Guardians of the Prince

How nice it would be if I could fly to her, like Kahzapka.

Even after his white, glowing form disappeared, I could picture him soaring into the sky.

One day when I was practicing transformation, Mr Lahzt said, “Since you’ll notice it someday anyway, there’s something I should tell you beforehand. I thought there might be a method of turning into Kahzapka and taking you back to your homeworld, but… I couldn’t figure it out.”

Oh! I’d never even thought of that until now!

That’s right though, Kahzapka can go to where Nanao is… But why didn’t it work?

Mr Lahzt looked away, and said, “Even if I did change into Kahzapka, I couldn’t just use his powers. I thought I might be able to do something, at least, so I gave it a shot, but… Sorry, Kohme.”

I’d replied with a smile. “I see. Well, that’s just how it is, right. If every Shiinoce could use the power of the gods’ messengers however they wanted, Shiinoce would be the strongest in the world.”

Mr Lahzt… he said he’d transformed and tried using the powers, but wasn’t that kind of dangerous? He’d still been searching for a way to get me home, huh.

Next time, I’d be the one to rub his shoulders. Surely he wouldn’t mind.

“Alright then!”

I looked at the envelope in my hand.

A letter from Nanao! This was wonderful!

I pressed the pink envelope tight to my chest like I was hugging Nanao herself.

Ah, I wanted to read it right this instant! But the prince might come looking for me, and I wanted to take my time reading it, so I really should do that later. Arg! The horrors of unfinished tasks! I calmed my racing heartbeat with a deep breath, and put the letter in my pocket.

And then, I started back towards the hall through the back door, when–

“Mm-hm!”

I heard a strange voice. My face bumped into something that smelled nice.

“Oops,” said a voice from someone taller than me. We grabbed each other, to keep ourselves from falling.

It was Mr Idine.

“Kohme, it’s been a long time, huh.”

Looking through his dark grey hair, his eyes of the same color narrowed a bit. He was wearing a jacket today.

“Ah… Mr Idine. Sorry!”

I let go of him in a hurry, but both his hands stayed on my arms.

“Apologizing again.”

He laughed faintly.

Again… Jeez, why would he bring that up?!

“Um… You were attending Professor Lemonina’s public lecture?” I asked, trying to change the subject, and Mr Idine nodded.

“I was very kindly given a front row seat. You were looking at me earlier, I believe, Kohme?”

Uh, not at all? I was focused on the prince, I forgot Mr Idine was even there.

“Then you went outside, and it was my turn to follow you.”

Wait a minute. That’s all it takes to make you think I’ve invited you!? That’s assuming a bit too much goodwill. And the whole foundation is built on a misunderstanding to begin with!

I started to tell him he was mistaken, clearly this time, when Mr Idine asked me a question.

“Is anyone here right now?”

Ah.

No way, he hadn’t seen me exchanging letters with Kahzapka? What was I supposed to say if he asked me what I was doing…?

I spoke hastily. “There were a lot of stagehands around, so… (I thought there might be somebody back here!). Why don’t we get back to the hall… (and forget about everything that’s happened here!)”

I switched to Mr Idine’s other side and removed his arm, and returned to the hall through the back door.

As I ducked under the curtain, which was lowered over the stage, the last of the guests was just leaving through the hall door. The noise of the crowd was growing distant, and the hall was falling silent.

Thanks to that, Mr Idine seemed to have interpreted my line from earlier in the best possible light, once again.

In other words, ‘There were a lot of stagehands around, so… (if we’re seen it’ll be embarrassing). Why don’t we get back to the hall… (there won’t be anyone there and we can be alone),’ that sort of situation.

“Oh what…? There’s no one here anymore, huh, guess we should get going too.”

“Indeed we should,” Mr Idine replied, closing the distance between us.

Why are you so close!? I stepped back, and immediately bumped up against a wall.

“Mr Idine, uh, I’m going to go–”

“Kohme. I’m glad to have been able to see you on my visit to Shiz Cagna. I like you.”

!?

Usually, just being compelled into a relationship is enough to make someone run away immediately. In point of fact, I was prepared to run away right now.

But I hadn’t expected anything like this, and for an instant, I was thrown into confusion.

Just now, was that a love confession!? No, he’d said it with the same tone as if he’d been talking about his love for curry.

Mr Idine immediately put both hands near my face.

“I heard that you became Lord Ouji’s nanny, and that Lahzt was by your side as ever, and they said Lord Fatido visits all the time, and I’ve heard some rumors about a guard too. Kohme, are you dating anyone right now? Somehow, I got so jealous.”

Calm down, me. It’s not like last time. Even as a confession, and even with the various misunderstandings, I can probably just face him normally. And I am at work right now.

I looked Mr Idine right in the eye.

Okay, tell him properly.

“Seeing someone right now is–”

“You don’t have to answer right away.”

You don’t have to interrupt me though! Did you hear me talking!?

He touched my cheek and my shoulders jumped in surprise, and I looked down.

“We’re both adults, aren’t we? Setting aside the issue of whether you’re really dating anyone for now… You do seem to be with someone, somehow.

That’s… Maybe I was, right now.

""

I felt a little sting of guilt.

I was actually aware that there were people who seemed to be attracted to me, but I never said anything, and just stayed friends with them.

I hadn’t the slightest idea what I was supposed to do, but…

“That’s fine by me. Somehow.”

Mr Idine’s tone was gentle, like he was just humoring me.

But wait. How close was he going to stick to me? If that really was a confession, I wanted to face him honestly, but like this…

When I looked up for a peek at Mr Idine, and noticed a wild light in his eyes.

His body was suddenly pressed tight against mine, and his breath was on my cheek. I hurried to twist myself out of his grip.

“I can only be your friend,” I said

“That’s fine too. And it works out well for you too, doesn’t it?”

…Works out well?

“For you to have a friend in the royal palace.”

In other words, he was saying it would benefit me to have an informant in the crown prince’s camp?

And conversely, Mr Idine could say he had a friend at Shiz Cagna, namely me.

Ugh, I knew it, this person thinks of everything in those terms. This wasn’t a confession.

I swung my face up to meet his and glared at Mr Idine, putting some force into it.

I also put some force into my voice. “I don’t make friends based on profits and losses.”

And then, I beat on Mr Idine’s arms. “You are a guest at Shiz Cagna today, Mr Idine. So since I’ll be treating you politely, shall we go have tea over there?”

Mr Idine looked dumbfounded for an instant, and looked away.

“Just do things at your own pace, don’t you…?”

“What?”

“No wait, I’m being dragged into it myself here.”

Mr Idine seemed to shake something off. He turned towards me again, and grinned.

“I’d prefer a different kind of hospitality.”