Volume 4 - CH 6.2

Bonus Story: The Beginning of 1547, Continental Calendar 

— Just past 11:00 PM, 32nd Day, 12th month, 1,546th year, Continental Calendar — Souma’s Room — 

The spur-of-the-moment project that was the “First Friedonia Kouhaku Year-end Song Festival” had, partially due to it being the first time it was held, had a shortage of singers and ended at 7:00 PM after only three hours. 

The cleaning was now done, and the five of us, Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and I, were in my room relaxing at the kotatsu. We had been up nearly all night the night before working (though we had taken naps somewhere in the middle), so everyone was as tired as you might expect. 

This end of year business shared a lot in common with the New Year’s Eves I had experienced in my old world. 

If I’d just had New Year’s soba noodles, it would have been perfect... but we hadn’t been able to get soba ready in time, so I was substituting yakisoba with sauce instead. New Year’s yakisoba with sauce... It felt incredibly off, somehow. 

“How ish iht? Mmph, it tastes very good,” Aisha said with a blank look as she slurped down a plate of yakisoba with sauce. She had spent the past two full days or so doing nothing but grunt work, but for some reason she was still full of energy. 

“Well, you would think that, wouldn’t you, Aisha?” I asked. 

“Aisha, you have sauce on your face, you know?” Juna commented. 

“Mmph. Thank you very much, Madam Juna.” 

Juna was wiping Aisha’s face with a napkin for her. It was nice to see the fellow queen candidates getting along so well, but somehow, they totally looked like a caretaker and her charge. 

Roroa, who had been watching, opened her mouth and spoke to Liscia. “Big Sister Cia, do me, too!” 

“Why should I?” Liscia asked. “You can wipe yourself, can’t you?” 

“Aww, where’s the harm? Your adorable little sister is asking for it. Ohh, I’ve only ever had a big brother, so I’ve always wanted a big sister. So, come on, do it for me, do it for me!” 

“Geez... I was an only child, too, so I don’t know how to treat a little sister.” 

“That’s not all,” Liscia added, shaking her head. “Have you forgotten? We have our wedding ceremony, too, don’t we? It’s at the same time as the coronation.” 

I was silent. 

...Right. Because doing multiple major ceremonies in a row would put a burden on our finances, my coronation would be held concurrently with my wedding to Liscia and the other girls. 

What was more, with the two events being merged, the scale had increased, and with Roroa, who always loved a good event, thrown into the mix, we were going to be going all out. Everything was still in the planning stage, though. 

Still... Marriage, huh... I thought. 

“Somehow... it still doesn’t feel real,” I murmured. 

“What?” Liscia asked. “Last night, you were the one who...”