Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 8 - Chapter 3

The Birth of a Magical Girl?!

Monday, February 1st

“I’m back... Oh, there’s no one here.”

When Koutarou returned to room 106, he found that it was empty. The other girls were all out for various reasons, such as shopping for dinner, and no one had returned yet, so Koutarou’s greeting went unanswered. Koutarou took off his shoes by the entrance, passed by the kitchen, and entered the inner room. With the lights off, the room was dark and quiet.

“That’s pretty unusual.”

Koutarou put his backpack in a corner of the room and turned on the lights. While that made it brighter, the room was still silent. It made Koutarou feel surprisingly lonely.

“Oh, that’s right. This is a good chance.”

However, there were things he could only do with no one else around. When that thought occurred to him, Koutarou brought the bracelet Clan had given him closer to his mouth.

“Cradle, can you bring out my belongings?”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Following his order, a black hole appeared in front of Koutarou. It was the same kind of space-time hole that Theia and Clan used when they summoned their weapons. However, what came out of this hole wasn’t a weapon, but instead a plastic container several dozen centimeters long.

“All right, let’s do some organizing.”

Inside the container were Koutarou’s private belongings. They were items he’d collected during his travels with Clan, which included several things he couldn’t show the invaders. That’s why times like this, when he was all alone, were the only chance he’d get to organize them.

“I need this... I don’t need this...”

Inside the container were necessities like clothes and things he’d used, but there were also knives and whetstones mixed in. Though they were all his belongings, it was a collection of all sorts of items.

Koutarou flipped the container upside down and emptied it. Then he returned only what he didn’t need to the container, leaving the things he actually wanted on the tatami mat.

After he was done, Koutarou was planning on storing the container back on Clan’s spaceship. He had considered throwing away the things he’d determined he no longer needed, but the truth was that each and every one of these items—however mundane or useless—was irreplaceable. And since he was quite attached to a great deal of it, he decided he couldn’t throw any of it away.

“Hmm? This is...”

After working his way through the pile for a while, Koutarou’s hand unexpectedly stopped. He had come across something interesting among his belongings.

“I guess... I’ll keep this close by.”

It was a necklace with an odd design. It consisted of gems and beautifully polished animal teeth, strung together by threads of several colors. Since it was something he rarely saw in the city, Koutarou had taken a liking to it.

“If I lose this, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Deciding to hold on to the necklace, Koutarou set it back down on the tatami mat. He recalled the face of the person who had given it him.

Now that I think about it...

There, Koutarou stopped moving once more. There was something in particular he’d remembered about the person who’d given him the necklace.

“...No, that can’t be right. It’s not possible.”

However, Koutarou shook his head at the thought and began organizing his belongings once more.

Since the container wasn’t very large, going through it didn’t take all that long.

“Cradle, return the container to its original position.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

At Koutarou’s behest, the plastic container passed through a black hole and was returned to Clan’s spaceship, leaving several items behind in the room. It wasn’t just the necklace. Each of the things he’d picked out was special to him in some precious way. That included items like Charl’s handmade badge. It had absolutely no use, but it was something he wanted to keep close. In fact, there were very few things he’d chosen to hold on to for any practical reason.

“All right, I guess this is good enough.”

After stuffing the items into a paper bag, Koutarou put them away in the wardrobe with his half-knit sweater.

“I’m baaack!”

“Me too!”

Just then, he heard Sanae and Yurika’s energetic voices from the front door.

“To the TV! Love Love Heart is about to start!”

“W-Wait up, Sanae-chan! If you pull on me that hard―”

The sound of something big hitting the floor could be heard. The next moment, Sanae appeared in the inner room.

“Ah, you’re back, Koutarou!”

“Welcome home, Sanae.”

“Thanks! Look at what we got, Koutarou!”

Upon seeing Koutarou, Sanae flashed a large smile and, by moving the fingers on both hands, she used her psychic powers to make a small box float in front of Koutarou. It was some anime merchandise that she and Yurika had bought.

“Good for you, Sanae.”

“Yeah!”

With a quick nod, Sanae hurried off towards the TV with the box floating after her. It was almost time for their favorite show—the same anime they’d just bought merchandise of.

“Ow, that hurt...”

“Welcome home, Yurika.”

Yurika staggered past Koutarou. For some reason, she was holding her head in her hands and there were tears in her eyes.

“I-I’m back...”

“What’s wrong, Yurika?”

“No, i-it’s nothing.”

“Yurika, it’s starting! It’s starting!”

“Okaaay...”

As tears continued to well in the corners of her eyes, Yurika sat down next to Sanae in front of the TV. Before long, a familiar song began playing. It was the opening theme of the anime that Sanae and Yurika made sure to never miss.

“Next time on Magical Girl Love Love Heart: ‘An enemy?! An ally?! Sparkling Heart appears!’ A bouquet of flowers for your maiden heart!”

After the flashy preview, the show ended. Sanae and Yurika, who had been sitting still in front of the TV all this time, began moving again.

“Yurika, who is Sparkling Heart, I wonder?”

“It must be the character we’ve seen peeks and glances of!”

“Oh, you might be right!”

“Do you think she’s an enemy?! Or an ally?!”

“I can’t wait to find out!”

Sanae and Yurika were excitedly talking about the anime that had just gone off.

Based on the name, Sparkling Heart is probably an ally of Love Love Heart. Well, pretending not to notice that stuff is part of the fun of this kind of anime.

Koutarou warmly watched over the two girls.

“Maybe we’ll get to see some new magic too!”

“Oh, I hope so! It sure seems like it!”

The two of them were cheerfully chatting while imitating the gestures performed when using magic in the show. It seemed this week’s episode had gotten them especially hyped up.

Magic, huh? Oh, right! I totally forgot!

As Koutarou watched Sanae and Yurika goof off, he suddenly remembered something. He approached the wardrobe and pulled out a long stick wrapped in cloth. It was one of the things he had come across in his travels with Clan. Since it was too long to keep in the container, he had to keep it separate.

“Yurika, could you come here for a moment?”

With the stick in hand, Koutarou called Yurika over.

“Y-Yes?!”

Yurika seemed a little surprised that Koutarou was talking to her, but she quickly crawled over to the tea table in the center of the room.

“What is it?”

“Actually, I wanted to apologize to you.”

Koutarou put the long stick still wrapped in cloth on the table and sat down in a polite manner with good posture. Since he was about to apologize, he wanted to come across as sincere as possible.

“About the hot water you used to wake me up this morning?”

“No.”

“Then is it about kicking that ball in my face during gym class today?”

“It’s not that either.”

“I know! It’s about you sneakily eating Yurika’s taiyaki, isn’t it?!”

“That was you, Satomi-san?!”

“Hey now, Sanae, don’t make things more complicated.”

“I don’t care what you say. You totally ate it.”

“I did eat it, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“Waaaah! You’re terrible! The worst! I was really looking forward to eating that!”

“I get it, I get it! I’ll buy you another one later, so just calm down!”

“Really?!”

Yurika had genuinely started crying, but when Koutarou promised to buy her another one, she stopped at the drop of a hat.

Yurika, can’t you have at least a little more pride...?

Though he felt sorry for her, Koutarou couldn’t help worrying about Yurika’s future.

“Sweet bean jam... Cream... Chocolate... Cheese...”

“So, Koutarou, what are you apologizing for?”

Sanae urged Koutarou ahead in place of Yurika, who was busy daydreaming about what flavor her new pastry might be.

“About that, actually―”

“Satomi-san, how many are you going to buy me?!”

“Listen to what I have to say!”

Koutarou slammed his fist onto the table.

“...Okaaay, I’m sorry.”

Waiting for Yurika to shift her focus to him, Koutarou finally began slowly speaking.

“Yurika, I’m not sure what to say after calling you an idiot and whatnot every time you brought this up, but...”

“Huh?”

“Be happy, Yurika. Magic really exists.”

“Huh?”

Hearing Koutarou’s words, Yurika’s pupils shrank to tiny dots.

“I know you won’t believe me right away, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“You’re kidding?! R-Really, Koutarou?!”

In contrast to Koutarou who was talking calmly, Sanae jumped with excitement and immediately wanted to know more.

“Yeah. I can’t go into the details, but there’s no mistaking it.”

“Wow, really?!”

Sanae’s eyes were sparkling. She hadn’t believed in magic, but since she loved magical girl anime, she was thrilled at the prospect of it being real. And since Koutarou was the one saying it and not Yurika, she believed him right away.

“W-Why now, all of a sudden?”

However, Yurika herself couldn’t hide her confusion, and she stared at Koutarou with her pupils still tiny as dots.

“Like I said, I can’t go into the details. I would cause trouble for a lot of people if I did.”

Koutarou hadn’t told the invaders about what really happened while he and Clan were gone. All he’d said was that they’d run into some trouble that forced them to work together, and during that time, he and Clan came to an understanding. He hadn’t told them that a large amount of time had actually passed during the few minutes they vanished, or anything about the events that had unfolded during that time.

“Instead of that, I’ve got something cool for you.”

“Something cool?”

“Aww, I wish I got a souvenir too.”

Sanae watched as Koutarou unwrapped the cloth from what he was holding, revealing a staff. Unlike Yurika’s staff, it was mostly wooden with a plain design using black and brown colors.

“Th-This is...?!”

The moment she saw it, Yurika was speechless. Powerful magic had been cast on the staff. She hadn’t noticed it up until now because it had been camouflaged by all the mana present in room 106, but now that it was right in front of her, it was obvious to a magician of her caliber.

“That’s right, it’s a magical staff. By using this, even someone who has no talent for magic can freely use spells. Of course, its effect is weaker that way.”

“Koutarou, you mean it’s a real magic wand?!”

Sanae excitedly shook the anime merchandise she had gotten just today. Inside the box she was holding was a small version of a magic wand that appeared in the show.

“Yeah. Just look.”

Koutarou smiled at Sanae and grabbed the staff. He stared at the tip and concentrated.

“Fire! Appear!”

Immediately after Koutarou said that, a small flame appeared at the tip of the staff. The staff now almost looked like a long, wooden candle.

“Wow, fire really came out! Amazing!”

“This isn’t just a magical staff?!”

Sanae was surprised by the fire appearing at Koutarou’s command, but Yurika was surprised over something else.

This staff isn’t of Folsarian design! And what’s more, it read Satomi-san’s mind and cast a suitable spell!

The magic that Koutarou had just used was different from the kind Yurika knew. The magic she used was what she’d learned from her predecessor, Rainbow Nana. It was the standard magic used in the magical country of Folsaria. Yurika could indeed feel magic at work when Koutarou had summoned the flame, but it wasn’t the same as the Folsarian magic she knew.

“S-Satomi-san, where did you get this?!”

Koutarou had met a magician somewhere. Moreover, it wasn’t a magician from Folsaria. That meant it wasn’t anyone from Rainbow Heart or Darkness Rainbow. Whoever it was, Yurika was dying to know.

“Sorry, but I can’t say. Like I said earlier, if I carelessly say too much, I could cause trouble for a ton of people who helped me out, and I don’t want that. Please understand, Yurika.”

However, Koutarou stubbornly refused to tell her. His tone was calm, but it was a firm rejection.

“O-Okay...”

Yurika reluctantly withdrew. After sensing his resolution not to tell her, she realized that questioning Koutarou further would be useless.

It doesn’t seem like there’s any danger, so I guess it’s fine for now...

Yurika imagined that while he was gone, Koutarou had met a magician who’d helped him. And based on what he said about not wanting to cause them any trouble, it probably wasn’t an evil magician. And if it wasn’t an evil magician or someone related to Folsaria, Yurika had no reason to interfere. And since the owner of that staff was Koutarou, there was no need to worry about it being misused.

“Here, Yurika.”

Koutarou presented the staff to the silent Yurika.

“Satomi-san?”

After taking a look at the staff, Yurika gave Koutarou a suspicious glance.

“I said I got it for you, didn’t I?”

“You’re giving this... to me?”

“That’s right. Here, take it, Yurika.”

Koutarou nodded and pushed the staff into Yurika’s hands. Not understanding what Koutarou wanted, she shifted her glance between him and the staff in her hands. Koutarou clearly believed in magic now, but she couldn’t understand why he would be giving her a staff when she could already use powerful magic.

I wonder if it can use some kind of special magic...

Yurika looked at the staff and tilted her head.

“Good for you, Yurika!”

Sanae realized Koutarou’s intentions first. She excitedly showed Yurika the merchandise they’d bought earlier. On the box were images of magical girls using their magic wands.

“With this, you’ve graduated from being a cosplayer! Now you’re a real magical girl!”

“Ah...”

With that, Yurika finally understood Koutarou’s intentions too. Koutarou had said that he’d gotten the staff for her. He’d gotten a magical staff that let anyone use magic as a souvenir for a cosplayer who couldn’t use magic. He was definitely not giving a brand new magical staff as a present to the magical girl of love and courage, Rainbow Yurika.

“Wow! I’m so envious, Yurika! Now you’re a real magical girl!”

“I’ve been a real one from the start!”

Sanae’s eyes were filled with envy, but Yurika just started crying.

S-Satomi-san believes in magic now, but he still doesn’t believe that I’m a magical girl!

Once she realized why Koutarou was giving her the staff, Yurika couldn’t help the tears. She was well aware that it was for the better if her secret didn’t get out, but at this point, she at least wanted Koutarou to know. However, reality was cruel. Even though Koutarou believed in magic, Yurika was still just a cosplayer to him.

“Good for you, Yurika! A cosplayer that can use real magic, huh? There aren’t many cosplayers that lucky around.”

“You’re wrong! That’s not right at all!”

“Sanae, you don’t have to keep calling her a cosplayer. Her wish has finally come true now.”

“Ah, right. Sorry, Yurika. That was a little insensitive of me.”

“Yurika’s always been a magical girl. Let’s just leave it at that, okay?”

“Koutarou, you’re quite a gentleman, aren’t you?”

“So you finally realized?”

“Heehee, I knew all along!”

“...I want to punch him. I want to beat up Satomi-san...”

Yurika wept bitterly while firmly grasping the staff. Her position as the magical girl of room 106 had finally been established, but the humiliation she felt was even more intense than ever before.

Koutarou had brought the staff home so that Yurika had a means to defend herself. In his mind, she was just a cosplay-loving classmate. That’s what Yurika herself had led him to believe. So to him, Yurika was the only civilian mixed in with the invaders.

On top of that, Yurika was kind-hearted, gentle, and averse to fighting. So while they were both civilians, unlike Koutarou who was athletic and good at fighting, Yurika was practically defenseless against the trouble that had a tendency to surround room 106.

But what if Yurika got involved in the underground or Forthorthe trouble? Up until now, she had been lucky(?) and managed to avoid that, but that was no guarantee for the future. Koutarou had always been worried about the possibility, so he had gotten her a magical staff so that she could protect herself. If nothing else, it was a tool for self-defense.

“So to sum it up, that thing can use a lot of spells, but it isn’t all that powerful. So don’t get overconfident. Just focus on protecting yourself, okay?”

The staff Koutarou had given Yurika was originally created to allow the user to freely access all kinds of magic, so it was a versatile tool in many situations. It was perfect for a civilian to use as self-defense. However, because it had access to such a wide variety of magic, none of the spells it could cast were particularly strong.

“I understand.”

Yurika obediently nodded at Koutarou’s words. She was planning on making use of this misunderstanding.

As long as I have this staff, I can use magic in front of everyone...

Her perception of the situation had changed, and she was planning on using her own magic while holding this staff. By doing that, it would look like she was just using the magic of the staff to the residents of room 106. They would never know she was using her own magic instead. It was the perfect cover. She could use all the magic she wanted, and they would still think she was just a cosplayer.

“Hey, magical girl. Don’t get distracted. Put your weight into it.”

“O-Okay!”

Yurika was using the staff in her hands to firmly press down on Theia’s shoulders. The staff was vibrating and massaging her shoulders.

“Ooh... So this is magic, huh? It feels pretty good. Ruth, have her do it to you too later.”

“Would that be all right, Yurika-sama?”

“Ah, yes, o-of course!”

Yurika nodded with a smile. However, behind her smile, she was struggling to accept the situation.

Something’s wrong... This is wrong somehow... It’s great that I can use magic without revealing myself... but something is really wrong here!

The staff was vibrating via the power of a minor sonic spell. Yurika was controlling it to give Theia a massage with magic.

Wait, this isn’t a magical girl’s job!

Earlier today she had used a heat spell to iron clothes. And before that, she had used supersonic magic to drive away the cats crowding around Corona House. This wasn’t how Yurika had dreamed things would be. She’d always thought she’d get everyone’s respect if they knew that she could use magic.

And I feel like it’s getting worse and worse...

Yurika began feeling that she would have been better off just staying a cosplayer. It was indeed convenient that she could use the staff to hide her identity. Now she could boldly use magic in front of everyone to support them. However, Folsarian rules stipulated that magic couldn’t be used for personal reasons. In that sense, massages and ironing were definitely misuses of magic. She wasn’t using Folsarian magic with the staff, so it was a bit of a grey area, but it still made Yurika uncomfortable.

“Hey, Yurika, can I have your old staff?”

“N-No way! You can’t have that!”

Sanae had pulled out Yurika’s staff, Angel Halo, from the wardrobe. With it in her hand, Sanae struck various magical girl poses. Seeing that, Yurika’s face turned pale and she snatched the staff away from Sanae. Normally she was scared of ghosts and would never defy Sanae, but she had to stand her ground on this one.

“But you have the real magical staff you got from Koutarou.”

“They’re both real!”

“I want to be more magical girl-like too! You cheapskate!”

“This is a precious staff I got from the person who saved my life! I definitely can’t give this away!”

Yurika tossed her new staff aside and embraced her old one as if trying to hide it from Sanae. Her eyes were full of tears.

“Jeez...”

Seeing that, Sanae puffed up her cheeks and easily gave up on the staff. Instead, she floated over towards Koutarou.

“Koutarou, give me something too.”

“If it’s a charm against evil spirits you want, you can have it.”

“I don’t want a charm that explodes whenever I touch it! I want something good!”

Seeing Sanae back off, Yurika let out a sigh of relief.

No matter what happens, I can’t give up this staff...

Yurika’s staff, Angel Halo, was the staff formerly used by Nana, her best friend, teacher, and savior. To Yurika, it was far more than just a tool. It was a precious gift she could never let go of.

“What would something good be?”

“Something magical girl-like! And if that’s not possible, something love-like!”

“And what would something ‘love-like’ be?”

“Something like what boys give girls on White Day!”

“White Day gifts, huh? I’ve never gotten any chocolate on Valentine’s Day, so I’m not very knowledgeable in that area.”

Koutarou and Sanae’s carefree discussion continued. Theia was listening from the other side of the room. Since Yurika had stopped massaging her shoulders, she was just wordlessly staring at them.

If I asked him, would Koutarou give me something too?

Realizing how she felt, Theia was envious that Sanae was able to be so upfront about what she wanted with Koutarou. But Theia knew she couldn’t do that herself. If she started relying on Koutarou the way Sanae did, he’d surely just think of her as some weirdo. And she was also scared of being rejected. Caught between her pride and inner cowardice, she couldn’t appeal to Koutarou on her own.

“Your Highness... All right...”

Seeing her master so forlorn, Ruth took action to remedy the situation. She could tell what Theia wanted.

For starters, getting her closer and creating a chance to talk should be good...

Ruth quickly began preparing tea. And after pouring out enough for everyone, Ruth called to Theia.

“Your Highness, could you lend me a hand for a moment?”

“...H-Huh?”

Having been so focused on Koutarou and the others, Theia completely missed what Ruth said. She had to repeat the question.

“Your Highness, could you lend me a hand for a moment?”

“Ah, yeah, sure.”

After taking one more look at Koutarou and the others, Theia approached Ruth, who welcomed her with a smile.

“Your Highness, I’ve poured tea for everyone, so could you carry yours and Satomi-sama’s? I’ll get everyone else’s.”

“Koutarou’s...”

Theia looked at Ruth’s hands and saw that she was holding a delicate tea cup of Forthorthian design and a plain looking mug.

“Would you mind if I ask you to take these?” Ruth whispered with a smile.

“Ah...”

Realizing Ruth’s intentions, Theia lightly blushed before taking a glance at Koutarou over her shoulder.

“Ah, y-yes... If that’s all, I’ll help...”

When she looked back at Ruth, her face was beet red.

C-Calm down... I’m only bringing him some tea. What am I so shaken up for?

Theia tried to keep her racing heart and impatient feelings under control as she took a cup in each hand. Theia’s shaken mind could be seen represented in the rippling surface of the tea in the cups.

“So I think you should show some gratitude to this beautiful ghost who’s always smiling for you by saying ‘Thank you, Sanae-chan’!”

“K-Koutarou, I brought you some tea.”

Trying her best to sustain her faltering voice, Theia approached Koutarou, who was busy chatting away with Sanae. On the way over to him, she began worrying if her actions were strange or not.

“Thanks.”

Koutarou continued talking to Sanae as he casually received his mug from Theia. For a moment, his hand brushed up against Theia’s.

“?!”

Greatly shaken by the sensation of Koutarou’s hand, Theia almost dropped her own cup. She barely managed to save it, but the tea was sloshing about and she nearly spilled it. Just as she was recovering, it happened.

“Oh, this is delicious. Thank you, Your Highness.”

After taking a sip of the tea, Koutarou put his large hand on top of Theia’s head and gently patted her.

“...Fwaaah...”

A strange sound unconsciously leaked from Theia’s mouth in response. This time, the tea cup didn’t stand a chance. She dropped it straight on the floor. The tea all spilled out as the cup rolled along the tatami mat. Seeing that, Koutarou finally realized what he had done.

Oh no, I just did what I always do... This is Theia, not Princess Charl...

Charl was a young girl that Koutarou and Clan had met during their travels. She would often bring the tea that her sister had poured for Koutarou, and in return, he would pat her on the head. And because he’d been so caught up in his conversation with Sanae, he had acted out of habit and treated Theia like he did Charl.

Did I make her angry...?

Koutarou was sure someone as prideful as Theia would be angry after being treated like a child. However, no matter how long he waited for it, Theia’s roaring never came.

“Oh?”

Absolutely silent, Theia stared at Koutarou with her already large eyes wide open. Her expression was completely stiff, as if it had frozen over, but her face was bright red. Seeing that, Koutarou felt an even greater sense of danger.

Not good! I might have made her really angry!

Koutarou had no way of knowing how Theia truly felt. The thought that she might have been happy over being pat on the head never occurred to him, so he was left to believe that she was simply enraged.

“...You can do it, Your Highness! You’re almost there!”

Ruth clenched her hands as she watched over her master. She unconsciously put so much force into the gesture that she almost crushed her tea cup.

“Ruth, wouldn’t a more direct approach work better?”

“What?”

Kiriha, who had silently been sipping on her tea, gently set her cup down on the table. She then picked up something that was lying on the floor.

“That’s Yurika-sama’s...”

“Heh...”

With a somewhat happy expression, she held up what she was holding in both hands. It was the souvenir that Koutarou had brought back for Yurika, her new magical staff.

“How about something like this? Magnetism. Magnetism. Bonding.”

Kiriha cast three spells in quick succession using the staff.

The magical staff worked by reading the user’s mind and casting an appropriate spell. Because of that, it didn’t need long incantations like what Yurika used. As long as the user clearly imagined what they wanted, the staff would do the rest.

Three lights shot out from the tip of the staff. The first two were red. One hit Koutarou and the other hit Theia, wrapping them both in red light. Before long, their bodies became magnetic.

“Wh-What?!”

“Wah! W-W-Waaah!”

Having suddenly become powerful magnets, Koutarou and Theia were uncontrollably drawn towards each other. They collided and fell to the floor entangled. When they did, the red light faded and the magnetism vanished. Because the staff used very little mana for each spell, powerful magnetism wouldn’t last for long.

“That hurt... What happened?”

“Th-This is...?!”

While the surprised Koutarou tried to get up from behind Theia, a third, orange light hit them both.

“Whoa!”

“Kyah!”

The two of them lost their balance once more and fell down. The effect of the orange light was to create a bond between two objects that were in contact. Because of that, Theia and Koutarou were now stuck as they were, with Koutarou holding Theia from behind.

“Are you okay?!”

“What is going on? My body is stuck and I can’t let go!”

“Huwah?! K-Koutarou, don’t move so suddenly!”

The two of them forgot what they were doing and were now struggling on the floor. The first magnetic spell had vanished almost right away, but the second one seemed to be lasting for quite some time. Since it was such a simple spell, it had a longer duration.

“Your Highness, Satomi-sama!”

Ruth rushed over to them and tried to help them up, leaving only Kiriha and her haniwas at the table. As Kiriha watched Koutarou and Theia struggle on the floor, she disappointedly slumped her shoulders.

“Hmm... It didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Adjusting your power with magic is surprisingly difficult.”

Kiriha’s original goal had been to bond Koutarou and Theia’s hands together. Really, she was trying to help Theia out, but her plan had backfired and only caused more confusion.

“Ho! That’s because you’re relying on something unknown like that, Nee-san! Ho!”

“If you’re going to rely on something, rely on us! Ho!”

“That seems to be smarter, yes.”

Kiriha grinned and picked up her tea cup once more to take another sip. The tea Ruth had prepared was just as elegant as Kiriha’s smile.

“What?! Kiriha-san, is this your doing?!”

Seeing her smile and the magical staff still in her left hand, Koutarou realized that Kiriha was responsible for the situation he was in.

“My bad, Koutarou. It didn’t go as planned. It seems I’m not suited to be a magical girl.”

As she said that, Kiriha began spinning the staff around as if she was twirling a baton. Her handling of it was admirable, and after spinning around the staff for a while without hitting any furniture, she grabbed it and held it flat in both hands. She’d said she wasn’t suited to be a magical girl, but right now she looked the part much more than Yurika in her cosplay.

“Undo the spell right away!”

“No.”

Kiriha rejected Koutarou’s demands, maintaining her smile all the while.

“Or rather, I can’t. I don’t know how to undo it.”

“What?!”

Though her original plan might have failed, Kiriha was still enjoying the chaos a little.

The bonding spell that Kiriha had used had bonded Koutarou’s chest to Theia’s back. Moreover, since Koutarou had been holding on to Theia at the time, his arms were stuck wrapped around her too.

At first Theia’s head had been attached to Koutarou’s chest as well, but it had since loosened and come free, allowing her to move it again. As time passed, the effectiveness of the spell slowly wore off more and more. At this rate, the two of them would be free within an hour or two.

Until then, Koutarou was stuck holding Theia. Koutarou was currently sitting down with his back against the wall. Meanwhile, Theia was sitting in Koutarou’s lap, leaning back against him. That was the most comfortable posture for the two of them.

I didn’t realize Theia was this small...

As Koutarou was forced to embrace Theia, he found himself puzzled by Theia’s surprisingly small, seemingly fragile body. The image he had of Theia in his mind was of a more powerful girl.

She’s bigger than Princess Charl, but she’s quite petite for someone her age...

Koutarou was perplexed by the disparity between Theia and his mental image of her. As he contemplated the difference, he unconsciously put force into his arms.

“Fwaaah...”

Theia let out yet another strange sound in response. It was a quiet, sweet squeak of a sigh similar to the whining noises a cat or dog made when snuggling with a person.

“Ah, sorry...”

Hearing that, Koutarou quickly eased up. He apologized because he was worried he might have made it difficult for her to breathe.

“It’s fine. I-It’s not your fault.”

“So should we try to pull apart now?”

In reality, if Koutarou seriously tried, he would be able to forcibly overcome the power bonding the two of them together. However, after their skin had turned red when he’d tried it earlier, they had mutually decided not to overdo it. But if Theia was uncomfortable like this, Koutarou thought it would be better to pull themselves apart.

“I-It’s fine like this! I’d rather endure this than have my entire back turn red!”

Theia quickly shot down Koutarou’s proposal. Though she had said she would endure being stuck to him, in reality, she actually wanted to stay that way for a while longer.

“Really? Well, if you say so...”

“Good...”

Theia gave Koutarou a small nod before relaxing her body and leaning against him again.

“Kiriha, how do you use this staff?! I want to try it too!”

“Well, you see―”

“Y-Y-You can’t! You can’t just carelessly use magic!”

“Cheapskate. I’m not telling you to hand over the staff, but can’t I just try it a little?”

“That’s not the problem!”

Room 106 was as noisy as ever. But when Theia closed her eyes, she no longer minded the commotion. If anything, it sounded more like a lullaby to her right now.

I wonder what this sensation is...

The part of her that was attached to Koutarou felt hot. That sensation reached her heart and filled her chest. But in contrast to that, the innermost part of her heart was serene. There was a deep calm and gentle peace coursing through her veins.

In her heart were both stillness and motion existing without contradiction. It was the first time Theia had felt this weird sensation. If she had to put words to it, it was similar to what she’d felt when she relied on her mother at a young age. But it wasn’t quite the same thing, and because of that, Theia was able to find new joy in it.

I wish we were stuck like this forever...

Really, the feeling was a sense of security that she hadn’t felt since the day she came to understand her birth and status. But she felt it now—a powerful sense of refuge—as she leaned against Koutarou. She could believe that she would remain absolutely safe as long as she was here.

And...

As she came to appreciate the sensation she was experiencing, she wanted Koutarou to feel it too. That was because she’d noticed at some point that, deep inside, Koutarou felt lonely too. Theia unknowingly placed her hands on top of Koutarou’s.

“...Did you fall asleep, Theia?” Koutarou whispered into her ear.

With her eyes still closed, she slowly shook her head.

“No, I just woke up.”

A few days ago, she had woken up. Right now, she knew what she wanted.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“That’s not what I meant... Heh, oh well...”

Theia laughed to herself. Since her eyes were still closed, Koutarou couldn’t understand why.

“Did something happen to you?”

All he knew was that there had been a change in Theia’s frame of mind.

“No. I’ve just been thinking about a lot of things lately.”

“For example?”

“For example... Let’s see...”

At that point, Theia opened her eyes and saw her hands on top of Koutarou’s. She also saw her loyal vassal gently watching over her from the corner of the room.

“For example... how I should repay Ruth who’s always helping me out.”

Theia wanted Ruth to feel the same way she did too. They had always been together, and Theia wanted to share this precious feeling with her. She didn’t want to keep it all to herself.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll help.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Ruth-san is always helping me out too.”

“Heh...”

“What?”

“It’s nothing. Can I really rely on you to cooperate?”

“Of course.”

“I trust a knight doesn’t go back on his word.”

“Yeah, I’m not a knight though.”

“Heheheh...”

If everything turned out the way Theia wished, if the future unfolded the way she hoped, then...

“What’s happened to you, really?”

“I won’t tell. Heheh, I definitely won’t. As if! Hahaha!”

If this kind of trouble hadn’t happened, or if her back hadn’t been stuck to Koutarou, she never would have been able to feel this way. Embracing that, Theia laughed out loud.

“It’s a promise, okay?!”

Starting tomorrow, Theia would probably return to normal—the normal Theia that would be stubborn and obstinate if she saw Koutarou’s face, but blush if their hands touched.

“I definitely won’t forgive you if you cop out later, Satomi Koutarou!”

“What are you acting so serious for? We’re just talking about repaying Ruth.”

“What’s your answer?!”

“...As you wish, my princess.”

But today was different. Theia’s smile was even more radiant than usual.

A rhythmical noise was echoing through the passageways of the space battleship known as Blue Knight.

It was the sound of Ruth’s shoes tapping against Blue Knight’s white floors. After the residents of room 106 had fallen asleep, Ruth headed to one of the hangars aboard Blue Knight alone.

“Hmm, hm-hmm-hm, hmm!”

Ruth began humming to the rhythm of her steps. She was in an unusually jubilant mood, and her light steps were almost like a dance as she walked along.

“Heeheehee...”

From time to time, she would stop humming and simply giggle instead. She normally tried to stay reserved and not show any strong emotion, so it was rare to see her this obviously happy.

“Isn’t this great, Your Highness?”

Ruth was so cheerful because of what had happened between Theia and Koutarou. Every time she recalled the two of them sitting together, the corners of her lips would turn up and her feet would move on their own. Several hours had passed since then, but Ruth still couldn’t contain her joy.

“Well done, Kiriha-sama! I’ll make sure to thank you properly the next time I see you!”

All of it was thanks to the spell that Kiriha had cast. At first it seemed to have been a failure, but the results were a rather great success. Ruth recognized the role Kiriha had played in all of this, and she was grateful for it.

“Hmm, hm-hmm-hm, hmm!”

That said, it wasn’t all good. Ruth’s feelings were so elevated that she couldn’t fall asleep. She’d given up on sleeping entirely and had instead decided to get to some unfinished work on the ship.

“Whoops! I almost missed it.”

Ruth had walked past the hangar, but quickly turned and walked back with light steps. She then opened the door by rhythmically tapping on a nearby panel. Once inside, her destination was a small maintenance area in the corner of the hangar.

“Blue Knight, bring out Satomi-sama’s maneuver suit.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

As Ruth gave the order, a vivid blue set of armor with the words “Theiamillis’s Blue Knight” engraved on the chest appeared out of nowhere. It was the Blue Knight’s armor that Theia had given to Koutarou. Ruth had come to the hangar to perform maintenance on it.

“Blue Knight, do a damage check-up on the maneuver suit and make a list of all damaged areas. Also inventory how many spare parts there are for those areas.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

The armor was standing facing Ruth, held upright by an arm coming out from the wall. Several diagnostic devices quickly surrounded the armor, giving it a thorough examination.

“It seems... pretty worn out.”

Staring at the armor from the front, Ruth noticed all kinds of damage on it. It was covered in small scratches, and its royal blue color had slightly faded. There were also a few large dents and burn marks.

“Is this from his battle with Clan-sama? Even then, this is a lot...”

Since the damage caught her interest, Ruth brought up the data from the diagnostic devices. It was a detailed list of what kind of damage the armor had taken, but when she saw it, Ruth unwittingly tilted her head in confusion.

“The abrasion of the joint bearings is moderate. The shock absorber has broken down from wear in two different places. From repeated exposure to heat and impact, the brittleness of the armor has increased, so replacing the plate is recommended... Huh...?”

The list described several kinds of damage that usually only occurred from long-term wear and tear. The joints were worn down from friction, the energy-absorbing material was cracked, and the durability of the armor itself had been compromised from exposure to heat. The accumulated damage was far more than anything it should have sustained from being used as costume armor in the plays or fighting against Clan. The whole suit was going to need an overhaul.

“Just how has Satomi-sama been using this...?”

Koutarou and Clan had only disappeared for about two minutes. Ruth hadn’t really thought about those two minutes until now. She had assumed that they’d only gone to a different plane of space-time briefly before immediately returning.

However, based on the damage the armor had accrued, it seemed those two minutes had been extremely intense. Or maybe a massive gravitational field had altered the speed of time. Either way, it was clear that it hadn’t just been a simple matter of going and coming back.

“Let’s see, if I look at the memory...”

Ruth tapped on a nearby panel to access the armor’s memory storage. By looking at the armor’s recorded audiovisual data, the record of used equipment, and the AI’s logs, she should be able to piece together what happened.

“No data”?

However, the information that was supposed to be there had all been deleted. Ruth was at a loss.

“It’s been erased... Did Satomi-san do that? No, it must have been Clan-sama... But why?”

If all they’d done was visit and return from a different plane, there would be no reason to wipe the data. The fact that it had been erased made it clear that there was something they were trying to hide.

“Just what happened to Satomi-sama and Clan-sama...?”

Koutarou and Clan had been thrown out of the very universe, but something had happened along the way that had forced them to cooperate. Something that had badly damaged Koutarou’s armor. Something serious enough to wipe all traces of it from the armor’s database. That was the conclusion Ruth came to based on the evidence in front of her.

“I should ask Satomi-sama for more details when I get the chance...”

Koutarou had told Ruth and the others that being blown to a different reality by Clan’s repulsion shell meant he had no choice but to cooperate with her in order to return home. And since he’d brought back a magical staff, that must mean he’d been sent to a plane where magic existed. That’s all she could put together, but Ruth believed that Koutarou was hiding something very important from them.