by Takehaya
Shizuka had guided Kiriha to the supermarket’s alcohol aisle, but it was also her destination. There was a kind of alcohol she wanted to buy too.
“Liqueur, liqueur... Ah, here it is.”
Shizuka was looking for liqueur. She could have gotten regular cooking alcohol at the store by the shopping street, but Shizuka had to come all the way out to the supermarket to find a particular liqueur used for making sweets. This supermarket carried a great selection of them, and Shizuka picked out the yogurt flavored one. It was one of her favorites, and this was the only place that carried it.
“Shizuka, what are you going to make with that?”
“Heehee, I was actually planning on using it as the secret ingredient in my chocolate-covered cake.”
“Oh, a cake, huh? That sounds delicious.”
Kiriha, who was also quite skilled in the kitchen, had no trouble reading between the lines. She could tell Shizuka was going to make a sponge cake with yogurt liqueur in it and then cover it with chocolate. It would give the cake a refreshing flavor and make for a nice contrast against the chocolate.
“Something like strawberry would go well with it too.”
“Oh, I have some strawberry liqueur at home, so I’ll give that a try too.”
As the two continued to talk about cooking, they moved down the aisle some to find what Kiriha needed.
“The brandy for cooking is right around here.”
“Now then, which one should I pick?”
In addition to liqueur, the store had a nice selection of brandy too. Kiriha picked up the closest bottle and read the label. She needed to find something that would work for her purposes.
“You’ll be putting the brandy into the chocolate, right?”
“Yes. I wanted to give it a more sophisticated taste.”
“So you want it to be a little bitter?”
“That’s my plan.”
Kiriha was looking for a brandy to give the chocolate a complex flavor. She wanted it to be mature, and something less sweet than normal. She was planning on making a valentine of her own, so she had to make sure it was something an adult would like. Kiriha’s first love, the man she’d met on the surface ten years ago, should be around thirty years old now.
Unfortunately, she still hadn’t managed to track him down. She’d used various methods and she’d checked everywhere she could think of that he might be, but it was all to no avail. Despite that, however, this was the season of romance. Kiriha couldn’t help wanting to make a valentine for him, even if he wasn’t around. That was just how in love she was.
Heh, I’m sure Koutarou would laugh at me for being so stubborn...
Kiriha herself was well aware that what she was doing was silly, but she didn’t feel like it was a waste. She now had a best friend who understood her. Even if she couldn’t actually give her valentine to the man she loved, she could laugh about it with her best friend. And then they could just eat the chocolate together. It wouldn’t be a waste at all. That’s why Kiriha was looking forward to this year’s Valentine’s Day.
As Kiriha was smiling to herself thinking about the coming holiday, Shizuka presented her with two small bottles of brandy.
“Then try this one or this one. Either you really bring out the bitterness of the chocolate, or you suppress it to make it easier to eat.”
Should she use a dry brandy to make the chocolate’s bitter taste stand out even more, or should she use a sweet brandy to make the chocolate easier to eat? Shizuka was recommending that she choose one of the two.
“Hmm, which one to pick...”
Kiriha returned the bottle she was holding to the shelf and compared the two bottles Shizuka had brought her. Her cooking experience told her that either one of them would be good.
“Now that I think about...”
In that moment, the face of Kiriha’s best friend flashed through her mind. After smiling once more, she decided on which brandy to pick.
“Let’s go with this one.”
Kiriha picked the sweet brandy that would make the chocolate easier to eat.
“Oh? I thought for sure you’d pick the dry one instead.”
Shizuka lightly shook the bottle of brandy she was left holding. In her mind, Kiriha was a very mature woman, so she naturally assumed she’d go for the more mature option.
“I just felt like it would be better if it’s easier to eat when I share it with everyone.”
Kiriha’s best friend had very childish tastes. Even if she cut the bitterness of the chocolate with the brandy, he would still probably make a funny face when he tried it and say it was too bitter. With that in mind, she saw no need to go out of her way to make it even bitterer. If it was slightly sweet, then it would be ideal for sharing with her friends.
“I see... Now that I think about it, there are friends to share it with this year...”
Shizuka smiled as she said that. She looked happy, but at the same time, strangely sad.
“Oh, that’s right. Your parents are...”
Shizuka had lost her parents and was managing Corona House on her own. Birthdays, Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day... While the world was celebrating all kinds of things, she was all alone.
“Yeah, but this year I have all you guys, you know? That’s why I’m so happy.”
However, Shizuka’s life had completely changed since Koutarou moved in. She now had people to spend those special days with. She was used to spending them at home alone, but things were different now. All she had to do was walk downstairs and open the door to room 106, and there would be smile upon smile there to greet her. That’s why Shizuka was making a whole cake. To see all those wonderful, radiant smiles at their best on such a special day.
“While I can’t say it openly... I feel the same way.”
Kiriha smiled and nodded. She was feeling something similar. She had lost her mother early in life and had felt her share of loneliness. On top of that, she was the daughter of the clan’s chief and, for political reasons, could show no weakness in her day to day life. So like Shizuka, she was happy to be able to come home to so many honest smiles every day.
“Heehee, you can count on me to keep a secret like that.”
“Then please do. I have to think of my position, after all.”
The two girls smiled at each other and began discussing chocolate again. Their smiles, brighter than before, were proof that the friendship between them had grown.
As most of the residents of room 106 were preparing for Valentine’s Day, one lone girl seemed to shy away from the festivities.
“Hahh...”
She was sitting in the corner of quiet room 106, holding her knees and resting her chin on them. She would let out a deep sigh every now and then. As she was looking down at the floor, her long hair concealed her face, hiding her expression. Even then, however, it was quite clear it was a gloomy one, especially compared to the radiant, golden tresses falling over it.
Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe. She was an alien who had crossed the vast universe to invade this small apartment.
“Why... Why did it turn out like this...?”
Theia’s weak voice echoed through the still room. She was normally proud and powerful. Though her body was small, she had a big personality. However, right now, that was nowhere to be seen. She seemed far smaller than usual huddled in the corner of the lonely room. The cause was a very, very troublesome feeling welling up in her tiny chest.
“At first... I thought that he was just a Neanderthal...”
When Theia had first come to Earth, she had only thought of its people as primitive barbarians. As a result, she would often clash with Koutarou and the other invaders, and it kept them from having an amiable relationship for a long time. However, as things progressed and she and the invaders vied for ownership of the apartment, they’d all come to know each other a little better and build trust and respect in their own ways. Before she knew it, she had begun enjoying life with her new friends here.
Back on Forthorthe, as a princess, everything was political and Theia had to live her life with her guard constantly up. So to her, these fun, laidback days in room 106 were irreplaceable. And somewhere along the way, Theia realized that she had fallen in love with the young Earthling. At first she had considered him to be nothing more than an uncultured brute, and as such, she had tried to make him submit by using force. They had brawled, fought, and argued countless times. In fact, they still did every now and then, although the reason had changed greatly.
It was fun to be able to express herself so freely and willfully. She was happy to be treated like anyone else because it meant she could forget that she was princess for a time. Theia and the boy she’d fallen for would still butt heads, but Theia thought of it affectionately. Before she knew it, all hostility she had was replaced with a warm, fuzzy feeling, and she indulged in that even when they argued.
“He’s an alien... Why do I keep forgetting that...? I’ve known it all along...”
However, now that she had realized her feelings, a new problem had arisen. There was no denying that Theia was an alien to the boy she loved and vice versa. Even if he were to respond favorably to her feelings and the two of them married, they were still from two different planets. A relationship between them would be fraught with problems. On top of them being different species, Theia’s position would pose an issue. And as she thought these problems out one by one, she grew more and more depressed as it set in on her just how unrealistic the whole thing was.
“He and I... will never be married...”
She had fallen in love with someone she could never really be together with. That was what was troubling Theia now. And while it sounded simple enough when put into words, it wouldn’t be that easy to reckon with.
“Haha... This is what I get for getting carried away with ‘Theiamillis’s Blue Knight’... The real Blue Knight couldn’t be together with his princess either...”
A dry laugh leaked from her lips as large tears fell down her cheeks.
In the past, Theia had secretly given the man she loved the title of “Theiamillis’s Blue Knight.” But the Blue Knight of legend could never be together with the Silver Princess. The Silver Princess loved him, but he left Forthorthe all the same. And just like the legend, Theia would never be together with her own Blue Knight. That was all she could think of right now.
Having served Theia for a long time, Ruth was in tune with her emotions. She had already realized that something was wrong with her.
Her Highness has been acting strange lately... Is she struggling with another problem, I wonder...?
However, Ruth hadn’t yet pinned down the cause. Since Theia and Koutarou’s relationship had improved during the ski trip, she couldn’t imagine that anything bad had come up between them since then. Unfortunately, however, that was essentially the case. What troubled Theia now was something of a blind spot for Ruth.
But if it’s not about Satomi-sama, I don’t think I need to worry too much. I’ll simply start by giving her this to cheer her up.
Ruth was working on preparing a Valentine’s chocolate for Theia’s sake. Upon learning of Valentine’s Day, she knew she wanted Theia to participate. She believed that if Theia gave chocolate to the boy she had feelings for, even an awkward girl like her could express her gratitude and love. Their relationship might even develop further. Ruth was also hoping the prospect of that would cheer up her depressed princess now.
No, maybe I should be worried about Satomi-sama instead...
Ruth was certain that Koutarou was hiding something from her and the others. As such, it was hard to gauge exactly how he would react to certain situations or being put on the spot. Ruth’s intuition told her that there was no way she needed to worry about Koutarou becoming Theia’s enemy, but it would still be troublesome if things started to develop in a strange direction. He had been spending an awful lot of time with Clan lately. Ruth didn’t want to let go of an ally as trustworthy as Koutarou. She needed him to protect Theia alongside her. Theia needed him too in her own way, and that’s why she felt Theia needed to actively take part in events that would improve her relationship with him.
Contemplating all this, Ruth carried a paper bag full of ingredients and tools to the kitchen on board Blue Knight. Since she wanted to keep Theia’s chocolate a secret until the day of, using the kitchen in room 106 was out of the question.
The paper bag Ruth was carrying was heavy. When she put it down on the kitchen counter, the metal bowl and utensil inside banged together, making a loud noise. Despite the weight of the bag, however, Ruth didn’t seem the slightest bit tired from carrying it all this way. After setting it down and stepping back from the counter, she put her finger on her chin and started thinking.
“All that’s left is to get Her Highness... but I guess it would be best to do that after dinner.”
After dinner, they would be holding their usual games for control of room 106. Since that would take some time, if she and Theia were going to make chocolate together aboard Blue Knight, it would make the most sense to do it after that. Having settled on a plan, Ruth turned her back to the equipment on the counter. In no small part thanks to her training with Koutarou, her steps were so light that it almost looked as if she was dancing.
“Now, what should I make for tonight? Heehee, I guess I should make something simple in preparation for Her Highness’s chocolate this weekend...”
Ruth smiled as she imagined Koutarou eating tonight’s dinner. She loved seeing him enjoying her cooking, especially when he couldn’t seem to get enough. She also loved seeing Theia eat, but that had a different charm to it. Between the two of them, Ruth always made sure to do her best when it came to cooking.
“If I cook a steamed chicken, the texture and taste should be great, and then I can focus on the calories and—”
As Ruth was walking down the hallway that led to the inner room, the bracelet on her right arm began to slightly vibrate.
“Oh?”
It was a signal that her bracelet had received information of some kind. Ruth brought the bracelet up to her face and accessed the information that had been delivered.
“...A hyperspace communication from Pardomshiha?”
Seeing what was displayed on the bracelet, Ruth tilted her head in confusion. It meant that she’d received a message from her family.
The Problems of a Noble
Monday, February 8th
In Corona House room 106, it was always game time after dinnertime. Points were distributed based on the outcome of the games, and those points represented each player’s ownership of the apartment. The first person to get all the points would then be declared the owner of the apartment. In other words, this was how they’d agreed to peacefully settle their dispute over room 106.
All kinds of games were used in this peaceful invasion, too. They would play card games, party games, and sometimes even console games. Since everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses, Koutarou and the invaders took turns deciding what they would play. As a result, any real change in points was gradual and even now, ten months after they had started, they still hadn’t reached a conclusion.
That being said, there was one person in particular who was steadily falling further and further behind, perhaps in part due to her quirky nature: Nijino Yurika. She was the second invader of room 106, who, just the other day, had established her position as the magical girl of the room.
Games that required strategy or wit were Yurika’s weak point. Her way of thinking was awfully predictable. She could be read like a book just based on the look on her face. As a result, she very rarely won any games that involved subterfuge or gambling. Though she’d gotten a little better over time, Koutarou and the others knew her well enough that her win rate still hadn’t improved. Recently, she’d been making a comeback through games of chance, but if it weren’t for her occasional lucky streaks, she easily would have been out of points by now.
“Heh he
h, this should do the trick...”
Having realized the dire straits she was in, Yurika had prepared something special for today’s games. Games of chance were her only saving grace so far, but there was no guarantee that would continue. That’s why she’d gone out of her way to come up with something that would give her an edge in strategy games and the like.
“Now, let’s play!”
And so Yurika was sitting right up against the tea table, eagerly waiting for the night’s games to start.
“Yurika... Are you really satisfied... with that purchase?”
“Koutarou’s right, Yurika! That’s not something a magical girl should do! Love Love Heart would never do something like that!”
“Ho! Are you planning on robbing a bank like that, Yurika-chan? Ho!”
“Korama, apparently there are no banks in this game, ho!”
Yurika’s plan, however, didn’t seem very popular with the residents of room 106.
“What’s so strange about this?! It’s perfect!”
Yurika’s magical girl outfit fluttered as she adamantly objected to their criticisms. She had absolute confidence in her plan. The reason she’d been losing in so many games was because her face gave her away. To counteract that, Yurika was wearing a ski mask and sunglasses.
“Oh, I get it!”
Yurika raised her voice and slammed her hands on the tea table.
“You’re only saying that because you’re scared I’ll take all your points, aren’t you?!”
The ski mask and sunglasses did their job in that it was impossible to see what kind of expression Yurika was making right now. That being said, no one had any trouble imagining it.
“Yurika...”
Pained by seeing Yurika like that, Koutarou called out to her with a gentle voice and an expression full of pity.
“Yurika, if you want points that badly, I’ll give you some. Would twenty be a good start?”
Koutarou picked up a pen and altered the score sheet on the wall. He docked twenty points from himself and added them to Yurika’s total.