Chapter 4

A High Bar to Jump for this Prince!

Part 1

That night, I had a dream about my father.

I found myself standing in front of him, as he laid down on a hammock. He looked considerably fatter compared to the last time I saw him. He was surrounded by big breasted elves, who were feeding him grapes.

I saw sand underneath my feet and heard the sound of waves behind me. It was a beach paradise filled with elf babes.

"Revi, my son, I finally got through to you."

"...Alright. I think it's about time I seek a psychoanalyst."

I must have been more messed up in the head than I thought if I was having dreams like this.

"I know what you're thinking. You're not going crazy. I am transmitting this message to you, using your dream as a medium, using the magic of the elves."

"Elves? Alright, assuming that this really isn't some messed up dream I'm having, you're supposed to be away on a diplomatic trip right now."

"About that… My ship got stranded on an island full of hot elf girls. Truly a tragedy. It might take a while until Elroad recieves word that I went missing, but I'm telling you ahead of time so that you don't get surprised."

"...Then why are you telling me and not the advisors back in Elroad? I'm busy right now."

"Yeah, I've seen what you've been doing. Busy flirting with Crimson Demon girls, huh? Well, not like I can blame you for flirting around with girls!"

As he said this, he pulled an elf girl by her waist and gave her bum a grope. She smiled and kissed him. Lucky bastard!

"Anyway, this elven magic only lets me talk to any living blood relatives. If you wanna tell the old bats back in Elroad, then do that yourself. If I were you, I'd let them figure it out themselves."

"You seem awfully calm about all this. It's your kingdom, you know? You should be a bit more worried that the country is missing its king right now."

"About that, I don't really wanna come back anymore. You can be king now."

"Huh?!"

"Haven't you seen the signs? When was the last time I actually did my job? I've been spending the last few years going to other countries on 'diplomatic missions'. Don't you find that a bit weird?"

Certainly, I wondered why we couldn't just send a proper ambassador on these diplomatic missions to countries on the other side of the world, instead of sending our king all the time.

"S-So that's why, huh?"

"The advisors and those other opportunistic officials probably loved it when I ditched my duties to play in foreign countries. It lets them steal money from the treasury and do other corrupt things without the king around."

"If you knew this much, then why did you still go away so much?!"

"Because I'm tired of being king, duh. I told you I want to quit, didn't I?"

He looked at me as if I were stupid for failing to follow his idiotic rambling.

"Even if you want to quit, you have to come back. You said you're stranded on some island, right? Are you telling me you want to be stuck there forever?"

He gave me a blank look, then looked to his left and right, where there were beautiful, scantily clothed elf ladies on each side.

"Alright, stupid question. My bad. But that still doesn't solve anything! You can't just run off and leave everything to me!"

"Eh… I believe in you. You're my son after all!"

"Yeah, right. You barely talked to me as a kid and you've always gone on these trips-and now you're telling me that those trips didn't even have any real purpose. Don't start acting like a father now!"

I couldn't help myself. Even if this was just a dream, even if none of it was real, all the emotions towards my absent, uncaring father that I had been keeping locked in were coming out.

"Yeah, you're right, but that's why I want to leave this whole royalty nonsense, in the first place."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"When you're a king, you cease to become a man. Being a king comes first. Being a husband, father, friend, whatever you meant to other people before, those things cease to become the main priority in your life."

He waved his hand. The elf girls around him took the hint and went away. He sat up from his hammock, looking me in the eyes.

"When you were born, I was already a king, a hollowed out figurehead that couldn't function as a man anymore, let alone as a father. The man and the husband in me died along with your mother, when she passed away after she contracted that illness. I poured myself into my work, into the kingdom. Other men might have dedicated their lives to their motherless child, but I was a king. I had a greater duty than to attend to the needs of a child. I had servants for that kind of thing, after all. On the other hand, the servants couldn't do my job for me while I took care of you."

He shook his head while smiling ruefully.

"In hindsight, I was just running away from the pain of losing your mother, by refusing to raise you. I had a good excuse, though, with the whole 'king's duty' justification. It's kinda hard to argue against it, you know? Someone might say, 'Hey deadbeat, why aren't you raising your kid!' Then I'd say, 'Because I have to make sure to run the country properly, so I don't get assassins coming after my kid!' You know, that kinda thing."

"You think I'm going to forgive you after a shitty explanation like that?"

"I don't expect you to forgive me, I'm just answering your question. Why would I want to leave my throne behind? Because I want to feel like myself again. I want to take back the prime years of my life that were taken away from me."

I thought about my adventure with Iris, about how we abandoned our posts as royalty to go on Regina-sama's quest.

While we wanted to reclaim our youth, my father wanted to reclaim his entire identity.

"I guess I can kind of understand you now, father."

"I'm glad you do. For all it's worth, I'm sorry, Revi. I'm sorry I made your childhood a bad one."

"Not bad, for the first apology you've ever given me in my life."

"Once I'm a better man, and it'll take a while, I can probably give you a better apology. But for now, please make do with the half-assed, diplomatic condolences of a king."

With a sly smirk, he turned around. My vision got blurry as he did so.

Before I could say anything else to him, the image of the hammock and the beach faded away.

I found myself in bed. The morning sun was trickling in through the curtains.

I had no way of knowing if that dream was real or fake until we received official confirmation that my father was missing. And even then, it could have all just been a coincidence.

Nonetheless, I still felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Part 2

After I woke up, the dream still fresh in my mind, I headed downstairs and smelled food cooking.

The family was already seated around the table for breakfast.

Hyoizaburo-san was cooking breakfast that morning. My own father never cooked anything for me, so I was moved by the sight, especially after I had that dream conversation with my father.

When I sat down, Hyoizaburo-san put a fresh batch of scrambled eggs on my plate. I smiled at him.

"You're so kind, Hyoizaburo-san. Can I call you daddy from now on?"

For some reason, Yuiyui-san dropped her glass of orange juice.

"...A-Am I really going to lose my husband to this pretty boy?"

I didn't really understand what she was talking about.

"Well, I always wanted a son… Perhaps if you marry into the family?!"

This time, it was Komekko-chan's turn to drop something. A piece of bacon fell from her mouth as she opened it wide.

"Actually, the devil has something to say about Revi… I confessed to him the other day, but he's not really sure how to respond. He already has a relationship of sorts with one of our friends. Hehe…"

Why would you tell them that, Komekko-chan?!

Just when I thought that Komekko-chan was being uncharacteristically airheaded, she stuck her tongue out to me.

She was making a move of some kind after seeing Hyoizaburo approve of me marrying her.

This sneaky little…!

"M-My son…! What is it about Komekko-chan you don't like! Please, we can change her!"

Oi, this is your daughter you're talking about. Shouldn't you be mad at me for not immediately accepting her feelings?

"Well… It's not that I don't like Komekko-chan, but I have someone I like, too… I don't think it's fair to them if I decide to accept Komekko-chan's feelings without consulting the other. We're all close friends and all…"

"You conceited brat! I won't have my daughter become the inevitably doomed younger girl in your little love triangle!"

Yuiyui-san lost her cool and ran over to me, hands going around my neck.

She finally lost it!

"Yuiyui, how could you lay your hands on our son like that! Get your hands away from him!"

"He's not our son! Never, ever! If you want a son that bad, then try harder in bed!"

"But dear… If we get a newborn son right away after adopting Revi-kun, won't he feel sad?"

"You're completely missing the point here, you dense bastard."

While the husband and wife started arguing, Komekko-chan was sitting there innocently, as if she didn't just start a civil war in her own family.

After eating our breakfast, we cleaned up, got dressed into our uniforms, and headed out for school.

While we were walking to school, I asked Komekko-chan why she started that mess during breakfast.

"Do you think the devil will play fair? I'll use every advantage I have to make you mine."

She smirked, walking ahead and walking in reverse while we talked.

"...Aren't you afraid about hurting Iris's feelings once she learns that you're trying to steal me away from her?"

"I love Iris, that's why I'm doing this. I'd rather fight hard and lose you in the end, than keep everything bottled away for her sake, and resent her in the future."

With that surprisingly mature response, I couldn't find a way to retort.

"Besides, why are you even troubled by this? You have two beautiful girls who want you. Isn't that a good thing from a guy's perspective?"

"Yeah, I feel like a freaking boss right now, but that won't last long if the both of you get hurt because of me."

"Then it's your responsibility to find a way to keep us from getting hurt, right? We did our part, we told you our feelings. The rest is up to you."

Up to me, huh?

What's the right thing to do, anyway? When I look back at Kazuma-san, even a guy like him chose to marry one girl in the end. He had a bunch of beautiful girls around him, too, but even a sleazebag like him, no offense to the guy, chose one girl to marry and have kids with.

If I came up with the idea to take both Iris and Komekko in, wouldn't that make me somehow worse than the man many refer to as Scumzuma and Trashzuma?

While I thought about these things, and getting troubled by what the future might bring, we reached the school gates.

Haru-sensei was outside, inspecting the students' uniforms. What a dedicated principal.

Once we passed the inspection, we headed to the class.

Arue-sensei was wearing a red cardigan, a purple blouse and dark skirt with stockings. The blouse was showing a fair bit of cleavage.

…Was she doing that for me?

Sure enough, when I came into the class, she winked at me as I passed by her.

"Alright, class, let's begin with the lesson!

I could hear Komekko-chan groaning beside me.

If only she was as confident and as willing to study as she was in trying to seduce me away from Iris.

Part 3

"Today we have classes outside. Everybody, please get changed."

I was surprised to hear this announcement from Arue-sensei.

After saying this, Arue-sensei stepped outside.

I turned to Komekko-chan for an explanation.

"Why are we having classes outside?"

"We get practical magic lessons outside. Fighting monsters to get EXP, that kinda thing. This is my chance to raise my grades!"

"...I think that even if you get perfect scores in this class, all the 0's you got in the previous quizzes will still give you a failing mark."

"Ugh… Why must you be obsessed with reality!"

"Because we live in it? The sooner you realize that, the faster we can leave this village and come back to the capital!"

We left the classroom, following Arue-sensei outside.

She led us to the outskirts of the village, just outside the forest.

There were some other teachers there, and there was a pile of weapons on the ground.

"The teachers have already weakened the monsters around this area. You will take a weapon and deal the finishing blow, earning EXP for yourself. You will be graded on how many monsters you can kill, so get to it!"

The rest of the class took their choice of weapons and headed into the forest.

I turned to Komekko-chan and whispered.

"Hey, do we really even need to do this? We're probably some of the highest level people in this village."

"This is an opportunity for the devil to earn easy points!"

Arue-sensei went up to us.

"Komekko-chan, what is this about easy points I hear? Since you already know advanced magic, you'll be graded differently."

"...What's with the unfair treatment?!"

"Oi, the other students can't even use magic yet, what's this about 'unfair treatment' you're talking about?"

Komekko-chan couldn't respond to that.

"The class will be different for the both of you, who already have prior combat experience and are established adventurers. We will go a bit deeper into the forest and you will fight monsters that the teachers haven't weakened yet. I will supervise you and protect you in case something goes wrong, of course."

"...I-I thought this was my chance to earn easy points."

"Of course, since your challenge will be harder than the others, you'll earn double the marks for this class."

"You should have said that from the start! The devil is fired up!"

Komekko-chan's spirits were instantly lifted.

I raised my hand.

"Um, I normally fight with a crossbow, but I didn't bring it. Also, I don't think you can properly grade my magic even if I do use a crossbow."

"Don't worry, I prepared this magic item for you. It's a wand that lets the user cast the Lightning spell, however, you need to be able to focus your mana properly if you want to use it. It will be a test for your mana control and knowledge."

I took the wand from Arue-sensei. I tried to use what I learned about mana control, but since I didn't really have a lot of mana to begin with, it was hard to fill up the wand with my mana.

"...I guess this really will be a challenge."

"Indeed. Now, shall we get going?"

Komekko-chan and I nodded, then followed Arue-sensei inside the forest.

We passed by the other students. I saw Rueka and some other students use spears, swords and axes to finish off a Dire Wolf that was frozen by another teacher.

…Those kinds of monsters, if they showed up in Elroad, it would already be seen as a disaster if they made it into a settlement, but they were using it as combat training for the students. This village is scary.

Once we made it deeper into the forest, the voices of the other students started fading away.

I looked around, then saw some tracks on the ground. I used my [Tracking] skill to follow the trail and find some monsters to hunt.

"...I see one over there."

I pointed to a direction north of us, where I saw a One-Hit bear walking around, probably looking for some prey.

"...I can't see it."

Komekko-chan said, as she squinted her eyes.

I was using the [Farsight] skill, so I was able to see the monster from far away.

"Do you have any long-distance spells, Komekko-chan?"

"Hmm… the closest thing I have to that, without being able to see the target, is probably a Vanir-style death ray."

"I see… Then let's do it like this."

I adjusted Komekko-chan and helped her aim.

She didn't know where the bear was, so she had to rely on my directions.

I pressed my cheek against her, trying to get the same level of vision. She closed one eye, then extended a finger out, using it to guide her aim. I put a hand over hers, directing her focus.

"...Minus 5 points for flirting during class."

Arue-sensei said, as she looked at us with a frown.

…Is she getting jealous?

"Sensei, this is very important for what we're about to do."

"I can't even tell what you're trying to do. You look like you're just cuddling."

"Just be patient!"

I tried to ignore Arue-sensei as I helped Komekko-chan focus on the shot.

After I felt like we were perfectly aligned, I told Komekko-chan to shoot straight at where I directed her.

"Vanir-style Death Ray!"

A focused bolt of red energy shot out of Komekko-chan's eye.

She made the energy into a more condensed form to allow it to travel further than usual.

With Farsight, I saw it shoot through the forest, avoiding the trees in between.

Then I saw the bolt of demonic energy pierce through the One-Hit bear's head, blood splattering out from the other side of its skull, where the bolt escaped through.

Its body lost motor function and slumped down, as if it were merely taking a nap.

"...We hit it."

"Yes! Good job, Revi!"

"We'll have to go there to confirm the kill, otherwise I'll have to take your word for it. Again, the only thing I saw were you two cuddling. I'll deduct 50 points if you're lying to me."

I hurriedly guided them to the bear before Arue-sensei could deduct points from us.

Once we made it to the bear, Arue-sensei gave Komekko-chan top marks.

"Alright, now Revi-kun has to go and kill a monster, too."

"E-Eh?! But I already helped Komekko-chan!"

"Then she can help you kill one, too."

I looked around the area and saw a wolf with spiky, silver fur. It was raising its snout in the air. It probably caught the scent of the freshly killed One-Hit bear. It was making its way over.

"Urk… Well, let's take position and hide, then. There's a Silver Wolf coming."

The two nodded and hid in a bush with me.

I prepared the wand as the Silver Wolf came in. It saw the slain One-Hit bear and happily came in for the meal.

As the wolf ravenously ate its meal, I pointed the wand at it.

I tried to pour my mana and direct it within the circuitry of the wand, but it was hard to control my mana.

The magic bolts I used for my crossbow already had mana stored inside it. You didn't need to manually activate the bolts, the effects were triggered as soon as you fired them from the crossbow.

The wolf was about to finish its meal. I was running out of time.

"...Revi, you should probably just overload the wand with your mana. Even if the wand breaks, you'll be able to supercharge it for one attack."

"...But I'll be breaking school property."

"Yes, if you break the wand, you'll owe the school 500,000 Eris."

Arue-sensei said, looking at Komekko-chan as if she were stupid for even suggesting it.

"Wait… Only that much?"

"What…? That's a lot, you know."

Well, not to me.

I was carefully trying to guide my mana across the circuits, but I took Komekko-chan's advice and just poured everything I had all at once.

I immediately fell down from mana exhaustion, but before I fell…

"[Lightning!]"

The lightning bolt appeared from a spot above the Silver Wolf.

It came crashing down in a streak of blue light.

…Only to miss.

That's right, this was my first time using magic.

And I was using an overloaded magic item, too.

Of course I'd miss the target!

However, when the lightning bolt suddenly appeared around the Silver Wolf that was eating the One-Hit bear without a care…

"Urk…! Gwak!"

The wolf made some choking sounds.

After a few seconds, its face got a bluish purple hue and it fell, after wheezing and coughing.

…It was so startled by the lightning bolt that it choked on its food.

"Erm… Does that count?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess it does. You get full marks!"

I was somehow able to get full marks for my botched attempt.

Part 4

We joined the other students after finishing the special version of the practical class.

Once we made it back to school, Arue-sensei said,

"Revi-kun, you'll have to go and see Haru-sensei now."

"E-Eh? Am I in trouble?"

"...500,000 Eris, remember?"

"Oh, right."

I forgot about the wand I broke for a second.

While the rest of the class headed back, I went to the principal's office.

While I was outside the door, before I could knock, the door opened.

"Wahhhh!"

A girl holding her behind came out, almost crashing into me. She was crying as she ran past me, hopping along while doing so.

"...Is this a daily occurrence?"

I asked Haru-sensei, after I stepped inside.

"Ah, Revi-kun. Don't worry about it. While it does concern you, I won't let these… distractions affect your stay in our school."

"Well, if it's something that involves me, I kind of want to hear it?!"

She sighed, then gestured to a chair. I sat down.

"You've probably noticed that there aren't a lot of young men in this village. It's quite a rarity, actually."

"Yeah, I've noticed that."

Most of the men were already married adults. The closest guy to my age was Somahiko, who was around Komekko-chan's age.

"So your presence has… ignited the passions of some of our female students. I'm sure you've also noticed that."

"Y-Yeah, I have."

Some of the teachers got affected by my irresistible charm, too, I wanted to say, but obviously I didn't dare say that.

The paddle she used to spank the girl who ran out was still on her desk.

"So, Arue-sensei said that I owe the school money for breaking the wand?"

"Yes, you do, but I've already paid for the bill."

I didn't expect that answer.

"Ah, don't worry, I can pay for the bill…"

"No, I was honestly impressed by what you did to pass the requirements of that practical class. Arue-sensei told me the solution you came up with on the spot. Think of it as a reward for your dedication to learn."

"...Well, I think I could have performed better? I tried activating the wand the normal way using mana control, but I couldn't guide my mana through the circuits properly."

"Normally, those with magical talent have a natural feel for mana control. Please don't worry if you can't do it, since your stats are geared towards another profession."

Since I had the Archer class, it wouldn't be weird for me to struggle with doing things that someone with the Wizard class could do. This much is obvious.

"Is there a way for me to overcome this weakness, though? Is there even a way for me to learn magic even if I don't have the Wizard class?"

"What an odd question. Do you need to have the Archer class to fire a crossbow?"

"...Well, not really, I guess? I bet you can use one if you practice enough. You'll miss out on a lot of buffs, though."

"Indeed, people seem to forget that you can still learn skills by putting effort into practicing and learning it. It's simply more efficient to use Skill Points, but it's certainly not unheard of to even learn magic without the use of Skill Points and Adventurer Cards. In fact, that is probably what our ancient ancestors did. Those skills must come from somewhere, right?"

"Yeah, I guess… It seems kind of hard to learn magic from scratch, though."

"That's true with any skill and discipline. I believe that there is merit in learning how to use magic without the assistance of adventurer cards."

"...Thanks, Haru-sensei, but if you're just comforting me, I don't need the pity!"

"I'm not saying this just to comfort you, Revi-kun. I'm telling the truth. Those who learn how to use magic by themselves can learn how to create their own magic."

"You can create your own magic?"

I never even really thought that Wizards could create their own magic… Then again, Yuiyui-san showed me magic that I had never seen or heard of before, back when we had that little competition.

"Yes, for example, I have a custom spell of my own. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure!"

"Alright, then please stand up."

I stood up in front of her, while she pointed a finger at me.

"[Youthful Transformation]!"

There was a poof of smoke that surrounded me.

When the smoke dispersed, I felt like something happened with the room. I had to look up just to see Haru-sensei behind her desk.

I looked at my hands. They looked way smaller compared to what I was used to.

My clothes were also sagging from my body. My pants that were too big for me dropped to my ankles.

In a panic, I lifted the shirt that had become oversized and checked upon my precious son.

"...! M-My status as a man! You used some diabolical shrinking magic on it?!"

"Why are you focusing on that! A-And please don't show me your privates!"

"H-Haru-sensei… I thought that you were a strict principal that had a solid set of morals, but you're unexpectedly lewd?!"

A blush appeared on her face. She glared at me and said,

"What in the world are you talking about, young man?! How is this lewd?!"

"You turned me into a little boy so you can take advantage of me, huh?! You even got to take a look at my shrunken son! You pervert!"

"You're the one who showed it to me! It's out of my control!"

After I calmed down and Haru-sensei proved to me that she wasn't a pervert, she turned me back to normal.

"...I'm sorry about that, Haru-sensei. I panicked because my son that I am so proud of received a considerable downgrade. It gave me quite a scare."

"I'm your principal, please stop talking about your 'son' already."

She sighed, the blush still remaining on her cheeks.

…I realized that I could get in trouble for doing this, but I had the sudden urge to tease this strict and uptight principal.

Plus, her blushing face was cute, an unexpected hidden side!

"...W-What if my precious son didn't grow back? I need to check!"

"W-Wait, what are you…?!"

I took my hands away that were blocking my groin area.

My fully restored son stood proud and tall.

Perhaps as a way of my body making sure that everything was back to normal, my son was properly greeting Haru-sensei.

"Please tell me, principal! Do you notice anything strange with it?!"

"How am I supposed to know! I've never seen it before! Rather, put that away, young man, unless you want to be punished!"

She waved the paddle around while making that threat.

I pulled my pants up before I ended up like that crying girl I bumped into before.

Part 5

I left Haru-sensei alone after successfully teasing her.

I went back to the class and finished the rest of the school day.

"Rueka, Komekko-chan and Revi-kun, we have a study session again today, please don't forget!"

Komekko-chan sighed, as she packed up her books and got ready to walk to Arue-sensei's house.

"If the devil doesn't get that sticker, I won't be able to sit properly in tomorrow's class. Let's work hard today, Revi-kun."

"Right…"

I couldn't exactly say that Komekko-chan was motivated to study, she was more motivated to survive.

Rueka walked with us on our way to their house. Arue-sensei went ahead to prepare, while we took our time getting there.

"Hmm… I think I'm going to focus on independent study this time."

I told the girls, while we were walking.

"Eh? What do you mean by that, Revi?"

"Well, think about it, it's not like I need to get a good grade in the class, unlike you, Komekko-chan. In fact, me constantly getting a higher grade will just hinder your growth more than anything."

"...I-In truth, the fact that a complete outsider who can't even use magic is beating the devil in test scores is actually discouraging…"

Komekko-chan admitted her insecurity to me.

"Will Revi still study with us, though?"

I nodded to Rueka, who looked concerned.

"Yeah, I still need Arue-sensei's help, but I'll be focusing on some things I want to learn about. Mana control being one of them."

"Eh? Mana control… I remember learning about that since I was a kid."

"Yeah, I remember we had some magic toys that teach babies how to control mana."

So even babies in this village could control their mana better than me.

When we arrived at the house, I told my idea to Arue-sensei.

"Sure, that can work. I can give you some tools to work with."

She dug up some old tools that she and Rueka probably practiced with as a child.

She took out a box of square objects that were kind of like picture frames. Inside there were magic circuits arranged into shapes that ranged from simple ones like a circle and a triangle, while there were some frames that had a maze-like series of magic circuits inside.

"The goal is to focus your mana through the circuits and form the shape inside. Simple enough, yes? Unlike the wand I gave you earlier, you can see the circuits without having to guess or develop a feel for it, so it should be easier for you now."

With the wand, I didn't know how to efficiently direct my mana since I didn't know what kind of shape the circuits inside had. Since magic circuits were delicate, if you didn't guide your mana properly and just filled it in without a thought, you'd overload the magic item just like I did with the wand.

While Rueka and Komekko-chan focused on their studies, I played around with the magic circuits.

I was able to make the shapes easy enough. They were toys that even babies could use, after all.

It's similar to those toys where you had to match a shape by filling a hole in with the appropriate block.

It got tricky when I had to deal with the maze-like circuits.

I didn't have the mana control to properly twist and turn my mana around, guiding it through the maze.

After a few hours of trying to reach the end of the maze, so to speak, I put the toy down and hit the books.

Since I didn't pay attention to the lesson much, Rueka was able to beat me in the scoring contest this time.

"I guess Rueka gets to bathe with me this time."

"You don't need to sound so disappointed, nee-chan."

While they went over to the bath, Komekko-chan was looking at her quiz scores.

"Ugh… Well, at least the devil got some points this time."

"It's not about how slow you go, it's about never stopping, Komekko-chan. You can do it!"

I gave her a thumbs up.

"Hehe… Oh, come here!"

She wrapped her arms around me in a hugging tackle.

"Urk! What's this about?"

"Hm? My crush just said something really nice to me, why shouldn't I be happy?"

I felt my face heat up.

"...I don't understand how you can boldly say things like that, Komekko-chan."

"And I don't understand how you can resist this devil's advances… Hey, you want to do something, right?"

Of course I do!

With bloodshot eyes, I shook my head.

"I-I don't want to cheat on Iris!"

"Che… The devil thought I was close this time. I even practiced that line this morning."

"Please stop rehearsing your seduction attempts on me…"

"I want to have your kittens, nya~"

"Did you rehearse that, too?!"

"Nope, that one was improvised! Did you like it?"

It was so effective that my body froze up. Unfortunately, that probably backfired on Komekko-chan, because I couldn't even push her down since my body was all tensed up from her cuteness.

"You take the phrase 'all's fair in love and war' too seriously, Komekko-chan."

"That's pretty much our family motto, after all."

What a dangerous family.

After our study session, which earned us all a sticker, it was time to head home.

Before I could leave for the door, Arue-sensei put a hand on my shoulder, then leaned into my ear.

"What's the matter? Don't want bathtime with me anymore?"

She was referring to how I didn't score first on the quiz this time and missed out on sexy bath fun times.

"...I already have a little devil trying to seduce me, I don't need a big breasted sensei to add to my woes!"

"Oh, boo hoo. You're receiving attention from various beautiful women. What a tragic life."

"...You're all lucky I still have some self-control."

"...You know, I do wonder…"

I heard her sniffing me. I gulped, wondering why she was suddenly interested in my scent.

"W-What is it?"

"Well, I mean, you're cute and all, but I'm wondering why exactly I'm this desperate to get into your pants… Maybe you have some kind of special pheromone or something?"

I really wondered how these Crimson Demon girls could say such embarrassing lines without restraint.

"I don't know about that! Perhaps Crimson Demon girls have a heat period at this time!"

That would certainly explain a lot.

"...No matter how you look at it, it's a bit unnatural, I think. I'm not an easy girl, you know? I was thinking about that when we first had that bath. Normally I wouldn't do that with any guy without a few dates first."

"E-Eh? I thought it was because I had awakened my playboy potential?"

"...So you really think it's natural for women to give you that kind of treatment right from the get-go, huh?"

I scratched my cheek, unsure how to respond.

I was seriously thinking that my popular period had finally arrived, I didn't really think that there was maybe some other external factor that had a hand in it.

"I don't really know what to tell you. It's not like I've been popular with women all my life."

"...Maybe it's something I'll look into. There's also the fact that the girls at the school are all falling heads over heels in love with you. Sure, they were always bound to go crazy for the new boy, but some of them are becoming obsessed."

I remembered Haru-sensei mentioning that same thing.

"In the meantime, perhaps we should do some more… 'experiments' with your body? It'll help with my research, for sure…"

"So this is all some ploy to get into my pants, huh?"

"Alright, see you tomorrow, Revi-kun! Be sure to show up on time for class!"

She avoided the question while waving goodbye.

Part 6

When Komekko-chan and I went back home, I asked Hyoizaburo-san for a favor during dinner.

"...You want to disassemble and inspect some of my magic items? B-But those are precious products, you know?!"

"Dear, you have a backlog of products that you haven't been able to sell for years now, you know? Plus, you already made a tidy profit from the boy with that magic crossbow garbage."

Yuiyui-san was siding with me, but she still ended up dissing me in the end.

"That's true, I suppose I do owe you for buying my magic crossbow. Alright, I can give you some magic items to experiment with. Do you mind me asking why you want to inspect my magic items? Y-You're not part of the kingdom's health and safety department are you?!"

He seemed to have some kind of trauma I didn't know about.

"...No, but is there something I should be concerned about? None of these devices will blow up in my face, right?"

"I don't think so. You have insurance, right?"

That didn't sound very assuring.

"I'm interested in inspecting all kinds of different magic circuits. I assume that there's some common designs that most magic items share, right?"

"Yes, there's a few common designs for different kinds of purposes. Magic items that store magic, magic items that enhance magic and magic items that help with mana regeneration, there are three common types of circuits for those designs."

"I see, then that will help me out a lot."

Komekko-chan tilted her head at me curiously.

"Why do you want to look at these circuit designs so much, Revi?"

"Well, I just realized that my mana control is horrendous, and there's probably no way for me to fix that without a lot of hard work. So, I just want to memorize the most common circuit types instead of having to try and improve my mana control. I don't like hard work, you know. I'm allergic to it. In fact, I feel like I'm getting a rash just thinking about hard work."

"...But you were studying a lot, weren't you? If you're lazy, then what does that make me? A potato?!"

"I need some kind of motivation in order for me to exert maximum effort. For example, the only reason why I agreed to accompany you in your intense workouts is because I like the way you show a lot of skin wearing those tank tops and short shorts you wear. Also, the stretching and yoga poses you do after workouts really get me going."

"...I'm actually really flattered to hear that, but we're still in front of my parents, you know?"

Yuiyui-san was giving me a glare, but Hyoizaburo-san was smiling.

"You're always welcome to the family, Revi-kun! My son!"

I could do no wrong in the eyes of this man.

That night, I went to the toolshed where Hyoizaburo-san worked on his many projects.

There were gizmos and gadgets aplenty.

I picked out some of the magic items he listed that had the type of magic circuits I wanted to study.

I disassembled three magic items, an iron cube that stores light magic, but the flash has a chance to blind everyone in the area, including the owner, a rod that enhances one's magic power, but does so using one's life energy and a ring that greatly increases mana regeneration, but to the point that the body will overheat from the process and develop a life-threatening fever.

I didn't know why Hyoizaburo-san thought that these items would sell.

After disassembling the items, I took out the magic circuits and studied them.

Even with my perfect memory, it's hard to remember complicated images with many parts.

I spent an hour or so just staring at the circuits, burning them into my memory.

"Alright, let's try this out… Trace On!"

After I felt confident enough, I took one of the magic circuits and poured my mana into it.

With my eyes closed, instead of focusing on where my mana was going, I brought the memorized image of the circuits in my head.

I imagined my mana filling it all in at once, the image in my head, filling in the blanks.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that the circuit was filled with the blue light of my mana.

It worked. The method was actually faster than manually guiding my mana through the complicated circuitry.

I did the same thing with the other circuits, perfectly filling them with mana.

Confident in myself, I tried to take the three circuits in my hand and fill them all up with mana at once.

I probably shouldn't have been that cocky, since the circuits broke when I tried pulling off that stunt without practice.

…At least they didn't explode.

While I was trying to hide the broken circuits, I heard a knock on the door.

"Revi-kun, how is your training going? Well, I don't really get what you're trying to do…"

Hyoizaburo-san came in at the worst time.

"Urm… It worked! At the start, I mean."

"At the start? What are you…?"

I meekly showed him the three circuits that burned up.

"...! M-My precious creations!"

"I'll pay for them."

"It's not just about paying… Hm, perhaps you can help me fix them."

I thought about it. Since I used magic bolts and a magic crossbow, it wouldn't hurt to learn how to maintain or fix them if they broke.

"Please teach me, master!"

"...! I've always wanted to have a son to pass the family trade to! Megumin and Komekko just don't care about this kind of stuff, you know? Sniff…"

Well, considering they suffered an impoverished childhood because of this stuff, it was quite understandable.

"Alright, so what do I need to learn first?"

"Humu. First, you should familiarize yourself with the tools…"

In the next few hours, after teaching me how to fix the circuits, Hyoizaburo-san let out a big yawn.

"Ugh… I'm dead tired. I think I'll sleep in the shed tonight. I don't think I can walk back to the house."

He pointed to the bedding on the side.

"Do you sleep here a lot, Hyoizaburo-san?"

"Only when I'm too exhausted to go back… Sometimes, the wife gets mad at me, too."

I guess this place was better than sleeping on the couch.

"Alright, I'll go back, then."

"Can you tell Yuiyui that I'm sleeping here tonight, Revi-kun?"

"Sure."

I said goodnight to Hyoizaburo-san then headed inside.

I lost track of time while playing around with circuits. Komekko-chan was already in her room, so was Yuiyui-san.

I went over to Yuiyui-san's room and knocked, intending to relay the message.

"Come in."

I opened the door and saw that all the lights were turned off.

"Um, Hyoi… Gack!"

Before I could talk, I felt myself being pulled inside by Yuiyui-san.

"Heh… You sure kept me waiting while you were with that brat. Doesn't he know what husbands and wives do around this time? Hogging you like that…"

"Erm… Eek?!"

She wasn't giving me a chance as she threw me down on the bed.

I felt her straddling me, her thighs trapping me as she pinned me down.

This is really bad?!

"Wait, don't do this…?!"

"Shh… I told you, I don't like talking too much while we do this, right? The only words I want to hear from you tonight are, 'I'm coming'..."

Good god, is this the kind of bedroom play they get up to?!

I felt a hand covering my mouth.

"Hmmph?!"

"...Wait, did your voice sound different? I don't know, it kind of sounded younger…"

I felt myself relaxing. She finally figured it out.

"...Hoh, so we're doing that kinda play, huh? Are we doing the younger boy play? You wanna use the spell Haruharu invented?"

Just what kind of degenerate play does this couple get up to?!

Before anything could happen that we would both regret in the morning, I felt around the bed, looking for the mana switch on the light stand, but I couldn't reach it.

I focused my mana on my finger tip, aiming it at the switch.

Then, the image of the appropriate magic circuit appeared in my head. Magic items that produce light were storing types that held light magic inside them.

I brought up the image of the spell storing magic circuit in my mind…!

I shot the bolt of mana from my fingertip and watched it hit the switch.

The lights in the room turned on.

I was greeted by the sight of Yuiyui-san, wearing black lingerie, straddling me.

Her face that had been filled with lust turned into a neutral face devoid of emotion.

Then it started turning pale.

"Erm… What should I say… Let's just pretend this never happened?"

"...That would be for the best."

After hurriedly getting off me, I just as hurriedly leapt off the bed and ran out the room.

The next morning…

"Good morning, Revi-kun! Here, have some extra bacon! You're a growing boy after all!"

Yuiyui-san said, as she poured a mountain of bacon on my plate.

She was suddenly acting friendly towards me.

"Eh? What's with the change in attitude, Yuiyui? Are you starting to see the appeal of Revi-kun?!"

Hyoizaburo-san was all smiles. Yuiyui-san looked away from his smiling face, guiltily.

"E-Erm… Perhaps I was a bit too harsh on him?! He seems like a nice boy! A dependable, quiet boy!"

She sure emphasized that 'quiet' part.

Not like I would tell a damn soul about what happened.

"Hoh… So the devil has the approval of both parents. Revi, shall we skip school and go on a date?"

"Go to class now, young lady."

Yuiyui-san's expression turned cold again after Komekko-chan tried to push her luck.

After Yuiyui-san gave me my bento for the day, which was much heavier than all the ones she gave me previously, she gave me a big smile, then leaned in and whispered.

"...We're good, right?"

"Let's get along."

We nodded to each other, comrades sharing a silent burden.