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Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 11, Chapter 1: Tulip
Volume 11, Chapter 1: Tulip
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
March 16, Tuesday
As March begins, clubs have an important job to do. And that is to recruit new members.
As a public school, Kitsushouharukaze has entrance exams on two different dates, and those results are announced on the 5th and 20th of March. Since club activities are so active in the school, none of the clubs have the time to wait for the entrance ceremony, and instead the intense battle to recruit promising new students start on the days that the results of the entrance exams are announced.
Of course, both Koutarou and Harumi of the knitting society will be taking part in this recruiting battle. In preparation for that day, they had come to the mall to purchase some things. The two were quite motivated and weren't just ready to use the remaining club funds, but also their own money.
“We have to recruit some for the second announcement.”
“I'm sorry for not being useful.”
“T-That's not what I meant!”
A certain reason was behind their motivation. Since the first announcement had gone by without any satisfactory results, they decided to bet on the second announcement.
On the day of the first announcement, Harumi had been caught by the members of the drama club and forced to wear a dress and help the drama club with their own recruitment. As a result, Koutarou was left to recruit for the knitting society on his own, and his results were lacking as he was unable to find a new applicant. The knitting society wasn't very popular to begin with, and having a lone boy looking for recruits completely backfired.
As such, the two decided that they had to successfully recruit someone on the second announcement.
“It doesn't look good if the president of the society is not present, does it?”
“Supposedly, the drama club will be changing how they recruit for the second announcement so we'll be fine.”
The drama club could normally be called a small club, but this year they saw a great increase in applicants. The two plays that they had put on last year had been very well received and played a large part in the increase in applicants. Just by having Harumi stand by the drama club's reception wearing Alaia's dress was enough to attract attention.
Because of that, the drama club was satisfied with the amount of applicants they had gotten and decided not to use Harumi for the second announcement day. Instead, they were going to line up their good-looking boys and cross-dressing girls and attract those into that. Since neither Koutarou and Harumi had anything to do with that, the knitting society would be able to properly recruit with both its members.
“But...”
Despite that, a small worry was budding in Harumi's chest.
I would be happy if we get more club members... but then it won't just be me and Satomi-kun...
Since she was so responsible, Harumi absolutely wanted new members. She wanted to avoid the knitting society from shutting down during her and Koutarou's time. That's why she wanted to recruit at least one new girl before Koutarou was left alone, since it was obvious what would happen if Koutarou was left to recruit on his own next year.
But at the same time, she also had the feeling of not wanting anyone to intrude on her time alone with Koutarou. To her, the time spent during her club activities with the boy she loved was very precious. That's why the woman inside of her wished for the society to continue with just the two of them.
Those two desires clashed and caused Harumi's expression to look somewhat lonely.
“Is something wrong?”
Noticing Harumi's expression, Koutarou peered at her face.
“Ah, u-uhm... I was just thinking that if we get more members, w-we'll, probably have to change how we do our activities...”
Harumi hurriedly gave an ambiguous answer. She couldn't say what was really on her mind no matter what, so this was the best she could do.
“Ah, right, it's always just been the two of us. If we do get more people, we'll be able to do more things, so we need to think about that too.”
Koutarou nodded at Harumi's words. Since he had been in a baseball club before, he was very well aware of what it meant when the amount of members increased. There was a big difference between the club having 18 members and being able to play among themselves, or if they were below that amount and had to play against teams from other clubs. Of course, the knitting club was probably not like the baseball club, but there should be some change in the club activities. Knowing that, Koutarou ended up further away from Harumi's true intentions as a result.
“...There will be a lot of things we can't do... geez...”
Harumi mumbled in a whisper so that Koutarou couldn't hear her.
She wouldn't be able to feed Koutarou cookies she had made herself. They wouldn't be able to listen to new CDs they had bought together. She wouldn’t be able to get Koutarou to try the new lunch box she had made. And she wouldn't be able to secretly have Koutarou rest on her lap when he fell asleep.
If they got more club members, they wouldn't be able to do stuff that usually only lovers do in club rooms. This was a serious problem for Harumi.
“I'd love to do an exhibit during the culture festival. Of course... I'm sure my works will be a disaster.”
However, Koutarou seemed completely unaware of Harumi's intentions and was carefreely thinking of what would happen if they got more club members. Seeing that, Harumi puffed up her cheeks and showed an expression more childish than one would expect from her.
“What's with that strange face.”
“...Satomi-kun you nincompoop.”
Since Harumi looked so adorable when she said that, Koutarou couldn't contain himself.
“W-What now, all of a sudden! Ahahaha!”
“Nincompoop is nincompoop! Satomi-kun you nincompoop!”
Since she believed it was still too early, Harumi hadn't spoken what was really on her mind. However, she was still frustrated that he didn't understand, so she didn't back down right away. As a result, it took a while before Koutarou could stop laughing as her cheeks were puffed up.
Part 2
After finishing buying what they needed, such as a styrofoam signboard and permanent marker, the two had come to a bus stop. Harumi would be taking the bus there home.
“From time to time, you are extremely cute, Sakuraba-senpai.”
Koutarou recalled Harumi from a little while ago and began giggling. In response, Harumi's face turned red and she looked down.
“P-Please forget about that.”
“No way. I'll remember that for a while whenever I need to laugh.”
“Satomi-kun, you meanie...”
With her face dyed red, Harumi cast her glance upwards and appealed, before looking down again. Even her neck had gotten red, and since she was normally so pale, the vivid red really stood out.
I guess I bullied her a little too much... I'll stop it here...
With that in his mind, Koutarou decided to stop speaking, put his luggage on the ground and began spinning his arms in circles.
“What are you doing?”
Noticing those movements, Harumi raised her head. She chased after his arms with her eyes while having a confused look on her face. She was gradually turning back into her normal self.
“Actually, my shoulders have been feeling stiff lately.”
Koutarou stopped spinning his arms and spoke to Harumi. He then formed a fist with his right hand and beat at the scruff of his neck.
Koutarou's stiff shoulders wasn't something he had made up for the sake of changing the topic. In fact, lately his shoulders had been getting stiffer. He had been getting in all kinds of trouble this year, so he figured that this was because of fatigue.
“Stiff shoulders...”
After looking at Koutarou's movements for a moment, Harumi finally showed a large smile.
“That's right, Satomi-kun, should I massage your shoulders?”
Harumi felt like her own idea was fun and she smiled as she began grasping the air in front of her.
Harumi's gesture this time around was even more adorable than when she had puffed up her cheeks and Koutarou almost burst out laughing. However, since she had offered to help, he didn't want to get on her bad side again and desperately held back his laughter.
“P-Please do.”
“Then please sit down over there, Satomi-kun.”
As she cheerfully moved her fingers, Harumi gestured for Koutarou to sit down on the bench by the bus stop. As he made his way there, Koutarou tried his hard to hold back his laughter, and if he let his guard down even for a moment, he would burst out laughing.
“You seem really stiff.”
“Pff.”
Harumi misinterpreted Koutarou's odd behavior and then moved behind him as he sat down. He was probably lucky that he couldn't see Harumi's expression at this time. If he had, he would almost definitely have burst out laughing and offended her.
“Here I go.”
“Okay.”
Harumi put her slender fingers on Koutarou's shoulders.
Satomi-kun's back...
Harumi stopped moving. With the stocky shoulders and wide back in front of her, she was driven by an urge to hug him. When she imagined embracing Koutarou and whispering into his ear that she loved him, Harumi's heart began racing and her face turned red. Her body stiffened and she was unable to move.
“Senpai?”
Confused that Harumi had stopped moving, Koutarou turned around to look at her. And his carefree glance freed her from her frozen state.
“Is something wrong?”
“Uhm, it's been a while since I massaged someone's shoulders... so I was wondering how I should do it...”
“Ah, feel free to be rough. I am built pretty sturdy.”
Koutarou smiled and looked forward again. He didn't seem to have notice Harumi's situation at all.
“Okay, then...”
Seeing that, Harumi felt relief and she began to move her fingers. Since he said that she could put some strength into it, Harumi poured quite a bit of force into her fingers.
“Sakuraba-senpai, that kind of tickles.”
“Eh, are you okay if I put more force into it?”
Harumi's eyes opened wide in surprise. To her, she was using plenty of strength, but since she was so weak, her efforts only served to tickle Koutarou.
“I-It feels kind of vaguely lacking. Wahahaha!”
“Okay... then, I'll do it a little harder...”
Seeing Koutarou laughing, Harumi poured all of her strength into her fingers.
“Ah, now it's getting good.”
When she did, Koutarou stopped laughing. Harumi had finally reached the force Koutarou desired.
“...Y-You're not just big, but sturdy as well, Satomi-kun.”
Harumi was amazed as she massaged Koutarou's shoulders with all of her strength.
To Harumi, Koutarou's body didn't look like it had the muscles of that of a body builder. But as she touched him, she could tell that his muscles were regularly trained. It was a big difference from her father's body.
“I'm working hard at my part-time job at the archaeological digging site after all.”
Koutarou's body had been built up because of his continuous training after he had gone to Forthorthe. But of course, he didn't touch on that topic.
Since Harumi looked like the spitting image of Alaia, he often finds himself almost speaking about Forthorthe.However, even if he told her, she would just be puzzled, so he took care not to talk too much.
“That part-time job sounds rough.”
“And thanks to that I'm getting buffed up... Waahh!”
Koutarou turned around to speak to Harumi and at the same time he flexed his muscles a little.
“Kyaa!?”
The shoulders that Harumi was massaging tensed up and easily pushed back her slender fingers.
“Geez, Satomi-kun! It won't be a massage like this!”
Harumi complained to Koutarou while clenching her fists, but her appearance was hopelessly lacking in force as she was so far distanced from violence.
“Puh.”
However, that lack of force caused the strength to leave Koutarou's shoulders. As he saw her puffed up cheeks with her small fists held up in front of her chest, and since he had been holding it in from before, Koutarou couldn't keep himself from laughing.
“S-Sakuraba-senpai, pfff, ahahahahaha!”
“Satomi-kun!”
“I-I'm sorry! Y-You just looked so adorable, I couldn't help myself, *cough* *cough*”
“You don't have to laugh so hard that you choke!”
Harumi shouted out in anger while Koutarou continued to painfully laugh. Since this continued until the bus came, Koutarou's stiff shoulders didn't recover.
Part 3
After separating with Harumi, Koutarou headed for home alone. His steps were light as he was in a good mood.
“Lately, Sakuraba-senpai has been overflowing with brightness, like she's coming out from her shell. It seems like having her take part in the play worked out...”
It was roughly a year ago that Koutarou and Harumi met during the recruitment at the result announcement. Back then, Harumi almost never showed how she felt. At best, he could see a smile every now and then during their club activities. However, this past year had changed Harumi. She came into contact with many people, and she had made friends in her class. Before then, her only friends were Koutarou and Yurika, so this was a big step forward.
“Theia, this is thanks to you.”
Theia's manuscript had served as a starting point for Harumi's change. Having been chosen as the heroine, she had been able to form a positive relationship with the people at the drama club. Acting wasn't possible alone, she needed to practice and work together with the other actors. And by standing on the stage, she managed to get some courage by being the center of attention. As a result, she managed to get the mental fortitude she required.
Koutarou felt like it was thanks to Theia that Harumi had been able to make such advancements.
“Well, Theia has changed as well...”
Theia was also different from before. The reason for her change was the need to cooperate for the sake of the play. Koutarou was convinced that the play had been positive for everyone involved.
“Oh?”
It was then that Koutarou spotted a familiar girl in the direction he was headed. That golden hair stood out even from afar. It was Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe. Since he was just thinking about her, Koutarou instinctively smiled.
“I see... so it was such a pretty flower...”
Theia was squatted down in front of a storefront by the road, staring at something. Koutarou wondered what was going on so he trotted towards her.
“Hey, Theia.”
And as he was right next to her, Koutarou lightly tapped Theia on the head.
“Hm?”
In the past, this alone would have been enough to enrage her and make her bring out her weapons. However, she was different now. She began by checking who it was, and when she saw that it was Koutarou, she smiled happily.
“Oh, Koutarou.”
“What are you doing here?”
Theia was staring into a small flower shop. Having entered the second half of March, the shop was filled with colorful spring flowers. Koutarou could understand that there was a flower in particular that she was interested in, but since there were so many, he decided to just ask her out right.
“Well, I came to look at the tulips.”
Tulip. When she spoke that word, Theia touched her cheek and her smiled turned into a gentle one. She then looked back in the direction she had been staring at. In front of her were crimson tulips in full bloom.
“Tulip, huh... oh yeah, I used to call you that before.”
Just after their first meeting, Theia had her tucked up by Sanae's counter attack. Since her appearance back then was like that of a tulip, Koutarou had called her Tulip for a while. However, as time passed and his relationship with Theia changed, he gradually stopped using that nickname.
“However, as I thought about it, I realized I don't know much about the flower called tulip. So with that in mind, I came here.”
Theia had never seen a tulip. Back when she was being called Tulip herself, she could understand it was being used as an insult, so she didn't need to understand any more than that. Also, she didn't feel the need to look up a word being used to insult her.
By now, Theia had gotten curious as to what kind of flower a tulip was. She wanted to know what kind of flower it was since that's what the person she loved had called her.
“So, how is it?”
“I never imagined it would be such a pretty flower.”
Theia was staring at the flower behind the display window so closely that she was practically stuck to the window. The moment she spotted the flower she was left breathless by its beauty. The vivid crimson petals that formed the flowers were burned into Theia's heart.
“You've taken a liking to it?”
“Yes. It is a simple, yet dynamic and beautiful flower.”
The profile of Theia's face as she stared at the flower was incredibly gentle. Her appearance right now was a little different from the past. It was the feminine side to her that had been hiding on the inside.
Theia's a girl too...
As Koutarou was realizing something so obvious, Theia unexpectedly looked towards him.
“Koutarou, if you so wish, I will allow you to call me Tulip again.”
Theia smiled happily.
“Hey...”
However, Theia's offer puzzled Koutarou.
Tulip was the nickname he had used to make fun of Theia as her miserable appearance looked like the shape of a flower. It was neither respectful nor friendly as it was a nickname purely for the sake of making fun of her.
As time passed, Koutarou began feeling friendship and respect towards Theia, and his desire to make fun of her was practically gone. At worst, he felt that she was a little stubborn.
So if he were to call her Tulip again, it would only hold the meaning of a literal flower. Like calling Theia a pretty, vividly colored flower in full bloom.
Another problem was that Koutarou felt like Theia was now fit to be called by the name of a flower. Theia now had the dignity of a princess to make him feel that way. Theia was in no way inferior to a pretty flower.
With such complicated circumstances, Koutarou had a resistance towards calling her Tulip. He was a bit embarrassed because they were so close. If they were a bit more distant, he might actually have been able to call her Tulip.
“There's no need to call you by a nickname that has such a bad meaning anymore, is there?”
So Koutarou decided to try to evade the nickname. Calling her by the name of a flower right now, was too straightforward for him.
“However, I no longer have any resistance against that meaning.”
But Theia immediately shook her head. She didn't mind if she was called Tulip in a bad sense of the word.
“It is the truth that I was foolish, and being called that is part of my precious memories.”
If she was called Tulip in a bad way, she would have to work harder to become more suitable.
If it was in a good meaning, she could be proud while making an effort to bettering herself.
Either way would work as a guideline for Theia in the future. It was because of her trust for Koutarou that she didn't mind either way.
“...You sure are whimsical.”
“Yes, I am whimsical.”
Theia also had one more important reason.
She wanted a special bond just between her and Koutarou. Being called Tulip would be one such bond. It is always the wish of an anxious girl to be treated as special by the boy she loved, on any planet and in any age.
“Go on, try it.”
“Hearing you say that makes it harder...”
To Koutarou, calling Theia Tulip was almost the same as honestly telling her how he feels about her. It was a very tough situation for him.
“...Tulip.”
After some hesitation, Koutarou finally spoke. And the moment she heard that word, Theia answered with a really happy expression.
“What is it, pleb?”
Pleb. It was what Theia had called Koutarou in the past, was spoken in contempt of the people on this undeveloped planet.
Theia...?
However, despite being the same word, it didn't sound like it held the same meaning. That was because it was just a big sign of her love, disguised as contempt. That's why Koutarou blankly stared at Theia's face in admiration.
“Fufu...”
Seeing Koutarou like that, Theia's smiled changed into a satisfied one.
“W-What do you mean by what, you're the one who told me to say it.”
As Koutarou suppressed the unrest inside of him, he answered in a purposefully blunt fashion.
Ever since she revealed her feelings during Valentine's Day, Theia would shake Koutarou's feelings from time to time. But Theia didn't ask for anything more than that. She understood that if Koutarou was to pick a lover, Kiriha would find herself in a crisis. That's why all she did was show her feelings from time to time. Apart from that, she was the same as always.
Don't get shaken up... Just stay the same... That's the best for everyone...
However, despite knowing all of that, Koutarou was having a hard time keeping his feelings in check. Compared to the Theia of now, dealing with Theia when he had first met her was much easier. Right now, he felt like his heart would be stolen away in an instant if he let his guard down.
“That's right.”
Theia showed a small smile, and tried to stand up after squatting in front of the tulip for such a long time. Koutarou reached out with his hand in reflex, and Theia grabbed it without any hesitation.
“Hey, pleb.”
Having stood up, Theia opened her mouth while still holding Koutarou's hand. She was staring straight into Koutarou's eyes.
“One day, I will become a splendid flower, royal, that you can boast about and embrace within your arms. So you keep pridefully advancing, just the way you are.”
Theia believed that Koutarou was a knight amongst knights. That's why, as long as she was a splendid royal, Koutarou would never part with her. Theia couldn't draw a clear line of her feelings of wanting to become a splendid royalty and her feelings for Koutarou. Those feelings merged into one and lit up her path.
“...I―”
“Your highness! Satomi-sama!”
Just as Koutarou was about to answer Theia, they could hear Ruth's voice in the distance.
“Ah...”
As a result, Koutarou's words were cut off.
“You're here, Ruth! Come on, let's go, pleb!”
Theia showed a large smile and let go of Koutarou's hand and began running towards Ruth who had a smile just as large. Koutarou didn't follow after Theia right away, and instead he stood still and asked himself.
What was I about to say...?
Not even Koutarou knew what he was about to say to Theia, who had declared that she would become a splendid flower.
“Ruth.”
Theia who had run up to Ruth presented her hands to her.
“You may give me half the luggage.”
Ruth was on her way home from shopping. In her right hand was a shopping bag, and in her left hand was a plastic bag filled with what couldn't fit in the shopping bag.
While Ruth was standing in the line for the register, Theia had been using that time to look at the flowers here.
“Those feelings make me happy, but I can't let your highness carry luggage.”
“If I was just your master that might be true. But we made a promise the other day, that we would be together from now on.”
“...So we did. In that case, it might be heavy, but please take half of it.”
“Leave it to me. Besides, I'm stronger than you are.”
“Fufufu, that's true.”
At first, Ruth was resistant to letting her master carry the luggage, but in the the end she gave Theia the plastic bag. As she took the bag, Theia was in a good mood and she smiled as she checked its content. Seeing Theia like that, the answer seemed quite clear, but Ruth asked her anyways.
“By the way, your highness, were you able to see the tulips?”
“Yes! They were very pretty flowers!”
“That is good.”
Theia's response was just what Ruth had expected. But that was when she noticed something else. Based on Theia's smile, the fact that she had seen the flowers and that Koutarou was with her, she felt like something wonderful had happened to Theia. That was a happy event that made Ruth smile even more.
“They are lined up by the display window of that flower shop, so you should take a look too, Ruth.”
“Yes, I would lo―”
Then, just as Theia was about to return to the shop with Ruth in tow.
“That won't be necessary.”
As she heard Koutarou's voice, something large knocked against the back of Theia's head. It wasn't very hard, but it was at least as large as Theia's head.
“You fool.”
Though Theia was criticizing Koutarou, when she turned, she didn't look to be in such a bad mood.
“Ah...”
But when she turned around, what she saw wasn't Koutarou, but a bouquet of tulips with the stalkers wrapped in white wrapping paper.
“Tulips...”
“Here.”
After Koutarou pushed the bouquet onto the puzzled Theia, he took her plastic bag. Theia didn't understand Koutarou's intentions and just stood still, holding the bouquet in both hands.
“Satomi-sama, could these tulips be a present for her highness?”
“Something like that.”
Koutarou scratched his head, embarrassed, while nodding at Ruth's question.
“May I... have them?”
“Yeah. I'm repaying you for the chocolate from Valentine's Day, or something like that.”
Koutarou had decided to repay everyone he had gotten chocolate from during Valentine's Day. But since Koutarou was inexperienced when it came to things like this, he had a hard time thinking of presents, and even though White Day had passed, he still hadn't repaid most people. Theia was one of those, but since she was looking at the tulips today, he decided to present her with flowers.
“I see... Well done, no, thank you, pleb.”
Having understood the situation, Theia smiled happily.
“Y-Yeah...”
Koutarou noticed that Theia's eyes were moist and that made him even more embarrassed as he quickly looked away.
“Isn't that great, your highness?”
“Yes... huh?”
Inside Theia's hand, the wrapping paper made a noise.
“There's another bouquet... pleb?”
Theia noticed that she was actually holding two bouquets. Confused, she looked to Koutarou for an answer. He was still looking away, but he quickly answered her question.
“I can't just give you flowers alone in this situation, can I?”
Koutarou had prepared this bouquet as a thanks for the Valentine's Day chocolate. And in that case, he couldn't just thank Theia alone.
“Apparently these are for you.”
Theia quickly realized who the second bouquet belonged to and presented it to that person.
“Oh my!”
The second bouquet had of course been prepared for Ruth.
The chocolate that Koutarou had gotten on Valentine's Day had been made by both Theia and Ruth. So two bouquets were required to repay them.
“Isn't that great, Ruth?”
“Yes! Thank you very much, Satomi-sama!”
As Ruth received the bouquet, she held it against her chest, like a child that had been given a treasure. It was an unexpected present from the boy she had feelings for. And since Ruth hadn't expected to get a bouquet for herself, she was really happy. As large tears streamed down from her eyes, she repeatedly thanked Koutarou.
“Thank you, Satomi-sama! I will take great care of them!”
“Thank you, pleb. I am glad you didn't forget about Ruth.”
“Y-Yeah...”
With both Theia and Ruth being grateful towards him, Koutarou couldn't help but be embarrassed. He was inexperienced when it came to events like Valentine's Day and wasn't used to people thanking him directly.
“I'm going on ahead.”
“Satomi-sama?”
“What's wrong, pleb?”
That's why Koutarou took the luggage from Ruth as well and left the two behind as if he was trying to run away. He wanted to get away from them as quickly as possible so he could catch his breath.
“Fufufu... we were only thanking him. He should just boldly accept it...”
“But that's just what Satomi-sama is like.”
“Yes... that's true...”
With a tulip bouquet in hand, Theia and Ruth stared at Koutarou's back as he hurriedly left. After he vanished around a corner, Ruth looked down on the bouquet in her hand.
“...Your highness, are you aware of the meaning of the tulip in the flower language?”
Upon hearing Ruth speak, Theia also looked down at her bouquet. The crimson tulips were beautiful. Sadly, since Theia's pupils were so moist, she couldn't fully enjoy their beauty.
“No. I only just learned what the flower looks like. I have never looked up the flower language.”
Theia shook her head and tears streamed down her cheeks and spilled onto the tulips.
“The meaning of crimson tulips is true love.”
“...True... love...”
As Theia repeated the meaning, she instinctively looked towards Ruth. And since Ruth was looking back at her, the two stared at each other. After a light nod, Ruth continued speaking.
“But since it's Satomi-sama, he probably didn't do it consciously.”
Kenji might have been able to do so, but it was hard to imagine Koutarou presenting the two with tulips on purpose. He had only picked them because Theia seemed to have taken a liking to them. That's what the two believed.
“Even if he did chose them on purpose, it probably wasn't referring to the love between a man and a woman. But even then―”
“It is without a doubt true love, huh...”
Theia finished Ruth's sentence.
She put a little force into her arms, and the bouquets wrapping paper rustled.
“Yes. That is what I think.”
Ruth affirmed Theia's words with a smile. That had been what she wanted to say.
“Seriously... what a difficult man...”
“...Master... thank you very much...”
Both Theia and Ruth knew that the flower language for these flowers being true love was just a coincidence. But they didn't doubt that this present had come from Koutarou's true love. They both felt that Koutarou really treasured them. They were a bit sad that it wasn't the romantic kind of love, but even then they were happy for his feelings.
