I met up with Machina, who had come in a carriage, in front of the Grand Clock Tower, and we went to her favorite shoe store.
　I picked out a pair of shoes for her there and presented them to her on the spot.
　By the way, the price is a little high because it is the store of Makina-san's purveyor.

''Just as much as you can afford, okay?''

　Makina-san told me so.
　However, the amount of crystals obtained from the operation to defeat the giants was quite a bit of money in cash, so there's no problem with the price.
　Rather than the price, the question is whether she'll be pleased with the gift or not...

　After the purchase, Makina-san immediately changed into the shoes I gave her.
　The shoes I chose are similar to shiny boots with a white ribbon.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.
　I'm afraid to ask her.

How do you think...?

　What appeared on Makina-san's face was a sly smile.

''Well that's pretty good, isn't it?　Huh.

　Oh, good.
　She was pleased with it.

　After leaving the shoe store, Makina-san accompanied me around a few shops to pick out a gift for Mia.
　On the way, I casually asked her for her opinion.

'Maybe something you can wear under your skin. She has surprisingly little time to spend with you.

　I was advised to wear it.
　What can I wear with me all the time?

　And after worrying about it.
　I decided to buy a necklace at a jewelry store.
　It was a crystal necklace with a carved image of a sacred tree leaf.
　It can be worn around the neck and is not affected by the clothes you wear.
　There was also the option of a ring, but the price of all of them was too high.
　By the way.

Hmm. That's nice. The gift of a necklace, eh? Hmmm...

　Just before I bought Mia's gift, I noticed Makina's glancing at me with a covetous look on her face.
　I chuckled and pointed to the same necklace.

Let's see, can I have two of these?

　I told the shopkeeper that I bought two identical necklaces.
　Of course, one of them was for Makina-san as a gift.
　When she came out of the store, Makina-san immediately played with the crystal of the necklace that she put around her neck with her fingertips.

I'm sorry I felt like I was begging you.

　I said apologetically.
　But he looked like he was in a good mood.
　It seems that they seemed to be pleased with the gift I gave them, so I'm glad to hear that they liked it.

But you see........with shoes, they might get old and not be able to be worn any more someday, right?

　What is he suddenly starting to excuse himself for?

'If you can't wear them anymore, why not simply buy new ones?'

　I'm sure there are many other shoes that are finer than the ones I gave you, and Makina-san would be able to buy new ones right away.
　I'd be happy if I gave them to her, but....
　But...

'You still like it?　Ornaments like that.

　When I asked, Makina-san smiled and brushed her hair back as if to mend it.

'Huh?　Yeah, well that depends on the person.
Depends on the person?　Is that by any chance--

　Ms. Machina looked masterful and waved her hand in a flutter.

'Okay, don't tell me. As for you, it depends on the skill of the craftsman who made it anyway--'
Are you happy it was me who gave it to you?
...What?

　Makina gives me a surprised look.

''Ya, I was just kidding. Ha........I wish I was, though.
Oh, you'll be glad you did.
"Huh?

　As she swam and escaped her gaze, Makina-san squeezed the reef-shaped crystal in her small hands.

''Oh, I'm happy because you gave it to me.

　He sounded a bit angry.

'What?　Oh, really?
It's true you are a real person.

　Makina-san walks away sulkily.

'Um, maquina--'
Look, you have dinner plans next.　Let's go.
Oh, yes.

　Makina-san sometimes makes me feel a little nervous all of a sudden.
　When she reacts like that, sometimes I feel like I'm going to fall seriously in love with her, so that's a problem.
　I know I'm a bit of a naughty boy, but the fact that I almost fall in love with him when he's nice to me may be a problem for me....
　I'm usually careful not to make a mistake, though.

　While thinking about this, I quickly catch up with her.
　Then, we both stood in line and aimed at our destination store.

　　　　　　　　　　*

It was more like...
Hmm. I'm glad you had a good time.

　Makina brings the cup of post-dinner tea to her mouth.

But as you said, I tried to be aggressive in my own way, but looking back on it now, I feel like I blew myself up.
That can't be true.

　How can she assert with such confidence...........Ah, I see.
　Basically, Makina-san has absolute pride in the idea she came up with, right?

'It's not as if we didn't make any progress, but.......'

　Like Cecily's confession.
　Currier-san changed her mind.

　But was it really my positive attitude that drew them in?

　The time is 6:30 pm.
　I'm in a shop that looks like a stylish café in the city.
　The rain that began to fall as soon as we entered the restaurant is still drizzling outside the window.
　We had just finished dinner.

　And we had just finished reporting the results of our visit to the Cirrus Baths to Machina.

　Perhaps because the restaurant is located in an area where many aristocrats live, the food served was extravagant.
　Because of its proximity to the sea, Renousled, and especially the capital city of Christophia, is said to be blessed with a wide variety of seafood.
　Considering the fact that it has water resources, crystals, and even its famous cheese, starting with the seafood we just ate, Renousled is a rich country.......
　It seems that there are no wars that seem to be wars right now, and this country also has the Knights of the Holy Tree led by Commander Sogut.
　I'm sure this country's peace will be maintained for a long time.

By the way, though...

　Putting the cup down, Makina cut her off.

'There's someone I'd like you to meet.
Me?
'A friend of mine in Ruvelargan - his name is Shanatrice Twelfth. Can you understand me if I explain that I'm the vice-captain of the God's Punishment Corps, a special unit that reports directly to the King of Ruvelargan?
The God's Punishment Squad knows.

　The God Punishment Squad.
　I think the person Hibigami had mentioned by name along with Commander Sogut was the captain of that God's Punishment Corps or something like that, Rose Claywor.
　Currier-san also said that he was famous on the continent.
　So you are the second in command of the unit directly under the king, led by this Rose Claywoll?

''But why me and that man?

　My friend and Makina said.
　Runowthred and Ruvel Argan have been allies for a long time, as I recall learning in a lecture.
　The alliance is still the same today, she said.
　If that is the case, it is not surprising that there are people who are friends with each other in both countries.
　However, I've also heard that in recent years exchanges are not as active as in the past.

''You mentioned before that the forbidden spellbook is in Ruvel Argan, didn't you?

　Spellbook.

'She might be able to transfer it to me.
Is that so?

　You're not going to give it to me that easily, are you?

However, I have been given the condition that I must first be brought to you, the forbidding user.
Okay. So you want me to meet you.
Can we meet?
'Fine. No problem on my end.
Thank you for talking so quickly.
When is the date?
One week later.

　Just next week's rest day.

I see.

　As if relieved, Makina-san takes a breath.
　But it was only for a short time that she took a break.
　Again, she has a reluctant expression, as if she were hurting.

The first thing you need to do is to tell you about this. It's not like it has nothing to do with what's going on right now.

　What is it?

'As a matter of fact, the day you mentioned earlier, the day you met with Shanatrice and the day Currier met with someone from the Holy Royal Family, coincided.

　Come to think of it, I remember Currier-san said something like that before, that he was going to be met by someone from the Holy Royal Family sooner or later.
　Makina-san lowered her eyebrows apologetically.

''I was actually planning to accompany you, but as expected, it's not good to let you meet that woman without me.......so it looks like I won't be able to accompany Currier's side. And in both cases, the date cannot be changed.
Does that mean Mr. Currier is in the castle alone?
'She has a certain amount of common sense, so I'm sure she'll be fine... but in the meantime, I've approached Sogut and Dearez Arkwright to see if they could ask her to chaperone them.
Commander Sogut and Mr. Dierres, huh?
'They're particularly memorable from the Holy Kings, and thanks to the previous interviews, they're not completely unfamiliar with each other... I just thought I should still ask your opinion.
It's better than letting Miss Currier go alone, though.

　As expected, when it comes to the Holy Royal Family, it's not like I can't accompany them.
　And if it's someone I don't know, Commander Sogut and Diales-san would be safe.

''I thought about asking Cecily Arkwright to accompany me, but she probably wouldn't want to meet the prince.
..........

　I think I was able to get a general idea of the situation by the way Makina-san just said it and its content.
　Maybe it was that.
　The prince likes Cecily-san and Cecily-san is annoyed or something like that.
　When Cecily-san is involved, it's easier to understand than it is to understand.

''Mia would find it difficult to enter the castle without me with her.......I'm sorry, I just couldn't think of a better choice.
I don't have a choice.
I'll take care of the preparations for the day and everything up to that point. Don't worry about it.
I'm not worried about you. I trust you, Machina-san.
Thank you. I'll take the credit.

　Makina smiled serenely and picked up the cup again.
　But on the way to bring the cup to her mouth.

I know you're going to be especially busy for a while now...

　Huh, his shoulders slumped tiredly.

'Is there anything else?'
'Honey, what do you know about the upcoming joint camp?'

　Oh, that's something I heard in the debrief.

Was it the event where students from the two countries meet at a joint training camp near the border to deepen exchanges?　As I recall, there's an Argan Institute or something similar to our school over there, right?
Yes, it's a joint camp for the third year students of Argan Academy and our third year students. It's a joint camp that the third year students of Argan Academy and our third year students are having, but the date for the joint camp has been moved up this year from the usual year due to circumstances over there.
When was that?
"Three days after the next rest day.

　Huh?

''Three days after the next rest day.......I think I heard that the second year students also have events like a sea camp in the Duke of Kielcinha's territory....
That's right. Two events have come together this year.

　Makina-san with a depressed cheekbones.
　It must be hard to coordinate and all that........


'It's tough...'
It's a lot of work, but I'm sure you'll have to do your duty as headmaster... well, at least cut me some slack when I'm complaining.

　I chuckle.

'I'll take as many complaints as I can get my hands on,'
Thank you.

　I thanked him and then put my cup down.

What?

　Makina-san glanced out the window.

'It looks like ... well ... it's quit.

　　　　　　　　　　*

　We left the shop and we were both walking side by side through the royal city at night.
　The reason it wasn't a carriage was because Makina-san wanted to walk home.
　We let the carriage that was waiting ahead of us leave, and we headed up the slope in front of the school while chatting leisurely with each other.

　The clouds were thinning and the night sky was peeking through the clouds.
　The tops of the cobblestones were wet, and the smell of post-rainy weather stung our noses.
　Water dripped from the eaves of the house.

　The main topic of conversation was Makina-san's daily complaints, but we also talked a bit about the Cirrus Baths and the world I used to live in.
　And when the gentle slope in front of the school was almost in sight.

Excuse me, Mr. Machina.
What?

　The way you were walking was a bit odd from earlier, so I was curious about it.

''By any chance....are you getting sore shoes?''

　Makina-san is wearing the shoes I gave her today.
　It's not surprising that she's walked quite a distance, so it's not surprising that she's experiencing shoe sores.

''........Never mind. I'm almost there anyway.

　It's only a short walk up the hill to the school.
　But if it's getting to the point where I'm uncomfortable with the way I'm walking, it's going to be hard to climb this hill.
　The road was still wet.
　I couldn't let her walk around in her undressed state.
　If that's the case.

I'm going to give you a blowjob.

　I put my feet on the ground and turn my back.

'Yes, fine ... and--'
'No one's looking at you anyway, and you don't have to be shy about it, do you?　If you don't want me and my body to be attached to each other... well, I'll stop.

　Mmm, Makina twisted her mouth.　
　And.

Oh, it's heavy.
No, it's light.

　In the end, I ended up walking up the hill with Makina-san as my piggyback.
　I guess it's partly because of my recent growth.
　It really doesn't feel heavy.

　It was very quiet around me.
　All I could feel was the sound of my footsteps and the breathing of the two of us.

'....Hey, Kurohiko.
Yes, sir.

　'Potentially,' said Makina-san.

'If we get a lot of things done that we have coming up in the next week or so how about me and Mia going to Cirrus Baths this time?
With the Machina family?

　I heard a self-conscious sigh.

'No you've only just been to Cirrus Baths, haven't you? The interval is too short, as expected. Pretend you didn't hear that one.

　Makina-san and Mia-san, huh?
　...........
　What can I say.
　It's just like Machina-san to have Mia-san firmly in the room.
　She's a really pleasant person, this person.

''Let's go without saying that, Cirrus Baths.
'What?　...Are you sure?
There's no reason to refuse.

　The arm of Makina-san, who is holding on to me, is tightly packed.

You're not pushing yourself?
Well, it's not like you're looking out for me like that. Are you really that tired?
Mm..........that way, it makes me sound like I'm usually insensitive....
'Huh?　If it sounds like that, does that mean you're aware of it?
Hey,

　This time, he squeezed his arm with more force.
　It seems to be a protest, judging by the amount of force he put into it.

Haha, sorry. I was just kidding. I know very well that Makina-san has a personality that cares more than most people.
...more.

　Then we both walked up the hill in silence for a while.
　When the end of the slope was finally in sight.
　With a huff, there was a hint of a smile spilling out of Makina-san's mouth.

''But ... now I feel like it's a little more worthwhile.
It's hard to look forward to anything else.
Hmm. Maybe.

　As we entered the main gate, I stopped.
　I turned around.
　Out of the corner of my eye - beyond that, I saw Seiki.
　It was vague, but faintly glowing.

''I had a good time today,''
I enjoyed it too.

　I look up at the sky.

'It's beautiful,'
Yes it's really beautiful.

　The clouds had disappeared and the sky was clear and full of stars shining in the sky.

　　　　　　　　　　*

　Three days later.

　The news of the occupation of the fortress near the border by the inhabitants of the apocalypse came to Christophia, the royal capital.
　The occupied fort is located closest to the apocalypse.
　The number of inhabitants who attacked the fort was said to be over a hundred.
　In the past, there had been only a few cases where the inhabitants of the apocalypse had attacked the country's territory on their own.
　The soldiers of the nearby fortified city of Esbold immediately tried to recapture it.
　However, they were defeated in vain.

　In response, the Holy Tree Knights led by Sogut Sigismos left the royal capital today.
　Today, the Knights of the Holy Tree, led by Sogut Sigismos, left the capital to retake the occupied fort.

　The leader of the group, Sogut Sigismos, is said to have repeatedly and persistently asked the men who came to report to him about certain matters.
　And as of now--.

　There is no confirmation of the presence of men who look like the Four Deadly Disasters among the occupants.