“But Kokoko is so cute; I really enjoy living with her. I would say she is less of a little sister to me and more like a daughter.” “Yeah, I can see that.” “That’s why I think it would be nice to have someone who could be my husband…” Tamaki glanced over to Ryouta with wide, round eyes. “Huh?” “Ahhh! No, no! I simply got carried away! No one would take over a failing convenience store! No one would even want to marry me anyway! I am horribly sorry—I got carried away! Please lend me your rope!” “Why would I?! That just gives me a bad feeling!” “No, I will be sure to pick a spot out of your way when I hang—” “Hey, why don’t we turn the TV on?! Shiren, where’s the remote?” “Oh, it’s over there. Right, Ryouta, let’s watch some TV! Yeah! Darts Journey should be playing right now! I wonder where in the Empire they’ll be going today!” “That sounds like a total knockoff of a Japanese show… And the Empire is so small; where would they even go…?” On screen was a man with a handful of darts. Whenever he saw a passerby, he mercilessly threw one of his darts at them. “Every week, we visit a certain town and attack people indiscriminately—welcome to Darts Journey. Will we be able to escape the police this week?” “How is this allowed on TV?!” As the night grew late, they spent the time as they always did. Then when the entourage all went home (after they had to basically kick Kiyomizu out)… “Phew, that wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.” Ryouta emerged from the bath. Since he was still injured, some of the water had gotten into his wounds, but it wasn’t really that much of an issue. He was getting his energy back much quicker than he thought he would. He didn’t have any problem walking around. But when he came out of the bath, he heard a strange noise. Thunk, bang, bwofffgeh. “What is that? That doesn’t sound good to me…” It was coming from upstairs. Maybe Kiyomizu had snuck back into their house? Then speak of the devil, a text came. TITLE: I’m home~ MESSAGE: Thank you for the meal. I have just returned home. Right now, I am secretly creating a Vocaloid using your voice! “Ignoring the Vocaloid part, it sounds like Kiyomizu’s at home.” Then what was that sound? Gaboom, bang-bang, thonk. Had a monster suddenly popped into existence? At this point, nothing could surprise him here in the Empire. Wearing only his pajamas, he went in search of the source of the noise. “I’ll bring this broom just in case…” Still uneasy, he made his way up to the second floor. Slowly, he opened the door— —and there was Shiren, cleaning Ryouta’s room, apparently. That was his best guess, given the presence of the vacuum cleaner. Shiren had her head stuck under the bed and was kicking her feet around. It was a very strange sight, and Ryouta wasn’t sure if it was creepy or just silly. “Shiren, what are you doing?” “I was cleaning, but…there was an accident…” Kick, kick. “Now I know where that noise was coming from.” Namely, her feet. Their house was cheaply built, so the sound carried. “I said I’d serve you today, you know, and I have to keep my word. I had to do something, so I started cleaning, and now…” “You really went out of your way to do this for me, huh?” A small smile crossed Ryouta’s face as he thought about Shiren’s eagerness, even if her efforts were ineffective. “But you don’t have to be that meticulous when you clean. Just because I’m injured—” “I figured there’d be a copy of the Kairakuten comic mag under your bed, but now I can’t get out.” “Why are you doing this?!” “If it’s not under your bed, then where are you hiding it?” “I haven’t even bought one!” But sitting on his desk was an item that made him doubt his senses. It was an issue of the aforementioned Kairakuten. With a bow on it, for whatever reason. “What the hell?! Why is that here?! Is someone trying to bring me down with false accusations?!” He noticed a message card sitting next to it. Dear Ryouta, I was thinking about what I could get you to make you feel better quickly, and this is what I settled on. It would be bad if Shiren found this, so I have quietly placed it on your desk. Please enjoy. Tamaki Shijou PS: I’ve heard that a convenience store called Family Shop—tagline, From Elders to Grandkids—will be opening a new store in my neighborhood soon, so my whole family is filled with fear. No one in my family smiles anymore. To make matters worse, their mascots look like the characters of You’re Rouko, I’m Kouko!, so they’ll be holding a fair and selling Rouko meat buns, Sonko meat buns, drinks that come with figurines, and all sorts of merchandise… I don’t think we’ll be able to win this. In fact, I am starting to think there will be more beauty in our defeat… Oh, my postscript has gotten longer than the actual note… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Please enjoy the book. “Shijou! Her little act of kindness is just making this more complicated! And of course Shiren would find it on top of the desk!” He felt bad throwing out a gift, but that was his only option now. “Grrr! I can’t get out! And there’s no porn under here!” “I’m telling you, I don’t have any! I never did!” “If you come clean now, then the charges against you will be weaker.” “You sure are convinced I’m guilty, huh?!” He was shocked she could be so confident without a shred of evidence. “Or maybe, don’t tell me… You’re only interested in men…or something like that…?” “That’s what you’re assuming now?!” “Hey, you practically have a fear of women because of how the curse affected you in Japan, right? I wouldn’t think it unusual if you started liking boys instead.” “Look, I like cute girls. Nothing weird about that. But I can’t be friends with girls who’ve been brainwashed…” He had dreamed many times what it would be like if he were capable of normal romance. In the end, he’d never been able to date anyone because of his curse. “I see, if you say so…” Sounded like she finally believed him. “Then…do you…l-l-l-like some of the cute girls here…in the Sacred Blood Empire? …You can be honest with me; I won’t get angry with you…” He had a feeling she was oddly close to the core of the question. “See, as a girl, I think Tamaki, Sasara, and…my big sis are all pretty, right? So I was just wondering how that was all working out…” “Uhhh… Well, I’m still thinking… Nothing’s settled yet, really…” “Really really really really really really really really?” “Why would I want to lie about this…?” “Got it. That’s good to hear.” He couldn’t see her face, but he thought he heard a sigh of relief. “Ooh… Now that I’m calmer, I’m starting to see how dark and scary it is down here… I can’t see anything…” Now she was feeling helpless. Ryouta placed his hands on the bed to lift it up, but it was too heavy. This was going to take a while. “I’ll bring over the flashlight, so just stay there!” He flicked on the flashlight and placed it to the side of the bed to brighten up the space underneath. “There, you can see now, right?” “Yes, it’s brighter……… Ahebajebafeyaiyaeyehebefajamefeni!!!!!!!!” She screamed in an unintelligible and possibly inhuman language. “What was that supposed to mean…? That’s like something out of a horror movie; good thing I knew it was just you.” “It’s here… It’s here…” “What?” “A roach.” Now he knew this was an emergency. “D-don’t move! Stay away! Go away! I’ll give you anything you want! So get away from me—gah! Go away! Pleeeaaaaase!!! The cockroach is comiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!! Its antennae are going to touch meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!” “God, give me the strength! Just for now!” Ryouta immediately moved to lift the bed. He couldn’t let his arms fail him now. “Gaaaaaaaah!” “Eeeeeeeek!” The moment the bed lifted slightly off the ground, Shiren shot out from under it. They just barely survived. “Thank you… Wait, no, we can’t relax yet! The bug spray! Where’s the bug spray?! Don’t let it live! It doesn’t deserve to live! Kill it! Kill it!” “Okay! I’ll get the newspaper and bug spray!” “Hmm? What’s Kairakuten doing on your desk? Right there, in plain view of all things! You did buy one! I honestly thought you didn’t have any!” “How convinced were you that I owned a copy?! And that’s not what we’re supposed to be concentrating on now!” “And it even has a bow on it. What is the meaning of this?” “I’ll explain later. Don’t change the subject!” —Three minutes later, they successfully dispatched the cockroach. “Huff, huff… What a terrible battle…” “Yeah…I really worked up a good sweat there… I think I’ll have to take another bath…” Both Ryouta and Shiren were out of breath. “Ow…I put so much strain on my arms, they’re hurting again…” Lifting up the bed had not been good for them, but that situation was an emergency. “Are you okay?! Are you sure you’ll be able to throw a ball again?!” “Who am I pitching for?! I doubt it’s going to affect my daily life. But it does hurt a bit…” “Sheesh, this really is the worst…” Shiren’s head drooped despondently, and she plopped down on the spot. “I was so excited to serve you, but I failed at everything…” This was more of a shock to her than he thought it would be; she barely noticed her own pigtails spilling onto the floor. “Shiren, your pigtails.” “I don’t care. Leave them.” “…But are you sure the cockroach wasn’t running around there?” Shiren immediately leaped to her feet. “Three-second rule, three-second rule. I’m safe, right, Ryouta?!” “I’m not really sure, but let’s say…yeah! You’re safe!” He decided to use enthusiasm to help the topic die. “Anyway, enough about that horrible bug. I’m useless…” But his excitement wasn’t enough to bring Shiren out of her slump. “Hey, it’s the thought that counts when it comes to this stuff. Don’t worry about it.” He felt bad about staring at her in her deflated state, so he found somewhere else to focus on. “Maybe people from powerful bloodlines have trouble serving other people, y’know? You are the emperor’s little sister, after all. Even if you try and stay quiet, your royal blood just bursts out and gets in the way, doesn’t it?” “You’re putting way too positive of a spin on it, idiot,” she snapped. “—That’s why I’m going to ask you directly.” She leaned back up against him and grasped his pajamas. “Ryouta…is there anything you want me to do?” she murmured, hesitant. “It can be anything. I bet you’re exhausted, and I’ll do whatever you tell me to do…” “I—I don’t know what to say to that…” This was getting weird. The whole situation was making him think they were almost like a couple. “I—I mean it… I’ll do anything… I’ll serve you… It’s your loss if you don’t say anything. It’s not my fault if you regret this…” “Yeah, but…I feel kind of bad asking my master for something…” “Just…pretend you’re the master now. Order me around…” Despite her word choice, Ryouta could tell from the tension in her back that she was somewhat scared. She was shaking slightly. “I know you have it rough right now… Tonight is special…” “Don’t push yourself. I like it better when you’re just yourself.” “I’m not pushing! I’m always myself… But if I did give you that impression, then…i-it’s your fault, Ryouta!” She whirled around to face him. She was pouting, still red. “Why is it my fault…?” “Because you’re always going off somewhere.” That planted a seed of guilt in him. “So I need to tell you I’m going to serve you, or I get nervous…you absolute moron.” Considering how hard he’d been working to help everyone else around him, he might’ve been neglecting Shiren because of it. “Sorry, I’ll be more considerate…” “No, the past is in the past. So…what is it you want me to do for you? You have to tell me; otherwise, I can’t do it…” Shiren’s face reddened even more. “You’re right… Uhhh, um…” “Say it! Spit it out!” “Uhhh, uhhh…can you boil some water for instant ra—?” “I have been begging you to tell me to do something. And I will not accept boiling some water for your instant ramen.” She saw right through him. “Then can you take over cleaning the bath for me aga—?” “After all that, I will not accept taking over cleaning the bath for you again.” “Then what?!” “I thought you were a good minion… You’re supposed to understand how your master feels.” Her fingers tightened in the fabric. I guess I have to ask for something big for her to be satisfied… What was he supposed to do? He tried to put the wheels in his brain into motion. But he couldn’t. He was so worried about Shiren that his head wasn’t working properly. He was practically blacking out at this point. “Right…uh…I want to serve.” “Mm, what does that mean?” His body temperature was rising fast, and he hunched over. He could barely think. “Hey, Ryouta, what’s wrong? Does your stomach hurt? Is it your wounds again?” “I—I—I want to serve. I want to serve my master so badly, I can’t help it… Allow me to serve…,” Ryouta murmured, practically in delirium. It caught Shiren off guard, but her expression soon changed into a smile. “You are the perfect picture of a minion, Ryouta. Very well. Serve as you like.” Shiren was almost moved by Ryouta’s words. She had no idea that was the conclusion he’d come to. “All right. I’m off to serve; be back later.” “Be back later? Where are you going?” That didn’t make any sense. “How are you coming back? You’re already home. Oh, are you going to clean the bath or somethi—?”
Chapter 71
12 min read