Read Daily Updated Light Novel, Web Novel, Chinese Novel, Japanese And Korean Novel Online.
Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 4, Chapter 1: Clan and Hercules
Volume 4, Chapter 1: Clan and Hercules
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
Wednesday, September 2nd
Glowing stars in the pitch-black galaxy reflected off of Theia's eyes.
“It's Clan...”
That is what Theia mumbled as she stared at the monitor inside the bridge of the Blue Knight.
She wasn't speaking in a loud voice, but because there were very few people on the bridge, it reached everyone’s ears.
Only four people filled the giant bridge of the Blue Knight.
They were the staff of the Blue Knight: Theia and Ruth, along with Koutarou, who was cooperating as a part-time job, and Sanae, who had tagged along with him.
“Clan?”
“What's that?”
Koutarou and Sanae had no idea what the word 'Clan' meant.
And as the two of them looked on in confusion, Ruth began explaining.
“Clan is the name of a person. It is the nickname for Clariossa Daora Forthorthe. Her highness Clariossa is the second princess of the Forthorthe Galactic Empire.”
About ten days ago, the Blue Knight detected a nearby space-time rift.
It was determined to be another Forthorthe spaceship, but they had been unable to find the ship during all this time.
That was when Theia had mumbled Clan's name.
“But how do you know it's her, Tulip? You don't have any clues, right?”
“Not having any clues is a clue in and of itself. The Blue Knight is a royal class battleship; there aren't that many ships that it cannot detect.”
Starting with Theia's Blue Knight, it was common for royal class battleships to serve as flagships.
Having the royalty’s ship serve as the flagship raised the morale of the soldiers.
Because of that, the royal class battleships excelled in search operations and information warfare, since it would be a disgrace that a flagship wasn't aware of its surroundings.
There were only a handful of ships capable of escaping the detection the Blue Knight.
“Amongst them, I can only think of one who would mess with me.”
“And that's this... Clan?”
“Yes. Her highness Clan's personal ship, Hazy Moon, has a highly advanced stealth system.”
“Koutarou, what's stealth?”
“Simply put, it's like being good at hide and seek.”
Koutarou wasn't all that knowledgeable about stealth himself but he had seen it in movies, so he tried to explain to Sanae.
“Oh. Then it's kind of like me.”
“Yes. The stealth technology on Clan's ship is something she developed herself, so it's quite troublesome.”
“She developed it herself? Even though she's a princess?”
Koutarou's eyes opened wide in surprise.
“That's correct, Satomi-sama. Her highness Clan has profound knowledge about technology. Remodeling her own ship is like child’s play for her.”
“I see... There are some amazing people in the world...”
Koutarou was impressed.
Being thick-headed himself, Koutarou would never be able to remodel a ship or develop new technology.
“... She's not amazing.”
Koutarou's words irritated Theia and she pouted.
“All she can do is run and hide. That is not fit of royalty!”
Theia criticized Clan with a frown on her face.
“What are you so angry about, Tulip?”
“I'm not angry!”
“No, you're definitely angry.”
“I said I'm not angry! Hold your tongue, pleb!”
Theia was dissatisfied since Koutarou was complimenting Clan, while he never complimented her.
However, Koutarou didn't understand that.
“You really are rude.”
“What?”
Koutarou looked at Theia with a confused look on his face.
Ruth called out to him in a low voice.
“...Satomi-sama, Satomi-sama.”
“...Yes?”
Koutarou in turn responded to Ruth in an equally low voice.
Ruth moved up to Koutarou and whispered into his ear.
She didn't want Theia to hear her.
“...Actually, there is a lot of bad blood between Theia-sama and Clan-sama.”
“Ah, so that's why...”
“While Theia-sama was very active, Clan-sama indulged herself in more intelligent topics, and the two of them would often clash.”
The Mastir family that Theia belonged to and the Schweiger family that Clan belonged to are known rivals of one another.
The Mastir family was known to have produced excellent emperors during important times in the history of Forthorthe and the Schweiger family had produced the most emperors out of all the royal families.
Because of that, both families took pride in having supported Forthorthe.
Theia and Clan having complete opposite personalities only fueled the fire.
So the two of them would often compete with one another.
“So she's a rival that she can't lose to...”
“I didn't even think that there are princesses who get their hands dirty.”
“In Theia-sama's case, that isn't the only reason...”
Ruth smiled wryly as she showed a sorrowful expression.
Seeing that, Koutarou could faintly understand Ruth's feelings.
There are a lot of things you can't lose if you want to protect your mom...
Even though they were destined rivals, Theia must have wanted to avoid useless fighting.
But if she didn't prove she was a worthy successor to the emperor's throne, she would only get in the way of the current emperor, her mother.
Theia didn't want to become a princess the army could exploit, for her mother's sake.
Having heard the circumstances explained by Ruth in the past, Koutarou fully understood that.
“What are you three whispering about?!”
“Well...”
Koutarou couldn't say that they were talking about Theia's and Clan's relationship, so he decided to change the topic.
“I'm a boy of age you know. So I was wondering if that Clan girl was beautiful. But Ruth-san just won't tell me.”
“Eh?”
“S-Satomi-sama, w-what are you!?”
Theia's eyes opened wide in surprise and Ruth began panicking.
“So how about it, Tulip!? Is that Clan girl cute? Is she a bombshell!?”
Hearing Koutarou's words, Theia blew her top off and ran towards him while shouting.
“C-Curse you, pleb!! I'll teach you a lesson!
H-How dare you ask me something like that!? How dare you ask me if she's cuter than I, who is known as the Mastir family's golden flower!?”
“But that Clan girl's personality is the complete opposite of yours, right?”
Koutarou showed an expression of expectation as he faced Theia.
That only caused Theia to shout at him even louder.
“Y-You disloyal, traitor―”
“If you shut up you'd be cute too, so I can have high hopes of someone with the opposite personality!”
However, Koutarou's next words erased all of Theia's anger.
“...”
I'd be c-cute if I shut up...?
Theia couldn't simply ignore the words Koutarou had spat out.
“...”
The pleb thinks... I'm... cute?
Theia's heart started pounding, and her face began to turn red.
Short breaths escaped her lips instead of words.
And her enraged expression changed into an expression of expectation as she looked up towards Koutarou.
“So how about it, Tulip? Is that Clan girl cute?”
“Ah...”
But shortly after, that expectation was once again replaced with rage.
In the end, Koutarou's interest lied with Clan.
She was happy, having been called cute, but she was now much angrier than she had been before.
“I'll kill you! Stand still, pleb! I'll tear you to pieces right away!!”
“Woah! Here she comes!”
Since Theia suddenly began attacking him, Koutarou started to run away.
“Curse you, how dare you play with my heart repeatedly! Stop running, pleb! I'll tear you to pieces!!”
“Idiot! Who would stop after you say that!?”
Koutarou turned his back on Theia and began running away at full speed, with Theia in hot pursuit.
“Haah...”
“Your highness! Please stop your highness!”
Koutarou and Theia ran past Sanae who was astounded and Ruth who was panicking.
There was plenty of room in the large bridge for the two of them to run around.
“You're pretty stupid too, Koutarou... If you keep doing things like that, Theia really will kill you someday...”
Sanae understood that Koutarou only changed the topic like this because he didn't want Theia to find out about what he heard from Ruth, so Sanae also felt that it couldn't be helped.
“The two of them are very stubborn about the strangest of things...”
Ruth felt the same way Sanae did.
But in her case, she didn't just understand what Koutarou was thinking, but she also understood Theia's feelings and personality, and she was somewhat happy.
“...Thank you for always looking out for her highness, Satomi-sama...”
Ruth watched over Koutarou and Theia running around with a gentle expression.
Part 2
The two of them didn't stop running until several minutes later.
Having sprinted at full speed for a while, Koutarou and Theia lied down on the floor, exhausted.
“I-I'll let you off... f-for today....”
“T-There's no need... to let me off...”
“Don't... mouth off... p-pleb...”
“You... too...”
The two of them were lying down next to each other.
Exhausted, the only thing they could do was argue.
But seeing the two of them quarrel like this only gave off the impression that they got along very well.
“Your highness, Satomi-sama.”
This made Ruth very happy, and she revealed a very bright smile.
“You two really are stupid... There was no need to go that far... geez...”
Sanae was still astounded and she let out a big sigh.
“Sanae, there are some things a man can't afford to lose.”
“That's right. Defeat is not an option for a princess.”
“Could the two of you decide whether you get along or not?”
Sanae sighed again as the two of them responded to her in sync.
Ruth took over for Sanae and opened her mouth.
“By the way your highness, this is the tenth day of searching, so I think it is about time to give up on looking.”
“Y-Yes. That's true...”
Theia nodded and began standing up.
Worried, Sanae asked a question.
“Is it okay to just stop? You still don't know what that Clan girl came here to do, right?”
“No, I know what she's after. She must be trying to get in the way of my trial. Her own trial requires her to wait for the solar eclipse. So she must have come here to get in my way while she waits.”
In order for Clan to earn the right to the throne, her trial required her to complete three ceremonies as a test of faith.
She has already completed two of those but the third one required a solar eclipse, so she had no choice but to wait.
There was still some time before a solar eclipse would happen in Forthorthe's home planet.
So Theia figured that Clan must be using her spare time to get in her way.
“So if it's just as you think, won't she use her own battleship to attack you, Tulip?”
Koutarou got up and looked at Theia with a serious expression.
Theia decided to leave the previous commotion behind for now and responded to Koutarou's doubts.
“That's what I thought, but ten days have already passed. If she was planning on attacking she would have done so already.”
“On top of that, Satomi-sama, evidence would be left behind if two battleships were to fight it out. Taking that into account, there is little risk of an attack from her battleship.”
“So if she was an idiot she would have attacked already...”
“That's right. She must be hiding somewhere and coming up with some other kind of plan.”
She was worried that there would be evidence left behind if she used her battleship, which was why she hadn't attacked for ten days.
If she was just an idiot she would have attacked already, and since she didn't attack there was no way of finding her highly advanced stealth ship.
That was Theia's reasoning behind stopping the search.
“And I can think of another reason why Clan hasn't used her battleship, Hazy Moon, to attack.”
“What's that?”
“That's because Hazy Moon is weak.”
“You mean even weaker than the Blue Knight?”
The Blue Knight was weaker than a normal ship due to its complicated structure.
“I have a problem with the way you put that, but yes, that's correct.”
“Satomi-sama, that's because of her highness Clan's talent. Since she has modified her ship with equipment she developed on her own, the ships basic capabilities are lower than anyone else’s.”
Since there was a limit to the power, every piece of equipment Clan added only reduced the basic capabilities of the ship.
Just like the Blue Knight's abilities were reduced due to its complicated shape, Hazy Moon’s abilities were reduced due to the large amount of extra equipment.
“So that means, unless this Clan is a complete idiot, she won't fight head on.”
“Clan is insidious, so she doesn't like fighting directly. So there is little chance of that.”
“...Insidious...”
“What's with that expression, pleb?”
Koutarou showed a disappointed expression.
“Well, I heard she was the opposite of you, so I was expecting her to be more graceful.”
“Wha!?”
“And now I hear she's insidious, so the shock is even bigger because of what I was expecting...”
“You're still on about that!? You disloyalist!!”
“Woah!?”
Theia's rage reignited after having calmed down for a while.
She reached out both of her hands towards Koutarou and began choking him, just like Sanae.
“C-Curse you!”
“I'll definitely teach you who your master is today!”
Koutarou and Theia began fighting, however Ruth gently watched over them.
She only saw it as the two of them playing around.
“Because of that, the part-time job we had you help out with ends today, Satomi-sama.”
“Oh? It's over already?”
Koutarou looked towards Ruth as he restrained Theia.
And Ruth in return nodded.
“Yes. I don't believe there is any reason to keep you on standby any more, Satomi-sama.”
“Oh yeah, that reminds me, why did I need to be here?”
Koutarou had been onboard the Blue Knight together with Theia and Ruth for a few days now.
That was the part-time job they had requested Koutarou to help with.
But Koutarou still didn't know why there was a reason for him to be on the ship.
“L-Let go, pleb! And Ruth don't just stand there smiling, do something!”
As Theia struggled to get free, Koutarou admonished her like he would a little sister.
“Just wait a minute, Tulip. I'm having a serious talk with Ruth-san right now. I'll play with you later.”
“I don't want to play!!”
“Ah, in that case, play with me later Koutarou.”
“Sure.”
“You're making light of me again! Play with me!”
Ruth began explaining with a smile as the commotion continued.
She had begun getting used to this.
“The Blue Knight is shaped after a human, so it would be better if someone strong in a fight like Satomi-sama controlled it.”
“Hmm... Well Koutarou is quick to pick a fight.”
“Yes. I'm bad at it, despite being a protection officer.”
“I see, so that's why.”
The answer satisfied Koutarou.
“Are you fine with your payment being tatami points instead of money?”
“Yeah, I don't mind.”
“You should mind me instead!!”
And Theia was full of energy today as well.
Part 3
“Fufufu, I got 5 centimeters of tatami for doing nothing.”
“...You don't get it do you, pleb?”
Koutarou and Theia sat in front of the TV.
The two of them were pressing the buttons on the controllers in their hands.
It had become a daily occurrence for the two of them to play against another in a game.
“What do you mean?”
“T-h-a-t-s, you see, woah, that was close. Hold back a little while you? This is my first time playing this game.”
“I understand... so what is it that I don't get?”
“In the end I don't need just this room, but also your loyalty.”
“So what about it... woah!?”
“Hah, don't let your guard down... So losing points to you won't hurt me in the slightest. There's no point in gathering all the points if I can't get you to swear loyalty to me, instead if I get you to swear loyalty to me, you will pledge all your points to me.”
In order for Theia to earn the rights to the throne, she didn't need to just invade this room, but also get Koutarou, the current resident, to swear his loyalty to her.
So there was no meaning in gaining control of the room without Koutarou's loyalty, instead, getting Koutarou to swear loyalty would earn her a large amount of points.
So even if Koutarou and Theia exchanged points, having fewer points didn't mean anything to her.
“So what!? I was just working for free!?”
The character Koutarou was controlling exploded.
Surprised, Koutarou lost a point to Theia.
“That's not true.”
Having won, Theia smiled radiantly as she lightly shook the controller.
“It is only obvious for a lord to give territory to their vassal after doing a good job. There's no need to think of it as free labor. This is what is normal between us, we're master and servant after all. You should take pride in your actions instead of regretting them. Take pride, my subject, Satomi Koutarou.”
“As if I could! That's even worse than working for free!”
“Very good, you've finally realized that you are my subject.”
“I don't remember becoming your subject!”
“There is no need to be embarrassed. Fact is fact. I am pleased with your contributions and that you accepted my reward.”
“I'm not!”
Koutarou was in shock after having done exactly what Theia wanted him to.
“I want you to endeavor even more in the future for my sake and for the royal family. I'm counting on you, Satomi Koutarou.”
“No waaay!!”
Koutarou shouted at the top of his lungs.
“...Satomi-san, Satomi-san.”
Someone pulled on Koutarou's sleeves.
“Oh?”
“Satomi-san, I have something I want to talk with you about.”
Yurika was the one who had been pulling on Koutarou's sleeve.
She was holding onto his sleeve with an apologetic expression.
Seeing that, Koutarou calmed down a little bit.
“What is it, Yurika, we're finally bonding as master and servant...”
“We're not bonding!!”
Theia who was in high spirits, frowned a little.
Inversely, Koutarou felt a sense of relief as he turned towards Yurika.
“So what is it, Yurika?”
“Uhm... Actually an acquaintance asked me to keep their pet while they were moving, I kept it... but is it really okay?”
“Pet?”
Normally Koutarou would yell at her telling her that she couldn't, but he owed her for interrupting Theia so he decided to listen to the details.
“What kind of pet? If it's a small reptile that won't bark Landlord-san would probably overlook it.”
“There's no need to worry about noises.”
“Pet!? What kind is it, Yurika!? Show me! Show me! Is it cute!?”
Hearing the word “pet”, Sanae's eyes lit up.
She let go off Koutarou's back and approached Yurika.
“What, what is going on?”
Theia threw away her controller and moved up towards the tea table.
“Yurika, start with showing us.”
”Uhm... Actually... It's this...”
Yurika coyly took out a plastic box.
It was a roughly 30 centimeters large transparent breeding case with a green cover attached to it.
“T-This is-!?”
“Yurika, you-!?”
Having been comparatively favorable up until now, Koutarou and Sanae were at a loss for words after seeing what was moving inside of the case.
“Auuuuu, I'm so sorry!!”
And almost as if she had been expecting that reaction, Yurika was already half-crying.
“What is this brave, manly looking creature?”
Only the alien, Theia had a confused look as she stared into the breeding case.
“Y-You idiot, Yurika!! Do you have any idea what it means to bring this thing into this room right now!?”
“I understand! I really do understand! But all of the cosplay society members took care of one each! I couldn't say I didn't want to!”
The acquaintance that was moving was the cosplay society's vice president.
Since her father finally obtained a house, and while they were moving out from their apartment to their new home, she had entrusted her pets to her fellow club members.
“Yurika, why'd you pick this!? There must have been others you could have chosen, right!?”
“I wanted the goldfish or hamster too! But after coming back from my supplementary lessons, this was the only one left!”
Yurika made excuses while crying as Koutarou and Sanae yelled at her.
Meanwhile, Theia was still looking into the breeding case.
“Is this that dangerous of a creature? It does have a metallic looking body and a powerful looking horn but...”
However, Koutarou and Sanae weren't listening to Theia, they were too busy scolding Yurika.
“Actually, Theia-dono.”
Instead, Kiriha who was nearby, drinking her tea answered Theia's question.
“This is a beetle.”
Hearing that name, Theia lost her cool in an instant.
Part 4
The Hercules Beetle, its scientific name is Dynastes hercules, it is the largest of all rhinoceros beetles.
Its two large horns are capable of breaking apart any enemies, and its strong shell can defend its body from all kinds of dangers.
This king of insects is the target of desire for all young Japanese boys.
“This is a beetle!? I-It can't be! Yurika! Do you know what bringing that into this room means!?”
“I know! I am well aware of what it means! But, I didn't have a choice! Since the other cosplay society members left behind the easiest pet to care for, I couldn't just refuse!”
Compared to tropical fishes that required specific temperatures and the likes, beetles in the summer were easy to care for.
The other cosplay society members looking out for Yurika backfired this time.
“What do we do, pleb!? Something terrible will happen if Ruth sees this beetle!”
The king of the insects was the weakest creature in room 106.
Even more so with Ruthkania Nye Pardomshiha's hatred for beetles, merely being in room 106 put its existence in danger.
“Ruth-san's mood has finally returned to normal, this would just ruin it again!”
“If only Hercules-chan would remain a myth...”
“No way! This is the vice-president's brother's pet!”
“Y-Yurika! Throw it away right now! Let it go! That's what's best for everyone, for us and that insect!”
“Y-You can't! Do you know how sad the little brother would be!?”
“If feelings are all there is to him then throw it away right now! Lives are at stake here!”
“No! I won't, no matter what you say!”
Chaos descended upon room 106.
Ever since the hot springs vacation, Ruth developed a trauma regarding beetles.
The reason she developed that trauma was all because of Koutarou's sleep talking.
While dreaming about catching beetles, he embraced Ruth.
Ever since, Ruth had taken out her frustrations on Koutarou and held strong hostility against beetles.
Fortunately, she forgave Koutarou before the end of the summer vacation.
But if she were to see Hercules, the trauma would return.
Of course, nobody wanted that.
They were all aware of how frightening Ruth could be.
So everyone was convinced that Ruth and Hercules meeting would bring nothing but misfortune.
“A beetle huh... I used to capture and play with them when I was young as well... fufufu...”
Only Kiriha who was sipping on her tea remained calm.
“Calm down, Tulip! Nothing will come from panicking!”
“T-Then what do we do, pleb!? Just how long do you think we could hide it from Ruth!?“
“What is Ruth doing right now?”
“She's still onboard the Blue Knight! She's analyzing today's data on the bridge! She'll be back any―”
“Satomi-san, the wall!”
At that moment, the wall furthest into the room began glowing.
It was a sign that a gate between room 106 and the Blue Knight was about to open.
Once that light stabilized, Ruth would appear in the room.
“N-Not good! Tulip!”
Koutarou hurriedly stood up and reached his hand out towards Theia.
“Yeah! Take it!”
Theia picked up Hercules' breeding case and swiftly passed it over to Koutarou.
“Koutarou!”
And Sanae quickly opened the sliding door to the wardrobe.
“L-Let me make it!!”
Koutarou rushed towards the wardrobe and pushed the case into the wardrobe He then hid it under Yurika's blanket and slammed the sliding door shut with all of his strength.
“I am back!”
Koutarou slamming the door shut at the same time Ruth entered the room.
“Oh? What is wrong, everybody?”
Having returned to room 106, Ruth was greeted with a strange sight.
Yurika was looking at her with a blank stare.
Theia was lying face down on the tea table while stretching both of her hands across it.
And Koutarou and Sanae were stood facing the wardrobe.
The only normal sight was Kiriha sipping on her tea.
“N-No, it's nothing, nothing at all! Right, pleb!?”
“Yeah! It's nothing, Ruth-san!”
Theia and Koutarou let out a dry laugh.
“Yes! There's nothing! There are no be―”
“Idiot!”
Sanae swung down her fist towards Yurika, who was about to mention the taboo.
“Ouch, that hurt!”
“It's nothing, really!”
“I-Is that so?”
“Everything is normal, Ruth.”
“I see...”
Ruth nodded at Kiriha's words, despite the strange atmosphere in the room.
She didn't feel the need to pursue the matter.
“In that case, I'll start preparing for dinner.”
“P-Please do.”
Ruth put on her normal smile and walked towards the kitchen.
Seeing her off, Koutarou and the others sunk down onto the floor.
They began whispering to make sure Ruth didn't overhear them.
“T-That was close...”
“I thought my heart would stop...”
“I-I'm sorry everyone... it's all my...”
“I hit you too hard. Sorry, Yurika.”
“No, you saved me, Sanae-chan...”
Everyone was smiling.
That was most likely because they managed to avoid the crisis through teamwork.
The four of them developed a strong sense of unity.
“Everybody, what would you prefer in the miso soup? Tofu or― Eh, what is everyone doing?”
Ruth returned to ask them about what ingredients to put into the miso soup.
In that instant, Koutarou and the others expression froze.
“Everybody?”
Their bodies got stiffer to match their expression, and Ruth once again looked at them in confusion.
“Ruth, I would prefer tofu.”
“Ah, yes. Would everyone else be okay with that?”
However, thanks to Kiriha's words, Ruth's attention shifted back to the ingredients in the miso soup.
“Y-Yes! That's fine!”
“That's good, Ruth-san.”
“I'm fine with anything as long as it tastes good.”
“I'm fine with anything as long as it's edible.”
“Very well. I'll prepare it right away, please wait a moment.”
Ruth returned to the kitchen with a smile as everyone agreed.
“Phew...”
“Geez...”
“Please give me a break...”
“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...”
“Hm? This tea is delicious. I'll make sure to purchase more.”
Thanks to Koutarou's and the other's teamwork, the secret of the beetle was kept safe.
Part 5
The roulette on top of the tea table let out loud sounds.
The roulette was part of a famous board game called 'Life Reversal'.
It was a simple game where the player moved their piece forward as many paces as the roulette said. Upon reaching their space the player would have to adhere to what was written on the space.
However, despite being simple it was deep, and it was still a bestseller.
As the roulette stopped, Sanae who was floating above it peeked into the roulette.
“It's a four, Koutarou.”
“Alright, one, two, three and four...”
Koutarou moved his own piece four spaces forward.
And he read what was written on that space.
“Let's see... 'You meet your childhood friend and suddenly marry. The other players give you 500 points each as a wedding present'.”
“You're a salary man and you marry your childhood friend. It's turning out to be a plain life.”
“Shut it, leave me be!”
Koutarou responded to Sanae's retort while receiving 500 points from the other players.
Apart from Koutarou, there were six more players; Sanae, Theia, Kiriha, Yurika, Ruth and Shizuka.
So he gathered a total of 3,000 points.
This was one of the games they were using to determine ownership of the room, but just watching would be boring so Ruth and Shizuka were playing as well.
“Here's your bride.”
“Don't just throw it.”
Koutarou put the pink stick Theia threw at him into his piece.
The pieces in this game had the shapes of homes and as the player’s family increased, the amount of people in the home increased as well.
“Living together with a lone bride in a small home might unexpectedly fit Satomi-kun.”
“What do you mean by unexpectedly, Landlord-san?”
“Because right now, you're with several girls in a small room, right? It's the complete opposite.”
“Well, that's true. I do kind of want a quiet life...”
“Sanae-chan, Satomi-san is kind of like an old man, don't you think?”
“Yeah. Sometimes he really acts like an old man.”
Yurika and Sanae stared at Koutarou with playful smiles.
“Shut it, leave me be!”
Koutarou yelled at the two and then turned towards Kiriha who was sitting next to him.
“Alright. Kiriha-san, it's your turn.”
“Very well, then I shall walk on the path of a plain life as well.”
Kiriha nodded at Koutarou and reached out towards the roulette.
“Kiriha-sama is a business woman, so I don't believe you have a plain life.”
Kiriha smiled wryly at Ruth who was sitting next to her as she spun the roulette.
In the game, Kiriha had started a company and was on the path of becoming a skilled business woman.
Ruth let out a small laugh as Kiriha called that plain.
“Any life could be called plain when you're the leader of an underground empire planning on invading the surface.”
“That's true but...”
“I am a highly popular idol. What an eventful life. Even in a game my charm shows itself.”
“...Any occupation would be eventful with you, Tulip.”
“I think so too.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“If you were a salary man, the company would go under. If you were a doctor the hospital would lose all trust. If you were a teacher, violent incidents would happen... It would definitely be eventful.”
“Yeah.”
“C-Curse you, pleb! Why are you always bullying me!? Why can't you just obediently say 'That's true, your highness'!?”
“That's true, your highness.”
“Stop messing around!!”
As Theia was about to stand up, Yurika who was sitting next to her began mumbling.
“I wish I had your worries... I'm just a job-hopper. Because of the wedding present to Satomi-san, I only have 2,000 points left. With this, I'm not sure if I'll survive winter or not...”
“Y-Your life is quite eventful as well, in a way.”
Thanks to Yurika's painful confession, Theia calmed down and sat back down.
“Nijino-san, how did it end up like this when you started out as rich...”
“You really have no luck... your life is spiraling out of control.”
At the start of the game, Yurika was a millionaire's daughter.
However, before she knew it, her parents’ business had failed and her remaining savings were lost in the stock market.
“How's that life any different from now?”
“Y-Your highness! That’s too much...”
“Y-Yeah... There's not much difference... My life is nothing special, both in the game and in real life...”
Yurika was currently forcibly freeloading in room 106.
Despite getting a Hercules beetle as a roommate, the teenage girl's life was a bit too lonely.
“...Five, six, seven, eight. Let's see... 'The yen stock soars. You get 20 points for every stock you have'... I have 100,000 stocks so... Koutarou, can you give me 2,000,000 from the bank?”
“Here you go.”
“The profits from those stocks alone are worth 1,000 times more than all of what Yurika owns...”
“Those with money sure do find a way to get even more...”
Sanae and Shizuka laughed.
But Yurika couldn't find it in her to join them Instead, tears streamed down her face.
“This is just unfair~. Are you saying magical girls have no need for money!? *sob sob*”
“...”
After staring at Yurika for a while, Kiriha grabbed a large bundle of bills and presented it to Koutarou.
“Kiriha-san, what's this?”
“...I'm investing in the company's welfare department, so put it into the bank please. Everyone needs to help out to get through the recession.”
“That kindness hurts even more...”
Yurika was next up to spin the roulette but she completely forgot that. Tears continued streaming down her face.
Part 6
“Sanae, please give me the box’s lid.”
“Here.”
Sanae obediently obeyed Koutarou and handed over the lid for 'Life Reversal'.
“Thanks.”
As Koutarou received the lid, he confirmed the contents of the box once more before putting it on.
With this, they had cleaned up after the game.
They had used this game to fight for tatami points instead of the normal card games, and they were now finished.
Excluding Yurika who became a job-hopper early on, the game continued until the endgame.
Theia became a popular idol who mass-produced hits, Kiriha succeeded in her investments in welfare and management, which were doing just fine, and Sanae became a baseball player who scored constant home runs.
These three's even match-up continued until the last minute.
However, in the end Ruth discovered an oil field and made a miraculous comeback, finishing in first place.
Second place was Sanae, third was Kiriha, fourth was Theia with Koutarou coming right after her in fifth.
He had changed jobs to become an adventurer to make a comeback but he barely failed to reach Theia.
Shizuka who lived a plain, happy life came in sixth place.
And Yurika came in last place after failing her last chance.
The only thing she had left was debt.
“Excluding myself and Shizuka-sama who don't take part in the tatami point games, the ranking would be: Sanae-sama, Kiriha-sama, her highness, Satomi-sama and finally Yurika-sama.”
After confirming everyone's ranking, she updated the scoreboard hanging on the wall.
Since there are five of them, third place has no change in points, five points move from fourth to second, and ten points move from last to first.
After updating the scoreboard a change in rankings could be seen.
Theia, who had held first place for a few days, was finally overcome by Kiriha.
“So Kiriha-san is making a return to first place.”
“Kuh, I really can't underestimate you, Kiriha! To think the invincible Forthorthe empire would fall behind!”
“You and I are evenly-matched, Theia-dono. No matter who is better, we both have our highs and lows.”
“...In reality I would love to have you as my vassal.”
Koutarou was third, after the two of them.
The points he had gotten during the sports festival allowed him to keep his ranking.
Sanae was in fourth for the same reason, with slightly less points than Koutarou.
“...Satomi-kun, you're starting to lose more and more.”
“I'll be making my comeback starting now, Landlord-san.”
“Give it your best, Satomi-sama.”
“Yeah! Unlike Yurika, me and Koutarou are still in a position to aim for the top!”
Yurika was in dead last.
Having continually lost, the points she earned during the sports festival were long gone.
Although she once had lots of points, she now didn't even have half of any of the others’.
At her current rate, Yurika would lose all of her points before the winter holidays.
“S-Sanae-chan, by 'unlike Yurika' do you mean I no longer have any chance!?”
“Yeah. If I were you I would probably give up soon. You don't even have half of our points.”
“That's not true! You can still come back!”
“There's no way, it's not possible.”
“There's no need to be so cruel, Sanae.”
“Kiriha...?”
“Yurika has her own ways of fighting. And she has her own reasons for not backing down.”
“Kiriha-san! I knew you were a good person from the first time I met you!”
Tears of gratitude streamed down from Yurika's face as she shook Kiriha's hand.
“Despite being just a normal person, unlike us, it's amazing that she's even able to compete with us.”
“K-Kiriha-san!?”
“That's true. Sorry Yurika.”
“Kiriha-san, you too!? Auh... this is just too cruel, this is too much!”
“There's no need to cry, Yurika. Even if those enemies you spoke of do appear, we would be fine. We'll be able to handle them before any danger occurs. You can just leave the fighting to us and leave.”
“Nooooo! None of you understand!”
“Yurika, you're being over dramatic...”
“Fueeeeee! Hercules-chan! Everyone's bullying me!”
Yurika's tears of joy had changed into tears of sadness.
However, nobody in the room truly understood the reason behind them.
