Very soon, Koutarou's mother would die. Having realized that, he was frozen in place.
What should I do!?
During these three days, Koutarou had been secretly thinking about whether he should save his mother or not. If he saved his mother, he and Clan wouldn't be able to return to their own world. In that case, Koutarou would have brought it upon himself, but the same couldn't be said for Clan. Had this been Forthorthe, she wouldn't have minded since Clan was royalty, and she had the duty of protecting the lives of her citizens. However, Clan had nothing to do with the people on Earth. There was nothing logical about involving her. On top of that, Koutarou had made a promise with the invading girls, and he had sworn to himself. That said, he had a hard time just letting his own mother die.
Without being able to make a decision, that time slowly approached. But there was no time to hesitate. In less than an hour, Koutarou's mother would die, the time to make up his mind was now.
“I-I―”
But despite knowing that, Koutarou couldn't move.
In order for him to obtain a place of his own to return to, he would have to steal away Clan's. In other words, Koutarou saving his mother's life meant that he would steal Clan's life, for the sake of his own. Could something like that really be forgiven?
And what about the promise he had made ten years into the future? That's why he had so desperately struggled to return home.
That said, could he just abandon people that he knew would die? Could letting someone he knew would die just pass away be forgiven? Especially so when it was his own mother.
The weights of conscience balancing inside Koutarou's heart perfectly cancelled each other out. They were both things that he didn't want to lose. And because of that he couldn't move.
“Let's hurry up and save her! Onii-chan!”
However, Kii began shaking up that balance.
Kii had just lost her mother, so she knew how Koutarou would feel if he didn't save her. And since she didn't want that to happen, she desperately appealed to him.
“It's your mom! You can't just let her be!!”
“But, if I do that, something dangerous will happen to me and my friend! There will be people I can never meet again!”
“But you still need to go!! If you don't, that friend will be hurt! They will think that they killed Onii-chan's mom!!”
If Koutarou didn't save his mother, Clan would probably feel sorry. She would feel like he couldn't save his mother because she was with him. That truth would surely bind Clan, and the same would hold true for the invaders. Could that really be the best choice?
Kii didn't know who Koutarou's friend was, but if he didn't save his mother, she knew how that friend would feel. Because that's how she would feel.
“Let's save your mom and apologize to your friend! After that you can just protect your friend so that nothing dangerous happens to them! That's for the best!”
“Kii-chan...”
Koutarou's heart was at a standstill. That was when Kii repeatedly hurled her own heart at him. And for each time she knocked up against him, her emotions were carved into Koutarou's heart. That gentle, warm emotion tipped the balance in his heart.
“I got it. Thank you, Kii-chan”
Koutarou made up his mind.
There was no choice that wouldn't end with regret. In that case, Koutarou should carry the responsibility of that regret. Listening to Kii's desperate appeals, he finally made his resolution.
“Let's go save mom. I'll apologize to my friends later”
While speaking to Kii, Koutarou thought of his friends that weren't with him.
Sorry, everyone... It doesn't look like I can fulfill our promise...
Koutarou had promised the invaders that they would make the play a success. He had also made an oath to himself that he would resolve the problems they carried. But now that he had decided to save his mother, he was about to all but lose the chance to do that, and that made him feel guilty.
I am very sorry, your highness... I even turned your offer down...
The same could be said regarding Alaia. When she had wished for Koutarou to remain in Forthorthe, he had rejected her, saying he had a promise and an oath to fulfill. But he was now about to turn his back on those. And that could be called a betrayal towards Alaia.