CH 44

“This room is amazing!”

“Yeah, it’s the best!”

“…”

After the meal, Kanata and the boys were in the room where they planned to sleep.

The dining room was worthy of a grand mansion owned by the duke, and the same could be said for the guest rooms, which also looked very expensive.

(… Rich people sure are something.)

Kanata also has some donations from his live streaming, so he can be considered rich, but since he hasn’t used his money in an obvious way, he still has the mentality of not wasting it.

“Hey Kanata, how’s the report going for you?”

“Eh? It’s going okay. I’ll put together the things I saw in the artisan district.”

“Oh, you went there? We went to the noble’s district, though…”

“… It was different from what I expected.”

“Hmm?”

They weren’t fully opened up to each other yet, but they had become friends to the point where they would call each other by name.

It’s better like that than feeling tense when they sleep in the same room. It brought Kanata memories of middle school.

It was common for everyone to gather and sleep together during school trips, so it felt nostalgic for him.

(… it looks like I won’t be able to stream today.)

He wasn’t sure, though he had already told his listeners.

He felt uneasy because he had been streaming almost every day, so taking a day off felt strange. It could be taken as a sign of him being a workaholic.

“Hey-hey, Kanata.”

“Y-yeah?”

He also thought it felt a little too familiar, but he didn’t have to worry too much if he could talk like this.

The guy who had spoken to Kanata, who had laid on his bed, sat down.

“You know about Haishin, right?”

“Yeah. I know about him.”

Of course, he couldn’t say that he was Haishin.

He laughed, followed with “I see,” and began to speak excitedly about something.

“That guy… I might get in trouble for saying this, but Haishin sure is really amazing! Even people like Princess Maria and Athena-san are his followers. He really has a charm that attracts many people!”

“Right…”

For Kanata, this was the first time he had been praised so much by a guy his age.

Of course, the guy had no idea that Kanata was Haishin, but he seemed to think of him as a listener and continued talking.

“There was never anything like live streaming before, and who would have thought that just transmitting your voice could bring such a fun time? And now, with hand streaming and such, he even showed us the Princess and Saint on that legendary day! It makes me feel like he’s showing us a new turning point in history!”

He was incredibly passionate.

And it seemed like he still had more to say as he moved closer to Kanata.

“O-okay, but keep some distance in between!”

It was a bit bothersome.

He huffed as he came to his senses, but the rest of the roommates laughed and shook their shoulders.

“That guy is a real fan of Haishin. I think he’s an interesting fella, but nothing more than that.”

“You’re a b*****d!”

“.., You’re a pain.”

“… Well-well.”

However, it’s better that they don’t hate or are against him.

If so, hearing negative things about Haishin would be hard for him.

“I wonder if there will be a stream today.”

“It doesn’t look like there will be one…”

Yes, there won’t be a stream today, Kanata smiled wryly.

Since it was already nightfall, there was no point in going out, but Kanata still wanted to feel the outside air, so he got up and went out of the room.

Even though it was night, there were no restrictions on going out. As long as he had the identification badge that allowed him to stay there, he could go out without any problems.

“Well, as long as I don’t do anything that would shame Princess Maria.”

Since Maria brought him here, if Kanata did something strange, it would be a nuisance for her, so he must be careful.

As soon as he left the room and was about to go outside, he met her again.

“Oh, Kanata-san?”

“.. Hi.”

It was Lisa who was there.

She, from an earlship, and Athena, from the duchy, became friends through some hobby, and it seemed they established a relationship that transcended their positions.

Lisa was staying here today, and that showed how well she and Athena got along.

They had already introduced themselves, and although they were not too familiar with one another, they called each other on a first-name basis.

“How come you’re here?”

“I just thought I’d get some fresh air.”

It seems that they came for the same purpose.

However, it’s not quite appropriate for a man to go out at night with a woman, especially since she is a noble with a promised future. Kanata thought it would be trouble to create any rumours.

“Would you like to come along?”

“… It’s okay, I’m good.”

“I see. Alright then.”

She politely bowed her head and headed outside.

Honestly, Kanata thought it might be a bit odd for a noblewoman to go out alone, but he assumed the security was tight and there was nothing to worry about.

After all, there were soldiers on guard duty at the gates and in the gardens on a rotating schedule.

“Kanata-kun?”

“Kanata-san?”

As he walked around the mansion without purpose, he met Maria and Athena. They both had flushed faces, and it seemed like they had just come out from the bath.

“So you went to the bath?”

“Yes, it was so nice.”

“Fufu, and we talked a lot there, right?”

It was a grand bath that reminded him of a hot spring. He had taken a bath earlier with his roommates, who had also joined later.

Not only was the water nice, but there were also magic devices that made it like a jacuzzi, which reminded him of his childhood.

“We could talk about a lot of things. But all you wanted to talk about was Haishin-sama.”

“And why shouldn’t I? I can’t help but wonder, you know? The only people who actually met Haishin-sama are you, Lady Saint, and the very limited number of people in the castle, right? It’s unfair!!”

“Even if you say it’s unfair… “

Maria sighed as if to express she was tired.

The two of them, who had just gotten out of the bath, gave off a very seductive vibe, and for Kanata, it was a feast for the eyes to see them, but it was still embarrassing.

“… I’ll be back in a bit.”

Kanata tried to escape to the garden, but Athena called out to him.

“Where are you going?”

“Eh? I’m just going to take some fresh air outside.”

If only he could have gone with Lisa, he thought.

Athena listened to Kanata’s response, narrowed her eyes meaningfully and clapped her hands before proposing something.

“I’ll follow you. Maria, you should come too.”

“Of course. I can’t leave you alone with Kanata-kun.”

And so, Kanata visited the garden at night with the two of them.

The night air was chilly, but it seemed to cool down their warm bodies in an enjoyable way.

(… Lisa-san’s not here?)

Kanta looked around, wondering where Lisa went.

“It’s beautiful.”

“…Yeah.”

Maria, who stood next to him, commented as she looked at the night garden in awe.

The flowers, wet from the dew, seemed to reflect the moonlight as if they were shining, creating a fantastical view.

“… The moon sure is beautiful,” Kanata said.

“Yes, it really is beautiful,” Maria agreed.

Maria also looked beautiful standing in this garden, illuminated by the moonlight.

Kanata’s comment about the moon being beautiful had a certain meaning behind it, but in this world, that meaning did not exist, so Maria simply nodded at Kanata’s words.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Athena also stood next to Kanata, as did Maria.

“… Eh?”

“What’s wrong?”

Kanata wondered why Athena was standing next to him instead of next to Maria, but he didn’t want to voice his question as it might seem like he was conscious of it.

“By the way, there aren’t any soldiers here, are there?”

“Well, no. A barrier made by magical equipment surrounds this garden, so if any suspicious presence enters, it would get detected.”

“Heh, I see…”

It seemed like a motion-sensor-like device was installed.

Kanata was impressed by cutting-edge Principality.

“So… I guess it’s time to go.”

But it was a trap, a bomb thrown at him when his guard was down.

“I’m glad you liked it, but if possible, can you tell me, in your own words, what you actually thought about it, Haishin-sama?”

So Athena asked.