Riku, who had been lightly testing the sword Kousuke and Dakka had made, sighed regretfully.
“This is certainly amazing… It’s too much of a waste for it to be shelved.”
“If you think so, then by all means, persuade Floria and acquire it.”
Kousuke looked at Riku while laughing.
“…Well, I agree that it would be a seed of conflict, so it’s probably best to just put it away honestly.”
Riku nodded with a very serious expression, subtly averting Kousuke’s gaze.
While what he was saying was reasonable, it was essentially the same as saying it was impossible to persuade Floria.
It was impossible for these two to persuade Floria, who held the logical argument.
Still, Riku continued to swing the sword regretfully, but was stopped by a voice that suddenly cut in.
“Oh. Is that the rumored sword?”
“…Older brother. If possible, when I’m swinging a sword, please don’t startle me?”
Riku, who had almost let his hand slip from surprise, finished his swing cleanly and spoke to Towa, who had entered the room.
“You weren’t even that surprised, so what are you talking about? Those kinds of lines should be said after moving your right shoulder at the very least.”
Brought up about his childhood habit of being startled, Riku sighed as if he had no choice.
Kousuke, watching his two sons interact closely with a smile, asked Towa.
“Did you come for a reason? Or for a vacation?”
“I’m a bit bothered that your first words after seeing me are those, but I suppose it can’t be helped. …Unfortunately, I came with a small request.”
Towa wanted to say that a child doesn’t need a reason to visit their parent, but unfortunately, he didn’t have enough material to refute Kousuke’s words.
Towa truly had no reason to come to the Management Layer other than for the matters Kousuke mentioned.
“Oh well. Everyone knows Big Brother is busy, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”
Seeing Riku say that with a half-teasing tone, Towa’s shoulders slumped.
Kousuke, after glancing at Riku, turned his gaze back to Towa.
“So? What is this reason you mentioned?”
Towa refusing to call it a reason immediately indicated it was related to Razek Amamiya.
Depending on the content, it would require proper consideration, so Kousuke’s expression also became serious.
“Speaking of which, could I borrow Miku for a while?”
“…Shall we go and talk properly in the back, rather than here?”
Currently, only Kousuke, Towa, and Riku were in this place.
Judging that there were others who needed to hear the conversation, Kousuke said so and turned his gaze towards the Lounge Space.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Unusually, everyone except the Colette parent and child, and the Peach parent and child, were gathered in the Lounge Space.
“Oh. With Big Brother here as well, did something happen?”
Upon seeing Towa, Mia said that. The person in question, Towa, slumped his shoulders.
“Do you also have to say things like that, Mia?”
“Leaving aside whether it’s because Towa came, the fact that we’ve all gathered here means it’s not strange to think something happened,” Floria said, chuckling softly, and continued.
“Besides, judging by Kousuke’s expression, you didn’t come just to visit, did you?”
Sensing that she had been completely seen through by Floria’s comment, Towa honestly repeated what he had said to Kousuke earlier.
Towa’s reason for visiting was that a proper theater had finally been built in the city on the Fifth Floor, and he wanted Miku to perform at its inauguration ceremony.
A building like a theater had existed before, but it seemed intended for rent to traveling performers.
And now, in the newly built theater, they would stage proper performances held by countries or wealthy individuals.
Naturally, those who could stand on that stage would be individuals of exceptional skill, representing their country.
Miku’s name being put forward as the very first performer at that theater was likely due to Towa’s influence.
She would be the performer to first grace the stage of a theater built under the country’s leadership.
That honor was, of course, significant, and the person who recommended her would also receive benefits.
In essence, a kind of power struggle was at play there.
In a situation where choosing anyone would cause friction, it was natural for Towa to make a recommendation.
While there were other candidates besides Miku, when the possibility was presented to him, Towa’s mind immediately went to Miku.
Miku was sure to not be tied to anyone, and her performance would surely generate a lot of buzz as the first performer.
The only problem was that it might generate too much buzz, and it was for this reason that he had come to consult with Kousuke and the others.
Everyone listened to Towa’s story with expressions of understanding.
Miku’s Streep’s performance did indeed have dangerous aspects, and while it would be fine to keep it personal and not expose it to the public, Kousuke and the women didn’t want such a sad outcome.
If Miku didn’t want to perform publicly, they would respect that, but they had no intention of removing the option from her from the start.
Considering this, it would have to be revealed at some point, and in that sense, the opportunity Towa had brought was perfect.
The only problem was that none of those present had any grasp of Miku’s current performance level.
“Should I talk to Peach and Felicia about it once?”
Kousuke concluded with this, and the others nodded in agreement.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Shurein immediately went to the Succubus village to hear Peach and Felicia’s opinions and flew back with them.
Shurein had already briefed them on Miku’s situation on the way, as they were being brought to the Management Layer.
“Ah. Greetings can wait. Felicia, what do you think of this proposal?”
Kousuke stopped Felicia, who was about to bow her head as soon as they met, and got straight to the point.
Receiving Kousuke’s words, Felicia nodded once and began to speak about Miku’s current condition.
“In terms of Streep’s skill, she has enough ability to perform in front of a large crowd without shame. Of course, there are still areas to improve, so whether she’s top-tier is debatable.”
Felicia’s words might seem harsh, but considering Miku’s age, it was already an incredible evaluation.
However, in Miku’s case, there was another issue that everyone present recognized.
That issue was the charm power that Miku uncontrollably released while performing.
Peach, seeing Kousuke’s gaze questioning the charm, replied with her usual expression.
“To be honest, it’s debatable whether her abilities can be completely suppressed on the grand stage of a theater~”
Performing in a theater would naturally involve playing in front of a large audience.
In such a situation, whether she could control her emotions was something that, no matter how much she told herself, would be impossible. That was Peach’s assessment.
Hearing Peach’s words, the group, who had almost given up thinking it was too soon, were then presented with a proposal by Shurein, who had been listening silently, as he directed his gaze at Mitsuki.
“Then, how about we try this?”
“…I see. That might certainly be a possibility.”
With Mitsuki’s response, the matter of Mia’s appearance at the theater began to progress concretely.
Extra
While the adults were whispering (?), the person in question was leisurely playing Streep, away from watchful eyes.
————————————-
And so, in the next story, Miku will finally make her full debut (?).
