Chapter 153: The Clingy Bug
“ーーーーーーーーーーーーーー”
A long, unbroken stare.
The air itself seemed to stretch thin under it.
“………………”
Silence.
“U-Um… Alice.”
“What is it?”
“Why do you continue staring at me so?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“N-No… it is not that I mind particularly…”
Alice spent an entire day observing Ryoma.
If he went to the right, she followed to the right.
If he turned to the left, she pivoted left without hesitation.
She shadowed him like a stubborn burr clinging to fabric, like gravity itself had quietly decided that she belonged at his side.
Ryoma had been informed that she revered him. At first, he accepted her behavior as something along those lines. Perhaps this was simply how admiration manifested in the young.
But being watched while eating…
Being watched while walking…
Being watched while merely breathing…
Even a man of discipline found his composure wavering.
(Hmm… For someone like me to be this unsettled…)
Meanwhile, inside Alice’s head—
(Incredible. The real Sakamoto Ryoma. He’s even cooler in person. I wonder what inscription is on that sword. Is it a masterwork blade? The way he says “gozaru” at the end of his sentences is so charming. I thought he would be terrifying, but he isn’t at all. His eyes are surprisingly round and almost cute. I wonder what he’s thinking right now. And seriously, who exactly is this “Ryu-sensei” who’s on familiar terms with him? Those shoes… are they called geta? They look cold. I want a kimono like that too. I think Lena has one, doesn’t she? Why won’t he make eye contact with me? Welcome all the way to the Empire. Don’t ever go back. I won’t let you go back.)
Her admiration had already crossed the boundary of healthy reverence. She was now only a single step away from evolving into what the streets would call a full-fledged yandere.
“Ryoma-sama. Have you decided on a bedroom?”
“I was planning to borrow the room at the far right.”
“Then I’ll take the one next to it.”
“…Eh?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“It is not that…”
(Young people these days are frightening…)
In the end, the rooms were arranged as follows: from the left, Esther, Ryu, Lena, Stingray—and after several empty rooms—Alice and then Ryoma.
“ーーーーーーーーーーーー”
The staring resumed.
(Someone… please throw me a lifeline…)
Ryoma first sent a pleading glance toward Ryu across the room.
“Ahh, that’s good, both of you. Esther, press a little more to the right.”
“Honestly. So young, yet so pitiful.” Step step.
“Thank you, Onii-sama.” Step step.
Ryu lay sprawled face-down on the floor while Esther and Lena walked over his back, kneading the knots from his overworked body.
Though he was not yet sixteen, Ryu already stood taller than most full-grown men. The combined weight of his two wives was, in fact, the perfect pressure for a massage.
In short, the three of them were paying Ryoma absolutely no attention whatsoever.
As for Ryu, he was deliberately pretending not to notice.
(Heh heh heh… He’s struggling. I’m really glad I brought Alice along.)
(Damn you! Ignoring me on purpose… You lolicon siscon viscount!)
Incidentally, Stingray was currently serving as the coachman outside.
“Axel. Slowly. Nice and slow~ Otherwise the knights behind us won’t be able to keep up.”
“Brrr…”
At Ryu’s suggestion, the count’s knights were escorting them partway. The plan was to display their group’s strength somewhere along the road, earn their acknowledgment, and then send them back. Otherwise, at this pace, they would never reach the Gran Federation.
“Hey… aren’t we going a bit too fast?”
“Yes. If we don’t take a break somewhere, our horses won’t last.”
“That’s clearly not a normal warhorse. Could it be a monster?”
“From the looks of it… perhaps a Senrima?”
“No, Senrima are smaller, and their coloring is slightly different.”
“The mysteries of Arden increase yet again…”
Ideally, they would fend off a monster attack or bandits to demonstrate their power. But monster-repelling magic devices were buried along the highway, and Axel himself was estimated to be an A-rank monster. No lesser creature dared approach.
With the count’s knights present, bandits would not even attempt it.
(Man… what should I do…)
Ryu pondered while being flattened beneath his wives.
“Hm? Onii-sama, this spot on your back is especially stiff.”
“That’s probably where my reverse scale is.”
“I see… does it hurt?”
“A bit intense. But that almost makes it addictive.”
“Then I’ll step more~”
“Ahh… that works.”
(Reduced to this… A dragon with no dignity whatsoever, thoroughly and physically beneath his wives. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Ryu truly angry at family. He really is kinder than anyone.)
Just then—
“Gyaauu.”
(Yaaawn… Ryoma-sama, is something troubling you?)
(Homura! At last, a savior!)
Homura had awakened and fluttered over to the round table.
They conversed in the dragon tongue.
(Actually, I am being stalked by Alice…)
(Ah… her…)
Across the table, Alice continued her unwavering stare.
Their eyes met.
Alice flushed bright red and hurriedly looked away.
(Oh… he’s looking at me. I’m blushing. Does he… like me? Oh dear…)
Even Homura couldn’t suppress a wry smile.
“…Ryoma-sama doesn’t have a lover, correct?”
“I boast not, but my age equals my years without a girlfriend. Though I am teased as a lecherous samurai, in truth I have devoted my life solely to the sword.”
“If you flew from Tosa to the Empire’s frontier, how long would it take?”
“If I caught the wind… less than half a day.”
“Then perhaps… you could simply pair with Alice and marry into the Blanc Count’s family? They are close to the Arden Viscount’s house, and their territories are near. If the Sakamoto Ryoma of Hinomaru became engaged to an imperial count’s daughter, ties between nations would strengthen. The Empress and the Shogun would surely rejoice. Even Itagaki-dono.”
“W-What outrageous logic… And the age difference is considerable.”
“Didn’t Ryu-sama say you can customize your human form?”
“Ugh…”
“Dragons have no lifespan limit. Would marrying once not be acceptable?”
“…You make a fair point.”
“But Alice is, after all, the dear friend of Lena-sama—Ryu-sama’s wife. Please do not toy with her heart.”
“Meaning?”
“If you marry her, truly love her. Even monster dragons swear vows of love.”
Thanks to Homura, the dragon matchmaking advisor, Ryoma’s path began to open.
“Well… if I promise her a future, then perhaps taking action is unavoidable.”
“…Why are you intruding, Ryu?”
“If Alice loses her spark, Lena will be sad. So it concerns me. Also, if you live in Blanc territory, I can visit to kill time.”
“You truly adore me.”
“Don’t be stupid. Dragon lives are long. Without at least one close friend, it’d be rough. Right, Homura?”
“Yes! Companions are important! I was exiled from my herd, though! Ahem!”
“That is rather tragic…”
Homura had been expelled, controlled by a hero, then saved by Ryu. Now she stood as their ally—friend to a dragon king-tier being and to the unrivaled master swordsman Ryoma.
That was explanation enough.
The massage ended. Ryu stood and approached Alice, whispering in her ear.
“Ryoma seems rather interested in you.”
“!?!?!?!?!?!?”
Alice’s eyes flew wide; her cheeks turned a brilliant crimson.
“Well, do your best. I’ll make lunch.”
Ryu grinned and waved as he headed toward the kitchen.
“Onii-sama! I’ll help!”
“I shall handle the herbs!”
“Gyau.”
(I’ll handle taste-testing!)
Alice rose gracefully and sat beside Ryoma.
Slowly.
Closer.
Until their shoulders touched.
“………………”
“………………”
The staring resumed.
“Alice.”
“Yes?”
“Shall I teach you the sword?”
“—!?”
From the kitchen, Ryu and the others watched the pair’s backs with gentle smiles.
Meanwhile, outside the carriage—
“…I wonder what Ryu-sama is doing inside right now…”
There was yet another maiden troubled by love.