily. Her ultimate goal was to be as physically close with Koutarou as Theia and Yurika, but she knew how mindful Koutarou was of her health and fragile body. This was a satisfactory development for now.
“You sure are eccentric too, Harumi...”
Clan let out a sigh, but Harumi responded by smiling at her.
“Clan-san, you just said ‘too,’ didn’t you?”
“Th-That was just a slip of the tongue! I didn’t mean anything by it!”
“We’ll leave it at that, then.”
In the end, Clan’s face once again turned beet red as she turned away from Harumi and Koutarou.
Most of the girls in the group had advanced technology or other extraordinary powers at their disposal. Using those would make the test of courage boring, so Koutarou had forbidden them as a ground rule. This was also in part to protect the hunters and their employees who would be acting as ghosts, but Koutarou strategically left that bit out.
The first team—Sanae, Yurika, and the cosclub president—set out at 8PM sharp.
“Nooooo! I don’t want to take a test of courage with a former ghost and a fake shrine maiden! Anything but thaaat!”
“My, Yurika-chan, you’re awfully spirited today.”
“Yurika can be really useless sometimes, but she always sticks it out when she’s got a job to do.”
“No, today is one of my useless days! You can leave me out! Just leave me here! Save meee, Satomi-saaaaan!”
Her two team members had to drag Yurika along kicking and screaming when they left. A few minutes after they set off, however, her screams could no longer be heard. Those left at the starting line weren’t sure if that was because they’d just faded into the distance, or if Yurika had just plain fainted. Not that anyone cared too much one way or another.
But now that everything was quiet, the second team set out.
“I just hope we come across ghosts that we can defeat with martial arts.”
“I’ve heard that when using martial arts against spirits, a clear intent to attack is more important than power.”
“Hmm... I guess I’ll have to try it.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary. Let’s finish this without a fuss.”
The second team consisted of Theia and Maki who were both lacking in Japanese common sense, and Kenji. He was trying to hold his own, but being terrified over the prospect of ghosts, he wasn’t doing a great job. Whether he would be able to keep the two willful girls from doing anything reckless was questionable.
Koutarou, Harumi, and Clan were the third team to set out. Because Theia and the others weren’t as noisy as the team before them, they didn’t have to wait long before their turn to leave. Clan and Harumi were in the lead with Koutarou behind them.
“Veltlion, wouldn’t it be more knightly for you to be in the front?”
Clan wasn’t at all happy with the current arrangement. As both a princess and a woman, she felt like Koutarou should be the vanguard.
“That might be proper manners, but then things would be boring for you guys, right?”
“Why?”
“Because I can sense presences to a certain degree.”
Koutarou was bringing up the rear for a reason. Because of spiritual circuity Sanae had created in him, he was somewhat attuned to spiritual energy and could sense nearby presences. Even though he tried, Sanae’s power was so strong that he couldn’t turn it completely off. So instead, he had the girls walking in front of him so they couldn’t see his reactions. That way, they’d still be in for a few surprises.
“Fine...”
Hearing Koutarou’s explanation, Clan relented. Realizing he was acting out of consideration, she had nothing left to object to.
“Clan-san, the two of us should work together.”
“You’re right. This is a rare opportunity. Let’s make the most of it.”
“Indeed.”
With Harumi and Clan out in front, the second team left the inn’s backyard and began climbing up the mountain path.
Koutarou had rushed up the same mountain path last summer to save Sanae, but his trip this time was much more leisurely. His teammates, Harumi and Clan, were just casually chatting away as they walked ahead of him. Without anyone to save or defeat, things seemed calm and peaceful.
“Damn, I got bit by a mosquito.”
“That’s because you didn’t put on any insect repellent.”
“Oh, I have some ointment for insect bites.”
“Thank you very much, Sakuraba-senpai.”
Since no one in the group was afraid of ghosts, it looked like they were simply taking a cheerful stroll on a summer night.
“Wow, this ointment feels nice and cool.”
“Doesn’t it? It’s been my favorite for years now.”
“Veltlion, turn this way please.”
“Sure.”
Clan sprayed Koutarou.
“Now this way.”
“Sure.”
She then sprayed him again.
“All right.”
“Thank you, Clan.”
“Be more careful in the future, please. Men are already careless enough as it is when it comes to this kind of thing.”
“Okay.”
“Clan-san, you could just always do it for him.”
“No thank you! I am not a servant!”
Clan blushed and loudly refused before turning away. Harumi then leaned in and whispered quietly in her ear.
“If you’re too stubborn, you’ll lose out.”
“I-I’m not being... stubborn...”
“I used to hold back too, and I suffered for it. That’s how I know.”
“Harumi...”
Clan took Harumi’s words to heart and thought to herself for a moment before clearing her throat and turning back to Koutarou. Harumi watched this all unfold with a smile.
“Ahem... Th-That said, since you probably won’t remember, let me know right away if you forget.”
“What’s this, Clan? You’re being awfully nice today.”
“You didn’t have to add ‘today’”!
“I know. It was just embarrassing to compliment you so honestly.”
“You two-faced sourpuss! One day I’ll have you bow before me and force you to say that you lo―”
Clan was getting rather heated and was about to make a bold declaration when she got interrupted.
“Oooooh!”
“A cuuurse upon you! Oooh!”
Two ghosts—a small, plump one and a tall, skinny one—jumped out from the bushes nearby. They had their arms raised in the air to make them look bigger and scarier, and swaggered over towards Koutarou and the girls.
“Kyaaaaah!”
Clan’s immediate response was a rather loud scream. It wasn’t because they were ghosts, however, but because they’d jumped out at her while she was in the middle of shouting at Koutarou. She was simply startled.
“This time was a success!”
“All right!”
Familiar voices could be heard from underneath the ghosts’ masks. Since he’d spoken with them just earlier that day, Koutarou realized the two ghosts were actually the two ghost hunters. Seeing the knowing look Koutarou gave them, the two ghosts gave a little wave as they returned to the bushes. They still had two more groups to scare.
“Clan-san, they’re gone now.”
“Wh-Wh-What on earth was that?!”
“They were ghosts for the test of courage. And they got you good.”
“I-It’s not like I was scared! It was just so sudden that it surprised me...”
“I know.”
“That’s good... Phew...”
Clan had been so startled that her heart was still racing. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.
“By the way, Clan...”
“What?”
“Would you like to walk yourself, or would you prefer to keep going like this?”
“What...?”
It was only then that Clan fully realized the position she was in. In her surprise, she’d jumped straight into Koutarou’s arms.
“I-I’ll walk! I’ll walk on my own, thank you very much!”
Clan hurriedly got down and began awkwardly walking away. It was obvious that she was quite shaken up.
“Oh Clan-san... Heehee...”
It was far too amusing a sight, and Harumi couldn’t help giggling as she followed after her.
After encountering the ghost hunters, Koutarou and the girls would run into more ghosts every few minutes. These ghosts, however, were all People of the Earth. They were harmless, and knowing that there was no danger, the atmosphere shifted towards enjoying their sudden appearances.
“Satomi-kun, don’t you think behind that corner is suspicious?”
“No comment.”
“Oh, that’s right. You can tell.”
“If you know, then tell me, Veltlion. It’s so irritating being surprised time and time again...”
“Not gonna happen. That’s the whole point of the test of courage.”
“Why don’t you hang further back, Clan-san?”
“I don’t want to do that either!”
Clan was in a foul mood after being startled several times over now, but Koutarou and Harumi were both having fun. Harumi’s eyes sparkled as she tried to anticipate when and where the next ghost would appear, and Koutarou was enjoying both her and Clan’s reactions.
“Jeez, what do Earthlings find so fun about this...?” Clan muttered to herself sourly.
She was having a hard time understanding the culture of this strange planet. Overhearing her, Harumi smiled.
“There are two main things, I think.”
“What are they?”
“The first is just having the chance to do something unusual. When you have an everyday routine, sometimes it’s fun to add a little spice.”
Going to school and studying day in and day out would make anyone want to have a little fun. A test of courage was just one way to get that in every now and then.
“I see.”
“That said, I don’t think that really applies in our case since out-of-the-ordinary things are happening to us all the time.”
“Ahaha, that’s true.”
When it came to Koutarou and the girls of room 106, their everyday lives weren’t always so everyday. They’d found themselves in all kinds of situations. Though it meant fighting every now and then, most of it was fun. There was no lack of spice in their lives, to be sure.
“So, what’s the second thing?”
“That’s... It’s similar to the first, but this gives you the chance to see your friends in a light you don’t normally.”
“In a light you don’t normally...?”
Clan looked rather puzzled. Having had very few friends before coming to 106, what Harumi was saying didn’t quite make sense to her.
“Like how you’re a timid person who hates being surprised,” Koutarou explained. “Or, conversely, how Sakuraba-senpai is a bit of an oddball who likes being scared.”
“I see...
“What, exactly, is ‘oddball’ supposed to mean, Satomi-kun?”
Koutarou chiming in had helped Clan understand, but now Harumi had her cheeks puffed out in dissatisfaction. She wasn’t thrilled about Koutarou calling her an oddball.
“I was only exaggerating to make a point.”
“Really?”
“Really. You’re awfully persistent today, Sakuraba-senpai.”
“I felt since we’re doing a test of courage, I should show you my bad side too. I want you to see ‘Sakuraba Harumi’ and not just the normal ‘Sakuraba-senpai.’”
“If that’s your bad side, it’s an awfully cute one.”
“I am a girl, after all. Heehee...”
Thanks to Clan’s invention, the PAF, Harumi was able to overcome her physical disadvantages. She was also feeling especially free-spirited since they were on vacation. Like she said, she was showing off a rare side of herself.
“In Harumi’s case, even if she tries to show off her bad side, she’s―”
Suddenly, in the middle of her sentence, Clan vanished and Koutarou and Harumi could hear a rumbling sound.
“Kyaaaaah!”
Clan had been walking along the edge of the path, which had apparently given way beneath her. Just enough of the earth crumbled away that she lost her footing and went sliding down the hill below.
“Clan-san!”
“Clan?! Damn it!”
Koutarou summoned all of his spiritual energy and jumped right after her without hesitation. He ran speeding down the slope with all of his might to try and catch up with her. A stunt like that would ordinarily be incredibly dangerous, but with his physical abilities strengthened by spiritual energy, it was manageable for Koutarou.
“Kyaaaaah!”
“There she is!”
Following the sound of her screams, Koutarou pinpointed Clan’s aura on the dark hillside. There was underbrush everywhere, but it didn’t seem to be doing anything to stop her momentum. She just kept sliding down the hill at an alarming rate. Since she’d intentionally left behind all her equipment for the sake of the test of courage, there wasn’t anything she could do for herself either.
“Not good! There’s a cliff up ahead!”
If Clan continued sliding like she was, she’d go straight over the edge. And with nothing to protect her, there would be no chance of her surviving the fall. Knowing that, Koutarou ignored any possible danger to himself and picked up the pace, sprinting towards her with all his might.
“Clan!”
“Veltlion?!”
Luckily, Koutarou was able to grab her hand. But that was where things really got difficult. Now Koutarou and Clan both had to stop before they fell off the cliff. They were collectively moving at an incredible speed, and they’d have to find some way to stop before it was too late. And time was running out. The edge was just up ahead.
“Raaaah!”
With Clan’s right hand in his right, Koutarou reached out and grabbed hold of a tree branch with his left. Unfortunately, it was far too thin to support them and snapped right in half. Their last hope had failed them, sending them flying over the cliff.
“Nooooo!”
“Not good!”
Koutarou and Clan plummeted into the rocky valley below. It was all too clear what would happen to them when they hit the bottom.
At this rate, we’re both going to die!
Coming to that realization, Koutarou pulled Clan close and firmly embraced her. He was going to do his best to cushion her fall with his own body.
“No! If you do that, you’ll―”
“If I don’t, we both will!”
The way Koutarou saw it, he had three options: they could do nothing and fall together, he could try and protect Clan, or he could use Clan to protect himself. The one with the highest probability of survival was Koutarou protecting Clan. Not doing anything was out of the question, and so was using Clan to protect himself. So by process of elimination, the only answer was protecting Clan. But even if it hadn’t been the logical choice, it would have been what Koutarou had chosen anyway. He didn’t have it in him to quietly let someone he loved die.
“Let me go, Veltlion! If we’re going to die, we should die together!”
“Who’d listen to you, idiot?!”
“Veltlion!”
Clan tried to escape from Koutarou’s arms, but she was no match for his strength. A knight should never abandon his princess, especially not in her hour of need. He was more than prepared to die to protect Clan.
“Satomi-kun!”
However, Koutarou and Clan would never reach the rocky bottom of the valley. Harumi had removed the limiter on her PAF and came flying down to save them.
Clan’s invention, the PAF, replicated the functions of Koutarou’s armor, which of course included the ability to fly. What was truly unique about the PAF was that it could transform its barrier in real-time. However, since the barrier was doing what the mechanical parts of a powered suit of armor normally would, using it was a constant drain on the battery. It wasn’t an issue with normal usage, but there were limiters in place to keep her from doing anything that might be too draining—like flying. Harumi had removed those limiters in order to save Koutarou and Clan.
“I’m glad the battery held out for us.”
Harumi gently set Koutarou and Clan down at the bottom of the valley and patted the small box attached to her waist. As she did, the alarm that had been ringing all this time finally fell silent and the barrier covering her body vanished. The PAF’s battery had been completely drained by her daring rescue.
“You saved us, Sakuraba-senpai.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“You have my thanks, Harumi. I am in your debt now.”
“Your debt? But you’re the one who invented this device, Clan-san.”
“Then I’ll be sure to present you with a new and improved device one day.”
“That sounds wonderful. I’m looking forward to it.”
Thanks to Harumi’s quick thinking, Koutarou and Clan had narrowly escaped certain death. Having scraped by with their lives, they were deeply relieved. They both sighed in relief as they thanked Harumi.
“Hahh... Still, that was a close one...”
“Yeah... Actually, Clan, are you okay? You rolled down that hill a good long ways.”
“I’d like to say I’m fine, but it seems I’ve twisted my ankle. I’m also a bit scraped up.”
“I see. We should get back and treat you right away then.”
Unfortunately, Koutarou and the girls had come out on this excursion without so much as a first-aid kit. In order to treat Clan’s leg, they would need to meet back up with the crew from room 106 first.
“But, Satomi-kun, what do we do now? How can we get back if we don’t even know where we are?”
“That’s a good point...”
It was only when Harumi pointed it out that it set in on Koutarou that they were lost. They knew vaguely where they were and where they needed to be, but getting from one point to another wasn’t that simple in the dark. They’d strayed awfully far from the path now, and there wasn’t even cellphone coverage for them to find a way out of the valley.
“For the time being, I think it would be best to head over there.”
“Over where?”
“Over there. Just beyond the valley is a small hut, right?”
“Ah! Good eye, Clan!”
As luck would have it, there was an old wooden hut within eyeshot of where they found themselves. They didn’t know whose it was or why it was there, but the shelter would be a big help whether they decided to rest, to try and treat Clan’s leg, or to look for a path back.
Approaching the hut that Clan had spotted, they discovered a partially destroyed charcoal kiln next to it. It seemed the abandoned hut was several decades old, from a time when charcoal was still a popular fuel.
“It looks like we can rest inside.”
Since making charcoal took a great deal of time, it was common to have a shack or other shelter nearby. A charcoal burner’s hut would sometimes appear in the novels Harumi enjoyed reading, so she knew exactly what it was when she saw it.
“I just hope there’s a phone...” Clan said from over Koutarou’s shoulder.
Because she’d twisted her ankle, Koutarou was carrying her on his back. It wasn’t like she couldn’t walk at all, but Koutarou wouldn’t let her, just in case.
“Considering the sorry state this place is in, I think the chances of that are pretty low.”
There were no signs of life in the hut, and no signs of it being connected to the outside world. There were no electrical wires coming from it and there was no antenna on the roof. It really did look like it had come from several decades ago.
“Let’s take a look for now.”
“Yeah.”
With Harumi in the lead, the group approached the hut. They’d walked a decent way now, and Koutarou took a moment to look up at the sky. The stars were shining brightly and lit up the area just outside the valley.
“Veltlion?”
“Take a look, Clan. What a beautiful night sky.”
“You’re right...”
Koutarou stopped to look up at the sky together with Clan. Being so far from the city, the stars were clearly visible. It looked like tiny gems had been scattered in the sky above them. And as he admired the scene, a strange sense of déjà vu came over Koutarou.
“Where was that...?”
“What is it, Satomi-kun?”
Realizing that Koutarou had stopped walking, Harumi stopped too and turned around. She then followed his gaze and looked up at the starry sky.
“Looking up at the stars like this, I feel like I’ve seen it before somewhere.”
“Ah, you’re right...”
Still looking up at the stars, Harumi smiled wistfully. She remembered it clearly. It was the day she first met Koutarou.
“You’re probably thinking of the day we first met, Koutarou-sama. Back then, you were also carrying Clan-sama, remember? And...”
Harumi had been cornered by a cliff when a knight in blue armor made a dashing appearance and defeated the coup d’etat soldiers pursuing her. After that, the knight carried his servant—who she later found out wasn’t actually his servant at all—on his back as the three of them walked through the forest together. And after they’d met up with her allies, she’d had a conversation with Koutarou under the starry sky much like this.
“From an endless time and immeasurable distance... That was what you said as you looked up at the sky, Koutarou-sama. I’m sure that’s what you’re thinking of.”
Those words had been starkly engraved into Harumi’s very being. That was just how strong of an impression they’d left on her. She would never forget those words no matter how much time passed. It was following the feelings in those words that had led her to Koutarou again.
“Harumi, you...”
Clan’s eyes were wide open, and so were Koutarou’s. The two of them were speechless.
“Huh...?”
Harumi was puzzled by their reaction. But what puzzled her even more were her own words.
Koutarou-sama? Looking up at the starry sky? Aren’t these Princess Alaia’s memories...?
Eventually Harumi realized what she’d done and her face turned bright red.
“I-I’m sorry, Satomi-kun! I confused Princess Alaia’s memories with my own... I’m really sorry for saying such weird things!”
Harumi had inherited Alaia’s memories along with the ability to control Signaltin’s powers, but she still had her own. A great deal of Alaia’s memories aligned with Harumi’s from the play, but nevertheless, they were still distinct. Yet every now and then when her emotions were running high, it was almost like Alaia’s memories would come first in her mind. It embarrassed Harumi to think she’d gotten too into her role.
They’re surprisingly similar... It’s completely unfounded, but I wonder if Harumi might really be Alaia’s reincarnation...
Clan, who’d personally known Alaia, didn’t at all think it was a matter of Harumi getting into character. No, it felt like she was talking to Alaia herself rather than Harumi pretending to be Alaia, which was an interesting surprise. It was to the point where Clan, who had absolute faith in science, began wondering if Harumi might be the reincarnation of the Silver Princess.
“It’s fine. I was surprised, but it was like getting to talk to Her Majesty for a second. It was nice.”
Like Clan, Koutarou too was surprised to hear Harumi talking just like Alaia. While he kept a clear distinction between the two girls in his mind, he didn’t hate catching a glimpse of Alaia in Harumi every now and then. He still missed her, so it was comforting.
“I’m glad...”
Harumi was sure that Koutarou and Clan would laugh at her, so she was relieved when that didn’t turn out to be the case. By now, she had completely returned to herself as Harumi.
“But that’s right. I’d forgotten you know us from when we were in Forthorthe, Sakuraba-senpai.”
“Yes. I mean, it’s all from Princess Alaia’s point of view. There are also things I don’t know or understand.”
While Harumi had inherited Alaia’s memories, the transfer wasn’t perfect. There were plenty of memories that were missing. Memories that weren’t that strong or compelling must have been lost travelling the vast distance that was two thousand years and ten million light years. They also suspected that there were certain memories Alaia had intentionally chosen not to pass along. For example, there were no memories of people dying. Clan’s theory was that this was intended to keep her memories from being too much of a burden on Harumi.
“But I know that Satomi-kun and Clan-san shared a room.”
“Please forget about that part, Harumi!”
“Heehee... I also know that Satomi-kun washed Clan-san’s underwear.”
“Kyaaah! When did you see that?!”
“That’s right. Clan went on and on about how a princess doesn’t do her own laundry. But she didn’t want to ask Mary-san to do it either. What a selfish princess.”
“In the end, Koutarou-sama, I mean... Satomi-kun had to wash them by hand.”
“I spent every day wondering if it was okay for me to get used to looking at those.”
“Jeez, the two of you are being really mean!”
Clan felt like running away, but thanks to her ankle, she was stuck on Koutarou’s back. With nowhere to hide, she buried her face in Koutarou’s shoulder and poured even more strength into her arms wrapped around him.
“But...” Seeing that Clan was looking away, Harumi’s smile changed a little. “In the end, these are Princess Alaia’s memories. I wasn’t there myself, so it’s a little lonely.”
She was smiling, but it was a sad smile. Memories were memories; they were only a fragment of the real experience. It was similar to watching a recording of it. And that made her feel a little lonely. While she and the others shared memories, she hadn’t actually shared those experiences with her friends.
“That might be true...”
Hearing Koutarou agree, Harumi slumped her shoulders. She knew it was the truth, but hearing Koutarou say it made her feel even more left out. But he wasn’t done there.
“But if something similar were to happen in the future, I’m sure you’d remember today. You would remember you, me, and Clan being lost in the woods.”
“Satomi-kun...”
Harumi looked up at Koutarou. Seeing his smile, her lonely disappointment vanished in an instant. And an expectation of sorts took form in her eyes.
“We can just create our own experiences from now on. We have more than enough time.”
“Ah...”
A small breath escaped her lips before they lifted up into a smile. Her eyes were filled with joy that overflowed in the form of tears streaming down her cheeks. Harumi’s heart throbbed and she felt like crying out loudly.
“Sa... Satomi-kun, Clan-san... Would you help me create new experiences from now on...?”
This was Harumi pushing herself to her limit. Because of her weak constitution, Harumi had given up on a lot of things in life. But there was no longer a need for that. She even had people that didn’t want her to give up. So she mustered her courage and took a step forward, for both her sake and Koutarou’s.
“Of course, Sakuraba-senpai.”
“You don’t have to be so reserved, Harumi. You’re one of very few people I consider a friend.”
“Thank you very much, Satomi-kun, Clan-san... I am really glad that I came to the beach with all of you.”
To anyone else, it would have just been one tiny step forward. But to Harumi, it was a giant leap towards a happy future.
While they were able to find a first-aid kit inside the abandoned hut, it looked just as old as the building. The only useable items left inside were bandages, gauze, and some simple medicines. But it was far better than nothing. This would at least allow them to treat Clan’s injuries.
“That should do it.”
“Satomi-kun, you’re pretty good at first aid.”
“I learned it in Forthorthe. It was essentially back then.”
“He was terrible at remembering it, though.”
“Heehee, so you were the one who taught him, Clan-san?”
“Sakuraba-senpai, can I leave her to you for a moment?”
“Satomi-kun?”
“I was thinking of taking a look around outside.”
Koutarou showed the map he’d picked up to Harumi and Clan. He’d found it while he was searching the hut for the first-aid kit. It seemed to be of the surrounding area, so they could use it to get out of the valley and back to the others. Koutarou thought he’d go take a look and see if everything checked out.
“I understand. Please be careful.”
“I will.”
“Just don’t wander off.”
“I won’t. I’ll be back soon.”
Koutarou grabbed the map and a flashlight and left the hut. The girls could see the light from the window for a while, but it eventually disappeared into the distance. With that, the girls were left alone in the hut.
“Since we’re done with the treatment for now, I’ll dim the lights a little bit.”
“Yes, please do.”
Harumi stood up and reached overhead. They’d hung a flashlight from the ceiling so they could see to treat Clan, but in order to save power, Harumi dimmed it for the time being. They didn’t know how long it would last and wanted to stay on the safe side.
“Okay.”
Once she’d done that, Harumi sat back down next to Clan.
“Thank you, Harumi.”
“Of course.”
Silence then fell over the hut. Neither Harumi nor Clan were the particularly talkative type and often found themselves with nothing to talk about. But the silence between them wasn’t awkward. They’d spent a lot of time together thanks to the PAF, and had developed something of a mutual understanding.
“Say, Harumi...”
However, Clan broke the comfortable silence. There was something she wanted to ask Harumi about, and this was her chance now that Koutarou wasn’t around.
“May I ask you something?”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
Harumi nodded encouragingly. Clan was always helping her out, so she had no reason to refuse.
“This is hard to ask, but... I will ask anyway,” Clan said, adjusting her glasses. “Harumi, do you love Veltlion, I mean... Koutarou?”
“...?!”
Clan was asking about a matter very close to Harumi’s heart, but her asking about it now was like a bolt out of the blue. Harumi found herself at an utter loss for words.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“It’s not like I don’t want to. I was... just surprised...”
Harumi shook her head, her long hair fluttering behind her. Looking at just her silhouette in the darkened room, Clan was once again reminded of Alaia.
Harumi then put her hand on her chest, took a deep breath, and answered Clan’s question.
“I... love Satomi-kun. He’s strong and kind, but he also has a weak and lonely side... I want to warm up that part of him... That’s why I...”
Harumi suppressed the desire to turn away from her feelings. Knowing this was something she couldn’t deny or lie about, she told the truth. Clan smiled wryly.
“Knowing that much, neither of us can back down now, Harumi.”
“Could it be... You do as well, Clan-san?”
“Yes. Somewhere along the line watching that stupid knight who can only live his life awkwardly, I grew attached to him. Besides, he’s also one of very few who truly understand me.”
“I see...”
Harumi felt relieved upon learning that Clan felt the same way she did. While they might be rivals in love, there was no hostility between them. If anything, Harumi felt reassured knowing she had more companions like Yurika.
“You seem confident, Harumi.”
Clan took Harumi’s comfort with what she’d said as a sign of confidence. But Harumi shook her head.
“It’s not confidence. If anything, it’s a lack thereof.”
“You mean you’re not confident?”
“Precisely. Satomi-kun has a very large hole in his heart. And since I’m still just a girl, I don’t think I’ll be able to fill it on my own. So I’d be happy if there are more people who’ll also pour warmth into him.”
That was something she’d talked about with Yurika in the past. Koutarou’s heart was badly wounded. Harumi wanted to heal him. She wanted to save him, but she knew that she couldn’t do it on her own as she was. That’s why she hoped there were others who shared her desire.
“Harumi, you just might understand Veltlion better than anyone else.”
“I knew he was different the moment he asked to learn how to knit. All I did after that was watch and learn.”
Harumi had learned of the hole in Koutarou’s heart through the knitting society. It was hard to believe that a normal high school boy really wanted to learn how to knit. Especially an athletic boy like Koutarou. But he always honestly toiled away trying to learn during their club meetings. Harumi had always wondered why—what drove him. So she spent a long time puzzling over it, and after getting to know him better, she came to the conclusion that Koutarou wanted to finish knitting a sweater that someone special had left behind. And once she put that together, she supported him completely. She’d been on his side ever since, and somewhere along the line, she’d developed a special place in her heart for this earnest, awkward boy.
“But you already knew, didn’t you, Clan-san?”
Harumi’s intuition told her that Clan had realized the same thing she had.
“Yes, but I was there when it happened. It’s not like I figured it out on my own like you did.”
Clan knew about Koutarou’s past because she’d been with him ten years ago when it happened. She saw his suffering firsthand and knew why he felt the way he did now.
“I believe the others have also reached the same conclusion or are on the verge of it.”
“I’m sure they are...”
Clan knew that Kiriha had undoubtedly put things together by now. It was also more than likely that Clan’s rivals, Theia and Ruth, had as well. Harumi and Yurika were close, so she suspected Harumi had filled her in. The only uncertainties were Maki, Sanae, and Shizuka, but considering their behavior up until now, chances were they had some idea. That was why Clan and Harumi assumed that the girls of room 106 were all more or less on the same page.
“It’s going to take a lot of warmth to mend Satomi-kun’s broken heart. We need to teach him that he can rely on the warmth of others.”
“Until that’s done, Veltlion won’t choose any one person anyway.”
“Certainly.”
“Hahh... He really is a troublesome man.”
Clan let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders. She was amazed at herself for falling for someone who was such a pain. Harumi, however, had a smile on her face.
“I think it’s wonderful. After all, we can help the man we love.”
Koutarou wasn’t some invincible hero, so the girls would take their places next to him. There were things only they could do for him. And none of them wanted their relationship to be one-sided. They wanted to do something for him since he was always protecting them. They wanted to be equals. And the thought of that made Harumi very, very happy.
“I’m envious that you can actually say that out loud.”
“It took over a year for me to be able to though.”
“I wonder if I’ll be able to do the same someday...”
“You will. You’re a girl, after all.”
“You’re the only one who’d say that, Harumi.”
“Satomi-kun says it a lot as well, doesn’t he?”
“He’s just playing around with me!”
“Heeheehee, how troublesome indeed...”
Harumi and Clan continued chatting away. The topic gradually shifted from Koutarou to other things, but they were just as deep and meaningful. It was through talks like this that Clan and Harumi got closer.
When Koutarou returned to the hut, he had Sanae-chan on his back. She’d gotten worried about Koutarou when he hadn’t come back, so she’d abandoned her body to go searching for him.
“Here it is... I’m back, Clan, Sakuraba-senpai.”
“Ah, there you are, Harumi! And you, Glasses! Are you okay?!”
When Koutarou entered the hut, the two girls immediately dropped what they were doing and turned their attention to him.
“Welcome back, Satomi-kun. And welcome to you too, Higashihongan-san.”
“I’m fine. I just twisted my ankle a little.”
“I see. Phew, that’s good...”
Sanae-chan had also been concerned about Clan after hearing she was hurt, so she felt much better to see that she was actually safe and sound.
“I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay. But let’s just hang out for now. Everyone is on their way here.”
Sanae-chan had left to go looking for Koutarou’s team after the fourth team returned before they did. Tracking down Koutarou was easy with her psychic powers. And using her link with Sanae-san, she’d let others know where they were.
“Clan-san, it looks like this will be resolved easier than we thought.”
“This is a little different from past Forthorthe after all.”
“Heehee.”
While they might have a few special powers, Harumi and Clan were still normal girls. Being lost in the woods made them nervous. But now it was clear everything would be all right.
“By the way, Koutarou, how did this happen?”
“Well, Clan was being slow and―”
“Anyone would fall if the ground gave way beneath them!”
“There you have it.”
“Hmm...”
Since Clan had summed up what happened, Koutarou left it at that. Sanae-chan nodded, apparently satisfied with this. But that wasn’t the case for Clan.
“I... I’m going to kill you... I really am going kill you one day...”
“Now, now, calm down. It’s true that you’re slow.”
“Harumi?!”
“Heehee, I’m just joking.”
“Jeez, you don’t have to be a bully too!”
“I’m sorry, Clan-san.”
With their little group back together and help on the way, the mood was so bright that no one minded the dim light in the hut. And things would get even livelier when the others arrived. That was just the kind of relationship Koutarou and the girls all shared. This was the life they’d chosen to live together.
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