It's Nice to See You Two Getting Along
At Charlotte's acceptance, Elys allowed herself a faint smile and held out her hand.
"I won't let you down."
"Right. Let's both put in the work. A mutually beneficial ending is the best kind, after all."
Charlotte glanced at the offered hand, shrugged, and took it.
Seeing the two of them holding hands like that, I finally let out the breath I'd been holding this whole time.
"Pwah! Heh—didn't I tell you? Lady Charlotte is different from the rest. I knew it would turn out like this."
"…Anyone listening would think you orchestrated the whole thing from start to finish."
Charlotte fixed me with a thoroughly unimpressed stare.
"Haha, that wasn't quite what I meant. This is all thanks to the two of you setting aside your hasty preconceptions and sincerely trying to understand each other, isn't it? A true happy ending."
"You really do have a way with words. Wait a second, though—thinking about it, Shion, did you already know Elys was the princess of the Trahan Kingdom?"
"I did, yes."
"How'd you find out? It's not like Elys went around broadcasting that she was a princess to the whole neighborhood—and even if she had, there's no way I wouldn't have heard about it."
"Ah… about that."
I scratched the back of my head casually and shot Elys a wink for a signal.
"……"
Except Elys didn't react at all.
Ah. Right. I have slit eyes.
"It was the day of the opening ceremony, as I recall. Classes had all ended, and I was poking around here and there when I happened upon Lady Elys being harassed by several students. Simply walking past didn't seem like the decent thing to do, so I applied a bit of pressure, and they backed off on their own. Lady Elys took notice of me then, revealed her identity, and asked for my help."
"Hmm… so basically, you gallantly rescued a princess in distress?"
"Haha, if one were to put it romantically, yes."
"But something feels off. You threatened them and those thugs just ran away on their own? That sounds unnatural."
Uh. That was a critique I hadn't seen coming.
I was fidgeting, wondering how to handle this, when Elys appeared as my savior at the plate.
"My guess is they got intimidated once they saw Shion's family name. He might look like a stiff breeze could blow him away, but he's still a proper member of House Prelia."
"Like a stiff breeze could blow me away… is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Take it however you like."
I appreciated the save, but could she skip the sucker punches next time?
"Hmm… well, the Prelia marquisate isn't exactly a weak house, so I guess that tracks. Okay, I'll buy that much. Then—"
Charlotte narrowed her eyes at me.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? If you'd said something earlier, we could've skipped all that emotional drain."
"At the time, I hadn't properly figured out what kind of person Lady Charlotte was, so I couldn't speak rashly. But after going through that incident with you last time, I became fully able to trust—"
"Ah, okay! Okay, just drop the 'that time' talk already!"
Apparently a pleasant memory had resurfaced; Charlotte waved her hands dismissively, cheeks flushed.
"…What happened?"
Elys, who had been quietly listening beside us, slipped the question in, clearly curious.
"Well, you see…"
"No! Nothing happened! You! If you say a word about that, you're dead and so am I! Got it!?"
"Haha, with Lady Charlotte objecting so strongly, I'm afraid I can't say much."
"It's fine. I'm curious, but I don't want to force it if she hates the idea."
"Thanks, Elys…"
Charlotte pressed a hand to her forehead and muttered wearily.
"Mm, never mind. I'm curious after all. Tell me."
"Elys, you—you—you!"
"I'm kidding."
"…Haa. I'm starting to regret the choice I just made."
"Haha, you've already stamped the seal, though. There's no running away now."
"Damn it."
Somehow, watching Elys and Charlotte get along like this left me feeling thoroughly pleased myself.
"Weird. The Elys I met at the café before wasn't like this. Were you putting on an act?"
Charlotte exhaled a small, exhausted sigh and asked.
Elys answered without so much as a change in expression, simply shrugging.
"Not really. I just treat my people a little more familiarly. If you don't like it, I can go back to how I was."
"Well, this is a lot better than before… but it kind of sucks the energy right out of you."
"Haha, I could always put you through some training, if you'd like."
"Yours doesn't suck the energy out—it just leaves people speechless. So please sit still, okay?"
"Discriminating against me already? I might get sulky, you know."
"Sulky or not, I don't care."
Charlotte looked at me and shook her head as if she were thoroughly done.
"So, what now?"
"Regarding what, exactly?"
"The Make Elys Queen project. You're not seriously thinking she'll just diligently attend Luin Academy, graduate, and somehow become queen, right?"
Ahem. The plan going forward, then.
"For now, we intend to spend the rest of this semester without any special activity. Lady Elys is destined to become queen of the Trahan Kingdom, after all—there's not much she can accomplish staying here in the Praon Kingdom."
I put on a confident smile and raised my index finger.
"Which is why we'll be aiming for the first semester of our second year."
"And what's so special about then—ah."
Charlotte, mid-objection, seemed to realize something and her eyes went wide.
"Heh heh. Clever Lady Charlotte has already grasped the shape of my plan, I see."
"You're thinking of temporarily transferring to Relic Academy in the Trahan Kingdom? Like how Shiina transferred into Luin Academy as an exchange student this semester."
"Precisely."
Transfer to Relic Academy, play the part of a model student on the surface, and behind the scenes push forward with the Make Elys Queen project.
Some might ask: what if something huge blows up at Luin Academy while you're gone?
No need to worry. While we're operating as transfer students at Relic Academy, Luin Academy should be perfectly safe.
The main story stage for the second year is Relic Academy in the Trahan Kingdom, after all.
In the game, Jeremy and the other supporting cast all decide to transfer to Relic Academy together, and Charlotte—who already knows this through the novel—tags along, shifting the story's primary setting from Luin Academy to Relic Academy.
So whatever happens will happen at Relic Academy. Nothing to fret over.
"That strategy would definitely make it easier to put Elys on the throne."
"Right? I do have a decent head on my shoulders~"
"There he goes again. One little compliment and he's strutting."
Charlotte looked at me with open disapproval.
"So there's nothing we need to do right this minute."
"Yeah. Once we're second-years and transfer to Relic Academy as exchange students, that's when we start moving in earnest. Until then, there's nothing special you need to do."
"Okay. Got it."
It was Elys who answered Charlotte's question.
"Nngh…! Fine. Misunderstandings cleared, general course of action set—let's call it a night. I'd rather not kick you out, but I'm exhausted."
"Yeah. We will. Sorry for dropping by out of nowhere."
"Whatever at this point. Still, next time, give me a heads-up before you visit."
At Charlotte's request, I nodded and added,
"True… Lady Charlotte does need time to clean her dorm, after all. Just today alone…"
"Ahem. Whatever could you mean? My dorm is always kept in a state of perfect cleanliness."
"Huh? Is that so? Then that thunderous crashing and banging I heard before Lady Charlotte opened the door was…"
"Please shut up…!"
Charlotte said through gritted teeth, face burning red.
"A-ahem! Then Lady Elys and I shall take our leave. I do hope Lady Charlotte enjoys a peaceful night."
Having teased her just enough, I grinned and bowed my head.
Just as we were about to leave her dorm,
"There's one thing I'm curious about. Mind if I ask?"
Elys put the question to Charlotte.
"If it's something I can answer, sure. What is it?"
Charlotte, half her eyes already closed as if everything in the world had become too much trouble, answered with a sigh.
"It's nothing major. When you first opened the door, you told Shion to call you big sister."
"Ah."
The laziness vanished from Charlotte's face in an instant; her eyes went round.
"Are you older than Shion, Charlotte?"
"Uh… that's…"
Charlotte looked thoroughly cornered. Of course she did—she couldn't exactly explain Earth ages to Elys.
She shot me a look that clearly said, Do something.
Wow, I'm jealous. I have slit eyes; I can't do that.
"Ahem. About that, Lady Elys. The truth is, Lady Charlotte caused a number of incidents at Luin Academy last year and was held back a ye—"
You wanna die?
Charlotte mouthed the curse at me.
"—just kidding. She simply enrolled a year later than we did. So she's one year older than me."
"How old are you this year?"
"Seventeen."
"Same age as me. Then…"
Elys closed her eyes and nodded, then slowly opened them again as if something had clicked.
"Does that mean I should call her Charlotte unnie too?"
"What?"
"Pfft."
And just like that, Charlotte had become everyone's big sister.