The Super High Schoolers Affording to Live in Another World! - Volume 4 - Chapter 2

  Women’s Resolve  

Fortress City Dulleskoff, capital of both the former Buchwald domain and now of the Republic of Elm, was surrounded by a pair of pentagonal walls.

Within those barricades, two figures walked hand in hand through its high-end residential area.

One was a young byuma girl, and the other was a brown-skinned woman.

The Republic of Elm had a standing military called the Order of the Seven Luminaires, and both of the women were well acquainted with its commander, Zest du Bernard. The girl was his daughter, Airi, and the woman was a former slave Zest had bought, Coco.

“Coco, guess what?! In today’s race, I was the fastest one in my whole class!”

“Oh my, really?”

“Yeah! I even beat all the boys!”

“That’s very impressive. You take after Master Bernard well.”

“Do you think Papa will be happy to hear it?”

“I’m certain of it, dear.”

Seeing Airi in high spirits, Coco smiled at her. She wasn’t just putting it on to placate her boss’s daughter, either. Her smile came from the heart.

The fact of the matter was that Coco loved Airi the same way she did her own daughter. And that was all due to Zest’s good character.

Coco had been initially taken from the New World and brought over to Freyjagard as a slave, but now she had a nice Freyjagardian husband and a family of her own. That had only been possible because Zest paid for her honorary Freyjagardian citizenship, and those didn’t come cheap.

Although the naturalization itself had become unnecessary when Findolph passed hands from Freyjagard to Elm, Coco would never forget the kindness Zest had shown her.

As such, Coco had vowed to watch over Airi and protect her with all her might until she grew up. No matter what happened, Coco always made sure to do her best to uphold that oath. Perhaps it was that determination that caused her to notice something strange.

“………”

She and Airi were the only two people on that hilly road, yet she sensed someone else’s presence all the same.

Someone was lurking in the shadows, watching them. Coco could feel it like a weight on her back. She’d sensed it the day before, too, after she went and picked Airi up from preschool.

They were being followed.

“………”

“Coco? Is something wrong?”

“No, no… It’s nothing. Come along now; let’s hurry on back. We have to tell your father about your wonderful accomplishment. I’m sure hearing about it will help him get better in no time.”

Coco forced herself to grin, then pulled Airi along by the hand. As she did, she felt for the dagger she kept concealed within her garment.

“Haa…”

A castle stood in the center of Dulleskoff behind its protective walls. Once, it had served as Dulleskoff City Hall, but now it housed Elm’s Department of the Interior. Lyrule’s brilliant blond hair bobbed as she walked atop the hallway’s deep-blue carpets and sighed.

Her heart was overflowing with gloom, and there was no end to it in sight. It was because of Tsukasa and Ringo’s exchange that one day.

She saw them, hand in hand.

Now, they probably weren’t lovers. Lyrule had been around the pair for a few months. Undoubtedly, she would’ve noticed if they were dating. After witnessing that scene, though, there was one thing Lyrule was sure of: Ringo’s feelings.

She had glimpsed Ringo’s face when she took Tsukasa’s hands, asked him to rely on her, and decided never to leave him on his own.

That one glance had told Lyrule everything. After all, she herself harbored the exact same emotion. Ringo Oohoshi loved Tsukasa Mikogami. She probably had for a long time.

It was probable that Ringo had loved Tsukasa for far longer than Lyrule had.

I…

Whenever Lyrule thought about that fact, her heart ached. She didn’t know what to do with these feelings she had. Ever since that day, she and Ringo had been on strained terms.

When they passed each other in the hallway, they would avert their gazes and quietly exchange generic pleasantries. Ringo had probably realized how Lyrule felt, too.

…It hurts.

Lyrule had never known that loving someone could hurt so badly.

What…what should I do…?

She had no idea.

Despite her confusion, the young woman was certain of one thing. Elch had been right—at some point, Tsukasa and the others were going to leave this world behind.

Compounding things, Lyrule had heard the shocking news that the Imperial Grandmaster was allegedly from another planet, just like her friends were, and he knew a way to send them back home. That meant that the Prodigies’ departure was probably going to come sooner rather than later.

Lyrule and Tsukasa were from different worlds. That alone was an unfathomable gap. Eventually, their shared path would split. And if that was the case, then could Lyrule really justify getting in Ringo’s way? In the end, the inventor was the one who would get to stay by Tsukasa’s side. Wasn’t continuing to pursue anything with Tsukasa selfish of Lyrule? No matter how much she thought about it, no answer seemed forthcoming.

“Haa…” Instead, all that poured out of her were pained sighs. If Lyrule didn’t let them out, she felt like the gloom was going to swallow her whole.

Lyrule continued brooding until she reached her destination. It was the interim secretary of the interior’s office. That’s where Tsukasa worked.

A short while ago, Tsukasa had called for Lyrule over the portable terminal she’d been given. She didn’t know what he needed her for, but in all honestly, she didn’t really want to see him at the moment.

However, Lyrule’s personality wasn’t one that would let her shirk her duties for personal reasons, so she dragged her heavy heart and body to his office anyway. After another depressed exhale, the young blond woman steeled herself and knocked on the door.

“Tsukasa, are you there? It’s me, Lyrule.”

“Hello! I’ll come open it, so please just wait a moment.”

When she did, a soprano voice she’d never heard before responded from the other side. The door opened, and Lyrule was greeted by an unfamiliar byuma boy sporting glasses and a golden fox tail and ears.

Who’s this…?

Lyrule was bewildered. She hadn’t expected to be greeted by some strange boy two or three years her junior.

For the boy’s part, he froze and gawked at her for a moment, perhaps dumbstruck by her beauty. However, he quickly remembered his role and gave her a broad, friendly smile.

“I apologize for the wait. Please, come right on in.”

He opened the door wide and stepped out of Lyrule’s way. Inside, she saw the person who summoned her, Tsukasa, as well as Winona.

“Hey there, Lyrule!”

“Lyrule. Sorry for calling you here so abruptly.”

“O-oh, don’t worry about it. I was free anyway…” came Lyrule’s timid response as she meekly entered.

Upon seeing her uneasy gaze and gait, Tsukasa quickly figured out what was giving her pause. “Ah, him? He’s an exchange student from the Freyjagard Empire. A part of the nonaggression pact we signed included a study-abroad program designed to deepen the friendship between our two nations. He and a few other students came to Elm to learn about our ways and technology.”

“My name is Nio Harvey, and I arrived in the Republic of Elm yesterday. Since then, I’ve had the great honor of shadowing Mr. Tsukasa and learning about your country’s unique political system.”

Tsukasa watched Nio give Lyrule a courteous greeting, and he smiled wryly. “He’s too kind. We only just founded our republic, and I’ve been so up to my neck in work that I’ve just been using him as my secretary. I’m such a poor excuse for a mentor that I haven’t found the time to give him a single lesson yet.”

“Oh, not at all! Just being by your side is far more educational than any of my classes back in the empire, Mr. Tsukasa!”

When Winona heard that, she giggled from atop the guest sofa. “Ah-ha-ha. Found yourself quite the cute little disciple there, didn’cha? …Still, though, isn’t equality sort of a dirty word back home for ya?”

Nio smiled evasively. “Well, you might say that. We aren’t too fond of democracy itself, but even without equality for all parts, we still have a lot to learn from you regarding health care policy and efficient governing. For example, Mr. Tsukasa, your attitude about being prepared for any situation that might arise is an invaluable example to learn from for any leader.”

“I just do what’s necessary to carry out my responsibilities, that’s all,” Tsukasa replied. Then he looked over to Lyrule and Winona and moved on to the main topic. “Now, we can leave the exchange students’ formal introductions for another time. The reason I called you two here today was that I have a small request I wanted to make.”

“A request?”

“For Lyrule and me?”

Tsukasa nodded, then explained, “You heard the news, I imagine? We were attacked on our way back from the cease-fire meeting by a group acting on behalf of the notable Weltenbruger family. Our commander, Zest du Bernard, is currently at his house recuperating from his injuries.”

“Y-yes, I did,” Lyrule said.

“What about it?” Winona inquired.

“Well, it would seem that a suspicious person began following him at almost exactly the same time he began his bedrest,” said Tsukasa.

“What sort of suspicious person?” Lyrule asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“I wonder if the empire’s tryin’ to stir up another mess,” Winona spat with disdain.

“The border is under strict guard, so the possibility of that is slim. I suspect they’re from inside Elm, and they’re probably affiliated with the former nobles. Bernard went from an Imperial Silver Knight to the commander of the Order of the Seven Luminaries, and that didn’t make him any friends among the empire’s supporters.”

“Yeah, that’s plenty reason enough to want to mess ’im up,” observed Winona.

Tsukasa nodded. “Bernard realized that himself, so he sent his maid, Coco, and his daughter back to his parents’ home in Dormundt just to be safe. It was a good decision, but his wife passed away some time ago, so now there isn’t anyone left to take care of him here. That’s a problem, especially because Keine gave him strict instructions to stay in bed.” He turned his focus to Winona and Lyrule. “I was hoping I could ask you two to serve as his nurses for the time being.”

That was why he’d called them there that day.

Lyrule nodded her assent without so much as hesitating. She’d heard from Keine just how bad Zest’s injuries were, and she could imagine how difficult it would be for him to so much as prepare a meal in that state. “Of course. Things have settled down for Keine, so she won’t need my help for a bit.”

“I don’t have much that needs doin’, either, but…I’m not too good with fiddly stuff like nursing, y’know?” Winona stated.

“Oh, I’m well aware,” Tsukasa quipped.

“You pickin’ a fight with me, kiddo?”

“Ah, forgive me. I shouldn’t have said that out loud.”

“Y’ain’t even takin’ it back?!”

Winona was utterly indignant, but Lyrule knew exactly where Tsukasa was coming from.

Right after the Prodigies’ plane had crashed, when none of them were well enough to move, Winona was the one in charge of taking care of the boys (with one exception). Her methods weren’t negligent per se, but she lacked any sort of moderation. She had a bad habit of winding bandages so tight that they cracked bones, and Lyrule often had to come in afterward and rebind them.

Winona insisted that tighter was naturally better, but any reasonable person would realize that such a thing stopped being the case once you started causing hypostasis.

Lyrule couldn’t blame Tsukasa for holding a grudge about that.

Disregarding Winona’s protest, Tsukasa continued. “Winona, the job I had in mind for you was less nursing and more acting as Bernard and Lyrule’s bodyguard. Whoever this stalker is, they might try something. We’ll have soldiers standing watch as well, but considering that this person might be affiliated with the former nobles, we need to account for the connections and money they’ll have access to. They could easily plant their own men in among the guards.”

Tsukasa had full faith in Winona, both in terms of her integrity and her fighting prowess.

“With Aoi unable to fight at her best right now, you’re the best woman for the job. As powerful as Lyrule’s magic is, she’s not suited for turning it on others.”

“Ah, I getcha… Well, I wasn’t planning on stickin’ around here too long, but…yeah, sure. Leave it to me. And if there really is some creep slinking around, I’ll be sure to nab ’em for ya.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

After thanking Winona, he turned to Lyrule and offered the same sentiment.

“And thank you, too, Lyrule.”

Unfortunately, the moment the young woman saw Tsukasa’s red and blue eyes head-on, all the gloom from before came rushing back to her at once—

“O-oh, it’s nothing… Helping people out when they’re in trouble is what we Elm Village people do.”

—and she reflexively averted her gaze.

After being entrusted with protecting and nursing Zest, Lyrule and Winona headed to Dulleskoff’s high-end residential district later that day.

The house was a two-story building with a blue roof, and it was a good deal too large for just three people—a father, a child, and a live-in maid—to live in.

Lyrule stopped before the front door.

“Mr. Bernard, it’s Lyrule. Pardon the intrusion.” After two knocks, she took the key Tsukasa gave her, unlocked the door, and went inside. Then she headed to the room where Zest was resting and knocked once more.

“Mr. Bernard, I’m coming in.” After announcing her presence, Lyrule entered.

There, Zest was waiting for her atop his king-size bed. “Sorry for having you come all this way, Lyrule. I told Mr. Tsukasa I could manage on my own, but…”

“Oh no, Mr. Bernard, that won’t do at all. If you don’t follow Dr. Keine’s instructions, you’ll slow down your recovery.”

“Fair ’nuff. By the way…who’s the lovely byuma lady?”

“Nice ta meetcha! The name’s Winona. I guess you could say I’m one of the original members of this big movement y’all are running. Word is there’s a creep about, so I came along to protect you and Lyrule.”

“Ah, you must be Elch’s mother. He told me about your work back at Findolph’s castle, making fools of those Bronze Knights with a sickle and whatnot. I tell you, women from hunting villages are somethin’ else.”

“Oh, you. That’s no way to praise a lady. I mean, just look at this smooth, silky tail just beggin’ to be complemented.”

Winona wagged her well-maintained tail back and forth, to which Zest replied, “Bein’ smooth was never one of my strong points,” with a placative smile.

“Still, these are some nice digs you’ve got. You might not be a Silver Knight anymore, but you sure live like one,” Winona observed.

“Nah, this is just a rental. I ain’t exactly the smallest guy around, so I always end up havin’ to stay in giant-ass houses like this one.”

Although Zest wasn’t on the same level as the white-faced samurai named Shishi, he was pretty large in his own right. In any ordinary house, he’d end up banging his head on every doorframe.

As a result, he always ended up living in places much too big for three people.

“Honestly, I’d be happier just staying in the barracks, but that ain’t exactly a place to raise a kid. My maid’s always grumbling about how much work these places are to clean, though,” Zest admitted.

“Why not just remarry? You used to be Dormundt’s captain of the guard, no? Surely there’s plenty of ladies who’d’ve been happy to have ya,” remarked Winona.

“You sure you’re one to talk?”

“Oh no, a good woman like me stays faithful to her husband even after he passes.”

“Ha-ha… Well, I’m a guy, so I guess that don’t apply to me, but…I’d feel bad, makin’ someone put up with a geezer with a kid. Between that and me not knowin’ how my daughter would take it, I can’t bring myself to take the plunge. The old mayor kept trying to set me up with people, but I always turned him down.”

“All that for your daughter, huh?”

“’Course. She’s my whole life.”

“There’s such a thing as too doting, y’know… Not that I don’t get how you feel.”

“Winona…”

Suddenly, Winona loudly clapped her hands together and changed the subject.

“Anyhow! Can’t stand around yammering all day. C’mon, Lyrule, let’s get to work cleaning the giant-ass house.”

“Ah, right.”

Winona made to exit the bedroom, and Lyrule followed.

As they left, Zest gave them a bow. “Sorry for the trouble, and thanks for the help.”

Once she made it into the hallway, Lyrule sped up so she could catch Winona. “Winona, I can take care of the cleaning by myself. Why not give Mr. Bernard some company?”

“Really? This big ol’ house? All on your own?”

Lyrule nodded and withdrew her magic wand from her pocket. “Not alone, exactly. I’ll have the spirits help out.”

“Ah, that’s right, I heard you learned how to use magic.”

“…I’m afraid I won’t be any assistance in a fight, but I’m an expert when it comes to chores.”

“Well, ain’t that something. I’ll have to take you up on that later.”

“Hmm? Later?”

“Yup. After I’m done with my job.”

As Lyrule cocked her head in confusion, Winona grabbed one of the swords hanging from the corridor wall.

“Wh-what do you need that for?”

“I can smell ’em.”

“You can what?”

“There’s the three of us, sure, but there’s a fourth smell wafting through this place. It’s the scent of a human who’s somewhere they shouldn’t be.”

When Lyrule looked at Winona’s face, she could see her expression had a focused hunter’s tension. Winona’s olfactory sense was as sharp as it had ever been, and she was confident there was a foreign entity lurking in the house. Both she and Lyrule had a pretty good idea of who that must be.

“Oh no, could it be…that suspicious person Tsukasa was talking about?”

“You wait here.”

With weapon in hand, Winona began tracking the scent.

“W-wait for me!” Once again, Lyrule rushed after her. “I can at least back you up.”

“All right. I’m counting on you, then.”

Winona looked back. When she saw Lyrule clenching her wand with a white-knuckle grip and a tense expression, she gave her a gentle smile…then stopped in her tracks.

“Here.”

The domicile had so many rooms that Zest had taken to stuffing some of them full of unneeded goods, and before long, they’d basically become storehouses. The space before them was one such chamber.

Lyrule gulped.

Winona reached for the doorknob. “We’re going in. Get ready.”

Then she threw the door open and charged in with her sword brandished.

The moment she did—

“Myaaaaarwl!!!!”

—the cat who’d been napping atop the mountain of crates inside leaped up and snarled at her.

“.………”

“A-a cat…?”

It looked like someone had forgotten to close the storehouse’s window. That must have been how the cat got in. Seeing that, Lyrule relaxed.

“O-oh, well, that’s okay. Look, Winona. A cat snuck in; that’s all.”

However, Winona was different. Her expression was just as tense as before.

“Nah, there’s a big ol’ rat in here, too. Right…here!”

She plunged her sword into the wardrobe right beside the cat. Or rather, she tried to. Her goal had been to skewer both its door and the person lurking inside in a single strike.

And yet…

“…!”

All of a sudden, the armoire exploded from within. When its doors swung open, one of them hit her sword and knocked its thrust away. Thankfully, Winona had foreseen as much. When the door struck the sword in her left hand, it went flying off with next to no resistance. She had already let go of it. Winona’s true strike was the one she was making with the self-defense knife in her right hand.

No sooner had her sword been tossed away than she shoved her other weapon into the armoire. Unfortunately, when she did, she didn’t feel the soft give of flesh like she’d expected. Something hard had met Winona’s attack.

A naked sword glinted in the darkness. That was what had stopped her knife.

Not bad!

The blade was digging into the knife’s hilt, preventing it from going any farther.

Winona was impressed. Whoever this burglar was, they managed to stave off her chain of blows narrowly.

It was a vain struggle, though.

The moment they chose to hide in that wardrobe with no way to escape, it had become their coffin. Winona pushed the knife forward with all her strength—

“P-please waaaaaiiiiit!”

—and when she did, she and Lyrule heard a decidedly out-of-place feminine shriek.

Wait, was that…?!

Recognizing the voice, Lyrule rushed into the room and turned her gaze toward the wardrobe.

“J-Jeanne?!”

Inside was their new ally that Shinobu had poached from the Blue Brigade. The former Imperial Silver Knight Jeanne Leblanc.

The identity of the assailant left Lyrule speechless.

When Winona realized that, she let up on her knife just a little and shot her a question. “What, you know her?”

“Ah yes. She’s a member of the Order of the Seven Luminaries, like Mr. Bernard.”

“So you’re saying the suspicious person was one of his knights all along?”

Jeanne frantically shook her head to deny it. “S-suspicious person?! Me? No, no, this is all a misunderstanding! I—I can explain!”

“A misunderstanding, huh? Don’t think you’re talking your way outta this one, missy.” Winona pressed back down on her knife.

However, Lyrule quickly put a hand on the older woman’s shoulder. “Winona, would you let me talk to her for a moment?”

“…Fine.”

Winona, still on her guard, lowered her knife and took a step back. Lyrule stepped forward as though trading places with her, then spoke to Jeanne. “Jeanne, um…what exactly are you doing, lurking in a place like this?”

Jeanne stepped out from the wardrobe and began explaining the situation. Why had she been sneaking around Zest’s house? Oddly enough…it was the exact same reason Lyrule and Winona were there.

“From your conversation just now, it sounds like you already know, but I heard that, ever since he got injured, Commander Bernard’s had a suspicious figure following him. The commander only got hurt because he was protecting me, so I thought that, this time, I should be the one to guard him…”

“So you’re saying you came here to protect him from them, just like us?”

“Exactly.” Jeanne nodded.

Lyrule had heard from Shinobu just how strong Jeanne’s moral character was. It was hard to imagine that she was working with the nobles. In all likelihood, she was telling the truth.

That was enough to satisfy Lyrule. “What, so it was a false alarm?” Winona sighed. “Still, you shouldn’t go sneaking into a person’s house all suspicious-like.”

“I-I’m terribly sorry.” Jeanne bowed apologetically. “But even now, with the republic established, the commander still has many enemies from when the empire was in control. With his injuries rendering him immobile, I couldn’t overlook the possibility that they would take that opportunity to claim his life. Up until yesterday, I was merely watching over his family in secret to make sure no such villains could attack them, but given the news about this suspicious stalker, it would seem I was lax in my guard. That’s why I decided to hide somewhere that would allow me to rush to protect Commander Bernard at a moment’s notice, impropriety be damned.”

“Ah, so that’s why.”

Zest had been wounded while protecting Jeanne, so the honorable young woman was prepared to throw her pride to the wind to make sure nothing happened to him. That sense of diligence and obligation was entirely in character for her.

And yet…

…Hmm?

There was something about Jeanne’s explanation that seemed off to Lyrule.

“It’s odd, though… I’ve been vigilantly watching over the commander and his family, but I’ve yet to so much as spot this stalker. Whoever the fiend is, they’re quite skilled. They might even be a professional assassin,” Jeanne admitted.

“………”

A moment later, Lyrule figured out what seemed strange about this whole situation.

Winona, who’d been listening in from behind Lyrule, seemed to come to the same realization. “Y’know, I feel like I just cracked this whole darn case, and the answer is really, really stupid.”

“…What a coincidence. So do I,” Lyrule said.

“Hmm? What are you two talking about?”

The two of them looked accusatorily at Jeanne, and she stared back at them blankly.

Winona spoke. “So from what you just said, you’ve been following the man’s family around since before you heard about the suspicious person, yeah?”

“That’s right. I was afraid that one of Commander Bernard’s enemies might try to take them hostage.”

“And a short while later, the maid sensed someone suspicious following her and talked to the commander about it.”

“Exactly. That was what proved to me that he was in real danger. However, I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t detect this person in the slightest… It would seem that I still have a ways to go.”

“No, no, no. That ain’t it at all.”

“Huh?”

“You followin’? The maid felt you watching her and turned around. But she couldn’t see you ’cause you were hiding in the shadows. She knew someone was watching her, but she didn’t know who, so she got scared and told Zest about it. In other words…”

With that, Winona thrust her index finger at Jeanne and revealed the decisive truth.

“…You were the culprit all along.”

Jeanne’s eyes went wide. After hearing Winona’s chronological breakdown, she finally realized how the situation had looked from Coco’s perspective.

“Oh…oh noooooooo!” Jeanne yelped, her cheeks so red it looked as though they’d caught on fire. “Wh-wh-what an utter fool I’ve been, t-to cause such problems for everyone! How can I ever apologize?!”

Her own culpability hadn’t even crossed her mind. Realizing that she’d inadvertently been terrorizing Zest’s family sent Jeanne into a panic. She looked to be on the verge of tears.

The situation was ridiculous enough to laugh at, but Jeanne’s expression was heartbreaking all the same.

I feel kind of bad for her…

Jeanne did everything with the best of intentions, but her actions backfired spectacularly.

Given the circumstances, it would be downright heartless to drag her off to Tsukasa and Zest and brand her as the perpetrator.

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Lyrule said, comforting her. “Nobody’s in any danger, and that’s what matters. It’s for the best that it was all just a misunderstanding. Isn’t that right, Winona?”

“True ’nuff,” Winona agreed. “If you were that worried about Zest and his family, why not just talk to him about it? That would’ve prevented this whole mess.”

It was a perfectly legitimate concern. Lyrule, agreeing with Winona, turned her gaze toward Jeanne. For some reason, though, Jeanne started fidgeting.

“Well, you see… I, um…”

Her face flushed red again, but this time, it wasn’t from panic and self-condemnation. She seemed embarrassed and oddly tantalized.

Lyrule couldn’t understand why, but…

“Ah-ha-ha. What, you’re head over heels for the guy?” Winona inquired with a broad grin.

“Come on, Winona, you’re being ridiculous,” Lyrule admonished. “Just think about how different their ages are. Why, he’s old enough to be her father.”

Plus, Zest had a child of his own. The more Lyrule thought about it, the sillier it seemed. Besides, it was rude to make wild assumptions like that about people anyway.

“Right, Jeanne?” Lyrule asked, hoping the red-haired woman would validate her refutation of Winona’s proposal.

“I…………………………………………………”

Instead of agreeing with Lyrule, Jeanne merely hung her head, face utterly scarlet.

Wh-whaaaaaat?!

Somehow, Winona’s bold claim had been right.

Jeanne’s reaction made that more than apparent. However…

“…W-wait, it’s true?”

“I-it’s strange, right? Falling for a man old enough to be my father and one who already is a father…”

“Huh?! N-no, I wouldn’t say…it’s strange…”

Indeed, it wasn’t bizarre at all. Lyrule had been surprised, sure, but Zest was a handsome man. She could certainly see the appeal. Unfortunately…Lyrule also knew what Zest had said just moments ago.

For his daughter’s sake, he wasn’t planning on remarrying. Knowledge of that left Lyrule unsure how best to respond.

As Lyrule stood there, torn, Winona pushed her aside and cheered Jeanne on. “It’s not odd at all. Age doesn’t have squat to do with love. Besides, I’m sure he’d prefer someone younger over someone his age anyway.”

“D-do you think so…?”

“Of course. They always say wives and carpets are better new, don’t they?”

“W-Winona!”

As a delighted look spread across Jeanne’s face, Lyrule pulled Winona aside and whispered in her ear. “What do you think you’re doing, going and giving her ideas like that?!”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Wh-why, Mr. Bernard just told us that he wasn’t thinking of remarrying, didn’t he?”

“That’s his problem. Doesn’t have anything to do with Jeanne, does it?”

“Well, um, maybe not, but…”

Even so, Winona was getting Jeanne fired up about a man unlikely to return her affection.

In Lyrule’s opinion, that was a pretty cruel thing to do, but Winona didn’t slow down, pushing her aside once more and offering Jeanne a suggestion. “Y’know, this could be your chance. Why not try cooking the guy’s dinner for him tonight?”

“M-me? Cook?”

“Sure. It was gonna be our job, but I don’t see anything wrong with you takin’ over. I’m telling you, a lovely young wife who can cook is a surefire hit with the fellas.”

“A lovely young wife… B-but as much as it shames me to admit it, the only time I’ve ever cooked was when they taught us how to make field rations at the Knight Academy, and that’s not exactly something fit to serve to others…”

“No worries. You’ve got a top-notch assistant right here—Lyrule!”

“M-me?!”

Lyrule hadn’t expected to get dragged in, and her eyes went wide.

Winona continued pointing at the hapless blond as she went on. “I mean, just take a gander at her. All that warm, inviting softness, why, it’s like her whole body’s screamin’ that she was born to be a lovely young wife. Plus, she’s got huge honkers.”

“Wh-what does that have to do with anything?!” Lyrule exclaimed.

“You’re right…! She would look fantastic in an apron!”

“Not you too, Jeanne!”

Jeanne’s sudden agreement left Lyrule shocked. Before Lyrule had time to recover, Jeanne snatched her hands and made an ardent plea. “U-um! If you don’t mind, Lyrule, please, make me into a lovely young wife like you!”

“I’m not even married!”

As such, it was a hard request for her to fulfill.

And yet—

Oh dear…

—Jeanne’s pleading gaze was the exact sort of thing Lyrule was weak against. She couldn’t bring herself to turn the other woman down. It was also beyond Lyrule to admit that Zest wasn’t interested and that any effort on Jeanne’s part would be wasted.

Caught between two complicated options, Lyrule sighed. “…Putting the part about being a wife aside, I’d be happy to help you learn how to cook. I…I am good at preparing food, after all.” One way or another, dinner would have to get made, so Lyrule didn’t mind helping Jeanne out.

Jeanne squeezed Lyrule’s hands and cried “Thank you so much!” from the bottom of her heart.

The only thing Lyrule could respond with was a forced smile. She couldn’t even figure out what to do about her own love problems. How was she supposed to help bring another’s to fruition?

Once they finished their conversation in the storage room, Jeanne went to Zest and explained her inadvertently caused misunderstanding. Then, after apologizing profusely for the trouble she created, she declared that she would help the other two look after him. Zest told her not to worry about it, but Jeanne knew that she couldn’t back down if she wanted her plan to work.

“No, no, I insist,” Jeanne persisted. Eventually, she practically forced poor Zest to let her join Lyrule and Winona.

After cleaning up the house, the three women headed to the Dulleskoff market to buy dinner ingredients.

“So this is what a market is like?!” Jeanne’s eyes gleamed as she looked over the myriad colorful foods on display. “Wow, they really do sell all sorts of things here.”

Seeing how excited she was, Lyrule inquired, “Jeanne, have you never been to a place like this before?”

Jeanne nodded, a little ashamed. “I’ve walked through them, but this is my first time actually looking closely at all the goods. My maid, Elaine, handles all my day-to-day shopping, you see…”

“Ah.” Lyrule nodded.

Put simply, Jeanne wasn’t just bad at cooking but at shopping, too.

Jeanne didn’t know how to find the freshest vegetables, the choicest cuts of meats, or the cheapest shops. Lyrule would have to teach her all that, too.

Now understanding just how steep her task of helping Jeanne was becoming, Lyrule again asked a question. “Well, why don’t we start by deciding on the menu. Is there anything you’d like to make for Mr. Bernard?”

“O-oh, I don’t know. I’m sorry, I don’t know the names of many dishes.”

“What about something you remember eating and liking yourself? If you tell me what it was like, I’m sure we can re-create it,” Lyrule said.

Jeanne took a moment to think about the suggestion. Finally, she replied, “There is one thing, I guess. Elaine made this dish the other day that was incredibly tasty and elaborate. It would be nice to make something like that.”

“What exactly was it?”

“Um, it was a rectangular thing of minced meat about yea big with vegetables and eggs mixed in.”

When she saw the shape Jeanne was making with her hands, Lyrule realized what she was getting at. “Oh, that sounds like a meat loaf.”

“You’ve heard of it?” Winona asked.

“It was in the cookbook that Adel once brought me from the imperial capital as a souvenir. It’s supposed to be a common meal for nobles down there to eat,” explained Lyrule.

Winona grinned. “A young, metropolitan wife who can make dishes from the imperial capital, eh? Doesn’t get better than that.”

“Right? With meat loaf, you don’t just grill the meat. You grind it up so you can shape it. It gives the dish a very refined feel,” Lyrule said.

“Sounds like we’ve got a winner. A one-dish meal feels a little sparse, though. Anything else you can think of?” pressed Winona.

Jeanne took another moment to think.

Suddenly, her eyes went wide. She’d thought of something. “This is just a rumor Elaine heard, so it might not be true, but there’s been talk of a miraculous food that can cure any ailment. Allegedly, it has a divine flavor unlike anything that came before it, and a single bite of it will cause its taste to linger on your tongue for a full three days. If such a thing really exists, I’d love to be able to get some for Commander Bernard…”

“I-is there truly a dish that amazing?!” Lyrule asked.

“Sounds sketchy,” Winona remarked. “It’s got the same cultish smell to it as that company my husband told me about that sold lamps that could grant wishes, charms that’d grant you eternal youth just by sticking them on your body, and stuff like that. What’s this stuff called?”

“If I remember right, it was…mayonnaise?”

Lyrule choked.

“What’s wrong?” Jeanne inquired worriedly.

“N-n-nothing, nothing at all!”

As Lyrule shook her head rapidly to try to hide how stunned she was, she sifted through her memory. As she did, she recalled how Masato had distributed mayonnaise across Dormundt and claimed it was a gift from God as part of his scheme to get the city to surrender without having to shed a drop of blood.

“Well, no wonder it seemed cultish. ’Cause it came from a cult.”

“W-Winona, be quiet! Shh! People outside of Elm Village aren’t supposed to know that!”

After shutting Winona up, Lyrule turned back to Jeanne.

“Actually, I’m afraid mayonnaise doesn’t have all those amazing effects you said. It’s really just a sauce.”

“Ah. Well, that’s a shame.”

“Still, it is very tasty. I’m sure Mr. Bernard would love to have some. I even know the recipe, so would you like to try making some?”

“Really?! Please, teach me your ways!”

“Of course.” Lyrule nodded. In her mind, a menu was forming.

Mayonnaise didn’t really work as a stand-alone dish. What’s more, an entrée of meat loaf alone really lacked some greens. As such, Lyrule suggested to the other two that they could round out the meal with a steamed vegetable salad.

With a plan set, the three women divided up the labor. Lyrule and Jeanne would get the vegetables, and Winona was in charge of the meat.

A little while after they split up…

Jeanne brought Lyrule a large white radish. “Lyrule, look at this wonderful daikon! What do you think?”

It was plump and firm, and its leaves were magnificently large. However…

“Hmm. It certainly looks impressive, but…” Lyrule took a close look at its leaves. “Oh, I knew it. It isn’t as heavy as it looks, and it’s already bolted.”

“Is that bad?”

“If you leave daikon in the ground for too long, they begin flowering, and the roots will get cracked. The flowers are stealing up all the roots’ nutrients, you see. Once that happens, it makes the daikon taste hard and dry. The ones over there are smaller, but because they’ve ripened correctly, they’ll be a lot tastier.”

“Ah, so bigger isn’t always better? I would never have guessed… How do you know so much about food?” Jeanne queried.

“Well, back in my village, I was always in charge of cooking.”

“Wow! I suppose that lovely young-wife energy you give off isn’t just for show!”

“I’m very sure it is.”

From there, Lyrule continued teaching Jeanne what to look for in vegetables, and the pair quickly made their way through the shopping list. Together, the two managed to buy just about everything they needed. For some reason, though, Winona still wasn’t back with the meat.

Wondering what was going on, Lyrule and Jeanne made for the butcher section of the market. There they discovered Winona standing in front of the jerky hanging from one shop’s eaves with a troubled expression.

“Winona, what’s going on?” Lyrule asked.

Winona pointed at the dried meat. “Take a gander here.”

“Why? Is there something wrong with the jerky?”

“What’s wrong is there’s nothing but jerky. Nothin’ fresh anywhere.”

“Oh, you’re right…”

The only things hanging from the eaves were cuts of cured meat.

The shopkeeper, a well-built, older woman, came out and explained Dulleskoff’s situation to them. “Sorry about that, gals. The whole area around the city is a big old breadbasket, so we don’t get much fresh game in these parts. Dried stuff’s so much more cost-efficient to transport, so none of the nearby villages want to go to the trouble of bringing us livestock. The Amartya Trading Company sometimes has wild boar in stock when they’re lucky enough to catch one, but even then, it’s so expensive it never makes its way down to public markets like ours.”

It was only then that Lyrule realized she couldn’t think of a single time she’d seen fresh meat for sale in Dulleskoff.

Winona’s shoulders slumped. “Haa… I never imagined fresh meat’d be that scarce. That’s a bummer. Wild boar are so tasty this time of year… And nutritious, too! Eating liver’s great for making you get better.”

“It is?” Jeanne asked.

“That’s the sayin’ back in our village, at least. Great for replenishing lost blood and all. Dunno how true it is, though. Dr. Keine’d probably be better to ask there,” admitted Winona.

“That really is disappointing, then…,” Jeanne said, dejected.

“Yeah, but if there isn’t any for sale, then there’s not much we can do about it. Let’s just get some of the smoked stuff and head back,” proposed Lyrule.

However, Winona immediately shot the compromise down. “Screw that! You’re giving up too easy!”

“…Winona?” Lyrule looked over at the byuma, not sure what she was talking about. Winona turned to face Jeanne. “Jeanne, was it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Anyone ever tell you that love is the most important ingredient?”

“I’ve heard the saying, yes…”

“Well, it’s true. Now, you know how to do that? You know what specifically you gotta put in a dish to fill it up with love?”

“…Blood?”

Oh my! Lyrule thought.

“Close!” Winona replied.

“I-it was?!” yelped Lyrule, startled.

“What you need is the resolve not to be afraid of sweating and bleeding. You gotta be ready to go to any lengths for the person you care for. That sentiment right there, that’s the best spice there is.”

“Y-you’re right!” Jeanne exclaimed.

“………”

Jeanne was thoroughly convinced, but Lyrule eyed Winona suspiciously.

Winona sounds serious…

That was a bad sign. There was no telling what Winona would say next, but it wasn’t going to be anything good. Lyrule had known her long enough to be absolutely certain of that.

And sure enough, her premonition was on the mark.

Winona wrapped her arm around Jeanne’s shoulders. “And to that end, let’s go hunt us up some wild boar!”

Her suggestion was downright absurd. And to make matters worse…

“Of course! I’m an excellent hunter!”

“Whaaaaaat?!”

Seeing Jeanne wholly on board with Winona’s nonsense sent Lyrule into a tizzy. Meanwhile, Winona continued on full speed ahead. “Now that we’ve got that settled, the first step is to hitch us a ride.”

“I have a carriage over at the barracks; why don’t we use that?” Jeanne proposed.

“H-hold on just a minute!” Lyrule cried. “Are you two serious?!”

“Of course,” Winona replied. “It’s boar season right now, so their livers are all soft and juicy.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to run off hunting on the spur of the moment like that!”

“No, Lyrule,” Jeanne interjected. “I want to do whatever’s in my power to make a delicious meal for the commander… I may not know how to pick out vegetables, but I learned how to hunt boar as part of my survival training. How am I supposed to become a lovely young wife if I don’t give this my all?”

“Last time I checked, lovely young wives don’t usually run off to the mountains to hunt boar!”

At that rate, Jeanne was going to get completely sucked in. Lyrule had to think fast if she was going to talk the lovestruck woman out of going. “B-besides, it’s already starting to get late. Even if you leave now, it’ll be dark by the time you get back. Think of how hungry Mr. Bernard will get if you make him wait that long for dinner.”

“Ah… You’re right,” said Jeanne, finally seeing reason.

“Boo. All I wanted was to celebrate spring with some cold beer and some fresh boar stew…,” Winona moaned.

“So you had ulterior motives after all…,” muttered Lyrule.

Suddenly, a thunderous racket echoed out from across the market, interrupting the conversation. It sounded like something was being trampled and crushed underfoot. People started screaming.

“Wh-what the hell is that thing?!”

“Someone call the Knight Order! Hurry!”

“It’s coming this way!”

“Ruuuuuuuuuun!”

A wave of people came charging toward them to flee the still-ongoing sounds of mayhem and destruction.

“Wh-what in the world is happening?” Lyrule asked.

“The empire didn’t come and attack us, did they?!” Jeanne cried.

The sudden commotion caused the three of them to freeze in place.

An older man shouted as he came running toward them. “Don’t just stand there! Run!”

“U-um, what exactly is going on?” Lyrule asked him.

“Amartya just got this gigantic boar in, but it escaped, and it’s going on a rampage!”

The moment the words left the elderly man’s mouth, Lyrule felt a tremendous gust of wind blow past her on either side. She felt an ominous, knowing hunch come over her as she looked to see that Jeanne and Winona had vanished in the blink of an eye.

“Oh, I knew it! They’re gone!”

They had charged directly toward the source of the chaos.

By the time Lyrule finally caught up to them—

“Got your fresh boar right here!”

—Winona’s exuberant voice was already echoing through the market.

“That was incredible. Who are those two?!”

“They took down that massive boar with just a sword and a billhook!”

“Whew! Lookin’ good there, ladies!”

“………”

Pushing through the gathered crowd, Lyrule made her way to the pair of troublesome women.

When she got to its center, she found a massive boar probably ten feet tall, as well as Jeanne and Winona standing victoriously atop it. Upon sensing Lyrule’s gaze, Jeanne pulled her blood-soaked sword out from the boar’s gut and beamed as she waved it at her like one would a hand.

“Look, Lyrule! Now we have all the ingredients we need for our metropolitan meat loaf!”

Despite Jeanne’s radiant smile, Lyrule couldn’t bring herself to meet the swordfighter’s eyes. At the moment, Jeanne was the spitting image of a savage outland barbarian.

Shortly after Jeanne and Winona took down the rampaging boar before it could hurt anyone, its owners from the Amartya Trading Company came running frantically after it. As they explained it, the boar was bigger than they had anticipated, and the hammer at their meat-processing plant had failed to knock it out properly. That was how the great beast had escaped.

As a knight in charge of maintaining law and order in the city, Jeanne immediately gave them a harsh reprimand for their negligence. She declared that the Knight Order would conduct a thorough safety inspection of the Amartya Trading Company’s facilities later.

The Amartya merchants, for their part, were nothing but apologetic. As far as they were concerned, they were just glad that Jeanne and Winona had stepped in before anyone got killed. As thanks for the assistance, they offered the fierce pair of women the freshest cuts of meat. Surprisingly, Jeanne immediately turned them down.

Her wages came from the peoples’ taxes, so it was only reasonable that she worked to protect them. She hadn’t done anything worthy of gratitude, and she thought it improper of her to accept it. However, it was true that Jeanne needed that meat for her dinner.

As such, she offered them a compromise. She was willing to take a few cuts, but she would pay them its fair market value instead of accepting it for free. Because the boar was so much larger than expected, the merchants hadn’t even been sure how they were going to store it all, so they were more than happy to agree to such terms.

Thus, thanks to a stroke of good fortune, Jeanne, Winona, and Lyrule managed to get their hands on exactly what they’d been lacking. They made sure to hurry back to Zest’s house before the boar flesh spoiled.

Once they got to the kitchen, the trio divvied up the roles like before, with Winona grinding up the meat and Lyrule and Jeanne in charge of preparing the vegetables and mayonnaise. Unfortunately, they quickly ran into trouble.

“You’ve never used a kitchen knife before, Jeanne?”

“During my survival training, I was always on the team that gathered the ingredients. Don’t worry, though. I am a knight, after all. I know my way around a blade better than most.”

“Well, I suppose that is true.”

“Of course it is. You worry too much, Lyrule. Hyah!”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“Hmm? I’m just cutting off the stems…”

“It’s dangerous to swing the knife down that hard. You’ll chop your fingers off!”

“It’ll be fine. I am a knight, after all.”

“That sort of overconfidence is a disaster waiting to happen. You have to start being careful before an accident happens, not after. And you don’t want to hack away at the vegetables like that. Instead, you want to slice them carefully and pull them along as you go. And whenever you’re using a knife, always make sure to hold your other hand in a cat’s paw.”

“A what, exactly?”

“A cat’s paw. You curl your finger in like this, so you don’t cut them. Then use that hand to hold the vegetables in place.”

“Um…like I’m doing meow?”

“Adding cat noises really isn’t necessary…”

“M-my apologies…!”

Part of it was probably nerves due to Jeanne’s inexperience, but it also seemed like she just wasn’t great at any sort of delicate endeavor.

Lyrule felt like she was going to have a heart attack just watching the redheaded knight. One thing in particular that scared her was the prospect of Jeanne trying to peel carrots. When Lyrule attempted to do it for her, though, Jeanne insisted that she wanted to do it herself.

She was trying to fill the meal with her feelings for Zest. As such, she sought to make as much of it herself as possible.

In the end, everything Lyrule had been worried would happen did. Not only were the carrots peeled so poorly they looked like burdock, but sure enough, Jeanne ended up nicking her thumb, so their color was closer to red than orange.

However, Jeanne just kept pouring her love into the cooking, never once getting discouraged, never once giving up, and never once complaining.

Seeing how dedicated she was made the ache in Lyrule’s chest grow stronger. Zest wasn’t planning on remarrying. Jeanne’s feelings and efforts wouldn’t sway him. And Lyrule herself had known that all along.

Winona had pulled Lyrule into this whole mess, and she’d ended up helping Jeanne out, but…letting Jeanne work so hard without even warning her made Lyrule feel like she’d done something cruel. For this reason, Lyrule made up her mind to tell Jeanne everything.

“Um, Jeanne…”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Actually, it’s about Mr. Bernard…”

As they put the meat loaf in the oven and waited for it to bake, Lyrule told Jeanne the truth. She explained about the conversation Zest and Winona had right before Lyrule and Winona discovered Jeanne in the wardrobe.

Jeanne listened to it all in silence. When Lyrule was finished, she murmured, “I see…” Her eyebrows slumped, and she let out a little sigh.

Lyrule’s apologetic face was so crestfallen it was like she was the one who’d just heard the news for the first time. “I’m so sorry… I wanted to tell you, but Winona was being so irresponsible and got you so excited that I could never find a good chance…”

Jeanne gave the other young woman a forced smile. “You’re a very kind person, Lyrule, but…you really don’t have to worry about it. To be honest with you, I already suspected that Commander Bernard wasn’t thinking of remarrying.”

“You did?”

“There…were signs. When men who aren’t married…and those who are but pursue women anyway…talk to me, I can generally gauge their interest in me from their body language and how they look at me. Commander Bernard always seems relaxed, no matter who he’s speaking with.”

Lyrule was familiar with what Jeanne was talking about. After all, the long-eared girl was quite attractive herself, so it was fairly common for people to show that kind of interest in her. Such a thing was entirely natural. Just as Lyrule was attracted to Tsukasa, most everyone instinctively sought the affection of others. That was simply the way the majority of people were wired.

However, Jeanne was right. Lyrule had never gotten that vibe from Zest. It was as though he didn’t need that kind of connection with the opposite sex at all. He was complete as a person all on his own. Jeanne had picked up on that and had grown suspicious that the commander didn’t need her in his life. At least, not that way.

Yet…

“But that’s fine. It is what it is,” Jeanne declared, resigned.

“Huh?”

“This is…the first time in my life I’ve ever felt this way about a man. I know that he’s worried about his daughter, and I understand that a younger woman courting him might prove annoying. Even so, I think that if I don’t get a little selfish about what I want, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Jeanne’s cheeks flushed scarlet as she made her bashful declaration and laid her feelings bare.

Faced with such a bold avowal, Lyrule—

“Regret it…for the rest of your life…”

—couldn’t help but think of her own circumstances.

What about her? Would she regret it? The answer was obvious.

“Ah! Lyrule, look!”

Jeanne leaped up from her chair and dashed over to the brick oven.

“It’s finished! See how delicious it looks?”

A savory aroma wafted up from the meat loaf atop its metal platter as Jeanne showed it to Lyrule. It was a perfect rectangle and full to bursting with flavor. The moment the two cut into it, succulent juices would no doubt come exploding out.

Lyrule gave it a big nod. “It looks lovely. Very metropolitan.”

Afterward, Jeanne, Winona, and Lyrule sliced up the completed meat loaf and brought it to Zest’s bedroom along with the salad and some bread.

Upon seeing his dinnertime menu, Zest let out an amazed sound. “Oh-ho… Meat loaf, huh?”

“Oh, so you’ve heard of it?”

Still seated on his bunk, Zest answered Winona’s question with a nod. “My girl can’t get enough of it. Says she won’t eat plain old roasted meat anymore ’cause it’s ‘bumpkin food.’ Honestly, she can be a real handful sometimes.”

“Ha-ha. She’ll grow out of it, don’t you worry.” As Winona made small talk, she placed a wooden board atop the railing on Zest’s bed as a makeshift table and rested his dinner upon that. “Go on, eat it while it’s hot.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Zest did as instructed and took a bite. “…This is great! The flavor’s all rich, but it doesn’t taste greasy at all. What’s your secret?”

“Boars are nice and lean this time of year,” Lyrule replied. “So when you grind up their meat and mix in their livers, you get a nice layered flavor that isn’t overly fatty.”

“Livers are great for replenishin’ blood,” Winona added. “Perfect for someone with injuries like yours. Jeanne worked real hard preparin’ it for you.”

“She did?” Zest inquired, almost doubtful.

“Oh, absolutely. Isn’t that right, Jeanne?” Lyrule added.

Suddenly finding herself thrust into the spotlight by the unexpected wingwoman that was Lyrule, Jeanne’s entire body tensed up, but she managed to force herself to nod timidly. “…Um, was it to your liking?”

Zest bobbed his head with enthusiasm. “Best darn meat loaf I’ve ever had… I can’t let my daughter find out I’ve been eating like this, or she’ll hate me for having sent her back to my folks’.”

He gave Jeanne a lighthearted smile.

Seeing Zest in good humor brought similar expressions to Lyrule’s and Winona’s faces as well. Jeanne remained the odd one out, however.

When she spoke, her face was still as stiff as a board. “The only reason it turned out so well is that Lyrule taught me everything. If I had been on my own, the results wouldn’t have been even half as good.” With a discouraged look in her eyes, Jeanne confessed that the marvelous meal was beyond anything she could have accomplished alone.

Lyrule couldn’t conceive of any proper reason for such an admission, so why had Jeanne done so? It was confusing, and Lyrule opened her mouth to say something in Jeanne’s defense. Whatever words she’d meant to form got jumbled and caught in her throat, however.

Jeanne slowly raised her head and stared straight at Zest. She was so tense it almost hurt just looking at her, and when Lyrule saw that, she couldn’t find anything to say.

Then, after the silence persisted for a moment, Jeanne made her decisive statement. “But I’ll practice hard from now until I can make delicious meals all by myself. And I’ll learn how to shop for ingredients, too. So…would it be okay if I came and cooked for you again tomorrow—and the day after that?”

There was only one reason an unmarried woman would want to come to a single man’s house and prepare food for him. It was as blatant of a proposition as they came.

Even Lyrule and Winona were shocked. Neither of them had expected Jeanne to be nearly so proactive. In the end, though, the person most surprised by the knight’s aggressive tactic was Zest.

His subordinate, a woman young enough to be his daughter, had basically just confessed that she had romantic feelings for him. However, with age came perspective. Surprised as Zest was, he quickly regained his composure, put down his silverware, and sat up straight.

“That kind sentiment’s plenty enough for me.”

He gave Jeanne a small bow. It was a clear rejection.

Surely Jeanne had been expecting that sort of reply, but her expression still looked like she was concealing a deep pain. “…So you’re really not going to remarry out of concern for your daughter?” Jeanne’s voice trembled as she choked out each word.

“That’s part of it, yeah, but…” Zest paused to make sure he met Jeanne’s eye. “Listen, you’re young and beautiful, and you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. It’d be a shame for you to shack up on the spur of the moment with an old fart who’s got a kid. Go on and save your heart for someone better.”

The commander smiled warmly. It was the sort of expression a parent would wear as they watched over a child.

…The two weren’t even on the same playing field. In Zest’s eyes, Jeanne was no different from his actual daughter. To him, she was just a kid. Zest’s response made that unquestionably clear.

Having to hear Zest’s harsh kindness made Lyrule wish she was anywhere else—

“No.”

“…?!”

—but what truly struck her speechless was what Jeanne said next.

“That isn’t a good enough reason for me to give up.”

The Jeanne who’d appeared on the verge of tears had vanished. Instead, there now stood a red-haired woman with eyes that held a burning intensity bordering on anger.

“Someone who was so considerate of me…who would gaze at me so gently, even as he warned me to stay away… I can’t abandon my feelings for someone like that so easily. You of all people should know that, Commander!”

“…!”

“I’ll work hard to get your daughter to like me! I’ll get better at cooking! And as for my age, I’ll eventually be an old lady, too! So…if you’re going to reject me…please, at least reject me…!”

His daughter was one thing.

If that had been Zest’s only reason, Jeanne might have been able to give up on him. There was more to it than just that, however. Out of concern for Jeanne, Zest felt it was his job as her senior to stop her from making a big mistake.

From Jeanne’s perspective, though…that was the height of arrogance. A reason like that would never be enough for her. Her feelings weren’t the kind that could be swayed so easily. As someone who’d undoubtedly loved his late wife, Zest should have been able to understand that.

Jeanne’s insistence caused Zest to hang his head and softly murmur in understanding. “Yeah. Yeah, no, you’re right. Putting on airs and telling you not to feel that way was downright selfish.”

That wasn’t kindness. A man Zest’s age should have known better. After dutifully acknowledging that he shouldn’t have made light of Jeanne’s affections, he raised his head back up and looked at her.

Jeanne’s whole body tensed again. This time, Zest was going to turn her away for real. She trembled in fear and reflexively closed her eyes.

Much to Jeanne’s surprise—

“…Man, you’ve got me in a bind. How’m I supposed to turn down a lovely young lady who thinks so much of a lunk like me? Can’t think of a single reason why I should.”

—what came out of Zest’s mouth wasn’t the rejection she’d been bracing herself for.

“Huh?”

Jeanne snapped to attention, and when she did, she realized something. Zest was looking at her, deeply so, in a way he never had before.

The wounded man took another bite of his meat loaf. “…This really is fantastic. How’d you feel about making it again for my girl next time?”

Zest’s stern expression crumbled away.

It wasn’t a definite answer one way or the other. Instead, he was saying that he wanted to learn more about her. In short, he was interested in seeing where things went.

“O-of course! It would be my pleasure!” Jeanne replied with a nod and a radiant smile.

Then, all of a sudden—

“Wah?!”

—Lyrule, who’d been watching it all play out with bated breath, couldn’t hold herself back any longer, and she wrapped Jeanne in a big embrace.

“Thank goodness, oh, thank goodness…!”

“L-Lyrule? Why are you crying?”

“Mmmm.…!”

Lyrule didn’t answer Jeanne’s confused question.

She couldn’t.

Jeanne’s feelings had struck a deep chord with her. Lyrule knew all too well how agonizing it was to love someone.

Her throat trembled from all the emotions welling up from her chest, and she couldn’t get the words out. Seeing that, Jeanne took a moment to reflect on how fortunate she was to have met such a kind person. As she returned the hug, she gave her heartfelt thanks to her empathetic friend.

“Thank you, Lyrule. Thank you so much for everything…”

“Hoo boy! Quite the show we got treated to today!” On the way back from Zest’s house after splitting up with Jeanne, Winona let out a pleased whistle as she thought back on the day’s events. “Makes me feel like a kid again!”

“That was so nerve-racking I feel like I barely survived…” Lyrule had never imagined that Jeanne would confess so quickly. Perhaps knights really were made of sterner stuff. Just watching things from the sidelines had been murder on Lyrule’s heart.

Winona agreed with Lyrule’s sentiment. However… “Ha-ha-ha. Still, she never woulda moved the guy’s heart if she hadn’t been so forward and gutsy.”

“You think?”

“Yeah. Zest just saw Jeanne as a kid, so she had to power through that false impression with brute force. That was some impressive stuff she did.” After commending Jeanne, Winona turned to Lyrule with a mischievous grin. “You might wanna take notes.”

“…Was I really that obvious?”

“You pick up a thing or two after bein’ a woman for three decades. Plus, c’mon. I’m basically your mom, remember?”

“That’s true…”

Lyrule wasn’t particularly surprised. Winona came across as self-centered, but she actually paid a lot of attention to the people around her.

As the two women walked down the road, Lyrule came clean and confessed her affection for Tsukasa. “It’s been weighing on me all this time. I mean, we’re from entirely different worlds. By all rights, we never should have met. Wouldn’t it just be a bother if I imposed on him with my feelings?”

“If that were enough to make you give up, you wouldn’t be agonizing over it so much, right?” reasoned Winona.

“…!”

“Being from different worlds, having a big age gap, none of that stuff matters. Y’know, even people from the same world kick the bucket and leave people behind all the time.”

“Winona…”

“No point worryin’ about the distant future. You’d have to be a real god to know how things’re gonna play out. All that matters is what you got in your heart here and now…and havin’ the resolve to risk it all on that. Go all out. Even if the worst scenario comes to pass, at least you won’t have any regrets.”

Winona’s husband died young, so her speech carried particular weight. The blissful days she’d spent with her husband had ended too soon, yet she held no remorse. Not once had Winona come to bemoan spending the time she had with the man she loved.

“So? You got that resolve?”

I…

After parting ways with Winona, Lyrule headed to Tsukasa’s office.

She needed to give him her report on the day’s events and request that Jeanne take over Zest’s care.

But on her way there—

“Ah…”

“…!”

—she stumbled across a petite girl.

The young woman was wearing a red hat, and her chestnut hair was done up in three braids.

It was Ringo Oohoshi.

“G-good evening…”

Ringo averted her gaze and gave Lyrule’s awkward greeting a nod. In an instant, the air between them grew strained. Lyrule was certain Ringo was aware of her feelings. So when Ringo tried to pass Lyrule by, she called out to her.

“Um! Ringo!”

“Weh?!”

The Prodigy scientist clearly hadn’t expected that. Her shoulders jolted, and she turned around.

“You’ve probably realized by now. How…I feel about Tsukasa.”

Ringo paused for a moment, then nodded. That was no surprise. Lyrule took a deep breath and looked at Ringo head-on.

“I…don’t plan on losing.”

“…!”

“You’ve done so much to help us, Ringo…but even though I’m really grateful to you, I can’t give up on these feelings…”

This was the answer Lyrule had settled on.

Tsukasa and the other Prodigies weren’t supposed to be in their world in the first place. If Lyrule woke up the next day to find that they’d vanished like smoke, she wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. Even if such a thing did come to pass, Lyrule never wanted to regret the time she’d spent with the Prodigies or the fact that she fell for Tsukasa.

Brimming with resolve, Lyrule made a firm proclamation to the other girl who harbored the same feelings for Tsukasa. “So…once your work here is done, and you all go back to your own world…I’m going to confess to Tsukasa…”

It was Lyrule’s way of keeping things fair. She didn’t know if Tsukasa would end up picking her, Ringo, or neither of them at all. Still, she did understand that she didn’t want to have any sort of unfair advantage over her friend and savior, whose feelings for Tsukasa probably long pre-dated hers.

“I’m sorry for bringing this up out of the blue, but it’s something I needed to tell you.”

Having said all she wished, Lyrule turned her back on Ringo and resumed walking toward Tsukasa’s office.

However—

“You…can’t…!”

—Ringo called out to stop her.

“I…can’t?”

Not understanding what Ringo meant, Lyrule parroted her words back as a question.

Ringo bobbed her head up and down anxiously. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. “I-it’s not…fair…”

“Not fair…? What’s not fair?”

It was then that something utterly ridiculous squeaked out of Ringo’s mouth. The words were far louder than anything Lyrule had ever heard the inventor say before.

“I—I—I…don’t have huge breasts like you do!”

“Wh-what?!” Lyrule, bewildered, let out a hysterical cry herself. “B-breasts?!”

“Th-that’s…right! There’s no way I can win against your massive chest… You’re being a bully.”

“Wait just a minute. B-breast size doesn’t have anything to do with it, does it?”

“I-it does. Bearabbit t-told me that guys like girls with big boobs.”

“W-well, that’s certainly true for some people, but Tsukasa isn’t a pervert like that. A gentleman like him wouldn’t decide based on breast size!”

“Th-then get rid of yours!”

“Now you’re just acting unreasonable!”

All of Ringo’s usual shyness was gone, and her eyes burned with a fierce intensity.

It just went to show how strong her love for Tsukasa was.

If she was going to accuse Lyrule of being unfair—

“Besides, if anyone’s got an improper advantage, it’s you, Ringo!”

—then Lyrule had a thing or two to say for herself.

“You’ve been friends with Tsukasa for so much longer than I have, and you know so many things about him that I don’t, and on top of that, you can build just about anything. How is any of that fair?! You help him out with so many things, and you’re unbelievably cute! There’s no way Tsukasa doesn’t share your feelings!”

“C-cu—”

Ringo’s face went so scarlet it looked as though steam was about to burst from her head. Usually, being called cute would be enough to make her turn tail and scurry away on the spot. At this moment, Ringo was anything but her usual self, however. Even though her cheeks were so red they could burst into flames, she held her ground.

“Th-there’s no way that’s true. Between a runt who stinks of oil all the time like me and someone who’s pretty, good at cooking, and has a nice body like you, it’s obvious who Tsukasa would go for!”

“Not at all! You don’t stink of oil, and even if you did, it would just be proof of how hard you’re working to make things easier for everyone! There’s no way Tsukasa would hold that against you. Besides, I’ve only known him for a short while, so of course he likes you more than me. It doesn’t make any sense for you to call me unfair!”

“I-it does too… You two make a way better couple!”

“No, no, Ringo, you and Tsukasa are perfect for each other!”

The two of them were standing face-to-face in the hallway, neither willing to back down an inch.

Or rather, perhaps they were doing nothing but backing down.

…What in the world were they doing?

Neither of them was exceptionally cut out for conflict, so the argument quickly devolved into a complete mess.

After their quarrel went on like that for a little bit, Ringo spoke with conviction. “…Fine. If you’re going to keep teasing me like that, then I’ll just have to confess to Tsukasa before you get the chance!”

“But that’s so underhanded!”

“Nuh-uh. It’s your fault for being so pretty.”

“Th-then, I’ll just have to confess before you get a chance!”

“Don’t you copy me!”

“You copied me first!”

“Grrr………”

“Hrrr………”

The two of them pouted menacingly at each other.

Then, all of a sudden—

“What are you two making a fuss in the middle of the hallway for?”

—they heard a voice from off to the side.

It was a dignified, androgynous voice that both Lyrule and Ringo were well acquainted with.

““Eh?””

When they turned to look, they found the object of their affection, Tsukasa Mikogami, standing beside his exchange student, Nio Harvey.

“Ts-Tsu…”

“Tsukasa?! H-how long have you been there?!”

“Nio and I were having a late dinner, so we just came up the stairs.”

“D-did…you hear our…conversation?”

“No. Not any specifics, in any case. However, I did catch my name once or twice. Did you two have something you needed to talk to me about?”

“U-uh…”

“U-um…”

Lyrule and Ringo glanced at each other.

Because of where they’d stopped in their conversation, they were both trying to figure out if the other was going to make a decisive move.

However…

“Um!”

“U-uh…”

As she restlessly looked back and forth from Ringo to Tsukasa, Lyrule found herself at a loss for words. Ringo appeared to be in much the same boat.

They’d been all gung ho about being the first to confess just moments ago, but now that they were faced with Tsukasa’s red and blue eyes, they couldn’t get the words out.

Each was hoping the other would strike first. And they could both tell from the other’s gaze that the feeling was mutual.

Then, while they were already weakened—

“Something on your minds?”

—Tsukasa was the one to deal the finishing blow.

““ ””

Lyrule’s and Ringo’s eyes spun in their sockets—

““I-it’s nothiiiiiiiiing!””

—and they fled the scene together at top speed.

Acting on one’s resolve was sometimes easier said than done. After all, courage was built on the accumulation of the actions a person had taken in the past. Getting yourself worked up might make you think you were ready to do something, but it hardly made for much of a foothold in reality. It would crumble in the face of a stiff breeze.

As it was, Ringo and Lyrule still had plenty of hurdles left to overcome. That fact became painfully clear while the pair made their expeditious retreat.

“What was that about?”

Tsukasa tilted his head to the side as he watched the two of them leave.

I could have sworn they mentioned my name…

He wondered if, perhaps, he’d misheard. After standing still for a moment and considering the situation, he decided, “Well, if it’s important, I’m sure they’ll get back to me at some point.”

Choosing not to worry about it anymore, Tsukasa set off in the opposite direction of Ringo and Lyrule.

Hmm?

“………”

Beside him, Nio Harvey was standing stock-still and staring after Lyrule and Ringo. There was no emotion in his eyes. They looked like little glass beads.

“Nio?”

Nio’s golden fox ears twitched when he heard his name, and he looked over at Tsukasa. “Y-yes? What is it?” He sounded a little surprised, but his eyes had regained their usual friendly gleam.

“Did you need something from them?”

“Hmm? Why do you ask?”

“…It’s just that you were watching Ringo and Lyrule so intently, I figured you might have some business with them.”

“No. Not that I can think of, at least.” Nio tilted his head in confusion. It didn’t look like he was lying.

Maybe he’d just been spacing out from fatigue. Tsukasa knew that he’d been pushing a lot of his odd jobs onto Nio’s plate.

As such—

“I have a meeting with someone after this, so you should take the rest of the day off.”

—he encouraged Nio to head back to his room and get some rest.

“You’re still working, Mr. Tsukasa, even at such a late hour?”

“Yeah. The country’s foundations are largely stable now, but there’s still a lot of work to be done before we can hand control of the government over to the people.”

“That’s right. You mentioned something about…elections? Where every person in the nation gets a vote on who should lead the state?”

Tsukasa nodded. “You split the country up into regions, and through elections, each region selects a representative. Entrusting the Republic of Elm’s reins to a National Assembly made up of those representatives is our current provisional government’s primary goal.”

“But…isn’t that basically just voting on who gets to be nobles? Won’t things get out of hand when all the farmers and merchants and carpenters and everyone else all go and throw their hats into the ring?”

“That’s definitely a concern. We’ll probably have to set up an election-deposit system and other rules to prevent things from descending into chaos. In my opinion, though, I would be pretty happy if the populace ended up taking to politics so proactively.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. The moment people stop proactively engaging with their democracy is the moment it starts decaying from within. After all, a democratic nation’s populace is the mechanism by which it purifies itself of rot. If the masses grow negligent in their responsibility, then the entire system falls apart. That’s why it’s imperative that people need to be aware of the rights and responsibilities they carry constantly. Instead of lamenting the system’s decay, they need to acknowledge that it is a direct result of the fruits of their labor. When the folks lose sight of that fact, they cause democracy to crumble.”

“So because they don’t have a king to push that responsibility onto, them living or dying is all their own fault? Wow, at first it sounds like equality for all would be really good for commoners, but in reality, living in a democracy is actually a lot more work than living in a monarchy…”

“That’s right. But you have to remember that responsibilities aren’t the only things they earn. They gain honor, too.”

“How so?”

“For example, let’s say that there was a prosperous era where nobody starved, and people were free from the fires of war. If that happened in a monarchy, then the king would get all the credit to himself.

“When that comes about in a democracy, however, the honor for that accomplishment belongs to all. Great cultural triumphs will be owed to all the nation’s people who came together to love their neighbors, raise the downtrodden, and support one another.

“It might last a decade or even only a year, but that’s fine. It will be a shared success, sustained by the efforts of all involved. That will be something humanity will forever be able to point to with pride. ‘There was an era, a proud moment in time,’ they will be able to say, ‘when humankind lived together hand in hand.’”

Nio seemed bewildered at the explanation. “But…is that even possible?”

One did have to wonder if commoners were capable of creating a land where no one went hungry or died cruelly at the hands of others, and everyone cooperated and lived in peace.

Tsukasa gave him his answer. “I don’t know.”

Perhaps it was nothing more than an unreachable ideal. As a politician, Tsukasa had seen the cruelty of others’ souls more closely than most. He knew that, by nature, humans were wicked and sinful. Conversely, that was precisely why…

“But for me, I believe it’s a goal worth risking everything in pursuit of.”

It was true. Humanity was evil by nature. History had borne that fact out time and time again. Perhaps paradoxically, people also possessed the kindness required to love others. Even the most heinous dictators and criminals still had mothers, fathers, children, and friends. All had someone they loved and who loved them in return.

Tsukasa had a dream.

He hoped everyone could someday realize just how noble that emotion they carried within them was. He wanted them to comprehend just how wonderful humankind could be. Once each person realized how much potential they had, that seemingly impossible ideal would become a reality.

“…I’m sorry; I’m getting carried away.”

Realizing how impassioned his speech was becoming, Tsukasa reined himself in. For now, his aspirations were a goal better suited for his original home.

This world, on the other hand, was immature. War ran unchecked, and its political discourse hadn’t even reached the point of developing formal systems of public law. It wasn’t ready for such a lofty concept. Tsukasa could explain it all he wanted, but it was unlikely anyone would genuinely grasp what he was saying.

As such, the Prodigy politician decided to end his monologue on the matter there. “Anyway, I’m keeping someone waiting, so I really do need to be off.”

Nio gave Tsukasa a quick bow. “O-of course! Good work today, Mr. Tsukasa!”

“You too,” Tsukasa replied, then began making his way up the stairs to his office.

As he did, Nio called out to him from behind. “By the way, Mr. Tsukasa!”

Tsukasa turned around, and Nio continued with a certain degree of determination in his voice. “I…I might not have the will nor the power to dream so big. But…I think it would be wonderful if my beloved homeland could become a kind, noble place where people help one another out regardless of their statuses! And if I can use what I learn here to make that happen, nothing would make me happier!” Nio’s eyes gleamed with vigor and hope as he spoke of his desire for the future.

Tsukasa smiled broadly and offered the little byuma encouragement from the bottom of his heart. “…You’re right; that would be wonderful. And I look forward to watching you make it a reality.”

Tsukasa, too, hoped Nio would bring about such a wonderful tomorrow. If that happened, Elm and Freyjagard might be able to enjoy true, unreserved friendship.

“I’ll do my best!” Nio replied. He wagged his tail happily as he trotted down the stairs.

…He’s got enthusiasm, he’s got the drive, and he’s got ideals.

It was hard to find anything to complain about in such a decent, talented individual.

The things Nio was learning during his exchange program in Elm would no doubt go on to be a beacon of hope for the entire continent’s future. As such, Tsukasa knew he needed to protect him. Not just for Elm’s sake, but for Freyjagard’s as well.

With his resolve renewed, Tsukasa continued up the steps. When he got to his office, he opened the door and promptly apologized to the girl waiting within.

“…Sorry about the wait, Shinobu.”

“That’s Nio’s a good kid.”

The room was lit by nothing but a single candle.

Tsukasa’s desk sat amid mountains of books and documents, and Shinobu had been leaning against it as she waited for the other high schooler.

“You could hear us?”

“I am a journalist, y’know. I can hear a pin drop from a mile away.”

“I don’t think many of your professional peers share that particular talent.”

“…Y’know, Nio kinda reminds me of the old you.”

“Does he? I can’t say I remember a time when I was ever that honest.” Tsukasa shrugged as he sat down at his desk. Then he thanked Shinobu. “I apologize for calling you here at such an odd time, by the way.”

“No worries, no worries. Not like I was busy… So? Given the late hour, I’m guessin’ it’s something you’d rather avoid having people overhear.”

“Quick on the uptake as ever, I see.”

Tsukasa unlocked his desk drawer and took out a softball-size object wrapped in cloth.

He placed it on the desk and removed its covering. Inside…was a hard black shard that glistened and shone in the candlelight.

“Is that…?”

“I asked Winona to bring it over from Elm Village. It’s a sample of the mineral-like tissue all over the Lord of the Woods’s body. The thing is…it bears a striking resemblance to the substance that covered Duke Gustav.”

“—!”

“At the time, we had just learned that dragons and beastfolk existed, so discovering a monster didn’t really catch our attention, but…it’s been on my mind ever since I saw Gustav in that form. So I took this sample and one of the few crystals left over after Gustav turned to ash and had Bearabbit analyze their structural makeup. The results…were intriguing, to say the least.”

“How’s that?”

“These crystals aren’t inorganic. They’re organic matter, with nucleotide base pairs in the standard double-helical structure.”

“So…it’s not a rock; it’s a hunk of meat?”

“That’s right. Closest in structure to human flesh. And when we took the DNA from this shard and compared it to the one from Duke Gustav’s ashes, we discovered that they were a perfect match.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Take a look at this.”

Tsukasa took a stack of papers out of the same drawer and handed them to Shinobu. They weren’t made of the parchment typical for that world but were simply pure-white printing paper made with Ringo’s technology.

“What’s this?”

“A report on the experiments I had Keine perform that involved introducing the material to the bodies of a pair of mice, one orally and the other via transplant.”

“…!”

Shinobu quickly flipped through the documents.

The pages detailed how, a few days after the experiment began, the mouse with the transplant descended into a state of abnormal agitation and became so violent it actually destroyed its cage. Shortly thereafter, the heightened blood pressure from the rage caused its blood vessels to rupture. Then, when they examined the corpse…they discovered that it had undergone a 57 percent increase in skeletal muscle compared to before the introduction of the ebony material.

“When she saw the bizarre test results, Keine said that the mouse ‘appeared to have evolved,’” Tsukasa explained.

“It was trying to become some non-mouse ‘thing,’ but it couldn’t withstand the change and died? …What is this black stuff?” Shinobu asked.

“I’m afraid I don’t know. It could be something naturally occurring in this world; it could be a secret weapon of the empire…all we have is speculation. The only thing we’re certain of is that there are many concepts in this world that we don’t understand yet. The fact that we’re even here is the prime example. That said, there’s one man who undoubtedly knows far more about that truth than we do,” said Tsukasa.

“Imperial Grandmaster Neuro el Levias, huh.”

“Back at the summit, he hid what he knew about the memetic concept of the evil dragon. Why is that? We know about a children’s story where seven heroes came from another world to defeat an evil dragon ruling over the continent, but if that’s all, then I don’t see any reason to lie about it. In other words, it’s incredibly likely that Neuro knows more about the evil dragon than we do and that this secret information can be found in the Freyjagard Empire. I want you to go and dig up whatever you can on that, as well as anything else related to the legend of the Seven Heroes or the original Seven Luminaries.”

“’Cause we need to see the whole picture before we know whether we can trust the grandmaster, right?”

“Exactly. Grandmaster Neuro has presented us with a way home, but…we don’t even know why we were called here yet. If we leave without ever learning the reason, I’m certain it would fill us with regret. But if we want to figure it out, I feel we need to uncover more about the lore behind the Seven Luminaries and the Seven Heroes so we can figure out what exactly this evil dragon is. Can I count on you?”

Shinobu gave Tsukasa’s request a big, firm nod and eagerly thumped her chest. “I’m with you all the way. Just leave it to me!”

Tsukasa gave an apologetic expression. “…I really am sorry about this. As Japan’s prime minister, I’m well aware how foolish it is to endanger our relationship with the one man who knows how to get us home, but…I’ve grown too invested in this world.”

However, Shinobu just poked the white-haired boy on the forehead. “What’re you taaaaalkin’ about?” she shot back. “All of us care about this place, dummy. Plus, remember what that person talking through Lyrule said? ‘…You must save this world.’ Doesn’t that make it sound like something real nasty’s about to happen here? Sure, we’re gonna leave this planet eventually, but that doesn’t mean it’s none of our business what happens to it. We gotta look out for it for Lyrule and all the people of Elm…and the people of Freyjagard, too.”

“…Of course. You’re absolutely right. I’m counting on you, Shinobu.”

“Sha-sha.  ”