Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 4 - Chapter 1

Clan and Hercules

Wednesday, September 2nd

The glowing stars in the pitch black darkness reflected in Theia’s eyes. Unlike on the surface of Earth, the stars didn’t twinkle at all in the vacuum of space. Their light was unwavering.

“It’s Clan...” Theia muttered as she stared at the monitor on the bridge of the Blue Knight.

Her voice was quiet, but there were so few people in the massive room that everyone heard it. Only four people stood on the bridge of the Blue Knight, serving as its crew: Theia and Ruth, along with Koutarou who was helping out as a part-time job, and Sanae who had tagged along with him.

“Clan?”

“What’s that?”

Koutarou and Sanae had no idea what “Clan” was supposed to mean. As the two of them looked at each other in confusion, Ruth began explaining.

“Clan is short for Clariossa Daora Forthorthe. Clariossa-sama is the second princess of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire. Clan is just a nickname.”

About ten days ago, the Blue Knight detected a nearby space-time rift. It was determined to be another Forthorthian spaceship, but after ten days of searching, the ship in question had not been located. That was why Theia now muttered Clan’s name.

“But how do you know it’s her, Tulip? You don’t have any real clues, right?”

“Not having any clues is a clue in and of itself. The Blue Knight is a royal class battleship. There aren’t that many vessels that could escape its detection.”

Starting with Theia’s Blue Knight, it was common for royal class battleships to serve as flagships in times of war. Being led by their revered rulers raised the morale of the soldiers. And to that end, the royal class battleships excelled in detection capabilities and information warfare. It would be an embarrassment for such a flagship to be caught unawares. Consequently, there were only a handful of ships that were capable of escaping the scanners of a royal class battleship.

“Out of all of them, I can only think of one who would mess with me.”

“And that’s this... Um, Clan, was it?”

“Yes. Clan-sama’s personal ship, the Hazy Moon, has a highly advanced stealth system.”

“Koutarou, what’s stealth?”

“Simply put, it’s like being really good at hide and seek.”

Koutarou wasn’t all that knowledgeable about it himself, but he was able to explain it to Sanae from what he had seen and heard in movies.

“Oh, kind of like me!”

“Yes. But the stealth technology on Clan’s ship is something she developed herself, so it’s quite troublesome”

“She developed it herself? Even though she’s a princess?”

Koutarou’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

“That’s correct, Satomi-sama. Clan-sama has profound knowledge of technology. Remodeling her own ship is like child’s play for her.”

“Wow, there really are some amazing people in the world...”

Koutarou was impressed. Knowing he didn’t have the brightest head on his shoulders, Koutarou couldn’t help respecting someone capable of remodeling ships and inventing new technology.

“...She’s not amazing.”

Koutarou’s words irritated Theia, who was now pouting.

“All she can do is run and hide. It’s unbecoming of royalty!” Theia continued to criticize Clan with a frown on her face.

“What are you so angry about, Tulip?”

“I’m not angry!”

“No, you’re definitely angry.”

“I said I’m not angry! Hold your tongue, pleb!”

Really, Theia was sour that Koutarou would compliment Clan, but he never complimented her. Of course, Koutarou had no way of knowing that.

“You really are rude.”

“What is with you?”

As Koutarou looked at Theia with a confused look on his face, Ruth waved him over.

“...Satomi-sama, Satomi-sama,” she called quietly.

“...Yes?” Koutarou responded in kind.

Ruth leaned in to whisper into his ear. She didn’t want Theia to hear.

“Actually, Her Highness and Clan-sama do not get along at all.”

“Ah, so that’s why...”

“While Her Highness has always been very active, Clan-sama prefers to indulge herself in intellectual pursuits. The two of them have often clashed, so there is a very deep rift between them.”

The Mastir family that Theia belonged to and the Schweiger family that Clan belonged to were known rivals. The Mastir family had a reputation for producing excellent emperors during critical times in the history of Forthorthe, but the Schweiger family had produced more emperors than any other royal family. They both took great pride in their support of the nation. And on top of their family backgrounds, Theia and Clan’s conflicting personalities only fueled the fire. The two of them were often in competition with one another.

“So Clan is a fierce rival she can’t ignore...”

“Even princesses can be sneaky, huh?”

“In Her Highness’ case, that isn’t the only reason...”

Ruth flashed a melancholy smile. Seeing that, Koutarou could faintly understand Ruth’s sentiment.

She did say that she couldn’t afford to back down to anyone when it came to protecting her mom...

Even though they were destined rivals, Theia still wanted to avoid pointless fighting. But at the same time, if she didn’t prove that she was a worthy heir to the throne, she would cause problems for the current empress, her mother. It was for her mother’s sake that Theia didn’t want to become a princess the army could exploit. Ruth had explained this to Koutarou before, so he had a good idea of what was going on.

“What are you three whispering about?!”

“Well...”

Koutarou knew he couldn’t tell her that they were talking about her relationship with Clan, so he decided to try something else.

“I’m a teenage boy, you know. I was wondering if this Clan girl was hot. But Ruth-san just won’t tell me.”

“Huh?!”

“S-Satomi-sama, wh-what are you...?!”

Theia’s eyes opened wide in surprise and Ruth began panicking.

“So how about it, Tulip? Is this Clan girl cuter than you? Can I unleash my teenage passions?!”

Hearing Koutarou’s words, a vein became visible on Theia’s forehead.

“C-Curse you, pleb! I’ll teach you a lesson!” Theia blew her top and ran towards him while shouting. “H-How dare you ask me something like that?! How dare you ask me if she’s cuter than me, the Mastir family’s golden flower?!”

“But this Clan girl’s personality is the complete opposite of yours, right?”

Despite Theia’s anger, Koutarou looked excited as they faced off. His eyes were shining with curiosity and desire befitting a teenage boy, which only caused Theia to shout at him even louder.

“Y-You disloyal, traitor—”

However, Koutarou’s next words cooled all of Theia’s anger.

“You’d be cute if you just shut up, so I have high hopes for someone with the inverse of your personality!”

“...”

I’d be c-cute if I shut up...?

Even though it was something he’d blurted out in the middle of their argument, Theia couldn’t simply ignore a comment like that.

“...”

The pleb thinks... I’m... cute?

Theia’s heart began pounding and her face began to turn red. Short sighs escaped her lips instead of words. And before she knew it, her enraged expression had soften into one of expectation as she looked up at Koutarou.

“So what is it, Tulip? Is this Clan girl cute or what?!

“Ah...”

But it was only temporary. It didn’t take long for her hopes to be overcome with rage again. Realizing Koutarou was only interested in Clan, the initial joy she’d felt at being called cute was only oil on the fire of her fury.

“I-I’ll kill you! Stand still, pleb! I’ll tear you to pieces right here, right now!”

“Waaaaah! Here she comes!”

Koutarou turned tail and fled from Theia’s sudden onslaught.

“Curse you! How dare you play with my heart repeatedly?! Stop running, pleb! I’m going to rip you limb from limb!”

“Who would stop after you say that?! Idiot!”

Koutarou was running away at full speed, but Theia was in hot pursuit.

“Hahh...”

“Your Highness! Please stop, Your Highness!”

They sped past dumbfounded Sanae and panicked Ruth in a flash. The large bridge gave them plenty of room to chase each other around.

“You’re pretty stupid too, Koutarou. If you keep doing things like that, Theia really will kill you someday...”

Sanae knew that Koutarou only changed the topic like he did because he was being considerate of Theia, so despite her amazement at the situation, she didn’t really see a way around it.

“The two of them are very stubborn about the strangest of things...”

Ruth felt similarly to Sanae, but she also understood what Theia was thinking and feeling. So despite the current chaos, she was pleased.

“...Thank you for everything, Satomi-sama...”

Ruth watched over Koutarou and Theia running around with a gentle expression. 

The two of them didn’t stop for several minutes. After sprinting at full speed all that time, Koutarou and Theia both collapsed on the floor in exhaustion.

“I-I’ll let you off... f-for today...”

“Th-There’s no need... to let me off...”

“You pleb... giving me n-needless backtalk...”

“Yeah... you too...”

The two of them were lying next to each other, but they were so spent that the only thing they could do now was argue. However, seeing the two of them quarrel like this gave off the impression that they got along very well.

“Your Highness... Satomi-sama...”

This made Ruth very happy, and she revealed a very bright smile.

“You two really are stupid. There was no need to go that far. Jeez...”

Sanae, on the other hand, was still astonished and let out a big sigh.

“Sanae, there are some times a man can’t afford to lose.”

“That’s right. Defeat is not an option for a princess.”

“Can you two decide if you get along or not?”

Sanae sighed again as Koutarou and Theia responded to her in synch. Taking over for Sanae, Ruth spoke up as well.

“By the way, Your Highness, this will make the tenth day of searching. I think it is about time to give up on looking.”

“Y-Yes. That’s true...”

Theia caught her breath, nodded, and picked herself up off the floor.

“Is it okay to just give up like that? You still don’t know what this Clan girl came here to do, right?” Sanae asked, a little worried.

“No, I know what she’s after. She must be trying to interfere with my trial. Her own trial requires her to wait for the solar eclipse, so she probably came here to get in my way while she waits.”

Unlike Theia’s invasion, Clan’s trial required her to complete three ceremonies as a test of faith in order to earn the right to the throne. She had already completed two of them, but the third required a solar eclipse. There was still some time yet before a solar eclipse would occur on their home planet, so Clan was forced to wait. Theia figured she must be using her downtime to run interference.

“Then won’t she use her own battleship to attack you, Tulip?”

Koutarou got up and looked at Theia with a serious expression. He knew he shouldn’t play around with this topic. Theia understood the gravity of the situation as well and decided to put things behind them for now and address Koutarou’s concerns.

“That’s what I thought, but ten days have already passed. If she was planning on attacking, she would have done so by now.”

“On top of that, Satomi-sama, an engagement between two battleships would leave evidence behind. Taking that into account, there is little risk of a direct attack from Clan.”

“So she hasn’t attacked yet because she’s not stupid...”

“That’s right. She must be hiding somewhere and coming up with some other kind of plan.”

Clan hadn’t attacked with her battleship because she was worried about the evidence it would leave behind. If she were a fearless idiot, she would have attacked anyway. But such was not the case with Clan. Instead, by not attacking, her ship’s advanced stealth systems made her impossible to find. That was why Theia decided to abandon the search.

“And I can think of another reason why Clan hasn’t used her Hazy Moon to attack.”

“What’s that?”

“The Hazy Moon is a weak battleship.”

“You mean even weaker than the Blue Knight?”

Having a humanoid shape, Theia’s Blue Knight was weaker than comparable ships due to its complicated structure.

“I have a problem with the way you put that, but yes, that’s correct.”

“Satomi-sama, that’s because of Clan-sama’s talents. Since she has modified her ship with equipment she developed herself, the ship’s basic capabilities are inferior to anyone else’s.”

Since there was a limit to the power of a ship, every piece of equipment Clan added consequently reduced the ship’s basic functionality. Just like the Blue Knight’s abilities were compromised due to its intricate shape, the Hazy Moon’s abilities were compromised due to the large amount of extra equipment.“So that means unless this Clan girl really is a complete idiot, she won’t fight head-on?”

“Clan is devious, so she doesn’t like fighting directly. There is little to worry about in that regard.”

“Devious, huh?”

“What’s with that face, pleb?”

Koutarou looked a little disappointed.

“Well, I heard she was the opposite of you, so I was expecting her to be more ladylike.”

“Wha?!”

“And now I hear she’s devious. I’m even more disappointed because I got my hopes up and everything...”

“Y-You! You’re still on about that?! You disloyal pleb!”

“Whoa!”

Despite having calmed down for a moment, Theia’s rage was instantly reignited. She reached out for Koutarou with both hands and began choking him the same way Sanae usually did.

“C-Curse you... Damn Tulip!”

“I’ll definitely teach you who your master is today!”

Koutarou and Theia began fighting again, but Ruth was still tenderly watching over them. She only saw it as the two of them playing around.

“Because of that, the part-time job we had you helping out with ends today, Satomi-sama.”

“Oh? It’s over already?”

Koutarou looked towards Ruth as he restrained Theia. Ruth nodded in return.

“Yes. I don’t believe there is any reason to keep you on standby anymore, Satomi-sama.”

“Oh, yeah, that reminds me. Why did I need to be here in the first place?”

Koutarou had been on board the Blue Knight together with Theia and Ruth for a few days now. It was part of the job they’d requested his help with, but he still didn’t know exactly why he was there.

“L-Let go, pleb! And Ruth! Don’t just stand there smiling! Do something!”

As Theia struggled to get free, Koutarou admonished her like he would a little sister.

“Just wait a minute, Tulip. I’m having a serious discussion with Ruth-san right now. I’ll play with you later.”

“I don’t want to play!”

“Ah, in that case, play with me later instead, Koutarou,” Sanae chimed in.

“Sure.”

“C-Curse you! You’re looking down on me again! Play with meeeee!”

Ruth began explaining with a smile as the commotion continued. She was starting to get used to this kind of thing.

“Since the Blue Knight is shaped like a human, it would be better if someone with combat skills like Satomi-sama controlled it.”

“Hmm... Well Koutarou is quick to pick a fight, after all.”

“Yes. And I’m bad at it, despite being an officer of the royal guard.”

“I see. So that’s why...”

The answer satisfied Koutarou.

“Are you fine with your payment being tatami points instead of money?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind.”

“You should mind me instead!”

And Theia was as full of energy today as ever.

“Heh heh, I got five centimeters of tatami for doing nothing.”

“...You don’t get it, do you, pleb?”

Koutarou and Theia sat in front of the TV. They were both mashing buttons on the controllers in their hands. It had become a daily occurrence for the two of them to play video games against each other.

“What do you mean?”

“You see, that’s— Whoa, that was close. Hold back a little, will you? This is my first time playing this game.”

“Okay, okay... So what is it that I don’t get?”

“In the end, I don’t just need this room. I need your loyalty too.”

“So what about it— Whoa!”

“Ha! Don’t let your guard down... The point is that losing points to you won’t hurt me in the slightest. There’s no meaning in gathering all the points if I can’t get you to swear loyalty to me. But once you do swear loyalty to me, you will pledge all your points to me anyway.”

In order for Theia to earn the right to the throne, she didn’t just need to invade room 106. She also needed to get Koutarou, the current resident, to pledge himself to her. Ultimately there was no meaning in gaining control of the room without Koutarou’s fealty, but getting Koutarou to swear his loyalty would mean getting all of his points. So even if Koutarou and Theia exchanged points, having less points than he did didn’t mean anything to her for the time being.

“So what?! I was just working for free?!”

The character Koutarou was playing exploded on screen. Slightly shaken, Koutarou surrendered a point to Theia for his loss.

“That’s not true.”

Having won, Theia smiled radiantly as she lightly shook the controller.

“It’s perfectly normal for a lord to give territory to a vassal after doing a good job. There’s no need to think of it as free labor. We’re master and servant after all. You should be proud of your service instead of ruing it. Take pride in your work, my subject, Satomi Koutarou.”

“As if I would! That’s even worse than working for free!”

“Very good. You’ve at least finally realized that you are my subject.”

“I-I still don’t remember agreeing to that!”

Theia was in a great mood, but Koutarou was panicking. He was completely caught up in her antics.

“There is no need to be embarrassed. Fact is fact. I am pleased with your contributions and that you accepted my reward.”

“Well, I’m not!”

Koutarou was in shock after having done exactly what Theia wanted him to.

“I want you to strive to do even more in the future for my sake and for the royal families. I’m counting on you, Satomi Koutarou.”

“No waaay!” Koutarou shouted at the top of his lungs.

“...Satomi-san, Satomi-san.”

Someone tugged on Koutarou’s sleeve.

“Oh?”

“Satomi-san, there’s something I want to talk with you about.”

Yurika was the one who had been pulling on Koutarou’s shirt. She was holding on to his sleeve with an apologetic expression. Seeing that, Koutarou calmed down a little bit.

“What is it, Yurika? We’re finally bonding as master and servant,” Theia asked.

“We’re not bonding at all!”

Theia, who was in high spirits, frowned a little at Yurika’s interruption. Koutarou, on the other hand, was quite relieved. He turned to see what she needed.

“So what is it, Yurika?”

“Um... Actually, an acquaintance asked me to keep their pet while they were moving, so I said yes... Is that okay?”

“Pet?”

Normally Koutarou would yell at her and tell her that she absolutely couldn’t, but he felt like he owed her for disrupting Theia’s antics and decided to hear her out.

“What kind of pet? If it’s a small reptile or something that won’t bark, Landlord-san would probably overlook it.”

“There’s no need to worry about noise. It’s a quiet one.”

“Pet?! What kind is it, Yurika?! Show me, show me! Is it cute?!”

Hearing the word “pet,” Sanae’s eyes lit up. She hopped off Koutarou’s back and approached Yurika.

“What... What is going on?”

Theia tossed her controller aside and scooted up to the tea table.

“Yurika, start with showing us.”

“Um, actually... it’s this...”

Yurika apprehensively took out a plastic box. It was a roughly thirty-centimeter long, transparent enclosure with a green lid on top.

“Th-This is...?!”

“Yurika, you...!”

Having been comparatively amenable to the idea up until now, Koutarou and Sanae were both at a loss for words when they saw what was moving inside of the case.

“Auuuuugh! I-I’m so sorry!”

And almost as if she had been expecting that reaction, Yurika already had tears in her eyes.

“What is this brave, manly looking creature?”

Only the alien, Theia, curiously stared into the case.

“Y-Yurika, you idiot! Do you have any idea what it means to bring this thing here?!”

“I understand! I really do understand! But all of the cosclub members took a pet home to take care of! I couldn’t be the only one who said no!”

As it turned out, the acquaintance Yurika had mentioned was the cosclub vice president. Since her father had finally bought a house, she had entrusted her pets to her fellow club members while her family was moving from their apartment to their new home.

“Y-Yurika, why’d you pick this?! There must have been something else you could have chosen, right?!”

“I wanted the goldfish or hamster too! But when I got there after my remedial lessons, this was the only one left!”

The crying Yurika made excuses as Koutarou and Sanae yelled at her. Meanwhile, Theia, who didn’t understand the situation, looked on at the three of them in confusion.

“Is it that dangerous of a creature? It does have a somewhat metallic body and powerful looking horns, but...”

However, neither Koutarou nor Sanae even heard Theia. They were too busy scolding Yurika.

“Actually, Theia-dono...”

Instead, it was Kiriha who answered her. She was nearby pouring herself some tea, and after putting down her freshly filled cup on the tea table, she calmly began to explain.

“This creature is a beetle.”

Hearing that name, Theia immediately lost her cool.

The Hercules beetle, scientifically named Dynastes Hercules, is known as the largest of all rhinoceros beetles. Its two large horns are capable of ripping into enemies, and its sturdy shell can defend its body from all kinds of dangers. This invincible king of insects was and still is the subject of much admiration from all young Japanese boys.

“This is a beetle?! I-It can’t be! Yurika! Do you know what you’ve done by bringing this here?!”

“I know! I know exactly what I’ve done! But I didn’t have a choice! The other cosclub members left me the easiest pet to care for, so I couldn’t just refuse!”

Compared to tropical fish that required specific temperatures and the likes, taking care of a beetle in the summer was easy. The other cosclub members looking out for Yurika had backfired in a big way.

“What do we do, pleb?! Something terrible will happen if Ruth sees this beetle!”

While it was the king of insects in the natural world, it was the weakest creature in room 106. Especially compared to Ruthkania Nye Pardomshiha’s hatred for beetles. Merely being in room 106 put its existence in danger.

“H-How should I know?! Ruth-san finally seems like she’s gotten over it, but this would just push her over the edge again!”

“If only Hercules-chan was just a myth...”

“No way! This is the vice president’s little brother’s pet!”

“Y-Yurika! Throw it out right now! Let it go! It’s what’s best for everyone—for us and that insect!”

“I-I can’t! Do you know how sad her little brother would be if I did that?!”

“If someone’s feelings is all you’re worried about, then throw it away right now! Lives are at stake here!”

“No! I won’t, no matter what you say!”

Chaos descended upon room 106.

Ever since their hot spring vacation, Ruth was traumatized by beetles after what Koutarou had done to her in his sleep. While dreaming about catching beetles, he rolled over onto Ruth and embraced her. As a result, Ruth took out her frustrations on Koutarou and now held strong hostility towards beetles.

Fortunately, she had forgiven Koutarou before the end of summer vacation, but seeing Hercules would only open old wounds. Of course, nobody wanted that. They were all aware of how frightening Ruth could be when she was angry, and they were convinced that Ruth meeting Hercules would bring nothing but misfortune.

“A beetle, huh? I used to capture them and play with them when I was young as well... Heehee...”

Only Kiriha, who was sipping on her tea, remained composed.

“Calm down, Tulip! Nothing will come from panicking!”

“Th-Then what do we do, pleb?! It will be impossible to hide it from scrupulous Ruth for several days!”

“What is Ruth doing right now?”

“She’s still on the Blue Knight! She’s analyzing today’s data on the bridge! She’ll be back any—”

“Satomi-san, the wall!”

Just at that moment, the far wall began glowing. It was a sign that a gate between room 106 and the Blue Knight was about to open. Once that light stabilized, Ruth would appear in the room.

“N-Not good! Tulip!”

Koutarou frantically stood up and reached his hand out towards Theia.

“Here! Take it!”

Theia picked up Hercules’s plastic cage and swiftly passed it over to Koutarou.

“Koutarou!”

And Sanae quickly opened the wardrobe’s sliding door.

“P-Please make it in time!”

Koutarou rushed towards the open wardrobe and shoved the case inside. He then covered it with Yurika’s blanket and shut the sliding door with all of his might.

“I am back!”

Ruth entered the room just as Koutarou slammed the wardrobe closed.

“Oh? What’s wrong, everybody?”

Ruth was greeted with a strange sight upon returning to room 106. She first noticed Yurika just staring at her blankly. Then she saw Theia, half-sitting by the tea table with her arms stretched out in front of her. Finally, Koutarou and Sanae were standing facing the wardrobe. The only normal sight was Kiriha sipping her tea.

“N-No, it’s nothing! Nothing at all, Ruth! Right, pleb?!”

“Yeah! Nothing wrong here, Ruth-san!”

Theia and Koutarou let out a dry laugh.

“That’s right! Nothing’s wrong! There definitely aren’t any bee—”

“Ugh, idiot!”

Sanae brought her fist down on Yurika, who was about to say the taboo word. Fortunately, she swallowed the rest of her words on impact.

“Ouch, that hurt!”

“It’s nothing, really!”

“I-Is that so?”

“Everything is fine, Ruth.”

“I see...”

Despite feeling like something was strange, Ruth nodded at Kiriha’s reassurance. She didn’t see a need to pursue the matter.

“In that case, I’ll start preparing for dinner.”

“P-Please do...”

Ruth put on her normal smile and headed for the kitchen. After she walked off, Koutarou and the others sunk to the floor and began whispering to make sure Ruth didn’t overhear them.

“Th-That was close...”

“I thought my heart was going to stop...”

“I-I’m sorry everyone... This is all my...”

“I hit you too hard. Sorry, Yurika.”

“No, you saved me, Sanae-chan...”

Everyone was smiling. They’d successfully managed to avoid the immediate crisis through teamwork. The bond between them all grew a little stronger.

“Everybody, what would you prefer in the miso soup? Tofu or— Huh? What are you all doing?”

Ruth suddenly returned to ask them about what ingredients to put into the miso soup. In that instant, Koutarou and the others all froze.

“Everybody...?”

Seeing everyone visibly stiffen up, Ruth once again looked at them in confusion.

“Ruth, I would prefer tofu.”

“Ah, yes. Is everyone else okay with that too?”

However, thanks to Kiriha, Ruth’s attention shifted back to the soup ingredients.

“Y-Yes! That’s fine!”

“That sounds good, Ruth-san.”

“I’m fine with anything as long as it tastes good.”

“I’m fine with anything as long as it’s edible.”

“Very well. I’ll prepare it right away, so please wait a moment.”

Ruth returned to the kitchen with a smile as everyone agreed.

“Phew...”

“Jeez...”

“Please give me a break...”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry...”

“Mm...This tea is delicious. I’ll make sure to purchase more.”

Thanks to everyone working together, the secret of the beetle was safe for now.

The spinner on top of the tea table let out loud clicking and whirring sounds as it spun around. The spinner was part of a famous board game called Life Reversal. It was a simple game where the player moved their piece forward as many paces as the spinner indicated, and then the player would have to adhere to what was written on the space where they landed. Despite its simplicity, the game was quite deep, and it was still a bestseller.

When the spinner stopped, Sanae peeked at the number as she floated over it.

“It’s a four, Koutarou.”

“All right. One, two, three, and four...”

Listening to Sanae, Koutarou moved his piece four spaces forward and read what was written on the new space.

“Let’s see... ‘You meet your childhood friend and suddenly marry. The other players give you 500 points each as a wedding present.’”

“You’re a salaryman and you married your childhood friend. It’s turning out to be a plain life for you.”

“Shut it and leave me be!”

Koutarou responded to Sanae’s retort while receiving 500 points from the six other players. Sanae, Theia, Kiriha, Yurika, Ruth, and Shizuka were all playing, so altogether Koutarou collected 3,000 points. This was one of the games they were using to determine ownership of the room, but just watching was boring so Ruth and Shizuka were playing as well.

“Here’s your bride.”

“Don’t just throw it.”

Koutarou put the pink stick Theia threw at him into his piece. The game pieces were shaped like houses, and as the player’s family increased, they added tiny markers to their piece accordingly.

“Living together with just his bride in a small home might unexpectedly fit Satomi-kun.”

“What do you mean by ‘unexpectedly,’ Landlord-san?”

“Well, right now you’re with several girls in a small room, right? It’s the complete opposite.”

“Well, that’s true. I do kind of want a quiet life...”

“Sanae-chan, Satomi-san is kind of like an old man, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. He sure acts like it sometimes.”

Yurika and Sanae stared at Koutarou with playful smiles.

“Shut it and leave me be!”

Koutarou yelled at the two of them and then turned to Kiriha, who was sitting next to him.

“All right, Kiriha-san. It’s your turn.”

“Very well. Then I shall walk the path of a plain life as well.”

Kiriha nodded at Koutarou and reached out for the spinner.

“Kiriha-sama is an entrepreneur, which I don’t believe counts as plain.”

As Kiriha watched the spinner whirl, Ruth sitting next to her smiled wryly. In the game, Kiriha had started a company and was well on her way to becoming a skilled businesswoman. Ruth couldn’t help being amused at calling such a life “plain.” And seeing Ruth’s reaction, Theia too smirked and shrugged.

“Any life could be called plain when you’re the leader of an underground empire planning on invading the surface.”

“That’s true, but...”

“Compared to that, I am a highly popular idol. What an eventful life. Even in a game, my charm shows itself.”

“...Any occupation would be eventful with you, Tulip.”

“I think so too.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“If you were a salaryman, the company would go under. If you were a doctor, the hospital would lose its reputation. If you were a teacher, there would be violent outbursts... It’s eventful any way you look at it.”

“Yeah.”

“C-Curse you, pleb! Why are you always bullying me?! Why can’t you just obediently say ‘Yes, Your Highness’?!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Stop messing around!”

As Theia was about to stand up, Yurika sitting next to her began mumbling.

“I wish I had your worries... I’m just a job hopper. Because of the wedding present to Satomi-san, I only have 2,000 points left. With this I’m not sure if I’ll survive winter or not...”

“Y-Your life is quite eventful as well, in a way.”

Yurika’s pitiful confession calmed Theia down and she took her seat again.

“Nijino-san, how did it end up like this when you started out rich?”

“You really have no luck... Your life is spiraling out of control.”

At the start of the game, Yurika was a millionaire’s daughter. However, before she knew it, her parents’ business had failed, she was dishonorably fired from her job, and her remaining savings were lost in the stock market.

“How’s that any different from her real life?”

“Y-Your Highness! That’s too much...”

“I-It’s true... There’s not much difference. My life is nothing special, both in the game and in real life...”

Yurika was currently forcibly freeloading in room 106. Even after getting a Hercules beetle for a roommate, her life was a bit too lonely.

“...Five, six, seven, eight. Let’s see... ‘Your yen stock soars. You get 20 points for every share you have.’ I have 100,000 shares so... Koutarou, can you give me 2 million from the bank?”

“Here you go.”

“Just the profits from that stock alone are worth a thousand times Yurika’s entire fortune...”

“The rich sure do find ways to get richer...”

Sanae and Shizuka laughed. But Yurika couldn’t find it in herself to do the same. Instead, tears streamed down her face.

“This is just unfair! Are you saying magical girls have no need for money?! Waaah haa haa...”

“...”

After staring at Yurika for a while, Kiriha grabbed a large bundle of bills and presented it to Koutarou.

“Kiriha-san, what’s this?”

“I’m investing in the company’s welfare program, so put it into the bank, please. Everyone needs to help out to get through the recession.”

“That kind of kindness hurts even more...”

It was now Yurika’s turn, but she had completely forgotten about the game. Tears just continued to roll down her cheeks.

“Sanae, please bring me the lid to the box.”

“Here.”

Sanae obediently listened to Koutarou and handed over the lid for the Life Reversal game.

“Thanks.”

With the top in hand, he confirmed the contents of the box once more before putting it on. Everything was in its right place, and this concluded the cleanup after the game. They had used it to fight for tatami points instead of their usual card games, but the battle was over for now.

Excluding Yurika who became a job hopper early on, they’d kept playing until the endgame. Theia became a popular idol who mass-produced hit singles, Kiriha’s investments into welfare paid off and her company prospered, and Sanae became a baseball player who scored constant home runs. The close race between the three continued until the very end.

However, Ruth discovered an oil field and made a miraculous comeback, finishing in first place. Second place was Sanae, third was Kiriha, and fourth was Theia. Koutarou finished in fifth just after her. He had changed jobs to become an adventurer in hopes of making a comeback, but he didn’t even manage to quite catch up to Theia. Shizuka lived a plain, happy life as an ordinary housewife and came in sixth place. Coming in last was Yurika, who had made one last attempt to catch up, but it had failed so miserable that the only thing she had left was a mountain of debt.

“Excluding myself and Shizuka-sama who don’t take part in the tatami point games, the results are as follows: Sanae-sama, Kiriha-sama, Her Highness, Satomi-sama, and finally Yurika-sama.”

After confirming everyone’s rankings, Ruth updated the scoreboard hanging on the wall. Since there were five of them, the score of whoever finished in the middle didn’t change. After that, five points would be moved from whoever came in fourth to whoever came in second, and ten points from last to first. The updated scoreboard revealed an upset in the control for room 106. Theia, who had held first place for a few days now, was finally passed by Kiriha.

“So Kiriha-san is retaking first...”

“Hmph, I really can’t underestimate you, Kiriha! To think the invincible Forthorthe would fall behind!”

“You and I are evenly-matched, Theia-dono. No matter who is better, we both have our highs and lows.”

“...In reality I would love to have you as my vassal.”

After the two of them was Koutarou in third. The points he had gotten during the sports festival had been a big help, allowing him to keep his current ranking. Sanae was in fourth for the same reason, but because her enthusiasm was less consistent, she had slightly fewer points than Koutarou.

“Satomi-kun, you’re starting to fall farther and farther behind.”

“I’ll be making my comeback starting now, Landlord-san.”

“Give it your best, Satomi-sama.”

“Yeah! Unlike Yurika, me and Koutarou are still in a position to aim for the top!”

Yurika was in dead last. After losing over and over again, the points she earned during the sports festival were long gone, and she was behind the others by a considerable margin. While she once had plenty of points, she now had less than half what Sanae in fourth place did. At her current rate, Yurika would lose all of her points before the winter holidays.

“S-Sanae-chan, by ‘unlike Yurika,’ are you saying I no longer have any chance?!”

“Yeah. If I were you, I would probably give up soon. You don’t even have half of our points.”

“That’s not true! I can still pull it together!”

“There’s no way. It’s just not possible.”

“There’s no need to be so cruel, Sanae.”

“Kiriha...?”

“Yurika is working hard in her own way. And she has her own reasons for not backing down.”

“Kiriha-san! I knew you were a good person the first time I met you!”

Getting some unexpected support, tears of gratitude trickled down Yurika’s face as she took Kiriha’s hand.

“Despite being just a hobbyist, unlike us, it’s amazing that she’s even able to compete with us.”

“K-Kiriha-san?!”

“That’s true. Sorry, Yurika.”

“E-Even you too, Kiriha-san?! Auuugh... This is just too cruel! It’s too much!”

“There’s no need to cry, Yurika. Even if those enemies you spoke of do appear, we’ll be fine. We can handle them before anything dangerous happens. So just fight with us to your heart’s content and then leave.”

“Nooooo! None of you understand at all!”

“Yurika, you’re being overdramatic...”

“Waaaaah! Listen to this, Hercules-chan! Everyone’s bullying me!”

Yurika’s tears of joy had changed into tears of despair. Sadly, not a single person in the room correctly understood the reason behind them.