The banquets lasted for about three days... I suppose I should provide some details.
Thomas and the rest of us received formal commendations from Her Imperial Majesty the Emperor. In the Galactic Empire, if you contribute, your achievements are properly recognized. This is a vital point.
While the general soldiers couldn't attend the banquets—which were strictly for the nobility—they were granted words of praise from Wifey in the palace courtyard. They were also issued special bonuses.
As for us, we had planets thrust upon us because so many lords had died recently, leaving them vacant. Mysterious new positions cropped up for the sake of our promotions, and our peerages were raised. However, raising them too high all at once isn't ideal. Wifey has a twenty-year plan with "Duke-type" as the final goal. Consequently, everyone was promoted to the rank of [Senior] Count this time around.
Eddie, the executive officer, was already a [Senior] Marquis, so his peerage remained unchanged. Instead, he was granted a mysterious title and medal from the Empire: [Lord Protector].
"I don't want it..."
That was the moment the hearts of the Kamishiro Squad truly became one. I’m sure Wifey felt the same way. Nobles who don't understand the inner workings of the military might rejoice at such an honor, but we knew better—we were just being saddled with more obligations.
That said, if we didn't receive some form of reward, the other nobles would throw a fit. They'd complain, "If they don't get rewarded for their contributions, we won't get anything when we do something!"
Since they were absolutely right, Eddie accepted the [fucking worthless title] with a forced smile. The only real perk was the pension attached to the title, but even that was the kind of amount that would vanish instantly into territory management expenses. To put it in perspective, it was barely enough to add one extra side dish to the meals provided to the Lord Army.
Wifey probably wanted to do a bit more for us, but... everyone understood the situation. No one voiced a single complaint. I really hate these stuffy, restrictive parts of the Empire.
Once the ceremony ended, we were finally free. No being tossed into the brig for drinking too much at the evening party. The teacher is moved! Even if we have high abilities and zero trust in those in power, we can still make it work!
The girls were chatting among themselves.
"Since we're finally in the Imperial Capital, what should we buy?" "We definitely need some new clothes." "Hey, should we try going to a Royal Purveyor Brand shop?" "Ehh, won't they just kick us out?"
...Oi. You girls have enough wealth to not just visit, but to summon the Royal Purveyors themselves for custom orders.
Then there were the boys.
"Hey, want to go grab some food?" "Man, I want to try one of those high-end sushi places where the food doesn't come on a conveyor belt! It was always my dream to eat non-rotating sushi with my own money." "Oh, then should we head to that place in front of the station? The lunch sets are cheap." "Let's do it! We can even order extras! We've really made it to the big leagues, haven't we?!"
You guys have enough money to hire the master of a high-end sushi restaurant to come to you. It was no use... We were still far too dominated by the commoner mindset of, I want to go to university, but my grades aren't good enough for a scholarship, so I guess I'll just go to the military academy.
While I was clutching my head, Claire approached me.
"Leo, Veronica-chan said everyone should go bowling." "Got it! I'm in!"
I didn't have a particular obsession with bowling, but playing at an arcade or going to karaoke sounded fine too.
"So, where are we going?" I asked. I assumed it would be somewhere near the university by Palace-mae Station.
"The Inner Palace." "Why there?" "Because the alley is inside. It's the only place Veronica-chan can play without needing a full security detail. Oh, I'll send a message to everyone. I'll tell them we're calling in a sushi chef too."
The boys who were about to head to the station sushi place suddenly sprinted toward us at breakneck speed.
"Your Imperial Majesty, I'll follow you for the rest of my life!"
The girls who were planning to visit the brand shops also ran back at full power.
"Sushi!!!"
Melissa, Kevin, Ren, and the others gathered. The usual gang—Isono, Nakajima, and Eddie—joined up, followed by Tatiana and One-oh-one.
"Where's Shiyun?" "She said she's coming by car to maintain the appearance of a diplomatic event."
It was only about a ten-minute walk, and the entire trip was within the palace grounds. We walked in a long line toward the Inner Palace. The guards there let us through with just a nod, recognizing our faces. Seeing that, Claire laughed.
"From our perspective, it feels like we're just going to a friend's house to play."
Melissa let out a loud laugh. "Right? Besides, we're all going to be the Captain's wives, so we're basically sisters anyway!"
Ren chuckled softly. "In that case, this will be our maiden home as well, won't it?"
Calling the Inner Palace her "maiden home" took incredible guts. Ren really was something else. I honestly found it impressive. I could never think of this place as my wife's parents' home. If anything, Wifey's battleship felt more like home to me. After all, Father-in-law Piggett was there.
Once we entered the Inner Palace, Wifey was there to greet us.
"Yo! You've arrived. Girls first! I've summoned the designers, so get your clothes made before lunch. The nobles were complaining because you all attended the ceremony in your military uniforms!"
It seemed the measure taken to prevent any social blunders had backfired.
"Boys, go be good and play elsewhere." "Okaaay."
Shiyun arrived just then, along with her brother and Mr. Berger. We boys took Thomas and Mr. Berger toward the bowling alley, while Shiyun was abducted by the girls.
Good luck, Shiyun. Stay strong. Tatiana had already surrendered.
"I'd rather go bowling too..." she muttered, but her words didn't reach the other girls. She had to give up. Wifey's older sisters and the "Mother Group" from the Inner Palace had already joined the girls' circle. Hang in there, Tatiana! Hang in there, Shiyun! I suspect One-oh-one was just accepting it with a simple, "Whatever is fine, sir!"
And so, we spent our time bowling.
Actually, the Maro-exclusive Amusement Center was incredible. I hadn't paid much attention the last time I was here because I was on a mission, but it had bowling, hot springs, an arcade, and even a batting center. That old man was way too much of a hedonist!
When Isono and the rest of the Baseball Club started whining about wanting to go to the batting center, we headed over there. Thomas gave a wry smile. When I asked him, he admitted he had never been to this part of the palace before.
"It seems it was Father's secret hideout." "My deepest condolences for... well, back then..."
I tried to offer some words of sympathy, but he held up a hand to stop me.
"It's alright. If Father hadn't died there and Veronica hadn't become the Emperor... if my younger brother-in-law weren't here, the Galactic Empire would have likely perished. The people would have died out, and civilization would have been lost to despair and poverty. This was fate."
Thomas broke into a genuine smile.
"Now, let's play. I used to play baseball when I was a child. I'm happy just to be able to hold a bat again after all this time."
As for the batting itself, we had all gone through such ridiculously harsh training that we were hitting home runs one after another like it was the most natural thing in the world.