The morning after the day Luna punched the Leonard Theocracy out of existence——the time is eight-thirty in the morning.
“……”
Dressed in her Saint’s Academy uniform, she sips her ‘children’s tea’——loaded with sugar and milk——and goes through the morning newspaper.
■ Survival Confirmed: ‘Great Swordsman’ Zel-sama of the Legendary Saint’s Party!
■ Zel-sama Appears Without Warning and Declares the Founding of the Holy Kingdom! The Shadow of the Saint and Silver Behind It All!?
■ Mysterious Enormous Crater Appears in the Tamur Desert! Failed Magical Experiment by the Leonard Theocracy?!
Yesterday’s incident is splashed across the headlines in enormous text.
(……What do I do. This turned into a much bigger commotion than I thought……)
As Luna sits there looking pale, Ro comes in, morning preparations done.
“Luna-sama, it’s almost time to leave for school. Do you have everything?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Then let’s go.”
On the short walk from the student dormitory to the main building——
(Hahhh……this has turned into quite a mess……)
——Luna sighs and thinks back over yesterday.
After Zel made his declaration of the Holy Kingdom’s founding, the Spedio domain erupted into a grand celebration of eating, drinking, and singing.
The joy of being freed from the four great powers’ exploitation, the excitement of independence and freedom, the thrill of having the Saint, Silver, and Zel’s blessing——all of it mixed together, and the people of the domain went wild with delight.
In the midst of it all, Owl, Raios, and Curse, the trio of Holy Knights, cancelled their hard-won inn reservation and had been about to set off on the road back to the capital.
[Well then Silver, it’s a little earlier than planned, but we’re heading off.]
[The Spedio domain’s independence, the founding of a Holy Kingdom with the Saint at its apex——we need to report this to Nilva-san as soon as possible.]
[No no no, I’m exhausted and I can’t move a single step! Let’s just stay here quietly tonight and head back slowly tomorrow!]
Ignoring Curse’s howling protests, Owl and Raios set off down the road.
They have probably finished their report to Prime Minister Nilva Steindorf by now and are discussing countermeasures with the kingdom’s upper brass.
(……A Holy Kingdom, huh……)
As of right now, at least——Luna is not all that enthusiastic about it.
She cannot find the point, the necessity, of going to the trouble of building a country.
(Is Zel serious about this? ……Given that look, almost certainly yes……)
She thinks back to the exchange after the Holy Kingdom’s founding declaration.
[Zel, what was all that about!? I never heard anything about building a country!?]
[Saint-sama, please leave this to this unworthy Zel. This time, I will surely create a world where you can live happily……!]
He knelt on the spot and looked straight at Luna with crimson eyes full of strong resolve——and Luna, weak against persistence, had handed things over with a [um, well then……I leave it to you].
(He’ll never admit it, but Zel has a tendency to go off in the wrong direction……. I’m a little worried.)
As goes the master, so goes the loyal retainer.
Both Luna and Zel perceived the other as ‘having a tendency to go off in the wrong direction.’
“——Luna-sama, are you alright?”
“Hm……ah, yes, what is it, Ro?”
“You’ve seemed rather ‘absent’ for a little while, so I thought I’d check in.”
“Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”
Luna offers a deflecting smile, and Ro blinks in what looks like genuine surprise.
“Luna-sama……lost in thought. How unusual.”
“……Ro, you can be a little rude sometimes.”
“I do apologize. My honest feelings slipped out.”
“That is absolutely not an apology!”
By the time they finish that exchange, they have arrived at the Year One, Class C classroom.
As was to be expected, the topic consuming the class was ‘the incident.’
“Hey, did you see the Holy Kingdom news?”
“I can’t believe Zel-sama was still alive……!”
“But still……what a development. The Spedio domain’s independence——the four great powers are not going to stay quiet about this.”
While watching the buzzing classmates out of the corner of her eye, Luna makes her way to her seat——and Sarko and Wendy come over.
“Luna, Ro, good morning.”
“Luna-san, Ro-san, good morning.”
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Morning.”
With morning greetings exchanged, Sarko opens her mouth with a look of concern.
“Luna……the Spedio domain is the land your family governs, if I recall? I saw it in this morning’s paper, and, well……is everything alright?”
“Hmm, for now it seems fine, I think?”
She can hardly say ‘I’m the one being installed as head of state,’ so she deflects to avoid causing worry.
As a side note——Ro has not disclosed that she is from the Spedio domain, since she is hiding her connection to her master.
“You see, I told you, Sarko-san? There’s no need to worry so much. (The Spedio domain is Luna-san’s hometown. The fact that the founding declaration was made there means……Zel-sama is trying to protect the Saint. Oh……thank goodness……)”
Wendy, who knows the Saint’s true identity, is genuinely, deeply relieved that Luna has gained a reliable ally.
While this is going on, the classroom door opens and Year One, Class C’s homeroom teacher, Jurale Serpent, comes in.
Standing at the podium, he gives a small cough and gathers the students’ attention.
“——Good morning, everyone. I’ll be starting morning homeroom now. Today I have three announcements, all of which are very important, so please listen carefully.”
Jurale says this and opens a folding binder.
“First, regarding the founding of the Holy Kingdom. The Spedio domain has been our nation’s sovereign territory since ancient times, and its independence is something that can under no circumstances be recognized. ……However, this declaration was made by the legendary Saint’s party’s ‘Great Swordsman,’ Zel-sama. According to him, the Saint and Silver are in agreement with this. The matter has already been taken up in the kingdom’s parliament, and a highly political judgment will be rendered. The surrounding noise will inevitably be distracting——but I want you all, as future Saints in training, to focus on your ‘primary work’——on recovering the abilities and memories of your past lives.”
(The kingdom’s parliament, a political judgment……oh no, what do I do. This really is turning into a serious situation……)
While the Saint is going ‘oh no oh no’ inside, Jurale’s address moves on.
“Second. Beginning with today’s lunch break, the freshman recruitment period——commonly known as ‘shinkan’——begins. When you are eating lunch, upper-year students will likely come to this classroom and give brief club introductions and recreational demonstrations. This academy encourages participation in club activities. I encourage all of you to take the initiative and join something that catches your interest.”
(Shinkan, clubs……. Yeah, I’m actually a little excited……!)
Luna, who had a grey spring three hundred years ago, cannot resist this kind of ‘student-like event.’
“And finally, regarding the ‘summer retreat’ scheduled for the middle of next week. The plan had originally been to undergo rigorous ‘Saint’s training’ at Mount Tengenzian in the eastern kingdom——but just recently, an invitation for a joint summer retreat arrived from the Grandize Holy Nation, and Principal Badam has accepted it. As a result, this time we will be traveling to the Holy Nation’s Saint Academy. Further details will be announced separately on another day.”
This announcement sets the classroom buzzing.
“Th-the Holy Nation’s Saint Academy……!?”
“That reclusive Holy Nation, extending an invitation for a joint summer retreat……”
“What could have brought this on?”
While the surrounding students are abuzz, Luna squeezes her fist tight.
(The Holy Nation has one of the Saint’s prophecy books……! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get it back……!)
At the Great Reincarnation Festival in the Albus Empire not long ago, a beastman fortune-teller named Mada Babara’s reading had confirmed that a Saint’s prophecy book is in the Holy Nation.
(The Holy Nation is a country that hasn’t changed, for better or for worse. If my guess is right, the prophecy book must be stored there somewhere……!)
Around three hundred years ago, Luna was born in the Grandize Holy Nation and spent a considerable amount of time there.
So she has at least some grasp of the country’s culture and geography.
“That went a little long, but that’s all for homeroom. Hmm……five minutes until first period. We’ll have to hurry. ——Saint track students to the courtyard, support track students to Lecture Hall One, please move promptly.”
After that, she works through first, second, and third periods, and the lunch bell rings.
“Phewww……it’s over……!”
Running her Saint-brain at full power has left Luna utterly famished.
She stretches out with a great big yawn and pulls her lunch box from her bag——and Ro, Sarko, and Wendy each bring their own lunches and gather around her desk.
Since Luna’s seat is right in the middle of everyone else’s, lunchtime always ends up this way.
“[Everyone]: ——Itadakimasu.”
Hands together before the meal.
Luna picks up the tamagoyaki on the far right first.
“Mmm, delicious! Ro’s bento is the best in the world!”
“Yes yes, I’m glad.”
“Come to think of it, you two are roommates living in the same room, aren’t you.”
“Oh, you are? That’s nice……I’m a little envious.”
As the four of them are talking like this, the classroom door slides open with a clatter——and five upper-year students in gym clothes come in.
The shinkan Jurale mentioned is beginning.
“Hello, first-years! We’re here today with a fun little demonstration to introduce the wonderful world of badminton!”
The badminton club carries out a practical demonstration using magic——and when that finishes, three students in black robes file in as if in a relay.
“Good afternoon, Year One, Class C. Would you like to join our Magical Instrument Research Society and broaden your horizons? Spend your time with us and you’ll be able to build magical instruments like these all on your own.”
The Magical Instrument Research Society shows off handmade magical instruments——and after that, five students clutching silver crucifixes take their place.
“Hello, we are members of the Saint’s Church, Kingdom Branch! Out of the blue, but——are all of you ‘happy’ right now? Most of you would probably answer ‘no.’ So what can you do to become happy? It’s very simple: join the Saint’s Church, and offer your prayers to the Saint! Now please join me and let us pray together! Ready and——”
Just as an unmistakably different sort of ‘dangerous recruitment activity’ is about to begin——the classroom doors at the front and back both slide open, and the Saint’s Academy’s PE teachers come storming in.
“Saint’s Church! As expected, you’ve slipped in again this year!”
“Turning up like cockroaches, year after year……today we’re finally going to catch you!”
“There should be more of them somewhere! Find them before they start proselytizing!”
The teachers move in for the grab——but the Saint’s Church members kick through the window and leap outside, scattering like startled spiders.
“……What a turbulent group of people.”
Luna mutters quietly——
“Just as wild as the rumors said.”
Ro agrees with exasperation——
“Really……they pop up everywhere.”
Sarko shakes her head with a weary look——
“They’ve been very active lately. They’re becoming a social problem in the Empire too.”
——and Wendy gives a tired smile.
Lunch break and afternoon classes end, and the after-school period arrives.
As Luna, Ro, Sarko, and Wendy are happily chatting while making the rounds of various clubs——
“Oh, you two there……you look like you’ve got some life in you! How about a quick game?”
An upper-year student with a tennis racket calls out to Ro and Sarko, who both look like they keep themselves in shape.
“Ah, I’ll pass, thanks.”
Ro, not wanting to break a sweat, declines——
“If one game is all it is, I’d be happy to oblige.”
——while Sarko, unexpectedly, takes her up on it.
“Oh, great! Let’s do it! The court over there is open, let’s go!”
“Heh, please go easy on me. ——Everyone, I’m terribly sorry, but could you wait just five minutes?”
Sarko smiles with quiet confidence and heads toward the tennis courts.
The one-game match that follows is thoroughly one-sided.
“Oh-hohohoho! I’m just getting started!”
“Ugh, you’re good……!”
Precise-to-a-fault shot placement, fundamentals across the board——forehand, backhand, volley, serve——all at a high level, combined with wind magic that changes shape at will——Sarko maintains control of the match from start to finish and rides that momentum to a decisive win.
“S-Sarko-san, that was incredible……!”
“Sarko, you’re good!”
“Sarko-san, you’re so cool!”
As Luna, Ro, and Wendy heap on the praise——
“Heh, well……perhaps I am rather good!”
——Sarko laughs happily in very high spirits.
“I……can’t believe it. Getting demolished by a first-year……!”
“No, that was an incredible match. The opponent was just too good——that girl might even be a professional……?”
“Golden ringlet curls, an ultra-aggressive tennis style, graceful wind magic……could you be Sarl Ko Leyton!?”
With the gazes of numerous tennis club members converging on her, Sarko gives a bold smile.
“If you’ve seen through me, there’s no hiding it. Last year’s Kingdom Cup U16 Junior Division Champion——’The Hornet of the Capital,’ Sarl Ko Leyton——is me!”
The instant she reveals herself——
“Sarl-san, welcome to the hard-court tennis club!”
“With you here, we can beat the Empire’s tennis club! We could even aim for the Four-Power Cup championship!”
“Hey hey, do you have a bit of time? Would you like to get tea at a nearby café? Our club is paying, of course!”
The tennis club members begin ‘recruitment’——no, ‘encirclement’——at a ferocious pace.
“Thank you for the invitation. I will give serious consideration to joining the hard-court tennis club. However……I’m in the middle of a club tour with my dear friends right now, so the tea gathering will have to wait for another occasion.”
Sarko gives an elegant bow and returns to the others.
After that, they observe the brass band, dance club, and track and field club, and while walking through the academy discussing ‘where should we go next’——a dull thud sounds, followed by a small cheer.
Luna looks that way to find a small crowd of around ten people gathered in an open area.
“What is that……?”
“Hmm, probably the boxing club?”
“What are they doing over there?”
“Club introduction? A demonstration? It’s a bit hard to tell from here.”
As a curious Luna and the others head that way——a first-year student with gloves on is following an upper-year’s instruction and hitting a punching bag.
It looks like they are calling out to passing new students and using it to lead into boxing club recruitment.
“——Oh, the black-haired one over there. Want to give it a swing? Great stress relief.”
“Me……?”
Suddenly singled out, Ro points at herself with a confused expression.
“Yes, you! I can tell, I can tell……you look like you’ve built up quite a lot of stress, haven’t you? Since you’re here, why not get it out? Whacking a punching bag feels absolutely great!”
“It’s less ‘stress’ and more ‘accumulated fatigue from worrying after someone,’ but……very well.”
Ro murmurs this quietly and goes to stand in front of the punching bag.
“Go on, let it all out! And once you feel better, come join the boxing club!”
Ro responds with a vague “ahahaha, I’ll think about it” as she puts the offered glove on her right hand.
And then——
“Ha!“
The right hook she throws sinks deep into the punching bag, and a tremendous shattering impact sound rings out.
The chain is torn apart by the force, and the punching bag rockets up to the third floor of the main building——then, pulled by gravity, drops back down to the ground with a heavy thud.
“[Everyone]: Th-that’s incredible……!”
As the boxing club members stand dumbstruck——
“Phew, that felt good……!”
——Ro, wearing a bright, refreshed smile, returns the glove and comes back to the others.
“Ro, you have quite the right hand! I’m sure you could aim for nationals!”
Sarko praises her with excitement——
“Th-that’s an amazing punch……! Ro-san, you’re very strong!”
Wendy is surprised and impressed——
“(……The reason Ro is stressed, that’s not because of me……is it?)”
——and Luna, with several things coming uncomfortably to mind, feels a small twinge of unease.
After seeing all sorts of clubs and just when it looks like they are about to call it a day——Wendy raises her hand timidly.
“Um……actually, I’m a little bit interested in the literature club……. If you don’t mind, could you come along and take a look with me?”
“Of course.”
“Where is the literature club again?”
“Fourth floor of the special building, the multipurpose room, I believe.”
On the way to the multipurpose room——Luna brings up a topic she has been wanting to talk about for a while.
“Come to think of it, Wendy-san, you said in your self-introduction that ‘reading is a hobby,’ didn’t you?”
“Yes. But……it’s a bit surprising you remembered something from such a quick introduction.”
“Heh. I read quite a bit myself, so I thought, ‘oh, same!’ Tell me, what kind of genre do you like?”
“Wh. A-ahh, um……”
Wendy, unusually, stumbles over her words and scratches her cheek with a bashful look.
“Actually……I have a weakness for villainess novels……”
“No, really!?”
“A-ahaha……. It’s a bit niche, isn’t it……”
“Not at all, I love them too! Villainess stories!”
“Huh, seriously!?”
Luna nods yes, yes at the surprised Wendy.
“For real! Something recent like ‘The Reincarnated Saint Turns Out to Be a Hopeless Villainess!?’ was so good!”
“Oh, I read that too! The final scene was especially good. Where she beats up the wicked duke and the bandit group with overwhelming physical strength! It was so cool, it sent chills down my spine!”
“I know, I know! And the line there was so good too! ‘——How feeble. You’re not even worth my time.'”
“Hahaha, that’s a little bit like——!”
Luna and Wendy, having found a kindred spirit in each other, blossom into full villainess conversation, getting so worked up that they occasionally forget to use polite speech.
“They seem to be having fun……”
“Villainess novels……. Are those popular right now……?”
Ro and Sarko, who have absolutely no way into the conversation, seriously consider “maybe I should try reading one sometime.”
By the time all of this is done, they arrive at the special building’s fourth floor, multipurpose room.
“So this is the literature club’s room.”
“Hmm, it’s pretty quiet, isn’t it?”
“Well, it is the literature club. Given the nature of their activities, there wouldn’t be much making noise.”
“The lights are on, but is it alright to just walk in……?”
As the four of them are puzzling over this outside the multipurpose room——
“——Oho!? Prospective new members, spotted!”
A red-brown-haired upper-year student comes sprinting down the hallway from the far end at remarkable speed.
“You especially, the silver-haired one! I can smell that you’re the same type as us——’indoor’ types who don’t see enough sun! Come join the literature club! Will you? Want to? Oh, you will? Right, let’s go!”
“Huh, wha, wait!?”
Luna, who is magnetized for getting swept up in things, is scooped firmly under the student’s arm like a small animal and marched directly into the multipurpose room.
“H-hey, just a moment……!”
“Wait right there! Where are you taking her!”
“Let’s follow them!”
Ro, Sarko, and Wendy hurry after the two of them.
The multipurpose room is larger on the inside than it looks, with enormous quantities of books, discarded tracksuit tops, and an inexplicably out-of-season kotatsu——a cluttered, lived-in space.
At the far end of the room, Luna is plonked down on the visitor sofa, and across a single desk from her sit Kidnapper A and a composed-looking young woman.
“Look, Mireille! I found a prospective new member or two and brought them back!”
“Liz……you can’t kidnap people. Hahhh……I’m sorry about this. You must have been startled.”
“Um, yes……a bit.”
Addressed suddenly, Luna gives a small nod.
“And……are you all this girl’s companions?”
Mireille looks up and——
“Yes, more or less.”
——Ro answers on everyone’s behalf.
“Oh! When did we get so many prospective members!? ——Oh right, I forgot introductions! I’m Liz Dot, Year Two, Class A. Nice to meet you!”
Liz Dot, sixteen years old.
165 centimeters, a slender build, red-brown mid-length hair.
A bright, lively beauty with red glasses.
“I’m Mireille Slope, also Year Two, Class A. Meeting here must be fate of some kind, so let’s all get along.”
Mireille Slope, sixteen years old.
167 centimeters, a slender build.
A composed, quiet beauty with long, distinctive black hair.
“I’m Luna Spedio.”
“Ro Steinclaw.”
“Sarl Ko Leyton.”
“My name is Wendy Triard.”
With introductions made all around, Mireille bows apologetically.
“Luna-san, I’m so sorry about our Liz. This isn’t exactly a peace offering, but……if you’d all like, please help yourselves.”
“Oh, thank you very much.”
Luna, a great lover of sweets, reaches for the red-packaged cookie——and feels a ‘strange sensation.’
(……Hm……?)
A wet, damp, indescribable odd sensation at her fingertip.
“……Red……ink……?”
Her thumb, for some reason, is stained red.
The moment she looks at this in puzzlement——
“——Chesto!”
Liz swings a vigorous knife-hand down toward Luna’s right hand, attempting to slam it onto the desk.
But——the Saint’s superhuman reflexes send it cutting emptily through the air.
“What do you think you’re doing, all of a sudden!?”
Against Luna’s protest——
“Kgh, to dodge that……!”
“You couldn’t do it with that setup……you’re quite something……!”
Liz and Mireille both stare with eyes wide in shock.
Looking more carefully, directly beneath Luna’s right hand is a ‘Literature Club Application Form’——and had that knife-hand landed, her thumbprint would have been stamped in the signature field.
(Th-these upperclassmen……they’re the type you should not get involved with……)
Luna slowly gets up from the chair and turns to go——but Liz and Mireille desperately cling on.
“W-wait! If you don’t join, our club is going to be dissolved……!”
“If we can’t get enough members, the literature club is going to close down due to being under the minimum……!”
At the end of last school year, the third-years graduated, and the literature club is now down to just Liz and Mireille.
The Saint’s Academy’s rules require a minimum of three people to be recognized as an active organization.
The literature club is currently below this, and if they cannot recruit a new member during this year’s shinkan, they will be disbanded.
“Wait, the literature club is going to disappear……?”
“Yeah, at this rate……it will. But if even just one more person joins——one more member——we clear the minimum! Honestly a ghost member who barely shows up is totally fine, just please join us!”
“We don’t have many friends, and when we ask our classmates they won’t give us the time of day……. So first-years are our only option……. There’s no club fee or annual fee, so there’s no downside for you at all! So please, we’re begging you……!”
The two of them plead for all they are worth.
(If I don’t join, the literature club disappears……. And the upperclassmen said they have no friends……)
The kind-hearted Saint has a weakness for tearful appeals——and is already starting to feel something like sympathy.
But a cool-headed trio weighs in with a word of caution.
“Luna, you might be a bit too empathetic. For the sake of not getting mixed up with strange people in the future, it would be good to learn to say no and mean it.”
Ro gives well-intentioned advice, as befitting a maidservant——
“Your kind heart that thinks of others is a virtue in you, but……it might be wise to be a little more selective.”
Sarko offers gentle caution, as a friend——
“Luna-san, these are clearly ‘bad upperclassmen’ by any measure. Let’s make sure they don’t drag you down.”
——and Wendy delivers a cold, clear assessment, as a secret intelligence operative and Saint support operative.
“H-hold on, hold on, hold on……! Our literature club has plenty of ‘excellent points’——things that make us stand out! Let us at least do our club pitch! We won’t take much of your time……please?”
“That’s right! At least hear our introduction! It won’t take long……okay?”
At Liz and Mireille’s plea, Luna decides to at least hear them out.
“Well then……what kind of activities does the literature club do, specifically?”
“Hmm, let me think. We gather in the club room after school, read books, chat, eat snacks……?”
“We also collaborate to make ‘doujinshi.'”
“D-doujinshi……”
Those words pierced Luna deep in the chest.
“That’s right. I handle the script and Mireille handles the art.”
“We put things out under the name ‘Lizmir.’ We’ve been to a few events in the capital, and we’re actually a little bit known?”
“H-hehhh……. But doesn’t publishing doujinshi feel embarrassing? Like……having all of humanity find your work a few hundred years after you die, for example. Doesn’t that kind of thought scare you?”
To Luna’s question, Liz and Mireille answer without a moment’s pause.
“——It doesn’t embarrass me, and it doesn’t scare me. Putting your own work out into the world is something to be proud of!”
“Having someone read your work, and enjoying themselves, or smiling, or feeling happy because of it——don’t you think that’s a wonderful thing?”
The two of them have a sincere attitude toward creative work.
(Strange upperclassmen, but their passion for creation……is genuine. Maybe there’s something I could learn from them……)
Luna has a past of producing numerous ‘dark histories’——personal novels, doujinshi, poetry collections and more.
She regrets them now and is desperately trying to retrieve them all——but at the time, she had enjoyed it.
In the middle of a war soaked in blood and death, while she was making her own stories, she could forget all the terrible things for a while. As just a girl, she could indulge in the daydreams appropriate to her age and live in a happy world.
And——deep in her heart, even now, a burning creative desire still smolders.
(Setting aside whether I’d write anything or not……joining the literature club might actually be……reasonable. Getting to use the multipurpose room freely would be kind of cool, like a secret base, there’s no club fee or annual fee apparently, and it sounds like being a ghost member is fine……)
There are advantages to joining the literature club, but no particular disadvantages.
The only thing, if one had to name something, would be getting acquainted with strange upperclassmen.
(Hmm……)
Unlike three hundred years ago, rather than ‘unconditional salvation,’ Luna now thinks about ‘her own benefit’——and reaches a decision.
“Um……I’ll join the literature——”
“——Besides, just look at the Saint, she’s had this mortifying personal journal, the ‘Red Book,’ made public all across the world. Compared to that, putting out doujinshi isn’t embarrassing in the slightest!”
“Really, Liz, you’re so silly. Like I’ve said before, that’s a prophecy book. There’s no way the Saint wrote such a childish little love story.”
The two of them unwittingly dig into Luna’s old wound with everything they have.
(Ugh, nnngh……!)
The Saint’s face goes scarlet from sheer mortification, and the scale that had been tipping toward joining swings hard in the opposite direction.
“——I’m sorry, on reflection I’ll pass.”
“Huh, wait, why!? That was absolutely a ‘she’s going to join’ moment!”
“I-I’m sorry. Did we say something that bothered you……?”
“Hmph, none of your business.”
Luna has completely sulked.
“C-come on, don’t say that……! Look, there are some delicious snacks right here!”
“If you join the literature club, you can eat all kinds of snacks as much as you like!”
With no other options left, the two resort to the last line of defense: bribery by food.
“I am not so cheap as to be lured in by mere snacks……these are good though. Could I have one more……?”
The Saint is weak to bribery by food.
“Yes yes, we have as many as you could want!”
“Go on, help yourself, don’t be shy. We’ve got chocolate and cookies and steamed buns!”
And so, lured in by snacks, Luna decides to join the literature club——
Ro joins as well, to carry out her duties as a maidservant; Wendy joins to support the Saint;
and Sarko, while joining the hard-court tennis club, decides she cannot stand being the only one left out and puts her name in the literature club too.
Shinkan arc: complete!
Next: Holy Nation arc begins!