Stop spoiling him!
Hm? Rin-chan?
Shh. Don't be too loud.
Hm?
Okiku, it's almost close to lunch,
and you're not waking him up?
We just went on summer break. Why are you letting him do that?!
It's summer break, Rin-chan.
I'm going to let him go to sleep when he wants,
and wake up and eat when he wants.
You're just going to make Souta lazy!
You need to make sure he gets up at a decent—
Oh, Souta. Hey.
You're getting up, I see!
Let's all have a popsicle laying here together, Rin-kun.
Here you go, Sou-kun.
Souta!
Sheesh. I thought you were more together than that.
I haven't been to Okiku-nee's house in a while,
so I guess I just felt like relaxing.
I-I guess it's kind of cute to see you
all defenseless like that.
Everyone from Quest Dorm is headed back home.
It's better to have him here than be all alone.
I thought Mei would still be there,
but Kurumiko had her go back home with her.
She acts all tough, but Kurumiko manages to get to her.
Now that you mention it,
Mei seems to have gotten friendlier lately.
Mei only lost her memories about
flags and the Council of the Seven Virtues.
I wonder if there's some hidden meaning in all of this.
Wh-What was that?!
Ruri?
Please excuse my entrance.
Your entrance...
There is something that needs to be done before I'm overhauled.
Make sure you don't bite your tongue.
Yes or no?
Huh?
Wait—
If Her Flag Breaks
Flag 8
I'll Catch up to You. Have I Ever Broken a Promise to You Before?
Okay, we've arrived.
I thought my death flag had activated...
Souta-kun?!
Akane?
That means we're...
Sorry, when I said I missed you,
Ruri-chan flew off, and...
Oh, right.
She really did fly off. With jets.
I was surprised.
Hm?
Anyway, I'm going to return to my maintenance.
I'd forgotten just how upper-class you are.
I don't want you to think I live in a different world than you!
I'm Akane-san, the Crawling Chaos, who's always by your side!
Uh...
Akane.
Y-Yes?
You'll always be you.
Hm?
Souta-kun...
You're a kind girl, who looks great when she smiles.
That's how I see you.
Not in a different world, or anything.
Really?
Yeah.
My heart will always be with yours.
As along as you need me.
It sounds like you're proposing to me!
I just don't know!
I mean, not that I don't know.
It's that I'd just feel bad about Rin-chan-senpai,
and Mei-chan, and Megu-chan.
Anyway, why don't you relax?
There was a name in that list that shouldn't have been there, either.
A-Anyway, I'd feel bad for the others,
so I'm not going to do something with you without them.
Oh, yeah, I just left Rin-kun and Okiku-nee there.
He contacts them
Huh?
Sou-kun! Souta!
Huh?
Okiku-nee?
You're all here.
Sou-kun!
What are you doing getting kidnapped without my permission?
Yeah, don't worry us.
Souta-kun went up to the stars!
Nothing even happened...
I shouldn't have worried—
I wasn't worried at all.
Mei-oneechan was worried most of all, until a second ago.
N-No, I wasn't!
Why are Megumu and the others here, too?
Oh, that's because Okiku was
worried and called everyone, crying.
This is just getting crazier...
Sorry for all the trouble...
Ruri likes to cause trouble.
But I'm happy you missed Sou-kun while
we were on break.
Yeah, it was all like we all left,
and now we're back together.
It's like we're cursed.
Why are you laughing, Kurumiko?
No reason!
I guess Akane-oneechan
really does have a lot of money.
But you don't act stuck up,
and you're nice to me and Onii-chan...
That makes me happy.
Kurumiko-chan...
I'm glad to have all of you over today!
I want all of you to have lots of fun!
H-How do you eat this, Onii-chan?!
I'm not well versed in table manners, either...
I guess we should just copy Akane.
That's a great idea!
Everyone seems to be staring at me...
U-Uh...
Could you give Souta-kun
a little extra roast beef?
Please cut a lot of roast beef for Sou-kun!
Please give Souta a lot of roast beef.
I want Souta-kun to have tons of roast beef!
Give Onii-chan an extra helping of roast beef!
I love roast beef.
What are you guys doing...
It's amazing they have an outdoor bath like this.
Hm? Megumu?
It's the first time you've gotten in the bath with—
Huh?
Rin-kun?!
S-S-Souta?!
Why are you in the women's bath?!
You pervert! Jerk! Voyeur!
Th-This is the men's bath, Rin-kun!
What are you saying?!
This is women's bath!
Akane and the others?!
That must mean this is the women's bath...
Over this way, Souta!
It's nice to have a bath outdoors like this.
I wish I could have called Granny.
Our bath here is good for the skin,
but I don't think it helps a bad hip.
It helps your skin?
They've got a pool, too!
Y-You saved me, Rin-kun.
Rin-kun?
Souta saw me...
Saw me naked...
I can't get married now.
Uh...
I guess if no one else marries you,
I'll marry you.
What are you saying?!
You... bath and...
Rin-kun, calm down.
Hm? Rin-chan-senpai, you're here already?
Oh, yeah.
Why are you splashing about?
I-It's such a nice bath,
I forgot myself and started playing around like a little kid.
Rin-oneechan sometimes acts like a kid—
it's really cute.
Y-Yeah?
Mei-oneechan is the same way.
Why me?
But I'm glad you
didn't get in the bath earlier.
What do you mean?
The bath here at the house has set hours for men and women.
I forgot to tell Rin-chan-senpai and Souta-kun.
Silly me.
Don't forget something like that!
S-Sorry.
Huh?
I-I...
Don't worry about it.
What's wrong?
Hey.
Oh, Akane?
Nanami-chan!
Thanks for calling me.
I-I guess you're lonely, too—
I mean bored.
I guess I'll just have to talk to you for a bit.
It's Nanami-chan!
Are you doing well?
Nanami-chan!
Onii-chan, it's Nanami-oneechan.
What?
Oh, Nanami.
Wh-Wh-Wh—
Why are you guys all at Akane's house?!
We're all sleeping over.
What?!
Onii-chan, Akane-oneechan, hurry.
Oh, right!
Here I go!
Take this!
Souta-kun, save me!
Don't use me as a shield!
Hang in there, Hatate Souta!
Now you've done it!
It's time for me to use
my Souta-kun pillow to win the day!
When did you make that?!
You guys suck! Suck!
Sorry you don't get to join the fun.
I'll have a pillow fight with you.
How am I supposed to do that?!
Out of battery?!
Nanami-chan!
Hey, everyone.
Thanks for coming such a long distance.
As promised, we've come to have a pillow fight with you.
Why are you having a pillow fight here?!
She got mad at me for some reason...
Jeez...
Well...
Welcome to the Principality of Bladefield.
Anyway, I'm sure you're all tired from the trip.
We'll be on a train for three hours.
We're going to the capital, Twin Blades.
This is going to be fun!
I was supposed to spend summer break alone at the dorm...
This is a nice and peaceful country.
Yeah, our country—
This country produces wine and dairy products,
so you'll be seeing a lot of nature and pastures.
You know a lot about this country, Mei-chan.
Oh, yeah...
I wonder why.
Mei...
Souta-kun, you're not saying much.
I bet you're hungry.
I thought this might happen, so I brought some snacks.
R-Ruri?
Portable Frame, Type-L4,
Nendoro Ruri.
Please call me Ruri.
That's the same name!
S-S-S-So cute!
Actually, what's on your head, Ruri?
That's my bra!
Big.
Really big.
Big.
Super big.
Totally big.
So big.
Big
Big...
Where's the car, again...
Oh, sorry.
Given that you're on this train,
I assume you're somehow related to the royal family, I assume?
Huh?
I would guess that he is a classmate of the 13th crown princess,
Princess Nanami, currently studying abroad in Japan.
Oh, so you're Japanese?
Are you a haniwa, a Japanese funeral doll, are you?
What? A haniwa?
Are you a ninja, then, are you?
No...
I'm not a ninja.
I have a friend named Ninjabayashi, though.
How wonderful!
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm the 14th crown princess of the Principality of Bladefield,
Hakua Berserker Bladefield.
Nice to meet you.
Hakua...
Oh, my name is Hatate Souta.
Hatate Souta-san...
Pretty much like a haniwa, pretty much!
Only the "ha" is the same!
You're a lot of fun, you are.
No, I think you're
far more interesting than I.
Could you please tell me about Japan, could you?
So in Japan,
men and women go to the same school, do they?
I guess this country is different.
I've never been, so I don't know, I don't.
Then why were you surprised?
I've been learning at a girls-only
nunnery since I was small, I have.
I guess you've been really sheltered, compared to Nanami.
Actually, just like Nanami, you have a Japanese-ish name.
Yes, my mother's Japanese, so...
I believe that the
13th crown princess's mother is, as well, I do.
So does that mean that you and Nanami have different mothers?
Oh, sorry.
I shouldn't have just asked that out of the blue.
Is it not normal to be siblings,
but be born to different mothers, is it not?
Oh, I see.
I guess polygamy is normal for royalty...
So, how old are you, Hakua?
I'll be 16 this year.
So you're the same age as Nanami and me...
Oh, you asked how old I was because Japan bases their social structure off of age,
and you wanted to see if I was inferior to you, didn't you?
No!
What are you doing?
N-Nanami! Why are you here?
I thought this might happen,
so I put a transmitter in your body. Ahem.
What did you do to me...
You didn't come back, so I came to see what was going on, and...
Allow me to extend my greetings to you, 13th crown princess.
I extend my apologies for my companion's intrusion,
14th crown princess.
You're sure formal to each other for sisters.
I've actually only met her a few times.
Also, unlike me, the 14th crown princess is the youngest of us.
She was completely spoiled by His Majesty.
His Majesty? Her father?
Anyway...
Why are you talking being so friendly with the 14th crown princess?!
Akane and the others were
You are in the presence of the princesses.
worried sick that you hadn't returned!
Please return—
Eliminate Princess Nanami and Princess Hakua.
An attack!
Princess, please run!
That's...!
I will complete my mission.
Hakua!
Go now!
Over here, Souta!
Nanami!
What's up with her?
Isn't that Ruri?
My main body is undergoing maintenance.
She's probably a mass-produced unit that was exported to Europe.
I believe she's been customized to be an assassin.
She may be a mass-produced unit, but she is my sister.
I will take responsibility as her older sister.
Stop it, Ruri!
Huh?
Run away!
I figured this'd happen!
This is...
It's the last car, Souta!
I know!
What should we do...
This is the same as...
We're saved...
You run to the end of the train,
break the coupling, and activate the breaks.
It's a typical running away flag.
You knew this was going to happen?
It's the first time I've used it this way, though.
I didn't do something to a specific person.
It's a stronger power than I've been using so far, huh?
I understand!
So she was an assassin, she was!
So what do you plan on doing, Souta?
I guess we have to walk.
Roar! Gawo!
Hakua, huh...
I never would have thought I'd be running away with princess.
You didn't forget there was another princess here, did you?
When there are two princesses like this, one of them's usually a fake...
I'm real!
Or maybe the older sister protects the younger,
and then gets captured.
You're just messing with me, aren't you?
Roar! Gawo!
Flag 9
Someday, it'd be Nice if We Could all Go to a Festival Together Again
If Her Flag Breaks
Watch next time!
Illustration: Haruse Hiroki