Chapter 78

“Excuse me! Are you nitpicking a pledge written under the emperor’s supervision?! What loopholes do you see? Tell me!” “It reads as though only making him a minion is forbidden, but everything else is fair game… If this or that happens in their hotel room, then so long as he doesn’t end up her minion…” “Iiiiiiiiimpossible! Nothing sleazy will happen! Noooooooo way something like that would happen in one night!” Shiren denied the fact, nearly tripping over her own words. She wasn’t going to agree anyway. “Still, we don’t know if it’s impossible or not. You’re not Ryouta or Alfoncina. People will do whatever when they’ve got momentum.” “Kokoko, seriously, stop! We’re changing the subject! Why don’t we talk about shut-down bars in Nichome or something?!” The gathering went rather quiet after that. Ryouta knew this was going to happen, but the hotel was fancy. “I bet it costs three hundred thousand yen a night to stay here…” “No, it’s much more than that~.” “You really are like a celebrity… I can’t keep up with your sense of money… I wonder what Shiren’s eating right now…?” “I believe Ouka said she was taking everyone out to eat, so they are probably somewhere nice~.” “That’s good to hear.” “Let’s drop our things in the room, then.” Alfoncina held up her card key. “Good idea. Do you have my card key?” “Hmm? What do you mean?” “Oh, that’s for your room, right? What about mine?” “We’re sharing a room,” she said matter-of-factly. “Why…?” “I was originally planning on taking along a female staff member, so I only reserved one room. And it would most certainly cost a lot more if I reserved another one~.” “Yeah…you’re exactly right…” “Oh~. I don’t mind if you take a room for yourself out of your own pocket, but later, you’ll have to pay me ba—” “Nope. Let me stay with you, please…” The most the Fuyukura expenses could afford them would be a three-thousand-yen-per-night capsule hotel. “And you’re also like my bodyguard here~. I don’t think I’d want you in another room.” “Now that you mention it…” He was supposed to stay on watch to make sure no one attacked Alfoncina in the first place, not worry about her attacking him. Priorities and all. “Th-thanks…” “No, thank you, Ryouta. ” Their room was located in the corner of the eleventh floor. They had a fantastic view of the city from their window—and one double bed. This is definitely going to lead to some bad places… Snap. Alfoncina took a picture of the room with her phone. “I’m going to send this to everyone to show them where we’re staying.” “Stop! Please don’t! It really isn’t funny, so please no!” The Fuyukura household could implode on itself; he didn’t even want to think about what would happen when he returned to the Empire. “Oh, did you see the bed and expect something out of me~?” She grinned. She had guessed right, too. “I’m not expecting anything. I’m worried…” “Aw~. I’m not going to do anything to you, so don’t worry. That’s something I’d only do with someone I love~.” Alfoncina waved her hand. “But you’ll try and bite me, right…?” “I told you, the archbishop needs people working at the cathedral, which means they have to become my minions. That’s why I’m not terribly opposed to the act of biting itself.” “Oh yeah, you did mention that…” Alfoncina had bitten people plenty of times as the archbishop. That was a requirement of her job. “Of course, I would give you a different answer if you asked if I would be embarrassed, but it still has nothing to do with romance. Never fear.” “Sorry, I’ll try to stay more levelheaded…” “It is fun watching you react that way, though.” She chuckled. “Laugh as much as you want…” The more it bothered him, the more she pushed his buttons; he couldn’t let it get to him. “And, Ryouta, you’d probably be okay with this kind of joke, right?” She sat down at the corner of the bed. “What do you mean?” “Well, you wouldn’t want mistaken intentions to lead to any unwanted advances, right? If I didn’t trust someone on that front, then I’d change their rooms without question. At least, if I’d come with a cathedral staff member of the opposite sex, then I’d definitely get separate rooms~.” “Oh, I see. So you feel safe staying with me.” Ryouta hadn’t even considered trying anything. He might be single, but he knew better. “It just goes to show how much I trust you. You should feel honored~.” She was right; that did make the situation less unpleasant. Maybe this was better than her being on edge around him and casting him off to a separate room. “All right, let’s go get dinner, then!” The meal was yet another fancy one, although he should have expected it by this point. They’d gone to the French restaurant on the top floor of the hotel, and every item on the menu was expensive. “I’ll have a nonalcoholic cocktail, and… Ryouta? What are you getting?” “Uhhh, orange juice…” He felt so out of place here. Alfoncina, on the other hand, was like a fish in water. “This is definitely the most expensive meal I’ve had since coming to the Empire,” said Ryouta. “No need to be so nervous. I’m certain Ouka and the rest are having a wonderful meal together today, too.” “Yeah. I hope they are. But the most expensive meals in the Empire are the ones with tomatoes…” He hadn’t even imagined the girls at a bar where everything cost two hundred eighty yen. Their drinks were placed down before them. “Well then, let’s toast to a successful day tomorrow. Cheers~!” “Yes, I hope all goes well in the future.” They clinked their glasses together. Alfoncina took a tiny sip of her cocktail and then gazed out over the scenery. “They’re like twinkling jewels.” “Yeah. This is the best part.” The view from the top floor was breathtaking. Lights of all different colors glimmered, vying for their attention. “You certainly can’t see this back home in the Empire.” “Yeah, you don’t even have any high-rises.” The Sacred Blood Empire was in a rural city called Akinomiya, and there were no tall buildings at all. Even the city office was only five stories. “I do like how serene it is out there~. But it was only just founded, so we still have a lot to work on~. The archbishop’s job is never done, honestly.” “Yeah. You really do have a stupid amount of work.” She was having a meeting with Japan the next day, too. Ryouta had his hands full with housework, but he wasn’t busy the way she was. “Still, I enjoy it. You don’t get a taste of these experiences in normal life, after all.” “That’s true…” “I had barely any free time when I was little, but I think of it as an investment that allowed me to enjoy myself now. It really isn’t all that bad. I can totally power through it~. Although…” She sighed briefly. “If only I had a bit of happiness to go along with it.” “What do you mean by that?” “You were in elementary school when you had your first crush, right?” “Yes…” “Those are good memories, aren’t they? I suppose those experiences are nice. You can look back and think, Ah, those were the days~. Even for the ones too embarrassing to think about.” “Yeah, they weren’t bad at all. You’re right about the embarrassment, though…” He could feel his face go red when he thought about Ouka back in elementary school. “I don’t have any experiences like that. Zero. It’s shocking, really. When my family lived in Japan, we were actually rich, so even then, my classmates treated me like a princess doll.” Ryouta could see how lonely that could be. Life had been tough with the curse, but it wasn’t like he didn’t have anyone to hang out with. He could get together with some of the other guys to play soccer or baseball so that he wasn’t completely on his own. That was why he had a hard time picturing in detail the pain of the loneliness that Alfoncina experienced. Vaguely, it crossed his mind just how lonely she must have been. It might have been presumptuous of him to say he empathized with her, but picturing it was enough to give him some idea of the hardship. “I’m not gonna say I get it, since I’ve never experienced anything like that myself, but I’m glad you made it through.” “Yes, it’s been exhausting~. I probably look relaxed most of the time, but it’s mainly just a show.” “I think that might be an exaggeration, but I can tell you’ve had it rough.” That was when the appetizers came and reset the conversation. “Oh, and I have a little request for you, kind Ryouta.” “I don’t know why you decided to call me ‘kind,’ but go on.” Alfoncina seemed a bit sheepish. “I need a lot of courage to say this…” “What could you possibly need any courage to say at this point?” She’d said plenty of things to him already that a normal person would need courage for. “It might be a bit pathetic, depending on how you interpret it…” “You don’t have to act so formally. I’m starting to get scared, too…” “A-all right, I’m going to ask.” “Shoot.” “Will you be my friend?” “Huh?” “See, as archbishop, everyone keeps a respectful distance away from me. I have a lot of subordinates, but no regular male friends…certainly, no one I can just chat with like you, Ryouta…” Her eyes were downward cast, partially out of embarrassment. “I really just want to talk about silly things like a silly person. I actually wish I could sometimes. I think I could probably work even harder if I had someone like that…” Now that her mask was off, she seemed much smaller than usual. The dam had broken, and she kept going. “I’m always doing my best on my own, but that’s why I sometimes get very scared… Sometimes, I just want to throw it all away and run… Wait, why am I telling you all this…?” Her eyes started to fill with tears. “Oh…I didn’t mean to get this dark… Huh, what…? Why is this happening…? Huh…?” “A-Alfoncina, are you okay…?” The uncomfortable, growing distance irritated Ryouta. The table between them, the calm atmosphere of the restaurant—it was all getting in the way. But he had a feeling that he needed to ignore these obstacles to keep going. He had to stand and go to her— “Sorry, you don’t have to get up. I’m fine now.” —but before he could do anything, she stopped him. She did seem much calmer than just moments earlier. “Are you really okay…?” “Yes. I wonder what happened. I rarely ever get so honest. Maybe it’s because we’re on a trip… Oh, I see.” She pounded a fist into her other open hand. “Did you get your answer?” “When I’m with you, it’s like I’m outside it all. Like I’m outside my own house.” “Huh? I don’t feel that way…” Instead, he was far more conscious of everything, which made it hard for him to keep up. “Which means you’re the one doing this to me, Ryouta. It’s all your fault~.” “Whoa, hey, that’s a false accusation!” “And that means you have to take responsibility~.” “Stop with the misleading wording!” But he was relieved to see that she’s returned to her normal self, at least. It was time to get her back for how much she’d been toying with him. “Oh, and Alfoncina, I know you asked if we could start being friends, but I’m afraid I have to say no.” “…Oh, I see. I suppose I’d be too much of a handful.” “No, it’s because I thought we started being friends ages ago.” Ryouta smiled. “Oh…” “So I’m not sure what you mean. We already are friends. We’ve already talked a lot about silly stuff, haven’t we?” Alfoncina widened her eyes in realization. “Thank you, Ryouta…” She wasn’t smiling. He thought, considering all they’d talked about, she’d give him an immediate smile, but… Oh, this is what she’s really like. He had a feeling this was the first time he’d had a genuine conversation with her. “No, I should be thanking you for inviting me to such a fancy restaurant…” “Oh, I could bring you to places like this any time, you know.” “I’m glad to hear that, but I have to say no… I think I’d get addicted…” If he started taking this quality for granted, readjusting would be far more difficult. Each course came to them slowly, but it was obvious with every dish just how intricate they were.