Chapter 37 – The Final Romance Option

(Ugh, it’s the fifth one!)

A completely unfiltered reaction wells up inside me.
Showing up right after Katsujirou-kun—it feels a little unfair.

There’s no doubt about it.
This is the elementary school version of the other romance option, Suzumiya Teruo.

But his appearance is pretty terrible.
His clothes are clearly ragged, his hair is messy, and he doesn’t look very clean.

At a glance, he looks like a street child from a Southeast Asian slum.

It’s exactly as his character is portrayed—meant to reflect the darker side of Japan in this era—but actually seeing it like this hits harder than expected.

Teruo-kun is an orphan with no relatives, raised in the slums of Japan known as “poor districts.”
By chance, his talent is recognized, and he’s taken in by the Ootori family. 

There, he puts his skills to use and eventually comes to serve in the Ootori estate.

In the game, he even handles shady tasks behind the scenes—he has a particularly dark side.

As you’d expect, he’s a quiet type, and coupled with his background, he carries a lot of emotional weight.

To add to that, in the game, the Villainess can be assassinated by Teruo-kun in some routes.
He’s that kind of character.

And now, I’ve met Teruo-kun in this kind of situation.

In a flashback scene from the game, he’s caught trying to pickpocket a member of the Ootori family, and that’s how he gets discovered.

However, it’s true that scene felt a little lacking in realism.
That said, I’m not sure this encounter is much better either.

Though I was feeling a bit uneasy about it all, I led the way—since I knew the layout of the estate’s garden well—guiding everyone along the edge of the garden to avoid being seen.

Eventually, we reached the service entrance that the household staff always use, which is usually left open.

“You mustn’t, my Lady.”

“Ah!”

When I tried to open the door, my maid Shizu came out from the other side.
Behind her, in the room beyond, was my butler Tokita.

Tokita had just returned from America, and he looked slightly troubled.

“Everyone, what are you intending to do?”

“Um, well, uh…”

While I was fumbling for words, Katsujirou-kun declared boldly:

“I promised I wouldn’t do anything bad to him. I intend to keep that promise.”

(That’s our ‘ore-sama’ character. And just like in the game, he takes responsibility for what he says—how admirable!)

And since the words came from an invited guest, the host side had no choice but to yield a little.
Both Tokita and Shizu let out quiet signs.

“If a promise was made, then there is no helping it. Only up to the servants’ area. Shizu, prepare some hot water, a light meal, and a change of clothes.”

“Understood, Tokita-sama.”

And just like that, in the servants’ utility area, a washbasin, hot water, a hand towel, change of clothes, and some food were quickly prepared by Shizu with practiced efficiency.

While waiting for everything to be prepared, Teruo-kun silently stuffs the food into his mouth.
It looks more like a task than eating.

 

Then Shizu efficiently strips off Teruo-kun’s rags.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t resist at all and lets it happen.

 

But the final stage of stripping him down was a little too intense for me.

　

After all, he’s completely naked in the middle of the wash basin.

 

Moreover, not even he himself, nor anyone else, makes an attempt to hide his lower half from my eyes.
Even the boys who like to act gentlemanly are still six, so they haven’t developed any sense of modesty.

 

Neither Tokita nor Shizu seems to care at all.

 

(Huh? Is this just open-mindedness? Is that how it is? Because I’m still a kid? Also… he’s surprisingly well-endowed.)

 

I ended up seeing something shockingly mature for a six-year-old.

 

If this were an anime or manga, I’d at least scream, but since everyone around me was acting so normal, I couldn’t help but calmly accept it too.

 

Well, even in my previous life, I had seen things outside my family too.

 

I nearly spaced out a little, but I waited for Teruo-kun to finish eating, get changed, and settle down.

 

“Let me ask again, Yamazaki-sama—what exactly did you promise?”

 

“I only said we wouldn’t treat him badly. Normally, you’d just knock him out and toss him out. So as far as I’m concerned, just sending him home would be enough. …No, wait. What do you think?”

Katsujirou-kun, looking satisfied, spoke first, then turned to ask Teruo-kun a question.
As expected from a quiet character, Teruo-kun hasn’t even introduced himself as Teruo yet.

And yet, when questioned, his response is to stand up and immediately try to leave.

“Wait, wait. You may not have stayed the night, but at least show some gratitude for the meal. Think of it as payment—talk to us.”

(That’s a very merchant-like thing to say.)

At those words, Teruo-kun turned on his heel, faced us, and after thinking for a moment, bowed his head.

“Thank you. I appreciate the help. I won’t come back.”

“Tell us why you snuck in. Also, how did you get in?”

When I asked that, he stared straight at me.
Now that he’s clean and tidied up, he looks incredibly cute—I almost feel like blushing.

“I smelled something nice, so I slipped in when someone else entered.”

“I suppose we’ll have to reevaluate our security measures,” Tokita said with a sigh.

Beside him, Shizu nodded with a slightly serious expression.
That’s when an idea popped into my head.

“Hey Tokita, how about trying to train this kid?”

At that, Tokita fixed his gaze on me, raising one eyebrow—a sign he was intrigued.
He placed a hand lightly on his chin and thought for a moment.

Then, after about ten seconds, he spoke.

“Boy, do you have a home or family?”

“I don’t.”

“…Which slum are you from? Azabu, Akasaka?”

“Akasaka.”

“What’s your name?”
“Teruo.”

“Your family name?”

“I don’t know.”

“How have you been surviving?”

“Lots of ways. Pickpocketing, snatching. Begging too. And stealing.”

“That’s pretty impressive for your age.”

Ryuichi-kun couldn’t help but speak in admiration.
Apparently, Katsujirou-kun felt the same. 

Gentarou-kun, on the other hand, furrowed his brows slightly—probably the more normal reaction.

I wonder what kind of expression I’m making.
I know Teruo-kun’s character profile from the game. 

What he’s saying to Tokita right now is exactly that.

A stray boy who survived in the slums as an orphan.
Now that I’ve encountered him, this is something I have to do.

With that thought, I shot Tokita with a firm look.

“Tokita, train this boy. I’ll make him my Oniwaban(a male servant/undercover agent).”

“…Understood. Teruo-kun, is that acceptable? If you accept, the Ootori family will give you the finest education. In return, you’ll pledge your loyalty to us.”

Teruo-kun tilted his head at Tokita’s words.
I thought maybe the wording was a bit difficult for him, but that wasn’t the reason.

“What about food and a place to sleep?”

“We will provide everything you need, including clothing. You will be paid according to your abilities. If you perform well, you will be promoted. You will become a direct subordinate of Ootori Reiko-sama standing right before you. If you accept, kneel down here and pledge your loyalty by bowing your head.”

At Tokita’s slightly old-fashioned words, Teruo-kun nods earnestly and says, 

“I understand.”

From my side, I was like, “Huh?”

Before I could fully react, Teruo-kun kneels in front of me and bows his head.
After a few seconds, he looks up and asks, 

“Is this okay?”

For Teruo-kun right now, food and shelter are the most important things.
I was somewhat shocked by this realization.

In my previous life, Japan was prosperous in many ways.
Even at the bottom of the social ladder, as long as something extreme didn’t happen, food, clothing, and shelter could be managed. 

My own income was below average, but I didn’t have any complaints about my life.

Since reincarnating, I’ve been a young lady from a bourgeois family, one of the highest class.

So, despite having some knowledge of such things, encountering a child like this was a shock.

It seems the three boys felt similarly, as they hardly spoke throughout the exchange.

On the other hand, Tokita remained calm and indifferent, while Shizu gave Teruo a look that seemed to say, “You’ve found a good master.”

As I was still somewhat shocked, Tokita’s voice came through.

“Lady Reiko, would you please give Teruo a name? Without a surname, it feels incomplete.”

His tone was slightly joking, likely out of consideration for the shock I was feeling.

And as the master, I had to respond to the servant.
After all, this was a conversation I had initiated.

“Ah, yes, I understand. Well then…”

I pretended to think, but the name had been decided from the start.
For me, there was no name other than the one from the game.

“Suzumiya Teruo. Cool, like a shrine, and a shining man.”

“Suzumiya? That’s an unusual surname. I’ve heard of the one for the bell, but not this one.”

Shizu spoke up, which was unusual for her. It’s a good sign.

She must have felt like she now had someone below her.
Probably.

“I’ve seen it in some stories. It’s said that it’s a surname not found in Japan, meaning it’s one-of-a-kind here.”

Yes, that’s what was written in my personal analysis of the source novel.
It’s set far in the future, but I hope this boy’s descendants will help raise the Ootori family, not the world.

“A created surname, then. For those who serve, it’s easier for the one in charge if the name is more common, but since it will be used by you, Lady, there should be no issue.”

“Teruo, your name from now on will be Suzumiya Teruo. I will teach you how to write it later. Serve Lady Reiko, who has given you this name, with all your heart and soul.”

“…Understood. Name, thank you. Reiko.”

“It’s Reiko-sama.'”

“Yes. Reiko-sama.”

“Nice to meet you, Teruo.”

“Yeah. Nice to meet you.”

“…Hmm. It seems we’ll need to start from the very basics with you.”

Teruo’s way of speaking was such that he didn’t know kanji, and even Tokita couldn’t help but look like he was wondering, ‘What should we do?’

“Will Tokita be the one to educate him?”

“I would like to, but I’ll entrust him to someone trustworthy. Once he’s learned enough, we’ll send him to the Hououin school for his studies. If we’re going to provide him with a family register and such, he’ll need at least a basic education, or else he might raise unnecessary doubts about his background.”

“Alright, then. So, he’ll start serving me today?”

“Not at all. At least two years. We’ll assess his abilities, but we’ll likely spend about three years properly teaching him.”

“That’s quite a long time.”

“Teaching someone from the very basics is not easy. But, I’ll make sure he’s trained to serve at the heart of Ootori.”

“Well, well, take it easy on him. He probably doesn’t understand much yet.”

“If you give me food and a place to sleep, I’ll do anything.”

Teruo’s somewhat awkward words struck me.

“Anything” is a line that appears in the game as well, when he is asked to take on an assassination contract.

I don’t want him to become someone like a robot, doing whatever he’s told.
However, when serving a large conglomerate or family, it’s inevitable that there will be people who are completely loyal to orders.

I watched as Teruo, escorted by Tokita, left through the back entrance of the mansion.
There was nothing I could do but see him off, having already decided to make him serve me.

“Why the serious look? You should be happy, you helped someone,” said Ryuichi-kun, who seemed rather nonchalant.

Those in charge of conglomerates or noble families need to have this kind of mentality, after all.
Gentarou-kun wore a similar expression.

As for Katsujiro-kun, he merely remarked, “As expected, the woman I chose,” showing no real interest in Teruo, whom he had supposedly helped.

Sigh. 

“Let’s return to the garden party.”

Even though I had set things on a predetermined course, I couldn’t help but feel like I might be haunted by nightmares for a while, having changed one person’s fate.

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Slum (Hinminkutsu)

Essentially the Japanese name for a slum.
These were scattered throughout major cities before the war.

Since many people collected leftover food to use for their daily meals, they were often located near communal dining areas where many people gathered.