Welcome to Volume 5! And oops, sorry for the slight schedule slip. I had a lot of unexpected work travels that kept eating up Thursday/Friday and just got back from a business trip Saturday evening. Fortunately this chapter was short and I finished it up last night.

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TN: Toasty
ED: Toasty

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「I don’t need it.」

Hearing those stubborn words, the other person softened their expression.

「It’s my son’s fault, so I should pay the bills. I really am sorry.」

「No, it’s okay because it’s covered by insurance! Please raise your head…!!」

Unable to stand my father absolutely refusing to accept the payment, a lawyer intervened and persuaded him to accept it in order to put his mind at ease. My father and the other party reluctantly agreed for him to accept it, and the conversation finally proceeded to price negotiation.
I just watched it happen.
After the arrangements were made, the other person and the lawyer were seen off by my family.

「You idiotic son……」

After the other party had left, my father muttered in a voice filled with anger. The way his shoulders, arms, and fists trembled with anger made his back looked extremely pained. There’s no place for him to vent his anger anymore.
At this time, my mother, who usually warned me against saying too much, remained silent, so I couldn’t say anything either. I was left with a feeling of incomprehensibility, thinking he didn’t need to be so angry.
I’ll never forget my father’s angry back.
I wonder if that’s why I’m having dreams like this now—

---

I lifted my eyelids. Light from the rising sun was shining through the window.
Was I still dreaming, I thought, as I stared at the palm of my hand, not caring that I had woken up earlier than usual.

「I wonder if I would have understood my father better if I had this power back then……」

Was my father really just angry at that time? I wonder if he was just sad like me and my mother. My father was so stubborn that I couldn’t ask him what he really meant. I’m sure he wouldn’t have told me even if I had asked.
The family I saw in my dream was from my previous life. Currently, I am Philine Elena von Rosenhein, the third princess of Abendroth. She is a princess in a world with magic.
Grasping my palm tightly, I got out of bed and stood in front of the full-length mirror. The image of her is a girl with long hair that sparkles with golden light, eyes as blue as jewels, and white skin that shines through in the sunlight. She is very different from my previous life, when I would scream when I got a pimple. When I gently put my hands on my own through the mirror, for a moment I felt like I could see the Japanese me of Yuuka Tanaka.
It didn’t matter if it was my imagination or my own light magic.

「Family is the thing I don’t understand the most.」

I smile bitterly at the self of my past life. Although the scale may be different, what I was worried about in my past life and even now is my family. Family is the person closest to you, the person you understand and care about the most, and the person you understand the least.
Although my appearance had changed a lot, I thought to myself that I hadn’t changed much.

---

That day, I had breakfast with my mother and Roy-nii-sama.

「Phil-chan, what’s wrong?」

「Eh? Why do you ask?」

「Your complexion doesn’t look good.」

I received worried looks from both my mother and Roy-nii-sama. I checked that I didn’t have dark circles when I was getting ready, but it’s amazing how these two could tell. I felt a pang of sadness at the kindness with which she noticed me, and on the other hand, I also felt sorry for worrying her.

「Um…… I woke up at a strange time and I’m just a little sleep deprived.」

「Did you have a bad dream?」

Every time I had a scary dream, I would cry to Roy-nii-sama, so it was no wonder she was so worried. I haven’t had such dreams lately, so I guess I’ve grown up a little.

「……I just had a lonely dream.」

「Lonely……?」

「Yes. Ah, but it’s okay now. I have Mother and Roy-nii-sama!」

It’s not a big deal, so I made a fist and said it forcefully, wanting to dispel the dark atmosphere. Then, mom made a sound like she was amused.

「Phil-chan is doing really well, but if you ever feel lonely, your mother will always lend herself to you.」

Mother says that with a loving smile, that she’ll hold me until I no longer feel lonely.

「I’ll keep holding Philly’s hand so she can sleep peacefully.」

If I does that, I’m telling Roy-nii-sama how to pamper me. I can’t help but fall in love with these two.

「Mou, you two are already treating me too much like a child.」

I understand that he’s not old enough to be an adult, but I don’t think it’s okay for a nine-year old to be so spoiled. A few years ago, I was already able to sleep by myself. It’s natural for him to feel dissatisfied with the way he was treated.

「Philly is cute no matter how old she is.」

「That’s right. She’ll always be my cute little girl.」

Roy-nii-sama and Mother both categorically denied me this, and I puffed out my cheeks even more. I say this with confidence, so I don’t think I can compete with the two of them. They will definitely continue to spoil me.
Mother smiles at my unconvinced appearance.

「That much is enough, you know.」

「Why?」

「Because Traugott-sama is not good at spoiling.」

「He’s very bad at it, isn’t he?」

Mother mentioned her Father’s name, and Roy-nii-sama agreed. When the topic of Father came up, I couldn’t help but frown. All I remember is snapping at my father, the king. Not physically, of course, but verbally.
Because I have the dual attributes of light and wind and have strong magical power, I seem to be a very valuable asset to the country. Although I’m originally a member of the royal family and a princess, I have added so much value that it is feared that I will not even be allowed to leave the castle. So, I couldn’t get permission to go out, and I can’t tell you how many times I went to talk directly to Father.
And since I’ll always be opposed with convincing and just arguments, I will basically lose miserably.
I was able to have a meal with the whole family through perseverance, but getting permission to go out was a complete failure. Previously, when I accompanied Roy-nii-sama on a city inspection tour, my father gave me a serious lecture. That was seriously scary.
Thanks to their support, I am able to accompany Roy-nii-sama when he goes to meet his fiancée’s sister, and to accompany my mother to tea parties she is invited to.
Because of this situation, Father is difficult for me. In this area, I can sympathize with the second prince, Klaus-nii-sama more than Roy-nii-sama and the others, and we often complain together.
However, I honestly cannot agree with the theory that my mother is justified in pampering me to the extent that it offsets my father’s strictness.

「I don’t know what Father is thinking.」

「Oh, Traugott-sama is just a worrier. It’s about his precious daughter.」

「Mhm.」

「I understand why he’s worried, though.」

I can’t believe my mother’s words, and I tilt my head in confusion at Roy-nii-sama’s agreement.

「Philly might feel unwell around a lot of people.”

I remain silent as Roy-nii-sama points out the issue. I realized that he was referring to the magical power I possess. Its troublesome nature when it first appeared.

「……It is all right now.」

The memories of when I was still young, when I was kept away from other people and when I even kept myself away from others, came back to me. I’m no longer the crying, scared person I was then. Even my magical power is properly controlled.

「I understand.」

Mother and Roy-nii-sama tilt their heads, wondering what I had understood.

「In other words, even Mother is treating me like a child, too!」

It means everyone treats me younger than my age. This fact is frustrating. I worked hard to acquire the knowledge necessary for royalty and I’m sure I’ll develop into a woman in a little while. Well, I don’t have the expectation that I can grow as much as Onee-sama.
This time, when I decided to protest to Father again, Mother and Roy-nii-sama looked at each other and smiled wryly.

---

I couldn’t let go of my frustration even at night, and just as the white teddy bear’s eyes lit up, I vented my anger at the person on the other side.

「Listen to me for a bit, Isaac!」

『What’s with you all of a sudden?』

An annoyed reply came from the bear-phone. With that alone, the cuteness of the teddy bear that I had made was halved. It has yellow and green odd eyes, pure white fur, and a rose-colored hooded cape to make it cute.
I sometimes wonder if it was a mistake to add mobile phone functionality to my favorite stuffed animal.

「Everyone is treating me like a child!?」

『No, you are a kid.』

What was he talking about, I asked. I was disappointed by the lack of agreeing with me.

「I’m already a lady! I’m still just a debutante, but I’m a lady.」

『Ahhh, yes, yes.』

My argument only got a sloppy reply. The person on the other end of the phone was really rude.
I worked hard on my etiquette and dance lessons and even received unflattering compliments at tea parties. I think it’s about time for me to be treated like a lady.
After expressing my frustration, I tried to make him understand I’m a lady.

「Next time, when I go to Onee-sama’s place, I’ll show you how amazing I am.」

『No, I’ll have work then.』

「That much is fine. Ah, it’s good if you practice dancing with Onee-sama and the others. If you do that, we’ll be able to summon you because we’ll be missing a person.」

『Eh?』

I came up with an excuse to show off the fruits of my labor. However, from the other side of the phone comes a voice that sounds deeply annoyed. I know he was able to dance as Roy-nii-sama’s substitute for a while and that he can dance well enough to dance with Onee-sama.

『Is he supposed to be dancing with you?』

「I don’t want Isaac as my partner.」

I agreed with the reason for Isaac’s disapproval. Roy-nii-sama and Onee-sama are engaged to each other, so naturally they become a pair. Inevitably, my practice partner would be Isaac so the numbers match.
Just imagining dancing with my older brother from my previous life gives me chills.
Isaac was my older brother, Taichi Tanaka, in a previous life.
This world is the world of the otome game I played in my previous life called A Small Star Only For You – Dein Einziger Sternchen. My brothers, Onee-sama, and even myself all appear in the game, so I noticed it right away. That’s why it was so puzzling that my brother from a previous life had been reincarnated into a person who didn’t even appear in the game and wasn’t even a mob.
However, it doesn’t seem to matter to Isaac whether this is a game world or not. Maybe that’s why I don’t pay much attention to it these days. I do meet other characters from the games other than my brother, but it’s inevitable that we’ll meet because of our positions.
That doesn’t mean I’m completely worried about what would happen if things went according to the game. However, as for my brothers, most of their underlying problems have already been resolved, so I have no idea what will happen in the future. I’m not good at thinking about difficult things, so I decided to wait until something actually happened before I could think about it.
For now, the problem I have in mind is my dance partner.

「I’ll dance with Roy-nii-sama, so Isaac should dance with Onee-sama.」

「Is that okay?」

「Since I’m an unmarried princess, I’ve been told it’s NG to dance with men outside of my family……」 [T/N: “NG” as “no good”, it’s literally “NG” in the raw text and kept it.]

「So, you want to go to that length to show off?」

「I mean, even Isaac is treated like a child, right?」 

When people ask me why I’m so particular about dancing in the first place, I get angry. I’m not just a spoiled child either. I’ll do my best and become a woman that my brothers can rely on.
When everyone treats me with kindness and pampering, I feel depressed and think I’m unreliable.
I feel like I’m going to lose confidence unless at least one person recognizes my efforts. That’s why I think that Isaac, who usually forgets to treat me like a princess, might reconsider after seeing me dance.

『You know, Elena.』

On the other side of the bear-phone, a reluctant voice calls out along with a sigh. This might be shocking to Isaac, but it’s important to me.

『The reason I called you a kid is because I’m one, too.』

「Eh……」

『I’m older than you and I’m a kid, so why do you have to be an adult?』

When the question of age comes up, all I can say is yes. Certainly, I’m nine and Isaac will soon be twelve, so we’re both children.

『Well, I only see you when you’re lost or having fun, but Ojou has been praising you, so I’ve heard you’re amazing as a princess.』

「Onee-sama?!」

When he brings up Onee-sama, my voice is filled with joy. Lydia von Ernest is the rival girl in Roy’s route who I didn’t dislike in the game. I’ve come to love her ever since I was in the game because she’s so cute on the inside.

『You were the only one who maintained your posture from beginning to end at the tea party, and you got the same score in history as the young lady…I thought you were working hard even though you were biased towards memorization.』

「Onee-sama……」

I was so happy that she was watching things that I didn’t even realize that I could do nothing but call out her name. I was so moved that I couldn’t help but fold my hands in front of my chest in a praying pose.
I also understand that she seems to appreciate Isaac as well. It’s true that in my previous life, I was only interested in the parts related to my favorite characters in anime and games, so there was a huge difference in scores depending on the era. Now that I’m learning about the history of the royal family, I’m trying my best to think that my love for Roy is being tested.

『Don’t mind it too much.』

「Don’t like you understand.」

His calming voice was surprisingly gentle, but I was embarrassed he noticed that I was panicking, so I turned my head away from the bear.

『Well, I don’t know. I also get nervous sometimes, so I just thought that’s the case.』

I turn to the bear phone in surprise as he reveals something uncool about himself. In my previous life, he didn’t say such weak things to me, his younger sister. Even when I pointed it out, he was absolutely stubborn.
I think this is what has changed.
In a moment, I close my mouth. It’s not because he’s changed, but it feels strange that he doesn’t speak, so I decided to open my mouth.

「…………Um…」

『What is it?』

「There’s something I haven’t told you for a long time.」

This is the first time I’ve told someone who doesn’t know what’s next. Even though it was Isaac, I didn’t know what kind of reaction he would get, so my heart pounded and I became nervous.
I take a deep, slow breath.

「I can hear people’s hearts.」

I’m afraid to add an explanation before the other person reacts.

「See, my aptitude is light and wind, right? Neurons and synapses are like light signals, and wind attributes are converted into sound. It’s like I can hear it. Oh, I can control it now, so I won’t listen to it without doing so on my own.’」

Perhaps because my magical powers were strong, my magic manifested within a few months of my birth. I was a baby who cried a lot because I had a power that allowed me to hear the voices of people’s hearts within a distance of about 10 meters. It was before I could remember anything, so all I remember is that I heard a lot of noise and it was annoying.
By the time I became aware of it, people around me gradually started to think it was creepy and shunned me. Then I could hear the voices of the bad emotions, and I was afraid of people and cried sometimes.
Roy-nii-sama was the first to notice my abilities.
Even Roy-nii-sama, who has the Light attribute, seems to have noticed that even though he can’t hear people’s voices, he can see people’s emotions through their auras. Roy-nii-sama says that since light magic has the power to heal people, he must be able to sense the pain of others.
Most of the servants distanced themselves from me, except for my mother, Roy-nii-sama, and the maid Terese, who still believed the words that were coming from my mouth. For some reason, I had trouble hearing the inner voice of my father, so I was fine with it.
The second queen’s feelings towards me were of disgust, so I was scared. However, as I grew older, I became more frightened of people whose beliefs differed from what I thought on the outside, and conversely, I started to feel less aware of the second queen because she didn’t have two sides.
Father thought it would be dangerous if this power of mine were used, so he made it a secret so other countries wouldn’t know about it. Therefore, since I was able to control my abilities with Roy-nii-sama’s help, almost no one knows about it. I only confided in Klaus-nii-sama. I think Klaus-nii-sama is an angel because he was just shy, feeling a little embarrassed to have his thoughts known.
There was enough silence that I could reminisce. The lack of reaction is actually scary.

「……did you go away?」

『Hmm, it doesn’t seem like it would be fun even if I could use it.』

「That’s all……?」

The only feedback I get is that it seems inconvenient, and I’m disappointed. It’s an ability that has always been looked upon as creepy, so I’d like for him to give me back the time I was nervous about not being able to take advantage of it. However, I wonder if he’s too easy to accept.

『Wait, why am I going away?』

「Because, because…」

『You came into my room without permission, and you were relaxing in my room before I left. There’s no privacy at all now.』

「Because it’s more tidy than my room, so it’s easier to lounge around.」

『Then clean it up.』

「I used to clean it up, sometimes!」

I was aware that I was invading Taichi’s room, taking advantage of the fact that there was a sliding door. After reading a long-running manga in one go, I found it difficult to settle down in my room, so I would interrupt him without permission. One of the other reasons was that Taichi’s room had a shared LCD screen for home console games.

「But…… what about now?」

I was so relieved when I heard Isaac’s only response was, What about now? Even though we’re no longer related by blood, it’s pretty tough being treated like a monster by my family. I’m really glad it didn’t make him feel creeped out.

『I don’t know what to say, but pull back on your brocon-ness.』

「What!? Roy-nii-sama being cool is the truth of the world, isn’t it!?」

It’s strange that he doesn’t understand how good Roy-nii-sama has become even more wonderful than when he was my favorite character in my previous life. Now more than ever, I have to talk about how wonderful Roy-nii-sama is.

「It’s fine? Then, Roy-nii-sama has been cool as an orthodox hero ever since he was a prince, but now he’s upgraded. He’s overcome the fact that he’s dual-aligned with darkness, and he sometimes shows his age. His cute smile is the best thing ever!! As for his appearance, I’m sure he’s prettier than the game.」

『Why are you sure?』

「Because I asked him not to grow his hair long!」

One thing I’ve always regretted was the length of Roy-sama’s hair. I prefer short hair to long hair, so I thought that short hair would definitely suit him better. When I asked, Roy-nii-sama agreed, so I can worship Roy-nii-sama when he grows up. This is probably the best visually.
As I boasted, I heard a taken aback voice on the other end of the bear-phone. [T/N: The first “Roy-sama” didn’t have “nii-sama” attached, so she’s speaking more of Roy the character, not the Roy we know now.]

「What, it’s important, isn’t it?」

『No, either way is fine.』

How come you don’t understand Roy-nii-sama’s worth even after saying this?
After that, no matter how much I tried to persuade Isaac, I couldn’t make him understand how wonderful Roy-nii-sama was, and the night went on.
Before I went to sleep, my thoughts hurried as Yuuka.

Dad, my brother is still stupid and rude, but he’s gotten a little better.

I don’t have lonely dreams anymore.

---

Awwww.

Short and sweet, yeah? I’m going to try to get one more chapter out before the holidays, but I start my vacation on the 20th so we’ll see, hahaha. Work is starting to slow down a bit so maybe I’ll get some time.

See you all next time, and if I slip up, see you next year!

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Not a whole lot to say at the start here, other than I got like halfway through translating this chapter and accidentally used “Yang” instead of “Yan” which was a headache to fix.

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TN: Toasty
ED: Toasty

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As the cold weather begins to ease up, the buds are growing in the sunlight and forming flowering buds. Looking at this situation makes me realize that spring is coming soon.

「Aniki, what have you been up to lately?」

「Eh?」

「I look over at you and sometimes you look distracted.」

He called out to me, and when I turned towards him, I met his curious black eyes.
The direction Yan was pointing was south. Right now, I’m tending to the garden at the back of the mansion, so there’s nothing but a forest-like group of trees there.
Yan points it out, and I laugh self-pityingly.

「My friend went back to his hometown. Since I can’t see him, it’s a little boring……」

The previous holiday, when I went to Ingrid’s Tavern for lunch with my mother and father, Frank was no longer there. Apparently, he got on a wagon early in the morning and went with Timo without saying goodbye to anyone. Yes, Auntie Ingrid told me that.
Apparently, he had refused to see her off in advance because he thought it would be bad for everyone to see him off. Certainly, if it was known that Frank, a popular guy in the downtown area, would be gone, many people would have come to see him off.
Since we were both working, we only played together a few times. However, perhaps because he was a man who clearly spoke his own opinion, it was fun to be with him, and before I knew it, Frank had become someone I could easily meet. It’s a shame that we won’t be able to see more of Timo’s comic-like interactions.
Yan didn’t point it out to me even though I was working on something like that. On the contrary, he looks in the same direction as me.

「I wonder if they think like that, too……」

Yan’s family home is a port town near the southwest border of Abendroth. If you look at it from the royal capital which is located north of the center, it will be roughly to the south. Yan, who ran away from home the day after his birthday, may be remembering a friend from his hometown.

「What about Yan?」

「It’s a little boring not to be able to fool around with those guys.」

「Then, Yan’s friend should think similarly.」

Yan’s tanned skin probably didn’t just come from farming. It was evidence that he was running around with his friends under the strong sun. Even though I didn’t know any of Yan’s friends, it was easy to imagine that he was doing well in his hometown.
After blinking his dark eyes, Yan flashed him a bright smile that erased any guilt he might have felt. I smiled back at his smile that was like if the spring had passed and the midsummer sunlight had returned.

「Should we get back to work?」

「Yeeep! I’ll be able to build a garden quickly, and I’ll be proud to show it to them!」

With a bit of a twitch, I started to stop again. Hearing Yan’s words, I had something to think about, but since the work wasn’t finished yet, I decided to do it later.
At this time of year, when the snow has melted and we are preparing for spring, the main task is to maintain the exterior. My father is replanting deciduous trees. Yan and I are repairing the stone pavement leading from the main gate to the main entrance. If you don’t do it during a time when there are few visitors, you won’t know when it will be fixed. Once the front side of the house is finished, the next step is to work on the rear promenade.
I split up the work with Yan, so we had a good chance of finishing the front approach by the end of the day. I asked Yan during a break.

「Yan, do you want to try building one by yourself?」

Until now, Yan had only admired his father’s gardening, and he had never said he wanted to do it himself. He believed that it was important to learn the basics, so he worked diligently on doing the chores with me. Sure, it’s important to learn basic chores, but if you’re satisfied with just that, you won’t be a true gardener.
Each task may be unremarkable, but a gardener’s job is to design the garden. If you just want to grow plants, you can do it as a gardener or farmer.
Ever since he came to live with the Ernest family, he’s been itching to build a garden himself as soon as possible, but perhaps Yan is too focused on designing a garden as his ultimate goal, so he hasn’t expressed that desire until now. .
So, I thought it would be no good if I missed what he said earlier.
After showing some signs of thinking about my question, Yan smiles with excitement.

「That’s right. When I was watching the master work, I thought I’d like to try it myself.」

The master that Yan refers to is his father. At first, his father was confused by Yan’s stubbornness to call him that because he was his disciple, but he eventually gave up. I wonder why I felt a sense of déjà vu when I saw my father’s behavior.
Putting that aside, I nodded at the enthusiasm that Yan showed for the first time.

「Right.」

Yan tilted his head, not understanding what he was agreeing to.
The repair work on the cobblestone pavement was completed before sunset. There is still time to head to the carriage for the return trip. After asking permission from my father who was doing a final check on the replanted deciduous trees, I took Yan and headed to an area with a group of trees that looked like a forest.

「Aniki, what are you showing me?」

「It’s in here.」

In the line of yew pines, I guide Yan through. After ducking under the fence, Yan’s eyes widened as he saw a small plaza with a single fountain and the stone statue of an owl.

「This place……」

「It’s a practice garden.」

Right now, I’ve removed what I built during the snow and re-arranged the lawn, so it’s almost like a full reset.
In winter, there are few flowers that are resistant to snow, so we built a dome out of bamboo so that a hut would form with the falling snow from the first snowfall. Since the first snowfall is thick, even the falling snow firmly blooms, and it is interesting even if the same flowers do not bloom. When I called Ojou and Flora on a day with heavy snowfall for the royal capital, they liked the hut more than I expected. It was heartwarming to see Flora’s various faces as she went around each event to wake up the first snow and reported the details to her daughter.
When I see her happy expression, I get excited and think about what to do next. When I remembered it, I felt a rush of excitement again and the corners of my mouth turned up.

「Yan, do you want to practice using this, too?」

「Eh? Is that fine!?」

Yan was surprised and he turned towards me. His dark eyes sparkle with the same excitement as mine. I knew it because he had the same dream, but it was kind of funny.

「You’re also an apprentice gardener like me.」

Everyone has equal rights to use this practice garden. Up until now, this place had been mostly for one person, because there just happened to be one disciple of the Baumgartner family.
I don’t remember much about my great-grandfather’s face because I was too young, but my grandmother and grandmother said that he inherited his tough and scary face from his father, so it seems like all the men in the Baumgertner family were big and had misleading looks. I guess that’s why it was easy for people who weren’t strict with their work to get scared off.
That was the only reason, so now that there are two disciples, it’s fine to share it. I was just thinking about what to do for spring, so I haven’t touched it yet, so it was perfect. Dad had also said before that he would let Yan use it if he wanted.

「I think it’s better to alternate each season rather than splitting the practice garden in half. What do you think, Yan?」

「Yes, I think that’s better, too!」

When I told him my idea of how to share it, Yan nodded. So, I made a rule that we’d take turns using it every three months, and before changing, we’d reset it and surrender it to the other person.

「So, which is better for you? Spring and autumn or summer and winter? You can do a lot more in spring and autumn.」

There are many types of flowers that bloom in spring and autumn is also the season when many purple and yellow flowers bloom. I thought it would be better to practice during the season when there are more options, so I recommended that to him.
Yan 「Hmm’d」 as he looked around the practice garden. Then something nearby caught his eye.

「What’s this flower pot for?」

「Oh, that. It was broken, so the guy at the garden shop sold it to me for almost free.」

The old guy who works as a gardener was at a loss as to what to do with the flower pots that had been broken or chipped during transportation. I bought some of them to see if I could do something with them.

「Then, Aniki was already planning on making something in the spring, right?」

「Eh? That’s true, but……」

It’s true that I bought it because I thought of a use for it. I hesitate to say anything as those dark eyes look me squarely in the eye. I was the one who used it first, so I was willing to give up the order to what Yan wanted.

「Which do you prefer, Aniki?」

I was taken aback by Yan’s question. I never thought that Yan, who always prioritizes opinions, would ask me what I wanted.

「We’ll use Yan’s way.」

「Aniki.」

Although it isn’t a lie that I feel I want to surrender it, Yan blocked that option. Swallowing my words, I think.
What do I want to do?
I was planning to use spring flowers in the flower pots. However, it is possible to use summer flowers with strong colors that reflect sunlight. However, even if I build a garden in the summer, there will be fewer opportunities to show it to the Ojou and the others during the off-season.
In other words, the number of times I get to see Ojou’s smiling face decreases.
That felt a little disappointing.
However, as his senior, I hesitate to say something so selfish. After all, it’s probably best to let Yan have the spring and fall as he will have a lot of freedom.
Just as I was about to open my mouth, I suddenly remembered Frank’s words.
I was told to be more greedy.
I was also told not to give up.
Could it be for something as trivial as this? For the time being, Yan and I both want the same thing. I feel the same way about wanting to train to become a gardener. Besides that, I just want to see as many smiling faces as possible.
That’s something that’s fine not to say. But I felt like I was breaking my promise to Frank if I remained silent.

「…I want to show it to Ojou, if possible, so I’d be happier with spring and fall.」

I tried to make a request that was similar to my feelings.

「Then, I’ll build mine in the summer and winter.」

Yan laughed and easily agreed. There was no sign of reluctance or regret, so I was surprised.

「Eh…… are you… fine with that?」

「Yep! Summer is closer to what I see at my parents’ house, and I’d like to know more about how plants that are resistant to cold grow.」

I’m glad it’s plants familiar to him. He also wanted to learn about plants he wasn’t used to handling. Yan looked happy and it was clear neither of us were lying.

「Spring and autumn have so many flowers that it’s hard to remember all of them. That’s why I’m going to look at the garden Aniki makes and study it.」

Yan added that with a smile. It was a sincere feeling that could be interpreted as a way of trying not to bother me. Yan may not have had that intent, but why does it feel like he was?

「Does Yan have brothers?」

「I have two younger brothers and a younger sister. They aren’t cute at all.」

The expression on Yan’s face as he said that has the exact opposite feeling of what he’s saying.

「But why?」

「No, I just thought Yan seemed like an older brother.」

Although Yan is very assertive, I get the feeling that he probably respects his younger siblings’ wishes in the end. Yan doesn’t seem to understand that I said that it seems like he’s the eldest son, and he tilts his head to the side, saying that I’m the one who’s the oldest here.
I didn’t correct him because it was kind of funny, but I was convinced by the glimpse into Yan’s style of brotherhood.

「Mhm. Thank you, Yan.」

「It’s fine!」

When I thanked him, Yan received it with a smile that reminded me of the summer sunlight. I think a summer garden would look great with him.
I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of garden Yan will create in the coming months.

—

A few days later, I was taking a mid-afternoon tea break with Ojou, thinking that this would be the last time we would have tea in the greenhouse due to the warmth of the sunlight. Pochi is waiting at the entrance of the greenhouse like a guard or gatekeeper. I thought about sharing the sweets later, but Ojou told me they had already wrapped them up by Katherine.

「That reminds me, we haven’t invited Nico into the greenhouse.」

I asked Ojou about it while we drank tea as usual. Even though Ojou has more friends, when she goes to have tea in the greenhouse, just the two of us or sometimes just three, including Katherine.
I wonder if she would like to relax in the greenhouse with Leo, her fiance, her friends, and Nico.

「T-That’s……」

Somehow, Ojou was agitated by my question. After a moment of hesitation, she cleared her throat with a cough.

「It would be a bad idea to make them come this far.」

「Ah, it’s a bit far away.」

I see. It is true that there is some distance from the mansion to the greenhouse. The men Leo and Nico are probably fine because they have physical strength, but from the Ojou’s point of view, they are just guests. They probably can’t bear to make their guests go through the trouble of doing so. Besides, it doesn’t necessarily mean that her friends have as much stamina as Ojou.
When I understood, Ojou seemed a little relieved.

「……is it boring with just me?」

After a while, Ojou asks with a depressed voice. When she asks something unexpected, my eyes go wide.

「It isn’t like that at all. I just thought it was a bad idea to be the only one who could look at the flowers in the greenhouse with Ojou, like I was having the spring all to myself.」

The world of an everlasting spring, meeting Ojou with her pale blonde hair and blue eyes, and seeing her smile and laugh here, I feel was a luxury. I wondered if it was fine for only me to see her.

「Wh……!?」

Suddenly, Ojou’s cheeks turn red. I guess it’s time to stop drinking hot tea in the greenhouse after all. I offered to chill the tea, but she declined, saying it was fine.

「Actually, Zack is just like this every time…… wait, that’s not what I’m trying to say!」

Ojou seemed to be angry about something and I thought she was going to go into scolding mode, but she shook her head and her anger disappeared. I tilt my head in confusion, wondering what it is.
Then, Ojou looked at me. She stares with such force it’s like she’s glaring at me.
Intimidated by the intensity of her gaze, I leaned back while drinking my tea. What is she looking for?

「……Zack, you don’t seem to be feeling well, am I right?」

I was asked to confirm. 「It’s the same as usual」 Ojou mumbled as she thought about it.
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter because Ojou was seriously worried.
Ojou widened her eyes as I suddenly started laughing.

「Ojou is amazing, huh……」

I couldn’t hold back my laughter as I blurted out my thoughts. Ojou noticed something that I thought I didn’t really care about. I’m surprised, but happy.
Because I laughed, Ojou pouted.

「It seems like it was just my imagination.」

「No, I’m sorry. I’m glad you were worried about me. I was just a little lonely.」

「Lonely……?」

I guess she felt uncomfortable with words that didn’t suit me. Ojou frowned, her suspicions evident.
I gulped down the remaining tea and returned the teacup to the saucer.

「My friend is going back to his hometown. I won’t be able to see him for a while.」

「Is that so……?」

When I revealed the reason for my loneliness, Ojou nodded silently. She probably tried to put herself in my shoes. After a while, Ojou’s eyebrows lowered sadly.
I don’t know what she thought, but she got up from her chair and came over to me. As I was watching her, wondering what she was going to do, her Ojous hand reached out and placed it on top of my head. Just like that, she can pat me on the head.
While I was suddenly frozen, her white hand gently slid over my hair.

「I hope you two can meet again.」

Pale blue eyes filled with sympathy were directed at me, and I guess she was searching for the words to say, and after a pause, those words fell on me.

「Ahhh.」

At first, I didn’t know what to do, but the hand patting me felt so nice that I gently closed my eyelids.
It’s boring, sure, but Frank returned to his hometown to fulfill his dream. That’s why I should probably explain to Ojou that it’s not something to be pessimistic about, but I’m afraid to say it now.
But I enjoyed her gentle hand.
After a long and short time passed, Ojou’s hand left me. In response to her soft touch disappearing, I opened my eyelids.

「I’m feeling better. Thank you.」

When I smiled and expressed my gratitude, Ojou’s face was unexpectedly close to me. That’s why I could clearly see Ojou’s wide eyes and the redness on her cheeks as she suddenly became excited.
However, the moment I noticed the change in her, Ojou quickly retreated to her chair.

「Th… this much is nothing……!」

Ojou turns away, where even her ears are red. I wonder if it’s hot inside the greenhouse even if it’s not a tropical plant area. Unlike me, who was wearing work clothes, Ojou’s dress was made for winter and was made of fabric that seemed to have good heat retention. I asked her if she wanted to leave the greenhouse and was told again that it was fine.
Ojou sat back in her chair, muttered something, and looked down. When I thought about her, she took a sip of her tea and let out a sigh. The redness on her cheeks seemed to have gotten better by then.
First of all, because Ojou says she’s fine, I can report something to her.

「Ah, that’s right. The practice garden, I’m going to take turns using it with Yang.」

「Eh. Oh, I see.」

「Yan finally told me that he wants to build a garden, not just do chores. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of garden he’ll build. If it’s okay with Ojou, you can also take a look at Yan’s garden.」

「Yes…」

While I happily spoke, Ojou had a stunned, thoughtful look on her face and even if she was nodding, her voice sounded empty.

「Ah, but it’s off-season in the summer, so that might not be possible. When you get back, I’ll tell you what Yan made.」

「Summer……?」

Ojou repeats some of my words.

「Yep. Yan practices in the summer and winter.」

「That’s… that’s right.」

For some reason, Ojou felt relieved and held her chest. I wonder why she was so relieved. I didn’t understand her very well.

「Zack, you seem happy.」

「Ahh, now I can face Yan head on.」

I’ve made friends who are also aiming to become gardeners, but up until now it’s been like they’ve been following me rather than trying to work together. I feel like I was standing next to Yan for the first time when he told me he wanted to build his own garden.
I’m glad that Yan’s filter towards me is coming off. I still have to get to know the other person’s style, but I think it would be fun if we could create a garden together someday when we both become gardeners.
I must have been grinning from having so much fun, that Ojou let out an exasperated sigh and smiled as if she couldn’t help it.

「Really, there’s no sense of crisis in you at all.」

「A sense of crisis? Why??」

「There’s a possibility that Yan will overtake you in the future. Aren’t you in a hurry?」

「Ah, I see. Yan is also something of a rival. Then, I’ll have to do my best.」

I believe that there is no winning or losing in gardening, so it was only when Ojou pointed it out that I realized that in the future, there is a possibility that Yan will be recognized first and become a gardener. Indeed, even though I became an apprentice early on, if it took me longer to get my father’s approval, I wouldn’t be able to prove anything.

「……even though your only rival was me.」

When I was getting motivated, Ojou mumbled something. I tilted my head and asked her, but she just looked away, saying it was nothing. Just what did she say?

「I’ll create a garden that can make Ojou smile!」

In order to motivate myself, I tell Ojou that I will do my best. I asked Yan if I could take my turn first so I could have a better chance of seeing Ojou’s smile. It’s a waste if I don’t use it properly.
After a moment, Ojou’s face turned bright red. Then, she tightened her mouth tightly, as if to contain the voice that was about to come out.
She keeps her mouth shut, so neither she nor I can tell what words she was trying to squeeze in. However, the fact that her face suddenly turned red made me wonder if she was angry about something. Or is it really hot in the greenhouse?

「~~~!」

「Huh?」

After a while, I pick up the sound that escaped her lips and tilt my head to the side.

「I’ll look forward to it……」

She said it somewhat reluctantly. But Ojou doesn’t lie, so I take her at her word.
I smile, happy that Ojou is looking forward to the garden I’m building.

「Ahhh.」

For now, let’s do our best with the current problem. Spring is almost here.
Let’s start growing a garden so that Ojou’s smile can bloom in a real spring garden. At this time, I forgot.
There’s a limit to the time I can see Ojou’s smile—

---

And so ends Volume 4! 21 chapters to go. I’d ideally like to finish this in 2024, so if I can hustle and actually get back to my old two week cadence, then we might be able to pull it off.

Next chapter should come out Dec 1, but with Thanksgiving in the middle of it, if I schedule slip, that might be a little expected.

Either way, see you all next time in Volume 5!

---

Sorry about the one week delay, I got caught in a business trip that I thought fell on a different week so it overlapped with when I normally post.

---

TN: Toasty
ED: Toasty

---

「That should be fine for today.」

「Eh, but…」

When Frank comes to the kitchen to drop off some dishes, he’s confused when Ingrid, the tavern keeper, tells him that his work is over.
It’s evening, so the tavern will be crowded from now on. It’s better to have more people.
When Frank didn’t nod, Ingrid held up her index finger and approached him.

「Listen. I told you before, you work too much.」

Ingrid was worried about Frank’s desire to work during the day, during the evening and even into the night. Even during preparation time from noon to the evening, he cleans the store and helps with shopping.
He’s still only nine years old and doesn’t even try to play around. Ingrid could easily imagine he was in a family environment where he had to let go of his childhood.

「I’m getting a good night’s rest.」

「Even on your days off, you’re talking to the regular customers.」

Frank insists that it’s okay, but he’s reminded that he’s also serving customers on his days off. Even though he was outside the store, a customer must have told Ingrid when they came into the tavern. It’s not information that would be a problem if it were found out, but it was uncomfortable for it to be presented at this time.

「I just met them by chance and talked a little.」

「You made sure to tell them to come back here at the end. Was it a coincidence?」

Frank is at a loss for words. Due to his sales habits, if a customer thanks him for his consultation, he will advertise that they should come to the tavern. Although it’s natural for his personality, it’s also for certain that he is intentionally promoting the store.
Ingrid saw through his intentions, and Frank had no words to respond.

「I’ll ask you to go if I don’t have enough manpower. Just eat this with that guy and go to bed early.」

「Okay.」

There was food for two on a wooden tray, and Ingrid pointed to it. Following her words, Frank moves to the room he is renting with the tray in hand.
The back of Ingrid’s Tavern is a living space, and the third-floor room near the attic can also be accessed from the outside stairs. Frank and Timo, who followed him, are now using the room, which was originally used as a storage room.
The rent is deducted from his salary, and the two of them are able to share the expenses with each other, so they’re able to live a good life for two men. In fact, most of the cooking he did on the way to the royal capital of Abendroth was simple, consisting mostly of baked goods.
Frank takes the food to his room so as not to disturb Ingrid and her husband. The room, which had no partitions, was large enough to fit two beds without feeling cramped. There are easy-to-assemble cots at both ends of the room, and a table and chairs for each person in the center of the room.
As he was setting the food on the table, he heard footsteps approaching from the outside stairs.

「I’m hungry, and it smells really good.」

「Go and wash off first.」

「Ehhh, that’d kill me.」

「You don’t need food, then?」

「I’m heading off!」

Frank silenced Timo’s dissatisfied voice with just a glance.
Timo works as a steeplejack, so he comes home as dirty as the work he does. At this time of day, Ingrid and the others are out at the store, so the bathroom is empty, so it’s fine for Timo to use it.
Timo came back from his quick bath. When Frank warned him that his hair was still wet, he shook his head like a dog to try to get rid of the water, and Frank scolded him by throwing a washcloth in his face.
Frank, tired of the series of exchanges, lets out a sigh of frustration. He took his seat first and said the prayer before the meal. Timo hurriedly followed suit.
After praying, Frank properly ate and Timo began to shovel the food into his mouth. During that meal, Timo suddenly remembered something and took out an envelope from his pocket.

「I got a letter from Big Bro Roman.」

「In that case, read it already.」

Frankly immediately slapped Timo on the head and took the letter from his hand.

「They say freshness is the life of information.」

「You just remembered that.」

When Frank pointed out it was something he copied before while opening the envelope, Timo lowered his eyebrows and excused himself. He resumed eating, looking away from Frank who began to read the contents.

「Aniki, what are you doing?」

Timo, having finished eating first, asks what was wrong from Frank, who after finishing reading, crushed the note in his hand.

「That muscle-brained idiot……」

「He’s just young?」

「It’s both!」

Frank replied in a voice laced with anger when Timo said there could be more than one possibility, as there were only a few people he could call a meathead.

「Auntie Ingrid’s food is getting cold.」

「I’ll eat.」

When Timo pointed out the leftovers, Frank resumed eating with a grim expression on his face. He’s well behaved and eats quietly during his meal. Timo was afraid of being scolded by his silent stare, so he stayed quiet until Frank finished eating.
Frank finished his meal, cleaned his dishes, and took a bath before returning to his room. When he finished with all that and opened the door, his expression was still grim.
Timo talks to Frank as he always does.

「So, what happened?」

「……my brothers said something stupid to my father.」

Sitting quietly on his bed, Frank answered Timo’s question.
The letter is from a subordinate of Frank’s father, a caring man who had been paying close attention to his fifth son, Frank, since he was a child. Therefore, even if he has gone to a neighboring country, he would contact him about the situation at his parents’ home as needed.
This time, the topic was about the actions of the eldest son and second son, who disagreed with Frank.

「What are you going to do?」

「I’d like to leave them alone, but judging from how stupid they are, I’m sure they’ll say something eventually even if they stay here.」

The eldest son in particular strongly inherited his father’s reckless nature. He is the type of person who doesn’t think anything of involving other family members or subordinates for his own sake. In fact, there are times when he thinks things are a given. That’s why Frank has avoided interacting with his eldest son as much as possible.
However, judging from the contents of the letter, if the father listens to what the eldest son says, sparks will fly even to Frank. It’s easy to imagine. Someone has to stop him, but there are extremely few people who can and have the will to stop the eldest son.

「It’s a pain, really.」

Frank lets out a heavy sigh and covers his face with his hands. So, waiting for Timo’s answer, he didn’t notice that Timo’s fox-like eyes were wide open and that he was smiling.

「……that’s right, but…」

Frank looks up slightly. There was determination in his eyes.

「It’s only fine for me to say it.」

「As expected, boy!」

Timo smiled proudly at Frank’s answer. Timo’s naivety in affirming the situation even though he hasn’t heard anything about it makes Frank stare at him. He probably wants to follow Frank as if it were natural.

「You can stay here.」

「Why would I do that? I have already decided to follow you.」

「Really?」

It was the same when he came to Abendrot country, but Timo was adamant about accompanying him. Frank just nodded, knowing he wouldn’t listen.

「Boy, you’ve changed a bit.」

「Ha?」

Frank tilted his head to Timo’s murmur, and was given a happy smile in return.

「Before, you wouldn’t have gone to see them. You were already strong, but now you’re even stronger.」

Frank rolls his orange eyes. Even now, he hates meeting with the eldest and second eldest son. He even thinks they are different races. But still, this may be the first time he’s thought to speak.
Frank was surprised by the fact that Timo had noticed it.

「I’m glad you came here.」

Timo, who doesn’t care about the cause, laughed and said that, so Frank let out a sigh and laughed in response.

「Yeah, you’re right.」

Frank found it funny that he didn’t mind the strangeness.

---

A boy and a girl were talking in front of a shop filled with a fragrant aroma that stimulated the senses.

「Well, I think it’s the place of the really beautiful boy I saw earlier.」

「Is that so?」

「Yep, absolutely!」

When the girl makes a dissatisfied noise, the boy tries to convince her to talk.

「I was going to invite him, but when he came to me, he happily said he was going to a friend’s house to play. If he makes a face like that, I wouldn’t be able to stop him.」

「He doesn’t play much with Maria anymore, huh?」

「I think it’s fine, if he doesn’t mind me.」

「By the way, you said there was another stylish boy, but have you ever gone there?」

「No. Zack, he always gets weird looks when he says that he and Leo are good friends. Besides, Leo comes over and plays with us.」

「Well, when you work in a noble house, you get to know people there.」

Frank listens to Maria’s story with a smile. When he was running an errand to buy bread, he found out the baker’s daughter, Maria, isn’t feeling well, and became her confidant. Since they can’t talk in the store, they sat together on the edge of the flower bed next to the wall in front of the store.
Frank feels something strange as he listens to her story, or rather, her complaints.
He wonders why he gets more information from other people than from the man himself.
Although he met the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice at a noble residence and has a personal relationship with him, he hardly hears anything related to the actual noble himself. He also learned from Maria, who he was speaking to, that he had friendships with children from other noble and wealthy families.
Frank thinks it’s a little strange since he isn’t exactly quiet.
He knows from experience that most people like to talk and dislike listening. Even if they’re a shy person, they either don’t say anything or just can’t put it into words, but they speak their thoughts. So, most people will talk about themselves if they have someone to listen to and help them put their thoughts into words. That’s how Frank gathered information.
Which is why Frank thinks he’s strange because Isaac doesn’t talk about himself.
There are people who don’t talk about themselves, but those people either know the importance of information or have something to hide. And if someone doesn’t open up even if you try to induce them into conversation, there are many adults who are either smart or incompetent. He’s unusual as he doesn’t fit any of those categories.
It’s like he thinks he’s worthless……
Frank thought about that and thought it might be true. He’s the kind of person who takes pleasure in evaluating himself as worthless. Frank can’t understand Isaac’s thoughts, which aren’t self-deprecating but instead affirming his lack of worth.

He wonders if there’s some kind of strange imprint to it.

Considering he’s at an age when he should have a strong desire for self-affirmation and recognition, he feels very different. As far as Frank has seen and heard, there is no one around him who would subconsciously imprint such a negative set of values on him. In the first place, looking at his parents, it would be impossible.
In other words, the values that weren’t pressed on him by anyone are secure.

He’s a really weird guy.

「I have to meet with Zack next holiday.」

「Do your best.」

As Frank finished his evaluation, Maria came up with a solution herself. Most of the complaints women make are not for the purpose of solving problems, but for venting their dissatisfaction, so they tend to go into a loop. However, after Maria airs out her dissatisfaction, she moves her thoughts toward improving. That was her beauty and the reason why Frank expected she would be a good woman.
Frank cheered her on with a smile, also expressing his admiration.
Under the cloudy sky, where he thought it might start snowing, he took Mariya back inside her shop with her solution, to keep her from getting cold. Frank then heads back to Ingrid’s Tavern, carrying the bread he bought.
When he exhales, the air turns white. Looking at the situation, he realized that the snow season would soon be over.
Thinking about the journey, Frank had decided to leave when his breath no longer condensed in the air. His departure date is near. He’s almost finished preparing for his trip. Once the departure date is decided, all he has to do is buy the ingredients and report to Ingrid and her husband.
Being able to experience a snowy winter was something new for Frank, who is from a southern country. It never snows in Frank’s hometown. He only heard stories.
He also has fond memories of having a snowball fight with the children from the downtown area at the invitation of the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice, who told him that the snow was unusually thick this year. It was funny to see him having so much fun because he was older than him.
When Frank opened the swinging door of Ingrid’s Tavern, he saw the boy he had just remembered. Frank rolls his eyes at the sight of the man he didn’t expect to see.

「I’m back.」

「Welcome back, Frank. Your friend is here.」

「Yo!」

Seeing him raise one hand in greeting, Frank wonders to himself why he’s here. He smiles and responds in front of Ingrid. He handed her the bread, and while she took it and turned her back to her kitchen, Frank silently closed his mouth and motioned him to come out. [T/N: Literally ‘silently bit his jaw’]
When Ingrid returns, Frank asks for permission with his usual face.

「Auntie Ingrid, may I go out for a moment?」

「It’s fine, you know. Feel free to play with him.」

「Thank you. I’m off!」

「Thank you for the tea.」

Frank thanked her with a friendly smile and bowed his head as he went with Zack.
The two walked around the plaza and sat down on one of the benches scattered around. Under a cold sky, the plaza isn’t as popular.

「So? What do you want?」

Frank asked directly, not wanting to try and pick up anything unnecessary from him.

「I’m late, but it’s the consultation fee.」

When he received the package that had been taken out of his winter jacket, Frank checked the contents to be sure, and it was a cookie with nuts inside.

「What’s this for?」

「The consultation fee. It’s thanks to Frank that I was able to properly apologize to Ojou.」

「It’s too late now! Besides, why a cookie!?」

Frustrated by his inconsistent answers to his questions, Frank can’t help but raise his voice. However, Isaac remains stunned and answers as if it were obvious.

「I was told it would be expensive, so I added nuts to make it more luxurious.」

He had only made plain cookies before, so it took him a while to get good at it. He said it was difficult to crush the nuts to the right size and adjust the degree it was baked. It seems that one of the reasons why it took so long was because he practiced eating so much food as he could so as not to waste food.
Frank asked why it wasn’t money or something of value, but he gave a completely different answer. When he was consulted in the summer, he knew that his expectations were not high, but his compensation was so unexpected that he was discouraged.
Besides, even though he said that at the time, just receiving a word of thanks was enough. Frank was amazed that he was the kind of man who took casual jokes seriously and displayed a strange sense of discipline.

「Ahhh, geez, it’s fine. I’ll properly receive it.」

Just answering that made Isaac smile happily. He’s too frivolous, Frank thinks to himself as he looks at Isaac’s face.

「Anyways, I’ll be going back to my hometown in a little while.」

「Eh?」

He didn’t know when they’d meet again, so when he tells Isaac about it, Isaac’s expression turns blank as if he had been struck.

「I see.」

He muttered this to make sure he understood, and once he understood, he muttered the same thing again.

「Then, it will be hard to meet with you.」

「Oi.」

Unlike nobles, they cannot exchange letters. And even though he doesn’t even know where his hometown is, he muttered his thoughts as if it wasn’t a complete farewell. Frank somehow didn’t deny it and nodded.
A moment of silence falls. He doesn’t pursue the reasons why Frank is returning to his hometown. It’s not that he’s indifferent to other people, he’s just not the type to force them to ask things they don’t want to talk about. He knew him enough to understand that.
That’s why he felt awkward leaving without saying anything.
Frank rose from the bench and dug his hands into the ground beneath his feet. Then he scoops up the mound of soil with both hands and presses his hands to make it into a lump. Seeing this, he similarly got up from the bench, bent down next to him, and peered into Frank’s hands.

「Are you going to make glowing dirt balls as well?」

「What is that……?」

His copper red and brown eyes were filled with surprise, wondering if something was wrong. It seems that in his mind, when it comes to rolling up clay, the only option is to make a glowing mud ball. Frank wonders about the paradox of the mud balls glowing, but he doesn’t want to make one, so he stops mentioning it.
Frank wraps his hands around a lump of soil that has formed a certain amount of clumps, and applies magical power to it. Then, he was surrounded by a faint light, and the lump of earth in his hand changed into a slightly smaller stone.
It was a citrine crystal that contained an orange color.

「Earth attribute magic can do that, huh?」

That was all he could say, with a voice of admiration.
Even though he was clearly using magic that could only be done with a large amount of magical power, there was no sign of him having any doubts as to whether he was some kind of nobleman. He is only surprised by the fact that geological transformation is possible.
Frank found it funny that things were off in a really strange way.

「If you want to just get money, you can do it in one go with this. But……」

「You have to keep the blood flowing, right?」

Frank is shocked when he is robbed of the words he wanted to say. Frank’s mouth turned up in a grin, glad that Isaac remembered what he had said and that he understood.

「Nah. This isn’t about making money.」

If you create jewelry, you can get temporary profits. However, if this process is repeated indefinitely, the value of the gem itself will drop, and in some cases, it will plummet. Moreover, wealth that only existed for one generation is easily dissipated when you die. There’s no meaning to it.

「My brothers don’t understand this.」

His brothers share a love of money, inherited from their father. However, the value of money for Frank is different from the values of the eldest sons. The eldest sons wish they could earn profits and have luxuries. After that, they think it would be fine to procure additional supplies from somewhere. There is a misunderstanding that money will flow inexhaustibly.
That’s why he never showed this power to his brothers. His brothers must have looked down on him and thought he was incompetent. It’s easier for Frank to do things as long as he’s being underestimated, so that’s been fine up until now.

「Well, I’m going to go home and break my brothers’ noses.」

The eldest son, who is already an adult, doesn’t understand what Frank, who is only two years younger than him, understands. It would be a shame for the family to leave their hurting family alone any longer. Frank doesn’t know how long it will take to convince him, but he’s already made up his mind.

「It’s a fight between brothers, so do your best.」

It was dismissed as a quarrel between siblings, and instead of being angry, Frank cleared his throat, feeling amused. He may be cheering in his own way, but it sounds like he’s going to fight instead of arguing.
He’s thinking too much that it might be a good idea to actually hit him. If you were hit by someone you didn’t even talk to, you’d be really upset. Just imagining that expression makes him feel refreshed.

「I’ll make farewell rice crackers.」

Amused, Frank placed the citrine in the palm of Isaac’s hand.
He had planned to reluctantly meet him, but thanks to Isaac’s support, he was actually looking forward to it. He handed it over as a thank you.
Isaac stared at the citrine with blank eyes, then gripped it tightly.

「Thank you. I’ll take good care of it.」

With a carefree smile, he thanked Frank. Despite its size, there is no sign that he’s going to try to sell it. Even though it’s just a stone in his possession, Frank thinks that he is truly a man without greed. And it seemed he agreed.
Frank stands up and stretches once. Isaac also stood up and put the citrine in his jacket pocket.

「……Zack.」

「What is it?」

「You really don’t have greed, do you?」

「I love living my life so much, don’t you?」

「That isn’t it, you know. I don’t think that’s fine…… I guess you wouldn’t do something if someone else wanted what you thought you wanted.」

Frank hesitates, not knowing how to express the dissatisfaction he feels for him. He doesn’t hold back or give up, he just prioritizes the interests of others and does not seek his own interests. He feels that kind of thing about him.

「It doesn’t matter if it’s wanting to get ahead in life or being popular with women, if you have even the slightest idea of it, don’t give up.」

「Well, I don’t really want to be great.」

Frank becomes increasingly frustrated at the lackluster response.

「If you’re a man, you should be even tougher!」

「But I’m not even a mob, you know?」

Frank felt caught off-guard by his murmur. He doesn’t know what “mob” means, but it sounds like he’s not even on stage. It seemed to Frank that this was the cause of his lack of desire.
Perhaps it was anger, but something snapped inside Frank.

「Right, I’m going to prove it to my old man!」

「Eh?」

「I’m going to push my brothers aside and take over for my father. Now, if Zack can do what he wants to do, he shouldn’t give up!」

Frank had never thought of following in his father’s footsteps, thinking he was out of the picture from the start. However, he became frustrated with his lack of desire and realized that he too was in such a state, already giving up.
If he thinks about it, the shortest way to make his dreams come true is to take his father’s position. A vision of the future opened up in Frank’s mind to the extent that it was strange that he had never thought of it before.
He was taken aback by Frank’s declaration.
Then, upon receiving his challenging gaze, his bronze eyes softened.

「I understand.」

Even though the promise was made as if to get him involved, he smiled happily.
As if inspired by their determination, incidentally the sprouts of butterbur sprouted from the nearby flower bed.

---

Overall a short chapter. I liked this one, and I think it’s setting up Frank for his eventual return during the time Ojou’s at the Academy, wahaha.

Next chapter is the finale for Vol 4! After that, it’s 21 chapters to the end. I’m hoping to wrap this up sometime in 2024 so if I catch some extra time, I might try to power through some more chapters. 

Either way, with how wild the world is getting, I hope everyone is doing well and hope that these chapters can give a little bit of entertainment in these trying times.

See you all next chapter!

---

Oops, a few hours later than when I normally post, but I lost track of time due to having a ton of morning meetings, blegh.

Short chapter today!

---

TN: Toasty
ED: Toasty

---

「Ah, this old guy is so cool.」

「Which one?」

「This old guy is missing his right hand, so he replaces it with an axe.」

「Ahhh. He’s flashy, swinging an iron ball like that around.」

「I haven’t read that far yet.」

「Oops.」

Leo told me not to spoil the first book, so I apologized. Because he had his brown wig on, how dazzling his hair was is reduced, so I could manage to look him in the eyes and apologize.
I started going to Nico’s house, Count Rudolstadt’s estate, and occasionally Leo would go as well.
Nico’s mother, Elvira-sama, seems to often ask Nico when the next time we’re coming is. Nico was surprised by her sudden offensive.
Nico seemed to have intended to only invite me, but Elvira-sama asked if he had another friend, so from the second time onwards, he decided to match it with Leo’s observation days. When I asked Leo if it would be okay to look at the downtown area, he replied that logically, it was important to learn about the lives of his subjects. I thought he just wanted to play, but it seemed like he didn’t usually play around, so I said nothing.
Since Leo is wearing a wig, we can’t play around in the mansion, so we just play in Nico’s room. At first we tried playing chess, but Leo just overwhelmingly won and it wasn’t fun. I just managed to memorize the rules.
Then I calmed down by reading a book. Right now, I’m reading Nico’s pirate books. When it comes to picture books I read with Ojou, there are adventure stories and other stories I like, but none of them are in this kind of wild genre.
There are only a few illustrations, so it’s a lot like reading shounen manga. The style of painting is something you might see in a museum, but I feel a sense of vigor to it that I think is nice. I think Ojou would scream if she read it.

「What is it?」

Nico felt someone’s eyes on him and asked the person looking at him.

「No, I think this is the reason for the tone I use when talking with Isaac.」

「Ah, I see.」

I agree with Leo’s words. If anything, Nico has a fouler mouth than me. I was wondering where he learned it from.

「Is it bad?」

When Nico frowned as if he was being complained to, Leo showed a dazzling smile.

「No? I thought it would be nice if you could talk to me as openly as you did.」

「……I’m being open enough already.」

「I see. That’s too bad.」

When Nico replies that any more is unreasonable while being amazed, Leo accepted his reply with a smile that didn’t look disappointed.

「By the way, is there such a thing as lese-majeste?」

I suddenly became curious and asked.
Off the record, both Nico and I use casual speech to Leo, the prince, but if we accidentally do that in an official setting, I wonder if we’ll only be scolded. I’m a commoner, but Nico seems to meet him at parties, so he’ll be fine. Well, I don’t think Nico would let that kind of mistake slip out.

「Are you asking if being disrespectful is a crime? There’s no such thing.」

「Eh. There isn’t?」

「Respect for other people can’t be forced. Making such a law would only alienate the hearts of the people.」

「Well, I think there will be more people who get excited.」

「Hmmm, that’s the way it is, huh?」

It’s true that I’ve never heard of anyone being punished for lese-majeste. If someone were to be be punished, it would be the topic of conversation in the downtown area since it would usually be a commoner. There’s no point talking about something that doesn’t exist. Based on my knowledge of manga from my previous life, I just thought it was something that existed.
Leo closed the book he was reading and looked up.

「When I first started learning swordsmanship, I once broke my mother’s music box by swinging a wooden sword indoors.」

When Leo suddenly started talking about his past failures, I almost tilted my head for a moment, but Nico and I closed our books and listened, thinking that it was probably related to the current topic.
However, it was surprising that Leo would have such childish clumsiness. Leo has an aura that makes you think he’s been able to handle everything with ease ever since he was born. What do you say about this? Winners? Blue-bloods? For now, I’ll just say honor student.
In any case, it seems that Leo, who had just learned swordsmanship, was intent on becoming stronger quickly and was trying to practice on his own indoors when his hand slipped and the wooden sword flew off. Unfortunately, it hit Leo’s mother’s music box and caused it to fall.

「My mother laughed and forgave me, but my father told me to bring the broken music box.」

Leo thought he would be scolded, but even though he was frightened, he obediently took the music box and brought it to his father. I don’t know how old Leo was when this happened, but if it was Johann or one of the other kids, he’d run away from a certain preaching to at least once. I often saw Johann’s aunt grabbing his by the scruff of his neck.
It seems Leo’s father didn’t scold Leo right away and put him on his lap instead.

「He asked me how long I thought it took to make the music box.」

In response to his father’s question, Leo said he thought about a month. He seems to have had a good intuition about how long it would take a craftsman to complete the work, including assembling the parts of the music box that made sound and then making the box to put it in. The reason for length was that it would also take some time because the workmanship on the box was so detailed and beautiful.

「But, my father said, it was more.」

When the time spent composing the song to be included, the time making the parts, the time mining the metals, the time cutting down the wood for the box, the time the wood grows, all was in Leo’s hands, his father said.
When Leo heard this, he realized that the music box in his hands was very valuable and apologies washed out of him like wave.

「And then, to break it only took a moment.」

Leo nodded as his father admonished him. Leo thought he was going to finally be scolded, but instead of a lecture, what came was a gentle pat.

「At that time, my father taught me power is the same. People don’t obey the royal family unconditionally, but because of the trust earned by our ancestor’s achievements. The reason our subjects respect me is because of their trust and their expectations of my future.」

Leo’s father taught him that if he wields power for no reason, he will easily break it, just like the music box. His father told Leo that it will also take some time to repair the music box.

「I couldn’t fix the music box that I broke. I was scared that I had done something that just apologizing couldn’t fix, so in the end all I could do was cry and apologize.」

Instead of scolding him, Leo’s father made his son repent by telling him the facts. Leo’s father is kind of amazing. However, I feel like Leo, who was able to understand such a story, is too smart.

「After I started to calm down, my father asked me something.」

There are many things in this world that are easy to destroy, take time to build up, and are difficult to repair. What would Roy want to do with that?

「I want to take care of them, I answered.」

If that was the case, his father said while he patted him on the head and praised him, then Roy would make a good king.
Leo’s cheeks flushed with joy as he remembered that moment.

「Incidentally, the music box was a craft from my mother’s country, so I had to ask a craftsman from my mother’s country to repair it, and it took about two months. When I came back, I apologized to my mother again. I remember that very well.」

「So, what did you want to say?」

Leo was smiling as he talked about his memories, and Nico quickly delivered the punch line. Leo apologized and returned to the main topic.

「In other words, creating a law that punishes disrespect is an act that destroys the authority established by previous kings. So, you can rest assured that it would never happen in my father’s or even my generation.」

Leo gives his answer with a smile. However, I felt a little pressure on my smile and thought about it for a while.

「Ummm…… in other words, don’t worry too much about it?」

「It would be creepy to be respected so much by Isaac and Nicholas now.」

「Lately, when my father takes me there to greet you, it’s obviously too cold.」

「Then that’s mutual, isn’t it?」

Since it’s the first prince and the son of the prime minister, it would be strange if they didn’t at least say hello. I’ve only talked to Leo once in a formal setting, but I was terrified. I can understand Nico’s feelings a bit. Apparently, Leo was also in a similar state of thought.

「Still, Leo’s father is amazing.」

It’s difficult to make someone reflect without scolding them. My father’s fist rains down before his mouth opens. Well, it’s basically my fault for doing something that made me get punched. My father is quiet, so it’s an extreme comparison, but normally you would have tried to scold someone first. You should have to explain it first.
Leo’s honey-colored eyes widened at my comment, and then his eyes softened.

「Ahhh, I respect you.」 [T/N: I have no idea, it’s literally “Ah, respecting”, and there’s barely any context.]

As always, Leo’s choice of words is childish. Still, his expression was, age appropriately, honest.

「…So, when was that story compared to now?」 [T/N: Hard to convey but this is Nico talking.]

「Hmm. I think it was about six years ago, so it was when I was four years old.」

「Ugeh.」

「You’ve been giving model answers like that ever since.」

That’s unbelievable, Nico said. I also thought he was too smart, so I had a similar reaction.

「When I was around that age, I used to pick up chestnut acorns.」 [T/N: Zack talking here.]

「What do you do with picking up chestnuts?」

「I just picked them up. …Ah, I asked the old carpenter to turn the big one into a spinning top.」

Just collecting a lot of clean items that aren’t moth-eaten gives me a sense of satisfaction, and it’s simply fun. You can use anything like chestnuts, round stones, cicada shells, and so on. I just collect things that I see at the time that I think are good. Leo tilts his head, not thinking that the action itself is a game, and replies by asking if that’s all.
Unlike my previous life in Japan, tools such as drill bits were not available in ordinary households, so I relied on an old carpenter to make the tops. In addition, acorns tend to roll easily and are difficult for children to make holes in. Even if you have the tools, it will be better to leave it to a skillful adult to make the top properly.

「What is a spinning top?」

「It’s a toy that spins around on its own if you twist it a little. We compete to see how long it can spin.」

「I want to try it next time.」

Leo’s eyes sparkled and dazzled with interest. I never thought he would be interested in something like this, so I faced him directly. I instinctively closed my eyes tightly, as if I had been blindsided.

「Are you going to reveal it now?」

「Isn’t it fine?」

「You brat.」

Seeing Leo get excited, when I had that idea I’d have no choice but to go along with it, Nico mumbled as if exasperated.
At Nico’s words, Leo happily smiled.

「I’m also a kid, too.」

The person in front of us was definitely a boy one year younger than me.

---

Ojou called me to the gazebo in the west.
Even if I had promised her to show her a rainbow, would it be okay to meet her in such a cold place at this time of year? Well, since there’s a pond, it’s easy for me to use magic since I don’t have much magical power, but I’m worried Ojou might catch a cold.
Besides, the flowers here are asleep. It would be an inappropriate place to visit on a birthday.
Come to think of it, Nico pointed out that I haven’t been worried this year. Last year I couldn’t think of a gift and I was worried for a long time, so Nico must have remembered it too. I thought about asking Nico for advice several times. But when I replied that this year’s plans were already made, he gave me a strange look.
As I was thinking about this, I saw a pale golden color in the breezeway from the main building.
The deep green coat was long and warm with white fur on the collar and hem. Peeking out from the hem of her coat, the layers of peach lace were swaying like petals.
After confirming that the young lady had come to the corner leading to the gazebo in the middle of the breezeway, I used my magic. I adjust it so that the arch of water particles hangs in the middle of the hallway leading to the arbor. That way, the setting sun would reflect and the young lady would be able to reach the pavilion by passing through the rainbow arch.
The rainbow was well shown and Ojou’s face took on a dazzling, joyful glow.

「Happy birthday, Ojou.」

「Thank you.」

I offered my congratulations to Ojou, who had arrived at the pavilion, and she returned the favor with a smile. Ojou was smiling happily, and I was almost satisfied just by being greeted by her. I think about it every year, but I feel like it’s not worth it for Ojou to go out of her way to meet me because I’m the one who gave her the present.
Ojou took out a small message card from her coat pocket and held it up to her eye level.

「You haven’t forgotten about this, have you?」

「Oh?」

This is the promise I handed her last year. I wrote it myself, so I remember it well.
That year’s gift was a ticket to listen to whatever she said. The content is decided by Ojou, so I don’t know what the present will actually be. Ojou, who receives presents, is always the one who gets the gift, so I’m prepared for some impossible challenges.
With a feeling of being challenged, I nodded.

「Then, let me ask you a favor.」

「Mhm.」

Ojou also looks at me with a challenging look, so I put all my strength into her fist and wait for her request.
Several seconds passed as we were facing each other head-on, as if we were glaring at each other.
Ten seconds passed, and as expected, I asked.

「Ojou?」

「I-I’ll say it……!」

「Mhm.」

Ojou asks me to wait a little bit, so I nod and wait. Meanwhile, for some reason, Ojou began to take deep breaths.
Ojou’s expressions become more and more tense, and I’m starting to get a little nervous as well, wondering what kind of request she’ll ask me.
After taking several deep breaths, Ojou made a small fist and looked at me with a determined gaze.

「……ch.」

「Ch?」

「Even from now on, please touch me!」

「Eh?」

I tilt my head in confusion, not understanding what she said, or rather, what it means.
Ojou’s face turned bright red and she started to get nervous, probably because I asked her a question back.

「W-when I say 「touching」, I don’t mean it in a weird way!? I mean… patting my head, holding my hand, things like that…」

While explaining, Ojou’s words gradually lost their momentum. I wonder if the examples she gave are embarrassing for a young noble lady. Duke-sama would take it for granted, and the Ojou might be fine with it, but unlike Duke-sama, I’m not part of the family.

「That kind of thing isn’t a present, isn’t it?」

「It’s because Zack hasn’t even touched my hair since then!」

When I told her that it wasn’t worth asking such a thing for a birthday present, she glared accusingly at me.

「Ever since my engagement with Roy-sama was decided, you’ve been strangely respectful in that aspect… It’s strange to be so considerate even though it’s Zack!」

「Even though it’s me……」

I wonder if I seem that reckless to Ojou. No, that’s how it was when we first met, so I guess it can’t be helped. But four years have passed, and I think I’ve grown a little. maybe.
But is it okay? My master, Heinz-san, the butler, taught me that a person of the opposite sex should not casually touch a young lady. Especially if she is an engaged young lady.

「…Won’t Leo complain?」

「Do you think Roy-sama is that narrow-minded?」

I heard that Ojou doesn’t have any romantic feelings for Leo, but I don’t know about her fiancé Leo. However, when Ojou told me about it, I imagined Leo looking at her with a normal smile. I wonder if that’s just a lot of tolerance.
Ojou and Leo are so close that they understand each other, so why haven’t they developed into that kind of relationship?

「It’s unfair to pat Flora on the head but not me.」

「I see, I see.」

I’ve been watching her since I was little, and when her little sister Flora asks me to, I’ll pat her on the head. As I was told, I realized that Flora was also a young lady. To Flora, she only thought she was Flora.
While she was nodding in agreement with Ojou’s opinion, for some reason her cheeks became redder and she looked down.

「You said you’d listen to anything.」

Ojou mumbled that. She sounded accusatory and her voice was weak. I didn’t nod at all, so maybe she misunderstood that I didn’t like it.

「But, if it’s the same as always, it’s going to become not a birthday present.」

Ojou reflexively looks up, thinking my words meant a refusal. I put my hand on Ojou’s head.

「I’m just happy.」

I continue to stroke it gently and the feel of her soft hair returns. The feeling of touching her for the first time in a while had a softness that I was familiar with, and I realized that she liked me doing this. She naturally relaxes.
For a moment, Ojou’s eyes widened as if she didn’t understand what was going on. However, as I continued to stroke her head, her complexion gradually improved, and by the end she turned bright red again.

「I-I……」

「What is it?」

「N-nothing, it’s nothing.」

Ojou’s mouth moved and she tried to say something. But when I tilted my head, she didn’t say anything more and just looked down. She keeps her head down, enjoying my patting, and I can’t stop. When should I stop this?
Ojou’s mouth seemed to be smiling as she looked down, so I decided to pat her for just a little while longer. I put my feelings of congratulations in the palm of my hand—

---

And done! Not a whole lot to say for this chapter, it felt a little skippy? But it was nice to see the passage of time as well as Ojou/Zack getting closer. Still found it hilarious that Zack asks “Why aren’t Ojou and Leo getting close enough to be in a relationship?”. Oh Zack, never change.

See you all next time!

---

wheeze I translated like half of the chapter last night just to make the 3 week deadline. Turns out after closing on a house, there’s only more work to do lmao. If it’s a little scuffed, that’s due to the time crunch, but it seemed good enough when I went over it.

---

TN: Toasty
ED: Toasty

---

Late into the night, from the downtown residential districts, little by little the streetlamps started to go out, and from my house came a voice of high tension.

[Well, at that time, Claus-onii-sama’s laughing face was super-cute!]

「Hee…… eh.」

[When I unconsciously clings to him, Roy-nii-sama gets jealous, saying it’s sneaky.]

「Yeah……」

[…………wait a second, what is it?]

When I return intermittent responses to show I’m listening, as expected Elena noticed and suspected something through the white bear.

「I’m training.」

[You really aren’t listening!]

When I tell her I’m listening to her stories while doing sit-ups, Elena’s angry voice comes out of the bear. Because of that, somehow I feel I can see an angry expression coming from the bear.

「It’s boring to hear you brag about your brothers.」

Even when I hear stories about Leo, it’s no big deal. As for when I listen to Ojou’s stories about her Roy-sama, I can see a happy expression on her face. Afterwards, I only met him once, but according to what I hear, I feel Wolf has a hard time being sandwiched between Elena and the others.

[If that’s the case, tell me stories about onee-sama. I don’t meet her as much, you know!]

「Ojou is in the middle of a visit back home, so I also can’t meet her.」

[I hate the off-season, I can’t even visit onee-sama!!]

When I tell her that’s unreasonable, Elena snapped. Somehow or another some pent-up anger was built up, it seems.
Until before, because it would be a nuisance to the neighborhood, I had the volume lowered, so a few days ago when Leo came, I added another magic circle. With that, I put a soundproofing barrier that only covers my room during voice calls. It seems it’s because Elena’s precision with magic has increased, but she doesn’t want that update.
With the other side of the bear phone call, even though it’s just before going to bed, Elena’s voice is full of energy. Maybe she’s trying to run out of energy halfway?
After her engagement with Leo, because Ojou will be the first queen, she was studying royal manners and history. It also seems to be a required subject for Elena, so if she’s together with Ojou, she says she’ll do her best. So, since the off-season is the time Ojou goes to the Ernest territory, Elena has to study by herself which seems tough.

「Outside of Ojou, do you have any other friends?」

When I think on it and ask, I can faintly hear a sound like someone gulping.

[Me, even though I’m a princess!? I can’t just have friends I freely talk with, you know. Even if I did, if it’s this season, the fact I can’t meet with them won’t change! Isaac, you idiot!]

「Sorry. I forgot you were a princess.」

I thought it’s bad to forget that she’s a princess, but I have a feeling that it’s the same for her because Elena has also said as much. My younger sister of the previous world, after she isn’t very feminine in front of me, immediately that premise falls apart.
In any case, Elena can’t leave the palace freely because she’s a princess. Even if she made friends, since the other person is a noble, when it becomes the off-season, they’re separated from the royal capital.
It seems she minded the thought about not having many friends, with Elena’s spirit coming through the bear. Perhaps she had become teary-eyed. 「Sorry, sorry」, I said, apologizing while patting the tear.
There, my good faith wasn’t enough, Elena complained back while sniffing. As expected, she was teary-eyed.

「Before long, you’ll surely make a friend who knows even the true you.」

[Hey, why are you treating me like I have a true nature?]

After patting the bear, she replied in an angry voice. If the complaint is full of energy, she should be fine. Rather, did I not notice even though there’s a difference from the original? If someone who only knows the princess looks at the Elena right now, they’ll be considerably surprised.

[Muuu, it’s so long until I enter the academy.]

「Why the academy?」

[The Royal Magic Academy, whether or not your social standing is high or love, if you have magic, you can enter. More or less, because everyone is treated as a student irrespective of rank, I should be able to make friends!]

I was made to listen to her pretense for entering, her voice full of expectation.
From my viewpoint, someone without much magical power, if I entered, it would be a difficult school. As Elena puts it, since it’s almost all nobles who go, it can’t be perfectly equal. Well, the standards of the school are magic power rather than status, so if things go well, there should be at least one person who doesn’t care about Elena’s status.
Would I be able to enter with my amount of magical power? My aptitude for the water element has gone up in power rather than control, I feel. The amount I can cover with my membrane with dark magic hasn’t changed beyond covering one person, but even if I grow taller, that it hasn’t changed and still covers only the same amount means it grew, possibly.
If I entered the magical academy, for one year, Ojou and I could go to the same school. Maybe I can support her so she doesn’t get hurt. No, even in my past life, I was never asked for love advice, so I can’t be helpful here. My friends in my past life didn’t do things like gossip. While we were amazed at our female classmates, guys shouting things like how we want a girlfriend isn’t gossip.

Really, why did I reincarnate in an otome game?

I don’t feel like there’s anything I can do even with the memories of my past life. I can listen to complaints, but because Ojou already has female friends, rather than me, it’s better to consult them.
For now, I told Elena, who was enthusiastic about making friends in a few years, to persevere. Surely, I can only support Ojou, right? Because Ojou tries her best herself, she’s already persevering at various things.
Because if I can go, I want to try going, I’m also trying my best. After all, I came to the conclusion I didn’t have a choice but to do my best, too.

[In any case, while I can’t meet Onee-sama, you should contact me more!]

I was demanded by Elena to increase the frequency I contacted her during the off-season.

「Why, are you lonely?」

[It isn’t that I decided to be lonely! I can’t hug Onee-sama, you know!]

It concerns me that she was saying that sexually harassing Ojou was a matter of life or death, but my eyes widened when Elena honestly admitted she was lonely.

「I see.」

I nodded and thought about the reason for my surprise. The reason Elena wants to be taken care of is from her past life. Then, what’s surprising?
I think about it a little and understood. I felt envious of Elena who could say she was lonely. That’s what I’m surprised. I’m lonelier than I thought.
A forced smile spilled out at the truth I realized.

「Then, what do you want to talk about?」

Even if I’m asked to increase the frequency of contact, I don’t have a lot of topics to talk about. Nothing comes to mind. Even in my past life, my sister who would want to talk would barge into my room uninvited.

[Isaac doesn’t talk a lot, you know. Even if I ask, I get a weak reply……. that’s it. A common topic!]

When I thought her voice had seemed to take offense, suddenly Elena’s voice sprang to life. I tilted my head in confusion.

「What is it?」

[Kimiboshi!]

I narrow my eyes at the bear, as surely on the other side Elena is seeming satisfied with herself. Noticing my silence, Elena spoke up, seeming dissatisfied.

[What is it, if you don’t like it, then talk about yourself.]

「There isn’t anything……」

Do I have any interesting stories in my daily life? I was invited to Nico’s house, but it wasn’t the day to go yet.

「Ah.」

[What is it?]

「I met an interesting guy.」

Searching for a topic, I remembered a certain person.

[What kind of guy?]

「He was called Frank……」

[Frank!?]

Somehow, Elena interrupted when she heard Frank’s name. I’m nervous.

[Frank, is it that Frank!?]

「Which Frank?」

[From Kimiboshi! The best friend position capture target!]

From the other side of the bear, Elena seems to be jumping up and down. Elena seems happy, but ultimately it’s related to the otome game, so I’m disappointed.

[Frank is a commoner student like the heroine. He works hard at a school with nobles and is always on the heroine’s side. So……]

「Frank is a common name, isn’t it?」

To be honest, it’s a name that is easy to give like my name in my past life, Tanaka. Well, Isaac is also the same, more or less.
Even if I say that with only the name, the connection is weak, Elena refuses to back down.

[A-actually, he’s from the southern countries……]

「Just because Frank is from the southern country doesn’t immediately connect him to Kimiboshi.」

[Then……]

「The Frank from Kimiboshi……. does he speak with a Kansai accent?」

[Ha? He’s from the southern country, but he isn’t a Kansai character, you know. Frank is a cooling system kind guy.]

「Then, it’s a different Frank.」

I don’t exactly understand what she means by cooling system, but it doesn’t connect with the Frank who has a strong business sense. Mister Timo calls him boy, and because a verbal argument with the person in question is dangerous, and having a faze that doesn’t suit a yakuza, that’s Frank. 

[Eh, if it’s Kimiboshi’s Frank, the heroine is nearby. Just in case, ask if there’s a girl he’s on good terms with.]

「Eh?」

This time, it’s my turn to vocalize my disagreement. Although I think he’s completely different, it seems Elena, for someone she’s never met, won’t gie up.
Thinking on it, Nico, who hasn’t even greeted her, is also called by Elena as Nico-anee just like in the game. Different from me, because she has knowledge of Kimiboshi, so if I don’t know the person in question, I won’t be able to recognize them.

「I’ll just ask.」

[Yep!]

For the purpose of  undoing Elena’s fanatical state, I need information she can agree with. I can’t tell Frank’s story, so I have no choice but to present Elena something else.
There’s no helping it, so I nod my head.

---

「A girl I’m on good terms with?」

The next holiday, when Frank came to visit me at my house, he replied with a wild voice.
Incidentally, again I coincidentally met Frank who was with Mister Timo, who invited me to their house, and Frank snapped. Frank said not to invite me to such a small place that doesn’t have a guest room, so I suggested my house. I don’t have a guest room either, but if it’s my room, Frank can speak plainly without any problems.

「What’s with this all of a sudden?」

「No…… Frank just seems to be popular.」

「That’s right, you’re a downtown idol.」

「Why are you so proud?」

I looked down at Mister Timo, whose eyes were sparkling, with a surprised expression.
Frank sits on my bed while Mister Timo sits on the floor, and I sit on a three-legged chair. I thought that we would both sit on the bed, but because Mister Timo normally sits on the floor, I hesitated.
These two are the opposite in the hierarchy of age. He’s called boy, but seems to have many siblings, so Frank might have been born into a wealthy merchant family. Mister Timo is an employee there.

「Girls you’re on good terms with…… let’s see, Isabelle from the butcher shop is still small, Miss Paula from the blacksmith already has a boyfriend, and Maria-chan from the bakery looks like she’ll be a good woman……」

「Enough already. I get it.」

After Frank started to think on it while counting with his fingers, feeling there were still names to be mentioned, I interrupt him. Listing all of this names even though it’s only girls, Frank really is well connected. However, with this feeling, it’s disconnected from Elena’s expectations.

「Isn’t it hard to get along with so many people?」

If it’s me, I can’t do it. There’s the younger kids in the neighborhood and the older boys and girls who took care of me when I was little that are like cousins, but I don’t know anyone else. I didn’t think to go make acquaintances with others in the same generation that are outside my range of activities.
When I ask, Frank sits with one knee up, lifting one side of his mouth.

「My charm is convenient, and I don’t want them to be wary around me, so if I act as a listener and smile, I’m thought of as a person who is good to consult with. Women are good sources of information and are perfect for spreading rumors, so you have to treat them with respect. It’s the cornerstone of business.」

「Frank really is a nice guy.」

「Ha?」

Hearing my impression, Frank looks at me as if seeing something strange.

「……did you hear me talk?」

「You use your time for the other person and furthermore, listen to what they have to say instead of making an annoyed face, right? That’s kind, isn’t it?」

Basically, he’s a gentleman that respects women. The women of the downtown area that are talkative are many, so it should take a lot of time to listen to what they have to say. Even Elena’s stories, since I can’t properly listen to them, I think it’s amazing.

「It’s for the sake of profit……」

「You aren’t forcing a smile in Ingrid’s Tavern, right?」

While serving at Ingrid’s Tavern, Frank seems to happily smile when seeing customers eating something they thin is delicious. That’s a smile that shows he likes to make other people happy.
Frank’s smile is different from Leo’s unreadable customer service smile and Nico’s onee smile to protect himself. Not for the sake of defense, but for currying the other person’s favor, that might be it. He understands that if he doesn’t show his own sincerity, the other person won’t let their guard down.
Maybe it’s not all lies. Because it doesn’t look like he’s smiling while enduring something disagreeable, I’ve never felt Frank’s smile was forced.

「Even if you like to earn money, that doesn’t mean it isn’t strange to be a nice person.」

At my words, Frank flinched and swallowed his words. Then, instead, Mister Timo got on his knees and suddenly grabbed my hand.

「That’s right. This boy, even when he started to work at that tavern, noticed that although Aunt Ingrid had twisted her ankle, so he helped out so she wouldn’t do something unreasonable. You really understand his good merits……!」

「Timo, don’t say something unnecessary!」

Frank, who got angry, had his face go red, but perhaps he’s just embarrassed.

「But, boy, there hasn’t been a guy with the same idea that you could discuss it with.」

「If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll sink you in the sea.」

「Fueee……」

Frank grabbed Mister Timo’s cheek with one hand and intimidated him.
For now, I’m older, but somehow I understand what Mister Timo wants to say. Frank is a quick thinker, so there are few people his age that can keep up.
Frank, with a strong gaze, looks at me who was watching their exchange without saying a word.

「How about Isaac?」

「What is it?」

「It’s not fair to ask only me. Is there a girl you’re on good terms with?」

I was asked by Frank, who gave off a menacing aura. It’s not something Frank had an interest in, so certainly he wants to change the subject.
Understanding that much, I think.

「Hmm, outside of the neighborhood kids younger than me, there aren’t any people close to my age……」

Unlike Frank who works in the service industry, I don’t have a chance to meet girls because I work only in the garden, so there aren’t any girls that come to mind.

「What about the Duke’s daughter who you said was cute?」

「Ojou is my rival.」

When I answer, Frank froze up. There’s a feeling of deja vu with this reaction.
However, Frank recovered in a few seconds, let out a long sigh, and afterwards smacked my head with an open palm.

「Idiot! Is there anyone who treats a girl as a rival?」

「No, it’s because—」

「No, not because! It’s okay to tease a woman, but why are you burning with rivalry!?」

When I try to explain while holding where I got smacked, Frank scolded me even more. It had made a good sound, but it wasn’t painful.

「In general, guys are good at making women smile. Are there any women who are happy to be seen as an opponent!?」

Not being slapped, but the shock from those words from Frank causes me to stare in wonder.

Is this why Ojou got angry?

I felt that being a rival meant I recognized her. Due to the manga in my past life’s influence, I longed for a rival for a while. But is that it? I once read a shoujo manga my sister had in our past life to kill time, but since the rivals in shoujo manga are often villainesses, from a girl’s point of view, it only has a bad meaning.
I finally understand why Ojou got angry when we parter. Just like Nico said, next time I’ll have to explain properly.
But, if that’s the case, what should I say to Ojou?
I understand that she and I have different views on rivalry, so I can’t use the word rivals. I don’t feel comfortable with a friend. A friend reminds me of Nico. A girl’s best friend is probably one of her female friends, not me.
I can’t find a fitting word that I know.

「Boy, did you say to much?」

「T, that isn’t it……」

Seeing me suddenly go silent, Mister Timo whispers into Frank’s ear. Frank was a little restless.
Somehow, Frank awkwardly looked at me, but I didn’t pay much attention to it.

「Then, what do you call someone who makes you want to do your best when you look at them or think of them?」

While I thought about it, I seriously asked Frank.
After, Frank looks at me and makes an exasperated expression.

「Idiot. That kind of thing, think for yourself.」

「I can’t understand it even if I think about it, so even though I heard it……」

At my answer, Frank suddenly starts laughing.

「Although you’re older, you’re an idiot. If she didn’t care, she would leave you behind.」

「I might already have been left behind……」

Ojou’s gestures and posture are refined and become more and more beautiful as well as studying many things. I’m sure she’s already smarter than I am.

「A man chases his dreams, but a woman sees reality. If she understands it’s not worth spending her precious time over, you’ll be given up on.」

While laughing as if to compliment women, Frank gave me a piece of advice.
I think Frank is right. If things continue like this, Ojou will marry Leo and leave the Ernest household. Now that’s she’s growing up, she can’t fulfill the promise I made to show her the Ernest family garden. Ojou won’t wait for me to become a full-fledged adult and she can’t wait either.
While she’s spending her time with me, she wants to keep that promise if she can.

「I’ll do my best to be on time.」

「Make an effort to do your best. Well, you’ve got resourcefulness, at least.」

The words Frank spoke boldly had credibility in them. Even though Frank is still a kid, he has a talent for anticipating the future, so when I meet him as an adult, I think he’ll be a rich person.
But I didn’t expect him to cheer me on, so I smiled and laughed.

「Thank you.」

「The consultation fee is expensive.」

Saying that, Frank snorted, so I replied with a thankful smile. Next time we play together, we’d make cookies. Somehow or another, I have a feeling that’s something Frank would accept.

---

When it was time for Frank and the others to leave, my mother asked me to run an errand, so I went with them halfway.
Frank says there’s somewhere he wants to stop by and goes through the market street, so I follow him. Then, he stops in the central square.
He stands by the fountain, looks down at his feet, lifts one of them, and steps back. Then, he looked down the street and smiled with satisfaction.

「As expected, it’s good.」

「What is?」

When I tilt my head, Fran’s shoulders jump up in surprise.

「You’re still here. Don’t surprise me.」

I apologize to Frank, who seemed to separate from me. Somehow or another, Frank is so used to Mister Timo following him that he doesn’t seem to notice the presence behind him.
When I asked him about the mumbling earlier, Frank turns to look at Main Street. I follow him, but I just see a road with carriages and people coming and going as normal.

「When I came to this country, I used this road.」

It’s a road that continues to the southern country, so I understand that. The strange thing is Frank is deeply moved by it.

「Hmmm.」

「You don’t understand. Well, from the border to the royal capital, the road is wide enough for carriages to pass each other completely.」

When I nod without really understanding, Frank poked my forehead and gave me an annoyed supplementary explanation.

「The fact there are roads means that goods flow. In short, money is easy to move. This country is profitable because its veins are strong.」

I reflexively nodded to confirm I understand. At Frank’s passionate speech, I thought it would look good if I gave him a folding fan like rakugo storytellers have.

「Veins?」

「Money makes the world go round. Money is blood and the roads are the veins. And the heart that circulates that blood is the nation and the king is the brain. If the blood doesn’t circulate to the ends of the territory, the nation will fail there. If the king is an idiot, the blood won’t flow.」

Even though I’m not good at talking about politics or difficult topics, I understood what Frank wanted to say. Merchants are good at talking, aren’t they?

「Mhm, this country is a good country.」

It makes me happy to have where I live be praised. I don’t really understand patriotism, but if it makes me happy at times like this, I guess I like this country.

「My country has a lot of mountains, but I want to spread word about our specialties to other places through roads where carriages pass each other.」

Frank’s eyes are full of spirit when he says that, his orange eyes shining like the setting sun. It must be Frank’s dream. Maybe he wants to make money to make a road. Even though roads were built in Japan, it costs so much money that I can’t imagine how much it would cost.
If Frank’s dream comes true, I can imagine that goods and cultures will come and go, and the people of the southern country will be lively.

「Frank seems suited to be a king.」

「Ha?」

Frank rolled his eyes. As if asking if I said something crazy, I tilted my head.
The work will probably be done by people in civil engineering, but it will be politicians who decide to build roads. Frank sees things from a higher view than me, and his view is also broader. That’s why I think he would be a good choice for a politician, so I gave him a position that would definitely make him one, but was it strange? I don’t know what Nico’s father does as the prime minister, so I thought it would be the best fit.

「If Frank is the king of a country, I’d like to go.」

「……would you want to live there?」

Frank, hearing my proposal, seems to let out satisfaction.

「Ahh. I like my hometown.」

「Even if it’s my hometown, it’s an extremely good hometown.」

The country of Abentrot is good, so I can honestly nod, and the southern country is good that Frank can be proud of it, so that’s fine. If I ever go to the southern country, I’m sure I’ll be as impressed with the same innocence Frank has today.
Frank and I looked at each other and then laughed.

---

In September, when I could feel the warmth of the sunlight, I was preparing the soil for a flower bed in the garden of the Ernest family whose master isn’t here.
I prepare the base of the next flower planting by mixing in weed compost from early summer trimmings. Since the soil will harden, I cut the weeds below the growing point without removing the roots, so the soil is soft and easy to mix. When autumn comes, it will be time to collect leaves and make compost.

「Aniki, the flower bed is done.」

When Yang called out to me, I was surprised.

「Oh. Then, let’s take a break.」

「Yep!」

When Yan starts concentrating, he doesn’t notice the sounds around him or the time, so I had to adjust the time for him to take a break, but Yan made me notice. At this, he laughs.
I’ve gotten into the habit of resting when Ojou comes, and I couldn’t find the right time to take a break while I couldn’t see her. I regret that I wasn’t careful.
I drink water from a sealed bottle left in the shade of a tree and rest with Yan. A sealed bottle that can easily be opened with a metal hinge works well as a water bottle.
There, one of the mains from the mansion came. She approached and bowed, so we bowed our heads as a greeting.

「I have come to announce that a carriage has arrived at the front gate.」

At the calm voice of her clerical communication, my expression suddenly brightened. I had already asked the maids to let me know when Ojou and the others were back. What could I do as thanks, I had said, but the maids politely refused, which is strange.

「Thank you very much.」

I bowed to the maid who came to inform us, and after refusing to leave Yan for a while, I started running.
From the rear garden, I go around the perimeter of the mansion to the front door. The run was worth it, and Ojou was about to get off the carriage with the help of Duke-sama.

「Ojou!」

When I call, Ojou turned to me.
I stopped in front of Duke-sama and took a deep breath before apologizing.

「Ah, I’m sorry. Duke-sama, welcome home.」

「Ah, I’m home. Thank you for welcoming me, Isaac.」

When I apologized for the delay in greeting him, Duke-sama smiled and forgave me. It had been a long time since I saw her, but Ojou’s beautiful face and bright blonde hair, as if carrying a flower on her back, were hard on my eyes.
After greeting Oku-sama and Flora, I ask Duke-sama.

「Um, is it okay if I talk to Ojou for just a little bit?」

Then, Ojou’s shoulders twitch and she looked down a little. I feel sorry that I made Ojou feel bad to the point she doesn’t want to talk to me. However, if possible, I would like to apologize even with just one word.
In order to confirm Ojou’s intentions, Duke-sama kneels on one knee and matches his height with Ojou’s eyes.

「Dia, what are you going to do?」

「I……」

「There’s something you want to say to Isaac, right?」

Duke-sama smiled softly and looked back at her pale blue eyes. Under his gaze, Ojou put her lips together and gave him a small nod.
After confirming Ojou’s intentions, Duke-sama stroked her hair as if to encourage her, making him smile more. 「I’m on my way」, Duke-sama said as he took Oku-sama and Flora into the mansion. When I conveyed my thanks, Duke-sama winked. I was impressed with the way of responding that only a handsome person could.
The front door closes, leaving me and Ojou behind the door. Unsure how to start the conversation, a strange silence came down. In the meantime, the carriage is leaving with the driver.

Should I say long time no see? No, I think I should apologize before that, so I gather up my courage.

「Ojou, I’m sorry about the other day!」

「……」

When I lower my head, Ojou’s mouth loosened a little.

「I really feel bad about hurting Ojou’s feelings. I’m not good at speaking…… if Ojou would permit it, is it okay to explain?」

「Yes.」

During my apology, Ojou almost opened her mouth several times, but she eventually closed it as if to swallow her words. Then, as if prepared, she replied only with that.
Ojou staring straight ahead confirmed she was looking back at me and so I tried to explain why she was my rival.

「It’s because Ojou is beautiful.」

「Eh……」

「Ojou’s behavior and posture will become more and more beautiful. You’re smarter than me and there’s so many things you can do. But it’s because you’re working hard.」

Ojou is stunned by my explanation. Maybe I didn’t explain it well.

「While I think that Ojou is amazing, I also think that I have to work hard to stand up on my own. I was just thinking I can’t lose so one-sidedly, but what else can I say other than rivals……」

「Wh…… wh……」

Ojou’s face is slowly turning red. It seems like I’m too pitiful to say anything. I don’t think I explained it well. In the end, no matter how much I thought about it, nothing else came to mind.

「Does Ojou know what you call that?」

My lack of vocabulary makes me weak, so I ask Ojou who seems to know more words than me. If it’s Ojou, she might be able to give it a more appropriate name.

「I, I kn……」

Ojou made a sound and her face turned bright red. When I was wondering what happened to her, she groaned as if she was conflicted about something while her mouth was still closed.
After a few moments, she opened her mouth with a glare.

「~~Zack, how was it without me……?」

「Eh?」

「Um…… was it lonely, or something……」

「No, not at all.」

When I answered that I didn’t feel lonely, Ojou was fed up.

「That’s because I was thinking a lot about you.」

「Wh……!?」

「I thought things like, it would be nice if your family could enjoy the time with no outsiders present or that it would be nice if the perfume grasses and purslanes were blooming when Ojou came back. I also regretted that if Ojou isn’t there, I couldn’t properly take a break.」

Duke-sama is a busy person and Ojou shouldn’t have had many opportunities to relax with the whole family due to lessons. That’s why I thought that she would be enjoying the summer vacation that it would be a pity to have to go back to Duke-sama’s estate. I hadn’t heard the exact date of return, so I should’ve consulted with my father about whether we should give more consideration to flowers that last until after October.
While talking about the things I thought of when I thought of Ojou, I said I would do my best while talking about things I couldn’t do. Well, it’s too late for Ojou to say I’m pitiable. [T/N: This first sentence is weird and honestly I gave up.]
Realizing I hadn’t ever been cool, I laughed foolishly.
When I look at Ojou again, she was gulping the air. She looks a little like the carp in the elementary school pond. I thought it would be useless to feed them arbitrarily, so I decided to play rock-paper-scissors to replace the principal’s feeding of them. [T/N: Another weird sentence that just boggled my mind, it was kind of a non sequiter.]

「Ojou?」

When I tilted my head to ask what happened, Ojou took a step back as if flinching. Then, realizing that, she began to shake as if frustrated.

「W, why is Zack always like that……!」

With spiteful eyes, Ojou looks at me.
She said it in an accusatory way, so I thought she was going to scold me. Instead, Ojou clutches her hand against her chest to make a fist and takes a deep breath to calm herself down.
She bites her lips and lowers her eyes.

「……Zack?」

「What is it?」

「Um…… the time we parted.」

「Yes?」

「I didn’t listen to Zack to the end…… I said too much…… so…」

Although it’s the fault of my misleading words, was it weighing of Ojou? That was surprising, so my eyes widen.

「I’m sorry.」

「It’s fine. I’m sorry too.」

When I smile and apologize, her downturned eyes look up and I meet her pale blue eyes. Her expression softened as if relieved.
It’s the color of nigella flowers. When I was thinking about that, Ojou got annoyed.

「I already got an apology earlier.」

I was called unfair because I apologized more often. I didn’t think it would be called unfair, so it’s amusing.

「Haha, sorry.」

「That’s exactly……!」

「Yep. Welcome home, Ojou.」

Remembering what I hadn’t said to her, when I said it, she seemed a little timid.

「I’m home.」

As expected, I had the impression her smile is like a blooming flower.

---

You know, I thought the whole summer arc would take a lot longer and that we would get a chapter with Ojou before coming back to Zack, but this was fine, too. I haven’t taken a look at the next chapter, so we might get what Ojou’s view was.

Either way, I met a deadline for once instead of a schedule slip, wahaha.

See you guys next time!

---

There is absolutely no way the latest Zelda game is responsible for the one week schedule slip.

Absolutely not.

Sorry if the editing is a little scuffed, I was up until like 8pm last night making sure the translation was done to begin with so I could avoid a two week schedule slip, ahahaha.

---

TL: Toasty
ED: Toasty

---

「Next time, will you stay over?」

「Is it fine?」

At the contents of the request, Lydia anxiously asked.
The moment she was having tea with her Tordelise and her friends at Marquis August’s estate, the proposal was made by one of her friends, Stephanie.
The pajama party with her friends before was very fun, and because it’s her friends, she wanted to have it at her own estate. So inevitably, when you had to shut yourself inside during the rainy season, they would certainly have at least one pajama party. She had already gone to the August estate, and was aware of an unexpected side of Tordelise when she’s in front of her family.
As for Lydia being worried, it was the circumstances of Stephanie’s household. With the rumors, Count Witting married Stephanie’s mother, a commoner, but the reality was different.
The count deeply loved his late wife, and had no intent of remarrying. However, for the sake of continuing the house, his relatives often approached with marriage talks, and he was exhausted.
To avoid marriage talks, he sought a single woman with a child. Then, he came across Stephanie’s mother, who similarly felt the same for her late husband. She was a commoner, but the circumstances were good as they didn’t have to be in love.
For Stephanie’s mother, it was hard in a fatherless household, and was presented with the terms of assisting with her livelihood, which she accepted.
In noble society, marriage for contractual agreements is common, but for Stephanie, who comes from a commoner background where marriage for love is the usual, there are things she can’t accept. First, the count’s action of marrying because he doesn’t want to be married, even for a noble, is peculiar.
As the familial relationships weren’t built with love, until here, although Stephanie made efforts to be his daughter, she was avoiding being treated as a spoiled child. She didn’t want to cause trouble for the Count, Lydia remembered her saying something like that before.

「It’s fine.」

Tordelise and Zaskia look at her with seemingly the same worry. However, Stephanie shows them a face without the slightest bit of worry.
After they first met, it had been one and a half years, and it’s an expression she showed them after learning her attitude about being a noble’s daughter. Pushed by that smiling face, it was decided next time there was a pajama party, it would be at Stephanie’s estate.
The plans for next time decided, Tordelise asked something to Lydia, seemingly remembering something.

「Now that you mention it, what did you get as a present this year?」

「Eh, um……」

「What are you talking about?」

「Dia-sama, apart from celebrating his birthday, around this time seems to normally give Geordo-sama something as thanks.」

「That’s wonderful, isn’t it?」

「You must be thinking of your busy father, huh?」

「That’s……」

Lydia, who was asked, while her replies became weak, Tordelise explains to the two others. With that, Lydia furthermore ended up at a loss. That reason was a lie.
No, she was actually giving her father a present, but the purpose in consulting was different. This time of year, because she was unable to decide on a birthday present for when she went to go meet the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice, she consulted Tordelise about what she things she got for her father that preferred practical gifts. Unable to confide that the truth that her opinion is referencing a different person, Lydia depended on Tordelise’s misunderstanding from the start.

「……next time, rather than something, I gave a musical performance.」

While feeling bashful, Lydia admitted her present.
She learned it from Nicholas, her common friend with the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice, that he regretted not being able to hear her piano. Certainly in the past, because she was embarrassed, she didn’t want him to hear the sounds of her practicing, she said. However, she didn’t think he was honestly following along with that.
Being around the same area for work when she had piano practice, the extent that her sound reaches, he entrusts to either his father or his junior pupil, and it seems he works in the area sound can’t reach.
Because he often hums while working, certainly he likes music. Before, she had asked him why he often hums while working.

「That’s because there’s no other way to stream BGM, you know?」

It was a strange answer, but he easily said it.
She didn’t understand the meaning of his words, but conveyed he wanted to normally listen to music. Certainly for him, a commoner, attaining an environment where you can regularly listen to music is difficult. If you have a gramophone, it’s possible, but a gramophone is a device that even for nobles, those that have it are very few. Moreover, the songs that fit on the records that appear in the market, as they are classical and opera, it’s very probable it wouldn’t fit his tastes.
As far as Lydia is concerned, while listening to music one should act refined, but when she looks at the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice, her thoughts change. There is no elegance in the songs he hums.
As if to suit him, she chose a light melody with a quick tempo from a set of music, and practiced until she could play without seeing the music. Because he was able to make out some time exactly on his birthday, that day, she guided him to the piano room and gave a small recital.
The time of her musical performance, he and her younger sister Flora sat quietly, but when it was over, excitedly stood up and generously applauded her while saying she looked cool.
It isn’t a compliment she’s happy with, but because she knows it’s his highest praise, she happily accepted them.
She remembers that she thought it was funny how his eyes lit up like her younger sister’s, who was imitating his behavior. When she thinks back on that time, again a smile comes to her face.

「That’s wonderful, isn’t it?」

Perhaps inspired, Stephanie blushed, linking her hands and repeating the same words with more admiration.

「Dia-sama really cares about her family, doesn’t she?」

「Geordo-sama must be healed from his daily fatigue.」

Zaskia also says her thoughts while her eyes sparkle and Tordelise agreed.
While bestowed with her friends’ misunderstanding, she feels guilty, she said she hoped that was the case, and let out her true feelings that she didn’t have confidence in herself. There, her three friends unanimously said she absolutely ws right, and Lydia smiled again.

---

Entering the rainy season, there started to be many days with rain. However, they were rains that stopped after a few hours, and never became long spells of rain.
On a certain day when the rain broke, when Lydia went to visit the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice, before anything else, he said:

「Ojou, starting from tonight, it’s going to be a long rain.」

「Truly!?」

Presented with the possibility of having a chance for a sleepover, Lydia’s eyes sparkled.

「Well, maybe. I think it will come down for two or three days.」

For him who is water aligned, although he can read the signs of rain, his magical power is small, and he answered he doesn’t have definite proof. Because she hadn’t seen his prediction of rain miss, Lydia believed in his words.

「I should notify Fanny-sama and the others immediately.」

「Nee-sama, do you like rain?」

「I’m happy to be able to meet my friends.」

While seeing Lydia who is in high spirits and smiling, the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice explains it to her little sister who came with her. Even when he explains about the long rains first, Lydia seemed to be impatiently waiting.
Flora, who doesn’t know the particulars, again tilts her head, seeming confused.

「Why can you meet with them?」

「They’re having a sleepover.」

「A sleepover……?」

Repeating the words said by the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice, Flora spends several seconds thinking and understanding the situation. Flora, who understands, approaches Ojou, and grabs her skirt.

「Nee-sama, are you going to leave……?」

「Flora……」

Looked up at by her sister’s wet eyes, Lydia’s eyebrows fell. Last time, when she went to stay at Tordelise’s estate, when she came back, her little sister clung to her in tears.
Then, with things like tea parties or birthday parties for royalty that she attended as Roy’s fiance, because she returned before the night went on, Flora hadn’t felt lonely. However, when she went to the Marquis’ estate Flora didn’t understand the meaning, and didn’t see her sister until the next morning, crying her eyes out. For that reason, Flora was left with a negative impression that sleepovers means her sister will disappear.
She enjoys spending a night with friends, but the feeling she would be having fun withers in front of her lonely little sister.

「Flora.」

When Lydia is worried about what the right thing to do is, the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice squats down to meet Flora’s eyes before speaking.

「Are you lonely without your sister?」

At his question, Flora grabs her sister’s skirt, agreeing.

「It’s lonely……」

「I see. Then, what if Flora’s sister is sad while Flora is happy?」

「……I don’t like it.」

Hearing Flora’s dejected response, the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice smiles as if satisfied.

「Then, do you understand why Ojou is troubled right now?」

「……nee-sama, I’m sorry.」

After a few beats of hesitation, Flora looks up at Ojou and apologizes. Towards her sister who is looking forward to meeting her friends, Flora understood she was the one who ended up putting a damper on it.

「That’s, I……」

「Flora, that was great.」

Before Lydia could apologize, the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice pats Flora on the head, praising her. For that reason, Lydia missed her chance to apologize.

「Ojou, you shouldn’t apologize.」

「Eh……?」

Moreover, Lydia, who ended up having her apology suppressed, was confused.

「You’re only playing with your friends, right?」

At his words, Lydia realized it. It would be rude to her friends to apologize for looking forward to being with them. He taught her that there’s no need to apologize if she didn’t do something bad.
Lydia also leaned over to meet her little sister’s gaze.

「When I get back, let’s play around a lot. Can you wait for me?」

「Yep!」

「Thank you.」 

Hugging her sister who was holding onto her skirt with both hands, when she confirmed it with a positive reply, Lydia unconsciously smiled.

「Then, I’ll wait together with her. Since Ojou trained me, if it’s a picture book, I can read it to her.」

「Really!?」

「Yep.」

Because during times there are long spells of rain, they stay at the cabin in the Ernest estate, when the boy who is the gardener’s apprentice suggested going there, Flora was excited to have a playmate.
Having made a promise before her eyes regarding times she would be absent, Lydia wanted to join in but tightly restrained herself. He had arranged for her to go to her friend’s house without any hesitation. Being envious of that would be getting her priorities backwards.
Seeing Lydia hesitate to say something, the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice shows an awkward facial expression.

「……Ah, but, it’s bad if I arbitrarily stay on the grounds.」

「I will get permission from my mother.」

Embarrassed that she had ended up showing a complicated facial expression, Lydia was relieved he had misunderstood her.

「Because I’m also escorting heeer, it’ll be fiiine!」

Petra, her guard that was following her around, offered to accompany her, and the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice returned a thanks for her help. At Petra, who was different from herself, Lydia bit her lips as if to restrain calling her unfair. Petra looks at her master with the usual, unchanging amused smile.

---

The next day, after making preparations to stay over with her friends at Count Witting’s estate, Lydia left shortly past noon. Flora, seeing her off, didn’t have a gloomy expression and Lydia had a feeling that was like relief and also a little lonely.
The Ernest carriage went to also meet Tordelise and Zaskia, and the three of them went to Count Witting’s estate. Around the entrance, Stephanie, who was unable to wait, stood up and happily greeted them.

「Welcome, Dia-sama, Torde-sama, Kia-sama.」

「Today, we’re in your care. However, if you could wait until we’re inside, it would be better, right?」

「The sound of rain sounds the same as my excitement, so I’m looking forward to it, you know.」

「If it’s Fanny-sama.」

Towards Lydia, who worries that although the entrance has a roof, the rain might blow in and chill the body, Stephanie shows a facial expression like a patch of blue sky. The tempo of rain is the same as the ticking of her heart, and she really seems to be enjoying herself. At that kind of charm, Lydia and the others smiled a bit.

「Young ladies, welcome, and please come in.」

With Stephanie’s guidance, when they head into the interior of the estate, they’re told the maids are preparing warm tea, and are guided to her room. After entering the room, there was already a table with chairs for each person.
Shortly afterward, a cart with black tea sets and cookies placed on a plate comes.

「I hope it’s to your tastes.」

Since Lydia, from a duke’s house, and Tordelise, from a marquis’ house, are both of higher rank, the maid seems to let out those nervous words, and the maid places the cookies in the center of the table. Was Stephanie concerned about that point, as she held her mouth in a straight line, and looking down at her lap, she clenched her fists.
For Lydia, who first drinks the warm tea, takes a bite out of the cookie. The cookies, probably baked from the time they were coming, are still warm and have a gentle flavor.

「It’s really delicious.」

「Ehhh?」

「Really.」

At Lydia’s thoughts that unconsciously spilled out, Tordelise and the others also agree.

「I’m glad that it matches the tastes of the young ladies. It was worth the effort to make it.」

「「「Eh!?」」」

「Geez, mother!」

The maid sighed as if relieved from the bottom of her heart, and towards that woman, Stephanie, unable to bear it anymore, opened her mouth and protested.

「Didn’t I ask you to wear a dress today because it would surprise Dia-sama and the others!?」

「Although I don’t usually wear one at the estate, so it isn’t strange to wear it only today. That sort of thing is painful, so please forgive me for only wearing one when I go to parties with Mr. Hermann.」

「I always wear one, though.」

「It’s your mothers job to dress up Fanny up.」

Towards the maid who sleekly handles Stephanie’s objections, Lydia and the others are astonished. As for Stephanie, who nearly groaned towards the maid, realized she had neglected her friends, and lightly cleared her throat before making an awkward seeming introduction.

「I’m sorry. This is my mother……」

「It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Fanny’s mother, Nadia. Normally, I’m taking care of my daughter as a maid.」

She is mainly in charge of clothing and accessories, Nadia continued in her self-introduction. The reason she’s a maid seems to be a result of her guessing that the earl wants her to work. Unconsciously thinking that it’s impossible a countess would be a maid, Lydia and the others’ eyes go wide, mouths open.

「Nadia-sama, I’m sorry for being late in greeting you. I am—」

「Dia-chan, right?」

Somehow or another, when Lydia, who recovered first, tried to greet her, Nadia interrupted her and guessed her name.

「Y, yes.」

「I’ve heard you’re a beautiful girl. Stephanie really admires you, too. So, even if she’s poor at manners she does her best……」

「Mother!」

Don’t say something embarrassing, said Stephanie, her face turning red as she grabbed her mother’s sleeve.

「Furthermore, because Dia-sama is the daughter of a duke, so please call her properly!」

「Aww. I’m sorry, Dia-sama. Please feel relaxed in our house.」

「No, I don’t mind.」

In this kind of situation, Lydia was lost on what the best way to respond is, but she returned her true feelings. In reality, even in her own house, since there are less formal talking employees, she is used to it. However, even from here, because it would not be good to have it exposed at parties she attended, she avoids declaring she can be called informally aside from this occasion.
However, as for a mother being scolded and explained to about the way to speak to noble daughters, Lydia and the others can’t conceal their confusion at seeing this for the first time. Furthermore, that Nadia, who should be a countess, is in a maid uniform, they’re even more confused on the best way to deal with it.
At her friends that are perplexed at the state of affairs, Stephanie, who was trying to explain, opens her mouth, noisy footsteps drew near.

「Nadia-san, is it true that Fanny-chan’s friends came!?」

Batan!, went the door as it opened, and a hurried gentleman became visible. Was he greatly shaking in excitement, that he had forgotten to knock?

「It’s true. Hermann-san, here.」

「Wow, it’s true. I’m glad.」

Unlike the girls who can’t understand the situation and are gazing in wonder, the calm Nadia went over to the gentleman, and pointed at him with her palm. With the sight of giving Stephanie and the others around the table a deep impression that seemed like they would cry at any moment, he looks at them.

「Geez, even you too, Hermann-sama!」

「I’m sorry, Fanny-chan. But, because of me, I separated you from your commoner friends, right? I was worried about if you could make new friends or not……」

「You didn’t believe my stories until now!?」

「No…… perhaps, you were worrying about me…… I couldn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes.」

Towards Stephanie who is angry, Hermann says his apologies.
At the time Stephanie joins tea parties, she’s escorted by either Hermann or one of his attendants. As for not ever accompanying her aside from when she enters or exits a room, it seems he was considering it would be easier for her to make friends with other children.
Because they had seen him as an escort to tea parties, Lydia and the others knew he was Count Witting. However, with only the extent of greetings, he had the ambience of a gentleman, and with their impression of him up to here, doubts on whether or not this person with such colorful expressions was the same person.

「I’m glad for you.」

However, Lydia, who worried that Stephanie was being taken care of by two parents without love, thought that. She was only surprised, but as for being loved by both of her parents, this much was enough to understand.
Hearing the mumbled words he doesn’t know, Hermann softly smiles.

「I apologize for being late in my greetings, young ladies. I am this family’s head, Hermann. I am incredibly happy that you would come during the rain.」

「Hermann-sama, this is a girl’s room, you know.」

When the girls are pointed out, Hermann says he is very sorry, and at how he bows his head, and conveys to Lydia, who has the highest status, that he hopes she’ll forgive him. Because she saw the worried look on his face around the time he came in, Tordelise and the others were already ready to forgive him. Lydia was only the representative.

「Hermann-san, if we’re here, we’ll be in the way.」

「That’s right. Since I already have peace of mind, I’ll head back.」

「Mom, Hermann-sama, quickly leave already!」

Feeling the vigor of Stephanie who puffed her cheeks, Nadia smiled while saying 「I get it, I get it」 and left, and Hermann left with a cheerful 「Take it easy」.
Stephanie, embarrassed at her parents’ meddling being shown off, closed the door, and afterwards, whether to gloss over or calm down, kept silent until she finished her tea.

「……I showed you something embarrassing.」

「Fanny-sama is strong at home.」

Thinking that if there was a hole, she would end up jumping into it, when with a gradually fading voice, Stephanie mumbles, Tordelise said something as if to admire her.

「I’m not strong. Mother just doesn’t listen to me at all.」

Her mother’s ways are villainous, Stephanie says, puffing her cheeks as if recalling getting mad.

「Fufu, I also end up saying such strong things in front of my family.」

「Kia-sama too?」

「So, it’s absolutely necessary the next pajama part is at Kia’s house.」

At Kia, who confessed that she is also prone to acting boastful at home but reserved outside, without checking if it’s okay, Tordelise decides the next place for a sleepover. At her friends’ exchange, seeing a point in common, Lydia is a little relieved and surprised.
The circumstances of their houses differ, but they all considerably had a side to them that was more haughty in their homes. Tordelise has many brothers at home and needs to make her claims, the usually cheerful but firm in front of her family Stephanie, Zaskia who at first was very menial about her complex with her curly hair was the same. In other words, they’re all in a situation where they can be spoiled by their families.
Lydia is the opposite. At first, she didn’t understand if it was good to be spoiled by her family. So, she scattered selfishness towards her surroundings, and at the beginning acted in a mistaken and spoiled way. If it hadn’t been pointed out to her by the boy who is a gardener’s apprentice, she may have mistaken the way forward.
Even now, was she ending up jealous of her friends? However, she can think that right now she is fine. She’s happy with that and naturally a smile shows itself.
After drinking tea to conceal her smile, Lydia joins in with the talk of her friends.

---

Late into the night, the four of them used a guest room with a large bed so they could all sleep together.
Time passed quickly when talking and telling stories with friends and sleepiness didn’t come even during the time that they usually get sleepy. With that, Lydia and the others went under the cover and waited until sleep came, holding a pillow in their arms.

「Isn’t it weird how we can’t sleep?」

No matter the amount of times she experiences it, Lydia mumbles that it’s strange.

「Certainly, if you count sheep, it seems fine.」

「How do you count sheep?」

「Umm… it’s a method spread by the shepherds of my house, an older woman in the neighborhood said it.」

When Tordelise tilts her head, Stephanie answered it’s an oral tradition from the commoners.

「I’ve never actually seen a sheep, but are they cute and fluffy things like Kia-sama?」

Lydia, who is close to the information she heard, when she thinks about it, compares it to Kia’s curl hair that just entered her vision. At those words, Zaskia’s cheeks turn red and she buries her face in a pillow.
At her reaction, Lydia immediately apologies, not having meant to tease her.

「Sorry, Kia-sama. I……」

「T…… that’s not it……」

「Kia-sama?」

Zaskia immediately denies that her feelings were hurt. However, because she doesn’t begin to say anything beyond that point, Lydia and the others tilt their head in confusion.

「……um, Caesar-sama, because he looks like me, before……」

As for Caesar, it’s the name of the marquis’ son who offered Zaskia a marriage proposal. Because there’s no reason to refuse, she and her parents acknowledged it and they became officially fiances. She recalled what her fiance had told her, and her cheeks ended up becoming red.

「In Marquis Gellerman’s territory, there’s areas where livestock are flourishing.」

「Dia-sama is very knowledgeable, isn’t she?」

At Lydia, who says that’s right, Stephanie looks at her with a respectful gaze.

「I will lose to Roy-sama.」

When Lydia is lacking knowledge, she forces a smile. Lydia hears tales of various regions from Roy, who has a wide field of vision. His ability to remember and how he can make eyes light up when he tells a real story not just from books, but also people who came from that region, is amazing. On the occasions she goes around as a fiance, so she won’t be a burden on Roy, she studied geography, but she was troubled because the memories of amazing stories he told her are more memorable. 

「The prince might be amazing, but Dia-sama is also amazing!」

Towards Stephanie, who sincerely admired both, Lydia was humble, and gives her a small look.

「Thank you.」

Because she also felt a little bashful, Lydia gave her thanks. Understanding she was being praised, Stephanie smiles, satisfied.

「So, what happened when you were invited to Marquis Gellerman’s territory?」

「I declined, saying it was too early……」

At Tordelise’s encouraging her to go on, Zaskia lowered her eyebrows, answering while buring her face in a pillow.

「Are you disliked by Caesar-sama?」

「I don’t know about that, but wouldn’t it have been better to accept it?」

「But, even though being engaged is like a dream, the mental preparations for visiting his parent’s home……」

At Tordelise’s advice, Zaskia suddenly raised her head from the pillow with teary eyes. At her fiance’s ability to make a decision, Zaskia seems to be perplexed.

「Kia-sama, can you try to tell us how it is without change?」

「You don’t dislike that……?」

At Zaskia’s frightened eyes, Lydia kindly smiles.

「I only know Caesar-sama from Kia-sama, but I feel that Kia-sama really pines for him.」

At Lydia’s words, Tordelise and Stephanie also strongly agreed. Zaskia may not be aware of the incredibly happy face she shows only when talking about her fiance. Receiving her friends’ support, Zaskia’s face turns red, and she asks if that’s so, her voice gradually vanishing.

「Conveying it honestly is very frightening and you need a lot of courage. However, with the time you’re worrying, if you don’t tell it, absolutely nothing will move forward.」

Being able to tell your true feelings is scary. With being able to convey that to the other person that she doesn’t want them to dislike her, she was also ready to be hurt. How many times had Lydia been scared, and how many times had she received support?
If only she could be like him, she thinks, but she can only talk about her experiences. She can help her friends with this, can’t she?

「……Dia-sama, it’s scary for you too?」

「It’s scary, yes.」

Thinking only her approval wouldn’t be enough, Lydia, towards the uneasy Zaskia, speaks her own mind. Certainly, she must be smiling miserably.
Zaskia, with the hand that is holding onto her pillow, tightly squeezes a fist.

「I’ll… do my best……!」

At Zaskia, who resolved herself, Lydia and the others let out a sigh of relief, and give her supportive words.

「It’s fine, right?」

Saying only a few words, with Stephanie surprisingly jealous, Lydia’s eyes open a bit.

「Does Fanny-sama also want that kind of partner?」

「Of course.」

「However……」

She hesitated on her words beyond that. For a girl who has seen her mother grieve the loss of her husband she loved greatly, she’s learned a fear of loss. And furthermore, she can’t understand what it felt like to see her mother marry for her sake, without love. Her current relationship with her parents felt like a different matter.
Contrary to Lydia’s worries, Stephanie easily talked.

「For me, I want to fall in love because I look at my parents now.」

「Eh……」

「Until her second marriage, my mother tried not to talk about my father. But, after she married Hermann-sama, she talks a lot about him.」

While she was a single mother, tried not to burden her daughter too much, so Nadia avoided talking about her father. However, she didn’t have to hide it with Hermann-san, a partner who also had a spouse die before him. Rather, because it was Hermann, who understood the same grief and the same joys, they could approach each other with the same talks. So, Nadia and Herman became allies.
Furthermore, Hermann didn’t force Stephanie to see her as a father. Knowing he was trying to be an adult she was on good terms with, Stephanie gradually let go of her nervousness. If she had been forced into the frame of his family, she might not have been able to get on with living in noble society.

「When I see my mother and Hermann-sama talk about someone they love, I feel like being in love is lovely.」

It wasn’t licking each other’s wounds, but because they think about the person they love, both of her parents stand on their own feet, which Stephanie was proud of. She isn’t in love with the idea of losing someone, but even if she loses someone, she wants to keep living like her parents, that is what she admires.

「That’s wonderful, you know.」

「Right?」

Receiving Lydia’s words, Stephanie proudly smiled. No matter what was said to her in her surroundings, because there is love between both of her parents when they married, she can be prideful. Her friends recognizing that made her happy.

「……um.」

Lydia raised a hesitant voice, and the three gazes of the girls gathered on her.

「If…… if I said that I don’t like Roy-sama as my fiance, would that be contemptible……?」

Lydia, who finished saying that, tightly closes her eyes and waits for her friends’ response. She can’t tell them everything about the engagement agreement with Roy, but she wanted to open up a bit about her true feelings to her friends. Saying no more and falling silent, she had a feeling she was rude to her friends.
With a feeling like a defendant waiting for judgment, Lydia endures until the consequence of her confession comes.

「Not at all?」

Stephanie naturally said that.

「Roy-sama is wonderful, so that’s a regrettable feeling, but if Dia-sama thinks that, there’s no helping it, right?」

Tordelise was the one who seemed to regretfully reflect on the difference between reality and aspirations.

「When Dia-sama finds someone she likes, I will absolutely support you……」

Telling the story of a future, Zaskia encouraged her.
The three of them told Lydia their own separate words without denying her. Attacked by a large sense of relief. Lydia lost her strength. She buried the side of her head in her pillow.
With an expression showing she was starting to feel sleepy, Lydia looks to her friends and puts on a smile filled with happiness.

「Everyone, thank you.」

With her friends reflecting back a face to say it wasn’t a problem, she had a premonition that night, she would see good dreams.
Then, in order to have wonderful dreams visit her friends, Lydia prayed, before sinking into the depths of her dreams. 

---

Overall a fairly chill chapter, yeah? I liked the bit with Flora/Ojou at the start, plus Stephanie’s parents made me laugh. Especially when her adoptive dad came in like “WHERE’S YOUR FRIENDS”.

Not a whole lot to say; sorry for the one week schedule slip, but even I have hobbies outside of translating, haha. I’ll try not to let it happen again.

See you all next chapter.

---

Almost didn’t finish this due to Ryza 3, but I somehow managed to finish Ryza 3 and this chapter, phew.

---

TL: Toasty
ED: Toasty

---

When it became the early summer, the season became warm, and the sensation of the blowing wind being refreshing.
I planted flowers my father indicated together with Yan-san. When first I show him how we plant flowers before and teach him how to arrange them, Yan-san’s eyes go wide with doubt.

「Why are you planting them when they aren’t blooming?」

「You can enjoy them longer this way. Since this flower blooms starting in the rainy season, so when the sky is cloudy, the ground will look cheerful, so people who look at it will feel better.」

Because they have a long bloom, the snowflake grass is planted when it’s already blooming, but the silver cups are planted together to add to the joy of blooming. Certainly it looks like they are blooming, and with the state of greens in full leaf, even if it’s completed immediately the outward appearance is already good. But, it’s no different than a flower shop. The garden is always here, so it’s a fun thing to change.
In the middle of the white, there’s blue, and in the middle of the purple is the dark purple, and they should bloom as if to dispel the rainy season. If it’s together with the white of the snowflake grass that is like a snow coming down, even if they get wet, the silver cup grass will shine.
Understanding the explanation, Yan-san’s eyes glitter.

「You’re amazing, Aniki!」

「……stop with that ‘Aniki’.」

With an indescribable facial expression, request it for the how-many-th time of Yan-san.

「Why?」

「Because I’m younger than you.」

「Aniki became an apprentice of Dennis-san before me, so he’s my senior! In other words, Aniki.」

Facing those genuine black eyes, I feel exhausted. With Yan-san’s rule of prioritizing the amount of experience, with this topic, we never come to an agreement.

「For Aniki, because I’m your junior, you don’t need to use polite language around me.」

I’m troubled by this request that yet again comes from Yan-san.
With Yan-san turning twelve years old as a start after becoming a pupil of the Baumgartner house, with how my birthday is soon, there’s one year between us.
I, even from the kids downtown and even from Leo, don’t mind casual speech being used towards me. Rather, when formal speech is used towards me, I feel bad. But, because up until now there weren’t any kids who were close to my age, so I use polite language for those equal to my age.
Even if I think that, the truth is I’m tired of not coming to an agreement after one month. It’s better if I break things down here, I think.

「Then, Yan. Is that fine?」

「Yes, Aniki!」

「I want you to stop calling me that, though……」

「I can’t.」

Incidentally, I ask Yan one more time, but he cheerfully rejects it.
What is it? There’s a feeling of looking at a young bird that’s been imprinted on. Yan is often safe. The time he came to the royal capital, it’s amazing he wasn’t pickpocketed or scammed.

「Let’s get back to work. Yan should also go back.」

「Yes!」

I give up. This is an impossible guy. I get the sense that Yan is absolutely don’t back down on this matter.
It’s just a little under one month, but my understanding of Yan is good. It seems he was from a farming family that primarily dealt in vegetables in his hometown, so he’s used to gardening.He has knowledge about vegetables, but it’s useful to know the bare minimum about fertilizers and plant diseases.
During the time we’re taking a break after finishing planting the flowers, I ask about something weighing on my mind.

「Yan, why did you want to become a gardener?」

「Ah, that’s because of this.」

When I ask the reason he applied, Yan takes off his cotton gloves, and from his chest pocket, takes out a thin sheet of paper. The sepia of the thing he called his treasured item, is a picture of the Ernest family garden.
With this world, the photos are monochrome. Because cameras are expensive, taking pictures of things other than people is a hobby only for nobles.
I’m certain that Duke-sama’s father, the duke before him, had photography as a hobby. I’ve been shown photos taken by him in the previous generation. While being told he was squandering his money, he was laughing happily.
As for what Yan showed me, it’s one of the old man’s photographs.

「I’ve been shown it many times, so Benno-san gave it to me.」

So he could look at it anytime, but it was important to him, so he carried it around, wrapped in a towel, it seems.

「I heard a rumor, but I couldn’t believe that people put their hands on nature for anything other than to eat, and until I met Benno-san, thought gardening was just a rich person’s hobby.」

I agree with Yan’s opinion. There’s no leeway for commoners to use plants for anything other than to make a living. Because the royal capital’s standard of living is high, there are even ordinary people who grow potted plants, but it’s rare where nature is commonplace.
If in Yan’s home he was a farmer, he’d know the discomfort of treating plants unnaturally. The act of forcing them into unnaturalness, farmers do it naturally, and for gardeners, they do it to be pleasant on the eyes. People can’t live without food, but people don’t need gardeners to live. That difference is large.

「When I told Benno-san what I thought, with a really scary smile, he showed me this photo.」

Although I don’t know how it is, Yan apparently picked fights with the old man a lot. The spirit of Yan, who can tell a story while saying no, he was scared, is strong.

「For me, I didn’t understand anything about how it would be beautiful, but when I saw the photo of the garden, that something this pretty existed in the world, it surprised me.」

Even if it’s from a sepia photo, it seemed to convey how bright it was, Yan said with excitement. What he saw from the photo was like looking at a dream, and so the Ernest family garden he hadn’t even gone to was scorched into Yan’s mind, it seems.

「It’s amazing that people’s hands making something this beautiful.」

I understand the words Yan said. When I first saw my father’s work and thought it was like magic, I got excited.

「So, because I was disinherited by my father, I came here.」

「Ha?」

At his indifferent look when that was said to me, I’m troubled.

When he said he wanted to become a gardener, his father told him that if in spite of being the eldest son, if he didn’t succeed in his work and took up some silly job, they would sever relationships, as he hit him. When I tried to double check, Yan, with a smiling face, said he would tell me the specifics. No, I don’t think that means I want to hear the specifics.

I also often eat my father’s punches and am scolded by my mother, but only during the times I must absolutely reflect. I never quarreled with my parents. But, in my past life, I only ever quarreled with my father. Maybe, during the time I was Tanaka Taichi, if I hadn’t gotten ill or not been in an accident, I would’ve been disowned. Certainly, it’s not different from the reason Yan was disinherited.

「Is Yan fine……?」

With one of my regrets in my past life being being unable to reconcile with my parents, I become troubled. Yan brightly smiles, but maybe he regrets it like me in my past life?

「It’s fine. I will absolutely become a gardener, then send my father a photo of the garden I made!」

「I see.」

I look at Yan’s smiling face and am relieved.  It seems he hasn’t given up on his family yet.

「It would be good if someday, your father can recognize you.」

「Yeeep!」

I feel like Yan is enthusiastic about proving himself superior to his father. I felt that his will, in comparison to mine, is very praiseworthy.

「Now then, next is pulling the weeds.」

「Zaaack!」

After we finished our rest, when we tried to go back to work and stood up, from behind, something beared down on my shoulder with the force of a tackle. I unconsciously fell to my knees.

I have a memory of this faint and sweet smell, and called out their name while turning around.

「……Nico.」

「Yeees, I wanted to meet you. Recently, that idiot, my sister’s fiancé, has been really annoying.」

「I get it, so wait a second.」

Somehow or another, it would pacify Nico, who was implicitly badgering me because he had gathered up stress, he wanted to go hit something.
After Nico’s older sister, Heroise-sama, became healthy, her fiancé seemed to come back and forth. From Nico’s standpoint, since they were indirectly the cause of the curse on his family, he still didn’t trust them. But, as for Heroise-sama, because she was happy that it reached the point she could talk with her fiancé, Nico restrained himself as much as he could.
Because I have work, when I told him to wait, while pretending to be upset, he loosens the arm around my neck.

「Who’s this guy?」

Nico, who finally realized Yan’s existence, asks.

「Ahh, you haven’t already met, huh. As for Yan……」

「Ni, Nicolas-sama, didn’t I say that because Zack is still working, to wait for later!?」

「Are you Aniki’s girlfriend!?」

Seemingly, because Nico had found me and quickly come my way, Ojou, looking like she was at a half-jog, chased after him. With Ojou’s timely arrival, something strange slipped out from Yan, who was surprised at the situation.
I understood the meaning, but surprised at the misunderstanding, Nico raised an eyebrow.

「What is this guy saying?」

「Ah…… let me tell you, but Nico is a guy.」

「Eh!?」

Towards Yan, who was surprised from the bottom of his heart, Nico hits his chest with his hand.

「Which part of me looks like a girl?」 [T/N: Nico’s still using ‘atashi’ which is feminine so he’s not helping his case.]

「But, there’s no reason a guy would have a face this beautiful. Furthermore, the way you talk……」

「Don’t be silly, I don’t have breasts and my voice isn’t high, isn’t it? You, are your eyes and ears working!?」

「I-I am sorry!」

Losing to Nico’s spirit, Yan vigorously apologizes. Although Nico’s words are reasonable, I think Yan’s misunderstanding of seeing him as he isn’t a well-built guy was inevitable. Nico, compared to other women, is beautiful.

「……what do you mean by girlfriend?」 [T/N: Ojou coming in with the steel chair]

Ojou, who was troubled at Yan’s abrupt statement, asks with a whisper. It seems she might possibly not understand the meaning.

「For commoners, engagement is unusual, so they fall in love, become lovers, and after that, get married. There’s a lot of people who refer to the girl who is your lover as your girlfriend.」

Chairwoman, who was following her and escorting, kindly answered. Hearing the explanation and understanding, Ojou puffs her cheeks.

「You, are you the name Bauer, perhaps?」

「Eh? Ah, that’s me. I’m not used to it, so please call me Yan, Ojou-sama.」

During the time Yan was filling out his employment documents, he seemed to finally remember his last name. His home village was too rural, so they all used first names, and it seems there was hardly ever a reason to use last names.

「Then, Yan.」

「Yes?」

「With mistaking Nicholas-sama as Zack’s girlfriend, there were two people you were rude to. Furthermore, your question was too rude.」

「I am very sorry. With how he clung to him, I thought surely that because they were on close terms……」

「Yes, that is correct! Nicholas-sama, please separate from Zack.」

At Yan’s words of reflection, Ojou scolds Nico, who was still clinging to me.

「Buuut, it’s been so long since we met.」 [T/N: Nico uses ‘Yaayo’ as a way of sounding cute but it doesn’t translate nicely into English. Link here to Megumu from If Her Flag Breaks using this. And yes, that’s a guy.]

「Just because it’s been a long time, does not mean it is fine to cling to him.」

Even if Ojou tells him to stop, Nico doesn’t show any concern. In reality, over the course of a month, Nico and I hadn’t met up. Because we didn’t know if the fiancé of Nico’s older sister would show up, he was cautious if it looked like it would be just the two of them, was the reason he told me before. As for today, it means that he got a preliminary warning of when the fiancé would show up.
From the circumstances a short while ago, it doesn’t seem like the interference has stopped.

「Zack has the scent of a sunny day, so it calms you down, you know.」

「What…….」

「Nio……!?」 [T/N: Not a typo, although it looks like one.]

Nico’s nose touches my hair, and I shake from how ticklish it feels. Certainly, because I’m in the sun, smelling like this isn’t strange, but I think if anything I smell of sweat. Besides, if it’s this condition, then Yan and my father should also have the same smell.
At Nico’s remarks and actions, Ojou, whose face turned bright red, puffs her cheeks even more than before. Because her stress emission takes time, I’d like for the teasing of Ojou to stop. I don’t understand the reason, but Nico is good at provoking Ojou.

「Stop disturbing Zack’s work!」

「Oh my, are you mad about only that, Miss Dia?」

「Wh, wh-wh……」

「……Nico.」

「Yeees.」

I let out a long sigh, and when I call his name, Nico obediently lets go. With that way of seeing how things go, it’s as if he doesn’t hear her, and Ojou gets mad. If it’s this division of attitudes, Nico understands it, huh?

「Ojou, thank you for saving me.」

「I didn’t particularly……」

Ojou, who warned me but couldn’t stop Nico, tries to be modest even if I thank her.

「Yep. But, I’m  happy you tried to help me.」

With a duke’s daughter, although she can’t run, Ojou came rushing at full strength, trying to warn about Nico so I could quickly return to work. Whether or not there is an effect, I’m thankful for those feelings.
When I thoughtlessly smile, Ojou blushes and turns her head away.

「……Nicholas-sama, let us go back!」

「There’s no helping it, huh. Until Zack’s free, I’ll endure it for Miss Dia.」

「Nicholas-sama, you’re being rude to Lydia-sama, you know.」

「And you, no matter how much time passes, are stubborn.」

「Emilia, Nicholas-sama is putting on a performance, so please don’t scold him over minor things.」

「Yes……」

「Who was the one who reached the most just now?」

Seeing Ojou chiding Chairwoman for her oversensitive reaction, Nico snickers. In the end, while arguing, Ojou and the others go back to the estate.
We try to go back to work, but Yan, for some reason, keeps looking between me and the direction of the three who just left. When I tilt my head to ask what’s wrong, Yan, as if confused, mumbles.

「Aniki, if Nico-nee-san isn’t your girlfriend, what is she?」 [T/N: The way I laughed reading this]

Why is Yan calling Nico with ‘nee-san’? Certainly with their exchange a little bit ago, he must have guessed something. Inadvertently he called Nico with his nickname in Kimiboshi. This is the first time I’ve heard someone other than my sister call him that.

「A friend?」

「Being friends with nobility, Aniki is amazing!」

‘No, it’s just occasionally, so……」

It was seriously just a coincidence we met. Nico was bad at making friends with other nobles, so it’s only that we’re on good terms. Furthermore, it’s not because he’s a noble, I became friends with him.
At my response, Yan says that even if it’s a coincidence, it’s amazing, and his eyes sparkle. I can only return a forced smile. Apparently, I’m not good at being praised. Up until now, I didn’t realize people recognized the effort I put in.
With work quickly coming to an end, I go to help Nico relieve stress. I’ll feel much better that way.

---

A few days after learning what they’re not good at, it’s almost time for people to close up shop as the setting sun dyes the market streets. In the middle of this, I was at a place where people are conspicuously gathered.

「Yan is nice, but……」

「Your father also doesn’t seem to be good with that part of Yan-kun, huh?」

「Eh, father, too?」

At the words of my mother who seems amused, when I look at my father’s direction, he looks grim. For other people, his face gets even more grim and it looks like he’s mad, but it’s only weakening.
My father seemed to be receiving Yan’s sense of honor even more than me. I can’t help but sympathize with him.
However, although he was genuinely praised, why can’t he be honestly happy?

「Being clumsy with this sort of thing, it’s like father and son, isn’t it?」

When I tilt my head in confusion, my mother, while smiling, states her impressions. There, my father lightly frowns and looks at my mother.

「……what about Rie?」

When my father asks what about that person, my mother’s eyes widened as if she didn’t think she would be asked.

「Me? Let’s see, I’m happy.」

My mother laughed as if indifferent, saying that everyone similar is family. But, if it’s my mother, it seems she’s able to laugh, say her thanks, and parry it. As expected, as mother says, I resemble my father.

「What is it?」

While eating herb-baked chicken, I ask a question.

「It’s simple. We don’t know Yan-kun very well.」

「Ah, I see.」

While distributing the potato salad, my mother returns a reply. I finally agreed. Although only one month had passed since meeting Yan, but I can’t accept him single-mindedly affirming me. I have the feeling I’m being viewed through a filter of the gardener job he yearns for.
I understand the reason, so I’m a little refreshed.

「Then, I’ll patiently take a chance.」

「Yes, yes.」

Even if it’s unreasonable to do so immediately, someday, I want to be able to get along with Yan properly. It’s fine even if he finds out that the true-to-life me isn’t the important person he thinks I am.

「See, even your father should pull himself together and eat. Especially because it’s Zack’s treat.」

After I’m patted on my shoulder as if to cheer me on, my mother also patted my father’s upper arm. My father, if anything, had a feeling as if he was motivating himself.
We, now, are eating in a place called Ingrid’s Pub. It has lots of food for and alcohol for adventurers, so it’s only attached to a tavern, and also serves lunch. It’s like a family restaurant from my past life. The restaurant is popular with commoners so there’s a line at lunch and at dinner it’s basically a full house.
In my past life in Japan, during May there’s Mother’s Day and during June there’s Father’s day, so it was easy to do something to take care of my parents around that time. I decided it. Since it had reached the point I received my salary, I took my parents out to a rare eating out.
My mother took a bite of her delicious looking corn soup and smiled.

「Thank you, Zack. I wanted to come here once.」

「Is that right?」

「It’s because recently, there was a rumor that it’s flourishing too much because a cute girl started working here.」

「A cute girl??」

If a pretty girl who attracts customers to the store starts working here, will it be a popular point of conversation among the housewives? Because she’s a girl, if she’s popular, maybe she has a good personality and is a good person.
For me, I thought it would be good if my mother had a day where she didn’t do cooking preparation or clean up, and only picked a restaurant with a reputation for good food. In fact, when I requested for a complex menu with things you can’t make at home, my mother seemed to be happy.

「Thank you for waiting for your salmon and spinach baked pie!」

The other dishes are pushed aside so the requested dish can be placed. when I look in the direction of the voice, a short-haired boy who was suitable for restaurants smiling. He looks to be the same age as me.

「Thank you very much.」

「It’s no problem. Are you fine with the meals going together? I’ll bring dessert afterwards.」

「Ehh, it’s fine.」

「That’s good. No matter what it is, Aunt Ingrid’s cooking is delicious, so please enjoy yourselves.」

The boy, boasting as if it were about himself, resembles a golden retriever with his soft light brown hair. Because he says that no matter which one it is, it’s delicious, I understood that with the smell and appearance, even if I haven’t tried it, it’s good.

「Frank, you’re next.」

「Yeees!」

With that, I casually watch the boy who lightly bows before pushing the kitchen trolley. Although he’s young, he’s greatly courteous, so I’m impressed.

「That kid.」

「Yes?」

Is he a guy? That is, he’s suitable for the talk of the housewives. He isn’t a pretty girl used to attract customers, but I was surprised it was a guy drawing attention.

「He’s a good kid that works hard.」

「Heeeh.」

Is that the meaning of cute? Because I wasn’t interested at all even if she was a girl, I listened to what my mother told me.
I’m told that for the sake of sending money to his large family, he came to the royal capital by himself. In spite of being unskilled at living independently for their age, they’re working away from home, so it’s a story that arouses sympathy.
When I eat while looking, the boy called Frank worked very energetically. His smile doesn’t go out, and he moves so as not to run into people, removing empty plates, and even in taking orders he’s quick. Although he isn’t restlessly and openly move, his power to judge everyone’s condition is very high.
I felt genuinely amazed. I can’t copy him.
Since I’m receiving martial arts training from Heinz-san the butler, I feel that my viewpoint on people’s movements have changed. I realized this was a whole new stage.

「Miss, where can I wash my hands?」

「It’s to the right of the inside.」

Although they don’t ask in a loud voice, the older lady who has a good physique tells them where the washroom is. Because the customer who asked was at the table next to ours, my eyes are drawn to their finished meal.
That customer doesn’t go towards the bathroom, their existence becomes cloudy.
At the sudden indication of dark magic, my throat suddenly felt like it was stuffed with food. Even when I drink the tea my mother handed me and calm down, I didn’t take my eyes off the guest who released dark magic. Rather than erase their sensation, it felt like they became mixed with the people here. It’s magic that can’t can’t completely erase the presence since there’s a little bit of magic power, but for me there’s only an uncomfortable feeling of seeing a mosaic.
I realized they aren’t going towards the bathroom, they’re going towards the store entrance, and put down my dishes, leaving my seat. If I call out to them, then all the more they’ll run away. When I’m worried about what to do, Frank, who had finished serving the customer, goes in front of them.

「I’m sorry. Ah, if it’s the bathroom, it’s that way.」

Was he able to recognize the customer and lightly bump into them? After Frank apologized, he guided them with a smile.

「Out of the way!」

The instant the customer tried to push Frank out of the way, I ran up the five meters of the distance and struck his back shoulder with my foot.

「Wh—!?」

While holding onto the guest’s head with my legs, I twist my center of gravity backwards. there, his upper body falls. Because I’m on his shoulder, it’s a posture where he can’t easily get up.

「Hey, pin him down on his leg, too!」

「Eh, um, yes!」

Because there might be techniques with his feet free, even while Frank is bewildered by the request, he helps me in capturing him.

「This guy was leaving the restaurant without paying!」

When I raise my voice, the gazes of the guests at the surrounding tables gather. When I look at them, they seem drunk, but it seems they’re strong adventurers.

「Trying to eat Aunt Ingrid’s food for free, you’ve got guts, don’t you?」

「Oi, bring me the rope left over from the monster capture!」

Oh, they’re reliable.

Confirming that the muscular adventurers are surrounding the diner-and-dasher, I get off from his top.

「I’ll call a guard.」

Frank, who retreated the same time I did, leaves the shop. He’s also quick to cooperate.
When I’m relieved it’s fine, I feel something behind me. When I look around, my mother and father had stood up. It feels like they’re mad about something.

「Zack.」

「What?」

「It’s not ‘What’! You promised before that you wouldn’t do anything dangerous!」

「Eh. But, if you don’t take surprise someone who’s trying to dine and dash, you won’t ca—」

Before I finished speaking, there’s a thud, and I ate my dad’s unforgiving fist. I let out a silent yell from the pain, and held the area I was hit with both hands.

「It was dangerous, wasn’t it?」

「……I, I’m sorry.」

From the beginning, even if I made a moment of opportunity, I feel like I would have asked for help from the surrounding adults. It’s a store with many adults, so I thought there would be one or two people with good skills. So, even if I say I didn’t think it was dangerous, it’s only an excuse.
Because there’s no change to the worry it caused my parents, I obediently apologize. The me at this time didn’t know I would receive a lecture from my master about overestimating my capabilities.
A little while later, I finish eating and pay for the meal. While talking with my parents about how delicious it was, someone called out to me around the time we were leaving.

「Excuse me, sir.」

「Hm? Did I forget something?」

The one who called me was Frank.
Just to be sure, I check my pockets. My wallet is properly there, so I shouldn’t have anything else I brought with me.

「No, thank you for today. You saved me.」

I tilt my head at Frank, who deeply bows.

「The ones who caught him were the older guys.」

When I point out the adventurers who seemed to be in the middle of having fun and making a racket, after taking a glance, Frank smiles at me.

「You were the one who noticed first, sir.」

「Hm? You were the one who noticed first, though.」

When I tilt my head, asking what he’s saying, Frank looks at me with a little amazement.
I noticed because I was steadily watching them, but because Frank was watching over everything, they anticipated it. Because he understood the customer asking where the bathroom is was a diner and dashing criminal, maybe he understood the positioning of where he would be.

「Because I have a lot of siblings, I became good at this kind of thing….. but, I couldn’t stop him myself.」

I see Frank’s seemingly embarrassed smile and am curious.

「Hm? That’s amazing, isn’t it?」

Because I’m bad at remembering people’s faces and names, I feel I can’t copy him. I think it’s an amazing ability, and even trying to stop someone from leaving without paying, the courage to do that is an impressive thing.
When I say my honest impressions, Frank smiles as if he’s shy and says his thanks.

「Thank you. Next time you come, I’ll serve you.」

「Thank you.」

This time, I was honestly thanked. The way he casually acts as if we would come again, he’s good at business. I think that Frank is good for this store.
While returning home, both of my parents promise that we’ll go there again.

---

Nothing too special about this chapter, I think. Nico is always fun to translate, though, and doubly so when he gets mistaken for Zack’s girlfriend in front of Ojou, no less. Also why do I get the feeling Frank probably ends up being one of those hidden otome game routes, bahahaha.

Anyways, not much else to say. See you all next time!

---

Not a whole lot to say, let’s get started! However, I’m surprised I managed to get this out on time considering how Ryza 3 has consumed my life.

---

TL: Toasty
ED: Toasty

---

As always, when I open the door to leave for work, there was a large flower in front of my eyes. It’s a vivid, bright red that suggests an eternal summer.

「Eh?」

「Does this match the Baumgartner house?」

The flower talked. With a high-spirited voice from this morning.

「It does, but……」

When I reflexively responded while surprised, the flower shifted and a boy similar in age to me made his appearance. He was broadly smiling, and compared to me his skin is more tanned, matching the hibiscus he was carrying.

「I’m glad. It’s a delivery from Mr. Benno!」

「From the old man?」

Hearing the name of the old man, I understood the reason for the flower.
The old man retired from being the exclusive gardener for the Ernest family, and along with his wife, were going around the Aventrot kingdom. Then, occasionally they would come back and return with a rare, local flower from their travels. Even this hibiscus, in the royal capital, wouldn’t bloom like this.
But, if it’s like always, although the old man returned by himself, why entrust it to another person? Being lively and in good health is one of the old man’s good points, but did he injure himself before this?
I can’t imagine that he would have gotten injured or fallen ill, so when I tilt my head in confusion, my father came out from behind me.
It isn’t because he heard the old man’s name, but rather that I was stuck at the front door. My father is also going to work as well. Well, since I’m apprenticing under him, it’s only natural.

「Dennis-san!?」

「Yes?」

Somehow, the delivery boy’s eyes went wide when he sees my father. However, he’s still full of spirit from the morning. For some time he’s been promptly chatting.
The moment he heard my father’s affirmation, he fell to the ground on his knees, and after he put the potted plant to the side, and then sat seiza style.

「I, I’m Yan! I’ve come to apply to be Dennis the gardener’s apprentice! Please make me into a gardener!!」

My father and I are stunned. Not because it’s been a long time since someone wanted to become his apprentice, but this is the first time we’ve seen someone kneel down on the ground and ask. Old man, not just flowers, but you sent a pupil here?
When I look back at my father, he’s making a grim face and keeping silent. Ah, this is his troubled face.

「Um, I’m his son and apprentice, Isaac. Mister… Yan…? Right, how old are you and where did you come from? You seem like you’re from the southern region, but……」

「I’m twelve. My village is near the southwestern border.」

He’s older than me. I’m glad I used honorifics. If it’s the west, the village is close to the sea. He’s come from a considerably far place.

「Although it’s a potted plant with divine protection, you properly and safely brought it, right?」

The time I move plants through an area where the climate doesn’t suit them, magic circles from the church are engraved in the potting to protect them from dry winds. Since there aren’t always people with the wind magical element in churches, sometimes magical stones are used.

「Since Benno-san said this is something like a test and to desperately protect it, I did my best!」

Old man……

That was like a threat. Also, don’t just make it into a test. My father behind me, my father covers up half of his face that is wrinkling his eyebrows with his right hand.
Rather, because my father’s fierce look was inherited from the old man, I wonder if Yan-san wasn’t intimidated by the old man. The old man’s fierce looks were offset by how friendly he was, but regarding plants, he was strict.

「How did I do!?」

Yan-san, eyes glittering with expectation, asks my father about his success or failure. Since he has a fearless personality, even though he’s in front of my father, he looks into his eyes and talks to him. The applicants so far lost to my father’s face and height, it seems he’s broken through the first barrier. Well, as long as you can clear that, there isn’t any problem. After all, my father is different from his scary appearance.
My father pinches one of the petals of the hibiscus Yan presented and examines it.

「It’s good, right?」

Being given a passing mark, Yan-san smiles. Even if I only look, since if it’s overwatered the leaves will rot, and converse it also doesn’t look too dry, and so because it looks fresh and lively, I think it’s in good condition.

「Then, can I become your apprentice!?」

He’s a pupil the old man sent, that is to say, he has a recommendation from the previous generation. There’s no particular reason to refuse him.

「Immediately is no good.」

「Since you’re lined up by the previous employee, for today can you go back to your inn?」

When my father added that just to try to be sure, Yan-san’s face became blank. My father had already taken the hibiscus for the sake of putting it into the greenhouse.

「Inn?」

「Yes. Do you not have one?」

「Yes. I used all the money I had to get here.」

Yan-san, don’t say that with a smiling face. This guy, did he come with a one way ticket?

「……then, please take a rest in our house. After a long journey, you’re tired, right?」

「Yan-san, welcome. Will you stay with us for breakfast?」

When I say this, invites him in as if understanding. Hearing breakfast, Yan-san’s stomach makes a magnificent sound. Seeing Yan-san scratch his head in embarrassment, mom quietly laughs.

「Then, mom, please take care of him. I’m off!」

「Yes, have a good day.」

「Have a good day!」 [T/N: Friggin’ Yan and his verbal tics that don’t translate well]

Entrusting Yan-san to mom, I go to work again with my father. Even if it’s before work, my father sighed as if tired.

---

After we reached the Ernest household, we reported the entrance of a new employee to Heinz-san, the butler. Afterwards, we were asked if we were finally ready to hire more staff. He was worried about only my father and I taking care of the garden. Even if he says that, there wasn’t a lot of young people who weren’t afraid of my father, so there was no helping it.
Anyways, we confirmed the date he would be presented before the duke and decided Yan-san’s start date.
After that, I started my gardening work, but my father had a grim face the whole time. It might be the old man’s fault.
Because the literacy rate for commoners is low, he couldn’t have sent a letter, but if he had entrusted a verbal message through the merchants heading for the capital, the potential to be informed beforehand is there. But, the old man purposely didn’t do that. Did he want my father to be surprised? I wonder if he had a hobby of teasing my father.

「Zaaack.」

As soon as I heard the sound of small footsteps, while doing flower work, something charged onto my back.

「Flora.」

When I look over my shoulder, the lady who gave me a light crash happily smiled.

「Ahhhh, Flora, running like that is improper, you know.」

「Ojou. She hasn’t taken lessons in manners yet, so it’s fine, isn’t it?」

「That isn’t the problem.」

She isn’t exactly running, but the cuff of her skirt is lightly elevated with how she’s hurrying, and Ojou caught up. Flora, her younger sister who turned three years old, seems to have fun moving by herself and recently has been exploring the grounds and the estate. I only know what happens inside the estate with what I hear from Ojou, but I know about inside the garden because I encounter them.
I think I shouldn’t take my eye off of her, but if it’s on the grounds of the Ernest estate, someone should be keeping an eye on her. With Flora’s age, in my past life, because we wore shoes that glittered and made noises when we walk, there’s no helping wanting to move around.

「In any case, once you start training, there’s a lot of things to endure, so she should play to the limit while she still can’t, right?」

「Riiiiight.」

I think Flora’s behavior of tilting her head together after my words hasn’t changed. Did Ojou have a memory of holding back after she started training, since she flinched. However, once again she looks at me and properly scolds me.

「Even so, if she runs, it’s dangerous, isn’t it!」

「That it is. Ojou is worried about Flora getting hurt.」

「Nnn….. then, Laura won’t run.」 [T/N: Literally ‘Roora’, like the end of ‘Flora’ so it’s tricky here.]

「Flora’s kind, huh? She’s a good girl.」

Seeing her think about her behavior a little, I take off my cotton gloves and pat Flora’s head. There, Flora seemed to be happy at being praised, smiling broadly.
She compared the potential for Ojou to become sad with her impulse to run around, choosing the latter of the two, Flora seems to love her older sister.
When I remove my hand for a moment, Flora’s eyes open and she stares. When I put my hand on her head again, she closes her eyes and looks comfortable. This will certainly be a pattern if I remove my hand and she stares again. What to do, I can’t stop time.

「……that’s unfair.」

Ojou mumbles, pouting. Certainly, rather than me, it’s better to receive praise from her family.

「Ah. Ojou also wants to be praised, right?」

「Neeee-sama also?」 [T/N: “nee-sama” works but rather than the kanji it’s “ne—” so I took a liberty here.]

When I tell Flora, Flora’s eyes shine and she faces Ojou. Ojou mumbles and says that I’m wrong, but is losing against Flora’s expecting gaze, and pats her sister’s head. When she starts patting her head, it’s not as bad as she thought and Ojou loosens up.
While feeling that the situation of sisters who got along is charming, I put my cotton gloves back on and return to looking after the flower bed.
While confirming the state of the pink primroses, light blue nemophilas, and dark orange marigolds, I pluck the withered flowers. That being in an always sunny spot is good hasn’t changed, but depending on if they prefer moist or dry soil, I divide the flowers up and plant them.
When I was thinking about if I should water the primroses again, Flora crouches down next to me.

「Zaaack, play.」 

「I’m sorry. I’ll take a break after finishing this, so wait.」

「Laura, come help. Clean up the flowers.」

「The thought makes me happy, but if I pass off my work to you, I’ll be in trouble, you know.」

「Then, wait.」

「Flora, if you play during his break, Zack won’t be able to rest, right?」

「Muuu…」

Ojou leans over next to Flora, and as if implicitly encouraging her to return without waiting, Flora lets out a groan of discontentment. But, from the standpoint of not saying anything, she understands, but isn’t happy with the feeling, it seems.
I laugh a little bit at the way Ojou said things.

「What is it……?」

「No, it’s that Ojou often came to talk to me.」

「That……」

Basically, when it became early afternoon, she came to talk while I was working. I was careful, but because my father and I would forget to diligently take breaks, when Ojou came to visit, I’d use it as a reference of when to take a break. Ojou gradually waited for us to take a break, and chose a suitable time to arrive.
From the beginning, it was only talking, so it wasn’t a hindrance to work, but I got the feeling her initial charge was similar to Flora’s. That was a little bit amusing.
With how Ojou also seems to have a realization, she blushed at how she was obsessed with reporting. She looks at me as if to glare, but in that state, she isn’t scary at all.

「Was I… being a bother……?」

The tone of the voice is as if making a complaint, but the eyes are uneasily shaking.

「No way. Because being able to meet Ojou is fun, seeing Ojou’s face even now makes me happy.」

When I smile to say there’s no way that true and reject that statement, Ojou’s face gradually turns all red.

「Saying something like that, you don’t properly look at me, don’t you!?」

Telling me not to play innocent and turn my back to her, Ojou got mad and turned away. I can’t deny that now that it’s been pointed out,and for the sake of doing my work I look at the marigolds in my sight.

「It’s because if I don’t look at what’s on hand, I can’t do my work, you know. But, because Ojou’s voice is pretty, I’m properly listening.」

Ojou’s voice when she talks is good and her emotions are easy to understand. If her voice seems to be having fun, it’s possible to imagine she’s smiling, as well as when her voice is discouraged, without thinking I look over my shoulder to check.

「Even Lauraaa?」

「Yes, I’m also properly listening to Flora’s… voice?」

While working, I reply, and then feel a heavy weight on my side. When I look, Flora has entrusted her balance to me, having closed her eyes. Because of the spring weather being warm, she’s become drowsy, huh?

「As expected, should I ask Flora to help me?」

「Huh? I’ll help!」

At my mumbling, Flora opens her sleepy-looking eyes, looking at me with anticipation.

「With the good weather today, it’s warm, right?」

「Yep. It’s nice and warm.」

「I want to sleep, but I have to get my work done. So, can Flora take a nap as my substitute?」

「If I take a nap, Zaaack will be fine?」

「Yep, it would amazingly help me.」

When I smile, Flora smiles brightly like her golden hair. With how she seems to have been entrusted with an important role, despite going to sleep from here, her facial expression is full of motivation. First of all, when I make a post as if to convey sleepiness, I lightly tap Flora’s forehead with my own.

「My sleepiness, did it go there?」

「Yep. I got it…..」 

If she goes to sleep, I’ll be relieved, and Flora yawns. Confirming that, when I look at Ojou as if to say something, I see Ojou’s face is still red as she covers her mouth with both hands.
I was thinking I should quickly stay silent, but why cover your mouth? Did she turn red from oxygen deprivation?
I often don’t understand Ojou’s behavior. Is it something like a good luck charm that women are fond of?

「Ojou.」

「……w, what is it!?」

Ojou’s shoulders leap up as she looks back in shock. She seems to have been considerably concentrating on the good luck charm. While thinking it would be bad to be a hindrance, I tell her about Flora.

「Sorry for suddenly saying something. Flora is sleeping.」

「Ah…… I understand. Flora, let’s go back to our room.」

「Mmm.」

When Ojou presents her hand, Flora manages to take hold of it while rubbing her eyelids. When I thought she’d go like that, she tugs on my clothes.

「When I wake up, let’s plaaay.」

There’s still the desire to play, it seems. Flora insisting on that while she’s fighting sleep is a little funny, so I smile.

「Yeah. If it’s after I finish work, it’s fine.」

「So, you’ll be back in the evening?」

At my acknowledgement, Ojou tilts her head in confusion. When I think about the time I happened to ride in a carriage, after finishing gardening work, there wouldn’t be any time to play.

「Ah. Then I won’t go home.」

「Then, is it raining tonight?」

Because of my water elemental aptitude, during times I can feel it will rain, there’s a cabin in the middle of the garden we stay at. Towards Ojou, who thought that was also the case this time, I tilt my head.

「No, it’s only me who’s staying there. Since there’s a guy who wanted to become my dad’s apprentice, he’s staying at my house.」

The houses of ordinary commoners like me don’t have a guest room. Since there’s only beds for the family, my dad decided Yan-san would use my room.
After he formally became an apprentice, Yan-san would live in the cabin and work, I think. Rather than the Baumgartner house, the Ernest estate’s cabin is very large, so the scale is different.

「What are you going to do for dinner?」

「I don’t mind making it, but it’s only my portion…… maybe I should ask the head chef for a portion?」

If it’s the times I was staying over with my father, I would ask to share ingredients and make something, but because the portions for a single person are half-baked, I end up making too much. It’s more delicious and grand to receive a meal from a professional chef. When I think that, today’s dinner should be fun.

「That’s no good.」

「Duke-sama?」

「Yse, Isaac. I heard my angels this way.」

Bathed in warm spring sunshine was Duke-sama, his dazzling blonde hair rolling gently, but Master was accompanying him. It seems today was one they returned early.
Even if it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him, his face is like having a flower in the background, and because his smile is like the scattering the smell of flowers, he’s seriously dazzling. Behind that, Pome, who was chasing butterflies, is being dragged by the neck by Master, but she flapped her sleeves as if trying to escape.
That Duke-sama, his radiant smile retracted and frowned at my words.

「All of my house’s employees, they are no different than my family. I can’t overlook any of that family eating a meal by themselves.」

「Ah, then……」

「Why don’t you eat dinner together with us?」

「What!?」

「Now that you mention it, even though we’ve had tea together, we haven’t ever eaten a meal together.」

Because it’s something like nobles and commoners, that’s why it is. Ojou mumbles it like she forgot, but she realized that the fact there’s been points in time we had together is already strange.

「Um, Ojou. For me, I’m not……」

「It’s no good.」

「Eh?」

Even if it’s not expressly with Duke-sama and the others, if you eat with the others in the worker’s dining room, you’re not alone. When I try to explain that, I was strongly scolded by Ojou. I don’t understand what’s wrong and tilt my head in confusion.

「Before, the time you stayed alone, you caught a cold. You absolutely can’t have a meal alone, as Zack will treat himself poorly!」

「No, that was because I fell into the pond……」

「It’s no good!」

I was glared at by Ojou as if she was mad. Apparently, I seem to have caused her worry about the time I got sick. Although only I messed up, I feel bad for causing her worry.

「I understand. I’ll eat with you.」

「If you understand, that’s good.」

When I’m beaten by her persistence and consent, Ojou lets out a smile ful of satisfaction.

「Then, it’s decided. Heinz, I’ll ask you to make the preparations.」

「Certainly.」

After receiving instructions from Duke-sama, who is holding Flora who fell asleep half a minute ago, my Master quietly says his thanks and leaves. In doing so, Pome escapes from his hand, hiding herself behind Ojou.
After that, Ojou and Duke-sama give their greetings and leave. While being a little astonished, I see them off from behind.

「I’m no match for Ojou and them.」

Unconsciously, a forced smile comes out.
I wonder if I’m just weak compared to the Ernest family or if the Ernest family is just strong, just which is it? Somehow, I felt like I wouldn’t be a match my whole life.

---

How did it come to this?
With the dining table of the Ernest family, I was borrowing Duke-sama’s clothes from when he was small yet again.
After having been made to take a bath before I put the clothes on, and somehow I put the clothes on, but my hair and tie were put in order by the maids. Being able to at least borrow a bath, I was saved from the problem of having to borrow hot water.
The preparations Duke-sama had asked for, I thought it was only to increase the amount of dishes made. But no way, even my clothing was arranged for.
Because I had finished being a dance substitute, I thought I wouldn’t have to wear these clothes made of fancy cloth anymore.
No, I only wore them to the dinner Daniel-sama invited me to after my part time job was finished. And it was just because his wife, Anika-sama was happy with it. At the Marquis Viito estate, I want to think it’s only in my imagination that the clothes only I wear there are increasing.
I’m next to Duke-sama, facing Ojou, and next to her are Oku-sama and Flora, so I’m saved from dazzling things entering my field of vision.
Duke-sama and Oku-sama are very dazzling, but what in the world is it? After the prayer before meals, when I do my usual thanks for the meal, for some reason, Oku-sama is smiling at me.

「……Zack, you can eat normally.」

「Eh? Oh.」

Looking at me eating, because Ojou said something strange, I thought about it and understood. I more or less can have table manners.
It’s a skill I acquired while at the Viito estate, so I wonder if it’s okay to say it.

「I was taught by Heinz during the time I was educated on being an attendant.」

「Ah, yes. That’s right.」

Because Duke-sama follows up, I obediently nod. It’s only classroom learning, but it’s not a lie that I was taught by Master. At that time, the lecture emphasized the manners of a stand-up buffet, so I didn’t remember it as much.

「I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, Dia.」

「For me, it’s not especially……」

「Oh my, if you don’t understand, who was the one so enthusiastic about giving an example?」

「Mother!」

At Oku-sama who seems to be having fun, Ojou, who was protesting, had her cheeks turn a little red. She’s a good kid, says Duke-sama, and sends her a look full of love. Even for me, I feel Ojou is a good girl, but Duke-sama’s look is the strongest.
I think if you look from an outsider’s perspective, they’re a close family.
How should I put it, it’s that I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb when surrounded here by this beautiful family. Certainly I’m out of place. While thinking that, I eat my meal. Yep, it’s delicious.

「Faaather.」

「What is it, Flora?」

While being helped by Oku-sama, Flora who finished eating, looks steadily at Duke-sama.

「Is everyone family?」

Come to think of it, the time I was invited for dinner, Duke-sama said something like that. Flora included me, and when she looks at everyone here and asks, Duke-sama sincerely smiles and affirms it.

「That’s right. Isaac, as well as the servants, are our important family.」

「Then, Zaaack, is my biiig brother?」

I was suddenly made as an example, so my eyes widen.

「That’s right.」

While I was attacked in my unguarded moment, Duke-sama nods and says that if they’re close in age, then it’s like brother and sister.
Flora, who was given the stamp of approval when her thinking matches with her fathers, puts on a joyful look.

「Zaack-nii-sama!」

「Eh……」

I worry about how I should respond.
Even in my past life, the amount of times I was called big brother were few. I feel I was called that when I was little, but the memories of my sister in my past life calling me without a suffix are very thick. Even now, the kids don’t call me that.

「…..it’s the first time I’ve been called that.」

I think honorifics don’t suit me, but being called that by Flora, who I’ve intermittently seen the growth of, isn’t bad. Rather, I’m self-conscious.

「Only Laura?」

「Yep. For people who call me like that, it’s only Flora.」

When I nod while feeling embarrassed, somehow Flora is happy. Then, somehow, I feel all eyes are on me.

「Isaac.」

「Uehhh!? What is it?」

Suddenly hugged by Duke-sama, I’m surprised. Right now, I’m not doing anything to be thanked for, so there isn’t any particular reason to cling to me. If it’s like always, because he’ll get dirty, I’m able to refuse, but I can’t do that here.
Because I don’t understand the reason, I have difficulty on how to deal with it. If it’s the usual pattern, when something good happens to Ojou, I’ll incidentally be surprise attacked. But, when I look at Ojou, she was pouting.

Huh? Did I make a bad joke??

「Ojou??」

What’s wrong, I wonder. Even if I was treated like an older brother, I wouldn’t be taking her little sister away, and Ojou isn’t that narrow-minded. Duke-sama just told her to take good care of her subordinates, so Ojou should understand that.
When I tilt my head in confusion, Oku-sama cheerfully narrows her eyes.

「If you’re that jealous, how about Dia also calls him onii-sama?」

「Wh……」

「That would trouble me.」

Before Ojou, who was showing agitation, objected, I refused Oku-sama’s proposal. Was that unexpected, as Oku-sama and Ojou look in my direction.

「Ojou is a charming girl to me.」

I don’t know how to deal with girls, so I used my sister from my past life as a reference, but I can’t properly think of Ojou as a little sister. At this stage, it would feel strange to treat her like a little sister.
After I realized it was the world of an otome game, the first thing I did was search through  my memories for if there were any disadvantages for the rival girl. Ultimately, for me who isn’t even a mob, there isn’t anything I can do, but if I had thought of her as my little sister, I think I wouldn’t have done so much.
It makes me wonder if there’s anything I can do. Ojou is that kind of girl.

「If…… if you normally say you don’t think of me as a little sister, that’s fine, isn’t it!?」

「You said that, right?」

「I did not say that!」

I was scolded by an Ojou whose face had turned red. However, I don’t understand what I was being scolded about. I wonder what was wrong with the words that have the same meaning.
I look at Ojou who scolded me, then Oku-sama who seems to be amused laughs. Duke-sama, who was still holding onto me, seems to be shaking, and even if I can’t see his face I understand he’s smiling. If you’re going to laugh, just let go.

「Onee-sama and onii-sama, are you fighting?」

It’s only Flora who comes in to mediate.
Today, I was prepared to eat by myself, but it ended up being a very lively meal.

---

The way I screamed when Zack straight up said “Ojou is a pretty/charming/beautiful girl”, holy shit. Anyways, new character, but we didn’t get to see a whole lot of him this chapter. I suspect we’ll see more of him later, though.

Still, Ojou basically coercing Zack into having dinner was hilarious to translate. Other than that, I don’t have a ton to say, so I’ll see you all next time!

---