After the act between Shion and Roa was finished.

Still riding high on the excitement, I was told that Yoko and Fuka were in the library.

"Well then, I'm off to see them."

"Yeah, I'm sure you two will be happy."

"Take care."

Shion and Roa saw me off, their faces flushed red.

I stepped out of the living room and started making my way toward the second floor when I ran into Chiyu, my childhood friend.

Well, "ran into" was maybe not quite right; it seemed she had been waiting for me at the foot of the stairs.

Fresh from her bath, steam still rising from her skin, my childhood friend felt like a different kind of allure than usual.

"My cute, post-bath childhood friend... made your heart skip?"

"Yeah."

I admitted it honestly, and Chiyu pressed her hand to her cheek, murmuring, "You're blushing." Her expression didn't change. "Cure, mid-tier. Purify."

Chiyu cast healing and purification spells on me.

It was as if she knew exactly what was about to happen.

"...Thanks."

"Mm."

Chiyu nodded and headed back toward the living room.

I climbed the stairs and headed for the library.

Since the library is open to everyone, I walked in without knocking.

If you imagine a standard school library, just a bit more spacious, that’s about what it looked like.

Numerous bookshelves and several desks were arranged within the room, and at one of the desks, two people were spreading something out. "Ah, Sousuke!" "Oh, Mr. Sousuke."

It was an unusual combination: Shoushu, the blonde gyaru, and Fuka, the class president. To see them together in the library? That’s a sight we never saw back in the Earth era.

"I heard you two were here."

As I spoke, I approached their table. "Sousuke! Look at this!"

Shoushu held up a sheet of paper toward me.

It featured an illustration of a four-legged beast with wings.

It resembled a griffon, but its entire body was covered in what looked like feathers or fur.

It probably reflected Shoushu’s taste, given her "Fluffy Summoning Ability."

"Were you considering new candidates for phantom beasts?"

"Yeah! Sure, Mashiro's faster on the ground, and Mikuron has more freedom in the air, but what makes this girl amazing is that she can do both."

Mayoko’s eyes were shining.

"That's true. Being able to choose between land and air depending on the situation is a strong advantage."

"I did consider summoning Fenrir to protect Sora's group, but after today, I changed my mind. We need to prioritize our comrades first."

Mayoko’s voice shifted to a serious tone.

I realized again just how much of a shock today's events had been for the others.

"It's your power, Mayoko. You're free to choose." "Yeah. So this is what I'm going to do." "I see. Thank you."

"With her around, I know we won't have to let Sōsuke go through something like that again!"

"Count on it."

"Mm, count on it as much as you need."

Mayoko nodded dramatically, and I laughed.

"How long are you just going to stand there? Come on, sit down. Sit."

Pulled by the arm from Mayoko, I sat in the seat next to her.

Even after sitting down, Mayoko didn't let go; she kept her arm hooked around my waist.

Considering how shy she usually is about being affectionate in public, this was unusual.

"…… Ahem. I've also been thinking about various things regarding my side of things."

The two of us were sitting facing each other, but Fuka stood up and moved to the seat next to me.

Her face was a bit red; was she shy about her own behavior?

She didn't drape her arm over mine, but instead, she gently pinched the hem of my clothes.

There was something endearing about that gesture—very much like Fuka, and quite cute. "I see. Will you tell me?"

"I'm thinking of drawing up a plan for if anything happens in the future."

"So, you're saying it might happen again, like today?"

"Yes. Because of what happened today, we realized how much we had been relying on you, Sōsuke."

"That's not true at all."

"It is. I hadn't realized just how heavy the burden of responsibility you carried was. As our leader, you bore the responsibility for every decision. Seeing you act without hesitation when our comrades' lives were in danger was the first time I truly noticed that."

Up until now, we had weathered numerous crises together.

Encounters with beasts, battles with monsters, participation in events...

However, thanks to our companions and their abilities, we managed to overcome those situations without much hardship.

As for what happened today, looking only at the result, everyone was safe and we even earned points from slaying a monster, but......

The realization that Soreina and I could have easily died was likely a tremendous shock to everyone.

"That aside, I've been relying on all of you for support as well."

"It is a fact that the group functions because Sonosuke has taken the lead. However, that means everything has been left entirely up to him. Even in that moment, my mind went blank, and it was only after seeing Sonosuke charge out ahead of us that I finally remembered what needed to be done."

"...

It didn't seem like consolation was what Fukaho needed right now.

"I want to become someone who can support you."

Saying "I'm already fully supported" wouldn't do any good at a time like this.

That wasn't what she meant to say in the first place.

"Does that make you a... sort of sub-leader?"

She nodded at my words.

"Yes. Vice-chairman, deputy, aide, strategist—whatever title works for Sonosuke is fine by me."

"That's actually... a great idea."

Everyone respects me as the leader, and things have been working out well because of that.

But there are times when I am momentarily absent from the group's decision-making process.

Today alone happened twice.

Miyoko tried to thicken the ranks of her companions so that they would never find themselves in such a desperate pinch again.

Fukaho had considered what the best course of action for everyone would be, just in case I had to temporarily withdraw.

Their approaches were different, but both of them had the party’s well-being at heart.

"Yes. Still, it’s probably better not to hold formal command authority during peacetime. If her role is viewed simply as an acting leader for when we’re separated from Sougo, I think everyone will find it easier to accept."

"Aha, I see. You’re saying that explicitly designating someone as Number Two might breed a sense of hierarchy?"

"Exactly, as always, Sougo-san. That’s why I suggested defining roles by specialty: Shion-sensei for head chef, Roua-sensei for household management, Miyoko-sensei for summoning beasts, and so on. It seems that way preserves the party’s current dynamic."

This setup could be useful not just for incidents like today, but also when dividing the party.

I would issue direct orders to one group, while the other follows Fukaho’s instructions... something along those lines.

"Thanks for thinking of all that."

"It’s the only thing I can do."

"Don’t say that. I’m getting a lot of help from you, Fukaho."

"Really? Are you sure I’m being useful to you?"

Fukaho looked up at me with an anxious expression.

"It’d be a pain without you, Fukaho."

As I smiled back, she flashed a delighted, fleeting grin.

"I'm glad you're so happy about it."

"Um... what about the fact that I'm here too?"

Mio's voice came through, tinged with a pouty edge.

"Of course, Mio is indispensable."

"...As long as that's true, then it's fine."

Though her tone sounded sullen, a look at her face revealed she was beaming.

I once again felt a swell of gratitude for both their feelings.

"—Speaking of which, Sōsuke..."

"...What were you doing with Chiyu just now?"

Judging gazes shot from the two of them.

"It's not like I'm trying to blame you or anything."

"Mm-hmm. It's just... I felt left out."

"We're her lovers, too, after all."

"Even if we want to be with Sōsuke... that's okay, right?"

"Well, of course."

"Glad you're here. By the way, while Sōsuke was away, I had a little chat with my girlfriend."

"…Before coming here, did you and Shion-san and Roha-san…… do that thing?"

I see. They had talked it over beforehand.

There was no point in denying it, so I admitted it straight up.

"Ah, yeah."

"I knew it. So, this side is going to……"

"We figured we'd take turns…… go at it together as a pair……"

Tsukuko and Fukuhō. The gyaru and the class president.

In the library.

They both blushed, leaning in close to me.

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After Shion and Roa were done.

While still excited, I was told that Shiko and Shinpo were at the library.

"Then I'll go see them." "Yeah, they'll be happy to see you." "Have a nice time."

Shion and Roa sent me off with flushed faces.

As I was about to leave the living room and head upstairs, I ran into my childhood friend, Chiyu.

More like, she was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

My childhood friend, with steam rising from her bath, gave off a different kind of charm than usual.

"Cute bathed childhood friend, did it make your heart flutter...?" "Yeah."

I nodded honestly, and Chiyu covered her cheek, saying she was blushing. Her expression didn't change. "Intermediate Healing," "Purification."

Chiyu cast healing and purification magic on me.

It seemed like she knew what was going to happen next. "Thanks." "Mm."

Chiyu nodded and headed back to the living room.

I went up the stairs and headed to the library.

The library was a room open to everyone, so I went in without knocking.

If you imagine a school library, it should be about the same size.

There were many bookshelves and several desks, and at one of them, two people had something spread out.
"Ah, Souzou!" "Oh, Souzou-san"

The combination of the blonde girl Shouko and the class president Shinpo is quite rare. In the Earth era, this would have been an unusual sight.

"I heard you two were here."

As I approached their table, I spoke to them.
"Souzou! Look at this!"

Shouko held up a piece of paper to me.

On it was an illustration of a quadruped with wings.

It looked somewhat like a griffin, but its entire body was covered in something like feathers.

This must reflect Shouko's preference for her "fluffy summoning ability."

"Did you come up with a new candidate for a phantasmal beast?"

「Yeah! While Mashiro is faster on the ground, Mikuron is better at flying, but this one is amazing because it can do both!」 Shouko’s eyes are shining.

「That’s true. Being able to choose between land and air depending on the situation is a huge advantage.」

「I did consider summoning Fenrir to protect your group, but today made me change my mind. First things first, we need to prioritize our friends.」

Shouko’s voice becomes serious.

Today’s incident was a shock for everyone, I understand that now.

「This is Shouko’s power, Shouko gets to make the choice.」 「Yeah. So, I’m doing this.」 「Got it. Thanks.」

「With this one around, I won’t have to make Tsukasa do that again!」 「I’m counting on you.」 「Indeed, feel free to rely on me.」 Shouko nods dramatically, and I smile.

「What are you standing around for? Come on, sit down.」

Shouko pulls me by the arm and sits me next to her.

Even after sitting down, Shouko doesn’t let go of my arm.

It’s rare for Shouko to be this affectionate in public.

「…………Ahem. I, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things too.」

The two had been sitting across from each other, but Shinpo stood up and moved to sit next to me.

Her face was a bit red, perhaps embarrassed by her actions.

She didn't wrap her arms around me, but instead tugged on the hem of my shirt.

That endearing gesture was very characteristic of Shinpo, and it was cute.

"So, you're going to tell me?"

"I wanted to think about a plan for if something like this happens again."

"Yeah. Today, we realized how dependent we are on Saosuke."
"That's not true."

"It is. I didn't realize the weight of the responsibility Saosuke was carrying. He's been taking the responsibility of making decisions as our leader. It was only when I saw you act without hesitation when our comrades were in danger that I truly understood that."

We've overcome many crises in the past.

We've encountered beasts, fought monsters, and participated in events.

But we've managed to overcome them all without much trouble, thanks to our comrades and their abilities.

Even today's incident, if you look at the result, everyone is safe and we even earned points for defeating the monster...

It must have been quite a shock to everyone that we could have died if things had gone wrong.

"I've been helped by everyone too."

"True, we've managed to stay together because you're the leader. But that's also made us rely on you for everything. At that time, I was so panicked that I didn't know what to do until you ran out." "..."

It doesn't seem like what she needs right now is comfort.

"I want to be someone who can support you."

Saying that I'm already supported would be meaningless right now.

That's not what she means.

"Is that like being a deputy leader?" She nods at my words.

"That's right. It could be vice president or vice commander or anything you like."

"That's... a good idea."

Everyone respects me as the leader, and that's working out well.

But it's possible for me to be absent temporarily. It happened twice today.

Shouji wanted to strengthen the party to avoid falling into such a pinch again.

Deepfoe thought about it so that everyone could make the best moves even if I was temporarily unavailable in case of an emergency.

Their approaches were different, but both of them had considered the party.

"Yeah, but it's probably better if I don't have control during normal times. If it's just a temporary leader when I'm separated from you, I think everyone will be more accepting."

"Oh, I see. If I were to clearly be the number two, it might create a hierarchy."

"Exactly, Souta. So, if we have someone like Shion for cooking, Roa for the household, and Shouji for summoning beasts, we can divide the work according to their expertise and specialties without disrupting the party's atmosphere."

Not only for incidents like today, but this approach could also be used when splitting the party.

One side would follow my direct orders, while the other would follow Deepfoe's...

"Thanks for thinking about all this." "That's all I can do."

"I don't mean that. I've received a lot of help from you, Deepfoe."

"Really? Am I really useful to you?"

Deepfoe looked up at me with a worried expression. "I'd be lost without you."

I smiled, and she responded with a faint, happy smile. "I'm glad that's true."

“Um, I’m here too.”

I could hear Shouko’s sulky voice.

“Of course, Shouko is also indispensable.” “Well, if that’s the case.”

Her voice sounded sulky, but her face was beaming.

I felt grateful for both of them once again. “By the way, Souza.”

“…What were you doing with Senyuu-san just now?”

Both of them shot me a reproachful look.

“I’m not trying to scold you.”

“Yeah, I just… felt a bit lonely.”

“We’re girls too, you know.”

“…Does that mean it’s okay for us to want to be with you too?” “Of—of course.”

「Good. Actually, while you were gone, we had a little chat as a couple.」

「...So, before you came here, you and Shion-san and Rora-san... you did it, right?」

I see, they had a talk beforehand.

There's no point in denying it, so I just nodded. 「Ah, yeah.」

「See, that's why we're...」

「We thought we'd do it together...」

Shouko and Shinpo. The girl and the class president. In the library.

They both blushed and leaned in closer. Thanks to everyone,

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I'll continue writing, so please keep supporting me.

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