Volume 23, Chapter 2 - Sleepless in Harukaze

This chapter is updated by wuxiaworld.eu

To Clan, being a scientist was as important as being royalty. In the past, she had only ever thought of using the technology she developed for herself. She believed that it was one of the strengths of royalty, and something that should be shown off. But as a result of traveling to Earth, the past, and the experiences she’d had as a result, she began thinking of using her technology to use for the good of the world. She had begun to believe that was the correct way to behave as a royalty, and as a scientist.

The Powered Assistance Field, or PAF, was born as a result of that. The PAF was a reinforced exoskeleton without a physical form—a power suit made using barriers. For example, when trying to lift an object, the energy field around the user’s body would alter its shape in conjunction with the user’s movements, and lend its strengths accordingly. But with everything that was normally done with machinery being done through energy, the energy consumption was heavy and it brought about many technical difficulties. Similarly, a mechanical reinforced exoskeleton was stronger and lasted longer. However, when it was used for medical or welfare purposes, it was more than enough. It could also be turned off when not necessary.

“…And so why are you adding a martial arts function?”

Today, Koutarou and Shizuka had come to an unpopular park on the outskirts of town at Clan’s request. They were testing a new function she had developed for PAF. However, Koutarou was puzzled by that new function, as martial arts seemed to deviate from the PAF’s original purpose.

“Martial arts is a means, not an end,” Clan clarified.

“What do you mean?” Shizuka asked, similarly confused.

Clan smiled and began explaining, “I think the PAF’s function to assist in regular life is almost complete. But don’t you think there accidents are a part of regular life too?”

“You mean the PAF is going to create accidents? Your nanomachines did explode, after all…” Koutarou pondered out loud.

“Don’t be such a bully! I’m talking about traffic accidents or falling objects and things like that!”

“Ah, that’s what you meant.”

The true purpose of Clan’s test was improve the PAF’s usefulness against accidents. As part of its development, a martial arts function was being implemented.

“You really are such a… One day I really will kill you!”

“Now, now, calm down… Go on, Clan-san.”

“Hah… Well, the people who need PAFs are those who are in poor health, or people like the elderly people who aren’t good at moving fast, right? That’s why I want to add a function that lets them respond quickly to accidents.”

“I see! So that’s where martial arts come in!”

“That’s right.”

That was where Shizuka’s expression lit up. She had figured out what Clan was thinking. Seeing that, Clan smiled in return. However, Koutarou still didn’t get it. He just cocked his head to the side.

“So what does that mean?”

“Satomi-kun, don’t you think fighting is like having accidents come at you non-stop? So knowing martial arts will help you respond to accidents too, right, Clan-san?”

“Yes. In short, I want to create a measure that will swiftly respond to emergencies automatically. A very simple example of such an emergency would be an actual fight.”

“Hmm…”

Koutarou now understood what Clan wanted to say. As the PAF was a device engineered to focus on movement, it only needed to worry about its user’s movements. But in order to evade accidents, it would need to pay attention to its surroundings too. There were a lot of issues that needed to be addressed in order to make such a change, including to what extent it should gather information from around it, and how the system effectively would effectively process that. To resolve those problems, Clan would need a lot of data on accidents, and she was planning on using martial arts as a way to collect it.

Clan really is amazing…

Koutarou was amazed by Clan’s way of thinking. This way she could put herself in the shoes of the user and fully devote herself to developing this new function. Koutarou didn’t know any other engineers, so he wasn’t exactly sure to what extent, but he was certain that this was something she excelled at.

“So Landlord-san and I only need to beat you up?”

“I don’t like that phrasing, but that’s just about correct.”

“Got it! Leave it to me. All right, now I’m feeling pumped up!”

“…You definitely won’t die a pretty death.”

However, Koutarou couldn’t just genuinely praise Clan. Their relationship up until now prevented that. But he really was feeling motivated. He was going to go along with her experiments until she was satisfied.

As it was a function intended for emergencies, the PAF’s martial arts function wasn’t linked with the user’s input or capabilities. Clan was just standing still while a newly sprouted red arm and leg were fighting against Koutarou on their own.

“Yeah, this is much easier to see than the yellow one.”

“It does look like it would be easy to fight.”

“Whoops, that one was close…”

“Then I’ll make it this color for emergencies.”

They were currently determining what color the limbs would be in situations where they needed to manifest. As the barriers a PAF created were colorless and transparent, it was impossible to tell if there were on just by looking. That was why they were going for a colored, visible version for the emergency function.

“But won’t this cause a panic if you use it on Earth, Clan-san?” Shizuka asked.

It would be a different case in Forthorthe where barriers were commonplace, but if someone suddenly had extra limbs on Earth, there would be hysteria.

“You’re right… In Harumi’s case, I’ll project a virtual image only she can see.”

“That would make it look like a paranormal phenomenon,” Koutarou added.

Something invisible suddenly sweeping away danger would make it look supernatural to anyone watching.

“It’s better than Harumi dying.”

“Well, that’s certainly true.”

However, this would just be for emergencies, so neither Koutarou nor Clan really minded it too much. If her friend was in danger, Yurika would most likely use magic, even in front of other people, and Sanae would use her psychic powers. It wasn’t much different from that.

Regardless of what she might say, Clan really does care about Sakuraba-senpai…

With that on his mind, Koutarou continued fighting against the PAF. Sensing that Clan’s objective was also for Harumi’s sake, he felt even more cooperative. While he was too embarrassed to tell Clan directly, he would gladly help her as much as she liked when she was like this.

What is this feeling…? I sort of feel restless deep down inside.

But Koutarou’s feelings were conveyed to Clan nonetheless. However, since Koutarou hadn’t said it directly, and Clan was still lacking in experience when it came to interpersonal relationships, she could only vaguely feel it. Still, that vague feeling affected her quite a bit.

Even though nothing special is happening…

While the PAF Clan was wearing was locked in a fierce fight with Koutarou, she was just standing there. She stared her opponent—or, rather, the PAF’s opponent. Koutarou seemed to be enjoying himself. It was a similar atmosphere to when everyone would play games together. Moreover, Koutarou was totally focused on Clan and her suit, but his eyes seemed to be gentler than usual.

If only he’d look at me like this normally…

She didn’t know what Koutarou was thinking, but even she could tell his eyes were locked on her. She was happy about that. Her heart was pounding and she was feeling restless for some reason, but she couldn’t help wishing that this would continue forever.

“Okay, that’s three minutes!” Shizuka called.

“Looks like it’s over, Clan.”

“Ah…”

However, that happy time didn’t last for long. There was a limit to Koutarou’s stamina, so they had agreed ahead of time to only go for three minutes. And just as Clan had wished for it to last forever, it abruptly ended.

Having fought for three solid minutes without a break, Koutarou was visibly exhausted. He was out of breath and his face was flushed. He was so beat that he laid down on the ground with his arms and legs spread out, staring up at the sky. It looked like it would take a while for him to recover.

“It looks like you really got into it, Satomi-kun. Heehee.”

“Y-Yeah…” Clan stammered.

Shizuka and Clan looked at Koutarou. While they were doing the same thing, their expressions were completely different. Shizuka looked pleasantly amused, while Clan looked lonely and embarrassed.

“What’s the matter, Clan-san?”

Noticing Clan’s expression, Shizuka peered at her face. As she did, Clan vigorously shook her head, causing her long hair to flutter.

“Ah, n-no, it’s nothing.”

Clan hurriedly tried to look normal by getting on her bracelet and analyzing the data. But it only made her more suspicious. She looked very unnatural, typical of someone trying to cover something up.

“Hmm, well, if you say so…”

Shizuka stared at Clan for a while, but didn’t say anything more about it. Instead, she decided to ask her about something else.

“By the way, Clan-san, do you have any interest in learning martial arts yourself?”

Clan had secretly been worrying about what Shizuka would say, but fortunately, the topic shifted away from what she was afraid of. She let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Shizuka.

“I have no intention of doing so.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not suited for it. I’ve always hated being physically active.”

“What a waste. You certainly know enough about it, so I’m sure you’d become strong if you tried it.”

Martial arts and cooking both required knowledge and skill. Without both of them, one would eventually reach a limit. In Clan’s case, she already had the knowledge. After beating some skill into her, Clan would be able to use martial arts. Shizuka felt like it was a waste that Clan was missing that opportunity.

“I think it’s a matter of the right person for the right job.”

But Clan had no intention of picking it up. She didn’t like moving around too much, and she already had her research. She had plenty of other ways to protect herself. Because of that, Clan didn’t think she needed martial arts.

“Well, if Clan becomes a strong martial artist, I’ll lose my position.”

Having finally caught his breath, Koutarou got back up and joined in on the conversation. He was on Clan’s side.

“It would certainly make more sense to focus on Veltlion than trying to make me stronger.”

It would be more efficient for Clan to use the time she’d spend learning martial arts on enhancing Koutarou’s equipment instead. Clan and Koutarou could at least agree on that.

“Well, if you bring Satomi-kun up…”

Shizuka smiled wryly. She wanted Clan to try budō, including the mental aspect of it, rather than just focusing explicitly on fighting. Sadly, they didn’t seem to get that.

But still, I feel like Clan is working on this research with the same spirit that a martial artist would approach their training, so I guess things might be okay as they are…

If efficiently defeating your enemies was the nature of martial arts, then improving yourself was the nature of budō. From that point of view, Clan wasn’t really effectively using science. She was limiting its use to helping people. In that sense, Clan was already working on her own way of budō, so Shizuka chose not to press that part of the issue any further.

But Shizuka actually had another reason for wanting Clan to pick up budō. This one was more girlish in nature.

“But you’re out of shape, so I think it would be healthy for you to pick it up, Clan-san!”

“That’s none of your business!”

“Ah, the poor citizens of Forthorthe are going to have a fat empress for”

“Don’t bring that up again!”

But from the looks of it, it seemed to be enough, so Shizuka didn’t push it too much either.

With Koutarou back up on his feet, he and Shizuka got to work on finding problems with the experiment. As they watched the recorded footage, they discussed how to resolve any problems they found by acting out potential solutions. They were essentially analyzing the experiment and working out remedial measures. It was a critical step in development.

“…But wouldn’t it be better to sweep away with the left hand like this to defend, Satomi- kun?”

Swoosh!

“That’s true, but that’s just because you’re so fast, Landlord-san. I think it would be better to aim for reliability in the case of emergencies a PAF would encounter.”

“Like this?”

Swoosh!

“Yeah, I think it’s better with the right.”

“I see. We don’t know what kind of state the PAF will be in during emergencies, after all.”

Clan was recording the two of them on camera. She would use this recording as reference as she reworked the defensive algorithm, so she was intensely staring at them through the lens. But after doing that for a while, Clan noticed something. And that something started to wear down her interest in the discussion.

They seem to be enjoying themselves…

Clan had noticed the mood as they talked, exchanging ideas and blows. The genuinely looked like they were having fun. And what grabbed Clan’s interest the most were their eyes.

Those eyes… They’re the same as before…

She had seen the looks that Koutarou and Shizuka were giving each other. They were looks of enjoyment and kindness. It was the same way Koutarou looked at her when he was fighting her PAF. Being as active as he was, Clan imagined that Koutarou had the most fun when he was doing things like this.

If I were to learn martial arts, would Veltlion look at me with those eyes all the time, I wonder…?

Eventually she got envious of Shizuka. Koutarou only looked at her that way for three minutes, but Shizuka got those looks daily. It didn’t take long for Clan to want the same treatment. And that turned into the spark that made Clan change her mind.

“Veltlion, Shizuka!” And so she made her bold request after the two had finished their discussion. “Could you teach me martial arts?!”

Doing so required a great deal of courage from Clan. She was aware that what she was saying wasn’t like her. But she couldn’t hold it in. She wanted Koutarou to look at her that way again.

“What is this all of a sudden? You said you didn’t want to just earlier.”

Koutarou’s eyes opened wide in surprise. As expected, it didn’t seem very Clan-like to him. Clan’s lack of stamina was worthy of special mention, and her running out of strength in the middle of a hike was an everyday occurrence.

“I’ve changed my mind! If I can do it myself, development will be easier too!”

“Hmm…?”

“U-Uhh…” Clan stammered.

Even after Clan explained herself, it didn’t click with Koutarou, so he began suspecting that there was a different reason for it. This clearly distressed Clan, so Shizuka decided to give her a helping hand.

“Now, now, Satomi-kun. You were saying that Clan-san was out of shape too, so isn’t this

a good chance?”

“That’s true.”

Shizuka had a vague sense of Clan’s real intentions. She was a girl too. She could understand Clan’s delicate feelings. And thanks to her words, Koutarou could accept Clan’s change of heart. Everything else aside, he agreed that it would be better for Clan to get some exercise.

“…”

“Let’s do our best, Clan-san.”

“Y-Yes. Um, thank… you…”

“Heehee.”

Clan realized that Shizuka was helping her out. Not wanting to be thought of as ungrateful, she desperately held her embarrassment back and thanked Shizuka.

Koutarou would be in charge of directly teaching Clan martial arts while Shizuka observed from a distance, pointing out any flaws. They decided that would be the most effective method of instruction for her.

“Don’t just punch with your hands. You’ll only get the power of your arm behind your punch that way.”

“I know that, but once I do it…”

“Hahaha, I guess that’s just how it is for you, huh?”

Koutarou’s instructions focused more on the body and its movements than on the reason behind all of it. For a complete beginner, it was a rather rough teaching style. But in Clan’s case, she had already completed a mechanical analysis of martial arts, so she could keep up with his instructions without any problem. She actually had a rather high affinity for his teaching.

“Moving your body is hard, just like I thought.”

“Only masters can move their bodies just they way they want. Don’t sweat it too much.”

“…”

In fact, the problematic part for her was rather that Koutarou wasn’t bullying her like he normally did. Under ordinary circumstances, he would be quick to tease her whenever she failed at something. But for some reason, he wasn’t doing that right now. That confused Clan.

“What?”

“Ah, no… It’s nothing… L-Like this?”

“Yeah, that’s looking better.”

“Ah…”

Koutarou wasn’t teasing Clan because he understood that she was motivated. Even he knew that he shouldn’t tease people when they were being sincere. But Clan was still

confused because she didn’t understand Koutarou’s feelings.

But… it certainly doesn’t feel bad… All right!

Normally, Koutarou would praise Clan, even if he was bullying her, like when she had started development on the PAF. That was sort of how he felt now. She didn’t know why it had turned out like this, but she wanted it to continue. That’s why Clan earnestly kept up with her practice.

Clan was obediently doing what she was told. Of course, being a beginner, she couldn’t exactly do things correctly. But in her case, since she understood the mechanics of martial arts, the problem wasn’t that she wasn’t being serious, but rather that her body wasn’t keeping up with her. And since she was so ardently working, Koutarou had to admire her some.

“That Clan sure is working unexpectedly hard. Before, she would have given up by now.”

“Clan-san can put herself to it when she needs to.”

“I wonder if that means that she’s matured too.”

When Clan had been with Koutarou in the past in Forthorthe, she had been lacking in stamina and grit. She could only walk for a short while and would require a piggyback from Koutarou from time to time. Compared to that, Clan had made considerable progress. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, but she was practicing her form like Koutarou had told her.

“Perhaps it has less to do with her maturity and more to do with her maiden heart.”

Shizuka, who was watching Clan with Koutarou, understood some of how she felt. Koutarou, on the other hand, was oblivious. Shizuka just smiled at him as if to acknowledge there was nothing that could be done about it.

“Her maiden heart? I don’t think she’s that kind of cutesy character.”

“Heehee, you’ll understand if you spar with me, Satomi-kun!”

“Sparring? Why?”

“Let’s just do it. Here I come!”

“Whoa!”

Shizuka felt bad for Clan because Koutarou was so thickheaded, so she struck at him with a smile. But it was a different smile now. She enjoyed sparring with Koutarou, and she was feeling a little mischievous.

“L-Landlord-san, could you hold back a little?!”

“N-o-p-e!”

“Uwaaah!”

With a refreshing smile still on her lips, Shizuka unleashed a flurry of attacks.

As expected from Landlord-san! I can just barely keep up!

Koutarou desperately blocked and dodged her attacks. Since they were in the middle of

instructing Clan, Shizuka wasn’t using the Fire Dragon Emperor’s powers. But even then, Koutarou was stuck on the defensive. The effort Shizuka had put into her daily training certainly wasn’t half-assed. And while the fight was hard, it was very fun. They had very few chances to go all out in their day to day lives.

“Heehee! Look, Satomi-kun!”

“Huh?”

But Shizuka suddenly eased up on her attacks for some reason. She shifted her glance to the side. Since she let up some, Koutarou was able to follow her line of sight. She was looking over at Clan, who was working on her form.

“…”

Clan had stopped moving. She was standing with her fist out in front of her and she was simply staring at Koutarou and Shizuka.

What’s up with Clan…?

Clan’s eyes behind her glasses had an impatient look to them. It was a look that Koutarou hadn’t seen before.

“You still don’t get it? Okay… then how about this?”

“Wah!”

Striking when Koutarou was distracted by Clan, Shizuka tackled him. But it was a rather strange tackle. She jumped at Koutarou from the front and threw her arms around his neck. It was as if she was jumping into the arms of her lover.

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

In that moment, Clan’s eyes opened as wide as they could. The impatient look in her eyes then grew even stronger as she stared at them so closely together. Her hands moved aimlessly in the air and her mouth opened repeatedly, but no words came out.

“Landlord-san, what are you trying to do?!”

Like Clan, Koutarou was also surprised. But in his case, he was mostly surprised that Shizuka had suddenly embraced him.

“Surely you have to get it now, right?”

“Huh?”

Shizuka tossed a sidelong glance at Clan again. And once more, Koutarou followed her glance. There he saw Clan frozen stiff with the same impatient look.

“…Ah…”

Clan realized that Koutarou and Shizuka were looking at her and hurriedly looked away. She then continued practicing her form in an attempt to hide what she had been doing. Her face was beet red.

“She…”

“You get it now, right? Clan-san wants you to care for her, but she’s just as stubborn as

Theia-chan is.”

“That Clan is…”

Koutarou finally understood what Shizuka was trying to say. Right now, Clan looked like a child who wanted to call out to her friend, but couldn’t. That could be considered a huge step forward for Clan, who used to lock herself up in her laboratory and push other people away.

“So she’s trying to change like me…”

“I think so. But in Clan-san’s case, she’s trying to change her girlish part, so the circumstances are different.”

Shizuka pushed herself away a little from Koutarou and smiled at him. Without saying a word, her lips read, “So you finally get it.”

“I see. I mean, she is a girl…”

“Hey, I am too, you know, Satomi-kun!”

“Uwah! What now?!”

While Koutarou did finally understand, Shizuka tackled him again for just continuing to stare at Clan.

With Clan beginning to seriously practice martial arts, she decided she now needed some proper sportswear to do so in. She didn’t currently have anything like that. The easiest clothes she had to move around in were the workwear she used during research. But as they were made with safety in mind, they were made out of sturdy material, so they were still somewhat stiff and wouldn’t work as well as real athletic wear.

Koutarou, Shizuka, and Clan decided that they would go buy proper clothes for her together.

“We don’t have to go this far…”

However, Clan was reluctant. If she bought new clothes, that would be a substantial change, and it would mark the start of something she had been avoiding. That was embarrassing for her.

“Everything starts with looking the part. This is good opportunity,” Koutarou urged.

“Save your reservations until after you’ve seen the clothes. Just looking is free,” Shizuka added.

They were practically dragging Clan along. If they were going to do it, they should do it properly. That was the consensus between the two athletic ones of the group.

“But… I don’t think this suits me at all…”

“You’ll change your mind once you actually get into it. It’s perfectly natural to be a little uneasy about trying something new.”

“Landlord-san is right. You’ll get the hang of it as you do it. Just like with science.”

“Well, that’s true…”

Clan glanced at Koutarou out of the corner of her eye. She wanted him to look at her, but she didn’t want him to see anything he didn’t like. It wasn’t just that she was anxious about starting something new. Her maiden heart made it even more complicated, though she couldn’t tell him that. Clan was in an embarrassing position.

“…Are you sure you don’t just want to ogle over baseball equipment at the sports store?”

All Clan could do was throw out some wry comment as a form of resistance. She was still looking at him, but resentfully.

“I can’t say that has nothing to do with it.”

“You barefaced liar. The truth is that you only think of me as an extra, right?”

“I wouldn’t dare. Princess Clariossa is always my top priority.”

“Whenever you say things like that, you always mean the opposite of what you say!”

“Quit your grumbling and let’s go. The sale ends today.”

“I can already imagine what you’ll be carrying home.”

Of course, Koutarou wasn’t going to let Clan bash him for no reason, so he lashed out with his own wry comments. Thanks to that, Clan’s timidity disappeared, though she herself didn’t seem to notice.

These two really get along well. It’s just…

Shizuka watched over the two with a smile. They were both stubborn and refused to be fully honest with one another. She felt like it was her job to ease the friction between them.

When they entered the sporting goods store, Koutarou flew straight to the baseball corner. Clan and Shizuka were left to go to the sportswear section on their own.

“See? He says I’m his top priority and then runs off for baseball stuff the first chance he gets!”

Clan was angry at being left behind. She was secretly hoping to get to pick out her outfit with Koutarou.

“Now, now, just calm down. I’m sure that’s not the only reason.”

“Of course it is. Just look at that happy face.”

Clan was even more angry than usual because she’d gotten her hopes up, and not even Shizuka could quell the flames. Instead, she decided to try and defend Koutarou.

“That man”

“Clan-san, take a look around.”

“―doesn’t care about… Huh?”

“This place doesn’t just have sportswear, but underwear too, right?”

The women’s wear section did have undergarments on display. Due to recent advances in sportswear, they had underwear made with highly breathable materials, materials that stayed cool to the touch, and more. And with various designs and colors, it had become a big market.

“You might not be that aware since you let Satomi-kun do your laundry, but normally boys have a hard time around women’s underwear.”

The high-performance underwear was on display with the regular sportswear. It made it a difficult place for boys of a certain age to shop.

“Ah…”

With Shizuka’s explanation, Clan finally took a good look around. Almost half of what was on display was underwear, and most of the other customers in the store were women. Only then did Clan finally realized how hard it must be for boys to come here.

“The truth is that he could have just left the shopping to me, but he came with us all the way to the store. That’s pretty considerate for a guy. Of course, I’m sure Mackenzie-kun wouldn’t have had any trouble waltzing in here and picking something out.”

“Th-That doesn’t matter. More importantly, let’s focus on the sportswear.”

Clan ignored what Shizuka was saying and went over to the display.

You really lose out by being stubborn… Shizuka said to herself.

But even so, the stingy tone in Clan’s voice disappeared. Shizuka smiled and browsed

along with her.

Regardless of how devoted she was to her research, Clan was still a girl. Her top priority in picking something out for herself was that it had to look good. Next, it should be easy to wear. That’s why the first thing she picked up was a cute style in a rich pink color.

Considering my height and figure, would this kind of design should be okay?

Clan held it up to herself as she looked in a nearby mirror trying to figure that out. The pink outfit suited her skin tone and her hair quite well. The color that wasn’t too strong, but showed off her delicate figure. The cute design made her look even more gorgeous. It suited her so well that, despite it being the first one she touched, she had no qualms about deciding on it.

“Oh, that looks really good.”

“Y-You think so?”

“Yes! I’m confident that everyone will think it’s cute too.”

“Cute… everyone will…?”

Clan blushed a little and looked down at herself. She was a little relieved that she hadn’t been totally off base.

I wonder if “everyone” includes Veltlion too…

But then a new anxiety budded in Clan’s chest. She realized that everyone had different aesthetics.

Would he laugh and say that it’s not like me…?

To Clan, the outfit in her hands was practically love at first sight. But she was still anxious that the person she wanted to compliment her most might not like it. It was so just different from what she normally wore.

“Maybe there’s something more simple…”

“You’re going to pick something else? I think that one really suits you though.”

“I don’t want to get laughed at for wearing something too different from normal…”

In the end, Clan put it back on the hanger and started looking for something else. Rather than going with something cute, she wanted something more fitting for princess. That way he surely wouldn’t laugh at her. Unlike when she decided to take up martial arts, there was no strong impetus forcing her hand now, so her pessimism had a firm hold on her thoughts.

This isn’t good… Shizuka worried.

She could vaguely imagine how Clan was feeling. As Clan put the first look back, Shizuka glanced over at the baseball corner for a second.

In that case… Okay!

If she left her to her own devices, this wasn’t going to end well. Shizuka made up her mind and left Clan behind to track down the source of her problem.

Even though he was no longer in a baseball club, Koutarou still loved the sport. From time to time, he would go play baseball with friends during the weekends. That’s why, in order to be ready at a moment’s notice, he never neglected his baseball equipment. Today he was planning on replacing his worn out shoes, and was currently standing at a shelf displaying all kinds of shoes.

“Hmm… That’s just at the limit of my budget… What should I pick?”

The shoes that Koutarou wanted were priced at the upper limit of his calculated budget. Since that kind of price tag would max him out, he couldn’t get them without thoroughly considering his decision. If he simply replaced the worn down spikes on his shoes, he could afford to buy wax for his glove or spare underwear too. Koutarou was deciding if he should spend his budget on new shoes or keeping up his current gear.

“Are you going to buy those shoes?”

That was when a voice called out to Koutarou from behind. As he turned around, he spotted Shizuka. She walked up to him and took a look at the shoes he was staring at.

“Landlord-san, I’m actually wondering what to do. They would take roughly all of my budget.”

“Aha, you’re only going to spend the money from your part-time job, aren’t you?”

“Well, I can’t act cool if I use my old man’s or Theia’s money.”

Koutarou currently had enough money to buy several dozen of the pairs of the shoes in front of him. That money came from the allowance his father sent him and the knight’s salary he got from Theia. However, Koutarou wouldn’t spend that on his hobby.

His father sent him that allowance for him to live off of. Koutarou would only use it on rent and school expenses. It was a matter of pride. He didn’t want to be a burden to his father. Really, he wanted to spend that money in a way he could be proud of.

It was a similar story with the money he received from Theia. Koutarou had become her vassal, but it wasn’t because she paid him. To him, spending that money on himself would feel a bit hypocritical. Because of that, he put all of the salary he got from Theia into savings. He would only use when several of the residents of room 106 needed it. He’d go into it when they all went out together or if they were buying high quality meat for sukiyaki and things like that, but otherwise he didn’t touch it.

That meant the only money Koutarou kept for his hobbies and fun was the money he got from his part-time job excavating the ruins. And that was why he couldn’t make the decision to blow his whole budget lightly.

Heehee, we both know you want to buy those shoes… Boys have their own problems, I guess, but right now we need to focus on the girl problems…

While Shizuka was smiling wryly on the inside, she decided to tell Koutarou why she’d come to bug him.

“By the way, Satomi-kun, sorry for bothering while you’re thinking, but there’s something I’d like to talk about. Do you mind?”

“Nah, go ahead.”

Koutarou chased the shoes out of his mind and turned to look at Shizuka. It wasn’t like he was in a hurry to make a decision.

“Actually, it’s about Clan-san’s outfit…”

Shizuka’s sounded unusually serious, so Koutarou didn’t mind putting off his own shopping.

“Clan’s outfit?”

“Yeah. Clan-san wants to buy a cute one, but she’s afraid she’ll be laughed at if she wears it, so she’s going to buy a plain one.”

“She’s worried about something like that…?”

Hearing Shizuka’s concerns, Koutarou looked towards the women’s wear section. There were some clothes in the way, but he could still see Clan’s lower half as she walked to and fro. It was clear that she was wondering what to do.

“I’m sure it’s because of that one time.”

“That one time?”

“Remember during the cook-off… You laughed and said that she couldn’t cook. I think she’s still hung up on that.”

In the past, Koutarou had used Clan’s pride against her to get her to join the cook-off, and Shizuka believed that had made her more pessimistic.

“So because of me, she…”

Koutarou remembered the incident well. He also thought that Shizuka might be right, considering how sensitive Clan was.

“No, it’s not just you. It was my fault too. She also has bad luck.”

The details, how it happened, and the outcome were all bad. Shizuka desperately wanted participants for the cook-off. Koutarou teased Clan because he knew that and wanted to get her to participate. Even if he laughed, he thought there wouldn’t be any problems as long as Clan made something decent. In the end, he thought he’d just apologize and she would get to boast about being able to cook after all. However, the plan was a massive failure and caused a war between nanomachines. As a result, Clan developed a fear of trying new things. Shizuka’s wish and Koutarou’s methods and finally Clan’s bad luck had facilitated that misfortune.

Clan was only able to start with martial arts because she had a strong motive, and the ability to use developing her PAF as an excuse. However, she didn’t have the kind of push when it came to buying a cute clothes. It was only natural that she would hesitate.

“That’s why I want to do something. Do you have any good ideas, Satomi-kun?”

“Let’s see… Let me think…”

Shizuka didn’t want to leave things as they were. She felt a little responsible. Koutarou felt the same way. He’d played a part in how she ended up like this too. And so they put their heads together to try and come up with a solution.

“For starters, we want Clan to buy what she really wants.”

“But Satomi-kun, just getting her to buy it won’t be enough. She’ll be anxious until she finally wears it and you complement her.”

“That said, even if I tell her to buy the cute one, it’ll just sound fishy, won’t it?”

“Yeah, Clan-san would probably suspect something. If only there were some way to make it necessary…”

But there didn’t seem to be an easy answer. Trying to make up for the harm they’d caused proved to be a rather difficult task.

As expected, we’ll need some kind of compensation. I guess there’s no other way.

That was when Koutarou made up his mind. He decided that he would pay for Clan’s outfit himself as compensation for what he’d done wrong.

“Landlord-san, could you tell Clan to just buy what she wants?”

“I don’t mind, but we’ll need a reason.”

“If you buy the same thing, Clan shouldn’t worry too much about it.”

If Shizuka liked the same thing and they bought it together, she would get upset if Koutarou laughed at Clan. That would mean Koutarou couldn’t laugh at either of them. That’s what he wanted Shizuka to encourage Clan to think. However, his plan had one critical flaw.

“But Satomi-kun, I don’t have that kind of money with me. It’s not going to work.”

As a landlord, Shizuka had an income, but in order not to spend too much money, she gave herself an allowance. She agreed with Koutarou’s idea, but she didn’t have the funds to carry it out.

“Please use this money to buy something for you and Clan-san.”

That was when Koutarou handed his wallet to Shizuka. Since he had come to buy baseball equipment, he had more than enough to buy clothes for both Shizuka and Clan.

“But weren’t you going to use this to buy shoes?”

Of course, Shizuka didn’t simply accept his wallet. It was a considerable amount of money to high school students like them.

“There are times when a man has to take responsibility.”

“Then I’ll repay you for my”

“It’s a present, so it’d be strange for me to take money from just one of you.”

“That might be true, but…”

Koutarou giving both of them present should be enough of an excuse to get Clan to accept. And since it was a present, it made sense for him to buy the same thing for both of them. It would be weird to lend money to Shizuka for a present to her.

“Besides… shouldn’t good things happen to you too sometimes, Landlord-san? You’re always caring for others.”

The present to Clan was meant as an apology, but he also wanted to give Shizuka a present. Having no parents of her own, Shizuka rarely ever got any. Moreover, she was always caring for the people around her. During the cook-off it was Yurika and this time it was Clan. His gift to her would be a sign of gratitude and praise for her hard work.

“…Satomi-kun…”

Shizuka’s eyes opened wide. She hadn’t even considered that Koutarou might feel that way.

I’m sure he doesn’t get it at all. He doesn’t know how I’ll feel when he says that… what I’ll do… I’ll definitely cling to him… because there’s no one else like Satomi-kun…

Shizuka was so happy she could cry. But instead, she put her hands to her chest and desperately resisted her tears. This was a time to be happy.

“…It’s going to cost you, Satomi-kun.”

“I’m prepared for it.”

As Shizuka smiled at Koutarou, she couldn’t help but think that Koutarou really had no idea that what he had just bought with those words was far more valuable than some clothes.

Clan wore her outfit for the first time the day after she got it. Strictly speaking, she had tried it on several times in her room already , but this was the first time she wore it out.

“Oh, it really does look good on you!” Shizuka called out to Clan.

Shizuka was also wearing her new outfit too, but in order to let Clan stand out, she was wearing a jacket over hers. That was her own way of apologizing.

“Y-You think so?”

“Yeah. The way you’ve put up your hair really suits you too. You look cute and energetic.”

“Is that so…? I’m glad…”

Shizuka’s encouragement made Clan feel a little better. She had actually been worrying over what to do with her hair ever since she bought the outfit. After trying out all kinds of hairstyles while she was trying it on, this was the one she finally decided on. But since Clan still didn’t have much confidence in her look, Shizuka’s words really helped.

“I’m not just saying it either. I think you really look cute.”

Like she said, Shizuka truly believed Clan looked cute. She was cute to begin with, but she was always wearing a dress, a lab coat, or her work clothes, so she looked more colorful than normal now. Shizuka could tell it was a smashing success.

“Thank you, Shizuka. I’m really glad to hear you say that.”

Clan smiled too As a girl, she couldn’t help her affinity for cute clothes. She was really quite happy to have accomplished looking cute, even though she was just wearing sportswear. On top of that, Clan was also grateful that Shizuka had gone with her to buy it. She was still a little embarrassed.

“I’m sure Satomi-kun will think so too.”

“I hope so…”

Once Koutarou’s name came up, Clan’s expression clouded over a little. She couldn’t just ignore her partner’s opinion after everything they’d been through in the past. It was all the joy and sorrow they’d experienced together that made their relationship something special —something beyond being a man and a woman. Would he think she was cute after all of that? Wouldn’t he just laugh at her and say it didn’t suit her? Clan couldn’t help being anxious.

“You don’t have to worry. We’re wearing the same outfit, so he can’t tease you like usual.”

“Even if he doesn’t say it, if he still thinks it, it’s all the same…”

Not even Shizuka’s encouragement brightened Clan’s expression now. If anything, she looked more and more anxious. As a scientist it was her duty to prepare for the worst case scenario, but that really worked against her as a girl.

Maybe I should tell her…

Sensing that things couldn’t go on like this, Shizuka decided to reveal the secret.

“Clan-san, want me to tell you something good?”

“Huh?”

“I was actually keeping it from you, but… Satomi-kun was the reason I told you to get that outfit. ”

“Veltlion?!”

Behind her glasses, Clan’s eyes shot open wide. Since she hadn’t even considered that possibility, what Shizuka was saying sounded unbelievable.

“Wh-What do you mean?!” she stammered.

“Actually, it seems that Satomi-kun regrets making fun of you before the cook-off.”

“What he said then…”

Clan recalled it clearly… as well as her failure shortly thereafter. Her current state was affected, at least in part, by what had happened then. She was afraid of having to go through he same thing again.

“But because Satomi-kun is a boy, and because of your relationship, he can’t apologize to your face. That’s why he used giving me a present as an excuse to give you a present to as an apology. Boys sure are difficult.”

“So that’s… This is Veltlion’s apology… I see…”

Clan reflexively looked down at herself. This was Koutarou’s apology for saying she wasn’t girlish. And in order to make her more girlish, he’d given her this outfit as a present. That realization slowly sunk in and melted away her apprehension.

“B-But it’s too late to apologize now! He’s very mistaken if he thinks he can fool me with just a single present after toying with my heart!”

With her unease gone, Clan’s normal energeticness returned. Her pessimism vanished. She

practically turned into a different person. Seeing Clan like that, Shizuka smiled.

“It sure is difficult for boys too with things like this… Heehee…”

While Clan was audibly criticizing Koutarou, she looked much more lively. She looked over her outfit again, smoothing it out and brushing it off here and there. She didn’t forget to check her hair either. That made it clear what Clan truly felt, but she definitely wouldn’t admit it. In the end, she and Koutarou were well-matched. Neither of them were honest. Shizuka couldn’t help but smile when she realized it.

Clan and Shizuka were already at the park where they would be praticing martial arts, but Koutarou had yet to appear. More precisely, he was alredy there, but wouldn’t come out.

“Satomi-kun, why are you hiding?”

“Landlord-san… I’m surprised you knew where I was.”

“I can sense the presence of other large creatures nearby, you know.”

Shizuka was confused that Koutarou still hadn’t showed up, so she left Clan to do some warm-up exercises while she looked around. Her keen senses had detected Koutarou hiding in the shadows.

“Is it that hard to come out?”

Shizuka smiled with a grin that wordlessly said, “You’re hopeless.” Koutarou shrugged his shoulders at Shizuka.

“I wouldn’t say that. It’s just… I don’t know what to say.”

Koutarou wasn’t really hiding. He was just trying to think of the right words for Clan.

“Just say what you really feel.”

“When I’m facing Clan, everything I try to say comes out twisted.”

Koutarou smiled wryly as he answered Shizuka. It was easy to be honest with her, but it was an ordeal with Clan. Koutarou was aware that it was a bad habit of his, so he was trying to think out something genuine ahead of time to keep it from happening today.

“Is that because Clan-san is cute when she’s angry? Or because you’re depending too much on her?”

“…You’re pretty harsh, Landlord-san.”

Shizuka wasn’t going to settle for Koutarou’s vague answer, and mercilessly went after his true intentions. And her words landed a critical hit on Koutarou with the precision of a martial arts master.

“Which one is it?”

Shizuka looked and sounded gentle, but both her face and her voice made it crystal clear she wasn’t backing down. Koutarou had no way of resisting her like that, so he resolved himself to be honest.

“Well… probably both.”

“In other words, you think Clan-san is cute. And you want to apologize for your actions

during the cook-off. But because you feel like you’ll say something else when you see her, you’re over here putting it off.”

“You really are harsh, Landlord-san. But yeah, that’s about the gist of it.”

If this were a martial arts showdown, it would be an instant defeat. Koutarou had no choice but to raise the white flag and give up.

“Heeheehee, it’s good to see you so obedient.”

Satisfied with what she’d gotten out of Koutarou, Shizuka pulled something out of her jacket pocket and spoke into it.

“…So there you have it, Clan-san.”

“Landlord-san, is that…?!”

“Bingo! It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

Shizuka was holding a bracelet like the ones Theia and Clan had. Communications were open, and it had been relaying the conversation between Koutarou and Shizuka to someone. That someone was of course Clan, who was supposed to be warming up.

“Um… Veltlion, um…”

“Y-Yeah…”

Clan’s voice came in over the bracelet. Hearing that, Koutarou instinctively turned towards the park. In the center of it was Clan looking back at him. Her face was red and she seemed very concerned with her hair and clothes. It was very different from how she usually carried herself. She was very girlish and charming right now.

“I don’t mind if you say anything, but… can you come a little closer?”

“Okay, I’ll be right there. But I’ll say what I should.”

“Right… I’ll be waiting…”

With those words, Clan hung up. Koutarou understood that the rest would have to be said face to face. Having made up his mind, Koutarou stepped out from the shadows. Clan was waiting in the middle of the park with her heart pounding. He couldn’t keep her waiting any longer. And so he started to walk over to her.

“All right. Mission complete. Seriously, the two of them are such a handful…”

Satisfied with Koutarou going over to Clan, Shizuka put the bracelet back in her pocket. She looked truly happy. Koutarou noticed that and flashed a small smile.

“In the end, you’re always looking out for others, Landlord-san.”

“I can’t be happy if I’m the only one having fun. Maybe it’s because I’m a landlord?”

Shizuka smiled as well. She believed it was only natural, so there was a beauty shining through her smile. However, that worried Koutarou.

“You’ll only lose out like that.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, Satomi-kun!”

Shizuka counterattacked with a teasing remark. To her, Koutarou lost out even more than she did, so hearing that kind of advice from him was just insulting.

“Landlord-san…”

But seeing that smile, Koutarou couldn’t help feeling that he was no match for her. At the same time, he felt like she still had a way to go to be truly happy.

“Besides, if someone thinks I’m unhappy, they should do something about it themselves.”

Shizuka gave Koutarou a provocative look. “It looks like I’m unhappy. Are you just going to leave me be?” That’s what her eyes seemed to be asking him.

“I’m sure good things will happen to me too. Don’t you think, Satomi-kun?”

“I do.”

“See? Then there’s no problem.”

“Landlord-san, you’re…”

“Hmm?”

“…No, it’s nothing. Let’s go, Clan is waiting.”

“Yeah, we’ve got a lot on our plates.”

“Yup.”

And so Koutarou and Shizuka ran up to Clan. Nothing unusual would happen after that. They would talk, practice martial arts, perhaps even quarrel. But good things were sure to come. There was no doubt in any of their hearts about that.

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