“…What do you say? As a fellow Armed Family protecting the same Surface District, why don’t we agree to resolve this incident together?”

In the reception room of the Lanpeach Complex. The room, used for important negotiations with outsiders, had a grand interior. A black ebony table, a sofa made from a mysterious, comfortable material, and moderately expensive furnishings. The room even had air conditioning and a small fridge in the corner, making it suitable for receiving guests.

However, despite the impressive decor, the room had stacks of manga in the corner, board games and playing cards scattered about, and empty snack bags strewn around.

In short, no important negotiations ever took place here, so the room had become a lounging space for the rabbits to relax comfortably.

The minor villain invited in the guests, oblivious to this mess, and endured the embarrassment as the rabbits huddled in the corner of the room, whimpering pitifully while he glared at them in frustration.

The rabbits would occasionally peek at Lanpeach, checking if his anger had subsided. Seeing that it hadn’t, they would lower their heads again, curling up and trembling. So crafty. They were clearly exploiting their cuteness. They are probably not reflecting on their actions at all. 

Koume had joined the rabbits and was giggling among them, so this is likely not setting a good example either.

“I’ll say it again. As a fellow Armed Family protecting the same Surface District, why don’t we agree to resolve this incident together?”

The woman repeated her proposal, but Lanpeach let out a deliberate conspicuous sigh, leaning back on the sofa, crossing his arms, and striking a haughty pose.

“Isn’t that too convenient? As a fellow Armed Family? The Shukou family fell long ago, and they’re no longer invited to the gatherings of Armed Families, right?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach, having been informed about the Shukou family’s situation by Mira, sneered as if harboring some grudge. In truth, he had no grudge whatsoever. He had no memories, and unless they’d tried to assassinate him, he wasn’t concerned. The family had fallen due to a monster stampede, failed ventures afterward, and losing in power struggles, so it didn’t matter to him. The rise and fall of families are part of life’s natural cycle, and eternal prosperity doesn’t exist.

[He’s saying cool things, but only people with high face deviation scores look good when they use fancy words. Someone with the score of a minor villain would just end up looking like you’re pretending to be smart, and people will laugh at you.] (Mira)

[Deviation scores are numbers, right? Why is it that I get a score of minor villain as if it were exclusive for me? And stop reading my thoughts.] (Lanpeach)

[It’s okay, Soldier. I know what you’re thinking too. You’re probably wondering if it’s time for me to cling to you without a bra to try and outdo Mira since I can’t win against her with words!] (Libra)

[No comment!] (Lanpeach)

Mira was constantly dissing Lanpeach, and Libra always spouted fake inner thoughts like they were real. He really isn’t thinking that, okay? 

(But still, since my “Libra quota” is running low, it is okay to cling to me. Today, wouldn’t it be nice if she pressed her chest against my neck from behind?) (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach’s dumb thoughts and the playful banter with his support characters went unnoticed by anyone else, while the woman across from him crossed her long, sleek legs and smiled seductively.

“Your negotiation skills are impressive. There’s no one else in the Armed Families who has managed to borrow these many weapons and Artificial Spirits from the Underground District. Those people are usually so cold that they only give the bare minimum of information in response to our questions. They seem to think that as long as they keep distributing gadokurie food products, the Surface District won’t go extinct, so you could say they are looking down on us.”

“Which makes my achievement stand out even more, is what you are trying to say? So, you’re inviting the Shukou family back into the Armed Families because of my success.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach sneered mockingly, looking down on her. Normally, someone of high status would be enraged by this display partly due to the effects of Minor Villain, but the woman’s smile didn’t falter.

“Exactly. Restoring the Shukou family has been a long-held wish, hasn’t it? Even without wealth or power, they were always showing up at parties, hoping for the family’s revival.”

The woman’s confidence was evident. Her name was Yoroizuka Aegis. She was the female head of the Yoroizuka family, known for her ruthless actions and masterful scheming. Despite being in her thirties, she maintained such youthful looks that it wouldn’t be surprising if she were mistaken for someone in her twenties.

Four days had passed since their failed attempt to exterminate the Demon Seed. Realizing that they couldn’t handle it alone, Aegis had unexpectedly visited Lanpeach City, seeking negotiations.

Lanpeach was caught off guard by her sudden visit, so he hurriedly invited her into the reception room. He hadn’t expected the head of the family to come in person. He’d assumed the negotiations would be done remotely, believing no one would send people to the dangerous slums, but he had underestimated her.

Aegis was not a woman to sit idly by. She had a remarkably wide range of movement, with light and swift footwork. As expected of someone known as a formidable woman.

In the reception room were Lanpeach, Chihiro, Sage, and Nono. Libra was invisible. Mira was watching the situation from the colony. Touka and Mana had no interest in the negotiations, so they weren’t present.

Aegis had brought along her secretary and a few guards standing behind her. Lanpeach’s “guards”, meanwhile, were lounging in the corner. They stopped getting scared and were nibbling on carrot sticks, so they didn’t count. Koume was eating with them too, so she might end up becoming a fan of carrots.

“This is a message from your parents.”

Aegis raised her hand smoothly, and her secretary placed a monitor on the table. The moment it was connected, an energetic middle-aged couple appeared on the screen. These were probably Lanpeach’s parents.

<<Arata, is that you? Oh, you’ve grown so much!>>

<<Indeed. You’ve really improved compared to when you were just putting on unnecessary muscle.>>

The first words out of their mouths were compliments for Lanpeach. They excitedly leaned closer to the monitor, but Lanpeach was left feeling somewhat awkward. He had no memories of them, so he felt no emotional connection.

<<I heard from Lady Yoroizuka. She said you were working in order to revive the family. I was worried, but to think you would form a connection with the Underground District. Dad is surprised!>>

<<I always knew you had it in you, but you’ve really done something remarkable. Mom is happy too.>>

“Yeah, thanks for that.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach clicked his tongue softly as he watched them tearing up with emotion. He realized that his parents were going to be quite troublesome. This wasn’t an act. He would’ve preferred if it were.

(Isn’t this usually the pattern where the parents are minor villains who abandoned their child and now come crawling back to leech off their success? But these people, they genuinely seem worried, and they’re actually happy that Lanpeach has succeeded.) (Lanpeach)

He could tell through his Super Sense that Shukou Arata’s parents are good people.

(Parents who care about their children and act with the goal of restoring their house, even if it troubles their children. They seem to be acting according to their beliefs, thinking that restoring the family benefits the children as well.) (Mira)

(That’s an unsavory comment. So that’s why Nono didn’t seem to bear any resentment toward her parents. Normally, someone would be crushed by the pressure to restore the family, either hating their parents or leaving home… Oh, that’s me, isn’t it? Also, can you stop prying into my inner thoughts?) (Lanpeach)

(It’s fine. Thoughts of the 18+ variety -fantasies- are restricted from being shared with me.) (Mira)

(Help me, Libra! This girl is reading my thoughts!) (Lanpeach)

(Don’t worry, Soldier. I’ve only peeked a bit at your 18+ thoughts. But, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t have so many weird fantasies about me.) (Libra)

(Nooo! Space Library, please cancel this thought-sharing thing with these people!) (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach was complaining to Mira and Libra, who were sharing thoughts beyond what telepathy usually allowed. He is a man, so of course he had a few fantasies!

<<It looks like they’re suggesting you resolve the monster stampede that’s broken out at the academy. You should accept with the dignity of an Armed Family.>>

<<Exactly. They’re saying that you have the strength to handle it, Arata. Fulfilling the obligations of the strong and attending the next meeting of Armed Families as the future head is the right thing to do. Mom is happy.>>

What a forceful declaration. 

Lanpeach glanced at Aegis, and she was sipping her coffee with a small smile. That calm demeanor made it easy to imagine what kind of explanation she had given his parents.

“How about it? Joining in the steering of the Surface District from now on isn’t a bad deal. No one can live alone, and no single city can develop on its own. You wouldn’t want to be constantly disturbed by intruders in Lanpeach City either, right? And if you were readmitted into the Armed Families, resources like manpower and money would flow in, further boosting economic growth.” (Aegis)

“Quite the blatant carrot and stick…” (Lanpeach)

“The clearer it is, the more effective it is on the other party. Trying to accommodate in a roundabout way doesn’t work in situations like this.” (Aegis)

Lanpeach tapped his arm with his fingers as he glanced at Chihiro. She was frozen stiff, practically turned to stone after Aegis introduced herself as the head of an Armed Family. It seemed the tension on her had reached peak when faced by someone above the clouds.

Sage, on the other hand, wasn’t joining the conversation, merely showing a troubled expression. This was clearly an internal matter to the Armed Families, and he probably felt it wasn’t his place to speak.

[Pla-san, I’ll present the negotiation terms.] (Mira)

[Soldier, I’ll offer my personal photo.] (Libra)

A hologram popped up in mid-air. 

(Fumu fumu, I see. The information is pretty spot on. Also, Libra, who tried to compete with Mira for no reason, please store that personal photo directly into my phone.) (Lanpeach)

“Then, here’s an additional proposal. For one month, no one but us will be allowed to enter the area affected by the stampede. Also, everything south of Lanpeach City will be mine. Lastly, Lanpeach City will become a self-governed zone, adhering to the laws of the Surface District but not absolutely.” (Lanpeach)

“That’s… You’ll still have to pay taxes, you know? And as for the other conditions, they’re difficult, so my answer will be that we will consider them positively.” (Aegis)

Aegis frowned and shrugged at this bold proposal, which was practically asking for independence. Of course, Lanpeach didn’t expect the terms to be accepted as is.

“Time’s short, so that’ll do. We’ll move on to business now.” (Lanpeach)

“So you intend to push forward as if these proposals are a done deal. I do find it troublesome dealing with such underhanded people, but it’s not a new problem at this point. Fine, I’ll leave it to you.” (Aegis)

Aegis saw through Lanpeach’s intentions. She narrowed her eyes slightly and extended her hand for a handshake. 

Lanpeach shook her hand and smirked.

That’s right. Lanpeach City could handle things by force if needed anyways. As long as they had a just cause, that should suffice. That was the extent of his thinking.

“Um, Stepbrother, it seems our mansion was destroyed in the monster stampede, so our parents are asking to move.” (Nono)

“I’ll consider it positively.” (Lanpeach)

(It would be tricky since they might realize I have no memories.) (Lanpeach)

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