Early morning. The sun hasn't even risen yet.
Loretta said, "I'm going to go home and prepare for today's work! Right after Loretta left the store to go home, a human being packed in a burlap sack was sent to the Sunlit Pavilion.

'Good morning, Hero-sama.
'Theron ......, when did you start buying and selling slaves ......'
'No, no, Master Hero!It's me, Wendy!


Is it Wendy that's inside?

'You guys ...... need to do that kind of special play at home in secret ......'.
'No, no, no, no!That kind of special play is not ......!
'What ...... do you mean by "prey"?
'Huh?

Wendy, who was trying her best to make an excuse, was pierced by Theron's pure words and crouched down.
Hmm, I see.
I'm sure Theron doesn't know much about that kind of thing,......, unlike Wendy.

'Hey, Wendy.
I'm sorry. Please leave me alone for now. Please don't dig too deep. ...... I feel like I'm being defiled. ............ I can't stand it.

I can hear you sobbing in your burlap sack. It's ...... scary.

'Oh, Mr. Theron. Good morning. ...... What?What's going on?'

Ginette screams as she sees the weeping sack lying at Theron's feet.
Well, that's scary, isn't it?

'Good morning, Mr. Manager. Actually, .......'
'Is that Wendy in the ......?'

Magda asks, observing the burlap sack.
You're sharp. Can you tell by the sound of crying or the smell?

'Yes, sir. Actually, there's a situation. ......'
'...... Wendy, have you committed a felony?'
'No, sir.'
'No, Theron. ...... I'm a guilty woman. ......'
'Wendy, what is wrong with you?If there's one thing you're guilty of, it's stealing my heart!
''Gosh!''
''Honya!What's the matter, Yashiro-san and Magda-san!The two of you together.''

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.'' ...... Theron, you're reminding me of a past injury. ............
I'm sure that was a joke that I said to Magda when Theron was talking about proposing to Wendy, because she wanted it so badly.
I'm not sure if you remembered it or if you've reached that point on your own. ...... Either way, Theron, how dare you use those words with impunity? I want to punch you.

'...... Magda remembered a few things, so she went back to ...... her room. ......'

Magda ran into the kitchen with her tail hair puffed up.
Somehow, Magda seems to have been damaged as well: ......

'...... Mufu'.

I'm sure you've got damage. I knew it.
I hope my joke didn't traumatize you. I hope my joke didn't traumatize you. ...... What if it did? I feel responsible.

'I think the cellophane should be shipped in a jute bag.
'Why me?
'Also, hero, I'm not going to be shipped either.

Then why the hell are you dressed like this?
And so early in the morning.

'Actually, Wendy is currently researching a new light powder.
'Well, you were glowing yesterday when you said you resumed your research, weren't you?
'Yes. So, I can't be exposed to the light during the day.
'Because you can't sleep at night because of the glare?Why don't you sleep in the other bed?
'Hero, can you please stop scolding me by suddenly raising the tension?You'll frighten me.'

I don't want to be told by the man who brought his wife in a burlap sack early in the morning.
I'm in a state of shock right now.

'I'm currently trying to make light-collecting bricks, which are different from phosphorescent bricks.
'Concentrator ......, you mean a brick that glows by collecting a small amount of light?
'Yes. We're trying to make bricks that shine brightly even during the daytime, even in places like caves where the sun doesn't reach.
'You can make a brick like that?That's amazing!

Ginette exclaimed innocently.
Indeed, light-storing bricks need to be exposed to the sun, but light-collecting bricks don't need to be. It may be a good tool to illuminate a dimly lit cave, even if it is out of the question for places where light cannot penetrate completely.



'So, if I'm glowing myself, it'll interfere with my research at night. ......
'Then don't come out of the house anymore.
'But you can't stay at home when the Forty-Two districts are in danger because of our wedding. ......
'I'm telling you, that's not true.

Estella interrupted Wendy's plea.
As usual, Estella arrived at the Sunlit Pavilion at the perfect time.
I can only imagine that she was waiting in front of the restaurant, watching for the right moment to leave.

'You're a good self-producer.
'It just happened to be the right time.

After pointing at me, Estella squatted down beside the burlap sack and said kindly.

'It's not your fault. So why don't you leave the BU stuff to us?Me, the lord, and Yashiro, the co-chairman.
'Wait a minute, come on.
'What? Would you prefer the term 'mastermind'?
'Don't make me out to be the mastermind.
'As far as I know, you've always been at the center of the case.

What case?
I'm the perfect victim in this case.
I've been in trouble with BU, and you've been crying out for help, and I've found myself running around more than anyone else. ..................

'...... I might actually be a good guy.'
I'm not denying that, but why do you say that with such a deathly look on your face?
'Um, Yashiro-san is a good guy!
'Ginette-chan. I know you think you're encouraging him, but you're stabbing him in the back.
'I didn't mean to ...... ah!

...... I want to be the shellfish that turns a blind eye even when my friends are being eaten in front of me.

'Anyway, Theron. If something happens, I'll tell you about it, and you can take Wendy home.'
'But, Hero-sama, .......'
'If you don't, they'll look at Wendy like she's guilty of some felony.'
'Haha, that's not true ..................'

Theron's words stopped.
'If you put it that way, it might not look that way,......,' he thought.

'......Se, Theron?
'What?You don't look like that, hero!
'Good job, Theron. But don't lie to me. See?

You never know when I'll become your enemy.
I'm going to be a clam in my next life.

'But the people who come to the Sunken Pavilion are all good people and don't look like sinners. Right?
'I think that's a bit premature, I...'

Gilberta's voice came from the other side of the door, and the door was thrown open.
Lucia walks slowly into the store.

Lucia is wrapped in a gorza, and a rope is wrapped around her body.
The rope was wrapped around her body.

'More criminals are coming to .......'
'Who's that?Watch your mouth, anchovy!

No matter how intimidating you try to be, you're not impressive enough in a cocoon, Lucia.

'Hey, Estella. What's the situation here?
'Well, it's ......'.
'I'll explain it to you.'

Natalia comes in with Gilberta from behind Lucia.
You're the one who did this to me.

'Last night, there was a trespasser who repeatedly tried to break into Millie-san's dormitory at the Flower Arrangement Guild in District 35.
'Hey, head waiter!That's not right!I was called by the spirit of Miss Milly!I heard with my own ears the voice of Millie's heart, 'I want to sleep with you, Lushia!
In the event you have any questions regarding where and the best way to get in touch with us, please do not hesitate to contact us.
'Yeah, thanks for the ...... report. I can see that scene.
'No, anchovies!Just listen to me!I'm not going to ask you.
'I don't want to hear it, so shut up, you criminal.

I'm glad I brought Natalia with me.
The Thirty-Fifth District is a dangerous city.

'So Gilberta helped you too. Thank you.'
'Of course, I think it's only right to stop her from scandalizing her master.
'I don't think you deserve to have your master wrapped around you, Gilberta!
'I'm issuing a restraining order on the antennae, if you don't shut up a bit, Lady Lucia.
'All right, I'll shut up!You shut up too, anchovy.


'Don't get involved'.

Lucia probably didn't ...... rush over first thing in the morning after hearing what happened from Natalia.
I'm sure she said she wanted to spend more time with Millie and got on the same carriage.
So, she's all wound up.
Millie, I hope you haven't been traumatized.

You know?Criminals come here too, you know.
You know, Yashiro-san, even if you look like a ......, you are not a criminal.

You look like a criminal.
Ginette has become more honest.

'Mr. Yashiro!Look at this, my best fried takoyaki (food sample) is ready, that it is!The shine, the luster, it's a real gem, that it is!
'Oh, the number of criminals has increased.
'No, Yashiro. He's not particularly restrained, so how can we judge him by his appearance?

You're just as bad as him when you can say you're judging him by his looks, Estella.
If you want to assign Becko to a category, he's either a 'criminal' or a 'precriminal'.

'Wow, look at you, Yashiro!It's like a freshly fried takoyaki!
'No, there's no need to get excited.
'Freshly fried takoyaki?What kind of thing is that?I've never had one before!What do you mean, anchovies!
'Don't get excited either, shut up.

It seems that each of us has something to say, and as a result, the conversation is not progressing at all.
We need to calm them down.

'Ginette. Give Lucia and Gilberta some fried octopus balls to eat. And call Magda back to help. Theron, I'm not comfortable in that state, so get Wendy out of the bag.'
'What?Is that Wentan in the bag?La la la la, it's all wrapped up!Can we finally take her home?
'So, Natalia and Gilberta, take care of that pervert over there.
'Yes, sir.
'Yes, sir, I am.'
'Hmmm ......, I wonder what this situation is where the head waiter of the lord's household listens to Yashiro so easily ......'
'Estella, stop worrying about funny things and read this letter.

I hold out the letter that was delivered to me first thing in the morning.

'Is this ...... a letter from Mr. Marle?'
'Yes, it is. I was going to send him a letter first thing this morning, but Hammy brought it to me.'

Apparently, right after BU sent the notice to Tracy, Tracy had written a letter to Ma'ul.
Ma'ul read the letter and wrote us a letter.
Thanks for acting so fast.

'Hey, what do you mean, "I'll only accept one message to Tracy"?
'Mahr received a letter of advice from Tracy. I guess it means he can only write back to her once.

You'd think Tracy would have asked Ma'ul for help.
That's why Ma'ru can only write to her once.

'It means that Ma'uld only have one chance to write back and say that he can't help her because of his position.
'I see. If you are in Ma'ru's position and you keep writing back and forth, it could be taken as a plot to overthrow him from within.
'It's a felony to attract foreign invaders.
'It depends on the district, but ...... you may be able to avoid the extreme penalty.

In Japan, the penalty for bringing a foreign invasion is death without trial.
The act of communicating with the enemy and plotting to overthrow the state is as sinful as it sounds.

'You can be spared only once. You'll write a message to me only once.
'It'll also be enough ...... to keep the contents of the letter safe from being seen.
'You can't give detailed instructions, can you?
'I don't care. Just send them a thick stack of paper.'

Lucia says this with a face that says, 'It can't be done.
You seem to be pretty pissed off with the way BU is going about this.
Even to the extent that she can't be too gentle with Merle and Tracy inside the BU.

'Just one message: ...... What can I say: ............'
'You tell them, "Do what you want. You are only a BU. No matter what I say, there's no way I can resist.

You're very perceptive for someone who's been around the block.
It's a little annoying, but I agree with Lucia.

'It's best to let Tracy work on her own.
'Even if it's a decision that could push us over the edge?

Of course, we want her to refrain from taking any action that could hurt us, but it's safer for us to create a situation where that doesn't happen than to move Tracy.

'I'll tell Tracy, "Do what's in your best interest,"' he said.
"'Always'?
'Yeah, "as always."'



Without hesitation, I'll have them follow the one that's most convenient for their district.
It's easier to read their actions.

'After all, you can't trust hastily made friends. We'll take them down ourselves, the BU. Estella, be prepared.'
'Yes, ......'
'What's with you, no energy!Even if it's two against seven, I'm not going to give in to the BU.'
'No, that goes for me too, ...... Lucia-san.'
'...... What is it?'

Estella's face was slowly turning into a grimace.
I'm not sure if she thought this was creepy or not, but Lucia, who was wrapped around her, was pulling away.
But I can understand why Estella is smiling. He likes to be around people and friends, you know.

'You trust us that much, don't you?
'Huh?What, what, what now?
'I thought we had become close enough that he was cooperating with us because of our interests. ............ ...... I'm not sure how long it's been since you've acknowledged me enough to stand next to me and fight with me. You know, Lucia...
'U...... shut up!

Estella is the new lord of the poorest forty-two districts.
With the exception of Demilly, she has no one close to her among the lords and no friends of her own gender or age.
And then Lucia, who's a cut above the rest of her gender, showed that much trust in me. She must be very happy.
Lucia doesn't have any other lords she's close to.
They're very special to each other.

'I just love ............ the 42nd district with Millie, Wen, and Hammaro.
'smilingly smilingly ......'
'Yes, don't smirk!The only thing that's creepy about that face is the anchovy!

He's saying something terrible.
But it's cute if you think they're hiding their embarrassment.
grin: ......

'Yeah, yeah!There's a lot of smirking going on in this store!Ventilate!It's not good air!

Lucia flails about in her sarong.
Her face is bright red. She must have thought about her behavior when you pointed it out. She's embarrassed.

'Miss Lucia. I like you too, Lucia-san.
'Wow, I said I like her, not the 42nd district!
'So, you like us too, huh? Thank you, Lucia-sama.'
'What are you even saying, Ginepu?I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I'm not sure what you mean by that.I'm not a fan of that.
I also like the flowers in the garden, they seem to be worth a lot of money.
'You really should shut up, anchovy. It's disgusting.

It's just another way to hide your embarrassment,............, right?
Wow, what a straight face.

'She's talking with her mouth open about the 42nd district, Lucia-sama.
'Gee, Gilberta!Don't say anything you don't have to!
'I've got .................. gathering information, and I've got the waitresses up to date on District Forty-two.'
'How did you come to the conclusion, after much thought, that it was not superfluous information!I told you to keep your mouth shut about it!

Apparently, you love the 42nd district, Lucia.
She twisted around in her wraps, trying to turn her reddened face to the other side.
You're a caterpillar, aren't you? You're a minnow when you're hung up.

'Huh, hmm!You're disgusting!You're not going to get me out of this mood in a minute!
'In other words, Miss Lucia is urging me to eat the fried octopus balls as soon as possible.

You're telling me that a little bit of fried takoyaki won't fix your mood, so you want me to put you in a good mood?I'm not sure what to make of it.

You can find a lot more information at .......

I'm not sure what to make of it.

You were talking to Lucia just now, just like normal.

'The fried octopus balls are made by Magda-san.'
'Is that okay?You're the demon god who wants to make them.
'Demon gods are ...... awful.'

He pouted a little, but then quickly smiled.

'Magda-san, he wants a little more time. ...... So, why not?
'You want more time?For what?'


'Whatever it is, it's "time to revive" ......, sir.'

Oh ......, so it's my fault.
You can be embarrassed, too, Magda. I'm not sure I remember being that embarrassed at the time,............, but what was Magda doing at that time?
I don't remember Magda from the middle of the game. ............ Was she there?

'...... Hey, wait for me.'

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.
He came back with some delicious looking fried takoyaki.

'Oh, Magda's good too. Are you indeed a master at takoyaki?'
'..................'

He stared at me, then silently offered me a plate of fried takoyaki.
...... No comment, huh?

And on the way to Lucia's table--

'............ Mhmm.'

--He let out a gasp.
You're happy, you're happy, you're happy with the compliment.

'Oh, so this is fried octopus balls. It smells delicious. Let's eat it right away.
'Gilberta. Lucia, since you can't use your hands, why don't you feed them to her?'
'Oh!You're a good one sometimes, anchovy!That's right, let's feed them to us!
'No, Lucia-san!It's too hot and you'll die!You'll die from the heat! Yashiro never shows good will in situations like this!

I was unable to see the minnow (Lucia) squirming in the heat due to Estella's interference. ...... Too bad.

Lucia came to kick me lightly when she was released from her wrapping, and then went back to her seat to eat fried octopus balls.
...... Don't kick me.

'This is delicious!The texture of the octopus adds a nice touch.
'I think it's excellent, I'm going to try this fried takoyaki ...... too.
'Oh, speaking of octopus...'
'Huffing and puffing ......'

In contrast to Gilberta, who has been huffing and puffing all day, Lucia is chomping down on the hot takoyaki in one bite. Her mouth must have the same tolerance for heat as an old man in Edo who likes to drink tea that is almost boiling water.

'Ma-tan is coming later.
'Masha is?'
'Hmm. She's coming to complain about the anchovies.
'Save it for later, you know.'

The complaint is a joke - I can't tell if it's Lucia's joke or Masha's joke - but I think she wants to discuss it with us.

It would be reassuring if the Seafaring Guild were on our side. .................. Hmm?
Hmm?
Wait a minute. ............

'Hey, Estella. There's a guild that digs mines, right?'
'Yeah. They're not near the Forty-Two districts, though.''
'Then who's doing the quarrying and processing of the stone?'
'No one's doing the stone ......, though, right?When I build a house, I buy only what I need and leave the material procurement to the carpenters.

So there's no one in the neighborhood? ............ That means you might not be offended if you do something a little fancy. If there's no one around to get mad at.

'Becco. You can sculpt, right?'
'Of course, that I can!I don't have a lot of experience financially, but I believe carving is what I'm supposed to do, that I do.

Becko might be able to work with stone, huh?

'Wendy.
'Yes.
'How long will it take to make the light-collecting bricks practical?
'Well ............, the powder research is almost complete, we just need to test the compatibility with the bricks. ...... It will take another month or two for ......'
'I want you to make a prototype by tomorrow.'
'What?And, but, that's not enough time for Theron to ......'
'Don't worry, Wendy. If Hero-sama asks, I'll stay awake and finish the bricks!
'But, Theron, ......'
'Hey, Wendy. Isn't it cool that Theron...... works with his forehead for the 42nd district?'
'......Yun!

Okay, we're down.
If we can get a certain number of light-collecting bricks, ...... we can put it to practical use a little later. If we can make a big presentation, then ............

'Umaro and Loretta can be used with their chins without the need for confirmation. ......'
'You're talking to yourself, Yashiro.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.


If this all meshes together, we might be able to overturn those silly BU rules.

'Magda'.
'...... What?'
'I'd like to see Medora.'
'.................. A proposal?'
'Don't you dare say anything that's not a good omen. Don't even joke about it in front of Medora. ...... He only listens to what's convenient for him.

It's a good idea to check with Javier, Medora, and anyone else who works in this area.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to try to get them to agree, even if I have to force them to. ...... Worst case scenario, I might need something in return.

And the one who is most likely to complain is Lucia. ............ If you can convince this guy, you can manage the rest, I think... .........

'Hey, Lucia'.
'What's with the formal face?

This is a touchstone. ...... Let's give it a try.

'Can you give me Masha?
'What?
'What?
'Huh?
'...... Oh my.'
'What a surprise, I am.'

I'm not sure what it is, but the other girls were surprised too.
No, no, no, that's not what I mean. ......

'I want to build a small port in the 42nd district.

This will change the flow of things.

'...... You think I'm going to let you do that?
You will. Even if you have to. And while you're at it, go talk to the lords of the thirty-seven districts.
''That's not good enough. I can only assume you've lost your mind, anchovy. The Sea Fishing Guild's port is the lifeline of our district. Do you really think I'd accept a proposal that would shake it ......?
'I'll build you a villa in New Town.
'.................. Mmm.
'You're worried, aren't you, Lucia?

Estella's energetic tsukkomi made me feel that I was in good hands.
At first glance, Lucia's words may seem repulsive, but ...... those eyes are the eyes that want to listen. Details. The odds. The odds.

Lucia knows that the situation is dire and she is looking for a way out of it.
There is no such thing as reform without pain.
She knows that and she wants to hear it. He wants to know what I'm going to do.

'Let's hear the details of how you're going to defeat the ...... BU.'

I'll tell you.
I'll tell you how fragile and apparent the victory everyone in BU is so sure of is.
I'll tell you how fragile the victory that everyone in BU is so sure of is, and how it's only apparent.

Eat some takoyaki and listen carefully.



After that, I spent half the day going around to talk to people I could count on.
In order to finish what I had to finish in the two days I had left.