Chapter 59

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

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Worried, Takanosuke, the old man, approached Miu with an exaggerated act. "What was it... what was it... hmm? What was your name again?" He tilted his head, looking like the world's cutest girl with her silver-gray hair.

The old man hugged the girl, making it look like an emotional reunion. "Squish."

Miu's parents, who had caused a commotion earlier, couldn't stop Takanosuke's actions. He looked like a grandfather happily meeting his granddaughter after a long time, despite his eyes gleaming suspiciously.

"Really, causing a commotion in such a place. I'll have to reprimand him. Miu, are you hurt?"

His voice was as gentle as a cat's purr. Miu, who had grown a bit wiser, replied, "No, I'm fine!"

She smiled and answered, "Yes, I'm okay!" How should I handle this? Her father is an alien, but he's also my grandfather. Causing more trouble here would be bad. Given his social status, it would be difficult. So, I'll go with the innocent Miu mode.

"Is that so, is that so? I was surprised when I received the call. Was Furihata okay?"

"...Yes, Furihata, I'm fine."

Right, it was Furihata. From the bitter expression on her father's face as he answered Furihata, it was clear they didn't get along. Yet, Furihata's grandfather seemed friendly.

"I was looking for you. It's just in time. The unveiling of Seina is over. Let's go greet the Emperor. As the next head of the Takanosuke family, you should go with your wife and daughter. We should also apologize for this conflict."

Furihata's grandfather patted my head and declared it as if it were a done deal. Her father's face grew even more sour. If he kept frowning, he'd get wrinkles. Maybe Miu could cast a recovery spell on him?

"Furihata, I have no intention of becoming the head of the Takanosuke family. I've refused many times."

"I know, I know. But didn't you see how terrible the storm was? We can't appoint him as the successor. That leaves you. If not, things will get worse, don't you think?"

"..."

Her father seemed to understand that an alien couldn't be the successor. Even I, a beautiful girl, think so. Besides, I introduced myself as an alien to everyone around. But to use this situation to his advantage, what a sly old man.

"The Takanosuke family carries the lives of many employees. If Furihata doesn't greet them as the head, the relatives will start a succession dispute. Don't you think it will be a mess? You were raised here as a child. Didn't you receive some favors then?"

"I can't use wind magic. No one will recognize me as the head."

Her father shook his head. Why can't you be the head if you can't use wind magic?

I was curious, but it seemed he thought he had a point. Her father, a good person, was weak when spoken to like that. A cunning old man. The grandfather continued to press on.

"Isn't it time to reconcile? We're not children to hold grudges. What about Miu? If we do nothing, she'll be prey to the masses."

"..."

Her father was speechless. I'm fine, I thought. If you give me more time, I'll get stronger. I wanted to say, "Don't worry," but my words as a child would have no persuasiveness.

But I have a super secret power.

"Daddy, can we go eat now?"

Miu, with her ice-blue eyes glistening, asked her father. "The aliens and the black noodles are already there, right?" It was a secret technique of a young girl: "The talk is over, I don't understand difficult things." The name is a bit long, so I'll think about it.

"Ha ha ha! That's right. This is Miu's 10th birthday party today. The adults can talk later. Don't you think so? I'll apologize to the Emperor. I know why you couldn't stop the fight."

It seemed the old lady had been working behind the scenes. I'm glad I could punch the alien.

"Nu, I'll handle the apology! Besides, this might be the only chance to greet the Emperor."

The old man, smiling, told the old lady to stop interfering. He looked around nervously. What's going on? Is he worried about others watching? Some people were watching the family drama with interest. This is embarrassing. Hmm, is he looking for someone?

"I think there will be other opportunities to meet the girl. Besides, it seems we don't have anyone reliable right now. Wouldn't it be better to end this peacefully?"

The old lady, as if seeing through the old man's intentions, said with a calm expression.

"Ugh. I thought something was off. You've been interfering, haven't you? This has nothing to do with the Ryusui family, right?"

The old man looked slightly regretful. The good-old-man facade was starting to crack. Her father thought for a moment, looking at the old lady. He seemed to have something on his mind.

"No, no, it's uncomfortable to just watch the girl be prey. It's a small act of kindness to remind each other of our positions."

Duke Ryusui was true to his character in the original story. He liked to stir things up and often took advantage of the situation to secure his own interests. He was energetic and light-hearted, often giving the protagonist strange requests, like fetching worthless items from ancient ruins or hunting rare monsters. He would also command the protagonist to participate in martial arts tournaments to restore their status when they were in a difficult position at school.

He was generally on the protagonist's side, but not necessarily mine.

"Go ahead, Miu."

Her father, determined to end the conversation, gave his permission.

"Okay!"

Miu, the captain, was ready to go. I was about to head to my new friend.

"Wait! Wait, Miu!"

"No, Furihata. I refuse your offer. If a succession dispute starts, you can choose from among the relatives. Someone who can use wind magic and has good business skills."

Her father firmly refused the old man. He was cool. The old man's words were a lie. He said to think of the employees, but if that were true, he could choose from his own sons. There must be others in the Takanosuke family who can use wind magic and have good business skills.

It was a lie to say he could only rely on her father. It was a tactic to limit the options and make it seem like there was no other way.

"Ugh. I can't trust someone who isn't a direct descendant!"

"That's not my concern anymore. I won't say I understand. You've always pushed your plans through."

"...I see. I'll indulge your whims for now. But one day, you'll return to the Takanosuke family. It's not just my wish. It's an inevitable future. Don't think the protection of the Teisei family will always be safe."

"I understand."

The old man left, speaking like a prophet. He was a bit of a cool villain. He understood the situation as he left.

Is that alien really his child? It's hard to believe. And it's hard to believe that the good and cool father is his child too.

"Miu, let's have cake together next time. You seem like an interesting girl. I'll treat you to a famous pastry chef's cake?"

As I was about to talk to my new friend again, the old lady smiled at me.

Hmm, it seems like dealing with this old lady will be difficult. In the game, she only gave me troublesome quests.

"Set up an appointment!"

So, I waved goodbye with a smile. I'll think about it when I'm at her level. Yes, yes.

"Ha ha ha. Okay. See you later. I need to get back before the Emperor gets angry."

After laughing, the old lady left, and finally, peace... didn't come.

"The hidden temple has been unlocked, ka."

Flapping his wings, Munin landed on the table, his red eyes gleaming at me, and cawed.

"There are a lot of Scissors Mantises, ka."

"Damn, it was this party after all!"

I had hoped it might be different. In the original story, the protagonist and the holy maiden had infiltrated a party for commoners.

The story had moved from the balcony unveiling to the commoners' party, so I thought there would be a significant time gap. I thought I had more time to have Munin search for anything strange and reseal it. It was a mistake.

"Where are Shin and Seina?"

"They're at the commoners' party, ka."

"When did they get there! They were on the balcony just a moment ago!"

They shouldn't have been able to use teleportation, and the commoners' party was far from the palace. Damn, there must have been an emergency teleportation array in the palace. They must have used it.

"How many mantises are there?"

"The eggs have hatched, ka. About 10,000, including adults and juveniles, ka."

I felt dizzy at the number. This is bad, too many.

"I'm going to the bathroom!"

I told Tamamo and ran away from the food quest team, pretending to be in a hurry. Tamamo waved goodbye, saying, "Be careful."

I ran, leaning forward, and asked Munin, who was flying beside me, with a serious look.

"Is the security here tight?"

"There are many guards in the noble area, ka."

"Plus, the nobles themselves can fight. Dad and Mom will be fine."

In the original story, no nobles died. This caused resentment among the commoners and reduced the Emperor's influence.

It all started with the sacrifice of many commoners.

'Talk to a companion: Frigg'

While running through the crowd, I selected the command to talk to the distant party. Frigg's face appeared as a hologram in the air.

"Frigg, did you finish what I asked?"

"Yes, here it is."

Frigg showed the necklace with the rusty ring and smiled seductively. I was impressed she managed to infiltrate the palace. She was a skilled thief.

"Did you do the next thing I asked?"

"I'm waiting calmly."

Great, everything is done. I'm impressed by my new companion's reliability.

"Then, let's stick to the plan. The timing has changed."

"Hmm, I see."

"Yes, so, do it!"

"Understood, my lady."

She bared her fangs and smiled, and the image of Frigg disappeared.

And so, the sound of a tank cannon echoed through the party venue.