Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 5 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Reaching Out toward Happiness

Five days had passed since I’d heard about the commander’s plans from Shiran. Even though we had suffered more casualties from sporadic ghoul outbreaks, the final cremations had taken place yesterday.

Shiran said the soldiers were being granted a day of rest before leaving the fortress tomorrow. Dealing with the large number of monster corpses was also progressing smoothly due to Lily’s continual efforts. She had reported to me this morning that she was going to be done within the day.

I’ll leave out what happened at that time... She had been quite busy getting everything done before our departure, so the mornings were the only time she could take off. During those times, she’d unconsciously sought compensation. The daily exchange of offense and defense early in the morning had become more and more perilous as the offense grew stronger and the defense grew weaker.

I hadn’t gotten many chances to interact with any people aside from the Alliance Knights. I could only watch from afar. It looked like preparations were going smoothly. There was one thing I saw that I found rather surprising, though. This world had “automobiles.”

“They differ from those moving steel boxes of your world, though,” Shiran said.

They looked like simple covered wagons, but there was no horse to pull them. A runestone used the mana flowing beneath the earth as a power source to move the vehicle. They called them manamobiles. They didn’t move all that fast. Their maximum speed was just around that of a regular sprint, but their normal speed was around a walk. Gathering mana on the move was insufficient, so they stored up mana during the night when they were still, that way they could move during the whole day.

“Manamobiles, huh? The magic technology here sure is amazing,” I muttered.

“Eco-friendly, isn’t it?” Lily said. “I only know of it from memories, but it’s kinda like a solar car. Well, the only reason manamobiles don’t move during the night is because of safety, so it’s a little different.”

“I find your world far more amazing, Takahiro. You have technology that procures mana from sunlight, right? Mikihiko told me about it,” Shiran said.

“It’s a little different from that...but it’s fine to interpret it that way,” I replied. Explaining the difference would be difficult, so I was being somewhat evasive.

Incidentally, there were horses in this world, but they didn’t really use them much in the Woodlands. The animals were scared of this region, so it required special training to bring them here. That was why transportation of non-essential goods generally used manamobiles. Even outside the Woodlands, these vehicles required less labor to maintain than horses, so they were used pretty widely.

This time, they had to transport distressed soldiers suffering from the after-effects of injuries, so they were using the manamobiles to do so. They were also loaning us the use of one such vehicle. This was because it would be troublesome for Gerbera, Rose, or Ayame to be spotted on our way. I gratefully accepted their kindness.

After hearing the details of tomorrow morning’s departure, I headed over to see Rose. Lily still had to finish her work, so we split up in front of Rose’s room. There was a knight accompanying us, so we kept the flirting to a minimum. I gave her dainty body a light hug, then waved goodbye. Now alone, I turned and knocked on the door.

“Rose, it’s me.” My knocks sounded stiff, and they echoed through the corridor like a manifestation of the tension within me.

“Good morning, Master.”

What greeted me...wasn’t a faceless mannequin, but a gray-haired woman wearing clothes she’d borrowed from Lily and a mask covering her face. It was still unfamiliar to me, but this was what Rose looked like now. On the day Fort Tilia had been attacked, before we’d chased after Sakagami, I had rendezvoused with Rose to find that she was already dressed like this. The mask she was wearing now was brand new. There was a hole where her right eye would be, but just looking at the remaining eye through her mask, it was clear her face was no longer flat and unmoving.

Apparently, Rose had been secretly altering her entire body. Judging from her habitual behavior, I understood she was hiding it from me because she didn’t want me to see it until she was satisfied with what she made. It was a fixation of hers as a crafter.

Rose’s face had been damaged when she encountered the monsters pouring down on Fort Tilia. It was already a work in progress to begin with, so she didn’t want to show it to anyone. That was why I had yet to see the face she had hidden beneath that mask. Nevertheless, I could easily imagine it. She had an intricately made human face that was practically indistinguishable from a real one. I could tell that much from the single eye I could barely see. I’d been quite shocked when I saw her like this that night. She had been with Katou, but she’d looked like a complete stranger. Still, I could tell it was definitely Rose at the time through our mental path.

Currently, Rose’s body was still that of a puppet from the neck down. Her joints past her sleeves and below the hem of her skirt were clearly visible. The color of her skin was also the same as an inorganic mannequin, so she still didn’t really look human. However, at the same time, she was incomparably more of a woman than she had been before.

In a way, she had the loveliness of a doll. That mix of inorganic substance and femininity had a unique sweetness to it that made her shine. I fully agreed she looked like the “cute doll” she’d mentioned wanting to make.

Her gray hair fell down her back and was tied into a braid. She wore a dress that covered her body. Even the earnest gaze from beneath her mask was completely feminine, a stark contrast to her previous asexual appearance.

Maybe this was why I felt slightly bewildered talking with her now. The girl before me was Rose. My precious Rose. Nothing about that had changed. However, there was something mixed into that perception now, something I had previously overlooked. It was probably that I was now aware that Rose was a girl.

If I talked to anyone about this, they would be astonished at me for only noticing it now. I’d spent a lot of time with Rose, and I’d seen her gain the ability to speak and go from a simple carved puppet to more of a mannequin. I’d known from this process that Rose’s mind was feminine, and I’d discovered from her relationship with Katou that she had a side to her much like a teenage girl.

However, the change she’d gone through this time was decidedly different in some way. For the first time, I was aware that Rose was a member of the opposite sex, despite supposedly knowing that before. This was likely the cause of my bewilderment.

There was of course nothing to be bewildered about just because she was of the opposite sex. She was my precious companion, just as always. That was how it was supposed to be, but such logic didn’t help me feel any less perplexed. It was quite troubling.

After I knocked, Rose opened the door and I entered the room. There was another girl inside wearing a school uniform, with black hair that went down to her shoulders.

“Morning. You’re looking better, Katou.”

“Good morning, Senpai. Thanks to you, I’ve completely recovered now.”

Katou was sitting comfortably on the carpet in the middle of the room. There was a pile of wood carvings on the corner of the carpet. It seemed Katou had been practicing sensing the flow of mana by leaning against Rose while she created magic tools. She was trying to learn magic this way, for the time being.

“Masss—sss—ter!”

“Morning, Asarina. You’re looking good today too.”

Asarina, who usually acted docile while we were outside, stretched out from the back of my hand as Katou greeted her and played with her. I watched the charming scene play out and took a seat at the table by the window. Katou rose to her feet, patted the dust off her skirt, and then sat down on the bed.

I gestured Rose over to the chair in front of me. She looked at me from the one eye beneath her mask. I gave her a nod, and she took a seat, albeit hesitantly. Katou had the tiniest of smiles on her face as she watched Rose.

Up until now, from what I’d seen indirectly, Katou didn’t seem to be forcing herself. She had a morbid fear of men. Before Lily and I had headed to the fortress, when we were about to meet the group of students and knights on the path in the Woodlands, her condition had deteriorated sharply. Afterward, Katou had stayed behind with Rose and Gerbera.

On the day Fort Tilia was attacked, I had brought the two of them along with me to corner the double-headed wolf Berta and left Katou with the Alliance Knights. I’d heard later that she had collapsed once more while taking refuge in the Woodlands with them. She’d looked fine before we split up, but she had apparently been putting on a brave act at the time so as to not worry us. Forcing herself like that had ended up taking quite a toll on her, so she’d stayed in bed for several days following that.

I was the only man she didn’t fear or reject, perhaps because I had made an impression when I took her under my care, or because of the time we’d spent traveling together in the Woodlands. Regardless, I’d been anxious when I came to see her after hearing that she’d collapsed from being near men. I was relieved to be able to speak with her like this, even now.

I was suddenly conscious of what I was feeling. Before, I wouldn’t have acknowledged or even accepted this sense of relief. It seemed the change occurring in my heart ever since coming to Fort Tilia had taken my relationship with Katou in a good direction as well.

Just then, Katou looked over my way as she realized something. “Huh? Now that I think of it, is Kei not with you today?”

“No, she’s busy today because of the preparations for tomorrow’s departure.”

Up until yesterday, Shiran’s niece Kei would accompany me whenever I came here. We had asked her to tell us many things, things that were common knowledge in this world. We were about to set foot into the world of humanity, after all. We had allies, so things were still looking positive for the time being, but we didn’t know what could happen until we secured a stable livelihood. We needed to be as prepared as possible. The more knowledge we had, the better. It just so happened that over the last five days, I couldn’t really help out in the fortress due to my delicate position, so I had plenty of time to spare. That was why I had asked Kei to teach us in the meantime. Given tomorrow’s departure, however, Kei was busy today.

Katou’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly. “I see... That’s unfortunate.”

When Katou had collapsed the other day, the only women nearby were Shiran and Kei. Kei had helped Katou out back then, and she had also helped take care of her when she was bedridden in the fortress, so the two of them had ended up getting along well. So long as Katou feared men, having a girl like Kei around was reassuring. A natural bond had formed between Katou, Kei, and Rose. It was pleasant to watch the three of them chat.

“Oh, right,” Katou said, suddenly looking up at Rose. “Sorry, you had something you wanted to talk about with Majima-senpai, didn’t you?”

“I don’t mind waiting until after your conversation is done, Mana.”

Rose must have been waiting for us to reach a good stopping point.

“Hm? What did you want to talk about, Rose?” I said, urging her on.

“First is regarding the runestones I borrowed,” Rose replied respectfully.

“Oh? Did you figure something out?”

Rose had borrowed several runestone-based magic tools from the Alliance Knights. These were all placed on the carpet in the middle of the room. There was a canteen that created water from mana, a lighter that could create a small flame, a knight’s ring used to differentiate a human from a ghoul, a magic bag with expanded storage space and preservative effects, and a few other various tools. We had also received the unprocessed runestones we were hoping to get. These were kept in stock to make more rings for the knights. They didn’t have much value as runestones, so we had permission to fiddle with them however we liked.

“Just as you are aware, it is possible to manifest the same effects as magic by allowing mana to flow through a runestone. I had a fair amount of interest in this. I thought I would be able to create something of use to you, Master.”

I’d also thought of this myself. Even though I could manipulate mana, I couldn’t use magic. I had chosen to learn how to strengthen my body instead. I didn’t regret prioritizing my ability to avoid a crisis, but I wouldn’t complain about supplementing my strength with runestones. They were valuable goods, but if Rose could learn how to process them herself, it was a different matter. The problem was whether this was possible.

“I need to understand the structure of runestones before I can process them. I tried asking Kei, but unfortunately, she doesn’t know much about it.”

“I asked Shiran about this before too. She said runestones were created for people who couldn’t use magic in the first place, so they don’t need to know how it works to be able to use them.”

It was important for widely spread goods to be usable without knowledge of the principles behind them. For example, I knew about solar energy, but couldn’t explain how it worked to Shiran. Similarly, pretty much nobody knew the theory behind how runestones worked except for the people who took part in creating them. Since the manufacturing method for barrier runestones had been completely lost, perhaps such techniques had been concealed on purpose.

Moreover, unlike our world, they didn’t have books published in the tens of thousands available in a single place, nor did they have the internet, a veritable treasure trove overflowing with information. It wouldn’t be strange if only certain circles had knowledge of magical technologies.

“I tried actually using the runestones as well, but I couldn’t understand the theory behind them. After that, I tried asking Lily about it.”

“Lily?”

“Yes. She can use both runestones and magic, so I thought she could figure something out by comparing them.”

I cocked my head but immediately realized this wasn’t a bad idea. My senses were out of whack after spending over two months in the Woodlands, but after giving it some thought, Lily was from the Depths, an unlivable region. She could also use grade 3 magic. The locals couldn’t use magic any higher than that, so she was actually the perfect person to consult.

“So what did she say?”

“According to her, the runestone acts as a supplement for the construction of a glyph.”

“A supplement for a glyph?”

Her reply was daunting. It didn’t really tell me anything. I had no idea what a glyph really was. It was like explaining a technical term with another technical term. Rose seemed to take my reaction into consideration and continued to explain things to me diligently.

“That is what my sister told me. To use magic, one must be able to manipulate mana. However, that is not enough on its own.”

“Yeah. If that was all, I’d be able to use magic too.”

“Starting from Lily’s conclusion, magic requires mana to move in a particular flow. By doing so, the corresponding phenomenon occurs. Such laws exist in this world. In the case of magic, the flow manifests in a visible form known as a glyph. These laws don’t only apply to the mechanisms of magic either. The abilities inherent to monsters follow the same laws.”

“Hm? Doesn’t that mean humans can use the same abilities monsters can?” I asked, caught up on that detail.

“That’s true. If they can force their mana to flow in the same manner, then I believe it to be theoretically possible,” Rose replied with a nod before shaking her head. “However, in practice, humans and other monsters can’t use abilities inherent to a certain species. Each individual species of monster possesses a unique flow of mana, after all.”

“I see. Now that I think of it, the ring used to identify ghouls works by recognizing the difference between the way mana flows within humans and ghouls.”

“Even Lily didn’t realize such laws existed until she tried using a runestone. She’s been using magic by instinct. I create magic tools in a similar fashion.”

It was the same as the tale of an apple falling from a tree. Someone in the past realized that making mana flow in a particular way caused a corresponding phenomenon. They then used the theory to create runestones.

Katou looked like she recalled something as well.

“When I once commented that the way you created magic tools from wood was mysterious, you told me you didn’t know what I found mysterious about it, right? Sometimes things are so natural you don’t know how it works yourself.”

Rose nodded back to her.

“Meaning that runestones reproduce this particular flow of mana?” I asked.

Picture it as a channel used to direct water flow. Normally, the channel itself has to be created by hand to replicate a certain flow. In the case of a runestone, however, the channel has already been dug out, so it just needs mana to flow through it. Perhaps translation runestones required special training because these channels were split up into segments.

“Rose, did you perhaps succeed in carving one?” I asked with a glimmer of hope in my voice.

The mechanisms behind a runestone were clear now. Next was to verify whether she could process one herself.

“No, unfortunately not. I did try my hand at doing so, but I couldn’t do it.”

Rose stood up and retrieved several objects off the carpet before coming back. Four runestones tumbled from her hand onto the table. Three of them were crafted similarly to the gems used in the knights’ rings, and the last was an uncarved stone. All of them were black.

“Just as I said before, a runestone replicates a particular flow of mana. As such, to process a runestone, one has to know how to carve it and how mana is supposed to flow through it. This proved harder than I expected. It seems each raw runestone has its own idiosyncrasies. In three years...no, two, I should be able to get a handle on these through trial and error, but current circumstances would make it difficult to accomplish now.”

“I see. Nothing can be done about that, I guess,” I said with a small sigh.

“Yes. Therefore, I tried doing it my own way.”

“What...?”

Rose placed what she was holding in her opposite hand on the table. They were carved blue stones—or so they appeared, but their surfaces had a wood-grain pattern to them.

“These are ones I made from scratch. I suppose you could call them imitation runestones.”

“Imitations...?”

“As I said before, monsters, magic, and runestones all make use of the same principle. In short, by preparing a particular flow of mana, even without a runestone, it’s possible to manifest magic. Also, I have my own ability to create magic tools. I don’t know much about stones, but I do know about wood.”

As Rose touched one of the wooden runestones, a small spurt of water jumped out of its surface and wet the table. It was definitely a reproduction of water magic.

“This is still a prototype, so there are some areas where I cut corners, but I do believe I should be able to replicate the same level of magic as a real runestone one day.”

“That’s...amazing.”

“Thank you very much. I’ve gained a lot of experience in making all manner of things in accordance with your orders. Moreover, I believe it’s fortunate that I’ve been creating delicately detailed works as of late. It is a difficult job, but I somehow managed to reach the stage where I can complete a prototype.”

Rose placed her hand on the cheek of her mask and turned her eye to the corner of the room. The box there was filled with a mountain of wood chips from failed attempts.

“However, there’s a problem with my imitation runestones. Because I can’t use magic, I have to examine a real runestone to get an understanding of its mana flow. The only imitation runestones I can make are limited to copies of runestones I’ve actually used.”

“I see. Still, that’s more than enough.”

I took the wet imitation runestone Rose passed to me and tried channeling my own mana flow through it. This runestone was used for everyday life, but I’d heard of runestones that were meant for combat. If we could copy those, there were countless ways we could use them. I really did want to get some, one way or another.

“I believe we can gradually discuss how to make use of this,” Rose said.

“Got it. I’ll give it some thought too. I’m the one who wants to use them and all.”

Talking to Mikihiko about it seemed like a good idea. He was familiar with games and whatnot, so I felt like he was more suited to such things than me.

“Thanks for your report. I’d like you to continue your research,” I told Rose.

“As you wish.”

“That was the first thing, so what else did you want to talk about?” I placed the imitation runestone back on the table and urged Rose on.

“I heard from Kei that you have been learning how to use a sword from the woman who has become your new servant, Shiran.”

“Huh? Yeah. Not that I’ve had many lessons yet.” I was somewhat confused by her question. I hadn’t expected to hear Shiran’s name. “Given the opportunity, I’d like to learn more from her, and I’m planning to ask her to teach me. What about it?”

“I don’t mind if it’s only when she has the time, but could you ask her to teach us servants as well?”

“That’s sudden... I don’t mind at least asking her.”

“Thank you very much,” Rose said with a bow.

“What brought this up all of a sudden?” I asked curiously.

“The other day, I crossed blades with the doppelqueen named Anton... Her powers were dreadful. I was unable to cut off the enemy’s path of retreat and therefore didn’t fulfill the duty you entrusted me with.”

Rose sounded overly serious and frustrated. I had no intention of criticizing her for that. On the contrary, it was my fault for misreading the situation and overlooking the possibility that Anton would be lying in wait. However, Rose’s personal thoughts were another matter altogether. She had a strong sense of loyalty, so the failure to accomplish her duty was definitely a source of regret.

“What’s more, Anton is but one of the monsters Kudou controls. Also, that man named Juumonji was evenly matched with Gerbera, and she had to do her best just to put up a fight. Lily told me that she couldn’t even stall him for a second. My elder sister is stronger than me, and she wasn’t capable of that. It’s clear I wouldn’t have been able to do a thing.”

So she said, but Rose was in no way weak. She was a rare monster from the Depths, and she had gotten stronger when she’d remade her body. Her equipment was also powerful. These were all things she had acquired through constant effort.

However, it would still be hard for her to fight a cheater head-on. I thought I had readied myself as well, but their violence was horribly overwhelming. It was of course best if it never came to such conflict, but the current situation didn’t allow for such assumptions. There was Kudou, whose whereabouts were unknown, as well as the mystery member of the expeditionary force who had connected Juumonji with him.

Even without all that, our position in this world was very unstable. Despite having friends in the Alliance Knights, there was no way we could rest easy. We had to ready our forces as much as possible in case the unforeseen happened.

“We must get stronger by any means,” Rose said.

“And that’s where Shiran comes in, huh?” I replied, sighing in understanding.

“That’s not all, of course. Just as I reported earlier regarding the practical use of imitation runestones, I do believe we should explore ways of making use of them. However...”

“I know. Learning combat techniques is an especially effective way of getting stronger.”

“Indeed. Essentially, we monsters possess powerful physiques, and we leave battle to our strength, our speed, the instincts we’re born with, and the combat experience we gain through surviving in the forest. There is no technique to it. Having said that, systemizing some sort of technique ourselves would take far too much time.”

One thing humans excelled at compared to the monsters of the Woodlands was their ability to pass down knowledge and techniques throughout generations. Be it by oral tradition or writing, the accumulation of knowledge was a tremendous weapon. This was what Rose’s proposal focused on.

“Acquiring combat techniques that are backed by a long history of use should be a major advantage...” Rose continued with passion, but then she suddenly turned her head to the side. “At least, that’s what Mana suggested.”

I followed Rose’s gaze to where Katou was sitting in complete astonishment.

“Huh...? Rose?!” Katou remained dumbfounded for a few seconds, then shot up from the bed in a panic. In an unusual turn, her expression was filled with consternation. “Didn’t we discuss that this would be your suggestion?!”

“But this is a truly helpful plan. I’m happy that you would like to yield such a feat over to me, but I still do not believe we should hide that this was your proposal at the outset.”

“What, so Katou’s the one who thought of this?” I asked.

“Yes,” Rose answered, turning back my way and nodding. “I decided it would be better for you to know, Master.”

Rose was right. I already owed Katou a great debt. I didn’t want to take advantage of her kindness without knowing about it. Besides, it was important that she get credit for her accomplishments. Rose seemed to be of the same opinion and spoke of Katou in a meaningful tone.

“Mana really has been thinking of all sorts of matters. In fact, she gave me several suggestions regarding the imitation runestones too.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

I threw in an appropriate response and looked over to Katou, but she immediately covered her face. I could still tell it was flushed, though.

“No. Um. I didn’t really do all that much. Someone else would’ve mentioned it eventually...”

“I don’t think so,” I told her. “This kind of thing is better off said sooner than later. You’re a big help.”

I felt a little bad for her, but I ended up smiling. Seeing her flustered and bashful, acting like a girl her age, was rather refreshing. I honestly found it quite charming.

“Thank you, Katou. Please let me know if you think of anything else.”

“Okay...”

Katou was still hiding her face, but she gave a quick nod. She was smiling shyly, which cast aside the shadow that always hung over her expression. Before me now was a completely normal girl who felt embarrassed from being thanked. From her reaction, I could feel that our relationship was changing. It made me happy. But it also made me regret what would come next.

“Although, I guess I can’t rely on you all that much from now on,” I added.

“Huh...?”

“Unlike you, we won’t be going to the imperial capital. You’ve helped us a ton up until now, so we’ll have to get our act together.”

Shiran had mentioned that all surviving students other than me were going to the imperial capital. That was because anyone who didn’t have the ability to tame monsters was sure to receive a warm welcome there. Naturally, this also applied to Katou, so we would have to bid farewell to the girl we’d been traveling with through the Woodlands.

I regretted that we had to part ways with the girl who had become Rose’s friend. I also felt this way because I was just starting to build up my relationship with her. However, I had to fulfill the promise I’d made when we first met—to find her somewhere safe. And now, I was finally able to repay her for what she had done for me, even if just a little.

“There’s not all that much time left, but please continue to get along with Rose,” I said.

Katou slowly raised her head. The red in her cheeks had already faded.

“Okay...”

It felt like her very existence was fading away. It left me bewildered. It was because of the smile on her face. It was different from the one she’d shown me just seconds ago. It was a dry smile. The shadow that had disappeared returned to her expression. I instinctively knew that the words I’d just said were the cause of this. I didn’t know why, though. As such, I didn’t know what else to say. I held my tongue and lowered my gaze away from her weak smile. An awkward silence fell over us.

“Master,” a calm voice said. Rose was looking at me with a tranquil gaze. “There’s one more topic I’d like to discuss. May I?”

Now that she mentioned it, we were still in the middle of talking.

“What is it?”

“I have a request. Could we take Mana with us to the country we are to visit?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katou’s head shoot up.

“Take Katou with us...?” I repeated, perplexed by the sudden suggestion.

Rose nodded. “Yes. She only recently collapsed, just as you are aware. If she were suddenly surrounded by strangers in such a state, wouldn’t she be helpless?”

That made perfect sense. The Alliance Knights also knew of Katou’s condition. If she went to the imperial capital, they were sure to help her out, like having a woman accompany her. However, even if they did that, it wouldn’t change the fact that she would be surrounded by strangers. Katou’s heart was already in a fragile state to begin with. She was emotionally unstable, in a sense. I couldn’t imagine how important Rose’s presence was to her. Pulling them apart didn’t seem like a good idea.

“If possible, I would like to stay by Mana’s side as well... Also, whenever it is practical, I would like you to be with her too, Master.”

“Me...?”

I didn’t really get it. I was different from Rose, with whom Katou had spent many fulfilling hours together in the Woodlands. There wasn’t much purpose in someone like me being near Katou... Or maybe there was. In her current state where she feared all men, having someone like me that she was okay with nearby was valuable to her, even if it was a coincidence brought about by the course of events.

“I get what you’re trying to say,” I replied with a nod, “but coming with us is a little questionable.”

“Are you opposed to it, Master?”

“That’s not what I mean. It’s just that, as a monster tamer, my position is extremely unstable. I can’t promise that Katou wouldn’t get caught up in some kind of trouble simply by being with us.”

“So if Mana wishes for it while being fully aware of such circumstances, then will you take her with us?”

I gave it some thought, then said, “If that’s what she wants.”

If Katou wanted this, I had no objection to such a request.

After confirming what I said, Rose turned to Katou. “He agreed. What will you do, Mana?”

“I-I’m...”

Katou averted her gaze. She looked frail. Seeing her like that, Rose stood from her seat. She knelt down in front of Katou, then took her tightly clasped hands into her own.

“Do you remember, Mana? What I said to you back then, I mean.” Her tone was a gentle one I’d never heard before. “You’re a part of my happiness. Please don’t forget that.”

Katou’s eyes opened wide in astonishment. “Rose...”

“Or do you perhaps intend to make me sad?”

“Putting it like that is unfair...” Katou pouted, but it was directed at a friend who knew her heart.

Rose seemed to be smiling beneath her mask. “I don’t mind if it’s unfair. You must attain happiness for yourself. Please say it. Speak your honest feelings. If you appeal to him earnestly, my master will surely answer you.”

I couldn’t understand their conversation, but I knew it was important to them.

Katou looked to Rose with an imploring gaze, then timidly turned my way.

“S-Senpai...”

She was clearly frightened. However, it was far better than the gloomy smile she’d shown me moments ago. Her fear was just a sign that she was fighting against her own cowardice.

“I would...like to go with you...Senpai,” she said in a quiet and unsteady voice. “I may hold you back. I may end up being a bother. So I know I shouldn’t be saying this. But... But I...”

“You’re not really a...”

I paused, suddenly realizing something. This wasn’t what she wanted me to say. For the first time, Katou was acting willfully in front of me. Even though she feared rejection, she earnestly made her request.

So what was I to do? How could I respond to her feelings?

Rose looked my way. Her gaze was filled with boundless trust.

“Got it,” I said with a slight smile.

After giving it some thought, going to the imperial capital didn’t guarantee Katou’s safety. Someone like Juumonji could be hiding among the gathering of students. Even the exploration team was suspicious. If she remained within reach, then I could at least try to protect her with my own hands.

“Katou, come with us.”

Her happy expression was so beautiful I was completely entranced by it.