Dinner With Family by Hiroyuki Morioka (best novels for teenagers TXT) 📕

“How did it go?” Lafier asked him.

“I managed to make a bit of progress,” he said, shaking his head, “but we ended up just talking about family stuff.”

“Nothing more important than family,” said Samson. “That said, is that really making progress?”

“I got them to agree to meet with me in person.”

Samson raised an eyebrow. “You’ll be representing us by your lonesome?”

“That, I don’t know for sure yet. I do think that’s the best way to handle this, though.”

“Where will you meet?” asked Lafier.

“That hasn’t been settled yet, either.”

“We can’t just let you go to the surface by yourself,” said Lafier.

“Whoa, Your Highness, you took the words right outta my mouth,” said Samson. “I can’t let my young Lord betake himself to the lap of danger.”

“Uhh, guess this where I say I’d follow His Excellency through a towering inferno?” said Paveryua.

“If Her Highness decides to go, then I will accompany her,” said Sehrnye flatly.

“Thanks, you guys,” said Jint. He organized his thoughts. “First thing’s first, we call over the Baucbiruch. Is its conveyance ship already out and about?”

“I imagine so,” said Lafier. “It went right after the exercise ended.”

“When’s its next scheduled fligh— ah, wait, hold on a sec.” Jint realized there was no point asking the people here, so he took a peek at the conveyance ship service schedule using his wristgear. Fortunately for them, now that the exercise was over, the schedule was no longer locked behind a firewall of confidentiality, allowing an outsider like Jint to access it without any issue. And evidently, the next flight would depart in around an hour.

“I’m taking the liberty to board this conveyance ship. The Baucbiruch should be arriving in three days’ time. Let’s decide on our policy in that time.”

“Spoken like a true lord, Jint,” said Lafier.

Jint had to wonder whether that was a compliment.

Chapter 9: Cipath Ésarr (Dinner With Family)

Just as Jint expected, the Baucbiruch arrived at the Countdom of Hyde three days later.

In the meantime, Trample-Blitz Squadron 1 was busy with bringing matters related to the exercise to a close. The starpilots were swamped analyzing all of the information, while the NCCs were occupied running checks on the ships. It was Star Forces tradition to cut loose in any post-combat feast, and the post-feast clean-up was perhaps the most vital of all of the copious things to do. With that, too, over and done with, Trample-Blitz Squadron 1 was returning to the imperial capital, thereby switching places with the Baucbiruch.

Before transferring to the Baucbiruch, Jint paid a visit to the captain’s quarters to offer Sobash some parting greetings. If he’d wanted to, he could’ve gotten Sobash to see him off at the point of transfer, but he figured the man didn’t have the time for a leisurely chat.

“We’ll miss you,” said Sobash. “Vanguard Ecryua included.”

“Her, too?”

“She did seem awfully taken with your cat. If you leave now without giving them an opportunity to reunite, she might be a little sad. Not that I ever truly understand what’s going through that woman’s head.”

“Ah, I see.” A wry smile. “Dyaho is on the Baucbiruch. He has a litter now, and one of the kittens looks just like him, so it’s obvious who he’ll be going to. The other kittens are really cute, too, though, so if you’re interested, I’d actually be thankful if you could take one of them off my hands.”

“I’m afraid I don’t find the prospect of bringing a cat into a warzone particularly admirable. We head into battle knowing what we’re getting into, but it’s rather rare for a cat to understand just what sort of sorry state of affairs it’s been dragged to.”

“Ah, right, sorry,” he apologized. While this particular voyage hadn’t been to an actual field of battle, his proverbial ledger was stained by a prior bringing-a-cat-into-war offense. And he’d been told off by Lafier in much the same way.

“Oh, there’s no need to apologize. I also love doing things the people around me are unamused by.”

“I mean, I didn’t bring a cat onboard just to grate on people’s nerves...”

“I will say that if Vanguard Ecryua takes responsibility, I won’t object.”

“Understood. I’ll try asking her later.” Then something dawned on him. “Are you not interested in them, Mr. Sobash?”

“Interested in cats, you mean?” Sobash shook his head. “I have a great deal of interest, but I’ve decided not to raise any.”

“...Ah. Why is that?”

“It’s a long story. Let’s save it for another time,” said Sobash, changing the subject. “In any case, it will be a slight load off not to get glared at by Fïac Lartnér any longer.”

“Glared at? By Fïac Lartnér?”

“Yes, that’s right. You haven’t noticed her glaring at me occasionally?”

“Nope. Not at all,” he replied diffidently. “Did something happen?”

“I wager it’s because I’ve become a ship commander.”

“This raid ship’s?”

Sobash nodded.

“Is it... envy?” Jint blinked.

“Saying I’m envied by Her Highness the Royal Princess may come across as my ego inflating, but, well, I don’t know how else to put it. It’s not me, specifically, she’s jealous of, of course. It’s all Caubh-class ship commanders. Though perhaps ‘envy’ isn’t quite the right assessment after all,” he corrected himself. “In all likelihood, she simply can’t grasp why she isn’t a Caubh-class ship commander herself.”

“Now that you mention it, that may just be the case.”

Sobash’s words did ring some bells. Lafier was exceptionally averse to voicing anything that might resemble what she’d deem an idle complaint, but it was apparent through her attitude that she felt her being aboard this ship as a mere passenger was nonsensical.

Am I holding her in place? He shuddered at the thought. There was no way that was true. A prideful royal princess like her, committing herself to a set of circumstances she didn’t care for, while not obligated to? The thought wouldn’t even cross her mind.

“When all is said and done, Her Highness is caught in a love triangle.”

“A love triangle!?” That was an opinion of consequence.

“In short,” said Sobash, smiling, “she doesn’t know whether to choose you, or