Chapter 5: Invasion War, Suspicious Daily Life, and Then
1
As far as I knew, Yuzuriha-san was in an exceptionally good mood on the way back to the country.
To put it bluntly, for some unknown reason, she was extremely cheerful.
The topics she brought up when talking to me were all upbeat.
“Now you too, are officially a noble! Congratulations!”
“No, no, no. Becoming a noble just for defeating an ogre seems a bit too much, don’t you think?”
“Hehe. You can say that now, but it won’t last forever, you know?”
And,
“As you become a first-generation noble, it’s only natural that our Duke’s family will be your backers. Marriage proposals will come pouring in, but you must absolutely reject all of them for your sake. And for Suzuha’s part, you’ll basically also have to decline. Got it?”
“Um…?”
“We promise that the Duke’s family will provide the best marriage partner for your future. So, um… Well, if by any chance, someone other than me, a rough lady, ends up being assigned to you, please give up on that idea…”
And,
“What kind of outfit do you think would be good for the next triumphant return party? Of course, it’s a prerequisite that your attire and my dress should have a unified design to emphasize the Duke’s family support.”
“Wait a minute. I’m just a commoner, so one party last time was more than enough. And besides, even if I have to attend, I already have an outfit made for the previous party!”
“Your humility is a virtue, but to showcase overwhelming achievements, updating the outfit is a must. …I’ve got it! I came up with a groundbreaking design that symbolizes the fact that you and I fought back to back!”
And so on.
In the end,
“─To the point, are you a fan of big breasts, or are you in favor of smaller ones?”
“What are you suddenly talking about!?”
“T-this is an important matter! From what I’ve learned in my military life so far, men have two types: those who prefer big breasts and those who prefer smaller ones. As you can see, my chest has continued to grow excessively since childhood, and now it’s even bigger than my head. So, if you’re into big breasts, it means that my excessively developed chest has paid off. But if you’re into smaller ones…”
“What then…?”
“If you’re into smaller ones… I’m contemplating whether to cut off my breasts from the root at this timing when you become a noble!”
“Wha— Yay! I love big breasts!”
──In this manner, towards the end, she even injected a bit of erotic talk, indulging in friendly banter. Even though the conversation was somewhat awkward,
I couldn’t deny that I was being excessively praised, and it seemed a bit rude to dampen Yuzuriha-san’s oddly cheerful mood. So, despite feeling a bit awkward, I managed to respond with appropriate nods and acknowledgments.
However, there was a twist to the story.
The day after returning to the country, Yuzuriha-san, who welcomed me at the Duke’s house, was in an extreme bad mood.
“W-what’s wrong, Yuzuriha-san…?”
“What’s wrong, you ask?! Ah, sorry, this has nothing to do with you. I’m still immature.”
“No, it’s okay, but…”
“Yesterday, I got so angry that I ended up urgently summoning the Duke’s private army and had them train until late at night. Haha…”
Yuzuriha-san said self-deprecatingly, but the real victims were probably the private soldiers who were urgently summoned. Perhaps the workplace was unexpectedly black.
However, to give credit to Yuzuriha-san, her stress relief training, conducted for special occasions, was surprisingly well-received by the private soldiers. They praised it as “A chance to see the real face of the usually composed lady!” or “She comes at you with full force, and you can observe dynamic breast movements!” or even “I want the lady to step on me.” Nevertheless, that’s beside the point.
But Yuzuriha-san was not in a joking mood. When she led me into the Duke’s main room, her father, the Duke, who had been waiting for me, solemnly spoke.
“─Thanks to your remarkable achievements, our country will soon initiate a war.” READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
2
Recently, the price of vegetables has risen.
As the signs of war grew stronger, everything in the capital, especially vegetables and fish, became more expensive. The first being vegetables and the second being fish.
Scratching my head, I realized that at this rate, I would go over budget.
“War, huh…”
This happened a few days after the announcement at the Sakuragi Duke’s residence.
A few days later, the royal family and the military announced an unprecedented large-scale expedition plan.
An invasion war against a neighboring country.
By the way, the neighboring country in question was the Uentas Principality, located to the southwest, different from the Salindor Amahn Empire, where we formed a coalition with the Amazoness.
Known as the continent’s foremost nation, Uentas Principality had accumulated wealth and military power due to abundant food production.
When I was preparing a dinner that was a bit downgraded from the planned menu at home, Suzuha and Yuzuriha, who had gone out, returned.
“Hey, Suzuha-kun’s older brother, we’re intruding.”
“Welcome. Would Yuzuriha-san like to have dinner too?”
“I’d love to.”
As Yuzuriha-san was always unpredictable, we had started buying ingredients for three people when shopping for dinner recently.
Once, when we couldn’t prepare Yuzuriha-san’s portion, she made a terribly sad face, as if it were the end of the world.
“By the way, Suzuha-kun’s older brother, what’s for dinner tonight?”
“Mackerel and fried tofu.”
“Hmm, mackerel… that sounds quite appealing, but…”
“Brother. After our exercise, don’t you think we might need a bit more quantity?”
“Then, should we add miso soup?”
“Yay!”
Yuzuriha-san, who happily joined Suzuha in celebrating, didn’t look like a typical duke’s daughter.
***
After finishing dinner and all the training, before Yuzuriha-san returned to the duke’s mansion, the two of them would always come to me to talk about what happened today. This was also a usual occurrence.
“Brother, the academy is now filled with the atmosphere of war.”
“Could it be that Suzuha and the others are also going on the expedition?”
“No, both Yuzuriha-san and I plan to stay at the academy. However, most of the other students are part of the expedition group.”
The royal family and the military claimed that the significance of this war was a “holy war to reclaim the land our ancestors lost,” or something like that. However, everyone knew it was just an invasion war.
Yuzuriha-san’s words stated that throughout history, every invasion war had been conducted under the pretext of self-defense.
“Brother, excuse us for a moment.”
Suzuha went to the restroom, leaving Yuzuriha-san and me alone.
Taking this opportunity, I decided to share my recent concerns with her.
“Yuzuriha-san, it’s a secret from Suzuha, but I have a little consultation.”
“What, a secret consultation between just the two of us? Whatever it is, tell me!”
“Thank you. It’s soon Suzuha’s birthday.”
Every year on Suzuha’s birthday, we have a modest party with his favorite food and give her presents.
“Until last year, Suzuha was only interested in becoming stronger, so I could give her something related to that, like a new wooden sword or iron weights.”
“Isn’t that quite unconventional as a gift from a brother to his sister?”
“But Suzuha has also enrolled in the Royal Strongest Knight Girls’ Academy, and I won’t say it aloud, but she probably has male friends she’s interested in. I, as his brother, think objectively that Suzuha has grown quite cute.”
“Well, certainly, Suzuha-kun is incredibly popular. Still, I think Suzuha-kun doesn’t even recognize the male students from the adjacent knight academy who try to talk to her. She once said that despite receiving love letters every day, she has never replied to any of them…”
“Perhaps secretly, she has a boyfriend.”
“I swear to the gods that’s absolutely not possible.”
Yuzuriha-san continued to reject it for some reason, but putting that aside…
“So, this year, I want to give her a more typical sisterly gift, but I don’t know what would be good. That’s why I wanted to consult with Yuzuriha-san.”
“Hmm. In that case…”
After Yuzuriha-san crossed her arms and pondered for a while, suddenly, her face turned red.
“I-If that’s the case, how about we go buy the present together sometime?”
“N-No, that’s not necessary. I’m sorry.”
“Y-Yes, yes, it’s not like that! I just want to buy a present for Suzuha-kun, and besides, this is definitely not a date!”
After being somewhat forcefully persuaded, Yuzuriha and I ended up going shopping for a present together.
Regardless, Yuzuriha-san is truly a kind person to be so enthusiastic about helping me choose a gift.
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