Chapter 1: After the Uproar
After knocking Takahisa off his feet and leaping down from the enchanted ship, Rio held Miharu in his arms as he landed gracefully in the rooftop garden. Satsuki and Charlotte stood in waiting.
“Haruto! Miharu! Are either of you hurt?!” As soon as Satsuki saw Rio with Miharu in his arms, she ran over in a hurry.
“No, I’m fine. Thanks to Haru-ku... Haruto,” Miharu replied, glancing up at Rio’s face. She met his eyes, then looked down in embarrassment. At the same time, Rio had a faint smile tugging at his lips, before letting Miharu down onto her feet.
“I see...” Satsuki seemed to sense the strange atmosphere as she watched Rio and Miharu’s expressions, wondering what on earth had happened. She was a little curious, but there were more important matters to address.
“What about Takahisa?”
“He’s still on the ship. Probably still knocked out,” Rio replied, looking up at the Centostella Kingdom’s enchanted ship flying far above them. The faint sense of guilt he felt was probably because he had punched Takahisa out of legitimate self-defense.
Satsuki blinked. “Knocked out... Hehe, I see,” she giggled.
“So what happens now?” Rio asked with a troubled expression.
“Now... Takahisa’s the one at fault here, since he tried to kidnap Miharu. I guess we’d have to bring him back and question him properly about why he did this. And it’ll have to be before the royals,” Satsuki said, her words laced with fury towards Takahisa. She glanced back at Charlotte, who had followed her.
“In that case, allow me to lead you three to Father,” Charlotte suggested calmly.
Satsuki looked up at the sky. “But if we don’t bring Takahisa back first, the enchanted ship might sail away from the capital like this...”
“There’s no need to worry. Sir Takahisa will be brought directly to the castle.” Charlotte spoke as though it was a settled matter.
“What?” Satsuki asked in confusion. Was it really something to be so calm about?
“The capital is currently surrounded by our kingdom’s enchanted ship fleet, so it would be extremely difficult for anyone to depart. Princess Lilianna is also with my father right now, so I cannot imagine the ship’s crew would forcibly charge through without their master on board. Doing so would even be considered a declaration of war against our kingdom,” Charlotte explained with a smile. It was almost as though she had planned for Takahisa’s rebellion in advance.
“...I see.” Satsuki gazed at her in awe. No matter how she looked at it, the preparations were too thorough.
...So an enchanted fleet has surrounded the capital, huh? Charlotte’s explanation seemed a little odd to Rio, too.
“...Why was the capital surrounded by an enchanted fleet?” Satsuki asked Charlotte.
Charlotte looked at Rio as she answered. “Sir Haruto’s efforts have greatly altered the outcome, but these were originally arrangements made to prevent Sir Takahisa’s scheme from succeeding,” she smiled impishly.
In other words, she knew that Miharu would be kidnapped, Rio guessed immediately, but wondered why she would stay silent about it.
Satsuki’s jaw dropped. “Char... Did you know that Takahisa was going to kidnap Miharu?” she asked.
“Yes,” Charlotte nodded calmly. “I was half in doubt about whether he’d actually do so, but I had received warning from Princess Lilianna of the Centostella Kingdom in advance.”
“W-Wait, hold on! Does that mean you could have stopped Takahisa’s rampage before it escalated to this?” Satsuki objected in a fluster, but Charlotte remained calm as she answered.
“I devised this as a backup plan precisely because that would be difficult. I avoided acting in advance out of fear of the worst case scenario occurring.”
Satsuki regained her composure by hearing that and sighed. “The worst case scenario?”
“A scenario where Sir Takahisa uses his divine arms to go on a rampage inside the castle before taking off with Lady Miharu on the spur of the moment, to put it simply. There would almost certainly be casualties if that were to happen, and we would lose track of both Lady Miharu and Sir Takahisa.”
“Wha...” The Takahisa she knew would never do such a thing—that was the first thought that came to Satsuki’s mind, but she quickly accepted Charlotte’s conjecture as a possibility. Takahisa had, in fact, tried to kidnap Miharu after all.
“...Yeah, I see your point. Takahisa was really backed into a corner.”
“Thank you for understanding. After the duel with Sir Haruto, Princess Lilianna learned of Sir Takahisa’s scheme and warned him against it, but he wasn’t in the right state of mind to discuss things properly. He threatened her with quitting his hero role and forcefully made her promise to assist in Lady Miharu’s kidnapping.”
Satsuki looked pained to hear that. “I see...”
“It would normally be Princess Lilianna’s duty to follow the will of her kingdom’s hero, but this time was an exception. She pretended to make various arrangements to assist Sir Takahisa while secretly making contact with Father for his support in stopping him. This all happened merely an hour ago,” Charlotte explained eloquently.
She could see he was on the verge of running amok anyway, so she wanted to let him do so in a controlled environment, huh? Rio guessed.
“And so, we had to move as secretly as possible in order to prevent the crime from happening with what little time we had. As a result, we had to overlook the risk of Lady Miharu being momentarily kidnapped, which was very regrettable. I’d like to extend my most sincere apologies, Lady Miharu.” Charlotte finished her explanation with a sorrowful apology towards Miharu.
“That’s okay, I’m here safe and sound now, thanks to Haruto.” Miharu reflexively shook her head at having a princess bow to her, but she stiffened upon making eye contact with Rio.
For some reason, it seems as though Miharu keeps getting embarrassed whenever she looks at Haruto... But Haruto seems calm about it, Satsuki observed quietly, analyzing the situation.
“We laid out the plan and watched it proceed accordingly, but the only factor that exceeded our expectations was the extent of Sir Haruto’s abilities. Seeing you retrieve Lady Miharu so easily was beyond anything we could have imagined. Honestly, it was a stunning upset.” Charlotte looked at Rio with a mischievous smile.
“It seems I went and made things worse instead. I apologize.” Rio solemnly bowed his head.
“No, no, not at all. You were able to retrieve Lady Miharu sooner that way, so it was for the best. And personally, my heart has never fluttered as much as the moment I saw you leap from the castle. You were incredible, Sir Haruto. If Father caught wind of it, I believe he’d hold you in an even higher regard,” Charlotte said, gazing at Rio with more than just inquisitive heat. She proceeded to maintain fixed eye contact with him.
Rio looked a little uncomfortable with being stared at for so long. “...I am honored.”
“Hmm...” Satsuki stared at Rio’s side profile. Miharu was also watching his face closely. When he noticed both of their gazes, Rio smoothed over his expression awkwardly.
“Hehe. Now, allow me to lead you all to Father. I’m sure there are some things to discuss before Sir Takahisa arrives as well.” Charlotte smiled alluringly and turned around to begin walking, but immediately came to a stop and spun back. “Ah, but first—there’s something I should probably tell you beforehand, as you may want to prepare yourselves before discussing this with Father present.”
“What is it?” Satsuki looked at Charlotte and asked.
“It’s the reason why I wasn’t able to inform everyone of the situation in advance. I believed it may be quite an unsettling matter to hear.” Charlotte looked a little somber as she looked from Satsuki to Miharu before finally glancing at Rio.
“What do you mean...?” Satsuki stiffened faintly, exchanging looks with Miharu.
“Lady Aki proactively cooperated in the kidnapping of Lady Miharu.”
“Wha...”
The truth that Charlotte thrust at them was more than enough to leave them shaken.
After that, Charlotte led Rio and the others into a meeting room of the Galarc castle reserved for royalty. They had been greatly bewildered by Aki’s cooperation in Miharu’s kidnapping, but decided to prioritize relocating to the room.
Waiting inside the room was King Francois and First Princess Lilianna.
“Lady Miharu...” Lilianna blinked at the sight of Miharu. She must have been surprised to see Miharu here after Takahisa had just caused an uproar.
Meanwhile, Francois sent his daughter Charlotte a questioning look. What exactly happened? Explain the situation, his eyes said.
Charlotte giggled at their reactions. “It may seem like an unforeseen circumstance has occurred, but there’s nothing to worry about. Sir Haruto simply flew into the sky and retrieved Lady Miharu himself,” she stated succinctly. Both Francois and Lilianna were taken aback by that, their surprise showing clear on their faces.
“...Flew into the sky, you say?”
In the Strahl region, the only means of flying were to board an enchanted ship or ride a flying mount. If Rio had flown under his own power, then it was indeed something to be taken aback by.
“That’s exactly what I said. Sir Haruto used the power of his enchanted sword to leap into the sky and board the ship that Sir Takahisa was on. It seems like Sir Takahisa was knocked out onboard the ship, so it should be easy to bring him back,” Charlotte said happily, looking at Rio.
Francois had been listening in a near-daze before he determined his daughter was telling the truth, then burst into hearty laughter. “...Ha! Hahaha! I see. It’s just one surprise after another with you, Haruto,” he said, looking at Rio.
“Thank you for your kind words.” Rio bowed his head in embarrassment.
“Now, how much have you told Satsuki and the others, Charlotte?”
“I’ve already given them the general gist of how we were moving in secrecy, but it seems like they’re still a bit shocked by it all and have yet to accept the situation completely. While it’s easy to feel rage towards Sir Takahisa for directly committing the crime, there must be conflicted feelings towards Lady Aki for her secret involvement.”
“Hmm. Well, that’s understandable.” Charlotte and Francois’ gazes turned towards Satsuki and Miharu, who were beside Rio.
“Could you tell us more? I’d like to hear the details about why Takahisa and Aki decided to kidnap Miharu,” Satsuki asked, holding her breath quietly.
Francois looked at Lilianna. “It would be best for Lilianna to answer that, as she was there. But have a seat first.”
“Lady Satsuki and Lady Miharu can sit over there. Sir Haruto, please come this way.” Charlotte offered Satsuki and Miharu the empty seats of honor before softly entwining her arm around Rio’s and pulling him to sit with her.
“Excuse me.” Rio sat in the seat Charlotte offered to him. Miharu and Satsuki exchanged a meaningful look after seeing them before they took their own seats.
“Before you tell us, can I ask where Aki and Masato are right now?” Satsuki asked Francois.
“We took them into our care as soon as the commotion started. Right now we’ve left them in another room and told them that an unexpected situation has occurred.”
“Got it. Please go on, then,” Satsuki said, looking at Lilianna.
“Of course. I’ll start with Sir Takahisa’s motive behind this foolish act. As I’m sure you must know, Sir Takahisa has romantic feelings towards Lady Miharu,” Lilianna said, looking at Miharu.
“Indeed,” Satsuki nodded naturally. Meanwhile, Miharu was taken aback and looked slightly uncomfortable. Rio continued listening without any particular change in expression.
“That’s why Sir Takahisa was overjoyed to be reunited with Lady Miharu. But, at the same time, he was flustered. He panicked at the thought of a man he didn’t know getting close to Lady Miharu.”
When he heard Lilianna’s explanation, a distant look appeared in Rio’s eyes. The situations were similar: in his previous life as Amakawa Haruto, he had spotted Miharu with Takahisa after entering high school. As a result, Amakawa Haruto had felt a strong sense of loss, but an even stronger feeling of panic.
“Knowing that Lady Miharu strongly favored Sir Amakawa and knowing what kind of person Sir Amakawa is, Sir Takahisa’s panic gradually turned into a feeling of rivalry towards Sir Amakawa. Then, when Lady Miharu said she wanted to stay with Sir Amakawa, that rivalry transformed into undeniable jealousy.”
In Takahisa’s case, the panic of losing Miharu had changed into a sense of rivalry and envy instead.
“Envy can cloud a man’s judgment. This was especially so in Sir Takahisa’s case, as he tends to feel more strongly than other people. He can be immature and weak of heart, which was why he wasn’t able to view his situation objectively. He couldn’t accept reality, couldn’t face his own weakness. Unable to suppress his jealousy, he challenged Sir Amakawa to a duel, but he couldn’t give up on Lady Miharu despite his defeat... Resulting in the uproar over kidnapping Lady Miharu,” Lilianna said, giving her own analysis about Takahisa’s emotional state.
“...” Both Satsuki and Miharu fell silent with pained expressions.
“Sir Takahisa insisted that Lady Miharu would only be unhappy remaining with Sir Amakawa, so he sought a duel to pull them apart—but he actually just wanted Lady Miharu to remain by his side instead. He knew he would lose to Sir Amakawa before they even fought, but he was unwilling to accept that, and went on a childish tantrum like this instead...”
Whether it was because she had been closest to him since he arrived in this world or because she had the observing eyes of royalty, Lilianna guessed at Takahisa’s emotions accurately.
“I suppose I can understand that, if I really tried,” Satsuki said sullenly.
“Even after being defeated by Sir Amakawa, Sir Takahisa couldn’t accept the thought of being separated from Lady Miharu. Lady Aki and I followed him into the castle after he departed the arena, and it was there that he said he had thought of a plan to keep Lady Miharu away from Sir Amakawa.”
“He really is a child...” The more Satsuki listened, the greater her anger was building.
“I proposed to Sir Takahisa that we returned to our kingdom. That he should put some distance between himself and Lady Miharu, in order to cool his head. But he immediately shot me down...” Lilianna said, smiling quite sadly. “Because I had emphasized the lack of options left for Sir Takahisa, he turned to the most destructive means he had left: to forcefully bring Lady Miharu to Centostella against her will...”
Lilianna had tried to direct the conversation towards how unfeasible that would be, but unfortunately, Takahisa was past the point of reasoning by then.
Satsuki was dumbfounded. “No way... He really just thought that would work?”
“...Yes. He insisted that Lady Miharu would understand once they talked it out afterwards. It was my irresponsible words that caused all of this. Please accept my sincerest apologies.” Lilianna bowed her head, deeply regretful for her words.
“No, no one in their right mind would go ahead with that...” Satsuki defended Lilianna while feeling extremely exasperated. Miharu seemed to agree with her, as she was nodding along.
“However, the fact of the matter is that my words caused all this. I frantically tried to get Sir Takahisa to change his mind, but he wouldn’t listen to me at all. He said he would no longer return to Centostella if he couldn’t bring Lady Miharu with him, and that he would quit being a hero.”
“...” Satsuki fell speechless once again.
“If there is one thing that Princess Lilianna must prevent at all costs, it is the rebellion of the hero. For a kingdom that worships the Six Wise Gods, it would be a tragedy that could rock the land. It is a more than effective threat to make,” Francois added, joining the discussion after remaining silent up until that point.
“If Lady Satsuki rebelled against us, our kingdom would also be in a world of trouble,” Charlotte added with a giggle.
“I would never do such a thing when I’ve been given no reason to distrust our relationship,” Satsuki sighed, pressing her hand against her head.
Charlotte chose not to press the matter any further, instead turning to Lilianna with an unrelated question. “That aside, there was one thing I was wondering. Why does Sir Takahisa think that Lady Miharu would only be unhappy with Sir Haruto?”
“In the world that Lady Satsuki and Lady Miharu originally came from, the act of killing another person is extremely frowned upon. This is apparently relevant here because, well... It seems that Sir Amakawa has a history of doing so...” Lilianna explained awkwardly, looking at Rio.
“Haruto is a wandering swordsman, so it would only be natural to kill bandits and the like in self-defense on his travels. The way Princess Lilianna puts it, this act sounds like it is condemned even in the case of legitimate self-defense. Is that so, Lady Satsuki?” Francois asked curiously.
“Well... The country we came from did consider it to be socially unacceptable, even if it were for legitimate self-defense,” Satsuki answered a little bitterly.
“Our world can also deem the killing of an individual to be murder depending on the time and situation, so it appears the biggest difference is in the way they condemn what we consider acceptable by our laws and order,” Francois hummed in interest. He then steered the conversation back to Lilianna. “I apologize for interrupting. Do continue with your story, Princess Lilianna.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Lilianna resumed her explanation with a frown. “From the moment he started thinking of Lady Miharu’s kidnapping as a realistic option, there was no way of changing Sir Takahisa’s mind. I tried to persuade him, but to no avail, so I asked Lady Aki to assist in persuading him, but...”
“...What did Aki say to Takahisa?” Miharu asked nervously.
“She asked if it wasn’t enough for her to be there instead of Lady Miharu.”
“...And what was Takahisa’s answer?” Satsuki asked this time.
Lilianna slowly shook her head. “Nothing in words. But it was the same as answering no, as that was when Lady Aki appeared—broken—as she offered to assist Sir Takahisa...”
“I... see...” Both Satsuki and Miharu looked to be in anguish.
“There was nothing more I could do after that. Because I had strongly opposed Sir Takahisa’s plans, he seemed to be a little wary of me, which caused tension between us...” Lilianna said vaguely, frowning.
“So you ended up cooperating with Takahisa?” Satsuki guessed.
“Yes. But only on the surface. At that point, I had given up on resolving this alone. I conceded my allegiance to Sir Takahisa then went behind his back to seek assistance from King Francois in resolving the situation.” She probably hadn’t wanted to betray Takahisa like this, as Lilianna’s expression showed glimpses of guilt.
“Lady Miharu, Lady Satsuki, and Haruto. I apologize for not being able to inform you of the situation in advance.” A king should never lower his head so easily, but at that moment, Francois bowed his head in a solemn apology.
“No, if anything, it’s my responsibility that things turned out like this... I’m very sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused everyone.” Miharu bowed her head in return, regretful of her own lack of action in confronting Aki. If only she hadn’t feared their relationship turning sour, if only she hadn’t passively remained beside Aki while ignoring the issue she had carried for many years...
At that, Satsuki spoke up with a conflicted expression. “I also believe this was the best way for things to be handled, so if Miharu accepts it, then I have nothing more to add,” she said. While she had some objections to how the countermeasures that were planned had turned a blind eye to Miharu’s momentary kidnapping, she didn’t think she would have come up with a better solution if she were in Francois’ position. Speaking up would only worsen the situation into what Francois and Charlotte had feared.
“As long as the two of them are in agreement, I have no objections, either,” Rio added, the final one of them to speak.
“I see... That only leaves the matter of how to deal with Sir Takahisa and Lady Aki, then. On behalf of our kingdom, I would like to respect Lady Satsuki and Lady Miharu’s opinions first and foremost...” Francois finally touched upon the topic of how to deal with Takahisa and Aki and looked towards Satsuki and Miharu as the two people who came from the same hometown as the culprits.
“Even if you ask us, Takahisa’s still a hero of the Centostella Kingdom, so there’s no way for us to give an opinion without hearing Princess Lilianna’s thoughts first...” Satsuki replied, passing the question on to Lilianna.
“My kingdom will not treat Sir Takahisa as a criminal, but I do intend on enforcing some kind of punishment. I would like to come to an agreement on what that penalty involves,” Lilianna said firmly.
“What kind of penalty were you thinking of?” Satsuki asked.
“When I offered to cooperate in Lady Miharu’s kidnapping, I made Sir Takahisa sign a contract with me. He agreed to accept whatever punishment I decide on if he were to fail at the kidnapping attempt. There were several items detailed which I shall show you later, but if you have any requests then I am prepared to apply that penalty on Sir Takahisa,” Lilianna said fluently.
“I see... I don’t think we’d be able to say anything for certain without seeing that contract, but...” Satsuki turned to Miharu. “What do you think?”
Miharu’s face twisted in pain. “I... Instead of a punishment—and I don’t know if the current Takahisa will be capable of doing this—I’d like the two of them to think carefully about what they did wrong and apologize to everyone they’ve hurt, including Haruto.”
Lilianna watched Miharu closely before opening her mouth with a slightly downcast look in her eyes. “Of course, if he sincerely wants to apologize, then that would be for the best, but as Lady Miharu said, it may not be possible for him to do that, with the way he is now. I believe the best penalty would be to show him that a simple apology won’t be enough to gain forgiveness. I don’t intend to forgive him so easily for this incident, either.” She wouldn’t just sweep it under the rug. There was a quiet fury to Lilianna’s words as she implied that.
“Indeed, it wouldn’t benefit him to be forgiven so easily. I completely agree. What do you think, Haruto?” Satsuki asked.
“I... am worried about how Aki will be treated for cooperating with Takahisa,” Rio said.
“I am prepared to bring her to my kingdom as originally planned, if she still wishes to do so. But I don’t have any particular punishment in mind, so if Lady Miharu and Lady Satsuki have any requests, then I shall arrange to fulfill them.” Just like with Takahisa’s case, Lilianna sought Miharu and Satsuki’s opinions for how to handle Aki.
“I don’t believe Aki should be forgiven so easily, either. I’m sure Miharu will want to forgive Aki as soon as she sees her in pain, but that would be the biggest punishment and best for her own sake. That’s why I think it would be better for Miharu and Haruto to avoid seeing her for a while. What do you think?” After giving her opinion on the matter, Satsuki looked at Miharu first.
Miharu pondered the reason why Aki would want to cooperate with Takahisa and found her own feelings wanting to remain by Aki’s side, so she forced those feelings down and nodded. “That’s... Yeah. That may be for the best.”
It wouldn’t help Aki if Miharu continued to interact with her as she had until now. It would only cause the same thing to happen again.
“What about you, Haruto?” Satsuki inquired.
Rio had hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded. “...I have no objections. Does that mean that even if Aki states she wants to follow Miharu instead, she’d be made to stay with Takahisa? Is that correct?”
“If that happens, I’ll watch over Aki instead, in which case I’ll have to ask for the Galarc Kingdom’s cooperation to allow her to stay here. Is that all right, King Francois?” Satsuki asked.
“Of course. We were prepared to welcome your friends from the beginning,” Francois nodded easily.
“Thank you very much,” Satsuki bowed her head. Miharu followed her lead. Just then, someone knocked on the door of the meeting room.
“Who is it?” Francois replied, but Charlotte stood up from her seat. They had ordered everyone else to leave, so there was no one else available to answer the door. Considering their positions, Rio couldn’t let a princess superior to him handle the errands, so he also stood up to accompany her.
“I’ll get the door.”
“Oh my, it’s like I’ve gained my own personal guard. How delightful.” Rio took the lead and opened the door, to Charlotte’s joy. On the other side of the door stood a knight different to the ones standing on guard.
“The hero of the Centostella Kingdom has been brought to the castle. Shall I escort him here?” he reported, placing his right hand over his chest in a show of respect.
“How is he acting? Any signs of struggling?” Francois asked from where he was seated.
“None, Your Majesty. He does seem a little sullen, but is maintaining his silence.”
“I see. In that case, let him wait in the room next door.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The knight bowed his head respectfully before departing. Rio quietly closed the door behind him.
“Now, let us return, Sir Haruto.” Charlotte pressed up close against Rio as they returned to their seats.
“What would you like to do? I have no reason to meet with Sir Takahisa before anyone else here,” Francois asked, looking at Satsuki and Lilianna.
“I’d like to talk to Takahisa and Aki alone for a bit. On behalf of Miharu and Haruto, that is,” Satsuki requested.
“In that case, Lady Aki shall be brought to the next room, too. Princess Lilianna, if you have anything to discuss with Sir Takahisa, you may head next door first,” said Francois.
“No, it would be easier for me to speak with both Sir Takahisa and Lady Aki present, so I shall wait for Lady Aki to arrive. I can do so after Lady Satsuki speaks with them first,” Lilianna decided.
“In that case, would you like to sit in, too, Princess Lilianna? We can discuss everything at once that way,” Satsuki asked, extending a request for Lilianna to join her.
“I understand. Let’s go with that, then.” Lilianna nodded solemnly.
“Thank you. Miharu and Haruto, could you go call Masato and explain things to him, then?” With Satsuki handling Takahisa and Aki, she entrusted Masato to Miharu and Rio.
“...Yes, leave it to us.” A shadow fell over Miharu’s face as she nodded hesitantly. She had realized that now was not the time to meet the two of them.
“Then I shall send a summons for Lady Aki and Sir Masato. Lady Aki will be led to the meeting room next door, and Sir Masato will be brought to this room,” said Francois.
Aki and Masato’s arrival was announced ten minutes later. Satsuki and Lilianna headed out while Masato took their place in the room with Rio and Miharu.
“Haruto, Miharu—what on earth happened? Aki looked like a ghost the entire time before they led her to another room.” Masato had bumped into Satsuki while they were swapping rooms and was told to ask Rio and Miharu for the details, leaving him confused from the moment he entered the room.
“We’ll explain everything. Have a seat first,” Rio said to Masato as calmly as possible.
Francois, who was still present in the meeting room, stood up. “Hmm. Then Charlotte and I shall leave this to you, Haruto.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty.”
Rio immediately stood up and bowed his head at Francois, his right hand over his heart. Miharu hurried to stand up and bow her head with Rio.
“It’s fine. I shall have Charlotte tell me of your heroic feats earlier. Let’s go.” Francois smiled happily and left the room with Charlotte, leaving Rio, Miharu, and Masato alone in the room.
“How about you have a seat over here, Masato?” Miharu suggested Masato take the seat she had been in and moved to sit beside Rio.
“Sure...” Masato sat down across from Rio and Miharu, watching their expressions carefully.
“So, umm. This may come as a surprise to you, but...” Miharu began hesitantly.
“Miharu, I can do the explaining,” Rio offered. He thought it cruel for Miharu to have to speak about it, as she was the victim in the situation.
“W-What is it...?” Masato could feel the unusual mood in the air and stiffened cautiously.
“I’m sure it’ll be a shock to hear this, so I’ll say it as simply as possible. Takahisa made an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap Miharu. Aki cooperated with him,” Rio said curtly.
“...Wha?”
Sure enough, Masato froze in shock.
“Takahisa and Aki summoned us to that garden under the guise of saying farewell, when they actually intended to kidnap Miharu. After everyone split up and Miharu was left with Takahisa, he abducted her. Now, Satsuki and Princess Lilianna are talking to the two of them next door.”
“...Are you serious?” Masato muttered in a daze.
“Yes, I’m serious. Some people in the castle spotted them and made a commotion, and Princess Lilianna herself testified as soon as she learned of their plans. Not to mention I was the one who retrieved Miharu from the enchanted ship,” Rio said, listing the facts in a stiff voice.
“Argh... Damn it, what are those two doing...” Masato muttered, his face scrunched up on the verge of tears.
“Masato...” Miharu bit down on her lip.
“Sorry, Miharu. For my brother and sister...” Masato apologized to Miharu as though it was his own mistake.
“Don’t apologize, Masato. I was at fault, too. Even though I was the closest one to Aki, I continuously ignored the problem she carried in her heart...” Miharu said with an agonized expression, feeling guilt in her heart.
“While I can’t say for sure that your thoughts are wrong, don’t you think they’re a little off the mark? The ones who should bear the burden of the crime are the criminals alone. Even bearing a part of the burden for someone who committed a crime won’t be of benefit to them. That’s why it’s not either of your faults. Of course, I have no intention of denying how important the two of them are to you, but if you don’t detach yourselves, you’ll just be contributing to a vicious cycle,” Rio said logically.
“But... What should I do, then...?” Masato whispered, his voice barely audible. Rio’s words seemed to have reached his heart, but he still felt clueless.
“What matters is what you want to do, not what you should do. Think about what you want to do, then reverse calculate what you can do about it. Reality may not work out that smoothly, as you may have many things you want to do and some of them may contradict with each other... Why don’t you give it some thought? Take some time to come to grips with the truth first, then think about it.” A faint shadow was cast over Rio’s face as he advised Masato in a gentle voice.
“Haruto...” Masato murmured. He was deeply touched.
“At the very least, I don’t think any of the blame should fall on you, Masato. The same goes for Miharu. You don’t believe Miharu’s at fault, either. Right, Masato?”
“Y-Yeah! Of course not!”
“In that case, stop blaming yourself. You can start there.”
“All right...” Masato nodded his head obediently.
“You, too.” Rio looked at Miharu beside him.
“O-Okay.” Miharu was so absorbed in Rio’s words, she flinched when she was suddenly addressed.
“Please don’t take on more responsibility than you need to. If you really treasure the two of them, instead of bearing the weight of their crimes, become their support, even if that means you need to be harsh and push them away. That’s why it would be better to stay away from them for a while, don’t you think?”
“...Yes, that’s right.”
“So please stop blaming yourself. That’s all I wanted to say,” Rio said in conclusion, shrugging his shoulders with a sigh.
...Haruto is so mature.
It was only natural, considering he had lived in Japan up until he was a university student before adding on his years living here, but Miharu felt that even more strongly after hearing his words. What was she like in comparison? It would be a stretch to say she could stand by his side equally.
She was still a child, after all... While Miharu could tell how reliable Rio was, at the same time, she was frustrated with her own immaturity.
Meanwhile, a bit earlier—
“We’re coming in.” Satsuki entered the meeting room where Takahisa and Aki were waiting. Lilianna followed behind her.
“S-Satsuki... and Lily...” Takahisa averted his eyes with an awfully guilt-ridden face. There was no way he could meet their eyes directly.
“...”
Aki was as pale as a sheet, shrinking back in her seat.
Satsuki sighed. “I’m sure you know the meaning of why the two of you were brought here, right? Not only the perpetrator, but Aki, too,” she said while standing.
“Ah, that’s...” Aki flinched, looking at Lilianna standing behind Satsuki.
Satsuki followed her gaze and felt anger and exasperation surge within her. “Just what were the two of you trying to accomplish?” she asked clearly.
“...”
Neither of them answered. Takahisa was glaring into the distance with a bitter expression while Aki’s eyes were heavily tinted with guilt as they darted about the place.
“Judging from her reaction, Aki’s finally realized the scale of the irremediable mess that was made, it seems? Takahisa still seems to be discontent about the current situation.”
“...Did Lily tell you everything?” Takahisa asked sullenly.
“You forced Princess Lilianna to cooperate under certain conditions, so obviously. The hero of her kingdom was about to cause an uproar in a foreign kingdom. That’s an international problem, you realize? She worked desperately to secure as favorable a position as possible for the two of you and the kingdom as soon as she found out. And yet, what’s with your attitude right now, Takahisa? Do you even understand that you took advantage of Miharu and caused trouble for so many people because of your own selfishness?” Satsuki snapped after seeing Takahisa’s attitude.
“...” Takahisa bit down on his lip bitterly.
“On top of that, you even dragged Aki into it just because she said she’d cooperate... If you’re her brother, shouldn’t you be the one to stop her?”
“...” Takahisa fell silent with a sullen face. Aki watched him getting scolded with a sidelong glance before looking even more gloomy herself.
“Is that a look to say you don’t even feel the slightest hint of remorse? Or is it a look to say you don’t want to accept your faults?”
“It’s neither...” Takahisa answered sulkily.
“I see. Enough of this, then. It seems like you don’t want to listen, so I’ll just start with the conclusion.” Satsuki sighed deeply. “What you two did was a crime. It’s not something that can be easily forgiven. If it were, it wouldn’t be of any help to either of you. That’s why Haruto, Miharu, and I discussed things and decided that you won’t just get off the hook. The two of them are explaining the situation to Masato now, but we’ve decided it would be better for them to avoid seeing you for awhile. I won’t let the two of you meet them right now.”
They wouldn’t be forgiven easily. They wouldn’t even be allowed to see Miharu or Rio. Hearing Satsuki’s firm words made Aki turn even paler. “Ah...”
“But even if what we did was a crime, that man—he’s an undeniable criminal, too! And a murderer to boot! And yet...!” The violent emotions swirling in Takahisa’s chest burst forth, making him spit out his words with a desperate expression.
“...That’s irrelevant. No, that’s pathetic.” Satsuki’s resentful face immediately turned into a look of pity.
“Pathetic?” Takahisa stared at Satsuki, as if to challenge her.
“Because it is, isn’t it? You’re using the fact that Haruto’s killed before as a means to an end. You simply can’t accept the fact that Miharu is in love with someone other than you. That’s why you went crazy with jealousy and committed a crime. There was an easy part of Haruto you could criticize, so you’re clinging to it to drag him down with you. If that isn’t pathetic, then what is it?” Satsuki said plainly.
“W-Wha...” Takahisa was rendered speechless. He tried to argue back, but no words would come out. His rage and shame muddled together until his vision grew dark.
“You couldn’t become the one Miharu loved. Haruto was the one chosen. That had been decided from the beginning. Did you think if you dragged him down, that you’d be moved up, instead?” Satsuki asked, stirring Takahisa up in order to reveal his ugly inner self.
“T-That’s not true! If only—If only Miharu had been summoned with me instead...!”
“Even if Miharu had been summoned with you, she wouldn’t have fallen in love with you. As long as you refuse to accept that, your relationship with us won’t progress any more than this. I don’t want to believe it, but I do,” Satsuki said, a dark shadow falling over her face. She then turned to Aki and pouted her shapely lips. “You’re not going to be a child forever, either, Aki, so it’s time to act more grown up. Were you going to whine like a baby and tie Miharu to you forever?”
“I-I just... I just...” Aki whispered in a barely audible voice. She had just wanted to take back the relationship they had before. But before she knew it, that relationship had crumbled by her own hands.
“That goes for Haruto, too. You need to face him properly and tell him what you want. That’s why I asked him during our match yesterday—I asked him to face you two without holding back, otherwise we can’t move forward. That’s why he went to visit you last night by himself, yet you two went and tried to kidnap Miharu...” Satsuki grimaced in sadness, emotions filling her chest.
“...” Aki couldn’t say anything. Unable to look directly at Satsuki, she lowered her gaze and paled in guilt.
“Aki, you might consider Haruto to be heartless, but who’s the heartless one now? You two trampled all over Miharu’s feelings in order to fulfill your spoiled demands, using despicable means to return Haruto’s favor with something so awful.”
“...”
“You’ve created such a big incident that you won’t be treated as a child any longer. Don’t think that remaining silent will make Miharu move on your behalf and extend her hand to you. Think for yourself about what you should be doing from now on.”
If she really wanted to be forgiven, then she should reflect on her actions before apologizing sincerely to Miharu and Haruto. Satsuki wanted to add that, but didn’t. She wanted Aki to think about whether she wanted to be forgiven herself.
“Uhm...” Aki hung her head as tears filled her eyes. She clenched her fists.
“My apologies for the rant, Princess Lilianna. If you have anything to add, please, go ahead.” Satsuki sighed and handed the conversation to Lilianna after seeing Aki fall silent.
“Lady Satsuki has said everything needed to be said at present, but I shall add a little,” Lilianna began. Her words came out fluently, as though memorized. “Sir Takahisa. I told you there was no chance of success beforehand. You must know what happens now without me saying it out loud, no?”
“...Return to Centostella and accept my punishment while playing the hero, yeah,” Takahisa said, sulking.
“Yes. We’ll be leaving within a few days at the latest. Lady Aki, you will also be coming to our kingdom, so please be prepared to leave at any moment.”
“...Ah, r-right.” Aki flinched and replied in a stammer. She couldn’t tell whether the several days until departure would feel long or short.
At this rate, she’d be separated from the people she cared about without a chance to speak to them properly. The realization suddenly rose within her and filled her with fear. At times like this, she had always relied on Miharu, and yet—
“Of course, neither Miharu nor Haruto will come see you off. I’ll listen first if there’s anything you have to say, so summon me before you leave.”
“Uhm...” Aki felt like she had fallen from a cliff. Miharu would no longer reach out to her. She wouldn’t even meet her.
How awful of Miharu... was what she didn’t think. The awful one was her. She had charged forward without thinking, and lost everything in the end.
Aki calmed down to an almost eerie degree, her mind going entirely blank. She had no idea what to do, and tears started streaming from her eyes. “M-Mmm... wah...”
“...I’ll be going now.” Satsuki’s expression turned stern at Aki’s crying. She bit her lip and steeled herself, before turning away.
“Then I shall lead the two of them to their rooms. Go ahead and leave first, Lady Satsuki. I shall come talk to you again later,” Lilianna said, encouraging Satsuki to leave before she stood up herself and approached Aki.
“Excuse me.” Satsuki bowed at Lilianna before opening the door to leave the room. But—
“Masato.”
It seemed like he had been waiting for them to finish, as he was standing outside with the guards.
“I wanted to talk to the two of them. Can I go inside? Haruto and Miharu have both agreed already,” Masato asked, his expression a conflicted mix of many emotions.
“Sure, go ahead.” Satsuki pushed open the door she hadn’t completely closed yet. Takahisa and Aki were Masato’s siblings—if he wished to meet them, then there was no reason to stop him from doing so.
“Thank you. Haruto and Miharu are still next door,” Masato said before going inside, allowing Satsuki to close the door.
“...Guess I’ll go back to the two of them, then.”
Satsuki sighed deeply and headed for the meeting room with Rio and Miharu.
What matters is what you want to do, not what you should do. Think about what you want to do, then reverse calculate what you can do about it.
After Rio had said that, the first thing that came to Masato’s mind was extremely simple.
“I want to talk to Takahisa and Aki.”
After telling Rio and Miharu his feelings, he headed for his siblings’ room. Thus, the first thing Masato saw after swapping places with Satsuki was the sight of his brother making a surly, sullen face while Aki cried beside him, Lilianna patting her back reassuringly.
“What is this...?” Masato muttered, a bitter grimace on his face. It was such a pathetic and shameful sight, he couldn’t help but feel apologetic towards everyone who looked after them since they came to this world.
“Sir Masato... Lady Aki doesn’t seem to be feeling well, so I was thinking of taking her to the rooms once she calms down...”
Aki was crying too hard to talk, and Takahisa was in a mood. Masato had wanted to give them a piece of his mind before hearing their explanation, but now his words wouldn’t come out. His siblings were just so pathetic to see...
It was clear that Lilianna had the short end of the stick in this situation. Takahisa was the hero of her country, so she couldn’t abandon him no matter what. This meant that she had to clean up his mess for him. As his younger brother, Masato felt incredibly apologetic about the situation.
“...I’m sorry. I’ll take Aki to the room. Could you handle my brother?” Masato bowed his head at Lilianna and approached Aki.
“Hic! Uuh...”
“Come on, stand up, Aki,” Masato said bluntly to the weeping Aki. He pulled her by the arm and she staggered to her feet.
“If you were going to just cry about it, then you shouldn’t have done this in the first place...” he muttered helplessly.
Meanwhile, in the king’s office, Francois and Charlotte were having a one-on-one discussion. The topic was, of course, Rio. To be more precise, Charlotte had just finished reporting the events that had taken place when Rio rescued Miharu.
“Thus, I believe that Sir Haruto should be received with as much hospitality as Lady Satsuki in order to form a most favorable relationship with him.”
“It was a rather passionate report coming from you. Just what caused this change?” Francois asked with a chuckle.
“It’s only natural to be passionate about this. He flew into the air without a mount and boarded the enchanted ship alone to rescue a hostage, you know? I’m certain now that the tale of the demi-dragon’s breath was not merely a rumor. Do we have anyone in this kingdom that could achieve the same feats as Sir Haruto? We don’t have any heroic figures like the King’s Sword in the Beltrum Kingdom, so I’m sure you can understand Sir Haruto’s value, Father.”
“I’m more than aware of Haruto’s value, but... Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for him?”
“Yes, I do believe I have,” Charlotte nodded gracefully without a moment of hesitation.
“...” Francois’ eyes widened in a show of rare surprise. He made a dubious face, as though questioning her sincerity.
“Why, there’s no need to be so clear in your surprise. I’ve never fallen in love before, so I’m not too familiar with it, but I’m still a young maiden myself. Yes, I do believe this is love. When I think of Sir Haruto, my heart can’t help but beat faster. I can feel my desire for him.” Charlotte puffed up her cheeks cutely as she spilled her feelings to her father.
“Sorry. I thought you were a villainess who only felt joy in attracting men to make them dance in the palm of your hand while watching relationships break down. I can’t help my surprise.” Instead of an apology, the words Francois said about his own daughter were unbelievably harsh.
“While it’s true I feel joy in such things, this time I felt my heart flutter like never before at a gentleman. It filled me with the impulse to make that gentleman mine one day.” Charlotte showed no offense as she gave a coquettish smile of delight.
“...Even for my daughter, you’re a twisted one,” Francois sighed tiredly with his right hand pressed against his head.
“Oh? Was it not you who raised me in such an environment?” Charlotte stared at her father with a mischievous giggle.
“And? What is your aim in telling me this?”
“One reason is because you would see through me anyway, so I wanted to inform you myself ahead of time. Another reason is because the nobles of our kingdom will surely come knocking with offers of marriage for Sir Haruto soon, so I’d like to ask you to use your power to suppress them. And, finally, I’d like to ask that you present me as a candidate instead.”
“...Even if he is an honorary knight, did you think it would be that easy to approve of his marriage to royalty?”
“Oh? But Father, weren’t you thinking of tying Lady Satsuki and Sir Haruto together at one point?”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because, Father, you’re always quick to get to the point, yet you skipped over my request for you to suppress offers from nobility to discuss this first. Meaning you intended on doing so from the beginning even without my request, no? And why would that be? Lady Satsuki—”
“Enough. Good grief, having a daughter with too much intelligence is another problem in itself,” Francois lamented, waving his hand in annoyance.
“Hehe. You didn’t even try to hide it.” Charlotte’s gentle smile didn’t waver. Even against her own father, she calmly maintained her sly, fox-like demeanor. If she didn’t, Francois wouldn’t appoint her any responsibility.
“But it is true that the marriage of royalty cannot be easily approved. Considering how the hero isn’t bound by such customs and is a supernatural existence herself, wouldn’t the possibilities be higher for her?”
“I don’t believe that will be an issue. If he continues to build his relationship with our kingdom, it is only a matter of time before Sir Haruto achieves even greater military exploits. Those hard-headed nobles bound by tradition will have to give in.”
“Do you have any foundation for that confidence of yours?”
“Yes. My eye for men is my foundation.”
“Heh...” Francois chuckled in amusement.
“Even if Lady Satsuki were to marry Sir Haruto first, I’d simply aim for the position of second wife, I suppose. It would be safe to assume my clear rivals at this time are Lady Miharu, and perhaps Liselotte, too. Well, the bigger problem is the fact Sir Haruto doesn’t seem to have any interest in tying the knot with someone at present...” Charlotte started to monologue, her eyes sparkling with thoughts of the future.
Scheming and predictions aside, I never imagined this girl could show so much interest in a single man...
There was no knowing what could happen in this world. That thought alone made it difficult to completely dismiss Charlotte’s map of the future as unrealistic.
Francois watched his unexpectedly passionate daughter with vacant eyes as he considered the future of the Galarc Kingdom.
After Satsuki swapped places with Masato and left Aki and Takahisa, she returned to the room where Rio and Miharu were. She informed them of what she told Takahisa and Aki and how they had reacted, before discussing various things about the incident.
“...Can I ask you a question, Haruto?” Miharu nervously looked at Rio seated beside her.
Rio nodded immediately. “Yes, of course.”
“Umm, what did Takahisa say to you to make you accept that duel?” Miharu asked.
Rio looked at the ceiling and thought for a bit. “...He asked me to reject you if he won. But I intended on facing him no matter what he said, so what he said had no relevance to my accepting the duel,” he answered while looking at Satsuki.
“Before we had our match, I asked something of Haruto. I told him there were things that couldn’t be conveyed without facing them head-on, and I asked him to face Takahisa and Aki. But that resulted in this current situation, so this was all because of me. I’m sorry...” Satsuki apologized, biting her lip.
“Don’t be silly.” Rio sounded a little exasperated.
“Huh...?”
“There were things I only understood because we clashed there. Because we disagreed with each other so much, our problem couldn’t be solved in a single match, making that discontent explode. That feeling was conveyed properly. Am I wrong?”
Satsuki blinked at Rio sitting opposite her. “...No, you’re not.”
“If so, it was better to butt heads than to continue carrying that latent problem without moving forward. Well, I’m not one to talk, after avoiding Miharu until Satsuki had to make her request of me,” Rio said, laughing at himself slightly. “We said the same to Masato, but you can just think about what you want to do from here. If you think it’s salvageable, you can give them some time to cool their heads before facing them again until you’re satisfied. Optimism suits you better than pessimism, after all,” he added with an amused chuckle.
“Wh... What? You’re suddenly all calm and composed like an adult. Speaking as though you know me,” Satsuki pouted, blushing in embarrassment.
“Really?” Rio cocked his head curiously.
“Really. Right, Miharu?” Satsuki said, seeking Miharu’s agreement.
“Yes. For some reason, it feels like the air around you has gotten softer... I think.”
Miharu glanced at Rio’s side profile. But the moment Rio looked back and met her eyes, she flushed and looked away.
“...Hey, did something happen between the two of you?” Satsuki stared at Rio and asked.
“Why are you asking me?” Rio asked back with a frown.
“Because she’s like this.” Satsuki gave the still-blushing Miharu a pointed look.
“Nothing in particular. I just asked her to get along with me from here on out. Not specifically as Amakawa Haruto, but...”
“Hmm...”
It wasn’t clear whether Satsuki was convinced or not as she stared closely at Rio and Miharu’s faces. It seems like I’ll have to corner Miharu when she’s alone and ask for more details.
Miharu had a bad feeling and looked away from Satsuki. Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“Ah, is that Masato?”
Miharu stood up first to open the door. Masato was standing beyond it, but his expression was dark. It was actually a very serious expression.
“Umm, I have something to say,” he said, looking at Miharu standing before him.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login