Translator: LynneSuzuran——

  “Here we are, we’ve returned-“


  Oriza-san opened the door and entered the room. Nah really, I’ve gotten completely used to her being like this.

  Anyway, hearing the voice, Mikoto-san suddenly showed her face from the bedroom. Yup, her face literally appeared from within the closed door.

  [Oo, you’ve finally returned… Mm…] “I’m home, Mikoto-san… N?”


  “What is it, Mikoto-sama?”


  “What’s the matter?”


  That face of hers openly frowned. Just like that, Mikoto-san’s whole body slipped through, and she approached us. While bringing the tea, towards Minoa-san.

  [Minoa, about these tea leaves. Who did you get it from?] “Ah, this is from Madame.”


  “Yup, Kaya-san seemed to have bought it so that we could drink it when we get tired.”


  Continuing Minoa-san, I answered. ‘Hou,’ Mikoto-san sighed and answered with a voice that couldn’t really be discerned, and then she asked yet another question.

  [To drink it when you’re tired, is that what Maya said?] “Ah, yes… eh, what is it?”


  Mikoto-san was looking at the tea leaves inside the pouch that the bewildered Minoa-san held, as Mikoto-san crossed her arms with a gloomy expression.

  …This, there must be something, right? Approximately at the same time as I thought so, Mikoto-san’s gaze went around us.

  […Oriza, Minoa. Tomorrow, bring this to Jigen’s place to be examined.] “Eh? Ah, yes.”


  “To Jigen-sensei’s place, is it?”


  Wait, oi, oi, oi.

  By having it examined, it’s certain that there’s something weird with this, right? At least, Mikoto-san thought so.

  “Ah, but Minoa-san, you’re taking a break tomorrow, right?”


  “It is indeed my day off, but I’m going to go to Jigen-sensei’s cottage to learn about the magic language, That’s why, taking that opportunity, I will request him to examine it.”


  [Mn. Until then, let’s hold on to it in this room.] “Ah, then tomorrow morning, we should hand it over to Minoa, right? I will remember it.”


  As if ignoring me, everyone else continued the conversation. No, well, I’m saved, though. Oriza-san took the tea that Minoa-san passed over, and for the time being, I sat down on the sofa.

  Or rather, the one who’s going to bring it tomorrow is Minoa-san, so isn’t it fine to just entrust the tea leaves to her now? Well, I was the one who received it, so it’s certainly more natural to keep it in my room, though.

  Even so, the tea that Kaya-san bought was weird, which means… could it be that…?

  [Hmm, it seems that the influence has showed up this early, huh?] “Is it about Kaya-san?”


  [Mn. If I’m not wrong, Kaya-san was too inclined on Saryuu, right?]

  Mikoto-san’s words reinforced my thoughts. Minoa-san also nodded with a gloomy expression.

  I was told that the evil spirit’s influence was targetting me. And perhaps that influence has already begun to make progress, huh?

  Mikoto-san said that they intervened with a human’s consciousness and had them do the misdeed on their behalf. If that tea had something strange, then perhaps Kaya-san who bought it was influenced in such a way.

  Well, it’s not completely clueless. Kaya-san also told me that she wished for Saryuu to succeed the Shiiya family.

  He was raised by her younger sister, Saya-san, as Saya-san was his wet nurse. In a sense, Saryuu was an existence that was similar to a nephew to her. To me, he is my younger stepbrother, but it’s not like I’m against him becoming the Shiiya family’s heir.

  However, for something or another, Kaya-san seemed to be worried about my presence.

  Between the adopted son, Saryuu and the biological daughter, me. Which one is going to succeed the house? She was surely worried about it.

  When I tried to ask Mikoto-san, she tilted her head to one side.

  [That will depend on that house’s circumstances. In the case of the biological child is being a fool, they might take in a good adopted child in order to have the heir right disinherited from the biological child.]

  Being a fool, huh? Well, at any rate, it’s better to hand over the house to a good person, yup.

  “In my case, I planned to clearly announce that I don’t intend to succeed the house, though. Besides, I have been arranged to marry into Taiga-san’s house.”


  [That’s right. Since you will become the young feudal lord’s wife, it’s inevitable for this house to appoint Saryuu as the heir.]

  Wife.

  Ah-, now that she mentioned it, that’s right. For some reason, it’s a delicate word that doesn’t contain any sense of reality to me, but it’s the truth that it’s approaching, okay, dear me? I’m going to marry into Taiga-san’s place, so naturally, I will become his wife. Let’s stop being irresponsible, I’m totally a woman, right?

  “Seiren-sama?”


  The moment Minoa-san called my name, something flashed inside my head. No, I don’t have any logical chain of reasoning, though.

  “…Ah, I got it.”


  [What is it?] “Tou-san and Kaa-san gained the tendency to become overdoting parents ever since I returned home. Because of that, could it be that Kaya-san…”


  Since I’m the involved party, I can only see them as overdoting parents, but if one were to look at it from a third party’s point of view, wouldn’t they be seen as more overdoting? Kaya-san is a maid who’s accompanying Kaa-san, so she always sees Kaa-san. In front of her eyes, kaa-san seemed to favor me too much, and it could appear like…


  [Even though you have a marriage arrangement already, could it be that she is still worried that the adopted child will be disregarded and the family headship will be succeeded by the biological daughter?] “Since Saryuu-sama is at that age, he doesn’t really behave like a spoiled child to Madame that much…”


  Yes, yes, that. A boy around that age dislikes being too attached to others, especially to his mother. Since I’m a man, I—I mean, I know such a thing exists. …Well, more or less I’ve had experiences around that matter, so I can somehow understand.

  …But because of it, Kaya-san might be in trouble.

  “Mikoto-san, what should we do? I think that we have to tell Kaa-san about this, but…”


  [Of course. Well, we have to examine the tea leaves first.]

  I’m not sure whether she understood the meaning behind my question or not, but Mikoto-san only answered like that and stopped talking.

  Then, the next day.

  After lunch was finished, since it was my study time, Kuon-sensei came into my room and closed the door tightly before turning to look at me. What appeared from within the wrapping cloth that was on her hand was the tea that Kaya-san gave me.1

  “Seiren-sama, Mikoto-sama. The requested examination’s completed.”


  “Ah, sorry for the trouble. Thank you very much, Kuon-sensei.”


  [Good job, Kuon. As expected from Jigen’s grandchild, his good head and magical power were all passed down.] “Oh my, oh my, thank you for your generous compliments. My magic mastery isn’t that good yet, though.”


  [That’s because our comparison target is Jigen.]

  Because the comparison target is Jigen-san, so it’s categorized as not good.

  Ah-, could it be that when we compare her with the other ordinary magicians, then she is quite amazing? So, if we were to consider it with a normal standard, Kuon-sensei is also at an unthinkable level, huh?

  …In order to get me back, Tou-san and Kaa-san hired such unthinkable people.

  Nah well, the main issue right now isn’t about it. It’s about the tea leaves.

  “So, how was it?”


  When I asked, Kuon-sensei furrowed her brows. Oriza-san and Alica-san seemed to understand just by looking, but at least, I didn’t really know what was wrong with the tea leaves.

  “It’s not wrong to use it when you’re tired, but… though it’s weak, the leaves contained something that could cause dependence. If you drink it, there’s a possibility that it will become something of great disturbance.”


  “Dependence?”


  [In the world where you were raised in, didn’t you people call it as narcotic? It’s such kind of a thing.] “Ah, if it’s narcotic, then I understand… wait, whoa-?!”


  …So it wasn’t some tea, huh? Damn it.

  Just what were you planning to make me drink, Kaya-san? …No, this must have been the evil spirit’s action.

  No matter how you put it, Kaya-san would never do something like that. After all, she is the maid Kaa-san trusted.

  “There’s no mistake that these leaves are also being sold in the pharmacy. However, it’s not something to be prescribed unless nothing else can be done about it.”


  [So it’s either Kaya-san managed to cajole the pharmacist, or that the pharmacist was also influenced… huh?] “…Somehow, it has become something serious, huh…?”


  [What? It can only be said as something serious if it has reached the extent where they could influence the fief population to go and smash up the feudal lord’s residence.]

  WAIT! That’s a level where it can be called as a riot in the other world, right? Do the evil spirits intend to do that kind of a thing? Or rather, could it be that such a thing happened in the past that the ancestors were really worried about it?

  …If that kind of thing happened to the Shiiya family, then… Even though I have finally returned home after going through all the troubles.

  “…Let’s go to Kaa-san’s place. We have to do something with Kaya-san, or else…”


  “Yes. Alica, let’s go.”


  “Understood. For the time being, let’s handle Kaya-san, right?”


  [Mn, that’s right. I won’t forgive the evil spirits if they also do something to Maya.] “I will accompany you. Even if I’m like this, I’m still Kasai Jigen’s granddaughter.”


  Everyone also started to get going, following me who stood up first.

  Speaking of which, Mikoto-san would surely not forgive them even if the evil spirits didn’t do anything to Kaa-san.