第１１４９堀：増員の話 (Part1)
I woke up with a heavy, sluggish feeling. It must have been from sleeping at an unusual hour. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was… "5:30 PM. Around the time most people would be finishing work." I’d slept for quite a while, nearly six hours since I’d dozed off before noon. Still, it was about my usual sleep duration, so perhaps it was fine. At least I’d be in time for dinner.
"Alright," I said, pushing myself out of bed. The lingering fatigue was still there, but it didn't feel like an illness. It was just the remnants of sleepiness. No fever, either. I decided to check if dinner preparations were needed, offer help if necessary, and then take a bath to refresh myself.
As I stepped into the hallway, I heard, "Oh, you're awake."
"Good morning, Yuki-san."
For some reason, Labyris and Shera were sitting on the resting chairs outside my room, leisurely sipping tea. This place was based on a traditional inn, so the hallways were quite spacious, with small tables and chairs placed at intervals for conversations. My room’s area also had these, usually occupied by one of my guards.
"Huh? Wasn't Kirika on duty?" I asked, surprised. Kirika was supposed to be my guard today, but here were Labyris and Shera.
"Kirika was taken by Aslin and the others to help with cooking," Shera explained.
"Even Kirika is weak against older sisters, you know," Labyris added with a smile.
"I see," I replied. Kirika maintained her stance as my subordinate, but the 'requests' from Aslin and Firia seemed to be an exception. It was true for most monsters, really.
"Besides, we said we'd be guarding the Lancer Magic Academy during this period, didn't we?" Shera continued.
"Yes. We'll protect you," Labyris chimed in.
"Ah, right. There was talk of that. So, did anything happen while I was asleep?"
"Nothing in particular. Popuri and the others are fine too," Shera said.
"Incidentally, Haviar-san is still attending classes normally and is spending her time leisurely. She's currently enjoying herself in the laboratory," Labyris added.
"In the laboratory?"
"Yes. Comet and Agil have joined as instructors," Shera explained.
"Ah, I see. So, those two are researching Haviar, then?"
"Haha, that's right. But Haviar-san seems to be surprisingly capable. Here." Shera handed me a document.
"Let's see… so after I fell asleep, they conducted a quick test," I murmured, scanning the paper. It seemed they wanted to assess Haviar's knowledge. They had confirmed she could communicate without issue and that her basic knowledge was sufficient from the morning's lessons. This test was to gauge the extent of her retained memories. Officially, it was a surprise test, supposedly due to her wandering the school grounds at night. Ah, I was often… not involved in such things. I was, after all, a 'model student' from any perspective. It was all their fault.
"You're blaming your mischievous past on your friends, aren't you?" Shera teased.
"Do you really think so?"
"…It's a fact that you were mischievous, isn't it?"
"The fact that Labyris is looking away suggests your 'friends' were beyond comprehension," I countered.
"Well, she was an inhuman entity. But leaving that aside, this test shows she got almost perfect marks. She was quite brilliant."
"That's why Popuri and Lara remembered her," Shera said.
"And when asked what she was researching…"
"The ecology of monsters."
"I've seen that somewhere before."
"Yes. She's probably exhausted from being pushed too hard by Deryu by now."
"Wazfi-san must be having a tough time too. But that's beside the point. With her researching 'monster ecology,' they're extracting information about her past research achievements," Labyris explained.
"I see. Yes, she's become like a researcher now. However, in the process, she might remember that she died."
Indeed, Haviar was already dead. The reason she existed now was because she hadn't doubted her own survival. If she realized she had died, there was a high chance she would disappear. Sota-san, Kagura, Mizu, and… Hairen were prepared for that.
"But enough about work. Aslin and the others are making dinner, so I don't need to help with…"
"No, you don't," Shera said.
"No, you don't. Please rest properly," Labyris added. I wasn't so foolish as to push myself when told to rest. If they told me to rest, I would rest to my heart's content.
"Then, it's bath time."
"I'll join you," Shera said.
"Yes. Me too," Labyris added. It wasn't anything new, so I didn't comment.
However… "But saying that staying up all night is tough… have I gone soft?"
"Anyone would find it tough. Only researchers can handle staying up all night," Shera replied.
"I question that kind of generalization, but there is a tendency for that. More importantly, Yuki-san, you simply work too hard," Labyris said.
"What can I do? I'm the one who has to act," I replied. I wanted to rest if I could. I wished I could spend a whole day playing games and sleeping. It was a contradiction, working every day in pursuit of that ideal.
"At least today, I'll take a long bath to relieve my fatigue."
"Yes. That's a good idea. But it sounds a bit like an old person," Shera commented.
"That's how tired I am. So, Yuki-san, why don't you start increasing your direct subordinates soon?" Labyris asked.
"Direct subordinates?" I asked, glancing back as I stepped through the curtain to the men's bath.
"Yes. It's about time you had subordinates to assist you with your work, like my Quar," Shera said.
"Ah, Seraria, are you going to the bath too?" I asked, as Seraria, of course, followed me through the curtain.
"Yes. I finished some work before dinner. Now, about what we were saying, you need to get direct subordinates," Seraria replied.
"Even if I wanted direct subordinates, what about Riel, Jessica, Cleena, and Samantha?"
"You know what we mean. They aren't guards. And unfortunately, the three who are mainly involved in diplomacy with other countries aren't considered direct subordinates. In that sense, Riel might be a possibility, but even so, she can't stand in for you in public," Seraria explained.
"She is the Hero, after all. It would be problematic if that got out."
Indeed, the fact that Riel was the Hero was still a secret known only to us. Her abilities were too potent.
"That's precisely why we're telling you to get subordinates who can act as your hands and feet to handle work. Hearing that you were tired and fell asleep today made us absolutely certain it's necessary," Seraria said, casually starting to undress and revealing her beautiful naked body.
"That's right. I agree with Shera and Seraria's opinion," Labyris added. "Initially, the plan was for Eris, Ratz, and Milly to completely hand over their departmental responsibilities to their successors and focus on guarding and miscellaneous tasks, but they're still far from it. If this continues, I can foresee Yuki collapsing from overwork."
"I know, right?"
As they spoke, Labyris and Shera had also stripped naked. Labyris was, as always, a magnificent busty loli, and Shera had grown quite a bit taller recently, now a fully-fledged rabbit-eared beautiful girl. Her chest had also developed. Still, I was used to it and ignored it. Well, I would normally, but I was tired now, so I continued the conversation.