The Abandoned Prince Heals an Enemy Soldier on the Frontlines, Only to Discover She’s the Seventh Imperial Princess - Chapter 71: The Abandoned Prince Wins the Match but Loses the Game

Chapter 71: The Abandoned Prince Wins the Match but Loses the Game

The room they showed me to had that nostalgic scent of tatami mats.

It kinda felt like staying at a traditional Japanese inn.

Oh—and get this.

This country had hot springs.

The food was mostly seafood, and it was amazing.

Especially those shellfish that looked like abalone. Absolute heaven.

If I’m being honest, I really wanted to try sashimi too…

But I guess raw fish was a no-go here, since it never showed up on the menu.

The “incident” happened later that night.

Moved by the rare sight of a traditional futon—something you hardly ever see in this world—I crawled in and fell asleep early.

“Reyshel-dono, forgive us for visiting so late.”

“Mnn… huh? Huh?”

Kinko and Ginko quietly stepped into the room.

And what shocked me most… was what they were wearing.

Red and white bikinis. And not just any bikinis—tiny ones.

We’re talking micro-miko bikinis.

Normally, their shrine maiden outfits hid their curves pretty well.

But now? Yeah, no. Everything was on full display.

And, well—certain parts of me tensed up real quick.

I mean, come on. A traditional Japanese-style country… with bikinis!?

“Oh my, were you already asleep?”

“Uh—yeah. I mean, yes. Was there… something going on?”

“Yes. We’ve come with a matter of great importance.”

As they said that, Kinko and Ginko slid in on either side of me.

The way they moved—so smooth, so natural—I didn’t even have time to react.

“The Celestial Empress herself has commanded us to take care of you, Reyshel-dono. Naturally, that includes keeping you company tonight.”

“That’s right.”

“We look forward to serving you.”

“We are fully prepared. From this point on, please leave everything to us.”

“Leave it to us.”

Kinko gave me a soft, teasing smile.

Ginko echoed her words in a calm, velvety tone—like a sultry backup singer.

If Rosemary were here right now, she’d probably be shouting something along the lines of, “The heck you will!!”

But still—when two gorgeous foxgirl sisters come at you this boldly…

No man with a shred of pride could possibly turn that down.

So, I let myself be swept away by Kinko and Ginko.

Their technique? Surprisingly polished.

What followed was a very, very enjoyable night.

…That said, I couldn’t shake the feeling they were clearly trying to win me over the whole time.

Not just physically—they were trying to make me obedient. Malleable.

And that made it hard to fully enjoy myself.

So I flipped the script and went on the offensive.

If these foxy ladies wanted to seduce me, then I’d take them down instead.

They were probably pros.

But hey—I’ve fought through my fair share of battles involving beautiful women.

Unless they pulled something absolutely nuts like Lime’s slime clone onslaught…

There’s no way I was gonna lose.

“Kyahn ♡ A-Ah, Reyshel-dono… c-could you maybe go a little easier—fuehh ♡”

“Nnhii ♡”

Now and then, I’d reach up to stroke their ears or tails mid-act.

They must take excellent care of them—smooth, silky, shiny, and insanely soft to the touch.

And before I knew it… the sky outside had already started to brighten.

“R-Reyshel-dono ♡ Please… show us more mercy ♡”

“M-More mercy ♡”

Kinko and Ginko had turned into total cuddlebugs by now.

Figuring it was the perfect time, I decided to ask a few questions—dig into some of the behind-the-scenes stuff.

Maybe it was because we’d just shared a pretty intimate moment,

But they started spilling the details like it was no big deal.

“To tell the truth… our nation, Ashuhara, is currently at war with a certain faction.”

“Ugh, seriously? Another war?”

Agardramoon had only just finished its own war not too long ago.

Everywhere I go, it’s war this, war that.

Would it kill this world to try solving things peacefully for once?

Anyway… who exactly were they fighting?

Ashuhara definitely had gorgeous scenery and a classy, refined vibe—

But when it came to tech and infrastructure, they were kind of behind.

Being a nation made up of scattered islands, they had good shipbuilding skills, sure…

But even that was maybe early modern era level at best.

Plus, Ashuhara was way off the beaten path—pretty far from the main continent.

Honestly, they were practically isolated.

Would any major continental power even bother going out of their way to start something here?

Yeah, the seabed might be rich in resources…

But the only ones with the tech to extract that stuff right now were the folks from Agardramoon.

So who the heck was picking a fight with Ashuhara?

Wait… Kinko did say “faction,” didn’t she?

So maybe it wasn’t even a country?

“Who exactly is this ‘faction’ you’re talking about?”

“…The oni of Onigashima.”

“Oni? You mean like, ogres or something?”

“Ah no, you’re thinking of the big ogres. These ones are different.”

“Huh. So they’re not the same thing?”

Normally, when someone says “oni,” you’d think of ogres.

But the kind of ogres that show up in stories—well, a decently equipped squad of five soldiers could probably take one down.

Not exactly nightmare fuel.

“They’re called Kijin—and they’ve been terrorizing the islands of Ashuhara since ancient times.”

“Kijin?”

“They’re a brutal race who believe strength is justice, and the weak exist only to be crushed. Total barbarians. What’s worse is—even their children are absurdly strong. One Kijin can wipe out a hundred of our trained warriors.”

“…Okay, yeah, that’s terrifying.”

Beastkin were already known for their strength and speed—strong enough to take on three average human soldiers solo.

So if just one Kijin could kill a hundred warriors…

You’d need, like, three hundred regular troops just to bring one down.

“And worse… they eat people. They used to just raid us for livestock, but lately… they’ve started kidnapping humans too.”

“Ugh… seriously?”

“That’s why your nation showing up in our waters might’ve actually been a blessing in disguise. With your advanced sky-floating technology—something we could never replicate—we thought… maybe you could help us deal with the Kijin.”

“Ah, I see.”

“To be honest… the whole ‘apologize for trespassing’ thing was just a pretext. What we really wanted was to get someone important from your side here, so we could try to build stronger ties—and ask for help.”

“…Wait, hang on. So that whole ‘bring us the most charming young man in your nation’ thing… That was just part of the setup too?”

“Ah—no. That part was completely serious. It’s just Her Majesty’s personal taste. She… has a thing for handsome boys like you, Reyshel-dono. She loves to viol—I mean—just dote on them. Affectionately. Really.”

…Wait.

Did she almost say “violate” just now?

Well, to be fair…

If a stunning beauty like that came after me, I wouldn’t exactly complain.

“Uh, by the way… is it really okay for you two to mess around with the Empress’s future man?”

“We’re just doing a bit of prep work—so the Celestial Empress’s bedside activities don’t traumatize you. You see… when it comes to nighttime matters, Her Majesty is… a lot.”

“O-Oh… I see.”

“Yes. And… Reyshel-dono, in your case especially, please be careful. Lately, she’s gotten gentler with actual young boys… But with someone like you—who looks young but is fully legal—she won’t hold back.”

“Okay, first of all, stop treating me like a kid. Yeah, I’m short… but still. Wait—she’s really that intense?”

“She is. Without a doubt.”

Kinko began fidgeting, looking a little embarrassed as she continued.

“But honestly… with someone like you, Reyshel-dono… You might just end up stealing Her Majesty’s heart. Y’know… just like you stole ours.”

“…Huh?”

“N-Nothing! Forget I said anything! Anyway, we’ll be taking our leave now. Ginko—wait, you’re asleep!?”

Kinko scrambled to make a smooth exit—

Only to find her sister Ginko already passed out on my futon, completely knocked out.

She looked so peaceful.

Honestly? Kinda adorable.

“Ugh… falling asleep in the guest’s room like that…”

“She was with me all night, after all. Let her rest a bit. Oh—right. And one more thing.”

“Hm?”

I turned and looked Kinko straight in the eyes.

“I’ll report the Kijin situation to my country.”

“T-Thank you, Reyshel-dono.”

The whole Kijin situation wasn’t just someone else’s problem anymore.

Since Agardramoon would be stationed near Ashuhara for up to six months to mine resources,

There was a real chance those monsters might strike.

And more than that… I’d already grown pretty attached to Kinko and Ginko.

No way I could just ignore their call for help now.

After Kinko thanked me and left the room, it was just me and Ginko.

“Fweee… fweee…”

“…A little mischief wouldn’t hurt, right?”

I slowly reached toward the peacefully sleeping Ginko, planning to pull a harmless little naughty prank—

“…If I may say something first: Right now, you’re playing right into their hands.”

“Wah—! Oh, Ms. Kuura. Wait, what do you mean ‘into their hands’?”

“You got close. Got intimate. Got attached. And now they ask for help. It’s a textbook seduction tactic.”

“W-Wait, that’s not…”

…Okay, fine, I can’t totally deny it.

But still—wait a second.

I really thought I’d genuinely won over Kinko and Ginko…

But what if they were just playing me the whole time?

That would seriously sting.

“…Well, I don’t think it’s a lie that Kinko and Ginko fell for you.”

“Y-You think so?”

“…They had that look in their eyes. I know it when I see it. But still—you may have won the round, but you lost the match.”

“Won the round, lost the match…”

And somehow…

I started to get the sinking feeling that making enemies of Kinko, Ginko…

And especially their master Mitama—

Would be a very bad idea.

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “Getting tricked by a pair of sly foxgirls? Yeah, there’s something weirdly thrilling about that.”

R: “Totally feel that. I want to be bamboozled by a foxgirl.”

If you found yourself thinking: “Kinko’s so cute,” “I’m team Ginko all the way,” or “Man, that whole legal shota bit had me laughing,” then please don’t forget to leave a comment, bookmark, ★ rating, or review!