It was the season for homecomings.
Isono and Nakajima were scheduled to be hauled off to their fiancées' family homes.
It looked like they were getting married.
Eddie, meanwhile, was apparently planning to register his marriage before Minerva-chan’s university term began.
There seemed to be a lot of pressure, particularly on the men, to hurry up and tie the knot.
And well, I was the cause of it.
It wasn't that I'd done anything wrong, per se.
I had simply published some photobooks featuring Latarnia and the Ogre God Nation.
They were released through the National Broadcasting Publishing Department.
They weren't gravure, but rather Travel Photobooks.
While locals appeared in the shots, the primary focus was on the landscapes, architecture, and culture.
I introduced ancient ruins, the Latarnia Church, and, of course, the Ogre God Nation Traditional Attire and various ethnic groups.
For the Ogre God Nation, I included women in their traditional dress and even Ogre God Nation samurai.
Despite being quite serious publications, the print edition alone had already sold a hundred million copies.
Once you factored in digital sales, the numbers became impossible to track.
People were saying that nearly every household in the Empire had bought one.
As a result, everyone became acutely aware of the exotic women of the Ogre God Nation and the generally striking beauty of the Latarnians.
On top of that, I’d had Shiyun's Interview published as a mook by National Publishing.
This was intended as propaganda for domestic consumption.
Predictably, it also sold at a terrifying pace.
Since the Taikyoku Nation was still in the middle of reconstruction, the photography there focused mainly on ruined buildings and the like.
All of this had sent the men's parents and their fiancées into a state of panic.
"They'll definitely cheat."
"They'll go and father children abroad."
I could understand their concern.
That was why they were rushing the weddings along.
In reality, those of us high-ranking officers who knew just how dangerous Latarnians could be didn't even entertain the idea of fathering children outside the Empire.
We also knew that to win over a woman from the Ogre God Nation, you had to best her in a test of physical strength.
There’s no way you’d walk away from that unscathed!
As for the Taikyoku Nation people, we didn't know much yet since the investigation was still ongoing.
They seemed to have a culture not too different from Galactic Empire citizens, though.
Regardless, there were no points of contact for anyone to actually make a move.
The Ghoul Problem had been resolved, so I’m sure they’ll start setting honey traps eventually.
In any case, the men were currently preoccupied with wedding preparations.
Welcome to the world of the married!
As for me, since I was already married, there were no issues there.
My formal weddings to Claire and the others hadn't happened yet, though.
Actually, Claire and the others simply didn't have the time to get married right now.
But since the marriage was already a settled matter, it was time to pay my respects to her family home.
My wifey, Ren, had already gone to pay her respects at the Inner Palace, so her duties were finished.
Next, I was headed to the Imperial Capital Apartment where Claire's parents lived.
Currently, Claire’s Father was stationed in the Imperial Capital as the de facto manager of our company.
He lived in a prime location within the city—an area that had been redeveloped after the war.
Claire’s Father and Mother lived on the top floor of a luxury tower apartment building there.
Claire was dressed in casual clothes.
When I asked, "Should I wear my formal uniform?"
she replied, "Please come in casual clothes."
So, I headed to Claire's Family Home in casual attire.
We traveled by limousine.
Before the land readjustment, navigating this area in a limo would have been impossible.
Now, we could zip along the wide main roads with ease.
I parted ways with Raven-kun and the other guards at the base of the apartment building.
We were welcomed inside by Claire's parents.
Claire's family had been elevated to the rank of Count.
It had been decided that it would be improper for the family of a Grand Duke's wife to remain as mere baronets.
For the same reason, Melissa's family had also been made Counts.
I had stopped by a department store in the Imperial Capital to buy some yokan and kudzu starch cakes as gifts.
I bought extra for everyone else too, knowing that One-oh-one, Tatiana, and Shiyun would eventually plunder them.
I had those sent ahead to the Inner Palace.
Apparently, Claire's Father's recent blood test results weren't great, but Claire just laughed and said, "Once in a while is fine, right?"
"Greetings, Your Excellency the Grand Duke."
"Please, Leo is fine."
"I see. Then, Leo-kun it is."
"Father-in-law. Please, have this."
I presented the yokan and kudzu starch cakes.
"My, my, even a souvenir! Yokan! I do love it so!"
"Father has a major sweet tooth," Claire noted with a smile.
I wasn't surprised.
After all, Claire's family had originally specialized in horticultural fruit trees like figs, citrus, and blueberries.
They even sold processed goods like jams.
Unless you were a fruit lover with a serious sweet tooth, you wouldn't be able to handle that level of product development.
Now, it was time for the conversation with the fiancée's parents.
"So, Leo-kun, regarding this sales strategy..."
Inevitably, the conversation turned to work.
There are just some things you can't discuss properly without meeting in person.
Claire's parents weren't the type to act out the "I won't give you my daughter!" trope.
Instead, we spoke calmly about business.
Men are hopeless, aren't they? We just can't help but talk shop.
But I suppose it was fine.
"Since Latarnians love spicy things above all else, I believe we can safely export plenty of snacks that are unpopular here in the Empire."
"Leo-kun, what about things like the Ginseng Flavor Series?"
"They'd likely be a favorite."
"Hoh... is that so? The world really is a vast place."
We continued like that for a while.
I stayed for dinner before leaving with Claire.
Claire had even helped cook.
Achievement Unlocked: Eating her homemade cooking. (Meals made during regular cooking rotation do not count.)
We met back up with Raven-kun and the guards at the base of the apartment building.
I had given them money beforehand and told them to "Take turns going out to eat," so there were no complaints.
"There will be yokan and kudzu starch cakes waiting for you when we get back."
"Thank you for your kind consideration."
I had also ordered some alcohol and snacks for them.
It was a Department Store Recommended Sake Set.
I hoped they'd enjoy it together.
Though since we were being monitored, we couldn't drink ourselves!
Speaking of the department store, the moment I spoke to the voice chat window and said, "This is Leo Kamishiro of the Imperial Army. I require souvenirs for my in-laws, my squad members, and the Knights guarding me..." they responded with a panicked, "B-Brigadier General! W-we will prepare everything immediately!" and handled the entire setup.
I really have become a person of high standing...
I think I might genuinely want a secretary and a dedicated Civil Official at this point.
We returned to the Inner Palace by limousine.
A lot of things in my life were feeling a bit glitched out, but I figured I’d lose if I thought too hard about it.
When we arrived at the Inner Palace, One-oh-one was there to greet us.
"Yokan! Kudzu starch cakes!!! De-arimasu!!!"
She’d been forced to wait, and it seemed her brain was short-circuiting.
"You could have eaten without us."
As I spoke, Tatiana approached with a laugh.
"Wan said she wanted to eat with everyone."
"That is correct, de-arimasu!!!"
"One-oh-one, you're such a good girl!"
I gave her head a thorough pat.
"Hurry, hurry, de-arimasu!!!"
"Alright, alright."
It was time for yokan and kudzu starch cakes.
Mmm, the sweetness really soaked into my tired body.
Starting tomorrow, we'd be moving between planets.
First up was Ren's home, which was the closest.
I wonder if Marma-kun is doing well?
Man, I really feel from the bottom of my heart that peace is a wonderful thing.