Encouragement for a Hard Worker
"...How does it look?"
Inside Prime Minister Hakuya's work room, the girl from Malmkhitan,
Yuriga Haan, was standing in front of her teacher, Hakuya. He looked at the
piece of paper she had handed him, then sighed.
"With your current grades..." Hakuya said, returning Yuriga's test paper
to her. "It'll be difficult for you to get into the same class at the academy as
Little Sister and Sir Ichiha."
"I... see."
With the academy's entrance examination, which would determine their
class assignments, fast approaching, Yuriga was gauging her placement
with a mock exam that Hakuya had put together. Because classes at the
academy were divided by their results, Tomoe and Ichiha were seen as
shoo-ins for the class for students with excellent grades. For Yuriga, though,
it was uncertain whether or not she would be able to get into that class with
them.
"There's really no need to strain yourself to get into the same class, is
there? You'll be together at the castle either way, so you'll only be
separated during class time."
"I-It's not like I don't want to be separated from them!" Yuriga turned
her head to the side peevishly. "...Sir. I just can't accept Tomoe and Ichiha
getting ahead of me."
"Is that so?" He could sort of tell that Yuriga was putting up a strong
front from her tone, but he knew she would stubbornly deny it if he pointed
that out, so Hakuya decided to let it slide. "But if you want to raise your
grades any more than this in such a short time... it's going to be a lot of
trouble, you know?"
"I am prepared for that."
"...Very well. Let's increase the amount of studying you'll do," Hakuya
said, as he plopped his hand down on top of Yuriga's head. "But you
mustn't push yourself too hard. If you ruin your health, Little Sister will be
sad."
"I-I don't really care how Tomoe feels about it, but... Okay," Yuriga
responded, sounding a little like a tsundere.
After that, Yuriga studied like mad, even late into the night—to the point
where Tomoe and Ichiha were worried she was straining herself too much.
Yuriga was once again sitting at her desk studying away, when a sudden
knock came at the door, breaking her concentration.
"Y-Yes?" Yuriga called out, slightly shocked. "Come in."
The door opened, and Souma and Liscia came in.
"Sir Souma? And Lady Liscia, too? What brings you here so late at
night?"
"Well, Hakuya tells us you've been studying hard," Souma responded to
the suspicious Yuriga with a smile. "That's why I've fixed you a late-night
snack. You know, to help encourage you. But I felt like a man shouldn't be
visiting a girl's room late at night, even if she is just a child, so I had Liscia
come, too."
Souma showed her a tray with a rice ball on it. That must be the
midnight snack, Yuriga thought.
Standing next to him, Liscia let out an exasperated sigh. "Souma always
worries about the strangest things."
"I mean, Fuuga entrusted us with caring for her. I'd be in real trouble if
any untoward rumors started going around."
"Well, sure, but..."
"Um... Thank you for your consideration, Sir Souma," Yuriga cut in. It
was going to be a bother for her if they started having a marital spat in her
doorway, after all. Liscia shut her mouth and Souma smiled, bringing the
tray over to Yuriga's desk and leaving it there.
"This takes me back," Souma commented. "When I was studying at
night, my grandma would bring me snacks, too. It feels a bit different from
dinner, doesn't it?"
"You studied at night, too, Sir Souma?"
"Yeah. Because this world's only source of stable light is lightmoss,
studying at night isn't all that common, but in my world, it was bright even
in the dead of night. Besides, the year before being summoned here I had
entrance exams, too... That's why, well, even if this is all I can do, I wanted
to say, 'Keep it up,' Yuriga."
"...Right. Thank you."
Once Yuriga thanked them, Souma and Liscia left the room.
When they came out of the room, Tomoe was standing next to the door.
Patting Tomoe on the head, Souma said, "I gave her the rice ball you
made."
"Thank you, Big Brother."
Tomoe had wanted to do something for Yuriga who was working so
hard, and she turned to Souma and the others for advice. Making this latenight snack was Souma's suggestion.
And so, she made the rice ball. If Yuriga knew it was Tomoe who made
it, she might be too stubborn to accept it, so Souma and Liscia, the king and
queen, gave it to her instead; that way she couldn't refuse.
I want us to be in the same class, too, Yuriga, Tomoe thought as she
looked at the closed door.
Those Who are Nameless Have Stories, Too
In a dark room, inside a building, within the Royal Academy, a number
of people were gathered.
"Everyone, tomorrow is the day that he will grace our academy with his
presence."
"President! Has the day come at last?!" one of the individuals asked
excitedly.
The young man in glasses whom they had called "president" gave a big
nod and replied, "Yes, our Monster Research Society is about to make a
giant leap!"
These were the students enrolled in the Monster Research Society,
MonSoc for short.
As the name would indicate, this was a campus group dedicated to the
research of monsters, but because of how creepy their subject of choice
was, they were often looked at with disdain by other students. In the caste
structure of this school, it was fair to say that they were at the very bottom.
However, with the publication of one book in the royal capital, that had
begun to change greatly of late.
Hakuya, the prime minister of this country, had worked with Ichiha
Chima, an exchange student from the Duchy of Chima in the Union of
Eastern Nations, to make major waves in the field of monster research.
Their result: The Monster Encyclopedia. Before now, the research of
monsters had been taboo. But because of the direct connections to national
defense and the economy, this book, which included drawings by Ichiha
that even a layman could understand, became an overnight bestseller (but
not really, because it was mostly being lent out, not sold).
With the importance of monster research having become widely known
thanks to the Monster Encyclopedia, MonSoc had seen its own existence
reevaluated. The fact that this club, which had only been joined by nerdy
guys before, now had female members, was one sign of that... Incidentally,
those female members watched the president and the other excitable guys
with exasperation.
"Tomorrow is the entrance ceremony, and they say that our god, Sir
Ichiha, will be there! We must invite him into our society, no matter what it
takes!"
"But President, the competition between clubs and societies for new
students is intensifying. How can an indoorsy group like us compete?"
Ever since Souma took the throne, the knightly and noble classes had
changed their values, upsetting the basis of authority at the academy that
had existed up until that point as demand grew for personnel who were
specialized in one particular art. This applied to the clubs and societies as
well, and was exactly why female students had joined MonSoc.
"...Yes. That certainly is a problem," the president said, crossing his
arms and groaning.
One girl who had been watching them up until this point raised her
hand. "President, if I were to talk to him, I think I could manage it."
The president adjusted his glasses and asked, "What do you mean to do,
Sara?"
"There are some kids from my house who are on the athletics teams.
With their help, I believe it would be easy to secure one new student."
The female student known as Sara was the daughter of a noble family of
middling importance in this country. Based on her blonde hair, slightly
gaudy clothes, and her lineage, it was honestly a mystery what she was
doing in this club.
"Hmm, but are you certain? I'm sure the athletics clubs want new
members, too," the president said, concern rising in his voice. "Is it all right
for their members to support us? Besides which, relying on influence like
that is frowned upon at the academy now. Won't this be trouble for you?"
"The athletics clubs want people who are actually athletic," Sara replied,
waving her hand. "He may be highly capable, but like the rest of you,
Ichiha's not that good at physical exercise, right?"
"Yes, most likely."
"In that case, the athletics clubs shouldn't want him. If I let them know
I'll be borrowing their members in advance, I think it should be fine." Sara
stood up. "That being the case, President, I'd like to go negotiate
immediately, so please come with me."
"N-Now? I'm, um, not emotionally prepared for this..."
"You want to bring Ichiha into the club, no matter what, right?"
"...Yes, okay. Let's go."
And so, the two of them left the room. As they were walking down the
hall together, the president tried talking to Sara, "You know, I'm quite
happy to see a talented person like you joining MonSoc."
"No, no. I joined for my own benefit, so don't worry about it."
"Your own benefit? Are you aiming for Sir Ichiha, perhaps?" the
president suggested.
"Ahaha. I may come from a noble family, but I'm not about to do
something as above my station as going after a VIP from another country,"
Sara said, wiping the corner of her eye. "Though, I do have instructions
from the family to stake my claim on any gentleman I find interesting."
The president crossed his arms and groaned. "Hmm. I wonder if anyone
has been up to your standards."
"...Yes. Well," Sara said with a suppressed chuckle. "Have no worries,
I'm marking my territory now."
Those without names have their own stories, too.
Roroa and Mini Roroa
"Squeee! Lady Roroa! You're Lady Roroa, aren't ya?!"
"Wh-What, why're you shoutin' all of a sudden?"
It was the day Tomoe had brought her friends to the castle. When Lucy
saw the object of her admiration, Roroa, she started bursting with
excitement, and immediately took Roroa's hand.
"I'm a big fan! Let me shake your hand!"
Then, without waiting for a response, she began vigorously shaking
Roroa's hand. There were a number of things that happened afterwards, but
once it had all settled down, Souma and his five queens, and Tomoe and her
four friends, all had tea together in one big group of eleven.
Naturally, Lucy sneakily grabbed a seat next to Roroa.
"Ohhh, Big Sister Roroa."
The way Lucy was fawning over her put an uncharacteristically troubled
look on Roroa's face.
"Nobody's ever called me Big Sister before. It feels kinda funny."
"Then how about Big-Sister-in-Law Roroa?"
"Who're you plannin' on marryin'?! Neither me or Darlin' have a little
brother, y'know?"
"Well, how about Momma Roroa?"
"You're gonna marry my kid?! How big an age gap is that gonna be?!"
"I figure I've got a pretty wide strike zone."
"I don't care! I'm not givin' my kid to just anybody!"
"I'm not just anybody. My family runs The Cat's Tree."
"I know that much!"
"Oh, yeah, come to think of it, you have an older brother, right?"
"Huh? Well... Yeah, I do."
"If I were to get hitched with him, maybe I couldn't be your little-sisterin-law, but you'd be mine, huh? Lady Roroa as my little sister... I could go
for that, too."
"No, you couldn't! Nuh-uh... Maybe I oughta take this girl down, here
and now, for my big brother and big-sister-in-law's peace of mind?"
"I'm just kiddin' about all of this. I'd really rather you be my Big
Sister."
"Urgh... After all this back and forth, I'm thinkin' maybe I'm ready to
just accept that."
"If it means you'll let me call you Big Sister, I don't mind bein' your
little brother!"
"You're gettin' a sex change?! Do you really need to go that far?!"
"Hey, now, ya never know. I know how I look, but maybe I'm actually a
boy in girls' clothin'."
"A cross-dressin' boy?! Those exist?!"
"The opposite does, too, y'know? Ichiha has a cute face, doesn't he?"
"Ichiha's a cross-dressin' girl?! You know... I'd buy it."
"Hold on, you two!" He hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise up
until now, but when they started calling him a cross-dressing girl, Ichiha
finally couldn't take anymore and spoke up. "Who are you calling a crossdressing girl?! I'm a boy!"
"Oh, but Ichiha would look good in some of my clothes..." Tomoe
muttered.
"Even you, Tomoe?!"
Being that she was someone who he got along with, Ichiha became
visibly depressed. When she saw that, Roroa gave Lucy a light poke in the
head. "Hey, your joke went and got Ichiha real sad."
"Nyahaha! Soooo-ryyyy."
"Are ya really? I dunno, I'm not convinced."
"I am, okaaaay? My regret runs higher than the mountain fold, and
deeper than the valley fold."
"Origami folds?! That's some paper-thin regret!"
"I'm just tryin' to paper things over here."
"See, you're not really that sorry at all!"
"Jeez, Big Sister Roroa, you're so needy."
"Me?! I'm the bad one here?!"
"...You two really are in sync," Liscia cut-in with an exasperated sigh.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"If you told me she was Roroa's sister, I would believe it," Aisha said.
And Souma followed up with, "She's like a mini Roroa."
Roroa's eyes widened in surprise. Then, slamming her hands down on
the table as she stood up, she jabbed a finger in Lucy's direction. "Huh? I'm
like this?"
"You didn't realize? Well, I do find that part of you annoyingly cute, you
know?" Souma said.
"Drop the annoyin' bit! I thought I was the lovable type!"
As Roroa was reeling in plain shock, Lucy moved up right next to her. "I
love ya. I even keep a tiny shrine to Lady Roroa on the shop's premises."
"That's some overbearin' love! It's already turnin' into a religion!"
"Oh, is Lady Roroa a cute goddess?"
""""""""""She's a queen!"""""""""" everyone there retorted in unison.
Incidentally, because this exchange was so funny, Souma would later
decide to start this world's first comedy program featuring Roroa and Lucy,
but... that's another story.
In Velza's Room
Velza had a room in a girls' dormitory on the grounds of the Royal
Academy.
"So you've been living in the dorm, huh, Vel?" Tomoe asked.
"Yes. My family home in the God-Protected Forest is quite far from
here, after all."
Today, Velza had invited three of her friends: Tomoe, Yuriga, and Lucy,
to come and visit her room. This was because, when they found out Velza
lived in the dorm, Tomoe and the others had said they'd like to see her room
there. Incidentally, because there was a strict "no boys allowed" policy in
the girls' dorm, Ichiha had been unable to come.
Lucy chuckled. "Well, knowin' how pretty Ichiha is, if we tried dressin'
him up in girls clothes, I'd bet he could've gotten in, wouldn't you?"
"Ahh, that's for sure. I think he'd make a real beauty."
"...Give the poor kid a break."
Tomoe ended up agreeing despite herself, but Yuriga played the straight
man role.
Looking around the room, Lucy said, "Still, it's more normal than I'd've
expected."
"So, what kind of room were you imagining?"
"Weeeellll." Lucy snickered. "Seein' as you're a dark elf, Velie, and
they're famous for bein' incredible archers and all, I was expectin' to see a
bow and arrow, along with heads from all the animals ya hunted."
"Honestly. This isn't the officers' academy. There are rules banning
weapons here, so I left my favorite bow and quiver at home."
"...So ya do have them then." Lucy smiled wryly at the matter-of-fact
way Velza mentioned it.
Now it was Tomoe's turn to ask a question, "I don't see a kitchen. How
do you eat?"
"In the cafeteria. Meals are prepared for students who live in the
dorms."
"Hmm. The same as Ichiha and me then, huh?" said Yuriga.
Since they lived in Parnam Castle, it was common for them to eat at the
cafeteria there. Because they were foreign guests, they could have asked for
room service, but it was boring eating alone, so they went to the cafeteria.
Tomoe and her family occasionally joined them, so dinner could get quite
lively there.
"Hey, that sounds like it could end up bein' fun, too," said Lucy, who
had decided to lie down on Vela's bed at some point. Out of everyone
present, she was the one living the most normal life.
"Isn't it easier being able to commute from home every day?" Velza
asked.
"No, no," Lucy replied, waving her hand at the idea. "If I'm at home, I
get dragged into helpin' at the shop, and that means havin' to be the lovable
poster girl for all our customers, y'know? ...Well, I do get an allowance for
doin' it, so I don't really mind."
"Well, aren't you crafty?" Yuriga shrugged.
"You wanna try workin', too, Yurie? I think ya'd be popular."
"...Training for club is too much already. I can't do work on top of that,"
she replied with a serious look on her face. Members of the Mage Soccer
Club were often subjected to harsh training.
"Oh, uh, sorry." Lucy backed down.
Tomoe clapped her hands and said, "But it's great being able to earn
money for yourself. I think it'd be lovely if I could give Big Brother and my
big sisters birthday presents with money that I earned myself."
"If you started working, a third of the customers at the shop would be
your bodyguards."
"Ohh, you've got a point there, Yuriga."
Tomoe smiled wryly as she imagined the faces of the guards who were
always so concerned for her. They wouldn't just be watching from the
shadows, there would likely be plainclothes bodyguards mixed in with the
customers, too.
"If they're payin' customers, I'm more than happy to welcome her
bodyguards."
"You really are a crafty one," Yuriga retorted again with a shrug.
Velza quietly raised her hand. "In that case, I would like to try working.
It seems the Cooking Society doesn't meet every day."
"Do you mean it? We'd be thrilled to have ya, Velie," Lucy said
gleefully and hugged Velza's arm. "We can be the poster girls for The Cat's
Tree. We'll take the world by storm."
"I don't really want to take the world by storm... just make money."
"Is there something you want?" Tomeo asked.
"I want to give a present to the people who've taken care of me, too,"
Velza responded shyly.
Who was she imagining? The way her cheeks flushed and she smiled a
little made the other three curious.
"A present? Who for? Who for?"
"Could this be for the person you were saying you wanted to serve?"
"I'm not lettin' go of this arm until you tell us."
"I-It's a secret."
As the three pressed in closer, Velza turned her head to the side. They
kept at it until Velza could take no more and exploded, and the girls' talk
continued from there.
Making Goods for the Ghost Festival
"Your Majesty, I have come at your behest," Sebastian said with a
reverent bow upon arriving.
I had called Roroa and Sebastian to the governmental affairs office
today. In putting on the Ghost Festival, I was going to be leaning on
Roroa's company, which Sebastian was the public face of, so I needed to
talk to the two of them quickly.
"I want to create some things that will make it easy for ordinary people
to dress up for the Ghost Festival." I laid a piece of paper out on the desk
where it was easy for them to see. It was a simple sketch of a hairband with
cat ears on it. "I'd like for your company to develop and mass-produce
items like this one, which lets people dress up with just one part of their
body."
I was thinking of something like the mouse ears sold at a certain "land
of dreams" in order to help guests enjoy the park. (Or was it to subject them
to peer pressure from their fellow guests?) "We don't have much time
before the event, but could I ask you to take care of it?"
"Let's see..." said Sebastian, who looked like the sort of gentleman who
should be drinking Earl Grey tea and stroking his mustache. "If we can gain
the cooperation of companies with the right connections, mass-producing
simple things should be possible. Though, that assumes we have decided on
what will be produced from the start."
That meant we wouldn't make it in time if we started by just rattling off
ideas. That was within the realm of expectations.
"I want to narrow down the number of items, and decide what we are
going to do here. I plan to put a lot of detail into the loreleis' outfits, but for
the people's costumes, cheap, simple, and plentiful is what we want."
Besides, there would be a sense of taboo around dressing up in any
monster costume that was too involved. I had talked this over with Bishop
Souji and the higher-ups of the other state religions, but it was the first time
we were doing this, so I needed to carefully watch the people's reactions.
"I'll be having the loreleis wear demon-like costumes, but we'll need
other ghost costumes, too."
"Ghosts, huh...? I can't think of any." Roroa crossed her arms and
cocked her head to the side.
...Oh, right. This world doesn't have a lot of different ideas of what
ghosts are like. There was just the traditional ghost, and the will o' wisp.
Because zombies and skeletons actually existed, they were categorized as
monsters instead. The flame pierrots I had invented had been treated like a
new kind of monster, too. It had to be the fact that you couldn't see them
that gave ghosts and youkai their flavor.
"So, I was thinking I'd fill in the gap with ghosts from my world. Using
the ones that can be made the cutest... For a start, there's this." I showed
them a cutesy drawing of a ghost I'd drawn from memory.
"Darlin', what's this?"
"It's a jiangshi. They're a type of ghost from my world."
"What kind of youkai is it?"
"It's a reanimated corpse... I guess. Some sort of mage puts a talisman
on them, and then is able to control them freely... Basically, it's like a
remote control zombie. This one's foreign to me, too, so I couldn't go into
detail about the origins of it and whatnot."
"Hmm... Is there anythin' a bit more distinctive about it?" Roroa asked.
"Well..." I wracked my brain. "Because of rigor mortis, they can't bend
their arms and legs, so they hop along like this, with their arms
outstretched."
I stood up and imitated the child jiangshi from an old movie my grandpa
had, doing the jiangshi jump in time with a children's song about pigeons.
That caught Roroa's attention, and her eyes sparkled.
"What's that all about?! It's an awfully cheerful ghost."
"No, scary jiangshi are properly scary, though..."
Hrm... I feel like I'm not communicating this right. The only image I had
of jiangshi was that movie, and I lacked the information to correct it. Maybe
this was what it was like when foreigners got the wrong idea about samurai.
"Got anythin' else?"
"Well, there's this one ghost that's a giant single eye that says, 'You
damn lolicons'..."
That was how I ended up explaining the ghosts of my old world to
Roroa. Because my tastes were a tad eccentric, I may have gotten riled up
and given her some wrong information, too. The result of all this was some
simple costumes for the jiangshi, tengu, wolf man, wolf woman, among
others. But in addition to those costumes, Roroa's company also sold an
encyclopedia of Earth's youkai, which was well-received. That caused a
ghost story boom in the castle, and...
"Souma! Would you stop trying to turn the royal capital into a den of
demons?!"
In the end, I ended up getting another lecture from Liscia.
The Ghost Festival (The Republic Team's Perspective)
"Ookyakya! This is getting exciting!" Kuu was enjoying himself as he
looked around at all the hustle and bustle of the festival.
The trio of Kuu, Taru, and Leporina had come to the first Parnaam
Ghost Festival, which was being sponsored by Souma, as regular attendees.
Leporina, who was wearing a short black dress with bat wings growing out
of the back of it spun around in front of Kuu.
"Hey, hey, Master Kuu, does this suit me?"
She was wearing a devil girl costume. The thin dress accentuated her
figure, making Kuu avert his eyes awkwardly.
"W-Well... I guess it's okay?" Thump! "Ow!"
He turned around in the direction of the blow to his head, and there,
wearing a pointy witch's hat and black cape, looking a little dissatisfied,
was Taru.
"Wh-What's the big idea, Taru?!"
"You don't understand how women feel, Master Kuu. You have to look
at her properly."
"You can say that all you want, but Leporina's..."
"Not just your bodyguard anymore?" Taru asked him with unswerving
eyes. Kuu was speechless.
A little before Souma's wedding ceremony, Kuu had gotten engaged to
his childhood friends Taru and Leporina. Basically, that meant that this
Ghost Festival was his first festival date with his two fiancées. Up until
now, because of his feelings for Taru, even if he noticed his own affection
for Leporina, he had done his best not to look at her as a woman. But now
that he had accepted her as a fiancée with Taru's blessing, he had to see her
as a woman.
I tried to ignore her all this time... Can you blame me for being
confused?
Leporina smiled, as if she could see right through what Kuu was
thinking. "I get it, Master Kuu. You're feeling shy, right?"
"D-Don't be stupid. Why would I feel that way towards you...?"
"Hee hee, you can look more, you know? I dressed up to get you to
compliment me, after all," Leporina said, striking a pose.
"Oh, yeah? Bring it on! In that case, I'm gonna look!"
Kuu stared hard at Leporina. She had the beauty of a model, with her
arms and legs being long and slender, but the rest of her body sticking out
in all the right places...
"Take that!"
"Ow! Again, Taru?!"
Taking another smack upside the head, Kuu's eyes watered a little as he
protested the abuse, but Taru held her staff tight as she looked away
peevishly.
"When you only look at Leporina... it kind of makes me mad."
"Isn't that kind of unreasonable?!"
"...I dressed up today, too."
"You dressed up, huh?" Kuu said as he rubbed his head. "Yeah, I think
you look cute, too, of course. You usually dress like a boy, but today you're
dressed up as a girl, even if it's as a witch. There's no way you wouldn't
look cute."
There was a moment of surprise, then, "...Thanks."
Taru remained expressionless, but there was something not unpleasant
about her expression as she thanked him. When she saw the look on Taru's
face, Leprina's cheeks puffed up with dissatisfaction.
"Murgh... How is it you can be so forthcoming with praise for Taru? You
didn't even hesitate."
Kuu let out his trademark monkey-like laugh. "Hey, I've been trying to
woo her for way longer. How could I be embarrassed about it now?"
"Whaaaa, is that how it works?"
"Yeah. Complimenting you, on the other hand... I feel like you're going
to give me a smug look, so it feels complicated doing it."
"Wait, what does that mean?!"
"...I kind of get where you're coming from."
"Even you, Taru?!"
The unexpected betrayal from Taru left Leporina the one on the verge of
tears this time. But seeing Leporina with tears in her eyes, Kuu and Taru
both agreed that it was kind of unfair how cute she looked.
They looked at one another, then each offered a hand to Leporina.
"Come on, don't mope forever. Let's go, Leporina."
"We don't get to have a festival every day. We've got to enjoy it."
Looking at the hands she'd been offered, Leporina wiped her tears and
smiled.
"Okay! I wouldn't want you leaving me behind, after all!"
With that said, she grasped both their hands firmly.
The relationship between the three childhood friends seemed unchanged,
and yet maybe a little different... Well, that was about how it was.