Chapter 64: Awkward Mother and Daughter

It happened one afternoon.

"Mom, can you pass me that potato over there?"

"Ah, um, yes. I know."

It happened after training on another day.

"Good work, Shion. Here, let me dry you off with a towel."

"Ah, right. It's okay. I can do it myself."

"I-I see..."

"N-No, maybe I should let you do it after all."

"All right."

It happened on a certain day off.

"Shion, if you're going shopping, maybe we could go together—"

"Ah, sorry, Mom. I'd like to go alone today."

"I-I see. Sorry for springing it on you."

"No, I'm the one who should apologize for turning you down."

After watching exchanges like that from the shadows...

"Hey, weren't those two supposed to have made up already? They're so awkward with each other it's painful to watch. Anybody got any ideas to fix this?"

"Just leave them alone..."

And so I resolved to do everything I could to help those two get back to how they used to be. Yeah, maybe you'd call it sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but it's genuinely frustrating to watch.

You can tell they both want to get along. But there's still guilt over all the secrets that were kept, and even after accepting that they're still mother and daughter despite learning who was real and who was fake, there are complicated feelings mixed into it all.

At this point, it was practically guaranteed that nothing would change unless someone from the outside gave the situation a push.

"Um, Toma-kun? I think this is the sort of thing that time will solve on its own."

"The kinds of things time solves usually have ways to shorten that waiting period. Giving up before even looking for those ways just isn't like me!!"

Even I, someone who was supposed to be confined to a bed, had witnessed enough of these painfully awkward interactions. Everyone else had probably seen them even more often. Hikari and Alicia were trying to stop me right now, but if being told to stop was enough to stop me, then most of the things I'd done in my life would never have happened.

Once I decide to do something, I charge straight ahead. No matter what stands in my way, I keep moving until I create and seize the future I want.

I'll get those two to make up completely and return to their easygoing mother-daughter relationship as soon as possible...!!

"Why are you so invested in this...?"

"Because it's obvious those two could be even closer. They both want to reach out, but that one step feels so far away. If that's the case, all we have to do is give them a little push. If someone's on the verge of happiness but can't quite get there, of course I want to help."

"I guess that's one thing about you that hasn't changed since long ago, Toma-kun..."

"Yeah, not even a little. He's always been an absurdly nosy guy."

The two of them spoke with wry smiles, and honestly, they weren't wrong.

Sure, it might be none of my business. But I'm convinced that the more happy moments people can have, the better. If left alone, they'd probably repair their relationship eventually and become the family they once were. But if that process can be shortened, then shorter is obviously better.

That said, if this plan was going to succeed, we'd need manpower.

The more people involved, the more ideas we'd have and the greater our chances of success. Besides, we knew very little about the two women from the Kingdom of Yaranri. Without knowing what they were like before, we wouldn't even know whether we'd reached our goal.

In other words, what we needed was knowledge of the past.

Seeking allies who possessed that knowledge, we headed to a certain room to enlist help in reconciling Shion and Ms. Ciel.

As a matter of courtesy, I knocked.

No answer.

I knocked again.

Still nothing.

Just as I was about to try a third time, a tremendous crash rang out from inside the supposedly soundproof room. Startled, I immediately opened the door and looked inside.

"Excuse us!!"

"Ugh, come on!! Why are there so many documents being sent over!? ...Wait, why are you people barging in!?"

The source of the noise was Julia, the current Spear King.

Documents—probably sent from the Kingdom of Yaranri—were scattered everywhere around her. The pile she'd apparently kicked over was still fluttering through the air. Looking at the mess, it was obvious that cleaning it up would be far more than a simple chore.

Buried among the paperwork were the twin sisters, Leila and Laila.

They'd probably been helping. Even with the necessary knowledge, this workload would be overwhelming, and neither of them likely had much experience handling paperwork in the first place.

It was a complete dead end.

"I'm busy!! These reports from Yaranri are going to bury me alive...!!"

"...There were hundreds of pages. Enough to bury little Julia."

"Just how many problems did your country have?"

"When that piece of trash was king? You can imagine it. In fact, it's exactly as bad as you're imagining. Corruption and bribery everywhere. Even decent people eventually got dragged into it. We're desperately short on capable personnel right now."

"Eek...!!"

Even for people like Julia, who probably considered fulfilling their duties second nature, this had to be rough.

I picked up some of the scattered documents and glanced through them. They were the sort of things even I could process.

You get used to paperwork like this when you've been a king.

Though honestly, I hate the fact that the job forces you to get used to it.

"Hikari, wasn't the Minister of Internal Affairs visiting the city?"

"Ah, right. He came to explain the current situation and bring documents that needed your signature. He said he was going to buy souvenirs before heading back, and his schedule was pretty open, so he's probably still around."

"In that case, could you bring him here? We'll process all these documents under the pretext of providing aid to a neighboring country. We'll need extra hands."

"Roger that."

The next instant, wind wrapped around Hikari's body and she shot out the window at incredible speed.

Even at my normal capabilities, there was no way I could keep up with her. It was a clear demonstration of both her talent and the skill she'd developed through training.

Though, was I the only one who thought she should avoid launching herself through windows while wearing a skirt?

Granted, I was the only man present, but her lovely skirt had flipped up, revealing something wonderfully pure white underneath.

She probably hadn't noticed.

I'll just consider it a blessing for the eyes and leave it at that.

"Toma-kun?"

"Yes. Nothing at all."

Alicia, standing beside me, cornered me with a radiant smile.

She'd clearly realized exactly what I'd just been appreciating.

Yeah... considering the conversation we'd had only a few days ago, admiring another woman's underwear was admittedly pretty terrible.

But I'd appreciate it if everyone could forgive me.

Male instincts are not so easily defeated...

"Things are moving too fast. What's going on here exactly?"

"...The Sword Kings are helping with the paperwork. Hooray."

"No, no, no!!! We can't just hand our nation's documents over to another country! Stop making decisions on your own!!"

"Well, what you're saying is technically correct, but... Julia, those dark circles under your eyes are awful. You haven't slept much, have you?"

Julia looked irritated, but my interference wasn't the main cause.

It was sleep deprivation.

When you're running on no sleep, everything annoys you.

I remembered being the same way when I first became Sword King, so I couldn't exactly criticize her.

"You're cute, so it's a waste to look this exhausted. I know you've only just become the Spear King and that this is an important time, but if you keep working yourself to death, people are going to worry. At the very least, I worry."

"Yeah, I agree with that. I think Julia is cute too."

"...Idiot sister, that's not the part you're supposed to agree with."

"Hm? Ah, you're right. It really is a waste since she's so cute."

"...I think all the seriousness leaked out with the blood during the King's War. They're hopeless. Saint, can you heal this?"

"I'm sorry. That's beyond my abilities... It's a personal issue. I said the same thing to Hikari-chan, but if someone was born this way..."

As Alicia trailed off, Laila collapsed to the floor on her hands and knees in utter despair.

The culprit responsible for making the younger twin sister—one of the physically strongest people in the world—look so defeated was Leila, who merely tilted her head in confusion.

Honestly, she'd never seemed like the sort of person who would react that way before.

I'd always thought she was more of the dependable type, like Shion.

But before worrying about that, there was one thing I needed to say.

"Alicia, you've been holding back less and less lately. I think that's a wonderful thing, but I'd be even happier if you were a little gentler with me."

"If I were gentler, wouldn't you just do even more reckless things?"

"I have no defense against that. Sorry."

There was nothing I could do except apologize immediately.

I knew I caused her plenty of trouble, but some things simply couldn't be helped.

Honestly, I was certain I'd continue throwing myself into reckless situations in the future.

You shouldn't make promises you can't keep.

Especially not to someone important.

"So what's your actual goal? If you're doing me a favor, what exactly are you planning to make me help with? This time—and only this time!!—I'll cooperate since you're helping us."

"Really? I was fully aware that we were basically forcing our way in..."

"Because if I don't cooperate, you'll probably keep pestering me. It's easier to just accept my fate now. So? What do you want me to do?"

That ability to switch gears so quickly was one of the reasons Julia was so capable.

I couldn't do that.

I'd probably dwell on things forever and let them affect everything else.

Maybe that's just who I am, but it doesn't change how much I admire that side of her.

The fact that she'd agreed to cooperate was a blessing.

So before she could change her mind, I decided to reveal our objective.

Though whether she'd happily help was another matter entirely.

Julia seemed to have a bit of a grudge against Shion.

"And with that, I hereby launch Operation: Reconcile Shion and Ms. Ciel!!!"

"...Why does that somehow involve coming all the way to my room???"

As expected, her face was filled with nothing but question marks.