re any book that is popular for a boy my age?」

When the troubled Lux told the shopkeeper his original objective, the shopkeeper grinned after thinking for a while and took out a book from behind the counter.

「Yosh! It has to be this. Surely this is gonna be useful when you got closer with those girls. Also , it can be used somehow when you are alone by yourself. This book is enlightening.」

Was this a book about how to get closer to someone, or perhaps about friendship?

「The, then please lend me that.」

「──Here you go, don’t let your teachers find it no matter what!」

The shopkeeper spoke incomprehensible thing while giving the book to Lux.

「Eh? The price──」

「Aah....I already got the money from that girl just now. This book’s cost is within that range. Don’t worry.」

「Eh....?」

Lux turned his gaze at Noct who was some distance away.

When the girl in maid appearance noticed him, she gave him a small nod.

「──Thank you very much.」

Lux said his gratitude to the shopkeeper and joined up with the Triad.

They then entered a nearby café for a short break and this time Lux said his thanks to Noct once more.

「Thank you Noct. For giving me this present of book.」

「I only did the natural thing for a servant. More importantly Lux-san, what kind of book that you bought?」

「Yep yep. I’m also interested.」

Noct showed a faint smile. The Tillfur also spiritedly joined the talk.

「Here. Take a look.」

Lux presented the book the shopkeeper chose for him and Noct opened the page.

But, right after that, for some reason the junior girl’s expression stiffened.

「........」

Ten-odd seconds later, Noct’s cheeks were vaguely reddening and he turned a reproachful gaze at him along with a mysterious silence.

「Excuse me, Lux-san.」

「What? I was told that it’s a book that will be really useful for me──」

「This novel, it has a story about the love affair of a master and a maid written in it though?」

「Buhah!?」

Lux reflexively spurted out the tea he was drinking.

「Eh, let me see──wait, this book, there ain’t nothing in it except erotic scene!?」

Tillfur who snatched the book from the side yelled with blushing cheeks.

「Wai-!? Wait a second!? This is some kind of mistake. I’m not──」

Lux who was about to make excuse went ‘hah’ in realization.

『Surely this is gonna be useful when you got closer with those girls.』

He recalled the shopkeeper’s words and cold sweat trickled through his back.

「Don’t tell me──this is what he meant!?」

At that moment, Noct who was sitting in front of him while staring at him reproachfully was glaring at Lux with an upward gaze.

「So I was made to buy this kind of lewd book as my hospitality for Lux-san. Does Lux-san overlap the image of the maid in this story with me?」

「It’s a misunderstanding so stop with that way of talking okay!? Or rather, don’t tell this to Airi no matter what!」

「But, it can’t be helped if this is master’s wish. I’m returning this book. Please, enjoy it to your heart’s content.」

「No, it’s fine you know!? I don’t need it! This is only a mistake anyway!」

「Lux-san really doesn’t need this book? The content written inside seem to be really amazing though?」

「........」

「I will tell Airi later that Lux-san is hesitating.」

「I’m telling you that’s not it-!? I really don’t need it!」

Lux shook his head in panic. Near him, Sharis and Tillfur were staring at him with a grin.

「Fufufu. Somehow it feels strange to know the fetish of a boy I’m acquainted with.」

「Lux-chi also has that kind of side eeeh.」

「Tha, that’s why this is just a mistake──」

「Then I will keep hold to this book. I will look for a chance and send it back to that perverted shopkeeper. In exchange I will choose the suitable book for Lux-san.」

「Ah, ye, yes....」

It wasn’t an atmosphere where he could say that he felt just slightly disappointed of that.

After the four had tea for a bit, they left the café.

They would shop in the market before returning to Sharis’s villa.

「Do you have a request for the dinner master? If it’s something that needs no prior preparation then I can mostly make it but──」

「....Err, food that everyone likes is fine.」

When Lux answered like that to Noct’s question, the Triad made a long sigh.

「You are just like always. It helps that you are considerate, but it’s fine to be a bit more selfish you know? After all we too have know each other quite well.」

「But──」

When Lux was going to respond to Sharis’s words, at that time,

–

「....Oi! You over there-!」

–

At the main street that was heading toward the market in the second district, a man came yelling angrily.

He was wearing an old and dirty coat with unshaven grim face.

Strong scent of alcohol could be smelt mixing with sour body odor.

「....Me?」

Lux was slightly perplexed while pointing at himself. Then the man got even closer with unsteady gait.

「Ain’t that obvious you criminal! Because you lost against the like of the new kingdom, I got fired from my job! The value of man got decreased in this damn country! ....Hics!」

The man’s face was bright red until his neck. His gait was unsteady.

「Did something happen?」

Even so, Lux replied calmly.

He had often met this kind of drunk since he was doing chores, so he was used with handling them.

He wanted to conclude this peacefully in the way that didn’t bother the Triad.

「I was only doing exactly the same thing like before! Even though I finally climbed up until the position of the aide of miner union leader, just because of that minor thiiing──. If it’s at the empire in the past, this kinda thing ain’t gonna happen to me....dammit-!」

「........」

If the unclear rambling of the drunkard was summarized, it seemed that the man’s drinking habit was bad and he constantly acted and spoke violently at the women in his workplace. He was criticized about that by the work inspector and just the other day he was dismissed from his position.

The current new kingdom was changing from the strong trend of male chauvinism.

The drunkard thought that was the cause of his failure. Then at that timing he accidentally caught sight of Lux who was a former imperial family. His rage exploded from that.

‘Fuu.’ Lux took a deep breath, then he spoke with a calm voice.

「I understand that you hate me, but nothing good will come from it even if you do that you know?」

However, it appeared the man took offense needlessly at Lux’s calm attitude. He raised up his empty bottle and attacked suddenly instead.

「Shuut up you criminal! Because of you bastard I──」

「-....!?」

That attack which was like a surprise attack made Lux held his breath.

But, the moment he reacted in order to protect Sharis and others, the three girls burst into action and leaped in front of Lux.

「Buhah!?」

Tillfur threw the wheat flour bundle they bought for dinner to the man’s face, then when the man faltered, Noct swept the man’s leg with her boot.

At the end Sharis sharply thrust her sheathed Sword Device in front of the face of the man who fell on her butt.

「Yo, you bitches, what aare──」

The flowing combination movement caused the repelled man to get bewildered, unable to understand what had happened.

「Stay quiet if you don’t want to get injured. We are going to call the guard now so be patient. Also, laying your hand on him right now isn’t a good move you know? After all this me, the daughter of the military’s vice commander is accompanying him.」

「Guh, u....!」

The more a person wielded their authority, the weaker they were against someone with stronger authority.

The man groaned in frustration and didn’t resist further.

「........」

It was surprising.

Even though Lux thought that he was better than the girls in hand-to-hand combat and tried to protect them, it was instead him who got protected.

「Perhaps we have overstepped ourselves impertinently?」

After the drunkard was taken away by the arriving guards, Sharis suddenly said that to him.

「No, I was saved──, but....」

「It’s all right. After all we are also really used to this kinda thing. We have caught many peeping tom, molester, or kidnapper that came to the Academy after all.」

「Yes. But, master also seems familiar with this. You didn’t look shaken at all.」

「....I guess.」

Lux smiled awkwardly in respond to Noct’s words.

「Recently I haven’t really met anyone like that──but five years ago, when I had only just started doing chores here and there, something like this happened frequently.」

「........」

「There was also people who investigated my location and aimed at me, so I kept moving to various places, and I also couldn’t make friend the same age with me at all──wait, sorry. Somehow it became a gloomy story.」

When Lux hurriedly smiled wryly, Sharis lightly clapped Lux’s shoulder.

And then, they started walking through the path toward the market again.

「Sorry for today, we are making merry foolishly like usual. We thought to entertain you a bit more seriously but, the three of us are this kind of people after all.」

「That’s not true. When I’m looking at you three, I’m also having fun.」

Sharis went ‘fuh’ seeing Lux’s smiling face and she smiled.

「I see. That’s great. By the way, you still haven’t use your command right to us though? Won’t you make your decision soon?」

「Ah....」

Lux noticed that he had completely forgotten about what he had been told before they went out until now.

The three were sending him fixed gaze that was filled with expectation. After worrying and thinking for a while──Lux said.

「Err, then──, from here on....will you three keep getting along with me as my friends?」

Lux said that even while thinking that it was a bit embarrassing.

That was Lux’s genuine feeling.

Lux intended to wish for the relationship that he who was a former imperial family and a criminal was looking for, but──.

「No good.」

「Eeeeh....!?」

Sharis who suddenly put up a smile answered Lux immediately.

「Me too, I think that kind of wish is just out of question.」

「Yes. I agree with that point.」

(To, to think that I’ll receive rejection when the mood is like this-....!)

Lux was dumbfounded inside his heart. He reflexively hung down his head, but then,

「Fufu, you are cute like always. Don’t look that shocked.」

Sharis wrapped her hand on Lux’s shoulder with a mischievous tone.

The sensation of soft breast touched his shoulder. At the same time, the faint scent of rose perfume caused his heart to skip a beat.

Sharis lightly poked at the cheek of the bewildered Lux and she smiled.

「We and you are already a very close friends right? And then, it’s already decided that we are going to get along well with you from here on too. That’s why──there is already no need to accept that kind of command right from the start.」

Tillfur and Noct also showed their smile in respond to Sharis’s words.

Just from seeing that, it was conveyed to Lux that these three had the same feeling.

「──Thank you, very much.」

Lux smiled in relieves and told them so.

For a long time, he didn’t wish for that for the sake of his objective.

Even so──somewhere in his heart he was wishing for that relationship all this time.

He was really happy that they were saying that to him.

「Then, how about we try to form a team of not just us three, but with the four of us? However, it will be weird if one of us is the only one with different appearance──I won’t mind if you cross dress only when in the time of activity you know?」

「Please stop already with that kind of talk-!」

Lux whose old wound was gouged out yelled in fluster.

As expected, having a lot of friends that were only girls might bring a different kind of hardship with it too. Lux smiled wryly.