48 46. road






It was late at night, and the lights were beginning to fade in the residential areas of downtown, when I heard a high-spirited voice from my room.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.

"H......?

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

"Umm... ......

"............ What are you doing?

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with your time.

"Muscle training.

I'm sure you've heard of it.

When I told her that I had been listening to her while doing sit-ups, Erna's angry voice echoed from the bear. The bear seemed to have an angry expression on his face.

It's boring to listen to you brag about your brother.

It's not interesting to listen to Leo's story. The only reason I can listen to her talk about Master Roy is because I can see her smiling face (Kao). Also, I've only met her once, but from what I've heard, Worf seems to be having a hard time with Erna and the others.

If that's the case, why don't you give me some information about your sister? You've seen her more than I have!

I haven't seen her either, since she's back home.

I don't want to be out of season and not see my sister!

When I said I couldn't, Erna snapped. I can't," she replied, and Erna snapped. Apparently, she was feeling resentful.
The other day, when Leo came over, he added a magic circle to the bear. Now I can set up enough soundproofing to cover my room while I'm talking. Apparently it's because Erna's magic control has improved, but I don't need that update.
On the other end of the bear phone, Erna seems to be fidgeting and her voice is cheerful even though it's just before bedtime. Maybe she'll suddenly run out of battery.
Since her engagement to Leo, the young lady has been studying royal manners and history from the First Queen. It seems to be a compulsory subject for Erna, too, and she said that she can do her best with her daughter. That's why it's hard for Erna to study alone during the off-season when the daughter is in the Duke of Ernst's domain.

"Don't you have any friends besides your daughter?

When I asked her a question, I heard a faint sound of gasping.

I'm a princess, you know. It's hard to make friends that you can easily talk to. And even if you did, you wouldn't be able to see them at this time of year! Yzak's baka!

Sorry. I forgot you're a princess.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. My sister in her previous life didn't seem like a princess in front of me, so I immediately lost that assumption.
Anyway, since Erna is a princess, she can't go out of the castle easily. Even if she has friends, they're all nobles, so she's usually away from King's Landing in the off-season.
She seemed to be more concerned about her lack of friends than I thought, and I could feel Erna's spirit even through the bear. Maybe she was getting teary-eyed. I apologized and patted the bear on the head.
He replied with a sniffling complaint that I was not sincere enough. He was getting teary-eyed after all.

I'm sure you'll find a friend who'll be okay with knowing your true nature.

Why are you treating me like I have a true nature?

The bear that I was stroking replied with a peeling voice. If you have the energy to complain, you should be fine. Or perhaps you don't realize that there is a difference between you and your true self. If someone who only knows her as a princess sees Erna now, they will be more than a little surprised.

"Mmm, it's a long way to the academy...

"Why the academy?

I'm not going to be able to get into the Royal Academy of Magic if I have magic power. At least they treat you as a student regardless of your status, so you might be able to make friends!

He told me the name of the academy in a voice filled with expectation.
As a commoner with low magic power, it would be difficult for me to even enter this school. As Erna put it, it's mostly nobility, so it's not completely equal. Well, since the standard in the school is magic power rather than status, hopefully there might be at least one person who isn't afraid of Erna's status.
I wonder if I can get in with my current amount of magic. I don't think I've increased the amount of magic I have in my aptitude for water magic, but rather I think my control of it has improved. The dark attribute can still be covered by a membrane for you and one other person, but the fact that it hasn't changed even though you've grown taller means that your magic power may have increased by the amount of area you've increased.
If you can get into the Magic Academy, you can go to the same school as your daughter for a year. Maybe I can at least support her so that she doesn't get hurt. No, I've never been asked for love advice in my previous life, so I can't help you. I haven't talked about love with any of my friends in my previous life. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

...... I really don't know why I was reincarnated in an otome game.

I don't feel like I can do anything even if I include the memories of my previous life. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do anything about it.
At any rate, I encouraged Erna to do her best to make friends in a few years. I'm sure I can only cheer for her too. She can do it on her own, and she's already doing a lot of things.
I'd like to go to school if I can, so I'll do my best too. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I should do my best.

Anyway, since I can't see you, you should contact me more often!

Erna asked me to contact her more often during the off-season.

"What, you miss me?

"Of course I'm lonely! I can't hug my sister.



I rolled my eyes at Erna's honest admission that she was lonely, though it bothered me that she had mentioned the fact that I was s*xually harassing her like it was a matter of life and death.

"I see.

I nodded and thought about the reason for my surprise. Erna's need for attention had always been a part of her past life. Then, what surprised her?
I thought about it for a while and it became clear to me. I was jealous of Erna's ability to say she was lonely. So I was surprised at myself. I guess I'm lonelier than I thought.
I let out a small chuckle at the realization.

"But what do you want to talk about?

Even if you tell me to contact you more often, I have nothing to talk about. I can't think of anything. My sister, who also wanted to talk about her past life, came to my room.

"Isak doesn't talk much, does he? I'm sure you've heard of him, but you've never heard of him. ...... Yes, we have that. We have something in common!

I'm not sure what to make of this. I nodded my head.

"What is it?

"Your planet.

I looked at Erna, who was probably smiling at me behind the bear, with half an eye. When Erna notices my silence, she makes a disgruntled sound.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

"But you know what? ......

I don't know if I've ever had anything interesting to talk about in my life. I've been invited to Nico's house, but it's not my day yet.

"Oh.

What?

"I met someone interesting.

Looking for a topic, I remembered a person.

"What's he like?

His name is Frank. ......

Frank?

For some reason, Erna responded to Frank's name with a bite. I'm freaked out.

"Frank, that Frank?

"What Frank?

"Which Frank?" "The one on your planet! Your best friend, the one you're fighting!

He looks like he's jumping up and down behind a bear. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

Frank is a student from a commoner background like the heroine, you know. He's always on the heroine's side, encouraging her to do her best in a school full of aristocrats. And you know what, .......

Frank is a very common name.

It's as common a name as Tanaka in my previous life, to be honest. Well, my Isak is a bit like that.
Even though I said it was too weak to be linked by name alone, Erna persisted.

"Well, I'm actually from the tropics. ......

"You can't just connect Frank from the tropics to your planet.

"Because ......

"Frank from your planet has a southern accent ......, does he speak in Kansai dialect?

What? I'm from the tropics, but I'm not a Kansai-ben character. Frank's a cool guy.

"Well, no, Frank.

I don't know exactly what you mean by "coolant type," but it's definitely not something you'd associate with the business-minded Frank. I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on. Just to be safe, ask him if he has any close girlfriends.

"Yeah.

Now it was my turn to make a disgusted noise. I'm sure it's not true, but Erna, who has never met him before, can't seem to give up.
I'm sure that's not true, but Erna can't give up on me because she's never met me. Unlike me, she has knowledge of your planet, so she can't recognize you without knowing you properly.

"I'm just asking.

"Yeah.

In order to get rid of Erna's meekness, I need convincing information. You can't tell her about Frank's background, so you have to present her with other information.
I had no choice but to nod.


"Good girl?

On the next holiday, Frank came to my house and I asked him about it, and he replied in a crazy voice.
By the way, I happened to run into Frank again with Timo's brother, and Timo's brother invited me to their house, and Frank got mad. Frank said that he didn't want to invite me to a small room without a guest room, so I suggested that we go to my room. I don't have a guest room at home either, but in my room, Frank can talk plainly without any problem.

"What the hell, man?

No, ......, I thought Frank would be popular.

Well, he's the idol of the city.

Why are you so proud of him?



I looked down at Timo's brother with a dumbfounded look in his sparkling eyes.
Frank was sitting on my bed, Timo's brother was sitting on the floor, and I was sitting on a three-legged chair. I had expected them both to sit on my bed, but Timo's brother sat on the floor as if it were a matter of course, and I was afraid to poke him.
The two of them are opposite in age and hierarchy. Frank may have come from a rich merchant family, since he is called "boy" and has many brothers. Timo's brother may be an employee of the family.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea. I don't know.

That's enough. All right.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. Frank's face was really wide, he could get that many names from just girls close in age. But from the looks of it, it seems that Erna's expectations were not met.

"Isn't it hard to get along with that many girls?

I wouldn't be able to. I don't know any of them, except the younger ones in the neighborhood and the older ones who took care of me when I was little, who are like my cousins. I didn't want to go outside my own area to find people my age.
When I asked, Frank got down on one knee and raised one end of his mouth.

My charm comes in handy, it keeps people on their toes, and if I smile at them as a listener, they think I'm just the person to talk to. Women are a good source of information and a good way to spread rumors, so you have to treat them with respect. They are the key to business.

Frank's a really nice guy, isn't he?

What?

Hearing my thoughts, Frank looked at me as if he were looking at something strange.

Did you hear what I said about ......?

You can use your time to help them and listen to them without giving them a hard time. That's sweet.

The point is that you are a feminist who respects women. A lot of women in the downtown area like to talk, so it would take a lot of time to listen to them. I can't even listen to Erna properly, so I think it's really great.

It's all about making money. ......

You're not smiling at me in Ingrid's tavern.

When Frank is serving at the Ingrid's Tavern, he smiles happily when he sees customers eating well. It's a smile that shows that he likes to make other people happy.
I feel that Frank's smile is different from Leo's sales smile to prevent people from reading his emotions, and from Nico's mane act to protect himself. Maybe it's because it's not for defense, but to get into the other person's pocket. Maybe she knows that if she doesn't show her sincerity, the other person won't be able to forgive her.
Maybe it's not all a lie. I've never found Frank's smile to be intentional because he doesn't seem to be holding back.

"Even if you like to earn money, you're still a good guy.

Frank swallowed his words as if frightened by my words. Timo's brother got down on his knees and suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Oh no. The reason why you started working at that tavern was because you noticed that Ingrid's aunt had twisted her leg, and you helped her out so that she wouldn't strain herself. I'm glad you understand the goodness of the boy, ......!

"Timo, don't say anything you don't mean!

Frank's face is red.

Timo, you're so smart, you don't have anyone to talk to.

Close your mouth or I'll drown you.

Hey, ......

Frank grabbed Timo's brother by both cheeks with one hand and intimidated him.
I'm older than you, but I kind of understand what Timo's brother is trying to say. Frank is so quick-witted that few people his age can keep up with him.
I was watching them, unable to interrupt them, when Frank looked at me with intense eyes.

What about Isak?

"What?

It's not worth it to ask me alone. Do you know any girls you like?

Frank asked me with a threatening aura, "Tell me. I'm sure he wants to change the subject because it's something he's not interested in.
Understanding this, I think to myself.

Hmmm, I don't have anyone close to my age in the neighborhood except for the younger guys. ......

Unlike Frank, who works in the hospitality industry, I only work in the garden and I don't get the chance to meet girls, so I can't think of any.

I'm not sure what to do with the duke's daughter.

"She's my rival.

When I answered immediately, Frank froze. When I answered immediately, Frank froze. I felt a sense of déjà vu at this reaction.
But he recovered in a few seconds, let out a long sigh, and slapped me on the head.

"Idiot! Who would treat a woman like a rival?

"No, because...

Not at all! It's fine to treat women like rivals, but what's the point of rivalry?

I held my hand where I had been slapped and tried to explain, but Frank scolded me further. It made a nice noise, but it didn't hurt that much.

A man's job is to make a woman laugh. What woman likes to be looked at by her enemies?

I was shocked and blindsided, not by the beating, but by Frank's words.

So that's why you're mad at me, young lady.

I've always felt that "rival" was a good word, because it meant someone you recognized. In a previous life, I was influenced by a manga I read when I was a kid, and I longed for a rival for a while. But, well... In my previous life, my sister had a shoujo manga that I read in my spare time, and I felt that it was a bad thing for a girl to have a rival in shoujo manga because they tend to be villainous.


Finally, I understood why the young lady was so angry when we parted. Nico's right, I'll have to explain it to her next time I see her.
But then, what can I say about her?
Now that I understand that you and I have different views on rivalry, I can't use rivalry. Friend doesn't feel right. Best friend reminds me of Nico. Your best friend is probably one of your girlfriends, not me.
I can't find a suitable name in my vocabulary.

"Boy, did I say too much?

No, I didn't. ......

Seeing my sudden silence, Timo's brother softly whispered to Frank. Frank was slightly flustered.
Frank looked over at me, a little awkwardly, but I didn't notice.

I didn't notice. "So, what do you call a guy who, when you see him or remember him, makes you want to work harder?

I asked Frank seriously as I was thinking about it.
Frank then looked at me and gave me a dumbfounded look.

"That's stupid. Figure it out for yourself.

"I asked you because I couldn't figure it out. ......

Frank laughed as he exhaled at my answer.

Frank laughed as he exhaled at my answer, "You're an idiot, even though you're older. If you're not careful, that girl will leave you behind before you know it.

She's probably already there. ......

The girl's gestures and posture are becoming more and more refined and beautiful, and she's learning a lot of things. She's already smarter than me, that's for sure.

I'm sure she's already smarter than me. "While men chase their dreams, women see reality. If they see that you're not worth their precious time, they'll give up on you.

Laughing as he complimented the woman, Frank gave me some advice.
I think Frank is right. If this continues, the young lady will marry Leo and leave the Ernst family. I won't be able to fulfill my promise to become a man and show her the Ernst garden that I built. She can't and won't wait for me to be on my own.
I want to fulfill my promise while she has time for me, if possible.

I'll do my best to make it.

Keep up the good work. You'll never be as worthy as I am.

I'm sure you'll never be as worthy as I am," Frank said with a smile, and his words were believable. Frank is still a child, but he seems to be anticipating his future, so I'm sure he'll be very rich when I meet him as an adult.
I laughed because I didn't expect him to be so supportive.

Thanks, man.

"The consultation fee is expensive.

Frank sniffed at me and I smiled back, thanking him in return. Next time we play, let's make some cookies. I have a feeling that Frank will take them, after all.


Just as Frank and his friends were leaving, my mother asked me to run an errand for her, so I decided to accompany them on the way.
Frank said he wanted to stop by for a while and walked through the market street, so I just followed him. Then Frank stopped at the central square.
He stands by the fountain, looks down at his feet, raises one toe, and steps back up. Then, looking up and down the main street, Frank smiled with satisfaction.

It's so cool.

"Yeah, what?

I nodded my head, and Frank's shoulders bounced.

You're still here. You scared the hell out of me.

I apologized to Frank, who seemed to think he had broken up with me. Apparently Frank was so used to Timo's brother following him around that he didn't care that there was a presence behind him.
When I ask him again about the murmur, he turns his eyes toward the main street. I follow his example, but all I see is the same old street of horse-drawn carriages and people passing by.

"When I came to this country, I used this road.

It's a road that leads all the way to the south, so I understand. What's strange is that Frank seems to be deeply moved.

"Yeah.

You don't get it. You don't understand. From the border to the capital, the road is wide enough for a carriage to pass! Even though there's more flat land than ours, it's still a big deal.

When I made a gesture without really understanding, Frank poked me on the forehead and angrily gave me a supplementary explanation.

When there is a road, it means that things flow. In other words, it's easy to move money. The reason this country is so profitable is because the blood vessels are strong.

When he asked me if I understood, I nodded reflexively. When I saw Frank's passionate speech, I thought it would look good if I gave him a fan that rakugo storytellers carry.

"Blood vessels?

The world revolves around money. Money is blood, and roads are blood vessels. And the heart that circulates the blood is the country, and the king is the brain. If the blood doesn't flow to the edge of the territory, the country will be ruined from there. If the king (brain) is a fool, the blood will not flow.

Even though I'm not good at politics or difficult topics, I understood what Frank was saying. I wonder if businessmen are good talkers.

"That's why this is a good country.

It makes me happy when people praise the place where I live. I don't know much about patriotism, but if it makes me happy, I guess I like this country.



We have many mountains in our country, but I want to make our specialties known to the rest of the world through roads that allow horse-drawn carriages to pass through every town.

Frank's eyes were full of life, and his orange eyes shone like a bright sunset. I guess that's Frank's dream. Maybe he wants to make money so he can build a road. In Japan, it costs so much money to build a road that you can't even imagine how much it costs.
I can imagine that if Frank's dream comes true, goods and culture will come and go, and the people of the South will be full of life.

Frank seems like he'd be good at being a king.

"What?

Frank rolled his eyes. I tilt my head, wondering if I've said anything so outlandish.
The work may be done by civil engineers, but it's the politicians who decide what roads to build. Frank has a better perspective and a broader view than I do. That's why I gave him a position that he would definitely be in politics, but I hope that's not too weird. I don't know what Nico's father does as Prime Minister, and I thought it was the best fit.

I'd like to go to a country where Frank is king.

"I'd like to live in ......, wouldn't you?

Frank grumbled at my what-ifs.

"Yeah. I like my hometown.

I like my hometown, it's a great place.

If I'm going to go to the South, I'm going to go to the South. If I ever go to the tropics, I'm sure I'll be as moved by what seems like nothing to Frank as he is today.
Frank and I looked at each other and smiled.


In September, when the sun feels warmer, I'm tidying the soil of the flower bed in the Ernst's empty garden.
I mix in the weed compost from the early summer cuttings, and prepare the base for the next flowers to be planted. The soil is soft and easy to mix because I cut the weeds below the growing point without pulling out the roots because it would make the soil hard. When autumn comes, I will collect the fallen leaves to make compost.

I'm done with this flower bed.

Jan calls out to me, and I startle.

"Oh. Shall we take a break then?

"Yes, sir.

Jan is so focused that he doesn't notice the sounds and time around him, and I have to adjust the time to give him a break. I chuckle at that.
I've gotten into the habit of taking breaks based on the timing of the lady's arrival, and I've lost the ability to know when to take a break while I'm not seeing her. I need to get a grip, I thought to myself.
I drank water from the sealed bottle I had left in the shade and rested with Yang. It was convenient to keep the water in a sealed bottle that could be easily opened with a metal hinge, which could be used as a water bottle.
Then, one of the maids came from the mansion. She came close and bowed to us, and we bowed to her.

There's a carriage at the main gate.

The calm voice of the office manager made my face light up. I had already asked the maids to let me know when the girls returned. I wanted to say something in return, but for some reason the maids politely refused, which was strange.

Thank you very much.

I bowed to the maids who had come to inform me, told Yang that I would be leaving for a while, and ran off.
From the backyard, I walked around the perimeter of the mansion to the main entrance. It was worth the run, and the duke was just about to lend a hand to get the lady out of the carriage.

"Miss!

I called, and she turned to me.
I stopped in front of the duke and his men, caught my breath, and apologized.

I stopped in front of them, caught my breath, and apologized. Duke, welcome back.

"Oh, I'm back. Thank you for welcoming me. Isak.

When I apologized for the delay in greeting him, the Duke smiled and forgave me. Even though it had been a long time since I'd seen him, his gorgeous face and dazzling blond hair, almost like he was carrying a flower on his back, was hard on the eyes.
After greeting Ok-sama and Flora, I asked the duke for a favor.

I'm sure you'll understand.

Then the lady's shoulders swayed and she turned her head slightly. I felt bad that I had made her feel so bad that she didn't want to talk to me. But if I could, I'd like to say I'm sorry.
The duke gets down on one knee and makes eye contact with the young lady to confirm her intentions.

"Dear, what do you want?

"I'm .......

I think you have something to say to Isak.

The duke smiled softly and looked back into the same pale blue eyes as his own. In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.
After confirming her intentions, the duke stroked his daughter's hair encouragingly and smiled deeply. The duke said, "I'm going ahead," and took Ok-sama and Flora with him into the mansion. As I watched him go, I expressed my gratitude, and the Duke closed one eye. I was impressed by the way he replied, as only a beautiful man can.
The front door closes, leaving me and the lady at the door. A strange silence fell as we wondered how to begin our conversation. In the meantime, the carriage was being driven away by the caretaker.
I wonder if I should say, "Long time no see. No, I should apologize first, I thought to myself.

"I'm sorry about the other day, young lady!

".......

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.



"I feel really bad about hurting your daughter. I didn't say it right, and ......, if your daughter will forgive me, I'd like to explain, okay?

"Yes.

While she was apologizing, she almost opened her mouth a few times, but eventually shut her mouth as if to swallow the words, and only replied as if she was ready.
I made sure that the girl staring straight at me was looking back at me, and tried to explain why I said I was a rival.

"Because you're beautiful.

Yeah, .......

She's getting prettier and prettier in her gestures and posture. She's smarter than me and she can do a lot more. But it's all because she's working hard.

The girl was stunned by my explanation. I guess I'm not explaining it well enough.

I'm not sure if I'm doing a good job of explaining it to her, but on the other hand, I think she's amazing and I need to work harder to become one of them. You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web at .......

"Na ......, na .......

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it. I'm so pathetic that she can't even speak. I don't think I've been able to explain it well myself. In the end, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come up with any other analogy.

"Do you know how to say that, young lady?

Feeling weak from the lack of vocabulary, I ask the girl who seems to know more words than me. She might be able to give me an appropriate name.

"Shh, I know .......

The lady turns red and makes a sound like she's about to scold me, but stops in mid-sentence. When I wondered what was wrong, she kept her mouth shut and growled softly as if she was struggling with something.
I waited for a few beats, and then she opened her mouth, glaring at me as if challenging me.

"How was Zaku without me, ......?

"Huh?

I mean, did you ...... miss me or did you ...... miss me?

No, not at all.

No, not at all." When she replied that she didn't feel lonely, the young lady closed her mouth.

"Because I've been thinking about you a lot.

You're ......?

I was thinking about her a lot. I was thinking about how I hope she's having a good time since it's a family reunion, and I was thinking about how I hope the perfume plant and the flowering daisies are blooming until she gets back. I also regretted that I couldn't take a proper break without the lady.

The duke is a busy man, and the young lady must not have had many opportunities to relax with the whole family due to her rehearsals. So I thought that she would be enjoying this summer vacation at the Duke's parents' house to the extent that it would be a pity to go back. I hadn't heard a detailed date of when he would return, so I discussed with my father whether I should put more emphasis on flowers that would last until October or later.
As I was rambling on, remembering the time when I thought about the daughter, I even told him that I hadn't been able to do it, even though I had said I would do my best. Well, I guess it's too late for her to know that I'm pathetic.
I smiled at her, realizing that I was never going to look good.
When I looked at her again, she was gulping down air. She looked a little like the carp in the pond at my elementary school. I remember that we had to decide by rock-paper-scissors whether to let the principal take over feeding the koi because we were not allowed to feed them without permission.

"Miss?

When I tilted my head to see what was going on, the young lady took a step back as if she was scared. Then she realized what was going on and began to shake in frustration.

"Zaku, Zaku, why are you always so ......!

The lady looked at me with resentment.
I thought she was going to scold me because she sounded like she was scolding me. But instead, she made a fist with her hand on her chest and took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Then she bit her lip tightly once and lowered her eyes.

"...... Zaku.

"What?

You know, ......, what you said to me when we were leaving.

Yeah.

I didn't listen to Zak all the way through. ...... I was out of line, too. ...... That's why.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand what I mean. I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm sorry.

"It's okay. I'm sorry too.

I smiled and apologized too, and my eyelids lifted to meet her pale blue eyes. His face broke into a smile as if he was relieved.
It was the color of a nigella flower. As I was thinking this, the young lady peeled away.

"I've already received your apology.

She called me cunning because I apologized more often than her. It's funny because I didn't think she'd call me cunning.

"Haha, sorry.

"So ......!

"Yeah. Welcome home, sweetheart.

Remembering that I hadn't told her, I said it, and she giggled a little.

"I'm home.

I thought to myself, "You're smiling like a flower blooming.