Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 44 E-Book

Takehaya

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Invaders of the Rokujouma!?
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 202

Beschreibung

In this collection of side stories, Theia tries to get Elle to open up by reminiscing about the adventure filled summer vacation they had shared with the residents of room 106. Meanwhile, Harumi and Shizuka train the Sun Rangers, Forthorthian royals learn how to play Earth games, and much more!

Leseprobe

Episode 1: The Capital Board Game Session

The battle against Vandarion had come to a close, but Forthorthe’s royalty had no time to take it easy. They needed to rebuild and reform the empire, as well as hold memorials and celebrations for the end of the war. However, the imperial physicians objected, saying it would destroy Their Majesties’ bodies, and the royals would therefore be taking a day off on a rotating basis.

Today it was Theia, Elfaria, and Ceilēshu’s day off. But since it had been such a sudden decision, they didn’t have anything in particular to do, so they had gathered to drink tea, which Ruth had poured for them.

“That reminds me, it’s been so busy that I haven’t been able to thank you, Theia-chan,” Ceilēshu remarked after taking a sip of the tea and putting her cup on the table. They were inside the greenhouse in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace. The season was still cold, but the light of the sun made the tea sparkle.

“Hmm?” Theia was in the process of enjoying her own drink and acknowledged Ceilēshu with her eyes. It was a little rude, but nobody there would rebuke her for it. That said, she had matured, so she soon put down her cup and spoke to Ceilēshu. “Is there something you need to thank me for?”

“There is.” Ceilēshu smiled and lowered her head. “Thank you for saving my father.”

Ceilēshu’s father had been afflicted by an illness that couldn’t be cured even with Forthorthe’s technology. But it had been possible to treat him with technology based on magic and spiritual energy. Once the war was over, he had received treatment, with both means being used in parallel. As a result, although he was still far from being fully recovered, his life was no longer in danger, and his condition was improving with each passing day.

Theia smiled and shook her head. “I haven’t done anything. You should give your thanks to the others.”

It was Maki and Yurika, as well as Sanae and Kiriha, who had been in charge of his treatment. Theia hadn’t done anything but watch, so in her mind, it was they who should be thanked, not her. Even so, she was happy about her friends being praised.

“Theia, at times it is necessary to accept the gratitude directed to you,” Elfaria said and laughed at her daughter. At the same time, she was happy that her daughter had made friends she could be proud of.

“I am willing to accept thanks for bringing them here, mother.”

“In that case, thank you very much for doing so, Theia-chan.”

“Indeed, it was worthwhile to bring them with me.”

“By the way, when Her Highness was coming back, she begged Layous-sama and the others to lend her their strength while in tears,” Ruth interjected.

“Oh my?!”

“Ruth! You didn’t have to say that!”

Not much time had passed since the war had ended, but since things were going well, Theia and the others had bright expressions. It would surely not be long before Forthorthe as a whole recovered from the civil war.

Ruth was the one pouring the tea, and thanks to her meticulous personality and training since childhood, the taste and aroma were superb. After a few sips, Ceilēshu looked into her cup in confusion.

Seeing that, Ruth asked her with a worried look, “Was it not to your taste, Ceilēshu-sama?”

“Oh, it was! I just haven’t had something like this before. I believe I am quite knowledgeable about tea too,” Ceilēshu answered with a smile. She felt that the taste and aroma were great, and Ruth’s skill was admirable. She was simply bothered that she hadn’t tasted this type of tea before. Tea was her hobby, so she had all kinds of knowledge about the subject. Yet she knew nothing about the tea that Ruth had made for her.

“This is actually a tea that I brought with me from Earth,” Ruth clarified.

“From Earth? No wonder I can’t recall it. So, this is the taste of tea from Layous-sama’s homeland...” Ceilēshu peered into her cup again before taking another sip to enjoy the flavor and aroma. It was a rather unique and acrid taste, but she quite liked it.

“Do you like it, Ceilēshu-san?” Elfaria called out to her.

Ceilēshu was rather mature, unlike Theia, so the childish expression she was wearing was quite rare. “Yes.” Ceilēshu nodded. “I would like to try all sorts of tea.” Her tea-loving heart was stirring. How could she sit still at the thought of unknown teas from an unknown planet? “Do you have any more, Ruth-san?”

“I do believe I have another two or three teas that I brought with me. I will serve them next time.”

“Please do!”

Ruth knew that she had brought roasted green tea and black tea with her. She remembered making those since coming to Forthorthe. She should also have brought oolong tea with her, but since she hadn’t made any yet, she couldn’t be sure. That didn’t matter to Ceilēshu, though; she wanted as many teas as there were.

Seeing that, Elfaria chuckled. “Once diplomatic relations are established with Earth, and especially Japan, you can get as much as you want.”

Elfaria had already decided to open a dialogue with Earth at this point. Once that was done, they could get as much tea as they wanted, which Ceilēshu should be happy about.

Of course, there was risk involved, and that’s what Theia was worried about. “Mother, is it really necessary to establish diplomatic relations right now?”

Trouble with another world was a constant worry, especially when there were such large gaps in both technology and economy between them. In this scenario, there was a high risk of Forthorthe’s technology and funds flowing directly to Earth. With that in mind, Theia felt that there was no need to rush.

“There is a reason. It will be dangerous if we don’t hurry.” Elfaria was of the opposite opinion. She believed there was another danger lurking and concluded that it was riskier to hold off on this next step.

“What danger are you talking about, Your Majesty?” Ruth, having finished her duty of pouring tea, asked with a serious expression. Seeing that Elfaria wasn’t smiling as she usually would, she had a bad feeling about this.

“All citizens know that Layous-sama and his allies fought. A lot of attention is naturally being focused on magic, psychic powers, and spiritual energy. If left alone, some will illegally land on Earth to try to get their hands on those things. Establishing diplomatic relations is the best way to prevent that.”

The people of Forthorthe’s attention was currently on the Blue Knight and his band of knights, as well as the strange techniques they used, such as Yurika’s and Maki’s magic, Sanae’s psychic powers, and Kiriha’s haniwas. Even if the details were unclear, the people understood that these were superb techniques and technology. Naturally, many would want to get their hands on them even if it meant illegally smuggling themselves onto Earth, and many would inevitably belong to dangerous terrorist organizations.

“Earth doesn’t have the technology to prevent Forthorthians from illegally entering,” Theia remarked. “So you are worried that a terrorist organization will go there to look for magic and spiritual energy technology and bring it back here to perform acts of terrorism, is that right, mother?”

“That’s right. Establishing diplomatic relations is necessary in order to move the army and enforce the border. Because of the galactic treaty, we can’t let the military into a country we don’t have diplomatic relations with.”

Forthorthe and its neighboring nations had a treaty that forbade them from intervening with any country or planet they didn’t have diplomatic relations with, even to prevent illegal entry. If they were going to enforce the borders, they would need to follow the rules.

“Magic, psychic powers, and spiritual energy... It would certainly be a problem if those were brought to Forthorthe. It is definitely a difficult situation, Your Majesty,” Ceilēshu said while furrowing her brow.

If such things were used for terrorism in Forthorthe, they would have no means of preventing it or pursuing the perpetrators. A sudden influx would be problematic for both worlds, and Elfaria felt that they couldn’t afford to fall behind on the matter. It was also why she was exempting Darkness Rainbow from responsibility and trying to recruit them instead.

“That’s why there is a need to do this soon,” she explained. “However, it will mostly be a human and cultural exchange at first. Anything else will be shut out.”

“Which means that I will be able to drink this tea again!” Ceilēshu replied.

Although trouble was expected, it wasn’t all bad, since Ceilēshu would be able to explore Earth’s tea culture. There were parts of this political move that would be very welcome.

“Does it interest you, Ceilēshu-san?” Elfaria asked.

“Of course. It is something from Layous-sama’s homeland...”

“I am sure people will want to experience the culture that created the Blue Knight.”

This decision would likely align with the public’s desires. Earth was the planet where the Blue Knight was born. Koutarou had defeated Vandarion and saved the royal families, earning him immense popularity, and the people would surely love to know more about his culture, especially the things that Koutarou enjoyed. They would likely want to experience it for themselves as well. Since a human and cultural exchange would allow for that, the people would rejoice.

“Ruth-san, did you bring any cultural items from Earth aside from tea?” Ceilēshu asked.

“I do have board games we brought along to kill time.”

“A board game?”

“It is a classic type of game where you use a board and pieces to play,” Theia interjected. “On Earth, it lost momentum due to the appearance of computer games, but it is seeing a sort of revival as of late.”

“Hmm... I see.”

“Theia, this is a good opportunity, so why don’t we play?” Elfaria suggested.

“I understand, mother. Ruth, if you would.”

“Very well.”

Theia and the others had initially worried about how they would spend their day off, but fortunately, they had found a solution during their discussion, and ultimately spent their time casually playing a game.

The first game Ruth chose was a simple one that used a large twelve-sided die, with players moving the number of spaces the die showed.

“Theia-chan, what does this say?” Ceilēshu asked.

“It says, ‘The Turnabout Game of Life.’ Hold on a minute; I will send the Japanese translation to you,” Theia answered.

“Ah, there it is. Thank you very much. I see, now I can understand this box.”

“Indeed. To summarize the game, you experience a virtual life where you overcome hardships, and the person who has the most money at the end is the victor.”

“That sounds fun.”

“It always causes a big uproar.”

“Is that so?” Ceilēshu chuckled as she stared at the package and board. Everything was written in Japanese, but the computer she was wearing projected a translated hologram over it, so there was no problem. She was very interested in Earth’s culture.

“Ruth, why did you choose this game?” asked Elfaria.

“This game is based on luck, Your Majesty, so even beginners can play it easily enough. It also features Japanese culture.”

“I see, then it should fit in with Ceilēshu-san’s hopes.”

Ruth and Elfaria chatted while taking out the pieces and cards from the box. Since Elfaria had been on Earth for a while, she had some experience with board games and was therefore unsurprised, but Ceilēshu’s reaction was very different.

“Theia-chan, your piece is a vehicle with wheels. Is that a vehicle from Earth?” she asked.

“That’s right. Most vehicles on Earth still use an internal combustion engine.”

“I would love to ride in one...”

“I’m sure you will get a chance eventually.”

“I will look forward to it,” Ceilēshu said with a laugh. She was typically the one doing the explaining to Theia, but their positions were reversed when it came to Earth. The advantage of having lived there for two years was significant, and right now, Theia was the most—or second most—knowledgeable on Forthorthe.

Suddenly, a thought came to mind. Did mother foresee this when she sent me to Koutarou’s side?

Theia was an expert on Earth. Her two years of experience would naturally put her at the center of attention should diplomatic relations be established. In a sense, it was a card more powerful than becoming Empress. Earth was more than just a planet; it was the Blue Knight’s homeland. Theia stared at her mother, wondering if Elfaria had foreseen that much when she had sent Theia there.

“Ruth, what was this red bill again?” Elfaria asked.

“That is a debt,” Ruth explained “You will lose money equivalent to the note.”

“Oh, right.”

Seeing Elfaria carefreely prepare the game, Theia felt like she was making too much of it. Not even mother could have predicted this much... Good grief...

She laughed, and after that, she completely forgot about it. And with that, the truth would forever remain in darkness.

The Turnabout Game of Life began at childhood. The players attended either regular or elite kindergarten and various types of grade schools. They also collected talent cards that would affect their income after finding a job. It was ideal if talents and work overlapped, but since the game was so reliant on luck, it wasn’t that easy.

“Agh, I have a talent for drawing, but I ended up becoming a baseball player!” Theia griped.

“That’s a shame, Theia. You were just one away from becoming a manga artist,” Ruth answered.

“Baseball... Ruth-san, what is baseball?” asked Elfaria.

“It is a sport on Earth. Master loves it, so we play it from time to time too.”

“I would love to try it for myself one day.”

“By all means.”

The board split when searching for a job, setting a general future course. Theia gained a talent during grade school and chose a route that had a lot of professional creative jobs. But that route also featured athletics, which she unfortunately got instead.

“Oh, it appears I am a salaryman,” Elfaria commented.

“I have never imagined you as an office worker, mother.”

“Ceilēshu-sama, a salaryman is an employee who works for a company,” Ruth explained.

“That is the opposite of Her Majesty’s life.”

“I will aim for the top, no matter what life,” Elfaria announced.

“I am sure that mother would be the same regardless of her job,” said Theia.

Elfaria had become an employee for a trading company. She had also acquired a talent for logical thinking, which, while not as effective as a talent for negotiation, would help her as an employee. She could still aim to win.

“Oh... It looks like I am an idol singer,” said Ruth.

“That is a good job, Ruth-san,” Elfaria answered.

“I don’t think it suits Ruth well, though.”

“Theia, you are talking about reality, aren’t you?” her mother replied with a chuckle.

“But I have a talent for handicrafts, so I don’t think it suits me.”

“See!”

“Oh, Theia...”

Ruth had become an idol singer. It was one of the jobs that had the most random income. It was relatively stable if one had a talent for beauty or charisma, but Ruth unfortunately had neither. Even so, she looked at her job card with joy. While she herself didn’t think it suited her, she was still happy about it. Being able to become something unimaginable was just another thrill of playing a game.

“I am, uhm...a tuna fisherman. But what is a tuna?” asked Ceilēshu.

“Oh, you’ve gotten the most dynamic job!” Theia exclaimed.

“A tuna is a large edible fish on Earth. Many people in Japan like it, and Master loves it too,” Ruth explained.

“Then I will do my best to make Layous-sama happy.”

“Mother, it might be best to import tuna eventually.”

“You love it too, don’t you, Theia?”

“Ehehehe.”

Ceilēshu had become a deep-sea fisherman and was happy about it. Like the idol job, it was a very random one, but she had the fishing talent so her income would be relatively stable. At the moment, she might have been the most likely player to win, but that wasn’t why Ceilēshu was smiling. Her heart was drawn to the unique food culture of Earth, as well as the Earth-style boat illustration on the card.

“So, we have a baseball player, a salaryman, an idol, and a fisherman. These jobs are all very varied,” Theia pointed out.

“It’s only natural—there are a lot of jobs on Earth too.” Ceilēshu flipped through the job cards that hadn’t been used this time. Many were in fields that she had no familiarity with, and even the jobs she did know looked different in the game. The cards made the difference in the culture between Forthorthe and Earth very clear, and much of it fascinated her.

“I would love to go to Earth one day...” Ceilēshu murmured.

“Bear with it for a while. Mother will open it up eventually.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Leave it to me...” Elfaria laughed.

Before long, the Blue Knight would sneak home, prompting public opinion in Forthorthe to favor establishing diplomatic relations with Earth. Ceilēshu’s desires would quickly be fulfilled, but she had no way of knowing that now.

The Turnabout Game of Life truly got started once everyone had a job. Until then, players only received income from allowances or events, but once they were employed, their income increased dramatically. There were also unexpected expenses such as stock market crashes and natural disasters. And so the rankings, which had been nearly equal until now, started shifting rapidly.

“At this rate, Ceilēshu will be able to run away with the win.”

“Ceilēshu-sama has been having nothing but big hauls lately, after all.”

“I am only getting lucky,” she protested.

Elfaria chuckled. “Be it luck or ability, the winner is always right, Ceilēshu-san.”

Ceilēshu was currently in first place. At first, she’d struggled with the loan for the ship, but she’d been getting big hauls for years and was now leaps and bounds ahead of the others. She still wasn’t sure what a tuna fisherman really was, but she was enjoying herself.

“Hmm...I will lose if I don’t do anything.” Theia was in second place, and her talent didn’t match her job, but she was being held up by her team’s performance.

“Now then, what should I do?” Elfaria, who was in third, was strangely happy. Her income was stable because of her job as a salaryman, but it wasn’t increasing as much as she wanted. However, she wouldn’t go down quietly, and the other three were filled with trepidation, wondering what she would do.

“It seems I really wasn’t suited to be an idol. Continuing would be a mistake; I should change jobs.” In last place was Ruth. Her idol profession was a complete mismatch with her handicraft talent, and it wasn’t enough for her to make a living. She also had to work part-time to support herself. Right now, she was looking for a way to change jobs in order to make a comeback.

“I will need to bring out my last resort.” Theia cackled as she threw the twelve-sided die. She then moved her car piece, not along the main route but a special side road.

“You’ve made a bold choice, Your Highness.” Ruth smiled as she looked at her; it was very like Theia.

“Naturally. I will be first, or I will be last!”

Having concluded that she wouldn’t be able to beat Ceilēshu at this rate, Theia had made a gamble to try a big turn of fortune. The game allowed for players to gamble everything they owned just once. If they won, they would be rich, and if they lost, they wouldn’t have any money to their name. It was a typical decision for Theia to make—to her, any position but the top was the same as last place.

“Theia, it says to specify the multiplier.”

“Ceilēshu will get her income another two times after this, and considering it might be over average with her talent...hmm, a double multiplier won’t be enough... Mother, I will go with three times!”

“I see, so this is what a ‘turnabout’ in life means,” Ceilēshu pondered.

“Yes,” Ruth explained, “it is possible to turn things around from any position as a final gamble, although there is criticism about the game being too reliant on luck.”

“Playing only games of skill will result in the same people winning all the time, so these kinds of games are necessary too.”

“I agree, Ceilēshu-sama.”

“Hahahaha, here I go!” Theia vigorously threw the twelve-sided die. It rolled across the table, and since she was aiming for a triple multiplier, she had a one-in-three chance of success. Specifically, she needed to roll a one to four.

Theia and the others held their breath as they stared.

“Stop it! Don’t! Noooooo!”

As the die stopped, Theia screamed. She had rolled a five, and unfortunately, her gamble had failed. Theia was now bankrupt, and that was one of the turning points of the game. Everyone set their objectives and headed for the goal.

“Ugh, I lost!”

When the game came to an end, Theia collapsed over the table. With her bankruptcy, she had come in last. She’d recovered somewhat afterward, but it hadn’t been enough to catch up to the other three.

“This was the result of your aggressiveness, Your Highness,” Ceilēshu commented.

“And you weren’t aggressive enough,” Elfaria chimed in.

“I should have given up on the idol path sooner.” Ruth was third. She’d changed her job to entrepreneur and created an apparel brand. It suited her talent, but it had been done too late. She had been defeated by her conservative personality and adoration for idols deep within, which had left her unable to throw her original job away sooner.

“It appears I was sitting on a big haul for too long. I should have been thinking of my next move while things were in my favor.”

“It was your first time playing, so that can’t be helped.”

“I will do better next time.”

“That’s the spirit, Ceilēshu-san.”

Ceilēshu had come in second. Her fishing had worked great for her until halfway through, but she’d fallen behind on managing her funds. She hadn’t narrowed down her management methods, eventually not having enough income to make a profit.

“Still, I didn’t think Her Majesty would be so good at games, Theia-chan.”

“Mother is always like this. She will make a fortune before you know it.”

“It would appear Her Majesty had it planned from the start.”

Elfaria chuckled. “The moment I became a salaryman, I needed a plan to win.” Although she hadn’t particularly stood out midgame, in the end, she had finished in first place. The moment she had become a salaryman, she’d begun gradually buying stocks in the company she worked for. Moreover, her company had performed well thanks to her talent, so her stocks hadn’t dropped. So, even though she hadn’t stood out, she’d been sitting on high-value stocks. A large part of that was the result of her becoming CEO, and thanks to her skillful management of her assets, she’d managed to eke out a victory against Ceilēshu.

“Still, Her Majesty sure is strong, isn’t she, Your Highness?” asked Ceilēshu.

“That’s what makes it worth challenging her!” cried Theia. “Let’s move on to the next one! I won’t let this end here!”

“Oh, are we going to play more?”

“I won’t let you run away with your victory, mother!”

“Wow, what game are we playing next?!”

As a sore loser, Theia wouldn’t let it end there. She hurriedly cleaned up after the Turnabout Game of Life and started looking over the games piled up on a nearby table. Their battle had only just begun.

Thanks to the first round, Ceilēshu was starting to get a grasp on analogue games. Sensing that, the second game Theia picked was a card game called Divine Punishment Professionals. The rules were simple, and compared to the Turnabout Game of Life, it had more leeway for player tactics. It would be a good follow-up for Ceilēshu now that she’d gotten the hang of things.

“Theia-chan, what is this unique hairstyle these gentlemen are wearing?!”

“That is called a topknot.”

“Top...knot?”