Chapter 62 – Why Does My Partner Have Such Low Self-Esteem? (Yuzuriha’s POV)
“”Cheers!””
Three glasses clink in the Queen’s chamber in a corner of the Royal Castle.
There is Touko, the room’s owner and the new queen, and Suzuha and Yuzuriha.
After the coronation palace ball, Touko invited them to a private party to thank them for their hard work.
Incidentally, Suzuha’s older brother is not here because it is a girls’ party.
“Thank you both so much for today!”
“No, today is to congratulate the queen.”
“Hey Suzuha, I consider Suzuha a comrade-in-arms. I also call Suzuha by her name, so can she call me Touko too?”
“Eh!? And, but I, unlike Nii-san, have no achievements…”
“I’d much rather Suzuha treat me like a comrade-in-arms than think I’m the Queen.”
“—Y-Yes!”
As Yuzuriha glanced sideways at the deeply moved Touko, she thought to herself.
That statement just now may not be a complete lie, but there is likely a different true intention behind it.
Touko probably instructed Suzuha to address her informally in order to lower the barrier for Suzuha’s older brother when he referred to Touko by her first name without honorifics.
Such subtle tactics of attacking from the surroundings are a specialty of aristocrats.
“Today is a no-holds-barred day! It’s because you two girls have supported me the most and helped me that we should drink to our heart’s content and share our stories! Any secret revelations or frank talks are all okay!”
“Yes!”
“Mmm!”
Of course, it goes without saying that all three of us understand that.
When we transcend the framework of being just girls, it doesn’t matter who is considered “number one.”
＊＊＊＊
The promise or essence of a girls’ gathering, is undoubtedly the art of love talk.
However, between these three people, there is no talk at all about who likes who.
But the topic of conversation inevitably turned to one young man—
“—Why does my partner have such low self-esteem?”
When Yuzuriha raised a question she had always wondered about, Touko replied as if it were a matter of course.
“Whether or not Suzuha’s older brother is Yuzuriha’s partner, it’s obvious that that’s a secret.”
“Secret?”
“That’s right. He is aware of his own talent but chooses to remain silent about it. It’s like he’s playing dumb.”
“It doesn’t look like that’s the case, does it?”
“But when it comes to actual combat, he can take on enemies multiple times more effectively than Yuzuriha, and his orders are incredibly precise, right? That kind of performance is impossible without being fully aware of his own abilities.”
“Hmm…”
Indeed, whether it was the fierce battle against the wandering white-haired vampire or the deadly struggle against the ogres, Suzuha’s older brother took on a perilous role that was incomparable to Yuzuriha or Suzuha themselves.
“Sure, that makes sense, but—”
“My view is slightly different.”
“Suzuha?”
“Heh, so tell me how the little sister sees her brother.”
Suzuha, under the gaze of the two highest-ranking aristocrats, cleared her throat with a single cough.
“I don’t remember Nii-san admitting that he is Yuzuriha-san’s partner, but I agree that he really knows what he is capable of. But I think Nii-san unconsciously underestimates his own abilities.”
“What is the reason?”
“First, to hide from the aristocrats who would force Nii-san to take on awkward positions and jobs.”
“…Well, there’s no denying that.”
“No matter how much I don’t want to, as queen, there’s no way I’m not going to use Suzuha’s older brother, right?”
Suzuha nodded lightly at their impressions,
“And secondly, if Nii-san realizes that he is almost the strongest human being, he will have no reason to train to become stronger.”
“…I was wondering about that too, but why is Suzuha-kun’s older brother still continuing his rigorous training? To be frank, even if he doesn’t train at all in the future, don’t you think he will be able to win for the rest of his life?”
“Suzuha’s older brother isn’t the type who seems to be driven by a desire to become stronger or enjoy training, is he? Now that you mention it, it does raise some doubts.”
“That’s it.”
Suzuha looked around at the two of them and said,
“—Nii-san never says it out loud, but I’m sure he would like to avenge himself on the wandering white-haired vampire one day with his own hands.”
“”…Eh…?””
The two of them are dumbfounded with their mouths open.
“No, no, no, that’s absolutely impossible—But if it’s Suzuha-kun’s older brother, then perhaps there’s a chance…”
“Even though it should be absolutely impossible for a human, Suzuha’s older brother’s capabilities are so remarkable that they make us think it might be possible…”
“That’s the thing—Nii-san has the common sense to know that a human can never defeat a wandering white-haired vampire. But that’s the only reason why he keeps on training. A normal human being who is not a training fanatic would have given up long ago.”
“Well, that makes sense. If the target is an opponent you can never beat no matter how much you train, then there’s no point in training in the first place.”
“But Nii-san’s deepest passions wouldn’t allow it—As a result of this conflicting turmoil, it’s possible that it manifested unconsciously in the form of believing that he isn’t as strong as he actually is.”
Yuzuriha nodded repeatedly, as if impressed by Suzuha’s words,
“I see. That’s a very astute analysis, as expected of the little sister—I had thought that Suzuha-kun’s older brother was just trying to hide his own presence, or that he is just plain stupid. As a partner, I should reflect on this.”
“That’s quite possible, isn’t it?”
“What!?”
“What I just said was just my theory.”
“Hey, is Suzuha okay as his little sister? Don’t you want Suzuha’s older brother to be more active and become great?”
Suzuha asserted with a straight face.
“It’s rather convenient. It was very convenient for us two siblings to live modestly together—until now.”
“Eh? If I’m not wrong, I heard that it was Suzuha who introduced Yuzuriha to Suzuha’s older brother?”
“In hindsight, it was the mistake of a lifetime… I just lost my temper at the time…but…”
“But?”
“Seeing Nii-san now, even though he seems troubled, he looks happy every day, so I guess this is fine in its own way.”
“I see.”
“Well, now that Nii-san has become a margrave, it might be a good idea for the two of us to deepen our bond of love… Uh, I mean, our bond as siblings.”
“Wait a minute! What the h**l are you thinking!?”
“It’s a secret.”
In a room in the Royal Castle late at night, the girls’ night continued…
