Let’s Manage the Tower

Book 4: Volume 2 Chapter 5, Children’s Daily Lives

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

Riku was chatting with his friends outside the classroom when he spotted Kokoro walking down the hallway.

“Hey, Kokoro-san. Where are you going?”

Riku’s upcoming class was among the few that focused on combat-related lectures. As a shrine maiden in training, Kokoro had different academic requirements and little involvement in such courses.

“Greetings Riku. And everyone else.” Kokoro bowed her head politely, prompting Riku’s friends to hurriedly return the gesture.

Indeed, there was scarcely anyone at the school who would not show proper respect to Kokoro, given her calm and composed demeanor. When she first entered the academy, some students had initially kept their distance due to her unique status as a shrine maiden in training. However, as time passed, such prejudice had faded entirely. Instead, she began attracting attention for her striking beauty, clearly inherited from her Mother.

“I need to reach the training ground for Professor Mikael’s lecture.” Kokoro explained.

“Ah, Professor Mikael,” Riku and his surrounding friends nodded knowingly.

Mikael was renowned as a practical instructor who performed the rather daring feat of healing injured students on the spot during his combat lectures. Students attending his classes inevitably found themselves venturing into actual field conditions. Kokoro was no exception to this baptism of fire.

“I cannot afford to be late, so I must hurry to the training ground.” Mikael maintained a reputation for strict adherence to punctuality and proper classroom conduct.

“That would be for the best. Sorry for delaying you.” Riku apologized.

“Not at all.” Kokoro shook her head graciously before hurrying off to catch up with her classmates who had departed earlier during their conversation.

One of Riku’s friends, watching Kokoro’s graceful departure despite her hurried pace, sighed admiringly. “As expected of Kokoro-sama.”

“Indeed,” another agreed.

Riku’s expression grew complicated as he observed his friends unanimously praising his Older Sister. While he did not particularly mind being perceived differently due to his gender, he felt conflicted about the situation. Certainly, he experienced happiness when Kokoro received praise, yet he found himself troubled by the fact that such admiration seemed to place his Sister on a pedestal rather than viewing her as a potential romantic interest.

Moreover, Kokoro was not the only one who evoked such reactions.

“No, no. I prefer Mia-sama myself.” Someone else interjected.

“A kindred spirit!” Another student enthusiastically grasped the speaker’s hand.

Yes, Mia was the other person who commanded similar reverence. Neither Mia nor Kokoro seemed to register as potential romantic interests to their male peers, and Riku wondered whether the reactions of those around them might contribute to this phenomenon.

Their friends continued their discussion, seemingly oblivious to Riku’s internal contemplation.

“Still, it is unfortunate that Kokoro-sama did not pursue the student council presidency, right?”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Several students nodded in agreement, and predictably, all attention shifted to Riku for an explanation.

Before the inevitable question could be posed, Riku waved his hand in mild exasperation and provided the familiar response. “Please do not make me repeat the same explanation again. Kokoro-nee-sama remains far too occupied with her shrine maiden training to become the student council president.”

Riku sighed with frustration while her friends released distinctly different sighs of disappointment. Their attitudes clearly conveyed their sentiment that such circumstances were truly regrettable. Glancing around discretely, Riku noticed several other students expressing similar disappointment through their sighs.

Forcing to dismiss this observation as mere imagination, Riku attempted to rally his dejected friends. “Hey. We should head inside for class.”

Following Riku’s suggestion, they filed into the classroom one by one.

* * *

After completing all classes for the day, Riku arrived at the castle’s teleportation room. The room housing the teleportation gate occupied a highly restricted area accessible only to a select few individuals. Specifically, only members of the Royal Family possessed clearance to pass through, an inevitable restriction given its location within the private royal quarters.

Sylvia and her children represented the sole exceptions, granted unrestricted access to enter and exit freely.

Upon entering, Riku acknowledged the presence of another person in the teleportation room, but quickly relaxed his guard. Despite the restricted access, one could never completely eliminate unexpected situations. Since only a limited number of individuals utilized the facility, they rarely encountered one another, though today the timing had aligned perfectly.

The other occupant was Kokoro.

“Ah, is Kokoro-nee-san heading to the Management Floor?” Riku inquired.

“Oh, are you traveling there as well, Riku?”

“Yes. I plan to visit the Floor that Mia-nee-san manages.”

“I see.” Riku spoke cheerfully, and Kokoro responded with a warm smile.

Kokoro’s visits to the Management Floor had become increasingly frequent in recent times, naturally due to her shrine maiden training requirements. Riku, conversely, had rarely ventured to the Management Floor until recently. Since he still harbored aspirations of becoming an adventurer, attending combat classes held greater importance than Management Floor visits.

However, since Mia had assumed control of the fifteenth Floor, Riku had begun accompanying her regularly, conceptualizing these trips as escort missions for additional practical experience.

Following Kokoro’s lead, Riku activated the portal with practiced ease and teleported to the Management Floor.

A maid golem stood stationed in the portal room on the Management Floor, a familiar sight that no longer surprised either visitor. Upon noticing Kokoro and Riku’s arrival, the maid golem bowed respectfully before returning to its duty of monitoring portal activity.

Should any unauthorized individuals attempt entry, the golem would immediately take appropriate action. Its design incorporated combat capabilities as a fundamental consideration. Notably, its skills rivaled those of elite adventurers active within Amamiya Tower, a fact that Riku found rather sobering.

On one previous occasion, he had implored Kouhi to arrange a sparring match with the maid golem, only to find himself thoroughly outmatched. While Riku believed his abilities had improved considerably since that encounter, he recognized that defeating the maid golem would remain extremely challenging.

Two rooms beyond the portal room lay the relaxation area where Kousuke and the others frequently gathered during breaks. Typically, various members occupied this space during their leisure time, but when Kokoro and Riku arrived, only Mia was present.

“Huh? Is Mia here alone today?” Riku could not help but comment, as someone usually occupied the relaxation area whenever he visited.

Riku’s observation seemed to strike a nerve with Mia, whose eyebrows twitched slightly as she responded, “Oh? Are you perhaps complaining about only me being here?”

“Ah! No, no. Absolutely not!” Sensing potential danger in Mia’s tone, Riku immediately replied while shaking his right hand emphatically in denial.

Observing Riku’s flustered reaction, Mia sighed once before redirecting her attention to Kokoro.

“Thank you for your diligent efforts. It is time for your training session. Good luck with that.”

“Yes. Thank you.” Kokoro bowed once to Mia in gratitude before proceeding toward her designated training room.