"I regret every decision I've made that made me reach this point in my life!" I grit out as I tried to avoid another combination of corrosive acid and eye lasers. The weird UFO sauropod thing wasn't as dangerous as I thought it was, especially after all the practice I had in flying during the summer.
The next two monsters didn't really pose much of a challenge either. One was just a skeleton guy with a red vest and scythes for horns and another was just a two headed green monster that shoots yellow lasers from their mouths. When I asked about them, Control said that those two were monsters that appeared when the dimensional boundaries became weaker due to a certain incident. They were really durable but they didn't really do much else. It didn't help them that they couldn't fly either. A few careful applications of Getter Tomahawks with hit and run tactics and they both went down pretty easily.
I jokingly asked Control if they had any harder monsters for me to fight. I shouldn't have done that based on the words they said next.
Very well. Allow me to challenge you with a foe that gave the Getter Team of that era a more difficult time. This was a monster that also came from a dimensional incident.
When I first saw it, I actually laughed out loud. It was just a giant turtle looking thing with a spike on its back and six insect legs. It didn't look like it could fly, so I just started throwing tomahawks at it.
That was my first mistake.
It turned out that it's body was a lot more durable than I thought. Some of the tomahawks connected, but they weren't able to bite deep into the monster's hide. That was when the monster started eating the tomahawks on the ground. As it ate, the body started getting bigger and bigger. I decided to stop messing around and flew right at it with a pair of tomahawks in Black Getter's hands. It responded by moving way faster on the ground than it had any right to while spitting acid at me and firing lasers from its eyes, which led to my current problem.
It managed to keep me from flying around it by somehow being able to turn on a dime and reorient itself fast enough to face me. Every time I tried to take a swipe at it, the monster's jaws were there to meet me with acid or just trying to take a bite from my weapons directly.
"Control! I gotta have something that can take this thing on, right?" I yelled out while using the buildings as cover. They didn't really last long, either melted by acid or just run through by the monster that was now way bigger than I was.
Black Getter F does have several weapons that would be useful in this situation. Unfortunately, since you wished for a challenge, they are weapons you presently do not have certifications for.
I hate past me so much!
"Oh no!" I gasped when the monster stopped trying to run me down. Instead, it decided to double back and keep eating the rest of the tomahawks I had thrown at it. I flew at it at top speed and was about to strike, when it suddenly turned red and a giant hand shot out of its body and wrapped around Black Getter's head. The screens turned red before swiftly going black.
Do you wish to challenge Gilgilgan again?
I covered my face with my hands. "No, thank you. I would like to request that we go back to the regular progression that you had originally planned out, please."
Very well.
Control could be downright savage when they wanted to.
Eventually, the School Festival finally commenced. I didn't really feel like making any attractions as I was busy preparing for the Queen's visit. However, Daniel and Raymond managed to tempt me with those sweet extra credits that the school dangled over everyone's heads. It was far too late to make something but we knew other people who did, people who might appreciate some extra hands.
"Leon Fou Bartfort!" Marie called out when she spotted us approach her and the boys. "Are you here to get in my way yet again?!"
I sighed and looked at her boy-harem, silently asking them why they fell in love with this girl. I looked back down at the indignant gremlin and shook my head. "Stop making it sound like I'm your nemesis, it's weird."
Julius explained to Marie that Daniel, Raymond, and myself are just extra hands to help out. The girl pouted and said that she wouldn't be paying us for our services even if we helped. That was totally fine with us as we were just there for the extra credits. We weren't really strapped for cash anymore.
"This is literally just a Host Club." I muttered when they showed me what exactly Marie had planned for the festival. I glanced at Marie when I noticed her looking at me with wide eyes. "What?"
"How do you know that?" she whispered. I grinned and shrugged at her.
"Why do you think, Chibi-usa?"
"I'm not that shor–" she caught herself when she realized what I had just said. I just let her chew on that and turned to the boys instead. I would have been worried that they'd be jealous of my interaction with Marie if they didn't already know that their collective love interest wasn't my type at all.
"So I'm pretty sure that the three of us won't cut it up front, but we can prepare orders for you guys so you can focus on the customers." I suggested and was met with no complaints from the others, even Marie.
Myself and the guys were all in the back, unpacking supplies and tea sets, when the curtain that separated the work area from the back suddenly opened to reveal a mildly irritated Jenna. No Miauler this time though.
"Jenna!" Daniel happily exclaimed. "What are you doi–"
The poor guy was cut off when my older sister suddenly got up to his face. "What are you doing here? You said that you would be showing me around the school festival."
"Well, yeah. But I wasn't sure if you wanted to look around on the first day so early." He quickly answered. The madman didn't even back away or look intimidated. He just stood there, smiling at my sister.
"Of course I wanted you to show me around as soon as you could!" Jenna scolded Daniel before taking his hand and turning to me. "I'll be borrowing this idiot for the rest of the day."
Without another word, Jenna just up and dragged Daniel away.
"I guess Daniel will be helping out starting tomorrow then?" Brad joked and we all laughed at his expense, though he didn't seem like he minded his situation at all.
"Speaking of tomorrow, I have confirmed that my mother will be visiting the festival during that time as well." Julius said to me. "Best be prepared for her to track you down, Leon."
"Don't worry. I managed to get briefed on her by Angie. I'll be sure to treat her with the respect and dignity she deserves." I assured him with a smile and a thumbs up. It took a bit of looking, but I managed to find some really high end tea thanks to the Academy's Master of Gentlemanly Ways.
"I…thank you, Leon." Julius looked both surprised and relieved at my words. "That honestly means a lot to me."
"Please stop having such a heartwarming bromance back there. We need to have all this set up as soon as possible." Marie flatly said as she peeked from the other side of the curtain.
The School Festival proper was underway. As expected, Marie's High School Host Club was a big hit with the female students as well as several visitors. Angie and Clarice didn't visit as expected, but Livia did stop by to say hello and assure me that she would be accompanying them while I was helping out Julius and the boys. The fact that I was sure that the two other girls would be more than happy to have a festival date with Livia probably should have bothered me more, but it didn't.
Speaking of dating.
"So, any luck on the Tea Party front on your end?" I asked Raymond as we prepared more tea and snacks that Marie called out from the other side of the curtain.
"Yeah, actually!" My friend happily began after handing Chris a tray of sweets when the spectacled guy peeked in. "I followed your advice from the end-of-term party and sent out invitations to the higher year girls. I've managed to successfully have Tea Parties with a girl from the second year a few times now. We'll actually walk around the festival tomorrow."
"My man!" Customary high-five done, I was eager to know more. "Got a name?"
"Yep! She's from a Barony in the south, her name is Artesia and she is a really nice gir–you okay there Leon?" He asked when I suddenly became pale. I slowly walked up to him and placed both hands on his shoulders.
"Please don't tell me that she has an older brother who is incredibly charismatic and a generational talent in Armor combat." He blinked at the worry in my voice. Please just say no.
"That's…really specific. No, she has a younger sister who's still just a toddler. You okay?" I sighed in relief before sitting down on one of the boxes that held some tea supplies.
"I'm totally fine, man! Don't worry about it!" I happily assured him. I would have lost my mind if I had to worry about any possible Red Comets flying around. I was genuinely happy that Raymond found himself a nice girl though.
My shift at Marie's High School Host Club ended without any incident and I spent the rest of the day preparing for my meeting with the Queen.
You seem rather serious in this endeavor.
I snorted at their comment as I adjusted the table I was going to use for the Tea Party I had planned just right. "Control, it's the Queen."
Quite. With that in mind, I have independently researched some customs from the United Kingdom of Repard that she may appreciate.
"You think so?" I asked, very much interested in what they had to offer.
I very much doubt that the Queen has been greeted in their customary manner since she was wed to the King. Nostalgia can be a powerful way to remind people of simpler times.
"I know all about that." I chuckled, remembering all the retro-style games that were so popular back on Earth. "Okay, what have you found?"
…
Mylene Rapha Holfort happily walked among the people of her Kingdom alongside her dear Angie and her two friends. She was familiar with Clarice but it was the first time she had actually met the Special Scholarship Student. Olivia was just a darling! She hoped that Erica would grow up to be as sweet a girl as her!
"I'm glad." She spoke up as the four of them walked around the Academy grounds.
"Your majesty?" Angie whispered at her side. The other two girls also looked curious at my sudden words.
"I can't imagine what you and Clarice had gone through because of my son and Jilk. I am so relieved that both of you look so happy now." And she meant it as well. She already had words with her son about it and he seemed genuinely regretful at how poorly he treated Angie.
The girl that stole him away on the other hand…
"Leon has that effect on people." Olivia confidently spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. "He reached out to me when no one else had. He did the same when he realized that Clarice and Angie were probably going through. Leon is a beacon for those who feel like they have no one else to turn to."
"While not so dramatic, it's true that Leon has been the biggest reason why Angie and I managed to emotionally heal as soon as we have. I can't even imagine what would have happened to me if he wasn't there." Clarice spoke up while wrapping her arms around Olivia.
Angie agreed with a smile and a nod. "Yes, Leon is special. A man like no other."
"Well, he seems quite loved." Mylene couldn't help but nod. She then turned to the girl who spoke out about him so passionately. "Will you become his concubine in the future then?"
"Oh no! I'm just Leon's friend!" Olivia said in a far too joyous tone than Mylene thought she should have. The girl was clearly also–
–a faithful friend. Mylene couldn't help but admire her. "How wonderful! It's always good to treasure friendships like that. Those can last a lifetime."
"I know." Olivia said with a bright smile. "Leon deserves nothing but the best."
The girls eventually led her to one of the rooms used to host what the Academy calls Tea Parties. Mylene had never experienced such a thing herself, but it all sounded so lovely! They excused themselves and went off to enjoy the festival. She couldn't help but smile at how close the three of them were.
Mylene took a breath to center herself before knocking on the door. It opened and on the other side was the smiling face of the boy who her husband knighted a few weeks ago. He gestured for her to enter and Mylene thanked him for his manners. Inside was a vision she would have only imagined before based on the tales of some of the court ladies about their days at the Academy.
Tables lined with teapots, cups, and trays of sweets. A large window with a wonderful view of the school festival below. A central table with two chairs facing each other.
Mylene couldn't help but giggle. If she was but a decade and a half younger, then she would have expected something else from all this preparation. She turned around and her words caught in her throat when she saw what Leon was doing.
Or more specifically, how he was kneeling in front of her. Down on a knee, a gloved hand over his heart, and a lowered head out of respect. It was something she had not seen in over a decade that she couldn't help but feel a bit giddy about it.
"You may raise your head, Sir Bartfort." Mylene said, her mannerism slipping into practiced ease like she had never left her home. "Your Queen greets you."
As if he was doing it all his life, Leon smoothly looked up and took her offered hand. Mylene couldn't help the heat that spread on her face when she felt the warmth of the boy's lips as he placed a chaste kiss on the back of her hand.
A tiny, traitorous part of her mind lamented that she had not been wearing gloves for the occasion.
"You have studied up on my people's customs." Mylene observed and got a smile as the boy stood up.
"I like to be prepared for certain things." He said while giving a more relaxed, if exaggerated, bow. "Welcome to the Academy, your majesty."
She couldn't help but smile at how nice he was being. "Thank you, Sir Leon."
"While I know that I can't really ask for your favor as I understand what that would mean," Mylene stiffened at his words, knowing exactly what he was talking about. To ask a lady their favor in Repard was to ask to become their devoted protector in all ways. "I would like to offer you something instead."
"And what would that be?"
"A place of safety, comfort, and an ear to listen to your troubles." Okay, now she knew that her face was blushing! Just what was this boy saying?! To a married woman! To a mother! To his Queen!
"Umm…" He didn't seem to hear her and proceeded to walk towards the tables that he likely prepared himself.
"Now, Angie told me that you've never had the chance to experience a Tea Party before."
Mylene blinked, Angie talked to him about that? "That is correct."
"Well, before we start with all the serious talk, allow me to provide you with top-of-the-line service as one of the students of the Art of Tea." He offered with arms out wide and a big smile on his face. "Please do play along, your majesty."
Play along? With what?
"Oh, hello there miss! I didn't notice you there." Mylene blinked when Leon addressed her again. What? What was going on?! "You must be a transfer student. From the rumors, I would guess Repard?"
Transfer student? Oh! Play along! "Umm…yes!"
"I see. Then allow me to welcome you to Holfort, my name is Leon. May I have yours, miss…" He continued while walking towards her. Why was her heart beating so fast?!
"Mylene." WHY DID SHE SOUND SO TIMID?!
"Mylene. Yes, a lovely name for a lovely girl." Leon walked up to the chair nearest to her and pulled it out and offered the seat to her. "Then allow me to show you delights that you have never experienced before! Please! Take a seat! By my guest!"
Hawawawawawawa~!