Volume 2, 1 - A New Emissary Part 1

Volume 2, Chapter 1 – A New Emissary Part 1

The doorway of the Kenzaki house was dyed in the deep color of sunset. A girl was bowing deeply to everyone present, while holding a slightly threadbare bag.

“Thank you so much for all that you’ve done for me.”

The tears in her eyes caught the light of the setting sun and gave off a radiance that looked like real gold. The girl who possessed such a level of beauty held a well-used bag in her hands, bit her lip, and once again faced all the members of the Kenzaki family who had gathered near the front door of their house.

“I’ve caused you nothing but trouble, and yet you’ve done so much for me that I can never hope to pay you back…”

“I’ve hardly done anything for you, Diana-chan.”

Diana’s hair was shining with a golden color. The person who called out to her was the central pillar of the Kenzaki family, Kenzaki Hideo.

“Please don’t say that. This was all caused by my lack of judgement.”

Diana closed her eyes with long eyelashes and shook her head in response to what Hideo said.

“No, it wasn’t your fault…!”

The eldest son of the Kenzaki family, Yasuo, couldn’t hold himself back and blurted that out.

However, his mother, Madoka, spoke up to restrain him.

“Don’t say things like that which will weaken Diana-chan’s resolve.”

“…Mom… I…”

“Onii-chan.”

Yasuo still looked unwilling to give up, and the person who stepped in to firmly scold him was his sister, Nodoka.

“If you detain Diana-san here any longer, she’s the one who will get hurt. Can’t you understand that? Diana-san has already made her decision.”

“God… dammit…”

Yasuo’s feelings of shame were condensed into the sound that leaked from his mouth as he ground his teeth.

After giving Yasuo a look filled with sadness, Diana spoke decisively.

“It’s time for me to leave.”

“…Yeah.”

Hideo accepted her words, then Diana raised her head slightly and spoke with lips the color of cherry blossoms.

“Yasuo.”

“Diana…”

“Yasuo, I believe that you are a splendid man who will not lose, no matter what kind of trouble comes your way. Please, harden your heart and face your trials.”

Yasuo’s voice lacked energy as he replied to Diana’s encouragement.

“Diana… I’m sorry, I…”

Yasuo was unable to lift his head.

However, Diana smiled and turned away, as if she had seen the anguish and determination that lay in the depths of Yasuo’s expression.

“Well then, I will take my leave.”

Diana didn’t look back as she passed through the door that had been resurrected using the money from fire insurance. She took a step into the streets of Japan, which to her, was an alternate world.

Although it looked like she was reluctant to leave, her posture also showed her iron determination to part ways with the Kenzaki family. It was a complicated feeling.

And then.

Dianaze Krone, Magitech Knight of Ante Lande and ex-occupant of the house belonging to The Hero of Salvation, Hideo Kenzaki, walked over to the Marigold Hills Tokorozawa Apartment Building that was located diagonally to the right on the opposite side of the street, opened the door of Room Number 101, and disappeared inside.

“…Seriously.”

After Diana had left, Nodoka’s voice attacked Yasuo’s eardrums like spiked cudgels.

“Really, Onii-chan. What the hell are you doing?”

“I have no excuse…”

“Now, Nodoka. We’ve already talked about this a lot so why don’t you go easy on him.”

His father tried to block the spiked cudgels out of pity, but,

“Dad, you’re the one who should actually be scolding him proactively. You’re the parent, after all.”

“Well, about that…”

He retreated surprisingly quickly.

“Calm down, Nodoka. This was going to happen eventually in any case. We just had to do it a little sooner, that’s all. But it’s true, there’s no excuse for the mess Yasuo has created.”

“Ugh.”

His mother’s words struck Yasuo like an assassin’s dagger, and he let out a moan.

“I know, right? It should have been Onii-chan leaving the house, not Diana-san.”

“No, that would be pretty strange as well. And if that had happened, Diana-chan would have felt even worse.”

“Ah, dammit!”

Even though his sister’s verbal abuse had crossed the line a long time ago, Yasuo was unable to retaliate at all.

And then, Nodoka said those decisive words.

“Not being able to concentrate on your studies because of the Hero training and living with Diana-san and failing three subjects in your midterm exams, seriously, what the hell!? This is beyond the level of not having enough resolve as both a Hero and a student facing exams.”

“Aaaaargh!!”

Yasuo felt like someone was relentlessly pounding on his glass heart with a hammer, and he crumpled to the floor near the doorway.

※

Kenzaki Yasuo, who lived a 『very ordinary life』 with his 『typical Japanese family』, had just begun the spring of his third year as a high school student, when his life and the lives of his family members underwent a dramatic change due to the appearance of a visitor from another world.

A girl suddenly appeared in the middle of his peaceful family, and declared that she was Dianaze Krone, a Magitech Knight from a different world known as Ante Lande.

She revealed that Yasuo’s father, Hideo, and his mother, Madoka, were respectively the Hero and Great Magician who had saved Ante Lande during its crisis in the past, and explained that she had come to request their help once more in saving their world from a danger that had befallen it.

However, the children of that Hero and Great Magician, Yasuo and Nodoka, had not been told anything of their parents’ past until Dianaze Krone had appeared.

Their father was a salaryman, and their mother was a housewife.

The siblings thought that it was enough for their parents to just retain those identities.

There was no way they would not be confused after hearing 『We used to fight with swords and magic in the past』 from their parents who were about to enter their 50s.

When his father said that he would quit his job in response to the summons for aid, Yasuo used the fact that he and his sister were at an important stage in life as an excuse, and tried to reject the existence of the 『different world, Ante Lande』 itself.

However, Yasuo was forced to reconsider his feelings after seeing the existence of Diana, who was a messenger from that world, the legendary sword that resided within his father’s body, the magic used by his mother, and more than anything else, the appearance of dark monsters from the other world, which took the appearance of people who had already died.

His sister, Nodoka, began to accept their parents’ strange past sooner than him, and even after understanding everything, she was still reluctant to send her father to his death, and so she gently rejected Diana and the other world as well.

Diana herself had reservations about the fact that her homeworld needed to cling to a hero who had saved them thirty years ago, and so she assumed that the negotiations would end in failure. However, they were attacked by a Shii that bore the appearance of Diana’s dead father, Alexei Krone, and a mysterious man named 『William Bareig』, who had the ability to control the Shii.

William appeared to be targeting Yasuo and Nodoka, and so Diana attempted to fight against him. However, neither her sorcery nor her Techno Weapons had any effect on him, and she was about to suffer a complete defeat.

Luckily, Hideo arrived in the nick of time and drove William away, but neither the Kenzaki family nor Ante Lande could deny the new threat posed by the Shii any longer.

And so, Yasuo, who had realized his desire to 『protect the people important to me』 after the battles with Alexei=Shii and William, declared his intent to become the new Hero to replace his father who had become old.

※

Three days before Diana left the Kanzaki family house.

Yasuo was unable to rise from his seat in his classroom after receiving a ruthless verdict of three red cards.

In the first midterm exams of his third year, Yasuo received scores of 33 in English Reading, 34 in Classical Literature, and 34 in Social Studies. He received a failing score in English, Classical Literature, and Social Studies, which were the three main pillars of the humanities course to which he belonged.

Moreover, they were not just regular failing scores, all three were just on the border of failing, which made it all the more difficult to bear. The students of Takeoka High School were given grades out of ten, and anything less than or equal to three would be recorded as a failing grade.

Based on this system, a score of 34 would get grade 3, and 35 would get grade 4.

So basically, if Yasuo had answered even one more question correctly on these three exams, he could have avoided the worst case scenario.

If his rating for the whole year was less than 『4』, it would be considered a failing grade and he would have to repeat the year.

Of course, this was just the result of his first semester, and he had more than enough time to recover over the course of the year. However, failing three subjects was no small matter for a third year high school student who was aiming to go to college.

This unexpected situation even prompted a summons from his homeroom teacher, and Yasuo headed towards the staff room after school, feeling like a condemned criminal who was heading towards the gallows.

“Ah, Yasu. Are you okay?”

Upon returning to his classroom 30 minutes later with a haggard expression, Yasuo’s classmate, Aioi Aoto, greeted him with a serious expression on his face.

“Probably… not.”

“Well, you did get three failing grades at this point in time, so…”

Both the homeroom teacher and the teacher who was in charge of the curriculum could not ignore the fact that Yasuo, a third year student at a high-level private school, failed English, Classical Literature, and Social Studies, which were the main subjects that would determine his results in the final exams.

Thankfully, they didn’t summon him to reprimand him, but instead to decide on how to deal with his grades. However, that didn’t change how pathetic he felt about himself.

“Did they give you some kind of assignment?”

“I have to write a report for Social Studies. For English and Classical Literature, I need to take a make-up test sometime next week.”

To deal with his failing grades, Yasuo had to take make-up tests for English and Classical Literature, and write a report for Social Studies.

He was actually supposed to take a make-up test for Social Studies as well. However, Social Studies was relatively less important as an examination topic compared to the other subjects, and when the teacher in charge of the curriculum heard that he had to take make-up tests for English and Classical Literature as well, he said, 『Adding another test will be too much of a burden, so just think of it as practice for essay-writing and do your best』, and changed it to a report submission instead.

The theme of the report was, “Should the age of majority be reduced in accordance with the reduction in voting age? 1”

“…Taking a make-up test sounds easier.”

“You think so too?”

He wasn’t pressed for time, but writing a properly organized essay is no easy task. Moreover, he also had to do something about the English and Classical Literature make-up tests as well.

Aoto shot a concerned look at Yasuo, who had collapsed in his seat while hanging his head.

“So make-up tests for routine exams are actually a thing?”

“This is a first for me as well, so it feels weird on top of making me nervous.”

It wasn’t strange for Aoto to say that.

If Yasuo kept on the other side of the 35-mark failing line for the remaining routine exams and managed to get a rating of 5 even once, that would be more than enough to cover for this one failure and he would be able to graduate.

Even if a student only studied hard on the night before for the remaining exams, it was definitely possible to achieve that. For that reason, students would not usually get called to the staff room and be forced to take make-up tests for just failing a routine exam. At the most, they would just feel bad when getting the results of the exam back and during the parent-teacher conference.

However, things were different this time.

Although Yasuo was never one of the top students in the school, he had never scored below average until now.

Neither his homeroom teacher nor the teacher in charge of the curriculum scolded him for not studying. Instead, they were worried if there was some major problem at home or at school which was the root cause.

To be fair, the teachers were not wrong.

Except that his problems lay in a different direction to what they were thinking of.

“Well, I understand why they’re anxious. Yasu, you’ve lost a lot of weight in the last half-month.”

“Huh?”

Yasuo was surprised at this unexpected comment from Aoto.

“Maybe you haven’t realized it yourself, but you have a terrible complexion as well.”

“It’s that bad?”

Yasuo hurriedly put his hands on his face, but of course he would not be able to tell how he looked by doing that.

“There were many days when you had dark circles underneath your eyes, and even during the exams, I thought you looked like you were going to faint on the first day.”

At this point, his classmates Igarashi and Hino also came over and started talking, perhaps because they had overheard the previous conversation.

“I understand what Aoto means. Kenzaki, you weren’t the kind of guy who’d sleep during class before.”

“Yeah.”

Igarashi said that while grinning.

“Yeah. I was wondering if you were ill or something. You were losing weight and your complexion was terrible, but you were still still scarfing down your lunch.”

“Eeeh…”

Hino made a face and nodded along with Igarashi.

“It was pretty obvious that something was different. Although I don’t know if the teachers were watching you that closely.”

“S-Sorry, I seem to have made you guys worry about me. I didn’t mean for that to happen at all.”

It was quite rare for boys in high school to notice so much about the health of one of their peers. It just showed how much he had changed in recent times.

“Besides, you’ve started acting strangely recently. You asked me about my Dad’s work and stuff. That’s around when you started acting strangely, so I wondered if you had some issues like your father losing his job, or your parents getting divorced…. Ah… it’s nothing like that, right?”

Aoto meant to say that as a joke, but maybe he felt that it was not impossible halfway through, so he ended his sentence with a question while looking like he had brought up a touchy subject.

“N-No, it’s nothing like that. I was just, you know, a little depressed before exams started. I had the opportunity to hear about my Dad’s past from someone else, and I began to seriously feel anxious about my own path in life, that’s all.”

Aoto looked relieved at having avoided touching upon a delicate topic, and Yasuo felt relieved as well.

“I-I see. Still, if you have something on your mind, you can talk to me, you know? I don’t know if I’ll be able to help, though. I’ve heard that just speaking your worries out loud to someone else can make you feel a lot better.”

Aoto’s selfless display of friendship was far too dazzling.

No, it wasn’t just Aoto. Igarashi and Hino were the same, as were the teachers who noticed the change in him and were worried about him.

Yasuo realized that he was blessed with wonderful people around him and felt his eyes get hotter, but that was precisely the reason why he couldn’t tell any of them about his issues.

He was so enthusiastic about Hero training that he wasn’t able to concentrate on his studies.

Who on earth would accept that statement at face value?

The friendship and dedication he saw around him now might turn into twisted, forced smiles. Yasuo was well aware of that, so he had no choice but to insist that he had just become careless.

However, he was not able to hide the truth from the instructor of the Hero training herself.

The Hero training that Yasuo was undertaking under Diana’s guidance was actually an emulation of the Magitech Knight training that Diana had undergone herself.

Theoretical classes, physical training, and sorcery training were the three main pillars of the course, and right now they were in the middle of a lesson on the most basic level of sorcery training, 『Foundations of Sorcery』.

“Ouch!”

That magical energy that had been passing between his hands snapped back violently, causing his hands to turn red and throb as though they were frostbitten.

Foundations of Sorcery was a basic course that increased the amount of magical energy that a person could call upon. This was achieved by emitting the magical energy in the body from the hands and continuously passing it between both hands. It was similar to jogging.

In the ten minutes since the lesson started, Yasuo had allowed the magic to slip through his fingers three times, causing it to break apart.

This was like falling down thrice after just jogging for ten minutes.

“Yasuo, is there something you’re worried about?”

Dianaze Krone, the visitor from another world and a person similar to Yasuo in the sense that she too had parents who were counted as heroes in her country, quickly realized that Yasuo’s movements during training were even more lackluster than usual.

Even though Yasuo was a beginner at using sorcery, he hadn’t been this bad even on the day when he had first managed to release magical energy from his hands. Seeing this, Diana immediately interrupted Yasuo’s practice.

“Eh!? No! It’s nothing!”

Yasuo replied immediately while nursing his aching hands, but…

“…Yasuo?”

From Diana’s glowering expression and pursed lips, it was easy to understand that rather than blaming him, she was feeling sad as if she was thinking “Why are you telling such a transparent lie?”

After being glared at, Yasuo yielded to the beautiful Magitech Knight’s sullen expression and confessed the truth.

After seeing Diana’s gorgeous and delicate features, anyone who didn’t know her would assume that she was a sheltered, high-class young lady who would wear dresses and drink tea.

In fact, the high-class young lady part was undeniably true, but that was only because of the family she was born into. Both of her parents were full-time soldiers, and Diana herself was also a soldier.

What’s more, with Diana’s physical abilities and the mental strength that she had acquired during her training as a Magitech Knight in the other world, she would not lose even if she was up against a thousand opponents who were at Yasuo’s current level.

In her eyes, Yasuo’s hastily made-up lie probably appeared to to be more shallow than the lies told by a child.

“I received a failing grade on my midterm tests, so I have to take make-up tests.”

Yasuo gave up on trying to hide it and confessed the shameful truth.

“Tests? Failing grade…. Make-up tests!?”

As she processed the unfamiliar Japanese words in her head, Diana’s complexion went from bad to worse.

If anything, she looked even more worried than Yasuo himself, and leaned forward while sitting on her knees, putting her face close to Yasuo’s own; he had been sitting cross-legged while attempting to meditate.

“Could that perhaps be something really, really bad!?”

Yasuo felt that the current distance between their faces was actually quite bad instead, but he managed to reply,

“Well, it’s just midterms, so I can resolve it with make-up tests and homework…”

He was trying to make light of the situation.

True, he had been quite shocked when he first found out about the failing grades, but he later started to feel that there was no point agonizing about it now, and it would be fine so long as he completed the homework and make-up tests properly.

“That’s wrong!”

However, Diana said that while almost screaming.

“Yasuo, you volunteered to become the new hero, but before that you’re still a student of Takeoka! That should be your highest priority right now!”

“Eeh!? Now, I mean—”

“I know that you’ve been staying awake late at night everyday to work on your sorcery training so that you can improve as fast as possible, Yasuo.”

“No, I wasn’t really…”

Yasuo had indeed been practicing the Foundations of Sorcery training in his room after the rest of his family had gone to bed. Part of the reason was that he wanted to become strong and improve quickly to become someone who was worthy of receiving training from Diana, but the main reason was that he simply found it to be very enjoyable.

It was magic, after all. Real magic. According to Diana, what he was currently learning was called “Sorcery,” but to be honest he really didn’t understand the difference between the two, and such trivial things really didn’t matter at this point.

In the current day, there were probably no boys of his age who had never imitated the techniques of characters from manga, anime, or games at least once in their lives. Everyone probably went through the age where they swung their wet umbrellas on their way back from school on rainy days, and pretended that the flying droplets of water were energy blasts from some deadly technique.

Of course, as they got older, the boys would be forced to accept that humans cannot fly through the air or fire explosive blasts from their hands. However the fact that there were things like 『Magic Shows』 and talk of『Supernatural Abilities』 showed that people never really got over their yearning for the 『Paranormal』 even after becoming adults.

And then, Yasuo managed to find 『Real Magic』.

The series of events that led to him finding that magic were serious and very grave, but in spite of that, there was no way that he wouldn’t be elated at the prospect of causing paranormal phenomena with his own powers.

And so it was that he ended up putting more effort into his Sorcery training that was not going well, and although he had not entirely neglected his test preparation, it could not be said that he had correctly prepared for them either.

As Yasuo was not in good shape, the Sorcery training drained his physical and mental strength to a great degree, and ended up reducing the amount of time he could put aside to prepare for his tests.

In short, Yasuo was entirely at fault because he had focused more on having fun, but apparently Diana didn’t feel the same way.

“I’m so sorry! I was taking advantage of your strong spirit! The Hero Training should have been something you undertook in addition to correctly living your daily life, but I ended up forcing you into a state where you compromised your own position for the sake of Ante Lande…”

“Eh!? Ehh!? Ehhh!?”

“I’ve made my decision. I’ve been thinking for some time now that I cannot keep living like this while taking advantage of the Kenzaki family’s generosity. This is a good opportunity, so let me speak to Hideo about what we should do from now on once he comes back from work tonight! In any case, we’re done with training for today! Please work hard at your studies to recover from your current situation! Go on. Right now!!”

“Ehhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

And so, Diana convened a meeting of the Hero’s family that evening, and Yasuo felt like he was made to sit on a bed of nails.

Diana told everyone that Yasuo was unable to concentrate on the tests that should have originally been his main priority because of herself and Ante Lande.

However, unlike Diana, who saw every action of Yasuo’s in a positive light, his family immediately understood what had caused the issue and looked at him with cold gazes.

“So basically, you were on cloud nine about becoming capable of using magic, put all your energy into that, and ended up not studying for your tests, is that it?”

There is probably no younger sister on the planet who would hold back at a time like this.

“It’s not Diana-san’s fault at all, is it?”

Yasuo was perfectly aware of that. And his family should have been aware of the fact that Yasuo was aware of it.

“Yes, it’s all my fault.”

So the only thing he could do was meekly admit to the fact, but,

“No, it’s my fault for forcing him to do something of such a high level. If not for that, I don’t think Yasuo would have faced so much difficulty with his tests.”

“Stop spoiling him, Diana-san! Don’t take all that responsibility on yourself. Onii-chan is the one who acted all cool and declared that he would become a Hero! In that case, whether he fails his tests or has to repeat a grade, it’s all his fault!”

“Still, the root cause of the matter is the fact that we came here asking for help, so it’s our responsibility…!”

“Since he said that he would do it, it’s his own responsibility!”

Even though Yasuo fully understood that he was in the wrong, Diana and Nodoka continued to assault him from their completely opposite viewpoints, so Yasuo was gradually growing more and more depressed.

“Hmm. That’s enough, both of you.”

Unable to bear watching that anymore, Hideo interrupted their conversation.

“True, getting a failing grade is nothing to be proud about, but I understand why Yasuo felt the way he did. Besides, it’s not like those grades will make him repeat a year for sure, right?”

“O-Of course not.”

“Then it should be fine. Yasuo just has to properly repent for this actions this time and work hard for his next test.”

Yasuo also felt the same way, so it would have been good if the conversation ended there, but the situation took a turn for the worse because of the unnecessary things his father said after that.

“Even I did all sorts of crazy stuff right after I was sent to Ande Lande because I was suddenly given such incredible powers. So, I kind of understand how Yasuo feels. Dear, do you remember that time when I caused an avalanche by blasting off too much wind magic……”

He was probably just trying to lighten the atmosphere.

However, his wife didn’t feel the same way about what he thought of as fond memories from the past.

“Dear, how is that related to the current situation?”

“Eh?”

“We’re talking about Yasuo’s lack of discipline right now, so why are you bringing up old stories?”

“Eh, umm… That is…”

“Besides, do you have any idea how many problems you caused for Erize and me with your wild stunts?”

“Uh, I mean… That is…”

Not to mention, the attack vector had changed to him at some point, so even Hideo was flustered.

After confirming that Hideo had fallen silent after understanding that he was unnecessarily bringing trouble upon himself, Madoka turned to face Diana.

“In any case, that’s how it is. Diana-chan, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“That’s right! If anything, Onii-chan is a failure because he’s still stuck that the preparatory phase even after failing his tests, in spite of you staying in the same house and giving him constant attention.”

The attacks increased in intensity because of his father’s unnecessary words, but Diana once again spoke up.

“Actually, about that 『Staying in the same house and giving him constant attention』 part…”

Nodoka even aimed her hostility at Diana, but even she was forced to take a sharp breath at Diana’s next words.

“I would like to take this opportunity to temporarily leave the Kenzaki house.”

Saying that, she looked at Yasuo with a slightly sorry gaze.

This is what Diana said.

Not only had she brought her own problems to the family, it was a fact that she was also completely relying on the Kenzaki family for the things she needed to live in Japan.

What’s more, Madoka had lost access to her room because Diana was staying there, and Hideo and Yasuo gave her higher priority for things like using the shower and eating.

It was clear that she was causing many difficulties for the Kenzaki family, and relying too much on their goodwill.

Due to that, she would continue to do her job as a guard and Yasuo’s Magitech Knight trainer, but she wanted to move of of the Kenzaki house.

“Saying that is one thing, but what are you going to do about money?”

“I am carrying several items that can be sold for a high value even in Japan. My mother also strictly told me that I must not become a burden to the Kenzaki family in case my stay in Japan is extended for a longer period of time. I might end up causing you trouble again with the process of obtaining a proof of identity, buying and selling the necessary items, and the rental contract, but please…”

“No, but that is…”

“Really, I don’t think that will work…”

They understood why Diana felt that way, but Hideo and Madoka felt that Diana was just as important to them as their own children, so they thought she didn’t have to worry about it so much. In addition, they knew that there were unavoidable reasons why Diana was in this situation.

At that point, Nodoka spoke up.

“Isn’t there that small apartment nearby?”

“Eh? The one next to Tayama-san’s place?”

“Yeah, that’s the place. It’s very close to our house, it’s in pretty decent condition, and the sign saying that it’s up for rent has been there for so long that it is rusting, so the rent has probably come down quite a bit too.”

“No, but even so, Diana-chan is also a girl. It might be close by and cheap to rent, but it’s been empty for so long that you don’t know what kind of unpleasant things you might find there…”

Hideo stated his disapproval after remembering the apartment in question. However, Nodoka shook her head.

“What are you talking about? I was saying Onii-chan should move there, not Diana-san.”

““Huh!?””

At that statement, both Yasuo and Diana raised their voices at the same time.

“I understand why Diana-san feels bad for staying in our house for so long, but she has done nothing wrong, so if she leaves it’s like we’re kicking her out for no reason. On the other hand, Onii-chan caused this mess, so isn’t it only right that he should be the one to leave the house?”

Why are the existences called little sisters so bitter towards their older brothers in this world?

“That’s because you’re completely useless, Onii-chan.”

Nodoka glared at Yasuo and said that as if reading his mind.

“Umm, Nodoka, I think that would be defeating the purpose…”

“I’m pretty serious about this, you know.”

“That’s true, she’s still a young lady of marriageable age who has spent her precious youth training this dunce from our family, kicking her out now would be too much.”

“Umm, I definitely didn’t mean to say anything of that sort!”

Although she had intended to be the one to leave, the topic of the conversation had turned towards Yasuo being kicked out of his own house, so Diana started to panic.

Even if Diana took back her words now, Nodoka would probably not agree.

Yasuo realized that since the current situation came about due to his own lack of effort, anything he said would just make matters worse, so he elected to sit quietly.

“Everyone, calm down. We’re getting off topic.”

Hideo once again spoke up because it looked like neither side would be willing to back down at this rate.

“Dear, the conversation is getting needlessly complicated because both you and Nodoka are talking about who should be kicked out and who should remain. Let’s look at the problems we face with the five of us living together and prioritize them.”

After confirming that he had the attention of all the people in the room, Hideo continued to speak.

“The highest priority is ensuring that Yasuo and Nodoka are safe until we get a response from Resteria regarding the case with William and Alex’s Shii. After that comes the matter of Diana-chan’s living space. Regarding the matter of Yasuo’s behavior, it will be fine as long as he reflects on his actions and takes the necessary steps. Remember what you you said to us the other day, and don’t make the people around you worry any more. Understood?”

“Yes… I’m sorry.”

As it had been some time since Yasuo spoke, his reply stuck in his throat.

“Next, it’s true that our house is a bit cramped, and we haven’t been able to properly accommodate Diana-chan.”

It is a fact that accommodating another adult in the house of a regular salaryman whose children are already grown up is very difficult.

“Even though she only uses it to sleep, staying in your mother’s room must be quite cramped. Both from the perspective of wanting to care for the daughter of my best friend, and from the perspective of allowing Diana-chan to carry out her mission properly, there is a need to improve her current living arrangements. For personal reasons, as well as for the sake of her mission, there will be times when she needs her space. So…”

Hideo looked at Diana and spoke.

“Let’s go look at the apartment Nodoka mentioned. If it’s not in too bad a condition, Diana-chan, you will be moving your base of operations over there.”

“Y-Yes, it would be very helpful if you let me do that.”

“Ehhhh?”

Diana looked relieved, and Nodoka looked like she was displeased, but the next sentence decided the issue.

“In any case, you will need a guarantor for getting a rental lease, so you won’t be able to enter into a contract alone, Diana-chan. So I’ll pay for the initial costs of moving into the apartment, furnishing it with the minimum required appliances and furniture, and half of the monthly rent, and you will pay for your food, items you need for your daily life, and the other half of the rent. This should allow us to keep the balance.”

※