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Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 6, Chapter 1: Signs of the Radical Faction
Volume 6, Chapter 1: Signs of the Radical Faction
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
Saturday, December 5
Higashihongan Sanae was in a great mood.
“O~hohohoho♪”
She flew in circles above Koutarou and the others while laughing loudly. Her recently nonstop smile was shining brighter than ever.
“Hmph.”
In contrast, Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe was in a bad mood. Her sharp glare revealed her poor mood.
“Sanae-chan's victory!”
Sanae landed down in front of Koutarou while making a V sign.
“Amazing, good job.”
“Ehehehe~”
Koutarou patted a happy Sanae on the head.
“Sanae-sama is so strong at tennis.”
“Fufuh, Papa and Mama have trained me since I was small after all.”
Sanae proudly responded to Ruth's statement as she circled around to Koutarou's back.
“Hmm, then Sanae-chan's parents must be really good.”
“That's right!”
Having had her parents praised, Sanae was delighted. She clung onto Koutarou's back as always.
“Well then, let's go home before it gets cold!”
The time was now 3PM, so there was still some time before it got dark. However, since it was now December and winter had already begun, once it got dark it got cold right away.
Today, Koutarou and the others had used their Saturday to go to a sports park and play tennis. The participants were Koutarou, Sanae, Shizuka and the princess and assistant from Forthorthe; for a total of five people. Aside from Ruth, the rest of them were all athletic.
Koutarou, being a man on top of being athletic, was obviously good at tennis, but surprisingly enough, the strongest at tennis amongst the girls was Sanae.
Even as they headed home, Sanae was still in a good mood. There was quite a distance between the sports park and Corona House, but Sanae's excitement lasted throughout the journey.
“Praise me more, you bastard♪”
“Splendid, my lady.”
“It was not a big deal.”
Sanae kicked her legs in an adorable fashion fitting for her age as Koutarou continued along the sidewalk.
“Splendid or not, Koutarou was the amazing one.”
However, Theia was still in a bad mood. She couldn't accept that she had lost to Sanae.
“Your highness... fufufu...”
Seeing Theia like that, Ruth gently smiled as if watching over a younger sister.
“Don't be such a sore loser Theia. The body might have been Koutarou's, but I was the one moving it. So it was my victory♪”
“If I could do the same, I wouldn't have lost!”
What Theia couldn't accept was that Sanae had possessed Koutarou and used his body to play against her.
Similar to when they had played Jenga, Sanae had borrowed Koutarou's body to play. She could use her spiritual powers to control the racket, but it tired her and her accuracy would drop. A ghost's telekinesis, or poltergeist, had a wide range of use, but it wasn't suited for use over a long period of time.
Because of that, Sanae had possessed Koutarou. Doing that, she remained undefeated, resulting in her being in such a good mood.
However, it could be said that the reason that she won was Sanae's experience and Koutarou's athletic abilities.
If, for example, Sanae had played against Shizuka or Theia before she became a ghost, there was a possibility that she wouldn't stand a chance. That was why Theia was in such a bad mood.
“That might be true, but that means that this victory was thanks to the bond between me and Koutarou! Right, Koutarou?”
“Yes, yes, that's true.”
“Ah...”
But what bothered Theia even more was Sanae and Koutarou's relationship.
Sanae was able to manipulate Koutarou's body quite freely, and that was because Koutarou had accepted Sanae into his heart. If he had resisted, she probably wouldn't have been able to control him. Even if she could, the movements would come out as awkward. Playing an active sport in that condition would be impossible. Since she could, it meant that Koutarou was really trusting of Sanae.
So seeing how well they got along, Theia couldn't calm down.
If I was a ghost, would Koutarou let me do the same as Sanae?
“Koutarou, say it in a more loving fashion.”
“How would I do that- hey, what's wrong Theia?”
“Eh?”
A nearby voice rang out. Surprised by the close proximity of the voice, Theia looked up and saw Koutarou staring at her face with a worried look.
“You don't look so good, are you tired?”
“Ah, uhm, no, that's not it. I-I'm fine!”
“Really?”
Koutarou nodded but he kept staring at Theia's face. Being stared at with that earnest look, Theia was unable to calm down for a different reason. And as if to escape from his glance, she looked down.
As I thought, she seems to be feeling down...
Having looked at Theia for a while, that's what Koutarou decided in the end.
“Here.”
At that point, Koutarou presented his right hand to Theia.
“Koutarou?”
Not understanding the reason for the right hand, Theia looked at Koutarou and his hand.
During that time, Theia's brain was working as hard is it could to find an answer.
“...U-Uhm...”
Eventually, Theia reached a conclusion and took action. She reached out with both of her hands and grabbed onto Koutarou's right hand.
T-This is really what he means...
Theia could feel Koutarou's warmth through his hand. It felt like the parts touching were burning hot. However, Theia showed no signs of letting go; instead she grabbed on even harder.
“Theia, what are you doing?”
Having had his hand grabbed all of a sudden, Koutarou looked at Theia with a confused look. The action Theia had taken was different from his intentions.
“Eh?”
“Your luggage. If you're tired, I'll carry it for you, so hand it over.”
It looked like Theia was tired, so Koutarou decided to carry her luggage for her.
“Hau...”
That was when Theia finally realized.
She understood why Koutarou had presented his right hand, that she was grabbing onto his hand, that it was her own misunderstanding and that this situation was confusing Koutarou.
“Uwawa, t-this is, uhm, this is!!”
Having understood everything, Theia panicked and hurriedly released Koutarou's hand.
“W-Wait, Koutarou! You're wrong, that's not what I meant!”
Theia tried to smooth things over and desperately began to make excuses. She was desperate to hide that she had misunderstood the situation.
“Hm? Aren't you tired?”
“T-That's not it- well, I am tired, but-! But-!”
Theia was so embarrassed she couldn't look at Koutarou. She desperately kept talking while staring down on the ground.
“In that case, here.”
And almost as if he had planned for it, Koutarou's hand enters Theia's vision.
Koutarou's hand...
At that moment, Theia recalled the sensation of Koutarou's hand. Remembering that feeling, her face began to heat up.
“N-No more, I... I-!”
Just as Theia was about to say something, Shizuka opened her mouth.
“Satomi-kun, Satomi-kun, isn't that Kiriha-san?”
“Where, landlord-san?”
“Over there.”
“...Ah, you're right!”
As Koutarou turned around, Theia could see his big back and Sanae clinging onto him.
“I―”
As she saw that, she cooled down instantly.
“Where?”
“Over there, Koutarou.”
“I got it, that's certainly Kiriha-san.”
Between Koutarou and Theia was Sanae, and their distances to Koutarou easily extinguished Theia's burning emotions.
“...”
Theia mortifyingly bit her lip and a new feeling began springing up from inside.
Just what am I so discouraged with...? What is leaving me so unsatisfied...?
Theia was deeply discouraged. She couldn't even care less about Kiriha's appearance.
“Your highness...”
However, unlike her master, Ruth was smiling.
Her highness will realize her own feelings any moment now...
Up until now, Theia had never let any stranger near her. She had never opened herself up to anyone but Ruth. That Theia now desired someone else. Ruth had always been waiting for that change.
Unaware of the complex feelings the master and servant from Forthorthe were feeling, Koutarou, Sanae and Shizuka stared at Kiriha.
“What's she doing?”
“Looks like she's... cleaning?”
Kiriha was in front of the city hall. There, a lot of people from the neighborhood had gathered, and Kiriha was mixed in with them.
She was wearing her native kimono that she wore in private, in the middle of sorting large plastic bags. The bags were full of garbage that had been picked up and gathered throughout the day.
In other words, she was helping the neighborhood association clean up.
But why is she picking up garbage? And why is she wearing that outfit in front of people?
Koutarou felt something was odd with Kiriha today.
For starters, he didn't understand the reason why Kiriha was helping clean the city. He couldn't think of a reason she had to; after all, she was an invader.
On top of that, her outfit was another problem. Normally, when Kiriha went outside, she would wear her high school uniform or some fashionable clothing from the surface. That was in order to blend in, but for some reason, she wasn't disguising herself today. She was wearing her native outfit and announcing her presence.
“Look, Satomi-kun, there are other people wearing the same outfit as Kiriha.”
At that moment, several girls exited the city hall. Although the specific details were different, they were indeed wearing similar outfits to Kiriha.
They grouped up with Kiriha and began talking about something before joining up with the neighborhood association to help carry the garbage bags.
“Which means, they're all Kiriha-san's allies?”
Seeing them together like that, Koutarou assumed they were all allies, but his words made Sanae's face turn pale.
“This is bad, Koutarou! If they're Kiriha's allies, they're all from the underground, right!? They're here to invade the surface!”
Kiriha's goal was to invade the surface, she said so herself. And now that her allies had appeared, it must mean their goal to invade the surface was starting. Sanae panicked at that thought.
“Hmmmmm....”
However, that line of thinking didn't seem right to Koutarou. He tilted his head as he looked at Kiriha and her allies.
“What's wrong, Koutarou!? If we don't hurry and do something about them, our home and this city will be in danger!”
Irritated by Koutarou, Sanae pointed her finger at Kiriha and the others and repeated herself. But Koutarou kept tilting his head.
“Is that really so...?”
“What are you hesitating for!?”
“Now, now, just calm down Sanae.”
“As if I could calm down in this situation!? The invasion has already begun!”
“...I don't think it's started though.”
Koutarou remained calm because he didn't think the surface invasion had begun.
“That can't be it! They're definitely invading!”
“But, Kiriha-san and the others are only cleaning, you know?”
That was the primary reason for Koutarou to assume they weren't invading. No matter how you cut it, Kiriha and her allies were volunteers, helping to clean the city. The only special thing about them was their outfits, and they were working in harmony with the neighborhood association.
“They're only trying to make it look like they're cleaning, behind the scenes they're definitely―”
Sanae was still persistent, but...
“Definitely―”
...even to Sanae it looked like they were only cleaning. Her voice dropped and she stopped mid-sentence. Not even Sanae could believe that filling bags with garbage was for the sake of invading the surface.
“Hm?”
“Yeah... Hey Koutarou.”
“Yeah?”
“Why are they cleaning?”
“I don't know either.”
“Really... why are they cleaning...”
He knew that it wasn't to invade the surface, but even then, Koutarou didn't know why they were helping clean the city.
Part 2
That night, after breakfast...
Koutarou would feel too anxious to leave his question unanswered, so he decided to flat out ask Kiriha.
“Fufun, you're ten years too young to try and beat me!”
“Curse youuuu, in that case, Yurika, let's combine!”
“No way! I'd rather lose than be possessed!”
“You wimp!”
Fortunately, Yurika, Theia and Sanae were glued to the TV playing games, leaving only Kiriha and Ruth by the tea table. With the three noisy ones occupied, this was his chance.
Ruth put down three cups and began pouring tea. While listening to that sound, Koutarou mentioned the topic on his mind. He didn't think it was that much of a deal, so he sensed no danger and asked in a casual tone of voice.
“Kiriha-san.”
“What, Koutarou?”
“On our way back from tennis we saw you and some other girls. You were cleaning by the city hall, right?”
“If you were looking you could have just come up and said something.”
Kiriha didn't deny it; instead, she smiled at Koutarou.
Ruth put down the tea cups in front of Koutarou and Kiriha. After saying her thanks, Kiriha picked up her cup. Koutarou picked up his own cup and continued talking.
“I'll do that next time. So, Kiriha-san, why did you volunteer to help clean?”
“Does it bother you?”
Kiriha smiled as she said that and placed her lips on the cup. After that, Kiriha suddenly looked at Ruth with surprise.
“Ruth, this isn't the tea we usually get. What's happened?”
“Actually, when I went shopping yesterday, I got this as a trial.”
“You mean that teahouse... hmm, let's get this from now on.”
As Kiriha stared at the tea cup in her hand with a delighted expression, Koutarou's doubt began growing.
Does Kiriha-san really intend to invade the surface?
Koutarou couldn't imagine the cleaning or the tea topic being words from an invader.
“Well yeah, it bothers me. You're from the underground but you're bringing your allies up to clean the city. Anyone would wonder the same thing.”
“Fufufu, now that you mention it, that might be the case.”
Kiriha smiled lightly and tilted her head.
“Lately, I've almost been forgetting that I'm an invader.”
Koutarou found that feminine gesture preferable.
“Then forget I said anything.”
“I can't do that. Actually, Koutarou. That cleaning is part of our invasion.”
“W-What!?”
With those unexpected words leaving Kiriha's gently smiling lips, Koutarou instinctively spat out the tea in his mouth.
“Oh my!”
Ruth also looked on in surprise. She was also unable to hide her surprise.
“You're kidding, right!? What would cleaning have to do with invading!?”
Right now, Koutarou felt both surprise and disappointment.
That's weird. Why am I disappointed...?
While Koutarou still doubted Kiriha, he was puzzled by the fact that he was disappointed that her invasion had begun, even though he knew from the start that Kiriha's goal was to invade the surface.
“Could it be that you're only pretending to be cleaning so you could poison the water supply!?”
“Of course not. That's undoubtedly cleaning.”
“Eh?”
Koutarou was confused, his mouth was wide open. Kiriha could easily tell that he was dumbfounded.
“Fufufu, look at your own expression, Koutarou. Is it really that strange that I would volunteer to clean the city?”
Kiriha cheerfully laughed as she looked at Koutarou's confused expression and revealed a healthy, feminine smile.
“Ah, no, that's not it... I just can't connect invasion and volunteering.”
“Well, they are connected, Koutarou. Actually, that kind of thing is the most important.”
As Kiriha wiped away a tear of joy from her eye, she began explaining to Koutarou.
“You can't just use violence and force your way when you invade.”
“You can't?”
Koutarou was confused. In his head, invasion was done through the use of powerful weapons.
“In fiction, they certainly use force. But reality is different. Even if you rule through power, the natives will eventually revolt.”
“...If I'm not mistaken, several decades ago a country called Germany began several invasions, but the countries that had been invaded still had very active resistances, right?”
Ruth, who had kept quiet up until this point, spoke up. Eight months had now passed since she first arrived at Earth. Thanks to that, she had begun to get a grasp of Earth's history.
“That's correct. They were unable to earn the support of the people they had invaded, and those people eventually rebelled. The result of which, need not be said.”
In the end, the resistance cooperated with the allied forces and regained their freedom by repelling the German army. The moral of the story is that if you try to rule through force, resistance will be born.
“So there's a limit to how long you can control things through power alone.”
“Yes. Especially for the minority like ourselves, it won't be easy to maintain rule through power. That method won't work.”
“So that's why you were helping clean the city?”
“That's right. If we don't become familiar with the locals and get close, we'll never be able to invade, in the true meaning of the word. We have nothing to fall back on so we have to succeed.”
The People of the Earth were unable to stop their decline in population. Because of that, they planned to appear on the surface and spread their influence. Kiriha was proceeding with the safest way of invasion.
“What we fear the most is that you surface dwellers will label us as a dangerous group, like terrorists or guerillas. If that happens, the invasion will get prolonged, and we will be ruined underground. That would be bad.”
Once labeled as a terrorist or guerrilla group, it would take several decades to rid themselves of that reputation. During those several decades, the People of the Earth would only decline even further. In that case, spending a little more time to build a harmonious relationship with the surface dwellers would be better.
“Hmm, so there are several kinds of invasions...”
“We've examined the history on the surface up until now, so we've had a lot to think of.”
In reality, anti-government guerillas that create hospitals, schools or wells for the populace are extremely troublesome. Because the locals cover them, they are near impossible to completely wipe out.
Taking that into account, Kiriha decided against the use of force and instead focused on getting along with the locals. The volunteer job from before was the first step for that.
“Well, that's troublesome.”
Having understood everything, Koutarou let out a heavy sigh. Even though he had gotten a solid understanding of the situation he was still perplexed.
“What's so troublesome?”
Kiriha cheerfully smiled. She already knew what Koutarou was thinking about.
“Even though your invasion has already begun, I can't stop you. You're not doing anything bad after all.”
“Koutarou, that's what a true invasion is. If you could tell it was an invasion from first glance, that would just be simple child’s play.”
As Kiriha said that, she filled her mouth with the tea from her cup. She nodded approvingly as she presented the cup to Ruth.
“Ruth. Excuse me, but may I have another cup?”
“Yes, right away.”
Ruth began preparing another cup of tea right away. While looking at Ruth, Koutarou thought to himself.
If Kiriha told me to hand over the room now, what would I say?
Eight months ago, Koutarou completely refused her demands.
But what if she had done the same now?
Koutarou didn't have the confidence that he could refuse as confidently as he did back then.
Part 3
Below Corona House was a secret base that Kiriha had built. If you flipped over the tatami mat closest to the entrance of the room, you would find a tunnel leading towards it.
The tunnel had been completely paved with concrete, and there was no soil in sight. There were lights at regular intervals, illuminating the tunnel. It was so well made it could be confused with an underground shopping center.
Kiriha was passing through that tunnel, heading for her secret base. It was now almost midnight. She planned on returning to her room and going to bed.
The sound of Kiriha's shoes echoed throughout the tunnel, creating a jarring noise. The biggest flaw of the tunnel would be the sounds of her footsteps.
The length of the tunnel was roughly 50 meters. After turning a couple of corners and climbing down two sets of stairs, she had arrived at the entrance of her base, a metallic door.
Kiriha opened the door in an accustomed manner and entered.
Inside was a clean and orderly room. It was roughly three times the size of Koutarou's room. Inside were three doors: one led to room 106, another led to Kiriha's underground hometown and the last door led to her private room. The other things in this room included a device used for maintenance on her haniwas, a weapons depot and several computers.
Once Kiriha entered the room, the haniwas headed for the maintenance device right away.
“Ho-! Good night Ho-!”
“HoHo-! See you tomorrow, nee-san!”
Amongst the things inside the room, the maintenance device was the largest. Although it was used for maintenance on the two small haniwas, it was also large enough to allow freedom of movement inside. The haniwas didn't just enter the device to go sleep, but it also served as a repair station. The haniwas pressed a switch to open a hatch and entered the device.
“Good night, Karama, Korama.”
After watching the tempered glass hatch shut, Kiriha headed towards the computers. On her way, she passed by the weapons depot.
The weapons depot held different armaments for Kiriha and various attachments for the haniwas. The last time Kiriha had opened the depot was when she had fought against Theia. In order to break through Theia's powerful shield, she had to equip the haniwas with spiritual energy weaponry. However, after that incident, she had never opened the depot since. She hadn't even touched the weapons intended for her. Although she looked like she was the most set on invasion, in reality, she was the most peaceful amongst the residents of room 106, possibly even more so than Koutarou.
Because of that, she passed by the weapons depot without even looking at it.
Apart from monitoring the base and controlling the maintenance device, the computers could be used to communicate with her hometown and more. Before going to sleep, she was going to confirm that there were no irregularities.
“Hmm, a message.”
As she took a look at the monitor, Kiriha saw a message notification. She touched the notification and opened up the message.
“From the Chief, huh.”
The Chief wasn't just her boss, but also her father. Ever since she had been selected as the commander for the surface invasion, she had started calling him Chief.
Kiriha read through the message. In it said to contact him directly and give him a status report.
“Fufu...”
Kiriha revealed a small smile. Whenever her father wanted to see his daughter's face, he would leave a message like this. Ever since Kiriha's mother passed away ten years ago, her father had raised her on his own. Because of that, Kiriha knew that he was worrying about her. She smiled and opened up a program on the computer and called him.
“Kiriha!?”
The ringtone only lasted for a few seconds before a middle aged man's face appeared on the screen. Although he was wearing a beard and had a dignified appearance, his eyes shone like that of a child’s. He was Kiriha's father, and the chief of the clan: Kurano Daiha.
“It has been a while, Chief.”
Kiriha revealed a mischievous and happy smile, one that she rarely showed to the residents of room 106.
Judging from how short the wait was, Kiriha determined that he had been waiting for her call.
“Again with the Chief... you can just call me father. It's just the two of us talking after all.”
“However, the message was to deliver a status report. This isn't a private conversation.”
Kiriha continued while withholding her laughter. Her expression was something she would only show to someone she truly trusted. Seeing that, Daiha frowned exaggeratedly.
“Lately you've started to not only look like her, but also act like her. Even the parts you don't need to. You know what I mean, you bully...”
“Then let's get our business over with.”
“Alright, alright.”
Daiha stopped acting like a child, corrected his posture and put on a serious expression. His glance was sharp and gave off the impression of a man with a strong will. That was the expression of a Chief. Following suit, Kiriha put on a serious expression. From here on they weren't family, but Chief and subordinate.
“So, what's your status?”
“Plan A is progressing smoothly, and stage one is complete. We've begun on stage two. We're building up our trust with the surface dwellers.”
Kiriha had come up with two major plans for a surface invasion, plan A and plan B. Plan B involved Kiriha overseeing the problematic room 106 directly. And plan A was being carried on separate from that.
Plan A had been divided up into several stages.
The first stage was securing a base. In order for the underground people to get up to the surface, they needed to secure a place of dwelling. Selling off the rare metal Kiriha and the others were hoarding, they had bought up a lot of real estates in the city. And since they reached their target amount the other day, they had begun on stage two.
The second stage was getting along with the surface dwellers. Kiriha and the others had begun participating in events and volunteered to help the city. They were showing off that they were good neighbors. This was the trickiest part of Kiriha's plan; a single misstep could risk the entire plan. So they proceeded carefully. That's what Kiriha had been doing when Koutarou and the others had found her cleaning.
“And what response have the surface dwellers given?”
“Great, for the most part. The people that found employment in the local industries seem to have had a large influence.”
Infiltration of local industries was part of the second stage for plan A. There were plenty of people that had found employment within agriculture, fishing, welfare and the likes. Once they had infiltrated those industries and become a key part of it, they would at least be able to avoid ruin should something unexpected happen.
“I see, so it's progressing smoothly.”
“Yes. At this rate, we'll be able to spread our influence through this entire city within ten years.”
Next, they were planning to advance up the social hierarchy of political and financial circles. If they didn't secure a foothold within those circles, they would have trouble acquiring any real power. They needed to integrate into the region even more. However, Kiriha wasn't pessimistic; the response to them was gradually changing. If nothing major happened, the People of the Earth would be able to survive on the surface. That's what Kiriha had begun feeling as of late.
“And what about plan B?”
“That's proceeding smoothly as well- or that's what I'd like to say. But the situation is going back and forth as usual.”
“It seems to be a complex situation.”
“Yes. Apart from us, there are several other factions targeting that place.”
Plan B was about occupying Corona House's room 106.
If they were able to gain control of room 106, they would be able to rebuild their ancestors’ altar. Since the altar also served as an efficient place to gather spiritual energy, they would be able to mass produce spiritual energy weapons like Karama and Korama.
“That said, with plan A proceeding smoothly, I don't believe there is any reason to worry about the delays in plan B.”
In the end, plan B was just an insurance. It was only intended to be used if the peaceful integration of plan A failed, that is, in case the army on the surface attacked them. Because of that, since plan A was proceeding without a hitch, there was no need to rush plan B. Instead, rushing along with plan A might only cause more damage.
“I am of the same opinion. However, Kiriha, the radical faction has begun moving lately.”
“As we feared, they're making their move then?”
“Yes.”
Daiha nodded with a frown.
The People of the Earth were not united as one. There were several clans that held power, but they not were completely unified. Amongst the clans were those that wished to use force to invade the surface swiftly, a radical faction. To them, Kiriha's methods were too naïve.
“If we can't hold them back, we might need to abandon plan A. In that case―”
“Plan B would be a necessity.”
“That's right. We'll try to restrain the radical faction’s movement from here, but you should keep an eye out as well. There might be those that would target you directly.”
“I understand.”
While Kiriha nodded at Daiha, she understood why he wanted her to contact him with this timing. He didn't just want to see his daughter's face but he was also worried about her safety.
In the worst case scenario, I might need to defeat those people...
The faces of the residents of room 106 popped up in Kiriha's head. Sanae, Theia, Ruth, Yurika and Koutarou. If the radical faction caused a scene, they would need to reconstruct the altar as soon as possible. With their inferior numbers, they would need a large amount of spiritual energy weapons or they would face ruin. Because of that, there might arise the need to defeat and dispose of Koutarou and the others.
But could I do that...?
They had spent a lot of precious time together during these past eight months, and that troubled Kiriha. She couldn't imagine pointing a weapon at Koutarou and the others.
“Hey, Kiriha.”
At this moment, Daiha's expression loosened up. It wasn't the expression of a Chief, but of a caring father.
“Father?”
Sensing that, Kiriha returned to herself.
“Won't you come back and take a groom?”
“A groom... Are you telling me to get married?”
“Yes. If you do that, our support will strengthen and the influence of the radicals will wane. You'll be safe and you won't have to fight against opponents you don't want to fight with.”
Daiha's idea was simple. He wanted to restrain the radical faction through a political marriage.
It didn't matter if she married someone from the radical faction or any other influential person. If Kiriha's influence grew, the radicals would lose their power.
But in the end that was just a front. Front and foremost, Daiha didn't want his daughter in any danger.
“...I can't.”
However, despite understanding all of that, Kiriha shook her head.
“You've become as stubborn as your mother as well.”
“That's not... but father, if I leave the surface now, I won't be able to restrain the radical faction. We need to avoid that no matter what.”
Even if she were to take a groom, it wouldn't resolve the situation right away. They would need to lay down the groundwork and adjust the schedule, even more so because it would be a political marriage. During that time, the radical faction might make a move while Kiriha was away. There would be no point in marrying if the radical faction caused a scene before the marriage.
“Hmm... even if you were to marry, if we can't stop the radical faction...”
“That's right.”
Seeing Daiha's response, Kiriha let out a small sigh of relief. She took out a single card from her pocket. It was an aging card with a metallic sheen.
Kiriha had one more reason for why she couldn't get married.
And that was this card. Before she could accomplish the desires this card held, she didn't have the option of getting married.
Part 4
Dawn, 7AM. The Sunday morning in room 106 starts, as expected, with Ruth.
Although the days started later in the winter, at 7AM the sun began shining into room 106. However, even with that, it wasn't enough to warm up the room, and it was cold enough for Ruth to see her breath as she entered the room.
“Satomi-sama is...”
The first thing Ruth did was search the room for Koutarou. Since his sleeping habits were so poor, he would often lie next to the gate leading to the Blue Knight, and Ruth and Theia would then step on him as they entered the room.
“Ah, good, he's sleeping over there.”
She only put her head through the gate to look for Koutarou. After confirming his location, she stepped out of the gate, careful to not make a sound. Although not even loud sounds would wake up Koutarou, the proper Ruth valued manners highly.
“If you sleep in a place like that you'll catch a cold, Satomi-sama...”
Koutarou always laid out his futon in the center of the room, but right now he was sleeping in front of the wardrobe. Of course he had no quilt and was lying on his back in his pajamas.
Ruth's second job was to put a quilt over Koutarou.
“Hi―”
However, Ruth almost let out a scream.
“...I'll never get used to seeing this...”
Holding her scream in, Ruth smiled wryly as she covered him from chest and down.
“Zzzzz...”
Sanae's blissful looking sleeping face was sticking out of Koutarou's chest. It was almost as if Koutarou's pajamas had an image of Sanae printed on them, but it was in fact the real Sanae, wearing a nightcap. She was sleeping inside of Koutarou's body. It was this scene that almost made Ruth scream.
“ZZZzzz... ZZZzzz...”
“Zzzzz...”
Koutarou and Sanae's snores rang out in a strange harmony.
Lately, Sanae had been complaining about feeling cold, and often slept inside of Koutarou. Apparently, the inside of Koutarou's body was comfortable to sleep in. And ever since she first tried it, it had become her favorite sleeping spot.
Although Sanae liked it, her new sleeping spot was unpopular with the others. The only thing sticking out from Koutarou's body was her face, and her limbs would fall out every now and then. It was an appalling sight that made it look like Koutarou had grown female limbs. Koutarou himself would often be surprised and would complain to Sanae. Of course, Sanae showed no signs of listening to his complaints, and whenever she saw an opening she would enter his body to sleep.
“Today's better than normal, but this is bad for my heart...”
Having finished putting a quilt over Koutarou and Sanae, Ruth smiled wryly and headed towards the kitchen.
Normally, shortly after Ruth arrived, Kiriha would appear and the two of them would prepare breakfast together. However, for some reason, she showed no signs of showing up today. Ruth ended up preparing breakfast on her own.
“Hmm... So you made breakfast alone today? It looks delicious.”
“Thank you very much, Sanae-sama.”
Receiving praise, Ruth smiled and put down the breakfast on the tea table. Rice, miso soup, broiled fish and natto, they were Sanae and Koutarou's favorites.
“That said, Sanae, get out from there.”
“No wa~y♪”
Even though it was time for breakfast, Sanae refused to leave Koutarou's body. She cheerfully laughed with her face sticking through Koutarou's chest.
“You now...”
“If you really hate it then chase me out. Come on, try it.”
Sanae reached her arm out from Koutarou's body and poked his face.
Sanae was able to enter Koutarou's body after the two of them started getting along. So if he really hated it, she wouldn't be able to stay inside of his body. Knowing that, Sanae was stubborn.
Hehehe, Koutarou loves me after all!
If Koutarou accepted her, then she would go all out. Sanae's actions were an expression of her love.
“That's right, Sanae. Can't you at least stop it during breakfast? Seeing you like that makes me lose my appetite.”
“Sanae-chan, at least give us a break with the supernatural phenomenon in the morning.”
However, Sanae's expression of love was also unpopular with Theia and Yurika. The sight of someone's face sticking out from someone else's body wasn't very appetizing.
“That's right, Sanae. Do you want me to feel sick while eating?”
“Ugh, that would be a problem.”
It wasn't enough for Koutarou to chase Sanae out, but this sight was enough to remove any urge to eat.
And since Sanae always shared her senses with Koutarou, having him eating while feeling sick wouldn't be very fun for her.
“So come out.”
“Okaaay.”
Sanae reluctantly came out from Koutarou's body. She easily left his body and in a matter of seconds, she appeared behind his back.
“Sorry for making a fuss during breakfast.”
Saying that, Sanae clung onto Koutarou's back, like she normally did during meals.
Sleeping aside, I think I prefer this normally...
That's what Sanae thought as she clung onto Koutarou. It was comfortable enough inside of Koutarou, but if she stayed there, she couldn't do anything for him. She would rather stick onto Koutarou and mess around with him.
After Sanae got onto Koutarou's back, Yurika's stomach began growling. With the supernatural phenomenon behind them, her appetite had returned.
“You really are easy going, Yurika...”
Hearing that, Koutarou pointed at Yurika and laughed.
“T-That's because it's morning, I'm hungry... it can't be helped!”
Yurika blushed and desperately made excuses.
“You're just a glutton.”
“I-It's true that it can't be helped but, you... buhahaha.”
“S-Sorry for you keeping you waiting, Yurika-sama.”
Stifling her laughter, Ruth put down breakfast in front of Yurika. However, despite the food in front of her, Yurika was pouting.
“You're all terrible, treating me like some starved animal.”
“W-Well, you know. If you're hungry, eat. You can take as many extra helpings you'd like today.”
“Really!?”
Hearing Koutarou's words, Yurika's eyes lit up. Her pouting expression immediately changed into a smile.
“Buhahahaha.”
“See, she's just gluttonous.”
“Y-Yurika-sama, w-would you like a large portion?”
Koutarou laughed loudly, Sanae grinned behind him and Ruth stopped moving her hands as she tried to hold her laughter in. The wooden spoon in her hand trembled slightly.
“T-There's no reason to laugh that much! I'm not gluttonous, I'm just in my growing phase!”
Yurika had tears in her eyes as she desperately made excuses. Room 106 was as noisy as always.
“...”
Watching that commotion in the corner of her eye, Theia continued eating her breakfast. In the eight months that had passed since she first came to Earth, she had gotten skilled at using chopsticks. She gracefully moved her chopsticks and put the food in her mouth.
“T-Then there's no need to hold back, grow all you like! Wahahaha!”
“Ah, that expression tells me you don't believe me!”
“Koutarou, I'm in my growing phase too, I want to eat.”
“R-Ruth-san, I'm in my growing phase as well, give me an extra large portion.”
“Of course, right away. Fufufu...”
However, Theia couldn't tell what the breakfast tasted like. Ever since Sanae had clung onto Koutarou's back, she had been focused solely on them.
I wish...
Theia imagined herself clinging onto Koutarou's back. In that fantasy, she was smiling cheerfully while entrusting her defenseless body to Koutarou. The moment she thought of that, Theia was overcome with feelings of impatience.
J-Just what I am thinking...?
She returned to her senses and looked down. She couldn't believe she had been thinking about doing the same thing Sanae was doing.
He's just a vassal! I only need him to swear loyalty for my trial! No more, no less!
Ever since the second princess's, Clan's, attack, Theia's feelings had begun changing.
When she first arrived on Earth, she only thought of Koutarou as some neanderthal on a backwater planet. She just wanted him to swear his loyalty so she could hurry on back to Forthorthe.
However, as time passed, she began wanting to make Koutarou a true vassal. Because of that, she began smiling at him.
But now, Koutarou was beginning to exceed the role of a vassal in her mind. Even if he wasn't her vassal, he would definitely come to her side when needed. She was certain of that. But that's why she was confused. She no longer knew what she wanted from Koutarou.
Theia only returned to the world when one of the tatami mats suddenly began moving. Just where she had been looking, a tatami mat slowly rose up, and a person appeared.
“Good morning.”
Coming out from under the tatami was none other than Kiriha, Theia just happened to be looking at the tatami that led to Kiriha's secret base.
“Good morning... That said, you're awfully late today.”
Theia's line of thinking stopped alongside the appearance of Kiriha, and she called out to her in a small voice.
“Actually, I've been working since this morning.”
Kiriha flipped over the mat and entered room 106 with a light step. Shortly after, the two haniwas appeared from behind her.
“Ho-! Good morning Ho-!”
“How is everyone doing Ho-!”
The haniwas cheerfully greeted everyone as they returned the tatami mat to its former spot. Since they did the same thing every morning, they had gotten quite used to this.
“Good morning, Kiriha-san.”
Noticing Kiriha's presence, Koutarou greeted her. After she had greeted everyone, she sat down by the open space in front of the tea table.
“Ruth, sorry for being late.”
“Not at all. It was a good opportunity to try out my cooking skills.”
“But why were you late today? You didn't oversleep did you?”
If Yurika had been the one late, Sanae wouldn't have asked the same question. However, since this was Kiriha, who had never once overslept, Sanae wasn't the only one interested. In fact, everyone except Yurika stopped eating and looked at Kiriha.
“Actually, there was some trouble in my hometown, so I spent the morning dealing with that.”
Kiriha had been late because she was formulating countermeasures for the radical faction she was talking with her father about. There was a lot for her to do, like contacting the surface branch and giving orders to her direct subordinates.
“By hometown, you mean the underground empire, right?”
“Calling it an empire would be misleading... but yes, that's correct.”
While receiving a teacup from Ruth, Kiriha nodded at Koutarou.
“By trouble, did something bad happen?”
Even if he asked for details, Koutarou probably wouldn't understand, and Kiriha probably wouldn't tell anyways. So Koutarou asked a vague question. When he did, Kiriha responded with a smile.
“Would you like to know?”
“Well, yes. If it's trouble regarding the underground empire, I'm not completely unrelated.”
Koutarou nodded repeatedly and slightly dropped his shoulders.
She seems a bit down...
That's what Koutarou felt as he was talking to Kiriha. It looked to him like she was feeling tired.
“I do think it's unrelated to you however.”
“Kiriha-san, did you forget that you're a part of the underground people?”
“Ah, that's right.”
Kiriha smiled.
That's right. I'm one of the People of the Earth, and I'm trying to take this room from Koutarou...
Kiriha had been frantically trying to stop the radical faction from moving, so much so that she had partly forgotten that she was an invader. So it was just as Koutarou said, trouble in the underground empire could affect Koutarou as well.
“There's no need to worry, Koutarou. Nothing will happen.”
“Then that's good.”
Kiriha smiled, but Koutarou felt it was different from normal. Her usual smile was more mischievous than that.
I wonder what's going on...
In truth, Koutarou wasn't all that worried about the underground empire. He was more worried about Kiriha’s somewhat gloomy expression.
I just hope nothing bad is happening...
Finding it strange that he was worrying about Kiriha, Koutarou couldn't just leave her be.
For several days, Kiriha seemed very busy.
She would often not show up for breakfast, and sometimes she wouldn't even go to school. Since she wouldn’t explain the situation, Koutarou could only watch on from the sidelines.
