How a Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom

Book 5: Chapter 3.5

Lately, Liscia and the others had been acting weird. Liscia, Aisha, Juna, and Roroa... All of them had been acting a bit off.

If you were to ask me to put into words what exactly was off about it, Id have had a hard time answering; but for some reason they turned pink whenever we met, turning and immediately walking off in the opposite direction as if they were embarrassed. It wasnt like they were deliberately ignoring me, but it was a bit depressing to have them avoid me like that.

...Did I do something to offend them? I thought about that, but nothing came to mind.

Lately, wed had nothing but peaceful days, and I didnt think Id done anything that would make them feel uneasy. I worried I might have done something unintentionally, so I decided to broach the issue with the four of them directly. When I did...

I-Its not your fault, Souma. Dont worry, Liscia assured me.

Um... You could say I am embarrassed to look you in the eye, sire, or something like that, Aisha said.

Im sorry, Juna told me. Its absolutely an issue on our side. You dont need to worry about it at all.

Well, lets just say its a secret between us gals, and leave it at that, kay? Roroa added.

...Those were the responses I got. Honestly, it didnt make any sense.

Oh, right. And speaking of weird, there were other things about what they were doing and saying that was a little off.

The first happened in the morning, when I was sitting across from Roroa on a sofa in the governmental affairs office and we were having a budget meeting. When we finished talking about state industries, the conversation moved on to my personal businesses that Roroas company would be sponsoring. It was mainly about production on the tokusatsu program.

So, about Overman Silvan, do you think you could raise the budget a little more? I asked. We cant use the same monsters every time, and if we are going to reuse them, we need a little more variety...

...Uh-huh...

Hm? Was she just nodding along? That was when I noticed that Roroa was staring at me, her mind clearly somewhere else.

Roroa?

Huh?! Oh, yeah, Im listenin, Im listenin.

...She was apparently not listening. What had her staring off into space like that?

Is something on your mind? I asked. If theres anything I can do to help, I will.

Nah, thats not it, but... Sure. Lets see if ya can play along. Roroa moved over next to me, close enough that our shoulders were touching.

Hm... Does she want me to dote on her? I started to think.

Then Roroa looked me straight in the eye and said, Hey... Big Brother Souma?

Whuh?!

When she called me that with upturned eyes, my head shot back in surprise. Wh-What was this, out of nowhere?!

Seriously, whats going on, Roroa?! I cried.

I was worried shed come down with a fever or something, so I tried putting a hand on her forehead, but she didnt seem especially feverish or anything.

Roroa started kicking her legs and swinging her arms around in frustration. Aww... Thats not the reaction I was expectin. You were sayin it made you happy the way I treat Big Sister Cia like a sister. So, I figured, you like lil sisters, dont ya?

Little sisters? I asked, baffled. What are you even talking about?

And what did she mean, Id said that? I had no recollection of saying that... Huh, no, wait, maybe I did. What was this weird feeling?

Hmph! I dont care anymore! Roroa pouted and looked the other way.

I didnt really get how, but I seemed to have upset her.

Hm, what should I do... I wondered, then plopped a hand down on Roroas head.

Youre my precious fiance, so I dont want you turning into a little sister on me.

...Ysure? Roroa still had her head turned away from me, but she peeked back my way as she asked that.

I gave her a big nod to reassure her, then patted her on the head. Of course. The way you were playing little sister was cute, but Id rather have you as my wife instead. Just having you by my side always cheers me up, after all.

When I told her straight-up how I felt about her, Roroas face turned bright red. I must have embarrassed her. When I saw her reaction, I felt embarrassed, too.

So, please, stop calling me Big Brother, I said. If you dont...

Wh-What if I dont?

Itd be like I was deliberately having my own fiance call me Big Brother, I said teasingly. Thatd feel kind of depraved.

Roroa burst out laughing. Ha ha! Maybe youre right. Yeah, no more callin you Big Brother. I didnt get the reaction I was hopin for, but I dont feel bad bout how this went, either.

When she said that, Roroa hugged my arm. It looked like she was in a better mood now.

Well, I did mean it when I said she was cute as a little sister, though...

When the adorable Roroa had called me Big Brother with upturned eyes, my heart had skipped a beat, after all. But I dont want to go developing any weird fetishes, so I was really glad shed stopped.

The next weird thing that happened was in the afternoon. It was around two oclock, after Id had a slightly late lunch.

I had been working since morning, so I was taking a short break at the kotatsu table in my room. Aisha, who would normally have stood by the door to guard me, came in to sit across from me at the kotatsu.

When I looked at Aishas face... I had no words. Aisha, for some reason, was wearing a pair of cat ears.

...What the meow was going on here?

Aisha had turned into a cat-eared dark elf, something that made absolutely no sense to me.

While I was still unable to find the words for this bizarre turn of events, Aisha made fists with her two hands and held them up like a beckoning cat. M-Meow...

Shes meowing?!

She had totally just let out a meow. No, seriously, what on Earth was going on here?

Apparently unable to bear the silence, Aisha covered her face with her hands. Oh... This really is embarrassing.

You say that after doing it on your own?! What were you trying to accomplish?! I shouted.

What, you ask? I wanted you to adore me, Your Majesty, Aisha said. Like you would a pet.

Like a pet?! Not a person?!

I wanted to borrow the princesss choker to wear in place of a collar, but she refused because it was an important gift from you, sire. Removing a slave collar would have been hard, so...

Youre trying to turn me into some kind of sexual deviant?!

Im not into making women wear collars! I exclaimed silently. ...Yeah, I dont think I am, at least.

While I was worrying about myself, Aisha tearfully said, Ohh... I had heard you thought of me like a pet, so I was hoping to at least have you fawn over me like one.

I... do think that, yes, but could you at least let me fawn over you as a human?! I cried.

...How might I get you to fawn over me?

When Aisha looked at me with those pleading eyes, my brain started firing on all cylinders as I tried to find an answer for her. If I didnt give her a plan here, Aisha was going to get dispirited again. I looked around and spotted the accessory case where I kept nail clippers and other daily necessities.

I know!

How about I clean your ears? I asked.

Please do, she responded instantly.

I got an ear cleaner out, and had Aisha sit next to me.

Yknow, looking at those long ears of yours, Ive always wanted to try cleaning them at least once, I said.

U-Um, sire? Thats nice, but... when you clean someones ears, is it not normal to have them rest their head in your lap? she asked hesitantly.

The earwax can fall in towards your eardrum if you do it that way, so my grandma always said not to. The right way to do it is from right beside the person, like this.

I-Is that right? Aisha asked, then whispered, Oh, I had my hopes up, too.

I brushed Aishas hair back behind her pointed ears and pushed the ear cleaner inside.

Eek! Aishas body shuddered.

Its dangerous to move, you know, I told her. Stay put.

Y-Yesh... Ahhh! While I was digging around inside, Aisha suddenly started squirming. Ah...! Oh... Hahh...

For some reason, she was moaning in an incredibly sweet voice. I started to feel like I was doing something naughty to her.

D-Dont let out weird moans, I said.

B-But... Im sensitive there... Ahhhhh!

I cleaned out her opposite ear while listening to her sweet sighs, and then the ear cleaning was finished. By the end, Aishas face had completely melted, but she seemed satisfied, so that was good.

...Maybe Ill do this for her again sometime, I thought.

By the way, Aishas voice had been heard outside while we were doing that, so one of the maids who passed by at the time started a rumor that, His Majesty and Madam Aisha were [censored] in his room. When he heard, Chamberlain Marx declared, At last, well have an heir, and danced for joy.

On the other hand, when Liscia, Juna, and Roroa heard the rumor, they told me off, saying, Hey, thats not the right order! (If I was going to start laying my hands on them, Liscia, as candidate to be my first primary queen, should have been first.)

Thankfully, Aisha had explained the situation, so I was spared their wrath, but it was an incident that showed me if I neglected any of my future queens, the others would get angry, too.

Naturally, I had no intention of mistreating any of them, but... it was something to keep firmly in mind.

Evening.

Having done paperwork in the morning and afternoon, I invited Liscia who had been helping me to finally come take a break with me, and we were enjoying afternoon tea.

Every day was a battle with my heavy responsibilities as king, so just being able to relax with Liscia and have aimless conversations like this was fun.

During our conversation, something weird came up, just like with my earlier encounters with Roroa and Aisha today. After we finished talking about everything that came to mind, Liscia nodded as if she was satisfied about something.

I see... Those two are putting it to use right away, huh.

Putting what to use? I asked.

Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. Liscia played it off with a vague smile.

No, really... what was it?

Liscia chuckled. But Ill bet you didnt mind their attempts to get your attention, huh?

Well... No, I didnt, I said. I mean, they were both cute.

When I honestly admitted it, Liscia brought a finger to her lips with a look on her face like she was pondering something. She murmured something under her breath that I couldnt make out. (Theyve got it easy, having actual hints to go on. I got told he had nothing particular on his mind for me. I was happy about that, but it makes it hard to decide how to get his attention.)

Hm? Did you say something? I asked.

Liscia shook her head, saying, Its nothing, really, then clapped her hands as if she had just thought of something. I know. Hey, Souma. Is there anything youd like me to do for you?

Whats this, all of a sudden? I asked.

Dont worry about it, she said. Come on, give me a heart-racing scenario like the one you had with the other two.

Hm, a scenario I want to play through with Liscia... I tried thinking of one... but it was harder to come up with than youd think. Liscia was like a super-mainstream orthodox-style heroine, so adding any unnecessary bells and whistles to give her extra character felt redundant. That being the case, rather than do something to change Liscia herself, maybe we could do something with the relationship between us.

Hey, Liscia, we got betrothed without knowing much of anything about each other, right? I said. On top of that, it wasnt something we decided on for ourselves, it was something Sir Albert just decided on his own.

Well... Yeah, it was.

Im not sore about it anymore, and Im even grateful to him for bringing the two of us together, but... what do you think itd have been like if wed known each other all along? If wed been childhood friends, like Hal and Kaede.

Liscia got a look on her face like she was pondering the idea. Hm... I wouldnt have gotten confused and thought Souma was your first name, maybe? I might be calling you Kazuya.

Yeah, maybe, I nodded. Wed have a lot of shared memories from when we were kids, too.

So we decided to try holding a conversation as if we were childhood friends.

Come to think of it, Kazuya, youve always been hiding away in your room, sewing like a girl, Liscia roleplayed. If you dont get out in the sun more, your bodys going to start growing mold, you know?

Well, youre as tomboyish as ever, too, I told her. Elishas worried shell never find a husband willing to take you.

Well, thats just fine with me. When the time comes, I was planning to have you take me as your wife anyway.

Dont make it sound like youre marrying me because you have no other choice. When you were little, you were always saying, When I grow up, Im going to marry Kazuya, werent you?

Th-That was so long ago, Ive forgotten it!

You were more honest with yourself, and cute back then.

What do you mean, back then?! Ugh, Kazuya, you dummy!

...

...

Wow, this is super embarrassing! we both thought.

Not even a minute into our little act, Liscia and I were both red in the face.

Oh geez, my face is burning up, I admitted. Do you think childhood friends actually talk like this?

Im so embarrassed I could die, Liscia said. I think our current relationship suits us better.

While we were both fanning our burning cheeks...

No, Master, Carla interrupted. I think Im the one who was most embarrassed, being forced to watch that, you know?

Carla, who turned out to have been watching this whole exchange, said that with an awkward look on her face, making us writhe in shame even more badly.

Then came that night.

When the broadcast ended for the nightly song program, Juna and I had our post-show meeting and then headed to the Ishizuka Cafeteria in the castle.

This place was open until late at night, so when we missed meals because of meetings, the two of us often came here to eat and get drinks together. We had our own private room here, so we could drink without worrying about the prying eyes of my retainers.

Of course, when it was earlier in the day, we sometimes came in a group with all my other fiances, but on those occasions, there was no drinking. Roroa would want to drink if the rest of us did, after all. Though technically a 16-year-old with adult supervision (or an 18-year-old on their own) could drink in this world, no good came from starting to drink at an early age. That was why wed decided, at a family meeting about the future, to not let Roroa drink, and to not drink in front of her. That being the case, about the only time I drank was on nights when work ran late like this.

Well then, cheers, I said.

Cheers, sire, Juna agreed.

In our private room, Juna and I toasted with wooden mugs filled with wine. When I poured wine into my body that was exhausted mentally and physically from work, I was finally able to get the sense that my days work was over. I know, I was thinking like a salaryman, but the work I was doing really was intensely difficult, so you could hardly blame me.

Your singing voice was as lovely as it always is, Juna, I said.

Hee hee! Im honored by the compliment, sire.

While drinking our wine and snacking on a salad of spaghetti, vegetable, and fried octopus dressed with mayonnaise, we talked about our days. I was having such a good time.

However, when I mentioned how Roroa, Aisha, and Liscia had acted today, Juna narrowed her eyes slightly. It didnt break her smile, but I felt like I saw a moment of panic there. While I looked at her, wondering what was up, Juna suddenly got up.

Let me come sit beside you, she said, and came over next to me.

This was just like with Roroa. Was Juna going to start calling me Big Brother now, too?

Juna knocked back her wine and chugged it all down, then leaned in and rested her head on my shoulder.

Huh? What was going on here?

Um... are you drunk? I ventured.

Yes. A little, she said. Im sorry, but could you let me stay like this a while?

Of course.

Thank you.

For a while, we both stayed silent. With neither of us saying a thing to the other, we just snuggled and drank. Even though that was all we were doing, it was strangely dizzying. With her face so close to mine, the smell of Junas hair tickled my nostrils, and I felt like I was getting intoxicated by something other than the alcohol.

Then, without looking at me, Juna said, Am I... doing a good job of letting you indulge me?

Huh?

I know Im bad at letting others indulge me, she said. I want to respond to the expectations placed on me the best that I can, and it makes me happy when that pleases everyone. But I want to have you indulge me, too, sire. Because I admire you, I want to accept it when you indulge me.

Maybe she really was drunk, because Juna looked a little out of it. Juna was so capable at everything she did, but when it came to this sort of stuff, maybe she was a little clumsy.

Please, let me indulge you, I said. Ill do my best to make it easy for you to let me.

Then I patted her head, and Juna gave me a satisfied smile.

And so, the day came to an end. There was a lot that happened, but on the whole it was a good day.