Chapter 117

“Though I’m so busy as president that I don’t have a lot of time to get away.” Sairi wasn’t brimming with rage as she had been before; right now, she was positively maternal. “I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble…” Shiren, however, still felt a little guilty. Sairi had single-handedly managed the chaos Shiren caused when she left, after all. “It’s fine. This is my job as your mom. And I’ll be by to say hello every once in a while.” “Okay!” Shiren replied enthusiastically. She was, of course, happy to see her mother more often. “There’s one more person I need to see today.” “She should be coming soon, so just hold tight. I asked her to arrive an hour earlier than everyone else.” Ouka apparently trusted this person even less than Shiren. “Goodness… I haven’t walked this much for a very long time…” In staggered Ominaeshi, carrying a cane with a skull on it. “I know your legs and hips aren’t so weak that you require a cane. Can’t you just walk like a normal person?” Ouka was fed up with her mother. “Coming up to the surface drains me of so much of my strength…” “The surface? We’re still inside…” “Oh, you’re already here.” The moment Ominaeshi saw Sairi, she tossed away her cane and straightened up. It appeared she really didn’t need it. “To tell you the truth, Sairi, it was I who asked that you be summoned here.” “You?” “Mm-hmm.” Ominaeshi bashfully extended a hand. “Let us be friends from now on… Shall we? For the sake of our daughters’ generation. What fools we must be to quarrel over that dirty cheater, Ouen…” Sairi snorted and took her hand. “Then let’s hate him, just like he asked in his message.” “He said it himself, so I see no problem with it.” Ryouta watched their exchange, feeling that the parents’ generation had finally reconciled. But not a moment later, a hint of spite crossed Ominaeshi’s face. “I will be the one to win our next Smash Br*s match, however…” “I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back.” An easy, confident smile crossed Sairi’s face. She was clearly belittling her opponent. “What cheek… I grow stronger by the day, you know…” “Unfortunately, you’ll have to get a lot stronger to beat me. I’ve crushed you in M*rio Kart and P*yo Puyo and B*mberman M*motaro Railway.” “You’re gamer friends?!” It sounded like they’d played more than a few times together. “Then come to the basement, and I will show you a true challenge!” “I’ll take you down in an instant.” They started making their way toward the lower floors. Were they seriously going down there to play games? “Oh, I forgot.” Sairi whirled around before leaving. “Ryouta?” “Yes?” “Take care of Shiren for me.” There was a smile on Sairi’s face. But to Ryouta, this wasn’t something he could answer lightly. His face tensed as he said, “All right.” “Good. I’m holding you to that.” With that, the two mothers headed underground. “Oh, right~. Ryouta? This is totally off topic, but…” Ouka beckoned Ryouta over with one hand. In the other, she held a piece of paper. “Hmm? What is it?” “…you still owe me two hundred thousand yen for this month’s rent. Any update on that?” The paper read: BILL 200,000 yen is owed for the rent of castle room 1313. Sacred Blood Bank Account Number: xxxxxx “You’re taking money from me?! I thought it was free!” “Of course it’s not free. You still pay the company for company housing, don’t you? Hurry up and pay me.” “Uh, I’m pretty sure company dorm rooms like that are usually really cheap…” “We have a saying here in the Sacred Blood Empire: This is us, that is them.” “I’m pretty sure that’s an old trick grandparents use to shut kids up!” “Because your room is haunted, I even lowered the regular rent of two hundred ten thousand to two hundred thousand. Pay up.” “That discount is practically nothing!” There was no way he could afford it. Even an adult would have trouble paying two hundred thousand yen a month for an apartment. “You’re always there, too, though. Can’t you let it slide…?” “Legally, it’s still your room, so no. Wait a minute, you’d ask your girlfriend to pay for use of your room when she visits? Unbelievable.” By that way of thinking, charging your guards that much rent was also unbelievable. Not like I can argue with the emperor, though… “Haah, I guess you won’t be able to live there.” Ouka gave a heavy sigh. “And I suppose I have to do what I have to do as your landlord.” “You’re my landlord?!” “School is so far…” “This is good exercise! Think of it as part of a healthy lifestyle, and it’ll make things easier. Deal with it.” Shiren swung her arms with delight. “I don’t really think I need to improve my lifesty— Ow.” There was a tug on his arm. Ryouta and Shiren were holding hands as they walked. “Hey, aren’t you, like, embarrassed about this?” “We’re friends. Why would I be?” Shiren’s answer came easily, and Ryouta decided not to argue. “Good morning, you two.” Tamaki stood at the school gate, wearing the library-committee armband. “Morning, Tamaki!” “Morning, Shijou. I feel like it’s been a long time since I last saw you wearing that armband.” “Yes. I (literally) let loose all the things that had been building up inside me, and now it feels as though everything’s been reset. I feel thoroughly refreshed and decided to put it on again. I still feel no love for books, though.” “I see you’re still not really a fit for the library committee.” “And to make matters worse, I ordered a hundred thousand jam rolls and a hundred thousand copies of Kairakuten again, so I have to come up with a whole new way to get rid of them… I should really have rewritten the purchasing agreement…” “I don’t think you’re a good fit to work at a convenience store, either, Shijou…” Tamaki chuckled. “If it doesn’t suit me, then I’ll just have to search for a new job.” “Wow, that was surprisingly optimistic of you.” “Yes. I’ve started thinking differently. If I am to die one day, then I might as well try everything. We all return to oblivion upon death, so what does it matter if I cause a few problems…?” It sounded like her core personality was still the same, however. “Actually, Her Excellency the Archbishop scouted me, and we’ll be forming an idol group called Unhappy.” “What kinda weird things is she up to now…?” And that was a horrible name for an idol group. “Apparently, our concept is to have each of our fans buy ten or more CDs so I can pay back my debt.” “Your concept is way too real!” “Good morning~! Tamaki, we’ll be starting dance lessons next week!” Just then, Alfoncina cut into their conversation. “Alfoncina, can you not get all these people wrapped up in your shenanigans?” “Hee-hee. Hearing that from you, Ryouta, considering all your shenanigans, is rather convincing.” There was no need for her to be rude, but there was truth to what she’d said. “I’m not getting involved in any more shenanigans… I get the feeling I’ll be in real danger if I keep that up…” “I think it’s a bit too late for that~. I’ll be sure to pray for you, of course! Mmkay?” Alfoncina suddenly pulled Ryouta into a hug. “Hey! This is too much!” “It’s just a little hug! We’ve had each other’s blood, remember? We’re already very close.” “No, we haven’t! You only drank mine… Can you just get off me, please?!” “Yeah, Alfoncina! Let him go!” Shiren grabbed Alfoncina to pull her away. “Ryouta is my………” Her momentum petered out. “………friend.” As a friend, she couldn’t claim exclusive possession of him. And how close could they get as friends anyway? “Hee-hee~. Things turned out like this because of Ryouta’s decision. It’s not my fault.” Alfoncina laughed, keeping a tight hold on him. Her breasts were pressed up against him, likely deliberately. He decided not to think about the soft, squishy sensation. Even though Shiren didn’t seem all that mad right now, he knew she was going to explode sooner or later. “Please just let go of me. I’m going to be late.” “You’re right. See you later, then, Ryouta, my minion!” Alfoncina said with glee as she dashed off. If things keep up like this, it’s going to get worse when I reach the classroom. Ryouta was beginning to remember how tiring his daily life had been. And there was still another obstacle between him and the classroom. “Good morning, Ryouta dearest!” Kiyomizu was waiting for him. I’m never going to get to class at this rate… But Kiyomizu seemed a little calmer than usual. “Did you know, my dear, sweet Ryouta, that your curse should be vanishing soon?” “What? Are you talking about the curse that makes human women attracted to me…?” His grandfather, who had led a long, sad life of being repulsive and unattractive, had prayed that his grandson would be the exact opposite—and that grandson was Ryouta. Despite his grandfather’s good intentions, Ryouta had found his life in danger a good number of times and had come to consider the whole thing a real hassle. “I’d be really happy if it went away. But why do you think it will?” “When I was back in Japan, I did a little research on the prayer. And I actually found one that fit.” Of course the Jouryuujis would have that kind of information. “And the curse apparently weakens when the subject lives life away from the ones it affects. That means, since you’ve lived among the Sacred Blooded for so long, you are most certainly reverting back to a normal person.” Now that she mentioned it, Kiyomizu was acting a little less overboard. “Are you no longer being affected, Kiyomizu?” She had been with him since he’d lived in Japan, and she had definitely felt its influence. “No, the effects have faded. I feel that I can stand before you and maintain a rational train of thought, Ryouta dearest.” This is fantastic, thought Ryouta. He had always felt bad for her. He’d felt like he was scamming her by forcing her to like him through the power of the curse. “Even if you stop being affected, I’d still like to stay friends.” “Unfortunately, I’m here to tell you that’s not possible.” She immediately refused his request. I guess it’s not surprising she’d wind up hating me… He’d understand if she hated him for the rest of her life for playing with her adolescent feelings. Ryouta would have been furious if their positions had been reversed. He felt a little sad to think she would be leaving him, but he knew that was selfish. “I won’t ask you to forgive me, but let me just say—Kiyomizu, I’m so—” “Even if the curse goes away, I’ll love you always and forever, Ryouta dearest! And I! Will always! Love youuu! Let’s stay together forever!” She leaped onto him and clung there. “Just being friends isn’t enough for me! I want to be more than friends!” “Right. Okay…” Ryouta sighed—he had mixed feelings about this. Half of him sort of expected this to happen, and the other half was somewhat relieved that Kiyomizu hadn’t changed. “But since the curse is unrelated, that means my feelings are real. Or are you unconvinced?” “No, I get it, I just… Hold on…” He couldn’t just let her have her way. “Hold on? For how long? One minute? Three minutes?” Those were abnormally short wait times. “At least a day…” “Ryouta, we’re going to class! Get off him, Kiyomizu, you’re in the way!” “I’m not listening to you. You owe me at least a year, so I’m not listening~. ” Kiyomizu was clearly looking down on Shiren. “That’s not true! At most…three days!” “What?! All that for three days?! That’s not fair compensation! It can’t be legal!” “I’m giving my thanks, so shut up. I’ll be sure to send you a year’s supply of tomato juice as your end-of-year present.” “I don’t want that!” “You two seem a lot closer than I thought,” Ryouta murmured, suddenly the third wheel in this conversation. “Not at all.” “Not at all.” Their voices overlapped like they’d been practicing. Way too obvious. “We’re going, Ryouta. Or we’ll be here forever.” Shiren pulled on his arm, dissatisfied. “Uh, okay…” But the next event was already waiting on the staircase landing. It wasn’t specifically waiting for Ryouta this time, but he did happen upon a conversation. “All right… You said it yourself—you like him. So I’ll back off…” “I’m glad you understand. I really do appreciate how you fought at the hotel, though. But…that wasn’t enough to change how I feel.” “Your thanks are more than enough for me…” It sounded as though Sasara and Toraha were chatting. They were right up against the wall like they were trying to be secretive, but they probably should have moved somewhere with less people. “Morning. Why are you two chatting over there?” “Gaaaaah!” “Aaaaaah!” They yelled in unison. Their reaction was enough to make Ryouta feel like the bad guy, even though he’d just asked them a question. “R-Ryouta Fuyukura…” Toraha was bewildered. “Y-yeah? What is it?” Ryouta thought he must be making the same expression. They’d fought each other seriously before and still couldn’t seem to strike up a casual conversation. Toraha placed his hand on Ryouta’s shoulder. “M-make my cousin happy!” “What? Hold on. I don’t understa—” “You both have my blessing… But in exchange…I won’t forgive you if you ever make her cry… Farewell! I am off to wipe the sweat I feel gathering around my eyes!” With that, he dashed down the stairs in tears. Oh yeah, he doesn’t go to this school… Did he get called out here first thing in the morning…? But he was asking me to make his cousin happy, so that means… He had to have been talking about Sasara… “Oh, you can ignore everything he just said… I have no idea what he was talking about. Ah-ha-ha-ha…” Sasara was apparently planning on pretending nothing had happened. However, her face was bright red, and she was clearly flustered. “Goodness, I have no idea why he came all the way out here… What a mystery. So strange. Ah-ha-ha-ha… I am completely in the dark.” It’s really obvious she’s covering something up, but maybe I shouldn’t poke my nose into her business… Ryouta instinctively chose to ignore her behavior. “……So you’re not going to ask what happened.” Sasara stared at Ryouta, her gaze oddly cynical. “……Well, you said nothing happened.” “Indeed, and I would never lie.” She apparently didn’t like how Ryouta was handling the situation, and there were thorns in her words. “Oh, that’s right. An old-fashioned snack store opened up in the class next to ours.” “Uh, why would that happen…?” But sure enough, there was a sign over the door that read THE FOX’S SNACKS, indicating a store. Ryouta peeked inside to find rows and rows of typical products—several brand-name snacks, marshmallows, absurdly thin slices of katsu, and strange little yogurt pots that came with wooden spoons. Apparently, Kokoko was running it. “I figured as much from the shop name, but…what are you doing here?” “Is it not obvious? I am running my store. Crunch, crunch.” Kokoko bit into a crunchy butter-flavored potato snack. “I can earn some pocket money and snack on food when I’m hungry, so I’m killing two birds with one stone here. Munch, munch.” “So this means you have the school’s permiss—” “I do.” “They really let everything slide here, don’t they…?” “Though when your sister came in wearing a uniform and pretending to be a student, security obviously had to kick her out.” “No, Rei! That’s so embarrassing! But I guess even a lax school like this one wouldn’t put up with that…” “And when she tried to run away, she had an episode and collapsed, falling headfirst down the stairs. Then while she was on the ground, several students running through the halls trampled over her, so now she’s sleeping in the infirmary.” “Well, I’m sure she’ll be up again soon.” Ryouta had no warmth for his relatives. “Okay, I’m going to cla—” “Wait, Ryouta. I’m buying three hundred yen worth of snacks.” Shiren was scouring the assortment of snacks rather seriously. “Shiren? You know the three-hundred-yen rule is for field trips only, right? And you know today’s a regular school day and not a field-trip day, right?” “You mustn’t let yourself be bound by tradition,” said Shiren, cutting him down with questionable logic. “If we make the corn-potage flavor our baseline, then maybe natto is a good addition. You could replace the teriyaki-burger flavor one with any snack that has a rich sauce. Or we could change direction and go with crunchy plum. But the crunchy-ramen types are kind of fun. Oh, but the chocolate cigarettes make me feel fancy, so that might be a good choice, too. Hmm. What a hard decision!” “You should try to put at least half that much effort into your studies.” Shiren bought her snacks, and they finally reached the classr— “You’re late, minion.” Ouka was waiting for them beside the door. “Hey, why are you hiding there like an assassin?! You scared me!” “I was waiting here with one idea in mind: Kill before I can be killed. My minion was terribly late, you see,” Ouka said, her tone suggestive. “Uh… Well, a lot happened, so…” “A lot, hmm? Don’t tell me something happened between you and Shiren at home?” It was Ouka’s turn to look at them with an uneasy expression. She had become a lot more expressive lately. “Obviously not!” “Y-yeah, Big Sis! Stop being weird…” Shiren joined Ryouta, denying the accusation. “I see. That’s good.” Relieved, Ouka’s expression calmed again. “Can you imagine the scandal if you were to do something with the emperor’s minion?” “Uh, Big Sis? Um…” “What? Say what it is you want to say. You’ll end up regretting it again otherwise.” “Thank you…for letting me live with Ryouta…” Shiren was embarrassed about giving an honest thank-you, even to her big sister. No—perhaps because it was her big sister. “Ryouta left the castle because he didn’t have the money to pay rent. That’s all. I think your thanks are misplaced.” Of course, everyone knew it wasn’t a coincidence. Not everything had gone back to the way things were before. The fact that Ryouta was Ouka’s minion still hadn’t changed. But Ryouta’s life with Shiren was back to normal. “Well… I’ll just say that this way of doing things increases our group’s general happiness the most. Even if we’re not constantly fighting, sometimes it’s a good idea to try and remove the fences between us. I still haven’t given up, and I am not giving in.” There was true happiness in Ouka’s smile. “To be honest, I could easily win if I used my power. But I realized I have no reason to panic. I will do as an emperor must and fight you head-on. And I will achieve such overwhelming victory that there will be no regrets. The fact of the matter is, I am still winning.” Ouka’s expression was like that of one who wished to unleash chaos upon the world. Though it was hard to tell if chaos itself was the goal, or if she was merely confident that she would get what she wanted even if she had to take the long way around. “Of course, this leaves plenty of chances for others to butt in. I’m perfectly aware of that.” Ouka turned to look at Sasara, Tamaki, Kiyomizu, and even Alfoncina, who was watching from afar. “I have no intention of losing.” She slipped her arm around Ryouta’s in a natural manner. “Keep serving me well, Ryouta, my minion.” “Uh, okay… But can you not do this in class…?” The stares he was getting from his classmates were pretty bad. “It’s fine. It’s perfectly normal for a minion to stay by their master’s side.” “H-hey, you can’t keep him to yourself!” Shiren grabbed Ryouta’s other arm. He really did look like a ladies’ man. “You have no right to do that, Shiren. I’m the one who made Ryouta my official minion!” Ouka gave Shiren an incendiary smile. It was as though she was saying, Give me your best shot. The look Shiren shot back read, I’m not going to lose to you, either. She had to come up with something to say back. “And Ryouta’s my……………friend!” “Should you be clinging to a friend like that?” Ouka asked, cautiously confirming. She was speaking to Shiren, of course. Ryouta was also saying something, but they both completely ignored him. “Y-yes! This is normal for friends, okay?!” She had to say that, or she’d risk losing. So she gave her answer boldly, knowing perfectly well it was a bit of a stretch. “……Very well. You reap what you sow, Shiren.” “What?” Shiren had essentially created a loophole. “That applies to me, too!” Alfoncina exclaimed. “Though I may not deserve it, I would count myself as his friend, too…,” added Tamaki. “He’s my boyfriend, so I can do even more!” Kiyomizu shouted. “I will not deny that he and I are friends…,” Sasara stated. “I feel like the population density has gotten really intense around me…” Ryouta tried to protest, but it seemed as though no one was interested in answering him. “I suppose this is like a game of patience now. We shall see who gives up first,” Ouka said. “I’m not going to lose to you, Big Sis!” With arms around him from all sides, a thought occurred to Ryouta. Maybe my curse has just transferred from humans to Sacred Blooded… “Come closer to me, Ryouta.” His master gave him an odd command. “Wh-why…?” “Because you are serving me as my minion. And you call that service?” “Okay…” Ryouta edged closer to Ouka. She was already clinging to him, so it wasn’t like he was going very far. In response, he thought he felt the hold Shiren had around his arm grow tighter. “I-I’m not losing to you, Big Sis…” If this keeps up, I might actually die… He was genuinely frightened for his life. I need to watch out… I need to watch out for girls…