“Looks like we have to tail him.” At least, that was Ling’s idea. A spy thriller off school grounds was appealing to them all, though.

  “Let’s try not to be spotted.”

  “Yeah.”

  Their whispers were no less enthusiastic for their muted volume. No one suspected that disaster was about to strike.

  ◇

  “Jeez...” Keeping up with Princess Iris was absolutely exhausting for Ichika. Regal airs or no, she was kind of a selfish little brat.

  “Ichika! I want something to read. Go buy me some manga.”

  “Ichika, I want ice cream. Go buy me some.”

  “Ichika, rub my shoulders.”

  “Ichika.”

  “Ichika!”

  “I-chi-ka!”

  He could hear it echoing in his head even when she wasn’t with him, and the echoes were beginning to give him a migraine.

  “What will it be today?” he sighed as he stepped back into the room and Iris sat up in bed.

  “There you are, Ichika. My legs are tired. Massage them.”

  “Very well.”

  She sidled over in bed, casually sliding her legs off the side. They were lithe like a girl’s, with smooth, smooth skin. Not really thinking, he began the massage.

  “.........”

  “What’s wrong? You’re so quiet today.”

  “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking, you have pretty legs.”

  For Ichika, it was just a casual observation, but Iris’s face turned bright red.

  “H-How rude! Of course they are! Hmph!” As if it just now occurred to her that he was a guy, Iris tugged her legs back and tucked them under herself.

  Ichika didn’t really get why she’d do so.

  “Jeez, and I was just complimenting you...” he shrugged.

  “Rude and lewd!” He couldn’t help but laugh at how it reminded him of Houki. But if anything, it frustrated Iris even more.

  “What are you laughing about?! How insolent! Off with your head!”

  “Please, no.”

  This exchange had become a refrain between the two of them, evidence of how they’d grown to know each other over the past week.

  “Anyway, Ichika. I want some clothes.”

  “But you already have plenty of dresses?”

  “Not like that! I mean, something like... Like... Find me this!”

  Looking at the fashion magazine spread open on her bed which she pointed to, Ichika realized what she meant.

  “So something like a normal girl would wear?” he questioned.

  “Y-Yes! I need to know how the hoi polloi live! It is my duty as a ruler!” She shook with tension as she tried, and mostly failed, to puff out what passed for a chest.

  “And? What will you wear when we go out?”

  “W-Well, I’ve been thinking—and while I’m sure it will be impossible to hide my regal aura—but an IS Academy uniform should make me blend in well enough.”

  “Understood.”

  She had prepared in advance for this eventuality, and already arranged for an IS Academy uniform. Apparently, she really did want to go shopping.

  “Anyway, I’ll wait in the hall while you change.”

  As he began to step out, words he’d never expected stopped him.

  “No. I’d like your assistance. And I’m sure you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Are you sure?!” Even if she was flat as a board, it would be awkward seeing her in her underwear. But shooting her down would make things even more awkward between them, so he went along as if it were completely natural. “Very well. I’ll assist you.”

  “Hmph.”

  “......?”

  Iris, apparently displeased with that answer, puffed her cheeks out. “Enough! I can change myself!”

  “Huh? Very well. Understood.”

  “Get out of here, you idiot!” She shoved Ichika out into the hall, where all he could do was be relieved that he’d survived that ordeal.

  ◇

  “What do you think?”

  “Smells fishy to me.”

  “Very fishy.”

  “Yeah, that’s fishy.”

  “Fresh-caught.”

  “Is it really fishy... if it’s just a sure thing?”

  Houki, Cecilia, Ling, Charlotte, Laura, and Kanzashi conferred in the shadows as they watched Ichika’s unceremonious ejection. They’d arrived at the conclusion that the princess was new competition.

  “I always knew there was something that set me off about her.”

  “Simply unforgivable, using her privilege like that.”

  Ling and Cecilia were willing to form a temporary alliance to deal with this new threat. Charlotte and Laura nodded their assent, as well.

  “She’s too aggressive for me...” Kanzashi muttered.

  “It’s not fair. So... So this is where you meant?” That wasn’t quite what they were expecting to hear from Houki.

  “...Houki?” She was alone, off to the side, muttering to herself. “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,” she laughed wanly.

  At that moment, the disaster was only just beginning.

  ◇

  “So, what do you think? I look stunning in this uniform, don’t I?” Iris preened for Ichika in her new outfit.

  “Not bad at all.” He had to agree, it looked good on her. “I can’t wait to see you in that every day.”

  An honest assessment, and one Iris took well.

  “Mmhm. It’ll be wonderful, won’t it? And a very good thing for the school.” Even her usual haughtiness was adorable when clad in a school uniform. Ichika couldn’t help but giggle, and Iris’s face turned red as he did. “W-What’s wrong with you? You’re so rude.”

  “Sorry. Anyway, I’ll go change into my uniform.”

  “Okay. Shall we meet at the gate?”

  They split up, Ichika rushing back to his room so as not to keep her waiting.

  “Phew, I haven’t worn this in a while.” It was a relief to be back in his normal clothes. Change complete, he ran to the gate.

  “You’re late!” As he expected, she was angry. “While I was waiting for you, they kept mistaking me for a common student! Me! Me, of all people!”

  Her frustration with being taken for an average first year was obvious. But in a uniform instead of her normal dresses, it was entirely within reason.

  “Someone even called me a middle schooler! Me! Me, of all people!” Her anger only helped complete the picture of a normal girl. Put that way, it softened the edges of her habitual pride, and made her seem cute.

  I guess she is around the age where it really matters what people think of her. It almost felt to Ichika like he had a new little sister.

  “What are you laughing about?! Off with your head!”

  “Please, no.” Ichika brought out his bicycle as they squabbled. “Now, if you could sit behind me.”

  “Hmm? Why not take a car?”

  “If we took a car, they’d definitely realize who you were, Your Royal Highness.”

  “Very well, Ichika,” she nodded in understanding. “Oh, I suppose you can call me by name now.”

  “Okay, Iris.”

  “D-Don’t just call me by name! I’m not used to it!”

  He... Almost understood, and nodded himself then said, “How about Alice, then?”

  “A-A-A-A-Alice?! Me?! Me, of all people?!”

  “Now sit down behind me. We’re running out of time, Alice.”

  “...Understood.” It seemed like she enjoyed her new name, even if it took a little getting used to. The Princess—or, for now, just Alice—nodded and climbed on behind her. “So this is what the little people call ‘growing up’...”

  “Huh? Didn’t hear you.”

  “N-Nothing! Let us be off!”

  “Okay.” He began to pedal.

  There was a chill in the January breeze, but Iris’s face was comfortably warm. She’d finally felt like one of the heroines she always read about.

  ◇

  “Okay, where do I park... Oh, there’s a spot.”

  Ichika found a place for his bike at the shopping mall by the station while Iris stared up in awe at the massive building.

  “We built castles for war, Japan builds them to sell clothes...”

  “No, Alice. It’s not just clothes. They sell plenty of things. They even have restaurants.”

  “Oh, I see! Is there one with soba? I’ve always wanted to try that.”

  “Of course. A famous one, in fact.”

  “I see!” Iris’s eyes sparkled, and a girlish smile crept across her face.

  “Anyway, we should look at the clothes.”

  “Indeed! Let’s go, Ichika!” As she spun toward the entrance, her foot caught a patch of ice. “Eek!”

  “Look out!” Deftly, he caught her before she could fall. As his arms wrapped around her, her face glowed red.

  “Y-You’re too close! Let me go, you insolent pig! O-O-Off with your head!”

  “Please, no, Allie.”

  “W-Wait, that’s going too far! Call me Alice!”

  “Okay, Alice.” Ichika lightly set her down.

  “Oww!” A jolt of pain welled up from her twisted ankle as she tried to walk. “Ugh, these boots are so difficult to walk in.”

  As Iris frowned, Ichika had an idea. “That’s okay, I’ll carry you.”

  “W-Wait, what? Ichika, what are you doing?!”

  “Just leave it to me!” Hoisting her up behind him, he confidently began to stride off.

  “I-I-I-Ichika! Stop this! Everyone’s staring at us!”

  “It’s because you’re making a scene. Now let’s go.”

  All she could do was bury her face in his back as she felt her heart begin to throb.

  ◇

  “Agghhh! I will make him pay for this!”

  “Indeed! He’s never even done that for me!”

  While Ling was stamping her feet and Cecilia was twisting her handkerchief, Charlotte, Laura, and Kanzashi were taking things more seriously.

  “So like I was saying. We dress up as employees and try to split them up.”

  “No. Ichika’s not so easy to fool anymore. It’s like he had some kind of spell cast on him.”

  “Yeah. I’m pretty sure he’d notice...”

  And meanwhile, Houki was off to the side, staring up at the sky. I’m getting this weird sense of déjà vu...

  When? When was it? Who was it, then?

  I can’t remember...

  C̷̭̈a̴̤̕n̵̢̈́’̵͆ͅț̷͆ ̸̢͒r̵̼̃e̸͓͗m̶̻͆ē̷̦m̷̝̏b̷͕̓ȩ̸͆r̵̡̎.̷̮̾

  C̷̭̈a̴̤̕n̵̢̈́’̵͆ͅț̷͆ ̸̢͒r̵̼̃e̸͓͗m̶̻͆ē̷̦m̷̝̏b̷͕̓ȩ̸͆r̵̡̎ ̷̗͂a̴̧͗n̴̤͊ẏ̵̢t̵͕̋h̷̛͖i̶̲̋ṇ̵̈́ǵ̸͍.̷̮̾

  I̷̖̕t̷̯̐ ̴̱͆d̵̰͘ỏ̶͔ȩ̷̏s̵͓̏n̴̝̒’̷̠͒ṱ̵̎ ̵̰̀m̷̠̔a̵̹̓t̷̬͑t̴̡̾è̵͈r̵̟̒.̵͎̍

  I... I’m...

  Į̷̂’̷̳̊ṃ̵̓ ̷̄͜h̶̹͐e̷̪̔r̵͇̂e̴̤̍ ̴̧̕f̶͍̎o̶̻̔r̵̗̒ ̵͍̚y̷̟̌ó̷͚ủ̵̞.̴̼̎

  “...Wait, Houki, are you okay?” It was only when Ling called out to her that the red gleam left her eyes.

  “What?”

  “What do you mean, ‘what’? You’ve been staring off into space this whole time! What’s wrong, anyway? You’ve been acting real funny lately.”

  “Not really, I don’t think. This is how I normally am.” Houki clenched her fists.

  “Oh? Fine, I guess.” That was enough to make Ling back off. One of her strong points was knowing when she absolutely had to stop pushing.

  “They’re leaving that shop!”

  Iris was grinning ear-to-ear. It looked like she’d found the outfit she wanted. And judging by how close they were as they left, it looked like Ichika had told her exactly what she wanted to hear.

  “We don’t have time for this! We’ve gotta stay on their tail!” Ling grabbed Houki’s hand to drag her along even as her reverie continued, and trailed Ichika and the princess.

  ◇

  “Ooh, so this is the soba I’ve heard so much about!” Unsurprisingly, Iris had the political skill to look savvy yet still girlish by ordering hers with tempura. Ichika’s order was with chicken. And while they waited for their bowls, they had time to talk. “Anyway, Ichika.”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, um... Don’t you have any interest in the outside world?”

  Ichika, bemused by her sudden uncharacteristic fidgety nervousness, asked, “The world? You mean, like, traveling overseas? I just did that last month.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah. I had a lot of fun in Europe, I’d like to go back someday.”

  “I see! You want to go back, huh?” Her smile gleamed. This was going just as planned. “Then why don’t you come to my country?”

  “Huh?”

  “I could make you my manservant there.”

  “Umm...” Before Ichika could figure out quite how to respond to that, their orders arrived. “Why don’t we talk about it after we eat?”

  “Okay.” The crunchy tempura was exactly what Iris was hoping for, but she wasn’t quite sure how to eat the soba.

  “Huh? What’s wrong, Iris?”

  “Umm... Am I really supposed to slurp this?”

  Ichika was impressed. He’d always heard that foreigners couldn’t even imagine eating noodles like that.

  “Just eat it however you want to. You don’t have to act like a princess. Today, you’re just Alice.”

  “I see!” Relieved, she began to spin the noodles around her chopsticks like they were spaghetti. “This is delicious! The taste is so delicate.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” It really felt to him like he had a little sister. “Anyway, about what we were talking about... Wait, huh?”

  The world spun around Ichika. It was only as he and Iris collapsed that they realized something was wrong.

  “So, how is everything? If you need somewhere to rest, come right this way!” The waiter dragged their unconscious forms away.

  By the time the others noticed something was wrong, they were already gone.

  ◇

  “Ugh... Where am I?” Iris’s consciousness faded in and out. She could tell she’d been drugged.

  “Ah, Your Royal Highness! Awake now, I see.” A maid stood before her with a malevolent smile. Iris couldn’t focus enough to remember her name. “You’re a very valuable individual, you know. Especially as a hostage.”

  As Iris’s eyes darted around, she saw a row of burly men behind her. “What are you doing with me?”

  “Don’t worry,” the maid replied. “This will all be over soon.”

  “I see. Then, I’ll grant you a moment to say your prayers. Three seconds should be enough.”

  “......?”

  “And that’s time. Come forth! Seventh Princess!” Iris’s hairpin glowed as seven wings wrapped around her into a royal gown—the angelic IS, Seventh Princess. “Any more regrets, you can work through in Hell!”

  The seven wings spread as she shifted into attack mode. But even as she did, her vision began to fade.

  “What... What is this...” Whatever anesthetic they had dosed her with left her unable to fully open her IS. “Ichika... Ichi... ka...”

  The princess called out, not to her Imperial Knight, but to her manservant. To the man she’d come to love. If... If only Ichika came to save me... All she could do could hope in vain.

  But then, a bolt of white light proved her wrong.

  “Alice!”

  Ichika pulled the double door open to both sides, his IS Byakushiki already formed around him.

  “You’ll pay for this!”

  These were the last words she heard as his arm wrapped around her.

  Chapter II: Beautiful Duelists

  “What a failure! What a disgrace!” Imperial Knight Djibril Emmuler was scolding Ichika harshly. She’d started in as soon as he got back to the dorms. “I should take you back to my country so you can be punished properly!”

  Ms. Yamada couldn’t let that pass. “Come on. She’s safe. Orimura was the one to save her. Let’s leave it at that.”

  “You’re too easy on him, Maya! You still haven’t learned! Why protect him from having to learn his lesson?!”

  Djibril and Maya’s history as rivals only ramped up her anger further... Their rivalry, and their abandoned plans for their future.

  “...It’s not too late, Maya. Don’t waste your time here as a glorified babysitter. Come with me. I can personally promise that you’ll be knighted almost immediately.”

  “I’ve already told you, Djibril. I love this country. I love this school. I can’t leave.”

  “You’re still trying to run away from me, aren’t you?!”

  All Maya could do was laugh wryly. “No, it’s just...”

  “Don’t make excuses! You know I’ll never be satisfied with that answer!”

  The door to the princess’s guest room opened, interrupting them. Iris was awake now, and coming to see what all the noise was.

  “Could you quiet down? ...Oh, and Ichika.” Iris was already back to being a princess, and stared at Ichika intently, as befitting her position. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

  “Wonderful. That’s what really matters.” Taking a deep breath, she spoke again. “We will invite Orimura Ichika to Luxembourg. There, he will live out his life as my manservant.”

  If anything, it sounded more like a marriage proposal.

  “Wha?”

  “Whaa?”

  “Whaaaaaa?”

  More astonished than Ichika was Djibril, more astonished than Djibril were the cadets. Pointedly ignoring them, Iris continued as she puffed out her chest, “Let those who object say their piece now, or forever be silent!”

  “Of course we object!” Ling said, puffing out her own chest slightly more successfully.

  “Oh? You. What is your name?”

  “Huang Lingyin! You’d better remember it!”

  “Mhm. Then, Huang Lingyin. Shall we settle this like women?”

  Ling replied, just as fired up as Iris was, “Sounds great! Let’s do it!”

  Sparks flew between two decidedly low-environmental-impact chests. It was her complete opposite, Djibril, who cut in to cool them down.

  “You mustn’t, Your Royal Highness! This is below you!”

  “I see it as an excellent opportunity to teach these commoners their place.”

 

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