Kizuna Kurohara 

I love cute things! I love karaoke! I love being cherished by everyone!

A girl, whose intentions—honest or otherwise—were unclear, joined a modern visual studies club that consisted entirely of men. She found incredible success, quickly becoming a shining star in the sky of the circle.

"Let's all have fun together! Fun is justice~♪" (Being popular feels so good~♪)

She understands well the charm of her sweet voice and youthful appearance, and she is devoted to using these things to her advantage.

“Good morning~♪ Is everyone online?”

Our princess starts her day early. The first thing she does upon waking is open her group chat to greet all the men in her club, doing roll call in the process.

“I’m still sleepy. I’m not really a morning person.”

As she gets ready, our princess checks her schedule. A princess is always busy—her schedule packed with no free time.

“I’ll have a light breakfast and have something delicious for lunch~♪”

It is important to decide when and who in the circle she eats with. She treats everyone equally. That was the princess’s role.

“Uh oh☆ I can’t hook my bra~☆”

Occasionally, the princess adds her own unique flair, providing live commentary as she changes clothes via chat messages. Naturally, she knows this is exciting and makes the men very happy.

　　　×　×　×

…But then, our princess notices something strange. F, a member of the club, had vanished from the chat without a trace.

And then, the doorbell rings. As the princess expects, F awaits her at the door.

"Hey~☆ It's against the rules to come into my room, you know~?"

The princess gently admonishes him. Charging alone into the princess’s room was a serious offense in the club—one that could easily result in a death sentence.

However, our princess would never forsake anyone.

…No, she could not be cold to F, standing before her blushing and unable to meet her eyes.

"Geez~☆ We’ll keep this a secret~☆"

F,  content with these sweet words, leaves with his heart pounding in his chest. And so, our princess, managing mastery over her bra hook, heads to the university.

“Good morning in person~♪”

Waiting until everyone has arrived, the princess slowly makes her way to the club room. Arriving before everyone else was out of the question, but making them wait too long would spoil the fun.

"Good morning, A~♪ Were you the first one here today as well? C, you're working out again this morning!? Amazing! G, you finished your homework! As expected~♪ T, you look sleepy. I am too☆"

It is the princess’s duty to observe the commoners. They must all be treated with equal favor. Our princess’s role is harsh.

“Don’t you think my outfit is wonderful today? This part is super fluttery~☆"

The princess twirls, showing off her skirt. The move gives off a refreshing floral scent.

"The fabric feels amazing~♪ Want to touch the frills a little? Go ahead, touch them~ Come on~☆"

She doesn’t forget to thrill them a bit, but of course, the men don’t have the courage to touch the princess’s clothes.

“Come on, how about G? Go ahead, touch it☆”

　　　×　×　×

…But this time, the provocation seems to have gone too far. G musters up all of his courage and decides to touch the princess’s clothes, but his hands tremble wildly from nervousness. Unable to steady his hand, he accidentally touches the princess’s rear.

“Kya…!” the princess lets out an involuntary cry.

G’s face was now more than simply pale, practically the color of death itself. Touching the princess’s backside was a super duper serious offense, one that could get you exiled from the very Earth itself. G’s body still trembles uncontrollably.

But fortunately, no one witnessed his crime.

“Geez☆ Let’s try that again!”

Saved by these words, G crumples to the ground, vowing even greater obedience to the generous princess.

…All the while, she realizes the surprise of having her backside touched by a man for the first time has left her blushing.

It’s past noon, and it’s now time for the princess to mingle with the commoners. The seating arrangement in the karaoke room sensitively displays the hierarchy among the men.

“I’ll sit with G and T today~♪”

Outcasts would put the community in peril, and so the princess takes care to prevent a coup d'état.

“A, you're so quick~☆ C, a new song? How delightful~☆"

Once the men begin to sing, the princess offers generic compliments to each of their enthusiastic performances. But of course, the princess was the star of our show. The others were simply the opening act.

“Alright~♪ Now it’s my turn to sing~☆”

The men roar in response to the declaration, and the princess becomes their own private idol, exclusive to the club… 

They provide backing vocals to the princess’s song. Everything about her was perfect. Her youthful, high pitched voice. Her singing, just slightly off key. Of course, this moment is just as irresistible for the princess. She basks in the envious gazes as the men become more and more excited, their voices hoarse from supporting their princess with all their might.

The princess’s performance was in full swing amidst the frenzy.

　　　×　×　×

…But something had caught the princess’s eye. Curious and malicious gazes peered into their room. The men's loud voices echoed and escaped outside, drawing a crowd.

For a moment, the princess feels embarrassed. The men, however, were completely absorbed in the moment, paying no attention to the outside glances.

If one thought about it calmly, it was a strange sight indeed.

“How disgusting,” the outsiders must be thinking.

But…

“Hey, guys~☆ Let’s sing our hearts out~♪”

The men became even more excited, for this place belongs only to us.

“I wanna go shopping~☆”

When the princess declares this, the men check the schedule. The duty of caring shopping bags operated on a rotating basis This time, however, the entire group ventures out together. This shopping trip was going to be a big one.

“I’m gonna buy a new TV for my room~♪ Hmm, I want a black one! And it should be big~☆”

The club forms a procession, their princess at the very center, and embarks for the electronics store at full force.

“I’ll get a futon while I’m at it~♪ A heated blanket to keep nice and warm~☆”

Because she is a princess, she makes a show of her purchases. She doesn’t care about the limits of her wallet. Because she’s a princess. And the men don’t rely on the store for routine tasks like delivery and installation, they volunteer to do it themselves.

“I know you wanna see my room~☆ But it’s too small for all of us~☆ Be gentle~☆”

　　　×　×　×

...But, as expected, or perhaps inevitably, H, the largest man of the group, starts to struggle to hold the formation. He sweats profusely, gasping for breath. The amount of sweat versus his muscles seems to be disproportionate.  He’d like to ask C, who enjoys weight training in his free time, for help—but alas, C has the responsibility of carrying the very large television.

“Sorry~☆ I wish I could help, but I can’t~”

The princess’s hands are free, but she doesn’t offer to help. No explanation was needed—she’s a princess!

Gritting his teeth, H carries the heavy load with a fierce expression. His knees tremble, his breathing labored with each step.

“You can do it, H~☆ Just a little farther~☆”

As expected, the princess does not help. Because she’s a princess. She doesn’t carry luggage, that is the role of the commoners.

…Telling herself this, the princess quietly helps support the weight with one hand.

“Let’s have some fun and relax today~☆ I’m thinking sports~☆”

At the princess’s command, the men all stand up at once. However, they can't be allowed to compete in terms of physical ability. If a winner and a loser become clearly defined, the balance of the circle is disrupted. And so, the princess chose to play air hockey at the arcade.

“Oh nooo~♪ You’re so mean to me, I can’t block a shot like that~☆”

The princess takes turns playing with each of the men, each of them extremely united, motivated, and excited. After wearing themselves out, the princess and her circle take a stroll to a nearby park.

“Isn’t it nice to have something like this in the city~♪”

Walking leisurely along the route, the princess, comforted by the ducks and koi in the pond, is objectively adorable. She tries to pet the head of an approaching duck, and the men forget the harsh realities of the world and smile at the sight.

　　　×　×　×

…But then, tragedy strikes.

Just as the princess is about to pet the duck, the duck moves away. Her hand grasps at empty air, and she nearly falls into the pond. In times like these, the men lack the agility and judgement to run to the princess’s rescue.

—Was it okay to touch the princess?

Each of them questions themselves, and not a single one of them is able to move. In the end, the princess manages to regain her balance on her own, and everything is fine.

On the journey home, the men are silent. They are ashamed of their lack of courage and inadequacy. C even has tears welling up in his eyes.

“Come on~☆ No need to be sad!”

“Why should I have to encourage them?” the princess thinks to herself. “Wasn’t I the one in danger?”

However, the princess cannot help but worry for the dejected men. She simply cannot help it.

“My outfit enhancement strategy!”

At the princess’s call, the men begin to stir. The princess is going to buy cute new clothes, so they must be ready to dress suitably as well.

“Okay, I’m gonna go try it on! Just one sec~”

The princess usually prefers bright and frilly sweet lolita style dresses. Each dress is from a high end brand, famous in that particular niche. The rest of the circle (they all came together again) is dressed in black. They are all lined up, waiting respectfully.

“Ta-da~☆ How is it? It’s lovely, right~♪”

The princess achieves a successful transformation in the fitting room.

“It’s good…” the men are unable to say anything else. “It’s great…”

The princess is already beaming from ear to ear, and it’s impossible to resist the princess’s joy.

　　　×　×　×

…But then, the haunting sound of tearing comes from the princess’s waist.

—It’s okay, nobody noticed.

The princess was certain of this. Until she makes direct eye contact with A, who has a surprised look on his face.

“W-We have a secret between just the two of us~☆” the princess whispers to A.

The word “secret” fills A to the brim with joy. The princess tearing her dress was already forgotten.

“Geez…I don’t want to share any more secrets.”

…And so the princess orders one dress size larger and goes home.

“I wonder if I have a cold~? I’m running a fever. Help meeee~”

C bolts upright response to the urgent email from the princess.

“The princess needs my help! And she called just for me!” he thinks. “Wait for me, my princess!”

But when he finally arrives at the princess’s apartment door, A and T are already waiting there, sitting on the floor. C is stunned, but then G joins them, rushing over with medicine and a desperate look on his face. 

What was going on?

For some reason, no one can get in contact with the princess by phone or email, and a refreshing scent of soap and steam wafts from the entrance of her apartment.

Restless, the men wait for an hour…

“Hm? Ah, everyone’s here. Sorry, sorry, wait just another moment~☆”

For just a moment, the princess appears at the entrance, wearing only a bath towel as a faint wisp of steam rises from her skin. It seems that her cold has been cured by taking a shower. The unexpected bliss causes the men to jump for joy, and they even await the princess for another two hours.

　　×　×　×

…But perhaps he was too excited, or perhaps waiting outside the front door for over three hours had taken its toll. T suddenly develops a fever and collapses.

“Hey~☆ What am I supposed to do if the person taking care of me collapses~!”

The princess has no choice but to bring T into her room and give him some medicine, the two of them alone together. As his consciousness fades due to the high fever, T thinks that he would be alright with dying like this. As the princess watches T's smiling face, she sighs, realizing that she is smiling as well.

“Good morning~♪ Huh…?”

When the princess arrives at the university's club room building as usual, for some reason, none of the men are there.

“Oh, I see. The engineering department is in the middle of exams, huh?”

The princess wasn’t in the same course as the rest of the circle. In fact, she wasn’t even a student at this university. Though it wasn’t particularly unusual for students from other schools to participate in clubs outside their own. With this in mind, the princess’s strategy had been to choose a circle with the least amount of women.

“Being alone is boring…”

Indeed. The commoners made her a princess.

　　　×　×　×

…But the princess’s true feelings are different. It wasn’t just that she disliked being alone.

“It’s no fun without everyone else.”

Indeed. The princess needed them like they needed her.

Just then, there is a knock on the door.

“Who is it? A? C?”

But the person who appeared wasn’t part of the circle. It was a gentleman very different from the men in the club. He calmly hands the princess a business card.

“Huh? You’re scouting me? For what?”

“An idol…?”

“Please give me some time to think it over,” the bewildered princess says with a resolute expression.

The gentleman bows and leaves.

“Am I… really that cute…?” After the exam ends, the princess asks the members of the circle this question—but it is a foolish endeavor.

No matter what outsiders would say, she is our princess. Of course she’s cute. Our princess is the best! Our princess is wonderful! Our princess is an angel!

“Then it’s okay for me to be an idol to everyone?”

The princess shows everyone the talent agency business card she received from the gentleman the day before. The men's voices and hearts stir with unease. 

Was our princess truly that magnificent? She was not just our treasure, but the treasure of the entire world?

“What are your honest opinions?”

The men cannot carelessly open their mouths. No. No one has an answer.

　　　×　×　×

…But the princess’s mind was already made up.

“The most important thing is…”

“But I don’t think I need this~☆” the princess says. Before she is even finished, she tears up the gentleman’s business card and throws it away!

“WHOOAAA…!!!” the men roar. They all raise their fists and cheer.

“I just want to have fun with all of you~☆”

The entire circle is moved to tears by the princess’s thoughtfulness. After all, the servants exist because of the princess, and the princess’s kingdom exists because of the servants. This country’s borders will never expand—but it is for that very reason that it will remain beautiful for all eternity.

“Anyway, where should we go shopping today~☆”

All of the men eagerly raise their hands, but none of them try to outdo each other. They walk alongside their princess. Everyone is equally loved, and equally scorned. Pushing ahead of the others was strictly prohibited.

“Let’s go~♪ Let’s all do our best, okay~☆”

　　　×　×　×

…And so, the princess walks alongside them, for this is where she belongs.