《The Saint Who Has Been Summoned to Another World》 Prologue Astraea, the land of creation, where the Goddess had descended and ruled by Queen Vi Victoria. In a room of the temple in the sanctuary, where ordinary people were not allowed to enter, an exchange was taking place, which had become a regular event. The room was furnished with luxury items that one would not expect from its bleak exterior. A girl was lying on a canopied bed, which was both resilient and soft to the touch, with her face buried in the pillow, crying. Standing by the bedside while looking down at the scene with cold eyes, was Edward, the third prince of Astraea; Which was also me. ¡°Saint, can you please stop this?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Yes, that was right. The beautiful black-haired girl who was crying depressingly in front of me was a saint, and she was also a person from another world ¡ª Earth''s Japan to be specific. The saint had been crying ever since she came to this country, and when I asked her why, she told me that her boyfriend had died. ¡°When I woke up, I knew he was gone¡­ and that I wouldn''t see him again¡­¡± I looked at the beautiful tears spilling from her eyes with cold eyes, thinking, ¡°How can you cry so much?¡± But, I knew it was fake anyway. I looked at the saint with cold eyes, but the saint who keeps crying doesn''t notice it. ¡°Besides¡­Ed won''t sleep twice with me¡­¡± ¡°Of course I won''t!¡± ¡°Uwoooh¡­¡± As the Saint lamented, the sound of the rain through the window grew stronger. The Saint''s mental state was really troublesome because it was reflected in the weather. If the bad weather continues, crops will be affected and disasters will occur. So, she needs to control her emotions. ¡°Please pull yourself together! You''ve been told to pray to the Goddess, aren¡¯t you!?¡± ¡°Un¡­If I don''t pray, the blessings she gave to this country will be gone¡­¡± ¡°That is a matter of great importance for our country! I will prepare everything and anything you want, so just pray!¡± ¡°...Anything?¡± I looked into the saint''s sparkling eyes and thought, ¡°I¡¯ve done it.¡± ¡°So, Ed, will you sleep with me?¡± ¡°I said I''d get you ''things''.¡± ¡°I don''t want it. Do you want to sleep with me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Sleep with me.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Haru¡­would do it for me if I asked him.¡± Hey. Don¡¯t say that name¡ªmy name in my previous life! ¡°If you promise to pray properly, I''ll give you¡­five minutes.¡± ¡°Five minutes? Five minutes is not enough! If I yawn, it''ll be over! I want an hour!¡± ¡°I don''t have time for this.¡± ¡°We don''t have time for this.¡± ¡°But you called me an hour early, just in case. That gives you plenty of time, doesn''t it?¡± ¡°...*Sigh*¡­¡± How could she be so perceptive in such a place? No, I knew this person was intelligent. It was typical for her to be perceptive. It would have been more disconcerting if she had cried out in a miserable manner. But I guess this was her true nature. I was deceived in my previous life, after all. Younger kids who were easily fooled and must have been easy to handle. ¡°If one hour is not enough, then 30 minutes is fine. If it''s shorter than that, I''ll sleep for the rest of the day and not do anything else!¡± Ugh...This was getting annoying. I''m sick and tired of similar exchanges going on. I sighed exaggeratedly and nodded my head, appealing to the fact that I was uncomfortable. ¡°...I understand. Thirty minutes exactly.¡± ¡°U-Un!!¡± With a twinkle in her eye, the Saint slipped back to the bed, leaving room for one more person. ¡°Here you go.¡± She opened the futon and invited me to come in. Even if she doesn''t do anything, she was such a bitchy saint to let a young man, who was not her lover, into her bed. I was a naive innocent and I was happy to die not knowing she was such a bitch, but I never thought I would carry such a depressing spoiler into my next life¡­ It still smells as good as ever. The things she used to cleanse herself after coming to this world have changed, and I''m sure she doesn''t even use perfume, so what was that the same gentle smell? I have no more regrets for everything in my previous life. And yet, the blur that smoulders in my chest was repulsive. ¡°Why do I have to take care of an ex-girlfriend who cheated on me right before she died in a previous life when I was reincarnated and living free and easy¡­?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°It''s nothing.¡± How did this happen, really? Goddess, please explain! CH 1 Chapter 1 Calm Before The Storm Astraea, the land of creation where the goddess descended from, now exists as a small island nation. It was protected by complex ocean currents, and even if it were invaded, it would not be involved in war because it had only resources that can be caught elsewhere. It was considered sacred as the place where the goddess descended from, and with her blessing, no country would try to bring war to the island in the future. I, Edward Astraea, am the third prince of Astraea, such a peaceful country. I am currently enjoying my second life after having been reincarnated from the dead. The first prince, who was the crown prince, and the second prince, who was a spare, were doing royalty-like things, but I, the third prince, who had no particular role to play, am free to do as I please. Because of that I am rarely summoned by the queen. ¡°You want me to come now?¡± ¡°Yes, and please be there at once.¡± ¡°With me looking like this?¡± ¡°Of course not¡­¡± Yuno sighed loudly. It was unfortunate for him, who was a handsome boy* of noble birth with a promising future, was forced to be a chamberlain to a good for nothing Prince, which was me. (Bish¨­nen? - handsome youth (male); pretty boy) I also thought it was wrong for me to appear in front of the queen, even though she was my mother, in work clothes with dirt on them; but Yuno was in a hurry, so I asked him about it. ¡°Kuga-sama*, are you returning?¡±(¥¯©`¥¬¤µ¤Þ) ¡°Eeh~ Already? It¡¯s still early!¡± Children gathered around me. By the way, ¡°Kuga¡± was my alias. Even though I am left to my own devices, I¡¯m still a prince so I hid my true identity to avoid trouble and go by the name of ¡°Kuga,¡± a third son of a wealthy aristocrat. This was an orphanage inside the castle town. Supporting this orphanage was one of the things I am allowed to do as I please. I am involved with the orphanage as a financial supporter and occasionally as a teacher. Today I was teaching a class in the field with the children, but on the rare occasion that I am called upon, I have no choice but to go. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I''ve got some urgent business to attend to, but before that¡­ All right, everyone pay attention!¡± I called out, and all twenty children looked at me at once. ¡°plant these seeds that I''m about to give you one by one. Until the next time I come, each of you will be responsible for growing them! This is a plant that grows by giving it magic power. What kind of plant it will be depends on how you grow it. Now, let''s see who can grow the most magnificent plant, okay?¡± The children, as if competing with each other, raised their hands while saying, ¡°Me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± They are really cute. Their pure innocent eyes were sparkling. Please don''t look at me like that, I planned to find a child with a lot of magic with this plant and ask them to help me in various ways. ¡°Oh? Ah~ it¡¯s going to rain¡­¡± While I was plowing the field, the sky was darkening, and I knew it was going to rain, but it came earlier than I expected. ¡°Kuga-sensei!¡±(I don¡¯t have to explain what sensei means right?) A girl came in front of me with her ponytail swinging around. ¡°I''ll take care of the seeds! I''ll distribute them to everyone and plant them tomorrow when the sun shines!¡± ¡°Oh, Please do, Thank you.¡± I gratefully accepted the offer from Yulia, the oldest of the children, who was 13 years old, and entrusted the seeds to her. When I patted her head, she rubbed against it like a cat. For some reason, Yulia was very friendly to me, and I am always comforted by the thought that if I had a younger sister, she would be like this. ¡°Oh.¡± The sky rumbled as I was relaxing. That was a sign of a storm coming. ¡°We need to hurry.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± With Yuno in tow, I hurried back to the royal castle by carriage. On the way, the rain was getting heavier. CH 2 Chapter 2 Summoned Saint ¡°It''s been a while since the weather was so rough.¡± ¡°I know right? It''s really rare.¡± After returning to the royal castle and dressing myself, I walked down the long corridor and looked out the window. The weather in this country was stable and comfortable, perhaps thanks to the blessings of the goddess. It''s not often that it gets this rough but¡­ ¡°The rain is getting worse¡­¡± It was evening and normally the sky would still be bright, but now the sky was dark with black rain clouds. Yuno left when we came to the private area of ??the royal family in the back of the corridor. ¡°Well then, I''ll stay here. It seems there are other princes here as well, but¡­are you okay?¡± I chuckle at the concerned look in his eyes. I get along reasonably well with my parents, but I don''t get along well with my siblings. Yuno is often blunt, but sometimes he worries about me like this. ¡°I¡¯m not, so will you come with me? It might be even better if you go instead of me¡­¡± ¡°If I take one more step, I will go to jail immediately. Now, stop with that worthless prattle and go in quickly.¡± ¡°Haha, all right¡­¡± ¡°You don''t have to come back.¡± Yuno was the type of guy who would see you off until you were out of sight, even though he tells you to leave him be. A tsundere, huh? I was not blessed when it comes to my siblings, but I am thankful to be blessed with a chamberlain. With that thought I proceeded further into the room by myself. I was called to the queen''s private chambers. The room, with the use of magic, had the same level of security as a state-secret room. I wonder what she wanted to hide so much in her private room, but I guess she had a lot of things to do when she was the queen. She must have a lot of things to do with her husbands. This country allowed polygamy and bigamy. My mother, the Queen, had a knight captain and a magician husband who are the fathers of us three brothers. Legally, our fathers are allowed to have other wives, but they seem to be devoted to our mother. But I, who had a traumatic experience in love in my previous life, think that if I were to get married, I would only want one partner. If possible, I want them to choose only me¡­ My brothers mock me for it, but I prefer monogamy. Anyway, the use of that room was not for a public matter, so I guess it was something she didn''t want to let out to the outside world. While I was thinking about this, I arrived at the front of the room. There were no guards inside the private area of the royal family. Standing in front of the door, I knocked. ¡°It¡¯s Edward.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± A voice urged me to enter, and when I went inside, I saw the three of them sitting on a soft sofa chatting with each other. ¡°You''re finally here.¡± A bewitchingly beautiful woman laughed. It was my mother, Queen Victoria Astraea. She had brown skin and rich golden hair. Her eyes were azalea pink, indicating that she had the blood of the Astrea royal family. She had an outstanding style that makes it hard to believe that she had three adult sons. Even without her status as queen, she made me feel nervous when I always met her. If it were not for her being my mother, I would not even feel like approaching her. As Yuno had told me, my two older brothers were also here. ¡°You''re late.¡± Alvin, the first prince, the crown prince, greeted me with an icy glare. Alvin was a tall and slender handsome man, like the queen. His skin was pale, like his father, but the noble ladies said that it makes him look smart. His eyes were also azalea pink because of his royal blood. It was said that his soft smile was like the wind of dancing flowers, but that wind had never blown against me. ¡°You''re the one with the most free time, so what''s the point of making us wait for you? Huh?¡± ¡°What I did was inexcusable¡­¡± The second prince, Ethan, folded his thick arms and intimidated me with his whole body. Ethan had a large body and thick muscles like his father who was a knight captain. His skin was brown like mother''s, but his hair was silver like his father''s. Ethan, of course, also had azalea pink eyes. Then I, Edward, have a plain and ordinary figure, neither as gorgeous as Alvin nor as muscular as Ethan. I have some muscles thanks to my work in the fields, but I look weak because I got my father''s fair skin. My hair was golden, but it was duller than my mother''s and Alvin''s, giving me a subdued impression, but I would be more appropriate to call it ochre than golden. My eyes were also azalea pink, but they too look somewhat dull. I may have lost the saturation and lightness of my eyes when I was born. ¡°Don''t blame Edward so much. I knew he was out there, so if I would have called you guys accordingly. We waited, but only a little.¡± Hearing the Queen''s follow-up, I said, ¡°Then, I apologise for my mistake,¡± I said to myself as I took my seat. Even if I had arrived earlier, they would have complained about something. ¡°Well, we''re all here.¡± I straightened my posture as I was urged to listen. I tensed up when I saw that she had the face of a queen, not my mother. It sounds more important than I thought it would be. After a short silence, Mother spoke up, ¡°A saint has been summoned.¡± ¡­A saint? I believed there was a tradition in this country that a saintess who brings prosperity to the country appears on rare occasions. But I doubt it if that is true. The three of us could not react immediately and each of us was thinking. It was Alvin who opened his mouth first. ¡°She was summoned, is that right? You didn''t summon her, did you?¡± ¡°Yes, it was the goddess who summoned her.¡± ¡°The Goddess?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It is the Goddess who summoned the saint and gave her to us.¡± Goddess¡­ Since this country was deeply involved, there was something about the goddess that I felt. The ocean currents around Astraea, which were preventing invasion from other countries, were also said to be blessed by the Goddess, and I think she exists, unlike in the world of my previous life¡­ ¡°The saint was said to have suddenly appeared in a temple in the sanctuary.¡± The sanctuary, located a short distance away from the royal capital, was only accessible to a very limited number of people, and it was impossible for a person to sneak into it. The fact that she appeared there means¡­that she was guided by the goddess. ¡°Why did the saint come to our country? Is there any meaning?¡± ¡°I don''t know. I don''t have the details in my file. The saint may have heard something from the goddess¡­.But, According to the chief priest''s research, making the saint happy will lead to the prosperity of our country.¡± ¡°Making the saints happy, is it¡­?¡± Everything was vague. A person who probably claims to be a saint appears, but we don''t know what for, although it was said that we would prosper if we make her happy, I don''t even know the definition of happiness. Should we worship her? Should we let her live a luxurious life? ¡°The saint''s spiritual state was said to take shape in some parts of the country. For example, the weather¡­¡± Following the queen''s gaze, everyone looked out the window. It was one of the heaviest rains in recent years. Because of that, It was hard to believe that the saint was in a good mood. ¡°¡±¡±¡±.....¡±¡±¡±¡±¡± We were silent for a while. Then It was the queen who broke the silence. ¡°I want you to be a support for her. I don''t know what makes her happy, but she will feel more secure with someone by her side.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± It sounded random, but it was the Queen who said it. But if she went to the trouble of summoning us princes then¡­ ¡°You want us to win the saint over and take her as our queen?" ¡°Edward!¡± Alvin looked at me admonishingly, but the queen smiled bitterly. ¡°Yes¡­it would help me as your mother. Because having a saint would be a great use.¡± But this time, the idea of ¡®Using a woman for gains¡¯ makes me frown. That said, I do not think she was wrong in her decision to use her son to win over the saint for the benefit of the country as queen. ¡­But, I don''t think I''m going to be actively involved in this conversation. ¡°I think this is where older brother Alvin comes in? If it¡¯s him, who all women in the country adore, I¡¯m sure the saint will fall for him soon.¡± I wanted to do the right thing here, carry Alvin, and get out of the line of fire as soon as possible. When Alvin heard my words, he looked at me as if he knew what I meant. What¡¯s with that pissed off face? You''re wasting your sparkle, you know? ¡°I don''t need you to tell me that this is my mission. I am the crown prince. Mother, where is the saint now?¡± ¡°She is still in the temple of the sanctuary. I will check on her tomorrow, and if she seems calm, I will ask her to move here.¡± ¡°If so, I will go and get her.¡± ¡°Then, I''ll leave it to you.¡± All right, I chuckled to myself because I''m not going to get involved. ¡°Well then, I have some information to share with you about the saint.¡± I was going to leave to see if the conversation was over, but the Queen kept talking. I thought I didn''t have to, but I listened, thinking I should at least know enough to avoid getting involved. ¡°We''ll deal with the saint without making it public yet. As you probably already know, the rain that is pouring now is considered to be caused by the saint. If the rain doesn''t stop and damage is caused, public opinion of the saint may become harsh. If the saints know about the public opinion and feel unhappy, it could create a vicious cycle of more disasters. Until the saint''s mind is stable and we are able to grasp the situation, everything will be done in secret. Understood?" I see. I thought if we were going to talk about something in this room, that means we can''t make it public yet. ¡°I understand.¡± I nodded following Alvin''s reply. ¡°Mother, is the saint a beauty?¡± Breaking the serious air, Ethan, the second prince, asked the queen with a grin on his face. Ethan was a wildly handsome man with an unparalleled love of women. He had made many women cry. I don''t think he should have anything to do with the saints, but Ethan may be the one who was better with women than any of us brothers. ¡°I haven''t seen her, but she seems to be an attractive girl with long black hair and black eyes.¡± ¡°A girl, is it?¡± Alvin also seems to be interested and joins the conversation. I''m just a good listener. But, black hair, black eyes? That''s a familiar shade from my previous life¡­ ¡°They told me she was nineteen.¡± ¡°Nineteen¡­is older than I thought.¡± ¡°I''m glad she¡¯s not a milk-sucking brat. You know, brother, you can give me the job, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to do it. Mother, what is the Saint''s name?¡± ¡°The saint''s name is Sakura¡­or did they say Sakura is a family name? Mana¡­The Saint''s name is [Mana Sakura].¡± ¡°Eh¡­?" I let out a small voice. The name that the Queen had mentioned. I thought I would never hear that name again. ¡°Edward, what''s wrong?¡± ¡°N-Nothing, I just thought it¡¯s an unusual name¡­¡± ¡°Maybe it''s because it''s an otherworlder name.¡± Alvin laughed at me as if I was an idiot and resumed his conversation with the queen. From that point on, I couldn''t hear what he was saying, and it didn''t enter my head at all. ¡­Because the name of the saint hit me hard¡­ Mana Sakura¡ªSakura Mana. (¥Þ¥Ê?¥µ¥¯¥é¨D¨D¨D¨D×ô‚}ÕæÄÎ) ¡ºHey, Haru.¡» Her long, straight black hair sways. The Cherry blossom petals, like her name, dance in the wind .(Sakura can also mean cherry blossom in japanese.) ¡ºMy name means Cherry blossom and Haru means spring. Don''t you think we were destined to meet in this season? In fact, it was spring when we met¡­under the cherry tree, wasn''t it?¡» A page from an old memory. It was the entrance ceremony of elementary school. She was a new student and I was a child in the nursery school next door. From that time on, she was a "beautiful older sister" to me. Junior high school, High school, University. I saw her dressed up for the entrance ceremony. Every time I did, I felt like I was being left behind¡­ I couldn''t help but feel sad that I was younger than her. ¡ºHaru.¡» ¡°Are you...the saint¡­?¡± CH 3 I, Edward Astrea, was a Japanese named Kuga Haruma in my previous life. My alias ¡°Kuga¡± was taken from my family name Kuga. (we¡¯re going with last name, first name basis with japanese names btw.) I lived with my father, an office worker, and my mother, a part-time worker. I was an ordinary boy with nothing special to say about myself, and my test scores were just above average. My appearance was not bad, but not good enough to be called a handsome person. If I were to appear in a comic book, I would have been a mob whose face would not have been drawn. But I was a lucky mob. I had the good fortune of having a beautiful girlfriend, a girl who would have banished me from the mob world. The person of my dreams, who became my girlfriend as a mob¡ª ¡ªSakura Mana. ¡°The last time I saw her was at the scene of an affair. I saw her on a date with a handsome guy.¡± (Oof, Pain, Ouch, Hinagpis.) Mana was three years older than me. We started dating when I was in junior high school and Mana was in high school. We continued to date despite the pain of three years that we could not make up no matter how hard we tried, and one day when I was in high school and Mana was in college¡­ I was working part-time without telling Mana. Since I met with Mana during Saturdays and Sundays, I was only allowed to work after school on weekdays, but when there was free time on Sundays, she asked me if I wanted to join her. But then, Mana said she had to run an errand that day, so I was free. Because of it I started working at the family restaurant in the morning. Time flies when busy, and after the midday peak had passed, I found myself at idle time. ¡°Well then, take a break for now.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I was given an hour break, so I ate some makanai and went to a convenience store to buy some juice to refresh myself. I bought a bottle of milk tea, which I don''t drink, because it had a strap of a cat character that Mana likes. I was strolling around, feeling a little ashamed of myself for doing this for her, when¡ª ¡°...Mana¡­?¡± I saw her. I saw Mana alone with a man while she had turned down my appointment because she had something to do. ¡ªNo, that was different, that was¡­something else, for sure. I desperately ran my head, which had frozen at the same time as my body, and desperately looked for something to deny that I wasn¡¯t having an affair That man was her brother¡­No, Mana was an only child. Relative? A cousin? Maybe they are just friends? They got out of a luxury car, which did not suit the two young people, and entered a brand-name store on the main street that everyone knew. I felt as if the complex I had been harboring all my life had become a ticking time bomb inside me. I felt someone had pressed the wrong switch, or cut the wrong conduit, and because of it the count to detonation was rapidly ticking away¡­ I''m not old enough to get a driver''s license yet. I ride a rusty bicycle. Even if I got a license, I don''t think I could afford such a nice car. I am sure I couldn¡¯t even bring her to a brand named store like this. I don''t know how many family restaurants I would have to work part-time just to buy one of the things in that store¡­ It would be impossible to give her a gift during her high school years. The only thing I can give you now is an extra strap that I hold in my hand. ¡°Stuff like this¡­¡± Shall I throw it away? My hand gripped the strap, as if it was worth something. A free gift that comes with a juice that costs about 150 yen, and a first-class product from a luxury brand. That''s the difference between me and that guy. The stylish store had a glass wall that allowed me to see the inside of the store. The man had his arm over Mana¡¯s shoulder while she was looking happily at the store''s merchandise. I''d like to think it was different¡­but it was not¡­ That was¡­no matter how someone else looked at it. Mana''s smile brought me back to reality. I''d like to go and yell at him, but if a guy in a family restaurant uniform walked into that place, he would be looked at strangely or stopped. Besides¡­I''m a kid compared to that guy. The man was annoyingly good looking. He was tall and had long legs. His hair was dyed and set nicely, unlike mine, which was just a matter of fixing my sleeping habits. He was dressed stylishly. I was completely defeated. He looked a little older than Mana. He might be a senior in Mana¡¯s college. College student¡ª I remember the bad memory that made me start working part-time. ¡ºHey, Mana, where do you go when you hang out with your boyfriend?¡» ¡ºKaraoke, arcade, library¡­and parks? I think we go to a lot of places around here.¡» ¡ºWhat is that? He¡¯s not a highschool student but a junior high school student!?¡» ¡ºThere¡¯s no way~¡»Then a voice that seemed to be laughing echoed. It was a conversation between Mana and her friend that I overheard by accident. Since that day, Mana''s friend''s laughter has been echoing in my head. I started working part-time so that I could go away for Mana''s birthday, but I guess¡­it was all for nothing¡­ (dw dude you can hangout with me instead QAQ) I clutched the bag and strap from the convenience store and went home feeling miserable without saying a word. I''m really stupid for buying milk tea that doesn''t even taste good to drink. I had really enjoyed myself until yesterday. We met in the morning because it was a Saturday when there was no school, and at night I was invited to stay at Mana''s house because her parents were out of town. Two young lovers shared a night together. I was ready to go up the ladder of adulthood at last, but I couldn''t¡­do it. The first thing that comes to mind was the fact that the two of us have been together for a long time. I wish I had pushed her over as hard as I could if this was going to happen. No, I don''t think it''s possible that¡­I couldn''t do anything yesterday, so the good-looking guy got over on me. The topic of such an act would have been normal around Mana, a college student. Is it still wrong because I''m just a kid¡­? I had been chasing after Mana since I was a child, but she was still in another league. Now that I thought about that, it became even more painful. The time bomb was activated, but it didn''t go off with a bang. It only made a boring sound without being discovered by anyone. It just became a piece of trash that no one would look at anymore. I took out my phone and sent a message to Mana. ¡ºBe happy with someone who is worthy of you. Thank you for everything. Goodbye.¡»(Wait, talk about it with her first jeez.) I wanted her to dump me and move on, not cheat on me, or why did she date me in the first place? I don''t need a reply. I tapped the screen to delete Mana''s registration information. ¡°...Haha...¡± I stopped and I hesitated to press the word [delete]. ¡ªYou¡¯re still curious about your reply, right? ¡ªMaybe there''s a reason, you know? My other self asks me. As I was busy thinking of not pressing it¡­I didn¡¯t notice it¡ª ¡°HARUUU!!!!!¡± I had no idea that a car driving on the side of the road was coming straight at me¡ª Kuga Haruma, aged 16, died in an accident. ¡ª Poor dude, welp that¡¯s all folk see you all next week! CH 4 ¡ºArggh! That f*cking advisor! He always talks too much!¡» After club activities were over, I rushed to our meeting place. It was a small park right in the middle of Mana''s high school and my school. Mana, dressed in her school uniform, was quietly reading a book on a bench. It was like a scene from a movie. If Mana was the heroine, could I be the hero? No, that would be impossible because a dull guy, like me, who was in a sweaty jersey from junior high school, would not be a match for her. I almost fell into my chronic negative thinking, but this was reality, not a movie, and I am definitely Mana''s boyfriend. ¡°All right,¡± I stepped forward as I encouraged myself. ¡ºMana-chan!¡» When I called out to her, Mana looked up towards me after she placed a bookmark on the book she was reading. The smile on her face when she turned towards me made me feel weak. Oops, I shouldn¡¯t show her this kid-like expression on my face. I''m trying to be the cool, good-looking guy right now. I sat down next to Mana, trying hard to keep my cheeks loose. ¡ºNee, Haru-kun.¡» ¡ºHmm?¡» ¡ºWhy don''t you take off the ¡®chan¡¯ when calling me?¡» ¡ºEh?¡± ¡ºDon¡¯t you want to just call me Mana?¡» ¡ºEh¡­? Ah! Uhm, that is¡­¡» I understood what she said and became upset. My eyes were swimming in an unusual way. In addition, my face also felt hot. I''ve been "Mana-chan" since I was a child. It''s hard to get used to calling her that. ......No bur, I always wanted to call her that. Mana giggled at my confusion and looked into my face. Her face was so close. This was bad, at such a distance, I was afraid that the noisy beat of my heart would be heard¡­ ¡ºEveryone at school calls me Mana, you know?¡» ¡º...Everyone¡­?¡» Hearing those words, the high waves that had been surging in quickly receded. ¡º...do the boys in your school call you that, too?¡» ¡ºSome of them do.¡» Mana giggled. After hearing those words, a deep crease was carved between my eyebrows. I was her boyfriend but I don¡¯t say her name like that, instead people the same age as her do¡­ I felt angry when I thought about it. Only me and my family were allowed to call her Mana, and her female friends too! ¡ºHaru.¡» ¡º£¡¡» I''ve been called Haru-kun all this time. When I looked at Mana, her face was a little red. If I pointed it out, I''m sure she would say it was because of the sunset. But Mana stepped up and so I should too¡­! ¡ºM-Mana!¡» I called out impatiently, so my voice was louder than I expected. I could feel myself blushing so much that I could clearly tell it wasn''t because of the setting sun. Mana looked a little surprised but then smiled at me. ¡ºYes, what is it?¡» Mana moved and filled the little gap that existed between us. ¡º...........!¡» I smelled something soft and gentle, like cherry blossoms, and because of that I turned my face away. ¡ºHey, today is the anniversary of the first time we called each other by name, and¡­another anniversary to celebrate. Shall we add more?¡» When I turned my face back to see what she was talking about, Mana''s face was closer than before. Because she was so close, I could feel the warmth of her body¡­ ¡ºCan you please close your eyes?¡» Wouldn''t that be better if it was me who was saying it? I thought so, but my body was mature enough to follow the instructions. ¡ºMana¡­¡» ¡°*Siiiiiiigh* What a shitty dream¡­¡± When I woke up this morning, my mood was subtle. ¡°It''s because ofPuberty!¡± I thought to myself. It was as unimportant as Alvin''s boasting about his good looks and Ethan''s boasting about his muscles. ¡°Edward?¡± ¡°No, it was nothing. I just had a bad dream.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± A day had passed after hearing that a Saint had been summoned. The sky was still dark and the rain had not stopped. I decided to stop my plan to go to the orphanage and go to my room to work on my desk. Right now, Yuno and I were inside my private room, just working on my pen. The crown prince, Alvin, who was given the task of winning over the Saint, headed for the temple early in the morning. He brought a large luggage of some kind, but it seemed to contain flowers, ornaments, and other gifts. A handsome prince and a set of nice gifts. A solid tactic. If she was the one who had been summoned, this would be easy, and we would see blue skies by the end of the day. ¡­But, If it was Mana, would she fall in love with Alvin? No, No. ¡°Fall in love,¡± was it? She could fall all she wanted to. Yeah, totally, totally, OK. It was not my problem anymore. I shook my head trying to get rid of those thoughts. The past life was past, and I should focus this life, Of course it was better not to get involved with a troublesome saint. Besides, in this life, my type was a pretty lady that was a little younger than me. I am sixteen years old now, the same age I was when I died. The Saint was said to be nineteen. I don''t want someone that was older than me again. So I''m going to support Alvin as much as I can. ¡°Is it noon already? I wonder if Older Brother Alvin made it to the temple.¡± I placed down my pen at the end of my work and stood up from my sit Through the window it was still raining. ¡°Yes, I suppose so. If nothing else happened.¡± The saints were to move in secret, but only a few people knew about it. Yuno was one of those who knew about it. ¡°But it''s troubling that the saint''s mental state has such an effect on the country.¡± ¡°Yeah, I thought so too.¡± ¡°It''s been a long time since the rain made the castle town lively, but¡­The saint is feeling sad, isn''t she?¡± ¡°I don''t know. The rain reminds us of tears, but rain may not always equal sadness. If this rain is a ''rain of blessings,'' she may be smiling now and accepting Older Brother Alvin''s tribute¡ª¡± A flash of light came through the window as if to interrupt me as I was speaking. Then after next moment¡ª *Doooooooooooooooooooo* ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°!¡± A loud roar as if an explosion had occurred. Lightning strikes. The sky was even blacker and rumbling, and the thunderstorms were likely to continue. ¡°...Is this another influence of the saints?¡± ¡°Ah¡­it might be.¡± ¡°I see things didn''t work out with Alvin-sama.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­But, maybe it was a shocking love-at-first-sight moment or something, you know?¡± As soon as I finished talking, there was another flash of light, and then a thunderbolt struck. The rain increased in intensity, and the wind became even stronger. Suddenly, it became a big storm. ¡°...seems to be a pretty intense love at first sight.¡± ¡°H-Hahaha¡­¡± The only thing that came out was a dry laugh at Yuno''s joke. By all means, it felt like the saint was angry. ¡°I don''t know what Elder Brother Alvin is doing¡­But, ain¡¯t his good looks a treasure?¡± ¡°Unexpectedly, Edward''s turn may come around.¡± ¡°I''m in trouble. If Elder Brother Alvin is not good enough, Elder Brother Ethan has to do something about it.¡± At the same time as the news of Alvin''s return, I was called back to the queen''s private chambers, the same as yesterday, to discuss the saint. ¡°Alvin, it seems things did not go well.¡± ¡°My apologies¡­¡± I was about to blow out a "pfft" when I opened the door and saw Alvin with a regretful look on his face, but I should praise myself for holding back. It''s a pity that the saint case wasn''t settled earlier, but it was good to see that look on Alvin''s face. ¡°We don''t have a choice. How was the saint? Can you talk her out of it?¡± ¡°This is what I told her through the door¡­¡± ¡ºSaint.¡» ¡º...Who?¡» ¡ºMy name is Alvin Astraea, Prince of Astraea. I am here to welcome you.¡» ¡º...To welcome?¡» ¡ºYes. I have prepared a room for the saint in the castle. Please make yourselves at home there, and not in this humble place. I have prepared everything that is appropriate for the saint. I hope I can be of assistance to put your saintly mind at ease.¡» ¡º...It¡¯s fine. Please leave me alone¡­¡» ¡ºI can''t leave you alone, Saint! Will you please open the door? First, let''s look each other in the eye and discuss. Then we can build a relationship of trust. Then¡­!¡» ¡ºLeave me alone! I am¡­I am still¡­!¡» ¡°Then lightning struck after she said so¡­¡± ¡°Pfft¡± ¡°........¡± Oops, I shouldn''t have done that. This time, I couldn''t hold back and let out a laugh. He was so upset that Alvin gave me an icy stare that I had to clear my throat to cover it up. He said, ¡°let''s look each other in the eye¡± but the whole point is to show off your looks, right? It was obvious that he was confident that as long as he can get her to look at him, he can get her to fall for him. Sure, he had good looks to be confident about, but he couldn¡¯t even get them to look at you and ended up getting turned away at the door! That was so funny, HAHA. ¡°Ha! You''re pathetic, Elder Brother. It¡¯ll be my turn tomorrow, okay?¡± ¡°No! And It is not something that can be done in a day. Mother, it must be painful for the saint to see people change from one day to the next. Can''t you leave it to me for a while longer?¡± ¡°Fumu¡­I suppose so. I think it''s too early to come to a conclusion in a day. Let''s leave it to Alvin and see what happens.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°...But I want this to be known to the public as soon as possible. We don''t want this to drag on too long, do we?¡± ¡°I understand¡­¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± I looked out the window as I heard Ethan''s tongue click. ¡°This will never stop¡­¡± The queen overheard this and glanced out the window as well, then asked Alvin, ¡°How¡¯s the Saint¡¯s mental state?¡± ¡°She was unstable. I got the impression that she was grieving and depressed about something.¡± ¡°Certainly¡­I sense a deep sadness from this rain.¡± Mana was crying¡­ I''m pushing it to the corner of my mind that it doesn''t matter, but from the beginning I felt this rain was tears. The kid who was sobbing with a towel because they didn''t have a handkerchief was no longer here.(1) (I searched about this for hours and honestly, I don¡¯t know what this means sorry¡­) ¡ª 1: Raw version : ¥Ï¥ó¥«¥Á¤¬¤Ê¤¯¤Æ¥¿¥ª¥ë¤ò³Ö¤Ã¤Æ¥ª¥í¥ª¥í¤·¤Æ¤¤¤ë¥¬¥­¤Ï¤â¤¦¤³¤³¤Ë¤Ï¤¤¤Ê¤¤¤Î¤À¡£ Schedule: Monday¨CWednesday¨CFriday If there¡¯s any problem, say it in the comment section! This is just an advanced chapter to let you guys know my schedule of release! CH 5 ¡°I love you, Mana-chan! When we grow up, please be my wife!¡± As a child in preschool, I showed my childlike energy, which I did not know how to use, and I asked Mana to marry me day in and day out. (jeez preschool? When I was that age, I was eating dirt or something¡­) Mana lightly passed it over and did not take me seriously, but even after graduating from preschool and becoming an elementary school student, my foolishness continued as I confessed my feelings to her without fear of being seen and heard by other people. I didn''t realise it at the time, but I think Mana was embarrassed in junior high school by the persistence of an elementary school student. But Mana was not disgusted and accepted it with a smile. The change came when I entered middle school and Mana entered high school. I finally acquired a sense of shame. Because of that I learned to think about ¡°Not bothering Mana,¡± and I stopped courting her everywhere. But if I didn''t say it, stress would build up. When I saw Mana, I refrained from going to see her because I reflexively wanted to say, ¡°I love you!¡± to her. Then, for some reason, Mana began to appear in front of the school gate of my junior high school when it was time to leave school. The appearance of this beautiful young lady caused a commotion among the adolescent junior high school boys. A handsome guy who had appeared in a magazine and was said to be the prince of the junior high school was also eager to seduce Mana, and a festive atmosphere ensued, complete with jealousy on the part of the girls. I knew Mana had come to see me, but I felt bad for making a beautiful girl wait for me, who was like the mob of mobs, so I sneaked out the back and left. Mana''s ambush continued for a while, but when I kept running away, she now started showing up in front of my house. I''m not going to say anything else!¡¡I bit my lower lip and went in front of Mana. When Mana saw me, she smiled as if relieved. But her smile also looked as if she was worried. ¡°...Are you busy lately¡­? ¡°No¡­¡± I would confess as soon as I opened my mouth. I''m finally getting to be able to weigh myself. I''m not going to let all the effort I''ve put into this go to waste, so I kept my mouth shut. But Mana started to fidget when I kept doing so. ¡°Are you feeling sick¡­?¡± ¡°I''m in excellent health.¡± I answered while looking in the direction of the day after tomorrow, but it was very hard because of Mana¡¯s cute voice. ¡°...did I do something to offend you¡­?¡± ¡°?¡± I didn''t do anything, in fact, I was the one doing something that made her angry. Tears began to pool in Mana''s eyes as she only tilted her head. ¡°Then why don''t you come see me anymore¡­?" ¡°??¡± Huh? Eh? H-Handkerchief! AAH! I didn''t have anything that was elegant! All I had was a sweaty towel! What should I do!? How did this weird situation happen!? I almost panicked, but then I suddenly realized that there was no one around. No one was around¡­which means that I won''t be bothered if I throw out my thoughts to Mana here! The moment I thought that, my mouth moved. ¡°I love you. I will always love you!¡± Mana was pouting, but after a moment her face soon turned red. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± I had never seen this kind of reaction before, and because of that, it made me pause too. I was unable to say anything, but Mana glanced at me with a red face and opened her mouth. ¡°Ka¡­¡± ¡°Ka?¡± ¡°Is it all right for me¡­to be your girlfriend¡­?¡± She was pouting again, but the moment I saw Mana''s reddened face and understood the meaning of when she said, ¡°Girlfriend.¡± ¡°YES PLEASE!!!¡± He spoke louder than ever before and bowed my head deeply. That''s how me and Mana became ¡°Boyfriend¡± and ¡°Girlfriend¡±. We were incredibly happy, but¡­ After that, we would suffer through three years of unfulfilled love. ¡°It¡¯s raining¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s raining all right.¡± ¡°It won''t stop¡­.¡± ¡°It doesn''t seem to be letting up soon.¡± ¡°I guess good looks are useless in an emergency.¡± ¡°Good looks and tools are only as good as the people who use them.¡± I looked out the window with Yuno and blurted out. Today too, Alvin left for the temple early in the morning. It was still raining when they arrived at the temple. I don''t think it will take more than a day or two to build trust, but I don''t want it to rain all the time. ¡°The maids have been complaining that they can''t hang their laundry outside.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s a problem for sure. I''d like to go to the orphanage and see the fields too¡­¡± "Alvin-sama is proud of being the most beautiful boy in Astrea, so what is he doing to one little girl, even if she is a saint? I would like her to fall for him as soon as possible." Yuno, your language was very disrespectful to both Elder Brother Alvin and the saint, you know? Well, he didn''t say it in a place where other people are listening, so I didn''t pay attention to it. I also support his words one hundred percent. ¡°Maybe you should go,you know? being the most beautiful boy in Astraea? ¡°I''ve never been one of those things.¡± ¡°That''s what you think.¡± ¡°............¡± You''re looking at me like I''m looking at trash, but that was just embarrassment, wasn''t it? Yuno was only fourteen years old, but he was taller, slender, and more mature than a Japanese junior high school student. But he still retains the childish characteristic of a young boy, which will appeal to those who like younger people. If Mana were the saint, I thought she would definitely like Yuno more than my older siblings. His eyes were green, but his hair was brown, a common color in Japan, so he should be easy to relate to. ¡°Hey, if things don''t go well for my Elder Brothers and it''s my turn, can yo¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± He said no, before I could finish my sentence . I thought it was a great idea, you know? ¡°...Ah¡­¡± A ray of light came into the darkened room. I looked out the window and saw a crack in the black clouds that had been covering the sky. ¡°The rain weakened?¡± ¡°Is Alvin-sama¡¯s persuasion successful?¡± ¡°I hope.¡± I naturally sighed. So Mana was this easy, huh? ¡­Wait, why am I disappointed? I¡¯m definitely not disappointed. Definitely not! I am happy that I am now out of the picture. Right, I''m just really glad. ¡°Hmm?¡± As I was shouting excuses in my mind that I didn''t know to whom I was addressing, I noticed that the vase by the window was making a rattling sound. Why was it shaking¡­? ¡°Uwaa!?¡± The room began to shake violently the moment I noticed it. The furniture moved, and objects that were high up fell to the floor. Sounds of something breaking and screams could be heard from the hallway as well. It was a big earthquake. ¡°Yuno, stay under that desk!¡± ¡°But Master Edward¡­! ¡°I don''t care, just do what I say! It''s okay! And Stay where you are! That''s an order!¡± After giving instructions to Yuno, who tried to follow me, I went out into the hallway where I heard the screams and saw the maids crouched near the window. ¡°Hey! Get away from the window! If the glass breaks, you''re in danger! Don''t even go right under the ceiling light or near anything that might fall over!¡± ¡°W-We understand!¡± I looked out the window and saw the gardeners nearby. ¡°Get away from the building and keep your distance! The walls could collapse and the glass on the upper floors could break and come down!¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Remembering the disaster prevention lesson I had taken in his previous life, I warned those who were close to me. While doing so, the shaking lessened¡­ ¡°It stopped¡­?¡± I went back and looked around the room and saw that the objects that had fallen were scattered about, but they were not shaking. I was relieved and helped Yuno, who had come out from under the desk and was trying to stand up. ¡°Edward-sama, the shaking we just felt¡­¡± ¡°Looks like an earthquake.¡± ¡°An earthquake, sir?¡± I have experienced earthquakes in my previous life, but this was the first time in this life. Earthquakes were rare in this world. Astraea doesn''t have earthquakes, so Yuno had never even heard of the word earthquake. ¡°It''s a natural disaster that shakes the earth.¡± ¡°Could it be related to the saint?¡± ¡°Very likely, also we have to make sure there won''t be a tsunami.¡± ¡°Tsunami¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, the earthquake will cause high waves to come in. I''ll contact the coastal areas as soon as possible to warn them.¡± ¡°I understand, I''ll make the arrangements.¡± I don''t think a tsunami of this magnitude would be strong enough to engulf people, but it would be dangerous to approach the sea recklessly. I''m probably the only one who had a sense of urgency about tsunamis, so I''ll deal with this as best I can. However, if this earthquake was also related to the saint, it was not a good situation. ¡°I think it would be better to have my brother Ethan go there tomorrow.¡± ¡°...I have a feeling that it would be better for Edward-sama to go.¡± ¡°Really?¡¡I don''t think it would end well if I went.¡± ¡°I think you underestimate yourself, Edwards-sama. Just a few moments ago I was reminded how lucky I am to have you as my master.¡± ¡°Being dere won¡¯t do you any good, you know?¡± ¡°Dere¡­?¡± ¡°Anyway, I''m going to check on the earthquake damage and the orphanage, before going to Mother.¡± We will have to have another discussion about the saint today. Should I go to the saint as Yuno said? Brother Ethan was very forceful, so I don''t think he would be very compatible with someone in a delicate state. But if I told him I was going, he would probably lose his temper. Scratching my head, I let out the biggest sigh of the day. ¡ª Schedule: Monday¨CWednesday¨CFriday CH 6 ¡°HAHAHA! The most handsome man in Astraea lost!¡± As I had predicted, I was called to the Queen¡¯s private room. I was a little late, having gone to check on the orphanage, and was the last to enter, but as soon as I opened the door I heard Ethan''s high-pitched laugh. Elder Brother Alvin had a bitter look on his face because of it. ¡°I guess I''ll have to go tomorrow, as I''m also the most handsome man in Astraea, right?¡± ¡°Wait, it¡¯s still the second day¡­¡± ¡°But Elder Brother, what if something happens again like today? Won¡¯t the people be worried?¡± The Queen listened silently to the exchange between the two brothers. She was probably deciding which one of them was going tomorrow. Meanwhile, the air between them is getting worse. Hey, come on, don''t start on the royal sibling squabbling and other disturbing things¡­ The crown prince was set to be Alvin, but some are pushing for Ethan. Can you guys stop creating some strange sparks? ¡°Elder Brother Alvin, can you tell us how the earthquake happened?¡± Ethan, who had been standing up in the heat of the moment, slumped down on the sofa as I spoke to him. ¡°We can''t make the same mistake, so let us hear it.¡± ¡°All right¡­¡± Alvin looked disgruntled, but since he was in front of the Queen, he began to maturely explain the circumstances leading up to the earthquake. ¡°Today I explained the situation to the saint.¡± Although it was through the door, Elder Brother Alvin spoke to her patiently. She was the saint, and Astraea was willing to protect her. Then he said that the Saint¡¯s mental state was affecting the country, and that it was raining now. ¡°Then the Saint opened the door.¡± ¡°Oh! She came out!? So was she beautiful? ¡°So you¡¯re really like that, huh? She looked like she had been crying for a long time because her eyelids were swollen, but she was beautiful. If she was properly groomed, she would be as beautiful as Mother.¡± ¡°If Elder Brother, who is a harsh critic, is like that, then I guess I can count on you!¡¡¡±What do you think of her body? I prefer a fuller figure, you know?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s not bad.¡± ¡°Oh! Now I''m interested!¡± ¡­I wonder what was wrong with me¡­? I suddenly have the urge to punch Older Brother in the face soooo bad! He was looking at Mana erotically¡­That was so wrong! I''m angry because it was so inappropriate! How dare you look at a saint like that¡­! But, It was a little too late for me to tell them to stop it. ¡°Alvin. Quickly, tell me the rest of the story. Ethan, shut your mouth for a while.¡± It seems that the queen has become numb to the fact that the conversation has veered off in a ridiculous direction. ¡°The Saint was wondering if the rain was bothering us. She was relieved when I told her that the people were happy to have rain for the first time in a long time.¡± Ahh¡­the clouds cleared up a bit at this time. ¡°I see. She seems to have a saintly ethic. Maybe if we hold her accountable for the disadvantages caused by the weather, we might be able to move her successfully¡­¡± Mother, were you a demon? ¡°I asked why is it raining and what is she mourning, then she told me, ¡ºMy boyfriend died.¡»¡± Eh? ¡­Eeh..? was that me, if you don''t mind me asking? ¡°I tried to comfort the saint. I said she could forget if she found a new love, and that if it were me, I would never leave her side; But when I suggested that¡­¡± ¡ºI don''t want a new lover! I don''t want to forget! Go away! Don''t ever appear in front me again!¡» ¡°And as soon as the saint broke down crying¡­¡± ¡°There was an earthquake, wasn''t there?¡± ¡°HAHA! You''ve been rejected, Older Brother. It¡¯s my turn now.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Ethan laughed ridiculously loud, but I couldn¡¯t hear it because of the confusion that I¡¯m in right now. I wondered if that handsome guy I was dating was dead too, but it seems unlikely that Mana''s boyfriend would die in a row. What kind of unfortunate woman was she? She was not a horror or mystery heroine, right? I don''t think it''s possible, but¡­she might be sad that I died. But she was cheating on me, so she shouldn''t have any love for me¡­ AARGGGHH but I¡¯m curious! I wanted to be sure, so I turned toward Ethan. I''m sure I''m going to get blasted for telling him this, but I braced myself and talked to him. ¡°Elder Brother Ethan.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Can it be me, who¡¯s going tomorrow?¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± See? He was so scary! He had the look in his eyes that he would kill me! How could you treat your own brother like that!? Ahh, right. He doesn¡¯t recognize me as his own brother¡­ Instead of meeting the Saint tomorrow, I had raised the flag that there will be no tomorrow for me, but I managed to use my head to talk my ferocious brother out of this. ¡°I think a simple man like me would be more likely to talk to the saint without alarm. I will report back to you the information I have gathered, and I will switch with Elder Brother Ethan the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I don''t think you''re up to it¡ª¡± ¡°Well, you have a point. Edward might be able to talk to her without hesitation.¡± The queen opened her mouth to interrupt Ethan''s words. ¡°Also Edward, you did a great job in the aftermath of the earthquake. I heard about you everywhere.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± It''s nice to get a compliment, but it''s more trouble than it''s worth. Look, both of my Elder Brothers were looking at me with a look of intimidation as if to say, ¡°Don''t get carried away.¡± It had been that way since I was a kid, it was annoying to be honest. ¡°Edward, you should go tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Mother! I shou¨C¡± ¡°If you go, there''ll be no reason for Edward to go first.¡± ¡°But! This guy is too unreliable!¡± ¡°Right after the earthquake, I don''t want to provoke the saint too much. I''d like to give it a few days, but I''d like the rain to stop soon so I can keep trying to persuade her. In that sense, Edward, who is visually and personality less stimulating, is the right man for the job.¡± ¡°.......¡± Mother, I knew you didn''t mean to offend me, but you were hurting me without a second thought, you know? Sorry for being such an uninspiring bore! Well, I don¡¯t mind. That was what made me seize this opportunity. It was not that I missed her. This was just a confirmation to make a proper closure with my former life. After that, It was now early in the morning of the day I was assigned to persuade the saint. ¡°It¡¯s so cold!¡± Astraea had a relatively mild climate, but this morning it was unusually cold¡­ ¡°W-What the heck is this¡­?¡± I opened the curtains, looked out the window, and was shocked by the sight that met my eyes. White. What I saw was something white. ¡°Snow¡­?¡± It was the first snow I had seen since my reincarnation. Moreover the snowflakes were already piling up lightly. ¡°Elder Brother Ethan!¡± As soon as I arrived at the temple, I was led into the reception room where Ethan was. When I opened the door, I found Brother Ethan with a beautiful woman on each arm with his legs crossed in a pompous manner, even though he was causing all this trouble. I thought I could hit him because of that. ¡°Elder Brother¡­It was snowing outside. What on earth have you done to the saint?¡± ¡°I called her, but she wouldn''t come out, so I tried to convince her and said, ''Open this door and I''ll show you the joys of a woman.¡¯ What''s wrong with that?¡± Everything! In Japanese terms, it''s complete sexual harassment. It could also be called attempted sexual assault. Also beautiful women on both sides were a ¡°No¡± either! ¡°I''m the one who called you here, you know? You should go and get her out of that room.¡± ¡°All right, I''m in charge of getting her out of there, so I''ll do it! But! Please leave, Elder Brother. Today is my day. I will keep quiet now that you are here, but if you stay any longer, I will inform Mother.¡± Even if I don''t report it, I''m sure Mother would already know about it. As expected, Ethan thought the current snowy situation was bad, so he didn''t threaten me as usual. He clicked his tongue and stood up. ¡°Tell the saint, ¡®I''ll be back tomorrow, so dress up and wait for me¡¯.¡± ¡°All right, I got it.¡± There was no way I was going to tell her that! In my mind, I cussed grandly like a child, ¡°You idiot~¡± but I nodded silently because I wanted him to go home like a grown-up. ¡°Now then...¡± For the time being, now that I have gotten rid of the interloper, let''s head on to persuade the Saint, shall we? ¡ª Schedule: Monday¨CWednesday¨CFriday Small changes: Older Brother to Elder Brother Kuga(Mc''s alias) to K¨±ga CH 7 The temple looked modest from the outside, but when it came to the residential areas of the temple administration, it was luxurious. It was not so different from a nobleman''s mansion. ¡°The temple is more snobbish than I thought.¡± ¡°Don''t say that¡­¡± Yuno, who followed along with me as I lightly said a profane language, frowned as he looked up at the useless glittering lights. It couldn¡¯t be helped since the people who were managing this place came from aristocratic backgrounds. Also, people from the private sector who have worked their way up the ladder could feel a sense of status by being surrounded by luxury goods, so this structure was basically accepted. Some people stay in a modest room, not wanting to be extravagant even if they rise in the ranks, but such highbrow people tend to be shunned within the organization. Well, this was often the case in Japan as well. The Saint was said to have shut herself in a room on the luxurious side. I think the person who was supposed to be Mana did not choose this room by herself but was assigned to it by the temple, but she must be living a moderately comfortable reclusive life. I envy her. The room was located far away from the other rooms. I stood in front of the door that stood alone. What should I say first? I couldn¡¯t see the outside from here, but the snow must still be falling. Even if I couldn¡¯t make it sunny, I don''t want to make it worse. ¡°I guess I''ll knock first.¡± After saying so, I lightly knocked on the door. It wasn''t that loud, but it echoed in the long hallway. ¡°......¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°......no response¡­¡± ¡°......It seems so¡­¡± As expected¡­Well then, what should I do? As I thought about it, memories of my previous life came back to me. When I thought of ¡°snow,¡± ¡°door that won¡¯t open,¡± and ¡°knock,¡± It made me want to sing the song, ¡°Do you wanna make a snowman~?¡± (Frozen movie reference kek) Shall I take the plunge and sing it? Nah, I''m not going to start singing all of a sudden¡­ It would be horrifying if I just suddenly did that. Even Yuno would be avoiding me. I should probably stop thinking about this nonsense¡­ I knocked again and called out to her. ¡°Nice to meet you, saint? My name is Edward Astraea, the third prince of Astraea. You may continue as you are, and I will listen to what you have to say¡­¡± ¡°Go away! Pervert!¡± ¡°¡±......¡±¡± I couldn''t help but make eye contact with Yuno when I heard a shout coming from inside. Pervert? ¡­Oh, you mean Ethan? I guess he said a lot of sexually harassing remarks. I mean, this voice was definitely Mana. It''s a voice I could hear again after dying once, but the line that flew in first was ¡°pervert.¡± It was not appropriate for a dramatic story in which we meet again even though we are dead. I guess there was no fate between us. I am a mob in a story in which I am dead; and Mana was a saint in a different world. Even though I''m a mob prince, I''ve been promoted to a prince, so all¡¯s well that ends well. Once again, I attempted to talk to her. ¡°Saint, I was ju¡ª¡± I spoke to her as a mob prince, but what I got back was¡ª ¡°Narcissist!¡± ¡°Fake noble!¡± ¡°Beauty pusher!¡± ¡°Sexual harasser muscle head!¡± ¡°Walking sexual harasser!¡± ¡°Guy with a brain between his legs!" ¡ªand many other abusive languages. While she was yelling, the Saint must have been getting heated up because the blizzard outside was making a ¡°Goooooo¡± sound. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°......¡± Me and Yuno looked down involuntarily. That was it¡­we couldn¡¯t stay here anymore! ¡°Yuno, let''s pull back for a moment.¡± ¡°......¡± Yuno, bit his lower lip, and nodded his head. I couldn''t believe she knew how to curse like that! We hurriedly walked away from the Saint''s room, and when we came to a place where there was no one around¡ª ¡°Ku¨CHAHAHAHAHA!!! I felt like she said all the curse words that she knows to elder brother HAHAHAH!!!!¡± ¡°Ed-sama, you shouldn¡¯t¡­pfft¡­laugh at that¡­pfft¡­¡± ¡°See!? You¡¯re even laughing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true¨C¡± ¡°Sexual harasser muscle head! Guy with a brain between his legs!¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA!!!¡± I laughed my belly off and even the always cool Yuno laughed out loud. What she said was so well precise and said. ¡°Aaahh~~~ She made me laugh so hard.¡± I felt much better. She must have been under a lot of stress about my Elder Brother. ¡°We weren¡¯t in a mood to laugh but I see that the Saint has a good sense of humor.¡± The Mana I remember was a calm and collected older woman who never raised her voice. ¡°Sounds like it. Well, I can''t keep laughing about this. All right, Yuno, get me a pen and paper ready.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to want to listen to me, so I decided to write her a letter stating my business. ¡°Ah, also one more thing.¡± I don''t want it to be revealed that my previous life was Haruma Kuga, but I want to get her attention to the extent that I could get her to listen to me using my memories of my previous life. There I wrote a letter, did one more task to complete the package, and gave it to the priest who was bringing food to the saint. I instructed Yuno and rented a spare room. ¡°Can you please deliver this letter and package to the saint.¡± ¡°If she doesn''t receive them¡­?¡± ¡°Just tell her that you will leave it in front of the door.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The priestess looked nervous and went to the saint. She was a young female priestess, but she must be a good girl to be nervous even with me. ¡°You have a lot of talents, Edward-sama.¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, you mean that one?¡± Yuno was holding a cookie in the shape of a cat''s face, which was the contents of the parcel that I just entrusted with the letter. I asked for and received permission to use the kitchen of the temple. The cookies were handmade by me. I have never baked cookies in this life, but in a previous life I did so occasionally. In my previous life, I was an idiot who honestly believed a fashion magazine''s suggestion that said, ¡°A man who can do housework and cooking is popular with the ladies!¡± I didn''t really want to be popular, I just wanted Mana to like me¡­ I am a true fool because I have been cheated on by doing such a thing. However, I hoped I could make use of it in this world! Since there were no molds available to use, I made two colors of dough, chocolate and plain and rolled them into bars, assembled them to form a face. Then cut them into Kintaro-ame style after rolling them up like a nori roll, or so called Icebox cookies. Since the dough could be iced with magic, it took less time and was easier to make in this world, but this process does not seem to be available here; because of it the kitchen was bustling. The reason why I made this was because Mana was a cat lover. The free item that came with the milk tea I bought just before I died was also a cat character. I''m sure this cookie would be a hit¡­I think? ¡°Since the Saint is also a young woman, I think she prefers sweets and pretty things. This is a good strategy. It''s a pity that if only Edward-sama had a little more charm, people would look at you differently¡­¡± ¡°Can you not cheer me up then put me down like that? Besides, you would still appreciate me, regardless of what people around you think of me, right?" ¡°Of course I do. I don''t want to serve fools, so please don''t let me down.¡± ¡°Yes~¡± It was great that he was acknowledging me. Thank you for being a typical tsundere. ¡°Well then, since the pastries are just right for occasion, let¡¯s have tea time before the priest returns.¡± Icebox Cookies are easy to make in large quantities. I''ve distributed them in the kitchen, but I still have a few left over. ¡°Can I have some too?¡± ¡°No problem, eat as many as you like. ¡°Thank you very much. I''ll make you some tea.¡± By the way, there were two kinds of cookies that I made; a black cat based on chocolate dough and a white cat based on plain dough. I also made marbled cookies by lightly mixing the leftover dough. This one looked delicious even though it was plain and round in shape. I got some unpleasant stares in my previous life when I said this, but making cookies was a lot like playing with clay. So it was pretty fun for me too. ¡°It''s kind of too good to be eaten¡­¡± ¡°I was to do it well.¡± Oh that was it, how about making and selling these at the orphanage? I could have the kids with a lot of magic power take charge of the cooling process¡ª ¡°E-Edward-sama¡­Edward-sama!¡± I was planning it, but I was interrupted by Yuno''s voice. ¡°Oh, my bad, I was thinking of something. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Yuno pointed to what should have been a window with a view of falling snow¡­ I was surprised to see something different from what I had expected. The snow had stopped falling. It wasn''t raining either. ¡°It''s so bright, it''s like angels are coming down from the cracks of the clouds¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. Oh, look, The clouds are disappearing too¡­¡± The black clouds were dissipating, and more and more light was flooding in. The weather was improving at a frightening rate. ¡°Clear skies¡­¡± ¡°It''s a cloudless blue sky¡­¡± It was so clear that the heavy rain we had yesterday and the snow we had this morning were a lie. Could it be¡­? I looked at the cat face cookies that Yuno was chewing on. ¡°I guess she was pleased with this?¡± ¡°The plan worked, didn''t it?¡± I wonder if I could get her to meet me this time. All right, let¡¯s go again. As I was pouring down the remaining cookies in my mouth with my tea, I heard the sound of running coming from the hallway. No one inside the temple runs unless there is something urgent. So, what was going on? ¡°Is he here!?¡± ¡°P-Please wait! I will go and call him for you!¡± A woman''s panicked voice echoes. ¡°They are making a lot of noise, aren¡¯t they?¡± Just as I was about to nod at Yuno''s words the door opened with a loud sound. Against the dazzling sunlight, her long, beautiful black hair swayed. ¡ªAh, I knew it. It was you. It has been sixteen years since I died. Mana''s appearance has not changed so much that the day when my life ended in my previous life seems like yesterday. I got up from the sofa and bowed. ¡°Saint-sama. My name is Edward, the third prince of the Astraea kingdom. Thank you for comi¨C¡± ¡°...Why?¡± ¡°?¡± I thought I heard her saying something, so I turned my eyes to see the Saint looking at me with tears streaming from both eyes. CH 8 I once met a very special boy under a cherry blossom tree¡ª Kuga Haruma. My younger boyfriend has been so cute since we were kids. He was charming and cute on the outside, but he was even more cute on the inside that it was hard to keep track of it. I''m sure he would be shocked if I told him, but he was as adorable as a puppy! He first expressed his fondness for me when I was a freshman in elementary school. At that time, I wanted to get a dog, but I had just given up the idea because my mother was allergic to animals. I was depressed but I was tremendously healed by his friendly face and round twinkling eyes. Even though he gave me more joy than having a dog, I did not treat him like one. ¡°Mana-chan! Mana-chan!¡± Haruma-kun, carrying his shiny school bag, found me and ran up to me. Haruma-kun seemed to be happy to go to school with me, and appears on my way to school every morning. Because the route was a little off the regular route from Haruma-kun''s house, when I saw him waiting for me to show up, he was scared that an adult would find her and scold her. I wanted to run up to him and pat him in the head. I loved how he smiles then immediately makes a poker face to show that he wasn¡¯t scared every time he sees me. Why are you so cute!!! ¡°You see! So, you know!¡± ¡°Haru-kun, there''s a car coming, it''s dangerous.¡± He was so intent on talking to me that he wasn''t looking ahead. When I held his hand, he smiled happily at me. I smiled, too, as I held his hand. ¡°Mana-chan, you look so cute when you¡¯re smiling~!¡± ¡°Ahaha, thank you¡­¡± I laugh like I''m being praised by my grandma and grandpa. You''re the cute one! We walked to school, waving our joined hands in the air. It was a fun and precious time. Haru-kun¡¯s mother and teachers always thanked me for taking care of him, but I think I might have wanted this time more than Haru-kun. I am in the sixth grade and Haru-kun was in the third grade. Haru''s latest craze was to wear only short sleeves even in cold weather. Haru-kun''s mother said that he really believed an undefeated fighter on TV when he said, ¡°When I was a kid, I wore short sleeves all year round. That''s why I became strong!¡± ¡°I''ll be strong and protect Mana-chan!¡± I was so touched when he said that, but I was also touched when he missed school the next day because he caught a cold¡­ ¡°Short sleeves¡¯ a double-edged sword¡­¡±(¥â¥í¥Ï¥Î¥Ä¥ë¥® - Moroha no Tsurugi) Haru-kun realized that he would not be able to see me if he caught a cold, so he stopped his short-sleeved training method. Now he wants to use the term "double-edged sword" from his favorite manga. He understands what it means now, but at first he thought it was a type of sword. I remembered the time when he was holding up a fallen tree branch while shouting, ¡°Double-edged Sword!¡± His mother laughed at it and said it was common for boys to do that. I was struck by the thought of how cute he was. After entering the sixth grade, we continued our habit of going to school together, but we naturally stopped holding hands. It was not because I was shy, but because Haru-kun was mischievous and would kick stones or go off on side streets, and would not walk quietly. I will not be defeated by a stone or by some road! ¡°Mana-chan, see you later!¡± ¡°Un, See you later.¡± ¡°Mana-chan, I love you!¡± ¡°Fufu, I get it~¡± ¡°See you later!¡± I changed into my shoes and waved cheerfully to Haru-kun as he ran to his classroom, and as I waved back, I ran into my two friends. They giggled as they watched Haru-kun back as he walked away. ¡°That kid is really fond of Mana! He¡¯s so cute!¡± ¡°I''m so jealous that he likes you so much.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s probably because he was still a kid¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The three of us were heading to class, but I couldn''t help but stop in my tracks. ¡°Mana?¡± ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, no, It''s nothing¡­.¡± I hid my agitation and started walking. I want to hear something now, so I casually strike up a conversation. ¡°Is this the only time they would like me¡­?¡± ¡°I think so, right? When they grow up, they''ll probably have a girlfriend or something before we know it. I had a cousin who used to be fond of me too, but he doesn''t even remember that now.¡± ¡°When I was a little girl I used to say, ¡®I''m going to marry my daddy!¡¯ but now I absolutely hate it. I¡¯m better than that.¡± Then they started talking about yesterday¡¯s program, but I didn''t hear any of it. Was that how it was? Is Haru-kun going to leave me too? My eyes went completely dark. How could I make him like me all the time? Haru-kun¡¯s mother said that he liked me because I was a kind and beautiful older sister. If that was the case, then I would always be the kind of beautiful older sister Haru-kun would love! But I don¡¯t know what a ¡°Beautiful Older Sister¡± means¡­ Using my tablet, I looked it up on the Internet and found keywords like ¡°Older,¡± ¡°mature,¡± ¡°Beautiful,¡± and ¡°A bit Naughty.¡± I could understand the first one, but not the last! Would I be able to figure it out in time? For now, I made a mental note to keep it in mind. I was now in junior high school and because of it, I started to go to school using a bicycle. I could no longer go to school with Haru-kun, since he walked to school. We walked the same route to school, so I wanted to ask him to go with me just for a little while, but I hesitated to ask her to go with me. Because I am Haru-kun''s slightly naughty (planned) and beautiful sister! I should be the one who says, ¡°Sure¡± when asked to go out with him! But once I stepped out of the house, I regretted it. I feel so lonely!!! ¡°Ah! Mana-chan!¡± I thought he wouldn¡¯t be here today, but Haru-kun was standing in his usual spot. ¡°Let¡¯s go together until the intersection road!¡± The unchanging scene warmed my heart. Haru-kun was the same as usual, and I felt sad that he would change soon. ¡°Ride the bike Mana-chan, I¡¯ll pedal!¡± But, as I watched Haru-kun bend over ready to pedal his bike, that feeling was quickly blown away. ¡°Let¡¯s walk together, so just push it.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two of us walked side by side. Ah~ I felt so happy about this time! ¡°You look so good in uniform! You look like an idol, but Mana-chan is better than an idol!¡¡You''re infinitely(ŸoÏÞ - Mugen) more cuter!¡± Haru-kun''s recent boom was the word ¡°Infinite.¡±(ŸoÏÞ) The kanji sounds cool to him, apparently ¡°Really? Thank you.¡± ¡°The helmet when you¡¯re riding your bicycle is also cool!¡± ¡°I don''t think the helmet is that cool¡­.¡± A school helmet that was just white with the school emblem on it was not flattering. I wonder what he liked about it. I put the helmet I had put in the basket of my bicycle on Haru-kun because we were walking. ¡°Ah! I could smell Mana-chan¡¯s scent¡­¡± ¡°Eh? Did it stink? I''ve hardly used it yet, so I think it''s okay¡­¡± ¡°No! It smells good!¡± ¡°Really? Is it all right?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡®Should I check the smell?¡¯ I thought so, but when I brought my face close to him, Haru-kun¡¯s cheeks and ears turned bright red. Ah, did I sound like an Older Sister just now? I wish we could spend more time together¡­ I''m sad that we won''t be attending the same middle school and high school anymore because we would be switching places even if we choose to go to the same one. The environment changed a lot in junior high school. There were club activities and more time for studying. Then, in the social circle, which had been limited to friendships, there was now an increased focus on male-female relationships. Not that it wasn''t there in elementary school as well, but it became more familiar. My friends had boyfriends, and I was also asked by the boys to go out with them on several occasions. Of course, I turned them all down. ¡°Hey, Mana, why don''t you have a boyfriend?¡± ¡°Because I don''t want one.¡± ¡°Don''t you have someone you like?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± I never mentioned Haru-kun''s name. I said it once, but they thought I was joking. On the contrary, I was displeased when they said, ¡°That kid is still following you around? Isn¡¯t he kinda annoying?¡± I tried not to mention Haru-kun''s name because they said something stupid like, ¡°I''ll go over and warn him.¡± If I wanted to go out with someone, I would prefer Haru-kun. But Haru-kun is still in elementary school. Even if he said that he likes me, it was just ¡°Admiration¡± and not necessarily the same as how I feel. ¡ºWhen they grow up, they''ll probably have a girlfriend or something before we know it.¡» That line has been a thorn in my side for a long time. I even had a dream that Haru-kun brought a girl of the same age and introduced her as his girlfriend. I cried when I woke up, and even now when I think back on it, I get all teary-eyed. I want to confirm Haru-kun''s feelings for me. So I decided to wait until he was in junior high school at least. Then, after a long wait, when Haru-kun finally became a junior high school student... He stopped appearing in front of me. CH 8.1 I once met a very special boy under a cherry blossom tree¡ª Kuga Haruma. My younger boyfriend has been so cute since we were kids. He was charming and cute on the outside, but he was even more cute on the inside that it was hard to keep track of it. I''m sure he would be shocked if I told him, but he was as adorable as a puppy! He first expressed his fondness for me when I was a freshman in elementary school. At that time, I wanted to get a dog, but I had just given up the idea because my mother was allergic to animals. I was depressed but I was tremendously healed by his friendly face and round twinkling eyes. Even though he gave me more joy than having a dog, I did not treat him like one. ¡°Mana-chan! Mana-chan!¡± Haruma-kun, carrying his shiny school bag, found me and ran up to me. Haruma-kun seemed to be happy to go to school with me, and appears on my way to school every morning. Because the route was a little off the regular route from Haruma-kun''s house, when I saw him waiting for me to show up, he was scared that an adult would find her and scold her. I wanted to run up to him and pat him in the head. I loved how he smiles then immediately makes a poker face to show that he wasn¡¯t scared every time he sees me. Why are you so cute!!! ¡°You see! So, you know!¡± ¡°Haru-kun, there''s a car coming, it''s dangerous.¡± He was so intent on talking to me that he wasn''t looking ahead. When I held his hand, he smiled happily at me. I smiled, too, as I held his hand. ¡°Mana-chan, you look so cute when you¡¯re smiling~!¡± ¡°Ahaha, thank you¡­¡± I laugh like I''m being praised by my grandma and grandpa. You''re the cute one! We walked to school, waving our joined hands in the air. It was a fun and precious time. Haru-kun¡¯s mother and teachers always thanked me for taking care of him, but I think I might have wanted this time more than Haru-kun. I am in the sixth grade and Haru-kun was in the third grade. Haru''s latest craze was to wear only short sleeves even in cold weather. Haru-kun''s mother said that he really believed an undefeated fighter on TV when he said, ¡°When I was a kid, I wore short sleeves all year round. That''s why I became strong!¡± ¡°I''ll be strong and protect Mana-chan!¡± I was so touched when he said that, but I was also touched when he missed school the next day because he caught a cold¡­ ¡°Short sleeves¡¯ a double-edged sword¡­¡±(¥â¥í¥Ï¥Î¥Ä¥ë¥® - Moroha no Tsurugi) Haru-kun realized that he would not be able to see me if he caught a cold, so he stopped his short-sleeved training method. Now he wants to use the term "double-edged sword" from his favorite manga. He understands what it means now, but at first he thought it was a type of sword. I remembered the time when he was holding up a fallen tree branch while shouting, ¡°Double-edged Sword!¡± His mother laughed at it and said it was common for boys to do that. I was struck by the thought of how cute he was. After entering the sixth grade, we continued our habit of going to school together, but we naturally stopped holding hands. It was not because I was shy, but because Haru-kun was mischievous and would kick stones or go off on side streets, and would not walk quietly. I will not be defeated by a stone or by some road! ¡°Mana-chan, see you later!¡± ¡°Un, See you later.¡± ¡°Mana-chan, I love you!¡± ¡°Fufu, I get it~¡± ¡°See you later!¡± I changed into my shoes and waved cheerfully to Haru-kun as he ran to his classroom, and as I waved back, I ran into my two friends. They giggled as they watched Haru-kun back as he walked away. ¡°That kid is really fond of Mana! He¡¯s so cute!¡± ¡°I''m so jealous that he likes you so much.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s probably because he was still a kid¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The three of us were heading to class, but I couldn''t help but stop in my tracks. ¡°Mana?¡± ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, no, It''s nothing¡­.¡± I hid my agitation and started walking. I want to hear something now, so I casually strike up a conversation. ¡°Is this the only time they would like me¡­?¡± ¡°I think so, right? When they grow up, they''ll probably have a girlfriend or something before we know it. I had a cousin who used to be fond of me too, but he doesn''t even remember that now.¡± ¡°When I was a little girl I used to say, ¡®I''m going to marry my daddy!¡¯ but now I absolutely hate it. I¡¯m better than that.¡± Then they started talking about yesterday¡¯s program, but I didn''t hear any of it. Was that how it was? Is Haru-kun going to leave me too? My eyes went completely dark. How could I make him like me all the time? Haru-kun¡¯s mother said that he liked me because I was a kind and beautiful older sister. If that was the case, then I would always be the kind of beautiful older sister Haru-kun would love! But I don¡¯t know what a ¡°Beautiful Older Sister¡± means¡­ Using my tablet, I looked it up on the Internet and found keywords like ¡°Older,¡± ¡°mature,¡± ¡°Beautiful,¡± and ¡°A bit Naughty.¡± I could understand the first one, but not the last! Would I be able to figure it out in time? For now, I made a mental note to keep it in mind. I was now in junior high school and because of it, I started to go to school using a bicycle. I could no longer go to school with Haru-kun, since he walked to school. We walked the same route to school, so I wanted to ask him to go with me just for a little while, but I hesitated to ask her to go with me. Because I am Haru-kun''s slightly naughty (planned) and beautiful sister! I should be the one who says, ¡°Sure¡± when asked to go out with him! But once I stepped out of the house, I regretted it. I feel so lonely!!! ¡°Ah! Mana-chan!¡± I thought he wouldn¡¯t be here today, but Haru-kun was standing in his usual spot. ¡°Let¡¯s go together until the intersection road!¡± The unchanging scene warmed my heart. Haru-kun was the same as usual, and I felt sad that he would change soon. ¡°Ride the bike Mana-chan, I¡¯ll pedal!¡± But, as I watched Haru-kun bend over ready to pedal his bike, that feeling was quickly blown away. ¡°Let¡¯s walk together, so just push it.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two of us walked side by side. Ah~ I felt so happy about this time! ¡°You look so good in uniform! You look like an idol, but Mana-chan is better than an idol!¡¡You''re infinitely(ŸoÏÞ - Mugen) more cuter!¡± Haru-kun''s recent boom was the word ¡°Infinite.¡±(ŸoÏÞ) The kanji sounds cool to him, apparently ¡°Really? Thank you.¡± ¡°The helmet when you¡¯re riding your bicycle is also cool!¡± ¡°I don''t think the helmet is that cool¡­.¡± A school helmet that was just white with the school emblem on it was not flattering. I wonder what he liked about it. I put the helmet I had put in the basket of my bicycle on Haru-kun because we were walking. ¡°Ah! I could smell Mana-chan¡¯s scent¡­¡± ¡°Eh? Did it stink? I''ve hardly used it yet, so I think it''s okay¡­¡± ¡°No! It smells good!¡± ¡°Really? Is it all right?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡®Should I check the smell?¡¯ I thought so, but when I brought my face close to him, Haru-kun¡¯s cheeks and ears turned bright red. Ah, did I sound like an Older Sister just now? I wish we could spend more time together¡­ I''m sad that we won''t be attending the same middle school and high school anymore because we would be switching places even if we choose to go to the same one. The environment changed a lot in junior high school. There were club activities and more time for studying. Then, in the social circle, which had been limited to friendships, there was now an increased focus on male-female relationships. Not that it wasn''t there in elementary school as well, but it became more familiar. My friends had boyfriends, and I was also asked by the boys to go out with them on several occasions. Of course, I turned them all down. ¡°Hey, Mana, why don''t you have a boyfriend?¡± ¡°Because I don''t want one.¡± ¡°Don''t you have someone you like?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± I never mentioned Haru-kun''s name. I said it once, but they thought I was joking. On the contrary, I was displeased when they said, ¡°That kid is still following you around? Isn¡¯t he kinda annoying?¡± I tried not to mention Haru-kun''s name because they said something stupid like, ¡°I''ll go over and warn him.¡± If I wanted to go out with someone, I would prefer Haru-kun. But Haru-kun is still in elementary school. Even if he said that he likes me, it was just ¡°Admiration¡± and not necessarily the same as how I feel. ¡ºWhen they grow up, they''ll probably have a girlfriend or something before we know it.¡» That line has been a thorn in my side for a long time. I even had a dream that Haru-kun brought a girl of the same age and introduced her as his girlfriend. I cried when I woke up, and even now when I think back on it, I get all teary-eyed. I want to confirm Haru-kun''s feelings for me. So I decided to wait until he was in junior high school at least. Then, after a long wait, when Haru-kun finally became a junior high school student... He stopped appearing in front of me. CH 9 Haru-kun was nowhere to be found at the usual meeting place. Was he sick or something? Haru-kun rarely missed school, but not entirely. So I didn''t mind that much but¡­ Haru-kun didn''t show up the next day, or the day after that. ¡ºWhen they grow up, they''ll probably have a girlfriend or something before we know it.¡» I thought about that annoying line again. Had my fears come true? I was afraid to find out for sure, but I knew there was nothing I could do without knowing for sure, so I headed to Haru-kun''s junior high school. I was sure that a ¡°Beautiful Older Sister¡± shouldn''t ambush him. But I felt that if I didn''t talk to him now, we wouldn''t be able to be together anymore, so I kept waiting in front of the school gate at the junior high school. However, Haru-kun did not appear. I wanted to stay until he came out, but for some reason, people started gathering and it became noisy, so he left. Even so¡­I was a high school freshman and he was a junior in high school . We are leagues apart, so when I looked at them as a group of junior high school students, they all looked like children. They were no different from elementary school students. I couldn¡¯t see them as an object of romantic interest at all, but Haru-kun was different. In the end, it doesn''t matter how old we were, it doesn''t matter if we were older or younger, it was okay because it was Haru-kun. The next day, and the day after that, I continued to wait while ignoring the children who spoke to me; but I could not find Haru-kun at all. Could it be that he was avoiding me? For the first time, the thought of that possibility made the blood in my body run cold. I need to go to a more reliable place to meet him! Nervously, I ambushed Haru-kun in front of his house. After a while, Harukun shows up. I felt happy to see Haru-kun for the first time in a while, but felt sad that he didn''t make eye contact with me. ¡°...Are you busy lately¡­?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Are you feeling sick¡­?¡± ¡°I''m in excellent health.¡± ¡­Are you in love with someone else¡­? I wanted to ask him, but I was afraid so I tried to change the subject. ¡°...did I do something to offend you¡­?¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°Then why don''t you come see me anymore¡­?" ¡°??¡± This was bad. I¡¯m going to cry. Tears slowly welled up in my eyes. Then Haruki-kun became impatient. When a girl starts crying, you would get impatient even if you don''t like her. As I was desperately trying to hold back, Haru-kun''s expression, which had been flustered, suddenly changed. It was as if a good idea had occurred to him¡­as if he had realized something¡­ ¡°I love you. I will always love you!¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± It took me a while to look him straight in the eye and understand what he said. EH!? EEHH¡ª!!? I''m happy, but I''m extremely happy, but why all of the sudden!? I panicked, but I had to act like a big sister! *Huff* ¡°Do¡­¡± ¡°Do?¡± ¡°Do¡­you want me as your girlfriend¡­?¡± (Fix this line on chapter 5) I thought I was trying to sound older, but¡­I sound too arrogant!!! I¡¯m so stupid! I knew it! I wondered what I would do if he said, ¡°No, I¡¯m good!¡± but Haru-kun gave me his usual¡­wait no, more-than-usual smile. ¡°YES PLEASE!!!¡± The world brightens up as if a light had shone from the sky. Ah~ Haru-kun, you are my angel! And so we became boyfriend and girlfriend without incident. We finally made it this far. We have been together for some time now, so there has not been a drastic change, even so our relationship has made our days more enjoyable. We started calling each other by our first name, and I would learn a little bit of naughty things that I''d heard on TV, in cartoons, and from people around me! Haru-kun¡­Haru¡¯s reaction was also cute. I don''t mean to tease him, but I''m so happy that he was thrilled with me when I tend to act like an older sister. When I became a high school student, I often heard from my friends who had girlfriends that they were pursuing male-female relationships. (Seggs) It may be wrong to ask Haru, a junior high school student, to do the same thing, but I''ve become interested too¡­ I''ve been playing the big sister for a long time now, but I''m wondering if Haru might push me to do that kind of thing? I thought so selfishly. It was so embarrassing! Haru, who was always so sweet and smiling, came on to me in a serious, yet desperate, can''t afford it kind of way! I was so excited to have this fantasy¡­ Come on, make it real! Otherwise my fantasies will get more and more extreme! Because of that my mind was in turmoil for a while. So I tried increasing the physical contact and showing my skin in an inviting manner, but Haru did not attack me as much as I wanted him to. Why so¨C!? In the end, I took the first step by acting like an older sister, but I want Haru to do his best from that point on. (Fix this part(Haru¡¯s pov) this part on chapter 3) I was really embarrassed! Then when I went to college¡ª My friends began to talk more and more about my romantic relationships. Perhaps it was inevitable since I was the only one among my close friends who did not have a boyfriend, but they persistently talked about it even when I told them I was not interested. Don''t you guys have too much time on your hands? All of my friends seemed like troublesome relatives who were pushing me to go on blind dates, and because of that I was getting pretty stressed out, so I finally told them, ¡°I have a boyfriend!¡± I thought this would clear things up, but sure enough, when some people found out that Haru was in high school, they started talking about it. ¡®High school students are just kids, and that boy isn''t even good looking, he''s just normal!¡¯ I was once told. They went all the way to see Haru. They were too scary and annoying! ¡®Isn''t there someone more deserving?¡¯ I was also told that. The man I love is the one who deserves me! I want you to leave me alone. ¡°Hey, I have a good idea¡­¡± One suggestion that came to me after I became increasingly frustrated during my time in college was from a girl I had become friends with after I started college. The girl''s idea was that I should pretend that I was dating someone who was having the same problems as I was, and shut them up. The person in trouble was the boy''s older brother. I have seen him before and he was indeed a handsome man. I have no interest in him at all, just that he was beautifully sculpted. He was one year older than me, popular but doesn''t have a girlfriend. But just like mine, he was having trouble with people around him because they were too noisy. I was sure that this senior would be a good wall. I didn''t like the idea of calling anyone other than Haru my boyfriend, even if it was a lie, but I accepted the proposal because I didn''t want it to get any more extreme than it already was, since there were even people who went to see Haru. I promised him that the only time I would lie or pretend to be in a relationship would be in college, and I don''t think the story would ever reach Haru¡¯s ears. Not wanting to cause unnecessary worry, I decided to deal with the situation without telling Haru. (Are u dumb?) ¡°Eh? You want us to meet outside?¡± In order to pretend that I was dating a senior, we had lunch together in the college cafeteria on rare occasions, and he asked me to pretend that we were on a date outside. ¡°No thanks.¡± I immediately said no, but my senior friend said, ¡®That''s strange because you are not together on our days off and I haven''t heard anything about you guys going on a date!¡¯ They were suspicious of me. Why not just lie about it? I suggested, but he pushed me away because it would be quicker to show them once we were on a date. I told him, ¡°Just this once, okay?¡± but that was a big mistake. On the day of the fake date, Haru said he would be at his home for the day and I knew he wouldn''t find out about this. I didn''t need to get dressed up to go out with someone other than Haru, so I wore my normal clothes to college. My senior noticed this and said, ¡°Let''s go shopping for clothes.¡± But I politely declined. The senior must be wealthy because he drove a luxury car and tried to give me gifts everywhere I went besides clothes¡­.parents, huh? Haru wouldn''t be spending his parents'' hard-earned money on splurges and girls! Ahh~ I already miss Haru so much! It was not fun at all, and it was hard to pretend to be friendly with my senior friends because I didn''t know where they were watching. I did get over it though by thinking about Haru! Looking back, I wish I had been honest with Haru about the situation from the beginning¡ªI really think I was so stupid. ¡ºBe happy with someone who is worthy of you. Thank you for everything. Goodbye.¡» My mind went blank when I saw the message that came from Haru in the middle of our date. ¡°...He saw me¡­!!¡± I knew immediately. ¡°He must be nearby!¡± I ran out of the store and looked for Haru. Calm downI should be able to find Haru in no time! I looked around as if praying, and there he was! ¡°Haru! ¡­Eh?¡± Beyond Haru, I saw a car that was strangely pulling over to the edge of the road. It would have run off the road and onto the sidewalk if it continued on its course, but it did not correct its position. I was worried that it might be dangerous. The car was getting closer and closer to Haru, and It was still acting strangely. If I don''t do something¡­it will hit Haru! ¡°HARUUU!!!!¡± I shouted as hard as I could, but Haru was staring at his phone screen and didn''t notice. AHH THIS WAS BAD! I thought. I ran up to him as fast as I could, but¡­I couldn''t get to him in time! *Screeeeeech* The sound of brakes echoed. Haru took his eyes off her phone and looked up¡­ *Crash**Crash**Crash* There was a roar that made me want to cover my ears. I closed my eyes unintentionally, but¡­but I had to make sure Haruwas okay as soon as possible! I clenched my trembling hands and headed for the crowd that had already formed. ¡°..........¡± What I saw right away was red. The smell of iron mixed with the smell of cars made me realize immediately that it was not paint but blood. Then, At the center of that blood was¡ª I found myself choking up. ¡°No way¡­this is a lie¡­Haru! HARU!!!¡± Haru, who was wearing a restaurant uniform I have never seen before, was dyed in bright red. I jumped and touched Haru and because of that my hand was also wet red. ¡°Stop! You better not move him!¡± Someone pulled my arm and dragged me away from Haru. ¡°Did you call an ambulance!?¡± ¡°I already called one! They''ll be here soon, but¡­¡± ¡°Should I give him CPR!?¡± ¡°No, that is¡­¡± The people around me were dealing with the situation, but all I could do was stare at Haru. ¡°Haru¡­! Haru¡­!!!¡± He wouldn¡¯t move no matter how much I called out to him. ¡°This isn¡¯t real¡­Haru please answer me!!!¡± I screamed, but Haru didn''t move. The siren of an ambulance could be heard in the distance. Please help Haru, quickly! I thought so, but he still wouldn¡¯t move. Suddenly I spotted something in a pool of blood near Haru''s wounded hand. It might have fallen from Haru''s hand. I grabbed it unconsciously and found that it was a strap of a cat character that I claimed to like. It was attached to a bottle of milk tea in a campaign right now. Maybe¡­he bought it for me? Even though he doesn''t like milk tea? It must be so. He always bought me sweets or magazines that he thought I would like. ¡°I found this!¡± That was what he would say while happily giving it to me¡­ I couldn''t resist clutching the bloody strap that I didn''t even know what color it was. ¡°UWAAAAHHH!!!!¡± ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t! You shouldn¡¯t move him!¡± ¡°Haru! Haru, wake up! Please wake up!!!¡± I don''t remember much after that. I got into the ambulance together with him, and while I was waiting at the hospital, Haru''s father and mother came over. Then, I don¡¯t know how but I found myself at home¡­ Haru left me, and I could not be there to say goodbye. I didn''t feel like going to college and took a break for a while, and my Senior and friend came to my house to check on me. But I didn''t want to let them up to my house because I didn''t want to see my senior''s face again. So I tried to deal with her at the door and ask her to leave, but she was insistent that she would stay behind with Senior because he was worried about me. I got more and more frustrated, and when I asked them to leave more forcefully, my friend said, ¡ºSince you just lost your boyfriend, why don''t you go out with Onii-chan, for real?¡»(I want to punch her so bad.) In an instant, the blood rushed to my head. What did you say!? I don''t want anyone but Haru! This time I yelled at them, and pushed them out of the way as if hitting them to make them leave. I really am an idiot. I finally realized it. The two of them had been trying to fill the hole from the beginning, trying to get my senior and I to go out with each other. ¡°Maybe it''s¡­¡± when I heard what they said earlier, I questioned my other friends to confirm it. I fell for their lame ploy and went on a date with him; and lost my precious Haru. (Deserve hehe) ¡°I was such a b*tch, and betrayed Haru¡­¡± It was my fault. If I hadn''t been in that place¡­If I''d had our usual Sunday¡­If we''d been together¡­ It was really all my fault. ¡°...I should apologize¡­¡± I went to see Haru''s mother. I told her everything, saying that it was my fault that Haru had died. ¡°What are you talking about! It wasn''t Mana-chan''s fault! It''s the driver''s fault! If I said anything, Haru, who really loves you would scold me, you know?¡± Mother said so and laughed. She was kind. This was hard for me because she was really kind¡­ This would have been easier if she had blamed me and yelled, ¡°It''s your fault!¡± After leaving Haru¡¯s house, for some reason I wandered over to the scene of the accident, which I thought I didn''t want to go to. There were many offerings of flowers, sweets, and juice at the place where Haru''s life was cut short. Haru, who was friendly and kind, had many friends. As expected of Haru, he was a popular person. As I stood there thinking about this, a child passed by and pointed to the flowers and asked his mother, who was with him. ¡°Mama! Did anyone die there? Is there a ghost?¡± ¡°H-Hey¡­!¡± The mother looked at me, bowed her head awkwardly, and left. Hey Haru, have you become a ghost? I laughed even though I knew it was rude. But kids say what they think, so it can''t be helped. Besides, I don''t care if he was a ghost, I just want to see Haru¡­ I caress the cat strap I''ve been clutching since Haru disappeared. Hey, did you know? I''m really more of a dog person than a cat person? Haru said I was cat-like and said I was cute, so I just kept pretending to be a cat lover¡­But, I prefer a friendly and charming dog like Haru than a cat. I''ve been meaning to say that someday, but I guess I will never get a chance to say it now¡­ When I closed my eyes, I felt lightheaded. My head was dizzy from lack of sleep and crying all the time. I wondered if I could sleep here, since it seemed like I was close to Haru. While I was thinking about that, I heard a voice nearby. ¡ªCan you listen to my request? Who? It was the voice of a young child, but it was very polite and elegant. ¡ªIf you will listen to me, I will grant your wish. A wish? I only have one wish. CH 10 *Bang!*¡¡Mana, the saint, appeared at the door with great vigour, and while staring at us, she was spilling large drops of tears. The sudden visit of the saint and her unexplained weeping made me and Yuno freeze. I''m glad she came out, but¡­what''s going on? ¡°HA¡­ru¡­?¡± She called me the name of my previous life! She was impatient, but Mana tilted her head as if she was confused. ¡°Eh¡­huh? W-Why¡­?¡± ¡°¡±??¡±¡± She rubbed her painful eyelids, which were swollen and red, and opened her eyes with a snap, staring at us and trying to confirm something. Me and Yuno are frozen, mysteriously waiting for confirmation. ¡°Why!!!!?¡± Us, who had been quietly watching Mana, were startled by the sudden outcry. ¡°I could have sworn I just saw him! He was there so why!? So who is this blondy!?¡± I''m assuming she was talking about me, since she said blondy¡­But, what? ¡°The one who gave me the letter? You''re the brother of that fake nobleman and sexual harrasser muscle head, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°...........¡± Don¡¯t associate me with that name! And Yuno, when did you learn such an advanced skill of laughing with a poker face? Also don''t you sneak up on me and whisper, ¡°Wouldn''t Edward-sama take half and have some muscle too?¡±! Yeah, sure, I want some muscles, but don''t let me tell you how sad it was to see that I¡¯m flabby¡­! ¡°...Hmm?¡± As I was flopping around with Yuno behind the scenes, Mana was acting strange again. She was facing down while clutching her hands tightly to keep them from shaking. ¡°How awful¡­¡± Mana muttered softly and sat down on the floor as if her strings had been broken. ¡°Goddess you liar! I will do nothing¡­I will do nothing at all!¡± "Uwaaaaah!" Mana cried out as she broke down, and at that moment, there was a flash of light. The light that broke the sky with a crunching sound falls to the ground and becomes an earth-shaking sound. At the same time, a pounding rain begins to fall. Thunderstorms again¡­? ¡°Uwaaaah¡­!¡± She was really crying and that made Yuno and I panic. What if she caused another disaster again!? ¡°Saint-sama, please calm down! If the weather is unstable, the people will become anxious!" ¡°I don''t care what you say! Uwaaah¡­!¡± ¡­Oh, damn, we''re in trouble¡­ Sitting down and watching her cry like a child with her mouth opened made my heart ache, even though I should no longer be interested in Mana. Her hair, which used to be straight and silky, has lost its luster, and what should have been healthy white skin now looks pale and gaunt. She was certainly still a beautiful girl, but the Mana I remember had lost none of her radiance. Please don''t cry. Mana should be smiling. I sat down on one knee in front of Mana and put my hands behind her back and hugged her. ¡°Please stop crying. It hurts me to see you crying.¡± If you''re crying over me in my previous life, you can forget about it now. ¡°.........¡± Mana stopped crying, and then¡ª ¡°...Haru¡­?¡± ¡°!¡± Ah, This was bad. I had moved unconsciously, but what the hell am I doing! I just felt something from my previous life and moved. As I released her body and touched her shoulders, I flattered her as if to deceive her. ¡°L-Look, your eyes have swollen up too, it¡¯s ruining your beauty!¡± Mana dazedly looked at my face. C-Cute¡­! But¡­I fooled her for now. As I was stupidly messing around, Mana''s face got stern and stern. This was not good. I don''t know what''s wrong, but it was definitely not a good situation. Ah, that was right! ¡°Please wipe your tears with this.¡± I quickly held out a fine handkerchief. I knew she was going to cry all the time, so I made sure I had it ready. How was that? I¡¯m so smart, weren¡¯t I!? I''m different from the man I was in my previous life, after all! ¡°I don''t want it.¡± She turned me down with a serious look on her face. I also put on a poker face. ''Why!!'' Of course, I was normally hurt because of that. ¡°...I knew this wasn''t right. But I didn''t hate being hugged¡­I don''t know why¡­even though I definitely don''t like anyone but Haru¡­¡± I turned my gaze away from Mana, who was mumbling something, and regained my composure. Everything was all right, I reincarnated and I¡¯m not a kid anymore. My gentlemanly kindness was dented as if being swatted down a fly swatter, but let''s be adults here. After all, I am a cool, mature guy. I told her to throw it away if she didn''t want it, and when I held the handkerchief in Mana''s hand, I spoke to her at eye level. ¡°I don''t mean to force you to stop crying. But I thought it was cold to cry in such a place, so why don''t we move to the sofa?¡± When I spoke to her so as not to provoke her, Mana nodded timidly. She was cute every single time. I''m in trouble¡­The destructive power of Mana in the flesh is amazing. I have to be careful not to repeat what happened to me in my previous life. ¡°Yuno, bring me a blanket and a warm drink.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I led Mana to the sofa while giving instructions to Yuno to make her relax. I received a lap blanket from Yuno and handed it to Mana. Today was really cold. It stopped now, but it was Mana who made it snow. I set the hot drink that yuno prepared in front of Mana. ¡°Here you go.¡± I suggested and Mana took the cup. ¡°This is¡­milk tea?¡± ¡®On a cold day hot milk or milk tea is a must!¡¯ That was what Mana said in my previous life. ¡°You look like him, but you''re not him¡­I''d like to see him even more now¡­¡± ¡°What is it? Would you like something else to drink?¡± ¡°No, I like this one. Thank you.¡± Then before I knew it, the sound of rain had disappeared. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Mana''s gaze was on the cat face cookies that we were eating earlier. ¡°They''re the same ones you gave me, aren''t they? Did you make those cookies here in the temple?¡± ¡°I rented the temple kitchen and I made them myself.¡± ¡°Eh, you did? You¡¯re a prince, aren''t you? Do the other princes make pastries as well?¡± ¡°No, I''m the only one who does this. Unlike my brothers, I have a lot of free time on my hands.¡± I sneered and laughed, but Mana looked straight at me. ¡°I think it''s lovely.¡± She had that thrilled look in her eyes, that I knew it wasn''t flattery. I''m in trouble. This kind of thing was pretty annoying. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I thanked her without any unnecessary words and thought about the next topic. Well, what should we talk about? I couldn''t think of anything at all. Maybe I''m more upset than I thought. ¡°Hey, can you make me some dog-shaped cookies sometime?¡± Mana spoke to me while I kept being silent. I was saved but¡­ ¡°Dog, is it?¡± Why? Mana likes cats, right? I wrinkled my brow. ¡°Un, I like dogs better than cats.¡± ¡­¡­Ha¡­¡­? HAAAAAAAAA!!!??? Hey, hey, I am not cool with that. Then, why did I collect all of those cat stuff!!!??? ¡°Even so, I thought you liked cats better!?¡± Please tell me you do! ¡°No, it''s dogs. I guess the one I like best is the lovable and adorable Shiba Inu!¡± S-Seriously!!!!!???? But still, I bit down. ¡°But, Saint-sama is also adorable, just like a cat, isn''t she?¡± ¡°!¡± As soon as I said that, Mana''s eyes widened. Huh? Did I say something strange? I feel like I''ve said this before in a previous life, but was it weird? Suddenly I feel embarrassed. Mana, don''t shut up and say something too! I then drank the tea on the table to hide my embarrassment. ¡°I knew some people who said that, But I love dogs. I love¡­them very, very much.¡± Mana, who didn''t seem to notice my agitation, spoke calmly. ¡­Apparently it was true that she likes dogs. I know it was sad, but then who was the Mana that I was looking at? I guess this was the reality. I should stop clinging to the past so miserably. I am Edward Astraea now. I''m the prince of this country, and I''m going to do it right. I tightened the screw that was about to loosen. ¡°Saint-sama, did you meet the goddess when you were summoned to this country?¡± ¡°I met her, or rather, I heard her voice. She said that the blessings that she gives to this country are disappearing and she wants to do something about it.¡± ¡°I-Is that true?¡± Wasn''t that a big deal!? If the blessing disappears, there would be a lot of people who try to mess with this country. This was a matter to be reported to the queen. ¡°Then¡­Will Saint-sama save us from this crisis?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°I won''t do anything.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± What do you mean you won¡¯t do anything!? Weren¡¯t you already nineteen years old!? So why were you acting like a little girl!? ¡°Why is that¡ª¡± ¡°.........¡± I was about to ask her a question, but tears started to slowly pool in her eyes again. ''Ahh~ It''s going to rain again¡­!'' I wanted to ask her for more details, but I couldn''t make her cry! While I was in a hurry to find out what was going on, I heard heavy footsteps coming from the hallway. It was coming closer and closer to us, gradually increasing its speed. I have a bad feeling about this! As soon as the footsteps came to the front of this room, the door opened with a force that seemed to break. ¡°I hear the saint has come out! For the first time ever, the useless have been useful!¡± Here comes the sexual harassing muscle head¡­ CH 11 Chapter 11 Cat ¡°Elder Brother, I thought I asked you to let me handle this today!¡± ¡°I waited quietly until you pulled her out. Leave the rest to me.¡± Mana frowned when she saw Ethan enter the room without hesitation. She seemed to hate him with all her heart. I was just getting ready to talk to her, and he just had to ruin it¡­! Why haven''t you left!? You''ve been flirting with a beautiful woman all this time, haven''t you? This was a temple and a sanctuary, you know!? Anyway, it would be better to keep Ethan and Mana apart for now. I don''t want to ruin the weather any more than we already have. ¡°Saint-sama is tired and is about to take a rest. You, too, Elder Brother, return to the castle.¡± ¡°I don''t take orders from you.¡± ¡°I don''t take orders from you either. I''m here today because Mother told me to.¡± ¡°From tomorrow, I''ll be dealing with the saint, and I don''t care if I have to do it now.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Mana raised a voice like a small scream. She was silent, but her face was screaming ¡°no¡± with all her might. Seeing Mana, Ethan clicked his tongue, and sat down with a thud next to Mana on the sofa. ¡°Saint, if you spend a day with me, I¡¯ll make sure you''ll never want to leave after, you know? Look forward to it¡­¡± Mana, sensing Ethan''s movement as he tried to hug her shoulder, dodged Ethan''s arm and escaped from the couch, then¡ª ¡°Eh¡­?¡± For some reason, she came and sat next to me, attached herself to me without any space at all. We were so close that we were like a N pole and S pole of a magnet. How did this happen¡­? ¡°You¡­¡± Ethan looked at me as if he was trying to kill me. Wait no, why am I being glared at!? I was just sitting here you know!? ¡°Uhm, Saint-sama¡­?¡± Please return to your original or else Elder Brother would glare at me to death! That was what I was trying to say to her but¡­ ¡°..........¡± He even crossed our arms without saying a word. Why did it get worse! But, honestly¡­I don''t feel bad at all. Suck on that Elder Brother! Mana smelled so good, and her soft something was hitting me, though I won¡¯t say anything about it. I should be thanking her for this. However, If this wasn''t my girlfriend who cheated on me in a previous life, and my Elder Brother glaring at me¡­I wouldn¡¯t be holding back¡­ But now I¡¯m in trouble, very. I glanced at Mana, who was entwined with my arms. In her previous life, she was a mature and calm older sister, but the Mana I see after becoming Edward was acting like a child. Was this her true nature? Did you reincarnate and stop being a cat? ¡­And were you really a dog lover? Just when I thought she was crying and screaming, and then rubbed herself against me like this¡­she was really like a moody cat, though¡­ But, If I took her seriously, I would get hurt. ¡°Anyway, that''s all for today.¡± ¡°Then it''s my domain from ''tomorrow'' on. Saint-sama, get out of this nasty place and come with me to the castle!¡± What a persistent sexual harassing muscle head! ...Well, he was right. For my part, I''d say, ¡°The Saint is still Mana. Don''t get involved!¡± I''ll just have to report what I heard to the queen and that will be the end of the saint-related matters. I pitied Ethan that she was being hated by Mana, but I''ll leave the rest to my brothers. ¡°Saint-sama, I think I''ll go back to the castle now. Do you want to go back to your room in the temple, saint? Or do you want to move to the castle Elder Brother? Considering safety, I think the castle would be better¡­¡± The temple was safe, but if something happened, it was better to be in the castle to deal with it. ¡°I''ll take care of the castle, even if the demons come, I''ll protect you.¡± ¡°...Demons¡­?¡± Mana¡¯s hand that was holding my hand tightened its grip. Hey, hey, don''t scare her like that. ¡°Rest assured there are no demons in the castle.¡± ¡°That''s just a ''for example'' scenario. Are you making fun of me? Don''t get carried away, all right?¡± ¡°...Sorry about that.¡± I am not getting carried away. Rather, I followed through! You¡¯re trying to be cool, but you¡¯re scaring people away, so you get zero points for that analogy! ¡°Hey, do you live in a castle too? Will I get to see you again?¡± As I was thinking it was time to leave so as not to upset Ethan any further, Mana tugged on my sleeve and asked me. Hey, stop being cute. ¡°...Yes. Saint-sama¡¯s room is prepared in the area used by royalty, so it''s very close by." ¡°Then¡­I will go to the castle.¡± You¡¯re coming¡­? ¡°Well then, let''s make arrangements.¡± Two carriages stand side by side in front of the temple. Ethan was in the front, in the luxurious and magnificent carriage that you can tell at a glance was for an important person. The carriage in the back, which looks like it belongs to a middle-class aristocrat, was mine. I used it to get around the orphanage and the city, so I couldn¡¯t afford to make it too luxurious¡­ I hope I could get a fine carriage if I asked too¡­. Anyway, my carriage would not be suitable to carry the saint. Mana probably wouldn''t like it, so I asked her to ride in Ethan''s carriage. Ethan and I were already in the carriage and waiting for Mana. I wanted to go home first, but he said, "It''s outrageous for you to run in front of me," so I waited patiently. I thought I would just wait and eat the remaining cat cookies, but Mana seemed to have finished her preparations earlier than I expected. Mana was wearing the same clothes as the priests. Since the existence of the Saint had not yet been made public, she refrained from dressing like one. Mana was so happy to see me that she tried to run up to me, but was held back by the priests around her and led toward Ethan. ¡°Saint-sama, doesn¡¯t seem to want to go with Ethan-sama, doesn¡¯t she?¡± Yuno, who had been watching Mana through the carriage window with me, chuckled. ¡°Well, even though she was with Elder Brother, who is not good for her mental health, she was not alone because she has a female priest with her¡­so I think she could handle it. The ride is definitely more comfortable than this one, and if anything goes wrong, my brother has more military might.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably right.¡± I told Yuno to close the window and wait for the carriage to start moving. ¡°I didn''t know Master Edward was so good with women.¡± He spoke to me with a blank expression on his face¡­You''re kidding, right? Come to think of it, I hugged Mana in front of Yuno and said a lot of things. Ugh, That''s pretty embarrassing¡­. ¡°She was like a crying child, and I''ve already learned how to soothe children at the orphanage.¡± Yuno laughed after I put it that way. I¡¯m serious! ¡°I could say that we managed somehow¡­?¡± ¡°She''s going to move into the castle. That''s good, isn''t it? I''m done here, so I''ll leave the rest to them.¡± ¡°I don''t think that''s going to happen¡­¡± ¡°Hey, don''t flag me!¡± I have to get over my past life and live in the present. I couldn¡¯t care about Mana anymore. ¡°Hmm? What with that noise?¡± I thought I would be moving right now, but it was motionless and noisy. I decided to open the window to see what was going on, and the door opened with a loud bang. ¡°Wha!?¡± the moment it opened, something jumped in and tackled me in the stomach. It hurt quite a bit¡­What is it? ¡°...Saint-sama¡­?¡± Mana? I heard Yuno''s voice and looked at the object clinging to my stomach, it was indeed Mana. Can''t she just appear quietly, like when she was in my room! ¡°Saint-sama, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Let me ride here¡­.¡± She said so and looked at me with teary upturned eyes. It was not fair, But I will not give in! ¡°Saint-sama, should¡­¡± ¡°Please¡­hik¡­.hik¡­.¡± Aargh, stop crying! We were about to go on a horse-drawn carriage ride and we didn''t want it to rain! This was going to incur Ethan''s wrath again, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. I wonder if I could get away from the Saint¡­ CH 12 Chapter 12 Life in the Castle The usual meeting about the Saint began inside the Queen''s private chambers. My father, Clive, the Knight Commander, was present today for the first time. ¡°It''s been a long time since we''ve had a family gathering like this~!¡± Father was sitting next to Mother, dressed in a shirt and trousers instead of his usual tight knight''s uniform. It was unusual to see Father sitting next to Mother because he prioritized his position as Knight Commander over that of a husband. ¡°Though, It''s not exactly a relaxing family reunion." The sight of the two of them standing side by side made me a little nervous, but as soon as the discussion about the saint began, the atmosphere changed. ¡°Ethan and Edward reported to me today. The Saint has been given a mission by the Goddess regarding blessings, but she was not willing to fulfill it, correct?¡± I thought the queen would have heard about it even if I didn''t report it, but I reported it today as soon as I returned to the castle. Ethan, who had arrived at the castle before me, also reported before me, but he seemed to have told her that everything that had happened today was his achievement. Ethan had done nothing but¡­ being an obstruction, and how brazen he was! I didn''t protest or correct Ethan''s report, but the queen seemed to have her facts straight. I said, ¡°As expected of Elder Brother Ethan,¡± because it would be convenient for me if he would take care of all the saintly matters, but she asked, ¡°Are you okay with that?¡± I was already completely exposed. I''m sorry, Ethan. ¡°Hey, Edward. You talk first!?¡± ¡°Eh? Was it me? I thought it was Elder Brother¡­¡± ¡°You¡­¡± You reported it as your accomplishment, so at least talk about it yourself! I thought, but then I remembered that I had talked about the Goddess before Ethan came. Well, you don¡¯t get it? Oh? You can¡¯t talk about your own accomplishments? I wanted to smirk at him, but I''ll hold back here in order to have a peaceful life without the Saint. ¡°I asked the Saint if she could help us, but she said, ¡®No.¡¯ I haven''t asked them why she doesn''t want to do it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so useless, If you start talking, you have to get everything out o¡ª!¡± ¡°I can say the same for you, Alvin. As the crown prince, I had the highest expectations of you.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­I¡¯m very sorry, Mother¡­¡± FUHAHA! You deserve that sucker! I''m a little sorry, though, because he must be under a lot of pressure to be called the ¡°Crown Prince.¡± Just a little bit, though. That doesn''t mean he can''t hit me. ¡°Anyway, I''m glad the move from the temple to the castle is complete. It will be easier to make contact with her. I would like to see the saint tomorrow, so Edward, please talk to her.¡± ¡°Eh, me¡­? I looked at Ethan. He was looking at me with his thick arms crossed and his eyes wide with disgust. I told you I didn''t do anything! ¡°Edward. I''ve been giving you freedom all this time, haven''t I?¡± ¡°Eh? Yes¡­¡± I nodded maturely because I can''t say I''ve been given freedom but rather left alone¡­ ¡°You want to remain free, don''t you?¡± Was this perhaps a trend of being threatened with freedom¡­? ¡°Then you''d better obey me now.¡± I thought so¡­ ¡°I understand. I will speak to the saint.¡± ¡°I''ll talk to the saint, and I will take Alvin with me. Please tell her that, too.¡± Alvin''s face lit up after hearing it. Does this mean that she was going to push Alvin to the Saint? ¡°Mother! I¡ª¡± ¡°Ethan will train with me~¡± The father smiled briskly with his white teeth shining brightly. Ahh¡­when he looked like this, it was going to be bad¡­ He would be a demon rather than a father... ¡°Ethan, come on, a complaint came from the temple? How many times have I told you to mind your position? If you''ve got the energy, come sweat it out with your father!¡± Huh? Was he angry about the flirting in the temple instead of the saint-related stuff? Whatever it was, have it your way! The day after the Saint came to the castle. It was not a cloudless, clear day; but she managed to keep it cloudy. I''m concerned about the black rain clouds, but it was not raining, so we were just barely safe. It was much better than yesterday''s snow. I had been visiting the Saint-sama¡¯s room since this morning, because I had to make an appointment as requested by the queen. When I went to the front of the saint''s room with Yuno in tow, I found two women standing in front of the door. They were a female priestess who had come with her from the temple as a caretaker and Saint-sama¡¯s personal maid who had been prepared at the castle. They had come to prepare for the morning, but the room was locked and there was no answer. Was she really going to be a shut-in inside the castle¡­? ¡°I''ve called on her several times, but this is what I found under the door¡­¡± After saying so, the maid held out a sheet of paper. It was a piece of paper provided in the room, with words that appeared to have been written by the saint. [No visitors allowed! (Except for the third prince!)] Was this an ICU or what? I''m both happy and annoyed that I''m the only one allowed in there¡­ I chuckled, and Yuno tilted his head. ¡°Is this a letter from Saint-sama¡¯s world? Does Master Edward understand it?¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± It was indeed the Japanese that I had missed. I had read letters written in this world''s language, so I assumed there were no obstacles as far as letters were concerned. that was close, I''m glad I didn''t read it out loud¡­. I didn''t think there was a trap here. Can I read but not write? Was this a correction by the Goddess? I wonder how the tuning thing works¡­ Anyway, let''s get through this now. ¡°No, I don''t know. I just thought it was funny because I thought the ''letter'' was an imitation of mine from yesterday, but I wonder what it says~¡± I laughed as if to fool him, then I knocked on the door and called out to her. ¡°Saint-sama, Good morning. This is Edward.¡± A click was heard, and the door opened about ten centimeters. Mana, who seemed to be on the lookout, peeked out through the gap. I smiled at her, as if to reassure her. ¡°Good morning. Saint-sama, what does it say here?¡± I showed her the paper after saying so. ¡°...No visitors allowed. The Third Prince is welcome.¡± Ah, that was a little different¡­ CH 13 Chapter 13 Letter ¡°Excuse me.¡± Mana opened the door wide for me and urged me in, but she didn''t seem to want to let anyone in but me, so she quickly slammed it shut. She even locked the door. I told her that I would like at least Yuno to enter, but she refused. I didn''t want to be alone with her, but I had no choice. I needed to ask her what she wanted for breakfast and a few other questions, but I''d do what I could. Mana''s room was larger and more luxurious than mine. The bed is bigger and fully furnished. Wow, is the chair¡¯s thickness different, too? It¡¯s so soft¡­ I felt sorry for my butt, which hurt when I worked at my desk. I was slightly saddened by the way I was treated¡­but, it can''t be helped because I am sure that the saint was undoubtedly more valuable than a mischievous Prince like me. And I believe Alvin and others went to great lengths to prepare them, so it was only natural that she was treated differently. They probably have a ridiculous amount of dresses and such ready to go, too. However, I don''t think Mana is the type of person who would appreciate that¡­ "Do you like it now that it''s bigger than the temple room?" ¡± "Yes, I do¡­" I affirmed, but her eyes were swimming and she didn''t seem to like it. She may have been trying to be considerate, but her attitude was so honest that I laughed. "Is it not to your liking?" ¡°I''m not comfortable with being so luxurious¡­¡± I understand how you feel. I also missed the calm Japanese-style rooms and tatami mats. ¡°Do you prefer simple things?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°Do you prefer simple clothing as well?¡± ¡°Yes. If I wear something sparkly, I feel like I''m cosplaying as a princess..." I almost laughed because I was surprised by what she said. Perhaps it was because I was just trapped a few minutes ago, but I''m brilliant! We may enjoy dressing up in costumes in this world, but we don''t have the term ¡°Cosplay¡±! Because of that, I purposely ask a question. ¡°What exactly is cosplay?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the word ¡®Cosplay¡¯ in this world? It means to dress up as an occupation or a character and have fun pretending to be someone you are not." ¡°Does such a thing exist?¡± I nodded my head in relief. I knew it, though! That¡¯s right. Let''s take out the ¡°No visitors allowed¡± from earlier and check the reading and writing of the letters. ¡°These are letters from Saint-samas¡¯s, aren''t they? Did you read the letter I wrote to you yesterday?¡± ¡°I could read it, but I don''t think I could write it.¡± ¡°Then why did you write this in your letters and give it to me?¡± ¡°I was just curious if the people of this world could read the letters from my world, so I gave it a shot.¡± What the heck¡­then just ask me normally! I thought it was a trap with an intention! She doesn''t seem to be lying, but I doubt if she was really simply curious. I was totally deceived in my previous life, so¡­ Anyway, let''s be careful. ¡°?¡± My gaze was drawn to a piece of paper on the side table. Looking closely, I saw that my name was written there several times as ''Edward Astraea''. What is this¡­? ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± Mana noticed what was in front of my eyes and came around in front of me with a panicked look on her face. Is she trying to block my view? She was taller than me, so I couldn¡¯t see it completely¡­ ¡°I-I''ve been practicing to learn the letters of this world! Look, You wrote your name on the letter you gave me yesterday! That''s why I used it as a model!¡± Her explanation was disorganized, but that wasn''t what bothered me; her face was bright red. What was she so embarrassed about? When I first saw this, I thought it sounded like the crazy and paper-thin oddity that elementary school kids and others do where they randomly write the name of their favorite person all over the place, but was that really it...? No, I was probably misunderstood and thought I was thinking something like, ¡°Oh, Saint, you wrote my name so many times, you must really like me!¡± If so, it was alright because I don''t think that. And, in general, Mana wouldn''t do something like that, would she? She was red to the ears, but I don''t think so? ¡­Let''s not pursue it too deeply. I think that would be best for both of us. By the way, in a previous life, when I learned to write, I wrote Mana''s name on as much paper as I could! I also remember the look on my mom''s face as she pulled it out. I have to erase that from my memory¡­ ¡°Oh, I see. You did an excellent job writing it.¡± I gave it back without even pretending to be concerned, and maybe because I was relieved, the rise in my body temperature subsided. "Is it hot? I''ll open the window a bit...¡± Mana asks to open the window. Seeing the opportunity, I looked at the table again. Aside from the one with my name on it, there was another piece of paper with a long Japanese sentence on it that piqued my interest. And what was written was¡­ [[It looks like I¡¯ve been sent to the land ruled by the Goddess. I thought it was a dream, but it wasn''t] Was this like Mana¡¯s diary? I was about to turn away because I thought it was disgusting to read someone else''s diary... However, I read the rest secretly despite how bad I felt. [I thought that if it wasn''t a dream, the goddess would really grant my wish, but¡­the people at the temple said that no one came from another world like me. I wanted to go home, but even if I did, there was no one I wanted to see. I was extremely depressed and wanted to cry all the time.] The sorrow of not being able to meet the person she wanted to meet was written out. Reading it, I felt a sense of sadness that made my heart ache. It was also written what she wished to the goddess, but I''m curious if it was to meet the people she wished to see. I turned my eyes to the rest of the book. [I was crying all the time and didn''t want to do anything, but I felt lighthearted for some reason. When I met the prince of this country, a man named Edward Astraea...He looks exactly like him, even though they don''t look alike. He looked a lot more like him when I first saw him. I was both surprised and happy. But, he wasn¡¯t him. I was disappointed and sad once more, but the sadness vanished when I was with him. I wonder if Haru would be upset that I want to be with him even though he isn''t Haru...] ¡°.........¡± Well¡­a lot of thoughts were going around inside my head, but first of all, I''m not going to get mad at you, okay? Because, Ed and Haru were both me. It was amazing how much she noticed the resemblance, even though I doubt she knew I was a reincarnation of Haruma Kuga. But even though we''ve been separated by death, Mana was cheating on me, and since we are currently apart, she has no reason to be angry with me. Why do you care if I get upset? The fact that Mana seems to be thinking a lot about me from this sentence bothered me the most¡­ ¡°Now the¡ªAh!¡± When I was in turmoil, Mana noticed that I was staring at her diary. ¡°I apologize for looking at it without asking first. The letters in Saint-sama¡¯s world are complicated. Isn''t that difficult to remember since they don''t seem to have many of the same ones?¡± I immediately made an excuse that I couldn¡¯t understand the letters from another world. After hearing what I said, Mana seemed relieved again and her tense expression relaxed. ¡°We learn about it as we grow up, so it''s not that hard.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Okay, I fooled her! I''m not sure if she even doubted that I could read, but the diary was still intact. I was about to read it because there was more to come, but Mana, sitting on the bed, called me over. ¡°Hey, come over here.¡± The diary was pulling me back, but I did as I was told and approached and stood in front of Mana. ¡°Here, sit down.¡± ¡°I cannot.¡± When Mana said, "Here," she was patting the space on the bed next to her. It was not all right to sit there because there were sofas and chairs. But, I''m more concerned about the diary! ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Do I need to explain?¡± Mana pout when I said it in a slightly mean way. I''m not used to seeing this kind of childish expression¡­or maybe it''s the first time I''ve seen it. In my previous life, it was me who was always pouting. Every time I find something that makes me think, as I do now, that I was deceived in a previous life after all, a dark feeling wells up in my chest. The diary with the sentence that seems to be thinking about me could be some kind of trap. I don¡¯t want to stay here too long. Let''s fulfill our original purpose and get the hell out of here. After all, today was the day I was going to the orphanage. ¡°I''m just here to call you. I will leave as soon as I have completed my assignment. Today, Mother, the queen of this country is coming to see Saint-sama. My Elder Brother Alvin will also be there. The time is¡ª" ¡°No.¡± Let me finish what I¡¯m saying!? This was getting annoying¡­ ¡°I hate outwardly attractive people!¡± What a coincidence, Me too! I wanted to say, "I hate them too," but I was worried about the hatred in her voice. CH 14 Chapter 14 Mysterious Offense and Defense ¡°I hate good-looking guys! I hate them! I really hate them!¡± Mana shouted the same words. I''m not sure how many times I''ve heard it. I thought of my Elder Brother''s face and generally agreed with her, but I also thought of¡­ I hate good-looking people = I like people who aren''t good-looking, which means I''m the one who was in a relationship in a previous life¡­ It''s okay, me. I may be plain now, but I''m not bad! I swallowed the words, ¡°Being plain-looking is also a strong point, though¡± And with a strong heart, I calmed Mana down. ¡°I understand. Oh, are you hungry, by any chance?¡± ¡°It''s a lie that what''s on the inside shows on the outside!¡± ¡°Shall I prepare breakfast? Even if it''s just drinks¡­.¡± ¡°They can be all black inside and still sparkle!¡± I stood there for a while, watching Mana mumble and curse, thinking I''d flipped a strange switch... ¡°Uwaaahh¡­¡± I panicked when I noticed that the sky had turned dark. It was not pitch black, but rather reddish-black. It was a sky that made me feel uneasy when I looked at it. ¡°Mana!¡± ¡°...! Eh? What¡­?¡± I called loudly, and Mana immediately looked at me. The switch seemed to have been turned off, though, because of that the unpleasant feeling in the atmosphere was instantly gone¡­ ¡°Ah.¡± I was in a hurry when I realized I had called her the same way I had in my previous life. I thought about how to cover it up, but Mana seemed to be in a daze, not realizing that I had called her that. Thankfully, she didn''t notice... I''m relieved she didn''t notice and prevented the weather from getting worse. Even though it didn''t rain, the sky was unusually dark. It was as if the gates of hell had opened or the end of the world had arrived¡­ What on earth could have triggered such negative emotions in Mana? I''d like to ask her, but there''s a saying that goes, ¡°If you don''t touch a deity, it will not curse you.¡± ¡°Hey, since you called me Mana, can I call you Ed too?¡± You heard me!? I almost yelled, but I swallowed just in time. ¡°Please address me as you see fit, Saint-sama.¡± I don''t want to call you by your given name like before. ¡°...Call me Mana like you did before....¡± ¡°I''m afraid I can''t.¡± ¡°You called me just now! What about that fake nobleman who calls me by my first name!?¡± Really? Was it the time I reported about the Saint? Was he closing the gap between them without her realizing it? as expected of the handsome fake noble. ¡°Is that so? But my Elder Brother is Elder Brother and I am me.¡± ¡°...Mou¡­¡± She was irritated when I didn''t respond, ¡°Well, me too, I guess.¡± I can''t believe Alvin called you that! Even though I''m angry with him¡­Ah. Come to think of it, this kind of thing happened to me in my previous life. I saw it in a dream recently. I remembered the first time I called her by her first name and the time we first ki¡ª ¡°What''s wrong? Your face is red¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not and it¡¯s nothing.¡± Anyway, I''m not jealous anymore. ¡°I will call you Mana-sama, then¡­¡± Yes, I am not jealous. But, I will call you by your name¡­! It wasn''t because that impertinent brother was calling you that, but because I was tired of wasting my time with meaningless exchanges. That''s all there was to it! ¡°You don¡¯t need honorifics. Ed¡¯s prince, too.¡± ¡°Saint-sama''s more important. I''m nothing compared to you.¡± ¡°Mou¡­Well, that¡¯s all right for now.¡± What do you mean ¡°for now?¡± I doubt we''ll ever call each other by name again as casually as we did in our previous lives. (TL: Bet) ¡°More importantly, concerning Mother and Elder Brother''s visit¡ª¡± ¡ªGuuu ¡°¡±.........¡±¡± As I started talking to get my business done quickly, Mana''s stomach growled cutely. Mana''s face turned bright red. I had already had breakfast, but Mana had not eaten yet because she had locked the maid out of the room. I chuckled and talked to Mana. (Bro. Why the tf do you still call her by her first name?) ¡°Should I prepare breakfast?¡± ¡°...Please¡­¡± She was embarrassed to the point of blushing up to her ears and glaring at me. I suppressed the urge to laugh even harder and began to walk away. Because there was still a presence near the door, I assumed Yuno and the maid were there. Maid-san, you¡¯re up! ¡°...surprise attack!¡± ¡°Wha¨C!?¡± I was heading for the door when I felt a shock on my back. Surprise attack¡­!? The only other person in this room besides me was Mana¡­this traitor! ¡°Forget about what just happened! I won''t let you leave unless you call me Mana!¡± ¡°HAA!?¡± ¡­For some reason, I''m now being attacked with a hold from a tackle on my back. ¡°??¡± What do you want? I really don''t get it, you know!? Were you too embarrassed and crazy to act in such a bizarre manner!? Or did you hit your head without knowing it!? I then tried to pull Mana off of me, who hugged me on the back while my feet wobbled from the unexpected blow. ¡°What are you doing¡­! Ah¡­¡± ¡°!¡± I thought I pushed Mana''s shoulder, but I pushed the wrong place. It was not a hard shoulder, but a soft and warm place filled with dreams and romance. ¡°¡±..........¡±¡± I froze, staring at the two objects pressing against my hand. I could feel the blood dripping from my veins. I-I''d really done it¡­ I wanted to run away like this. That, however, was not going to happen... ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry¡­!¡± ¡°...You pervert¡­!¡± I pulled my hand away and was in a hurry to get down on my knees, but for some reason Mana laughed happily. Mana would be quietly upset or maybe even cry¡­! However, she appears to be enjoying it... ¡°I know this! This is Lucky Sukebe*, right!?¡± ¡°Ha?¡± ¡°I found it during my studies!¡± (TL: Type of fan service where there''s accidental nudity, groping, etc.) Studies? What were you studying? ¡°Hmm¡­it''s not so bad after all¡­even when we''re sticking together¡­if that''s even possible¡­¡± Huh? Am I left out in this situation!? Ignoring my panic that I should apologize, Mana was mumbling something. I''m completely caught up in Mana''s pace, because of that I was also disturbed about it. We couldn¡¯t go on like this. I had to give distance between us in my second life ¡°My apologies. I will be careful from now on. However, if you suddenly hug me, I may fall over, so please refrain from the behaviour like you just did. ¡°Mou~ you are too serious! But you are the same in that way too, aren''t you? I wonder why¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The dark sky suddenly became bright. The blue sky spread out, and a soft breeze came in through the slightly open window. ¡°Edward.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Fufu~¡± I was stopped and wondered what was going on, but he just smiled at me. ¡°Do you need something?¡± ¡°Edward, ecchi~¡± When our gazes met, my face became hot and flushed for some reason. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about that, But it was an accident so I hope you will forgive me.¡± ¡°I''ll forgive you if you call me Mana, fufu.¡± She¡¯s teasing me. Mana''s composure made me feel offended for some reason. I want to get back at her and deal her a major blow in some way. ¡°Mana¡­¡± ¡°!¡± Mana''s eyes sparkled, and then¡ª ¡°Sama.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re really stubborn, you know?¡± It was a little refreshing to see him disappointed. I''m not going to let her do whatever she wants in my previous life. ¡°Well then, I''ll prepare before the lovely bug starts chirping again.¡± ¡°*Uguuu*¡± Mana''s face flushed once more from the additional teasing. This should be my win, right? ¡°Hey, Ed. Edward." I was on my feet, feeling so good I wanted to hum, when I was called over. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± I turned around to see if she wanted something. CH 15 Chapter 15 Letter of Misfortune I told the maid who was still standing outside the door to bring breakfast, and she cheerfully started preparing it. I expected Mana''s personal maid to be older, but it was a girl named Sheena who was the same age as Mana. Sheena was overjoyed that she could finally do her job. Because she had only been waiting until now. ¡°Now, I''m going to report to Mother¡± ¡°Have you done your job?¡± ¡°I tried to¡­¡± It was probably impossible to get Mana to meet with the Queen and Alvin, no matter how much time I spent trying to persuade her to do so. ¡°I believe Her Majesty the Queen is currently in her morning meeting.¡± ¡°Oh, she is? But it should be over by now, don''t you think? I''ll just wait in her office.¡± I proceed to the Queen''s office with Yuno in tow when, ¡°Excuse me! Mr. Edward-sama!¡± I turned around and saw the female priestess who was taking care of Mana. ¡°Hmm, Hannah-san, what''s the matter?¡± I was nervous because I vaguely remembered the name, but it seemed to be right, especially since there was no reaction. Hannah apologetically lowered her eyebrows into a figure eight. Wait, she had this expression all along? Was that a troubled face to begin with? Perhaps she was a person with pity traits because she was made to care for Mana, who appeared to be a problem child. ¡°Um¡­Saint-sama wants to have breakfast with Edward-sama.¡± ¡°I''ve already eaten, though?¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­But please join us at¡­¡± ¡°Please inform the Saint...Mana-sama that I will pay her a visit later if I have time.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Hannah bowed her head and hurried back. ¡°I wonder if the saint told her to call you here, she seems to be very attached to Master Edward, doesn''t she?¡± ¡°Don''t ever say that in front of my Elder Brothers. They don''t take jokes well.¡± If They hear such stories, they are bound to make a fuss about me seducing the saint. ¡°A fake nobleman and sexual harassing muscle head, was it? Pfft¡­!¡± Yuno seemed to like the name Mana had given to my Elder Brothers I never thought He¡¯d keep laughing at the same stuff like that¡­ ¡°...Cough, Aside from the amusing name, wouldn''t it be better for you to back off from Saint-related matters if you don''t want to sully your relationship with your Elder Brothers? Since you addressed her by name, it appears you have become friends¡­¡± I don''t know if he was stunned or chilled, but Yuno gave me a meaningful look. He was trying to say something. ¡°I told you I was going to back out of this. What the heck, you''re so eager to talk to me about Saint-related matters¡­Ah!¡± Are you jealous because I only care about the Saint? Just as I was about to tease him by saying something like that, I suddenly thought of something. ¡°Don''t tell me you''re a Bokukko*!? Are you actually a beautiful girl!? ¡°...What?¡± (TL: young woman who uses the usually male first person pronoun ¡°boku¡±) I remembered that there was such a character in a romantic comedy manga I called in a previous life. If Yuno were a beautiful girl,Her level would be quite high-standard. She would have a core fan base and her figurine would be sold at a very high price. ¡°Well, I thought it would be more fun if you were a girl.¡± ¡°Edward-sama, thank you for everything you''ve done for me.¡± ¡°No, wait! I''m just kidding!¡± I hurriedly grabbed Yuno, who was about to turn on his heel and leave in a spectacular manner. ¡°I was just messing with you! I''m sorry!" ¡°...Tsk.¡± ¡°Stop clicking your tongue! I''m really sorry.¡± ¡°Never say that again; it''s extremely offensive.¡± ¡°Yeah, I promise. But still, to be so angry about it¡­¡± ¡°Bye.¡± I was joking¡­! How about I get you a maid''s uniform tomorrow...?¡± ¡°You''re so persistent!¡± It began to rain furiously as soon as Yuno yelled. ¡°¡±Ah¡­¡±¡± Our voices leaked out as if we were on the same page. There was only one possible explanation... ¡°Maybe Yuno was annoyed too much that it rained?¡± ¡°Sure, Edward-sama was very persistent and annoying, but I don''t have the power to affect the weather. I thought only one person could do this¡­¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s¡­¡± It was not a heavy downpour, but more like a ¡°Hicc, Hicc¡± in terms of crying. ¡°E-Edward-sama¡­!¡± ¡°!¡± It was Hannah again who appeared, though the weak voice coming from behind in the darkened hallway as it began to rain was eerie and shocking¡­ She appeared even more troubled than before and depressingly unlucky. Hannah was holding a white paper in her hand as if it was very important. I had just seen several similar papers just a few minutes ago. ¡°The saint has been lamenting the fact that Edward is not coming back¡­[I''ll curse you for making me think you''re coming back and then not coming back!], is what she said when I took this from under the door, after she then locked herself inside her room.¡± Hanna, holding the paper carefully with both hands, held it out to me. I hesitate to accept it because I have a bad feeling about it. I heard her say that she was going to curse me¡­ I would like to pretend that I didn''t accept it and that I didn''t see Hanna, but I feel sorry for her, who looked so distressed. ¡°Haa¡­¡± With a sigh, I opened the letter to discover that only my name, "Edward," was written in Astraea''s letters. I frowned as I read the Japanese at the top of the letter. [Letter of Misfortune.] ¡°That¡¯s scary..." ¡°...Are you able to read it?¡± ¡°Ah, no¡­Look, you can only read my name, right? I was kind of scared that it was my name.¡± I reacted again. Yuno had a puzzled look on his face, possibly because I did the same thing over and over again, but I pretended not to notice and continued reading the Japanese text as well. [If Edward doesn''t see the saint within ten minutes, he won''t be able to flirt with a girl for the rest of his life.] ¡°Yuno, let''s go back to Mana-sama''s room right now.¡± ¡°Eh? Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Quickly!¡± Yuno followed me back to Mana''s room at a quick pace, tilting his head at me. Hannah was the same. What an utterly outrageous curse...! I know it was a joke, but the other party was a saint who could affect the weather. Even if she doesn''t really intend to curse, there might be a chance that her power will work. If that happens, I''ll never be able to make out with a girl for a stipend again in this life! That would be too much! ¡°Mana-sama! It''s Edward!¡± I went back to Mana''s room and banged on the door. ¡°I heard you said you would curse me, what do you mean by that!?¡± Mana immediately opened the door and poked her head between the two. The way she did it was so adorable that I wish I had a video of it etched in my mind, but that wasn''t the point right now! ¡°Mana-sama, we need to talk to you¡­!¡± "Ed, welcome back! Do you want some milk tea?¡± ¡°No, thank you! And I don''t put milk in it! I mean, I don''t¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, You don''t put milk in it? I thought so.¡± ¡°But that doesn''t matter, what does this letter say?¡± I''m not supposed to be able to read. So, look! Confess in front of everyone that it contained a big problem for me! I held the letter of misfortune out in front of Mana''s eyes with a gulp. ¡°I-I just wrote a little something about how I wish that would happen¡­¡± Mana was getting a bit flustered by my pressure, but¡­ Would you really like that to happen? Dp you want me to be lonely for the rest of my life? It''s not funny, even as a joke. ¡°...I-I''m the exception to the curse, okay? That''s why you and I are¡­¡± She was fidgeting and saying something, but she looked like he was enjoying himself, which made me ticked off. I wanted to make out with Mana in my previous life. But I couldn''t do it because she cheated on me. I want to redo my youth in this life that I couldn''t do in my previous life, but Mana, the source of my previous life''s suffering, was interfering with my happiness once again! Because of that, I couldn''t keep my cool any longer. ¡°What is it? Don''t be vague. Tell us what you wrote.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± I was surprised at how cold my voice sounded. Mana''s eyes widened as she looked at me. ¡°I''m sure you wrote curse words, aren''t you? Do you want to make me unhappy?You''re a saint, but you''re always cursing people and causing trouble¡­¡± ¡°...Edward-sama¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah¡­¡± I noticed it when Yuno interrupted me. Mana was biting her lower lip tightly and tears were welling up in her eyes. She appeared to be trying to hold back tears, and the drops were trembling, as if they were about to spill out at any moment. Ah¡­I said too much (TL: No, it¡¯s not enough.) It was because you wrote it¡­that I just had to¡­! ¡°Um,no, I''m sorry. I just heard that you curse me, so I just¡­¡± ¡°I don''t really curse people. I''m sorry for all the trouble I''ve caused you¡­¡± Mana muttered something like that and quietly closed the door. The door seemed to have been locked, because there was a clunking sound. Suddenly it became quiet, and only the sound of the rain was audible. ¡°I thought he was only joking when she said she was going to curse you. The way Edward-sama spoke to her just now, it sounded as if you were accusing Saint-sama of being a vile person who cursed people.¡± ¡°I never said anything like that! I didn''t mean that¡­¡± ¡°She''s the type to be swept up in her joys and sorrows, but she doesn''t seem like the type to curse anyone, does she?¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°Edward-sama should apologize.¡± ¡°...I know¡­¡± ¡°That was so terrible, poor Saint-sama.¡± ¡°I know!¡± It was because she wrote it! CH 16 Chapter 16 Trouble ¡°You should apologize as soon as possible, Edward-sama.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± The letter of misfortune did indeed say that I would be cursed, and because of my previous life, I''m not comfortable apologizing honestly. But it was frustrating that I couldn''t explain that to anyone. I would feel better if I could say back to her, ¡°I''m going to make out with a younger pretty girl in this life!¡± But since I couldn''t read Japanese, I couldn''t say that either. I can''t say that either because I''m set up to not read Japanese. I''d suddenly become a guy who was embarrassed to make out with her. I must have appeared to those around me who didn''t know what was written in the letter as a narrow-minded guy who can''t let a joke about cursing slide and makes people cry by interrogating them. From my point of view, it was unreasonable to be seen that way! But since I couldn''t explain, I had no choice but to apologize! I don''t want to be called ¡°the guy who never apologizes.¡±! Besides, it was not my fault! On the other hand, I felt so guilty. (TL: Don¡¯t.) I''ve committed a terrible crime to make Mana cry¡­I''m almost depressed, but I told my heart that she was a stranger now, so I don''t have to worry so much about it. The heart was a really difficult thing to understand. Whatever it was, the fact that I had made her cry did not change. Just as I was about to knock on the door of the saint''s room to apologize, multiple footsteps approached. ¡°Mother¡­¡± The meeting seems to be over, and the queen and Alvin are coming toward us with their guards. They arrived at an inconvenient time. I wish they had stayed a little longer at their meeting¡­ I wanted to apologize to Mana right away, but I couldn''t just ignore her when I saw the queen. I straighten my back and wait for Mother to arrive. ¡°Did you get through to her about the meeting, Edward?¡± She asked as soon as she saw me. I told her what happend, but it was hard to report it because she refused with a single word: ¡°No.¡± ¡°That''s what she told me¡­¡± ¡°I see she still refused, after all¡± ¡°...Yes¡­¡± After all? You mean you expected that I wouldn''t be able to arrange a meeting? I had wondered why she came to me out of the blue, but I guess she knew I couldn''t get an appointment, so she came directly to me. I thought I had more success than Alvin and Ethan in relation to the saints, but my expectations were so low! This sucks. ¡°You¡¯re utterly useless.¡± Alvin glanced at me and sighed. What¡¯s with that look? It¡¯s annoying! ¡°Edward, the most impressionable of you guys, couldn''t do it. You had been turned away before, weren''t you? It is not that I did not expect Edward, but that the Saint would have refused to meet with us no matter who told her. That''s why I went out to her in person like this.¡± When I saw Alvin, who had shrunk as a result of the queen''s admonition, I felt better. Apparently, she was not expecting me to persuade her. But the next question made me feel even smaller. ¡°Edward, is the rain right now natural or is influenced by the Saint?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± It was difficult to say, but I couldn''t help but explain. ¡°I think it''s the influence of Saint-sama, I''ve made her displeased with me¡­¡± I didn''t miss the way the corners of Alvin''s mouth turned up for a second as I said that! ¡°...I See. I''ve had enough of this. We''ll take care of the rest.¡± ¡°...Yes¡­¡± As I was told, I turned my back to Mana''s room and started walking away. When I glanced back at a distance, my eyes met Mana''s, who was looking at me with the door slightly open. I stopped in my tracks, but Mana''s gaze shifted to the Queen as she put her hand on the door. The queen and Mana were discussing something. After a moment, Mana invited the Queen and Alvin into the room. Alvin looked at me and smirked as he entered the room. Gosh, I want to drop-kick that handsome face of his¡­! ¡°Edward-sama, what are you going to do after this?¡± ¡°Well, it''s raining, but I think I''ll go back to my room and¡­then we''ll go to the orphanage.| ¡°I understand.¡± The rain had stopped by the time we left the castle. The skies were cloudy, but the air was calm. I''m not sure what they talked about, but perhaps her meeting with the Queen went well. I suppose I should say I''m glad, but...I''m not in the mood for that right now. ¡°Isn''t this carriage too small, Edward-sama? Shouldn''t you have a more regal carriage if you''re royalty? After all, it is the duty of a Royalty to spend money wisely.¡± I was on my way to the orphanage in my usual carriage, however there were two countesses sitting across from me. How did this happen¡­? As I returned from Mana''s room to my private room to get ready to go to the orphanage, I heard very loud footsteps. It must be Ethan, the sexual harrassing muscle head, not because he has no fat, but because his muscles are so heavy that he walks with such a thumping sound that I thought he might break the floor because of it. Why was he wandering around the castle today when he should have been captured by Father, the Knight Commander, and forced to do his training? I wonder if he was going to snatch me out? Well, he has no use for me, so best not to get involved! I thought I was at¡­ The door opened with a bang as if it was about to break. ¡°Hey! Wimp! I know you''re in there!¡± ¡°...Elder brother, it''s bad for my heart, so please knock.¡± I had been caught off guard that he would not come here, so Yuno and I were both startled by the sudden loud noise. Yuno was so angry that he blurted something out with a straight face. ¡°It''s your own fault because you have a weak heart. You just need to train it.¡± How do you train your heart? Please don''t put me together with you, whose brain and internal organs are all made of muscle, with us normal people. ¡°So, what can I do for you¡­?¡± As far as I''m concerned, I want you to leave my space as soon as possible. ¡°I have a special guest for you today.¡± ¡°...Guest?¡± Two young ladies in dresses emerged from behind Ethan. ¡°My name is Karina Ahrens.¡±(TL: ¥«¥ê©`¥Ê?¥¢©`¥ì¥ó¥¹) Her voice was full of confidence. Her hair was rich red, and her eyes were golden. She was as lovely as a rose and a gem. ¡°My name is Crista Bernette.¡± (TL: ¥¯¥ê¥¹¥¿?¥Ù¥ë¥Í¥Ã) Her voice was as gentle as a stringed instrument. Shiny green hair and water-clear light blue eyes. She was a young woman who gave the impression of a forest goddess. Although they were different from each other, they are both very beautiful. Both Karina and Crista were Count¡¯s daughter, and had seen them around Ethan several times. I believe their names were mentioned as potential fianc¨¦es. I don''t know if ¡°potential fianc¨¦e¡± was worth it, though, since Ethan will probably take several concubines. ¡°What are your thoughts? Karina and Crista are both stunning, aren''t they?¡± ¡°Huh? They are, indeed.¡± ¡°They''re the same age as you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Then, see you later. they¡¯re in your good hands.¡± ¡°What? Elder Brother?¡± Ethan left with the same thumping sound as when he came. Everything about him was so loud¡­but now was not the time for such impressions. He said ¡°please,¡± but I don''t even know to whom he was addressing, so what the hell! I turned to the two countesses, but they just looked at me with smiles on their faces. ¡­What does he want me to do¡­? ¡°Anyway, please have a seat.¡± I was already planning to go out, but I couldn''t leave them alone. ¡°With all due respect¡­Ara, it''s hard.¡± Karina took a seat and stroked the sofa. She appeared to be speaking to herself rather than to me, but I could clearly hear her. It was for visitors, but it wasn''t particularly elegant or comfortable. It was a plain and hard sofa, probably not suitable for a young lady. I am sorry about that. But you know, this room was not designed for a lady''s visit. I''m only trying to make it comfortable for me. So if you have any complaints, please talk to Ethan! Krista began to gracefully drink the tea Yuno served her. She was quiet, not opening her mouth except when she introduced herself. Kalina, on the other hand, looked around without sipping her tea and began to scurry around busily. ¡°This is not right, Edward-sama. It is bad that the Prince''s room is in such a shabby state!¡± Ain¡¯t it too much calling that it was shabby? I like it despite the lack of decoration because I only want it to be functional. I know it was unpopular with women, soo leave it alone! ¡°Anyway, what can I do for you two¡­?¡± Ethan brought them here. He must have some kind of a plan. I want to get this over with and get out of here. I want to go to the orphanage! ¡°We would like to be friends with you, Edward-sama.¡± ¡°Hah¡­?¡± I replied in a very languid manner. What do you mean? I wasn''t looking for a friend, you know? ¡°Ethan-sama was very concerned that you don''t have many female friends.¡± ¡°Hah¡­?¡± No way, That sexual harrassing muscle head was concerned about me? That was simply not possible. ¡°Therefore! He asked me and Krista-san, who were the same age as you, to be good friends with Edward-sama.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± All I could let out was a sound that they were out of my mind. My sweet Elder Brother was going to share his girls with me? You are so kind, I''m going to cry. As if I would say that!!!! How old do you think I am! I''m not old enough to have friends provided for me, and I don''t need you to mediate girls for me! I don''t want any charity from you! ¡°I appreciate your concern, but I prefer to find my friends on my own¨C¡± ¡°It¡¯s so sad to hear that, Edward-sama!¡± ¡°Wha¨C!?¡± I was taken aback by Karina''s strong gaze on me. The eyes of a beautiful woman were too frightening for a genuine mob, like me. ¡°Do you have a place to meet people? Even at social gatherings, I don''t see you for long¡­¡± I am often dragged to social gatherings because I am royalty, but I don¡¯t feel good with such glamorous places. So I showed my face only as much as necessary and fled as soon as an opportunity presented itself. I didn''t realise they knew that¡­! I''m embarrassed that they noticed I''ve been sneaking around trying to get out! Please don''t say any more about it because I feel sorry for myself! ¡°Anyway, I don''t need your help! I''m going out.¡± ¡°We''ll accompany you then.¡± Please no, neither of them seem to be bad kids, but what would happen if the girl who said that the couch was hard went to an orphanage? It was too much trouble to even imagine. And it was inconvenient for me because I''m supposed to be a Kuuga, the third son of a wealthy aristocrat. ¡°It''s not a fun place for the two of you to go.¡± ¡°I''ll go with you!¡± ¡°...Me, too....¡± Crista, who had been quiet for a long time, wanted to go with me¡­. ¡°Would you like to cancel it for today?¡± Yuno asked me secretly, but I want to go to the orphanage and know how the city was reacting to the recent weather. She was an upper class young lady, so if she saw an orphanage, she might say, ¡°I''m going home!¡± ¡°No, I''m going. So get ready.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I had no choice but to take them with me. Ahh~ this was troublesome¡­ CH 17 Chapter 17 Orphanage Part 1 At the castle, I asked Karina and Crista to change into something more appropriate for strolling around the town. The dress they were wearing earlier would stand out on the street, and it would be a disaster if the children touched it and made it dirty. The orphanage could not afford it. Well, if that happened, I would do it. ¡°I want to go to the orphanage already!¡± I thought, but the time spent waiting for the girls to change was excruciating. I forgave it when I tried to put myself in the mindset of the protagonist of a romantic comedy manga, waiting for the heroine and her girlfriends to change into their swimsuits and come out of the changing room on a double date. That was the kind of youth I want to live in this life! It was enjoyable while I was thinking about it, but when I calmed down and faced reality, the sense of emptiness that overcame me was unbearable. Self-care combined with delusion was a double-edged sword. Speaking of double-edged swords, when a child in a previous life I made a sacred sword, Moroha no tsurugi*, out of a wooden stick, and it was amazing. (TL: Chapter 8) I smashed the Excalibur made by the kids around me and the older students in a duel. It was my brilliant achievement. I really miss it. Maybe next time I''ll have a sword duel with the mischievous kids at the orphanage. Inside the carriage, it was time for explanations and warnings until we arrived at the orphanage. I told them what I was doing at the orphanage and that I would not tell them that I was a prince. ¡°Was the name ¡®Kuuga¡¯ thought of by Edward-sama?¡± Crista, who has been speaking a little more, asked me in a gentle manner. She was my age, but she had an older sister vibe to her, similar to Mana in my previous life. It was a little soothing when we started talking. ¡°Yes, I did. I just randomly thought of it.¡± ¡°Ara, randomly, is it? I wonder if that''s the reason why it sounded so strange to me, though I think It''s lovely.¡± I couldn''t help but be captivated by her smile. ¡°You think so? I suppose you have good taste¡­¡± Karina looked at me as if I was a disappointing child, but Kuuga was the name of a brave man with a double-edged holy sword! Keep that in your heart, and apologize to the Kuga family! ¡°I''ll give you a better name for Ethan''s younger brother! Eth¨C¡± ¡°No, It¡¯s all right! You can just call me Kuuga!¡± I can''t predict the name she was about to say, but I''m sure it will involve Ethan. I''m not just some kind of a celebrity who was coerced into changing my name by a fortune teller on a TV show. What kind of punishment was that? ¡°It¡¯s sad to hear that you¡¯re saying no, Ed¨CKuuga-sama. But, I understand. Then, please feel free to call me Karina as well.¡± ¡°You can also call me Christa.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to add the honorifics. You can use more informal language. If you are too polite, the children will be nervous. Please talk to me as if I were your friend. I''ll do the same. Karina, Crista.¡± When I asked them to do so, they scowled at each other. What? You don''t like it? I was a little nervous at first, but was relieved when they smiled at me and said, "I understand." Even though the topic was unimportant, conversing with girls I didn''t know was exhausting. This was too extreme! I wonder if I could be a youth in such a state¡­ We arrived at an orphanage in a corner of the castle town. The two-story building itself was old, but it was spacious and had a garden where children could run around. There was also a field and adequate facilities for an orphanage. Unlike the building, the grounds were surrounded by a new, tall, and impressive wall. This was due to the fact that they rebuilt it with the money I gave them. The previous walls were in danger of collapsing. The area was not dangerous, but just in case. ¡°It really is an orphanage, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Karina, you¡­¡± Krista rebukes Karina, who rolled her eyes at the orphanage. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Ethan-sama told me that you were just going to the orphanage just to play around¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Did Ethan just say that I was lying and just playing around by going to the orphanage? No way¡­. I was too dumbfounded to get angry. Karina seems to believe Ethan''s words. I''m usually in the shadows and I''ve never had anything to do with her before, so I guess I couldn''t blame her for believing what she had been told to. Christa warned Karina on my behalf, but I don''t know how I should feel about it. The misunderstanding should be cleared up soon, because I intend to prove it by the way we spend our time with the children from now on. ¡°Sensei! Kuuga-sensei!¡± When I got off the carriage, Yulia came running up to me while her pink twin-tail was swaying around. The small children rush after her. ¡°Sensei, you''re here! We''ve been waiting for you! Look at the fields! Flowers! The flowers have already bloomed!¡± Yulia grabbed my hand and led me to the field before I could introduce Karina and Crista. The two of them were looking at me blankly, but I''m sure Yuno will take care of the rest. ¡°Oh~ This is amazing!¡± A corner of a field plowed when Mana first arrived in this world was transformed into a colorful flower field. The seeds were all the same, but the shapes and colors varied depending on the magical power provided as nourishment. Visually, it was a jumble, but thinking about the children who worked so hard to make these flowers bloom made me smile a lot. ¡°Sensei, mine is that one!¡± ¡°Oh, Which one? That is incredible!¡± Yulia pointed to a flower that stood out. It was a straight sunflower, probably two meters taller than me. ¡°You did great.¡± Ahem! I happily patted Yulia''s head and smiled as she proudly puffed out her chest. The smile on her young face was childish, but the magic power that could be seen in the flowers she had grown was quite impressive. ¡°You¡¯re really amazing.¡± Despite its height, it grew straight and without bending. The flower faced the sun, but its colour was blue; which was suited for water-based magic. This was just right. ¡°Yulia, today we are going to make sweets.¡± ¡°Sweets!? Yay!¡± I''m going to make the cat cookies I made for Mana with everyone today. I don''t know if we could make use of cookie making in the orphanage from now on, but let''s do it anyway. I''ll make the cat, but¡­I''ll also make a Shiba Inu today. I''m still not over the shock that Mana was a dog person, but I thought it would be a good idea to give it to her when I apologise. ¡°Sensei, look at my flower too!¡± ¡°Mine too!¡± ¡°Please look!!!!¡± The children who had flocked to the garden showed me their flowers. As I was praising them, patting them on the head and picking up the little ones in my arms, my eyes met those of three people watching us from a little distance away. One was Yuno, who seemed to be in a good mood, and the other was the ladies, who looked surprised. That was right, it was not just Yuno and I who came here today. ¡°I''m sorry to keep you waiting.¡± ¡°No, it''s fine. I see that you are much admired, Kuuga-sensei.¡± I rushed over to them, but I was teased by Christa. I was embarrassed when Crista called me a Sensei, but I was reassured that she would no longer misunderstand me from the way I felt. ¡°I see that you are a frequent visitor to this orphanage, so I guess I was wrong about you playing with them! I will have to tell Ethan-sama!¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Karina''s misunderstanding seems to have been cleared up, but it''s subtle and unsettling. Ethan was aware that I was at the orphanage and that I was merely "playing," but she does not appear to be aware of such malice. Even if I tried to explain it to Karina, who adores Ethan, she wouldn''t get it. So I''ll keep my mouth shut¡­Why the heck do you like that sexually harassing musclehead? The world was unreasonable no matter where I went. ¡°I''m going to go make some pastries with the children. Would you two like to join us?¡± ¡°Well, that sounds fun! Let¡¯s get started!¡± Karina enters the building at a brisk pace, leaving us behind. She was a countess, but she didn''t look at with disdain when she saw the old exterior of the orphanage, and although she had made a few curious comments, they seemed to be honest and sincere. To put it another way, she wasn''t a bad girl. But she must have come here because Ethan told him something. I don''t think she came to me just to be my friend. ¡°I''ve never made my own pastries before.¡± Christa smiled as if there were flowers all around her after she said that. I don''t believe she was bad; in fact, I believe she was a good girl... But in the end, I''m sorry to say it, but I can only think of them as ¡°Ethan''s assassin.¡± I couldn¡¯t get them to tell me what he was trying to do¡­ CH 18 The traps were in plain sight! I doubt anyone would believe me if I said, "Actually, I have memories of my previous life." Even so, ¡°How could I know something that is not in Astraea?¡± and the seeds of past life revelations are scattered everywhere. Yulia stood in the small kitchen to represent the kids, along with me, Yuno, Karina, and Crista. The other kids wanted to do the same thing, but because it would be difficult to keep track of them, I asked them to focus on the eating part this time. Now, everything was ready. Let''s start making cat and Shiba Inu cookies! At this point, a question came up from everyone. ¡°What¡¯s a Shiba Inu?¡± ¡°Eh¡­you don¡¯t know?¡± (TL: Of course they don¡¯t, you dumb fk.) I froze, and the four of them tilted their heads. I was surprised because I had heard that there are usually dogs in Astraea¡­but there are no Shiba Inus! ¡°Isn''t that the thing you promised to make for that person before?¡± That person Yuno refers to is, of course, Mana. The topic about the Saint was forbidden here because it cannot be divulged to the outside world just yet. ¡°Sensei, what kind of dog is it?¡± That was, Yulia-kun; a Japanese dog, native only to Japan! ¡­Of course, I couldn¡¯t say that. So I simply avert my gaze from everyone, hoping to mislead them. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± ¡°Eh!? Then why did you promise to make it!?¡± ¡°I thought Yuno would know¡­¡± ¡°Are you mistaking me for some kind of walking zoologist?¡± Your intimidating smile is scaring me, Yuno! ¡°I will probably be fine! I can handle it! Look, it''s a cookie, so it can''t be too complicated, right? I''ll just change the shape of the cat and make it look like a dog so we''ll be fine! That''s right, Yuno, do you have a pen and paper?¡± ¡°I do¡­¡± Yuno gave me a piece of paper and a pen, and I began to draw what I imagined. It resembled a dog seen frequently in Astraea, but it also resembled a lawn dog...All right, I did a pretty good job. I then confidently show everyone the paper. ¡°It looks like this!¡± ¡°Kyaaa!!!¡± Kya? When I showed it to them, there was a voice that sounded like it was screaming. When I looked at Yulia, she was shaking her head and covering her mouth with her hand. Wait, it was most likely because of this... ¡°Well, it was creative, I suppose.¡± Christa giggled after saying so. She was laughing, but her eyes were not¡­ It looked like she was holding back, wasn¡¯t she? Also, didn''t she physically move back and distance herself from me? ¡°Are you going to make cookies with this picture? Are you going to harass someone? No way, curse them!? I am not impressed by such a thing! I will report this to Ethan-sama!¡± No, I was not trying to curse! I was trying to make you guys happy, though! I would definitely get in trouble if you reported this to Ethan, so please don''t ever do that! ¡°Kuuga-sama, aren''t you supposed to make adorable dog cookies?They''re totally human eyes, nose and mouth¡­It looks like a dog with a human face.¡± (TL: Ed¡­ward¡­Onii¡­chan?) ¡°T-That¡¯s scary¡­¡± Yuno gave me a reproachful look while comforting Yulia, who was frightened by what I made. It hurts when I am told such things¡­ It was unfortunate that no one recognizes this illustration with a high artistic point that balances realism and cuteness. ¡°I''ll definitely make these cookies!¡± ¡°Why don''t you make them anyway? after seeing that drawing, I can only think it''s a miracle how you made those cat cookies, but if you try it, it might work out better than you think.¡± ¡°I''ll make you say they''re absolutely adorable¡­!¡± I started baking cookies, irritated with my maid of honor who was throwing me under the bus. I have prepared and brought the ingredients and tools. I could leave the tools as they are and I have brought more ingredients so they could practice while I''m gone. The first step was to make cat cookies, which I was familiar with. I rolled out the dough and stacked it, checking it from the side. ¡°I wonder how it will turn out. Are you sure it¡¯ll be fine?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Don''t look at it yet, okay? Let''s let it cool down and look forward to when we cut it.¡± Why does Yulia look so anxious behind Kalina, who was trying to peek at me? I secretly told Yuno, ¡°What if we make a lot of those drawings earlier?¡± because they were listening to their Sensei perfectly. If the balance was off, it would be an ugly cat, but I glanced over to check the sides and saw that it was done beautifully. This will make everyone say how cute it is. ¡°All right. Now that it''s all put together nicely, I''ll let this cool down so it''s easier to cut.¡± ¡°Allow me to do it; I''m good at cooling things down.¡± Crista came forward and I asked her to do it while teaching Yulia. In the meantime, I''ll bake some dog cookies. Today, I decided to make a sample and teach her when I got it right. Because it had more parts than a cat, it was difficult to make it look like a Shiba Inu, but I''m confident I''d get it right. I looked at Yulia as I worked, and she was listening intently while taking notes. She and Christa, who was kindly teaching her, looked like beautiful sisters. Karina was also a beautiful girl, and perhaps she was the most attractive person in the world right now? If only I could forget that two of them are probably Ethan''s assassins! ¡°Kuuga-sensei, is this okay?¡± ¡°Un, that¡¯s good.¡± Crista liked the idea of calling me Kuuga-sensei. It was embarrassing to be called that outside the orphanage, but it was okay while we''re here. I asked her to wait a little while and let the finished dog cookies cool down. Yulia attempted to make this one on her own and did an excellent job. ¡°Then, I¡¯m going to cut it.¡± I started with the cat first. With a knife, I first cut off the uneven edges, and then cut another piece where it was clean. ¡°...!? Uwaah!! It¡¯s so cute!!¡± Yulia, who had been jittery before cutting, squealed with delight when the cute cat''s face appeared. ¡°That''s incredible! It''s amazing that the person who drew that picture could come up with something like this!¡± "Haha, thanks, I guess...." I have learned in the past few hours about Karina''s specification, so I interpret this as an honest compliment. ¡°Christa?¡± I looked at Christa, who was being silent for a while, to see what was wrong. But, she was staring at the cat cookie while trembling. ¡°Christa, what¡¯s wro¨C¡± ¡°IT¡¯S SO CUTEEEEEEE!!!¡± Everyone was surprised at Krista¡¯s exclamation. Her calm and gentle older sister vibe was gone As I froze in surprise, Krista looked at me with a big motion. ¡°Ed¨Cguh.¡± Hearing the name she was about to say, I hurriedly suppressed her mouth. Yulia¡¯s with us, you know!? ¡°It¡¯s Kuuga!¡± When I warned her quietly, she nodded apologetically and because of that, I let go of my hand. ¡°Kuuga-sensei! I adore cats, so this is so wonderful!! It¡¯s so adorable~~~~~~~!!¡± Her face was delirious as she held both cheeks and shouts, and because of that everyone was bewildered by the sudden breakdown of her character. There was a cat lover in this place, too. With Mana being what she was, I wondered ¡°Do you really like cats?¡± but from the looks of it, it doesn''t seem to be an act. ¡°W-Well then, I¡¯ll continue cutting it.¡± *Tonk* (TL: Cutting sfx) ¡°Kya!¡± *Tonk* ¡°Kyaa!!¡± *Tonk* ¡°Kyaaaaa!!!¡± Shut uuuuup! A scream comes in every time I cut the cat cookies. ¡°Aaahh! What shall we do!? The number of cats is increasing!!!!¡± It was only annoying to have a constant scream next to me, but I managed to finish cutting them all. The Dog cookie turned out to be more Shiba Inu-like than I had anticipated. It seems I have shown my unbridled talent. Everyone did not react strangely to the cookie, but rather said, ¡°How cute!¡± I think it must have turned out well as a dog. They were surprised to discover that the dog with a human face was actually a real dog! But I was pleased that I was able to persuade them that it was cute. ¡°Please leave the baking to me!¡± This time Karina played the role of Yulia''s teacher and baker. They were beautifully baked in no time, and the delicious aroma quickly spread. It was great that the waiting time was so short. ¡°Sensei! Is it done yet!?¡± ¡°Is it time to eat!?¡± The delicious smells lured the children to gather around the kitchen, and because of that we decided to make it snack time. Yulia left the kitchen to eat with the kids. We stayed behind and the four of us started eating cookies while drinking tea. ¡°Ah~ they¡¯re so cute! It''s a waste to eat them!¡± Crista''s wild mood was still going on. ¡°What should I do¡­I really can''t eat them~!¡± Everyone except Crista was already ravishing the cookies, but she looked at them and held them in her hands as if they were precious jewels. She eventually began to cry because she couldn''t eat it. You don''t have to be sad about it... ¡°It''s a cookie, you must eat it or it¡¯ll be a waste!¡± ¡°...! Yes, That''s right¡­¡± Crista took a tentative bite of the cookie at Karina''s suggestion. Then, a nice crunching sound came from Crista''s mouth. ¡°It''s delicious..hicc¡­¡± Don¡¯t cry please¡­ I mutter as I stare at the cookie she bit on. ¡°I will never forget your self-sacrificing devotion! Please become my flesh and blood and live with me¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s depressing.¡± It was just a cookie-tasting party that turned out to be partly a wake, but now that Yulia was out of the picture and there were four of us, I decided to bring up an example I had been meaning to check. We''d only been together for a few hours, but they didn''t seem like bad people. So I decided to ask them straight out, hoping they would answer. ¡°I have a question I''d like to ask you both.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What did Elder Brother Ethan tell you to do?¡± CH 19 Chapter 19 Assault When I asked them about it, they gave me an awkward look before turning their heads and falling silent. They were already half-admitting because they hadn¡¯t said anything, but I still wanted to confirm what that guy told them to do. I assume it was some kind of honey trap because they were sent by that musclebrain who was almost always moving forward with vigor. ¡°I don''t intend to blame you two, and I won''t tell anyone what I will hear. I just hope we can cooperate.¡± ¡°Cooperation, is it?¡± Karina looked at me as if she were probing. ¡°Yeah, You may act as if the two of you have accomplished what my Elder Brother has asked you to do, and I will help you to the best of my ability. I may not be able to do much, but¡­you two are prospective fianc¨¦es of my Elder Brother, right? If so, I can tell Mother about your attitude and recommend you to her.¡± ¡°Really!? But¡­¡± ¡°........¡± Crista remained silent, but Karina took the bait after I said so. One more push, huh? I''ve already come this far, so I suppose I could just directly ask them. ¡°Elder Brother told you guys to seduce me, right?¡± ¡°!¡± ¡°........¡± Crista turned her head down and looked away further, and Kalina widened her eyes in surprise. It appears that I was correct. Despite their differences, they were both easy to read. They were so honest. ¡°We¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± Seemingly convinced, the two shared the details over a cup of tea that Yuno had freshly brewed. ¡°Ethan called me and told me to, ¡®make him fall in love with you and swing him around!'' because you were getting in the way of his efforts to seduce the Saint.¡± ¡°He also told me to get information about the Saint.¡± My hand holding the teacup hardened. ¡°Eh!? Who''s trying to seduce who? And whose information does he want to get out of me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Saint.¡± ¡°I heard she was sent to Astraea by the grace of the Goddess. Right? Karina?¡± ¡°Yes, That¡¯s right.¡± I looked at Yuno unintentionally. That musclehead! You''re leaking information about the Saint!? I''ll have to inform the Queen about this. ¡°Let me see¡­have either of you told anyone about the Saint?¡± ¡°No? I was asked by Ethan-sama to keep it a secret, so I didn''t tell anyone about the Saint. ¡°I see, that¡¯s a relief¡­¡± Wait, no! That was still bad news! When I told them that the appearance of the Saint was restricted, Crista''s face turned pale, but Karina''s expression brightened in contrast. ¡°Ethan-sama just told me such an important thing!?¡± ¡°You were not supposed to be happy about it!¡± The information that was restricted could be dangerous to anyone who heard about it, but neither Ethan nor Karina have the slightest idea! ¡°Please keep quiet about the saints in the future. But¡­why did you accept that stupid order?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­! I love Ethan-sama! I want to be his wife! Ethan-sama has many potential fianc¨¦es. But he said that if I did what told me to, he would make me one of his wifes¡­!¡± I had mixed feelings when I saw Karina shouting such words while tears flowed down her cheeks. Please forgive my dumb Elder Brother. But, I was very bothered and¡­irritated for some reason. ¡°Is that enough to make you his wife? You are being forced to cooperate to seduce other men. Are you okay with that?¡± He spoke normally, but my voice naturally turned into a reproachful tone. ¡°Of course, I''m not okay with it! But there are many more beautiful women with better status than me around Ethan-sama! So the only way to catch his eye was to grant his favor¡­¡± ¡°Karina¡­¡± Krista was leaning close to Karina, who had started crying in earnest and handed her a handkerchief. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I sighed quietly. I felt guilty because most of what happened were predictable, and I felt like I could have done more to prevent the girls from getting hurt. However, until I became involved to some extent, I couldn''t tell if the two of them had bad intentions or not. ¡°Ethan-sama was probably joking about it. So, it was my fault for taking it seriously. I¡¯ll just pretend I haven¡¯t heard anything. That¡¯s why can you please let this go¡­? I¡¯m just going to report to Ethan-sama that I couldn¡¯t do it¡­¡± You were still defending Ethan after being treated like that? Why? Because you like him...? ¡°...You¡¯re amazing Karina¡­¡± How could you not say a single bad word about him and still like him? I wasn''t being sarcastic or dismissive. I was being completely honest here. I don''t know if Karina''s feelings are good or bad. No, maybe it was stupid and overwhelmingly ¡°bad¡± to continue to love and be used by someone who doesn''t love you. Still, I think Karina was amazing, and I felt a little envious Unlike me, I couldn''t do that. I really couldn''t. Ah~ That was why I felt frustrated¡­ I was remembering the time when I saw Mana cheating on me. The moment I realized that I was being cheated on by someone I couldn''t compete with even if I tried and that my efforts were in vain, I immediately gave up and ran away. If only I had the same feeling as Karina, to the point that people around me would think I was an idiot¡­ ¡­No, I should have had it. ¡°What do you mean by amazing!? Are you mocking me!?¡± I guess she heard me muttering, and I ended up making her cry even more. I felt bad for making a girl cry, but was it really my fault? ¡ªNo, I didn''t. Is it my fault that I didn''t deal with her sooner so she wouldn''t get hurt? ¡ªNo, that''s not it either! Why was it my fault? I know who was to blame! ¡°Karina! Christa! Let''s go and complain to my Elder Brother Ethan!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Aren''t you angry? Who does he think he is? He has no idea what it''s like to be human!¡± ¡°But, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°If you two don¡¯t want to say it, then I will! Don¡¯t miss it! Yuno, prepare the carriage!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Wait for us, Edward-sama!¡± Carina tried to hold me back as I stood up, but I''m definitely going! I will protest! ¡°I''m going. Karina, Christa. You guys can decide for yourselves if you want to go or not.¡± We immediately returned to the castle after that by riding the carriage. While checking on Ethan''s whereabouts, I made an arrangement to meet with the queen. ¡°You two, wait for us in the parlor.¡± As we were leaving the orphanage, Karina and Krista came after us. Ethan was found in a private room in the royal area, which Karina and Christa were not allowed to enter, so I asked them to stay inside the castle. ¡°Well then, please¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave them to you.¡± I left them with Yuno and went to Ethan alone. First I would go and protest, then I would drag him out in front of the two of them! My anger toward Ethan was boiling over as I walk. My footsteps echo in the hallway, rougher than usual. I wanted to punch him in the face, but it was unfortunate that he was stronger than me. I think I would probably hurt myself more if I hit him, but I think I should at least give it a shot. ¡°E-Ed¡­¡± ¡°!¡± I''m so quite angry that it was no wonder I''m walking right past her, but I recognize the little voice calling out to me. It was coming near Mana''s room, and when I followed the source of the voice, I saw Mana looking at me through a gap in the door that was slightly open. ¡°...Mana-sama¡­¡± ¡°Welcome back, were you out somewhere?¡± ¡°Yes, I was in town earlier.¡± My anger was cut short when I saw Mana. We parted awkwardly this morning, and I have yet to apologize. I''d like to give her the dog cookies too, but I''ve got Karina and Krista waiting, and because of that, it was not the time for that. ¡°W-Well¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry, I''m in a hurry right now. Let¡¯s talk later¡­¡± I interrupted what Mana was about to say. ¡°U-Un, sorry¡­¡± The apologetic look on his face made me feel guilty, but now I had to talk to Ethan anyway. With renewed energy, I head to Ethan''s private office a little further down the hall. Remembering Karina''s tears, I walk, raising the voltage of my subsided anger. ¡°I''ll make him apologize to Karina, Christa, and me!¡± If I had walked calmly¡­ I might have noticed that I didn''t hear the door to Mana''s room close after I passed by, and I might have noticed the presence of someone following behind me. ¡°...Ed, are you mad at me¡­?¡± (TL: Probably not, but I¡¯m mad at you though.) CH 20 Chapter 20 Fiancee I knock on the door but Ethan won¡¯t come out. I could feel his presence in the room, so I knew he was there. ¡°Elder Brother! Elder Brother Ethan!¡± *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* I banged on the door, but there was still no response. That dumb musclehead was ignoring me! ¡°Elder Brother! Sexual harasser! Muscle Head! Enemy of women!¡± ¡°F*ck you! Shut the f*ck up, or I¡¯ll blow you away! I don¡¯t need you so get the f*ck out of here!¡± Finally, he responded. If you can hear me, get your *ss out here! ¡°I have something important to discuss with you, It''s about Karina and Krista!¡± ¡ªClank ¡°?¡± I heard a noise coming from the empty hallway. I looked around and noticed the trees outside swaying and the windows rattling. ¡­.Was it really just the wind? I don''t have time for that, I have to drag my dumb brother out of there as soon as possible and make him face Karina and Christa. ¡°Come out, muscle head Elder Brother! I''ve reported everything you two ordered them to do to Mother!¡± ¡°Who¡¯re you calling a muscle head¡­!?¡± Then, with a loud bang, Ethan finally opened the door. ¡°Elde¡ªeh?¡± I was about to say something to him when my gaze was drawn to someone else in the room. It was Sheena, Mana''s maid, whom I had talked to a little in the morning. ¡°E-Edward-sama! It¡¯s not what you think! Please help me¡­!¡± I don''t need him to explain what he was doing because her maid''s uniform was opened a little bit. I guess he was trying to seduce her and get information about the saint. ¡°...What the heck are you doing, Elder Brother? Are you in the heat all year round?¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± He might have forced her by threatening to lose her job if she doesn''t follow what he said. I guess I should report this one as well¡­this was troublesome and my head was starting to hurt¡­ I placed my hand on my forehead and sighed while Ethan was standing in front of me. ¡°I don''t know what you reported, but I just introduced Karina and Christa to you. More importantly, how were Karina and Christa? Did you have a good day with them?¡± I was about to argue that, ¡°We were just talking,¡± when a rattling sounded violently at the window. The wind was strong. ¡­.Don''t tell me something happened to Mana¡­? Did Alvin barge into her room!? I turned around and looked towards Mana''s room, but it was quiet¡­ Was it just a normal wind that was unrelated to Mana? I guess I''m too sensitive to natural phenomena these days. Then I returned my attention to Ethan. ¡°They are your potential fianc¨¦es, so please stop using their feelings like a tool! Can''t tell you how much it hurt them when you told them to go to my place because they adore you!?¡± ¡°Then why don''t you go right ahead and comfort them? You don¡¯t have confidence as a ma¡ª¡± When I heard the insulting words "Comfort them," I was so mad that I head-butted Ethan, who was standing right in front of me, across the high nose. I would lose in a fistfight, but I''m hard-headed enough to win in a headbutt! ¡°I guess you are what you say...I thought you were just a musclehead...But you have disappointed me.¡± I looked at Ethan who was holding his nose while writhing in pain. I assumed he had some redeeming qualities simply because he had muscles for brains, but it appears I was mistaken. ¡°I don''t give a damn what you think of me!¡± In a fit of rage, Ethan came up to me. Oh! Bring it on! I don''t think I can win, but I''ll manage to head-butt him one more time and break his nose. I was just about to do it, when¡ª ¡°I am also disappointed in you.¡± I turned around to hear a voice behind me. There were three women. Behind them were Yuno and the knight escorting them. ¡°Mother!? Karina and Krista as well! What are you doing here!?¡± ¡°I brought them here with my permission. I also heard Yuno''s report, and since the other parties were here, I thought I''d bring them all together for a discussion. Ethan, what is wrong with you? Your Father, who is counting on you, will weep.¡± ¡°Mother! Leave the matter about the Saint to me! I¡¯m better at handling women than him!¡± Ethan''s direct talk made the Queen''s face turn serious. That was the expression she makes when she was really furious. I really don¡¯t know what to do about this¡­I wanted to get out of her quickly, but the Queen¡¯s angry voice echoed throughout the hallway before I could. ¡°Who are you to say you¡¯re better at handing women!? Isn¡¯t there a Daughter of a Noble who was hurt by your shallow thinking!?¡± The Queen¡¯s dominance naturally made me correct my posture. She was so terrifying that I vowed to myself that I would never make her angry. Ethan''s large body shrank as a result. ¡°M-Mother! That''s not true! That woman approached me solely because I am a prince. She''s not really hu¡ª¡± ¡°That''s not true!¡± Karina, who had been standing quietly, raised her voice. ¡°I had the pleasure of dancing with Ethan-sama at a party¡­¡± Karina came forward and started talking about the first time she met Ethan. It happened at a party hosted by the country¡ª Karina, who had never attended a large party before, was nervous and did not fit in. It was then that Ethan approached her and invited her to dance. Karina was happy, but she was even more nervous when the prince unexpectedly invited her to dance, and because of it she stumbled while dancing. She almost fell down, but Ethan was a gentleman and helped her up. ¡°Without breaking a sweat, Ethan-sama guided me and turned our dance into a wonderful step. He told me that my dancing was so pretty like a butterfly that he thought I was playing with it, thinking it was going to flutter and fly away. He not only forgave me for my mistake but also cared for me in that way.¡± ¡°Maybe that''s someone else¡­I¡¯ll just shut my mouth¡­¡± I couldn''t resist and unintentionally interrupted her, and the queen gave me a look that said, ¡°I''m going to sew your mouth shut.¡± But I''m sure that was definitely a different person¡­ ¡°I was so taken by his personality and his resilience that he could easily keep me afloat. Ethan-sama¡­I have been in love with you since that day¡­¡± When she told him about this, Carina began to shed a few tears. She must have been even more hurt by being told that she had approached him for his power, even though she had feelings for him. Ethan also seemed to be very upset. ¡°Butterflies¡­Are you the girl that was wearing a lapis lazuli colored dress?¡± It seems that there was something that came to mind in his memory. Was this really Ethan? ¡°I¡¯m sorry for trampling your feelings¡­¡± Only I still had my doubts, but¡­Ethan apologized!? I have never seen him apologize so honestly¡­ ¡°Please apologize to me too.¡± ¡°I''ve caused you a lot of trouble¡­my bad.¡± Ethan honestly apologized to me!? I thought he would never say it, so I took advantage of it because of the situation¡­ As far as I remember, whenever Ethan apologizes to me, he always says it reluctantly because he was in front of the Queen. But now there was no sign of that now. ¡°Ethan, you have one officially confirmed fianc¨¦e, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± If I remember correctly, Ethan was engaged to the daughter of a Duke family who had produced many knights, and I believe several others, including Karina and Krista, were still candidates. ¡°Then, these two should be officially added as your fianc¨¦es.¡± ¡°Your Majesty the Queen!¡± Karina was so surprised that she stopped crying. I was surprised too. Some of the candidates were daughters of higher-status families who desired a relationship with the Royal Family. ¡°...I understand¡­¡± ¡°And the daughters of the house of Ahrens and Bernette. Keep quiet about the Saint until the word is out.¡± ¡°W-We understand¡­¡± I see, does it include keeping their mouths shut? I guess she also wanted Ethan to take responsibility. ¡°I apologize for interrupting Your Majesty, but may I speak?¡± It was Christa who raised her voice fearfully. Unlike the emotional Karina, she was much quieter. ¡°Daughter of the House of Bernette, speak.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. I did not have the same feelings as Karina did for Ethan-sama. However, it would be an honor for the Bernette¡¯s to be included in Ethan-sama¡¯s betrothal. I only listened to Ethan-sama¡¯s proposal for the sake of profit. Therefore, I cannot ask you to officially add me as a fianc¨¦e along with Karina, who had pure feelings. Please forgive me for declining.¡± I knew that Christa did not like Ethan. There had always been a heat gap between her and Karina, and she hadn''t talked about Ethan except when I asked her to. ¡°I don''t mind you declining. But when you went along with Ethan''s foolishness for the benefit of the house, are you willing to throw away the benefits you gained, albeit unwillingly?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± My eyes met Christa''s. Eh? What? Was there something that we had been discussing? No, there should be none¡­ ¡°I know I am shameless to make such a request while declining an honor that I do not deserve. But, I would like to ask you to make me his fianc¨¦e, not Ethan-sama, but Edward-sama.¡± ¡­¡­.Ha? Me¡­? I was startled by the sudden mention of my name. When I pointed to myself, Christa nodded and gave me a smile. ¡°Wait, no, Christa what are you sayi¡ª¡± *Dooooooooooooooooooooooo* There was a sudden lighting strike. Because of it, the castle shook a little when it hit the ground. ¡®Did something fall nearby?¡¯ I thought. Then, while we were wondering what was happening, it began to rain. It was a downpour like an overturned bucket. ¡°No way¡­¡± Wind gusts, lightning strikes, and this downpour¡­ CH 21 Chapter 21 Escape CH 22 Chapter 22 Convening Again CH 23 Chapter 23 Mourning CH 24 Chapter 24 There Was No Savior. CH 25 Chapter 25 Judgment