Shiyun, One-oh-one, and I were snacking together on a stair landing.
After I finished cleaning and went to report in, Big Brother Leo had given me some Ramune candies—the kind of colorful treats a little kid would love.
He said they were samples he was pitching to Latarnia.
The Energy Drink and Spicy Cinnamon flavors, which had been a mountain of unsold stock because they didn't sell at all in the Empire, had already been slated for regular production.
Apparently, mint tablets labeled "Ultra Strong Mint" were also selling at an abnormal rate.
Snacks that failed in the Empire were massive hits in Latarnia.
The Ramune was colorful and cute.
Shiyun looked genuinely happy.
It seemed like the people of the Taikyoku Nation shared my taste in snacks.
One-oh-one was smiling, too.
She was just spacing out.
Come to think of it, back when I lived in my hometown, I spent most of my days just spacing out like that.
Thinking back on it now, my hometown was pretty messed up...
The density of the schedule here compared to Big Brother Leo and the others was night and day.
Those Officer Academy students were absolute monsters...
Lost in thought, I pulled out a nutritional supplement chocolate bar and took a bite.
If I didn't eat these, my bones would get weak.
You stimulate the bones with nanomachines and then eat nutritional supplements. They said that was the key to building a healthy body.
Back home, if I ever got my hands on something like this, I would’ve sold it off in seconds.
Was that why the men in my home colony were so scrawny and the women were so short? Gain a little knowledge, and you start to see all the problems of your hometown.
Not that there was any way to fix them.
I was right in the middle of that chill time when the ship-wide announcement rang out.
"Tatiana-chan, One-oh-one-chan, Shiyun-chan, your Big Brother is waiting for you in the dining hall!"
"YOU STUPID BIG BROTHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRR!!!"
He did it on purpose!
He deliberately made us sound like lost children.
Huffing with annoyance, the three of us headed for the dining hall.
But when we arrived, I froze in surprise.
"Happy Birthday, Tatiana!"
Wait, you guys just threw a party the other day!
They really put their all into playing around, didn't they? These party people!
Besides, today wasn't even my birthday.
What were they thinking?
How stupid... wait. This month... was when the old me died and the current me was born.
Oh. That's what this was.
Big Brother Isono spoke up.
"Yo, Tatiana. Leo and Eddie insisted. After all, you're the only junior sister we’ve got now."
"Yeah..."
I couldn't find the words.
Big Brother Nakajima laughed.
"Look, we made all your favorite stuff. Well, Leo did."
"Yeah..."
I couldn't even manage a retort like, So it was Big Brother Leo!
Instead, I just looked at everyone gathered there. The warmth of the Officer Academy Group made my chest tighten.
"Tatiana, this is wonderful, yes!"
"...Yeah."
Then Shiyun murmured,
"So this is where you belong, Tatiana... I'm jealous."
Shiyun's remark hit home. It wasn't just someone else's problem to me.
I hadn't had a place to belong in my hometown either.
It was the same for Shiyun.
Here was the only place where we could finally be our true selves.
"Shiyun... I'm your friend."
"Shiyun, I am as well, yes!"
"...Yeah."
A cake was brought out that screamed Big Brother Leo's hobby.
Mainly because it had fireworks attached to it.
Sparks were glittering and popping. Big Brother Leo stood there with his chest puffed out as if to say, Well? How’s that?
I could only laugh.
"Dummy. What's with the fireworks?"
"Nuhahaha! Alright, happy birthday, Tatiana-chan!"
"Stop with the '-chan'!"
I threw a few playful punches.
Thanks to my Big Brothers, I felt the knot in my heart finally come loose.
Shiyun was smiling too.
I thought I’d be happy if things could just stay like this forever—with Big Brother, Shiyun, and the rest.
But a few days later, I was screaming at the top of my lungs at Big Brother.
"Why?! What do you mean you're handing Shiyun back?!"
"They just sent a formal request. Shiyun, what do you want to do?"
Shiyun was clearly conflicted.
It had all started this morning.
The Taikyoku Nation had demanded Shiyun's return.
Not as a criminal. They claimed that since the rest of the Imperial Family had all died from illness, she was to be handed over as the next Emperor.
Latarnia’s national broadcast had been running the story non-stop.
It was obvious they were planning to kill her!
Big Brother! Don't you dare give her to them!
"I... I don't know. I want to stay here, but... for the sake of the people..."
"Then stay here. Wifey, you're okay with that, right?"
Her Majesty the Emperor, Veronica-chan, spoke with clear displeasure.
"It is fine. Send them a reply saying, 'Fools.'"
Luna-chan appeared on the display.
"Hey, hey, Leo-kun, what do you think the Ghouls' objective is?"
"Given their win conditions, wouldn't it be taking over Shiyun's body?"
Something snapped in my head.
"...Huh?"
The lowest voice I'd ever produced in my life escaped my throat.
"Tatiana, do not be angry. There is no way I would hand her over."
When I looked closely, I realized Veronica-chan was livid.
She was so enraged she was laughing—"Kakakaka!"
Luna-chan’s pupils were dilated as she cackled, "Keta-keta-keta-keta!"
S-scary...
I was mad, too, but both of them were completely beyond furious.
"B-Big Brother?"
"Yeah? What's wrong, you two?"
Big Brother was... smiling, just like he always did.
"Kevin, you there?"
"What's wrong? Hey, about Shiyun-chan's handover... Whoa, what's with everyone's faces?!"
"Yeah, I realized we were being a bit too soft. So, I'm thinking of showing those morons what hell really looks like. We'll have a meeting with Doc later."
"A-ah, okay. I'll adjust Doc's schedule..."
"Yeah, please. Shiyun, Tatiana, don't worry. We'll protect you."
Big Brother was still smiling.
Ah, this was it... the kind of smile you wore when you were so angry you looped back around to laughter.
Ah, yeah.
"Shiyun. I think we're about to see what a Super Ancient Weapon can really do."
"Y-you mean the ESPers called Jesters?"
"Yeah. It seems I'm a descendant who inherited the DNA, too."
Because I carried the genes, it had manifested in me, the clone. In other words, the original Tatiana had also been a descendant of a Jester. It just so happened that the factor surfaced in me.
"Big Brother, I'll help too!"
"Oh, sure. Jesters are more than welcome!"
That day, the conference room looked like nothing so much as the Demon King's Castle.