Chapter 976 - Entering the Family Home / Entering the Battlefield
`Okay, let's start the strategy meeting!`
"Nia, Ashe, you two are next to each other. Sorry to ask so late, but are you okay with a futon? If you can't sleep without a bed, I suppose it's fine if you use my room. It's been unused for about six months, so my presence and whatnot should have faded."
"It's fine. As long as I'm not camping, I can sleep in any environment."
"That's not something a princess should say. Sora-san, you're fine, right? I know from our time at the inn."
"Yes, I'm fine."
`Let's start the strategy meeting!!!!!`
And so, after guiding the three girls to the guest room on the second floor, I confirmed the closet was packed with brand-new sets of bedding before turning my attention to the ever-boisterous Nia-chan.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Her tension was likely one hundred percent impulsive, so I responded with an equally thoughtless comeback. In the real world, the indigo-haired girl, rather than an aquamarine one, went,
"…………………………"
Umm…—just as my reply, her response was probably thoughtless too, as she froze for five seconds, a fact confirmed by the phantom sounds I heard.
Then, just as I quietly slid the closet door shut,
`Isn't your mom super cool???`
"…! I agree…!"
"She's a wonderful person."
They began to chat, using words that had nothing to do with any sort of strategy meeting.
`Also, your dad seems incredibly kind. The sense of security he gives off is crazy amazing.`
"Your vocabulary is getting crazy amazing, too."
At the very least, she's definitely flustered. Her usual lightning-fast flick-typing that goes shatatatatat had slowed to a crawl, more like a shutetetetet, which clearly indicated her shaken condition.
Now, I could tell her that both my mom and dad are just as nervous…
"Yeah, well. They're parents I'm proud of. I guarantee they're good people, so please try to get along with them."
"Mm."
"I-I'll do my best…!"
"No, you don't have to try so hard. Just be casual, like my mom said."
Even a blockhead son has a heart. I'll at least try to pull off a move to protect my parents' honor.
Well… to be honest, I'm not worried.
Ashe is invincible, of course. As for Sora-san, who tensed up the moment we left my parents, she'll end up being adored for her infinite charm. And Nia's natural friendliness will eventually shine through and win them over, I can just see it.
`Even so, the situation… is ridiculously nerve-wracking.`
—Especially this one, who seems the least confident by a long shot. If I were to give my father a little hint about their 'common ground,' they'd probably hit it off in an instant.
Still, as Nia says, it's a uniquely strange situation. Everyone needs time to calm their nerves and get used to the atmosphere of the house, which is why.
"Alright, let's call it a short break. I'll be in my room two doors down past the storage room, or downstairs. If you need anything, feel free to walk around and find me."
`Oh, you're leaving? I see.`
"If you need to unpack and all that, you probably don't want a guy's eyes on you."
This trip home is for two nights and three days.
They don't have much luggage, so no carry-on cases, but they each have a travel bag. It's not a huge task, but I figure girls have their own things to deal with.
"Well then."
I gave a casual wave and made a clean exit.
Ashe saw me off with her usual calm, blank expression, my angel (Sora-san) gave a timid, reserved wave back, and Nia was left in the guest room giving me a slightly reproachful look… —
Click.
"………………………… There's not much stuff in here… (Hasn't changed at all…)"
Opening the door, it was just as I'd left it six months ago before heading off to the city.
Despite not having moved much out, I stepped into my starkly bare room. A surprisingly faint sense of nostalgia washed over me, and I laughed to myself.
◇◆◇◆◇
"…—Alright then, shall we begin the strategy meeting?"
"Eh?"
`Oh, that's surprising. It's rare for you to be so playful, Princess.`
With the parents out of sight and their son having departed, only the three guests remained.
Unpacking, a task the considerate boy had mentioned, was over in less than a minute. In the resulting downtime, Iris spoke up.
"It's not just us; I'm sure Haru's parents are nervous, too."
"…………"
`Well, that's to be expected.`
"………………And that's because of us, right?"
She met their gazes with a half-lidded stare. True, her own fame might be exceptional, but as guests in a regular home, the other two were no small potatoes either.
Sure, Sora was currently hiding her identity as 'Yotsuya's daughter,' and Nia wasn't the kind of celebrity a normal person would immediately recognize just from hearing her real name.
—But in this day and age, such real-world circumstances don't matter.
"You two are lacking self-awareness, though in a slightly different way from Haru."
"Ugh…"
`That's not… entirely untrue…`
Being famous in a virtual world is a status that carries over into the real one.
The partner of the famed 'Acrobat' and the current sixth seat of the Western Faction, 'Milmarinus'. To the average person, they were undoubtedly bigger deals than most celebrities.
"'The parents of the person I love' are people we should rightfully feel pressured by."
She said, smiling as she watched her two dearest friends and love rivals blush at her bold declaration of 'the person we love,' still so endearingly innocent.
"But we are the ones putting considerable pressure on Haru's parents… So, whether intentional or not, let's be careful not to gang up on them all at once."
"That's… true, isn't it?"
`Agreed. I mean, roger that.`
"Good. Then… with that in mind, once again—"
That was one thing.
"Shall we begin the conquest strategy meeting?"
The invincible princess might be considerate, but she shows no mercy.
What does tomorrow hold for the Kasuga family?
Well, no doubt, it's headed that way.