Chapter 56

Kaita shared the dining table with Yuna, his younger sister, who had returned home early, claiming she had no interest in training.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

"Yeah, it's good."

"Good. I'm glad."

Their conversation resembled that of a married couple who had been together for years, but this was because Yuna deliberately chose her words to make it seem that way.

(I actually want to make everything for you, you know.)

Since Kaita started a regular job, their meals—mainly dinners—often consisted of eating out or buying ready-made food, with Yuna adding one dish she prepared herself.

One might think they were short of money, but this was actually Kaita's desperate attempt to avoid having Yuna cook as much as possible. This wasn't because Yuna had an unusual sense of taste or because her cooking produced dangerous flavors or odors. It was simply to prevent her from enduring unnecessary hardships during her sensitive middle school years.

Yuna, who considered herself dependent on Kaita, had a habit of taking the lead in household chores when he wasn't around. For her, managing the house they lived in with Kaita was a happy task, but Kaita couldn't understand her feelings.

Kaita genuinely wanted Yuna to enjoy her school life like a typical middle school student, engaging in friendships and club activities rather than doing housework.

As a brother with a younger sister, this was a perfectly normal desire.

(Actually, you don't have to think so much about it. But I'm genuinely happy that my brother worries about me.)

The problem was that Yuna had no interest in anyone other than Kaita, but she was good at hiding this, so he hadn't even considered that his thoughts might be wrong.

Of course, they weren't on bad terms, and they weren't causing trouble for anyone. In a way, their relationship, where the brother cared for the sister and the sister cared for the brother, could be considered an ideal sibling relationship, so there was no problem.

"Hey, by the way."

"Hmm?"

Yuna, who always played the role of the ideal younger sister for Kaita, had something to report today.

"You know, today, a transfer student came to my school, actually to my class."

"A transfer student? At this time of year?"

"Yeah, and they're two foreigners."

"Two foreigners?"

"Yeah, a guy and a girl."

Kaita, upon receiving this information from Yuna, muttered, "That's odd."

Indeed, it was unusual for transfer students to arrive at the end of September, and even more so for them to be foreigners.

"…From Far Eastern Russia?"

Kaita wasn't the type to let something unusual just be. Especially if it involved his sister Yuna, he would investigate further. In fact, given that Yuna, who knew Kaita's personality better than anyone, had reported this, it was clear that this wasn't just a coincidence.

Once he reached this conclusion, predicting the background of the foreigners arriving at this time wasn't too difficult.

"Yeah, that's what they said."

"…I see."

His prediction was correct, but Kaita wasn't happy at all.

After all, the arrival of transfer students—more accurately, exchange students—from Far Eastern Russia at this time meant that their purpose was undoubtedly related to him.

"Well, maybe they came to study Japanese culture or weapons…"

"I don't think so."

"…Really?"

"Yeah."

Yuna easily dismissed Kaita's attempt to avoid the reality.

"Maybe a little about the weapons, but the treaty between the Mostou family and the other side should cover that, right?"

"Yeah."

The enhanced exoskeletons that Far Eastern Russia wanted, even though they were the latest model, hadn't been officially adopted by the national military. In fact, they hadn't even reached the stage of a presentation of specifications, let alone a competition.

The technology used was entirely different from what had been officially adopted by the military, so there was no risk of information leakage. Therefore, if the Far Eastern Russian representative, who had seen the test run, wanted one, Mostou Heavy Industries could ship it as soon as they received permission from the government, not the military.

Thus, it was a matter of diplomacy and administration. If they had come to investigate weapons or other things, it would have been the older generation's job.

Of course, the Japanese side would understand that the person might engage in industrial espionage. Knowing that they were being watched by the target country, there would be no reason to bring a middle school student just to blend in as a family.

This meant that the middle school student had a role that only a middle school student could play. And that role was undoubtedly related to Kaita.

"Is the female here to charm me? Or maybe to become friends with Yuna? And the male could be here to charm Yuna."

"It's possible. They seemed like a young lady and her bodyguard, but they kept checking on me."

Considering the timing and the fact that they were from Far Eastern Russia, it was likely that they had information on Kaita, who had been hailed as a hero there. It was also likely that this information included Yuna, his only living relative.

"…So, 'to shoot the general, first shoot the horse'? They're underestimating me."

Do they not realize that this horse is a sore spot for me?

No, Kaita wouldn't stop Yuna from making friends, dating, and getting married with people her age. Or even if a samurai or noble family set up a match for her, he wouldn't interfere as long as it was after marriage.

But if they tried to lure her from the start, that was a different story.

(Some kind of retaliation… No, wait. Something's off.)

Kaita, who had intended to protest against Far Eastern Russia for stepping on his sore spot, noticed something unusual before taking action.

(Let's confirm first.)

"Two people came, a lady who seemed like a young lady and a man who seemed like her bodyguard, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"Are they someone I know?"

"Hmm… If they were, they would have approached us more closely, so I think they're not."

"I see."

(Something's still off.)

Kaita, smiling inwardly at his sister's intelligence, was confident that his sense of something being off was not mistaken.

Fundamentally, the Grand Duchy of Far Eastern Russia was a country rebuilt by nobles who had experienced a revolution. Therefore, they tended to avoid those who could cause a revolution.

"For example, a 'hero of the common people' is exactly that."

"Is it…?"

"Yeah."

That's why they had tried to make Kaita a knight and marry him to a noble, specifically a relative of the Grand Duke, to bring him into their fold.

Since that attempt failed, the likelihood of them trying to bring Kaita into their fold was extremely low.

(At least not for a few years.)

For them, a hero who wouldn't become family was best left as a reinforcement from an allied country.

"So, it's odd that the young lady and her bodyguard came to the same school as you, targeting me?"

"Yeah. They were rejected even in a place with little Japanese influence, using a relative of the Grand Duke as bait. Why would they come to a school where they would face interference from the Japanese government?"

If they succeeded or failed, they would certainly be viewed negatively by the Japanese government. This was no longer a gamble but a suicide mission.

"I guess you're right."

"Yeah, I wouldn't do it either."

"Then what's their purpose?"

"There are a few possibilities…"

One was that the nobles of Far Eastern Russia, not the Grand Duke, had sent them. If Kaita couldn't be the Grand Duke's, they might have decided he could be theirs.

Given that Kaita was evaluated as a soldier who could outperform an entire squad, it wasn't impossible that a noble would take such action.

However, to study abroad, they would need to go through diplomatic channels, and if it became public, it would lower their standing not only in Japan but also with the Grand Duke. So this possibility was slim.

If it wasn't a recruitment attempt, the other possibility was an adversarial action.

"Another possibility is that they are trying to worsen my relationship with the military by publicly praising me."

This was an application of the Six Secret Teachings. By giving rewards to win over the other side's favorite minister and favoring other loyalists, while also lavishing attention on the incompetent to stir their pride, they could drive a wedge between the internal and external relationships.

While it might seem contradictory when written out, it actually wasn't.

"For example, if we replace 'the other side's favorite minister' with me and 'the incompetent' with those who have ability but can't achieve results, like the Third Division, the situation becomes clear. I've already been evaluated by the Grand Duke, so there's no problem there. All that's left is to stir the jealousy of the Third Division."

"Yeah. Even now, there are a lot of people who are jealous of you. If a noble came as a potential bride, it could make them even more jealous."

"Yeah."

"Then, would you be driven away by the jealous people and go to the other side? But wouldn't you still be jealous and guarded there?"

"Somewhat, but without the backing of Japan, you would have to rely on them for power, creating more opportunities for them to bring you in. So it wouldn't be a problem."

"Ah, I see."

In fact, if that happened, Kaita would end up marrying a noble's daughter and fighting like a workhorse to protect their city and country. At that point, the Grand Duke wouldn't need to be wary anymore.

Of course, the likelihood of Kaita being assassinated before he could escape Japan was extremely high, and whether he succeeded or failed, it would create a rift between Far Eastern Russia and Japan, which was likely part of their plan.

"So, their goal is me. Not to recruit me, but to kill me. The best scenario would be to have Japan kill me, right?"

"To worsen the relationship between Far Eastern Russia and Japan to the point of killing you? …Then those people are from the coexistence faction?"

"The possibility is high."

"But they're nobles, right? Is it possible?"

Nobles are generally those who lead the fight against monsters. Given this, it might seem impossible for a noble to be part of the coexistence faction. But there are nobles who think like the coexistence faction.

In fact, even in Japan, which is separated by the sea and hasn't been seriously invaded, there are people who are tired of the war that has lasted over a hundred years and are listening to the voices of the coexistence faction.

So why wouldn't the nobles, who are constantly exposed to the threat of monsters, be part of the coexistence faction?

This isn't limited to the general public.

"Nobles are 'those who fight.' That's true. But there are different types of 'fighting.'"

The main issue is the purpose of the 'fight.' Whether they fight to maintain their pride or to protect the city they govern, the content of the fight changes significantly.

"To put it bluntly, as long as someone protects you, it doesn't matter who it is. We fight against the demons to avoid being enslaved or eaten, but if that's not the case, it doesn't matter if the ruler is a demon."

So, if their lives were protected, nobles would connect with demons and wish for their city not to be attacked. In return, they would serve in the military once or twice a year, fulfilling their duties as nobles.

The demons would receive food, information, or technology in return.

For those who have built such a mutually beneficial relationship, Kaita's existence would undoubtedly be an obstacle.

However, directly targeting Kaita, who attends a military school with only ten students in his class, would be too risky. Therefore, they first placed someone near Yuna, who was easier to approach than Kaita.

This made sense.

"Of course, it could be an overreaction."

"Yeah."

"But right now, we're in a good position to be overreacting and being overly cautious."

"Yeah."

"It's all my fault. I feel bad for causing you trouble, but…"

"You don't need to apologize. If you didn't, we couldn't live like this."

In fact, Yuna had no complaints about living with Kaita. She even felt happy every day.

"…I see."

"Yeah! That's right."

"…I see."

Kaita, relieved to see that Yuna wasn't putting on a brave face, decided to get back at those who had sent suspicious people near his proud sister.

*Of course, this is just a personal opinion—some might call it a fantasy.*

And of course, he would only take action once the facts were clear, to avoid causing diplomatic issues.

Thank you for reading.