Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 9 - Chapter 8

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Valentine’s Day

Friday, February 12th

Kenji was hiding behind the water tank on the roof of the school, eagerly waiting for Koutarou to appear.

“...Kou did get that letter, didn’t he?”

“Yes, Master Mackenzie! We confirmed that Satomi read the letter!”

A few other boys were hiding behind the water tank with Kenji. They were all part of the unpopular boys alliance, but for some reason they were now working together with their supposed enemy.

Today was the final school day before Valentine’s Day. Since this year’s Valentine’s Day fell on a Sunday, valentines were being handed out today. Of course, Kenji had already received a copious amount of chocolate from various girls. He’d used some of the excess to bribe part of the unpopular boys alliance. He was going to use them to prank Koutarou, and to that end, they were all lying in wait now on the roof.

The reason for this was because Koutarou had been preparing to prank Kenji himself. But before he could pull it off, he was betrayed by some of the boys that Kenji had bribed. With the scheme revealed, Kenji avoided the prank and instead set up one of his own.

“Man, hurry it up, Kou... It’s not some girl waiting for you up here.”

Kenji, trying to keep his cool, was standing there holding a sign in his hand that read “Got you!” He couldn’t wait to see Koutarou’s dumb face when he jumped out at him with it.

When Koutarou came up to the roof, he didn’t see anyone else there.

“Huh? Nobody’s here?”

During lunch, Koutarou had gotten a letter from an anonymous sender. In girly handwriting on pink stationery, it read: “I will be waiting for you on the roof after school.” Koutarou figured he would find out who sent it if he showed up, but sadly there didn’t seem to be anyone around. Curious, Koutarou decided to hang around for a while.

“Hmm... I wonder who the letter is from...”

While waiting for the sender to show up, Koutarou examined the letter again. He didn’t recognize the handwriting on it. Harumi and Shizuka both had extremely neat handwriting, and Theia and Ruth couldn’t write this well yet. Yurika’s writing was terrible, and Kiriha’s was practically calligraphy. That seemed to leave Sanae, but Koutarou suspected her writing would have more fluff to it. She would add in things like hearts or stars. And just as Koutarou was racking his brain...

“Satomi-kun!”

Someone called his name. When he turned to see who it was, he spotted Harumi waving her hand over by the door to the roof.

“Sakuraba-senpai!”

Koutarou shoved the letter in his pocket and ran up to Harumi. Going to her would be faster than waiting for her to come to him.

“So this is where you were, Satomi-kun.”

Harumi greeted Koutarou with a smile, but it was somewhat forced. Seeing that, Koutarou realized that Harumi had some business with him.

“Is something the matter, Sakuraba-senpai?”

“W-Well, actually...”

Harumi blushed slightly and started digging through her schoolbag.

“I was looking for you so I could give you this...”

Harumi pulled two flat, square boxes out from her bag. They were about ten centimeters wide and two centimeters tall, just large enough to fit in either of her hands. Both of them were wrapped in red paper and white ribbon.

“Could this be chocolate?”

Even Koutarou could tell that the boxes were full of homemade chocolate.

“That’s right! Since you’re always helping me out, I made some for you and Matsudaira-kun!”

Harumi spoke quickly and seemed a little anxious as she presented the boxes to Koutarou. She held out her arms stiffly, as if she was receiving a diploma.

“Please give one to Matsudaira-kun.”

“Thank you very much, Sakuraba-senpai.”

Koutarou didn’t think much of it as he accepted the boxes from Harumi.

“An obligatory valentine from Sakuraba-senpai, huh? I’ll get to brag to everyone about this.”

Since both of the boxes looked the same, Koutarou naturally assumed that they were generic, obligatory valentines. There was surely no way that they’d both be true valentines, after all. But an obligatory valentine from Harumi was still special, and Koutarou was pleased to have gotten some chocolate.

“Oh... Your names are written on them, so don’t take the wrong one, okay?”

“Ah, okay. Thanks.”

Koutarou looked under the boxes, and sure enough, “Satomi-kun” and “Matsudaira-kun” were written on them respectively.

“I picked out things I thought each of you might like.”

“Thanks, Sakuraba-senpai. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for us.”

“I-It wasn’t really all that much! I always prepare all kinds of chocolates for my parents and the children at the hospital anyway.”

“I see. How kind of you.”

Koutarou realized what she was saying. She had made various chocolates for other people, including the children she was close to. She’d just been nice and made some extra for Koutarou and Kenji while she was at it.

Phew... Thank goodness he didn’t catch on...

Harumi felt a wave of relief as she watched Koutarou putting the boxes of chocolate in his bag. Little did he know she hadn’t been entirely honest with him. The box for Kenji did indeed contain some extra chocolates from her candy making endeavors, but Koutarou’s box of chocolate was different. It contained the best of the dozen or so chocolate recipes she’d tried.

Harumi had processed the chocolate until it was creamy and packed it into a small plastic case. In the box were also marshmallows and crackers that could be dipped in the cream. It was something she’d made just for Koutarou. Something she thought would appeal to both his tastes and his playful personality.

Because of the time it took to make and the quality of chocolate it required, there was no way Harumi would have made it for anyone else. Contrary to what Koutarou suspected, Harumi’s gift was indeed a true valentine.

“Well, happy Valentine’s Day! I’ll be off now!”

Having successfully handed over her chocolate, Harumi was quick to flee the scene. She had some other things to do, and she would be too embarrassed if Koutarou opened her chocolate in front of her.

“Huh? What about our club activities?”

“Didn’t I tell you last week? I have to go to the hospital this weekend, so we’re postponing.”

“Oh yeah... Ah, and you’re going to give out chocolate while you’re there, aren’t you?”

“Heehee, that’s right. So see you later, Satomi-kun.”

“You bet. See you Monday.”

Harumi gracefully waved her hand and smiled as she left the roof. As soon as she stepped back inside, she quietly closed the door behind her. It wasn’t long, however, before it burst open again.

“Whoa!”

“Ah, there you are, Satomi-kun!”

Koutarou instinctively jumped back when the door flew open. The girl who emerged this time was his classmate Maki.

“A-Aika-san?”

Leaping from the doorway, Maki landed lightly on the concrete floor and pointed a finger in Koutarou’s face.

“Heehee, Satomi-kun, I have something nice for you.”

Maki then reached into the pocket of her school uniform and pulled out a long, slender box wrapped in indigo paper.

“Here, a true valentine!”

Maki shook the box two or three times in front of Koutarou’s face before presenting it to him. Despite the gesture, Koutarou stared at it suspiciously.

“...So how much are you planning on charging me?”

Koutarou knew that this wasn’t any ordinary chocolate. It was the treacherous to-order valentine that had led most of the unpopular boys alliance astray. And it didn’t come cheap.

“Why, I won’t charge you a thing!”

“You can’t fool me! Tell me the truth! What are you after?! Is it White Day? Ah, that must be it. You want a gift worth three times as much in return!”

Koutarou had never—to his knowledge—gotten a true valentine before, but he knew it was customary to repay the favor a month later on White Day, March 14th. Traditionally, a boy was supposed to buy a gift worth three times as much for a girl who’d given him chocolate on Valentine’s. Koutarou suspected that this was Maki’s ulterior motive.

“Why won’t you just accept it?! It’s because you’re like this that you’re not popular!”

“Leave me be! You wouldn’t understand how I feel! All you do is play with innocent men’s hearts!”

“I just happened to get a cancellation on an order, so I thought I’d be nice and give it to you for free!”

“Then give it here!”

“As if I’d let you have it now!”

Maki started sulking over Koutarou’s accusations and puffed up her cheeks in a pout.

“...Well, seriously speaking, if you worked that hard to make a nice valentine, then give it to whoever you get along with the best. It would be a shame for the chocolate to go to waste.”

“Satomi-kun...”

The moment she heard Koutarou’s serious words, the air in Maki’s cheeks escaped and she returned to her usual expression. After looking down and flashing a small smile, Maki presented the chocolate to Koutarou once more.

“Then I really will give it to you.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re my number one friend after all. Well, just consider it an investment in next year.”

Maki, still smiling, gave the chocolate to Koutarou.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you should work hard so I’ll give you a real valentine next time around.”

“I hate to think what that’d cost me...”

“Jeez, why can’t you just say you’ll do your best?! That was your big chance to score a lot of points!”

“W-Was it?!”

But in the end, Koutarou ended up angering Maki. She stormed off, slamming the door behind her with the same intensity she’d opened it with when she first arrived. As it shut, a loud crash could be heard from the other side.

“Koutarou, come help!”

The very next moment, Sanae passed through the door. In a fluster, she was speaking quickly and frantically pointing towards the door.

“The door shut on Yurika and she’s not moving!”

“Wh-What?!”

Koutarou rushed immediately over. When he opened the door, he saw Yurika collapsed on the floor in front of him. She had a large bump on her head, indicating she’d crashed into the door with considerable force.

“We were about to come out on the roof when that Maki girl showed up with this really angry look on her face... Yurika tried to jump out of the way, but the door got her when it slammed shut...”

“I see... Sorry about that, Yurika.”

It seemed like Yurika had gotten caught in the wake Maki’s frustration, which meant that it was indirectly Koutarou’s fault for angering Maki in the first place. Feeling somewhat responsible, Koutarou picked up Yurika and sat her down on a bench installed on the rooftop.

“S-Shatomi-shan... the whorld... the whorld is shpinning...”

Even after being placed on the bench, Yurika still hadn’t recovered. She was clearly seeing stars as her head rolled in pointless circles.

“Let’s just give her a minute. So, what did you two come here for?”

Sanae was looking down at Yurika as she floated beside Koutarou, but when he asked about what they were doing on the roof, she clapped her hands like she’d just remembered something.

“That’s right! Koutarou, hurry on home today. I bought chocolate, so let’s eat it together!”

“Ah, I see. That’s what you’re after.”

“Yeah!”

Since Sanae was a ghost, she couldn’t eat anything herself. She’d need Koutarou’s help in order to taste it.

“Yurika, you too?”

“Ch-Chocolate... I bought shome too...”

Yurika still seemed dizzy, but she rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a piece of chocolate. Seeing it, Koutarou only had one word to describe it.

“...It’s so small.”

“Don’t say that. Yurika was going to buy a bigger one at first, but then she found a new flavor of instant noodles. That’s why this is all the chocolate she has.”

The new flavor of noodles, Kanto seaweed soy sauce, cost 78 yen a pack, and Yurika only had 100 yen. She was going to buy the ramen and two 10 yen chocolates, but fate was cruel. With tax, the total came to 103 yen, 3 yen over her budget. In the end, she only walked away with one chocolate.

“Valentine’s Day... shucks...”

“It must have been hard on you, Yurika... I know how you must feel...”

Upon receiving the chocolate from Yurika, Koutarou’s eyes began to tear up.

Yurika could only buy a single 10 yen chocolate. She couldn’t possibly give something like that to the boy she likes, so she gave it to me as an obligatory valentine instead. Poor girl...

Having misunderstood the situation, Koutarou sympathetically took her hand and nodded repeatedly.

“Yurika, I’ll eat your chocolate with great care...”

“S-Shatomi-shaaaaan... Aaauuuuuuugh!”

Nijino Yurika’s first high school Valentine’s Day ended in bitter tears.

“Okay! See you later, Koutarou. Make sure you hurry home, okay?”

Sanae had told Koutarou what she wanted to, so she was planning on heading home and waiting for him in the warmth of room 106.

“I know. Be careful on your way home.”

“Yeah! Come on. Let’s go, Yurika.”

“Hnnngh...”

Sanae dragged a staggered Yurika with her, though it was unclear if her moaning was crying or if she was just still dizzy.

“You don’t have to be like that. When we get home, I’ll give you half of my chocolate.”

“Really?!”

“...Actually, make that a quarter.”

“Whaaat?! You said half! Please make it half!”

As Koutarou watched Yurika now chasing after Sanae, he began worrying about her future.

“...Yurika, are you really okay with this? Is this really how you want to live your life?”

“If that’s how you feel, then you can just look after her yourself. I believe you would be a good fit as Yurika’s guardian.”

“Me?! Wait, what are you doing, Kiriha-san?”

“Oh, just playing around.”

After seeing Sanae and Yurika off, Koutarou realized Kiriha’s arm was wrapped around his. With their arms linked, they looked like lovers as Kiriha pressed herself up against him and smiled happily.

“I made a valentine for my love, but sadly I still haven’t been able to find him. I’d like you to serve as a substitute in his place.”

“I see, so that’s why you’re doing this.”

“That’s correct.”

Kiriha embraced Koutarou’s arm and drew her face closer to his. As she leaned in, her bountiful breasts pushed up against his arm, but strangely enough, Koutarou wasn’t panicking as much as he had in the past. If anything, he felt somewhat relieved. That was most likely due to the trusting relationship that they’d developed during these past ten months.

“Please accept it, Koutarou.”

Kiriha presented Koutarou with a long, slender box. The box was brown and black, and had been wrapped in a cool-colored ribbon. Not only did Kiriha’s chocolate have a mature flavor, it came in a mature package.

“That’s not like you.”

However, Koutarou didn’t accept the chocolate. Instead, he pushed it back towards her.

“What do you mean?”

“Valentine’s Day is the day after tomorrow. It’s still too early to ask me to be your substitute.”

Today was February 12th. Kiriha still had two more days left to find her first love, so Koutarou couldn’t accept her chocolate now.

“Heh, now that you mention it... Since Shizuka is making a cake for today, I suppose it just feels like today is Valentine’s Day.”

“Landlord-san is making a cake?”

“Yes, it’s a chocolatey cake. She wanted to eat it with everyone, so she’s making a pretty large one. I promised I’d help her make it later.”

“I see. I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know how many years it’s been since I last had a homemade cake.”

Homemade treats like that were a rarity for Koutarou after he lost his mother, so he was excited at the chance to have one again.

“What about homemade chocolate?”

Kiriha presented her chocolate to Koutarou once again.

“I don’t know how many years that’s been either. But I won’t accept it today.”

“Then hold on to it.”

“Hey...”

“You’ll help me look tomorrow and Sunday, right?”

“...Well, I guess it’s okay in that case.”

“You really are stubborn.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“I won’t deny it.”

And so like that, Koutarou finally accepted Kiriha’s chocolate. With her hands now empty, Kiriha wrapped both of her arms around Koutarou’s and looked at him with her provocative eyes.

“So in that case... can I look forward to White Day?”

“Aren’t you asking the wrong guy?”

Koutarou smiled wryly and shrugged.

“Don’t be so cold... Can’t you just play along a little?”

“I promise I’ll find your first love before you wear me out with all this playing around.”

“That’s a terrible way to turn down a woman.”

“If you don’t cut it out, even a nice guy like me is gonna smack you.”

“I know good and well you’re not that kind of man.”

“Seriously, what is up with you?”

“I just love you.”

“Hahh...”

The two continued to play lovers on the roof for a little while. Kiriha had some time to spare before she was due to help Shizuka.

With Koutarou’s constant stream of visitors, Kenji and the other boys hadn’t had an opening to spring on him. And now there was no point in coming out and telling him that he’d been pranked. He already had four valentines in hand. In the end, it seemed the joke was on them.

Am... Am I the butt of this joke?

Kenji was staring forward blankly as the sign in his hand flapped in the wind. It almost sounded like a dry laugh, and he felt like laughing with it.

“Curse you, Satomi!”

“What was all that about being one of us?! You said you’d only get one or two obligatory valentines! Quit messing around, Koutarou!”

“He’s getting valentines left and right!”

“You’re the real traitor, Satomiiiii!”

But unlike with Kenji, this was no laughing matter to the other boys. They waited for Kiriha to leave before jumping out from behind the water tank.

“To arms! Our target is Satomi Koutarou!”

“Get him!”

On that day, due to the betrayal of their charismatic leader, the unpopular boys alliance was disbanded.

After being knocked out, Koutarou came to as the sun was starting to set.

Ouch, that smarts...

He’d only woken up from the pain of his injuries. The unpopular boys alliance had given him quite a beating. If not for that, he would have been out a little while longer. But as he stirred, he could hear a voice—no, two voices—that helped bring him around.

“Is Koutarou all right?! Will he be okay?! He won’t die, will he?!”

“He’s all right. It seems they held back when they hit him.”

“I... I see... You fool. You surely could’ve beaten those boys off with ease. Why didn’t you put up a fight...?”

“That’s the kind of person he is. That’s our Satomi-sama.”

“I know that! But I’m still frustrated!”

“If you don’t like it, then you should stay by his side to keep these things from happening.”

“Then I will! I will protect him!”

“I have never heard of a princess protecting her knight though.”

“I will simply do as I please! Who would dare defy the seventh princess?!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

Focusing on those two voices, Koutarou slowly came around.

Is that Theia... and Ruth-san?

By the time he could remember who those voices belonged to, he had gotten a sense of his surroundings. He was currently lying on something flat and wooden with something warm and soft under his head as a pillow. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell it was starting to get dark out, but strangely enough, he didn’t feel cold. Perhaps that was thanks to the two warm presences nearby.

“Hngh...”

Koutarou opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. Since the day was nearing its end, it wasn’t like it was bright outside. He did it to help clear his mind.

“It seems he’s awake now.”

“I-I see...”

Upon opening his eyes, Koutarou saw Ruth’s face in front of him. Theia was standing a little bit behind Ruth, but she was turned away from him and wasn’t looking at him. She appeared to be gazing at the setting sun.

“Good morning, Ruth-san. You too, Theia.”

Koutarou looked around as he greeted them. He was still on the roof of the school, but he was lying on a bench. The warm pillow under his head was Ruth’s lap. After looking around some, he looked back at Ruth and Theia.

“I am glad you’re okay, Satomi-sama.”

“You look like a mess.”

Ruth was smiling, but Theia was sulking. They seemed to be giving off opposite vibes.

“Yeah, well, I don’t have a lot to say for myself... Upsy-daisy.”

Koutarou smiled wryly and sat up.

“Owowow...”

His body didn’t let him forget he was wounded. His injuries from yesterday’s fight still hadn’t healed either, and he grimaced at the sudden rude reminder.

“Y-You fool! Just stay down! You’re in pain, aren’t you?!”

Theia, who had been sulking, rushed right over to Koutarou. She grabbed hold of his shoulders and pushed him back down. She looked rather worried, and her sour mood from a moment ago was nowhere to be seen now.

“I’m all right, Theia. You don’t need to worry that much.”

“I-I’m not worried! I’m just amazed!”

Theia finally realized what she was doing when Koutarou said something about it. She quickly took her hands off him and turned sulkily away.

“What are you getting all embarrassed for?”

“Sh-Shut up! I’m not embarrassed!”

Shaken, Theia’s voice faltered. Hearing that, Ruth swooped in to give Theia a helping hand.

“Forgive me for asking again, but how are you feeling, Satomi-sama?”

“Huh? Oh, I think I’m fine. I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“Phew...”

Koutarou’s attention shifted from Theia to Ruth so he could answer her question. Theia looked relieved.

What am I so shaken up for? I only need to act like normal...

Even with Theia talking herself through things, she wasn’t able to calm down.

“Well, the sun is setting, so let’s go home before it gets cold.”

Completely unaware of Theia’s feelings, Koutarou slowly got up. He was still hurting, but it wasn’t badly enough that it would keep him down. He’d rather suffer a little than freeze on the rooftop.

“Ah, w-wait!”

Theia grabbed the hem of Koutarou’s shirt as he started to walk off.

“Theia?”

Koutarou stopped and turned to her. As he looked down at her, Theia’s face instantly turned red.

“What is it?”

“Ah, u-um... Er...”

Theia’s mouth was moving, but she couldn’t say anything. Eventually she looked away and turned to Ruth for help.

“Ruth, please... I... I can’t do this...”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Ruth nodded at Theia, stood up, turned towards Koutarou, and smiled. Unlike Theia, Ruth was her usual self.

“Actually, Satomi-sama, we came to deliver a valentine.”

“A valentine?! For me?! Really?!”

Upon hearing that he was going get chocolate from Ruth, Koutarou forgot all about his pain. He leaned in towards her in anticipation.

Koutarou...

Seeing Koutarou like that, Theia’s expression brightened up a little. She quickly tried to cover it up, however, and looked at Koutarou sulkily.

“Koutarou, are you happy to receive a valentine from Ruth?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Koutarou answered Theia and nodded like the answer was only obvious. To him, getting chocolate from Ruth was a very happy thing indeed.

“Ruth is an alien, you know. Are you really okay with that?”

Theia continued to question Koutarou. It was like she was confirming his feelings one at a time.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Koutarou understood the question that was being asked of him, but not the significance behind it.

“Ruth is an alien, and a noble at that. Even if her valentine is a true valentine... Even if this blossoms into a relationship and you become lovers, it might be hard to make a family... That’s what it means.”

“Ah, so that’s what you’re asking.”

Now that he was clear on that much, Koutarou thought about it carefully.

She’s asking me if I’m okay receiving a valentine from someone when our relationship might never get any further than this. In that case...

But he knew his answer right away.

“Of course. To be honest, I would be happy to receive a real valentine like this from anyone, alien, monster, robot, or otherwise.”

Really, Koutarou had known his answer long before Theia even asked. He was happy when he got his insignia of rank from Charl. The same was true when Alaia entrusted him with Signaltin. Alien or not, it didn’t matter. He saw them as people he cared about, and he was happy to receive their gifts. This was no different.

“...What? R-Really...?”

Theia was puzzled by Koutarou’s answer. Contemplating it, her mind began to wander.

You won’t mind, even if it’s an alien...? Then... could you be happy with me and Ruth...?

Theia wanted to know how Koutarou really felt. He might have answered without much thought. Without knowing how much his answer meant to her.

“Why are you so surprised, Theia? You said it yourself, after all.”

Koutarou put his hands on his hips and smiled wryly.

“Huh? Wh-What did I say?”

“What’s important isn’t the sword itself.”

“Wha—”

When she heard those words, Theia suddenly became very self-conscious. She knew what he meant by them. She realized that she’d been so obsessed over being an alien that she’d overlooked what really mattered.

“This is no different. I don’t care about your body or where you’re from. It would be a waste of chocolate not to take it, so fork it over!”

“Koutarou...”

Koutarou’s words filled Theia’s chest. They were light and warm, and pierced the dark clouds around Theia’s heart like sunbeams.

That’s right... What was I so worried about? I was the one who said that Koutarou was a true knight...

Theia had been so fixated on such a tiny detail that she’d lost sight of herself. She should have trusted her feelings. She should have trusted herself more. She should have trusted that she would be able to make Koutarou happy after revealing her feelings for him.

“The only thing I’m concerned about is...”

“Is what?”

“Whether or not it’s bitter chocolate.”

When she heard those words, large tears began flowing freely from Theia’s eyes. Without even trying to wipe them away, she smiled at Koutarou.

“Then you don’t need to worry. All of it’s milk chocolate. There won’t be anything bitter...”

Theia decided to believe. In herself, in Ruth, and in Koutarou. In all of their feelings.

Koutarou, please live with us... I promise if you choose me and Ruth, we’ll make the sweetest chocolate for you...

And most of all, she believed in their future. She believed that there was a way they could all be happy together. And if there was no clear path to get there, she would make one. Theia would no longer hesitate. She would work towards that future with all her might.

“Your Highness...”

In that moment, Ruth was able to sense a change in Theia’s feelings. It was the first step towards the ideal future that Ruth strived for. It was the moment that everything was finally set in motion.

I see you’ve finally made up your mind, Your Highness... I’m glad. And I’m sure everything will go well from here. After all, Satomi-sama said that these past ten months have been fun...

Ruth trembled with joy. She looked like she would start crying at any moment, but she held those feelings in. She knew now was a time to be smiling.

“Theia, why are you crying?”

“It’s nothing. I was just ashamed of my own heart’s weakness. I’m fine now.”

At last, Theia wiped her tears away. As she did, her eyes began to shine. They no longer betrayed any worrying or suffering. It was like she had wiped away her hesitation and unease. What remained were her usual, powerful, clear blue eyes.

Theia...?

But one thing seemed different. There was a new feeling in those clear eyes, and Koutarou found himself unable to look away from them.

“Ruth, give me the chocolate.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Ruth pulled out a small, wrapped package from her bag and handed it to Theia. Theia then removed the wrapping, revealing a transparent case.

“Is this... Saguratin?”

“That’s right. Ruth and I made this together.”

Inside the transparent case was a small model Saguratin made from chocolate. Some of the detailed parts had been simplified, but they had reproduced the unique design of the sword, including its ornamentation, very well.

“You helped?”

“Yes.”

Hearing that Theia had made the chocolate with Ruth, Koutarou was overcome with a mysterious feeling.

What is this...? It’s like during the ski trip, but this is more... It’s different...

A warmth spread through his chest. He felt comfortable, but he also felt strongly like he needed to protect this feeling. It was similar to the sense of security he felt with his parents and the desire to protect he felt when looking at a small child. Those two feelings intertwined and created a very complex emotion.

“Satomi-sama. We have only made this chocolate sword. There is nothing else.”

“Ruth and I poured our feelings into this one chocolate... Will you accept it?”

“Yeah... Thank you.”

Koutarou reached out with his hands like he was being drawn in. It was incredibly difficult for him to go against Theia right now. He presented his hands to her almost like she was controlling him.

“Thank you for everything, Satomi-sama.”

“And if possible, we want you to keep helping us in the future too.”

“That’s a given.”

Koutarou nodded firmly after receiving the case from Theia.

“A given, is it?”

Theia narrowed her eyes and slightly cocked her head. Her expression was more gentle than usual.

“Yeah. Is that so strange?”

“Of course it’s strange... If that’s your answer, I don’t know why we were fighting all this time. Heh...”

Theia’s gently laughing voice was a wonderful sound to Koutarou’s ears. But just ten months ago, this would have been a prelude to a fight.

“But I won’t let you win right away.”

“I understand. I don’t want Kiriha to fall into any danger either.”

“...Thinking about it calmly, you’re right about it being strange, Theia.”

“Right?”

Koutarou and Theia laughed together, and they both appeared to be enjoying themselves. It was quite bizarre to see an invader and her target together like that. But to them, that was now part of their everyday life. And they wanted it to stay that way from now on.

They continued to laugh for a while longer. Ruth simply watched over her beloved master and the legendary knight. It was a beautiful moment, and she treasured watching this miracle come together right in front of her. Words were unnecessary for her right now.

Once the laughter finally died down, however, Ruth spoke up.

“Your Highness, Satomi-sama, I think it is time to go home. It is starting to get cold.”

The only worry Ruth really had now was for their well-being.

“That’s true. Let’s go before we catch colds.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Once we get home, Shizuka-sama’s cake might be ready.”

“That’s right. I almost forgot about that.”

They both readily agreed to Ruth’s suggestion, and the three of them headed towards the entrance to the rooftop. Ruth, who was in the lead, opened the metal door and entered the school building. Theia followed behind her, but before she passed through the door, she stopped and turned to Koutarou.

“By the way, Koutarou, that’s not all that’s strange.”

As she turned around, Theia’s golden hair caught the light of the fading sun and shone a brilliant, burning red. It was almost as bright as the smile on her face.

“Hmm? There’s something else?”

Koutarou followed her lead and stopped as well. They were now standing so close that they could feel each other breathing.

“Actually... it’s about the chocolate.”

Theia reached her hand out and touched the transparent case Koutarou was holding.

“What about it?”

“You see, this chocolate is without a doubt...” Theia looked up at Koutarou and flashed a mischievous smile. “...A real valentine.”

Theia said those words as if it was nothing, but Koutarou was quite stricken when he heard them.

“...Huh?”

His brain was frozen. It was like someone had suddenly cut the power to it.

“That’s all I wanted to say. Brrr... Let’s hurry home before it gets any colder, Koutarou.”

A satisfied smile crept across Theia’s lips as she left Koutarou behind and quickly entered the school building.

“...Huh?”

But Koutarou just stood there frozen on the roof for a little while longer.

The baking in Shizuka’s room, room 206, was currently on hold as the batter was in the oven. Since the plan was to eat the cake with some tea after dinner, it was more convenient to hold off on any more work until everyone was done eating.

Sanae and Yurika, however, were still pressed up against the glass of the oven door when Kiriha left Shizuka’s room to head back to room 106. Kiriha was planning on using her spare time before dinner to check on Koutarou’s wardrobe. She would patch holes and mend frayed hems for him. He was so active and rough that it was a job that needed to be seen to regularly.

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t touched this drawer yet...”

Standing in front of the wardrobe, Kiriha pulled open the bottom drawer. The wardrobe had several drawers, and Koutarou’s clothes were organized top to bottom by season. The clothes got thicker the lower you went, so Kiriha hadn’t needed to go into the bottom drawer with the heaviest winter clothes before today.

“He doesn’t do as much in these clothes, but I’ll still give them a check.”

Kiriha pulled out the articles of clothing one at a time. After getting everything out, she would return everything that looked like it was still in good condition. That was her standard procedure.

“Oh?”

Once she’d taken all the clothes out, she spotted a paper bag pushed into the back of the drawer.

“What’s this? It feels like it has clothes in it too...”

Kiriha picked up the paper bag and looked inside. It was filled with all kinds of things, not just clothing. There was a half-knit sweater, an old-fashioned but well crafted knife, a small wooden accessory with wool decorations, and more. None of the things in the bag seemed to have anything in common.

“Oh no... This was something I shouldn’t have opened. Sorry, Koutarou.”

Looking at it all, Kiriha realized that they were mementos of some kind and she decided to return the bag to the back of the drawer without touching anything inside. As she went to close it up, however, something in the bag caught her eye.

“Th-This is...!”

It was an antique necklace of polished jewels and fangs strung together by a colorful string. Its style gave away its age.

“What... H-How?!”

At first, Kiriha thought she was seeing things. It couldn’t be real. Yet no matter how many times she blinked, the necklace in her hand didn’t vanish.

“It’s... It’s real...”

Kiriha reached out to touch the necklace. Her heart was pounding and her hand was trembling. She was normally calm, but her heart was now racing and her mind was going blank. Her hand just wouldn’t stop trembling, not even as her fingertips reached the necklace. The touch of it was familiar. Her shaking hand lovingly lifted the necklace out of the bag.

“Th-There’s no mistaking it... This is my mother’s necklace...”

The beads of the necklace clacked together in Kiriha’s trembling hand. It was almost like the rhythmic ticking of an elaborate pocket watch.

“But... why is it here?! This is impossible!”

Even though it was right in front of her, even though she was touching it, Kiriha still couldn’t believe it. But regardless of how unreal it felt, there was no denying the truth that confronted her.