Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 8 - Chapter 2

The High School Life of the Blue Knight

Monday, February 1st

It was tradition for the first-year students at Kisshouharukaze High School to take a school trip during their third term. It was a major event that rivaled the third-years’ annual school excursion.

This year’s destination was going to be a ski resort. With winter sports slowly losing their popularity, it was supposedly quite easy to book for a large group. The trip was scheduled to take place over three days and two nights, between February 3rd and February 5th. Since today was the 1st, the trip was right around the corner.

“Theiamillis-san, can you ski?”

“No. This will be the first time for me and Ruth.”

“In our country, skiing isn’t very popular.”

“What about you, Kurano-san?”

“I’ve done it before, though I was a child then. Maybe I should teach you, Theiamillis-san.”

“Skiing, huh? Mackenzie-kun, you look like you’d be good at it.”

“Yeah, I know how to ski.”

“I knew it... It’s a good skill for winning over girls, after all.”

“Kasagi-san, that’s a baseless accusation!”

“But Satomi-san said that the reason you’re good at sports is because you want to be popular with girls.”

“Kou! What the hell are you telling everyone behind my back?!”

With the trip just two days away, class 1-A was in a festive mood. They were in the middle of a special homeroom session to discuss the details of the trip, but most of the class wasn’t listening to the teacher.

“Koutarou, Koutarou! Glasses-kun is calling for you,” Sanae whispered into Koutarou’s ear while clinging to his back.

“...”

However, there was no answer from Koutarou. He had his elbow on his desk and was silently gazing out the window.

“Hey, Koutarou.”

“Hmm?”

After Sanae called his name a third time, Koutarou finally noticed.

“What’s up, Sanae?”

“Don’t give me that! Glasses-kun is calling for you.”

“Oh.”

Koutarou turned his head around towards Kenji. Kenji, however, seemed to have already moved on. He was talking to another classmate and gesturing wildly. Seeing that, Koutarou turned his gaze back outside the window again.

“What’s wrong, Koutarou? You’re spacing out.”

“Just thinking.”

Koutarou stared out the window without saying anything else. He was thinking about the conversation he’d had with Clan a few days ago.

It was January 24th. Right after the play, Koutarou had called Clan to the empty school roof. There was something he wanted to discuss with her.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Clan’s long hair reflected the light of the setting sun. The bright orange color contrasted with Koutarou’s blue armor.

“There are two things I want to ask of you,” Koutarou began seriously.

“You want to ask me for something?”

Clan had had a faint smile on her lips, but hearing Koutarou’s voice now, her expression turned more serious.

“Yeah. Of course, I’m not asking you to do it for free. I’ll do anything I can for you in return.”

“You’re being awfully reserved, Veltlion.”

“Really? We were mortal enemies just an hour ago, you know.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Koutarou and Clan smiled at each other. Just an hour ago in Earth time, the two of them had been locked in a deadly battle. But for some reason, they were now talking to each other on friendly terms.

“Tell me. Based on what it is, I might hold off on killing you.”

An indirect threat slipped Clan’s still smiling lips, but Koutarou knew that she was joking. Koutarou knew her well enough now that he could tell that much.

“Okay. For my first request... I want you to keep everything that happened in the past a secret.”

“By ‘the past,’ which do you mean? Two thousand years ago? Twenty years ago? Ten years ago?”

“All of it.”

Koutarou stared into Clan’s eyes with a serious look on his face. This was an earnest request, and he was intent on getting Clan to listen to him.

“Why is that?” she asked.

“The reason is... Well, there’s two main reasons.”

After thinking for a while, Koutarou tried to explain how he felt to Clan.

“The first reason is that I don’t want to ruin Theia’s dream. You know how much she loves the Blue Knight, right?”

“Yes, I am well aware.”

“The Blue Knight is her emotional support. If she knew that we disturbed the legend, it would break her heart. I want to avoid that.”

Theia drew strength from the legend of the Blue Knight. She tried her best to follow his example in order to become a splendid noble. She wanted to be a strong leader like the Blue Knight so she could help her mother.

But Koutarou and Clan had altered the legend she so loved, and Koutarou wanted to keep that a secret from Theia. He wanted to keep the legend the way Theia knew it. If she found out the truth, it could devastate her.

I wonder about that...

Clan wasn’t so convinced. She turned her eyes to the two swords at Koutarou’s waist. One was the greatest treasure of the Forthorthian royal families, Signaltin. The other was the blade that Theia had personally given Koutarou, the treasured sword Saguratin.

I think she would actually rejoice.

Clan gazed at Saguratin, shining gold in the evening sun. To her, just the fact that it was hanging from Koutarou’s waist was proof enough of how Theia really felt. That said, keeping what had happened a secret would lower any associated risks, so Clan wasn’t against Koutarou’s request.

Unaware of how Clan felt, however, Koutarou continued his explanation.

“And the other reason is the same as the Blue Knight’s.”

Koutarou took Signaltin in its sheath from his waist.

“Both my existence and this sword could make Forthorthe’s political situation unstable. It’s exactly why the legendary Blue Knight vanished and left everything behind. So in our case, keeping it a secret would be better. This is also for your sake.”

It was said that the Blue Knight had disappeared after the war because he understood that the existence of a national hero like him would inevitably tip the political balance in Forthorthe. For Koutarou who had gotten mixed up in things, just being seen in public with Signaltin could cause similar problems in the present. That’s what Koutarou wanted to avoid.

“My, are you worried about me?”

“It’s a strange feeling, really.”

Koutarou smiled wryly. Clan felt the same way, and the two of them smiled at each other once more.

“The same thing goes for the events of twenty or ten years in the past, so I want to keep it all a secret.”

“I understand. I want to keep it a secret too.”

Clan decided to agree to Koutarou’s request. As a princess of Forthorthe, she too wanted to keep information that could shake the royal families a secret.

“Thanks, Clan.”

“I don’t want to put myself in danger either. So, what’s your other request?”

“Ah, the second request is related to this,” Koutarou said as he knocked on the blue armor he was wearing. “I want you to erase any records of what happened. If you don’t, Theia and the others will find out.”

“That’s true. I’ll wipe the data right away.”

Clan stepped over to Koutarou and touched her bracelet to bring up the armor’s systems. She was planning on erasing the contents of the armor’s database, but she paused as she went to press the button to confirm the wipe.

Should I really just erase it? Maybe I should make a backup, just in case...

Clan linked her bracelet with the onboard computer in Koutarou’s armor and gradually erased the data as she copied it over to her bracelet.

“Hey, Veltlion...”

The whole procedure would take a couple of minutes. Once she was done inputting the related commands into her bracelet, Clan looked up at Koutarou.

“Could you stop it with the ‘Veltlion’ thing? Trying to keep it a secret will be pointless if you keep calling me that even after we go to the trouble of erasing the data.”

“That’s true. Can I call you Koutarou then?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind.”

Koutarou nodded and leaned back against the handrail around the rooftop as he looked at Clan.

“Koutarou, there’s something I want you to tell me.”

“Sure. You listened to my requests, so I’ll answer anything.”

“Then tell me...” As Clan spoke, she slightly tilted her head and smiled. “Did you love her? Alaia-san, I mean.”

It was the gentlest smile Koutarou had ever seen from Clan. In that moment, he felt like he could tell her anything.

“I’m not sure... It’s true that I wanted to help her more than anyone.”

Following his feelings, Koutarou gave Clan an honest answer. He didn’t want to hide anything from her.

“You could have just stayed then.”

“The one who Her Majesty Alaia loved wasn’t me, but the Blue Knight.”

Koutarou smiled wryly as he put his weight on the handrail. He still believed that he had gotten in the way of the real Blue Knight. And since Koutarou had just played the part of the Blue Knight, he believed that he wasn’t really the one Alaia loved. She had fallen for the Blue Knight.

“I’m not so sure about that.”

Clan saw it differently. Though she hadn’t yet told Koutarou because she didn’t have any real evidence to prove it, Clan believed that Koutarou was actually the Blue Knight himself. There were too many things that didn’t add up otherwise, and she certainly didn’t believe that the legendary Princess Alaia could be fooled by a superficial act. In the end, Clan thought Alaia’s feelings for Koutarou were genuinely for him.

“Even if it’s as you say... If she truly was in love with me... both of us still had obligations. It would have turned out the same way.”

Koutarou leaned back over the handrail and stared up at the sky. Scenes of his days in Forthorthe two thousand years in the past, including their final farewell, flashed through his mind. They were memories he would never forget.

“To think you’d throw away your status and honor for a simple high school life...”

“There’s still plenty of things I have to do here.”

Clan sounded incredulous, but she had a smile on her face.

“Besides, I swore an oath.”

“Then I suppose, as a knight, you had no choice but to return.”

Clan leaned over the handrail and looked up into the sky as well.

“That’s what the Blue Knight would do, right?”

“Yes... You’re absolutely right...”

Clan smiled now out of amazement.

Despite practically being the embodiment of the Blue Knight, he’s still not conscious of it. I can’t believe this man...

Shortly after that, Clan began to laugh.

“Pffft! Ahahahaha!”

“What are you laughing for all of a sudden?”

“Nothing really. It’s just too funny... Ahahahaha!”

“...Clan?”

“Ahahaha! Oh, it’s too much! Ahahaha!”

Koutarou often made fun of Clan for being sly and vengeful. Looking at her bright smile now, however, Koutarou felt nothing of the sort about her.

By the time Clan finished laughing, the data from Koutarou’s armor had been wiped clean. After confirming it had been copied over to her bracelet, Clan nodded.

“It’s all done.”

“Thank you, Clan.”

With that, Koutarou’s business was concluded and he could return to his normal life. The life he lived before he traveled back in time with Clan.

I managed to make it back...

Koutarou finally felt like he had returned home.

“You’re welcome.”

Clan lowered her right arm to her side and looked up at Koutarou.

“By the way, Koutarou, rather than another request, I have a suggestion.”

Clan withdrew her smile and stared intently at Koutarou.

“What is it?”

“Won’t you serve me?”

“Wh-What?!”

Koutarou’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Just a short while ago, they had been enemies. As such, he could barely believe the words that had come out of Clan’s mouth.

“Y-You... Are you serious?!”

“I am.”

Clan looked dead serious, but Koutarou still couldn’t believe it. Nevertheless, Clan nodded. She was definitely serious.

“Don’t be stupid! If I do that, Theia won’t be able to complete her trial!”

Koutarou had no intention of serving Clan, but it wasn’t because she had been his enemy. It was simply because if he did, Theia would fail her trial. He simply couldn’t do that to her.

“Please calm down. I don’t mind if you wait until after Theiamillis-san’s trial is complete.”

“Huh?!”

Clan’s follow-up didn’t make any sense to Koutarou either. Clan had originally come to Earth just to get in the way of Theia’s trial. That’s why she’d fought against Koutarou in the first place. Despite that, she now seemed to be suggesting that she wanted Theia to succeed. Koutarou just didn’t get it.

“If you serve at my side, I won’t mind giving up my right to the throne. That will even put Theiamillis-san one step closer to becoming empress herself.”

“J-Just wait a minute, Clan! Do you understand what you’re saying?!”

Now Clan was even talking about relinquishing her claim to the throne. Koutarou’s confusion reached its peak.

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand, Koutarou.” With a soft sigh, Clan gently dragged her finger across the sword in Koutarou’s hand. “It’s almost as if you can’t appreciate the value of this sword.”

“This sword’s value?”

Koutarou lifted the sheathed sword up in front of him—the holy sword Signaltin, the sword given to him by Alaia.

“The greatest treasure of the royal families, a relic of history, the sword of kingship: Signaltin. Just how meaningful do you think a person who can wield this might be to the royal families?”

With those words, Koutarou finally sorted out what Clan was getting at. By making Koutarou her vassal, she was planning on returning Signaltin to the royal families of Forthorthe.

“Of course, it holds meaning for me too,” Clan said as she put her hand to her chest.

“In other words... you want a royal heirloom like this to stay in the hands of the royal families. You also want to study me and this sword, don’t you?”

“That’s about right. My claim to the throne is a small price to pay for that.” Clan smiled with her hand still on her chest. “Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

On top of obviously wanting to reclaim the royal families’ ancient heirloom, Clan, as a scientist, wanted to study it. That’s why Clan had requested that he become her vassal. That way, she’d have access to the sword. That much made sense to Koutarou.

“In your position, I think it’s only natural for you to want to keep this sword close.”

“Since you seem to understand now, I hope you can give me a serious reply.”

Of course, those aren’t the only reasons...

While that was a big part of why Clan wanted Koutarou to be her vassal, she also had an ulterior motive.

There are countless royals who have become empress, but there has only ever been one to make the Blue Knight her vassal. Even then, he was only her vassal for a few months. If I can make Koutarou my vassal, I will be the true, sole ruler of the Blue Knight! I’d gladly give the throne up to Theiamillis-san for that!

Clan wanted the ultimate title of being the Blue Knight’s master. Making the Blue Knight their vassal would be a dream come true for any of the royal families, and it was something that not even the Silver Princess had truly been able to do. And since she was the only one that knew his secret, Clan had a chance to do it right now for herself.

“I’ll hear your answer another time. Please think long and hard about it until then.”

“...Yeah.”

However, despite feeling in control of the situation, Clan was somewhat oblivious to her own motives. She didn’t mind that employing the services of the Blue Knight—whose existence couldn’t be made public—was only for her own self-satisfaction, but she hadn’t yet realized the true meaning behind those feelings.

“Are girls really everything to you, Mackenzie-kun?”

“Girls aren’t my only reason for living, no.”

“But Satomi-san said they were.”

“He’s just having fun making me look stupid!”

Koutarou eventually stopped staring out the window, but the rest of the class was still swept up in the exuberant atmosphere. Thanks to that, the homeroom meeting had barely made any progress.

That Clan... She sure gave me some troublesome homework...

Koutarou let out a small sigh as he looked at the bracelet on his right wrist. Clan had given it to him. Koutarou had left Signaltin in her care. Since it was the most valued treasure of all Forthorthe, he couldn’t just leave it lying around. However, leaving it to Theia would be problematic since she didn’t know about it. That made leaving it with Clan the most convenient option, and she’d readily agreed to it since she wanted to study it anyway.

In return, Clan had given him the bracelet. Clan would be spending most of her time studying the sword, but in the event of an emergency, he could use the bracelet to call for it. It was actually an uncommonly considerate gesture for Clan.

At least she’s easier to understand than Ruth-san. Clan being so calculating makes her easy to read.

This wasn’t the first time Koutarou had been asked to become someone’s vassal. Theia had demanded it from the start, and lately Ruth wanted him to serve Theia as well, regardless of how her trial went. They were all under quite different circumstances, but this made for the third time Koutarou had been asked to become a vassal by someone from Forthorthe.

I’m fine sticking with Theia until she completes her trial. The problems come after that. Do I remain on Earth, or do I serve Theia or Clan...?

And as Koutarou was about to enter into deep thought again...

“Koutarou.”

Sanae’s face appeared in front of him.

“Whoa!”

Surprised, Koutarou reeled back and stopped his train of thought.

“Wh-What?”

“You’ve been strange lately. You have this deep wrinkle on your forehead whenever you’re not doing anything.”

Sanae used her hands to try and wrinkle her brow the same way in order to show him.

“What’s wrong? Are you turning into a hardboiled high schooler?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Koutarou finally realized that he’d made Sanae worry.

Sanae’s particularly sensitive to this kind of thing...

Sanae was always by Koutarou’s side, and she could somewhat read his emotions through his aura. Koutarou thinking about something so hard was making her worry, and that wasn’t something he wanted.

It’s not like I have to make up my mind right now, so I’ll just focus on having fun skiing with everyone for now.

Koutarou was stuck, but there was no pressure to make a decision immediately. He couldn’t let Theia complete her trial until Kiriha’s problem was solved anyway. And since he’d just gotten back to Earth, it would be a shame not to enjoy his normal life for a while. Having decided on that for the time being, Koutarou changed gears and smiled at Sanae.

“I was just thinking that going skiing is probably expensive.”

“What... Is that all? I feel like I wasted my time worrying.”

Sanae quickly returned to her usual smile and clung to Koutarou’s back the way she always did.

“You could always borrow money from Kiriha.”

“I’m scared of what a loan from Kiriha-san would really cost me.”

“You’ll be fine. Kiriha loves you after all.”

“You think so?”

“Not as much as me though.”

“Hey, Sanae, I can’t see anything with you like that.”

“I’m looking for you, so you’ll be fine!”

And so things returned to normal between Sanae and Koutarou. It was such a small part of his everyday life, but it was a small part of it that he truly enjoyed.

“Kou, I’ve been going through hell because of you!”

“You’ve been going through hell because of your own behavior, Mackenzie.”

“Satomi-kun, tell me the truth!”

“It is the truth, Landlord-san. Mackenzie is just awful.”

“Don’t just make up random crap! This is all your doing!”

And with that, Koutarou jumped back into his normal life.

As February rolled in, winter was at its worst. The club building, positioned in the shadow of the school building, was particularly cold. It affected all the clubs, but the knitting society’s club room was all the way in the corner of the building. It was so cold there that when Koutarou entered the room after school, he could see his own breath.

“Brrr, it’s freezing!”

Koutarou walked straight over to the kerosene heater. It was an old model that had been used in the club room for generations, but it was their last line of defense against the dwindling temperature. After pressing the ignition button a couple of times, there was a visible flame inside. But since even the metallic heater was cold and needed to be warmed up, it had no immediate effect. It would take a few minutes before Koutarou could feel anything from it.

“It’s finally getting warmer...”

Once he was sure the heater was working, Koutarou sat down in his usual chair. Koutarou and Harumi would always sit down by the heater to knit. Since it was just the two of them in the club, it was easier to go knit by the heater rather than to wait for the entire room to heat up.

Not long after, the second member of the club knocked on the door before entering the room.

“I’m sorry I’m a bit late, Satomi-kun.”

It was Sakuraba Harumi, a girl with porcelain skin and long, black hair. She was the current president of the knitting society.

“No worries. The heater’s just started to heat the room up.”

“Thank you, Satomi-kun.”

Harumi smiled and thanked Koutarou before sitting down in the chair next to him. Since they scooted as close to the heater as possible, they would naturally end up shoulder to shoulder. It was an arrangement that made her somewhat happy.

“By the way, Sakuraba-senpai, did something happen today?”

While preparing his knitting tools, Koutarou struck up a conversation with Harumi. Rather than being upset that she was late, he was mostly curious as to what had kept her.

“Uh...”

Harumi’s expression suddenly froze and her face gradually turned red. It was obvious even to Koutarou that the reason for it wasn’t the heater.

“Hahaha, from the looks of it, it must have been something fun.”

“Oh you, Satomi-kun!”

Harumi puffed up her cheeks in a pout. It was a special expression she only made around Koutarou. Since Harumi was always so calm and mature, Koutarou thought her pouting made her look even cuter than normal.

“It’s rude of you to laugh. This is quite serious.”

“Then what happened?”

“Uh...”

Harumi’s cheeks slowly deflated. At the same time, her shoulders slumped and she turned her face down.

“A-Actually...”

Harumi shoved her hand into her bag and pulled out an envelope. “Sakuraba Harumi-sama” was neatly written on the front.

“Actually, I was given a love letter...”

Harumi presented the envelope to Koutarou and turned her face away as if to escape his glance.

“A love letter, huh? That’s pretty old-fashioned these days.”

The envelope was made of a high-quality Japanese paper. The writer had used a pen, and though the handwriting wasn’t the best, it was obvious the sender had written with great care. Just from how it looked, it seemed pretty clear that it was a serious love letter.

I see. So that’s why she was unhappy when I laughed.

Koutarou received the envelope from Harumi and carefully took out the letter within. If it was a genuine love letter as Harumi had said, he should treat it with respect.

“Let’s see here...”

Koutarou unfolded the letter and skimmed its content. The carefully written words expressed the earnest feelings of the sender.

“I see.”

After reading halfway through the letter, Koutarou folded it back up. The letter was intended for Harumi, so Koutarou hesitated to read any further once he realized it was indeed serious.

“You’re right. I can’t really laugh at someone’s honest feelings.”

Koutarou returned the letter to the envelope and handed it back to Harumi.

“Yes... That’s why I’m somewhat troubled.”

With the envelope back in her hands, Harumi blushed and looked up at Koutarou. She was overwhelmed with embarrassment, but she was interested in Koutarou’s reaction.

“Troubled? Why?”

“I’ve received such a serious and thoughtful letter, but I can’t think of any way to turn it down without hurting the writer’s feelings...”

Harumi stared at Koutarou as if asking for help. She wanted him to tell her what she should do. On top of that, she was hoping he might be a little jealous. All kinds of emotions were swirling in Harumi’s pleading eyes.

“So you’re going to turn them down?”

Koutarou put his hand over his mouth and laughed a little. This actually wasn’t the first time this had happened. After her performances in the school plays, Harumi regularly received confessions from the boys at school.

“That’s because... I don’t really know the person... and it was so sudden...”

However, Harumi would always turn them down. Though she had grown a little more confident after being on stage, she still lost her nerve around people, so sudden confessions scared her.

“But this time I’ve gotten such a polite letter... and I can understand how this person must feel, so I’m not sure if I can turn them down without giving a reason like I usually do...”

As an avid reader and a shy girl, Harumi had an easier time understanding a person’s feelings through a letter rather than being told to her face. Because of that, she wasn’t sure how to turn down the sender of the letter.

“In that case... it might be a bit expected, but what if you say you already have someone you like?”

That was all Koutarou could come up with on the spot. It seemed like the easiest way to turn someone down without hurting their feelings.

“Even you must have one or two people you’ve liked, right? So this wouldn’t be a complete lie, and that kind of answer shouldn’t hurt their feelings.”

“Th-That’s true, but...”

Koutarou thought it was a brilliant idea, but Harumi’s face turned even redder than before when he suggested it. That’s because the person Harumi liked was Koutarou.

“But what if... What if they ask who that person is?”

“Then you could just tell them.”

Just tell them. That was Koutarou’s simple idea that would put an end to it all.

“I-I couldn’t!” Harumi shook her hands and head. “I would feel badly if what I said caused that person trouble!”

“It’s okay, Sakuraba-senpai. I don’t think anyone would be troubled to find out you like them.”

Koutarou smiled. It only looked like Harumi was overthinking things to him.

“D-Do you really think so?”

“It would be one thing if it was someone you didn’t know, but there’s no way anyone who knows you would be upset about it.”

Koutarou couldn’t think of a single boy that would be unhappy to hear that Harumi liked them. If anything, if there was such a guy, he probably wouldn’t be a good match for Harumi anyway. So either way, there was no need for Harumi to worry. Or at least, that was how Koutarou saw it.

“Besides, this is a good opportunity.”

All else aside, that was the part Koutarou really wanted to stress.

“An opportunity?”

Harumi’s eyes opened wide.

“Yeah, to tell the person you like how you really feel.”

“Th-That’s way, way too soon! There’s no way!”

After Koutarou explained what he meant, Harumi shook her head even more vigorously than before.

“I think it’s a good time for it though.”

Koutarou desperately suppressed his urge to laugh. He thought it was adorable how worked up Harumi was getting over this.

“But I would be troubled if it didn’t work out! I don’t want to face that reality right now! And I’m still not mentally prepared!”

“Pfft... Th-That is troubling, hahaha!”

Koutarou eventually couldn’t keep it in. Seeing Harumi panic like a baby chicken, Koutarou couldn’t help laughing.

“Oh you, Satomi-kun! Please don’t laugh! I’m serious!”

Harumi clenched her hands into small fists. She looked so determined, but Koutarou knew she couldn’t hurt anybody like that even if she wanted to. It only made the whole thing funnier to him.

“S-Sorry, b-but it was... just so funny! Ahahahaha! Ack!”

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

Koutarou coughed repeatedly and finally managed to get ahold of himself. But he knew if he let his guard down even a little, he would just burst out laughing again. He looked away from Harumi to try and keep his cool. Her brow knitted in frustration, she was currently staring him down.

“...E-Excuse me.”

“Jeez... Stupid Satomi-kun.”

Harumi hurled her adorable insults at the back of Koutarou’s head.

What kind of face would Satomi-kun make if he knew that he’s the one I like?

Harumi, with her cheeks still puffed out, lost herself in thought for a moment. All sorts of feelings were bubbling up inside her, but those feelings gave way to a certain doubt.

Does Satomi-kun not care about who I like...?

Despite giving her intimate advice on how to handle her problem, Koutarou hadn’t really shown any interest in who it was that she liked. That made her worry about whether or not Koutarou even saw her as a woman.

Maybe... I should try asking...?

Harumi made up her mind and decided to ask him. After taking a deep breath and preparing herself, she called out to Koutarou in a low voice.

“Um, Satomi-kun...”

“Yes?”

Koutarou turned back towards Harumi. By now he was no longer laughing. He’d had a chance to recollect himself, but he could also tell that Harumi’s voice and expression had gotten serious.

“This is just a hypothetical question, but... if you fell in love with a girl, Satomi-kun, and that girl loved a different boy instead of you, what would you do?”

Harumi didn’t have the courage to ask Koutarou directly if he was interested in her, so she was careful about how she worded her question. Even though it seemed like Koutarou had no interest in Harumi, she still wanted to confirm whether or not he liked her. It was vague, but that was all she could muster right now.

That’s the situation you’re in, right, Sakuraba-senpai?

Someone liked Harumi and had given her a love letter, but Harumi liked another boy. How would that make the person who sent her the letter feel? That was how Koutarou interpreted Harumi’s question.

“Hmm, if it was me...”

Koutarou began imagining himself in that situation. As he did, images of Harumi and Alaia overlapped in his mind.

Your Majesty...

At that moment, Koutarou realized exactly what he would do in that situation.

“If it was me, I think I would cheer for her. I would cheer her on so that her love would come true, no matter who it was.”

“Really? Would you be fine with that?”

Harumi’s eyes opened wide in surprise once more. It was a most unexpected answer. She’d anticipated him saying he would give up or steal her away or something along those lines.

“We’re talking about the woman you love, you know?”

“Yeah. So I’d want her to be together with the person she truly loved.”

Koutarou answered without hesitation, and the reason he could answer that way was Alaia. Despite loving the Blue Knight, she devoted herself to the well-being of her citizens. After meeting her, and after getting in the way of her meeting the real Blue Knight, Koutarou knew he wanted the woman he loved to be together with the person she truly loved.

“Of course, if her love goes unrequited, I’d take my chance and confess.”

If he happened to be the one she loved too, that would be ideal, but that kind of coincidence rarely happened. He would only confess when her heart didn’t already belong to someone else. That was how Koutarou felt.

“I see...”

Hearing Koutarou’s answer, Harumi felt a sense of relief.

Good... I have a chance... But based on what he just said, he’s just going to cheer for me while I ask him for advice like this...

While she was relieved for now, Harumi also knew that she couldn’t allow things to stay the way they were.

“Thank you, Satomi-kun.”

“I don’t know if my answer will be of any help though.”

Koutarou understood that his answer was a special case. There weren’t that many people who’d met real princesses and gotten in the way of true love.

“No, it’s very helpful.”

However, that was enough for Harumi. What she’d really wanted to know was how Koutarou felt.

I should properly turn down the writer of this letter. And I’ll make sure to resolve anything like this on my own from now on. I’ll show Satomi-kun that he’s the only one for me. I’ll confess after he’s understood that...

Having found her path forward, Harumi went back to smiling in her typical fashion as she began moving her knitting needles once more.

“By the way, the school trip is right around the corner, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s been a long time since I last went skiing.”

Koutarou quickly followed suit, and the two of them took to knitting side by side.

“Are you good at skiing? You look like you would be.”

“I don’t have a lot of experience skiing, so I’m just average. How about you, Sakuraba-senpai? Can you ski?”

“Heehee, actually, I’m quite confident in my skiing.”

This was a completely average afternoon of normal club activities for the two of them. They spent their time at leisure, cheerfully talking to one another.

“That’s surprising.”

“I hate that mean part of you. As punishment, I demand that you bring me back a souvenir.”

“As you wish, my princess.”

With winter at its worst, the temperature had dropped even further outside. However, the cheerful, warm atmosphere heated up the club room more than the antique heater.