Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 27 - Chapter 4

Episode 4: The School Exam of Love and Courage

After reappearing after two thousand years to save the empress and protect the country, the Blue Knight became a living legend in Forthorthe. The people hung on his every word, and he became quite the fuss among the citizenry. They celebrated and admired him for just about everything, and that was precisely what made Koutarou so apprehensive.

“Koutarou, stock in that ice cream shop you secretly visited yesterday has gone through the roof. It seems it’s become famous overnight for being worthy of the Blue Knight’s attention.”

“They found out that you visited, ho!”

“The people of Forthorthe are keeping a watchful eye on you, ho!”

Kiriha approached Koutarou with a digital newspaper in hand. He was currently sitting on a sofa in the living room of the imperial palace’s guesthouse. He was trying to take it easy, but upon hearing Kiriha’s words, he stood up with a frown on his face.

“That’s no good...”

“What?! I thought it was delicious!”

“Sanae, I didn’t mean it like that.”

The influence the Blue Knight had by merely existing was simply too powerful. Whatever Koutarou said or did had an impact on the actions and opinions of the people of Forthorthe. It was an ice cream shop this time, but the taxi he’d used the other day had been a problem too. The company took it out of commission and put it on display.

But even those were just small, everyday occurrences compared to what happened after Koutarou bought out DKI. Now that it was known as the company owned by the Blue Knight, its stock price, sales, and credit line had all skyrocketed without any change whatsoever to the business. Granted, Koutarou’s practically infinite financial strength also played a big part in that.

The success his image brought to businesses like the ice cream shop, the taxi company, and DKI was one thing, but how it affected their competitors was another. Their sales would come to a grinding halt because the people of Forthorthe only wanted to patronize the same places the Blue Knight did. As such, he inadvertently had an enormous impact on the economy of Forthorthe, and he was deeply concerned about that. So when he said it was a bad thing, he certainly didn’t mean the ice cream.

“Then what are you talking about?” Sanae asked, confused.

“We really should be getting back to Earth. If we make this big of a commotion every time I do something, Forthorthe’s gonna end up a mess,” Koutarou answered somewhat solemnly.

“You can’t blame them, Blue Knight. That’s just how important you are to them.”

“Uncle is right. You’re their hero after all, Satomi-kun.”

“That said, we can’t just leave things as they are.”

“But Maki-chan, won’t Satomi-san be able to earn a lot of money this way?”

“I don’t think there’s much point of Satomi-kun earning more than he already does. If he asked for his full salary, he could already bankrupt the country several times over...”

After carefully considering the position he found himself in, Koutarou decided he should quickly leave Forthorthe. Taking a cue from the legend of the Blue Knight, he thought it would be in everyone’s best interest. He knew the people of Forthorthe would disagree and beg for him to stay, but he couldn’t look the other way when he knew what kind of trouble that would really cause.

“Well, now that that’s decided...” Koutarou said as he turned to walk away.

“Where are you going, Satomi-kun?” Harumi asked.

“To tell Theia and the others that we’re leaving. Please start getting ready to leave, Sakuraba-senpai. Same goes for the rest of you.”

“You mean right now?”

“Don’t you think we should get out of here as soon as possible?”

“Well, yes, but... what about the ceremony and party tomorrow? Wouldn’t it be better to leave after that?”

“I’m worried the ceremony and party will only make things worse.”

“If you’ve thought things through that much, then I have no objections. Everyone, let’s get ready to go home.”

The other girls readily agreed to Harumi’s request. To them, Earth was where they belonged. It was their home, and they were looking forward to returning. They were all starting to miss school and Corona House. The real problem would be with the three girls not present—Theia, Ruth, and Clan.

Leaving the guesthouse, Koutarou walked down the hallway towards the main building of the imperial palace to meet up with Theia and the others. On his way, he came across several members of the palace staff.

“Good morning, Your Excellency!”

“Do you have any business to attend to, Your Excellency? You can count on me if you have any requests!”

“Hey, you promised not to try and win him over like that!”

“Ladies, mind your manners. You’re troubling His Excellency.”

“We’re sorry!”

Maids, attendants, and other palace personnel were coming and going in the hallway, and they all looked busy. Forthorthe was currently in the middle of all kinds of post-war policymaking to get the nation back on track after the disaster wrought by Vandarion and his faction. Now that hostilities had ceased and things were peaceful again, the only battles left to fight were political. There were countless meetings, conferences, and official functions to be had, including tomorrow’s ceremony.

“I don’t really have any... Actually, do you happen to know where Princess Theiamillis is at the moment?”

In front of the citizens of Forthorthe, Koutarou made sure to address Theia properly, and he always spoke politely to uphold his image as a knight and the reputation of the imperial household. However, after everything that had happened, the people knew good and well what Koutarou was really like. Part of that was thanks to the footage they’d seen, which portrayed him in his daily life. Based on that, they knew what kind of close, friendly relationship he had with Theia and Clan. They knew he would fight with the princesses verbally and physically, but they chose to keep quiet about it and respect the image Koutarou presented for the public. Knowing he had a special connection to the princesses and knowing that he had such a relatable side to him, however, made the people love him even more.

“Um, this morning... I believe Princess Theiamillis has a dress fitting, practice for her speech, and interviews with the media. She’s likely in the middle of the fitting or her practice, so she should be in her room.”

“I see. Thank you.”

“Oh my gosh! His Excellency thanked me personally!”

“That’s not fair! You’re always trying to get ahead!”

“How many times do I have to tell you girls to mind your manners?! Your troubling His Excellency!”

“Excuse us!”

Scolded by the grand chamberlain who happened to be present, the maids scattered in all directions. But they weren’t just running away. They were plenty busy themselves and had business elsewhere. Realizing that piqued Koutarou’s interest.

“I am truly sorry, Your Excellency. Ever since the war ended and you returned, the maids have been excitable... though I can’t say I blame them.”

“Don’t worry about it. Things will calm down eventually.”

“Thank you for such encouraging words, Your Excellency.”

“That said... are you all really that busy?”

“Oh yes, very much so. But it’s a wonderful thing. The country is at peace now, and this is nothing in comparison. The hardships of peacetime are a gift compared to the hardships of war.”

“Thank you for such encouraging words.”

“Ohoho, Your Excellency! That’s my line!”

Koutarou had a nice chat with the chamberlain before parting ways, and while he didn’t scramble away like the maids had, he too seemed to be in a hurry.

“I really am just in the way... I guess once the saving’s been done, a hero’s only deadwood...”

Koutarou smiled wryly as he headed to Theia’s private room. He knew he’d been somewhat useful in the battle against Vandarion, but now that the fighting was over, he was just like any other seventeen year old boy. Unlike Kiriha who had experience in politics and economic affairs, all he could do was watch on as the others worked. Yet even then, he still wielded a huge amount of influence, so he decided that he should simply stay out of things. And the best way to make sure that happened was to return to Earth. The same went for Nalfalaren, which had since split and returned to being its two constituent swords. Knowing neither he nor the swords could stay in Forthorthe, Koutarou was ready to leave immediately.

“Oh, that crowd... There’s no doubt about it.”

As Koutarou approached Theia’s room, he saw a large group of people crowding by her door. There were maids, politicians, bureaucrats, financiers, and anyone else who had business with the princess.

“Men, don’t speak all at once! Can’t you present yourselves one at a time?!”

“Your Highness, calm down.”

Koutarou could hear Theia’s loud voice and Ruth’s more modest voice from inside her room as he approached.

“Sounds like they’re at it again...”

Getting closer, he realized that the crowd of people in the hallway was actually a line to have an audience with Theia. She was in her room attending to people as they came to see her.

“Looks like I won’t be able to talk to Theia directly. Guess I’ll have to make do with the other one.”

Koutarou gave up on talking with Theia, turned on his heels, and headed for a different room on the same floor. He was going to see Clan. A last resort of sorts. He figured that, being from the Schweiger family rather than the ruling Mastir family, Clan might actually have some time to talk.

“Yup, just as I suspected.”

Unlike with Theia, there was no crowd in the hallway outside Clan’s room. Thinking he’d made the right choice to come see her instead, he reached out for the panel next to the door. It would read his biological data and inform Clan of his visit, but...

“I am sorry, Your Excellency. The master is currently out of the room.”

“Huh...? Cradle?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. I am undertaking all kinds of jobs in place of my busy master.”

“With the war over, you should get a chance to rest too.”

“An artificial intelligence without a task is one without meaning.”

“I guess that’s true... Well, do you know where Clan went?”

“She left for the science academy early this morning with the goal of explaining and validating the genetic manipulation and video footage of the past.”

“So even she’s busy now too, huh?”

“My master is the only one with verifiable data from the events of two thousand years ago.”

“No wonder she’s so popular. Now what do I do...?”

Theia, Ruth, and even Clan were all swamped with work. From the sound of things, Ceilēshu and Elfaria were probably just as busy, if not more so. Koutarou was reluctant to interrupt them just to say he was going home, so he decided to say goodbye in a less obtrusive way.

“In that case... I want to ask you to do two things.”

“I’m at your service, Your Excellency.”

“First, I’m going to prepare three letters. Can you deliver them to Clan and the others when they’re not so busy?”

Koutarou had given up on talking directly to Theia, Ruth, and Clan, so he was going to leave them letters instead. That way, he’d be able to depart as quickly as possible. That seemed like the best possible option since it would limit his time on Forthorthe, meaning the potential influence he had over the nation and its people would also be limited.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Also, I’d like you to give us a lift back to Earth. Can you do that?”

Koutarou’s second request was a ride home. He was originally going to ask Clan or Ruth, but they were busy enough as it was. He hadn’t even been able to talk to him. But fortunately, he’d now come across the Cradle’s AI, which could also make the necessary arrangements.

“It is possible. As Your Excellency holds authority second only to Her Majesty, I am required to comply with all orders.”

“All right, then it’s an order.”

“As you wish, my lord. I am honored to be at your service.”

Koutarou held the rank of commander-in-chief as decreed by Alaia, which outranked any princess. In reality, he held about as much authority as the empress herself did. As such, the Cradle would comply with his orders with or without Clan’s approval.

As the technology of Forthorthe advanced and improved, the biggest danger in space flight became human error. As such, almost all ships were designed with built-in autopilot. It was considered the industry standard, and ships could always switch over to manual operation if necessary. The autopilot function was how Theia and Ruth could operate Blue Knight with just the two of them, and it would be how Koutarou and the other girls could get back to Earth without much trouble.

“Koutarou, Koutarou, when are we going to warp?” asked Sanae excitedly.

“I think we just did, actually,” Koutarou replied.

“Whaaat?! You should have said something! How am I supposed to appreciate it otherwise?!”

“It was over by the time I noticed it, honestly.”

Using a military-class space distortion maneuvering device, or warp engine, it took fifteen days to travel from Forthorthe to Earth. With such a lengthy voyage, however, it was customary to freeze time aboard the ship during the trip. And so two weeks literally passed in the blink of an eye for Koutarou and the other passengers, and Earth was already being displayed on the monitor in front of them.

“So that’s Earth, huh? It’s a relief to see it again after all this time.”

Shizuka stared hard at the softly glowing blue planet on the screen. She’d seen plenty of pictures of Earth from space before, but the image of it now felt nostalgic after having been away from it for so long. It was really starting to sink in for her that the war was over.

“In anime, the person who says that usually dies. You know, like the captain or something.”

“Not another word, Yurika-chan! It’s got to be bad luck to say that!”

“Ahahaha, sorry.”

Of course, Shizuka wasn’t the only one with a smile on her face to see her home planet again. They’d all felt the same tense unease when they’d left Earth to go fight, but that tension was now slowly lifting. Without realizing it, they’d all gathered on the bridge to look at Earth as it gradually grew bigger on the monitor.

“Satomi-kun, when will we be able to get off at room 106?”

Even Harumi sounded overjoyed. Knowing that some of the other girls on board didn’t have families, she was reluctant to say anything, but she was dying to see her parents again. But whether they had families or not, all of the girls felt something similar. They were all a little homesick. Shizuka couldn’t wait to return to Corona House, a memento from her late parents; Yurika was eager to get her hands on her pile of manga once more; and Maki wanted to see her classmates and the girls of the cosclub. Each and every one of them had something they were looking forward to, and they were all smiling at the thought of finally being home again.

“Well, how’s it looking, Cradle?”

“This is as close as the warp will take us. From here, it will take roughly an hour and a half until we reach stationary orbit, after which it will take approximately an hour to create a gate to the surface. Conservative estimate is currently three hours total.”

“Three hours, huh? I can hardly wait,” Harumi said with a happy sigh.

“Koutarou, when we get back, we’re going out to buy ice cream,” Sanae insisted.

“We just had some on Forthorthe,” Koutarou objected.

“Who cares? It tastes different on Earth!”

“Okay, okay...”

“Satomi-kun, can I come too?” Maki asked.

“So Sanae and Aika-san for ice cream. Anyone else?”

“I would like to come as well,” answered Kiriha. “And I don’t believe I’m alone in that.”

The other girls all agreed in succession.

“We’ll go as a group then.”

The girls were all excited to be home again, and Koutarou was no different. Even though he sounded like he was being jerked around by their demands, the truth was that he relished every minute of this simple yet chaotic life he’d fought so hard to protect. He could hardly wait to get down to the surface and get back to his daily life with these girls.

Koutarou and the girls returned to Earth the night of January 31st. Since it was already late, their hurried out to get their ice cream together. But that wasn’t the only thing. Once they were all done with their ice cream, they scattered throughout the shopping street to buy the things they’d missed or wanted the most. Books, manga, candy, baseball equipment... Everyone got something different. And once they were all done shopping, they finally returned to room 106.

“Man, nothing beats the tatami mats in your own place...”

Koutarou, the first in the door, tossed his luggage aside and laid face down on the floor. The familiar feel of the woven mats and the smell of the soft rush straw they were made out of put him in an instant state of relaxation.

“It’s important to appreciate that kind of thing.”

Whump!

“Gueh!”

Sanae threw herself onto Koutarou’s back as he lay on the floor. She was sensitive to the emotions of others, especially Koutarou’s. How comfortable she felt when she clung to him largely depended on how relaxed he was, and in that sense, he was right. Nothing beat room 106. He was happy, and so was she as she held on to him.

“Now things would really be perfect if you just expressed your undying love for yours truly, Sanae-chan!”

“If that’s what you want, don’t jump on me full force like that.”

“Teeheehee, sorry. I just couldn’t hold back.”

“Well, I guess I can’t blame you for that...”

“Upsy-daisy!”

Unlike usual, Sanae quickly got off Koutarou’s back. Surprised, he sat up to look at her and found her looking down at him with a smile.

“I guess I’ll be off now. I’m gonna go home.”

Sanae wasn’t just eager to see room 106. She was also looking forward to getting to see her family. She wanted to hug them as much as she did Koutarou.

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

“I’ll see you later then?”

“You don’t have to come back tonight, you know.”

“Jeez, you always get so stubborn... Well, see you!”

“Later.”

Koutarou understood how she felt. He also wanted to see his dad, Yuichirou. And so with a warm smile, he saw off Sanae, who was already practically skipping towards the door.

“I believe we should return home for a visit as well.”

“Underground we go, ho!”

“The chief is waiting, ho!”

Whump, whump!

“Gueh!”

Now it was Kiriha and the haniwas’ turn. Just like Sanae had, they jumped onto Koutarou’s back. Kiriha was bigger than Sanae, and her bountiful chest and the haniwas didn’t help any either. All three of them jumping on him at the same time was quite a handful.

“Say hi to the chief and Kouma-san for me.”

But since it was Kiriha, Koutarou didn’t make the slightest objection. He was a bit staggered initially, but quickly composed himself. That wasn’t the reaction Kiriha had been hoping for, however, so she gave the haniwas a discreet signal.

“Ho, ho!”

“Ho, ho, ho!”

“Hey, don’t start dancing on my head!”

“Heehee...”

Smooch.

Satisfied with his reaction this time around, Kiriha got off Koutarou with a smile after leaning in close. Koutarou was too distracted with the haniwas on his head to realize what she’d done, but Shizuka and Maki saw it all. They both blushed and looked at each other at exactly the same time. Realizing they’d both seen the same thing and both felt the same way about it, they nodded at each other.

“Satomi-kun!”

“I’m sorry!”

Whump!

“Guaaah!”

Maki was a relatively active girl and kept up a healthy weight. As quite some time had passed since the last battle, Alunaya had recovered his mana and Shizuka’s weight was back to normal too. Koutarou could have probably lifted both girls with ease, but with the two of them suddenly pouncing on him, it knocked the wind out of his lungs.

“Wh-What are...”

“We’re going back to our room too, so we figured we would say goodbye just like Sanae-chan and Kiriha-san did!”

“You don’t... have to follow... their bad example...”

“I’m sorry, Satomi-kun. We just got a little envious...”

“I’ll forgive you, Aika-san...”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Satomi-kun?!”

“Whoa, Landlord-san!”

Unhappy that Maki seemed to be getting preferential treatment from Koutarou, Shizuka began bouncing up and down on top of him. Maki looked quite concerned at first, but at Shizuka’s behest, she reluctantly began copying her.

“...Like this?”

“Guaaaaahhh!”

He was already struggling with them on top of him, but now that they were bouncing and pushing down on him even more, it was a losing battle. After a few moments, he collapsed under their weight.

“S-Satomi-kun?”

“Ahahaha, whoops! Looks like I overdid it.”

“This isn’t something to laugh about, Kasagi-san...”

“But isn’t now our chance?”

“Oh...”

Seeing Koutarou looking so vulnerable, the two girls both blushed. They looked at each other, nodded, and then leaned in to bring their faces closer to Koutarou’s.

Koutarou was only out for a few minutes. As soon as Shizuka and Maki got off of him, he could breathe normally again and quickly came to. He’d blacked out, but it wasn’t anything serious.

“...Huh?”

Waking up, however, he was confused. Things weren’t quite as he remembered them when he passed out. He was now lying on his back, felt no weight on him, and could breathe without trouble. It even felt like there was something soft under his head. When he opened his eyes all the way, he spied someone looking down at him.

“So you’ve already come to...”

“...Sakuraba-senpai?”

“Good morning, Satomi-kun.”

It was none other than Harumi. Based on how she was looking down at him and the soft, comfortable feeling under his head, Koutarou realized she was letting him use her lap as a pillow.

“I was quite alarmed to see your eyes rolled back like that when I came in...”

“I’m sorry for scaring you. The other girls were pretty worked up, and, well...”

“Heehee, everyone except me is so full of energy.”

As they spoke, Koutarou and Harumi’s faces were much closer than usual. Being as shy as she was, Harumi usually kept her distance even when talking to close friends. She was only this close to Koutarou now because he’d passed out and her nurturing instinct had kicked in.

She really is a lot like Her Majesty Alaia... though I guess that’s only obvious, considering she’s her reincarnation...

From this distance, Koutarou could see Harumi’s face in vivid detail. While it was normally hard to tell, he could now see that she had a lot more in common with Alaia than just her hair. The shape of her face and even finer features like her eyelashes and brows looked the same. Their expressions were practically identical too. It was almost like he was looking at a palette swap of Alaia.

But even then, Sakuraba-senpai is Sakuraba-senpai. She’s not Her Majesty...

Despite how they looked, they were by no means the same person. They may have both loved Koutarou, Forthorthe, and their friends and families, but they approached those things quite differently. That was only natural, considering that even though they shared a soul, they’d lived completely different lives. And now that Alaia’s spirit had been released from Signaltin, she was no longer a part of Harumi as she’d once been. The differences between them would only grow more pronounced from here on out.

“But you’re plenty energetic right now too though, aren’t you, Sakuraba-senpai?”

“Even so, it will take a while before my heart can catch up to them in that regard.”

Harumi puffed out her cheeks in a pout. It was a face Koutarou never saw Alaia make. It was the expression, not of a princess, but of a normal girl. Alaia, reborn into Harumi, was now living the life she’d always wanted. That’s why Koutarou decided not to grieve for Alaia. He thought it would be better to put that energy into smiling for Harumi.

“I’m sure you’ll catch up soon enough, Senpai. You’re a lot tougher than anyone gives you credit for.”

“...”

Harumi suddenly fell silent. Confused, Koutarou looked into her eyes for an answer and saw that they were wet with tears.

“Sakuraba-senpai?”

“...I’d be happy if you were a little tougher with me, too.”

“What...”

Harumi gave him a bittersweet smile. Her tears chased each other down her face, tumbling onto Koutarou cheeks as she looked down at him. In that moment, he felt like he was looking at Alaia and Harumi at the same time.

“Maybe it’s from everything we’ve been through in order to come home safe and sound...”

“Nah, you’re just tough.”

“Then... I’ll do my best to become even tougher.”

Harumi reached down to gently wipe her fallen tears from Koutarou’s face. With the last one, she leaned in, bringing her lips closer to his cheek. Then...

Thud, bang!

“Kyaaah!”

“What in the world?!”

They were both startled by the sudden sound of something hitting the tatami floor. The timing was so remarkable that it seemed like whatever it was had intentionally waited until Harumi was just about to make her move. She was totally absorbed in the moment, and sensing her intensity, Koutarou was completely focused on her. As they were both wholly preoccupied, the sudden noise startled them even more than it should have. They practically jumped at it, and both awkwardly turned to look in the direction the sound had come from.

“U-Um... I’m... I’m really sorry...”

There they saw Yurika, who was helplessly lying on the floor after trying and failing to climb up into the wardrobe that she used as her room. Upon coming home and seeing the atmosphere between Koutarou and Harumi, she’d tried to sneak into the wardrobe without bothering them. She was so focused on trying to stay quiet, however, that she’d missed a step and slipped, ruining the intimate moment between Koutarou and Harumi. In the end, Yurika trying to be considerate completely backfired.

The next day, February 1st, was a Tuesday. Koutarou and the girls would finally be returning to school.

That morning, Koutarou walked the road to Kisshouharukaze High alongside Kenji, who’d come to pick him up. As they neared the school yard, however, things didn’t seem to be as bustling as usual. Since it was the middle of exam season, most of the third-year students weren’t attending classes.

“Hey, Kou, is that Sakuraba-senpai?”

Kenji cocked his head as he spotted a few third-years by the bus stop in front of the school gates. Classes for them this time of year were mostly review sessions, and attendance was considered voluntary. In other words, while they were taking exams, they were practically on an extended leave. Unless they wanted to attend the supplementary review classes or use the library to study, none of the third-years really came to school. So when Kenji saw Harumi outside the school gates, he naturally assumed she’d come to study for something. He then remembered, however, that Koutarou had told him she’d already been accepted to a university, so something didn’t quite seem to add up. She shouldn’t have anything she needed to study for. Curious, he asked Koutarou about it.

“Is she taking exams after all?”

“No, she’s already gotten into a university with a recommendation.”

“Then what’s she doing at school?”

“She’s just serious. I mean, she likes school, after all.”

Harumi was still coming to classes even when they were optional because she took school very seriously. But that wasn’t the only reason. She was attached to the school and her friends there. Even if she weren’t so diligent in her studies, she would have wanted to come anyway after being away in Forthorthe for so long.

“That’s a model student for you, I guess.”

“Of course. Don’t compare Senpai to your average student. She’s on a different level.”

“Are... Are you bragging on her behalf?”

“You bet. She wouldn’t do it for herself, after all.”

“My, well, aren’t you a good underclassman?”

“You could say that.”

It had been a while since Koutarou had last seen Kenji, but Kenji was only asking about Harumi. He didn’t seem to think it was weird at all that Koutarou had been missing for months. Or more accurately, he hadn’t even noticed.

Good, it doesn’t seem like there were any problems. I guess that’s Rainbow Heart for you...

Koutarou was secretly relieved when Kenji didn’t ask anything about where he’d been. He was acting like he always did—like nothing had even happened—thanks to Rainbow Heart. They had found a man about Koutarou’s height, weight, and build, disguised him with magic, and sent him to school in Koutarou’s place. They’d done the same thing for the girls of room 106 as well, and thanks to that, no one had noticed that they were ever gone. Rainbow Heart was even prepared to erase the memories of anyone who figured it out, but fortunately that hadn’t happened. All was well, and the substitutes were now replaced with Koutarou and the girls as they returned. Everything went back to normal, just like that.

Rainbow Heart had wanted to help out with the operation once they learned that Darkness Rainbow was involved with Forthorthe somehow. They considered Darkness Rainbow their problem, so they were willing to lend a hand where they could, and keeping things normal on Earth for Koutarou and the others was one of their ways of accomplishing that.

“By the way, Kou...”

“Hmm?”

“Remember our New Year’s visit to the shrine with my little sister?”

Those words made Koutarou tense up.

Not good... I have to be careful here...

Rainbow Heart’s help was fantastic, but it wasn’t perfect. Koutarou had been given a report of what had happened while he was gone, but it was really just an outline of events. It wasn’t like he had specific details. That made getting into a conversation like this tricky, so he had to tread lightly to avoid saying anything that might give him away.

“Yeah? Something up with Kin-chan?”

“Yeah. You actually complimented her outfit for once while we were at the shrine. She must have been pretty pleased, because ever since, she’s been staring at pictures from that day and smiling all the time.”

“Oh yeah?”

Koutarou had been advised to be vague and not give direct answers to questions he was unsure of, so he chose his words carefully.

I complimented Kin-chan on her outfit... What was she wearing? Since it was a New Year’s shrine visit, was it a kimono? Or was it just something new? What did I even say? Maybe that she looked cute? That it looked good on her?

This was something of a precarious balancing act for Koutarou. He had no idea what Kotori had been wearing, much less what he’d allegedly said about it. He had to keep talking or else something would seem off to Kenji, but one wrong word and he’d blow his cover. Koutarou didn’t want to ruin his normal life after just getting back from Forthorthe, so he desperately wracked his brain for a way out of this.

“She’s in really high spirits and everything, so I’ll be counting on you next time too.”

Kenji was legendary for having tempestuous relationships with girls, but when it came to his little sister, he was like a completely different person. He’d always treasured his introverted younger sister. Koutarou knew what she meant to him, so he couldn’t treat this lightly or brush it off.

“Okay, but I need your help. For starters, show me one of these pictures.”

“Here.”

“...You’re really just walking around with a picture of your little sister?”

“Get off my back about it!”

“Hmm... So she really was dressed up, huh?”

“What? What do you mean ‘really’?”

“Oh, uh... I mean she really does look good. She’s gotten to the age that getting dressed up like this suits her.”

“I know, right?! But it’s kind of lonely, honestly. It’s like the older she gets, the less she needs me...”

“What are you, the father of the bride?”

Fortunately, Kenji’s willingness to talk about his sister was Koutarou’s saving grace. Kenji had voluntarily told Koutarou everything he really needed to know to get out of this jam. He was safe for now, but it was still too early to let his guard down. He had no way of knowing when something like that would come up again. But other than that, his normal, everyday life was spreading out before him. All he had to do was carefully ease into it.

The other girls had similar problems, but by and large, they were able to return to life at Kisshouharukaze High School without any real issues. And it was a welcome change. Even if they had special talents or were strong fighters, they were still just teenagers. They felt more at ease in the classroom than on the battlefield. And once they were back at school, it finally sunk in that the war was really over. Things were getting back to normal at long last.

“I’m sick of studying...”

“That was way too quick, Sanae. We only just came back.”

“But I didn’t come back for this!”

“Uh, yeah, you did. You’re a high school student, remember?”

“I’ll just go back to being a ghost and leave the rest to you!”

“Ah— Hey!”

“Heehee...”

“That’s unfair, Sanae-chan! You always do this!”

And with things back to normal, Sanae was back to her old ways. Sanae-chan hated studying so much that she left her body as soon as she got the chance during lunch break, intending to leave the afternoon’s classes to Sanae-san.

“I wish I could astral project like Sanae-chan...”

Completely exhausted from classes and slumped over her desk, Yurika stared up at the disembodied Sanae-chan. She had struggled with school to begin with, but now that she’d missed several months of it, she was a total mess.

“You can just do something with your magic. It’d be easy, right?”

“I can’t do that. As the magical girl of love and courage, I can’t use magic for personal reasons, remember?”

“Why’s that the only part of your backstory you stick to?”

“It’s not some backstory! It’s a law of Folsaria!”

Since Yurika could use magic, she could theoretically do whatever she wanted to manipulate her test scores. The problem was that she wasn’t allowed to as a magical girl, and she took pride in that title. She wanted to uphold it, even if it was making her miserable right now.

“Then you should have been studying all this time...” Maki said as she put her hand on her hip and sighed.

Scrupulous as she was, Maki had made sure to study up and gain an appropriate amount of academic knowledge before “transferring” to Kisshouharukaze High School. Since it was an infiltration mission for her, she didn’t want to be singled out for having grades that were too high or too low. Darkness Rainbow had also considered it important for her to have a basic education.

“You know, I’d expect the difference between you magical girls to be night and day, but it’s funny that Darkness Rainbow falls on the day side here...” Shizuka said with a wry grin.

Shizuka herself was only barely able to keep up. School life for her mostly centered around karate and the cooking society, but she strived to do her best in class too. She put in the effort every day, and it was paying off. That alone was enough to set her apart from Yurika.

“In Yurika’s case, I think all her talent went towards learning magic. And because she can use such powerful magic now, Rainbow Heart has no choice but to use her for an important job like this, regardless of her other weaknesses. Being a genius has its downsides too.”

As expected, the one having the least trouble readjusting to school was Kiriha. She’d had a strong sense of curiosity from a young age, and combined with her desire to mature into an adult and go to the surface as quickly as possible, she’d developed a remarkably impressive intellect. High school material was hardly a challenge for her.

“A genius, huh?” Maki smiled. “Coming from a real genius like you, Kiriha-san, that’s rather convincing.”

“You can’t call someone like me a genius. Anyone could amass the knowledge I have.”

“By that rubric, there are no real geniuses.”

In the end, Yurika was the only one really struggling with school. She wasn’t quite as bad off as she’d been as a first-year, so everyone knew it was perfectly possible for her to make one of her lucky comebacks. Koutarou and the others enjoyed giving her a hard time, but they had faith in her and mostly laughed it off. After all, they had no way of knowing what would happen that afternoon.

While Rainbow Heart was functioning as Folsaria’s government and military now, its original goal had been the enforcement of the proper use of magic. Their policies stemmed from the realization that magic, when used freely and for personal gain, could be quite dangerous. And to prevent any such kind of abuse, they believed that all power, not just magic, should be used responsibly. It was a righteous, diligent approach to the matter, but it was about to become a huge problem for Koutarou and the others.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, everyone. I am Miyama Reina of Rainbow Heart’s foreign special operations department.”

After school that day, Koutarou and the six girls had been called into the school guidance office. The one that had called them there was a young instructor named Miyama Reina, who taught Japanese. A few months ago, she had taken over for another teacher who was out on maternity leave. However, Reina wasn’t just a Japanese teacher. She was a magician of Rainbow Heart who had infiltrated Kisshouharukaze High School, and she was also the mastermind behind the plan to find substitutes for Koutarou and the others while they were gone.

“Oh, how polite.”

Koutarou was a well-mannered boy, and he did his best to be respectful to Reina. Not only was she older and a teacher, but she had done a lot to help him and the others out. He stood up straight and bowed deeply to her. Harumi and Kiriha also lowered their heads, and Sanae, Maki, and Shizuka quickly followed suit. Only after everyone else had bowed did Yurika finally realize what was going on, and she scrambled to do the same.

“But really, it’s fine. There’s no need to be so formal. After all, we are the ones who are indebted to you.”

Faced with this unexpected display of maturity from Koutarou and the girls, Reina lightly put her hand to her cheek and smiled. It was a sweet, affectionate smile that radiated warmth and tenderness. Seeing it, it was no wonder she’d been chosen to infiltrate the school and pose as a teacher.

“No, it’s the least we can do,” Koutarou insisted.

“My, my... Well, since it would be problematic if another student or teacher were to overhear, I’ll get right down to business.”

Reina hadn’t called Koutarou and the others to the office because she had business with them as a teacher, but rather because she had business with them as a member of Rainbow Heart. She took on a more serious look and began explaining the matter at hand.

“I had you come here today to let you know that we will be having an academic strength test.”

“An academic strength test?!”

Koutarou and the others were quite surprised to hear what Reina had to say. It almost sounded like something a normal teacher would say, but they knew better.

“Yes. We used substitutes for you while you were gone because of extenuating circumstances, but as a result, we essentially had to cheat on various tests, homework assignments, et cetera. That cheating, you understand, could of course be considered an abuse of magical power. So in order to keep said cheating from having any lasting negative effects, we have decided to give you all an academic strength test to prove there has been no harm done.”

Rainbow Heart felt that Koutarou and the others should be held to a higher standard as allies of justice. As an organization, they frowned on dishonest behavior like cheating. While they’d had to resort to it while Koutarou and the others were in Forthorthe, they couldn’t just overlook the consequences it might have. And so Rainbow Heart felt compelled to determine whether or not the grades they’d assigned had been justified. If Koutarou and the others could get passing scores on their own, then all would be well. But if not, then a serious offense had been committed, as it would essentially mean—even with good intentions—they’d falsified test scores. And if that were the case, as magical girls of love and justice, it wasn’t just something they could overlook.

“We’ll have all of you take the academic strength test to confirm that you all have the competency required to succeed on the tests and assignments that were administered in your absence.”

“Um, I want to ask just in case, but... what happens if we fail?”

Hearing that a test was involved, Yurika naturally got nervous. She was struggling to keep up with class as it was, so she unsurprisingly had little confidence that she’d be able to pass such a test. And so she humbly asked about what was going to happen to her, forgetting that she was dealing with a magician of a lower rank than herself.

“In that case, we’ll have you repeat a year. Rainbow Heart cannot allow for anyone to profit from something that amounts to cheating.”

“N-No way! You’re taking this way too seriously!”

Yurika’s sorrowful voice filled the classroom. Rainbow Heart was on the side of fairness and justice, and Yurika had never begrudged that more than she did today. Of course, Yurika wasn’t the only one who was uneasy. Everyone apart from Kiriha and Harumi felt varying degrees of anxiety about such a test.

“P-Please wait a second, Reina-sensei! When is that test going to be held?! It’s not today, is it?!” Koutarou asked in a panic.

While he wasn’t as worried as Yurika or Sanae, Koutarou knew he might be in trouble too. He didn’t have any room to laugh at them.

“We realize that holding it right away would put all of you at an extreme disadvantage. That’s why we’ve agreed to allow you ten days to prepare. The test will be held on February 11th accordingly.”

“Thank goodness. We should be able to manage with ten days.”

Hearing that they had ten days to prepare, Harumi smiled at Koutarou and the others. But then Reina said something unexpected to her.

“You are exempt from the test, Sakuraba-san.”

“Huh? Why is that?” Harumi’s eyes naturally opened wide in surprise.

“As you have already been accepted into a university, that means that both the high school and the university have acknowledged your academic capabilities and deemed them more than satisfactory. There is no need to test you further.”

Harumi had exceptional circumstances. She had already been accepted into a university via early admittance through a recommendation, and her class was already on leave for the semester. It was true that there was no real need to test her any more on a high school level.

“But I want to confirm my academic strengths for my own benefit. I have my future as a university student to think about, after all. Besides, there’s the school’s quota for recommendations to think about...”

“Sakuraba-san... That’s a wonderful attitude. I understand. I will prepare a seat for you for the test as well.”

But Harumi always took her schooling very seriously. She wanted to take the test even if she didn’t have to. If somehow she’d fallen behind, it wouldn’t just affect her. If she performed poorly in university, it would negatively affect the number of students the university was willing to accept via recommendation from the high school in the future. And Harumi was just the kind of caring person to be concerned about such a thing.

“That’s Sakuraba-senpai for you... I’m not sure I would go that far if I didn’t have to...” Koutarou said in amazement.

“The strong can afford to be brave,” Sanae agreed.

“Well, what about you?”

“If I give it my all, I think I probably have a fifty-fifty shot. I think...”

“I think I’m in roughly the same situation...” Yurika sighed.

Unlike the studious Harumi; Koutarou, Sanae and Yurika were in a precarious situation. Sanae had left all of the studying to Sanae-san and managed to get by that way, but Sanae-san had been in the hospital for quite a long time, so it wasn’t like her grades were especially good. And the trip to Forthorthe had only made that worse. She was potentially in a lot of trouble with this test.

Yurika was in a similar situation. She had started to take her studies seriously upon becoming a second-year, but unfortunately, she was just too far behind on the basics. Not studying while she was in Forthorthe had only exacerbated the problem. She had no real confidence she was going to earn a passing grade on her own.

While Koutarou wasn’t in as dire straits as either of them, he couldn’t exactly rest on his laurels. He was a below average student to begin with, and now he hadn’t been to school in several months. It would be quite a hurdle to catch up after that.

“Aika-san, we can’t take it easy either,” said Shizuka.

“With peace returning to Forthorthe and Folsaria’s future opening up, if we fail now...” Maki sighed.

Shizuka and Maki were both competent students, but they’d also missed several months of school now. They’d have to spend the next ten days making sure they were on track. So while they weren’t as bad off as Koutarou, Sanae, and Yurika, they couldn’t let their guard down.

“Hmm, things are getting interesting.”

Kiriha, on the other hand, was in a rather comfortable position compared to the others. In her studies, she had long since mastered what was considered high school material on the surface.

“We would like to exempt you from the test for a different reason than Sakuraba-san, Kiriha-san.”

“That would be problematic...”

“I understand, but we need to consult with you about Folsaria’s future. Ever since you’ve returned, various inquiries have been pouring in from above...”

“It sounds like I wouldn’t have the time to study anyway,” Kiriha said with a small shrug.

In her case, she would be able to go for a perfect score after just looking over the textbook and materials to jog her memory. But it looked like she wouldn’t even get the chance to do that.

Rainbow Heart’s academic strength test was scheduled for ten days out. It would cover five core subjects, but it would also mix in harder questions from elective subjects. The test would be scored out of 500 points, and a score of over 250 would be considered passing. In other words, getting half of the questions right in each subject would be sufficient. At first, the plan was to require a score of 60 points in each subject in order to pass, but once the harder questions were mixed in, the difficulty of the test increased and the minimum passing grade was lowered to reflect that. So while 250 points was all they would need to succeed, those points wouldn’t be easy to get. And after this was explained to them, Koutarou and the others immediately got to studying. If the test was going to be that hard, they didn’t have any time to waste. It would be a long ten days. But one of them ran into a wall straight away.

“Koutarou, Koutarou! If I’m important to you, then teach me how to study!”

Sanae approached Koutarou with a pen in each hand and a motivational headband on that read “Charge!” Though he flinched for a moment upon seeing this curious sight, Koutarou quickly recovered and flicked her on the forehead.

Whap!

“Ow!”

“I don’t have the leeway for that.”

“Then fail together with me!”

“What’s the point of that?!”

“It’s romantic to want to share the same fate as your beloved Sanae-chan!”

“At least try for a better fate than that!”

Sanae had spun out just trying to figure out what she needed to do to get a passing grade. Without even knowing where to start, she turned to Koutarou, but her future looked bleak. Sanae was starting to realize that she very well may end up failing.

“Maki-chan, even if I end up repeating a year, Satomi-san will let me keep living in his apartment, right?”

Yurika was already worrying about what would happen after she failed. She had no delusions about passing. Considering the trouble she was having just keeping up with class on a daily basis, she’d already thrown in the towel on this one. There was no way she could pass a surprise test like this.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

“Really?! Well, yeah, despite what he says, Satomi-san is a nice guy. And he loves me, too. Eeheehee...”

But despite her imminent failure, she had stars in her eyes. Koutarou would support her even if she had to repeat a grade. That thought was enough to send her to cloud nine right now, but the high didn’t last for long.

“The real question is what he’d think of you in that case.”

“Urk!”

Yurika’s expression froze over. Maki’s words were like a cold knife to the heart. Koutarou was kind and he treasured Yurika, so there was no way he would kick her out even if she failed a grade. There was no doubt about that. The problem was how Koutarou would see her after that happened. She was terrified at the thought of him being disappointed in her and treating her like a freeloader.

I even said that I wanted to go to the same university as Satomi-san and Sakuraba-senpai...

Yurika recalled the events of almost a year ago. As their freshman year of high school drew to a close, Koutarou had asked Yurika what she was going to do in the future. In response, Yurika had said that she wanted to go to Kisshou University together with him and Harumi. And ever since, Yurika had put in the work to try and catch up on her studies with Koutarou’s help. While it hadn’t been a smooth ride, she’d been trying her best this school year. But if she failed here and had to repeat a grade, all that effort would be for naught. She might also lose Koutarou’s trust in her. Even thickheaded Yurika knew she couldn’t let that happen.

“Auuugh...”

Though teary-eyed, Yurika cracked open her textbooks. Her chances of success were incredibly low, but she still had to prevail or else she would end up losing something precious to her. She couldn’t stand the thought of it, and that drove her to study despite the odds against her.

“That’s right, Yurika. You’ll have to fight for this. There’s no easy way out of this, but no pain, no gain.”

Maki cheered Yurika on with encouraging words, but truth be told, her mind was somewhere else.

I’m sure that Satomi-kun would still praise her for doing well if he saw her trying her best like this... but Yurika is better off if I don’t tell her that...

Maki despised lying, but not being completely up front wasn’t necessarily the same thing. Besides, it was true that Yurika would have to fight for this. Koutarou would likely praise her willingness to fight more than her grades anyway. It didn’t matter if the sword broke or not. Similarly, if Yurika didn’t take this seriously and managed to pass somehow, Koutarou would still criticize her. If she wanted his praise, she would have to work hard no matter what the result was. And because Maki knew that, she didn’t want to prevent her from working hard by telling her that everything would probably be fine.

In contrast to the cornered Sanae and Yurika, Kiriha and Harumi were taking things quite casually. Their circumstances were different, but neither Harumi nor Kiriha needed to study. Rather than burying their noses in books, they were preparing tea and snacks and offering moral support for the rest of the group.

“Kiriha-san, what’s with that thick bunch of papers?” Harumi asked.

Kiriha didn’t need to study, but she was still holding a bundle of papers for some reason. She was helping Koutarou and the others where she could, and whenever she had a free moment, she would look over the material in her hands. Harumi found that curious.

“These are the documents that Folsaria sent over. They’re in a stir as it is with Darkness Rainbow, but with the end of the war in Forthorthe, things have really taken a turn for the complicated.”

In Folsaria, Darkness Rainbow had been disarmed and decommissioned as a combat force. The elders of Folsaria were discussing how to deal with the remaining members when Nana had arrived with the message from Forthorthe that they would accept any and all immigrants. With that, any discussion among the elders broke down, and they came crying to Kiriha for help. They could see the writing on the wall, and they knew they needed to do something.

“Besides, we People of the Earth are related to Folsaria and Forthorthe, so we can’t treat this like someone else’s problem. We can’t just consult with them either; we need to coordinate with them too.”

Grevanas’s court magicians were the ancestors of Folsaria, while the alchemists under Maxfern’s direct control were the ancestors of the People of the Earth. In other words, both legacies were born from Maxfern’s faction long ago, so Forthorthe’s offer to accept immigrants was also extended to the People of the Earth. And so Kiriha, one of the leaders of the People of the Earth and a mediator with Folsaria, ended up becoming deeply involved in the matter.

“So you might stop your invasion of the surface and move to Forthorthe?”

“That option is indeed on the table now. But because of that, our politics have fallen into chaos as well.”

“Oh my... It sounds like peace is a hardship in itself...”

The surface invasion that Kiriha was in charge of was going smoothly. She had taken the peaceful route, and the People of the Earth were living on the surface without having to kowtow to the surface dwellers or take advantage of them. Things were really starting to shape up, but now moving to Forthorthe was an option. Forthorthe was the ancestral home mentioned in their legends, so of course there were those who would rather boldly return to Forthorthe than invade Earth’s surface. But considering the progress of the invasion so far, they couldn’t just abandon the plan either. It was an especially tricky dilemma for the frontrunners of the surface invasion. They had sacrificed a lot to achieve their progress so far, and they couldn’t just accept that all their efforts were suddenly for naught.

The passage of time was another problem. After thousands of years, Forthorthe was completely alien to the current generation of the People of the Earth. It was hard to think of it as their true homeland, and so opinion on the matter of returning there was quite divided. Much like in Folsaria, a large controversy was brewing underground.

“Instead of focusing on that stuff, can you do something about the chaos with my physics, Kiriha-san?” Koutarou asked.

“Hmm... Angular momentum and centrifugal force, is it? It’s easy to mix them up when derivation and integrals are involved, but it’ll help to keep that kind of thing in mind. Let’s not be unreasonable; let’s just start from the beginning.”

But even with everything else that was going on, Kiriha’s biggest problem right now was that Koutarou was struggling with studying for the test, and that took priority above all else for her. She readily put down her papers and leaned in to look at what Koutarou was doing. They were so close together that if Koutarou had glanced in the right direction, he would have been able to see straight down her shirt. But they were both so focused on studying that even though the position seemed a bit compromising, neither one of them paid it any mind. Shizuka watched them wide-eyed, but it wasn’t because of how close they were.

“Sakuraba-senpai, Satomi-kun called the future of Forthorthe, Folsaria, and the People of Earth ‘that stuff.’”

The massive galactic empire of Forthorthe. The magical kingdom of Folsaria. The self-reliant People of the Earth, inventors of spiritual energy technology. Koutarou had written them and their futures off as ‘that stuff.’ Shizuka couldn’t hide her astonishment.

“Well, I think Satomi-kun has the right to say that.”

Harumi was surprised too, but less so since she had inherited Alaia’s memories. She knew that Koutarou had been the one to protect all three peoples. To him, their current problems surely must just seem like “stuff.” And since Harumi could understand how both Shizuka and Koutarou felt about it, all she could do was smile wryly.

“I mean, I guess that’s true... But when you think of it that way, isn’t it a little strange to see a legendary hero fretting over some high school test?”

This legendary hero in particular had chosen an ordinary life over status, fame, and wealth. That was perhaps the part that truly surprised Shizuka. But since that also meant that said legendary hero had chosen a life with normal girls like her and Harumi, Shizuka didn’t complain.

“That’s right! It’s all Koutarou’s fault!”

An unexpected but familiar voice suddenly resounded in room 106. The next moment, a small shadow pounced on Koutarou.

“Just what’s with that overly perfect heroism, huh?! And just what are you going to do about the heartache I felt when I heard that you had cut and run home after fulfilling your duties?!”

Theia had leaped from the tatami mats with such force that the floor shook and she practically hit the ceiling, but she was currently in position for a splendid flying kick and closing in on Koutarou at a frightening speed.

“Hey, welcome back, Theia. That was fast.”

Though the surprise attack was headed straight for him, Koutarou easily brushed it aside. With barely a glance in Theia’s direction, he casually reached out with his right hand and pushed her leg aside, changing her trajectory. However, such a feat wasn’t purely through Koutarou’s power. Sanae had sensed the incoming attack and conveyed it to Koutarou by touching him. It was easy enough to read considering the attacker, Theia, was quite open about her hostile intentions.

“Don’t give me that! What was with that measly letter you left behind?!”

But Theia didn’t stop at that. After her kick was deflected, she tackled Koutarou in a grapple. Theia clung to him from behind and wrapped her legs around his waist. She then coiled her tiny arms around his neck and began strangling him. Theia had recently learned that it was harder to use psychic powers to predict things like submission holds than it was regular punches and kicks. That was in part because once she was already on top of him, her movements largely depended on how Koutarou reacted.

“Ugh, th-that should have been enough! It’s not like it was goodbye forever!”

Koutarou tried to pull Theia off of him, but Theia’s slender arms were firmly wrapped so tightly around his neck that he couldn’t get his fingers under them to pry them off. While it might have been possible if he enhanced his strength with psychic powers, it was an unspoken rule between them that that kind of thing was off-limits. This was a straight up brawl, plain and simple.

“So Theia-chan is good at submission moves, huh? Maybe I’ll have her teach me some Forthorthian techniques someday...” Shizuka mused.

“That’s it! Get him, Theia!” Sanae cheered.

The sight of the two of them going at it was so blasé that the other girls watching on casually cheered for either side. Koutarou and Theia were only playing with each other, after all. They all knew this was their equivalent of a tickling match or kissing each other.

“Don’t think that excuse will work with the citizens! Forthorthe’s in an uproar right now because of you!”

“Th-The test is more important than that!”

Wham!

Giving up on trying to pry Theia off of him, Koutarou intentionally fell backwards. It was enough to slam Theia, who was firmly holding on to his back, right into the tatami mats.

“Wah... Wait, a test? What test?”

The impact knocked the air out of Theia’s lungs and she was dazed for a moment, but Koutarou’s words quickly brought her back to her senses. However, now that she was pinned between Koutarou and the floor, the strength in her arms faltered.

“A test so that... we don’t... f-fail a grade!”

“What in the world are you talking about?! This is the first I’ve heart of anything like this!”

“Rainbow Heart is doing their due diligence. They acknowledge that it was necessary to use substitutes for us while we were gone, but they’re going to make sure we can earn the grades we got. So... yeah, a test,” Yurika explained in brief.

“What?!”

Surprised, Theia unconsciously let up on Koutarou. Koutarou was stronger than she was, but she’d gotten an edge on him with her skill and speed. She was no match, however, for the shock of Rainbow Heart calling for an exam.

“You’re wide open!”

“Whoa!”

And Koutarou didn’t miss his chance. He wasn’t interested in letting Theia continue to choke him out. He got a good grip on Theia’s arms this time and began to use brute force to pull them off of his neck.

“Curses on you and your stupidly strong muscles! You two, get him!”

“Pardon me, Satomi-sama! If I remember correctly, I do this...”

“...Is something like this all right?”

In the end, Koutarou was unable to escape Theia’s clutches. While he was preoccupied with her, two new attackers appeared: Theia’s childhood friend, Ruth, and Theia’s friend and rival, Clan.

“Hrrrmmmh! Mmm! Mmmph!”

Ruth embraced and locked Koutarou’s right arm at the elbow, diligently following an example she’d seen in an combat manual. Having no knowledge of hand-to-hand combat, Clan wasn’t sure what to do at first. She quickly realized, however, that she didn’t need to know martial arts to cover Koutarou’s mouth and nose.

“Mhm... hmm...”

Having his dominant arm restrained, his neck wrung, and his mouth and nose blocked, Koutarou didn’t stand a chance. Before long, he lost consciousness on the spot.

“...He passed out, didn’t he?”

“Good job, you two! We are victorious!”

“Your Highness, isn’t this going a bit too far...?”

As she was currently unhappy with Koutarou, Theia was somewhat satisfied with this outcome. But it was far from enough. She was ready to make use of any dirty trick known to man to make Koutarou say that he would return to Forthorthe again. Her mission had only just begun.

Theia, Clan, and their bodyguard Ruth, had been dispatched to Earth by Forthorthe in order to negotiate for the return of the Blue Knight, Lord Layous Fatra Veltlion. Forthorthe was prepared to use any means necessary, but they knew they had to avoid resorting to tactics that would earn Lord Veltlion’s scorn. Forthorthe didn’t want a doll that looked like the Blue Knight. They wanted the real deal, and it wouldn’t be a good situation for either party if Forthorthe made Koutarou hate them in the process of getting him to return. As such, they didn’t expect a quick resolution, and it was imperative that Theia, Clan, and Ruth continued living out their daily lives with Koutarou to try and win him over. That in turn meant continuing to act as students of Kisshouharukaze High School.

“I see... While the substitutes were necessary, they want to do the right thing and make sure we didn’t get grades we didn’t deserve.”

“Your Highness, shouldn’t we take the test too, then?”

“I believe so. We have to think about the future, after all.”

Once they were apprised of the situation, Theia and Ruth decided that they would take the academic strength test as well. As “foreigners,” they stood out a great deal as it was, and they wanted to do everything they could to safeguard their cover as students studying abroad.

“But it wasn’t like we skipped out on class because we wanted to... They could just let it slide this once...”

“Yurika, that’s not something an archwizard of Rainbow Heart should say.”

“Even you’re taking this too seriously, Maki-chan...”

The only one unconcerned about the test at hand was Clan.

“Such obligations can be quite troublesome, hmm?” she mused.

She’d been living on Earth, but had never entered Kisshouharukaze High School with the others. In her case, there was really no need to. Theia had only done so because she was trying to make Koutarou her vassal for her trial. But that wasn’t important for Clan. All she had to do was remain on Earth to maintain her network and continue her research.

However, Koutarou wasn’t about to let Clan enjoy gloating. Still somewhat bitter about the surprise attack earlier, he turned to her with a stern look.

“Clan, you should start school in the spring too.”

“What?! Wh-Why should I have to do that?”

Clan’s eyes opened wide in surprise at such an unexpected proposition She didn’t see any point in it. As she was in charge of support on this mission, there was no real reason for her to go to school like Theia and Ruth. Moreover, she already had academic abilities far surpassing anything a school would be able to teach her, so going would merely be a waste of time.

“It’s annoying that we’re the only ones suffering. Misery loves company.”

“He’s right! It’s unfair that you’re the only one that gets to escape, four-eyes!” Sanae shouted in agreement.

“What kind of a reason is that?!” Clan demanded.

Koutarou and Sanae were trying to pressure Clan to transfer into their school, and while they claimed it was so they could all share the same fate, the whole argument was really just a temporary distraction from their current situation. Jumping on Clan’s case was certainly easier than studying.

But I’ll take this kind of stupid fighting over anything else... I’m glad the war is over and everything was resolved...

Even in the heat of the moment, however, Koutarou was able to appreciate that this was how things were meant to be. Neither he nor the girls of room 106 were really cut out for warfare.

“Love is everything!”

“I don’t really get it, but Sanae is right!”

“Veltlion... I’ve said it before, but you’re not going to die a pretty death, you know that?”

But even though Koutarou took a certain amount of comfort in the situation, Clan was quite unhappy that things had suddenly been turned on her.

Between winter and spring breaks, the third term at Kisshouharukaze High School was only about two months, or two-thirds the length of the first and second terms. And because it was so short, there were no midterm exams. Instead there were just final exams, usually held at the end of March.

“We’ve still got a while until finals, right? So why are you studying?”

Because of that, Kenji couldn’t even hazard a guess as to why Koutarou of all people was studying during lunch break. He knew it was still too early for him to be panicking about finals.

“I, uh... Well, I guess it finally dawned on me that we have university entrance exams next year. I want to get my grades up while I can.”

Koutarou realized that he couldn’t just outright admit that an organization of magical girls was giving him a cumulative test with several months of material on it. At best, Kenji would think he was crazy. But on the off chance that he actually believed it, that would be another problem in itself. All Koutarou could do was try to cover up the truth.

“Oh yeah, your first choice was Kisshou U, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“I guess you’re pretty borderline as it is, huh? But hey, man, good for you.”

Koutarou wanted to go to the same university as Harumi, Kisshou U, which was known as one of the better schools in the area. Koutarou’s current grades were just below what the school would consider accepting, so it was easy for Kenji to imagine that Koutarou wanted to improve his grades as much as possible to clear that hurdle.

“So is that what they’re all doing over there too?”

“Yeah. Yurika’s first choice is Kisshou U too.”

“Now that you mention it, Nijino-san’s grades have been improving since we started our second year. She might be able to pull it off if she keeps this up.”

“You sure know an awful lot about her, Mackenzie...”

“Leave me be!”

Kenji was curious as to why everyone, not just Koutarou, seemed to be studying right now, but fortunately the timing worked out well. Since they were all about to enter their last year of high school, it was only normal to be thinking about university. Feeling like he’d gotten away with something, Koutarou secretly let out a sigh of relief.

“This is a good opportunity, so why don’t you study too, Mackenzie?”

“I’m moving on to Harukaze Academy, so I’m fine.”

“Hmm, that weak academy that doesn’t even participate in tournaments, yet is known for its sports clubs, huh? I bet you’re going for that soft tennis club that’s famous at the welcoming for new students.”

“I said leave me be!”

Koutarou forgot about studying for a while and amused himself by chatting with Kenji. All work and no play wasn’t healthy, so taking a breather like this every so often was important.

“B-By the way, Kou...”

“Or are you going for the softball team that’s rumored to have a really cute manager? Kin-chan would be disappointed in you, Mackenzie.”

“Just drop it! Anyway... What’s up with that?”

Kenji hurriedly changed the topic and pointed at an empty desk.

“What? Theia?”

Kenji had pointed at Theia’s seat. Since Koutarou couldn’t think of anything that might be wrong, he looked at Kenji in confusion.

“She’s been missing a lot these past few days. Ruth-san too.”

“Have they?”

Theia’s seat had been empty the entire day. The same was true for her childhood friend, Ruth. Several days had already passed since they’d returned from Forthorthe, but they were only sporadically attending classes. Koutarou hadn’t really noticed because he’d been so focused on studying and because of the seat change at the start of the term. He now sat in front of them, but Kenji sat behind them and saw whenever they would duck out of class and disappear.

“Yeah. Did something happen with Theiamillis-san?”

“No... I can’t think of anything. If anything, the situation should have improved...”

“What do you mean?”

“Simply put, Theia’s been having a lot of problems back home lately.”

Really, it would have made more sense for Theia to be ducking out of class a few months ago than it would now. The coup d’etat was over and things should be calming down in Forthorthe by the day.

“I can kinda see that. Theiamillis-san looks well to do, and I hear rich people family drama is like no other...”

“But that’s all resolved now. She should have it pretty easy right about now...”

“Well, you know, there’s always loose ends and whatnot.”

“Loose ends, huh? I wonder about that...”

Koutarou crossed his arms and began thinking. Forthorthe was thousands upon thousands of light years away. If she hadn’t settled things to at least a certain degree, she wouldn’t have been able to return to Earth. Theia was something of an untraditional princess, but she wouldn’t abandon her royal duties.

“Then maybe she’s fine; it’s just all catching up with her and she’s taking it easy.”

“That does sound more like it, but... Hmm...”

It was possible that she was skipping out on school to go have some fun or relax after everything that had happened. But would Theia really do something like that now that she’d matured? Moreover, would Ruth allow it? Thinking about it that way, something still didn’t feel right to Koutarou.

Just what is she doing...?

Koutarou’s eyes naturally shifted to where Theia and Ruth usually sat, but their empty seats didn’t have the answers he was looking for.

Even with the upcoming test, Koutarou still had his part-time job. If it had come up earlier, he probably could have gotten someone to cover for him this weekend, but it was too short notice for that now. And so he headed to work like usual.

“Youngsters these days are usually so rough, but you’re always so careful, Ko-chan... ”

“Oh, this is nothing.”

“My, my. I guess you’re just suited to this kind of work. What a dear.”

Koutarou was working alongside his usual colleague, an elderly woman. They were part of an excavation team working to uncover some unusual ruins. They contained technology well beyond what should have been available thousands of years ago, and their discovery had astonished the entire archeological field.

These ruins are probably from back when Maxfern and the others were thrown to Earth...

Two thousand years ago in Forthorthe, Koutarou and Clan had used her Super Space-time Repulsion Shell to cast Maxfern and his lackeys through space and time. The court magicians eventually ended up drifting to Folsaria, and the alchemists ended up on Earth. It was said that they then developed their own technology and became the ancestors to the People of the Earth. And if this ruin were a part of what Maxfern and the others had done once they’d ended up on Earth, it would help explain a lot.

Since this is my doing in a way, of course I’d be careful with it...

Koutarou took it upon himself to be especially careful with his work. He had a special connection to it now. He couldn’t be reckless when it came to examining how the people he’d banished from past Forthorthe had lived and died. And so his motions with the brush he used to remove sand and soil naturally became more delicate, and he handled all the artifacts he uncovered with great care.

But... then there’s this feeling. I wonder what it is...

Suddenly, Koutarou’s hand stopped. Something else was distracting him. Ever since defeating Vandarion and returning home, Koutarou had had the nagging feeling that something had happened at these ruins once. The sensation grew stronger every day, but no matter how much he mulled it over, he couldn’t think of anything that fit the bill. He thought about just writing it off as his imagination, but something deep inside him told him not to. It was a strange feeling.

“...Hmm?”

That was when Koutarou spotted something like a shadow out of the corner of his eye. Koutarou was surprised, but paid careful attention to the dark figure. It might have something to do with the strange feeling that had come over him.

“Who... is that?”

When he looked, Koutarou saw a man in a black suit and sunglasses standing off to the side in the trees and brush that surrounded the dig site. He was staring right at Koutarou. The moment they locked eyes, Koutarou knew something wasn’t right. There was no way a man in a suit had anything to do with what he’d been thinking about.

However, because Koutarou had spotted him, the man frantically looked around and darted behind a nearby tree. That was suspicious in itself, so Koutarou set down his tools and decided to go investigate.

“What’s the matter, Ko-chan?” his elderly coworker asked.

Since she knew Koutarou wasn’t the type to skip out on work, she was worried something might be wrong.

“I saw someone shady. A man in a black suit.”

“Oh my... But don’t go chasing after him alone. People these days can be dangerous, so just let the supervisor know.”

Realizing that Koutarou was about to go after the man, she politely tried to stop him. She was concerned about what might happen and was trying to look after him.

“All right...”

In reality, the chances of the mysterious man being able to take out Koutarou were low. Even if he had a gun, he wouldn’t be able to defeat Koutarou who was protected by all manner of superhuman powers. But nonetheless, Koutarou heeded his elderly coworker. It wasn’t like the man had brandished a weapon, and Koutarou hadn’t felt any hostility from him. The mysterious man in black had just been watching. It wasn’t reason enough for Koutarou ignore his coworker and go chasing after him.

Koutarou’s shift ended as the sun set. The critical areas of the dig would continue for a while yet with the help of spotlights, but the area Koutarou was in charge of called it a day once it started to get dark. Koutarou’s supervisor had assigned him to that area out of consideration since he was a high school student.

“It really gets cold fast once the sun starts to go down...”

Koutarou shivered a little as he hurried on home. February had only just started, and it was still undeniably the dead of winter. The bitter evening wind felt like it cut straight to the bone, and the sweat Koutarou had worked up on the job only made it worse.

“What is Clan doing over there...?”

When he approached Corona House, Koutarou spotted Clan by the gatepost. He was still some distance away, so he couldn’t tell what she was doing, but she seemed to be staring down at the ground.

“Hey, Clan!”

“Ack! I-I’ll call you back later!”

When Koutarou called out to Clan as he walked over to her, she started to panic. She frantically shoved something flat and rectangular into her pocket, and then turned to Koutarou and smiled.

“W-Welcome back, Veltlion!”

She was behaving quite strangely, and her smile was stiff. Suspicious, Koutarou naturally looked down at the pocket she’d just shoved something into. In response, Clan put her hand over it as if to shield it from view.

“Clan, you...”

“Wh-What?”

“That was a smartphone, wasn’t it?”

It was indeed a smartphone in her pocket. While it was relatively common nowadays for high school students to have them, something seemed weird about Clan using one.

“So what if it was?”

“...You weren’t using one before, were you?”

Clan had never used a cellphone before, let alone a smartphone. Seeing as how her only friends on Earth were Koutarou and the girls of room 106, there was never a need for her to have one. Whenever she contacted them, she would use the computer in her bracelet to hack into existing telecommunication lines, so there was no real point in having a legitimate cellphone.

“I-I’ve gotten into playing games!”

“Liar! You were clearly just talking to someone. And it was clearly supposed to be a secret since you’re out here!”

Clan was using a phone that should have been superfluous, and she’d stepped out of room 106 to do it secretly. Her excuse about games didn’t add up, so it was pretty clear she was hiding something.

“Urk!”

“First Theia, now you. What in the world is going on?”

Theia’s absence, the mysterious man in the suit, and Clan’s cellphone. Koutarou began suspecting that it was all related somehow. The timing was just too coincidental.

“Nothing! And I’m not doing anything!”

“Yeah, okay. That’s not suspicious...”

Clan desperately denied everything, but that only made Koutarou more doubtful. He was sure now that something was up.

“I was just talking to an acquaintance! So I needed this phone! Do you want me to continue to break your laws here or something?!”

“Okay, point taken...”

While that didn’t ease Koutarou’s suspicions but so much, it put a firm end to his line of questioning. It was true that her starting to use a normal phone was a good thing. Up until now, she had just hacked into telecom channels without any second thoughts. And since Koutarou didn’t really have anything else to go on, he had no choice but to relent for the time being.

“So... what are you using for a wallpaper? I’m really interested in how an alien uses a smartphone.”

“Th-That’s a secret! I won’t show you no matter what!”

“It’s not a big deal, right? Come on, let me see. Just a peak.”

“No way! Absolutely not! Not even a peak! Especially not you!”

But in the end, Clan was still in the hot seat. Koutarou’s interest had shifted from who she was talking to earlier to what her phone’s wallpaper was, and he wasn’t about it let it go.

Clan’s phone, however, was old news in room 106. Theia had gotten one too, and since phones were a sort of accessory, they held a special interest for teenage girls. They all noticed right away.

“Whaaat?! Theia-chan and them have phones now?!”

With the exception of Yurika, that is. Yurika lived in her own world and couldn’t really keep up with trends, so she didn’t bother paying much attention to things like that.

“Well, thanks to you, it looks like Satomi-kun wasn’t the last one to find out after all.”

Maki flashed a small smile at Yurika. Having finished their activities with the cosclub for the day, Yurika and Maki were casually chatting as they walked home. They were walking so close together that the setting sun shining over their shoulders only cast a single shadow.

“When did you find out, Maki-chan?”

“Me? I figured it out the day after Theiamillis-san and the others came back, I guess? I suppose keeping tabs on people is something of a bad habit left over from my days in Darkness Rainbow...” Maki said with a bitter smile and a shrug.

Quite some time had passed since she had chosen to live as Aika Maki rather than Dark Navy. But even so, her training as a warrior of Darkness Rainbow wasn’t something she could just forget. It was deeply ingrained in her, and that manifested in her everyday life. For instance, she’d noticed Theia and Clan’s phones because she instinctively kept strict track of the people around her. It seemed it would still take a lot for Maki to be a normal girl.

“That’s right, speaking of bad habits... Have you noticed, Yurika?”

“Hueh? Noticed what?”

Alarmed by Maki’s words, Yurika’s eyes opened wide. Although she was a magical girl, she had a terrible intuition. In response, Maki continued speaking in a hushed voice without breaking her smile. Her tone was quite serious.

“Just keep acting like everything’s normal. Now, can you tell that there’s a man in a black suit at one o’clock?”

“Um, one o’clock is kinda in the direction of the hand you hold your knife with, so...”

Yurika did as she was told and tried to act normally while focusing her mind ahead and a little to the right. When she did, she noticed a man in a black suit, just like Maki had said. He had his back to the two girls and was walking on the opposite side of the road. Her senses, however, told her nothing was out of the ordinary.

“I see him, but... what about him?”

“He’s actually shadowing us.”

“Whaaat?! How can he do that if he’s in front of us?!”

“Shh, you’re being too loud... There are two other men behind us too. Sandwiching a target is standard procedure for shadowing someone. So you can’t turn around, no matter what.”

“Wh-Wh-What’s going on?!”

The fact that they were being shadowed came as a complete surprise to Yurika. Now that the troubles with Folsaria, the People of the Earth, and Forthorthe were essentially all resolved, she didn’t think anything else would happen. She’d let her guard down, and now strange men were pursuing them. Yurika started to panic a little.

“They started following us around the beginning of February. I first noticed on the third of the month.”

“So they’ve been shadowing us for at least four days?” Yurika trembled.

Today was February 7th. That meant for the past four days, plus most of today, they’d been tailed by strange men. The thought sent a chill down Yurika’s spine.

“I thought they were stalkers or something at first, but―”

“Please stop saying scary things like that...”

“Their movements are too organized, so they’re not your run of the mill stalkers at least. Though group stalking isn’t unheard of, so it can’t be fully ruled out.”

“I said please stop with the scary stuff!”

It had its downsides in her everyday life, but Maki had actually only noticed their pursuers thanks to her Darkness Rainbow training. Being a magical girl that specialized in indigo mind manipulation magic, she was extremely observant and wary of others.

“It seems like we have three following after each of us.”

“I wonder who they are...”

“We’ll need to put on some pressure to learn anything more. But should we really go that far...?”

They didn’t know much about the men in black right now. As far as Maki could tell, there were three of them following Koutarou and each of the girls from Corona House. That meant there were at least thirty different men involved, so it was clearly some kind of organization. As she couldn’t sense any mana from them, Maki suspected they were normal humans from the surface. There was no sign of them preparing to attack, however, and Maki couldn’t feel any hostility from them either. It seemed like they were just observing, at least for now.

All the information that Maki had gathered so far had been through passive means so as not to raise any alarm. As the nature and scale of this organization was unknown, Maki remained cautious. But to learn any more, she would need to start using more serious measures like contacting them directly or casting magic on them, and that would mean a certain amount of risk. Maki was wondering if she should really be going that far.

“Why not talk with Satomi-san or Kiriha-san?”

“Yeah, they’ve probably noticed as well. They might have a good idea.”

In Yurika’s case, she always passed anything difficult or troubling off on Koutarou and Kiriha if she could. Maki, on the other hand, considered herself something of an agent of Koutarou, so she typically reported to him. So while their reasons were different, Yurika and Maki both ultimately came to the same conclusion.

As Maki suspected, both Koutarou and Kiriha had also noticed the men in black. Koutarou only knew about as much as Maki did, but Kiriha had more in depth information. Somehow, Maki wasn’t surprised at that.

“Ho, ho!”

“Ho, ho!”

“...As you can see, these men have a connection to Theia-dono and Ruth. But they are not Forthorthian. Their equipment is clearly from Earth.”

Upon noticing the men in black, Kiriha had sent her haniwas and subordinates to shadow them in turn. She’d managed to gather some interesting information that way, and that was how she knew more than Maki. The two haniwas, Karama and Korama, had built-in projectors. At Kiriha’s behest, they played footage they’d recorded of the men speaking with Theia and Ruth in the shadows, smoking with their jackets off during breaks, and various other things.

The curious part, of course, was Theia and Ruth’s involvement. Kiriha and the others paid careful attention to their behavior in the video footage the haniwas were projecting onto a wall in room 106. Based on their expressions and gestures, Theia and Ruth were clearly in a position of authority. The men in black were respectful of them and quick to obey their orders. Moreover, the cigarettes they were smoking were Japanese, the manga they were reading was in Japanese, and the guns in their holsters were clearly from Earth. That was how Kiriha had concluded they were a Japanese organization rather than a Forthorthian one.

“And based on the fact that they couldn’t see through the haniwas’ Class I Stealth Mode, we can assume that they don’t have access to magic or spiritual energy. It’s possible that they’re just regular Earthlings.”

The haniwas had several special functions, including a stealth mode. It allowed them to manipulate visible light and electromagnetic radiation to conceal themselves, and it had two settings. The standard setting was Class I, but there was also Class II. It was less energy efficient, but it had the added benefit of concealing spiritual energy. Kiriha had had the haniwas approach the men using Class I stealth. They were invisible to the naked eye, but still emitted a spiritual energy signature that way. It was something of a test, because whether or not the men in black detected them would reveal whether or not they had access to spiritual energy technology. Either way, Kiriha was getting valuable intel.

“What are they doing cooperating with the Earthlings... and why?” Shizuka asked, repeatedly blinking in confusion.

Up until now, Theia and subsequently Forthorthe had had no desire to get involved with organizations on Earth. She’d solely been focused on Koutarou and room 106, or in order words, completing her trial to earn her claim to the throne in the line of royal succession. Shizuka couldn’t even guess why Theia would shift her focus now.

“Couldn’t it be volunteer work?” Harumi asked innocently.

Harumi, who was sweet and slow to judge others, wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Volunteer work was what Kiriha had been doing for a while, so she thought Theia might be doing the same thing.

“Is that really something they’d be doing in those stiff looking suits?” Maki asked skeptically.

“Yeah, they should definitely be wearing cuter outfits,” Yurika added.

The two magical girls were more dubious than Harumi. The black suits and leather shoes the strange men were wearing may have looked sharp, but that kind of attire wasn’t typical for neighborhood cleanups or community fundraising. Something casual would have made a lot more sense. And so based on their outfits alone, Maki and Yurika doubted that volunteer work was what they were really up to,

“Koutarou, why is Theia getting along with the dudes in black?” Sanae asked frankly.

She’d given up on trying to figure it out for herself, so she leaned over on Koutarou and asked him for the answer while munching on potato chips. For every two she ate, she’d feed one to Koutarou.

“Beats me. I’m trying to figure it out, though.”

“You can do it, Koutarou! For the sake of your lovely and adorable Sanae-chan!”

“...What do you think, Kiriha-san?” Koutarou asked.

“Good call!” Sanae cheered.

Sanae didn’t personally think Theia and Ruth’s mysterious behavior was much of a problem. She couldn’t imagine that Theia was up to no good, nor could she imagine that Ruth would cooperate with her even in the event that she was. At worst, this was probably all just some kind of elaborate prank. All that really mattered to her right now as that she got to play around with Koutarou and eat potato chips.

“We don’t have enough information to go on,” said Kiriha. “We’ll need to take more drastic measures to be able to draw any solid conclusions.”

Thanks to the haniwas and her subordinates, Kiriha had gathered a good deal of intelligence, but it was all done from a safe distance. Because of that, just like Maki, she didn’t know the scale of their organization or its nature. Once it became apparent that Theia, Ruth, and Clan were involved, it was clear that nothing sinister was afoot. But they still wanted answers, and there was a limit to what they could learn simply by observing from a distance. Kiriha felt like it was time to move on to the next phase.

“I guess we’ll have to catch one of them then.”

Koutarou felt the same way. He didn’t want to do anything too rough or dramatic, but Clan had feigned ignorance when he’d asked her, and Theia and Ruth were essentially avoiding him. The three of them acting strangely would have been one thing on its own, but the strange men were something different altogether. Koutarou couldn’t ignore that part. With so many girls in room 106, he needed some peace of mind. In the end, he decided he would accept the risk and try confronting one of the men in black.

Koutarou was willing to take such a drastic step in large part thanks to the information he’d gotten from Kiriha. She knew enough about them and the way they worked that it was simple enough to come up with a tactic to isolate one of them. That kind of strategic planning was Kiriha’s forte.

“So this store’s closed too... I’m really out of luck today...”

One of the men in black shrugged despondently in front of a closed convenience store. This man was the rookie member of the team assigned to shadowing Yurika, so he was often sent out to buy cigarettes, food, and various sundries by the other two. Today, however, things were proving to be more difficult than usual. The convenience store he frequented was closed for the day, and the one he’d tried next was also temporarily closed for redecorating. After sending a text message to his team explaining the situation, he headed for yet another store.

“I guess I don’t have a choice... They’ll chew me out if I come back without their cigarettes and manga.”

As the men in black often had a lot of downtime during their shadowing, plenty of them enjoyed smoking a cigarette to kill time or reduce stress. The same was true for manga. They had essentially become necessities on the job. Not having them would negatively influence the quality of their work, so the rookie had to get them for his team even if it meant he had to go the extra mile for them.

“Take a left up ahead and... Maybe it’d be closer if I just go straight?”

Trying to save some time on his errand run, the rookie didn’t hesitate to try a shortcut through an unmarked alleyway. Since it was his first time in the area, however, he had his hands full just looking at the map and trying to find his way. He wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings. That, of course, was what Koutarou and the others were waiting for.

“This road’s a dead end.”

“Whoa!”

Suddenly, a young man in a local school uniform appeared before the rookie man in black. But it wasn’t just any boy. It was one of the targets another team was shadowing: Satomi Koutarou. According to his boss, Koutarou was the most important target in the surveillance operation. Realizing the situation he’d potentially gotten himself into, the rookie yelped in surprise and jumped back like he’d seen a ghost.

“Y-Y-You’re...!”

“You know what I want, right?”

“Not good!”

Even though he was the rookie member of his team, he’d still gone through thorough training just like everyone else. He quickly collected himself and turned on his heels to make an escape. His boss would probably scold him, but it was much better then getting caught.

“This is a dead end too, mister.”

“On this side too?!”

However, his escape route was blocked by a smiling girl.

“Fine, I’ll just charge through! Hyah!”

Deciding it would be easier to get past the smiling girl than Koutarou, the man in black broke into a sprint and headed back down the alley the way he’d come. Seeing how petite the girl was, he was confident that he could shake her off even if she grabbed him.

“Jeez, I told you this was a dead end.”

However, the man in black’s decision was a mistake. In her own way, the smiling girl was much stronger than Koutarou. After all, she had spiritual energy powerful enough to affect reality.

“Sorry about this, young lady!”

“Oh, don’t worry about it! Instead... take this!”

The girl in question, Sanae, approached the man in black while humming and skipping. As they crossed paths, she lightly tapped his shoulder with her right index finger. The next thing he knew, he was spinning violently.

“Whoa!”

He spun a full rotation in the air before landing flat on his back. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, but he had no idea what had happened to him. He’d collapsed to the ground after just a tap on the shoulder, but he couldn’t discern any other effects. It clearly hadn’t been a stun gun. All the man in black could feel was the pain from hitting the ground.

“Are you okay, mister?”

Sanae looked down on the confused man in black from above. All Sanae had done was pour spiritual energy into the left side of his body. It was a very gentle attack, if there was such a thing. With the man’s left side overwhelmingly more charged with more spiritual energy, he lost his balance and fell. In other words, he suddenly found himself with too much power. He wasn’t hurt at all other than the pain from the fall. In fact, if anything, his circulation had improved.

“I-I’m not really old enough for you to be calling me mister...”

While he didn’t know what had happened to him, he understood that he had failed to escape. The man in black resigned himself to that much as he sat up. Thinking things through, however, he came to another realization. Koutarou and his friends definitely weren’t normal. That’s what he’d suspected all along, and their secret was exactly what his team was trying to find out.

“Who are you guys? And why are you snooping around?”

Koutarou walked over to Sanae and the man in black. Seeing him, the man in black was shocked. Koutarou’s demeanor had completely changed. Rather than giving off the energetic air of a nice high school boy, he was radiating a stern and powerful will. Moreover, his tone of voice made it sound like he meant serious business. To the man in black, it was almost like he was facing his boss. And with that kind of pressure weighing on him, he was at his breaking point.

“Depending on the circumstances―”

“P-Please wait! We’re not your enemies!”

When Koutarou’s narrowed eyes gleamed, the man in black easily caved. The truth was that making Koutarou angry would only be a hassle for him and his organization. They were merely shadowing Koutarou and the others for surveillance. They really didn’t mean them any harm.

“Every villain starts off by saying that...”

“Just wait! We’re related to the Sun Rangers!”

“...What?”

Koutarou stopped dead in his tracks at the mention of a most unexpected name. Sensing the pressure from Koutarou relent a little in that moment, the man in black decided to keep pushing.

“We’re an affiliate organization, but the chain of command is more closely linked to Central!”

“An organization from Central, you say?”

Koutarou was willing to hear him out, but there was still a stern look in his eyes. There was a chance this man had just come across information about the Sun Rangers and that he was lying about who he was. Since the men in black didn’t have any spiritual energy equipment, Koutarou was skeptical that they actually had any connection to the Sun Rangers. He pressed him for details just to be sure.

“Then you wouldn’t have a problem telling me what their names are and what’s happened recently.”

“Kenichi-kun, Hayato-kun, and the younger Kotaro-kun! There’s also Daisaku-kun and Megumi-san, who have been getting quite close recently!”

“Whaaat?! They had that kind of relationship?!”

“As for recent events, their efforts have been recognized officially and their salaries have been increased by 20 percent. At first becoming a Sun Ranger was considered a demotion, but they’ve really shaken things up. When it comes to the anti-invasion sector, they have the most experience and the best track record!”

“So you really do know your stuff...”

The man in black had been able to properly answer Koutarou’s test question. He even had insider information, including on Daisaku and Megumi’s relationship. That indicated to Koutarou this man was indeed from an affiliate organization, just as he’d claimed. That was enough for Koutarou to start to trust him at least a little, but it gave rise to another question.

“But then why are you after information on us? Haven’t the Sun Rangers told you everything you need to know?”

If this man or his organization had an in with the Sun Rangers, they should have been able to get information from them. The Sun Rangers certainly knew plenty about Koutarou and the others, so it seemed pointless for the men in black to be shadowing them. It didn’t add up for Koutarou.

“They are refusing to give out information on you. They’re saying that because it’s an unofficial relationship, they’re not required to divulge any details. If it weren’t for that, their raises would have been well over 20 percent.”

“Those guys...”

Koutarou felt a little warm and fuzzy. The Sun Rangers had purposely kept information on Koutarou and the others secret for the sake of the People of the Earth and the peace of Earth. Even though they could have gotten promotions or better raises if they’d talked, they’d stayed quiet for the greater good. They really were true heroes, and that made Koutarou happy.

“And candidly speaking, my superiors don’t want to kowtow to Professor Roppongi. They’re strangely elitist, and they don’t want to admit that the tables have turned,” the man in black said with a shrug.

With that, Koutarou was willing to trust him. He didn’t trust him as much as the Sun Rangers, of course, but he felt like he no longer had to worry about him being an enemy.

“...Anyways, I get that you’re kind of with the Sun Rangers, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re snooping around us.”

Only one question remained: what had mobilized the men in black? Nothing like this had happened before, so some new development must have caused it. That was what Koutarou wanted to know.

“There are two reasons, really. We’ve been following you to learn about you and to protect you.”

“Protect...?”

His last few words threw Koutarou for a loop. He could understand wanting to learn about him and the others, but he couldn’t imagine why on earth this organization would think they needed protection.

“Truth be told... Several days ago, mysterious aliens called Forthorthians contacted us.”

“Forthorthians?! Damn, so it was their doing!”

Koutarou now realized why Theia and Ruth had been acting so strangely. They were missing school so often because they were in the midst of a parley with the Japanese government. It also explained why Clan had gotten a cellphone.

Based on his reaction, it seems clear that Koutarou-kun has had connections to the Forthorthians for quite a while. I have to report this...

The man in black took mental notes based on how Koutarou reacted. It seemed like Koutarou would be of great importance when negotiating with Forthorthe.

“Of course, there’s a big commotion in the government running from the top to the bottom, as I think you can imagine.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

It wasn’t hard for Koutarou to imagine the government’s confusion when he thought back to how he’d felt when he first met Theia himself. It was hard enough for one person to swallow, let alone a whole government.

“They came proposing the establishment of diplomatic relations. Not with Earth as a planet or even the UN, but specifically with the Japanese government. They said that they want Japan to be their window to Earth no matter what. And if we comply, they said they’ll help make sure things go as smoothly as possible for us without disrupting Earth’s economy or political landscape,” the man in black explained with another shrug.

Not knowing why Forthorthe had singled out Japan, the government was understandably confused at first. But they quickly got over the initial shock of it all and began examining the matter at hand from a national interest point of view. While the proposal was peculiar, it was also very attractive. If Japan could establish diplomatic relationships with aliens before any other country, they could spearhead a lot of fields that way. They could become the frontrunners of Earth’s new space age.

“That alone doesn’t sound too problematic.”

“That’s true, but the two conditions the Forthorthians set made us hesitate. We couldn’t accept their offer until we understood the meaning behind them.”

“I see... So what are these conditions?”

“The first is in regards to a policy concerning nationality. The Forthorthian government will nominate certain people on Earth, and if said people accept, the Japanese government will not be allowed to object to them changing their nationality. If Japan is truly meant to be a window of diplomacy to Forthorthe, such a measure is likely meant to keep the Japanese government from interfering in situations where citizens from other countries would like to become citizens of Forthorthe. That wasn’t what was so hard to understand.”

Koutarou thought it was more likely that such a policy was meant to protect the People of Earth and Folsarians. Since neither were technically legal citizens of Japan, things could get tricky if Forthorthe was only doing business with the Japanese people. And so Forthorthe had come up with a way to get around that. That was probably really what was going on.

“Okay, so what’s the other one?”

“That’s the problem. The second condition is extremely specific.”

“What do you mean?”

“The second condition is you.”

“Me?!”

“Yes. The second condition set forth by the Forthorthians was, quote, ‘Satomi Koutarou, who is currently a second-year student at Kisshouharukaze High School, along with his family, friends, and acquaintances must not be used as bargaining chips for negotiations with Forthorthe.’”

That request had absolutely baffled the government. It was far too specific, and extremely bizarre coming from an alien that had seemingly just arrived on Earth. But their first step to figuring it out revolved around one question: who is Satomi Koutarou?

“We can’t even guess why the aliens would be so obsessed with you, but we’ve been trying to figure it out. That’s the reason we’ve been investigating you. And as things stand, you’re a matter of national concern. If anything happened to you, it could mean an interstellar diplomatic disaster. That’s why we’re also keeping an eye on you to protect you.”

“Ugh, so that’s what it is...”

Koutarou held his head in pain. Forthorthe was trying to form an official diplomatic relationship with Japan using their technology and cultural exchange as bait. If Japan agreed, they would become the world leader in interplanetary diplomacy. It was an enviable position to be in. With a title like that, the tourism industry would be booming in no time, among other things. The government was probably drooling at the prospect, but they had to be careful. The aliens had given them a most unusual condition, and that was what had led to their investigation of Satomi Koutarou.

Once Koutarou was apprised of what was really going, he stormed aboard Blue Knight. Though Theia hadn’t come to school, Koutarou knew that she always enjoyed a cup of tea in a certain antique-style room on her ship at about this hour.

“Today’s tea leaves are Rubustori.”

“Let’s see... It’s quite good. You’ve gotten even better, Ruth.”

“I want answers!”

Wham!

“Pfhhht!”

Koutarou brought his fist down square on top of Theia’s head. He wasn’t hold back much, so the tea in Theia’s mouth came flying out as a fine mist on impact.

“What’s wrong with you?!”

Theia glared at Koutarou as Ruth wiped the tea from around her mouth for her. Her spewing tea was something that happened from time to time when Koutarou was around, so Theia wasn’t particularly caught off guard by it. Her eyes, however, indicated she was quite angry.

“That’s my line! What the hell are you doing sneaking around in the shadows?! I heard that you’re trying to establish diplomatic relations with Japan! Just what are you after?!”

Whatever she was really up to was why she and Ruth had been sneaking around. It was also why Clan had gotten a phone. Whatever her intentions were, they were shrouded enough that the government had put the men in black on the job. Just establishing diplomatic relations would have been one thing, but keeping it a secret from Koutarou made him worry. He suspected that there may be ulterior motives at play.

“You!”

Theia’s reply, however, was as simple as could be. She pointed straight at Koutarou and boldly declared that he was the answer.

“Wh-What?”

Koutarou flinched. He looked like he had been caught completely off guard, but Theia pushed on regardless.

“I’m just making preparations so that when you feel like becoming a Forthorthian citizen, you can do so right away!”

“You idiot! Don’t shake up an entire country just for that crap!”

“‘That crap’?! Did you just say ‘that crap’?!” Theia raised her eyebrows, ran up to Koutarou, and grabbed hold of his collar. “You don’t get it! You don’t get anything at all! You’ve saved Forthorthe! Twice now! You’re our hero! Our savior! A knight without peer! That you would refuse to become a citizen of Forthorthe is unacceptable! That’s all the people want! And that’s why we were sent over so quickly!”

Theia was in tears. She was frustrated that Koutarou hadn’t understood their feelings, but most of all, she was hurt that she’d been left behind in Forthorthe.

“Then wait until I’m good and ready! Why rush it and just ignore me like that?!”

“You don’t have the right to talk about being ignored after abandoning the people of Forthorthe and running back to Earth! And what was with that measly letter you left behind?! I searched all over thinking that there must be more to it!”

Theia continued to cry as she repeatedly pounded her fist against Koutarou’s chest. Perhaps because she was channeling her feelings into it, each blow was harder than the last. After a good ten seconds, Koutarou couldn’t take it anymore.

“We can’t have both me and the sword in Forthorthe!”

Koutarou grabbed Theia’s shoulders and forcibly held her at arm’s length. She had the strength of a trained martial artist, so he couldn’t just let her continue to punch him like that.

“Such a proper answer is even more irritating! You damn model knight! It’s not like you don’t understand how much we Forthorthians love you!”

And with that, Theia began an all out attack on Koutarou. With her golden hair fluttering and her tears scattering, she swung her fists and kicked her feet like a frenzied wild animal.

“I couldn’t just stay and pretend like nothing was wrong! Surely you noticed what was starting to happen to the economy because of me!”

“Even then, the citizens still want you there! I still want you there! We don’t care about things like that!”

“Well, I do!”

With Theia seriously attacking him now, Koutarou had to respond in kind. Deflecting Theia’s fists and feet, Koutarou began swinging too. They went at each other hard, each one trying to take the other out.

“This is how Her Highness and Master should be...”

Despite witnessing her beloved princess and legendary hero seriously fighting with one another, Ruth seemed to be enjoying herself.

“Master is and always will be the only one Her Highness can throw such intense emotions at...”

It was unusual, but Ruth knew this was one of the ways Theia and Koutarou expressed themselves. She had no need to be worried. After all, Theia wasn’t using any weapons, and Koutarou wasn’t using his sword or psychic powers. Neither one of them was aiming for vital points, either. This was simply a way for them to communicate. To level with each other. And no matter how much they fought, it didn’t lessen their goodwill or respect for each other. In other words, the Forthorthian princess and the Forthorthian hero were fighting because they wanted to. That’s why to Ruth, it only looked like they were horsing around.

Koutarou and Theia’s deathmatch lasted for several minutes. Humans couldn’t sustain a fight for but so long, especially when they were going all out. So when Koutarou and Theia stopped moving, Ruth couldn’t tell whether it was because they’d finally beaten each other down or if they’d just collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

“Good work, you two.”

Ruth handed them wet towels she’d prepared while they were duking it out. It was a gesture more appropriate for a sporting event than a brawl, but they were both grateful. By now, they’d burned off most of their frustrations and most of their energy, so they naturally fell into a compromise of sorts. A truce.

“Theia.”

“What?”

“Nothing’s going to come from us punching it out.”

“No, eventually I’ll win.”

“Are you being serious?”

“...No, not really.”

Feeling emotionally refreshed after getting to vent like that, Koutarou and Theia regained their composure. They both knew that fighting was meaningless without discussion. While the fighting itself was an important step in the process, it wasn’t the answer.

“So let’s settle this on the upcoming test.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

Changing gears, they agreed to set their sights on the test that would be held in a few days. Since their grades were roughly on the same level, they expected it to be a fair fight. Strictly speaking, Theia had an advantage in academics, but Koutarou had a leg up because of the language and culture barrier. They were basically tit for tat.

“If I beat you on the test, you’ll stop doing strange stuff in the shadows.”

Koutarou’s demand was that Theia and the others stopped working behind the scenes. He didn’t have a problem with Forthorthe establishing diplomatic relations with Japan as long as it was done fairly and openly. It would be an important step in allowing for Folsarians and the People of the Earth to legally immigrate. Koutarou had only been unhappy that Theia was essentially trying to do everything behind his back. She was even trying to make preparations for his return to Forthorthe, and Koutarou didn’t like the idea of obstacles being removed from his path before he’d even decided to walk down it. He had his own life to think about.

“Okay. But in return, if I win, you’ll come back to Forthorthe.”

In the past, Theia’s goal had been for Koutarou to swear loyalty to her, but now it was bigger than that. She wanted Koutarou. In order to have him back in Forthorthe, she would use any and all means necessary. Her people felt the same way. But since it would all be pointless if Koutarou came to hate her or her people in the process, she had to convince him properly and make him admit defeat on his own terms. To that end, the academic strength test was convenient.

“Fine, but only if you win.”

“Oh, I will! Let me remind you the proud Mastir family has gone undefeated for over two thousand years!”

“Yeah, well, at least two of those victories were thanks to me.”

“So you do get it. Your victories are our victories; that is the natural order of things. Your fate is tied to Forthorthe.”

“You’re getting full of yourself. Just don’t cry about losing later.”

“Ohoho, right back at you!”

Neither one was willing to relent a single step, yet they were both equally determined to make the other back down. It was a stalemate between invader and defender.

“Please don’t go at it too hard. You do have a test to get ready for, Your Highness, Master.”

Ruth, however, didn’t take a side in the matter. She was impartial to begin with, but that was also part of Theia’s plan. Theia would push hard, Clan would conservatively pull, and Ruth would do neither. Between the three of them, they would shake Koutarou up as best they could. While he had no way of knowing, Forthorthe was terrifyingly serious about his acquisition.

Theia’s eraser was shaped like a cute cat. It was something she’d been using ever since coming to Earth. Its cute design, however, compromised its erasing power. It was a matter of form over function.

“Koutarou, I’m borrowing your eraser.”

“Sure.”

That’s why Theia would always use a better eraser if one was nearby. And with Koutarou studying next to her, she didn’t hesitate to use his. The less she used hers, the longer it would keep its cute cat shape.

“Hey, Theia, about this part...”

“Gravity, huh? Ruth, what is the gravitational constant of Earth again?”

“It’s 9.8 meters per second squared, Your Highness.”

“An unfamiliar figure, but oh well. To begin with, gravity is the phenomenon of...”

In return for using his eraser, Theia helped Koutarou out with things he didn’t understand. It was usually math or physics based since those were his weaker subjects. But it didn’t take long for Theia to start asking Koutarou questions too. Kanji, Japanese literature, and Japanese history were literally alien to her.

“Um, Kiriha-san...”

Yurika, who was raiding the kitchen for snacks, turned to Kiriha, who was in the kitchen preparing for dinner.

“Yes? If it’s the pudding, it’s cooling off in the refrigerator.”

“It’s not about the pudding. I mean, I want that too, but... those two are competing who gets a better grade on the test, right?”

Yurika peeked through the curtain that separated the hallway kitchen from the inner room. Koutarou and Theia were sitting at the tea table, ardently studying away.

“So I’ve been told. If Koutarou wins, Theia-dono and the others will stop moving around behind the scenes. And if Theia-dono wins, Koutarou will be going back to Forthorthe. It’s a decisive battle.”

“So why are they studying so happily together?”

Yurika’s question was something that most of the girls of room 106 had been wondering. Curious herself, Sanae peeked out from the curtain too as she took another sip of milk out of the curtain.

“Heh... that’s the complicated part of their relationship,” Kiriha responded.

She didn’t peek through the curtain like the other two girls did, but she cast a glance towards the inner room. While she couldn’t see Theia and Koutarou, she could easily imagine them happily studying together.

“But Theia-dono and Koutarou are earnestly trying to beat each other. There’s no doubt about that.”

“But... they’re working together, aren’t they? They’re helping each other study and everything. I’m not saying they should be mean to each other or trick each other, but wouldn’t they have a higher chance of winning if they didn’t help out their competition?”

That was Yurika’s real question. They were using the test as a means to settle their dispute, but they were clearly trying to help each other succeed. That’s why Yurika couldn’t tell if they were serious about their match or not.

“They want it to be a victory won fair and square. They both want to be the victor, certainly. But do you think if they played dirty and took advantage of each other’s weaknesses that either of them would be able to honestly accept defeat that way?”

“That’s... um... No, I guess not...”

Thanks to Kiriha’s explanation, Yurika finally started to get her head around it. It was about the means of achieving the victory as much as it was the victory itself.

“This is a critical moment for both of them and there’s a lot riding on it. That’s why they want it to be a true contest of skill, and they each want to win it with their own strength.”

Both would do their best from start to finish. That would be the only way they could truly settle this. Since something important was on the line for both of them, they wanted to make sure they wouldn’t regret anything about the way it was handled.

“I mean, Theia-dono could always play dirty if she changed her mind. But don’t you think it would be foolish to blow up the mountain you love just to lower the summit in order to make it easier to climb?”

“Huh? Wait... Doesn’t this mean we’re all falling behind while we just stand here?” Sanae asked.

“Very likely,” Kiriha responded.

“Wh-What? How?” Yurika asked, quite concerned.

“Because Theia and Koutarou aren’t the only ones taking the test,” Sanae reminded her as she wiped the milk from her lips with a napkin.

Silence then fell over the kitchen, and Yurika visibly began sweating.

“I-I’m going to go study!” she shrieked and dashed out of the room.

“I think I’ll do the same,” Sanae said smugly as she ran after Yurika.

They both took their places at the tea table and began studying with Theia and Koutarou. The test wasn’t just about the results. That’s what Maki had told Yurika when they first found out about the test, and she was getting to see how true that was firsthand right now. Yurika and Sanae had been fervently studying up until today, so they were feeling a little bit better about the test than they had been previously, but they couldn’t afford to let that momentum go. If they slacked off even a little bit now, they’d be toast.

“I’m glad you both realized it...”

Kiriha lightly smiled and stirred the miso soup as if nothing had happened. Since she had always been diligent in her studies, Kiriha was the only one who had nothing to worry about right now. While everyone else was busy studying, she’d be there to cook and take care of the chores. And just like that, thanks to Kiriha, things carried on like usual in room 106.

It was now February 11th, 2011, a beautiful day without a single cloud in the clear blue sky. Yurika and Sanae, however, were trudging along too crestfallen to even look up and notice.

“I’m not going to make it... I’m definitely going to fail...”

“Yurika, all we can do now is pray! But we’ve tried so hard and gotten this far, so I’m sure god will help us out with the rest!”

“Really? Do you think so?”

“Yeah! If we believe, we’ll be saved!”

Over the past ten days, both girls had done all they could to study. They’d fought the good fight and worked themselves into delirium night after night. But even after all their hard work, neither one was confident that they’d get a passing grade. They’d tried their hands at a mock test Kiriha had made the night before, but the results hadn’t looked good for either of them. Based on that, it seemed like passing the real test today would be no mean feat.

“Please let the test be cancelled!”

“So you’ll pray for that, but not a better score?”

“Sorry, I just feel like that would be asking too much right now!”

They’d both started at an incredible disadvantage. They’d all but stopped studying because of the trouble with the People of Earth and Folsaria, and then they’d had to go to Forthorthe for several months. And since they weren’t particularly strong students to begin with, making up for all that in just ten days was a lot to ask. They’d done what they could to prepare, but it hadn’t seemed to help much. At this point, all they really could do was pray for some divine intervention.

Unlike the two despondent girls, however, Koutarou and Theia were excited about the day’s test.

“It’s here! It’s finally time! At long last, the day you surrender to me has come!”

“You say the funniest things, princess! I’ll show you that the difference in our grades is like the difference in our height—undeniable!”

On February 1st, Koutarou and Theia’s grades had been just barely above the passing mark, but as a result of their competitive studying, they’d both done quite well on Kiriha’s mock exam. Their goals had shifted from surpassing each other to crushing each other.

“I’ll forgive such insolence if you throw yourself on the ground and beg! We’ll see who’s standing taller then!”

“Now, now, don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re the one who’s going to be lowering your head. I’ll bury you, Theia!”

“Ahahaha!”

“Wahahaha!”

Having studied plenty, both of them were confident in the results they would get on the test. Thanks to that, they were eager for their match and their chance to prove themselves. They were totally focused on each other and the competition ahead of them.

The two girls walking behind them looked on with a bit of jealousy.

“When they’re like this, there’s no room to join in,” Clan sighed.

“This kind of extreme relationship is something only Theiamillis-san could pull off, after all,” Maki agreed.

Both girls shrugged and smiled. In the past, both Clan and Maki had been extremely hostile towards Koutarou, but their relationships had evolved past that once they started to get along with him. Things were different now. They’d only been able to be so extreme with Koutarou in the past because they considered him an enemy. Theia, however, seemed to be different. And so the two girls watched on, somewhat in awe of how she could continue such an extreme relationship with Koutarou despite getting along with him. Moreover, her extremism didn’t negatively affect their friendship. Clan and Maki were left both puzzled by and somewhat envious of the way Theia so casually seemed to do the impossible.

Starting school in the spring might not be so bad after all...

Clan secretly started to reconsider Koutarou’s proposal. After watching Theia and Koutarou work so hard at studying together the past few days, a desire to join in had started to well up inside her. As things were, however, she wasn’t involved in school or the test. She was walking along with Maki for moral support, but Maki had always been a competent student. In short, neither of them were worried about the impending exam.

“Boys will be boys, including Satomi-kun,” Harumi said with a smile.

“Yeah, he’s antagonizing Theia just the way he would Mackenzie. He’s got the same look on his face and everything,” agreed Shizuka.

Even they had realized what was going on between Koutarou and Theia. He was surrounded by girls all the time, but whenever he felt like roughhousing, he knew Theia would be more than ready to tangle with him. And if he wanted to play video games all night or build plastic models, the only one who would willingly sit by him was Theia. Sanae was constantly poking her nose in too, but she just wanted to be doing whatever Koutarou was, so it was a little different. And while Yurika was the easiest one for Koutarou to ask out to play, Theia had the monopoly on “boy” stuff. Harumi and Shizuka were a little jealous of it all, but they also knew that Theia was the right person for the job. And so they watched over her and Koutarou with smiles on their faces.

“I don’t see the problem with Her Highness having a secret weapon.”

Ruth was smiling happily too, but Kiriha looked at her with pity.

“Ruth, are you really okay with that? With Koutarou’s eyes fixed on Theia-dono?” she asked.

“My ideal man is someone who will support Her Highness together with me. As long as he plays with me too every now and then, that’s enough for me.”

Out of all nine girls, Ruth’s approach to her relationship with Koutarou was special. In her case, she couldn’t love anyone who wasn’t willing to protect Theia with her. Her ideal man would prize Theia’s heart as much as her safety, and that wouldn’t be possible with a one-sided love. Theia’s heart would only be happy if both parties needed each other. So in the end, Ruth’s ideal scenario put herself second no matter what. And she was okay with that.

“I can’t say I don’t understand those feelings.”

Kiriha had a good idea of how Ruth felt. The thing she wanted most of all was for Koutarou to be happy. Her being with Koutarou was secondary to that. That’s why she didn’t think that Koutarou had to choose her. But even if she wasn’t chosen, she wouldn’t leave his side. No matter who Koutarou chose, Kiriha would love him without fail. She was confident in that. That she would be with him in the future one way or another. And so she smiled now the same smug way she always did.

“But I’m worried these feelings might end up troubling Master...”

“Then so be it. Now that the crest is engraved on all of us, there’s nothing else that can be done. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Yes, I suppose so... I have to admit I am thinking about being a little mean.”

Kiriha and Ruth would normally end up unhappy in situations like this, but fate had led them away from that. They had all the proof they needed now that Koutarou had feelings for them as well. Armed with that knowledge, not even the two most considerate girls in the group were planning on going easy on Koutarou in the future.

“We’ll be able to settle the score. Literally. I’ve been waiting for this day, heh heh...” boasted Koutarou.

“Ohoho! Yes, and the legend will conclude with my victory,” snickered Theia.

“What if... What if I just blow up the test venue with my magic?” Yurika wondered out loud.

“That would definitely save me, but it would totally ruin you,” Sanae reminded her.

“Aaauuuuugh...” she wailed.

For better or worse, it was almost time for the much anticipated test. The other girls were all prepared for what lay ahead, so they fondly watched over Koutarou, Theia, Yurika, and Sanae at the height of their fervor. With the bond they all shared, the excitement and dread of the four of them became the excitement and dread of all ten of them.

The academic strength test was scheduled for the evening of February 11th, and it would be administered in the conference room aboard Clan’s ship, the Hazy Moon. Room 106 would have been too small to hold the test properly, and the Hazy Moon seemed like a nice, neutral space as Clan wouldn’t be taking the exam. The exam started at 4:30 PM, and with breaks in between the sections of the exam, testing wrapped up just before 11 PM.

“I’ve done it, Koutarou! I performed the best I ever have on a test!”

“What a coincidence, Theia! Me too!”

“I can’t wait for the results!”

“You can say that again!”

“Ahahahaha!”

“Wahahahaha!”

While they likely hadn’t achieved the top scores out of the group, Koutarou and Theia seemed to be the most satisfied out of anyone with their performance on the exam. With only ten days to prepare, they’d both tried to predict what kind of questions would be covered on the test and then studied accordingly rather than trying to learn several months of material all at once. And it seemed their focused strategy had paid off. They both felt like they’d performed better on this test than they ever had before.

In contrast, Sanae and Yurika were dreading the results.

“I don’t think I made it...”

“Dear god, please let the grading form explode and disappear forever...”

“No, not on my ship!”

Sanae and Yurika had both been in low spirits ever since the exam began. They’d had their heads hung low the entire time like they were physically affected by the worry weighing down on them. They’d scrambled to fill in their answers, but didn’t feel like they’d gotten anything right. They were both waving white flags by the time it was all over.

“So you’re just accepting that you’ve failed like usual, huh?” Sanae asked.

“What else could it possibly be?!” Yurika whined, distraught.

“There’s still that one in a million chance.”

“I’m this desperate because I know I don’t even have that!”

It was easy to tell how their tests had gone just by looking at them. Sanae and Yurika were on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum from Koutarou and Theia. But nevertheless, tensions were high for all four of them as they waited for the results. Compared to them, the remaining five girls were quite calm.

“Hey, Aika-san, C was the right choice for the last question on ancient literature, right?”

“I picked C too.”

“Thank god! I was worried about that one!”

“Oh, but Kasagi-san, do you remember that question in the math section about factorization? How did you solve that one?”

After the test, Shizuka and Maki were comparing answers to gauge how they’d done. Since they lived together, they’d spent a lot of time studying together. Naturally, they were still helping each other out even after the fact.

Ruth and Harumi were also comparing answers, but not on their own tests.

“It seems like Her Highness will score an average of over 70 points per section.”

“With the language and culture barrier working against her, that’s amazing.”

Ruth and Harumi were comparing Koutarou and Theia’s answers. They’d borrowed their answer sheets to get an idea of how they’d done even before the official results were in. Koutarou and Theia had agreed to it because they were as eager to find out themselves.

“Well, it’s true that Japanese, English, and social studies are what’s holding her back. There’s a marked difference between those sections and how she performed in math and physics.”

“Satomi-kun had the opposite problem, but it looks like he scored about the same across all sections. He should have an average score of over 70 as well.”

Based on Ruth and Harumi’s initial assessment, it seemed like Koutarou and Theia would be neck and neck. Their duplicate answer sheets were incomplete, however, so it would be a mystery what their real scores were until they were announced. Ruth and Harumi, however, both felt like they had the test under control, so they didn’t bother comparing their own answers. They were patiently willing to wait to hear how they’d done.

“Everyone, the tea is ready. There’s also some sakuramochi from the shopping street, but there’s only a few, so it’s first come, first serve.”

Kiriha, on the other hand, wasn’t concerned about her results in the slightest. She knew that as long as she hadn’t mistakenly filled out something incorrectly, she would have a perfect score. As such, she was casually pouring tea for the others. Her answer sheet was what Ruth and Harumi were using to score Koutarou and Theia’s tests. The exam had been a big deal for everyone else, but it was just another day for Kiriha.

The Japanese teacher in charge of the test who was secretly a magician of Rainbow Heart, Miyama Reina, came to Koutarou and the others about an hour after they’d turned in their tests. In her hand was a list detailing the results. Only nine people had taken the test, so grading them hadn’t taken too long, and Reina came personally to let them know how they’d done.

“Everyone, thank you for your hard work late into the night,” she said.

“Thank you too, Sensei,” they all politely replied in harmony.

While Reina was a magician of Rainbow Heart, she was also their teacher. As such, they treated her with proper respect.

“I know the test was sudden, but you all performed better than we had expected.”

Upon hearing those words, Yurika and Sanae’s ears perked up. They looked at each other and smiled, hoping that maybe—just maybe—their prayers had been answered.

“I will announce the results starting from the top.”

Reina smiled a little and then looked down at the list in her hands. She looked just like a teacher. If she ever quit working for Rainbow Heart, she’d likely found her second calling.

“First up is Kiriha-san with 496 points.”

“That’s strange,” Shizuka couldn’t help commenting. “To think Kiriha-san didn’t get a perfect score...”

“Actually, Shizuka-san, 496 is a perfect score. Kiriha-san pointed out a problem with one of our questions, so it was discounted and the maximum score was lowered accordingly.”

“Wow, then those 496 points are even more impressive than the full 500.”

It was no surprise that Kiriha had the top score. The only thing she’d had to worry about was making sure she filled in her answer sheet correctly. She was so on top of the material that she’d even noticed a mistake in one of the questions. She had indeed achieved an absolute victory over the test.

“Well, my score isn’t what’s important here. The real battle is about to begin.”

“That’s true. Satomi-kun and Yurika-chan’s futures are on the line...”

As impressive as it was, Kiriha wasn’t all that concerned about her score. She was far more interested in how Koutarou and the others had done.

“In second is Sakuraba-san with 447 points. Do remember, however, that it’s out of 496 points because of the detracted question. Your score would be over 450 otherwise.”

“I’m still nowhere near Kiriha-san.”

“You’re comparing yourself to the wrong person, Sakuraba-san. Even we turn to Kiriha-san for advice. Your results are superb.”

Harumi had scored almost 50 points less than Kiriha, but she had no outstanding weaknesses. All in all, she had nothing to complain about. Her high score was an indication of just how seriously she took her studies, but the serious and studious Harumi still seemed to be somewhat dissatisfied.

“Now, let’s move on to the next one. Things get more clustered here. In third is Aika Maki-san.”

“Me?”

Maki’s eyes opened wide. She hadn’t expected her name to be called. She figured that Shizuka or Ruth would come before her.

“Yes. You got 402 points. Your social studies performance was a little weak, but you were able to make up for it in the other sections.”

Being from Folsaria, Maki had a handicap when it came to Japanese and world history, but she was about on par with Harumi in other subjects. As such, she’d done well overall on the test.

“You did it, Aika-san! Good for you!”

“Thank you very much, Kasagi-san!”

“And Kasagi Shizuka-san is fourth, with a score of 395 points. A little more and you would’ve reached the 400 point mark. You were close.”

“Rats...”

“You averaged about the same across all sections, so it was a strong showing, Shizuka-san. It seems you’re working hard to improve your performance in your weaker subjects.”

“Thank you very much, Sensei!”

Shizuka had gotten 75 to 85 points in each section, so it was clear she’d made it a point to study up in the subjects she normally struggled with. Everyone knew Shizuka excelled at athletics and cooking, and Reina praised her to see her putting that same kind of effort into her studies.

“Now, in fifth...”

“It wouldn’t be strange for my name to pop up now.”

“Pfft! Whatever. I’m next, Theia.”

As the announced scores entered the 300-point range, Theia and Koutarou began listening intently. They’d both scored around 350 points on the mock exam, so they were sure their names would be called soon.

“Fifth is Ruth-san.”

“I guess not...”

“I guess I got excited a little too soon...”

“You were just behind Shizuka-san at 380 points. Getting this kind of score despite coming from a different planet is very impressive. You did well, Ruth-san.”

“Thank you very much.”

“As expected, language and history were where you fell behind, but I believe you can make up for that in the future. Please continue to study hard.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

Ruth scored less than Shizuka because she was at a disadvantage in Japanese, English, and social studies. But being an alien, it was only natural that she struggled with those subjects. Like Reina said, Ruth—who excelled at gathering and managing information—would have no trouble catching up in due time. She’d performed admirably, all things considered.

“Now it’s just us, Yurika, and Sanae.”

“That means it’s going to be either you or me.”

“Indeed. I can’t imagine those two getting more than 300 points.”

“Heh heh...”

“Ahaha...”

Koutarou and Theia were chomping at the bit to hear who was next, but all Yurika and Sanae could manage was dry, bitter laughter. Reina would surely call Koutarou or Theia’s name. Even they knew that.

“Next, in sixth with 369 points is Satomi Koutarou-kun.”

“All riiiiight!”

“Ugh...”

“Seventh place is Theiamillis-san, just slightly behind at 367 points. The two of you were matched nearly point for point the entire test.”

When comparing Koutarou and Theia’s tests, they’d paced each other the entire way. The deal-breaker had been an easy English question in the last section of the test: how to spell baseball in English letters. Theia had incorrectly spelled it “beseball.” It was an easy mistake to make considering it was an alien language to her, but it had made the difference of two crucial points. In the end, she had the same weaknesses as Ruth, and that disadvantage cost her the match.

“Eighth is Sanae-san with 251 points.”

“Dear god, thank you!”

Sanae passing was all thanks to Sanae-san. Even after Sanae-chan got tired and went to sleep, Sanae-san continued studying. Ultimately, god didn’t have anything to do with it.

“Last is Yurika-san with 249 points. It pains me to say this to an archwizard, but... we’ll need you to repeat your second year, Yurika-san.”

“N-No way! Why?!”

“You didn’t make a passing score, I’m afraid.”

“Noooooooo! Please tell me that you’re joking!”

The bomb was dropped before Koutarou could even celebrate his victory. Nijino Yurika would have to repeat her second year of high school because of a single point. It was a shame, but Rainbow Heart wasn’t willing to bend the rules for anyone. Not even Yurika.

Originally, Rainbow Heart had intended the minimum passing score to be an average of 60 points across all five subjects. Once the harder questions and how little time the students had to prepare were factored in, however, the required average score was lowered to 50. Yurika’s total over all five sections was 249 points. She was just two points behind Sanae, but it put her below the required 50 point average. It was objectively a failing score. But somehow, Yurika managed to pass anyway.

“Theia-chan, I will follow you forever! I will do my best as Magical Girl Rainbow Yurika for the sake of Earth and Forthorthe!”

It was all thanks to Theia. Even though Theia was ordinarily strict even with the people she loved, she’d seen a flaw in the way the test was graded. Since the maximum achievable score on the test had been lowered by four points, she believed that the minimum passing score should be lowered accordingly. She couldn’t just sit idly by and watch Yurika fail after all she’d done for Forthorthe, so Theia argued her case to Reina. Reina then called an emergency Rainbow Heart meeting to field the issue, and in the end, they decided Theia was right. The error on the test had been theirs, so in the interest of fairness, they agreed to lower the number of points needed to pass to 246. It was just enough to save Yurika.

“Indeed, I’ll have a lot of work for you in the future, so continue with your studies.”

“Understood! I, Nijino Yurika, will work hard to do my best!”

Feeling indebted to her, Yurika swore herself to Theia’s service. Her eyes were aglow with gratitude and appreciation. It would all probably last until the next afternoon or so.

“Heh. You’re being awfully nice for someone who just got bested, Theia.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“I thought you’d be mortified for sure.”

Considering how competitive Theia had been before the exam, her behavior struck Koutarou as strange. He’d figured she would throw a fit over losing.

“Are you unhappy?” she asked him.

“No, it’s just... anticlimactic, I guess.”

“As usual, you just don’t get it, do you?”

Theia let out a small, exasperated sigh. There was a tinge of reproach in her eyes as she looked at Koutarou.

“You are my knight. Your victories are my victories. In the end, what does it matter which of us wins?”

“Theia...”

“It’s not that you won that annoys me; it’s your attitude. Why can’t you understand something that simple? Argh! Now I’m getting irritated again!”

Theia puffed out her cheeks and glared at Koutarou. Despite what she said and how she was acting, however, she wasn’t unhappy with how the test had gone. She’d gotten to spend the past week working together with Koutarou. At worst, she was really just pouting.

“A-Ahem, a-anyways...”

Koutarou cleared his throat and forcibly changed the subject. If he looked into Theia’s pouting eyes any longer, he’d get sucked in to the point of no return.

“Knock off the secret funny business, will you?”

Their match over the test had ended in Koutarou’s victory. They’d agreed ahead of time that the loser would have to listen to the winner, and Koutarou’s demand was that Theia cease her operations behind his back. He didn’t want her trying to orchestrate a future where he didn’t have a choice about returning to Forthorthe.

“There’s a better way to change my mind without abusing your authority, isn’t there?”

It wasn’t like Koutarou hated Forthorthe. Despite it being a foreign country in a different galaxy, it was almost like a second home to him. He didn’t mind the idea of going back as long as it was for a good reason. The timing just wasn’t right as things stood. Both he and Signaltin had too much sway over the people of Forthorthe. He’d ultimately left for their good.

“A better way...?”

Theia’s face suddenly turned red and she looked down at the ground while she played with her hair. She appeared to be incredibly nervous.

“What is it?” Koutarou asked.

“W-Well, i-if you insist... If that’s what you wish, I don’t mind... trying, I mean... I’m just... um... really happy.”

Despite seeming uncomfortable, she didn’t try and fight or run away. She just nervously rocked back and forth while stealing glances at Koutarou’s face. Watching her like that, Koutarou felt his heart start to beat faster. While he was too embarrassed to say it, Theia was being awfully adorable right now.

“W-Wait just a minute! What exactly are you planning on trying?!”

Koutarou also then realized that, based on her behavior, there was a high chance Theia had misinterpreted what he meant.

“Well, you know... apart from authority, there’s s-sex appeal... I thought about using things like that in the past... but I gave up the idea when I thought about what everyone would think of a princess using such a tactic... But if that’s what you want, Koutarou... I am a girl, after all... so I figured it would be okay...”

“Of course it’s not okaaaaay!”

Wham!

“O-Ow! I am beautiful, you know! So I figured that was the most likely answer if I can’t use violence or authority!”

“Are you an idiot?!”

“What is that supposed to mean?! And here I was seriously considering it!”

Eventually, their discussion deteriorated into the usual brawl. Theia jumped on Koutarou and headbutted him at point-blank range. Koutarou took it head-on, and though staggered, managed to grab her arms to keep her from trying anything else.

“Don’t resort to something like that just to try and change my mind!”

“Then just listen to your princess already, you damn model knight!”

Somehow, with the academic strength test over and tensions loosening up, the battle between Koutarou and Theia grew more intense than usual. There was no room for anyone else to butt in, either. They were completely fixated on each other. Right now, each one was exactly what the other needed.

“Her Highness may have lost at the test... but this is a wonderful outcome in itself.”

“Like I’ve said before, it’s only a matter of time. Now that Koutarou has fundamentally accepted us all, his resistance will eventually cave.”

“It’s true. Not even Master can hold out forever.”

“That’s right..”

The other girls watching on didn’t see Theia’s brawling with Koutarou as any different from her trying to use sex appeal to win him over. She had her own unique way with him. While Theia hadn’t intended it, Koutarou had played right into her hands. And she was just one girl. When it came to all nine of them, it was clear what Kiriha said was true. It would only be a matter of time.

And so the academic strength test administered by the magical kingdom of Folsaria came to a conclusion without anyone having to repeat a year. Without ado, any further study sessions were put on hold in room 106. Everyone was going to take a break until it was time to start studying again for finals in March. But in its place, something else started up again: the games that had once been a daily occurrence in room 106.

“I don’t think Yurika could manage such advanced subterfuge,” said Theia.

“Yeah, it’s a bad idea. We’d better not take Yurika with us on this mission,” agreed Koutarou.

“Why not?! I’m your ally, Satomi-san! Your ally!”

“Enemy or ally, you’re a blabbermouth. With you around, you’ll totally blow our cover.”

“Please! I’m begging you! Pretty please!”

“You’re right, Koutarou. Let’s take Yurika off this one.”

“Not you too, Theia-chaaaaan!”

“Yurika, you just pick up firewood or something.”

“Grunt work again?!”

“It’s very important grunt work. Without firewood, we’ll freeze to death.”

“Auuugh...”

In the past, each of the invaders had sought ownership of the apartment for their own reasons. Since nobody wanted to destroy Corona House in the process, however, they’d all agreed to fight for the room peacefully. In other words, with games.

“I think we can trust Sakuraba-senpai, though,” said Koutarou.

“So you believe me, Satomi-kun!” Harumi exclaimed happily.

“On what basis?” Theia asked.

“Senpai’s a terrible liar. If she were fibbing, it’d show on her face for sure.”

“She... looks like she always does.”

“Yeah, that’s my basis.”

“I see... Then let’s put Harumi in with the candidates.”

“S-Satomi-kun, I’m not sure how to feel about that reason...”

As things were now, Sanae had gotten her body back, the People of the Earth had settled down, Darkness Rainbow had been dismantled, and the coup d’etat in Forthorthe had been thwarted. As a result, the invaders no longer had a stake in fighting for the apartment. They were still attached to it, however, but now they simply wanted to be there with its current tenant, Satomi Koutarou.

“In that sense, couldn’t we trust Maki too?”

“Hmm... Aika-san, are you my ally?”

“Yes!”

“Yeah, she’s good.”

“Aika-san can’t lie, after all.”

“I am always your ally, Satomi-kun.”

“We are talking about in the game here...”

And with nothing left to fight over, the way they all played games together had been completely overhauled. The points were reset and redistributed among Koutarou and all the girls this time. They even decided on a new prize for the ultimate victor.

“That leaves the question of Kiriha-san and Landlord-san.”

“We have to be wary of Kiriha for the exact opposite reason as Yurika.”

“My, how harsh.”

“So just Landlord-san then?”

“I’ll go! I’ll do my best on the mission!”

“She’s suspicious... but better than Kiriha.”

“Veltlion, what about me?”

“You’re the queen of scheming! Of course you’re out!”

“J-Just how long are you going to keep bringing that up?!”

“Until it stops bugging you.”

“Jeez... Stupid...”

The new prize was no longer anything tangible. Instead, it was the powerful right to make demands of the other participants, which they would be obliged to fulfill. The girls were all so kind that Koutarou figured they wouldn’t ask anything too serious or selfish. Theia might use it to demand that he return to Forthorthe, but just based on the odds, her chances of winning were only one in ten. Koutarou wasn’t too worried.

“Koutarou, Koutarou, you should definitely take Sanae-chan! You’ll definitely benefit from taking me with you!”

“How?”

“It’ll become a super mission because you’ll always get to be together with yours truly, the adorable Sanae-chan.”

“So there’s no actual benefit?”

“A refreshing, energetic smile at every turn!”

“Yeah, that’s not actually gonna help us get our hands on top secret documents.”

“Pretty please?”

“...You’re a spy, aren’t you?”

“Eeheehee!”

But Koutarou’s way of thinking was somewhat naive. No matter which of the girls ended up winning, they would all ask for the same thing. In that sense, they had a common goal this time and they were all working together towards it.

“Since we just successfully completed a mission together, if we leave Her Highness, Master, and myself as Team A... what shall we do about Team B?”

“Say, Theia... what do you think about Ruth?”

“Admittedly, I do find myself sometimes wondering what she might be plotting behind that calm expression.”

“Me? I wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh yeah, Ruth-san was the one who thought up how to negotiate with the Japanese government, wasn’t she?”

“Indeed. She’s a shrewd one.”

“We can’t let our guard down then.”

“Fear not! I will always be at the service of my princess and my master.”

“I’m starting to believe her less and less...”

“Same. Being at our service might be something completely different than what it sounds like...”

As things were, a certain someone hadn’t realized that the girls were working together and what that would mean for them. At this rate, there would be a whole new world of trouble ahead. In order to prevent that, this certain someone would quickly need to realize the problem and take action. And it wouldn’t be easy with the odds stacked against them nine to one. Kiriha had said it was only a matter of time, and that time was drawing nearer by the minute.

“...”

“Hmm? Huh? Did someone just say something?”

“What is it, Sanae?”

“Oh, I just thought I heard someone’s voice, Koutarou.”

“If you mean Yurika, she’s been calling for you for a while.”

“Sanae-chan, what snack do we open up next?”

“The sponge cake! And if you destroy it when you unwrap it, I’ll never forgive you!”

“Nuuu!”

And so the carefree, noisy night passed in room 106. It had been almost two years since Koutarou first moved in to the apartment, and in that time, it had gone from housing one person to ten. Their small world together was overflowing with energy, desire, and expectations for the future. Little did they know it would bring on their greatest trial yet.

“...”

The promised day was rapidly closing in. When that day came, no one—neither man nor god—knew whether or not a certain small prayer would be heard.