Published: March 21, 2026
I'll leave a little charm here so that Kaminari Tsutsumi's CV is played in Sakakibara Ryoko's voice~
The morning after Hazuki Tsukimi visited the mansion, as she said, members of the Kaminari family came to fetch us.
“Pardon us for visiting so early, Princess Amelia, Oda-sama. By the order of the previous-prevailing head of the Kaminari family, Kaminari Tsutsumi, I have come to receive you.”
The one who bowed deeply to Amelia and me at the entrance was an archetypal “butler.” White hair, a bit of stubble, and wearing a tailcoat. Isn’t his name Sebastian or something?
“I am the butler attached to Kaminari Tsutsumi, Sebastian. Please remember me.”
No way his name is actually Sebastian.
“Thank you for coming. But isn’t this a bit early?”
“Ha! My apologies for our lack of consideration. As we are mostly elderly, we find ourselves rising early.”
“That’s good for your health.”
Amelia stifled a yawn and mumbled, and Sebastian bowed his head with a hand on his chest.
It was probably just after six this morning. If nothing had happened, Amelia and I would’ve slept another hour. I’d asked Night to make sure Sato and the others safely crossed the border, and I’d left Night in the room, snoring in deep sleep, so he couldn’t come with us. Telepathy is available, so it should be fine. They might scold me later for leaving him, though.
Despite our groggy eyes, we were ready within minutes thanks to all our previous travel—habits are hard to break.
“If you like, we can prepare breakfast. How would you like that?”
“I’ll take you up on that. Although I suppose I’m the side dish today.”
“You are coming, aren’t you? It would be the greatest honor to welcome the Divine Child back into the castle. Our mistress Tsutsumi and the late Miss Suzu would be delighted.”
“…I see.”
As Sebastian escorted us down the path, I half-listened to his conversation with Amelia.
Come to think of it, I checked statuses during the banquet: the current head, Miki Kaminari, wasn’t a Divine Child but a miko (shrine maiden). I’m not sure how that’s different. For the record, Yayoi Tsukimi’s profession was appraiser and Kohana Sakuya was a swordswoman. Nothing particularly surprising.
Sebastian’s profession in front of me was butler. With a name like that, he seems born to serve people.
“Oh, my apologies for not thinking of it earlier, Oda-sama. Shall I prepare your portion as well?”
“Ah—yeah, go ahead and add mine. What’s on the menu?”
“...Today’s breakfast main is Saikyo-grilled salmon.”
“Whoa, that sounds amazing...”
At the banquet the other day, Sakuya Kohana said the Kohana family’s cook had been in charge. So each noble house must have their own cook, rotating duties for feasts. The Saikyo-yaki made by someone capable of that full-course meal is guaranteed to be delicious.
My mouth watered even before tasting it. Seeing me fidget, Amelia covered her mouth with a hand, smiling as if amused. I’ve gone too long without Japanese food. No wonder I’m restless—rice since arriving in this country still isn’t enough.
We passed through a dim path where the soft sunlight, not yet fully risen, was filtered by leaves, then boarded a carriage parked in an open area.
Assuming Kyousuke and the others might come, the carriage was a roomy four-seater. But several soldiers suddenly fell ill, and Hosoyama has been swamped, so Kyousuke and company hadn’t returned to the mansion in three days. Night reported that Kyousuke, Kazuki, and Hosoyama were exhausted but alive. I hadn’t asked them to check, but they made a detour to see. The two are still like cat and dog, but reconciliation might be near.
“Amelia, your hand.”
“Okay!”
When I offered my hand to Amelia as she climbed in, she smiled so genuinely happy and took my hand softly.
Two hours and a little swaying in the carriage, and we entered the castle again after the three-house banquet. The carriage crossed the bridge over the moat and stopped a bit away from the keep where we’d visited before.