Gushiken Imai

It is midnight.

Asahi opened his eyes and got up the bed. When he moved his hand, he felt something warm clinging on his arm. He moved away the blanket covering him and saw a girl sleeping beside him. The girl slowly opened her eyes and gave Asahi a faint smile.

"Good morning, Asahi~" the girl muttered softly.

The girl has a cute face, to the point that almost everyone that sees her will unconsciously think that she's adorable. Her long black hair is also smooth as silk, and her split bangs adds up to her cuteness.

"It's still midnight though" Asahi replied.

The girl beside him is Gushiken Imai, she is Asahi's childhood friend and also the 3rd young miss of the Gushiken Clan, one of the Memino Kingdom's 8 Great Clans.

"Anyway, why are you here? And you're sleeping in my bed too." Asahi asked.

"I heard that Asahi will leave tommorow, so I wanna be by your side for the remaining time." Imai replied with a cute voice.

Meanwhile, Asahi is thinking-

(Waaaa! So adorable! I wish I had a girlfriend like her~ oh, wait a minute, she likes me doesn't she? That's the only reason I can think of for her to crawl in my bed tonight)

(What a coincidence, I also like her since we first met. But I can't believe how dense I was before I regained my memories from my previous life. Doesn't that mean we love each other!?)

While Asahi was saying that in his mind, he didn't realize that he was staring at Imai with a somewhat creepy smile in his face.

"W-what's wrong, Asahi?" Imai asked with a slightly confused look.

However, Asahi held her hand and said

"Imai, I like you! Will you go out with me?"

Imai's face turned red and a shocked expression appeared on her face.

(Haa, that expression is so cute~) Asahi thought.

But then, he felt a sudden pain across his cheek. Imai slapped him.

"Asahi! Y-you s-stupid, stupid, stupid! Stupid Asahi!" Imai shrieked in a cute voice. Then she suddenly got out of bed and ran away from the room.

"What..?" Asahi was dumbfounded by her reaction. He thought that he was finally going to get a girlfriend. It was also his dream to have a harem, so he thought his first harem member was finally joining in. But reality was cruel.

"Haa..." Asahi lied down back into the bed and sighed deeply. A look of regret is in his face.

"That was sad, but I won't give up, Imai. I like you since even before I regained my previous life's memories, I was just so dense back then."

After saying that, Asahi got up and stretched his body, then he stared at the window.

"Well, I guess for now, I should test drive my Dimorphos." Asahi said as he got out of his room.

•••

Meanwhile, Imai was running in the corridor with her face beet red. The people who passes by was also confused as to why she is like this.

(Asahi is so stupid! Why did he catch me off guard like that!?... no, maybe I am the stupid one, he must be hurt being rejected like that.)

Imai's eyes is almost tearing up, a sad expression appeared on her face.

"What's the matter, Imai? Did something happened?" Suddenly, a handsome man in his forties appeared in front of Imai. He has an aura of a veteran swordsman that has experienced countless battles. Even a normal person can tell just by looking that the man has trained his body for years.

That man is Kiryuin Shigure, the Kiryuin Clan's Head and also Asahi's adoptive father.

"Ah, it's nothing, uncle. I was just about to leave. Asahi said that you all are going to the Aerstrand Kingdom together, so I thought I'll sleep to the guest room to not be a bother." Imai replied. A bitter smile showing in her adorable face.

"Oh, is that so? Did Asahi woke up? I heard from Ana that he fell asleep in the afternoon." Shigure answered, saying that the maid named Ana told him.

"Yes, he just woke up, so maybe he'll prepare stuff before going. I don't want to bother him so I got out." Imai said with a strained smile.

"I see, thank you then, for seeing my son. You have been really nice to him since you first met, and you're one of his important friends, I hope you continue being like that." Shigure said while patting Imai's head. He feels relieved that his son, Asahi, has a friend like her.

"I should get going, be careful not to fall while running, okay?"

The 8 Great Clans are in close relationship to each other, so visiting other clans isn't even a problem. In fact, they will even treat visitors with care, and the same goes for Imai.

"Okay, uncle.  Please tell Asahi to have a safe trip." Imai said happily.

"Alright." Shigure replied with a smile and continued walking towards Asahi's room.

Imai sighed in relief, then she also continued walking.

(Alright, I'm gonna answer Asahi properly the next time we meet.)

Imai thought, not knowing that Asahi was going to the Aerstrand Kingdom to attend the birthday party of his soon-to-be fiancee.

•••

While walking through the corridor, Asahi saw Shigure ahead of him. A happy expression appeared in Asahi's face. Since he was thinking of seeing his father, it was a good timing.

"Good evening, Father. This may be a bit sudden, but may I have a request?" Upon seeing his father, Asahi immediately put on his honor student facade.

(Whew, I was tense earlier because of my reincarnation to put on a facade when talking to the maids, I'm not going to make a mistake this time.) Asahi thought, while thinking how he acted like a nervous wimp in front of the maids earlier.

"Oh, I was just looking for you too. I thought of asking you if you are ready for the departure tomorrow. Oh speaking of, what is that request of yours?" Shigure said while smiling at Asahi.

"Father, I want to go to the Aerstrand Kingdom in advance, and I'm ready to go now. I also won't need an Airship. I want to exercise my feet, you see. That's why I also want to ask where we will be going."

"Oh, so that's how it is, well, if you say so. And the party we were going to attend is at Duke Engelbert House. Their territory is at the Aerstrand Kingdom's border, similar to our Clan's.  So the journey should be short." Shigure replied.

Engelbert House is one of the 3 Great Noble Houses of the Aerstrand Kingdom.

But then, he noticed Asahi's earing. "Hmm? Asahi, what is that on your ear?"

"Oh this? You see, Father, I realized that my talent for swordsmanship was a bit lacking, so I thought of a few things and found out that I am a bit of a genius when it comes to creating things." Asahi said, then his earing shined dimly and transformed into a pitch black katana with red outline designs.

"Oh, that's quite interesting, Asahi, with this, you can help our Kiryuin Clan, and even the Memino Kingdom grow even more!" Shigure said delightfully while patting Asahi's head.

"Thank you, Father. That was also what I was thinking. I will also give you some of my creations if make one." Asahi said with a composed smile.

"You're always stiff huh, just do what you want to do, as long as you have fun." Shigure said with a doting smile.

(Thank goodness father believed that. Luckily, there's also other modes for Dimorphos other than it's armor mode. Well, it wasn't entirely a lie either. It's just hard to believe that I somehow remembered how to use a power that can create thing out of thin air that I once had from who-knows-when.)

Asahi said that with a sigh of relief in his mind.

The reason his father agreed to him to travel to another country in the middle of the night is because the Memino Kingdom is unified. There are no internal conflicts, and the people here live a satisfying life. So the crime rate is below 5%, the only dangers around are the monsters.

And magic also exists in this world. Most people know of body enhancement magic, so while traveling to another country might take time, the Kiryuin Clan and Engelbert House' territory are both in their Kingdom's borders, they can also be said as territorial neighbors, so traveling with your body enhanced will only take a few days.

"See you then, father. And oh, I'm already prepared, so I'm ready to go."

"Alright, run away if you encounter danger, okay? Oh, and by the way, Imai said that you should have a safe trip." Shigure said with a smile.

Upon hearing that, Asahi also smiled. A very faint blush appeared in his face.

"If that's the case, please tell her thank you, father. I'll be going now." Asahi said, and ran forward.

(So Imai doesn't hate me. Thank goodness) Asahi thought, while seeing an image of Imai smiling happily at him in his mind.

Shigure was standing at the corridor, as he see Asahi's back getting further, a faint smile appeared on his face. He then muttered

(Kids sure grow up so fast. Well, I should get going. I'll check what Hatsuki is doing. Maybe she's already asleep?)

Then, Shigure continued walking into the corridor.