Once Selma (Female) had seen off… the room finally became quiet.
It was like a storm, so to speak.
For now, I also changed into the formal attire of the Captain of the Royal Guard, which I had prepared for this day, and went to check on the store, which had become a daily routine.
No matter how you look at it, I am now the master of a castle… it feels like quite a promotion, but my starting line in this world is this convenience store, and my position as its owner has not changed.
That is precisely why I intended to continue this convenience store, no matter what happened.
“Isn’t that Owner Takakura! Good morning! Judging by your formal attire, is today your first official duty with the Royal Guard?”
Satoru, the part-time team leader who was tidying up the bento boxes with a practiced hand, called out to me casually.
My convenience store seemed to be bustling from the morning today as well.
So, in the end, Satoru ended up working for us.
Incidentally, during his student days, he apparently supported himself with a part-time job at a convenience store, so he had a deep understanding of convenience store work.
When I had him try working at the convenience store, he performed so well that he was comparable to Wakako in her prime. I thought, “He’s useful,” so when I gave him the title of Team Leader with three stars on his name tag, he became incredibly motivated and quickly took on responsibilities equivalent to an assistant manager.
He tends to drift when he’s alone, but he unleashes his abilities when he’s being directed or relied upon.
It seems Satoru was that kind of person.
He has superhuman stamina, and not to mention, that handsome face.
He’s very popular with girls, and when Satoru was working, the number of female customers increased noticeably.
Handsome and competent at his job… secretly, he was also a perfect superhuman.
As expected of an Apostle of the Goddess…
However, he’s only sharp during his daytime work; at night, he always gets drunk on beer under the guise of a get-together.
He challenges me to a drinking contest every time, but I’ve lost every single time.
Actually, he doesn’t seem to have a high tolerance for alcohol.
But he loves alcohol, and while his behavior when drunk is a bit questionable, he’s generally serious and handsome. So, his crude jokes and light physical harassment towards women are apparently overlooked because of the “gap moe” effect.
He has a reputation for being surprisingly repressed… but even that is accepted by women who find it appealing. That’s the power of a handsome face… I’ll stop there.
It was, in a way… a very human story.
Despite being a perfect superhuman, there’s a certain pathetic streak to him… I couldn’t possibly dislike him.
“Good work! Oh, right, Satoru was working as the assistant manager from this morning, wasn’t he? Where’s the Manager?”
“Manager-san has a day off today, so he said he was going out to bask in the sun at his favorite spot and left early this morning. Well, if anything happens, I’ll handle it myself, so you don’t have to worry about troubling you or Manager-san. Please focus on your official duties with peace of mind… or rather, that’s so cool! It really suits you!”
Well, Satoru’s combat mode, and that… it was like a transformation hero from somewhere.
The sense of style in this Captain of the Royal Guard uniform must also be right up his alley…
Incidentally, it’s a flashy uniform of a dark red called ‘suou-iro,’ with shoulder guards on the shoulders, giving it a somewhat villainous impression.
“You’re truly reliable. Well then, I’ll leave the store to you, so please take care of it. And Rein (Female), Satoru… sometimes drinks a little to liven things up during work, so don’t let him drink too much, okay?”
“Ah, yes… you know, wearing such a cool uniform makes you look like a really important person… it’s, a bit… cool.”
As I helped Satoru with stocking the shelves, I noticed him staring at me blankly, and it seemed he was captivated by me.
Towards the end, he said it in a small voice… but it’s progress that he’s started complimenting me.
Incidentally, after I entrusted her to the Manager for a night, I don’t quite understand what happened, but she became completely obedient and said, “From now on, I will faithfully serve as your subordinate, Manager-sama,” and joined our ranks.
At her core, she’s a pretty good kid, and as long as she doesn’t go off the rails, she’s not much of a problem child.
Bishop Izario and the others have also given their word that they will overlook things and be lenient as long as she stays within plain sight and behaves herself, putting her under observation.
In fact, Bishop Izario and the others were also knocked down and escaped from by her, so they don’t seem to be able to exert much pressure on her.
She works as a convenience store employee along with Satoru, and her skills as a healer and her medical knowledge are top-notch, so she acts as the convenient store village doctor, being the first to move when there are sudden illnesses or injuries.
She seems to get along well with the other children, and she’s well-regarded by the regular customers of the convenience store, so there’s nothing to complain about.
However, she has apparently moved on from bloomers and now prefers Japanese-made underwear.
How do I know?
…Because Kirika and the other women who already used them recommended them to her, and she was so impressed by the comfort that she declared, “I won’t fall for the same trick again!” and lifted her skirt right in front of me, showing them off.
So, I think it’s not a good idea to show off your underwear with such glee.
After all, Rein (Female) is a klutz.
“Believe it or not, I’m an important person, you know? Well, I’m not saying you can’t drink during work, Satoru, but try to keep it moderate!”
“S-sorry… Ah, you knew after all! Yes, I’ll keep it moderate, moderate! Alright!”
…Well, that’s the kind of guy he is.
Rein (Female) has completely become one of us now… things have settled down after the storm.
That’s how it is.
“C-Captain Takakura! First Platoon, Selmaile (Female) Troops, all ten members have reported for duty!”
As I exited the convenience store, Selma (Female) and her cheerful companions, a group of young girls of similar age wearing matching red-based maid uniforms, lined up neatly and were waiting.
Their matching white berets also looked good, and they were a spectacularly flashy group.
Selma (Female)’s maid uniform is a striking combination of crimson and white with gold trim, while the other girls’ uniforms are a slightly more subdued design of a dull vermilion and white two-tone.
Perhaps this is to make it clear who the captain is, with her exceptionally flashy attire… I left it all up to them, so I can’t say for sure.
Some of them were still catching their breath, possibly from running, but upon seeing me, they all greeted me with salutes, albeit in different ways.
But still… this uniform is cute! The noble children are all cute, so it feels like being surrounded by an idol group!
“Ah, thank you for your hard work, everyone. Selmaile (Female), your mission was also hard-earned. Everyone, you may relax now.”
“Y-yes! Thank you! Everyone, the order is to relax! At ease!”
As Selma (Female) said that, they instantly became slovenly, abandoning their rigid posture.
I didn’t mean “at ease” in that sense…
When they were sharp, they looked like an idol group, but now they seemed more like a group of high school girls in cosplay, becoming suddenly unrefined.
Well, they’re just out of school, so that’s to be expected… I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
They started chattering amongst themselves, “Lady Selma, you scored a point!” and “Did last night go well?”
Their conversation was lively, like that of high school girls.
And when they said things like, “Is that Takakura, the Prime Minister and Captain of the Royal Guard… isn’t he handsome?” or “Those cat ears are cute! I want to touch them!” I lost the will to get angry.
I couldn’t help but wag my tail… But when they called even that reaction cute, I got a little embarrassed.
Looking at the member list, all of them are daughters of northern nobles.
It appears that this First Platoon… is essentially Selmaile (Female)’s entourage from her academy, who have now become her subordinates.
It was clearly intentional, but I didn’t interfere with the troop organization at all. Since this unit was formed at the request of the nobles, that’s how it is.
At this rate, the other platoons will likely have daughters of major nobles as their captains, with their entourages serving as members.
I hope they don’t end up competing with each other or fighting…
Adjusting those aspects will probably be my role… that’s tough.
A girl with short, bobbed red hair stepped forward and began to comb Selma (Female)’s hair. The other girls also gathered around Selma (Female), helping to tidy her hair and adjust her clothing.
Selma (Female) herself quietly allowed them to fuss over her.
So, this is how it was…
At home, they were ladies-in-waiting, and at school, they were friends who meticulously took care of her…
It seems like they’re spoiling her… but if left to her own devices, things would get bad, so those around her compensate… I see, I understand.
When the bobbed-haired girl’s eyes met mine, she lowered her head in a bow, as if to say, ‘I apologize for the trouble.’
Judging by how carefully she was combing it, my previous attempts were clearly insufficient…
Indeed, it’s not good for a guy like me to mess with a girl’s hair.
I thought we were about to depart like this, but it seemed Selma (Female) was getting a change of outfit, so I stood there awkwardly.
It doesn’t matter, but this spot in front of the convenience store… people gather here normally, so we’re quite attracting attention.
But what about those tough-looking old men and young men loitering a little further away?
They’re staring this way intensely… there are about twenty of them, and I don’t recognize any of their faces.
But they’re no ordinary people… they’re wearing plain clothes and don’t have any weapons, so they look like civilians, but they possess a unique aura of strength, a certain indescribable intensity.
However, when my eyes met the middle-aged bald man who seemed to be their leader, he gave a slight bow and a friendly smile, then led his rough-looking companions away and disappeared around the corner.
Perhaps… they’re the bodyguard team for these girls.
Well, that makes sense… these noble young ladies who have probably never even held a sword.
If they are to be presented to the military, even in a limited capacity, it’s natural to hire bodyguards or send private soldiers as a safeguard.
In that case, I’ll need to arrange a meeting with those people as well.
From the perspective of not wanting the Royal Guard children to get hurt, our interests align.
I’ve been secretly selecting candidates for a clandestine bodyguard unit to protect the children of the Royal guard from the shadows… they seemed quite capable, so I would definitely like their cooperation.
While I was pondering this, it seemed Selma (Female)’s outfit change was, for the most part, complete.
Her hair was done in a cute style, tied into two braids at the back of her head.
Hmm, so this was what she requested… It’s certainly cute, but it was an unreasonable demand for me.
The bobbed-haired girl looked at me and gave a crisp salute.
It seems preparations are complete… I, too, put on the suou-iro uniform and a black cloak with gold trim.
I fastened the cloak to the shoulder guards with the clasps and put on a military-style cap of the same suou-iro color, wearing it at an angle.
When I tried it on in front of the mirror, this was the most imposing look. It hides my cat ears and tail, which actually enhances my intimidating appearance.
I couldn’t help but smirk with a defiant grin.
Actually, this uniform… was specially designed by Monjirou-sensei for the Captain of the Royal Guard.
Even though he grumbled that designing for men wasn’t “moe,” what came out of it looked like something capable of unleashing a psycho crusher.
It turned out to be surprisingly cool… no, it’s incredibly cool!
With a swish of my cloak, I turned my back to everyone. The children of the Royal Guard let out exclamations of admiration, and passersby stopped to watch.
Selma (Female) quietly reached out and lightly pinched the edge of my cloak, a satisfied smile on her face.
…What a reserved girl, I thought, likening her to a puppy diligently following its owner.
“…Attention, all members! Forward… march! Our destination is Kuroie’s… chambers! Follow… me!”
Thus, the order for the First Platoon of the Royal Guard’s inaugural sortie was given!
