ISEKAI SMARTPHONE DAYS: The Wives' Meeting Is Peaceful (?) Again Today
One bored sovereign lord. One mischievous goddess. One runaway puppy that shatters windows with a single bark.
It's an ordinary weekday afternoon in the Duchy of Brunhild, and Mochizuki Touya—its sovereign lord, wielder of the smartphone, fiancé to nine women who run the country better than he does—has nothing to do but stare at the ceiling and complain about being bored. The Wives' Council is handling governance. The Selene River is babbling peacefully. All is well.
Then his older sister text
ISEKAI SMARTPHONE DAYS: The Wives' Meeting Is Peaceful (?) Again Today - Karen's Secret and the Puppy's True Identity! Where Will the Date Lead?
"...Yae's still asleep."
The corridor of White Rock Castle. The white granite walls caught the fading evening light and threw it back in a pale glow. Touya stood frozen before Yae's door.
His fists clenched tight.
(If only I'd noticed sooner.)
The mountain path through the Varna Range. The landslide. Yae had shielded him—and gotten her leg pinned under the rock. Linze's healing magic had saved her life. But a little more force and the bone would have snapped.
"Lord Touya."
He turned. Yumina stood there, her long blonde hair swaying. Her mismatched eyes—emerald on the left, sapphire on the right—rested quietly on him.
"Yae will be fine. Linze is with her."
"Yeah... I know. But it's my fault."
"It's no one's fault. That puppy's divine power was simply stronger than we expected."
Touya had no answer for that.
Then it happened.
"My, my. Such a gloomy face."
A soft shift in the air.
From the far end of the corridor came a woman with long black hair flowing behind her. Gentle brown eyes. The same serene smile she always wore. Mochizuki Karen—Touya's older sister, and the Goddess of Love.
"Karen!? Where the hell have you been!?"
"Oh, here and there. Looks like that little one's more than you can handle, after all."
She said it without a care in the world.
"Then help from the start! You're the one who brought her here!"
"Well, when I saw you in a pinch, I just couldn't resist testing you a little."
"Don't test me! Yae got hurt because of this!"
His voice echoed down the corridor.
Karen's eyes widened—just slightly.
"...Yae got hurt?"
"Yeah. Caught in a landslide. Her leg."
"I see... I'm sorry to hear that."
Her voice softened, just a touch.
"...Not like it's your fault, though."
He let out a sigh.
(But Karen's back. Just that much takes the weight off.)
His sister was here. That quiet reassurance loosened the tension he hadn't even realized he'd been carrying.
"Hey, Touya. Don't you want to know what that girl really is?"
Karen fixed her brown eyes on him.
"What she really is? She said she was a subordinate god, didn't she?"
"She is. But there's more to it. That girl—she used to serve the Goddess of Fertility."
"The Goddess of Fertility's?"
"Yes. But lately, that goddess has gone missing. And it's made the girl unstable."
"The Goddess of Fertility... missing..."
Sparks scattered through Touya's mind.
"Exactly. With her master gone, she can't hold herself together. She keeps using divine power, can't control it, and it sends her rampaging."
"So that's why she's been..."
"Yes. She's not a bad girl at heart. She's just scared. She doesn't understand what's happening to her."
Karen's voice wavered, just slightly, with something like sorrow.
Touya clenched his fist.
"...Then I can't just leave her alone. Not now."
"Touya?"
"She's scared too, right? Then I've got to catch her and set her mind at ease."
"Oh? Found your fire, have you?"
"Of course. For Yae's sake too—I can't let that thing run loose."
A hard resolve settled in Touya's eyes.
Karen chuckled.
"That's a much better face. All right, then—your big sister will give you a little advice."
She stepped closer.
"The best way to catch her is to turn her divine power against her. When she barks, the power concentrates inside her mouth. Time it right and force her mouth shut—the power rebounds on her, and she'll freeze up."
"Force her mouth shut... how?"
"That part's for you to figure out. Your sister only gives hints."
And with that, Karen spun on her heel.
"Well, I'll be going. Call me again if you get stuck."
"Hey, wait a second! Give me a little more detail—"
But Karen was already gone.
"...Still impossible to pin down."
He sighed.
But her words kept circling in his head.
Turn her divine power against her.
Force her mouth shut.
Time it to the moment she barks.
"...Guess I'd better start thinking. How to catch that thing."
He clenched his fist.
—And then.
"Lord Touya, may I have a moment?"
Yumina spoke up quietly.
"Yumina? What is it?"
"Catching the puppy is important, but you need a change of pace as well, my lord."
"Huh? A change of pace?"
"Yes. Let's call it date practice—and head out to the market."
"The puppy comes before a date! This isn't the time for that!"
Touya shouted.
But Yumina just smiled.
"You're a little worn out right now. I can tell."
Her Mystic Eyes of Perception.
The emerald and sapphire of her gaze saw straight through to the bottom of his heart.
"...How can you tell?"
"Because I can. You're far too hard on yourself, Lord Touya. So I want you to let your guard down—just a little."
She took his hand, gently.
Warm.
"...Fine. Just a little."
"Yes—just a little."
She smiled, delighted.
—The Central Market, Frontier Plaza.
The evening market bustled with people shopping for dinner. Forty-eight permanent shops lined the square, and on any given day as many as a hundred and twenty street vendors set up stalls. The smell of grilled skewers, the sweet scent of fruit, the raw tang of fish—all of it mingled into the market's own particular atmosphere.
"Lord Touya, over here!"
Yumina tugged him along by the hand. Her blonde hair glittered in the sunset, and her mismatched eyes shone with delight.
"H-hey, don't pull so hard!"
"Look—that outfit would suit you perfectly."
She was pointing at the front of a clothing shop.
"Clothes? I don't really need—"
"Just try them on. Please?"
She looked up at him through her lashes.
(...That face is cheating.)
Touya muttered inwardly.
"...Fine. Just trying them on."
"Thank you!"
The shopkeeper greeted Touya with a beaming smile.
"Welcome in. King, is it matching outfits with the lady today?"
"L-lady—?"
"Fufu, that's right. Lord Touya, how about this one?"
She picked up a white shirt.
"No, my regular clothes are plenty—"
"I think it's nice to dress up once in a while."
She held the shirt up against his chest.
(Close. Way too close.)
Touya protested in his head.
"...Well. It's not bad, maybe."
"Then we'll take it!"
"Hey, I said just trying it on!"
"That's the part of you that's so adorable, Lord Touya."
"Hah!? Adorable!?"
He felt his face go hot.
(Damn it, why am I the adorable one?)
He cursed inwardly. But watching Yumina smile, his heart eased in spite of himself.
"Now, next is that stall over there. Let's get some grilled skewers."
"Huh? O-oh."
She led him by the hand to the skewer stall.
The famous Garuda Pavilion. Two copper coins a stick.
"Two of these, please."
"Comin' right up, miss. Careful, they're hot."
Yumina took the skewers.
"Lord Touya—say ahh."
"Hah!? Ahh!? No, no, no! I can feed myself!"
"This is date practice. Come on—ahh."
She brought the skewer to his lips.
The stares from everyone around them were painful.
"...Ahh."
He gave in and opened his mouth.
The meat spread across his tongue. The savory glaze. The juices bursting out.
"...That's good."
"Isn't it? Garuda Pavilion's skewers are the best in the market."
She smiled, pleased.
(Ah. This kind of time isn't so bad either.)
That was what Touya thought, deep down.
—And then.
"Waaah! That dog again!"
A scream.
Touya's spine snapped straight.
"Yumina!"
"Yes, I know."
They broke into a run at the same instant.
The center of the market. A white puppy was dashing across the tops of the stalls.
"Found you!"
"Lord Touya, she's heading for the Iron Valley!"
Her Mystic Eyes tracked the puppy's movement.
"Iron Valley? The mining district in the Varna Range!"
"Yes. She's making for the mountains."
The puppy bolted toward the market exit.
"After her! We're trying Karen's hint!"
"Yes. We wait for the moment she barks."
The two of them gave chase.
—The market exit.
"Hold it, you little—!"
Elze burst out, silver hair streaming, both hands fitted with combat gauntlets.
"Elze!?"
"Touya, I heard the plan! We wait for the moment that puppy barks, right? I'll be the decoy!"
"A decoy? That's dangerous! If she bites you, the divine power—"
"I'll be fine. I'll make her bark before she gets her teeth in me."
Elze planted herself in the puppy's path.
"Come on, then! Bring it, you little pup!"
The puppy glared at her.
"Grrrrrr..."
"Bark! Go on, bark for me!"
She raised her gauntlets.
The puppy drew a deep breath.
"Woof!!!"
—Now.
"【Program】!"
Touya cast his non-attribute magic.
Karen's hint. At the moment she barks, the divine power concentrates in her mouth. Time it right, force her mouth shut, and the power rebounds on her.
With 【Program】, Touya manipulated the air around the puppy's mouth.
An invisible film of force sealed her jaws.
"Kyu!?"
The puppy staggered, shoved back by her own divine power.
"Now! Touka!"
"Understood!"
—Yae?
Touya spun around.
There she was—dragging her bandaged leg, but with her blade drawn. Black hair in a ponytail. The hem of her kimono fluttering in the wind.
"Yae!? Your leg—!"
"Pay me no mind! Now—Touka will cut the flow of divine power!"
Yae raised her sword.
Touka—a blade forged from Flayz material.
"Haaaaah!"
One flash.
She cut through the invisible divine power.
"Kuuuun..."
The puppy's movement stopped.
"Linze, now!"
"Yes! Sewing magic—capture net!"
The silver-haired girl with the short cut, Linze, swung her wand.
Thread danced through the air.
In moments, a net wove itself together.
"Got her!"
The net fell over the puppy.
—But.
"Woof!!!"
The puppy barked with the last of her strength.
The net was blasted away by divine power.
"What!?"
The puppy kicked off the ground.
A white shadow vanished into the gathering dusk.
"Damn it! She got away!"
"She still has divine power left. She's heading for the Iron Valley tunnels."
"The Iron Valley tunnels... We'll corner her there. No way out."
Touya clenched his fist.
—And then.
"That girl's desperate too, you know."
Karen was suddenly standing beside him.
"Karen!?"
"If the Goddess of Fertility doesn't return, that girl will vanish herself."
"Vanish...?"
"Yes. Subordinate gods depend on their master's divine power. Without a master, their power eventually runs dry—and they disappear."
Her voice echoed quietly.
Touya stared toward where the puppy had fled.
"...Then I'll find the Goddess of Fertility too."
"Touya?"
"Catching the puppy isn't enough. I'll find where the Goddess of Fertility went. I'm going to save her—for real."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Karen watched him, unblinking.
"...I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because there's something far more troublesome above her."
Karen's voice was quiet, and cold.
"More troublesome? Above her...?"
"You don't need to know yet. But remember this—if you're going to save that girl, you'll need resolve."
And with that, Karen vanished again.
"...Resolve, huh."
Touya looked up at the sky.
The sun had set, and the stars were beginning to blink awake, one after another.
"Lord Touya, let's go. To save her."
"Yeah. The Iron Valley tunnels."
"Yes. The mining district midway up the Varna Range. The tunnels run about fourteen kilometers in total. If she's holed up in there, she'll be easy to corner."
"All right, let's move. Everyone ready?"
"Of course!"
"I'm coming as well."
"I'm here too."
Touya looked around at his companions.
Yae was dragging her leg. But her eyes burned with strength.
(I can't let her push herself. But I don't want to waste what she's feeling, either.)
"Yae—don't push yourself. If it hurts, tell me right away."
"Understood. Now, let us make haste."
Yae sheathed her blade.
"...All right. Let's go."
They ran for the Iron Valley.
—The mountain path through the Varna Range lay wrapped in the darkness of night.
Moonlight cast the rock faces in a pale blue glow.
The wind was cold.
"The tunnel en
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