kscans

Chapter 362 - A Proper Hierarchy

"—Haru, you planned this from the start, didn't you?"

"Sorry."

As soon as the clan was established, our heartless third member declared, "Alright, I'm off to mess with the room," and promptly left us behind. I found myself one-on-one with a very displeased Sora at the quiet Round Table.

The girl who had been unceremoniously pushed into the role of clan master didn't even try to hide her pout as she shot me a reproachful look.

She's super cute—but if I don't follow up properly, I'll end up having to grovel on my knees later. That's something I've learned from our time together.

...The fact that I've learned that lesson already says a lot about my own foolishness.

"For the record, I didn't just push it on you. I need you to understand that both my and Tetra's leadership skills are nonexistent, so you were the only option."

"...I don't know about Tetra-kun, but I think you have leadership qualities, Haru."

"What I have isn't leadership. I'm just charging ahead blindly."

Besides—from the very beginning, if you were to ask who was leading, I think it was Sora. In the sense that she was the one who kept adding fuel to my already burning motivation at every turn.

It's true that I was the one running in front, and Sora might have been watching my back... but—ah, this is, well. If I think about it too much, I'm going to say something cringey, so I'll stop there.

"It's not like being the master comes with any annoying jobs, and we don't even need to publicize the clan, so the title is just a formality... It's simply that I thought it suited you, Sora—so, would you be willing to accept the title alone?"

If she really hates it, I'm not against taking over... but man, it really doesn't suit me. It's always been this way, but I'm just not the type to stand above others, even in name only.

"........................It's not that I mind."

Sora, who had been glaring at me out of the corner of her eye, muttered softly.

I don't know if my words convinced her, or if she read my inner thoughts about not being 'the right type'...

"It's not that I hate the idea... and if there's no responsibility or anything like that, then it's not worth making a fuss over, but..."

"Nope, no responsibility. The system just required us to set a 'clan master,' but a sub-master has all the same permissions and authority, so—"

"But!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Her unusually strong tone cut me off, and I immediately straightened my back, maintaining a posture ready to execute a perfect bow in a fraction of a second.

It was only after she had stared daggers at me for a few seconds that I realized I had been paid back. Her expression softened, and a small smile touched her lips.

"That's one favor you owe me—someday, you'll have to grant a selfish request of my own."

"............"

Hey world, are you watching? You probably can't see this, what a pity.

Turns out my partner is the type of beautiful girl who can say something like that while holding up her index finger for 'one favor,' and even top it off with a mischievous smile.

What's with this Yotsuya heiress? Her cute level is off the charts.

"Um, is something wrong...?"

"It's nothing."

I managed to cover up the fact that I had zoned out for a moment, and crumpled up the paper I had left on the table, stuffing it into my inventory. It's a dangerous classified document that could expose my hopelessly bad naming sense to the world. I'll make sure to dispose of it properly.

"...By the way, about your naming sense."

"Hold on, are you still mad?"

Is the payback going to continue indefinitely...? I braced myself, thinking she was about to exploit my newly exposed weakness, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Sora shook her head, saying, "No, that's not it," and tilted her head with a curious expression.

"Haru, you're good at naming skills, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"You know, for me..."

"Ohh."

For a moment, I was about to tilt my head in confusion myself, but now that she mentions it, I guess I have done that—but Sora's perception isn't quite right.

"Sora-san, allow me to teach you a truth of this world."

"Yes?"

A truth that most men who have come into contact with that language eventually discover.

"—You don't need any sense to come up with cool names in the language of that country."

"..................Yes?"

"You don't need it, a naming sense. In that language, you can just line up words and it becomes the coolest, most invincible name ever."

"............Ah... s-so... eh?"

"Kugelschreiber."

"I'm sorry?"

"Kugelschreiber...—It means 'ballpoint pen'."

"............"

I understand that she's taken aback by my sudden, strange burst of energy, but I'm also gradually losing track of what I'm saying, yet I can't back down now.

Why I can't back down is also a mystery to me.

"It'll probably come out eventually anyway, so I'll just be upfront and brace myself for the consequences... Every skill name I've come up with has been one hundred percent based on momentum and how cool it sounds."

"...Momentum and how it sounds. Um... I'll ask, just in case, but do they at least make sense—"

"I'm just a dabbler, so I can't guarantee anything on that front."

"............"

You might think I'm using the word 'all' incorrectly, but in my mind, it's not wrong at all. I'm certain that was what I was meant to do.

As I nervously faced Sora-san, who was staring at me with a silent, calm expression,

As I wondered in confusion why I was running headlong down a path of self-destruction,

I concluded, foolishly, that my brain was probably fried from her cute maneuver earlier—a conclusion that itself proved my brain was fried.

"I'm aware I went a bit wild, but I have no regrets. In fact, your super cool skill name series has been very well-received, especially by Tiger—"

"Haru."

"Yes."

"Let's have a little talk, shall we?"

"............Should I sit in seiza?"

"I'll leave that up to you."

"Yes, ma'am."

And so, the first price I had to pay was the forfeiture of my right to sit on a chair.

For some reason, I tend to do foolish things when I get flustered in front of Sora. For a while after that, I voluntarily sat in seiza on the carpeted floor.

As the younger girl lectured me, I just kept bowing my head over and over.