Assassins from the Past

Knock, knock, knock!

Just as I was about to head out, there was a knock at the door.

When Leone had reverted from an NPC to a PC, the inn had closed up shop and the signboard had come down.

So… a customer who still had us pegged as an inn? One glance at the System made it obvious the inn marker was gone.

"I'll handle it."

"No, I'll get it. After all, this is my home now."

When I cut Leone off like that, she smiled, looking pleased.

"Yes, what is it?"

I opened the door, and…

"You are the C-Class Master, Naoto Akai, are you not."

That was what a heavyset middle-aged man said to me.

He didn't seem to be carrying any luggage, and he was dressed in a well-tailored suit.

In Japan, he wouldn't have looked out of place as a salaryman searching for a business hotel, but in this world, someone who didn't look like a traveler showing up at an inn was strange.

He didn't seem to be a guest, either.

"Y-Yes, that's me… and you are?"

"I am the head of this town, Ramen. You will come to the town hall at once."

He commanded. Town head…? What was this about?

It seemed Leone, standing nearby, had heard the exchange.

"… That's odd, Ramen-san. The town head of a G-Class town like this is of lower standing than a C-Class Master like Naoto-san. I don't think you have any authority to give Naoto-san orders…"

She rebutted before I could say anything.

"Of course, I have no such authority. However, this is a summons from one above you in rank. You will come immediately."

Ramen rebutted right back.

"… Which means it's an order from a B-Class Master or higher… For now, you'd better do as he says."

That was the advice she gave me.

"… Are C-Class Masters obligated to obey B-Class Masters? Like with the knight class and the nobility before…"

I tried asking Leone and Lyuka.

"No. Normally there's no built-in mechanism that forces a C-Class Master to obey a B-Class Master, the way a Master and Garumon are bound. However, once you become C-Class, you can enter into employment relationships with higher-ranked Masters. If an employment relationship is formed, the lower-ranked Master cannot resist the higher-ranked Master through the System; it becomes a relationship of absolute obedience."

"Employment relationship… is there anyone who'd actually want to enter into something like that?"

"There are. From C-Class onward, it isn't easy to strengthen your forces through Garumon Battles. So how do you obtain stronger Garumon? The fastest path is to serve a higher-ranked Master and, when that higher-ranked Master obtains powerful Garumon, be granted the leftovers. Even though it becomes a relationship of absolute obedience, there's potential for benefits beyond that. That said, there are cases where the Garumon are fully transferred and cases where they're given on rental. A rental is for a fixed period, after which they return to the original Master. There are also cases where, even if the lower-ranked Master builds up real strength and tries to break free of the employment relationship, they only ever get rentals and end up kept in indefinite servitude."

"… I see. Then I have no need to enter an employment relationship. Doing that would only get everyone taken from me."

"Exactly so."

… This wasn't relevant to me, then.

"… So, am I obligated to obey the summons of a B-Class Master with whom I have no employment relationship?"

"… That's the thing. This is the troublesome part… in fact, it's true that you'd better obey."

… Huh? That seemed to contradict everything she'd just said.

"From C-Class on up, you're obligated to fight monsters and so on, but in exchange, you hold authority that sets you apart from commoners. For example, the authority to arrest and punish other Masters in the name of public order. And the authority to issue commands to NPCs. But in return, you also bear responsibility for the social order. The S-Class, A-Class, B-Class, C-Class pyramid power structure is something you're expected to uphold. If a C-Class Master is judged to be one who disrupts that order, they can be punished. The punishments range from imprisonment with forced labor, to the stripping of their Garumon, all sorts of penalties…"

"… That's the worst."

Punishment… well, of course. Even in this brutal world where people killed each other in battle, there were minimum rules in place, and where there were rules, there were punishments. I didn't want to be on the receiving end of any of that. Especially not having my Garumon stripped; that I absolutely would not accept.

"What does 'disrupting order' mean?"

"The judgment of whether or not someone is disrupting order is made by the higher-ranked Master. To put it bluntly, it can come down to the whim of a B-Class Master… Now, B-Class Masters also bear responsibility for order, of course. So if it's truly unreasonable, you can appeal to an A-Class Master about that B-Class Master's misconduct, and there are cases where the B-Class Master is the one punished. But whether the A-Class Master takes the appeal seriously or not is also up to that A-Class Master's whim… For a C-Class Master, it would be wisest to avoid being made an enemy of any B-Class Master."

"… Got it."

Well, living in Japan I hadn't really gotten it, but unreasonable treatment born of power and class differences had been around on Earth since the time of the Code of Hammurabi.

Now that I'd taken on a piece of that authority by being C-Class, by being incorporated into the power structure, I'd ended up with new constraints.

I gave up and decided to go in. We just chatted as we walked.

"Authority to issue commands to NPCs… so does that mean I could give some kind of order to the town head, Ramen-san?"

"Exactly. NPCs also have ranks, and Ramen-san is a D-Class NPC. You also have the authority to issue orders to D-Class NPCs and below."

Hmm… well, I had no plans to give orders.

"The power structure of ranks has a striking effect on NPCs. Basically, the orders of higher-ranked Masters take priority. They obey the rules issued by an A-Class Master so long as those don't contradict the laws issued by an S-Class Master, and they obey the directives of a B-Class Master so long as those don't contradict the rules of an A-Class Master, that sort of thing. A D-Class NPC who's been ordered around by a B-Class Master will, when dealing with a C-Class Master, behave as someone who has the authority to give the C-Class Master orders. Even if his attitude is somewhat haughty, there's no real contradiction in it. A C-Class knight acting on the orders of an S-Class Master may issue high-handed commands even to an A-Class Master."

"Huh…"

I listened comfortably to Lyuka's worldbuilding lecture.

There was something moe about a cute lisping voice giving you mature, theoretical explanations, wasn't there.

"Incidentally, harming NPCs without good reason is forbidden by law, so you can't just issue unreasonable commands to them. Violating that gets you flagged as an enemy by the System and put on the blacklist. Once you're on it, all kinds of demerits including various punishments come raining down… but Naoto-san wouldn't do anything like that."

Lyuka's trust in me seemed deep.

If she had found out I was thinking her voice was moe, she'd probably have gotten mad.

"Going through an NPC when you want to give some kind of order to a lower-ranked Master is a standard tactic. Resisting clumsily means going on the blacklist, so they have no choice but to comply. Considering all these methods one might use, in practice you might have to say that, by the System, there's no resisting a higher-ranked Master."

"I see…"

As I'd thought, since this was another world, the rules were a bit different from the original world, but they weren't entirely different; there was a fair amount of common ground.

"As for what to be careful of when meeting a higher-ranked Master, you must absolutely not act rashly and launch an attack. A higher-ranked Master is forbidden from attacking a lower-ranked Master, but if a lower-ranked Master initiates the attack, that's a different story."

Lyuka gave me that bit of advice.

"Got it. I'll keep it in mind."

… A B-Class Master, huh.

I had no specific guess, but when I tried to predict, several faces came to mind.

I'd drawn a fair amount of attention for entering the D-Class tournament.

If everyone from that school had transferred to this world, there had to be plenty who'd have their eye on Kanan.

If, like Noda or Maika, there had been people who'd come to this world earlier than us, it wouldn't have been strange for any of them to have reached B-Class.

And so, while predicting the opponent, I opened the door to the town head's room…

The ones inside were the very faces at the top of my list.

"Kanan-sama…!"

"Kanan-sama."

The two who stood up calling out like that were Sawako Aozawa and Kensei Yamagata.

"…! Sawako… Kensei…"

Kanan's breath caught.

For someone with business with me or Kanan, the most likely candidates were Kanan's fellow slaves from the original world.

Of those, it was hard to imagine Haru-kun showing up to summon us this overbearingly.

Which left Kanan's other slaves. Ishiguro and Nezu were possibilities, but if it was someone more capable than them, like these two, the chance of them having reached B-Class became plausible.

These two weren't the kind of fellow slaves I could have put myself on the same level with; they were in a class of their own.

Sawako Aozawa had slightly upturned, large eyes. With long lashes, she was quite the beauty.

Frankly, in terms of looks alone, she was at a level not even inferior to Kanan. She was actually counted among the Seven Greatest Beauties.

Her family was wealthy too, of the bourgeois class. The reason she was Kanan's slave was, apparently, that there were bourgeois reasons among the bourgeois.

Her family, the Aozawas, wanted to be on close terms with the Kazamis, so they had offered up their daughter as a human sacrifice.

In other words, Sawako Aozawa was serving Kanan as a noblesse-oblige duty.

But Sawako genuinely worshipped Kanan and served her gladly. Maybe because they were the same gender and that put her at ease, Kanan had taken a liking to Sawako and always kept her by her side. Even with the hierarchy in place, you could call them friends.

Kensei Yamagata was close to that.

The wealthy Kanan, if carelessly left alone, faced a high risk of kidnapping. So a bodyguard was placed at her side as a fellow student.

That was Kensei Yamagata. He had originally been in the Kazami family's service, a professional.

Slaves who entered slave battles were forbidden from being professionals hired with money.

But the parents had been close friends as well as employer and bodyguard, and the children had grown up as childhood friends.

So with the justification that there were personal ties of friendship beyond money, Yamagata had been permitted.

Even so, the probability of his entering slave battles had been set low. If he did enter, even on Kanan's mediocre instructions he'd absolutely win.

And actually, that wasn't a lie. Yamagata served Kanan faithfully, but Kanan, for her part, clearly trusted Yamagata.

And those two, Kanan's true inner circle, were here right now…

"Ah, Kanan-sama… thank goodness, you're safe! Ah, this Sawako has spent each day without seeing you feeling like a thousand autumns…!"

Aozawa-san knelt before Kanan, weeping with joy.

Her wavy black hair had now been dyed a beautiful blue. But aside from that, she didn't seem to have changed.

Her clothing, though, was no longer her school uniform.

Not a thick robe but a cape, a shirt, and so on, the standard fantasy-style mage's outfit.

Yamagata-kun's clothing, too, was no longer his school uniform but the heavy, sturdy adventurer-style clothing of this world.

Both of them were in fantasy garb, but it didn't have that uncomfortable, never-worn-before cosplay feel; they looked like they'd already blended into this world. They seemed to have spent a fair amount of time here.

"Kanan-sama, that you are unharmed…"

Yamagata-kun also placed his hand on the floor and bowed deeply.

A Master bowing to a Garumon was unthinkable in this world.

Even after blending into this world and reaching B-Class, had he firmly maintained the values of the original world?

And then, they finally turned to face me.

"To think that a runt like you, even temporarily, would become Kanan-sama's Master… Naoto Akai."

"Indeed. I was surprised, Akai."

"… Aozawa-san. Yamagata-kun."

I hesitated for a moment over how to respond.

Even though we were all Kanan's slaves, their position was vastly above mine, and they were people I'd had no closeness with.

The two of them had always been glued to Kanan, and we'd barely had any conversation to begin with.

Ishiguro, Nezu, Noda, the kind who took pleasure in bullying those weaker, had had more contact with me.

That said, since they were just classmates from the same school in the same year, I figured talking normally would do.

"Without the news of your match against Noda spreading around, we wouldn't have been able to find Kanan-sama and meet up like this. That much, we'll commend you for."

Yamagata-kun said that to me, looking down on me. And then…

"But your service ends here. Good work up to now. Akai, hand Kanan-sama over to us."

He shoved his initial demand at me.

"…"

I froze, thinking. When I'd run into Ichinose-kun before, I'd been told the same thing.

But back then, he had had no power.

The two now were different. They were Kanan's true confidants.

And in this world, too, they held the high status of B-Class.

This demand… could you not call it legitimate?

"I'll say this now, this is an order. A B-Class Master can't directly challenge a C-Class Master to a Garumon Battle, but… There are plenty of other methods. We've been in this world for over a year, and we're now B-Class. Beating you down and taking Kanan-sama would be no trouble at all. If you don't want that, hand her over quietly… Right, we'll pay you money to match your accomplishments thus far. How about 5,000,000G?"

It was several times more than the sum I'd struggled and scraped to save up.

"… And, you, we could promote you to knight as well. You're sorely mistaken if you think becoming C-Class makes you a knight of us nobles automatically. Kensei here is offering to be your patron. Won't all your hardships up to now be rewarded?"

Aozawa-san said that.

I didn't care about the compensation offered. The question was whether I should hand Kanan over.

Kanan… taken away?

Kanan, who'd been with me ever since I came here…

Absolutely not. And going by this world's rules, even if a B-Class Master demanded it, there was no law saying I had to silently hand her over.

… But I denied this world's law. I thought humans dominating humans was wrong.

In that case, if their claim was legitimate, I should hand her over.

These two were Kanan's true confidants, and in the original world, they had been far closer to her than I had ever been.

My head was spinning. Logic spinning. Emotion spinning.

This world's rules. The original world's rules. Kanan's feelings, my feelings…

Each was pointing at a different answer, and I couldn't decide what to do.

This world's rules:

A Garumon won't be unconditionally taken without going through a Garumon Battle.

But a B-Class Master has any number of means to make a C-Class Master submit.

If they truly come after me, defending against it is hard.

Considering that, there's a possibility that as long as the B-Class Master wants her, I'll have no choice but to hand her over.

Original world's rules:

If we were just together because she had no friends, then once she meets up with friends, it might be natural for her to go to them.

On the other hand, sometimes new bonds get built in the time spent together, so it can't be cut and dried.

… But, normally, should I hand her over?

My feelings:

Simply put, no. I don't want to. From a combat standpoint too, Kanan is an indispensable force.

Physically, I want to do more lewd things. And my feelings, too…

I absolutely don't want to hand her over.

Then ultimately, it came down to how Kanan felt. What did Kanan think?

If her feelings were leaning toward wanting to leave me…

No, shouldn't I just ignore her feelings?

Did I even owe her that? She was the one who'd tormented me all that time. If anything, I should resent her…

But it was also true that her family had been supporting mine. In that case, it was give-and-take, and resenting her would be off-base.

But… ah, fine, let me admit it.

I… had come to like Kanan quite a lot.

Of course, I couldn't say with all my heart that I just adored her, there was complicated stuff mixed in with it, but my feelings of liking her weren't a lie.

Because I liked her, I didn't want to be apart from her.

But, exactly because I liked her… I wanted to make her wishes come true.

… So, if Kanan wished for it… I thought I'd grant it.

I tried to read Kanan's expression.

That expression was… blank, as if frozen.

I couldn't tell what Kanan was thinking.

But it didn't seem like she was overjoyed at meeting up with Aozawa-san and Yamagata-kun.

Maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Because I was watching for Kanan's reaction, the silence stretched on. Yamagata-kun and Aozawa-san were also waiting for Kanan's reaction.

"… Wait a moment."

And then, Kanan opened her mouth.

"First of all… it's been a while. I'm glad to see you. Sawako, Kensei."

And in her old, sovereign-like manner, she addressed the two of them with a bewitching smile.

"Haha, we're glad you're safe as well, Kanan-sama."

"Your gracious words, Kanan-sama."

The two bowed their heads. Just like before…

"How have you two been spending your time in this world? Explain."

"Yes. Sawako and I drifted into this world one year and six months ago.

"We grasped the rules of this world, and the two of us decided to cooperate to survive.

"We've overcome several difficulties, including being attacked by local Masters, and managed to make it through safely.

"A great many other Reido Academy students had transferred here as well.

"Watching them, we anticipated that you, Kanan-sama, had not yet come over.

"The earliest among them came one year and nine months ago, and others arrived about three months after that, so we learned that there's variation in the timing of the transfers.

"So we resolved that, when you eventually came to this world, Kanan-sama, we'd be in as good a position as possible to assist you. That was our thinking.

"We continued fighting for a while. We rose all the way to B-Class Masters.

"We believe we now have sufficient strength to protect you, Kanan-sama.

"Your former slaves are gathering as well, and we're rebuilding a team with you, Kanan-sama, at its apex."

That was his report.

Reaching B-Class must have involved all kinds of struggles, but he hadn't recounted any of it in detail.

"… I see. Well done."

Kanan said, acknowledging them.

The look of her was somehow sovereign-like… she felt almost like a different person from the Kanan who had been mine up until yesterday.

… As I'd thought, she was essentially of the ruling side, and her being my Garumon was just some kind of dream… no, was a mistake, was that what I should call it?

"Now, Kanan-sama, please come this way. From here on out, we shall protect you."

Saying that, Yamagata-kun extended his hand.

But Kanan… did not take that hand.

"… As a Garumon, are you holding back out of consideration for your Master? With us in your corner, that sort of thing…"

"Wait a moment."

Kanan cut off the two's words.

"Your loyalty pleases me… However."

She placed her hand on my shoulder.

"This Naoto Akai right here… has admirably protected me up to now. While the two of you weren't here, Naoto protected me. Do you understand the meaning of that?"

"… That's…"

Yamagata-kun twisted his lips bitterly. Even if it had been a quirk of fate at the time of the transfer, the one who'd come to this world together with Kanan was me, not them.

"As long as Naoto has protected me up to now without serious incident… I have to count on him to continue protecting me without issue from now on as well."

"Kanan…"

She… was protecting me. Spending words in argument so she wouldn't have to go to them.

Joy welled up in my chest.

"Surely not! That such a mediocre man! He may have managed by chance up to now, but who knows when and where he'll fail!"

Yamagata-kun's eyes went wide.

"There's no way someone like Naoto could be of more service to you, Kanan-sama, than us, who've served you since birth!"

Aozawa-san was the same.

"To begin with…! … Allow me to ask one thing. Has this man… truly served you faithfully, as the lowly servant you deserve, Kanan-sama?"

Aozawa-san pressed.

"We've watched many transfer students from the academy up to now. Most of them couldn't adapt to this world's System and, while still confused, were attacked by local Masters and had the female partners they came with taken from them. Others gave free rein to their base lust and assaulted the girls who became their partners. That's the kind they all were."

Yamagata-kun explained too.

"Could it be that this man, too, upon learning of this world's System, dared to direct his base lust at you, Kanan-sama…?"

Aozawa-san's suspicion.

Ugh, I tried to keep my expression as blank as possible, but I had no confidence I'd hidden the disturbance.

After all, I had made her use her mouth on me.

"Hold your tongue, Sawako. Do you really think this Kanan Kazami would have her body sullied? … Naoto was very gentlemanly. There is not a single thing he did that I disliked. I guarantee that, in the name of Kanan Kazami."

But Kanan said that for me.

Was that really true…? No, I wasn't going to stick my mouth in where it didn't belong right now.

"R-Really? It can't be that there exists a man who, granted the right to unleash his desires on you, Kanan-sama, would refrain from doing so… Especially someone this lowborn."

Aozawa-san wavered, but seeming to think doubting Kanan would be disrespectful, she held her tongue.

"You two are nobles by birth, but I rate Naoto, who was born lowly yet acted that way, more highly."

"Gh… s-such… to compare us to this man…"

Clap!

"Yes, exactly. I'll compare you."

Kanan clapped her hands and said to the two of them.

"…? What are you…"

"Naoto reached C-Class within three months of coming to this world. He keeps proving the strength to protect me. On the other hand, I don't know you two's current strength. In this state, I can't make a calm assessment."

"… Hoh… Indeed, promoting to C-Class within three months is fast even in this world."

"Right?"

Hmph, Kanan boasted as if it had been her own accomplishment. Well, it was her own.

"However, our pace of promotion to C-Class was about three months too. Promoting just to C-Class can be done easily if luck's on your side."

… Yamagata talked her down.

"Then!"

Kanan continued, cutting off the two's words.

"… Which is to say, when Naoto attains B-Class himself, we can resolve this through a Garumon Battle between us and you two, and whoever wins formally takes me. Couldn't we go with that?"

…! Going by Kanan's logic, until I became B-Class, Kanan's fate would be on hold.

Of course, when I became B-Class, I'd need to fight these two, but I just needed to win that.

"… That. By the rules of this world, it is indeed so… But, with apologies… aren't you overestimating that man? This world isn't kind. They even say promoting from C-Class to B-Class is the hardest of all. Unfortunately, leaving you in the harsh environment of C-Class, Kanan-sama, even for a moment…"

Yamagata started to shake his head, but…

"In that case, why not tie up a contract?"

Lyuka chimed in.

"… What? Your Garumon?"

"Lyuka's a former NPC, so she knows the System well. Lyuka, what's a contract?"

"For example, with a contract like 'Naoto Akai will be promoted to B-Class within one year. If he fails to be promoted and one year passes, Kanan Kazami becomes Kensei Yamagata's possession,' once a year passes without B-Class promotion, ownership automatically transfers via the System."

I see, so there was a system like that.

"I know about contracts. Indeed. But one year is too lenient. Leaving you exposed to that man's filthy desires for that long, Kanan-sama…"

"Then, if he becomes B-Class within a shorter span than you two, you'd have no complaints, right? You two, how long did it take you to go from C-Class to B-Class?"

"That was… around five months, was it."

"… Five months, was it… that's the fastest time. Promotion exams are held once every six months."

… Going by Lyuka's answer, competing on promotion speed was apparently impossible. Yamagata-kun had reached B-Class at the fastest pace, after all.

"Then, Naoto will become B-Class in three months!"

But Kanan, as if she wouldn't take back what she'd already said, drew her line in the sand.

Hey, wasn't that hasty? She didn't know the harshness of C-Class or how to become B-Class.

… But it didn't seem like they'd agree to a contract unless she said something like that. Couldn't be helped.

"But the promotion exam is once every six months… so the longest possible is six months from now."

"Don't worry. The next promotion exam is two months away. So if he's promoted next time, the conditions Kanan-san stated are achievable."

Lyuka gave that assurance.

"Hoho… two months, then."

Yamagata-kun snorted.

"… Very well. If you, Kanan-sama, judge this man to be above us, then he'll have to prove that level of capability. We can't have it any other way. Then, let us conclude a contract through the System."

And so, Yamagata-kun and I sealed the contract.

"Naoto Akai shall be promoted to B-Class Master at the next promotion exam. Within one month thereafter, he shall conduct a Garumon Battle against Kensei Yamagata with Kanan Kazami as the wager. If he fails to fulfill this, Kanan Kazami becomes the possession of Kensei Yamagata."

It wasn't a contract with any merit for me, but given the existing gap between B-Class and C-Class, it couldn't be helped.

Buying three months of time was the merit.

"Wait a moment. In that case, if Naoto wins, you, Sawako, will come to us."

"Wha! T-That's… d-don't think for an instant, Naoto Akai, that I'll slack off knowing I'll get to be at Kanan-sama's side win or lose. There's no way the likes of you can beat Kensei!"

Kanan further proposed, and Yamagata-kun consented.

"… Very well, we accept this also. However, Kensei Yamagata is not to engage in any obstruction whatsoever in the meantime. That's also a condition."

"… Are you, the lowest of the low among Kanan-sama's slaves, putting conditions on us?"

"… It's necessary, isn't it? If you flee from a Garumon Battle for a month, that's unbearable."

I glared back straight at Yamagata-kun, who was glaring at me.

"… Fine then. In return, we'll add this clause."

'During this period, Naoto Akai is not permitted to act in a way that defiles the chastity of Kanan Kazami.'

… This guy. As I'd thought, deep down he was after Kanan's chastity, wasn't he?

… No, he just didn't trust me, probably…

"Very well."

Either way, since I had no plans to anyway, I had no objection.

… Well, being told I can't do it made me want to, though.

And so, with that, I formed a contract with Yamagata-kun.

A contract over whether I would lose Kanan or protect her…

"… One thing I want to confirm. Are my former slaves gathered with you?"

"Yes, we have Ishiguro, Nezu, and Noda… Ichinose's whereabouts are unknown. There's a chance he couldn't adapt to this world and was weeded out. As for Midoriya, we know where he is, and Nezu is currently heading there to negotiate."

They knew where Midoriya-kun was?

"Where exactly is Midoriya-kun?"

"There is no reason to inform you of the information we've gathered."

"… Kensei, tell him."

"Even you, Kanan-sama, I cannot tell. By the time you're with us again, we'll have gathered Midoriya as well."

… Tch, what a stingy guy. But I see, so Midoriya-kun had come over here too…

That Nezu had gone to find Midoriya-kun. I wanted to help him somehow.

And Noda, after vanishing from that scene, had gone over to Yamagata-kun.

That was how Kanan's whereabouts had got leaked. What a pain.

So was he going to make a reappearance? Annoying…

As for Ichinose, his whereabouts after vanishing were unknown. Well, who cares.

"Then, Kanan-sama, until the day we come to fetch you, please take care."

"… Kanan-sama. Giving even a lowly man like this a chance is admirable of you, but… Lowly is lowly. You must choose your associates. We are your slaves, Kanan-sama, but we've also been entrusted by your father to monitor your manners. When we return to the original world, we'll be sure to have your father scold you for this."

… And then, the two left.

"Haaah… my blood ran cold."

After Yamagata-kun and Aozawa-san left, Kanan let out a sigh.

"… Sorry, Naoto. Making a strange promise on my own… A B-Class Master had set their sights on me, and I thought at this rate I'd be separated from you, Naoto, so I just got carried away…"

Saying that, Kanan bowed her head to me.

"But, thank goodness my argument got through. Now we have two months until B-Class promotion and one month for the challenge, three months of grace. With that much time, you can absolutely do it, right, Naoto!"

Kanan smiled like that.

… Um. Even though I'd been worried Kanan might leave me, Kanan, on her end, had been desperately thinking about how to keep from being separated from me…

"… Kanan, are you sure about this? Yamagata-kun and Aozawa-san were your top inner circle, right?"

It wasn't that I wanted her to go.

The fact that she'd done her best with words to keep from going made me happy.

But I couldn't help saying it.

"… Hmph… saying mean things like that again… It's not as though being with those two ever made me feel happy or like I was having fun."

Kanan said that, looking down at my words.

"Of course, I know nothing could possibly compare to that ultimate happiness I felt yesterday when you praised me, but… even just plainer fun and joy, I'd never tasted in the original world."

That was what she said. For Kanan, happiness was being together with me.

"… Then, I have to protect it. The place where Kanan can live happily."

"Of course. You're my slave. And… I, this very Kanan, judged you to be the slave who'd make me the happiest. You'd better fulfill that, no matter what."

Kanan smiled like that.

… A slave like that might just have been my own wish come true, I thought.