I want to make Sylph my pillar of support.
That's what I think as I stare at the red stain on the sheets.
Sylph gave me something incredibly precious, all to help me.
I want to grant her wish.
I think this as I carefully cut away the stained section of the sheet with a knife.
But when I think back, Sylph never once pushed her own principles on me.
If I'm not overthinking it, her desire to stay with me did come through.
But she never says it out loud.
Maybe it has something to do with being a bodyguard
for Princess Ariel after all.
I should probably go talk to Princess Ariel once.
I placed the cut piece of sheet into a small box I made with earth magic and set it on the household shrine.
I clasped my hands together.
At last, I felt like I'd returned to being human.
---
Once a month, I show up for homeroom.
As always, Nanahoshi is nowhere to be seen.
"Good morning, Master."
"Good morning, Grande Master."
Zanoba and Julie greet me side by side.
Now that I think about it, Julie is actually pretty cute.
She'll be seven this year, right?
Still a long way from my strike zone, but her outwardly-curling orange hair is adorable.
I pet her head.
Julie looked up at me in surprise, but quickly ducked her head and trembled.
She still seems afraid of me.
Even though I'm not going to eat her.
"Good morning, Zanoba, Julie."
When I greet them, Zanoba tilts his head with an "Oh?"
"Master, did something good happen?"
"Huh?"
He noticed, huh.
Zanoba's always been concerned about me day to day.
I'd like to report it right away, but saying my ED was cured and then being asked "how?" would be difficult to explain.
I can't tell them about Sylph's true identity.
And saying Senior Fitz helped me out would probably lead to some weird misunderstanding.
As I'm thinking this, I head to my seat.
"Oh, Boss, good morning-nya."
"Morning, munch munch."
Linia and Pursena are sitting in their usual spots.
Linia has her fresh, taut young legs propped up on the desk,
while Pursena stuffs her voluptuous body into her uniform and chews on jerky with a cramped expression.
Come to think of it, I've checked the development of these two's enormous assets,
and I've pulled down their wet panties to behold the paradise hidden beneath.
When I think about it that way, the two of them suddenly seem cute...
"Nya!?"
"What the hell...?"
As I approach, the two of them hold their noses and stand up, backing away from me.
That stings a little.
Right, that particular smell.
I've been reborn for the first time in years.
I feel refreshed, like putting on a new pair of pants for the first time in three years.
The smell of arousal must be overwhelming too, no doubt.
"What do we do, nya. The Boss finally couldn't hold back anymore."
"Was it not an illness after all?"
"It's my fault for being so irresistible. What a sinful woman."
"Th-then Pursena will be the sacrifice, nya. Leave the homeland to me."
"No... maybe Boss is actually turned on by Linia."
"B-Boss's woman could rule the world, nya! You could eat meat every day, nya!"
"............F-fine. To protect Linia, I guess."
After some discussion, Pursena seems to steel herself and approaches me.
She blinks her eyes cutely, and puts on an expression designed to emphasize her chest.
"Mmm, I want you to spo~il me—ow!"
I chopped her.
I feel very much like I'm being made fun of.
What "mmm," what "spoil me."
"Oh, just sit down. I'm not going to eat you."
At that, Pursena rubs her head, curls her tail around herself, and sits down beside me.
Rare that she doesn't go to a spot out of arm's reach.
Linia, on the other hand, creeps over and sits at a distance just barely beyond reach.
She's the cautious one for once.
The distance between us is reversed from usual.
"Rudeus, what's up? You're acting different from normal."
Cliff tilts his head too.
I think I'm acting normally, but am I really that different?
So this is what it looks like from the outside when a man's had his confidence restored.
Nah, it's not like this is the first time or anything.
"Different how?"
"Somehow... you seem brimming with confidence...? That's how you look."
I glance at Zanoba, and he nods in agreement.
Confidence.
Hearing that word, I recall what the Man-God told me.
Regain your confidence as a man.
So this is what he meant.
I can't really feel it myself, but it must look different from the outside.
"Everyone, thank you all for everything.
I can't go into detail, but the other day... that thing got cured."
When I make that declaration, voices of "Ohh!" rise up.
Zanoba nods with a satisfied expression, and Cliff claps me on the shoulder.
Linia and Pursena exchange glances, while Julie tilts her head, not quite understanding.
"Either way, congratulations, I guess."
"Indeed. Congratulations, Master."
"Congratulations, nya."
For some reason, they applaud.
It's certainly cause for celebration from my perspective, but it's also a little embarrassing.
It's like a series finale.
Come to think of it, saying "congratulations" like this... it's not like they're ranking who'll die first or anything.
"But now that Boss is cured, we're in trouble-nya. The chastity of every girl in school is in danger-nya."
Linia starts saying something rude like that.
"How rude. I'm a gentleman."
I'll never lay a hand on anyone but Sylph.
And there, I reaffirm that resolution once more.
---
After homeroom, I head to the staff room.
I'm applying for make-up classes from my recent trip.
The moment I step into the staff room, the air prickles against my skin.
So it really does seem like something changed, as seen from the outside.
It's a little embarrassing, like everyone already knows what I did with Sylph.
As I'm thinking this, Vice-Principal Geenus calls out to me.
"Rudeus-san, did something happen?"
"I just resolved a problem that's been bothering me for the past three years, so I'm feeling refreshed."
"I see, that's good."
Vice-Principal Geenus nods.
Then he smiles wryly.
"If that's the case, are you perhaps thinking of leaving this university?"
"Huh?"
At Geenus's words, I tilt my head.
But now that I think about it...
Indeed, my original goal at this university has been achieved.
That's why I came here.
Now that it's accomplished, I could move to Begaritt to reunite with my family...
But over the past year, a lot has happened.
I met Zanoba, bought Julie,
became close with Linia and Pursena,
forged a bond with Cliff.
And Nanahoshi.
Meeting her feels like it holds some meaning for me.
I even get the sense that the Man-God brought me here specifically to meet her.
For him, reuniting with Sylph might have been nothing more than a bonus.
But the person who matters most to me is Sylph.
As long as she's here, I can't very well leave.
I'd want to protect her if anything happened.
As a princess's bodyguard, there must be dangerous situations.
Even if it's only a little, I want to be of help.
But Princess Ariel and the others are currently fifth-years, aren't they?
What will they do after graduation?
Well, they'll probably be here until they graduate.
For what it's worth, I've been sending letters to Paul and the others regularly.
I have no way to confirm they arrived, though...
But it's been a year since then.
If I start moving now, we'll likely miss each other.
A truly elite salaryman who brings in over thirty new contracts in a single day once told me: don't change your strategy just because results aren't immediate.
For now, let's keep waiting.
"I don't know if I'll be here until graduation, but I think I'll stay enrolled for at least a few more years."
"I see, that's good."
Vice-Principal Geenus smiled wryly.
Whether he's happy about it or not, I can't quite tell.
It's a wry smile I don't understand.
---
Nanahoshi was her usual self.
She might not even have me on her radar.
Our conversations are kept to the bare minimum.
When I talk with her, I often feel a generational gap.
The other day, I brought up a topic about middle school girls punishing someone in place of the moon—something she'd surely know—and she just tilted her head with a "What's that?"
It seems the young ones these days don't know the Legend of Moonlight.
Our generation should at least know the name even if we never watched it.
But if she's not an otaku, I suppose that's only natural.
I thought that, but she's apparently not as hardcore an otaku as I am—she does watch a fair amount of manga and light novels.
And yet she doesn't know.
So I asked if she also didn't know the story about collecting seven dragon orbs, and she said she knew that one.
Nanahoshi was seventeen when she was in her original world. I was thirty-four.
Double her age. The gap is even wider now.
It can't be helped.
It's truly a generational gap.
Considering when it aired, it's probably to be expected, but actually meeting and talking with her in person, it still catches me off guard.
Because she's like that...
I might have let something slip.
"Nanahoshi-san, if you were dating someone, what would you want from that person?"
Nanahoshi's hand slid off her work.
She crumpled the paper she'd been writing on into a ball and tossed it away.
"What's with the sudden change of topic? Are we doing a girls' talk or something?"
"Something like that."
"Listen, I want to go home soon. Can you take this seriously? You're always chatting instead of just keeping your mouth shut and moving your hands—that alone would improve efficiency."
She says things like this, but it's not like Nanahoshi hates casual conversation.
In fact, up until now, as long as things weren't too bad, she'd chat while working.
The fact that she's saying it this way means...
"Nanahoshi-san, have you... never had romantic experience?"
"...Tch!"
She clicked her tongue loudly.
"I have someone I like, you know.
We had a fight, and that was the end of it..."
Come to think of it, wasn't Nanahoshi summoned in the middle of a lovers' quarrel?
Whether one of them was the one she liked,
or it was a reverse-harem situation where she couldn't choose between them, I don't know.
Whether she needs to apologize or continue the fight, she definitely has to go back.
Come to think of it, the other two might also have been summoned.
I haven't heard any rumors about anyone besides Nanahoshi, so it's likely they weren't.
Though, if they were thrown into this world with no magic and no one to help them, could high schoolers survive on their own...
No, I shouldn't say that to her.
Or maybe Nanahoshi already considers that much.
That she's been able to live this far is because of luck.
And what would happen without that luck.
Nanahoshi pursed her lips and answered quietly.
"Someone I like... just being together normally is enough."
She looked like it hurt.
I shouldn't have asked.
---
Lunchtime came.
I didn't go to the cafeteria.
I had business elsewhere today.
The student council room.
If I'm going to date Sylph seriously, I can't keep it from them.
They'd been working to push the two of us together.
In a sense, I already have their permission.
But I should still see this through properly.
Top floor of the main building.
The very back.
A slightly more luxurious door had "Student Council Room" engraved on it.
I knocked on it.
"Who is it!"
It's Luke's voice.
"It's Rudeus Greyrat.
I have something to discuss about that matter."
After my answer, there was a brief silence inside,
then sounds of frantic activity and shuffling.
I came without an appointment.
I may have done something rude.
"C-come in!"
Luke's voice.
I open the door and enter.
Princess Ariel sits in an expensive-looking chair.
Beautiful golden hair braided elegantly.
A translucent, breathtaking beauty.
But her build is appropriate for her age—her muscles are equivalent to an ordinary girl's, and her chest is neither large nor small.
Standing at attention beside her are Sylph in sunglasses and Luke.
Sylph at work is sharp and imposing.
She's all business—what you'd call a right-hand woman.
Gone is the usual soft, crybaby version of her.
It's also slightly different from the easygoing, somewhat childish image I had of her.
She gives off a cold impression.
I see. If she wants to maintain this image, Sylph definitely shouldn't talk in front of others.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Rudeus Greyrat."
I perform a noble's bow, kneel before Ariel, and lower my head.
I wasn't taught proper etiquette for royalty, but this should be about right.
"This is not the royal palace. You and I are fellow students. Please raise your head."
At Princess Ariel's words, I lift my head.
But I stay kneeling.
I can't embarrass Sylph.
It's best to be deferential in front of your girlfriend's boss.
"So, the Rudeus who has made such a name for himself at this school—what brings you here today?"
Ariel's voice has a tingle that seems to reach the very top of my brain when I listen to it.
It's pleasant.
This must be what charisma is.
Or maybe she's a godchild too.
There are types of magic that work through the voice.
It wouldn't be strange for a godchild who can charm others through her voice.
"I'm sure Sylph... Sylphiette has already told you various things.
I've come today to discuss that matter, if you'll permit me."
Ariel's expression grew serious.
I'd heard a bit about the princess's plans from Sylph more than from Sylph.
Even after fleeing to a place like this, she apparently hasn't given up on the throne.
To that end, she's been attending this school while recruiting powerful allies.
"I had Sylph cure my condition.
I've heard that Your Highness cooperated with her in that regard.
Therefore, if there is ever an opportunity for me to be of assistance, please do not hesitate to ask."
Ariel listened to those words slowly.
Then she glanced at Luke.
Luke gave a firm nod and spoke.
"I thought you wanted nothing to do with the power struggles of the Asura nobility?"
At his words, I answer immediately.
"I certainly don't want to stick my nose into the political conflicts of the Asura Kingdom.
Someone like me could be crushed like a bug.
But if the person I love is caught in the middle of it, that's a different story."
I say this and look at Sylph.
Her face is bright red.
"I don't want to be sitting around comfortably while Sylph is fighting for her life."
"Oh my..."
Ariel looks surprised.
Luke too.
Did I say something strange?
Luke opens his mouth.
"I thought the Greyrat household had no grudges? Your uncle... Paul fled to Notos, and Borreas, the one who exploited you..."
"Aurora-sama's execution was a bit unfortunate, but other than that, nothing in particular."
Hm?
Did that not quite connect just now?
Well, I've already sorted that out in my own mind.
"As for Luke-senior, he just doesn't like me very much."
At that, Luke furrowed his brow.
"You're a dense bastard who can't read a woman's feelings."
"I have nothing to say to that."
After all, it took me a whole year just to realize Sylph's gender.
I can't complain about being called dense.
Not actively trying to figure it out is just an excuse.
She was so cute—how did I not notice?
"Luke's the one who messes around with women's feelings, the jerk."
It was Sylph who whispered that.
Surprisingly bold words.
She'd been playing the meek card around me... partly because of that, I suppose.
But when I think about it, Luke and Sylph have been companions for six years now.
They've spent more time together than Sylph and I have.
So they're less formal with each other.
Casual words come easily.
I'm a little jealous.
"What's that, when you don't have a shred of sex appeal, acting all like a real woman?"
"I did have sex appeal! Rudy said thank you for it... didn't you?"
Sylph looks at me as if seeking help.
I could honestly say, "Congratulations on becoming the third member of this comedy duo," but...
Saying that in front of Ariel is a bit much.
I look toward the princess, and she speaks quietly.
Glancing over, I notice there are crumbs at the corner of her mouth.
She must have been eating.
"Both of you, please be silent."
Sylph and Luke shut their mouths.
This too feels like their usual back and forth.
You can sense the years of familiarity.
"Rudeus Greyrat.
If we can borrow your strength, it would be very reassuring."
"Thank you."
"However..."
Ariel paused and glanced at Sylph.
Then, as if making up her mind, she declared:
"Your strength is not needed."
"What!? Why not!? Princess Ariel!"
The one who raised her voice was Sylph.
Cutting off any protest, Ariel continues:
"Please don't misunderstand—Sylph did not approach you because she wanted your power."
"Yes, I'm not misunderstanding that."
I vaguely remember Sylph saying there was no ulterior motive like that...
Never mind. I'll just accept Ariel's words at face value.
"There is only one thing I ask of you.
Make Sylph happy. Make my friend happy."
I bow my head deeply.
That goes without saying.
"I will."
"Words are easy, but... what should I do first?"
"............"
Ariel asked "what should you do?" in an extremely firm tone.
I fall silent.
I don't know what I should do—that's why I came here.
No, enough with the excuses.
In any world, how a man takes responsibility for a woman should be the same.
Right—Paul said so himself.
He prepared a home and a job in Asura to take responsibility.
"Marriage, I suppose."
When I say that, Sylph covers her mouth.
Luke breaks from his rigid stance, staggering with a shocked expression.
"Is that so. Wonderful. You're exactly the man Sylph described, Rudeus."
Ariel nods, satisfied, and looks at Sylph.
"Sylphiette Greyrat."
"Y-yes!? Ehhh!? Greyrat, what!?"
Sylphiette Greyrat.
Being called by that name, Sylph flusters.
"If you are to become Rudeus's wife, there will be no need to cross-dress anymore. Be a proper woman."
"But... if I don't disguise myself, Princess Ariel..."
"In exchange, Rudeus. I will use your 'name.' After all, everyone around here knows who you are now. By putting forward my confidant Sylph to you, some people will jump to their own conclusions."
I see.
If I'm with Sylph,
some people will think there's a connection between Ariel and me.
I'm not borrowing her power—I'm borrowing her prestige.
It's essentially the same thing, but what a clever way to put it.
"With pleasure... Personally, I'd be happy to just join your faction."
"Not necessary. Your strength is too much. It would be beyond my control."
Am I really that strong?
Well, this is a convenient development for me too.
Having to tag along with Princess Ariel and do her bidding sounds like a hassle.
I'll accept this gracefully.
"Of course, should anything happen to you, you have my permission to use my name. Though my circumstances are as they are, the name of the Second Princess of the Asura Kingdom may prove useful from time to time."
"I appreciate that."
Having a powerful person as your backer—there's no such thing as too much.
And honestly, this is really convenient for me.
I get Sylph, and I don't even have to do anything.
On top of that, if I cause problems, Ariel will back me up.
Given how often I cause trouble, having Ariel as a safety net is incredibly valuable.
But is this really okay?
She won't demand something in return later, will they?
They say there's always a catch to a good deal...
Well, if I owe them, I'll gladly repay the favor.
"So, Sylphiette. What would you like to do?"
"Y-yes! I'll continue to serve Princess Ariel as before, and as R-Rudy's—no, Rudeus's wife, I'll do my best!"
"I... see. Be happy."
After a slightly loaded silence, Ariel gives Sylph a gentle push on the back.
Sylph comes over to me.
She scratches behind her ear, looking embarrassed.
Adorable. I want to lick it.
No, I need to hold back. Ariel's right here.
"Ah, um... R-Rudy... n-nice to meet you."
"Oh, yes. Same here."
Awkwardly, we bow to each other.
Sylph fidgets for a while, then
turns to look behind her.
There, she and Ariel lock eyes.
"Um... Princess Ariel, Luke, thank you for everything."
Sylph removes her sunglasses and bows her head.
I follow her lead and bow as well.
And so, I gained my connection to Princess Ariel and her party.
And I would go on to marry Sylph.
Volume 9: Youth Period — Sylphiette Arc — END
Next Chapter
Volume 10: Youth Period — Newlywed Arc