The Invincible Aloof Yandere Princess Falls in Love with Her Younger Court Mage's Fatherly Warmth! ~She Clung to Him So Much That the King Fired Him. When He Made Marriage His Official Reason for Resigning Under Royal Order, the Light Vanished from the Princess's Eyes~

Chapter 5: I Didn’t Mean It That Way…

“Heyyy, drink more, Al-kuuun. Come on, it’s funnn? Ahahahaha!”

“You really do look like you’re having a great time.”

She leaned over from the chair next to me and poked at me clingy like a child. Ah, hey. No going inside my clothes.

“Stop that. Not here, okay?”

“…”

“Hey, quitting while staying silent is scary, you know?”

“…Muu.”

She finally stopped. Getting my stomach and chest stroked directly in public is just too embarrassing.

“Then fine. I’ll sleep on Al-kun’s lap. Because I’m the division commander!”

“…Should I really stop this? What about your dignity in the knights?”

See, the knight who guided us here, watching from across the table, has an amazing expression on his face.

Just as I thought that, he opened his mouth…

“Taming the division commander this much. Call-san, you’re truly a top-class beast tamer…!”

“B-Beast tamer…?”

“I’ve been looking after the division commander since I joined, you know. She’s really a handful! She’s eccentric, wandering around dressed as a maid for some reason! And her clinging to Call-san feels kinda criminal…!”

Isn’t this guy drunk too? He’s badmouthing his superior.

Looking closer, pretty much everyone in the room seems drunk. There’s noise breaking out all over.

“Anyway, we put in the request for court mages this time. But if the division commander is coming, I don’t think we need that at all!”

“Eh… So that’s how it is?”

“Yes! After all, the division commander is known as the strongest ever in the ‘Shield of the Mane’! Even with somewhat skilled mages, she’d slice them all to ribbons!”

“Then why call us?”

“The one who decided to make the request was the division commander, and at first I didn’t know the reason either. …But I think—it’s you, Call-san! You and her, you know, working the same mission, getting close, all tangled up… like that!?”

No way… Eh? That’s not it, right, Suu-san? Suu-san, purring on my lap.

“Ahh, Al-kun’s lap is the best… I’ll make this my homeee.”

That’s not it, right? Suu-san.

While having that kind of chaotic conversation typical of drinking parties.

—Before I knew it, I was somehow soaking in a feeling similar to nostalgia, one I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Everyone gathered like this. Enjoying somewhat familiar dishes, watching the adults drink and make noise.

Back before I became empty inside… before I knew the wide world, when I was just a resident of a small village.

“Hehe. For the first time in a while, I kinda miss my hometown.”

I murmured that while looking around, not really to anyone.

One person picked it up—

“…. Do you want to go back, Al-kun? …To your hometown or something.”

“Eh? Well, if I could go back.”

“…………… I think going back to a hometown does no good. I haven’t thought about returning once since coming to the capital. Places like that countryside don’t have the capacity to accept people like us.”

? What’s wrong, Suu-san. Does she have some bad memories of her hometown?

“Hmm… but still. I think having a place you can go back to if you want can be a salvation. Even if it’s not a place you like much, it’s where you were born.”

“That kind of thing…! In the end, only privileged people think that! …If you want to go back that badly— just go back alone, Al-kun…!”

“…!”

…………

Go back, huh. If I still had a place to return to, that would be true…

I might have touched something Suu-san doesn’t want touched right now. She’s still on my lap, facing my stomach and pressing her face into it.

But—

“This might be needless worry, but. You might want to go back to your hometown while you still can. Actually, I used to think the same as Suu-san. Even if you go back, there might be no good in it, but. —…Rather than regretting it later.”

It was from the heart, but Suu-san stayed still with her face pressed against me.

Words like this might not reach her. They do feel kinda clichéd.

… As one of Suu-san’s friends, if possible, I don’t want her to miss her chance. So—

“—My hometown was lost in the war. That’s why I don’t want Suu-san to have the same regret as me.”

“… !? Ah, eh…”

After a short pause, Suu-san suddenly lifted her face from my lap.

The color had drained from her face. Her eyes were wide open, and she leaked wordless sounds from her trembling mouth.

Yeah, hearing a story like this would kill the mood, right. But I really just wanted to give heartfelt advice.

So.

“—So… sorry…! I didn’t mean…!”

“You don’t need to apologize. Suu-san didn’t know, after all.”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry I’m sorry…! Don’t hate me…!”