Translator: Reflet
「So I wasn"t supposed to figure that out」
「You could have just not thought about it and taken Leticia in. That pretty girl would be yours. What"s unsatisfactory about that?」
He imagined Leticia in his head.
The beautiful girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a demeanor that made one feel her elegance.
If it were her appearance then he certainly wouldn"t have any complaints. If anything it was the opposite.
However, Taiyou still could not accept her straightforwardly.
「I have no qualms」
「You have an annoying way of saying that」
「It"s just that I"m uneasy about possibly one day having to put her and everyone on the scales」
「Everyone？」
「Yes, everyone」
Everyone――The current people of his family rose into his mind.
The Hayakawa sisters, Azuma Kohaku, Miki Aoba.
He had often gotten into relations with them through pure chance. Because of that, he hadn"t made much preparations, charging into summer and stepping onto Juuni island.
There he had met the man named Saegusa Tsuk.u.mo.
Tsuk.u.mo had ignored any danger, plunging forth into the enemy circle in order to rescue his women. For better or for worse, Taiyou had been affected by that.
It had caused a chemical change within him, and Taiyou had largely changed his way of thinking from before coming to Juuni island.
「I"d put my life on the line for everyone……the three girls, Kohaku-san, Aoba. I"d risk my life if it meant bringing happiness to everyone」
He stared steaight at Youran as if challenging her.
「Right now I"m extremely happy, being thought about by them, being together with them. That"s why I want to return the favor――Repay them for liking me with my own love」
「Which means Letii"s no good since she doesn"t like you？」
「There"s also that」
Taiyou nodded, speaking further.
「When it comes down to it, there"s the possibility that I wouldn"t be able to put my life on the line」
「Which means you"d be able to put your life on the line for those three？」
「Yeah, I"m prepared for that」
Taiyou nodded.
Right now, his life wasn"t even the max. If it came down to it he was even ready to sell his soul to the devil.
He might be told that he was exaggerating, but he truly did think that was how much he needed to be ready in order to make all seven girls happy.
（Atsuko-san……）
He recalled what Atsuko had said to him when he had first visited the Miki household.
Determination would become firmer and firmer.
Perhaps that determination had transmitted to him. He did not avert his eyes from Youran, but he became utterly silent.
For a brief while silence drifted between them, until at last, Youran spoke with a sigh……speaking as if giving in.
「You reeeally don"t get it do you」
「Huh？」
「Nothing. But alright, if that"s the case――I"ll be the one to brainwashi Letii」
「What"s with this outrageous topic all of a sudden！」
Taiyou quipped.
「What"s with this out of the blue? I hope you know that I"m being serious？」
「Well I"m being serious too」
「In what way!?」
「Essentially I"ll make her fall in love with you and make her a female slave that says『Pleeease oh pleeease bully me Masterrr』. Anything wrong with that？」
「Maybe not, but you just leaped far ahead! Where did you get that idea」
「Well I"m putting her in your harem right? Then wouldn"t it be best to detemrine who"s higher and lower position-wise? After all, there"s no need to have two heads in a group」
「If you"re gonna act stupid then at least follow through with it！ Don"t just add something that makes sense at the end！」
「What are you talking about? You realize I"ve been serious」
Youran stared at Taiyou with exasperation.
Scarily enough, she really did seem earnest.
「That"s even worse! And aren"t you guys best friends? You"d seriously brainwash your best friend」
「Who do you think I am？」
The tone of Youran"s voice slightly fell.
A tone slightly different than that of her twintail and『New Moon Director』voices.
「I"m the kind of girl who does whatever it takes to accomplish her objectives. If that"s what it takes to make Letii happy」
「You realize that no one has a disadvantage right? I"ll make Letii your slave, you become able to put your life on the line for Letii, and Letii becomes happy」
「That"s quite the syllogism you"re using」
Taiyou sighed.
「You say that I don"t change, but you really don"t change either do you」
「Well duh」
「In the sense that you"ll do anything for your objective, going from extremity to extremity……Haah」
「Welp, people don"t change so quickly in such a short time after all」
Youran admitted it like it was obvious.
Taiyou thought about it a bit as he gazed at her.
He thought about various things.
He chiefly thought about Youran in front of him.
「Alright, but I have conditions」
「Conditions？」
「You"re going to cooperate. It won"t hurt to cooperate with a few conditions, right？」
「Very well. And what would those conditions be? Money? Appreciation payment？」
Youran became slightly guarded. She seemed to be bracing herself for Taiyou"s conditions.
「It"s not as extreme as money！ No, see……」
He cleared his thoat, starting over.
「No brainwashing and no slavery. I"ll convince her with my own mouth」
「Wha？」
Having braced herself, Youran felt letdown.
She gave an idiotic, blank face as she looked at Taiyou.
「Your objective is to make her happy, and yur method to achieve that is brainwashing」
「Well……Ah, you might be misunderstanding, so let me just say that I"m not actually going to brainwash her. I just mean that I"ll do things like persistently whisper into her ears, okay」
「I know」
Letting her know implicitly that he understood that much, he continued the conversation.
「You wouldn"t have any problem with me persuading her myself right」
「Well no……」
「Or is it that you want to do it yourself? Leticia is a "special existence" to you, so you won"t be satisfied unless you do it yourself?」
「Not really. That"s a measure so I could care less」
Youran said composedly. She seemed to be speaking from the heart.
「Then leave it to me. Honestly, to fulfill my ultimate objective it wouldn"t be good to have someone else persuade her」
「Can you do it？」
「I sure will」
Reaffirming his objective inside is head, Taiyou nodded firmly.
After he and Youran had parted for real this time, Taiyou took out his smartphone and made a call.
After a long ringing tone, a voice he was quite used to came out of the phone.
『It"s me, what"s up?』
What he had heard was Leticia"s voice.
After that affair, he had exchanged contact info with her just in case.
It was an international phone call, but he could clearly hear the sound of her voice from the princess"s private phone line.
「There"s one thing I want to ask you. You do think of Youran as your best friend right」
『What are ya bringing up all of a sudden……That fool with ya？』
「Not right now」
『……That right. Welp, ah do think of her as mah best friend. But what about that?』
「Do you want to make her happy」
『What is this all of a sudden――』
「She said that she wanted to make you happy」
Once he conveyed that, he heard the clear sound of her catching her breath on the other end.
「What do you think？」
『Well I……』
His mouth closed, Taiyou waited for Leticia"s next response.
He waited patiently.
Her hesitation lasted about a minute. When she spoke again, Leticia sounded like she was squeezing it out from the bottom of her throat.
『……If ah have tah』
She said.
「Alright――Tell me just one more thing」
『Why"d ya change yer tone』
「You……are best friends right」
『Haah……？ Why ya askin" again』
「I can safely say that you"re best friends, yeah?」
He said timidly, as if confirming.
If that weren"t the case, if it were something more…
Things would fundamentally be different from promised, so Taiyou had no choice but to confirm it.
He had inquired from Youran with that in mind, but she had said that she "wasn"t like that" implicitly, but thinking of the slightest possibility, Taiyou decided to ask Leticia as well.
One moment later, the message was conveyed to her.
『Ya stupid?！』
A loud voice rang out to where it felt like his eardrum would break.
It was enough to make him image her face red with anger on the other end.
『Me and that girl are both normal！！！』
Yelling out once more, she hung up.
Taiyou stared at his phone, line cut off.
(If I can confirm that)――Taiyou braced himself.
「Juunishima New Moon Director Youran」
Muttering her name, he strengthened his resolve.
First――
「Taiyou-chan Taiyou-chan」
That was when Hera, returning from her tailing, broke into his thoughts.
「Oh hey, you find something out？」
「Yes indeed. I followed Akiha all the way to her house」
「Really now」
「And when I was there……I saw something unthinkable」
「Something unthinkable？」
Taiyou tilted his head, wondering what that could be.
「Akihchan was looking at Aobchan"s pictures. Looking at an alb.u.m full of only Aoba」
「………………What？」
Taiyou"s eyes became dots.