Chapter 2: At the Galarc Castle
The four heroes Sumeragi Satsuki, Sendo Masato, Sakata Hiroaki, and Sendo Takahisa were all gathered together in the training grounds of the Galarc Castle, the very same morning that Celia departed for Beltrum. Standing nearby and facing them were Gouki and Kayoko.
It seemed that something was about to begin. A small number of royalty and nobility including Christina, Lilianna, King Francois, and Duke Huguenot were observing them from a far distance away. Kouta and Rei were also there as Hiroaki’s aides.
“As you have all heard already, I have been newly appointed as Lady Satsuki and Lord Masato’s combat instructor. And since we were holding a lesson anyway, we decided to extend the invitation to the other two heroes.”
As residents of the same mansion, Satsuki and Masato seemed to be aware of this already. Gouki’s explanation was directed to Hiroaki and Takahisa, who weren’t staying at the mansion.
“The fact you are all in attendance means you all have the will to get stronger. Am I right to assume this?” he asked Hiroaki and Takahisa.
“Ah... It’s true that I want to get stronger, but I have no plans on taking lessons from someone weaker than me, you know?” Hiroaki replied boldly, questioning whether Gouki was worthy of instructing heroes.
“I’m pretty sure Gouki’s far stronger than you. Even the four of us would struggle to take him on together.”
Satsuki shot Hiroaki an exasperated look. She and Masato had faced him numerous times at the mansion, but they were yet to win even once.
“Ha! That has to be an exaggeration. Are you trying to make him sound good in front of us?” Hiroaki asked skeptically.
“Bwa ha ha! It’s good to have some skepticism. In this case, it’s better to see for yourself. How about we spar?” Gouki suggested.
“Hmm...”
Hiroaki’s disinterested attitude was quickly replaced with wariness.
It’s damn obvious this old man is strong.
He could tell that Gouki was probably stronger than him, and that there was a decent chance he would lose if he fought him.
While Hiroaki might not even have been aware of this fact, he only ever projected a confident attitude in safe situations, ones where he felt he had the upper hand. This was mainly out of vanity, but his fear of losing to others and being looked down upon also played a part in it. In a way, it was a precaution of his.
However, the current Hiroaki knew the taste of defeat. He had suffered a humiliating loss in Rodania to Kikuchi Renji, another hero just like him. He still kept up his brave front because he didn’t want to be looked down upon, but—
“Fine. Let’s do it.” Hiroaki accepted Gouki’s suggestion. Until now, he would have confidently started making excuses for himself if he thought there was a chance of his losing and embarrassing himself, but the current Hiroaki had nothing to add. His expression merely stiffened nervously.
“Very well. Could you act as our referee, Kayoko?” Gouki smirked as though he could tell what Hiroaki was thinking.
“Sure.”
Thus, Gouki and Hiroaki moved to the center of the training grounds. Kayoko followed them to judge their match, and the others all moved to the edge to observe them.
“The Divine Arms you possess, the Yamata no Orochi... I find that weapon rather interesting. Its shape resembles my Kamaitachi,” Gouki said, drawing his own sword made by the elder dwarf Dominic.
“I also find your weapon curious. Especially how it’s a katana made in this world... It even has a flashy name like Kamaitachi.”
Hiroaki materialized his Divine Arms from nowhere and grabbed it.
Let’s see what this old man with his Japanese sword thinks of my fighting style.
Until now, Hiroaki had never received any formal fighting instruction from anyone. Part of the reason was because he didn’t want to train beneath someone, but another reason was because there were no other katana-like swords in the Strahl region. He believed there was nothing to learn from knights that only used European swords.
But now that he had lost to Renji, this military man from the Yagumo region who was a master of such weapons could be the perfect instructor for him.
“The use of any arts besides physical body enhancements is forbidden. This will be a match of only swordsmanship.”
“All right.” Hiroaki had a rare look of enthusiasm on his face.
“If both parties are ready, you may begin.”
“Ready.”
“Okay.”
The two distanced themselves from each other and held their swords ready. While Gouki’s stance was as stable as an ancient tree, Hiroaki’s posture was shaky like a twig in the ground.
“Begin!” Kayoko called, signaling the start of their duel.
“Rah!” Hiroaki first charged straight towards Gouki...
“Huh?!” Gouki closed the gap between them first, stopping Hiroaki in his tracks. Gouki also came to a stop at that, and the two faced each other from a few meters apart.
“I commend your initiative to cut me off by charging at me first, but your intentions were too obvious. You weren’t expecting me to charge back, which caused you to come to a stop. You shouldn’t stop moving just because of something unexpected.”
Shortly after beginning, Gouki immediately began correcting Hiroaki.
“The one who’s come to a stop is you, old man!” Hiroaki snapped back.
“Ha ha! You make a good point. In that case...” Gouki said. He then moved.
“Whoa!” Hiroaki reacted belatedly. He had kept his eyes on Gouki the entire time, yet he had no idea when he had moved. Gouki was simply in front of him before he knew it. Hiroaki quickly attempted to block him with his sword, but—
“Guh...” Gouki easily knocked away Hiroaki’s sword and pointed the tip of his blade at his throat. It was clearly enough to end the match, but Gouki immediately pulled his sword back and retreated a few steps.
“It’s too early to end this. Let’s continue a little longer. I will refrain from attacking, so show me what you’ve got,” he said.
“Don’t look down on me! Damn it!” Hiroaki charged at Gouki once more, swinging his sword. But Gouki stepped out of his sword’s range without even lifting his weapon.
“There’s no need to worry about your attacks hitting me, you know?”
“Shut up!” Hiroaki’s competitive spirit burned even hotter. From there on, Gouki went on the defensive, giving Hiroaki time to attack. He saw through all of Hiroaki’s attacks and dodged them one after another.
“Hmm,” he said after one attack.
“I see, I see,” he said after another, observing Hiroaki’s movements.
“Hah... Hah...” Hiroaki’s breath gradually grew more uneven, and he eventually came to a stop.
The template definition of a self-made style with no form, it seems. He could overpower the average person with his physical abilities alone, but that would be such a waste. It would be worthwhile teaching him.
Gouki smiled as he evaluated him.
This old man has completely seen through me... The moment I start swinging my sword, he already knows where it’ll go.
Sensing there was a bigger gap in their abilities than he’d expected, Hiroaki watched Gouki fretfully.
“I like your decisiveness. You’re using your head and thinking about how to make your attacks hit. But there’s too much excess in your movements. That sword length is intended for two-handed use. Swinging it without thinking will make your movements easy to see through,” Gouki said in his evaluation of Hiroaki.
Tch... If he can read my movements, then...!
While he was pretending to catch his breath, Hiroaki thought of a way to counter Gouki. After a while, a brilliant idea popped into his head. If his movements were being read, then he just had to move faster than Gouki could react to them. With that thought, he charged forward at his fastest speed thus far.
“Ooh...”
Gouki’s eyes widened, impressed he could get even faster. But in contrast to the surprise in his eyes, Gouki’s body moved extremely calmly. He took a step forward and swung the sword in his hand. In the next moment, Hiroaki’s Divine Arms was deflected and flew through the air. The blade landed upright in the ground and scattered into particles of light like a spirit returning to its spirit form.
“...” Hiroaki was posed at the end of his sword swing, having missed the moment his sword left his hand. But he quickly noticed something was off, and stood staring at the lack of a weapon in his hands.
“Are you serious?” Hiroaki eventually muttered with an impressed grin. His gaze was fixed on his bare hands.
“The main problem is your excess movements. That charge just now would have been ineffective even if you’d moved at double that speed,” Gouki said in the same easygoing tone as before.
“Ah, I see.” Hiroaki scratched his head with his empty right hand.
“Do you wish to continue?” Gouki asked.
“No, it’s my loss.” Hiroaki accepted his defeat gracefully.
“Oh? So you accept me as an instructor?”
“Yeah, you’ll do. I’d like to ask you to instruct me. I suppose I should call you something better... Would Mr. Gouki do?”
“Ha ha ha! Call me whatever you wish.” Gouki laughed heartily.
◇ ◇ ◇
After the match ended, Satsuki, Masato, and Takahisa approached them. They had been observing the match, so could pretty much guess how it had ended.
“How did it go?” Satsuki asked Gouki anyway.
“He has approved of me,” Gouki said with a firm nod.
“I see. So is it safe to assume the four of us here are fine with Gouki as our instructor?”
Satsuki looked at Takahisa. Masato and Hiroaki did the same.
Takahisa had an especially strong aversion to war and murder. He had gotten into an argument with the other three heroes over that just a short while ago. His presence at a training session to learn how to fight was questionable.
“Is that fine with you too, Lord Takahisa? Appointing me as an instructor means you’ll be learning how to fight with real combat in mind. Some of the techniques are designed around taking the lives of others,” Gouki added, purposefully giving his words bluntly.
“I...” Takahisa started to speak, but trailed off.
“I was wondering about that too. You said you were against war and murder. You called it stupid to take up weapons to avoid fighting. Wasn’t that your stance?” Hiroaki asked with a look of disgust, questioning why Takahisa was there with them.
“...” Takahisa frowned sullenly.
“Hiroaki, don’t twist things by jumping to conclusions. Let Takahisa speak first. He may have changed his mind since then.”
Sensing how the air had soured, Satsuki tried to soothe Hiroaki gently.
“Tch. What are you, the class president? He’s the one twisting things. I just don’t want his antiwar sentiments to get in the way of my own learning. He could slow our training down as well.”
“I understand how you feel, but...deciding that right off the bat and starting a fight makes it harder for Takahisa to give his honest opinion.”
Humans were flexible creatures, so it was important to listen to what someone was thinking every time. This belief was a charm of Satsuki’s. In contrast, Hiroaki had the tendency to be influenced by his first impression of someone.
There was no right or wrong to either of their beliefs. Discussions could sometimes solve problems, and sometimes make problems worse. There were times when presumptions had to be made to create solutions. Either way, people tended to believe their own beliefs were right.
And right now, there was no way of telling whose stance towards Takahisa was right. Only god would know.
“In that case, even if you don’t want to kill people, you have to be willing to use violence to repel idiots that act violent towards you. That’s the minimum requirement to join us. If you don’t agree, you should leave,” Hiroaki demanded.
“Please stop. I just came because Lily asked me to. If I’m in the way, I’ll leave,” Takahisa said bitterly, turning and leaving the grounds.
“Ah...” Satsuki stretched her hand out after him, but stopped herself from calling him back. If Takahisa’s thoughts really hadn’t changed, then there was no point for him to remain.
“See? He hasn’t changed his mind at all.” Hiroaki huffed triumphantly.
“...” Masato seemed determined to have nothing to do with his brother regarding this topic. He didn’t even try to keep his gaze on Takahisa.
“Jeez.”
As their upperclassman, Satsuki had hoped to mediate the relationship between the two brothers a little better than this. She sighed dejectedly.
“Well, no need to stop those who wish to leave. We cannot force him into learning. Let us endeavor in our own training. Now, let’s have a three-on-one to clear the air! It’ll help me grasp an understanding of your abilities, and it’ll create a sense of rivalry amongst you,” Gouki said, clapping his hands to get them back on track.
Thus, Satsuki, Masato, and Hiroaki began their joint match against Gouki.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, as Takahisa left the training grounds...
“Sir Takahisa,” Lilianna called. She pinched the hem of her dress and hurried to catch up with him.
“Lily... Sorry, I couldn’t participate after all.”
Because he had withdrawn from the training session, Takahisa averted his gaze in shame. He apologized to her awkwardly.
“No, I am the one who should apologize for asking you to attend. Thank you for granting my selfish request.”
Lilianna returned the apology with a delicate smile. Indeed, the reason why Takahisa had been there was because Lilianna had invited him to participate with everyone. Takahisa had refused at first, but Lilianna’s request had been more firm than usual, so he’d eventually agreed. But this was the result.
“Ah, no... It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Besides, I’m thinking of going to see Miharu and the others. Do you want to come along?” Takahisa asked, scratching his cheek as he awkwardly changed the topic. While he had an obvious reason for doing so, his desire to go and see Miharu was probably genuine.
Since there were royalty and nobility in attendance at the lesson, Miharu had remained at the mansion. It was hard for Takahisa to visit alone, so he wanted Lilianna to accompany him. However...
“I apologize. Sir Masato is still in attendance at the training, so I cannot leave yet.”
Lilianna rejected Takahisa’s request while gazing at Masato, who was still sparring in the training grounds.
“Huh? Oh... Okay,” Takahisa replied in confusion. He had expected Lilianna to willingly agree. The observant Lilianna naturally knew this, but—
“How about you make the visit yourself? I will join you once Sir Masato is done,” she suggested instead.
But it seemed he didn’t have the courage to visit Miharu at the mansion alone.
“Ah... No, I’ll watch as well. Let’s go together once they’re done,” Takahisa awkwardly proposed as an alternative. He may have been able to start a conversation with Miharu if she had been in attendance watching the lesson, but considering his past mistakes, he was unwilling to visit her mansion alone.
“Okay.”
Had Lilianna made her suggestion knowing what Takahisa would respond with? Only she knew the answer to that.
◇ ◇ ◇
In the corner of the space allocated to observing the training grounds sat Second Princess Charlotte of the Galarc Kingdom and First Princess Christina of the Beltrum Kingdom. Lilianna had been sitting with them moments ago, but she was currently speaking to Takahisa.
Flora was seated with Roanna a short distance away from them. There were no other royalty or nobility there, so Charlotte and Christina’s conversation wouldn’t be overheard by anyone. The two gazed at the sparring heroes as they spoke.
“Princess Christina. Or should I refer to you as Your Majesty, Queen Christina?” Charlotte asked.
“I’m still a princess right now. I can only call myself a queen after the coronation ceremony,” Christina answered with a strained smile.
“It’s a little lonely to think we won’t be fellow princesses anymore, but I sincerely hope your rule will be bright and peaceful. I will give my formal congratulations on another occasion, but please allow me to congratulate you now.”
“Thank you very much.”
Christina thanked her with a smile, but there was still a shadow of unease in her expression.
“Are you worried about Lady Celia?” Charlotte guessed in response to the expression that Christina carried. Celia was, after all, currently on her way to Duke Arbor as a messenger from the Restoration to the Beltrum Kingdom.
“Yes...” Christina nodded honestly.
“It will be fine. I’m sure Lady Celia will return,” Charlotte said with certainty. She was extremely serious about it too. Her strong belief in Celia could be seen in her eyes.
“You’re very strong, Princess Charlotte,” Christina murmured, eyes widening in admiration as she stared at Charlotte’s profile.
“No, I believe this is due to the difference in our relationship. To you, Lady Celia is your well-respected teacher. But to me, she’s a friend of equal standing.”
“I see...”
“She promised to come back safely, so please believe in her. Lady Celia will definitely return to us.”
That was the duty of someone who stood above others, was what Charlotte didn’t say out loud.
“Right...” Encouraged by Charlotte’s words, Christina nodded slowly.
“Besides, once Lady Celia returns, the others will all give her a harsh scolding for leaving without a word. I can’t wait to feed them half-truths and make her even more troubled.”
“Try and go easy on her...”
Seeing the wicked but adorable grin on the mischievous Charlotte’s face, Christina could only smile wryly.
◇ ◇ ◇
One hour later, the heroes, who had finished sparring, moved over to the observation area.
“Phew, I’m beat.”
There were many spectators for the first day of training, so they had wrapped things up early. Although they were sweating, the session must have been productive to their mood, as they all had rather refreshed expressions.
Rei and Kouta greeted Hiroaki upon his return. “Welcome back.”
“Hey,” Hiroaki replied, raising his right hand in a wave.
Meanwhile, Masato spotted Takahisa with Lilianna and called out to him in surprise. “Huh? You stuck around?”
“Yeah... I figured I might as well. I was worried about you too,” Takahisa replied, averting his eyes.
“Hmm...” Masato replied shortly. Although they were at odds about their opinions, he seemed to be happy Takahisa cared, as he looked a little embarrassed.
“Good work, Sir Masato. Would you like to have a drink?” Just then, Lilianna approached Masato with a cold drink on a tray.
“Whoa! Thank you, Princess Lilianna!” Masato accepted the glass politely, shocked that the princess herself was bringing him the drink. But he couldn’t resist his thirst and chugged the drink down in one go.
“Ah, that hit the spot!” he said like a man with a beer after a long day of work might say.
“You sound like an old man, Masato.” Satsuki giggled.
Charlotte came over with a drink just like Lilianna. “Please have one too, Lady Satsuki.”
“Thanks, Char.”
“Sir Gouki and Lady Kayoko, there are drinks for you too.”
“Ooh, this is much appreciated.”
“Thank you very much.”
Gouki and Kayoko accepted their drinks from Charlotte’s attendant.
“Hey now, why couldn’t you two think of preparing that for me?”
“Oh, well...” Hiroaki glanced at the empty-handed duo beside him and sighed at their lack of consideration.
“Here you are, Sir Hiroaki.” Roanna came over with a cold drink on a tray and offered it to Hiroaki.
“At least she’s on top of things,” he said. “Thanks.”
“See, we figured you’d prefer to receive a drink from Roanna than from dull guys like us,” Rei immediately added in explanation.
“Sure, let’s go with that.” Hiroaki huffed, taking a sip of his drink.
“Oh, by the way, Sakata,” Satsuki suddenly called out to him.
“What?”
With training over, Hiroaki hadn’t been expecting Satsuki to talk to him any further. He stared at her in suspicion.
“We’re thinking of inviting Princess Christina and Princess Flora to the mansion tonight for dinner. Would you like to come too?”
“Hah?” Hiroaki narrowed his eyes, questioning her sudden change in attitude.
“What’s that look for? The three of us will be taught by Gouki from now on, so I just thought it’d be a good chance to get to know one another more. Of course, Roanna, Saiki, and Murakumo are welcome to come along too,” Satsuki said, explaining why she had approached him.
“Getting to know one another, huh...” He wasn’t particularly interested, so he’d pass. Just as Hiroaki was about to say that—
“Hold on, Hiroaki,” Rei said, tugging at his arm. They turned their backs on Satsuki and started whispering to each other.
“Wh-What, Rei?”
“Were you about to refuse just now?”
“Hmm? Well, yeah.”
“Dumbass. Stupid Hiroaki.”
“What?! What’s wrong with you, Rei? Did you want to go?”
“Of course I do! The mansion Satsuki lives in is rumored to be packed with pretty girls, you know? Sara, Orphia, and Alma are there too, and I want to worship—I mean, I want to see them again to say thanks. And Princess Christina and Princess Flora are going too, right?” Rei protested passionately.
Being right beside them, Roanna and Kouta could overhear every word of their conversation. Christina and Flora were talking to other royalty and nobility a short distance away, but they could tell their names had been mentioned and tilted their heads, wondering what they were talking about.
“Wait... Don’t you have a fiancée named Rosa already?” Hiroaki asked, shooting Rei an exasperated look.
“That is a different matter entirely! I’m still seventeen! I want to have fun too, you know?”
I have a fiancée. But I’m seventeen. I want to mess around. Rei used his age as justification, his reasoning broken.
“Hmm. But...” Hiroaki’s response wasn’t very favorable.
“This isn’t like you, Hiroaki. This isn’t like you at all. I want to see the high-spirited Hiroaki I know. Didn’t you love to go to tea parties with the ladies before?” Rei said, refusing to back down.
“I suppose I did, yeah...”
When Rei pointed it out like that, it was indeed odd. Previously, Hiroaki would have actively marched wherever the pretty girls had gathered and acted the star. Perhaps it was because he was looking back on his own actions objectively, but he seemed to be aware of this himself.
They just don’t interest me... Kind of like how a woman with a boyfriend is less attractive?
Hiroaki considered what the reason could be. But as far as he knew, all the residents of the mansion were single. Neither Satsuki nor any of the others had a fiancé—which was why Rei was so enthusiastic about going.
He thought for a few more seconds, then suddenly glanced over at Satsuki.
Oh, it might be because that fussy woman will be there.
He thought, reaching his own conclusion.
Satsuki tilted her head when their eyes met. “What?” she asked tiredly. “Are you going to attend or not?”
“Wait a minute. I’m still deciding.”
“It... It’d be nice if you could hurry it up,” Satsuki replied, smoothing over the twitch in her smile. Hiroaki’s manner of speaking was irritating, but she decided to endure it. Roanna bowed her head at her apologetically.
Why does a nice girl like her stick with a guy like him? Satsuki shook her head in return and sighed sadly, unable to understand.
“Go on... You shouldn’t keep Satsuki waiting. Just say we’ll attend.”
“The girls in that mansion won’t pay you any attention either way, you know?” Kouta mumbled at Rei, who was still urging Hiroaki to attend.
“Shut up, you’re just saying that because things with Mikaela have been going well for you. You don’t get an opinion.”
Incidentally, Mikaela was a friend of Rei’s fiancée Rosa, a girl of a lower noble family of the Beltrum Kingdom.
“Wh-What? It’s not like we’re going out or anything.”
“Huh? Wait, you’ve never mentioned her to me, Kouta.”
“I said we’re not like that! There was nothing to say...”
“Can you believe this guy, Hiroaki? He’s a coward who can’t make the first move—”
The conversation between the three boys continued to derail like that, until...
“Excuse me, Sir Hiroaki,” Roanna called, unable to remain silent any longer.
“Hm? What?”
“It’d be rude to keep Lady Satsuki waiting any longer, so if you could quickly give her your response...”
“Ah, all right. I’ll go. Hey Satsuki. All of us will attend. Not like we have anything better to do,” Hiroaki said, finally reaching a decision. He conveyed his intention to go to Satsuki, who was still waiting.
“All right. See you later, then.”
Satsuki waved and turned around.
“Hell yeah! Awesome!”
Rei pumped his fists in a show of excitement, but—
“If you act too over the top, I will tell Rosa,” Roanna warned him with a cold glare.
“A-Aww, don’t say that, Roanna...” Rei suddenly faltered weakly. Meanwhile, Takahisa had been watching the conversation between the three boys and the duke’s daughter from the side.
“There’s a dinner party tonight?” he asked Masato and Lilianna, who were having a friendly chat between themselves.
“Come to think of it, I forgot to mention that.”
“Yeah... Why don’t you come too?”
Masato and Lilianna seemed to have heard of the gathering already and would be in attendance themselves.
There was time before training to tell me... Why didn’t anyone say so earlier?
Takahisa thought, feeling a slight sense of alienation. “Yeah, I’ll go.” He nodded. He had no reason to refuse. In fact, he had all the reason to go.
“In that case, it may be better to return to your room first and get changed.”
Takahisa was still wearing the thick cloth armor he’d worn to the training session. What Lilianna was suggesting was for him to put on something easier to move around in.
“Good idea. Then...” Takahisa was about to suggest they return to the castle together, when—
“Okay, let’s meet up again later. I will head to the mansion first with Sir Masato.” Lilianna spoke over him.
“Huh? Oh... Okay.” Takahisa froze like a deer in headlights before nodding weakly. He hadn’t expected Lilianna to prioritize moving with someone else over himself.
Lilianna’s choice must have been a little surprising to Masato as well, as his eyes widened slightly. But he quickly went along with it, figuring it would be a good wake-up call for his older brother.
“Shall we get going then, Princess Lilianna?” he said.
“Yes, Sir Masato.”
Thus, the two naturally started walking side by side. Until now, Masato’s place had belonged to Takahisa. No, Lilianna had chosen to walk beside Takahisa. Yet now—
Why...? Why wasn’t it him beside her, but Masato?
Lilianna probably didn’t have any ulterior motives. He didn’t need to be bothered by every little thing.
But for some reason, it felt as if he was being ignored and isolated. He didn’t think he had let go of anything, yet it felt as if he had lost something... It gave him a sense of feeling panicked, as though he were falling.
He gazed after them in silence.
◇ ◇ ◇
That night, many visitors gathered at the mansion where Satsuki and the others lived.
The get-together was in the form of a standing buffet. Many dishes lined the tables in the dining room, and there were seats for those who wished to rest from standing too.
“Hey, Masato. I won’t lose next time.”
“He he. Bring it on. I won’t lose to Satsuki next time either.”
“You can say that again. Tch, to think I’d lose to that woman...”
“It’s just a matter of compatibility, you two. My Divine Arms is a polearm, and I’ve been practicing how to use the naginata for a long time now.”
Hiroaki, Masato, and Satsuki were chatting about the training session they’d participated in. As their conversation implied, the results of the matches between them were as follows: Satsuki won over Masato and Hiroaki, Masato won over Hiroaki, and Hiroaki lost to both Satsuki and Masato.
Swinging their drawn Divine Arms, there had been moments where they faltered from attacking due to their inexperience, but they were able to measure one another’s abilities. Thanks to that, Hiroaki and Masato were able to form a healthy rivalry. Meanwhile...
“...”
Despite being a fellow hero, Takahisa was unable to join the conversation due to sitting out of the training. He could only watch on awkwardly while being left out.
“How about you participate in the training after all, Sir Takahisa? You’d have something in common to discuss with them,” Lilianna suggested gently.
“No, I... I’ll pass.” Takahisa shook his head with a bitter look. He had no intention of changing his mind.
“That’s enough from you, Rei.”
“Oww! W-Wait, hold on a minute, Hiroaki!” Rei seemed to have teased Hiroaki about something, and was being held in a headlock out of retaliation. He frantically tapped Hiroaki’s arm to surrender.
“Ha ha ha. You guys are funny.” Masato laughed in amusement.
“Oh...! Will he be okay?” Flora asked worriedly. It must have been a shocking scene to a sheltered princess like her. If nobles treated each other like that, they could potentially start a war between their houses.
“It’s fine, boys their age are always like that. It’s a normal sight back in our world,” Satsuki explained, recalling the antics of her classmates with a sigh.
“R-Really?”
“Yes. I haven’t seen a sight like this since coming to this world, so it brings back memories of Earth.” Satsuki smiled in amusement.
“I was also surprised at first, but it seems that in Sir Hiroaki’s world, gentlemen of the same age group communicate with each other like this,” Roanna added, having spent a lot of time with Hiroaki and the others.
Flora hummed curiously. “I see...”
“No, it’s not quite the same when you explain it like that... They’re simply being childish...” Satsuki corrected with a troubled look, sensing a strange misunderstanding was being created.
“H-Hiroaki, don’t forget about Kouta! You still have to ask him about Mikaela, remember?”
Rei tried to redirect Hiroaki’s focus onto Kouta.
“Oh, that’s right. Kouta, spill the details. What’s this about you being a coward?”
“Wha—Stop that! There’s really nothing between us.”
“Well, I didn’t expect a loser like you to be able to make a move anyway. But there’s a likely chance Mikaela might do something. Is that right, Rei?”
Hiroaki had sharp senses for this kind of vulgar topic and promptly gave Rei his theory.
“That’s exactly right!”
“I’m serious, it’s nothing!” Kouta protested frantically.
“It isn’t up to you to decide that there’s nothing going on. It’s up to me.” Hiroaki finally freed Rei and pointed at him with his index finger.
“What kind of reasoning is that...?”
“Ha ha. I want to hear more about Kouta too.”
“Masato! Not you too!”
Masato raised his hand and expressed his eager interest, making Kouta’s shoulders fall.
“Yeah! Now there’s two heroes asking. Tell us, Rei.”
“Roger that!” Rei made a jesting salute and began to retell the recent events between Kouta and Mikaela. Watching on as the boys from Japan chatted between themselves was Christina.
“Seeing a heated discussion like that makes me think there isn’t much difference in mental maturity across worlds,” she said with a smile. Indeed, getting excited about such vulgar topics was the same in any world.
“Perhaps,” Satsuki agreed with a giggle.
The dinner party had naturally split into a group of the boys from Earth and a group of all the other girls.
Even Roanna, who usually remained by Hiroaki’s side, seemed to find it insensitive to stand by the boys as they were opening up to each other. She stood with Christina and Flora instead.
The only exception was the older Gouki, who watched over the younger ones with Kayoko and Takahisa. Takahisa was from the same world and was of the same age, yet he kept his distance from them, making him seem oddly out of place.
By process of elimination, Takahisa was staying beside Lilianna, which brought him closer to the circle of girls. However, that didn’t mean he was participating in their conversation.
“Say, Lily. Do you know what Miharu’s up to?” he asked, wondering why Miharu wasn’t there with them.
“She’s cooking the dishes for us. She’ll be joining us later with the others.”
Indeed, Miharu was on kitchen duty. Incidentally, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, Alma, and the Yagumo group, with the exception of Gouki, Kayoko, and Komomo, were all busy with preparing and serving the food. The residents of this mansion generally didn’t hire any castle staff, so they tended to do everything they could by themselves.
“I see... Maybe I should help them.”
Whether it was because he was feeling impatient after visiting the mansion for days in a row with no progress towards mending his relationship with Miharu, or because he was unable to mingle with the others at the gathering, Takahisa’s mind was focused elsewhere. He tried to leave the dining room and head for the kitchen where Miharu was. He didn’t even look at Lilianna beside him.
“Please don’t. You are here as a guest, Sir Takahisa,” Lilianna scolded him gently.
“But there’s no point in me being here...” Takahisa replied.
If so, why was he attending the get-together at all? That was the question anyone would think of first. But there was no productive answer to that question. Besides, even without asking that question, Lilianna knew the answer.
Because Miharu was here. Takahisa had chosen to attend this dinner because Miharu lived in this mansion. Even now, Takahisa only had Miharu in his sights. Lilianna understood that much.
“That’s not true. There is plenty of meaning in your attendance today.”
“Do you really think so? I don’t think it would make a difference to anyone if I weren’t here...”
Takahisa’s gaze lingered in the direction of the kitchen as he gave himself a self-deprecating smile. He then looked back around at those in the dining room.
“Hey Masato, you lucky kid. You live with all these pretty ladies every day?”
“But Rei, don’t you have a pretty fiancée yourself?”
“Wow Rei, are you really envious of a primary school kid?”
The sight of Masato getting along with Rei and Kouta came into view. It was as though he was being shown an existence opposite to his own.
“It’s like I’m not here at all. Like no one remembers me. No one looks at me. The only person who saw me for myself was Aki, but even she’s with Miharu right now...”
Takahisa gazed yearningly in the direction of the kitchen once more.
“That is definitely untrue. You say that there’s no point in being here and that no one looks at you, but I... The one who truly isn’t looking is...”
Lilianna objected to Takahisa in a rare show of emotion. But she trailed off from what she was saying partway.
Based on the parts of her statement that could be heard, Takahisa’s words about no one looking at him and no one caring about whether he was here or not had affected her more than expected.
Because until today, Lilianna had always looked at Takahisa... Yet Takahisa himself only had eyes for Miharu.
I have always watched you until now, Sir Takahisa. But you’ve never looked at me... I should be the one asking whether there was any point in me being by your side.
Lilianna stared at Takahisa’s face, wanting very much to say those words out loud. Takahisa met her gaze.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in confusion, having no idea what she was implying.
Lilianna sighed in resignation and slowly shook her head. “No, it’s just that there was someone who had been watching you until now. Even if you don’t understand right now, please don’t forget that.”
“Is anything wrong?” Komomo suddenly asked.
She had noticed the air between Takahisa and Lilianna was a little odd, and called out to them out of concern. Lilianna was embarrassed at making a girl so much younger than her worry about her.
“Oh, how embarrassing. I just choked on my food a little. I’m fine now.” Lilianna instantly erased her gloomy expression and smiled gracefully.
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