4 Princess Flare: Cousin Kiyotaka is So Handsome
Can the simple act of sending a loyalist to spread a rumor about the "Emperor's Gentleness" really achieve such an effect?
Of course not. No matter how much charisma Ayanokouji Kiyotaka displayed, or how much he appealed to the primal yearnings of men, this single move alone could not have produced such a terrifying result.
The reason for this outcome was the calculated accumulation of various circumstances he had prepared beforehand—a grand layout where he moved one step while anticipating ten.
Regardless, the sheer power of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's intellect was no longer at the level where people "merely didn't dare to underestimate him" or thought he was "quite impressive." Everyone had updated their evaluations in real-time, elevating him to the highest possible realm.
"Across the Earth, the world of Emilia, and the world of Keyaru, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's strategic wit is at the absolute top. While there are a few who can rival him, they are exceptionally rare."
Whether they liked him or not, no one could deny Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's strength.
And a strong person, regardless of their temperament, will never lack brainless fans, worshipers, and supporters. History has long proven this; even the Archbishops and Pandora have their worshipers, though they are pitifully few.
But Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was far from pitiful. When he displayed his spirit and his capabilities, followers flocked to him immediately. Even if most were just casual fans who couldn't reach the level of the subordinates in the video, their numbers easily surpassed tens of thousands and were surging rapidly.
This wasn't just due to the "worship of the strong" among men... In fact, if Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had been the first to have his video played, that sentiment would have accounted for a massive percentage.
However, with Hikigaya Hachiman as a brilliant precedent, no matter how "motherly" or indecisive Hachiman might seem, his intuitive strength was not much inferior to Ayanokouji's. Since there was already a first, the second naturally saw a diminished effect.
If one wanted to worship the strong, why hadn't they already flocked to Hikigaya Hachiman or Reinhard?
Thus, while many men were initially shocked, they quickly snapped out of it. Rather than pure worship, what made them willing to support or admire Ayanokouji was actually a sense of "reflected glory."
No matter how "fanboyish" Ayanokouji might be, he was an Earthling. An Earthling sweeping through an alien world, toppling dark nobles, and bringing order to chaos made other Earthlings feel a sense of pride.
Consequently, their attitude toward him softened considerably.
Furthermore, roughly eighty percent of Ayanokouji's supporters were actually women... specifically, the "ordinary yet conceited girls" and "looks-obsessed girls" mentioned by the visionary Sea King, Mitaka Jin.
Girls like Shirogane Kei, Chitanda Eru, or the Nakano quintuplets—pure-hearted girls who highly valued deep emotional connections—had long been attracted to the "Theory of the Genuine."
They wanted to be like Emilia or Rem, meeting someone they could willingly love for a lifetime, stay with forever, and give everything to while receiving the most sincere reciprocity.
But at the same time, many ordinary, self-important women were resentful... They knew they didn't possess the spiritual qualities of "the genuine."
While they didn't want to admit it, they were self-aware enough to be irritated, venting their frustration on the person who proposed the theory in the first place.
Thus, they harbored a high level of hostility toward Hikigaya Hachiman and Anastasia.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's appearance was like a beacon of light... This "Masterpiece" was handsome, powerful, brave, brilliant, and hostile toward Hikigaya Hachiman.
Most importantly, this Masterpiece was willing to accept "ordinary" girls.
Regarding subordinates throwing themselves at him, as long as they weren't too terrible, Ayanokouji didn't refuse anyone.
This made their eyes light up.
They didn't hate the fact that they weren't "the genuine"; they hated that Hikigaya Hachiman wouldn't accept them and kept talking about his theory, which led many high-quality, handsome men to start looking for "true love" instead of mindlessly accepting them and acting as their wallets.
But Ayanokouji was different... he was willing to take them in! Under his influence, perhaps those handsome guys would change their minds.
This truly made them feel indebted to Ayanokouji, with some even wishing to throw themselves into his arms.
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Even if his wisdom couldn't match the "Masterpiece" or the "Self-Sacrificing Truck," Shirogane Miyuki could still piece together these relatively simple social trends. He made a prediction:
"As Ayanokouji Kiyotaka becomes more successful, his number of supporters will definitely surpass Hikigaya's."
After listening to her brother's analysis of the situation, the conflicted Shirogane Kei finally asked a question: "The fans don't really matter—even I can see that Hikigaya-senpai and the Masterpiece don't care about that. I just want to know..."
She took a deep breath and asked, "If the Masterpiece and Hikigaya-senpai clashed in a battle of wits, would the Masterpiece be stronger?"
"If it were the Hikigaya before he crossed over, or just after he crossed over, I would state with certainty that Hikigaya would lose."
Shirogane Miyuki shook his head, his evaluation objective. "At that time, Hikigaya was stronger than me, but he couldn't match Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji was a 'completed form' from the very start, standing at a peak where it was lonely at the top, having reached a level where there was no room for further growth. Hikigaya was still in a 'maturation phase' back then."
"As for now... I can't say for sure that the current Hikigaya is stronger, but he is certainly no weaker than Ayanokouji in this regard. I suspect it's a fifty-fifty split; the victory could go either way."
"Until they actually fight, no one knows who would win. I suspect neither of them is certain either."
Having received this answer, Shirogane Kei felt satisfied and patted her chest in relief.
While the Shirogane siblings were chatting, the people in Keyaru's world—unlike those on Earth who had more information—knew nothing of "Hikigaya Hachiman." They focused solely on Ayanokouji himself, their thoughts not wandering further.
The city residents naturally cursed Ayanokouji. Fearing that after the Royal Family saw this future, they would send an army to wipe out the area, they were all living in terror. Consequently, they quickly packed their belongings and fled for their lives, their destination happening to coincide with the Ice Wolf Clan's.
As for the current bandits, they were split into two camps. One half wanted to remain "Kings of the Hill" and were unwilling to submit as they did in the future; the other half, driven by a desire to worship the strong, believed that "following the Great Emperor brings eternal peace." They were waiting for Ayanokouji to arrive and incorporate them so they could claim credit for being early supporters.
In the Royal Capital, Princess Flare, who had just finished venting her rage, froze. Her face then changed drastically. Her venomous expression and mindset were no longer directed just at Ayanokouji, but at herself as well.
Because just now, seeing Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's powerful, domineering, and majestic appearance, a sentence had subconsciously slipped out of her mouth:
"The Earth Emperor is so handsome~"
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