“…You really don’t understand a woman’s heart.”
Yuzuriha, shaking her head with a sigh, suddenly looked at me with pity.
“Listen, this is simple. In other words…”
Just as Yuzuriha was about to enlighten me, she stopped mid-sentence.
“…Wait a minute? Could this be an opportunity…?”
“Yuzuriha-san?”
“…Hold on a second. Is this a chance to…?!”…If I do Suzuha-kun a favor here, and bring her back to my side again…then when those Amazoness ruffians try to cause trouble, I’ll have the Suzuha-kun card to play…Not a bad plan…”
“Yuzuriha-san…?”
“Quiet, you. I’m pondering something very important right now. Give me a moment.”
Yuzuriha, the daughter of a duke, was probably struck with a brilliant idea in the middle of our conversation.
While she hummed and hawed, seemingly lost in thought, she eventually came to a conclusion and directed a refreshing smile at me.
“Listen up. You, my friend, are the root cause of this.”
“Me?”
“Yes. As you spend more time interacting with the Amazoness through training and massages, the time spent with Suzuha-kun, and of course, with me, has decreased, hasn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
“Surely Suzuha-kun felt lonely, as if her older brother was taken away by the Amazoness. That’s why she tried to get your attention, attempting assertive physical contact.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
“So, from now on, minimize interactions with the Amazoness and prioritize training and massages with us. It’s essential. Suzuha-kun needs you.”
“However, wouldn’t an attitude that appears to treat the Amazoness forces, who are our allied troops from the neighboring country, with hostility be unwise?”
To my question, Yuzuriha responded with a contemplative expression, saying,
“…Certainly, that’s a point to consider. If you suddenly change your attitude, the Amazoness will surely suspect my involvement. However, instructing you to delicately handle the situation might be impossible…”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Well, in that case, how about spending an entire day on a date with Suzuha-kun?”
“Is that okay, even though we’re siblings?”
“Don’t overthink it. That day, avoid all interactions with the Amazoness, and just focus on serving Suzuha-kun. Train with her one-on-one, provide a full-course massage, treat her to your cooking, and have a deep conversation before bedtime.”
“Is that what you want me to do? That would be easy. …… ”
“That’s fine. Oh, after Suzuha’s date, I want you to do the same for me, so be prepared.”
“Huh?”
“Figure out what worked well with Suzuha and replicate it for me. ── And no, I don’t want any intimate training sessions or enjoying your homemade cooking while getting a full-body massage. Don’t get any wrong ideas.”
“Of course.”
A few days later, I followed Yuzuriha’s advice and invited Suzuha for a day of one-on-one special training.
I started and ended the day with a special full-body massage. For dinner, I went all out and prepared Suzuha’s favorite miso katsu, shrimp fry, and hitsumabushi. She devoured it with tears of joy,
I am glad I did as Yuzuriha said.
I was impressed by the fact that the daughters of the dukes have a different kind of brains.
8 – Yuzuriha’s Perspective
On the night after Suzuha and her brother’s date.
Suzuha visited Yuzuriha secretly, away from her brother’s knowledge. At the entrance of the room, Suzuha bowed deeply, expressing her gratitude.
“Yuzuriha-san! Thank you so much for yesterday!”
“Enough with that. Come inside; it’s a hassle if the Amazoness spot you.”
“Excuse me.”
As Suzuha entered the room, Yuzuriha couldn’t help but be surprised.
After all, Suzuha still didn’t know the whole truth.
Closing the door and confirming the absence of Amazoness or other spies, Yuzuriha asked,
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“So, what’s the thanks for?”
“Of course. The date with my brother yesterday, it was all thanks to you, right?”
“I told Suzuha’s brother not to mention my name and act as if he came up with the idea himself. Did he let it slip?”
“No. But since it’s something Brother would never think of himself, then the answer is clear.”
“Very well, let me ask. What is the merit for me in setting up a date between Suzuha-kun and Suzuha-kun’s brother?”
“To create a debt owed to me, increasing the cards you can use in the back-and-forth with the Amazoness tribe…perhaps?”
She sees right through me.
If I’m read that easily, there’s no need to continue the charade.
“Well, you’re correct. Those Amazonesses are certainly clinging tightly to Suzuha-kun’s brother.”
“Exactly! What are their intentions, calling Brother so familiarly as ‘Brother-sama’?! In this whole world, I, his actual sister, should be the only one allowed to call him Brother!”
“To be honest, I’m rather perplexed myself…While I can understand the Amazonesses accepting Suzuha-kun’s brother, I never expected this level of intimacy from them.”
Yuzuriha’s knowledge of the Amazonesses is on par with the average high-born noble.
In other words, Yuzuriha does not know the reason they call Suzuha’s brother “Brother-sama.”
She can only speculate it’s an honorific for defeating their Commander-in-Chief.
The fact that it’s an honorific bestowed only on one male the entire Amazoness tribe is absolutely devoted to is simply beyond her imagination.
“…The Amazoness seem to want Suzuha’s brother. Is that correct?”
“I can’t say for sure. But given their behavior, it’s a reasonable assumption. And considering how much they adore brother, it’s unexpected.”
“Is your brother unaware that the Amazoness see him as a potential recruit?”
“Despite his intelligence, brother is quite foolish in that regard… Well, it’s troublesome to make him aware, so I leave him be.”
“I see. I completely agree.”
“Hmm? Wouldn’t Suzuha-kun be fine with her brother’s true strength being recognized?”
“Not exactly. I would be troubled if he was told to marry some princess somewhere.”
“I see.”
Yuzuriha and Suzuha exchange wry smiles.
They confirm that their interests align in hoping to maintain the gentle status quo..
“Then, let me propose something to Suzuha-kun.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”
“…I haven’t said anything yet, though?”
“I can already guess. You want me to side with Yuzuriha-san, right?”
“Exactly. It makes the conversation faster.”
“But currently, the Amazoness tribe seems more favorable towards Suzuha’s older brother than anticipated. There’s no need to firmly decide in favor of Yuzuriha-san at the moment.”
“…………”
“We are commoners, and there’s a possibility of us living in another country in the future. While I think highly of Yuzuriha-san, for the sake of my older brother’s best future, I believe it’s necessary to weigh the Amazoness tribe and Yuzuriha-san in the balance.”
“Sigh. You really are a devoted sister, aren’t you?”
“Brother can be too kind sometimes. I have no choice but to firmly support him.”
Yuzuriha feels no displeasure at Suzuha’s resolute refusal.
Rather, she senses Suzuha’s dignified sincerity in properly declining.
If it were the rotten nobles of her own country, they would outwardly flatter Yuzuriha while secretly contacting the Amazoness tribe behind the scenes to make deals. And in the future, they would readily abandon the losing side and betray any promises as if they never existed.
From the start, Yuzuriha did not expect Suzuha, with her awareness of the situation, to simply agree to her proposal.
However, Yuzuriha had one strategy left.
“I understand what Suzuha-kun is saying. But I think you’re forgetting one thing.”
“……Which is?”
“That the Amazoness Commanders-in-Chief are twins.”
“So what?”
“You still don’t get it? …What if, in the future, Suzuha-kun’s brother married those twins, or even if not marriage, became their lover?”
“E-Even if that happened, I’m Brother’s one and only sister, so my position is absolutely guaranteed to be-”
“Your voice is shaking. Well, even so, I can’t imagine Suzuha-kun’s brother would prioritize his sister over a wife or lover. Even if they were equal – Suzuha-kun’s position in relation to her brother’s would be one-third of what it is now.”
“Gah!?”
Suzuha freezes in a state of utter shock.
Yuzuriha resists the urge to interject “You’ve really never considered this before?” and instead says,
“However, if it were me, my position would be half – one and a half times better than with the Amazonesses.”
“B-B-B-But how could that be!?”
“It’s simple – I’m just one person, while the Amazoness Commanders are twins. So for me, even in the worst case, Suzuha-kun’s position would only be half of-”
“I will side with Lady Yuzuriha.”
Suzuha states this decisively,
her crystalline gaze leaving no room for betrayal.
“I…see…Then I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“Yes, Lady Yuzuriha. From now on, we are allies.”
As they firmly shake hands,
Yuzuriha thinks that while Suzuha seems reliable,
she has an occasional blind spot – just like her brother.
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