Nikami POV
Yasachu stared at the messy-haired knight, completely awestruck with her.
The messy-haired knight turned her head at Yasachu and tilted her head, smiling.
"Do you need anything?" The messy-haired knight blinked multiple times at Yasachu, asking what she desired from her.
"..." I stayed silent, watching from the sidelines as I always do.
"Don't mind the commoner, she has never seen a knight as young as you are." Shukona dismissed Yasachu's curiosity for the messy-haired knight.
"I have a question." I spoke up, staring at the messy-haired knight.
"Hm?" Shukona turned towards me, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh? Very well then, I will answer it to the best of my ability." The messy-haired knight smiled at me yet again.
"Yo-you don't have to go that far…" Yasachu laughs nervously, scratching the back of her neck.
"Those gems, they are not normal gems, correct?" I pointed to the gems on her hair.
"I feel a slight source of mana in them, magic stones perhaps?" I thought, staring at the messy-haired knight.
"A-ah… Well… Yes, they are not normal stones…" The messy-haired knight smiled nervously, she never knew that someone would notice.
"I do feel mana from them… I didn't notice this until Nika pointed it out, you truly have sharp senses." Shukona stared at the gems as well.
"Sense… Mana? You can sense mana?" Yasachu seems confused, she has never heard of someone feeling mana before. She only thought that Mana was a term for the energy of magic.
"So? What are they?" I asked sternly.
"They are mana stones…" The messy-haired knight nervously smiles.
"Ma-ma-ma-mana stones?!" Shukona cried out in shock.
The messy-haired knight's tail straightened due to her being startled by Shukona's sudden yell.
"This many?!" Shukona stumbled back, her eyes widening. She covered her mouth, not believing her words.
"Really…?" I stared at her, my eyes full of suspicion.
"Ar-aren't they super rare?!" Yasachu exclaimed.
"I know you are nobles and all… But this is too much!" Yasachu stared at the gems. her spine-shivering at the presence of them.
"A-ah! These are just artificial mana stones! They are only 5 percent pure… I had the same reaction when I first heard of them." The messy-haired Knight quickly explained, seeing our distress.
"Interesting…" I muttered, staring at the gems at her sword.
[That's strange, there wasn't anything like this in the game… Did I change this? Oh well, the game doesn't really focus that much on magic. It only focuses on one type of magic, the magic of love. That sounds cheesy, I know. But that is what the main theme of the game. This might have actually existed and we the players just didn't know… Or the universe is doing its self writing and made this in the process…] I thought, staring at them. Wondering why I haven't heard about this at all.
"Mana stones can be artificially made?!" Yasachu exclaimed once again, startled at what the messy-haired knight was talking about.
If this was really true, that would be an amazing thing to use in the daily lives of people. Since it seems that it can be mass-produced.
"Artificial mana stones? Are you joking? I have never heard about such a thing. If those really do exist, why haven't we nobles heard of it yet?" Shukona folds her arms and raises an eyebrow at the messy-haired knight.
"I-if the other nobles haven't heard of it… Where did you get it? Or even how did you get them…? I-I'm sorry if I sound rude, I'm really just curious!" Yasachu nodded, staring at the messy-haired girl.
"What type of mana stones are they?" I asked softly, curious about the stones.
The messy-haired knight felt slightly pressured, being asked by three people at once. Especially being on the spot like this… But the girl smiled kindly, happy to serve them as a knight.
"Well let's start from the beginning, I came to the school two weeks before the entrance ceremony. And the ceremony is today. Being this early in the school… Not many people were here, so I was training in the field. Being excited to train, I accidentally released wind on my knees and flew to a tree. How careless of me…" The messy-haired Knight nervously laughed, telling her story.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt? You should really be careful! Control your mana properly! How inelegant." Shukona sighed, observing the messy-haired knight if she had any injuries.
"Yo-you can accidentally release your element? Eh?" Yasachu was completely confused, they knew about such things, and she didn't. This is the difference between the noble and a commoner… And more.
"..." I silently listened in to the conversation, thinking how she could have gotten these gems by being in a tree.
I looked over to the protagonist, she seems to be clueless about these types of things. But soon enough she will know a lot, so much so to get the attention of the capture targets.
"I'm alright, please do not fret." The messy-haired knight worriedly laughed.
"A teacher saw that and helped me off the tree, she asked me what was the problem… And I told her that I can't control my mana properly… it's not really much of a problem for me, since knights focus more on physical strength rather than magical strength… But these things do happen quite often, and she suggested a way to solve this problem, and she gave me these artificial mana stone hair clips…" She points to the hair clips on her hair, proving her point.
"These are regulator type Mana stones, they help me with releasing and controlling my mana." She smiled at the three of us.
"Mana Regulators… Those are very useful, many magic users have an abundance of mana but just can't control it properly…" I thought staring at the gems, still wondering which teacher made these things.
"Oh! Those sound absolutely helpful!" Yasachu exclaimed, nodding excitedly.
"So… Those came from a teacher?" Shukona looked at the messy-haired knight in disbelief.
"Indeed! She said it was only a test, and she tested it out on me… As an apology for not telling me that it was a prototype, she upgraded my sword to have these mana stones as well!" The messy-haired knight smiled at us, and looked at the hilt of her sword lovingly. She seems to really like her upgrade.
"That was a test?! And she didn't tell you?! That's re-really dangerous…" Yasachu felt concerned about the messy-haired Knight, even though she just met her.
Shukona sighed, and stared at the messy-haired Knight.
"As crazy as that sounds, I feel like you wouldn't lie. I trust that you aren't lying with this, yes?" Shukona stared at the messy-haired Knight in the eyes.
"Of course! I swear on my knight's honor that I am not lying." She swiftly took out her sword from its scabbard and stabbed it on the ground. Staring back at Shukona.
"Hmph! Swearing on your honor, you must be serious. Very well then." Shukona nodded, satisfied with this.
"Ah?! Th-this is what they call a knight's promise! Ri-right..?" Yasachu looked at the sword, stepping back a bit.
"..." I stared at the messy-haired knight, wondering when will she introduce herself… So I can finally meet Raijin right after...
The messy-haired Knight nodded and stood up.
"Yes, it is indeed a knight's promise…" The messy-haired knight smiled at Yasachu.
"Th-that's amazing! I have never seen that before!" Yasachu's face lit up, nodding excitedly.
"Don't mind the commoner, she's new to these types of things." Shukona sighed and glanced at Yasachu.
"Is that so… It's rare for us knights to do it, I guess today is your lucky day." She smiles at Yasachu, her tail slowly swinging around in calmness.
"..." I felt slightly impatient, when will Raijin arrive?
[I'm sure Rai will only arrive when this knight will introduce herself… But I just need to stay silent and observe them. After all, I'm supposed to be a side character. A secret capture target.] I thought, staring at the three of them.
"But I can't be always silent, I'll seem like a creep." I softly sighed, then opened my mouth.
"I'm curious about this teacher, can you give me a small description of her?" I asked the messy-haired knight, wanting to know more.
"I need to know as well, she seems interesting… To think someone could make artificial mana stones, she must be a genius. I would like to meet her." Shukona nodded at my words, agreeing with me.
"A-ah right! That would help us a lot when we're looking for her!! I-if that doesn't bother you… Of course." Yasachu nervously laughed, scratched the back of her neck.
"Ah! No no, it's alright." The messy-haired knight gently smiled and put her hand on her chest.
"I would be happy to serve." The messy-haired knight kept on smiling at us.
"A-ah, great! Thanks so much." Yasachu smiles at the messy-haired knight even more.
"That would be greatly appreciated." Shukona nodded at her.
"Thank you." I thanked her, my face still blank as always.
"Well… Let's see…" The messy-haired knight puts her hand on her chin, thinking about the teacher's appearance.
"Well... If I remember correctly, she had indigo hair in a messy hair bun... she had two different eye colors... I think. One was red and the other was yellow... Or was it pink? Ah... Forgive me, I do not remember well... I am a bit of an airhead you see... But I do remember one feature that she has that no teacher has! She has a monocle that has a mana stone in it." The messy-haired knight nervously laughed, her hand going back to holding the hilt of her sword.
"I-I hope you forgive me." The messy-haired knight cried yet again, tears are falling down her face.
"Different colored eyes…?" I mumbled in confusion.
"Interesting… Different colored eyes are rare, and only mostly found in spirits… She is either extremely powerful or extremely unlucky." I thought, thinking of this teacher.
"Air headed?" Shukona slightly sighed and was about to mutter «how inelegant» but she didn't want to be rude.
"You need to keep control of your emotions, tch… Stop crying. It makes your face look inelegant." Shukona sighed and stared at the messy-haired knight. Folding her arms.
"Ahaha, I can understand you… I fo-forget about things easily as well… Even I myself know that I'm really clumsy… S-so please! Don't cry!" Yasachu nervously laughed at the messy-haired knight, understanding her problems.
Yasachu stared at her, sweating slowly as she saw the tears flow down her face. It's so weird seeing a noble cry like this.
"Well, you have given us a small amount of information, but it is helpful." Shukona nodded at the messy-haired knight.
"I hope you forgive me for my horrible memory." The messy-haired knight knelt down, still crying.
[She really has a lot of tears huh? I'm sure she'll have even more in the future.] I thought, looked down at the messy-haired knight who was kneeling down on one knee.
"We forgive you!" Shukona exclaimed
"We forgive you," Shukona repeated, sighing.
"Just stop crying, and get up." Shukona stared at the messy-haired knight, she's conflicted about what to do with this girl. This is the first time she met someone so… Emotional like her.
Yasachu nodded intensely, agreeing with Shukona.
"Yes! Please get up, we forgive you. Really!" Yasachu smiles kindly at the messy-haired knight, letting out her hand for her to grab.
"You didn't even do anything wrong, get off your knees." I sighed, still looking down at her.
"I don't get people like her…" I thought, sighing yet again.
The messy-haired knight looked up and smiled brightly. Tears still fell down her face.
"Ah! Thank you!" She nodded and took Yasachu's hand, smiling at her. And she got up, wiping the tears off her face as she smiled in joy.
"You are all too kind." The messy-haired knight nodded at Yasachu, then me and Shukona.
"A-ah! No? I don't think I'm that kind… This is the normal reaction to this." Yasachu smiled at the messy-haired knight. She looked down at their hands who were intertwined, she quickly stopped holding her hand. Glancing at me.
"No, I'm not being kind, you are just too sensitive." Shukona sighed, blinking at the messy-haired knight in confusion and slight frustration.
"..." I kept silent, just staring at the messy-haired knight. I closed my eyes and spoke.
"What was your name again?" I asked her, while I was still closing my eyes.
"Ah! Of course, forgive me for not introducing myself any sooner." The messy-haired knight knelt down, her head lowered.
"My name is Saboten Kinmokusei, at your service." She lifted her head up, showing a bright and cheery smile.
"A pleasure to meet you Kinmokusei-sama, My name is Shukona Amatarini. Remember that name well." Shukona did a courtesy bow and smiled gently at Saboten.
"I-I-I'm uhm! Yasachu Kowamekuna! Nice to meet you…" She tried to imitate Shukona by doing a bow, which she managed to do… But not as smooth and elegant as how Shukona did so.
"I'm Nikami Shiromoru, future queen of the Adventurine Kingdom. Nice to meet you." I spoke in an honorable tone, doing a courtesy bow. My bow was far greater than both of them, they could practically see sparkles around me due to how elegant I was.
Though my tone of voice and movement wasn't the same as Shukona, hers was more gentle and smooth. Unlike my pristine cold tone and stiff doll-like movements.
Yasachu looked at me, nervously laughing. She's going to be a queen soon huh? A man will take her away since a queen needs their king… Yasachu felt pity for the nobles that they can't love who they want, and she wanted to change that.
But what can she do? She's just a pleb, nothing more than a simple commoner…
"Kinmokusei… That is the same as Kiyu-sama's last name, correct?" Shukona tilted her head, trying to remember if she got it right.
"A-ah right! Kiyu-sama has that last name." Yasachu nodded, and turned to Saboten tilting her head as well.
"Are you two related?" Yasachu blinked innocently at Saboten, asking her a question.
"A-ah… Well… Yes, we are sisters… Though I'm sure she doesn't think of me that way…" Saboten looked down, making a small sad smile. She put her hand on her own shoulder and held it tightly, for once she actually held back her crying.
"E-eh? But why? What happened? Are you two okay…?" Yasachu felt extremely guilty asking that question, I thought it wouldn't turn out like this. She started sweating bullets, trying her hardest to comfort her.
"Of course we won't have a capture target without a normal back story. To make a long story short… Kiyu-sama wanted to be a knight, and she wanted to be a mage." I thought, staring at the shivering Saboten in front of me.
"They even promised each other to be like that when they grow up, but unfortunately when people found out about Kiyu-sama's magic capabilities she was guaranteed to be a mage. And she had great reflexes and agility so she was guaranteed to be a knight." I thought looking at the expression that she was making, and saw a sickly face… You know that face you make when you are about to puke from being all dizzy.
[So in resentment and enviousness with each other, they don't associate with each other at all.] I thought, folding my arms. Staring at her being like this, not even feeling a slight of pity towards her.
"Forgive me… I do not wish to talk about it, is that alright with you?" She looks up at Yasachu, still clenching her shoulders tight. That sickly face that she had earlier was still on, a sad smile plastered on her face… Trying its hardest to stay on.
"At least that's what they both think, they think the other hates them. When in reality they both still really care about each other and are too scared to actually talk about it…" I thought, sighing about it.
Shukona takes a look at her expression and feels personally hurt as well, she knows this expression well. She knows it too well… Because this is the same face she makes whenever she gets compared to her three brothers.
"O-oh… of course, I'm sorry for asking…" Yasachu bowed her head, she's and her little sister gets along so much so she doesn't know how siblings relationships can be so complicated… She only thought that they fight a lot, but still work it out in the end.
Shukona bit her lip, and sighed.
"Forgive this commoner for asking this question…" Shukona's normal sassy voice was slightly out of tone, it was more gentle and hesitant on what to say.
"A-ah, it's alright! It's completely fine! I-I shall go now, if you three don't mind…" Saboten bowed down and swiftly walked away.
Right after that incident, I heard powerful footsteps from the hallway. And whispers from the other students.
"I-its Gakerumi-sama! You better not mess with him… I heard he took out a student with one punch in the entrance since he was pissing him off…" A noble boy whispered.
"A-ah!~ Gakerumi-sama~ He is so handsome isn't he?!" A noble girl squeals.
I froze in my tracks and I felt my heart beating faster and faster.
[Ra-Raijin… Sh-she's… here…] I thought, my mind panicking on what to do. I just stood there silently as I started to sweat uncontrollably.