「「It’s fate already.」」

After recounting my memories from my encounter with Serena to now, Eldmoore and Ernst spoke in unison.

「Can you two not say that in sync like that?」

「What did you expect me to say? Even if you were intentionally chasing her, there’s no way you would run into each other so frequently.」

「Even considering that your target is the same, space pirates, and the two of you operate within the Empire’s territory, it’s still abnormal. Do you have any idea how many star systems are under the Empire’s control? It’s easily over three thousand.」

「Stop confronting me with reality…」

Well, it seems I’ve been unconsciously manipulating that fate. I don’t know exactly how I’m doing it, but if I am repeatedly drawing the fate of ‘reuniting with Serena’ unconsciously, then the assertion of the Willrose father and son that Serena and me being together is fate is basically correct. That would mean that unconsciously, I’ve been wanting to see Serena all this time… Even though I kept saying it was troublesome, was I seeking Serena unconsciously? That’s kind of embarrassing… I must ensure Serena never finds out about my fate-manipulating ability. Knowing Serena, she’d definitely say something like, ‘Even though you treated me so coldly, you actually loved me all along!’ with a triumphant look. No way I’m going to endure that…

「The final push was by His Majesty’s hand, huh… I guess there was no escaping from the start.」

「Do you mean His Majesty intervened because he predicted this outcome?」

「His Majesty’s foresight has already surpassed human capability…」

「It is said that His Majesty is aware of even trivial matters, such as a single civilian transport ship being attacked by pirates on the frontier of the Empire.」

「Ah… that might actually be true.」

When I first met and spoke with that fucking Emperor, he already knew that Krishna and I appeared for the first time in the Termaine system and the moment we arrived. He was also fully aware of the information I gathered while holed up in Krishna while I was docked on the colony, and he even knew about my psychological state during the information gathering. Even thinking back on it now, it still sends chills down my spine.

As I was considering this, I glanced over at the women. Their previously lively and pleasant chatter had died down, and now they were whispering intently with their heads together. I have a bad feeling about this.

「By the way. Ah, let me say this first, there is no deep meaning hidden in this question, is Elfin-san in a relationship or engaged to anyone?」

Elfin is Elma’s older sister. I’ve been feeling her gaze on me for a while now.

「…And what will you do with that information?」

「I just want to make it clear in advance that I have no intention of doing anything. If she starts saying something like ‘It seems interesting, so I’ll tag along,’ or ‘Everyone says we seem compatible, so why not,’ please, absolutely stop her. This is no joke. I mean it.」

「As the head of the family, I will absolutely stop it, so rest assured…」

「I won’t let such a nightmarish thing come to pass, so don’t worry.」

□■□

「So, how are things with you two?」

「How? Well… I’d prefer it if you could be more specific about what you want to know.」

Sister asked me with a curious look. I could sense what she wanted to hear, but I really didn’t want to answer.

「His character, or, um, your physical compatibility?」

「I-I’m interested in that too…!」

「…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear the last part. Generally speaking, he’s sincere and greatly respects us. Hiro does his best to be considerate when he notices something, I think.」

Ignoring the overly enthusiastic interest in our sexual life from my sister and Chris, I safely commented on Hiro’s character. Honestly, Hiro is quite different from the typical person of this Empire. But that’s related to his background, and no matter how close we are as a family, I can’t openly talk about it.

「Oh? But look, he has relationships with many women. Isn’t anyone dissatisfied?」

「Well, I won’t say there aren’t any at all, but Hiro-sama has only one body. We’ve learned to compromise.」

Mimi skillfully handled my sister’s slightly pouting remark. Mimi has really grown dependable. When she first boarded the ship, she was like a scared little animal, nervous about everything.

「No matter how reliable Boss is, he’d be crushed if we left everythin’ to him. So we all support each other.」

「We’re like pillars supporting each other around the central pillar that is Big Brother. Mei-san does a good job adjusting things in that regard, doesn’t she?」

「Yes. Mei-san is quite adept at managing our group centered around my Lord.」

Tina and Wiska chimed in and Kugi tactfully supported them. Tina and Wiska’s follow-up was great, but Kugi’s was flawless. Kugi has lived a life that should have made her even more removed from common sense than Hiro, but she is able to react perfectly in situations like this.

「If Hiro-kun is the leader in the open, then Mei-kun is the leader in the shadows. Well, our life is likely a very intriguing object of observation for them. She is clearly receiving backup.」

「Yes… Hiro doesn’t seem to mind, but Mei is exceptional. Abnormally so.」

I agree with Dr. Shouko’s evaluation of Mei. Indeed, Mei’s exceptional abilities are quite abnormal. It’s only natural for a full-spec maidroid to be competent, but she’s outstanding even beyond that.

「Are ‘they’ involved then?」

「Well, there’s no doubt about it.」

Chris responded to Mimi’s question with a wry smile. They aren’t doing any inherently bad, but calling ‘them’ merely ‘cunning’ would be an understatement. When faced with someone as unique as Hiro, it’s impossible for ‘them’ to take no action. Mei is almost certainly receiving substantial support from the machine intelligences.

「They are individuals yet a collective, a collective yet individuals. Even if Mei-kun is a custom-made full-spec unit, her competence is exceptional. She probably uses one of those rumored anti-entropy processors they developed.」

「The ones that use heat for computation and end up cooling down? Do those exist for real?」

「Some rumors say they were able to make them practical. By combining with the usual positronic brains that use energy and generate heat, they wouldn’t need cooling systems, and their computational power would skyrocket.」

「There is a part of me that can’t believe it, but the other part knows it’s possible if it’s them…」

As soon as the topic of Mei’s extraordinary capabilities came up, our tech-savvy members veered off into a technical discussion.

「Ah, geez. With three techies here, the conversation always derails into tech talk. Let’s drop that topic for now. It’s not like Mei being exceptional is causing any problems, right? Okay?」

「Yes, yes, you’re right. Then shall we discuss our physical compatibility with Hiro-kun? I thought you didn’t want to talk about that Elma-kun.」

「…Let’s not talk about that either. Even with family, I don’t think that’s something to openly discuss.」

I countered Dr. Shouko’s attempt to steer the conversation back with some sound reasoning. However, my small resistance was swiftly destroyed by Tina, who smiled mischievously.

「Well, it’s not a competition or anything. By the way, Wee and I often do it together with Boss.」

「Handling two dwarves at once? That’s kind of impressive.」

「Um… yes, it’s actually quite amazing.」

With a blush, my sister covered her mouth and asked, clearly very interested. Wiska, her face red, started to fidget. Chris was even worse; her face was bright red, and she was breathing heavily… Next Countess Dareinwald, that’s rather unbecoming of you.

「I always end up passing out first… I really need to build up more stamina.」

「I feel the same… But my Lord is kind, isn’t he?」

「He’s not rough at all.」

「Stop this already!」

Everyone began joining in on the topic. Once it starts like this, there’s no stopping it. Can we please drop this subject? Why? Because I don’t want to talk about it! Mimi, you understand, right? Mother, stop making that face.

「Elven women are like that.」

「Stop it already!」

My plea was in vain, and everything was revealed in detail. I can’t take it anymore.