"Well, I don't have anything to do with it, so I'll tell you. If you're sensible, don't talk to others randomly." (Komimi)

"I won't." (Yuri)

"Your father, Rook-sama was in the same situation as you." (Komimi)

'What? Rook should have entered the school entirely as an upright second son of the Hou Household at all circ.u.mstances. Unlike me who entered as a son of a farmer, he shouldn't have problem in his career as Knight until she dropped out of school.'

"…The situation is that it is in the subject matter." (Komimi)

'…Aah, is that so? It's really too much. It's like… isn't better for the Silver Birch Dormitory to perish, right? I'm starting to worry about leaving Syamu behind.'

"Hmm, it's because my father is good looking. That's also the thing." (Yuri)

"It's not like I don't want to talk about it, but I think you can't understand because you don't know the prior knowledge." (Komimi)

"What is this? You're hitting around the bush too much." (Yuri)

"What do you think is the worst feeling you have in our book?" (Komimi)

'What, is that a question? Why are you asking me a question?'

"It's a hobby beyond my imagination, so I'm not sure about that, but I'm a.s.sociating with a real woman in the book, right? If it were me, maybe… it's with Her Highness, for example." (Yuri)

"Let me say this first. It's a rule not to let the ladies of royal family appear. We know that much." (Komimi)

Komimi said something out of the ordinary.

'Even though I read it, Carol didn't appear for some reason. Indeed, there seems to be such a rule. If there is a novel that Carol is doing something immoral no matter how much, this would be a big problem.'

"Well, that's the limit, but it's half of the reason. Speaking of books, there are some of them depict real-life romantic relations.h.i.+p. Not all of them are talking about relations.h.i.+ps between men." (Komimi)

"Then, write something like that." (Yuri)

I said it adamantly.

"It's not popular. It's not going to work out a lot better." (Komimi)

'These people are very pa.s.sionate.'

"…Well, it's fine. So, what's your answer?" (Yuri)

"The worst thing is to write the delusion that the author herself a.s.sociates with the man who is the subject." (Komimi)

'Aah. Well, I guess I understand a bit.'

"If the subject is a less popular man, it would be fine. The most popular subject is usually the most popular man of their time." (Komimi)

"Wait a sec." (Yuri)

"Hmm?" (Komimi)

"Then, why am I the subject?" (Yuri)

"It's because you're popular." (Komimi)

"I'm definitely not popular, and I don't know anyone in the Liberal Arts except Her Highness and my cousin." (Yuri)

I casually dismissed Lily-san's name.

"Oh my. There's also another Her Highness, am I right? It's Her Highness Carya." (Komimi)

'Aah. I forgot about her.'

"I've only met Her Highness Carya once, so don't be bothered by silly rumors." (Yuri)

"Well, I felt like that. Every time people hear her brag, your fans are irritated. If you're someone as high as Her Highness Carol, you might want to admit it." (Komimi)

"Hmm." (Yuri)

'I don't care.'

"Well, that's because Her Highness Carya is a beautiful girl, and she's a royalty. So, you don't even know it yet. However, if a girl with lower grade and appearance, scribbling a delusion of going out and fall in love with you, shows it to her friends, it will be uncomfortable." (Komimi)

"So, you don't have to read it." (Yuri)

"Yes, but unfortunately, that person was a considerable writer. That's why so many people have read it." (Komimi)

"What are you talking about?" (Yuri)

"I'm talking about the girl who confessed to Rook-sama. The books she wrote are in the possession of the Culture Room, so you can still read them. In fact, the work she wrote before the heroine love story are very interesting. By the way, she wrote about ten chapters of story involving Rook-sama and Gallsama." (Komimi)

'Hold on… Rook and Galla, is it…'

"Did you read all ten chapters?" (Yuri)

"I read it, of course? Piña also read it." (Komimi)

I was horrified by the way she said it naturally.

"…Yes, that's right. The parts of getting drunk and taking off one's clothes, and got drawn in Togi game, are very good." (Yuri)

"Aah yes, there you are. I'm sure she came up with the idea of playing Togi and undressing game." (Komimi)

"Oi, stop it." (Yuri)

'What is that Togi and undressing game? I've never seen or heard of it.'

"So, she really fell in love with Rook and confessed. She was rejected, and then, she wrote a love story between her and Rook-sama. However, after that, she was given a cold shoulder." (Komimi)

"Was she bullied? That's devious." (Yuri)

"No, she didn't get bullied. It was because the girl's family was the largest Witch household." (Komimi)

"So, did she get ostracized?" (Yuri)

"Well, I wonder about that." (Komimi)

'Poor thing. However, does that mean it's like paying for one's mistakes?'

'At the school, there is no rule saying something like 'Let's get along. You have to do that'. Then, it becomes like ignoring person that you don't like. If everyone dislike you, you would be naturally ostracized.'

"So, it became difficult for the girl to stay in the dormitory, and she started following Rook-sama day and night." (Komimi)

'…Oi. Isn't that strange?

After she had written a lot of h.o.m.o eroticism novels without permission, she became a stalker. Rook definitely had a hard time. I really sympathize with him. Being made as a subject by a rotten girl, and being stalked…'

"At that time, it was more rampant compared to now. It seems that all the fans were chasing after their favorite boys, skipping cla.s.ses, and going to see how they practice. There was no self-control on love letters. Because of that, the trouble between households caused by the relations.h.i.+p between men and women occurred frequently." (Komimi)

"Well, yeah." (Yuri)

'Rook didn't seem to have a firm resolve. Speaking of more rampart that now means that self-control is stricter? That reminds me, Rook said that he was he was chased by his fans, but it doesn't seem to be that way to me. Rook also said that he played around with the women in the town, and went to red district area. It must have been hard for him.'

"So, one day, Rook-sama ran out of patient, and he yelled at her as soon as she came to him. Then, she felt that she lost her place in the dormitory and also by Rook-sama's side, and she committed suicide." (Komimi)

'Suicide. Eh… Did she commit suicide?'

"Well, I guess there was nothing he could do about it. I'm sorry." (Komimi)

'It wasn't Rook's fault or the Silver Birch Dormitory's fault. I don't want to say that people who have been cornered until suicide have been hunted down by themselves.'

'She was cornered on her own, and she had committed suicide on her own, and this wasn't the responsibility of either side. Unfortunately, humans are not equipped with telepathic abilities, and it is difficult for others to perceive them even if they have hidden problems.'

"There aren't many girls in the Silver Birch Dormitory who commit suicide because of a broken heart, but the suicide itself is not a problem. She didn't leave a suicide note, so her family thought that she had committed suicide because of Rook-sama." (Komimi)

"What?" (Yuri)

'What was that? It's not a level of trouble anymore.'

"This has probably gone too far. I don't know whether he accepted the duel or not." (Yuri)

"I do not know the details, but it has been accepted. It was because the girl was from a high rank Witch household." (Komimi)

'Wow, is this country for real? What's with the Witches households?'

"Then, Rook-sama killed her brother in the duel, but after that, he withdrew from the Academy." (Komimi)

"Aah…" (Yuri)

'I see. How should I put it? I think what Komimi would like to say that he left the Academy because he felt guilty. In fact, I feel like Rook is not suited with violent fight.'

'From what I've seen, Rook seems to be very well suited for the ranch job. He was lively when he trained the birds.'

"Indeed, it was unprecedented for the main character to leave the school because of the uproar caused by the book. What's more, Rook-sama wasn't good at his studies, but he was skilled enough to fight against Gallsama, and his future was promising. This matter gave the Silver Birch Dormitory a lot of troubles, and that's why self-control is stricter now." (Komimi)

"So, do you feel that you bear a part of the responsibility that my father quit?" (Yuri)

"Yes, you're right." (Komimi)

"Hmm… that's fine, but before they got into a duel, those people killed themselves because they were ostracized. Then, it wasn't Rook's fault. It would be good if I can bring this matter to the royal castle." (Yuri)

In the end, the reason why the duel was accepted was rather because Rook reacted harshly. In other words, Rook's reckless remark wasn't the main cause of the suicide. If this fact was revealed to the people in the Silver Birch Dormitory, the duel application shouldn't have been accepted.

"In the end, we feel indebted. After all, I don't know whether it was troublesome or because of honor, but no one is going to say that she was being ostracized." (Yuri)

"Even if it was because of her pa.s.sion, I don't know because I'm not her. It's just that we heard such a story." (Komimi)

'Was it because of pa.s.sion? It sure is. It has been decades ago. There is no use to explain this to the current residents.'

"Well, it doesn't matter. My father doesn't care about that, and if you feel bad about me, I'd welcome it." (Yuri)

"Yes. I hope so." (Komimi)

"Well, that's about it. I'm sorry, you've been holding back for a long time." (Yuri)

"I don't mind. Contact me once you're ready." (Komimi)

"How do I contact you?" (Yuri)

"If you can't put a letter in the mailbox of the dormitory, that will be good." (Komimi)

'Eh?'

"Is that how it works?" (Yuri)

"What, you didn't know that? If you write room 362 and put it in the mailbox, it will reach me and Piña's room." (Komimi)

'Was there such a procedure? I thought the Silver Birch Dormitory was a place where men would be killed if they came close. That's why I've never been close to the building. I'll ask the number of the Siamese room later.'

"Oh, but of course, don't mail it yourself, let someone else do it. You're a celebrity." (Komimi)

'Yes, yes.'

"Aah, I'll do it. Please take care of me, Piña too." (Yuri)

"…I don't really get it, but please do." (Piña)

—

After leaving the coffee shop, I was invited to the secondary residence in the royal capital, so I went there.

When I walked through the gate, a butler who was in charge of the secondary residence said 'Rook-sama is already waiting', and he took my uniform jacket. Rook was in the living room where I was guided.

He was reading a doc.u.ment with a somewhat difficult face. I felt like fat had attached to his body because he had been away from the daily life of manual labor. However, the dignity could be noticed.

"Father, I have returned." (Yuri)

I lowered my head.

"Welcome back. It's been a long time since I've seen you." (Rook)

"It's been about a month, isn't it? I'm a bit busy as well." (Yuri)

"…I have something to talk about." (Rook)

'That's so straight to the point.'

I thought so intuitively.

"Sit down." (Rook)

"Yes." (Yuri)

I sat at the table obediently.

"It seems like you're making extra money." (Rook)

The tone was slightly stingy.

'As I expected, is it about that?'

"I'm not earning extra money. Anyhow, yes, it's true." (Yuri)

"Why don't you talk to me?" (Rook)

"No, well, I was thinking that I shouldn't bother you about this." (Yuri)

'That's because I want to do it without anything to do with my parent's household. If I involved them, my work will immediately become like a play of a n.o.ble heir. Then, no one wants to deal with it, and it will not become my business.'

'Starting with Cuffe, some of the employees are hired by me. But, they won't feel that I am the one who is hiring them. They will think that they are employed by the Hou Household. The moment that happens, it will be very hard to make moves.'

"Is the pocket money not enough?" (Rook)

"No, it's more than enough. I don't use it for anything other than a diary." (Yuri)

"Then, why are you making extra pocket money?" (Rook)

"It's not a pocket money. It's still small now, but it's a solid business. This is a part of learning about the world." (Yuri)

"…I'm not going to say that learning about the world is bad. But, how about you as a student?" (Rook)

"Father, please forgive me. I'm doing my best as a student." (Yuri)

'After all, I have nothing to complete anymore.'

"Yuri, you are already in the fifth year. It's the busiest time of the year." (Rook)

"I've already taken up to 250 credits. The remaining is practical cla.s.ses for 42 credits and lecture cla.s.s for 8 credits." (Yuri)

"…Oi, seriously?" (Rook)

Rook looked astonished.

'For example, the average acquisition unit for the dormitory student is about 130 credits. An excellent person can get about 150 credits. If the person is as talented as Myaro, he or she would already complete 200 credits. 250 units is clearly out of the mind.'

"It's true. There are only three sessions in the afternoon or two days a week. If I remain as it is, I will be walking around in the afternoon like a senior who have free time." (Yuri)

'Those who don't have lecturers in the afternoon are generally playing around. Even if there are lecturers, it isn't uncommon for people to play around like a university student. Rook was also no exception to that, he should have been playing around.'

"Uh… you're right about that." (Rook)

"Is there a problem?" (Yuri)

"No… It's not as much a problem as it is. Well, that's fine." (Rook)

"Are you sure?" (Yuri)

"Yes. If you go through it properly and get the credits, that's fine." (Rook)

'I've got permission. It's already troublesome as it is, and now, I'm doing this on my own.'

"Not everything goes well though." (Yuri)

"Eh, is that so?" (Rook)

Rook looked more surprised.

'It's true.'

"I thought somebody reported or told you about me. it's something like I'm making money, or my reputation is bad." (Yuri)

'I can only think so.'

When I said that, Rook became slightly surprised.

"How did you know?" (Rook)

"Father, you were waiting to preach to me, right? If that was the case, it would be normal for you to come up with something like evidence on the desk so that I wouldn't be able to escape. If the Hou Household found it, one or two of those evidence would emerge during the investigation. However, there is none. That means that it's not the Hou Household that has pinpointed the story. If it is not the Hou Household, that would be another Households. Since this place is royal capital, rather than eight or nine out of ten times, it would be ten out of ten that the Witch Households are involved. I'm not a fool either, so I can guess that much." (Yuri)

"…I didn't expect you antic.i.p.ate all this." (Rook)

Rook scratched his head.

'He sounds like a tired old man… he looks old…'

"But I'm moving behind the scenes, so I know I'm doing a side job, but that's only a small part of it. I try not to use the name of the Hou Household." (Yuri)

'I said that to Cuffe repeatedly. I don't care if the business is a failure, because I'm incapable of doing what I do, but I don't want to get hurt in the name of the Hou Household.'

'That's why I concealed my business from being related to the Hou Household. The trademark of the Hou Paper is reminiscent of the Hou Household. However, to begin with, the southern district is known as the Hou district. So, it becomes a meaning of 'Southern Paper'.'

"There was an event in the royal castle on the other day. I was indirectly told about this by the Witch Households." (Rook)

"Aah." (Yuri)

'I thought that was the case. That's because I'm selling a lot of Hou Paper. Have I been found out?'

"But don't worry. It's always the case. I don't care even if you're not doing bad things." (Rook)

"Really? I don't want to bring trouble to our family." (Yuri)

"It's always the usual thing for the Witches to say strange things. If you care about it one by one, you won't be able to do anything." (Rook)

'Always, is it? Now, I'm concerned.'

"Can you tell me what did they tell you?" (Yuri)

"I've never seen this before with my eyes, but I heard that you are very close to Her Highness, Carol, right? It's an extreme roundabout notion. They asked me to tell you not to get close to her too much…" (Rook)

"Uwaah…" (Yuri)

'It's tight. The General Households don't like to get involved with the royal family, but is it normal to complain about brats socializing with each other?'

"I'll tell you, don't take it seriously. For me, it's good for you to make friends with Her Highness Carol." (Rook)

"I understand. It's because I often hang out with Her Highness. We're addressing each other without honorifics." (Yuri)

"Really?" (Rook)

Rook made an expressionless face.

"That girls usually says something like 'Oi Yuri' or 'Seriously, goodness.' Sometimes, she slaps my head too." (Yuri)

"…So, how do you respond to her?" (Rook)

"Something like 'You idiot, don't slap my head every time, alright'.  I'm not going to return the hit though. She's royalty, and she's a girl." (Yuri)

"…Please be careful. Don't be rude." (Rook)

Rook had an indescribable expression.

"I understand." (Yuri)

"Her Highness Carol would be the next Queen." (Rook)

'There was such a story, too.'

"Is that decided?" (Yuri)

"What do you mean?" (Rook)

"I mean, there's Her Highness Carya, right?" (Yuri)

'There is no such thing as the order of succession to the throne in this country. Basically, the eldest daughter will be prioritized if the ability is on par with each other, but it's not decided as an absolute ranking.'

"Oh, I don't know much, but it looks like Her Highness Carya has poor discernment abilities. But in the end, the Queen decides, and I'm not going to pry myself out of the way." (Rook)

"I see. I met Her Majesty, but I still seemed to think of her as pretty as Her Highness Carol." (Yuri)

Carol was strict but it was a feeling of doing it with love.

'Maybe, Carya's strictness is not because of love though.'

"Hmm, is that so?" (Rook)

"Well, if Her Highness Carya becomes the Queen, I'll also be in trouble." (Yuri)

"What does that mean?" (Rook)

"I was forced to go out with her some years ago. After that, I got in trouble as the rumors of me going out with her or become her fiancé spread around. Father, please don't take it seriously." (Yuri)

'I have to put up a precautionary line beforehand.'

"…What? I've never heard of it. So what did you say when you were confessed?" (Rook)

'Sure enough, he is taking it seriously.'

"As Father said, I  should have something like 'I'm sorry, I appreciate your feelings, but I can't have a dishonest relations.h.i.+p'." (Yuri)

"Well, how does the rumor of you being her fiancé spread around?" (Rook)

"That's what you said, didn't you? Well, it seems to be spreading in the Silver Birch Dormitory, but I don't think anyone is taking it too seriously." (Yuri)

"I see… That's fine. Be careful with the Silver Birch Dormitory, it's cursed." (Rook)

'I also think the same.'

I came to this realization just now.

"I really think so. I heard it today, but it seemed that you were in trouble because of it. I'm sure you've had a hard time." (Yuri)

"It's true. Be careful, Yuri." (Rook)

'He said so as if to forget the past. Is it because it's a nostalgic memories now?'

"Even if I've been careful, I've already become the subject." (Yuri)

When I said that, Rook had an expression that looked like he had chewed a bitter bug.

'It is a feeling of people think that it's a good alcohol, but it had become rotten vinegar when drinking it. It's too late. However, I have no idea how to stop them even if I'm aware of it.'

'I wish I could make a s.h.i.+tty face like Dolla. No, he's also part of the subjects. d.a.m.n it.'

"Is it that?" (Rook)

"It's that… maybe. I read it today." (Yuri)

"Did you read it?" (Rook)

"I happened to have a chance to read only one chapter. Indeed, it wasn't a good feeling." (Yuri)

"I've never read it." (Rook)

"It seems that it never gets out from the dormitory. I happened to be able to read it." (Yuri)

"What kind of content is that?" (Rook)

'Oh, I wonder if you're interested.'

"It's better not to read. People are going to vomit and unable to sleep." (Yuri)

"I see… But that's fine." (Rook)

'It seems to be a little regrettable somehow. I have a feeling that… he wants to read something scary. I don't want to tell him that the book about him is still in that Culture Room.'

"I've also heard about the suicide during your time there." (Yuri)

"Aah, that matter…" (Rook)

"I was told that you had to have a duel or something." (Yuri)

"Well… yes. Yuri, too, be careful with the way you say it when you refuse a confession. There's a lot to understand about how girls get hurt." (Rook)

'Did I remind him of something bad?'

"Yes, I will. But according to what I heard, the fact that Father refused dating was only part of the cause." (Yuri)

"Hmm…? Is that so?" (Rook)

'Oh, he didn't know it after all.'

"I heard that the girl who confessed to you was also the writer of the book. As a result of writing a book with a content that was taboo during that time, she was ostracized in the dormitory and she became lonely. After that, she began to follow Father." (Yuri)

"Is that so? Was that girl bullied in the dormitory?" (Rook)

"If I have to be frank, yes is the answer." (Yuri)

"Was that the case?" (Rook)

"I don't think it's anyone's fault." (Yuri)

'I don't think this will give Rook a piece of mind.'

"Well… yes. But, she was pitiful. If I knew it… No, I was too young, I couldn't do anything…" (Rook)

Rook made a wondering face. I couldn't find any words to put on.

"Shall I visit her grave…?" (Rook)

Then, Rook called the butler. After that, he asked him to find the whereabouts of her grave.