“R-R-R-Reiji-sama! U-Um...!”
Her reaction served to immediately snap Reiji out of his stupefied state.
“S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to!” he exclaimed.
“R-Right,” Titania stuttered. “I doubt you would ever purposefully do such a thing. Something must have happened.”
“Y-Yeah...”
“U-Um, are you... staying?”
“Right! Sorry! I’ll close the door right away!” Reiji yelped.
With that, Reiji slammed the door shut, sealing inside not only Titania but also himself.
“Um...” Titania mumbled.
“Wha?! No!” Reiji spluttered. “That’s not what I meant!”
“No, if that is what you intend, then I’m already prepared! Please, go ahead!” Titania replied.
“Uhhh...”
Titania threw herself on the bed, posturing herself to receive him, even if somewhat shyly. She covered her breasts with an arm and had her knees pressed together, her eyes averted and her face bright red. She looked so sweet and innocent. Reiji found himself nearly stumbling toward her, like a moth to a flame, but stopped himself.
“Y-You’ve got it wrong!” he yelled. “That’s not what I meant! I’m sleepy and not in my right mind!”
“Um, it’s my first time, so please be gentle,” Titania said.
“That’s not my intention! I really, really didn’t mean to!”
The entire Yakagi residence felt the building shake from Reiji’s scream, followed by the loud slam of a door and the sound of panicking footsteps.
By the time Reiji regained some composure, all the residents of the building were gathered in the living room and seated at the table. Each of them were tending to themselves—drinking tea, cleaning their nails, looking into a hand mirror, and the like.
Anou Mizuki was Reiji’s close friend who’d been summoned to this world alongside him and Suimei. She’d been with him ever since the summoning, and she’d used her magic to help him. She had a gentle expression that brought peace of mind and long black hair that was well cared for. She wore an out-of-season red scarf and fingerless gloves whose origin was a mystery. She was unique, to put it lightly, and not too long ago, she’d been a never-ending source of trouble. Now, she was back to normal. At her core she had an innocent, light personality, so just seeing her smile naturally filled Reiji with energy.
Titania Root Astel was the princess of the Kingdom of Astel—the country that had summoned them to this world. During their stay in Astel, she’d always worn a dress, but now she favored clothing more suitable for traveling. Not too long ago, she’d been very reserved and graceful, but ever since confessing to being a master swordswoman, she had an air to her, a stillness—the silence of a dark lake, the sharp edge of a razor. Due to the earlier ruckus, her face was still somewhat red. Reiji had trouble even meeting her eyes.
Graziella Filas Rieseld was the princess of the Nelferian Empire. Typical of the upper classes, she had a haughty attitude prone to belligerence, but also had a certain wildness about her. Yet she was equally possessed of a great kindness and a strong sense of responsibility. Her blonde hair was wavy, framing mature features for her age, and she wore a military uniform, the coat over her shoulders inlaid with a magic circle. She gave off an aura of military might and majesty at all times.
These three made up Reiji’s usual group, but they weren’t the only ones at the table. Elliot—the hero summoned by El Meide—and his attendant Christa were also here.
“R-R-Reiji-sama, g-good morning?” Titania greeted him as he walked up to the table, a strange inflection in her voice.
“M-Morning, Tia! It’s a good day today, huh?!” Reiji replied.
“Yes! It’s a wonderful day!”
They both tried to pretend that nothing had happened, but naturally, everyone could see through their painfully awkward act.
“Despite it being such a wonderful day, that was quite the ruckus you two made,” Graziella commented harshly.
“I know, right?” Mizuki agreed. “I was seriously wondering what happened.”
“Well, that was, you know...” Reiji said, panicking as both Graziella and Mizuki turned critical eyes on him.
“I don’t know. What was it?” Mizuki prodded.
“Well, ummm...”
Reiji tried coming up with an excuse, but he couldn’t think of anything. He could simply sum it up as an unfortunate accident, but each time he tried opening his mouth, Mizuki’s glare sharpened, forbidding him from doing so.
“What an unbecoming blunder,” Elliot said, sipping his tea and sighing deeply.
“Ugh... I know,” Reiji said.
“Reiji, there are proper steps to entering a lady’s room,” Elliot continued. “You can’t just barge in irresponsibly with all the force of a drunkard. Unless you enter with the full intent to take her, it’s simply rude to Princess Titania.”
“H-Hey?! What the heck are you talking about?!” Reiji protested.
“The readiness to take a lady, of course?”
“I didn’t mean to do anything like that!”
“Then that makes it even worse. A man must take proper responsibility.”
“Well...” Reiji muttered, turning to Titania.
“R-Reiji-sama...”
“Tia, um...”
As the two just stared at each other, undeniable tension seeped into the room.
“W-Well, it’s no big deal,” Graziella cut in, her voice somewhat shrill. “There’s no need to blame him so much.”
“That’s right, it was just an unfortunate accident,” Mizuki agreed, trying to end the conversation in a hurry. “Yup, an accident. If you didn’t mean to, then all is forgiven.”
It was hard to believe that, just moments ago, both of them had been criticizing him.
“Wh-What are you two doing?!” Titania yelled. “The mood was just getting good!”
“Tia, the mood is still good,” Mizuki retorted. “Are you misunderstanding something?”
“That’s right, Princess Titania,” Graziella joined in. “Can’t you quit your persecution complex act for once?”
Mizuki was suddenly back to her cheerful self, while Graziella, for some reason, gave a smile that could only be described as provocative. Titania, on the other hand, looked truly vexed. She ground her teeth, as if the game-winning goal she’d desperately needed had just been blocked.
“At any rate, you had to be in a serious daze,” Graziella said, turning to Reiji. “I don’t believe anything like that has happened before. Are you unwell?”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Reiji said. “Seriously, what’s wrong with me?”
His head had been in an inescapable haze. Despite him waking up, it was as if his mind had been elsewhere entirely.
“Hm. You can hold a conversation properly, but your complexion seems poor,” Graziella commented.
“Well, it’s nothing serious,” Reiji said, not quite sure why he seemed to be so tired either.
That was when Reiji noticed Graziella’s appearance. She was groomed, her hair properly combed, and she wore a faint hint of makeup. It must have taken her some time to do—she had to have woken up early this morning. Reiji couldn’t help but admire her, for getting up and getting ready in the morning was a far simpler thing for him to do.
“Reiji-kun, not getting enough sleep?” Mizuki asked, cocking her head cutely.
“Yeah, seems so,” Reiji answered. “I was pretty sure I got enough, though.”
“Ah! Maybe you have SAS!”
“SA-what?”
Reiji had no idea what she was on about. Mizuki folded her arms and smugly arched backward a little. So what could this acronym stand for? Reiji sank into thought for a while before coming upon the answer.
“Do you mean... sleep apnea syndrome?”
“You sure are smart, Reiji-kun!” Mizuki exclaimed. “Exactly that!”
“Mizuki, couldn’t you just have skipped the obscure acronym?” Reiji asked, exasperated.
“Heh heh heh... I never really get the chance to use them over here.”
Mizuki smiled, as if caught in the act red-handed. It was just like her for her remnants of chuuni to show up at times like these. Although... not too long ago, Reiji had been forced to taste the fear of having it on full display at all times.
At any rate, Reiji didn’t recall contracting a sleep disorder. He was still young, and he didn’t have any of the bad habits that would typically lead to it developing. Apparently, it had nothing to do with weight, but he’d heard it was related to the muscles around the neck.
“Reiji, how about taking a seat?” Graziella suggested, pulling back a chair. “Over here.”
“Huh? Sure.”
Reiji headed over to the seat Graziella offered, when suddenly, a sharp light glinted in Titania’s eyes.
“Reiji-sama, there’s a spot here too,” she said. “Please go ahead.”
“Huh? Uhhh...”
Titania gracefully pulled back the chair next to her. Where was he supposed to sit? He remained perplexed as the two girls mysteriously stared daggers at each other. Mizuki noted this and forced her way between them.
“Don’t go bothering Reiji-kun like that, you two,” she told them.
“Mizuki, are you sure you can be saying such things?” Graziella said. “Aren’t you falling behind in the race?”
“That’s right, Mizuki,” Titania agreed. “Your generosity is virtuous, but aren’t you being a little too carefree?”
“I-I-I-It’s not like I’m really w-w-worried or anything!” Mizuki exclaimed, trying to act composed. “Just—being in the closest seat isn’t going to change anything!”
“That’s quite the line to spout when you’re so clearly flustered,” Graziella commented.
“I mean, if it was that easy, none of us would even be competing by this point, right?” Mizuki retorted.
The two of them fell silent at that.
“Right? Both of you think so too, don’t you?” Mizuki prodded.
“You certainly have a point,” Graziella agreed. “It completely slipped my mind how formidable an opponent he is.”
“Indeed,” Titania added. “Perhaps we weren’t taking it seriously.”
This vague and incomprehensible explanation seemed to convince both of them.
“What’re you three talking about?” Reiji asked.
“Something an insensitive sleepyhead will never understand,” Mizuki answered. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Mm. Don’t let it bother you.”
“She’s right. Please don’t pay it any mind.”
All three of them were in harsh unison.
“Whaaa...?”
Reiji felt like he had fallen short somehow. He turned to Elliot, who took an elegant sip of his tea before sighing scornfully.
“How do I put this...?” he said. “Are you and that man actually brothers by blood?”
“Do you mean Suimei?” Reiji asked. “We aren’t. Why do you think so?”
“Well... Don’t let it bother you.”
Elliot let out another big sigh, muttering things to himself like “This is pretty severe” and “Everyone has it so rough.” Reiji had no idea what was going on. Maybe it was because his mind still wasn’t fully functional. He took a random seat at the table, receiving discontented looks from Titania and Graziella.
“Reiji-sama, I have a suggestion,” Titania said, turning to him in a formal manner. “Or perhaps... a request.”
“A request? Oh...”
That immediately brought to mind what had happened earlier.
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!” he cried. “I’ll be more careful! I’ll knock before entering! Even if I mess up, I’ll leave right away!”
“N-Not about that!” Titania yelled. “I mean something else entirely!”
“S-Sorry!”
“That isn’t really bothering me, just so you know!” Titania cleared her throat, then got back to her original point. “Um, I would like us to return to my home... to Metel, as soon as possible.”
“Back to the capital?” Reiji asked.
“Yes. I must report Duke Hadorious’s case to my father. Seeing as you were involved, I was hoping you could accompany me.”
“True, we do need to do that.”