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Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 7, Chapter 2: Everyone's Christmas Circumstances
Volume 7, Chapter 2: Everyone's Christmas Circumstances
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
Tuesday, December 22
Koutarou presented Yurika with two cards.
“Come on, pick one, Yurika.”
“Hmmmmm...”
Yurika stared at the cards in front of her. Since she could only see the back of the cards, she had no way of knowing what each card was. Yurika stared intensely at them as if trying to look through the cards.
Today, the battle for ownership of the room was being determined by card games for the first time in a while. They each suggested a game they were good at and had everyone participate in every game. Right now they were playing their fifth game, Old Maid, which was Yurika's suggestion.
The game had already progressed to the last stage. Although no one had lost yet, everyone had between one to three cards left, and the match was about to end.
Koutarou's hand consisted of the joker and the ace of spades, while Yurika had only one card left. Koutarou wanted Yurika to take the joker off his hands.
“They won't become transparent if you stare at them long enough you know, so just hurry up and draw one.”
“But if I do and get the old maid, it would be bad for me.”
“It wouldn't be bad for me.”
“T-That's mean, Sanae-chan.”
Yurika's hand alternated between the two cards. This situation was causing the normally indecisive Yurika to hesitate even more than usual. So it was only obvious for Sanae to rush her along. Even after hesitating for a while, she would still draw the old maid. That had always been the case up until now.
“Fight! Yurika!”
Yurika pumped herself up and donned a sharp expression. She then made up her mind and grabbed one of the cards in Koutarou's hand.
“Eeeii!!”
She drew the card with a yell. Since she was scared of drawing the old maid, she had both of her eyes closed. She then brought the card to her face and fearfully opened one of her eyes.
“Ah!?”
As she did, her expression brightened up. The card she had pulled had ace of spades written on it with large letters.
“I did it! I'm out!!”
Yurika put her card and the card she had drawn together and threw them onto the tea table. She raised her hands into the air and cheered.
“Hoo...”
Seeing that, Kiriha seemed impressed. Having constantly lost, Yurika's victory only prolonged the battle for room 106. Since Kiriha wanted a situation like that, she welcomed Yurika's victory.
“Eeeh!? Yurika won again!?”
Meanwhile, Sanae seemed dissatisfied. She pouted as she looked at the cards that had been thrown on the table. Sanae just hated losing, so she couldn't accept Yurika winning.
“Are you cheating or something!?”
“O-Of course I'm not!”
Yurika hurriedly shook her head as Sanae pointed at her. There was actually one more thing she couldn't accept, and that was Yurika's recent win streak.
Yurika would still lose as always when playing games that required brains over brawns, but for some reason, she got really lucky when playing games depending on luck. Thanks to that, Yurika had been able to slowly gather points and escape the dangerous situation she was in.
“Calm down, Sanae. At the very least, she's not cheating.”
“That's not true! No matter how you think about it, it's weird that Yurika is winning this much!”
Even though Koutarou was trying to reason with her, Sanae couldn't accept it. Yurika's winning streak was so remarkable that it didn't make sense to Sanae.
“Thank you, Satomi-saaa~n! I knew you were a good person from the day we first met!”
Tears of gratitude streamed down Yurika's cheeks when she received some unexpected support from Koutarou. Just like always, she grabbed his hand and intensely shook it.
Fufufu, Satomi-san really is my ally. He really understands me.
Yurika was happy that Koutarou believed in her.
“Calm down, Sanae. Just believe in Yurika a little, will you?”
While his hand was still being shaken by Yurika, Koutarou calmly attempted to persuade Sanae.
“That's right. I'm not cheating.”
Yurika smiled and followed Koutarou's lead. Since he was on her side this time, Yurika was extra stubborn.
“But-”
“Just think about it. This is Yurika, you know? She couldn't possibly cheat.”
“Huh?”
However, the next moment, Yurika's smile froze in place. Koutarou's follow-up was changing into something unexpected.
“Kiriha-san aside, how would Yurika cheat without us catching on? She's clumsy and can't even maintain a proper poker face.”
Koutarou didn't even consider the possibility of Yurika cheating.
More precisely, Yurika's not cheating. Instead...
Koutarou turned towards Kiriha. She happily looked at Sanae and Yurika.
In Koutarou's mind, it made much more sense for Kiriha to be giving Yurika cards to make it easier for her to win.
Kiriha is probably not cheating either.
Neither Yurika nor Kiriha was cheating. That was Koutarou's conclusion.
“...That's true. I'm sorry for doubting you, Yurika. I was wrong. It's far too unreasonable for someone as clumsy as you to cheat.”
“Yeah, just believe in her, Sanae. She can't possibly cheat.”
“That's what you meant when you said believe in me!?”
However, in the end, Yurika still shed tears of sorrow.
Part 2
“I'll definitely cheat; an amazing cheat that no one will notice...”
When Yurika, who was mumbling to herself and facing the wall, turned around to look behind her, she could see the other residents calmly drinking tea. There were six cups of tea on the table; six because Shizuka had come to play with them, while not counting Sanae, who couldn't drink on her own.
In the end, today's card games ended with Yurika's victory. Her luck had played a big part in her victories. A lot of points had streamed down from Theia, who was in the lead, down to Yurika.
“Koutarou, once the break is over we'll do a little training.”
“Would a little training even count as training?”
“If you're bothered by that, I won't mind if we make that a lot of training.”
“No, I'm not bothered in the slightest, princess Theiamillis.”
“It seems like you're well aware now of who your master is, Satomi Koutarou.”
“Who are you calling master!?”
However, Theia was in a great mood despite her crushing defeat. It was as if she didn't care about the points anymore.
“It'll be too late when Satomi-san realizes it. I'll use my elegant techniques, my elegant techniques, and... and...”
Tears continued to stream down Yurika's cheeks.
It was hard to tell who came out on top when looking at the cheerful Theia and depressed Yurika.
“Satomi-kun.”
At that moment, Shizuka who had finished drinking her cup of tea called out to Koutarou.
“There's no need to be shy, I understand.”
“You bastard, just because the play is close, you're getting― Huh? Yes?”
Koutarou who was in the middle of speaking with Theia, turned his head towards Shizuka.
“Hey Koutarou, we're not done talking yet.”
“Ah, owowowow.”
Theia then grabbed Koutarou's head with both of her hands and forcibly turned it back to herself. Koutarou then let out a scream.
“A-Are you trying to twist my neck!?”
“Ah, sorry.”
However, once Koutarou screamed out in pain, Theia quickly let go. She didn't want to harm him. Since the date of the play was not far, she couldn't afford to let the Blue Knight's actor be harmed.
“...You look like you're having fun, Satomi-kun.”
“Ouch... it's not fun at all. So what is it, landlord-san?”
“Right, about that.”
Shizuka happily clapped her hands together, before spinning her finger around and began talking.
“Satomi-kun, I heard you picked up another part-time job.”
“Eh? Why do you know that?”
“I heard from Mackenzie.”
“That bastard, saying something unnecessary...”
Koutarou recalled his meeting with Kenji and lightly clicked his tongue. Like Kenji had assumed, Koutarou had kept the extra part-time job a secret.
“Oh, a new part-time job, huh.”
“Is that why you've been getting home late, recently?”
“I can't believe you can do it in this cold...”
“I'll cheat, I'll definitely cheat...”
Having learned of Koutarou's new part-time job, the four invaders each show a different reaction. Kiriha seemingly happy as she sipped her tea, Theia nodded her head, Sanae was worried he might catch a cold in the cool winter weather and Yurika was still mumbling while facing the wall.
The four invaders each showed positive responses, but there was one person in room 106 that showed the opposite reaction.
“...”
“What's wrong, Ruth-san?”
“No, it's nothing.”
A deep wrinkle appeared on Ruth's forehead as she gave Koutarou a sharp glance. When Koutarou had asked what was wrong, Ruth had answered nothing and turned her head away, but Koutarou knew that wasn't true.
“So why did you start a new part-time job, Satomi-kun?”
When Shizuka asked that, the wrinkle on Ruth's forehead got even deeper.
“Why, well―”
“Is it so you can get some money for a Christmas date!?”
Unlike Shizuka, whose eyes were sparkling and full of curiosity, Ruth's expression was getting darker and darker.
What?
Koutarou looked at the two in confusion.
“Now that it's out, there's no point in hiding it.”
Kiriha, who had been listening in, grinned towards Koutarou. Her smile quickly changed into a more elegant one and she started speaking to Shizuka. Koutarou had a bad feeling about what was about to happen, but since he was too worried about Ruth, he didn't have a chance to stop her.
“Actually Shizuka, I and Koutarou have a date planned for Christmas.”
“I knew it!! So the person you were going on a date with was Kiriha!!”
At the same time Shizuka shouted out, the atmosphere in the room froze. The stares that were focused on Koutarou increased from one to four. The extra three stares came from Sanae, Yurika and Theia. The three of them put pressure on Koutarou by criticizing him at the same time.
“Koutarou! I told you to keep away from Kiriha! She'll invade our room you know!”
Sanae assumed that Kiriha had seduced Koutarou to invade the room. She didn't expect Kiriha to actually fall in love with him. In other words, Sanae was desperate to save Koutarou from Kiriha's grasp.
“That's cheating! Two timing is an unforgivable sin!”
Yurika puffed up her cheeks like a balloon. She thought that Koutarou was having an affair with Kiriha. Koutarou already had Harumi, so him going on a date with Kiriha was an unforgivable betrayal. And since she imagined Koutarou, Harumi and herself going out on a date together, it wasn't just a betrayal against Harumi, but to Yurika herself as well.
“You fool! What kind of business have you gotten involved with this time!? Spit it out, Koutarou!! Who are you fighting against without even letting me know!?”
Unlike Sanae and Yurika, Theia was worried about something else. She was worried that someone other than Kiriha might cause Koutarou harm.
Theia had noticed the underground political problems around Kiriha. The battle the other day confirmed her suspicion. Although the problems the other day had been resolved by that fight, the root of the problem had remained unsolved.
Theia believed that Koutarou was more likely to have gotten involved in more of Kiriha's problems.
Why are you always like that!? You only need to protect me!
It was the knight-like behavior that Theia wanted: the courage to stand up against any enemy, unwilling to overlook any evil and unconditionally loving everyone. Those were the three virtues the legendary hero, Blue Knight was said to embody.
Theia had wished for those virtues to appear within Koutarou. Despite that, knowing that Koutarou might be in danger, Theia couldn't honestly rejoice. Joy and worry combined within her, creating a complex feeling.
“Kiriha-san, what are you saying all of a sudden!?”
Meanwhile, Koutarou himself loudly protested to Kiriha. He hadn't made any date plans with Kiriha.
“There's no need to be so cold, Koutarou. That other day you said you loved me.”
Kiriha looked at Koutarou with a sorrowful expression. For a moment, when their eyes met, the ends of her lips lifted up, making a mischievous smile. Kiriha was having fun cornering Koutarou.
“Oooh, well done, Satomi-kun!”
“Satomi-san!? Is that true!?”
“You're being tricked Koutarou! Keep it together!”
“Argh, this is getting nowhere! Tell me everything, no secrets!”
Kiriha's plan worked perfectly, and the girls in the room all believed her. Kiriha then continued to fan the flames.
“Koutarou promised me that we'd enjoy the Christmas on the surface with just the two of us.”
“What are you talking about!? Besides, you have someone you've decided―”
“Eii♪”
Koutarou who was in a hurry to resolve the increasingly confusing situation opened his mouth to protest, and in that moment, Kiriha shoved a half-eaten Manjū she was holding into his mouth.
“Hmhmh, Mhmmm.”
“Is it good, Koutarou?”
Having succeeded in blocking Koutarou's mouth, Kiriha smiled brightly.
Kiriha's acting was flawless, and thanks to the series of events, they would have looked like lovers to anyone watching.
“...I'll have you explain in detail, Satomi-sama.”
Ruth spoke in a low, cold voice, and it was clear to everyone there that it was no act.
“I'm sorry, it was really a joke. In reality, I don't know why Koutarou picked up another part-time job either.”
The atmosphere in the room had cleared up thanks to Kiriha's explanation and apology. The sharpness of the glances directed at Koutarou softened up and the girls sighed.
“Geez... just give me a break...”
“Fufufu.”
Koutarou also let out a sigh of relief as the situation calmed down. Yet another smile appeared on Kiriha's smile as she saw Koutarou do that.
“That's boring.”
The only one not welcoming this situation was Shizuka, who had been enjoying all the commotion.
Having finally calmed down, Ruth blushed a little because of her misunderstanding before clearing her throat. She gathered herself and looked at Koutarou once more.
“So why did you start a new part-time job, Satomi-sama?”
“That's right, I want to know too.”
“Ah, that's because more money is needed around the end of the year.”
Koutarou quickly replied; that was what he was going to answer in the first place.
“The normal excavation job is on vacation during the end of the year, so I needed another part-time job in the meanwhile.”
“Money for living, huh? That's the most boring answer.”
Shizuka sighed with regret. Seeing that, Koutarou smiled wryly at her.
“I don't care if it's boring. My lifestyle is at stake here.”
“Satomi-kun, don't you want to enjoy your youth a bit more?”
“Who knows, that's...”
“Koutarou, if you'd like, I'll live up to your expectation.”
“Kiriha-san, you just be quiet!”
“Oh, scary.”
Koutarou gave Kiriha an angry stare, but she showed no signs of regret.
Really, becoming friends with her is a lot more troublesome...
While looking at Kiriha's strangely cute smile, Koutarou sighed in his mind.
“Hmm...”
Looking at Koutarou and Kiriha like that, Sanae reached a certain conclusion.
Kiriha isn't really planning on doing anything to Koutarou...
The spiritual waves being emitted while Koutarou and Kiriha were talking were very similar to that of when Koutarou and Kenji were speaking. It wasn't just the spiritual waves, but also the meaning behind the words. So Sanae came to the conclusion that the relationship between the two had changed for the better.
Then leaving them be will be fine I guess. In fact...
Sanae began smiling like always and jumped onto Koutarou's back.
“Koutarou, you should enjoy your youth with me.”
“Really, what's that supposed to mean?”
“Don't worry about the small stuff♪”
As Sanae was clinging onto Koutarou's back, she felt like copying Kiriha.
“By the way, what is everyone doing on Christmas, or rather, during the winter vacation?”
With Sanae still on his back, Koutarou looked at each of the girls in the room.
“Training for the play, obviously. Of course, you will too.”
“Helping her highness, and training in martial arts.”
“Participating in the cosclub’s activities between the 29th and New Year's Eve.”
“I'll be doing the same as always. Ah, but I might go play with Yurika!”
“I was invited to the apartment union's end of the year party at New Year's Eve, and I'll be visiting the shrine during New Year's Day with some girls from the class.”
“I have to perform a ritual on the New Year's Eve and the New Year's Day.”
“...I see.”
Koutarou nodded after hearing everyone's plans.
So everyone's free at Christmas huh... In that case I better hide it well or this'll be a mess...
If it was revealed, there'd be nothing but trouble, so Koutarou decided to keep his secret hidden.
Having sensed Koutarou's strange feelings mixed into his spiritual waves, Sanae whispered into his ear with a confused expression.
“What about it?”
“No, it's nothing. Everyone was so interested in my Christmas, so I was just wondering what all of you had planned.”
“Hmm...”
Sanae quickly backed off. She just wondered what was going on, so she didn't pester Koutarou about it.
“So, Koutarou-”
“Yeah?”
Fortunately, no one else seemed to mind and the topic naturally changed.
The traditional swords for Forthorthe Knights' were smaller than a two-handed sword but larger than a one-handed sword. These were made as such so that when using a shield, it could be held in one hand, and without one, it could be held with two.
As they developed firearms and reached the modern age, two-handed swords fell out of use, and knives and one-handed swords became popular and were being produced the most. Because of that, the only time one would see a traditional sword was in the hands of a noble who valued tradition, or a high-ranking officer wearing a formal uniform.
The treasured sword Saguratin in Koutarou's hands right now was one of those traditional swords.
“Theia, isn't this a bit too big to be used in one hand?”
“All I can say is that you'll get used to it. In the next play, you have to use a sword and shield simultaneously.”
“I'll give it a try, but don't expect too much.”
Right now, Koutarou was holding Saguratin in his right hand and a large shield in his left while wearing a replica of the Blue Knight's armor. His current appearance was based on the Blue Knight during the war.
He was having a hard time swinging his sword around in this outfit. Up until now, he had always used the sword with two hands, so this was the first time he had to use it with just one. Because of that, Koutarou's posture collapsed whenever he swung the heavy sword around. To Koutarou, it was like swinging a baseball bat with a single hand. However, the shield was required for the war scenes, so Theia had no choice but to rely on Koutarou's hard work.
“Your highness, should you really be concerned about the shield?”
Koutarou was having trouble using the shield and sword at the same time, so Ruth felt that forcing Koutarou to use the shield was unnecessary.
In reality, Koutarou's movements when holding the sword with both hands were very good. On top of Koutarou getting used to the sword, the power-assist function of the armor had started memorizing Koutarou's movements so he was moving much more sharply than during the last play.
In other words, ignoring the shield would allow Koutarou to perform better.
“...”
Theia took another look at Koutarou's appearance as he swung the sword around after Ruth pointed that out.
Ruth does have a point...
No one on Earth knew the first thing about Forthorthe's historical facts. Only Theia and Ruth knew that the Blue Knight used a sword and shield during the war, so there was no real point in being concerned about that. Having the Blue Knight, no, Koutarou wield a shield was mostly because of Theia's self-satisfaction.
But-
But even then, Theia wanted Koutarou to wield a shield. She wanted him to be able to do the same things the Blue Knight could.
“After all, I have high expectations of Koutarou.”
“In what?”
Responding to Theia, Ruth posed with her own sword and shield. Compared to her height, they were quite large, but she showed no signs of having any trouble wielding them.
The sword and shield that she was using were automated modern weapons created by advanced science, unlike Koutarou's. Because of that, even Ruth who wasn't that strong could fight at the same level as a normal soldier. Ruth was going to be Koutarou's practice partner.
“In his exemplary knightliness.”
“To become the Blue Knight?”
When Ruth asked Theia that question, she didn't respond right away.
Could it really...
At that moment, Theia was greatly shaken. She had always been training Koutarou to become the Blue Knight, but once Ruth had said it out loud, Theia noticed that she didn't actually feel that way, which came as a shock.
I don't want Koutarou to become the Blue Knight...?
She wanted him to be an exemplary knight. But she didn't want him to become the Blue Knight.
In other words...
“No. I want him to surpass the Blue Knight.”
“Fufu.”
Hearing Theia's words, Ruth smiled.
By the time you said that, Satomi-sama had already become a more important existence than the Blue Knight to us, your highness...
Having spent many years together with her like an older sister, Ruth could understand Theia.
Theia didn't want the Blue Knight to surpass himself. However, she did for Koutarou. No, more importantly, had Theia ever expected this much from anyone else in the past?
“If it's Satomi-sama, I'm sure he'll be able to.”
“Ruth... Why do you think so?”
Ruth smiled as Theia looked at her questioningly. She wanted to know the reason behind her belief that Koutarou could surpass the Blue Knight.
“That's because his title is not 'Blue Knight'.”
“Eh...?”
“There's no way that Satomi-sama would be inferior to the Blue Knight. That person is 'Theiamillis's Blue Knight' after all.”
Seeing Ruth declare that with a smile, Theia dropped her shoulders. And as if she had given up, the edge of her lips lifted and she smiled as well.
“...That's not logical, Knight of Pardomshiha.”
“I am aware. However, a knight's virtue is not governed by reason.”
Theia and Ruth laughed at each other after speaking formally to one another. However, the feelings in those words were those of sisters.
“Hey, Theia!”
At that moment, Koutarou who had been training on his own called out to Theia.
“I don't know why, but the armor's beeping and stuff! Something about the weight balance!”
“...Either way, we've got a long way to go.”
“Fufufu.”
Looking at Koutarou like that, Theia and Ruth laughed once more. As they did, Koutarou got impatient and called out to Theia again.
“Are you listening? Hey, Theia!”
“Then let's go.”
“As you wish, my princess.”
The two then walked towards Koutarou. Today’s training had only just begun.
Part 3
Koutarou's sword practice ended when midnight came closing in.
“Ruth, that's it for tonight.”
“It's still early though.”
“I don't mind. Let him sleep.”
The reason for that was that Koutarou had fallen asleep.
When they had taken a short break, Koutarou had sat down and then fallen asleep. In the past, Theia would have woken him up and continued, but today, she oddly enough stopped practice for the day.
“Is that alright?”
“Koutarou is stubborn. If we woke him up and asked, he'd say he was fine.”
Theia laughed quietly as she squatted down next to Koutarou and pressed the button to release the armor's equipment.
As she did, the sound of compressed air being released could be heard while Koutarou's armor loosened up. She believed that having the armor this way would be more comfortable to sleep.
Having confirmed that Koutarou was really asleep, she slowly got up and turned to Ruth.
“...But since he's fallen asleep like this, he must have been really tired. He must've tired himself out at that new part-time job.”
“That's true. I think so too.”
Theia and Ruth looked at the sleeping Koutarou.
“Our existence must be putting pressure on Koutarou's lifestyle. I can't find it in me to wake him up and tell him to continue with the practice.”
“I understand...”
As they looked at Koutarou, the two of them recalled the various memories they had made as they had lived on Earth.
To a normal boy like Koutarou, it can't have been an easy way of life. Having been thrown around by the whims of the invaders, he still managed to maintain his own lifestyle. Despite that, Koutarou was living up to Theia's and the others’ expectations.
“...You don't always have to live up to everyone's expectations, Koutarou...”
Theia looked at him with an apologetic expression, while at the same time feeling grateful.
Rest easy, my knight...
Theia smiled at the sleeping Koutarou. It was a gentle smile truly fitting of the word royal.
“Your highness... you've gotten more mature.”
“Eh?”
Surprised by those words, Theia looked suddenly at Ruth. As she did, Ruth smiled gently at her.
“I don't believe your highness had the luxury to do that when you first came to this planet.”
“...That's true.”
Back then, Theia's feelings to become the empress and protect her mother were so strong that she believed she didn't have the luxury to worry about other people's circumstances or feelings. However, after she had come to Earth and met Koutarou and the others, she had gradually begun to change.
“Now I can tell. It was just as Koutarou said, I'm a useless princess. It's obvious that Koutarou wouldn't swear his loyalty to me.”
However, Theia was now different from before.
Her feelings of wanting to protect her mother hadn't changed from before; however, the best method to do that didn't have to entail becoming the empress.
Right now, rather than becoming the empress, Theia felt that it was more important to earn the loyalty of her citizens. Becoming the empress would just be an added bonus.
Ruth is saying that I've changed, but... would Koutarou swear loyalty to the current me...?
She could say it as a joke as often as she wanted, it would happen from time to time as they spent time together. But what would happen if she seriously asked him?
If she asked, Koutarou would probably answer. However, Theia didn't have the courage to do so yet. She stared at the sleeping Koutarou. She would ask when she had grown more mature, that's what she decided in her heart.
“I'm really glad we came to this planet.”
Having met Koutarou and the other invaders, Theia's growth; those bizarre coincidences had given birth to miracles.
“...Yeah...”
Theia and Ruth were grateful for those coincidences; alternatively, one might also call it fate.
