Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 2 - Chapter 1

A Day in Room 106

Friday, April 24th

Satomi Koutarou’s ability to wake up was absolutely terrible.

Today was no exception. Even as the strong morning light shone down on him, he showed no sign of waking up. His mouth hung wide open as he snored almost as loudly as the fridge’s compressor.

“Mm...”

That said, it seemed the morning sunlight did at least appear to bother him. He turned over in his sleep, putting him up against the wall. Koutarou had laid out his futon in the middle of the room, but since he rolled around in his sleep, he’d ended up in the corner of the room by morning.

But thanks to that last roll, the sunlight was no longer washing over his face, and he returned to sleeping as normal.

The time was now 6 AM.

The sunshine was bright and the sky beyond the window was clear blue. As it was nearing late April, the temperature was pleasantly starting to rise. It was nice outside these days. If the window were open, there would have been a nice, cool breeze coming through it.

But the first thing to open in room 106 was not the window. With a little noise, the tatami mat closest to the front door appeared to lift itself up slightly. As it rose, the plastic bag on top of it starting to rustle, revealing several instant noodle cups inside. The rustling, however, was short-lived. Not a moment later, the tatami mat was raised up from the floor completely. From underneath it, a lone girl appeared.

There was another rustling sound.

“I keep telling her to put those away...”

Because the girl had flipped up the tatami mat, the bag of instant noodle cups had spilled over. She saw this and sighed. Her beautiful, long, black hair swayed as she crawled up into room 106. The girl’s name was Kiriha. She was wearing an outfit that was something of a cross between a kimono and a shrine maiden’s garb. Her clothing and her cool, long, narrow eyes were quite striking. She was one of the girls attempting to seize control of room 106.

“Hey, ho! Hey, ho!”

“Ho! Ho! Ho, ho, ho! Hey, ho!”

Following Kiriha out from under the tatami mat were two haniwas, each about thirty centimeters tall. As they entered room 106, they began picking up the noodle cups without waiting for Kiriha’s orders. This was getting to be a daily occurrence.

That was when the far wall began glowing, just above where Koutarou happened to be sleeping.

“Is that Ruth?”

Kiriha was unfazed by the strange spectacle taking place before her. She simply went about replacing the tatami mat she had moved. As she put it back, a girl appeared from the glowing wall. She had a short bob and serious eyes, and she was wearing something resembling a military uniform. This was Ruth. She was an alien that had come to Earth from over ten million light years away.

“Kyaaah!”

As Ruth entered the room, she screamed. It wasn’t because she had fallen, though. It was more so an issue of where she had landed.

“I-I’m so sorry, Satomi-sama! I’ll move right away!”

Ruth had appeared right above Koutarou, planting her stockinged feet right in Koutarou’s face.

The glowing wall served as a sort of door to room 106. Passing through it would teleport one to and from the alien spaceship in orbit around Earth. But unlike a normal door, you couldn’t see through it. There was no way of knowing what it was like on the other side until you were already passing through it. Because of that, Ruth had unwittingly stepped on Koutarou’s face.

“I’m deeply sorry for stepping on your face morning after morning, Satomi-sama!”

Ruth hurriedly got off of Koutarou and apologized. She looked truly penitent as she repeatedly bowed her head.

“...”

However, there was no response from Koutarou.

“S-Satomi-sama?”

“You’re really something, aren’t you, Satomi Koutarou?”

Both girls looked at Koutarou. Ruth was surprised and Kiriha was just impressed. Thanks to his remarkable ability to stay asleep, despite being stepped on, he still showed no sign of waking up. It was as if nothing had happened.

Having Kiriha and Ruth around made the plain room a lot more colorful. But when they put that aside and donned aprons, they looked just like normal girls their age.

“Kiriha-sama, what should I do with this long and slender vegetable?”

“We’re adding the leek to the miso soup, so cut it into round slices.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Kiriha stood at the stove with a ladle in hand, and Ruth was holding a knife at the sink. They were working together to prepare breakfast. But being an alien, Ruth was unfamiliar with Earth-style cooking. That meant Kiriha worked as the chef with Ruth as her assistant. As the two girls cooperated to make the food, they seemed like good friends. It was hard to imagine they were enemies just by looking at them.

“Goooood mooorniiiiing...”

That was when one of the few people who knew the truth about their relationship appeared. It was a petite girl in a summer dress who looked like she was in grade school.

“Good morning to you too.”

“Good morning, Sanae.”

“Hnnn...” Sanae sleepily rubbed her eyes.

But calling her a person was questionable, considering she had appeared from the ceiling. She didn’t flip over a tatami mat or make a wall glow, but literally materialized from the ceiling. Her name was Sanae, and she was the resident ghost of room 106.

“What’s for breakfast today?”

“Rice and miso soup. And the fish we bought yesterday, um... Kiriha-sama, what was it called again?”

“Salmon. And then there are the wieners that didn’t fit into today’s bentou.”

However, neither Kiriha nor Ruth was surprised by Sanae’s unusual entrance. They both smiled and acted as if they were talking to a friend. They were used to Sanae.

“Are they shaped like octopi?!”

“The best a girl of age can make.”

“Is that so?”

“She’s lying. Kiriha always lies with a straight face... Oh right, I almost forgot. Can I taste them?!”

“I don’t mind. I was going to serve them to Koutarou anyway.”

“All right!”

Sanae was delighted to get Kiriha’s permission. Looking as young as she did, she truly did seem like a child sometimes. But instead of reaching out for the wieners in front of her, she turned around and headed to the inner room.

“Wake up, Koutarou! Hey!”

“Hnnn...”

Once she made it to the inner room, Sanae got to work on waking up Koutarou. In order for her to taste the wieners, she needed Koutarou’s help. As a ghost, she couldn’t eat on her own. She needed to possess someone and share their senses so she could “eat” vicariously. Her willing victim was none other than Koutarou. They were currently in a truce, and the condition for the ceasefire was that Sanae was allowed to possess Koutarou.

“Hurry! Wake up! The octopi will get cold!”

“Hnnn... I can’t eat any more... Mhm...”

“I won’t let you be the only one eating good stuff!”

As expected, Koutarou was still out cold even after being shaken and shouted at. It also seemed like he was having a dream about eating, which only got on Sanae’s nerves even more.

“Heh heh, Mackenzie, I’m leaving the bill to you... Mmm...”

“Ugh! Why are you always denying ghosts a reason to exist?! I’m not asking you to be surprised anymore, but at least listen to my voice! When someone shakes you, wake up! And when you wake up, say ‘good morning, my angel’ to the adorable Sanae-chan!”

“Don’t cry over something like that... It’s pitiful...”

“Anyone would want to cry!”

Dumbfounded by Koutarou’s ability to talk in his sleep without waking up, Sanae finally reached her limit.

“I-In that case...”

With tears forming in her eyes, Sanae used her Poltergeist powers to lift up a nearby encyclopedia.

“Just you watch. This is what happens if you think a woman will just hold it in forever!”

Sanae grinned and tilted the encyclopedia slightly. She was going to drive the corner of the book right into Koutarou’s head.

“...Hmm?”

But before Sanae could put her plan into action, the wall began glowing just like it did when Ruth had appeared.

“There we go.”

The only difference this time was that a different person came through. Everything else was exactly the same.

The girl who stepped out of the wall now was a little older than Sanae. She wore a white dress and had beautiful, golden hair and clear blue eyes. This was Theia, an alien princess. She was also Ruth’s master.

“Gwaaaaaaaah?!”

“Oh, I didn’t see you, pleb.”

And things played out exactly the same way. Theia stepped directly on Koutarou’s face just like Ruth had. But unlike Ruth, she didn’t take it upon herself to do anything about it. Even worse, she was wearing shoes. Her high heels dug into Koutarou’s forehead.

“Owowowow!”

“You never learn, do you? Why do you always sleep there? Seriously... this is why you are a pleb,” Theia declared in an astounded tone of voice.

She then stepped off his face and onto the tatami floor. The edges of her white dress fluttered captivatingly, but Koutarou wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it right now.

“Tulip, you idiot! How many times do I have to tell you not to step on people?! And don’t wear shoes inside the room!”

Koutarou had a red bruise on his forehead. Not even he could sleep through being stabbed in the face by high heels with Theia’s full weight behind them.

“Aaaah?! Y-You pleb! You dare call me an idiot again?!”

“I’ll say it as many times as I have to, you idiot!”

“How dare you show your master such disrespect?!”

Koutarou and Theia butted heads and shouted at each other. They were so close they could kiss, but that didn’t matter to either of them when they were so worked up.

“And what’s this? Why do you only complain about me? Am I the only one that has stepped on you?!”

“I’m truly sorry, Satomi-sama. Allow me to apologize for my master and myself for stepping on you over and over.”

Before Koutarou and Theia knew it, Ruth was right there beside them. She deeply bowed to Koutarou as if she were the one being shouted at.

“No, there’s no need for you to apologize, Ruth-san. Please raise your head.”

Koutarou shook his head. He had no grievance with Ruth.

“This is all Tulip’s fault.”

“But...”

“Hey! You pleb! Why only forgive Ruth? How absurd! Why do you favor her?!”

Theia’s face turned red with anger and she stomped her feet. As she did, her heels pierced the tatami mat repeatedly. Seeing that, Koutarou’s tone grew even harsher.

“That’s obvious, you stupid princess! Why don’t you put a hand on your chest and ask yourself that again?!”

“My chest...?”

Theia vacantly stared down at herself, and then looked over at Ruth.

“Y-Your Highness?!”

Ruth blushed and crossed her arms over her chest to hide it.

“...Breasts...”

Although it had vanished momentarily in her confusion, Theia’s anger was soon reignited.

“You’re saying that you forgive her because her breasts are big?!”

But this time, she wasn’t just angry. She was livid. Getting so worked up, Theia completely lost sight of herself and screamed at Koutarou.

“Of course not! Why would that be the reason?!”

“Koutarou, who cares what barely-there boobs girl has to say? Forget her! Let’s eat!”

“Are you trying to pick a fight with me?!”

“Don’t, Your Highness!”

And just like that, a brawl broke out in the small room.

“Mmm, this tastes great.”

Kiriha, who was still in the kitchen, didn’t seem to care much about it as she tasted her miso soup with a satisfied smile.

“I’ll make sure to teach you who your master is today!”

“Just try it, Tulip! The only place you’re going is the flowerbed!”

“Just how much are you going to belittle your master? You rude Neanderthal!”

“Both of you, please stop it!”

“Food! Food!”

“Yet another peaceful day... Or far from it, rather...”

It was only natural for Kiriha to be so calm. It was just another morning in room 106.

“Thank you for the food!”

“Of course. Eat up.”

Once the breakfast preparations were complete, Sanae jumped onto Koutarou’s back and wrapped her arms around his neck. According to Sanae, that was how you possessed someone. But at first glance, it just looked like a child clinging to her father’s back.

“Hurry up and eat, Koutarou!”

“...”

Though Sanae was dying for Koutarou to start eating, Koutarou was glaring at the person across from him rather than focusing on the food.

“...”

Sitting opposite of Koutarou on the other side of the tea table was Theia, glaring right back at him. They had been glaring at each other for a while now. In addition to the bruise on Koutarou’s forehead, he had scratches and bite marks on him. Theia, on the other hand, was sporting a black eye. Neither one of them had come out unscathed from their earlier brawl.

“Your Highness, if you keep this up, your food will get cold.”

“You should be saying that to the pleb! What’s wrong with disciplining a fool who raises their hand against their master?”

Ruth was sitting between Koutarou and Theia, and was doing her best to get the two of them to make up.

“Ha, to think you’re calling someone a fool.”

“Hmph. You lowlife.”

Despite her efforts, they were both still sulking and looked away from each other in irritation. They had no intentions of making up. Though they couldn’t get along, they shared the same stubbornness.

“But Your Highness, we are the ones who started it.”

“I don’t care. A vassal’s fealty shouldn’t be circumstantial. He should respect me universally.”

“Who are you calling a vassal?”

“You’re being such a baby...”

“That’s not true. It’s Tulip’s fault.”

Even while looking away from each other, they continued to argue. In fact, it carried on solely because of how conscious of one another they were.

“We can’t have that, Koutarou.”

That was when Kiriha spoke up with a vexed smile. With his head turned away from Theia, Koutarou just so happened to be looking at her. Kiriha was seated across from Ruth, between Koutarou and Theia on the other side. They were sitting around the tea table in what had become their usual order: Koutarou and Sanae, Ruth, Theia, and then Kiriha.

“Kenji and Shizuka will worry if you make a scary face like that.”

“But, Tulip is—”

“That’s e-n-o-u-g-h.”

Koutarou tried to protest, but Kiriha stopped him by placing her finger over his lips. She leaned forward a little and smiled.

“I don’t like you this way either. I prefer it when you smile.”

“Huh...?”

The soft, warm tip of Kiriha’s finger felt like a kiss to Koutarou. Her dazzling smile and calming eyes sucked him in.

“Listen, Koutarou, it’s okay to act like this sometimes. But that doesn’t mean you should be that way around everyone. Kenji, Shizuka, and even I will be sad to see you this way. You shouldn’t bring down the people you love like that.”

“Ugh...”

“Let go of your anger, Koutarou. It’s for our sake and yours.”

Koutarou’s anger dissolved as Kiriha calmly admonished him. He was mad at Theia because he was irritated by her selfishness, but Kiriha’s smile made him realize that it was selfish of him to take that out on other people.

“Waaait just a minute! I mind my own business and this is what happens?!”

“Wh-What?!”

As Koutarou and Kiriha started to come to an understanding, Sanae shouted at the two of them. Still clinging on to Koutarou, she strengthened her grip around his neck like she was going to choke him.

“Kiriha! Don’t act like you’re the only one who’s not Koutarou’s enemy! He can fuss at you all he wants! You’re planning on taking this room for yourself after all! Don’t casually try to act like you’re so buddy-buddy!”

“My, my, you sure are strict, Sanae.”

“And Koutarou! What’s with you?! She’s just trying to get you to lower your guard so she can take over the room. That’s what she always does!”

“S-Sorry, it was a reflex...”

“Don’t hand me that! Give me a break, Koutarou! You’ve almost fallen for her tricks so many times these past few days! What do you think would happen if I wasn’t around?!”

“I get it. Just calm down, okay?”

“...Are you reflecting on your actions?”

As Koutarou apologized, both the force in Sanae’s voice and her grip weakened.

“I am. Of course I am.”

“And do you have any words of thanks for the beautiful ghost who keeps helping you?”

“Thank you for always looking out for me.”

The only reason he hadn’t already been fooled by Kiriha and still had a place to live was thanks to Sanae. If it weren’t for his truce with her, he would have succumbed to Kiriha long ago.

“Good. Now hurry up and eat. I’m starving.”

Satisfied with Koutarou’s answer, Sanae leaned forward and pointed at the table. On it was rice, miso soup, salmon, and wieners cut into octopus shapes. It was the long-awaited breakfast.

“I know. Thank you for the food.”

“Koutarou, start with the octopi wieners!”

By the time Koutarou picked up his chopsticks, Sanae was back to her usual self. Her voice now seemed to suit her appearance—innocent and lively.

“...Hey, Sanae.”

Koutarou’s chopsticks stopped just before reaching the wiener.

“What?”

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Even she’s been tamed by Kiriha’s cooking...

Koutarou kept himself from saying what was on his mind.

“Oh? Then hurry up already!”

“Okay, okay.”

But why don’t I want to say it?

Koutarou was uncertain of why he restrained himself.

“Your Highness, it’s almost time,” proclaimed Ruth as she returned to the inner room after doing the dishes.

“Very well. Then let’s go.”

Hearing that, Theia put down the empty cup she had been playing with and stood up. As she did, the skirt of her dress filled out enough to take up a sizable fraction of the room. Considering how small the apartment was, her dress made for a substantial obstacle.

“Well then, everyone, we’ll meet again later.”

“Don’t be late, pleb.”

“Of course I won’t”

“That’s good. A vassal’s failure reflects poorly on me. It seems you can at least appreciate that. Very good.”

Theia and Ruth went back through the glowing wall. They were returning to their spaceship to change. From there, they would make their way to school using their own route.

“...She just keeps spouting selfish nonsense...”

“She seems determined to make you her vassal.”

Koutarou and Sanae, who were drinking tea at the table, stared at the glowing wall and sighed. Kiriha, who was drinking with them, smiled dryly as her shoulders drooped.

“That is her condition for succeeding the throne. She most likely can’t back down. That said, I can’t either. Well then...”

After waiting for Koutarou to finish his tea, Kiriha took the empty cups to the sink.

“Ho!”

“Hey! Ho!”

As she did, the two haniwas flipped the tatami closest to the front door. Below it was a tunnel leading to Kiriha’s secret base. At first it had just been a hole in the ground, but before they knew it, it was surrounded with concrete and tiling. That was thanks to the work the two haniwas had done.

“I will be taking my leave as well. I’ll see you in class, Koutarou, Sanae.”

Like Theia and Ruth, Kiriha would make her own way to Harukaze High. Neither Kiriha nor Theia wanted to cause any unnecessary commotion.

“Yeah, See you lat—”

“Stooooop!”

As Koutarou was about to see Kiriha off, Sanae’s fist came crashing down on the back of his head.

“You’re being tricked again! You don’t need to see that woman off!”

“R-Right.”

Not good. I’m completely falling for Kiriha’s kindness...

Koutarou himself grew wary. He was just going along with the flow of what seemed like perfectly normal behavior from Kiriha. He had completely forgotten, but everything she said was a trap to lure him into a false sense of security. If Koutarou let his guard down with her, he might wake up tomorrow to his room being used to invade the surface.

“Heehee, so you can’t believe that my feelings for Koutarou are serious?”

“Isn’t that obvious?! Where would anyone find romantic feelings in you?!”

“Koutarou, do you feel the same...?”

Kiriha held her hands to her chests and whispered to him in a sweet voice. Her smile vanished as she sadly looked down.

“Ugh...”

When faced with her dewy eyes and dulcet voice, Koutarou unconsciously gulped. Even though he knew she was the enemy, Koutarou was a boy in puberty. When she acted like this, he couldn’t help but waver.

“Koutarou! Get a grip!”

“Y-Yeah... S-Sorry, Sanae.”

Not good. Even though I know better, this still happens...

Koutarou started to panic internally. Kiriha’s attacks grew more skillful by the day. As Kiriha got to know Koutarou, she was adjusting her strategies accordingly.

“Heehee. Foiled again, huh? I’ll see you later, Koutarou.”

Kiriha disappeared into the tunnel with a smile. The two haniwas followed, putting the tatami mat back in place as they went.

“Th-This is bad for my heart...”

Koutarou could feel his heart throbbing as he stared at the floor where Kiriha had left.

“That woman is the worst...”

Sanae puffed up her cheeks and let out an irritated sigh.

“Sanae, let’s go.”

“Just wait a second.”

Koutarou had changed and was ready to leave for school, but Sanae was still struggling to put on her uniform. Her scarf was crooked and the hem of her shirt was caught in her skirt, revealing her underwear. She was also only wearing one sock. She looked like a train wreck even to Koutarou, who was largely indifferent when it came to clothing.

“Can you try to keep it together?”

“S-Sorry, heh heh...”

Sanae let out an embarrassed laugh as she put on her other sock. Meanwhile, Koutarou pulled her shirt out from her skirt and fixed her scarf.

“Thanks, Koutarou.”

“That’s fine and all, but why are you wearing a uniform to begin with?”

“It’s cute, isn’t it?”

Once she got herself straightened out, Sanae spun around in front of Koutarou. The uniform didn’t quite fit her. It was too large, but that only increased the cuteness factor. Koutarou had to agree with Sanae’s assessment.

“Yeah, but I’m more interested in why a ghost is changing clothes in the first place. More importantly, where did you get a uniform that a ghost can wear? I’ve been dying to know.”

“It’s girl stuff. Don’t worry about it. If you keep sweating the tiny details, you’re going to go bald.”

“Are they really ‘tiny details’ though...?”

Koutarou found himself staring at Sanae’s uniform. Noticing, she grabbed the hem of her skirt and gave him curtsy.

“Very tiny. Ghosts in movies change their outfits between scenes all the time. That’s just what ghosts do! Ah, the tragic maiden, Sanae-chan...”

“Now that you mention it, the mysterious man in the hockey mask changes his weapons between scenes as well... From chainsaw to machete to hatchet... I wonder where he gets those...”

“Don’t compare me to him! You’re always like this!”

“Uwah!”

Sanae grabbed ahold of Koutarou’s neck in a sudden fit of rage. But as the doorbell rang, Sanae loosened her grip on Koutarou and jumped off of him.

“Hey, Kou... Are you up?”

“Satomi-kuuun!”

Following the doorbell, there were voices. They belonged to Koutarou’s friends, Kenji and Shizuka, who had come to pick him up.

“I’m awake! I’ll be right there!”

After shouting towards the front door, Koutarou grabbed his school bag sitting nearby.

“Sanae, you haven’t forgotten anything, have you?”

“No, I’m all good.”

Sanae turned off the light and headed for the front door after Koutarou.

“What about you?”

“I’m...”

Koutarou, who was in the middle of putting on his shoes, paused and looked up.

“Hmm... I do have a feeling I’m forgetting something...”

“What is it?”

“I have no idea. Well, if I can’t remember it right away then it probably wasn’t that important.”

“Then let’s go, Koutarou.”

“Yeah.”

Koutarou nodded at Sanae and put the thought out of his mind before finishing putting on his shoes.

“Make sure you don’t forget to make it so Landlord-san can’t see you, okay?”

“Aye aye, sir!”

And so Koutarou and the others left Corona House. With them all gone, the room fell silent. The only sounds in room 106 were the tick of the clock and the hum of the fridge. It was quiet enough to hear birdsong and the occasional passing car from outside.

But as time passed, the outdoor noises gradually grew louder. Morning rush hour was beginning and large crowds started to gather at the nearby stations. Bicycles and cars passed by on their way to work or school. And as the time for school drew closer, even the sound of preschoolers mischievously blowing on whistles reached the apartment. But the chaos of morning only lasted for thirty minutes or so. Then room 106 was quiet again.

That is, at least until a suspicious noise was heard coming from the wardrobe. Not a moment later, the sliding door flew open.

“I-I-I’m laaaaate!”

There appeared to be a girl in the upper half of the wardrobe. The bottom half contained Koutarou’s belongings, but there was a futon inexplicably spread out along the top compartment with a half-crying girl seated on top of it.

“Wh-Why didn’t anyone wake me up?! ...Wait, they’ve already left!”

This was Yurika. She was a cosplayer that Koutarou and the others girls knew. When Koutarou thought he might be forgetting something, it was her.

“Aaaaahh! This will be the tenth day I’m late! The teacher’s definitely going to yell at me! They’re all terrible! They know I’m absent a lot and they just left me here anyways!”

Yurika hurriedly changed from her pajamas to her uniform while still inside of the wardrobe. The upper half of the wardrobe had several small shelves where Yurika kept her belongings. She also had a change of clothes hanging up. Although it was very narrow inside of the wardrobe, Yurika showed no sign of being affected by it as she skillfully changed her clothes.

Astoundingly, Yurika was using the upper half of the wardrobe as her own room.

“All right, I’m done changing! If I don’t hurry, I’ll miss first period!”

Once in her uniform, Yurika grabbed her bag and jumped out of the wardrobe. There was a loud crunching noise as she landed.

“...Hm?”

Hearing the curious sound, Yurika looked down to see a white plastic bag under her foot.

“I-It couldn’t be...”

Yurika shuddered at the sight. Despite being in a hurry, the surprised Yurika slowly lifted her foot. If this was the bag she thought it was, this was a disaster far more serious than being late to school.

“Nooooooooooo!”

Just as she had feared, what she found below her foot was the bag containing her cups of instant noodles. Landing on the bag had crushed the majority of them.

“Wh-Why is it right here?! I know I left it over there! How could this happen?!”

Yurika fell into a complete panic.

With the recession, the price of instant noodles had soared. Because of that, even during specials, the best price available was still a hefty 98 yen. Yurika had trampled her precious food supply. In total she had destroyed six of the noodle cups. With a single step, two days worth of food went right out the window.

“W-Would it still be edible if I gather all of it up?”

It was a devastating blow to Yurika. She was now groveling on the floor, staring longingly at the broken noodles spilled across the tatami mat.

“No, you can’t do that, Yurika! Eating food off the floor is just...! Besides, that has to be bad for you!”

For a moment, she had seriously considered gathering the noodles up and eating them, but her pride got in the way. However, given her current financial situation and her attachment to these noodle cups, even her pride was gradually giving in.

“I need to pick them up anyways! Not eating anything for two days, I... Aaaaahh! B-But what kind of a person would eat food off the floor like this? Aaaaahh! But, but... two days without food! Two whole days!”

Yurika was torn.

After picking up the noodle cups, should she throw them away or eat them? It was just a simple choice between two options, but to Yurika it held a much deeper meaning. It was an intense internal struggle. Should she throw away the food she needed to survive, or should she throw away her pride as a human being?

It was a moral crisis over her humanity.

“...But if I throw away my pride, I’ll be able to fill my stomach! That’s right, Yurika, you can’t live off of your pride! You have to fill up your stomach first! You have to survive, otherwise you can’t protect your pride!”

In the end Yurika chose to throw away her pride. She just couldn’t bring herself to throw out her noodle cups. She couldn’t scorn the synthetic taste and the texture of the instant noodles.

“I should treasure life! I have to treasure my things! That should allow me to fulfill my purpose as a magical girl as well! I need to teach the children to treasure all kinds of things!”

Yurika quickly put her plan into action and collected the scattered noodles into the plastic bag.

Today, Yurika wasn’t going make it in time for the second period either. At this rate, she would be held back a grade.

“Yurika, fight! Yurika, fight!”

But only one thing mattered to Yurika right now, and that was to hoard every last crumb of food—the most important thing to her after her life. She wasn’t thinking of anything else.

“This is a magical girl’s duty! An important duty! It’s the only way!”

She was the self-proclaimed magical girl of love and courage, Rainbow Yurika. Everyone was convinced that she was just a cosplayer, but even if she were a real magical girl, this was surely enough to make any of her fans give up on her.

When Yurika finally left for school, the room was still once more. This time of day, room 106 was a rather peaceful place to be. From time to time the voices of housewives going out to shop or a passing truck could be heard, but in general Corona House was quiet. And it continued to be so until the afternoon.

At about 2 PM, groups of young children passed by Corona House on their way home from school. They were playing around and carrying on about what they saw on TV yesterday, how delicious the pudding they had for desert was, and various other things. Their carefree conversations could be heard from the apartment as they walked by.

As the hour grew later, the age of the kids passing by Corona House gradually rose. The voices of children playing in a nearby park could be heard too. It was around that time that people started returning to room 106.

“I have returned.”

The first one to arrive was Ruth. Her voice echoed in the empty room. She appeared by the entrance holding a large shopping bag. Unlike the other four girls, Koutarou trusted Ruth, so he had left the shopping to her. In her bag were the ingredients that Koutarou and the others would need for dinner.

“Oh? What’s this...?”

As Ruth was about to put the groceries in the refrigerator, she noticed the plastic bag next to the sink. Peeking into the bag, she saw splintered foam cups and crushed instant noodles.

“Looks like trash.”

In addition to the foam and noodles, there was a good amount of dust inside of the bag. Ruth was aware that the noodles were food, but nobody would eat trash like this. Although she felt like it was a waste, she threw the bag into the garbage can. Being as proper as she was, she even made sure to sort the garbage as well.

“Now then, next is...”

After throwing out the garbage, she washed her hands and continued putting away the groceries. While she hadn’t been sure how to act on Earth at first, she no longer showed any sign of hesitation. This was in part because she had spent half a month on Earth already, but her disposition also played a big part in it. Although she held the official position of a royal guard, she was extremely well-versed in domestic matters.

As Ruth finished up, two more people returned to room 106.

“But just playing card games all the time is getting old. How about we use next month’s sports festival?”

“As you say, Theia-dono, just playing card games all the time is getting boring. But wouldn’t the sports festival just be a challenge of stamina?”

Coming through the front door were Theia and Kiriha, who were amicably discussing the school sports festival being held in May.

“Well, for example, there’s that obstacle marathon for clubs, right? We’d be able to have a fair fight using that, don’t you think?”

“I see, that certainly would be...”

“Welcome back, Your Highness, Kiriha-sama.”

“Thank you, Ruth.”

“Thank you.”

Ruth welcomed them as she closed the refrigerator and stood up, and the two girls casually entered as if it was their own apartment.

“Your Highness! Your shoes, your shoes!”

“Oh, right.”

Theia had already stepped into the apartment still wearing her shoes. But after Ruth’s reminder, she hurried back to take them off.

“...This country sure has some weird customs.”

“Oh, don’t say that.”

“That pleb is my vassal, so he should value my nation’s customs over his own.”

“It’s only proper to observe a nation’s customs while visiting.”

Theia was unused to the practice of taking off her shoes when entering a home, and expressed her frustration accordingly. The fact that Koutarou got angry whenever she forgot only made it worse. Being stubborn as she was, if Koutarou hadn’t gotten mad, she might have been more inclined to take them off.

“That doesn’t matter anymore. Kiriha, I’m thinking of bringing up what we were talking about with Koutarou. What do you think?”

“I don’t mind. I will support your suggestion, Theia-dono.”

Kiriha agreed to Theia’s proposal, but that was because it seemed to pan out in her favor. If they competed in the sports festival, Theia’s weaker physique would certainly put her at a disadvantage. Moreover, Theia was unfamiliar with Earth sports. And since Sanae was a ghost, it would essentially be a competition between Kiriha and Koutarou.

Even so, who knows what she’s thinking beyond that smile? I can’t let my guard down yet...

Theia had been smiling confidently this whole time. It made Kiriha somewhat uneasy, so she began forming a plan in her head just to be on the safe side.

As they continued their discussion, someone else appeared at the front door.

“I’m baaack!”

“Welcome back, Yurika-sama.”

“Thanks, Ruth-san.”

It was indeed Yurika. As she opened the door and entered, she let out a heavy sigh.

“Is something the matter, Yurika-sama?”

“Well, um... The teacher got angry at me... because I’m late so often...”

“Is that so?”

Yurika was sighing because she’d been yelled at by her homeroom teacher after school. The stern lecture left her in a bad mood.

“Please cheer up, Yurika-sama.”

“Thank you, Ruth-san. You’re right. I can’t just stay depressed! Yurika, fight!”

Encouraged by Ruth, Yurika recovered somewhat and flashed a small smile. But the very next moment, Yurika was staring at the kitchen counter with a stupefied expression.

“Huh?”

“Is something wrong?”

“R-Ruth-san, w-wasn’t there a plastic bag here? A big, white plastic bag from the supermarket?”

Yurika began to panic. She was sure she’d left that plastic bag by the sink this morning. She was planning on having its contents for dinner when she returned from school, but now that precious bag was gone without a trace.

“Oh, if you’re talking about the trash, I threw it away.”

“T-Trash? You threw it away?!”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“Kyaaaaah!”

Yurika didn’t answer Ruth—she no longer had the time for that. She hurriedly threw off her shoes and made a mad dash for the garbage can next to the sink.

“Please be all right!”

Yurika prayed with all of her might as she opened the lid to the garbage can.

“Yurika-sama?”

“Ahh...”

But alas, reality is harsh.

Being as diligent as she was, Ruth had gone through the plastic bag and sorted its contents. The splintered foam cups were put in with the burnable waste and the noodles were tossed with the rest of the garbage.

“H-How did this happen...?”

“What’s the matter, Yurika-sama?”

Her precious noodles were now mixed with the other garbage. At this point, not even Yurika could think of eating them.

“Ah... Aaaaaaaahh!”

Yurika was intensely discouraged, but at the same time, an immense hunger attacked her. Faced with the loss of her dinner, her appetite had awoken.

“Th-There’s no more hope for recovery...”

Tears streamed down Yurika’s cheeks as her stomach growled. The growl was so loud even Ruth could clearly hear it.

“Why... Why does this always happen to me? I’m working as hard as I can... Waah haa haa...”

“Yurika-sama, what’s wrong? Yurika-sama!”

Yurika could no longer hear Ruth’s voice. She just continued to cry as she stared down at the floor.

The tears dripped from her cheeks, falling onto the floor in a speckled pattern. In her puddle of tears, however, Yurika spotted something—one of the shattered noodles. She hastily reached for the tear-stained noodle.

“Your Highness! Kiriha-sama! Yurika-sama is...!”

“What, did something happen?”

“Yurika?”

When Ruth called to them, Theia and Kiriha came to peek into the kitchen. Yurika simply stood there, looking down sadly.

“Is this it...? Is this fragment all I have to live on for the next two days...?”

Yurika’s stomach continued to growl as she stared at the piece of a noodle in her hand.

In room 106, playing card games after dinner was the norm. But this wasn’t any ordinary game. It wasn’t for fun or to deepen their friendship; it was a battle for control of the apartment.

The inner room was floored with six tatami mats. One of those tatami mats was covered with furniture, leaving five more. As luck would have it, that was also the number of people competing over the room. Accordingly, they had determined that everyone controlled one tatami mat each.

Koutarou’s mat was in the center of the room. When the tea table wasn’t there, that was where he normally sat. It was also where he would lay out his futon.

South of that was Sanae’s mat, the one by the window. Although that was her spot, she was usually over piggybacking on Koutarou in his space. But when they moved the tea table to the center of the room, Koutarou retreated back to the tatami mat by the window, bringing Sanae along for the ride.

Kiriha’s tatami mat was the one closest to the kitchen. It was the one above the underground tunnel leading to her secret base. It would be an awkward place to live, but to Kiriha, it was mostly a convenient way to get home easily.

Yurika’s tatami mat was next to Kiriha’s, and was positioned in front of the wardrobe. Since she had taken to living in the wardrobe before anyone noticed, that tatami mat naturally became hers. But as she was weak to pressure, it was common for her to allow the other invaders to violate her borders, even though she would often suffer for it.

Theia’s tatami mat was the one farthest back in the room, in front of the glowing wall. She often left a mini table and chair meant for tea time there. And courtesy of her voluminous dress, she would often trespass into the territory of the others. Really, it was Theia who was most likely to invade Yurika’s tatami mat.

With their borders established, each mat was determined to be worth 180 points, and control of the room would be calculated that way. One point was worth one centimeter, so 180 points was 180 centimeters—one whole tatami mat.

The five of them fought over these points using mostly card games. Gaining points would result in expanded territory. Matches were held five times a day so that each of them would have a chance to choose which game they played. The plan was to repeat this until somebody had 900 points, meaning they held all five tatami mats and thus had gained full control of the room. This was how they had agreed to settle their disputes after signing the Corona Convention.

At the current moment, Yurika was in dead last with less than 160 points. The other four players were maintaining somewhere around 180 points. Theia was violating Yurika’s territory because of this, and at this rate Yurika would surely be driven out of the room.

According to plan, there was another round of games scheduled for today, but the competition showed no sign of starting. Despite everyone gathering by the tea table, they weren’t doing anything.

“Kiriha-san, what’s the matter with Yurika?”

“Well, it seems like she has ruined two days worth of food.”

“So that’s why she’s acting like that...”

They hadn’t started playing yet because of Yurika.

“Heehee! Ahahaha! Fight! Yurika, fight! I love noodle cups!”

Staring into oblivion, Yurika just kept hysterically repeating the same sing-song nonsense. This was the state Koutarou and Sanae found her in when they returned from his part-time job. They knew they weren’t going to be able to play cards with her like this, so they decided to postpone today’s games.

“So what is she clutching?”

“It’s a fragment of something known as an instant noodle. Apparently everything but that fragment has gone to waste.”

“Fight! Yurika, fight! I am a magical girl!”

“Actually, Satomi-sama, I was the one who mistook Yurika’s food for garbage and threw it away.”

Ruth’s expression clouded as she looked at the miserable Yurika and explained the situation to Koutarou.

“The noodles were in a bag with broken cups and dust, so I was certain it was all trash...”

Feeling responsible for the incident, Ruth was quite apologetic.

“I see... All right.”

Once he had the full story, Koutarou quickly decided what to do. If it had just been a matter of Yurika, he would have hesitated, but Ruth being involved too was a little different. He was going to resolve things immediately.

“What are you doing?”

“Just wait and see... Hey, Yurika.”

“I believe in love and courage! The most important things are life and love! I love everyone! Lots of food! L-Lots of... food...”

“Wuh?”

“Uuuwaaaaahh!”

Yurika wasn’t listening to Koutarou at all. Instead, she suddenly started crying. She had depressed herself with the lyrics of the song she was singing to herself. “Lots of food.” To her, that line was just too sad.

“Since it’s come to this...”

Although he’d jumped back in surprise when Yurika first started to cry, Koutarou had no intention of leaving Yurika as she was. He collected himself and approached her again, snatching the noodle shard out of her hands.

“Aaah! Give it back! Please give it back! That’s the only food I have until the day after tomorrow!”

Koutarou finally got Yurika to snap out of it. Having had her last piece of food stolen from her, she began panicking.

“Hey, Yurika, don’t you want to eat some normal food instead of this?”

“Huh...?”

Yurika froze in her tracks and her stomach began growling when she heard what Koutarou said. Her body gave an honest answer to his question.

“Th-That would be a dream come true, b-but you’re not planning to demand that I hand over several points in return, are you?!”

“I would love to, but this isn’t just about you, so I’ll overlook it for the next two days.”

“Y-You will?!”

“Satomi-sama! Thank you very much!”

Yurika and Ruth both smiled.

“Ooooooh, Satomi-san! I knew you were a good person from the moment we first met!”

“Yeah right...”

Yurika shed tears of joy as she grabbed ahold of Koutarou’s hand and began shaking it. Sanae, who was clinging to Koutarou’s back, sighed. The day they had first met, she called Koutarou a horrible person and a bully.

But back then, I never thought things would end up like...

Deep in thought, Sanae clung to Koutarou just a little tighter.

“Thank you very much for looking out for us, Satomi-sama.”

“Haha, I’d rather feed Yurika for two days than watch you walk around with that gloomy face, Ruth-san.”

Really, going for two days without food wasn’t going to kill anyone. It was more like a rough diet. Even so, Koutarou just couldn’t stand to see Ruth look so down.

“Oh my... Thank you very much, Satomi-sama...”

Ruth smiled and slightly blushed as she deeply bowed. Such earnest thanks from Ruth made Koutarou feel a little warm and fuzzy.

“Please raise your head, Ruth-san. It’s really not a big deal.”

“Satomi-sama, relative worth is indeed relative.”

“...Hey, pleb.”

At that moment, Theia’s piercing gaze shot right through Koutarou.

“Wh-What is it now all of a sudden?”

“It was the same way this morning. What’s with the unfair difference in how you treat me and Ruth? It’s like you’re saying you’re willing to swear your loyalty to her, not me!”

Theia frustratedly bit her lip and puffed up her cheeks as she glared at Koutarou. To a stranger, it might have looked cute, but the truth was that she was seriously upset.

“Jeez, here I was wondering what you’d say, but...”

“What?! Then give me a satisfactory explanation!”

Theia grew even angrier as Koutarou exaggeratedly sighed. With a cool look, he ignored her tantrum and pointed at Sanae, Theia, Yurika, and Kiriha in that order.

“A weird person, a weird person, an extremely weird person, and another weird person. There are four weird people in this room. It should be obvious that I care about the only other normal person here!”

“What kind of nonsense is that? And how dare you call me strange?! I am your master!”

“Some master! Do you have any idea the trouble you put Ruth-san through?!”

“I-It’s not trouble, Satomi-sama...”

“Just listen to her, pleb! Ruth herself says serving me isn’t troublesome!”

“As if someone that polite would admit how much of a pain you are right in front of you!”

“No, there’s no pain or trouble! Honestly!”

While Koutarou and Theia were making a fuss, Ruth was oddly flustered. Her behavior was all that really needed to be said about how she felt, but Koutarou and Theia were too busy arguing to notice.

“Hmph, it doesn’t matter. No matter what you think, I only need to seize control of this room. Doing that will put you under my domain too!”

“Like it’ll be that simple!”

“I’ll make it that simple! That’s the power of royalty!”

“I’ll fend you right off!”

As Koutarou and Theia were glaring at each other, Kiriha, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up.

“About that, Koutarou... We have a proposal.”

“...A proposal?”

Slightly calmer now, Koutarou turned towards Kiriha.

“That’s right. You and I both have plenty of will to fight, however just playing card games every day is dulling that. With that in mind, we would like to suggest a different kind of match. Of course, the amount of points played for will be appropriately higher.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s an obstacle marathon for clubs in the upcoming sports festival, right? We could participate and compete using that. Just playing card games every day is getting stale, isn’t it?”

Theia continued Kiriha’s explanation. She had calmed down and was now back to normal.

I will win this match by a landslide and demonstrate my superiority to the pleb...

At least, that’s what Theia was thinking.

“That sounds interesting. That kind of special match really heats things up. I’m on board.”

Koutarou quickly agreed to the proposal. As the star of previous sporting events, he had no reason to refuse.

Heh heh, I’ll make you regret challenging me to a sports match, Tulip...

Koutarou flashed a confident, fearless grin.

“I... I agree as well.”

Yurika, who would normally complain about matters being resolved without her, obediently assented. With two days worth of food on the line, she was going to do whatever Koutarou wanted.

“Wait just a minute. What about me? I can’t join the sports festival.”

But that was when Sanae spoke up. Being a ghost, she was unable to take part in the match.

“It’s all right. We’ve already come up with a way to take that into account. You’ll pick one of us beforehand, and you’ll get the same rank as that person.”

“Pick beforehand? What do you mean?”

“Well for example, say you pick me.”

“I absolutely refuse.”

“Hold on, Sanae, this is just an example... Let’s say I get second place. In that case, you would get second place too, Sanae. It would just be like two people got a draw for second place.”

Effectively, third place would then be fourth, fourth would be fifth, and fifth would be sixth. Sanae would just get the same rank as the person she chose to bet on.

“I see, so we would be in the same boat.”

“That’s right. Although, this method puts you at a slight disadvantage since you have no say in the outcome of the event. Alternatively, if you don’t choose anyone, you would just get third place. Feel free to choose whichever way suits you best.”

With five people competing, the person in third place wouldn’t lose any points. It would basically allow Sanae the option not to take part in the match.

“Hmm...”

While still clinging on to Koutarou’s back, Sanae put one hand on her cheek and pondered.

“I can’t just not participate. That would be too boring...”

Sanae glanced at Kiriha, Theia, and Yurika in order and then finally looked at Koutarou in front of her. After staring at the side of his face for a while, she smiled brightly.

“All right, I’ve decided! I’ll be in the same boat as Koutarou!”

“Hmm? Are you okay with that?”

“Even though there might be obstacles, it’s still a marathon, right? You look like you have the most stamina. Besides, we have a truce, remember?”

“I see. I’ll make sure you don’t regret choosing me, Sanae.”

“Nyahaha! I’m counting on you.”

Sanae smiled and nodded at Koutarou before putting her arm back around his neck.

“All right! With that, it’s been decided! As a special match, we shall take part in the obstacle marathon for clubs!”

And so Koutarou and the others would be holding their own competition during the school sports festival.