"'The man whose heart was stolen by the songstress,' huh? I mean, that's... it sounds cool on the surface, but it's actually the kind of nickname that's totally not cool at all."
Hearing Anastasia's pretentious answer, Subaru let that impression slip out.
The one who laughed at it was Anastasia herself. She slipped her fingers into her soft hair, toying with the tips as she spoke: "That's right. That way of calling him is less like an honorific and more like a pet name. But the man himself has gone and said it publicly — that he's had his heart stolen by the songstress, he has."
"Um, so what exactly does that mean?"
"It means one woman stole his heart, and he's not afraid to proclaim his love for her openly. Doesn't that remind you of how you behaved at the Royal Selection?"
"Now that's not exactly dark history, but quit making me relive it just to mess with me."
At Julius's teasing remark, Subaru grimaced and clicked his tongue. The embarrassing spectacle from the Royal Selection a year ago was the kind of thing that made him want to clutch his head and roll around if he thought too hard about it. His feelings back then hadn't been wrong — it was mainly a problem of how he'd expressed them.
In any case — "So his head's in a pretty sorry state, that much I've learned from experience. But what's he actually like as a person?"
"His ridiculous title is what stands out, but the man himself is reasonably serious and flexible. Being the heir to the Muse Corporation isn't something you inherit just because you're the eldest son. You need genuine business acumen first. On that point, there's no room for doubt."
"I can vouch for that too, Natsuki-san. The young master of the Muse Corporation...
Otto supplemented Anastasia's remarks — apparently he'd known of Kiritaka's reputation through merchant connections. However, no sooner had he defended Kiritaka than he turned a sharp glare toward Anastasia: "Naturally, I approached specialized mineral merchants about the high-purity magic ore Lady
"Isn't that just a matter of trust? And maybe sincerity, too. It's only natural that the person who wants something shows their face — you make a better impression that way, right?"
"...Let's leave it at that, shall we?"
Faced with Anastasia's feigned innocence, Otto abandoned any further pursuit. He then shifted the conversation's main focus to the magic ore in question.
"So first — the magic ore we're looking for, its existence is confirmed?"
"I get why you'd be suspicious, but a lie that gets exposed the moment you check isn't one I'd bother with. It's out in the open, and they wouldn't be able to play dumb about it either."
"I see. Regarding the negotiations, would it be all right if we handle them on our end? Were there any conditions attached to your introduction?"
"You worry too much. Rest easy on that front too. We just happened to know where the magic ore you all are looking for is, and we kindly pointed you in that direction. The reason for that was agreed upon between me and Otto-kun earlier, wasn't it?"
That was Anastasia's position: gratitude shouldn't come with a price tag.
Otto closed his mouth with a look of understanding, and an agreement on the matter of the magic ore was reached. When the conversation hit a natural pause, Emilia tentatively raised her hand.
"Um, can I ask something?"
"Anything goes. In business and in human relationships, when you strip it all down, it comes down to trust. If we can resolve any doubts, that's the best we can do — and it costs nothing."
"She's probably going to say it's fine because it doesn't cost money..."
"Well, I'd charge by the hour if it did. But you're pretty much on the money with that guess. You'd make something of yourself too, Natsuki-kun, if you put your mind to it."
At Anastasia's smile, Subaru shrugged in silent decline. Beside him, having received permission to ask, Emilia tilted her head gently: "I understand the bit about Kiritaka-san, but I'm curious about this 'songstress' person. Who is she? Is she famous?"
A straightforward question, but Subaru nodded in agreement.
The songstress that Kiritaka Muse was obsessed with. Actually, in Subaru's knowledge, "Muse" — the name of Kiritaka's family — rang a bell as being the name of some "goddess of song" or something. A strange and curious coincidence, but if it was fate that drew Kiritaka to a songstress, there was a certain romance to it.
"As long as this 'songstress' isn't some great figure from the past like 'Hoshin of the Wastes,' anyway. If you go full-on history buff, there's no medicine for that."
"You can rest easy on that front. The current 'songstress,' Lady Liliana, is a real woman staying right here in the city of
"'Currently' means it wasn't always like that?"
"As I hear it, she was originally a wandering bard, singing her way from place to place. And along her travels, she was taken in by Kiritaka — that's how things stand now."
Listening to Julius's explanation, Subaru pictured a songbird trapped in a cage. A bird that had once lived freely, caged simply because a person of power had taken notice. It was the kind of development that felt all too predictable.
Knowing Kiritaka's obsessive tendencies, it made Subaru wonder: was this Liliana person, too, spending her days unhappily locked away where she couldn't go outside?
"That doesn't sit right with me. Song belongs to everyone — it shouldn't be restricted."
"On that point I agree. Though I suspect there's some misunderstanding. That said, given Kiritaka's obsession with Lady Liliana, asking him not to be would be a tall order."
"My opinion of this Kiritaka guy is steadily dropping. For a negotiation, that worries me. The image I've got of him is some obstinate, unreasonable jerk."
His mind conjured the stereotype: grossly fat, sweating with greasy desire — the textbook awful rich man.
Just as Otto had pointed out, this was the kind of guy who'd ignore their request for magic ore without batting an eye. Telling Subaru to think favorably of him was a tall order.
"The idea of bringing Emilia-tan in front of some pervert like that gives me the creeps."
"Lady Emilia is probably not at issue. Kiritaka-san is a somewhat difficult man, but he's not so far gone as to be indiscriminate. However..."
Julius trailed off there, his gaze wavering as he searched for the right words.
Sensing an unusual hesitation from him, Subaru furrowed his brow. Julius let out a small breath, then shifted his gaze from Emilia to Subaru in turn: "As a precaution, it might be best not to bring
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"For the record, Kiritaka-san is perfectly willing to sit down and talk with us. Between Julius's words and my own, I think you'll get the picture."
Julius's words, and Anastasia's words.
Subaru stood, synthesizing their two opinions into a single conclusion.
That conclusion was: "...A lolicon?"
"Let me rephrase that as: a man with unwavering standards that are difficult for others to gauge and impossible to compromise on. Of course, that doesn't diminish Anastasia-san's charms in any way."
"There are times when even your backup lacks grace, huh."
It was a strained save from Julius, but Anastasia didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest.
The fact that it went undenied confirmed for Subaru the various issues at play. That said, if he was honest, he couldn't help feeling a sense of "here we go again."
"One lolicon creep is more than enough — I already have
The image of the omnicompetent butler's gaunt face resurfaced, and Subaru wanted to clutch his head. Still, there was a critical difference between Clind and this Kiritaka.
That difference was that Clind, presumably, had no interest in Anastasia.
Clind placed importance on inner loliness — so even if someone's outer appearance was loli-like, if they'd matured sufficiently inside, he wouldn't show interest. That was proven by his attitude toward Ryuzu and his respect for Emilia. What the world looked like through his eyes was unclear, but those eyes saw through Emilia's inner immaturity and treated her as a spiritual lolicon object of reverence.
Kiritaka, on the other hand, was someone who valued outer loliness. Anastasia was likely around the same age as Subaru, but she had an immature physique to match. Given that she had virtually no room for future growth, she could be called a legal loli. Kiritaka's preferences toward her went without saying.
"Our little Beako can handle both the Clind type and the Kiritaka type — she's a universal loli, after all..."
"I don't really get it, but I feel like that was quite rude."
"Idiot, that's not what I mean! I'm worried about you! You... you have this dangerous charm just by existing. Could you please be a little more self-aware and put my mind at ease!"
"Eh, ah, mm... if you're that worried, I suppose I can't help it. Fufufu."
Despite Subaru pointing out her lack of danger sense, Beatrice happily tugged at the hem of his coat. For now, he gripped her hand from above to keep her from letting go.
For a while in this city, it might be best not to take his eyes off Beatrice.
"So, um, you're saying she likes small-statured girls? That about right?"
"That's a wholesome way of putting it. But it's not quite that — it's more that he derives pleasure from plucking unripe fruit in a more straightforward sense—"
"STOOOOOOP! Don't plant any more weird ideas in our sheltered angel's head! I get what that guy's about! That's enough — stop, stop!"
Subaru threw himself into a dramatic guard, shielding Beatrice with his left hand and Emilia with his right. Anastasia laughed at his overprotectiveness, and even Julius managed a wry smile.
"Setting aside Natsuki-san's position on the matter, I've grasped the conditions and everything else. If possible, I'd like to settle things with Kiritaka-san as soon as possible — should we head to the corporation office?"
"Let's see. Kiritaka-san is quite busy, you know. He's involved in the city's administration too, so he's probably at either the city hall or the corporation office."
In response to Otto, who was ready to get moving again, Anastasia gave her answer. Otto nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Subaru and the others: "A sudden meeting right away would be difficult regardless. Ideally, I'd arrange things in advance and secure a calm setting for discussion... but which one should we head to first?"
"Honestly, I don't even have a map of this city in my head, so either way it's basically an impossible choice."
From the main gate, Priestella's sheer size was staggering. It might not rival the royal capital, but an unfamiliar cityscape was intimidating on its own. Subaru prided himself on his sense of direction, but in Priestella, where waterways took priority and walkways twisted and turned, even that beloved sense might only go so far.
"There are probably small-boat guides that use the waterways. Lots of tourists visit, so they'll fawn over you if they think you're potential customers."
"Between you and me, I get terrible seasickness. Back in elementary school, on a field trip, we crossed a lake by boat and I was so violently ill that everyone was sick of me."
"I don't really get it, but it sounds like a memory that hurts my heart."
As Subaru recalled those faintly scarred memories, Beatrice wore a sympathetic expression.
In any case, regretting the past and failing to move forward was pathetic. As long as there was no risk of getting lost, Subaru considered Otto's proposal — either destination would do. And then: "I hate to interrupt the discussion, but I can tell you that worry is unfounded."
"Julius? What do you mean?"
Emilia's eyes went round at Julius's interjection.
Julius offered her a thin smile: "A simple explanation. We've already sent someone ahead to arrange a meeting with Kiritaka-san. Once my messenger returns, we should be able to get the details sorted."
"Your messenger?"
"I've sent my younger brother Joshua, along with a man named Ricard."
Hearing Julius's answer, Subaru understood where the two absent members of their group had gone. At the same time, he felt a grudging annoyance at the thoughtfulness behind it.
It could be seen as natural courtesy for an anticipated problem, but — "Between the welcome at the inn and this, your arrangements are remarkably thorough."
"As the inviting party, it's only natural to handle the logistics. It's hardly worth mentioning, Subaru. You'll have to forgive me for keeping the details under wraps, however."
"So it's 'no comment.'"
That pretentious, dramatic manner of speaking never changed. As Subaru's antipathy toward Julius flared a little further, he was also puzzling over the mystery of how fast Julius's camp operated.
In any case — "Then grudgingly, I suppose we wait for those two to come back. I can't exactly leave without our bodyguard back."
"Indeed."
Leaning back casually, Subaru brought up the topic of Garfiel — the one who'd been absent ever since they were brought to the inn. Immediately, Anastasia seized on it: "Same here — Mimi and the others haven't come back either. What's going on? That boy, that Garfiel fellow — what's he like? Give me the details on him."
"His name is Garfiel Tinsel. A bit of a dreamer, loves daydreaming, fifteen years old. He has a habit of biting hard things and snores like a freight train, which knocks a few points off. But he's earnest and unwavering — the kind of pure-hearted young man who wouldn't bend his feelings even if the person he loved beat him to a pulp."
"Why is his approval rating so high?"
Anastasia seemed determined to protect her cute little sister-figure from being poached, but she was being too sweet about it. Subaru had his own attachment — Garfiel was his cute little brother-figure. Whether or not he wanted to pair him off with Mimi was another matter, but he had no reservations about pitching Garfiel's merits.
"I wonder what kind of beautiful voice the songstress sings with. I'm super curious. If we meet her somewhere, could I ask her to sing?"
"Lady Liliana is a very sociable woman. She surely wouldn't refuse a request from Lady Emilia. Once you meet Kiritaka-san, you'll likely cross paths with her naturally. You could make your request then."
"Oh, really? I'm looking forward to it."
Meanwhile, Emilia was clearly fascinated by the songstress in question, and Julius's words only heightened her anticipation.
Watching these two pairs of master and servant chat, Otto let out a sigh: "I always thought royal candidates would have a much more cutthroat relationship... Am I just overthinking it?"
"You don't need to feel down about it. It's less that you're overthinking and more that Subaru and Emilia aren't thinking enough."
It was rare for Beatrice to sympathize with Otto — a sign that his身心 would be thoroughly taxed during their stay in this city.
--- It was almost at the same moment that Garfiel, who had finally returned, rejoined Subaru's group, and Joshua — who had gone to secure an audience with Kiritaka Muse on Anastasia's behalf — came back with Ricard.
"Kiritaka-san appears to be quite busy. He's not at city hall today but holed up at the corporation's office. If you could make your way there, he should be able to make time."
"I see, I see. Good work, Joshua."
Joshua returned to his master and brother's side, glanced at Subaru's group, and delivered his report. Anastasia nodded with satisfaction, and then his gaze turned toward Subaru: "...Thank you for coming all this way. Anastasia-san has likely explained the situation already, but I've arranged matters with Kiritaka-san on our end."
"Yeah, thanks for going to the trouble. Saved us a lot of wasted time."
"Please don't think anything of it. I merely followed Anastasia-san's orders. If it were up to me, I'd have kept my brother from ever meeting you, Subaru-san."
"You're nothing if not honest, same as always."
It was Julius, of all people, whose eyes went wide at Joshua's blunt hostility. He apparently hadn't known about his brother's animosity toward Subaru: "Joshua. Everyone here, including him, is a guest invited by Anastasia-san. Rudeness to a guest is an insult to Anastasia-san's name by extension. Control yourself."
"...My apologies, brother."
Joshua's sullen glare only deepened. Julius let out a small breath, then met Subaru's eyes with an apologetic look: "I'm sorry. Allow me to apologize for my brother's rudeness as well. Under normal circumstances he would never behave this way... but perhaps the unfamiliar environment has him on edge."
"Don't worry about it. But if he's uncomfortable, big brother should keep a tighter leash. I don't need the whole family ganging up on me."
"Hmph. I'll keep that in mind."
Julius dipped his chin at Subaru's remark, hovering between sarcasm and humor.
Joshua watched this exchange with visible dissatisfaction, but when Subaru caught his eye, he quickly looked away. It ran deep — jealousy, plain and simple.
"Well then, we'll take you up on your kind offer and go see Kiritaka-san. The inn is here, right?"
"You can count on that. 'The Bluebird on the Water' isn't just rare — it's got a proven track record for guest satisfaction and everything else. Enjoy the dinner, too."
"Oh, lovely. I'll look forward to that as well."
At Anastasia's confident assurance, Emilia clapped her hands and smiled. She then ran her fingers through her long silver hair: "To eat a good meal without any worries, I need to make sure I can have a proper conversation with Kiritaka-san."
Rising to her feet with Emilia leading the way, Subaru and the group filed out of the inn together.
The office of the Muse Corporation where Kiritaka could be found was, according to Joshua, reachable via a waterway boat arranged to be waiting at the dock right in front of the shop.
"Oi, Boss! Don't leave me behind! You'd be in trouble without me, right?!"
The four of them were stopped just as they turned toward the waterway by Garfiel, who came sprinting out of the inn. His blond hair and clothes were slightly disheveled, and he wore a thoroughly exhausted expression as he caught up with the group: "Ah, I had a hell of a time. If that big mug-faced old guy hadn't been there, I would've been tossing someone around a lot harder."
"Mug-faced — that's Ricard, right? Were you having a ball on a date with Mimi until he stepped in?"
"A date? You gotta be kidding me. I got dragged along by the shrimp, and then another shrimp who looked just like her showed up, and a half-crying shrimp nearly killed me. I couldn't exactly fight back and make her cry even more, so I got run ragged everywhere..."
According to Garfiel, the one who had stopped that catastrophe was Ricard. Naturally, the ones who'd caused the commotion were Mimi and her two brothers — though the calm and collected Tivey was probably just collateral damage. Hetaro, who'd gone full protective-brother mode to keep his sister from being stolen, had gotten the brunt of the scolding. Either way, Garfiel had managed to extricate himself.
"Then I got shown to the parlor, and you guys were already gone, so I hauled ass out here to catch up."
"Yeah, sorry about that. We're heading out to negotiate with someone who's got the magic ore we need. Now that I think about it, leaving without you — our escort — would've defeated the whole purpose of bringing you along."
"You're damn right about that, sheesh."
Garfiel visibly relaxed with relief as he was added to the party, and Subaru's group made their way to the waterway dock. A friendly boatman was waiting on the water, and one by one, they boarded the arranged vessel.
The boat was small — big enough for about eight people including the boatman, clearly designed as a transport for tourists and city residents alike.
"If you make the boats too big, you run afoul of city regulations. And for guides like us, we have to consider traffic flowing both ways. It's all about mutual courtesy."
The dark-skinned boatman answered Subaru's unspoken question with a grin.
On the highways, traveling by dragon carriage, it wasn't something you thought about much. But in the city, the waterway boats had their own established traffic rules.
"If there's a collision and someone sinks, people blame the boatman's skill. These boats have been passed down from my father's generation — I can't afford to sink one. I'd never live it down."
"Fair enough. Do you ever run into trouble with the water dragons? Any incidents?"
"I said mutual courtesy, didn't I? When you're in the water, there's no outmaneuvering a water dragon, so the custom is: if you spot one, you let it pass first. Some guide boats even have small water dragons pulling them, so I'd recommend trying that at least once."
The boatman laughed heartily and recommended it with gusto. Even Subaru felt a flicker of curiosity. The excitement of seeing earth dragons for the first time — he wondered if water dragons would carry a similar thrill.
"First time crossing water by boat. My heart's pounding like crazy."
"Is that so? Come to think of it, you don't really have an ocean over there, do you?"
"Ocean?"
"A puddle of water that goes on forever. Back where I'm from, the whole area around me was like that."
"Hmm... but if you get thirsty, it would help you out, so that's reassuring."
Emilia's childlike response made Subaru laugh.
Unfortunately, drinking seawater when you were thirsty was a dead-end flag. The matter of saltwater being literally salt water was worth mentioning but there was no point belaboring it here.
"Most rivers have bridges crossing them. For smuggling without using a bridge, boats come in handy sometimes."
"You're talking like you've experienced it firsthand."
"I-I have never done anything of the sort!? Th-that's just secondhand knowledge! Seriously, don't give me strange looks like that!"
"Otto-bro, you're sweating buckets."
Otto's borderline confession was ruthlessly ignored by everyone. At the boatman's signal, the small craft glided smoothly into the main current of the waterway.
Riding the left lane of the waterway's flow toward the city center, the boat moved along. Oddly enough, when Subaru looked across to the opposite bank, the current there was flowing upward against the slope.
"How does the water flow like this?"
"I actually know! Look — see that tower way over there at the edge of town?"
The boatman patted Subaru's shoulder and pointed into the distance. Turning to look, Subaru spotted tall stone towers adjacent to the outer wall surrounding the city. The massive towers appeared to stand one to a side — east, west, north, and south — marking each cardinal direction.
"Those towers control the water flow inside the city. There are incredibly complex magical mechanisms built inside them, powered by water-attribute magic ore. They even control the big sluice gates throughout the city from there, apparently."
"Huh, fascinating. Personally, being on water is different enough, but learning that the traffic rules work on the left lane here too is a fresh kind of surprise."
Subaru nodded at Emilia's explanation, taking in the mysterious mechanics of Priestella's waterways.
The waterway city of Priestella certainly did differ from other cities in many ways. Starting with the city laws, there was still a great deal to learn.
"The city laws, and also something about him being involved in the city's administration, right?"
"Kiritaka-san? Yeah, that's what they said. I wonder what kind of person he is... If I can talk to him and get him to part with the magic ore, that would really help."
Emilia touched the pendant hanging from her chest and murmured uncertainly.
Listening to her, Subaru rested his chin on his hand, eyes half-closed. Gently swaying with the boat's leisurely movement, he murmured: "...I'm gonna be sick."
"...What did you just say?"
Only Beatrice seemed to have caught that barely audible whisper. At her puzzled voice, everyone except the boatman turned to look at Subaru.
Meeting their gazes one by one, Subaru smiled and said: "Oh no, I think I'm gonna throw up."
— In an instant, the boat erupted into chaos.