If you think about it, it’s completely obvious.
No matter how dangerous the situation Nanami and I had just been in, the Hanamura household was peaceful and running on its usual schedule.
When I asked Claris-san—who rarely seemed to have a moment of free time and was currently sipping tea—about Ludi, she told me Ludi was studying in her room.
Well, with the first exam since enrollment fast approaching, you’d naturally want to study.
I had completely forgotten about the exam because I fully intended to skip it.
This academy is special, after all.
As long as you can successfully explore the Dungeon, you can pass the year or even graduate.
That’s why some students skip classes right from the start.
But Ludi is generally a sensible honors student.
Or rather, wouldn’t any normal person naturally do the same?
After finishing my mock combat with Claris-san and my katana swinging practice, I organized my future schedule while taking a bath.
I wanted to avoid going to Ludi’s room.
With the exams so close, Nee-san seemed to be busy (?).
Sometimes I can’t read Nee-san’s actions, though, so maybe she wasn’t actually busy.
In that case, since the school’s highest authority was currently at home, shouldn’t I make my preparations first?
That person always seemed busy, so it was better to talk to her now.
Now that my mind was made up, I just needed to take immediate action.
As soon as I finished washing, I changed my clothes and headed to Marino-san’s room.
The people inside were Marino-san and Nanami.
“You arrived at the perfect time.”
Hm?
Tilting my head in confusion, Marino-san handed me a piece of paper.
I reached out, took it, and sat on the sofa next to Nanami.
“Um, what is this?
A marriage registry… Hm?”
“Ara, I mixed it up!”
“There is definitely no way you could mix that up, right!”
She quickly snatched the previous paper back and handed me a different one.
Why was that even in here?
I don’t think you can just get your hands on a marriage registry unless you go out of your way to the ward office, or maybe get it as some weird eroge bonus item.
It looked so real that if anyone else saw it, there would definitely be a massive misunderstanding.
Wait, Nee-san’s name and my name were on that previous marriage registry… No, that’s just my imagination.
“Here, here.”
“Uh, an academy registration form… Right?”
Nanami, sitting next to me, chimed in: “Please prepare one of these for everyone, thank you.” But we weren’t here to talk about the registration form, right?
Well, whatever.
I took a quick look at the form, then stared at the person whose name was written on it.
She had been saying something to Marino-san, but when she noticed my gaze, she turned to face me.
The moment our eyes met, Nanami suddenly slapped her hands onto her cheeks and started squirming shyly.
“No good, I’m too embarrassed here…!”
“How about you stop making such suggestive and misleading remarks?”
I hadn’t even said anything.
What the hell was she imagining in her delusions?
“Alright, alright, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything♪”
No, I didn’t need that kind of consideration.
I turned back to Nanami, who was already returning to her usual demeanor.
“So… can we get back to the main topic?”
“Yes, I just made my decision.”
“Finally, I don’t have to talk to this old hag anymore, and now I can officially go to school with Goshujin-sama.
Mou, you don’t need to look so happy about it, please.”
Why was Nanami so harsh with Marino-san?
Well, I’d ask about that later.
More importantly…
“Speaking of being happy or not, I am happy, but right now I’m in a pretty precarious position at the academy.”
My position at the academy was precarious, partly because of the incident with Ludi and the fact that I kept skipping classes.
On the contrary, considering what I was trying to do in the future, the possibility of my reputation getting even worse couldn’t be denied.
“That’s because you don’t attend classes properly~”
Marino-san stared at me.
I couldn’t really argue with that, but I knew I was going to end up skipping even more.
Especially until the first exam was over.
Above all…
“Thinking about the future, I think there’s no problem leaving things as they are, but making even Nanami go out of her way to get involved in this is… Even so, I can’t predict how this will all settle in the end.”
“In the future, huh~… Could it be the Three Committees?”
Marino’s eyes gleamed with a mysterious light.
It was an incredibly sharp guess.
And she was exactly right.
“Well, no matter what happens, I’ll never leave Goshujin-sama’s side.
And no matter what the background characters say, I don’t care.
I’ll just annihilate them.”
“If you’ve reached the point of wanting to annihilate them, then you clearly do care what they say.”
“Well, jokes aside, I really don’t care at all.”
She seemed fully prepared to follow me no matter what happened.
“Well, I feel like Nanami will just make the situation more entertaining.
So it’s fine.”
Goshujin-sama understands me so well.
As we were chatting like this, Marino-san called out to me with a playful, “Nee~ nee~”
“Kou-chan.
Kou-chan.
If possible, could you tell me what you’re trying to do?”
Ah, I had come here for exactly this.
To make sure the worst-case scenario didn’t happen, I had come here to “make the necessary arrangements.”
“Actually, I came here precisely to talk about that.
What I’m trying to do is simple.”
Well, in reality, I was doing this just to get stronger, and talking about it now was just a byproduct.
But it would have a massive impact, so I needed to prioritize it.
If I was going to declare it, I had to do it with pride.
I raised my index finger and smiled.
“I’ve decided to skip the exams and still rank first among the first-years.”
─Nanami’s Point of View─
Goshujin-sama seemed to be viewed as an underachiever at school.
The piercing, hostile gazes directed at him made that abundantly clear.
If you asked for the details, the reason was simple: it was based on his low grades and his overly close relationship with Ludi-sama.
Ludi-sama was absolutely outraged by this.
She wanted to take action, but she knew that if she did the wrong thing, Goshujin-sama could be harmed.
Besides, Goshujin-sama hadn’t provoked all of this without thinking it through.
Furthermore, Ludi-sama wasn’t the only one worried about him.
Yukine-sama, Hatsumi-sama, Claris-sama… Goshujin-sama was truly cared for by so many people.
“Goshujin-sama.
Look at the lower lifeforms who can only gossip behind your back.
Their glares are quite comforting, aren’t they?”
“That’s a forbidden phrase for normal students, okay?”
Of course, I had no actual intention of saying that to them.
But when I deliberately replied, “I have no choice, right?” I laughed internally at Goshujin-sama’s anxious expression, though I didn’t let it show on my face.
“Well, I think that concludes the tour of the main campus areas.”
“Thank you very much, Goshujin-sama.
However, I don’t want to leave your side for a single moment, so wherever I go, we go together.”
I hugged Goshujin-sama’s arm to show off.
As I pressed my body against his arm and breathed in his scent, I could feel the hostile gazes around us intensifying.
Now, my promising Goshujin-sama had the strong backing of the furious people around him, but if I had any lingering concern, it was about that woman.
I didn’t think there was anything to worry about, but there was always a possibility.
Knowing Goshujin-sama, he might just smile bitterly and say, “It couldn’t be helped,” even if something was done to him.
But there is no such thing as “it couldn’t be helped.”
However, as far as I could tell, she didn’t seem to be an enemy.
I had made her swear: “Be an ally to Goshujin-sama” and “Don’t become a disadvantage to him.” First of all, I could tell she liked Goshujin-sama.
That’s why I thought it was safe.
Still, her existence was isolated from ordinary humans.
Why was she in a place like this?
No, first of all, this entire area was strange.
There was no similar case in my transferred knowledge.
It seemed she would eventually talk to Goshujin-sama about it, but that was still in the future.
Regardless, I had to ensure there was zero possibility of her becoming a threat to Goshujin-sama.
That’s why I had to remain vigilant.
Along with the Director of the Tsukuyomi Magic Academy, Hanamura Marino.
“Well, let’s meet up with Ludi and head home.
Even so, this is strange.”
I nodded at his words.
I was curious, too.
The hostile gazes directed at us were gradually fading.
It was as if they had found something much bigger to look at.
Judging by the brooches and tie pins on their uniforms, the crowd was mostly made up of second- and third-year students.
“Get lost, get lost.
You’re in the way.
I can’t pass like this.”
“Shion, stop.
You always do this and ruin the atmosphere around you.
Honestly, everyone in the Shikibu Kai is like this…”
When I looked over at the commotion with Goshujin-sama, I saw a woman in a purple kimono and a woman wearing glasses.
“What?
It’s better to say it clearly, right?
If they keep gathering here, they’ll only get in the way.”
“I’m trying to talk to people who can understand reason; there’s no need to pick a fight.”
The woman with glasses pushed them up the bridge of her nose and glared at the other.
“Nanami, I wonder why?
Goshujin-sama said this and laughed happily.
“They’re members of the Three Committees, which is one of my goals.
They are the strong warriors who will eventually reach the strength of the Committee Presidents.”
Perhaps they noticed our gazes, the two women who had stolen the crowd’s attention turned toward us.
“Hohoh, and I was wondering who it was.
Isn’t it Yukine’s favorite?
It seems you’re having a lot of fun, aren’t you?”
“Is this the boy…?
He’s the boy the Kaichou was interested in, right?”
Goshujin-sama shrugged his shoulders.
“Never thought I’d run into you in a place like this.
Himemiya Shion-senpai, Vice-Minister of the Shikibu Kai, and Franziska Edda von Gneisenau-senpai, Vice-President of the Student Council.”
“Hou.
You knew?
Well, I suppose that’s natural.”
“Leaving the fact that you know me aside, you even know Shion.”
“Hou, Fran, are you picking a fight?
I’ll take you up on that, you know.”
I had heard the Student Council and the Shikibu Kai didn’t get along, and it seemed to be true.
“In my calculations, there is nearly a 100% chance I would win, so it’s a waste of time.”
“Hou, talking big, huh.
Hm, what’s wrong with you lot?
How long are you going to keep staring?
Get lost.”
A dark magic circle materialized in front of Himemiya Shion.
But Franziska erased it with a mere wave of her hand.
As expected, the onlookers must have realized it was dangerous here; they fled in all directions, leaving us as the only ones remaining.
“Takioto Kousuke and, uh, her…?”
The woman with glasses looked at me and asked timidly.
Seeing her line of sight fixed on my maid outfit, it seemed she couldn’t resist being bothered by it.
“It’s a maid uniform.”
Eh?
Franziska’s eyes were practically spinning out of her head, screaming, This is a school… Himemiya Shion, from the Shikibu Kai, was laughing in stark contrast.
There were people who came to school in traditional Japanese clothing, so it didn’t matter if it was a maid outfit.
Even the old hag Marino had said there was no problem with me wearing it.
Furthermore, seeing Goshujin-sama secretly laughing as he watched the situation, I figured there was no problem contacting them while I cracked a few jokes.
Looking at the two of them, I leaned in and whispered in Goshujin-sama’s ear.
“Goshujin-sama, are they by any chance new candidates for your Oku-sama (wife)?”
“Wrong.
Nanami, what exactly do you think I am…?”
Goshujin-sama said that, but was it really true?
“I’m sorry, let’s keep the jokes to a minimum here.”
Well, no matter how many Oku-sama candidates appeared, what I did wouldn’t change.
My advantage remained exactly the same.
I am a Maid Knight and an angel.
And I have a contract exclusively with Goshujin-sama.
It’s a unilateral contract with him.
However, it’s a contract that only I have, and no one else does.
This contract isn’t available to anyone else.
Work in the Dungeon and die in the Dungeon.
I was supposed to be just that kind of Maid Knight.
But Goshujin-sama tried to give me freedom.
Therefore, I live freely.
I will be with Goshujin-sama because there is no problem in being free.
I love this banter with Goshujin-sama.
Spouting nonsense that makes us laugh without realizing it, along with his adorable, flustered yelps, fills my heart with joy.
I love taking care of Goshujin-sama.
I am happy just being by his side.
I will never give up my position as his maid.
I will dedicate everything to Goshujin-sama.
No, I want to dedicate everything to him.
If Goshujin-sama wants to be the strongest, I will support him.
I will support the Goshujin-sama who thinks too much about others and sacrifices himself.
I grabbed the hem of my skirt and bowed elegantly.
I had no intention of handing this position over to anyone.
I was the one who served Goshujin-sama.
Even if the number of Oku-sama candidates increased, that wouldn’t change.
No matter how strong the opponent was, I would never give up this place.
This is my place.
“I am the beautiful maid who serves my Goshujin-sama, the man who will become the strongest in the world.
My name is Nanami.
I look forward to working with you from today onward.”