Volume 11: Prologue

Part 1

──"Star Productions."

It's an entertainment production agency that has various talented actors, models, and artists and even that very popular fashion model, Miu, belonged to the agency.

In a room of such an office, a woman is approached by her manager with a certain request.

"Eh? A live performance at Ousei Academy?"

The woman, with a somewhat neutral look, was surprised. Her hair was cut just above her shoulders, and she wore a T-shirt and jeans.

This woman was Kanade Utamori, a famous artist belonging to Star Production.

"Yes. Have you ever heard of the Ousei Academy's school festival?"

"I don't know much about it, but it's kind of a hot topic every year. You can watch it on TV."

The manager's words made Kanade tilt her head to the side.

"The reason why it becomes a hot topic is because the scale of the school festival is incredibly huge. So much so that an artist like you has been invited to the festival."

"Hmm? But don't other schools do something similar?"

"There are other schools that invite artists as well, but the scale of the stalls in Ousei Academy is also very large. The school's own rules determine the budget for the school festival."

The manager explained this to Kanade, but she didn't really understand what was going on. This was because, no matter how much budget would be allotted, it was only a school event and would not be that large-scale.

"Anyway, the school contacted me and said they wanted to invite you. The president also said that you must go…"

"The president? It's unusual."

Kanade herself had been with the agency for some time, so she knew the president's personality. The president did not make such moves without any gain, and if she did, she must expect some significant benefit.　

Kanade could not believe that the president would make a move for just one school.

"Speaking for myself, I think it would cost quite a bit of money to invite me. Does that mean the school is going to pay me that well?"

"That doesn't seem to be a problem. But that's not what the president is after; it's one of the boys at the school."

"Eeehh?"

The manager showed a picture to Kanade, who was surprised and in disbelief.

"This is the boy the president is looking for."

"Huh? This girl is Miu-chan and…"

It was a part of a magazine that Miu and Yuuya had been photographed together before.

"This boy is who the president is looking for. Isn't that amazing? He just happened to be there and suddenly ended up doing the shoot, you know?"

"Unbelievable! He has such an aura about him, but he's just a regular guy?"

Kanade's eyes widened when she saw Yuuya in the picture there.

She was surprised to see that Yuuya, whose aura was not inferior to Miu's, was just an ordinary person because she had known Miu for a long time and felt Miu's aura close to her.

"No, no, no, there can't be any ordinary person like him! He definitely belongs to an agency somewhere!"

"But you've never seen him before, have you?"

"I-if you put it that way, yes, but…"

"I understand what you mean, Kanade. It's a wonder it hasn't been talked about before, given how prominent it is. Anyway, it's the president's idea to keep in touch with the school to establish a connection with him… Yuuya Tenjou. I've been following him closely during the last ball game."

"Heh… it's amazing that the president would go to such lengths for an event at the school. So the president is that serious about it, huh…?"

"So I'd really like you to accept the live performance request that was sent to you."

"I would only sing if they set up a stage for me."

As for Kanade, no matter the circumstances, she would only perform on stage if the agency permitted her to do so.

The manager looked relieved.

"That's good… I was wondering what I would do if you were to behave selfishly like you always do…"

"Hey! I'm not that selfish, you know?"

"Who was it that just a few days ago said she wanted to re-record all the songs when we were about to deliver them?"

"Ugh… I-it's because I felt like I could make the songs better."

"It's all well and good to try to make things better, but please consider the time and circumstances. I'm going to proceed by saying that you're going to accept this case. You can't refuse on the way out if you decide you don't want to do it, okay?"

"I won't say no!"

After Kanade said this, the manager shrugged his shoulders and left the room.

Kanade, who remained in the room, cast her gaze down to the photograph.

"Yuuya Tenjou, huh…?"

"…Is that you, Kanade-san?"

"Oh, Miu-chan!"

Then Miu, who had been the topic of conversation just a moment ago, appeared.

"It is rare to see Kanade-san in the office."

"Well, I guess so. As for me, I always like to sing on stage somewhere, but this time I was called away."

"What's the matter?"

In response to Miu's question, Kanade grinned and showed her a picture of Yuuya, whom she had just seen.　

"This!"

"Eh? T-this is Yuuya-san, isn't it?"

"Yes! The reason I was called was because I was going to perform at the school festival live at the school this boy goes to."

"Ka-Kanade-san?"

Miu was surprised by the unexpected story, while Kanade approached her with a smirk on her face.

"Yes, yes, and so I have one question: what's this boy like? From what I've heard from the manager and the president, he sounds like a pretty amazing boy…"

"W-well…"

Miu suddenly remembered many things, including her summer festival date with Yuuya and the engagement fiasco, and her face turned red.

"Um… Yuuya-san is a good person."

"Oya, oyaoya~?"

The unexpected reaction made Kanade smile even deeper.

"I never thought that Miu-chan would react this way… I'm looking forward to seeing him in person too!"

Kanade looked at the photo again.

Yuuya, who had an aura that rivaled that of the top model Miu, became even more intriguing to Kanade.

＊＊＊

──As the place changed, a limousine was driving on the road to Nittei Academy, where the sons and daughters of many prestigious families attend.

"Shirai. Have you gathered any information?"

Riding in the limousine is Kamiyama Mirei, the student council president of Nittei Academy.

She said a few words to Shirai, her butler, and he quickly handed her a stack of papers.

"Here it is."

"Thank you. …Hmm, he doesn't go out much, does he?"

The document that Shirai handed her detailed a record of Yuuya's activities over the past few weeks.

"As you can see in the document, this young man basically goes home straight after class."

"I wonder if he's active in any clubs?"

"I have no information on that."

"Well, if he were involved in club activities, he would be the talk of the town, wouldn't he?"

While saying this, Kamiyama remembered the Ousei Academy's athletic festival that was broadcast on TV the other day.

The Ousei Academy's athletic festival is a hot topic every year, and this year was the most exciting ever.

Most of it could be attributed to Yuuya's presence. His activities were broadcast on TV, and the program's ratings reached a record high. Other special students such as Yuti and Merl also participated, and the competition became very strong.

"So, for now, the best time to pick him up is on his way home after school."

Kamiyama's current plan was to abduct Yuya and take him directly to Nittei Academy, where he would complete the transfer procedures.

This is why she had Shirai investigate Yuuya's activities in detail.　

However…

"Ojou-sama. Is it going to be that easy?"

"…I suppose you are right. The video shows that his physical capabilities are far from those of a normal high school student… but it will be fine since we will use them."

"N-no way…"

Shirai rolled his eyes when he realized Kamiyama's intention.

Kamiyama then smiled wryly.

"Yes. We will use the special forces that Kamiyama Group prides itself on!"

"B-but, do we really need to go that far against just one high school student…?"

"Of course, it may not be that big of a deal. But I will do my best not to fail to secure him. Besides, not only for the development of our Nittei Academy, if his personal qualities are really great, then he can be my close associate."

"I see…"

Kamiyama turned her eyes out of the window as if she were looking for prey.

"I will definitely get him…!"

In this manner, various moves were being made, without the knowledge of Yuuya.

Part 2

As I exhaled a breath of fresh air after slaying the Evil summoned from the past world, Lanael-san came from the sky.

As she landed with a flourish, Lanael-san smiled.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you have safely returned to this era! Oh, and thank you for the Evil too! I've returned him safely to his original era!"

"Y-yes."

As Lanael-san's momentum pushed me along, Yuti, who didn't know her, cautiously asked me a question.

"Question. Who is she?"

"Oh, she's──"

"──Yuuya-kun!"

"Eh?"

I was about to introduce Lanael-san to Yuti when I was suddenly approached by a voice.

I looked in that direction in surprise and saw Iris-san coming at me at breakneck speed!

"Yuuya-kun, are you all right?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine, but… why are you here…?"

The appearance of an unexpected person surprised me, but Iris-san was not the only one who came.

(Hey, don't just rush off on your own!)

"Hah… hah… Y-you're forgetting… I'm here, don't you…?"

(…Odis, you should work on your body.)

To my surprise, even Master Usagi and Odis-san showed up.

"U-um… why are you all here?"

As I recalled, Master Usagi and the others were going around telling the other Holy's that the Evil had disappeared.

And even though the Evil was gone, the Evil Beast remained, and I'm sure they were busy dealing with that as well…

Master Usagi then told me with caution.

(Of course, it's because we sensed a strong presence of Evil from this place.)

"That's right! That's why I came here so quickly, thinking that something might have happened to Yuuya-kun!"

"Ah…"

I had completely forgotten about it because so much had happened, but that Evil was summoned to this era in the form of replacing me and the Evil of the era in which Sage-san was alive.

"I-I am sorry. I'm sorry for worrying you about that… but it's fine now."

"All right, you say…? Was it Avis? I feel it was a stronger sign of Evil than that one, you know?"

"You are right. But I managed to do something about it."

"What do you mean, managed to…?"

Iris-san is appalled by my words. But there was really too much going on for me to give a simple explanation.

Then, Iris-san shifted her gaze to Lanael-san.

"Oh well. More importantly… who is that girl?"

W-what is it… though Iris-san's mood seems to be slightly prickly…

While puzzled, I will try to introduce Lanael-san once again.

"Um, this is Lanael-san. Well, it's a long explanation…"

"Oh, I'll explain myself from here!"

Lanael-san spoke and explained to them that I had been sent to the past world and about the battle between the observers and the false gods that are taking place in the world of the dimension above.

Well, she did not tell me that I had trained with Zenovis-san or that the opponent I had defeated was the Genesis Dragon, which had become a sentinel of the false gods. This was because it would be very difficult to explain such things since the information would have been erased from this world.

Of course, it was an outlandish story, so it should not be so easy to believe…

"…I see. You met him."

Only Ouma-san seemed convinced and nodded quietly.

"W-wait a minute! How can the Genesis Dragon easily believe this story? And what is the upper dimension, even before we talk about the past world?"

"Incomprehensible. I don't understand either…"

(Was this guy born under a star where if he walks around, he's bound to get into trouble?)

I have a feeling that Master Usagi is now correct.

However, Lanael-san only explained that I had been called to fight in the dimension above and did not mention the contract between Sage-san and me.　

Then, Odis-san quietly opened his mouth.

"Hmm… to summarize, the observers, who are like gods, are fighting a fierce battle with the false gods in the dimension above, and they are taking Yuuya-dono with them as a part of their forces, is that right?"

"That's right!"

"T-then take me with you, too!"

"Iris-san?"

Iris-san continued with a serious expression on her face as my eyes widened at the unexpected statement.

"Yuuya-kun, you are my disciple. I can't let you go to such an unknown place by yourself! Besides, if she says they don't have enough strength, then I think I can be of help."

"O-of course, that's reassuring to me as well, but…"

I know because I defeated the false dragon with Zenovis-san, but we are going to fight against an entity that is probably stronger than that one.

Naturally, it will be an even more dangerous fight than when we fought the Dragonia aliens.

That is why I wonder if it is okay to involve her in something like this.

(I don't know what is troubling you, but if the camp of the observers and others loses in the battle in the dimension above, this world will also be in danger, right? If that's the case, it's only natural that we, as the Holy of this world, should lend our help.)

"Ah…"

"Me too. I'll go with you."

"Woof!"

"Fugo? Buhi."

"Pii!"

Then Yuti and Night and the others said they would follow me.

And Ouma-san also opened his mouth in dismay.

"Hah… I do not think you were planning to head there alone. This is something you can't handle on your own, Yuuya. So, I'll lend you a hand too."

How nice that even Ouma-san was willing to lend a hand.

This was more reassuring than anything else, and I looked over to see Odis-san nodding his head vigorously.

However, Kagurazaka-san, the only one in the group who was from the same planet as me, awkwardly said.

"Um… from what I've heard, it sounds pretty important, but I'm probably too much of a liability, so I'm sorry."

"N-no! Don't worry about that. In the first place, it's strange that such serious things keep happening continuously…"

After saying so myself, I wonder why I keep getting into so much trouble.

Anyway, I couldn't let Kagurazaka-san get involved in such a dangerous thing.

"I hate to say it as an alternative, but while Iris-san and the others are away from this world, I'll do my best to reduce the number of Evil Beasts as much as possible."

"That would be… much appreciated."

Then Lanael-san, who had been silently watching our exchange, thought about it.

"Fumu, fumu… I really appreciate that feeling if you all are willing to lend us a hand, like Yuuya-san. However, we originally planned to invite only Yuuya-san alone to the upper dimension…"

"So you're saying we're not allowed?"

"…No, Can you give me some time? I will check with Observers-sama and make adjustments once I get there. You all play a very important role in this world, don't you? If we were to simply pull such existences out of this world, I'm afraid it would cause a great deal of trouble…"

"I see…"

"So! I'm going back to the upper world! Oh, and don't worry, I'll be coming up to meet you all individually when the time comes to call you all! Well then, haaa!"

Lanael-san announced and flew up into the sky at an incredible speed from that spot.

After watching her go, Iris-san let out a sigh.

"For now, we are going to take part in a big battle… and I had some thoughts about it in the space battle… and now, in order to review my power as a Holy once more, Usagi, Odis, I'm going to ask you to accompany me for a little while."

(Mm?)

"M-me too?"

"Of course you are. I don't know what kind of person we're dealing with, but I'm sure it's not a half-baked one. Then, shouldn't we be strong enough to handle them?"

"N-no, I think you're right, but unlike you guys, I don't have much physical strength…"

(You're right. As for Odis, he is too physically weak. Maybe you should train for that as well.)

"Usagi?"

Master Usagi instantly grabbed the astonished Odis-san by the scruff of the neck.　

"So, we're going to go and train. Yuuya-kun, you can come too if you want."

"N-no, I have, you know, life on Earth…"

"Ara, that's too bad. See you soon then!"

(Hmph.)

"H-hey, Usagi! I can walk on my──!"

Odis-san was about to say something, but Iris-san and Master Usagi jumped up into the air and went away, kicking the sky as it was. Of course, they dragged Odis-san along with them.

"…First of all, Kagurazaka-san, shall we go to the Regal Kingdom now?"

"Y-yes."

As per our original goal, we were heading to the Regal Kingdom in order to send Kagurazaka-san on her way.

＊＊＊

When Yuuya and the others were on their way to the Regal Kingdom.

At the royal castle of the Alceria Kingdom, Lexia let out a sigh.

"Hah… Yuuya-sama, I wonder what you are doing right now… and I want to eat that crepe I had on the Earth again…"

"That again…"

To Lexia, her escort, Luna, also lets out a sigh.

"Because there's nothing I can do about it! I haven't seen Yuuya-sama for a long time now! So it's only natural that I would miss him!"

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see him!"

"Are you an idiot?"

Luna was taken aback by Lexia, who was not thinking and was honestly saying what she thought.

"You know… you should think a little more about your own status. How can a princess move about so easily?"

"But…"

"And even if you go to see him, it doesn't change the fact that Yuuya has his own life and will soon be away from you."

"Then it won't be a problem if Yuuya-sama and I get married!"

"There's a big difference, you idiot. First of all, you've already been rejected once, right? Then you should just give up. …In exchange, I'll stay by Yuuya's side instead."

"Heyyyyyy! I won't allow you to do that!"

The soldiers working at the castle laughed at the exchange between Lexia and Luna as if to say, "Not again."

After arguing for a while, they sighed again, looking tired.

"Hah… no matter how much I argue with Luna here, I can't see Yuuya-sama, right…?"

"Naturally. You have a duty as a princess, don't you?"

"What are my duties as a princess?"

"No, don't ask me… Well, you have a role as a princess in strengthening the bonds between countries and in many other diplomatic ways. That's what you've been doing since before I became your bodyguard."

"Well… but I have to go to the academy soon."

"Academy?"

When Luna tilted her head curiously, Lexia continued tediously.

"Yes. Have you ever heard of the "Aurelia Academy" in the Luminous Empire?"

"Hmm… I've heard something about it. However, when I belonged to the Dark Guild, I never did any work in the Luminous Empire, so I don't know much about it…"

"The academy is attended by the royalty of various countries and the sons and daughters of nobles. Most of the country's royalty will go there when the time comes."

"Why is that?"

"For networking, diplomacy, and many other reasons, but in the end, it's for the good of the country. It's not a pleasant place to be, as you can imagine."

"So you're going there, too?"

"…Age-wise, I guess."

Luna told Lexia, who looked deeply disgusted that she was sorry for him.

"I see… well, good luck."

"Huh? What are you talking about? You're coming with me too, Luna!"

"Wha!? Why do I have to go with you?"

"You're my escort, aren't you? Of course, you're going with me."

"I don't want to go to such a troublesome school!"

"I don't want to go there either! Besides, if I enter the academy, I won't be able to see Yuuya-sama anymore!"

For Lexia, the fact that she would have fewer opportunities to meet Yuuya was more unbearable than dealing with nobles and royalty from other countries.

Then, Lexia suddenly looked up as if a revelation had come to her.

"That's right… it's the academy…!"

"Huh?"

Luna was taken aback by the way that Lexia, who had been saying that she hated "academy," now exclaimed "academy" with glee.

"That's why it's an academy!"

"…Have you finally lost your mind?"

"Why? You still don't get it, do you? If we are going to the academy, we should go to the same academy as Yuuya-sama!"

"Oh…"

Luna's eyes widened at Lexia's completely unexpected statement.

"As Mai said, there's no doubt that there's an academy in Yuuya-sama's world too! So, I should be studying abroad, not at Aurelia Academy, but at the academy that Yuuya-sama attends on Earth!"

"T-that's good, but… would the king allow such a thing? It is customary for the princesses of this country to go to that Aurelia Academy, isn't it?"

"Of course, I'm going to push through for that!"

"No way!"

Luna was surprised to hear Lexia say that she was just going to push the idea, thinking that she has some kind of plan.

But Lexia also had a good reason.

"I was only half joking. It's a school on Earth, you know. Don't you think there's more to learn there than in the Luminous Empire?"

"T-that's true, but…"

"It's important to learn about this world, but if I could learn about other worlds, I might be able to contribute greatly to the Alceria Kingdom! This should be enough to get my father to forgive me!"

"Is it going to be that easy?"

"If not, I'll just push through!"

"I knew it…"

Once the desire to attend Yuuya's school had developed in Lexia, there was no longer anything Luna could say that would stop her.

"So, let's go to my father right away!"

──Thus, Lexia and Luna began to move without Yuuya's knowledge.