Volume 6 Chapter 31 High School Life
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
With the arrival of April, I found myself attending a private high school in Okinawa—the very one my father had mentioned before. Naturally, Syu-sama and Saran-san were attending with me.
Officially, the three of us were short-term exchange students from the United States. Our real identities remained a closely guarded secret, and thanks to arrangements that had been made well in advance, we had all been placed in the same class. Since our AWCC AI translators were locked to English, everyone simply saw us as foreign students who could not speak Japanese very well. As far as our classmates were concerned, nothing seemed unusual.
That said… how had Syu-sama already blended in so perfectly?
Although she was only eleven years old, she carried herself with surprising grace. Between her bright smile, easygoing nature, and eye-catching figure, she had apparently captured the attention of every boy1 in class. Watching her laugh and chat with everyone around her, it was easy to understand why. She possessed the sort of natural charisma that made people want to follow her—a quality befitting a princess who would one day shoulder the future of a nation.
Meanwhile, Saran-san and I remained firmly in the background.
”Um, Halt-san… Are you quite certain it is not too much of a stretch for me to pass as a human high school girl?” Saran-san asked.
”Are you kidding? The blazer, the skirt, the socks—you look great, Saran-san. You fit in perfectly.”
”Oh, honestly. You are being mean, Halt-san. I am not concerned about how I look. I am speaking of how it feels.”
Despite her complaint, her dignified manner never slipped.
Before I could answer, Syu-sama suddenly appeared beside us after breaking away from a group of girls2.
”Hey, hey, Halt! Saran! Higa-san just asked if we want to go get a giant parfait after school! Apparently it’s super famous!”
”Very well, Lady Syu. I would be happy to accompany you,” Saran-san replied. “However, you must complete your mathematics homework as soon as we return home.”
”Saran, you’re so mean! There’s no way I can do high school math! Besides, I can barely read half the textbook!”
”Do not worry, Syu,” I said before the two could start bickering. “I’ll help you when we get home. Besides, this is a good chance to meet more people.”
”Yay! You’re the best, Halt! I love you so much!”
”Whoa, hang on! Don’t jump on me in the middle of school!”
Syu promptly wrapped herself around my arm anyway. Watching us, Saran-san let out a long sigh that sounded far too practiced. Even knowing it was part of her duties as a bodyguard, I could not help feeling a little sorry for her.
Later, we ended up at a famous local dessert parlor known for its enormous parfaits. Several girls from our class had joined us, and before long the conversation centered almost entirely on Syu-sama.
”Wow. So your dream is to go diving and see whale sharks up close, Syuria?” one of the girls asked.
”Uh-huh! That’s why I’ve been going to diving school with Halt and Saran!”
”No way. You’re actually planning to do a full scuba dive?”
”If we can, yeah! It’d be amazing if we got our C-licenses.”
”But if you’re only doing the whale shark tour, don’t you skip the license requirement?”
Being locals, the girls knew the area far better than I did. While I listened with interest, Higa-san suddenly turned toward me.
”Hey, Halt-kun. Are you and Syuria-san dating?”
”Huh? Do we really look like that?”
”Totally. She’s always attached to you. Ah, but maybe she’s not the one?” Higa-san leaned forward with a grin. “Then are you dating Saran-san? You two are always together.”
”No, no. It isn’t like that. We spend time together because we’re both looking after Syu. Right, Saran-san?”
Saran-san lowered her gaze instead of answering.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
”Oh my,” Higa-san said, clearly amused. “Did I hit the nail right on the head3?”
”Hey, hey! What are you talking about?”
Syu-sama had somehow caught the tail end of the conversation.
”Oh, nothing. We were just asking whether Halt-kun and Saran-san are dating.”
”Ehh?! There’s no way that’s happening! I never gave any orders like that—”
”Orders?” Higa-san repeated.
”Ah—no! That’s not what I meant! Anyway, I’m the one who loves Halt the most! I love him so, so, so much! I even asked him to promise he’d marry me someday, but he said it was way too early!”
”Eeeeeek!”
The girls around the table erupted into shrill squeals.
”Syu! Don’t shout embarrassing things like that!”
My protest had absolutely no effect on her. If anything, it only made Saran-san shrink farther into her seat.
”Alright, Syuria-san! Let’s go to the arcade and win a whale shark plushie!”
One of the girls grabbed Syu-sama’s hand and pulled her away.
As I rose to follow them, I noticed that Saran-san had not moved from her seat.
”Saran-san? Aren’t you coming?”
Before she could answer, Higa-san stopped me.
”Don’t worry about it, Halt-kun. Saran-san still has half her parfait left, and it’d be a waste to leave it. I know where the arcade is. We’ll catch up.”
”Oh. Alright, then. We’ll head on ahead.”
With that, I left with the others.
What is wrong with me?
Saran-san stared down at the melting parfait.
I thought I had finally reached some sort of conclusion after speaking with Ms. Tomori. If that were true, then why did my chest still ache whenever I saw how brightly the Princess shone? I even caused Halt-san to worry about me.
At this rate… will I truly be able to continue serving as her bodyguard?
”Saran-san!”
”Huh? Ah… Higa-san.”
”Oh, come on. You should remember my name by now.” Higa-san laughed before settling into the seat across from her. “Mind if we talk for a bit while you finish that?”
”Of course. Although… I should not remain separated from Lady Syu for too long.”
”‘Lady,’ huh?”
Higa-san rested her chin in her hand.
”I knew it. There’s definitely some special situation going on. Don’t worry, I won’t pry. But, Saran-san…”
She leaned closer.
”You’re in love with Halt-kun, aren’t you?”
Saran-san froze.
”The kind of love that makes your chest hurt.”
”How… how could you possibly tell?”
”How could I not? I might not look like it, but I love romance novels. Your face earlier made it completely obvious.”
”…I see.”
Saran-san lowered her eyes.
”I apologize for showing you such a pathetic side of myself. However, I beg you… please do not tell Lady Syu. Or rather… Syu.”
”Relax. Your secret’s safe. Besides, she doesn’t seem to have noticed at all. For someone who looks so mature, she’s surprisingly childish.”
A small laugh escaped Saran-san.
If Higa-san knew that the Princess was actually eleven years old, she would probably faint on the spot.
”But wow,” Higa-san continued. “A lady and her servant? The servant falls in love with the guy the lady likes but can’t confess? I could write an entire novel out of that.”
Ah. This girl has misunderstood almost everything.
My feelings are not something so pure.
Even setting the Princess aside, from Halt-san’s point of view, I am merely an old, divorced elf whose true age remains a mystery4. Romance should never have been a possibility for someone like me.
But that was not something she could explain.
”Honestly,” Higa-san said, “I don’t think Halt-kun sees Syuria-san that way at all. Why not just tell him how you feel?”
”I… I could never do such a thing.”
”No way. You’re overthinking it. This isn’t some old story where status decides everything. If you keep bottling those feelings up, they’ll just keep hurting you. Sometimes you’ve got to throw yourself forward and be honest. Even if it doesn’t work out, at least you won’t spend the rest of your life wondering what might have happened.”
”Is that truly how it works…?”
Saran-san searched the younger girl’s face.
Part of her suspected that Higa-san had simply reached that age where people romanticized love itself. If she knew the reality of their circumstances, would she still say those same words?
Even so…
By the time she finally finished the enormous parfait, the question still lingered in her mind.
Together, she and Higa-san left the parlor and headed for the karaoke lounge where Halt and Syu had gone.
—
Summary:
Transitioning into a new high school environment in Okinawa, Halt, Syu, and Saran navigate their false identities as American exchange students using AI translators. Syu effortlessly captivates the local boys with her natural royal presence and physique, while Halt and Saran find themselves isolated as social outsiders. A causal outing to a parfait shop turns tense when Higa-san probes into their relationship statuses, inadvertently triggering a deep psychological dilemma within Saran regarding her hidden feelings and her complex, undisclosed identity as an aged, divorced elf.
—
Trivia:
The characters are utilizing automated AI translators specifically configured to an English-language output profile.
Syu is chronologically only eleven years old despite her developed appearance and legal status at the high school.
Saran-san views herself as socially disqualified from romance due to her status as a divorced elf of unknown age.
Higa-san is an aspiring author who actively conceptualizes real-life interactions into narrative tropes for her romance fiction.
The text contains explicit layout corruption where the characters for woman/girl and star were replaced with English tokens.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Saran – A small, incredibly cute elf from the Zerlant Royal Family, this serious Palace Guard Officer serves on the joint Gate team. While currently disguised as a high school girl in a blazer and pleated miniskirt, her age is a total mystery. Despite her petite, white-skinned appearance, she is a stiff, exceptionally strong martial arts master working as a bodyguard.
• Syu – An eleven-year-old princess with a large, sturdy physique and soft, voluptuous curves, this boisterous and cheerful Dwarf Engineer possesses exceptional natural charisma. She blends a royal identity with mechanical expertise, maintaining bright, engaging relationships with others.
• Halt – A sixteen-year-old high school sophomore and grandson of the US President, recognized by peers as a severe otaku. After attending a prestigious D.C. school for elite families, he transferred to an Okinawan private high school as a disguised, short-term exchange student under a false identity.
• Higa – A female high school student from Okinawa who is an avid reader and writer of romance novels and easily picks up on interpersonal dynamics.
• Akari – Currently bedridden and staring blankly due to a past Gate accident that shattered her life force mechanism.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply