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Maehara Hiroto's POV
Honestly, I like my job. It’s not too difficult, rather a little too simple, but not even I have had it this good ever.
Yuuma and I were shown to our new rooms by the king’s secretary, Nakamura Rio. We each have one, all to ourselves. I have always had that, but to Yuuma, this is a luxury. Each room is equipped with a comfortable bed and a wardrobe. We even have private toilet and sink. The bath is at the end of the hallway. There are two bathrooms, one for men and one for women. As Yuuma and I are the only male staff living at the castle, we have that all to ourselves.
“You’ll want to thank Nagisa for this, and you should address him appropriately,” Nakamura reminded us after walking us through everything. “I have summoned the maids, and they’ll be here to show you the ropes in a bit.”
She was right. And all of the maids are cute on top of everything else. The cutest would have to be Kanzaki, no doubt about that. I’m still wondering if she is single. I think I’ll keep just working for another week or so before I make a move. Okuda and Fuwa are about tied, but if I had to pick one over the other, maybe Okuda? She’s quiet and shy, but it causes some cute reactions now and again. Fuwa is more to the bubbly side. She talks a lot, but that just makes her easier to communicate with.
Our tasks are to help the maids keep the castle in order and answer to every call from Nagisa and the king. The girls answer Kayano’s calls.
Speaking of Kayano, that’s another cute girl, but while she seems as bubbly as Fuwa she gives off an unapproachable vibe. I don’t know what to make of that yet, but mark my word, I will try asking her out someday too.
“You’ve already made a list?” Yuuma asks as I finish telling him all this while we’re cleaning the staircase in the west tower.
“Of course!” I exclaim. “What else would you expect?”
He chuckles. “Nothing less,” he says. He moves his bucket of water over and holds it in his tail while wringing the cloth to make the water come out. Then he gets back to cleaning.
“How do you even do that?” I ask. I can feel my mouth hanging open like it does every time he uses his tail like a third hand. He’s so good at that it’s scary.
“Training,” Yuuma says.
“For how many years?”
“About 15 years or so?” Yuuma says before both he and I freeze up. Neither of us asked that question and we turn to look at the bottom of the stairs, to see the king standing there, looking up at us, his long tail swaying.
“Your Majesty!” Both Yuuma and I stop what we’re doing to bow at him, then move to the side, assuming he’s going up. However, he doesn’t move.
“I’m glad to see I didn’t make a mistake in hiring you,” he says. “I want to talk to you. Drop your work and follow me,” he orders, and so we do.
Karma walks upstairs to the top of the west tower where we haven’t even gotten to clean yet. I see the horror painted on Yuuma’s face, but Karma doesn’t even point it out. He takes a seat in his chair and directs us to stand by the window, just where we aren’t blocking his view.
“The town festival is next week,” he begins. “I have chosen to carry two things out during this event and I need both of you for this.”
I wonder what he’s planning, and I know Yuuma is trying to figure that out too, but for now, we just nod, showing him that we’re paying attention.
“I will be using the event to declare to the town that Nagisa is going to be married to me. That’s the one thing,” he says.
“I’m sure it will make the town safer for him to wander,” Yuuma says.
“Yeah,” Karma says, but it’s obvious he doesn’t quite trust that. “The other thing is that we are going to move a highly dangerous mortal from the punishment grounds to the void.”
“You’re going to use the announcement and the festival to keep people safe?” I ask.
“Imagine what would happen if they found out that we cannot handle all mortals?” Karma asks bitterly. “But it’s dangerous, hence why I need to use all my resources.”
“Including us,” Yuuma says, conclusively.
Karma nods.
“You want us to protect Lord Nagisa, in case something happens, right?” I ask.
Again, Karma only nods, but he looks a bit less happy this time.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty,” Yuuma says as he kneels down. I follow his example. “We will ensure Lord Nagisa’s safety at all costs,” Yuuma says.
“That’s all I need,” Karma says. “Finish the stairs and don’t come in here until dinner time.”
We both stand up, offer him another bow and then we leave to finish cleaning the stairs, making sure to leave the tower room alone.
Kanzaki stands back, looking at all of us with a satisfied smile that looks just as cute on her as any other expression I have seen on her face so far.
“There, you’re all done,” she says, her gaze trailing up and down me and Yuuma. I glance at Yuuma and he glances at me. We are both wearing identical clothes. It’s a glorified version of our regular uniform. We are wearing the usual black pants and white shirts, but we are also wearing black bows and red jackets with golden buttons in addition to that.
Nagisa steps out of his room, accompanied by Okuda, Fuwa and Kayano. He is wearing his usual black cloak over a midnight blue suit with silver buttons with a tiny demon head carved on each of them. He also has a pin in his pocket with a head that looks the same.
“Do I have to do this?” he asks, his cheeks dusted slightly pink.
“It might be safer for you to walk around in town if you do this. Then people know who you are and where you belong,” Yuuma says, putting on a comforting smile.
Nakamura now comes walking down the hallway dressed in a completely gray suit, but with a skirt instead of pants. She looks very professional like this.
“It has started,” she says without specifying exactly what has started. Yuuma and I know what she means though. They have begun moving the mortal towards the gate leading to the void. We both nod at her to show that we understand and she gives a nod in return and turns to Nagisa.
“Are you ready?” she asks.
“I’m not,” Nagisa says.
“You’ll be fine,” Kayano says, patting Nagisa’s shoulder with a black gloved hand. It matches her black and green dress perfectly.
Nagisa looks skeptical, but he still follows Nakamura down the stairs and to the door leading to the courtyard. The rest of us walk after him. Yuuma and I are closest while Kayano and the maids are walking behind us.
We pass through the courtyard and walk down the streets of the town until we reach the plaza. The crowd thickens the closer we get. Everyone is happily talking and spirits are higher than most would think possible in a place like this. I feel myself getting more cheerful and wave at a girl who works at the flowershop in the shopping district whom I still haven’t had a chance to ask out on a date.
The plaza is decorated in red, brown orange and golden and there are many booths at three sides. Where there are no booths, there is a stage covered in a cloth of black velvet. On top of it is a throne that has been painted black and gold. Karma is sitting on it, looking bored as he watches the people enjoying the festival. He does, however, liven up a bit when he spots us, or more accurately, when he spots Nagisa.
We make it through the crowd. Yuuma and I draw ahead of Nagisa to help Nakamura make a path for the rest to follow. Kayano and the maids draw a little closer to Nagisa as a safety precaution. This has all been thoroughly planned between Nakamura, me, Yuuma and the maids. Karma and Nagisa have both had to approve the plans too.
We make it behind the stage and Nakamura disappears to see how the moving in a part of town that should be deserted is going. The maids join up with the castle’s cook, Hara, to get everything set for the royal booth.
“Does he normally participate in the festival?” Nagisa asks in a whisper, glancing up at Karma who has gone back to looking at his people.
I shake my head. “Normally no one from the castle comes down during the festival, as far as I know.”
“Yeah,” Yuuma agrees. “Everything from the stage to the castle booth is new.”
“I guess you and His Majesty have that in common,” I say. “This is the first town festival for the both of you.”
Nagisa turns to send a strange look up at Karma as Mimura approaches. He is dressed exactly like me and Yuuma, but with a black and red hat to go with the outfit.
“Is everything ready?” he asks.
“It seems so,” Yuuma says after a quick look around.
Nagisa is beginning to lose color in his face and I turn to Yuuma and Mimura to bring their attention to this.
“Maybe we should go over the plan of how this is going to go?” I suggest, discretely indicating Nagisa.
Yuuma and Mimura both nod when they see him and Yuuma takes Nagisa by the elbow, guiding him to a small chair where he has him sit.
“Lord Nagisa,” Yuuma says, calmingly. “Take a deep breath. We’ll go over the program. You can tell us if there is anything you’re particularly nervous about.”
“Everything,” Nagisa mutters.
I turn to the booth where Hara is already reaching out, a glass of water in her hand. I take it and hand it to Nagisa, who drinks it.
“I’ll start by announcing His Majesty to the crowd, even if he is already there,” Mimura begins. Then His Majesty will talk. He will hold a short speech, five to ten minutes, before he will move onto your introduction.”
“Once the introduction is over, you’ll walk up on stage with me and Hiroto,” Yuuma says. “You should greet the crowd. It’s best if you can do it by words, but if you can wave or do a bow at them, that’s also fine. His Majesty will then introduce a few new laws, I think it’s two or three. Then he will finish up and you’ll come down from the stage again. Hiroto and I will be by your side all the way,” he says, reassuringly.
Nagisa nods. He takes in a few deep breaths and drinks some more water. Then he gives a small nod and opens his mouth to speak. However, before he can, the sound of running footsteps approaching reaches us.
I turn around to see Nakamura come running with a concerned expression on her face. She stops in front of me, grabbing hold of my shoulder for support as she leans forward, catching her breath.
“There’s some trouble,” she says, standing up, trying to offer me a casual smile, but she’s still a bit too out of breath to be convincing. “Could you help sort it out?” she asks. The more she catches her breath, the more her act improves.
“Sure,” I say before turning to Yuuma and Nagisa. “Lord Nagisa,” I say, addressing him rather than Yuuma as he is the one we’re doing service for. “I might not make it back in time to fulfill my duty. Can you make due with Yuuma?”
Nagisa nods immediately. “Take care of what you need to, Maehara-kun,” he says.
Now with permission, I turn to Nakamura.
“Show me where,” I tell her and she immediately runs off, me following right behind her. We run down the most deserted streets of town, only passing by a few who still haven’t made it to the festival. At the outskirts of town, not too far from the wall, we reach the escorting group.
“Nothing sticks!” I hear Terasaka shouting.
I see Muramatsu lying on the ground, appearing to be unconscious. I quickly note that his sword is missing, and I don’t have to look very far to find it. It’s in the hands of the only one in the group without horns and a tail, the mortal that is to be transported to the void. Seeing this, I almost regret not bringing Yuuma. However, considering how many of the guards don’t like working with him and Nagisa, it’s probably for the better. Besides, a curse is the only thing that can subdue a mortal.
“Kataoka!” I call out to the only one in the group I know can come up with a plan that might work. Then I run to join the group. Nakamura follows me.
“What took you so long!” Okano yells at me. She leaps off the ground, trying to place a hand on the mortal to put a curse on him, but she misses, nearly landing on top of Muramatsu.
I observe the others. Sugino and Sugaya are both slightly out of breath. Unlike most of the others, they aren’t attempting to hit the mortal with curses. Kimura isn’t doing that either, but he is still running around, blocking the mortal’s every escape path to his best ability, using his sword as a silent threat. Terasaka, Yoshida and Okano are all trying to curse the mortal, but they don’t have much success. Okano tries to hit him from some really creative angles, but misses a lot of the time. Terasaka and Yoshida are both using brute force. They put a curse on their punches, I can tell, but they don’t seem to stick.
“Why can’t we curse him?” I ask Kataoka, who is observing the situation like me.
“He’s clever,” she says. “He has been subdued by curses to the point where it doesn’t really seem to bother him anymore. I asked for you because you have stronger curse power than anyone I know, with the exception of His Majesty.”
“And His Majesty is occupied,” I finish for her, seeing what I might be able to do. But how?
Okano jumps up, attacking with a flying kick, and almost gets him on the shoulder. She would have if he hadn’t dodged. She hits Terasaka on the face instead and he yells out in pain.
“Come on, Megu!” Okano shouts.
Nakamura runs in and splashes some Holy Water in Terasaka’s face. He frowns, but doesn’t yell at her, which is enough to let us know that he at least needed it. Then Nakamura tries to land an attack by sliding between his legs. However, she is nearly penetrated by the sword on the way, only missing it by a hair.
I try to join the fight too, but Kataoka’s arm is quickly blocking my path.
“You’re gonna be our trump card. I don’t want you out there before it’s time,” she says in a tone that doesn’t invite for any argument.
I frown. I want to tell her to come up with a plan faster, but I have known her long enough that I know that all I get out of that is her yelling at me, which in turn only will slow everything down.
I’m forced to stand by for a little while longer. Sugino runs in for an attack but is hit by the sword. He pulls back quickly enough that it only leaves a scratch. Then Sugaya throws himself in and is knocked to the side as the mortal tries to hit Kimura with the sword.
“I got it!” Kataoka exclaims. Then she turns to me. “I’ll tell Terasaka-kun and Yoshida-kun to hold him still for a moment. Sugino-kun and Hinata will lift you up as you can fly over. Try to grab him around the neck. That’s usually the weakest point. Place the curse there and don’t let go.”
I nod, understanding the plan. It’s a good one as always. She has always been good at strategies.
“I’ll take care of Sugino and Okano,” I tell her.
Kataoka nods while wearing an appreciative smile on her face. Then she calls out, trying to get the attention of Yoshida and Terasaka. I hurry over to where Okano has just landed, pulling her with me to where Sugino is. I fill them in.
“Finally a plan,” Okano sighs in relief. “But will you be okay?” she asks me.
“I’ll have to be,” I say. “As soon as they grab hold, we get ready.”
Okano and Sugino take a moment to discuss how to make the throw. Then they line up, ready to get me up. The moment Terasaka and Yoshida are holding the mortal still, I get up and stand supported on their shoulders. Then they get me thrown into the air and I make sure to turn my body as I can grab the mortal by the neck. I get a hold and force as much curse power as I can into him as possible. I land on the street, Kimura supporting me as I don’t have to let go. Then we begin moving. Kataoka and Nakamura pick up Muramatsu and bring him along as we make our way to the gate.
Once we reach the gate, we’re greeted by Kurahashi along with Chiba and Hayami.
“Good work!” Kurahashi exclaims. “We’ll take care of it all from here.”
“Great,” Terasaka says, beginning to relax. Most of the soldiers do, but I don’t relent my grip. I intensify the curse instead, giving it everything I’ve got.
“You can let go,” Hayami says, flatly while looking at me.
“Just a little more,” I say.
“Don’t overdo it,” Sugaya warns.
I nod, and force just a little more of the subduing curse onto the mortal before I release my grip. Chiba and Hayami both grab a firm hold of him. Takabayashi comes out and puts his hand where I just had mine and Kurahashi leads the procession out the gate.
I follow them with my eyes for a moment as they disappear into the darkness outside that is the void. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder.
“You can go,” Nakamura says.
“What are you gonna do?” I ask, looking to the remaining soldiers.
“Watch the gate until the guards come back,” Terasaka says and Okano nods in agreement before she climbs up to one of the posts. Yoshida is already on his way to the other.
“It was supposed to be Muramatsu, but as he got knocked out, he can’t really do it,” Sugino explains.
“Hinata is taking his place,” Kataoka says. “We’ll take Muramatsu-kun back for treatment. You go do your job.”
I nod, feeling the overwhelming exhaustion, but I try to shake it off. I begin heading back towards the plaza, a lot slower than when I left it. I hear loud cheers in the distance as I walk and I’m only a couple of streets away when a familiar face appears in front of me.
“I figured you would have exhausted yourself,” Yuuma says, sighing.
“Yeah,” is all I can say in response.
He reaches up, placing a hand on my cheek. It feels cool against my skin and the touch is feather light as always. I lean into it a bit as I feel the fatigue fading away. I thought it was nothing, but maybe the fatigue is caused by using too much curse power and disappears because of the small blessing in Yuuma’s touch. It makes sense.
“I feel better now,” I say, once I feel like most of my energy is restored.
“I’m glad to hear,” Yuuma says.
“Are they done?” I ask.
“It all went smoothly. Lord Nagisa was nervous, of course, but he pulled through okay. The talent show will be starting in a bit,” Yuuma informs.
“Don’t tell me you signed me up for anything,” I say.
“I signed you up as a Lady Killer,” Yuuma says, but I can tell by his smile that he is only joking. Still, I don’t know what to think except the fact that I now want to pay him back.
“Good, because I signed you up for a fashion show,” I said.
“You did not!” he exclaims, but he’s blushing. “Why that of all things?”
“Because people think you’re good looking.” He is, but boys don’t tell each other that. On top of that, the blush he’s wearing right now makes him look cute even. And if boys don’t tell each other that they’re good looking, they certainly don’t tell them that they’re cute.
“Y-you’re joking,” Yuuma stutters with an only half-convinced smile.
I relent.
“Only about the fact that I signed you up for anything,” I admit.
The blush fades only a little bit but Yuuma says nothing.
“So, who is going up there?” I ask. “Someone we know?”
“His Majesty signed himself up for some magic and he has signed Lord Nagisa up for singing,” Yuuma says.
“I don’t suppose he’s very popular with Lord Nagisa at the moment,” I guess, grinning.
“Definitely not,” Yuuma agrees. “Hara-san is going to sing too and Fuwa-san is gonna tell a story. There are also some dancers, a band, more singers and more I think,” Yuuma said.
“Well, what are we waiting for then?” I say, getting curious about how many talented girls I have yet to discover here in town. I grab Yuuma by the hand and lead the way to the plaza. I really don’t want to miss this.