This is a side story to the main story.
It was separated from the main story because some of the character settings were changed.
Although it was originally planned to end in one chapter, the amount of text exceeded expectations, so it was divided for readability. Thank you for your continued support until the end.
“Kent, you seem lost in thought. Is something on your mind?”
With the new semester, Kent and his classmates entered their final year of school, the third year. His life, juggling attending school while working part-time at Marie’s Bakery, was busy, and before he knew it, a year had passed since he realized he had been reincarnated into this world. As Kent was idly contemplating that a year had passed since then, Patty, sitting next to him, spoke to him.
“Just thinking. I was reflecting on the past year and all the things that have happened.”
“I see. It’s also been about a year since I started talking to you, Kent, so there might be things I know about.”
Hearing “a year” from Kent, Patty recalled what her life was like a year ago.
“I never imagined I’d be in this position back then.”
“You’re right. You’re the Queen of this country now. Perhaps I should have treated you with more respect?”
“Please stop. While I understand in formal settings, I’d like you to continue treating me the same way in private and at school.”
Kent said this to Patty with a hint of a joke, and she replied with a slightly sad expression, asking him to continue as before.
Patty married Gordon when she was promoted to a higher grade. There was a grand ceremony at the time, but Kent, being a commoner, could not attend. Gordon and Patty had wished for Kent to attend, but his influence was not yet strong, as he had only recently ascended to the throne, and due to opposition from those around him, only nobles were allowed to participate. There was a difference in status between nobles or royalty and commoners. No matter how much interaction Kent had with royalty, he lacked the power to convince many.
“A married woman, huh.”
Kent once again recognized that the woman beside him was married.
“Kent, you like married women, don’t you?”
“Wh-why would you say something like that?”
“Rachel told me. She said you own a lot of those things called ‘adult videos’ with married women in them, right?”
“That rascal! When did she rummage through my hidden treasures… no, *cough cough*. Even if I did like married women, I couldn’t lay a hand on you, Patty. I might lose my head.”
“It’s a little disappointing to be told so directly.”
Patty bowed her head with an expression that made it unclear whether she was serious or joking.
“Speaking of which, while other classes seem to change seats every semester, our class hasn’t changed seats at all.”
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Even if there’s no class change, there should be a seat change when the grade changes.”
In this academy, many classes change seats at the start of a new semester. This is left to the discretion of the homeroom teacher, so it is not mandatory, but from what Kent heard, all classes except his seemed to have done so. The reason why seat changes did not occur in this class was that Tia continued to be the homeroom teacher for Kent’s class. This was due to her personal desire to keep Kent’s handsome face close to her, but only Josette seemed to have noticed.
“Thanks to that, I’m always sitting next to you.”
“Kent, are you perhaps trying to hit on me?”
“N-no, I’m not.”
Patty spoke to Kent with a seductive smile that only married women possess. Seeing her, Kent’s heart skipped a beat.
“By the way, Kent. You’ve reached your final year, but what will you do after graduation? Surely you can’t continue working part-time at the bakery, can you? You have many women around you, and if you want to welcome them all, you’ll need to pay a lot of taxes or acquire noble privileges, won’t you?”
“Ouch, that hits a nerve. If I keep working part-time, I won’t be able to clear the tax issues. This means I might have to start my own business.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a good solution, Kent. I’ll help you from the sidelines too.”
“It’s reassuring to hear that from the Queen herself.”
Although Patty’s words were casual, Kent was reminded that he had less than a year to make a decision. He realized that he needed to seriously consider his future, not postpone it. For the record, Caro had brought in Otsupain, who held the title of Knight, as a precaution in case Kent couldn’t meet the conditions through his own efforts. Upon marrying her, Kent would gain a status equivalent to that of the aristocracy, fulfilling the conditions to legally marry multiple women.
“Okay, okay, let’s start the closing homeroom!”
Kent and Patty had such small talk during the break. The bell rang, and their homeroom teacher, Tia, entered the classroom to conduct the closing homeroom. Thus, another day of their usual school life came to an end.
“My future, huh. I might have to start thinking about it seriously.”
Kent returned from school and began his usual part-time job at Marie’s Bakery, but his conversation with Patty at school lingered in his mind. Despite working, he was lost in thought, unconsciously zoning out.
Gruff gruff.
“Whoa! You startled me, Hanako.”
“Hmm? Master, are you troubled by something?”
His sleeve was suddenly tugged, and Kent snapped back to reality. The one pulling his sleeve was Hanako. She usually displayed little emotion and was hard to read, but it was clear she had spoken to him out of concern for him.
“Well, yes. Could you lend me your ear for a bit?”
“Hmm, I understand.”
Hanako, being a former goddess of this country, was someone Kent turned to with the desperation of someone praying to a deity. Hanako, feeling relied upon by her contractor, replied with a slightly pleased expression.
“This might be okay here.”
“Hmm, I’ve set up a barrier just in case. Now no one can interfere.”
“You… you don’t have to go that far.”
Kent led Hanako to the back of the shop. This area was only frequented when going to the warehouse to manage inventory, and since Kent was currently in charge of that, no one else would appear unless they had a reason to seek him out. Therefore, Kent judged this location to be optimal for their conversation. With considerate intuition, Hanako used her powers to prevent interference, transforming the space into a completely isolated area where others could not intrude.
“Hmm, I’m listening to your troubles.”
“Thank you. Actually…”
Kent explained to Hanako that his school life would end this year, and he needed to create an environment where he could live with the women around him, but he was unsure how to go about it.
“Hmm, I have a good idea for that.”
“As expected of Hanako. I’m glad I asked. So, what is this method?”
“Hmm, I can’t say right now. But I can execute it tomorrow.”
Hanako seemed to have a plan for Kent’s worries. When Kent asked for details, she insisted she couldn’t reveal them yet. Hanako spoke in a way that suggested it was something easily accomplished.
“Can it be done in one day?”
“Hmm, one day is more than enough.”
“I see. Then, may I ask you to do it?”
“Hmm, understood. I’ll keep my schedule open tomorrow.”
“Please.”
Based on Hanako’s assertion that it could be done in a day, Kent assumed it wouldn’t be very difficult. However, he would learn the next day that this was a significant miscalculation.
