"Why is there nowhere to look even though he's wearing clothes?"

  After drying Mengen's soaked fur with a hair dryer, his discarded original clothes seemed uncomfortable to relax in—so Amashiro (Celeste) lent him an oversized baggy tracksuit he owned. But on the large-framed Mengen, the sleeves and hem fell short, and above all the size was too small—the chest zipper barely closed, the pants were so tight they were practically leggings, and every contour of his lower half was plainly visible.

  "You look like a villain from an erotic tokusatsu show."

  "I'm curious what this 'erotic tokusatsu' is...

  But this fabric—it doesn't fit the size, but the stretch is excellent, not particularly constricting.

  Is this also thanks to Earth's textile technology?"

  For Mengen, the good stretch of Earth's fabric seemed more interesting than the poor fit.

  "Yeah, well... something like that.

  More importantly—aren't you hungry?

  I'm wondering if it's alright to feed you our food... well, nothing ventured, nothing gained."

  "No, being waited on for meals as well is..."

  Mengen tried to decline, but his stomach had other opinions.

  — Grrrwwwl.

  "Your body is quite candid, isn't it?"

  "No, this is..."

  Embarrassed, Mengen wrinkled his muzzle—but Amashiro laughed lightly and began preparing breakfast. 'Preparing' meant setting up cup noodles bought from the convenience store, but telling himself it couldn't be helped since nothing else was ready—Mengen watching this tilted his head and asked.

  "What are you doing?"

  "What do you mean, breakfast, obviously.

  Sorry that it'll have to be something simple I bought."

  "Breakfast preparation...

  Is there no cook?"

  Amashiro had been about to answer 'what are you on about'—but stopped, realizing for Mengen this was simply normal. He was high-ranking nobility, Marc—and his family, the Chiono house, was also a Marc-class great noble family guarding the northern border, something he'd heard from Lady Biala regarding Reinbardt's background.

  "Ah...

  That may be normal for you, but here unless you're quite wealthy, you handle housework yourself.

  In the first place, living alone in this small home—there's no reason to hire servants."

  "Is... that so?"

  "Yes. The effort required for housework itself has been minimized.

  That shower you took earlier—in Tusita, servants have to heat water and prepare baths, right? Here none of that is needed.

  Here, just wait three minutes with this."

  Cup noodles—just boil water, pour, and wait. Convenience that modern people take for granted, but for Mengen who'd be the equivalent of someone from Earth's early modern period—difficult to comprehend.

  "...That finishes the cooking? Even military field rations are more than—

  Ah. Sorry. Your body is small because you didn't get proper nutrition."

  At Mengen apparently jumping to some strange conclusion, Amashiro bristled.

  "Who's malnourished, you stupid dog?! For my age group I'm actually quite tall!

  You Antero are simply huge!"

  "And what is this 'dog' you keep saying?"

  "That's for later! Eat first!"

  Three minutes passed while the two bickered, and Amashiro pushed the finished cup udon toward Mengen.

  "This is... a soup with Imon? This can be made in three minutes?"

  "I don't know what Imon is, but if you mean noodles, that's basically right.

  You've probably never used chopsticks—can you manage a fork?"

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  "Ah, no problem."

  "Then let's eat."

  Serving cup udon as the first Earth meal for someone from another world—well, outer space—felt questionable, but preparing something proper would take time, and his head still throbbed, so cooking was out of the question. Feeling warm soup seeping through his body, he glanced at Mengen—handling the fork a bit awkwardly, but eating steadily in silence.

  "How is it? To your taste?"

  "Mm, yes."

  Seemed so absorbed in eating he could barely respond.

  Whether starving, or genuinely taken with it, or simply at ease being somewhere manners didn't matter—he was clearly engrossed, and Amashiro found himself laughing alone. Both finished quickly, so Amashiro asked.

  "Well? Did you like it?"

  "...Yes, honestly surprised.

  That something like this can be made in three minutes—what kind of mechanism is that?

  I've only just begun experiencing this world, but everything is astonishing."

  "Yeah, I was surprised too.

  The noble manners went somewhere, it seemed."

  Hearing that, Mengen looked slightly annoyed—but quickly answered with a composed face.

  "Was it not you who said calling me a noble and all that was pointless after seeing me naked?

  I felt the same. That's all there is to it.

  At least here, let me be without thinking about such things."

  At Mengen's words—which could be taken as brazenly self-assured—Amashiro smiled fearlessly.

  "Oh? Listen to you.

  If you want to be free, suit yourself, Mengen-san."

  "Daharat is fine."

  "Oh, really?

  Then I'm fine with Oohteru too."

  "Once more then, in your care, Oh-teru."

  The pronunciation was subtly different—but compared to Amashiro becoming Celeste from Amashiro, it was trivial, and Amashiro let it go as he replied.

  "Likewise, Daharat."

  "So, this is a 'dog.'"

  "A creature resembling Canisade, yet walking on four legs?"

  Watching footage on Amashiro's tablet PC, Daharat couldn't hide his bewilderment.

  At first he'd been surprised that photos and video appeared on the tablet PC at all—but since Amashiro could only explain it as 'one of those things,' they decided to just focus on the content.

  "Right. I was surprised going to Tusita too—but for some reason, Earth's animals in Tusita walk on two legs in humanoid form, calling themselves Antero.

  Incidentally, here there are imaginary beings resembling you Antero, called 'beastmen.'"

  "Imaginary beings?"

  Daharat looked skeptical—but this was an unavoidable fact.

  "And Lupacid?"

  "Lupacid is...

  A species called wolf. Generally considered the ancestor of dogs."

  "What? So on Earth, Canisade are considered a subspecies of Lupacid?"

  "Hm? Ah, that would follow?

  But taxonomically it's Canidae, genus Canis, species wolf—so not wrong perhaps.

  Don't ask me about taxonomy. I don't know the details."

  Trading conversation that may or may not have been important, researching Earth's animals—when a photo appeared of a Westerner interacting with a large animal.

  "This... does closely resemble Humanita."

  "Right?"

  "Yes, but... somehow it feels different too."

  Even Daharat seemed unable to clearly distinguish between Earth's Westerners and Tusita's Humanita. Meeting in person might make it feel different, but since Daharat couldn't leave this apartment, that was out of the question.

  "Well, Humanita are aliens to Earth people too—and just as the beastmen humans imagined exist as you Antero, perhaps there are aliens resembling humans?"

  "Is... that so?"

  "Thinking about things with no answers gets you nowhere—so that's what we'll go with!

  That's my policy."

  Amashiro declaring this matter-of-factly left Daharat dumbfounded.

  "That's just... not thinking about it much, isn't it."

  "That too."

  "Is that something to be proud of?"

  Even so, Daharat understood there was nothing more that could be verified or confirmed here.

  "But this place is truly... remarkable, or rather, an incredible world.

  I had my doubts, but the level of civilization is completely different...

  Just seeing those towering buildings tells you the technological gap from Tusita.

  And vehicles that fly through the sky..."

  Couldn't go outside, so could only peek at the surrounding cityscape through the apartment window—but that alone, and the home appliances within the apartment, conveyed Earth's technological level.

  Looking down through the window glass at the flow of cars on the road far below, Daharat let out a small sigh. His tail, somehow, seemed to sway with surprise and excitement.

  "Without relying on the power of magic, they built a civilization this far.

  Should I call it terrifying... hah."

  "Well, it's not all that impressive.

  Just a head start of about two hundred years, that's all.

  And correspondingly, much has been lost."

  "Lost?"

  "Yes. This is a planet where humans have sacrificed far too much to prosper.

  Destroying and polluting nature, even changing the climate—it's gradually becoming a planet where life can't survive.

  Behind this development, countless species have been driven to extinction.

  ...Maybe Humanita and Earth people really do resemble each other."

  "Oh-teru, you..."

  At Amashiro's uncharacteristically subdued tone, Daharat was struggling to find words—when Amashiro immediately brightened.

  "That's why! I want Tusita not to follow Earth's path!"

  "Hm?"

  As with the ministers, Amashiro had suddenly launched into a talk of overwhelming scale, leaving Daharat speechless.

  "Well, it's just... my son's the king, right?

  Supreme power, right? Can't it work out somehow?"

  "Now look here—even His Majesty alone can't change the world with Ferideria's power."

  At this outrageous talk, Daharat's tail that had been swaying quietly moments ago went completely still.

  "I know that much.

  But if Ferideria becomes a more prosperous nation and leads others—becoming a country with good influence—don't you think it can guide the world?"

  Daharat staring at Amashiro's face with a dumbfounded expression.

  Should it be called too grand in scale—or an empty daydream from an empty head?

  "That's why, Daharat.

  I want you to lend me your strength too.

  For my son, His Majesty Rashion's glorious future.

  So Tusita won't follow Earth's path."

  Talk so grand in scale it was hard to tell if he was serious.

  Daharat listening couldn't decide how to respond.

  In a foreign star so far from his home Tusita he didn't even know the distance—listening to talk like this—was he in reality now, or still drunk and dreaming?

  "Hah...

  Honestly, I feel like I don't quite understand what you're saying.

  But let me say this one thing.

  The one I pledged loyalty to is His Majesty Rashion alone.

  The one I offer this strength to is His Majesty only."

  Daharat declaring firmly, as if rejecting Amashiro's words.

  However—his tail had begun to sway ever so slightly.

  "But if you dedicate yourself to His Majesty...

  And if you ask me to lend strength for His Majesty's sake—

  I, as His Majesty's retainer,

  and as your friend,

  swear to give my utmost."

  After a stretch of silence, Amashiro spoke.

  "Daharat...

  Well, I didn't think you needed to be quite that dramatic about it."

  "YOU—!!!!!"