Chapter 29. Can't Win Even a Little
"B-b-b-b-Bronya, d-do you think Xander… does he know some kind of sorcery?
Did he come close to me because he fancied my beauty, and he wants to control my mind—turn me into a plaything who, except for ##, would think of nothing else… uuuuu…?"
Huddled by Bronya's side, Kiana spoke in fear.
Just now, Bronya thought something serious had happened.
She even abandoned the booth and rushed straight to where Kiana was.
What she saw was this goof clinging to someone else's booth like a paramecium, trembling all over.
It took a lot of effort to pry her down.
The moment she got down, Kiana shrank to Bronya's side, as if only that could give her a little sense of safety.
Already a bit irritable, Bronya replied on reflex, "Right, right, totally. Xander is actually a hidden black sorcerer.
He approached you just to control you and make you his exclusive plaything."
"W-wha…"
It was only a joke.
But seeing Kiana's increasingly terrified expression left Bronya speechless.
She tapped Kiana on the head, a little helpless, and said, "I'm kidding. There's no such thing as sorcery in this world.
That guy Xander grew up with me. He's a normal person."
Hearing this, Kiana set a hand over her heaving chest and let out a breath of relief.
"That's good. That's good."
"So, what exactly did you see?"
Bronya was still at a loss.
When she arrived, all she saw was a sea of people cordoned off.
She knew nothing else, and by now the crying had mostly subsided—at most a few soft sobs.
At that, Kiana got worked up again.
She bounced in place, gesturing wildly with an exaggerated face. "Let me tell you, Bronya…"
Then she recounted scene after scene of what she'd witnessed.
Especially when she described a whole group of people crying together—those frightened expressions couldn't possibly be faked.
"Th-this…"
After all that seasoning, even Bronya felt confused.
Had Xander gone off to some rainforest tribe to "further his studies" behind her and Seele's backs?
But soon she shook off that absurd thought.
She almost let Kiana lead her astray.
Cutting off Kiana's still-flowing narration, Bronya pulled her back toward their own booth.
They couldn't leave it unattended for too long.
"The specifics—ask him tonight and we'll know."
Even so, the ridiculous surge of hype left a thick unease in Bronya's heart.
And that unease became reality when today's exhibition ended.
In one afternoon, To the Moon climbed to first place—
and even opened up a cliff-like lead over second.
…
"Reisen, how are things today?"
In a rather classical Japanese-style room, a girl with a hime cut sat by the tea table in a pale-pink kimono.
She held a teacup in her hands.
Pale green tea rippled with faint waves.
Kneeling nearby in seiza was a purple-haired girl in a suit, looking a little ill at ease.
"P-p-Princess."
The one called Princess paused mid-sip and looked to Reisen.
"Don't be afraid. Just tell the truth."
At that, Reisen fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Princess, your game has dropped to second place."
"…"
"I see."
Her voice didn't waver in the least, as if she'd heard a trivial matter.
In those ruby-like eyes, Reisen's slightly dazed face was reflected.
So beautiful…
Even though it wasn't the first time she'd seen it, Reisen was still smitten by her Princess's looks.
That finely sculpted face, that graceful and refined air—like the sum of every classical Eastern beauty—enough to make one marvel.
Kaguya Houraisan—that was the Princess's name, and the master she served.
She was always so elegant and noble.
Even setbacks could not shake her heart.
"Anything else? I'm a little tired."
That pleasant, cool voice pulled Reisen's thoughts back.
She quickly lowered her head, warning herself to gaze at the Princess's face less from now on, and answered respectfully, "N-no, nothing else."
After another farewell, Reisen hastily left the room.
The door shut.
The bedroom returned to its calm.
Kaguya's ears quietly perked up.
Only when the footsteps faded down the corridor did she thud the cup down onto the table, splashing tea and leaving speckled stains on the expensive surface.
She sprang to her feet, pacing rapidly back and forth, her expression turning quite ugly.
Thinking of all her previous efforts made her feel even worse.
She simply flopped onto the floor and rolled around, venting her frustration with her voice.
"Ahhhhhh!! Who the hell is it!!!"
After a bit of rolling, she sat up, panting.
In a few scrambling steps she crawled to a computer in the corner.
Kneeling there with her rear stuck out, she paid no mind to the silky long hair drooping onto the floor or the pair of small, white-socked feet peeking from beneath her skirt.
One hand seized the mouse and flew.
She quickly pulled up the official page for the Mini-Game Festival.
The prominent rankings were posted in the most eye-catching place.
"Rankings
To the Moon
Eientei
…"
Where did this game pop out from again!!!
She had clearly studied every work in the top ten yesterday.
She'd felt she had it in the bag.
But after she finished those tedious ikebana and tea ceremony lessons today, she heard the bad news from Reisen.
To her, it truly was bad news.
As the heiress of the Lunar Capital Group, if she couldn't distinguish herself in some field, she would only become a fine "craftwork" to be used as a tool in a marriage of interests.
Even if she was, as Reisen called her, a Princess—so what?
Her own mother was a Princess too, and she was married to her father for interests' sake.
In this country, the royal family had long lost its former dignity, reduced to a tool for capital to gain prestige.
Therefore, she must become outstanding in some areas—become valuable—so her father wouldn't "sell" her like a commodity.
The ever-prospering entertainment content market was the target she'd set her eyes on.
She herself loved games and knew this field rather well.
To make a name at this Mini-Game Festival, she used every resource she could, practically pushing the allowable limits to stuff her project full.
As long as she won first place, then sold the game and showed the actual numbers afterward, she could apply for more resources and grow step by step.
She'd felt ninety percent certain.
Who could've guessed a dark horse would crash onto the stage midway and knock her senseless?
Without that front-page recommendation reserved for first place, she had no confidence in producing numbers that would satisfy those shark-like relatives.
Unwilling to accept it, she opened the detailed leaderboard info.
If the gap were small, it wouldn't be impossible…
But when she saw a popularity score nearly ten times higher, Kaguya fell silent.
She quietly closed the PC, hugged her knees, and curled up in the corner of the room.
She couldn't win even a little.
She shut down.
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