"The Idea of a Woman Stealing Someone Else's Partner is Ridiculous," I laughed. But After Being Reborn, I Became a Victim of Such a Woman. However, My New Fiancée was Absolutely Amazing. - Episode 36
Well, I’m not some kind of home appliance geek, so all I know is that a microwave heats food by making water molecules vibrate… or something like that. I’m not really sure if it will work…
But if it doesn’t, I can just keep experimenting until I get it right. So, let’s give it a try!
First, I’ll test it by warming up some spinach in my makeshift microwave. Let’s see how it goes…
“Please work!”
With that little prayer, I closed the lid.
If this works, it’ll be a revolution in cooking!
◇◆◇◆◇
“Kouga-san! Welcome!”
“…I’ll be intruding.”
“Come in, come in!”
It was the weekend, and Kouga-san had arrived.
The usually quiet Yuukizaka household, where it’s normally just my father and me, suddenly became lively. Servants from the Kujou family had come over, making the place unusually busy.
Hearing Kouga-san’s voice, I got so excited that I ran straight to the entrance.
I’ll probably get scolded for that later…
When I opened the door and greeted him, he looked a little surprised for a moment before narrowing his eyes and giving a small, subtle smile.
“Hello.”
“Eh!? …Uh, h-hello…”
I thought Kouga-san came alone, but then I heard another voice behind him.
It was a familiar voice, and I widened my eyes in surprise.
Kouga-san stepped aside slightly to reveal the person standing behind him.
“It’s the Vice Captain.”
The person behind Kouga-san was Suzurugi Kou.
He’s the vice captain of Kouga-san’s unit and a swordsman from the prestigious Suzurugi family, known as one of the strongest warrior clans in the country.
He’s a handsome and refreshing-looking guy, but… wait, isn’t he Kouga-san’s subordinate?
Eh? No one told me he was coming.
“Yes, it’s been a while. I apologize for coming without informing you.”
“No, no… Uh, would you like to join us…?”
“I came unannounced, so please don’t trouble yourself. I’ll be leaving soon.”
If he came with Kouga-san, should I prepare an extra seat for the dinner gathering?
But even if he says not to worry, there’s no way I can just ignore this.
When I turned around, the Kujou family’s servants had already moved into the kitchen and the tea room to help.
For now, I guided the two of them to the tea room.
I wonder why he came without any notice…
As soon as I led them into the tea room, my father came out of his study to greet them.
He looked surprised to see Vice Captain Suzurugi arrive unannounced, but he bowed and said, “I came along to discuss some matters regarding next week’s Four Seasons Barrier repairs. Once that is done, I will return to my duties.”
When I glanced at Kouga-san, he gave me a small nod.
If that’s the case, then I guess it’s fine.
I sat down next to my father.
“Well then, I will first go over some important points about the barrier repairs. Lady Mai, you will be gathering under the 50th Outer Barrier. There will be no escorts, so everyone must arrive there on their own. Will that be alright?”
“The 50th Outer Barrier… How do I get there?”
“There will be a special shared carriage departing from Central City’s Third Station that morning. You may use that. To get to the station safely, I recommend arranging a private carriage. You can submit an expense report for reimbursement.”
Wait, seriously!? That’s great! I’ll definitely call for a carriage!
“There are no specific items you need to bring. You can come empty-handed. However, some people tend to overdress for the occasion, so please refrain from that. Also, I heard that female students from Lady Mai’s school will be participating as well.”
“Ah, right… A lot of the young ladies recently had their engagements broken off, so…”
I had just talked about this with Sayuri—about how they might be hoping to form connections with the military officers in the Curse Demon Subjugation Unit.
But when I mentioned the noble ladies, Vice Captain Suzurugi’s expression noticeably changed. His eyebrows lowered slightly.
Just from that reaction, I could tell.
Ah, I see…
So this is a problem.
I guess a bunch of noble girls trying to flirt with the soldiers—who are risking their lives to protect us—isn’t exactly ideal.
That makes sense.
So he probably came here to ask me to subtly warn my classmates about it beforehand.
That’s fair.
“Understood. I will make sure to inform everyone to avoid overdressing. Many of us are participating for the first time and don’t know what to expect. Is there anything else we should be aware of?”
“Thank you. Yes… Well, there are indeed many unmarried officers in the unit, but the head of the Ichijō family has arranged a formal gathering after the repairs to celebrate and express gratitude. That would be a more appropriate occasion for socializing.”
“I see. Then I’ll tell everyone to save their best outfits for that event.”
“Yes, please do.”
Oh, that makes sense.
Good, good. That solves the issue.
So they’ll hold a matchmaking event after the barrier repairs.
I sighed in relief, but then Suzurugi added, “That will likely be the occasion where your engagement is formally announced.”
I choked and coughed awkwardly.
Wait, do I have to attend too…?
“After that, I will personally send a gift to congratulate you on your engagement.”
“There’s no need for you to—”
“No, no, we’re technically family. Besides, considering how long it took Kouga to finally get engaged, it’s worth celebrating. Lady Mai even came all the way to the entrance to greet him. She looks just like a newlywed bride.”
“Hey.”
“A-Ahaha…”
A… newlywed…?
Oh no, just hearing that word is making me really embarrassed.