Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 6 - Chapter 1

Signs of the Radical Faction

Saturday, December 5th

Higashihongan Sanae was in a great mood.

“Ohohohoho!”

She flew circles above Koutarou and the others while laughing loudly. Her practically perpetual smile was beaming brighter than ever.

“Hmph...”

“Sanae-chan is victorious!”

Sanae landed in front of Koutarou, holding up her index and middle fingers in the shape of a V.

“Yeah, yeah. Good job.”

“Eeheehee...”

Koutarou patted the giddy Sanae on her head, making her smile even brighter.

“Sanae-sama, your tennis skills are quite impressive.”

“Heehee! That’s because papa and mama have trained me ever since I was little,” Sanae proudly responded to Ruth as she circled around to Koutarou’s back.

“Hmm, then your parents must be really good,” Shizuka commented.

“That’s right!”

Shizuka complimenting her parents pleased Sanae even more. She clung to Koutarou’s back in the usual fashion before cheerfully declaring that it was time to go.

“Let’s get home before it gets cold!”

It was now around 3 PM. They still had some time before it got dark, but now that it was December and winter was in full swing, the sun going down meant that it got cold immediately.

Koutarou and the others had used their Saturday to go to a nearby sports park and play tennis. The participants were Koutarou, Sanae, and Shizuka, plus the princess and her attendant from Forthorthe for a total of five people. Aside from Ruth, they were all athletic. Being a boy on top of that, it was only natural that Koutarou was good at it, but surprisingly enough, the strongest player out of the girls was Sanae. She seemed to have some experience.

Even as they headed home, Sanae was still in a good mood. It was a good walk from the sports park to Corona House, but Sanae had more than enough enthusiasm to last the journey.

“Praise me more, you jerk!”

“Splendidly done, my lady.”

“Mm, it wasn’t a big deal.”

Sanae wiggled and kicked her legs as Koutarou carried her down the sidewalk. That adorable gesture, fitting for a girl her age, brought a smile to everyone’s face.

“Splendid or not, Koutarou did all the work.”

Everyone, that is, except for Theia, who was still in a foul mood. She simply couldn’t accept having lost to Sanae.

“Your Highness... Heehee...”

Seeing Theia like that, Ruth’s cheerful grin changed into the gentle smile of someone watching over their younger sister.

“Don’t be such a sore loser, Theia. It may have been Koutarou’s body, but I was the one moving it, so I’m the real winner!”

“If I could do the same thing, I wouldn’t have lost either!”

What ruffled Theia’s feathers was that Sanae had possessed Koutarou in order to participate, similar to when they played Jenga. She could use her psychic powers to wield a racket, but it was exhausting and inaccurate. A ghost’s telekinesis was somewhat of a rough ability, and it wasn’t suited for precise tasks or use over a long period of time.

And so Sanae had used Koutarou’s body to play tennis. She’d gone undefeated, and that was what left her in such a chipper mood. However, it could have been said that the reason for her victory was a combination of her skills and Koutarou’s athleticism. If, for example, Sanae had played against Shizuka or Theia before she became a ghost, she may not have stood much of a chance. Theia knew that, and was quite unhappy about what she perceived as an unfair advantage.

“That might be true, but that just means this victory was thanks to the bond between me and Koutarou! Right, Koutarou?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure thing.”

“Hmph...”

But what bothered Theia the most was Sanae and Koutarou’s relationship. Sanae was able to manipulate Koutarou’s body relatively freely, and that was because Koutarou had accepted Sanae into his heart. If he resisted, she probably wouldn’t be able to control him. Or, if she could, only with a great deal of awkward difficulty. Playing an active sport like tennis would be impossible. But the two of them working so well together seemed to mean that Koutarou had indeed accepted Sanae on a deep level. In Sanae’s words, they had a strong bond. That’s why seeing them get along so well left Theia feeling a little unsettled.

If I were a ghost, would Koutarou treat me the same way he does Sanae?

Theia didn’t really know how Koutarou thought of her. She didn’t have the ability to tell just by looking like Sanae did, and that uncertainty made her anxious. And since she just couldn’t let it go, those feelings continued to brew inside her.

“Koutarou, say it more lovingly.”

“How would I even do that? Hey, what’s wrong, Theia?”

“Huh?”

Hearing her name, Theia was surprised at how close Koutarou’s voice sounded. When she looked up, she saw him looking back down at her with a concerned expression.

“You look a little down. Are you tired?”

“No, I, um... Of course not! I’m fine!”

“Really?”

Koutarou nodded but kept watching her face. Such an earnest, intense stare sent Theia’s heart racing. As if to escape his eyes, she looked down on the ground.

Yeah, I thought so. Something seems to be bothering her.

After observing her for a while, that was the conclusion Koutarou came to.

“Here.”

And so he presented his right hand to her.

“Koutarou?”

Not understanding the gesture, Theia looked at Koutarou and then at his hand. Her brain was working overtime to try and decipher the situation.

“...U-Um...”

When she finally figured it out, she reached out and took Koutarou’s right hand with both of hers.

Th-This is... This is what he meant...

Theia could feel Koutarou’s warmth through his hand, and the heat where their hands touched was only more intense. But Theia was undeterred and showed no sign of letting go. She only held on tighter.

“Theia, what are you doing?”

After suddenly grabbing his hand, Koutarou looked at Theia with a confused expression. She’d taken his offer the wrong way.

“Huh?”

“Your bag. If you’re tired, I’ll carry it for you, so hand it over.”

Koutarou thought that Theia looked tired, so he wanted to carry her bag for her.

“Er...”

Theia now realized why Koutarou had held out his hand, that she was holding his hand for seemingly no reason, that the misunderstanding was ultimately her fault, and that this was probably all very confusing for Koutarou.

“Wuh... I... This is... Um...”

After everything clicked for her, Theia panicked and quickly let go Koutarou’s hand.

“W-Wait, Koutarou! You’ve got the wrong idea! That’s not what I meant!”

Theia spat out excuses to try and smooth things over. She was desperate to hide that she’d misread his intentions.

“So you aren’t tired?”

“Th-That’s not it! Well, I am tired, but...! But...!”

Theia was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even look at Koutarou. She just frantically kept talking while staring down at the ground.

“In that case, here.”

And almost as if he had planned for it, Koutarou held out his hand to Theia again.

Koutarou’s hand...

When she saw it, Theia recalled what it felt like to hold his firm, warm hand. Just thinking about the sensation, her cheeks grew hot.

“I can’t take it anymore, I... I...!”

And right as Theia was about to say something, Shizuka opened her mouth.

“Satomi-kun, Satomi-kun! Isn’t that Kiriha-san?”

“Where, Landlord-san?”

“Over there.”

“Ah, you’re right!”

As Koutarou turned around, Theia could see his broad shoulders and Sanae clinging to them.

“I...”

The sight instantly cooled her heated emotions like the whole thing had never happened.

“Where?”

“Over there, Koutarou.”

“Oh, I see. Yup, that’s definitely Kiriha-san.”

Sanae was literally between Theia and Koutarou.

“...”

Mortified, Theia bit her lip as a new set of emotions began springing up inside her.

Just what am I so disappointed about...? What is this unsatisfied feeling...?

Theia was deeply disappointed, and she didn’t care if Kiriha was there or not.

“Your Highness...”

However, unlike her master, Ruth was smiling.

You’ll realize how you really feel at any moment now, Your Highness...

Up until now, Theia had never once let a stranger near her. She had never opened up to anyone other than Ruth. Seeing Theia finally desire someone else’s companionship was something Ruth had always hoped for.

Unaware of the complex feelings between the master and servant from Forthorthe, Koutarou, Sanae, and Shizuka were all three watching Kiriha.

“What’s she doing?”

“Looks like she’s... cleaning?”

They’d spotted Kiriha in front of city hall. Lots of people from the neighborhood association were gathered around, and Kiriha was standing with them. She was wearing her native kimono-like outfit that she normally only wore in private, and she was in the middle of sorting large plastic bags that appeared to be full of garbage. It looked like she was helping the neighborhood association clean up.

But why is she picking up garbage? And why is she wearing that outfit in front of other people?

Something seemed odd to Koutarou. For starters, he didn’t understand how Kiriha had gotten involved with cleaning up the city. She was an invader. Why would she be doing something like that?

On top of that, her outfit raised another eyebrow. Normally when Kiriha went out in public, she would wear her high school uniform or fashionable clothing from the surface. She cared a great deal about disguising herself to blend in, but for some reason, she’d chosen not to today. She was openly wearing her native outfit.

“Look, Satomi-kun. There are other people wearing the same outfit as Kiriha.”

Sure enough, several men and women were now exiting city hall. Although the specific details were different, they were all dressed in outfits similar to Kiriha’s. They walked over to Kiriha and talked a bit before joining in with the neighborhood association to help carry the garbage bags.

“Which means... they’re all Kiriha-san’s allies?”

Seeing them together like that, Koutarou assumed they were all friends, but his words made Sanae’s face turn pale.

“This is bad, Koutarou! If they’re Kiriha’s allies, they’re all from underground, right?! They’re here to invade the surface!”

In her own words, Kiriha’s ultimate goal was to invade the surface. And now that her allies had appeared, it must mean they were finally putting their plans into motion. Sanae panicked at that thought.

“Hmmmm....”

However, that line of thinking didn’t quite seem right to Koutarou. He tilted his head as he looked at Kiriha and her allies curiously.

“What’s wrong, Koutarou?! If we don’t hurry and do something about them, our home... The whole city will be in danger!”

Irritated by Koutarou’s reaction, Sanae emphatically pointed her finger at Kiriha and her apparent allies. She tried again to tell him that they were dangerous, but Koutarou just kept tilting his head and staring.

“Is that really...”

“What are you just standing there for?!”

“Now, now... Just calm down, Sanae.”

“As if I could calm down at a time like this! The invasion has already begun!”

“...I don’t think it has though.”

Koutarou didn’t share Sanae’s reaction because he wasn’t convinced this was an invasion.

“It has to be! Look! They’re definitely invading!”

“But Kiriha-san and the others are just cleaning up, you know?”

That was Koutarou’s primary reason for assuming this wasn’t a hostile takeover. No matter how you cut it, Kiriha and her allies were volunteering for the benefit of the city. The only remarkable things about the situation were their outfits and the fact that they were actually working in harmony with the neighborhood association.

“They’re only trying to make it look like they’re cleaning! Behind the scenes, they’re definitely...”

Sanae was still persistent, but...

“Definitely...”

Her voice trailed off mid-sentence. Even to her, it really did look like they were just cleaning up. She just couldn’t imagine how filling bags with garbage could further some nefarious scheme for the sake of invading the surface.

“See?”

“Yeah... Hey, Koutarou.”

“Yeah?”

“Why are they cleaning up, anyway?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Really... why are they cleaning...?”

Koutarou knew that it wasn’t to invade the surface, but then again, he couldn’t actually say why they were doing it.

That night after dinner.

The lingering questions from that afternoon continued to bother Koutarou, so he decided to ask Kiriha outright.

“Heh, you’re ten years too late to try and beat me!”

“Curse youuuu! In that case, Yurika, let’s combine!”

“Eek, no way! I’d rather lose than be possessed!”

“You wimp!”

Fortunately, Yurika, Theia, and Sanae were glued to the TV playing video games, leaving only Kiriha and Ruth sitting at the tea table with him. With the three noisier girls occupied, Koutarou saw his chance.

Ruth set three cups on the table. Listening to the distinct sound of tea being poured, Koutarou finally spoke up. Although he was curious, he didn’t think it was a big deal, so he decided to approach the whole thing casually.

“Kiriha-san.”

“Yes, Koutarou?”

“On our way back from playing tennis, we saw you with some other people. You were cleaning by city hall, right?”

“If you saw me, you could have just come up and said something.”

Kiriha didn’t deny it. Instead, she smiled at Koutarou. Ruth then passed a tea cup each to Koutarou and Kiriha. After thanking Ruth, Kiriha picked up hers, and after picking up his own, Koutarou continued talking.

“I’ll do that next time. So, Kiriha-san, why did you volunteer to help clean?”

“Does it bother you?”

Kiriha smiled and placed her lips to the rim of the cup. When she did, she looked at Ruth with surprise.

“Ruth, this isn’t the tea we usually get. What’s happened?”

“Actually, when I went to the shopping street yesterday, I got this as a sample.”

“You must mean from the teahouse... Hmm, let’s get this from now on.”

As Kiriha stared at the tea cup in her hands with a delighted expression, Koutarou’s doubts began growing.

Does Kiriha-san really intend to invade the surface?

He couldn’t imagine how cleaning up the neighborhood or caring about tea could be a critical part of a surface invasion.

“Well, yeah, it does bother me. You’re from underground, but you’re bringing your allies up to clean up the city. Anyone would wonder the same thing.”

“Heh, now that you mention it, I suppose you have a good point.”

Kiriha tilted her head and looked down a little.

“Lately, I’ve almost been forgetting that I’m an invader.”

Koutarou found that feminine gesture desirable.

“Then forget it completely.”

“I can’t do that. Actually, Koutarou, helping to clean up is part of our invasion.”

And with those unexpected words from Kiriha’s gently smiling lips, Koutarou reflexively spat out the tea in his mouth.

“Wh-What?!”

“Oh my!”

Even Ruth, unable to hide her surprise, stared at Kiriha with wide eyes.

“You’re kidding, right?! What could cleaning possibly have to do with invading?!”

Right now, Koutarou was mostly shocked, but also a little disheartened.

That’s weird. Why am I disappointed...?

While he still had his doubts about the situation, he was puzzled by his disappointment at what she’d said, even though he’d known it was her goal to invade the surface all along.

“Could it be that you’re only pretending to be cleaning up so you can get close to the water supply and poison it?!”

“Of course not. We are simply volunteering to help clean some.”

“Huh?”

Koutarou was so confused now that he was slack-jawed. Kiriha easily read his expression.

“Heehee, look at you, Koutarou. Is it really so strange that I would volunteer around the city?”

Kiriha laughed spiritedly and revealed a bright, feminine smile as she looked at Koutarou’s confused face.

“No, I mean, that’s not it... I just can’t see what invading and volunteering have to do with each other.”

“They are indeed related, Koutarou. Actually, that’s a great deal of the point.”

As Kiriha wiped away a tear from laughing too hard, she began explaining the plan in further detail to Koutarou.

“You can’t just use violence and force your way when you invade.”

“You can’t?”

Koutarou, however, was only further puzzled by this explanation. Surely an invasion would at least involve some guns or something.

“In fiction, people certainly rely on force in these situations, but reality works differently. Ruling through fear and power only leads to revolt.”

“...If I’m not mistaken, several decades ago a country called Germany began a series of invasions, but the countries it invaded still had very active resistances, right?” Ruth asked.

Ruth had been quiet up until this point, but she was right. It had now been eight months since she first arrived on Earth, and in that time, she’d started to get a grasp of Earth’s history.

“That’s correct. By invading without the support of the local people, a rebellion is only inevitable. And you can imagine how that would go.”

In the end, the locals cooperated with the Allied forces and regained their freedom by repelling the German army. The moral of the story in this case was that attempts to dominate the domestic population against their will bred resistance.

“So there’s a limit to how long you can keep things under control with force alone.”

“Yes. Especially for a minority like us, it wouldn’t be easy to maintain rule through power. It’s just not practical.”

“And that’s why you were helping clean up the city?”

“That’s right. If we don’t become familiar with the locals and get closer with them, we’ll never be able to invade in the way we intend. We have nothing to fall back on, so we have to make sure this succeeds.”

The People of the Earth were unable to put a halt to their emigration problem and subsequent decline in population. Their solution to that was coming to the surface and spreading their influence there instead. Accordingly, Kiriha was proceeding with what they thought was the safest and surest way to invade.

“What we fear the most is that you surface dwellers will label us a dangerous group, like terrorists or guerillas. That would make the invasion impossible and ultimately mean that we would be forced to face our ruin underground. I just can’t let that happen.”

If the People of the Earth earned a reputation as terrorists or guerillas, it would stick with them in the mind of the public for several decades whether it was true or not. During that time, the People of the Earth would only decline even further. That was why it seemed like the best approach to ingratiate themselves with the surface dwellers before making their move.

“Hmm, so there’s more than one kind of invasion...”

“We’ve spent time carefully examining the history of the surface, so we’ve had a great deal to consider.”

In reality, anti-government guerilla forces that do things like create hospitals, schools, or wells for the populace are extremely difficult to deal with. Because the locals cover for them, they’re near impossible to completely wipe out. With that knowledge, Kiriha had decided against the use of force, and instead focused on making peaceful contact with the locals. The volunteer job with the neighborhood association was the first step to that.

“Well, that’s troublesome.”

Finally understanding what she meant, Koutarou let out a heavy sigh. Even though he knew what was going on now, he was still somewhat perplexed.

“What’s so troublesome?”

Kiriha cheerfully smiled. She already knew what Koutarou was thinking about.

“Even though your invasion has already begun, I can’t stop you. You’re not doing anything bad after all.”

“Koutarou, that’s what a true invasion is. If you could tell it was an invasion at first glance and immediately think of a way to stop it, that would be child’s play.”

And with those words, Kiriha lifted her tea cup, drained its remaining contents, and nodded approvingly as she presented the empty cup to Ruth.

“Excuse me, Ruth, but may I have another cup?”

“Yes, right away.”

At Kiriha’s request, Ruth immediately poured her more tea. Koutarou watched the two of them and continued to think to himself.

If Kiriha asked me to hand over the room now, what would I say?

Eight months ago, Koutarou had emphatically refused her demands, but what would happen if she asked him again now? Koutarou didn’t have the confidence that he could refuse her as confidently as he had before.

Beneath Corona House was the secret base Kiriha had built for herself. The tatami mat closest to the entrance of the inner room in Koutarou’s apartment lifted up to reveal a tunnel that led to the underground lair. The tunnel had been completely paved with concrete, and there was no trace of soil in sight. There were lights at regular intervals illuminating the tunnel. It was so well made it wouldn’t have been difficult to mistake it for an underground shopping center.

The hour was now late as it neared midnight, and Kiriha was passing through the tunnel on the way to her base to retire for the night. The clack of Kiriha’s shoes echoed throughout the tunnel rather jarringly. If there was any fault to be found with the tunnel, it was the ominous sound of Kiriha’s footsteps.

The tunnel itself was roughly fifty meters long. After turning a couple of corners and descending two sets of stairs, Kiriha arrived at the entrance of her base, a metallic door. She opened it in an accustomed manner and entered.

Inside was a clean and orderly room. It was roughly three times the size of Koutarou’s apartment and had three doors: one that led to room 106, one that led to Kiriha’s underground hometown, and one that led to her bedroom. The other things in the room included a station used for maintenance on her haniwas, an armory, and several computers. Once Kiriha stepped inside, the two haniwas accompanying her headed straight for the maintenance station.

“Ho! Goodnight, ho!”

“Ho, ho! See you tomorrow, Nee-san!”

Out of everything in the room, the maintenance station took up the most space. Although it was only used for servicing the two small haniwas, the bulky machine was fully automated. It was where they slept in addition to receiving repairs and upgrades. The haniwas bounced over to it, pressed a switch to open a hatch, and hopped right in.

“Goodnight, Karama, Korama.”

After watching the tempered glass hatch shut, Kiriha walked over to the computers, passing by the armory on the way. The armory contained weapons for Kiriha as well as various attachments for the haniwas. The last time Kiriha went into it was when she fought against Theia the day they met. In order to break through Theia’s powerful barrier, she’d had to equip the haniwas with spiritual energy weaponry.

But since that incident, Kiriha hadn’t gone into the armory even once. Although she appeared to be the one most intent on invading, she was actually the most pacifistic of the residents of room 106. Possibly even more so than Koutarou. And so she walked by the armory without so much as glancing at it.

Apart from monitoring the base and controlling the maintenance station, the computers in the room could be used to communicate with her hometown and beyond. Before going to bed, Kiriha’s last job for the day was to confirm that there were no abnormalities with the machinery or otherwise.

“Hmm, a message.”

When she looked at the monitor, Kiriha saw the notification. She touched it and opened up the message.

“From the chief, I see.”

It was indeed a message from the chief—her father. Despite their familial relationship, ever since Kiriha was selected as the commander for the surface invasion, she’d started addressing him as the chief. Kiriha read through the message, which requested for her to contact him directly with a status report.

“Heh...”

Kiriha cracked a small smile. Whenever her father wanted to see his daughter’s face, he would send a message along those lines. After Kiriha’s mother passed away ten years ago, her father raised her on his own. It left them with a lasting bond. They were close enough that Kiriha knew he was worried about her. Still smiling a little, she opened a program on the computer to call him.

“Is that you, Kiriha?!”

It only took a few seconds for the call to connect before a middle-aged man’s face appeared on the screen. Although he was sporting a beard and had a dignified appearance, his eyes were sparkling like an excited child’s. This was Kiriha’s father, Clan Chief Kurano Daiha.

“It has been a while, Chief.”

Kiriha revealed a mischievous and happy smile. One she rarely showed the residents of room 106.

Based on how quickly he’d answered, Kiriha suspected that he had been waiting for her call.

“Again with the chief bit... You can just call me father, you know. It’s just the two of us right now.”

“But I was contacted for a status report. This isn’t a personal conversation.”

Kiriha continued smirking while stifling her laughter. It was a side of her she only revealed to those she truly trusted. And although Kiriha was clearly enjoying herself, Daiha gave her an exaggerated frown after being teased like that.

“You know, you look more and more like her every time I see you, but lately you’ve even started to take after her too, you meanie...”

“Then let’s get the official part over with.”

“All right, all right.”

Daiha stopped pouting like a child. He corrected his posture and put on a serious expression. His piercing gaze gave him the impression of a man of strong will. That was how he presented himself as the chief of the People of the Earth. Following suit, Kiriha put on a more serious expression herself. Right now, they were chief and subordinate rather than father and daughter.

“So what’s your status?”

“Plan A is progressing smoothly, and stage one is complete. We’ve moved on to stage two and are building up trust with the surface dwellers.”

Kiriha had come up with a two-fold strategy for their surface invasion. Plan B involved Kiriha overseeing problematic room 106 directly, but Plan A was complex enough that it had been divided up into several stages. The first was simply securing a base of sorts. In order for the People of the Earth to come to the surface, they needed somewhere to stay. After selling off the rare metal they had been hoarding, they bought up a good deal of real estate in the city. And once that was done, stage two was initiated.

The second stage was developing a rapport with the surface dwellers. To that end, Kiriha and the other underground dwellers had begun participating in civic events and were volunteering around the city. Really, they were trying to demonstrate that they were good neighbors. This was the trickiest part of Kiriha’s plan. It wasn’t something that could accomplished overnight, and a single misstep could compromise the entire plan. They had to proceed with utmost care, and that’s exactly what Kiriha had been doing when Koutarou and the others found her in front of city hall.

“And what kind of response are you seeing from the surface dwellers?”

“Great, for the most part. Those that have found employment in local industries seem to have had a significant influence.”

Infiltrating local businesses was also a part of the second stage of Plan A. Other underground dwellers had gotten jobs in enterprises like local agriculture, fishing, and welfare. Once they assimilated themselves into the industries and became a key part of the workforce, they would at least have something to fall back on if all else failed.

“I see. So things are progressing smoothly.”

“Yes. At this rate, we’ll have this entire region under our influence within a decade.”

The third stage would involve advancing up the social hierarchy of political and financial circles. Without the right kind of influence, they would have trouble acquiring any real power. They needed to integrate into the region even more, but Kiriha remained optimistic. She was definitely getting a good response so far. Without any major debacles, it seemed like the People of the Earth would be able to survive on the surface after all. That’s what Kiriha had begun feeling as of late. Perhaps it was living with Koutarou that had gotten her to start thinking that way.

“And what about Plan B?”

“That’s proceeding smoothly as well. Rather, that’s what I’d like to say, but it’s up and down as usual.”

“It seems to be a rather complex ordeal.”

“Yes. There are several other factions targeting the location.”

Plan B concerned occupying Corona House room 106. If the People of the Earth were able to gain control of room 106, they would be able to rebuild their ancestral altar. Since the altar also served as an efficient way to gather spiritual energy, they would be able to mass produce spiritual energy weapons like Karama and Korama once it was built.

“That said, with Plan A on track, I don’t believe there is any reason to worry about the delays in Plan B.”

In the end, Plan B was only a failsafe. It was a backup in case Plan A fell through or a surface army attacked them first. Because of that, since Plan A was proceeding without a hitch, there was no need to rush Plan B. Moreover, hurrying Plan B might actually damage their chances of succeeding with Plan A.

“I am of the same opinion. However, Kiriha, the radical faction has been stirring lately.”

“As we feared, they’re acting on their own?”

“Yes.”

Daiha nodded with a frown. Kiriha’s expression was equally stern.

The People of the Earth were not of a united front in regards to the surface invasion. There were several clans that held power, and they didn’t all agree on how the matter should be handled. Among the clans, there was a radical faction that favored a swift, forceful takeover of the surface. Kiriha’s methods were much too naive for their tastes.

“If we can’t keep them in line, Plan A may all be for naught. In that case—”

“Plan B would be a necessity.”

“That’s right. We’ll try to keep the radical faction in check for now, but you should keep an eye out for yourself. There might be those that would target you directly.”

“I understand.”

Kiriha nodded at Daiha. She now understood why he was so anxious to get in contact with her. He wasn’t just a doting father that wanted to see his daughter’s face. He was genuinely worried about her safety.

So in the worst case scenario, I might need to defeat them myself...

The faces of the residents of room 106 popped into Kiriha’s head. Sanae, Theia, Ruth, Yurika, and Koutarou all. If the radical faction caused a scene, the People of the Earth would need to reconstruct the altar as soon as possible to prepare for battle. With their inferior numbers, it would be a losing fight without a large amount of spiritual energy weapons, and that might mean the time could come that Koutarou and the other invaders needed to be taken out of the picture.

But could I do it...?

They had spent a lot of precious time together over the past eight months. And that troubled Kiriha. She couldn’t imagine pointing a weapon at Koutarou and the others now.

“Kiriha.”

When he said her name, Daiha’s expression loosened up. He was no longer the chief, but a concerned father.

“Yes, father?”

Sensing that, Kiriha responded accordingly.

“Won’t you come back and take a groom?”

“A groom? You’re asking me to get married?”

“Yes. If you do, our influence will grow, and that includes over the radical faction. You’ll be safe, and you won’t have to fight against anyone you don’t want to.”

Daiha’s idea was simple. He wanted to put the reigns on the radical faction through a political marriage. It didn’t really matter who she married; as long as they had influence, Kiriha’s influence would also grow, and that would in turn detract from the radical presence. But that was just a front. First and foremost, Daiha didn’t want his daughter in any danger.

“I... can’t.”

Though she understood her father’s feelings, Kiriha shook her head.

“You’ve become just as stubborn as your mother was. She refused the same thing.”

“That’s not... Father, if I leave the surface now, I won’t be able to do anything about the radical faction. We need to avoid that no matter what.”

Even if she were to take a groom, it wouldn’t resolve the situation right away. They would still need to lay the right groundwork and adjust the schedule for the invasion. Especially if her marriage was a political one. And knowing their tactics, the radical faction might make a move while Kiriha was away. There would be no point in marrying if the radical faction used it as a chance to cause a scene.

“I see. So even if you were to marry, we would still need an immediate answer for dealing with the radical faction...”

“I believe so.”

Once Daiha came around, Kiriha let out a small sigh of relief. She took out a single card from her pocket. It was an aging card with a worn metallic sheen, but it was special to her. It was the other reason Kiriha didn’t want to marry. Before she could fulfill her heart’s desire that the card represented, she knew getting married wasn’t an option for her.

Dawn, 7 AM.

Sunday mornings in room 106 started, as always, with Ruth. Though the days were starting later with the season, the sun began shining into the apartment by 7 AM. However, the winter sunlight wasn’t enough to warm up the chilly room. Today, it was even cold enough for Ruth to see her breath when she arrived.

“Satomi-sama is...”

The first thing Ruth did was look around for Koutarou. Since his sleeping habits were quite literally all over the place, he would often end up sleeping next to the wall with the gate leading to Blue Knight. Consequently, it wasn’t unusual for Ruth and Theia to step on him as they entered the room.

“Ah, good, he’s sleeping over there.”

Ruth had learned the hard way to poke her head through the gate first. Only after confirming where Koutarou was sleeping did she actually enter, careful not to make a sound. She knew it would take a lot to actually wake up Koutarou, but Ruth always did her best to be polite and considerate.

“You’re going to catch a cold sleeping like that, Satomi-sama...”

Koutarou always laid out his futon in the center of the room, but right now he was asleep in front of the wardrobe without so much as a blanket. He was lying on his back in just his pajamas. After entering the room safely, Ruth considered it her second job to cover Koutarou with a quilt.

“Eeek!”

But when she walked over to him, she nearly screamed.

“...I’ll never get used to seeing that...”

Managing to hold it back, Ruth smiled wryly as she tucked him in from the waist down.

“Zzzzz...”

Sanae’s blissfully sleeping face was sticking out of Koutarou’s chest. It was almost as if Koutarou’s pajamas had an image of Sanae in her nightcap printed on them, but it was indeed the real Sanae. She was just sleeping inside of Koutarou’s body. That was the startling sight that had almost made Ruth scream.

“ZZZzzz... ZZZzzz...”

“Zzzzz...”

Koutarou and Sanae’s snores rang out in a strange harmony. Lately, Sanae had been complaining about feeling cold, so her solution was to sleep inside of Koutarou. This was a new thing, but apparently it was quite comfortable. Ever since she first tried it, it had become her favorite place to sleep.

Although Sanae was fond of it, her new sleeping spot didn’t sit well with the others. The only thing sticking out from Koutarou’s body right now was her face, but her limbs would poke out every now and then. It was a disturbing thing to see, almost like Koutarou had suddenly grown an extra set of girlish arms or legs. Koutarou was also sometimes startled by the sight when he woke, and he made sure Sanae knew it. Of course, Sanae showed no sign of doing anything about it. Whenever she saw an opening, she would enter his body to sleep.

“This is a little better than normal, but this is still bad for my heart...”

After she put the quilt back over him, Ruth smiled again and headed into the kitchen.

Normally Kiriha would arrive shortly after Ruth did, and then the two of them would prepare breakfast together. However, for one reason or another, Kiriha hadn’t shown up yet, so Ruth was fixing it on her own.

“Hmm, so you made breakfast alone today? It looks delicious.”

“Thank you very much, Sanae-sama.”

Ruth smiled at the praise as she served the meal to the tea table. Rice, miso soup, broiled fish, and natto—all of Sanae and Koutarou’s favorites.

“Yeah, it looks great. So why don’t you get out of me so I can enjoy it too, Sanae?”

“Nuh-uh!”

Even though it was time to eat, Sanae refused to leave Koutarou’s body. She playfully giggled with her face sticking through his chest.

“Come on now...”

“If you hate it that much, then chase me out! Come on, I dare you!”

Sanae reached her arm out from Koutarou’s body and poked his face. She was only able to enter Koutarou’s body after the two of them had started getting along. She knew it wouldn’t be possible otherwise, especially if he really hated it, and she used that as ammunition to tease him.

Heeheehee, Koutarou loves me after all!

If Koutarou had truly accepted her, then going all out was only courtesy. Sanae’s actions were merely an expression of her love.

“I agree with Koutarou, Sanae. Can’t you at least cut it out during breakfast? Seeing you like that makes me lose my appetite.”

“Yeah, Sanae-chan, at least give us a break with the paranormal phenomena this early in the morning.”

However, Sanae’s affectionate gestures were unpopular with Theia and Yurika. Seeing a face sticking out of someone’s chest was rather unappetizing.

“That’s right, Sanae. Do you want me to get sick while eating?”

“Ew, that would be gross.”

While Koutarou wasn’t as intent to kick her out as the others were, his desire to eat was also in jeopardy. And since Sanae always shared Koutarou’s senses while he was eating, if he felt ill, it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience for her either.

“So come on out.”

“Okaaay.”

Sanae reluctantly came out from Koutarou’s body and appeared behind his back.

“Sorry for making a fuss during breakfast.”

After apologizing, Sanae clung to Koutarou’s back like she usually did during meals.

When I’m not sleeping, I guess this is better anyway...

As she held on to him, Sanae couldn’t help thinking about it. It was comfortable inside Koutarou, but if she stayed there, she couldn’t have as much fun with him. In the end, she decided she would rather stick to him and mess around with him.

And with Sanae on Koutarou’s back, Yurika’s stomach began growling. Now that the paranormal phenomena had passed, her appetite had returned.

“You really are a pushover, Yurika...” Koutarou said, pointing at her and laughing.

“I-I can’t help it! It’s morning! I’m hungry!” Yurika blushed and frantically made excuses.

“You’re just a glutton,” Sanae interjected in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I guess it’s true you can’t help it, but... Bwahahaha!”

“S-Sorry for you keeping you waiting, Yurika-sama.”

Stifling her laughter, Ruth served Yurika breakfast. Yet even with food in front of her, she was pouting.

“You’re all terrible, treating me like some starved animal...”

“W-Well, you know... If you’re hungry, eat. You can have as many extra helpings as you’d like today.”

“Really?!”

But after what Koutarou said, Yurika’s eyes lit up. Her attitude did a complete one-eighty. “As many extra helpings as you’d like” were magical words to her.

“Bwahahahaha!”

“See? She’s just gluttonous.”

“Y-Yurika-sama, w-would you like a double portion?”

Koutarou was in stitches, Sanae was behind him grinning, and Ruth was nearly frozen trying to keep herself from bursting into laughter. The wooden spoon in her hand was trembling because she could barely contain herself.

“I-It’s not that funny! And I’m not gluttonous! I’m just a growing girl!”

With her pride and her stomach at odds, tears welled in Yurika’s eyes as she did her best to defend herself. It was just another noisy morning in room 106.

Watching the commotion out of the corner of her eye, Theia ate her breakfast in silence. In the eight months that had passed since she first came to Earth, she had gotten quite deft with chopsticks. She gracefully lifted tiny bites of food to her mouth.

“Th-Then there’s no need to hold back! Grow all you like! Wahahaha!”

“The way you’re laughing makes me not believe you!”

“Koutarou, I’m a growing girl too! Let’s eat!”

“R-Ruth-san, I’m also a growing boy, so please give me an extra large portion too.”

“Of course, heehee! Right away!”

However, Theia wasn’t even paying attention to what her breakfast tasted like. Ever since Sanae had gotten on Koutarou’s back, that was all she’d been able to focus on.

I wish...

Theia imagined herself clinging to Koutarou’s back. She fantasized about being the one smiling cheerfully and entrusting her defenseless body to Koutarou. And the more she thought about it, the more restless she began feeling.

J-Just what I am thinking...?

When she came to her senses, she looked down in a panic. She couldn’t believe she wanted to behave like Sanae.

He’s just a vassal! I only need him to swear loyalty to me for my trial! No more, and certainly no less!

Ever since the second princess, Clan, had attacked during the cultural festival, Theia’s feelings had begun changing. When she first arrived at room 106, she only thought of Koutarou as a Neanderthal on some backwater planet. She’d just wanted him to swear his loyalty to her so she could return to Forthorthe as quickly as possible. That was all.

Yet as time passed, she found herself truly wanting Koutarou as her vassal. She even smiled on him from time to time at the thought, but she was slowly growing to expect even more of him. Vassal or otherwise, he was always on her side when she needed him to be. It was the first time anyone had ever treated her that way, and that was cause for great confusion. She no longer knew exactly what she wanted from Koutarou.

Theia was lost in thought on the matter and only snapped out of it when one of the tatami mats in the direction she was staring suddenly began moving. It slowly rose up, and a person appeared from underneath it.

“Good morning.”

Coming out from under the tatami was none other than Kiriha.

“Good morning. That said, you’re awfully late today,” Theia said somewhat quietly as she packed her thoughts away for the time being.

“Actually, I had some work this morning.”

Kiriha flipped up the mat and entered room 106 with a light step. The two haniwas shortly appeared from behind her.

“Ho! Good morning, ho!”

“How is everyone doing? Ho!”

The haniwas cheerfully greeted everyone as they put the tatami mat back in place. They’d done it so many times, this was now part of their morning routine.

“Good morning, Kiriha-san.”

Koutarou welcomed her, and after everyone had said their greetings, Kiriha sat down at the open spot at the tea table.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner, Ruth.”

“Not at all. It was a good opportunity for me to test my cooking skills.”

“But why are you late today?” Sanae asked. “You didn’t oversleep, did you?”

If Yurika had been the one late, she wouldn’t have even bothered asking. However, to Sanae’s knowledge, Kiriha had never once overslept. And Sanae wasn’t the only one interested in finding out what had kept her. In fact, everyone except Yurika had stopped eating and was expectantly looking at Kiriha.

“Actually, there’s been some trouble in my hometown, so I spent the morning dealing with that.”

Kiriha was late because she was formulating countermeasures to handle the radical faction after discussing the matter with her father. There was a lot for her to do, including contacting the People of the Earth’s surface branch and giving orders to her direct subordinates.

“By your hometown, you mean the Underground Empire, right?”

“Calling it an empire is a little misleading... but yes, that’s correct.” Kiriha nodded at Koutarou as she accepted a cup of tea from Ruth.

“So something bad happened?”

Koutarou knew that if he asked about the specifics, it would probably be mostly over his head if she answered him at all. So instead, he tried asking something more vague. Kiriha responded with a smile.

“Does it interest you?”

“Well, yeah. If there’s trouble with the Underground Empire, it’s not like it has nothing to do with me,” Koutarou replied with a shrug and a nod.

She seems a little down...

As they talked, Koutarou couldn’t help noticing the look on her face like she was somewhat tired.

“I’m afraid I don’t see how it has anything to do with you.”

“Kiriha-san, you’re not forgetting that you’re also an underground dweller, are you?”

“Ah, I see,” Kiriha said with a smile.

That’s right. I am trying to steal this room from Koutarou for the sake of the People of the Earth, aren’t I?

Kiriha had been so preoccupied with keeping the radical faction from getting out of line that she had nearly forgotten about her original objective. She was invader too, after all, and that’s how Koutarou knew her. Just as he said, trouble in the underground very well may affect him too.

“There’s no need to worry, Koutarou. Nothing will come of it.”

“Then that’s good.”

Kiriha smiled, but Koutarou felt it was different than usual. Her normal smile was much more sly.

I wonder what’s going on...

In truth, Koutarou wasn’t as concerned about what was going on underground as much as he was about how it was affecting Kiriha.

I just hope nothing bad is happening...

Although he found it a little strange to be worried about Kiriha like this, he just couldn’t ignore the way she was acting.

After that morning, Kiriha was busy for the next several days. She often missed breakfast and sometimes didn’t even show up for school. But because she wasn’t explaining what was going on, all Koutarou could do was watch on from the sidelines.