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Horizon:Volume 7C Chapter 77

2020-02-03T19:15:22Z

141.101.77.137:

==Chapter 77: Interrupter of Reminiscence==
[[Image:Horizon7C_0683.jpg|thumb]]
''That is someone from the past

''Who cannot move past their era

''They simply look back

''Into the morning sun

'''Point Allocation (A Truly Shining Genji)<ref>Shining Genji is a reference to Hikaru Genji from The Tale of Genji.</ref>

Onitakemaru restored his functions by resetting himself after the hit.

…''Damn, this body is not easy to use!

His current body was a mobile shell. He could sense it as his body, but he could not move it himself.

Having a body but being unable to move it felt weird, so he had not been digitizing his senses.

But that was why the previous attack had caught them unawares.

With his senses restricted to the mechanical functions, he had been unable to sense the presence of and distance from the enemy on the battlefield. Even when not much was going on around you, the entire battlefield was in motion. He should have been able to detect the movement of the aerial ships using what he could sense of the air.

His vision was simply dark at the moment. And…

'''Onitakemaru:''' “Hey, little girl!”

He did not know if the girl named Shima Sakon was okay or not.

Neither one knew the other well and their divine protections had not been synced, so he could not tell anything about her condition.

He was fine. The hit must not have been a direct one, so he was not damaged.

They had apparently been blasted away by the shockwave, but the shell fragments and the impact itself would have had a serious effect on a human body.

He could predict that Shima Sakon would have taken significant damage.

Especially because she had such long arms and legs.

The impact would have propagated up her limbs, but the extremities still would have burst open.

'''Onitakemaru:''' “Hey!”

“Uh, y-yes.”

His vision swayed. Whatever was covering his sight devices fell away and he realized it was dirt. Then he found himself looking up into the sky from the grass.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.”

A tense breath left her as she sat up.

'''Onitakemaru:''' “How are you?”

“Eh? Oh, testament. I’m fine.”

“Really?” he sighed.

'''Onitakemaru:''' “Then you were awfully lucky. Can you stand? If so, we need to get back to it.”

“––––”

She stopped breathing for a moment. Or it seemed that way to him. Then a hand abruptly moved into his field of vision. It was a white and even beautiful hand, but he should have been seeing his own body there.

'''Onitakemaru:''' “Hey, what happened to your gauntlet?”

“Oh, um…it must have been blown away.”

'''Onitakemaru:''' “I can’t believe you. You still have your sword, I hope. If not, I will activate a spell and you can fight with that. Okay?”

“Uh, yes.”

The hand clenched a few times and they stood up.

Then he heard the roar of artillery fire from the sky and gunfire from the surface.

“Whoa.”

Sparks scattered well ahead of them.

'''Onitakemaru:''' “Is that Yoshinaka?”

“It’s Tomoe Gozen.”

“It’s both,” he muttered while sensing his wearer moving forward.

“Um, we need to…”

'''Onitakemaru:''' “Yoshinaka is handling Tomoe Gozen, so it would be best for us to attack her surface unit. We should head north and join the mobile shell unit pursuing them. Go!”

Tomoe Gozen saw a tall mobile shell leaving the western forest.

…''Yoritomo has emerged!

However, this mostly confused her. She was puzzled about that tall mobile shell’s wearer, Shima Sakon.

Tomoe Gozen kept her in a corner of her vision while she fought.

“She isn’t hurt?”

Her inner suit’s sleeves and stomach were torn, exposing the skin below, but there was no sign of injury.

Even though she had taken a direct hit from a shell.

A light warship’s pseudo-anti-ship cannon should have done a lot of damage to a human.

But that could change if her mobile shell was an autonomous model. The armor would move at the instant of contact to redirect the impact. By cancelling the guidance spell connections, the wearer could be protected at the cost of the armor.

So Tomoe Gozen had assumed the mobile shell might be entirely destroyed depending on how the artillery shell hit.

But as far as she could see…

…''The mobile shell isn’t damaged either?

She could only imagine the mobile shell had moved to avoid the impact. The artillery shell must have been diverted by the mobile shell but it hit nearby and the shockwave had damaged Shima Sakon’s suit.

That seemed like the best explanation for this. And…

“Oh!”

Her opponent was on the move in front of her.

…''I don’t have time to focus on anything else.

Light raced by.

She did not overlook that beam. She forcefully struck the ground with her right hammer.

With a roar, clumps of dirt flew skyward and a power appeared before her.

It was a Testament copy. That barrier of ether blocked the beam of light, and a breath later…

“It won’t last.”

It burst and ether light scattered across the morning field.

“Now, then.”

She pulled her hammer from the ground and used that motion to dodge Yoshinaka’s sword. Then she raised her hammer.

“We have 10 minutes until 7AM. Not quite enough time for 500 years’ worth of complaining!”

Tomoe Gozen was using a physical buffing spell.

Protestant spells were holy spells, so they were honestly a bit of a burden on her spectral body. That was why she would first cast a ghost preservation spell meant for spirit manifestations.

That allowed her to buff herself just like anyone with an ordinary physical body, but there was one problem there.

It made her body heavy.

Ghosts were data entities, so burdening herself with the data of a spell increased her weight.

Only buffs and divine protections could rid her of that weight.

But using those would only add to the burden.

…''Which brings you right back where you started!

It was important to keep it all balanced. More than that, you could not use any unnecessary buffs.

She only had to outdo her enemy’s speed and have enough strength to smash through their armor. Then she could fight using her experience.

“Indeed.”

She knew this opponent very well.

After all, she had learned how to fight in the earliest stage of her life by training against him.

“And do you remember that I had the higher win rate, Yoshinaka!?”

He did not reply, but there was a response.

He responded with his actions. The movements of his arms and his footwork were not strictly the same as the Yoshinaka in her memories.

The ghost in the shell must not have had much of his regretful memories remaining.

But that was his skeleton there and he had artificial muscles and tendons in the appropriate places.

The movable range of a skeletal animal was determined by the flexibility of their bones and muscles.

And with each movement, the mobile shell’s movement management system gained a better understanding of that range, allowing him to make the shortest possible movements and to balance himself.

The trick to combat was to understand your body’s movable range and strength and to move in accordance with that.

Yoshinaka had always done that.

And this mobile shell was the same. Over the course of the battle, it was reaching an understanding of its frame made from his skeleton and it was optimizing its movements accordingly.

It was reproducing what movements had been possible for Minamoto no Yoshinaka.

But there were a few points that had arrived at a different optimization than what he had used.

…''Like when I make this attack.

When she had made a horizontal swing of her weapon, Yoshinaka had always twisted his body and fallen back.

But this opponent moved straight back.

Back then, Yoshinaka had made good use of that habit. He had avoided her attacks.

But she hit this mobile shell.

''I see,'' she thought in reference to his skeleton. She had of course not seen it back then, but his entire skeleton was revealed to her now.

A portion of the skeletal frame was misshapen or incomplete.

He had been a demon. Different demons were different sizes and even relatives could look entirely different thanks to deformities. Yoshinaka’s skeleton was mostly well-formed, but one part of him was surprisingly asymmetrical.

“If only I had been able to see this back then.”

She could have beaten the snot out of him even easier.

But a part of her did not know how to react to this.

After all, her fighting style meshed well with this opponent.

But not perfectly. There was a fair bit lacking there, but that helped her grow weirdly accustomed to it.

…''I can’t believe this.

Her time with Yoshinaka, Ishi, and that group had been so much shorter than the time since.

''I only spent 30…no, let’s say 20 or so years with them. Yes, that’s a much better number.

However, the people she had spent time with afterwards decorated the rest of her life.

''But,'' she thought.

Her fighting style had been created in her training against Yoshinaka.

Her interactions with people afterwards had given her further strategies, weapons, and fighting styles that matched the era at the time, but the foundation of all those ideas and actions came from that starting point.

The very first thing she had learned was special to her and it was engraved in her memory.

…''It’s a lot like a book.

It was so nostalgic.

Then something occurred to her. The history creation system based on the Testament may have been the same.

All things could only have the one starting point.

She had just come in contact with hers again as her current self and while equipped with the current technology.

Was the world the same?

''But,'' she thought while swinging her hammer and striking metal against metal.

“Something is missing.”

…''Yes.

She crossed the grassy morning field with footless footwork and spun herself around.

“Why are you here after so long? Ishi is not ''here''.”

Tomoe Gozen moved forward.

She pushed. She slid the hammer’s handle in her hand a bit to adjust its speed and where it struck.

…''Honestly.

She had not used this sort of weapon back then.

She had used a club. She had been trying to make a wooden sword, but it had been roughly hewn and overly long, so Yoshinaka had laughed at her for it. But when she hit him for that, it had worked really well, so she had continued using it for practice.

Maybe that was not all that different from now. But still…

“You are an outdated relic, Yoshinaka. You are not living ''here'' in this age.”

She knew that much.

He had been asleep all this time and then he was awoken and used as a component of this mobile shell.

She had no right to speak out about the usage of human souls for tools of war. Spells were linked to the saints and god and she would have to rethink their usage of spiritual powerups and divine protections.

The spirits did have some rights.

…''In most cases, you sign a contract with them or pay them money.

They would be given more peaceful sleep or be allowed to ascend to a higher plane.

If Yoshinaka really had no memories left, then he would have been little different from some random spirit. By defining him as Yoshinaka again here, she might be able to give him his official sleep as Yoshinaka.

After all, his head had been stolen after he was slain.

There had been a burial mound for his head.

That must have been dug up to restore this skeleton.

P.A. Oda had set up his and Yoritomo’s resurrections. It would have been done by Niwa who managed Houjou, Akechi who held Kyoto, and Maeda who had mastered a spell to resurrect the dead.

Yoshinaka had been resurrected like this, but the existence of a burial mound for his head meant the modern world viewed him as a traitor.

No one viewed him for who he had been.

When a ghost was not treated right, they would generally end up haunting people.

''But,'' said Tomoe Gozen in her heart.

…''You never haunted anyone.

''I bet you were too proper for that.

''I won’t say that’s what I did, but you could have been more selfish.

''You could have resented the imperial advisors and Imperial Palace.

''And not just you. Ishi too.

''Ishi, you died of your illness, but you were replaced since your history recreation was not complete.

''No one even remembers you. Of course they don’t, when it would now seem wrong to count you as “you”.

''Yet you left us and went peacefully to sleep in some unassuming grave.

''Did Yoshinaka not appear where Ishi was because she had left with no regrets?

''Then why did you never appear where I was?

''Does that mean my words actually got through when we parted ways?

“Well?”

She did not know. There was no reply. But there was a response.

When she struck, his metal weapon rang out. That was the usual result of that. But…

“Answer me.”

She asked him a question.

“Why?”

She had to ask.

“Why didn’t you resent me?”

The people who should have resentfully remained behind had left and gone to sleep.

And the one who should have left without resentment had remained behind due to her regrets.

She could accept that and she had remade herself to fit the current age. And yet…

“Why are you ''here'' now!?”

Tomoe Gozen stepped forward.

She held her right hammer close in and raised it as if pressing it to her shoulder. She thrust her left hammer out like a spear.

“…”

That left hammer intercepted Yoshinaka’s right arm as he swung his large sword.

While he swung the weapon down, she stuck the Testament hammer below his arm and accurately struck his elbow.

She felt the impact.

But that was all part of the setup. What really mattered was her right arm and the right hammer it held in close.

“The other arm!”

As soon as he realized his sword had been stopped, he swung his other arm.

He was either trying to deter her from acting or trying to capture her.

She sent out a right attack against it.

She hit.

Her hammer accurately struck his palm on the interior of his gauntlet.

With a solid sound of impact, the hammer was knocked back, but his arm was as well.

Both of them were knocked backwards.

“…!”

His face turned her way above his bent body.

His mouth opened and he unleashed a roar.

There was light. A beam of it was targeting her. However…

“That’s obsolete, Yoshinaka.”

Tomoe Gozen did not fight her body’s backwards momentum. She swung her right hammer back over her shoulder.

“I am now the leader of the Protestants.”

As soon as the hammer slammed into the ground, a Testament copy barrier rose up in front of Yoshinaka just before he launched the light.

This was not just close range; it was point-blank range.

“First of all, you can blow yourself up, Yoshinaka.”

An ether light explosion soon followed.

“Wow,” said Sakon as she watched the explosion to south.

She was currently rushing toward the enemy with sword in hand.

She could not tell if she was moving quickly or slowly, but she could hear the M.H.R.R. assault unit over the divine transmission.

“Help us out!”

“We can target them from the side, so you just have to break through the corner of their formation!”

“Testament,” she replied while crouching low to speed up.

She followed her training and the mobile shell assisted her just like the one during training.

So as she approached the enemy firing on them while falling back to north…

'''Onitakemaru:''' “I will defend you, so you charge on ahead!”

“Um, okay! I will do that!”

But even as she charged in and accelerated, she was worried about things behind her.

Someone in a mobile shell was fighting Tomoe Gozen.

The same kind of big weird book she had torn up from the ground had grown from the ground like a trap in a retro game and hit the person in the large mobile shell. Or so it had looked.

In reality, it had simply grown up right in front of them.

It had not hit them, but their roar had hit the book and that roar had exploded a breath later.

“Wow.”

More and more explosions triggered in a chain reaction. The book had caused all of the roar’s power to appear right there and explode.

All of its energy was slammed into the person in the large mobile shell.

“Ow, ow, ow. That has got to hurt.”

Only after saying that did she realize her vision could see a warning ''lernen figur'' in the sky behind her.

…''What is this?

“Artillery?”

'''Onitakemaru:''' “Look where you’re going!”

“But, um, uh.”

The shell was definitely aimed for their allied unit. So…

“They haven’t noticed!”

'''Onitakemaru:''' “I am aware of that!”

Onitakemaru shouted back.

'''Onitakemaru:''' “We already knew some of the others would take damage! You must focus on what you can do as a name inheritor!”

The warning behind her grew even louder.

When she heard that incoming shell alert, she looked at her own hands.

They were not all that large. As tall as she was, her hands, feet, and face were ordinary sized. But she made up her mind while looking at that white skin.

“Onitakemaru-san. I am sorry.”

'''Onitakemaru:''' “Damn you!”

She did not hear him out to the end. She immediately spun herself around, twisting her body through the air.

…''This is going to hurt!

The shell scored a direct hit.

The M.H.R.R. assault unit heard a loud crash of impact.

Sakon had been running alongside them and charging toward the enemy unit, but now she had been slammed into the ground behind them.

“Sakon-sama!?”

They knew what had happened.

She had noticed the incoming shell and risked her own wellbeing to protect them.

They all gasped at the intensity of the hit.

She had been hit by a shell once already, so she had been working to catch up with them on her own. That would be why she had noticed the shell before they did. They had been distracted by the anti-imperial unit they were pursuing, so those in the rear of their formation were only now reacting to the shell.

If she had not done something, those in the rear would have been hit.

They were all safe, but that meant that Sakon was not.

The countless sounds of impact and bending metal reverberated deep within each and every one of them.

“Dammit!”

The few beginning to raise defense barriers toward the sky in the back of their ranks squeezed out their voices.

“She didn’t have to do that for us!”

Sakon lay collapsed on the ground that had been badly torn up by the blast.

“Sakon-sama!”

She was not moving. From this distance, they could not even tell if she was still in one piece. However…

“…!”

They made sure to bow toward her once before facing forward again.

“Let’s go!”

“Testament,” they replied while launching themselves forward.

“We have to do enough to warrant her protection, boys and girls!”

As if responding to their cries, ether light scattered across the southern field behind them.

The Testament copy hit by Komaoumaru’s beam explosion had been completely destroyed.

Tomoe Gozen saw it happen.

The roar had exploded after hitting the Testament copy barrier.

That attack had to have come at the best possible time.

She wished she could have directly hit him from below, but that would have allowed the roar beam to reach her. So she had instead caused it to detonate. However…

“Yoshinaka!”

She could see that enormous mobile shell past the ether light smoke.

He had taken damage. Some of the armor had shattered and a few of the artificial muscles on the surface had snapped.

But he was moving.

…''He has excellent instincts.

Did that come from the mobile shell’s program or the ghost’s memories?

In a split-second decision, he had used his right arm.

That was the arm she had struck to keep him from using it. He had pushed it against the hammer.

…''Not bad.

That had forcibly pushed the hammer down.

The hammer had supported his right arm from below like a cane and he had used that arm to push his body.

He had only managed to move a single step.

But that had made the point-blank explosion only a close-range one.

The blast had hit him, but not as directly. Plus…

“…!”

He unleashed a second roar.

She had just slammed her right hammer into the ground behind her, so she could not stand back up right away. However…

“Are you stupid?” she said. “I said you can blow yourself up ‘''first of all''’, Yoshinaka.”

She took action. She pulled her body in toward the hammer behind her on the right and slid her right leg back. She crouched down on her right leg to give herself more momentum upon moving forward.

“Ohh!”

And she forcibly pulled her left arm back toward her.

She held something in that left hand.

“Do you know why I let go of your right arm!?”

It was her left hammer.

He had been using it like a cane, so it was standing up as she pulled it back. The striking head was lifted up in between them.

“–––––”

The roar beam scored a direct hit on that striking head.

The hit area immediately exploded. And in that moment…

“You can blow yourself up second of all too, Yoshinaka.”

She used the power built up in her right leg to spring forward.

She swung her body forward and slammed the left hammer into him.

The hammer’s explosion was driven into her opponent like an augmented hammer strike.

It worked.

She seemingly pushed the explosion into him.

It was going to hit.

But in that instant, he made a certain move.

“Ah.”

She had seen this a few times in the past. He twisted his body to dodge while falling back.

She focused on that old idiosyncrasy and habit.

…''Oh, no.

She was distracted for that one crucial moment.

Tomoe Gozen realized it too late.

She had made her attack with her full strength and it should have hit. The explosion would damage her too, but she had been willing to accept that if it would defeat him.

But nostalgia had created an opening.

She had not seen that movement before and that was one of the reasons she had assumed this mobile shell was not really Yoshinaka, but now he had done it.

Did he have his memories, or had the program simply figured that out as an optimized movement for his skeleton?

She did not know.

But she had held back in her attack upon seeing that familiar movement.

It had surprised her because it happened so abruptly.

…''And because…

Because she had wanted to believe its absence meant this enemy was merely a program-controlled mobile shell and not Yoshinaka himself.

But after seeing that movement, she had hesitated.

And so ''it'' hit her.

While he fell back, he used the reaction of his backwards movement to send out his left arm.

He swung that large sword.

He had distanced himself from the explosion positioned right in front of her.

And instead, he sent his sword in along a diagonal slash from the left.

He had not entirely dodged the explosion. He was prepared to take the close-range blast to get in this attack.

“Kh.”

She pushed her left hand’s hammer toward his sword.

She would be launched backwards by the impact, but she would technically dodge the blast.

Which one would be more injured afterwards? And more importantly…

…''Please make it in time.

But it was too late.

She had created an opening and he had continued resisting throughout. That allowed his blade to reach her.

“Oh?”

But just before it did, a kick from the left slammed into her face and sent her flying.

…''What are you doing!?

After crossing the city wall and racing along the grass, Mitotsudaira saw Unturning Centipede kick Tomoe Gozen through the air

Narumi must have been trying to support the woman.

That was why she had crossed the city wall and glided on over, but…

'''Unturning:''' “I can’t say I expected her to suddenly raise her hammer and pull herself toward it.”

'''Uqui:''' “Out of curiosity, what was your plan assuming she did not do that?”

'''Unturning:''' “To block that weird beam with my leg. I can replace my leg easily enough after all.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “I seem to recall someone kicking Tomoe Gozen through the air at Magdeburg.”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “I did not kick her. I was trying to stop myself and her face just so happened to be in the way. So it does not count.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Yes, it does!”

''Have we been inadvertently picking a fight with the Protestants?'' But…

“Oh.”

A chain reaction of explosions began.

Narumi had moved too far west, so the hammer was behind her as it exploded in front of Yoshinaka.

Pieces of his metal frame were launched skyward, but he reacted.

The force of the explosion pushed his swung sword back.

“…!”

And he launched a horizontally sweeping beam toward Narumi.

As soon as Narumi dodged out of the way, Mitotsudaira saw explosions race out across the path of the beam.

…''I should be able to leave that to Narumi.

She had to continue north to reach the Nagaoka estate while catching up to Tomoe Gozen’s unit, which was falling back in a defensive formation, and the enemy assault unit, which was pursuing them while angled diagonally.

The enemy fired on Tomoe Gozen’s unit while occasionally charging in at them.

With each sound of impact, Tomoe Gozen’s unit would collapse more. And based on the extent of that…

“They will be in trouble if this keeps up.”

At this pace, the enemy assault unit would have greatly worn down Tomoe Gozen’s unit by the time they arrived at the Nagaoka estate.

She had to stop that if she was to support her king. Because…

“Protecting Tomoe Gozen is my duty here!”

She sprinted forward to attack the rear of the enemy ranks.

“Here I go!”

She held two Silver Chains in each hand, all of which held a sword. Those were mandible swords Narumi had given her.

With four fangs and spares hanging at her hips, the wolf pursued the enemy.

She was worried about her ally facing Minamoto no Yoshinaka behind her, but that was Date’s Vice Chancellor. She was as cement-like as any of the classmates Mitotsudaira had known for much longer. So…

“This is in your hands, Narumi!”

Narumi had already begun her battle.

Her opponent was Minamoto no Yoshinaka.

She had begun this duel after having weary Tomoe Gozen fall back to the city wall, but…

…''He has such accurate movements.

He was enormous, but his balance control and footwork were surprisingly precise.

Had he developed the technique needed to fight opponents smaller than him?

''This certainly isn’t going to be a boring fight,'' she concluded. She turned to place her right leg out front and held his actions in check while stepping forward to make an attack of her own.

'''Lady AM:''' “Hey! Are you sure you can handle this after barging in out of nowhere!?”

'''Unturning:''' “Can you explain to me how you intended to survive that and how you intended to win after losing one of your weapons?”

'''Lady AM:''' “What would you do if I could explain that?”

'''Unturning:''' “I would say ‘I see’.”

That woman could not deal with this opponent right now.

That had been obvious from watching Tomoe Gozen earlier and Narumi could sense it all the more now that she was facing the enemy herself.

…''I can just barely keep up with two swords.

He made very frequent attacks.

You would think he would swing his sword wide given how large it was, but he moved himself along with his attacks to never stay in one place for long. He also switched which hand held the weapon to slash back and forth very rapidly.

“And that roar!”

A blast of light swept horizontally toward her.

She pulled her left foot back and made a backwards turn before dodging.

She avoided it.

The problem was the explosion that light produced after a short delay. That meant she had to dodge the initial attack and then worry about the secondary attack that would soon arrive.

It was really annoying to have that double attack contained within a single enemy.

Fighting him made him feel like he had no openings.

…''So I’ll have to create an opening for myself.

There were two ways of doing that.

The first was to increase her mobility, continue circling around his attacks, and make her move when he missed.

The second was to attack more often, stop his attacks, and make her move then.

She chose the latter. She raised her right sword in front of her to hold his movements in check while she moved in. However…

…''He sure is fast.

The hand switching and the constant movement allowed him to respond to both her mandible swords.

But when he used that roar cannon of his, she had a chance to attack.

The enemy had three forms of attack.

Tomoe Gozen had had an advantage in knowing him very well.

''Makes sense,'' decided Narumi. So…

'''Unturning:''' “Tomoe Gozen. Can I ask something of you?”

'''Lady AM:''' “What is it? Do you want to know how to attack Yoshinaka?”

“No,” she replied before making her real request.

'''Unturning:''' “If I give you a mandible sword, will you take my place here?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Changing her mind already?”

'''Uqui:''' “Incredible, Narumi. I didn’t think you would even opt out of battle if it was too much of a pain.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Um, this isn’t like cleaning up your room.”

“I am not a swordswoman,” replied Tomoe Gozen with a sigh. “We can come up with another idea if you cannot defeat him.”

She was honestly exhausted. As a ghost, she did not experience much physical exhaustion, but the emotions and mind that supported her spectral body, which was a data entity, were tired. She could tell that now that she had a chance to relax, but…

…''I can’t move for a while now.

''I’ve grown too soft,'' she thought while watching Narumi and Yoshinaka’s battle.

That was Date Narumi. She had never before seen the Date Vice Chancellor fight in person. Sviet Rus and P.A. Oda existed between M.H.R.R. Protestant territory and Date territory, so she did not know much about that clan.

But the way she used a mobile shell to fight was fascinating.

This was a battle between two swift opponents with long reaches. A lot had changed from when she was fighting.

When Narumi rushed in with her right sword out in front…

…''Yoshinaka responds differently.

Was that the mobile shell program adapting? He used larger sweeping motions than against her, but those attacks and movements were probably about right for a mobile shell opponent.

Tomoe Gozen was curious about the quick changes to his fighting style.

Her curiosity was centered on how much of Yoshinaka was in there.

Some ghosts had memories and some did not.

The ghosts that M.H.R.R.’s Maeda Toshiie summoned with money were weak spirits that would have found peace without the money, so they had almost no memories.

Similarly, weak spirits could reside in objects and begin acting like that object based on the ‘mold’ of that object’s memories. Most automaton souls were like that, as were most Tsukumogamis.

For mass-production and quality control purposes, automatons would first have a soul mold prepared that was well suited for the body. That mold would be exposed to the ley lines and the ether would be concentrated into a soul, or an existing soul would be placed within.

Someone’s soul might reside in their own possessions or remains after death and that could also be used as the “core”, but…

“What about you?”

Which was it for Yoshinaka, and how much of his mind and memories remained?

His previous actions and movements were hard to judge from because of the optimization being made from his skeleton, but also…

…''I have so many emotions tied up in this question that I can’t trust my own opinion.

'''Lady AM:''' “Date Vice Chancellor, I have a question.”

'''Unturning:''' “What might that be? I am kind of busy at the moment.”

'''Lady AM:''' “Do you think that opponent has a mind and emotions of his own?”

She received an immediate response.

'''Unturning:''' “Have you considered what you want to do after you receive my answer?”

Tomoe Gozen froze at that. After a moment, she scratched the side of her head.

…''I forgot about that.

That was true.

This was not a test she was being graded on.

She had to decide for herself what she would do once she knew the answer.

''In that case,'' she thought while raising her remaining hammer in front of her.

'''Lady AM:''' “Do it.”

'''Unturning:''' “No need to ask. That was already the plan.”

'''Lady AM:''' “And if I ask anyway?”

“Well,” said the girl.

'''Unturning:''' “I will say ‘I see’.”

“But,” she continued.

'''Unturning:''' “I will make sure to defeat him.”

So…

'''Unturning:''' “You think about what you want to do once you see the result.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7C Chapter 76|Chapter 76]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7C Chapter 78|Chapter 78]]
}}
</noinclude>

High School DxD:Volume 2 Vida 1

2019-05-24T04:29:21Z

141.101.77.137:

==Vida.1 Eu Trabalho como um Demônio==

===Parte 1===

Abro meus olhos, e vejo um teto familiar.

Aah, então aquilo foi um sonho.

Parece que tive tanto o melhor quanto o pior sonho. Ele foi bom no início. Meu casamento com a Presidente, a quem eu admiro. Foi bom até então, mas depois disso……

Meu coração batia rápido. Aconteceria o mesmo com qualquer um que tivesse esse sonho. Eu também estava respirando rapidamente.

Me levantei para limpar o suor da testa com minha mão. Uau. Muito suor. Fiquei surpreso ao ver o quanto eu havia suado.

No mesmo momento, eu percebi que havia usado o braço esquerdo para limpar meu suor.

A última cena...... o Dragão Vermelho...... Era como uma história de fantasia que eu não podia acreditar.

No final de meu sonho, meu braço esquerdo se transformou em um "monstro", mas não havia nada de errado com ele.

Mas eu entendi que havia algo possuído em meu braço.

Eu olhei o relógio. Eram 4:30 da manhã..... Ainda estava um pouco cedo

Eu respirei fundo, e voltei para cama..... Não..... Está na hora.

Me levantei da cama e me arrumei!

Quando olhei pela janela, lá estava a Presidente Rias Gremory, com seus lindos cabelos vermelhos, vestindo um colete vermelho, me esperando no portão.

Ela é veterana e uma ídolo do meu colégio. Ela também é a presidente do clube de ocultismo, do qual faço parte, e sua verdadeira identidade é um demônio.

Ela me olhou com seus olhos azuis, após perceber que eu estava olhando para ela.

——Se apresse.

Ela moveu os lábios, como se fosse sorrir.

“Eu estou indo!”

Coloquei meu uniforme imediatamente, e saí do quarto para fazer meu treinamento matinal.

===Parte 2===

“Haaaa.....haaaa......haaaa.....”

"Ei, não corra tão miseravelmente, se não vou adcionar mais 10 voltas na proxima corrida."

Estava perdendo o fôlego correndo pela area residencial.

Atrás de mim estava a Presidente, que estava em uma bicicleta me atirando enquanto me corrigia sem piedade. Está rigorosa como sempre.

A cerca de um mês atrás, eu fui reencarnado como demônio, e servo da Presidente Rias Gremory.

Demônios são seres que são convocados por humanos, para realizar desejos em troca de algo. Eles costumam fazer esses trabalhos diariamente. A Presidente não é uma exceção.

Eu tenho trabalhado diariamente como servo da Presidente e caminhado de pouco em pouco ao meu objetivo.

Qual é meu objetivo? É óbvio!

“Eu quero me tornar o Rei de um Harém.....Haaaa.......”.

Essas palavras saíram da minha boca enquanto eu estava correndo.

“Está certo, e para isso você precisa começar com treinamento diario básico. Para ficar forte, mesmo se isso levar um tempo.”

Sim, Presidente. Eu sei disso.

Eu sou um demônio "recém nascido", mas se eu fizer realizações e ser promovido, então posso receber um título de nobreza. Se isso acontecer, eu vou poder ter meus próprios servos como a Presidente. É isso aí! Eu vou ter várias garotas demônio como minhas servas, então vou poder fazer meu sonho se tornar realidade!

Para isso, eu preciso ficar forte como a Presidente disse. Força é essencial no mundo dos Demônios. Simplificando, quanto mais forte você for, mais fácil é de ser promovido.

Bem, Você pode ser promovido com o conhecimento, habilidades de negociação, e outras habilidades, mas eu ainda não tenho nem uma habilidade dessas.

Eu não vou conseguir nada se primeiro não aumentar minha energia. É por isso que faço esse treinamento todos os dias.

Mas a Presidente é rigorosa.

"Um servo meu ser fraco, é uma coisa que não posso perdoar."

Então ela não mostra misericórdia no meu treino matinal.

Ela me faz correr aproximadamente 20km, depois me faz fazer 100 voltas. Ela também me obriga a fazer vários treinos musculares, que não quero nem contar quantos faço.

Os Dêmonios desencadeiam seus poderes a noite. Então pensei que seria melhor treinar a noite em vez de manhã, mas aparentemente não é bem assim. De acordo com a Presidente, treinar sob a luz do sol, que nos deixa fracos, nos fortalece mentalmente.

Eu tenho sofrido de dores musculares todos os dias, mas não tanto quanto no começo.

Recentemente, eu tenho conseguido fazê-los até que facilmente. É a prova de que estou melhorando a cada dia. Além do mais, eu estou bem em Educação Física. Meu tempo recorde na corrida de curta distancia diminuiu, e não está mais tão cansativo fazer a corrida de longa distancia.

“Haahaa……”

Eu parei de correr quando cheguei no parque, que era o objetivo. Eu estava suando pelo meu corpo todo...

“Bom trabalho. Agora vamos para lá.”

O sorriso da Presidente é tão deslumbrante.

===Parte 3===

"Sua habilidade tem mais significado quando você tem uma boa base".

“Sim …… 65 ……”

Comecei a fazer flexões no parque depois de completar a maratona matinal e traços.

A Buchou está sentada de costas. A sensação de suas nádegas macias é soberba, mas não tenho tempo para apreciá-la, pois meus braços estão chorando de dor. Não, na verdade, a sensação de suas nádegas é a melhor!

CHICOTE!

"Auu!"

Eu tive minha bunda golpeada por Buchou ...... Minha voz escorregou da minha boca. Eu não sou masoquista ...

“Você está tendo pensamentos sujos. O movimento dos seus quadris é lascivo.”

“…… I-Isso …… 68 …… P-Pensando que você está andando a cavalo em mim …… 69 …… está fazendo minhas entranhas ficarem como um cavalo na engrenagem máxima …… 70!”

“Conversando enquanto fazia flexões. Você parece ter crescido, Ise. Devo acrescentar mais cem?”

A Buchou disse algo impossível enquanto sorria. Eu vou morrer. Eu estarei em um estado de quase morte a partir desta manhã, se isso acontecer.

"Hmm, deve ser a hora que ela chega aqui ..."

"Hã? Quem vem?”

Quando eu perguntei a ela, ouvi uma voz familiar que então disse:

"Desculpe-me".

Quando olho para a direção de onde veio a voz enquanto permaneço na postura de flexão——.

“Ise-san, Buchou-san! Me desculpe por ter chegado atrasado …… hauu!”

A menina de cabelos loiros - Asia - tropeça.

"Ise-san, aqui está seu chá."

"Sim, obrigado."

Eu estou dando um tempo enquanto tomo o chá que Asia me dá. Após as flexões, eu fiz treinamento muscular para o meu estômago e costas para todo o meu corpo está doendo todo.

"Asia, por que você está aqui?"

Quando perguntei, as bochechas da beleza loira ficaram vermelhas.

“Ouvi dizer que o Ise-san e a Buchou-san estão treinando aqui todas as manhãs… então eu também queria ajudar o Ise-san. Embora eu só fosse capaz de preparar o chá hoje.”

Asia …… Você é uma garota tão maravilhosa! Estou profundamente comovido!

“Uuu, Asia! Estou profundamente comovido com sua gentileza, Asia! Aaah, nunca esperei que chegasse um dia em que uma garota dissesse isso para mim! ”

Eu tomo meu chá enquanto grito de alegria. A Asia é uma ex-irmã que tem cabelos loiros e olhos verdes. "Ex" significa que ela não é mais uma irmã. Agora ela é de um grupo dos Demônios Gremory.

No mês passado, ela estava envolvida em um incidente em particular que resultou em ela ser morta por um anjo caído. Asia morreu, mas graças ao poder da Buchou, ela reencarnou como um demônio e está aqui conosco agora.

Além disso, os Anjos Caídos são os anjos maus mencionados na Bíblia e nos romances. Seu traço é suas asas negras, eu acho. Eles são os arqui-inimigos dos demônios e estão sempre lutando com eles. No mês passado, eu também estava envolvido em sua luta. Naquela época, percebi o quão fraco eu estava, então comecei a treinar assim para ficar mais forte. Eu não quero que a Asia passe por essa tristeza novamente.

E nossa mestre, Buchou, parece estar pensando em alguma coisa enquanto bebe chá verde.

“O que há de errado, Buchou?”

“Quando eu perguntei a ela, ela voltou a seus sentidos e tossiu.”

"Nao é nada. Mais do que isso, é um tempo bom. Eu decidi fazer isso hoje, então vamos para a sua casa agora. ”

Hã? Por quê? Minha casa? Tempo Bom? O que vamos fazer na minha casa?”

"É hora de que a bagagem chegue."

Eu chegava a saber o que ela queria dizer 10 minutos depois.

===Parte 4===

"...... I-isto é?"

Minhas sobrancelhas estão se contorcendo depois de ver as caixas que são colocadas na frente da entrada da minha casa. Quem são esses? Estas caixas nem sequer têm o nome do remetente. Eu tenho um sentimento misterioso sobre isso. Não há bombas dentro deles, certo ...?

“Agora, Ise. Leve isso para o quarto. ”

A Buchou disse isso para mim enquanto eu estava fazendo uma cara confusa.

"Hã? Carregar? Eu tenho que carregá-los para …… minha casa !? ”

“Sim, esses são os pertences da Asia. Carregá-los é o que um cavalheiro faria, certo?”

"Hum...Estes são os pertences da Asia !?"

Estou em choque profundo, mas a Buchou diz algo ainda mais chocante.

"Sim, a partir de hoje, a Asia estará morando em sua casa."

====Reunião de família====

Entre todos os famosos encontros, conferências e assembléias do mundo, é considerado entre os altos escalões para o local das negociações.

As palavras dos pais, que detêm a autoridade, são o maior fator para decidir os resultados. A maneira como nós, as crianças, negociamos é a chave para isso. Mas meus pais, que deveriam ter a autoridade, estão de joelhos quando estão na frente da Buchou. Talvez os olhos da Buchou, que têm poder que não pode ser visto com os olhos, estejam fazendo com que eles ajam dessa maneira.

“Okaa-sama, Otou-sama, por causa dessa situação, você permitirá que Asia Argento fique aqui?”

A Buchou deu aos meus pais uma ordem imprudente de maneira elegante e alegre.

Os dois sussurram nos ouvidos um do outro enquanto olham para a Asia.

… Huh, eles também estão olhando para mim. Meu pai tosse uma vez e faz uma pergunta a Asia.

"Asia ...... -san, foi?"

"Sim, Otou-sama do Ise-san."

Asia respondeu com um rosto nervoso.

“O-Otou-sama …… Ku …… Eu não sei como colocar isso, mas ter belas garotas estrangeiras me chamam de“ Otou-sama ”repetidamente com certeza toca uma campainha no meu coração …… de um jeito bom”.

Parece que meu pai está ficando emotivo. Ser chamado de "Otou-sama" por duas garotas bonitas obviamente o fará feliz. Mesmo eu estou confiante de que eu iria me apaixonar se duas lindas garotas me chamavam de “Onii-chan”.

"Otou-san!"

Minha mãe cutuca meu pai. Meu pai volta a seus sentidos.

“A-Ahem! Mesmo se você quiser ficar aqui, nosso filho estúpido é uma personificação do desejo sexual. É lamentável, mas não é melhor você ficar em uma casa onde há uma garota? Eu ficaria muito envergonhado se algo acontecesse. ”

Este pai de merda não se segura em seu próprio filho. Uma encarnação do desejo sexual ... Eu me sinto mal porque ele não está tão longe. Mas o que meu pai acabou de dizer é lógico, então seria melhor fazê-la ficar em uma casa onde também há uma garota. Até minha mãe está bem ao lado dele e concordando, dizendo “Sim, está certo”.

Se uma linda garota loira fica comigo que tem tanto desejo sexual, você não sabe o que pode acontecer. Isso se tornaria um problema mundial. Meus pais provavelmente queriam dizer isso.

Mas eu não farei nada! Tenho certeza que não é confiável, hein ...... A propósito, não lhes contei que a Asia e eu somos demônios e que a Asia era usada por um anjo caído. Mesmo se eu dissesse a eles, eles não acreditariam em mim, e é melhor para minha mãe e meu pai não se envolverem com os Demônios.

Deixamos de fora muitas coisas enquanto explicávamos a situação e também incluímos algumas coisas que inventamos.

A Buchou não parece ser afetada pela recusa dos meus pais e continua a negociar com um sorriso.

"Então, e se a Asia se tornar sua filha, então?"

O-O que você quer dizer com essa palavra profunda …… Buchou ……?

"O que você quer dizer?"

“Otou-sama, a Asia acredita muito em Ise. Muito. É o mesmo para mim também. Ise não tem um pouco de inteligência e é muito direto, mas ele não é um tolo. Em vez disso, ele tem uma alma tão ardente que andaria em direção a qualquer obstáculo e tentaria superá-lo. Tanto a Asia quanto eu somos atraídos para essa parte de Ise. Especialmente a Asia. Não é verdade, Asia?”

“Sim! Ise-san me salvou, arriscando sua vida. Ele é meu salvador de vida. Ele também me ajuda muito na escola. Mesmo na aula, ele ...”

Então Asia começa feliz explicando como eu a ajudo na escola todos os dias enquanto coloco um grande sorriso. Ela até conta coisas menores e exagera demais. Uooooo ……, estou tão envergonhado que quero fugir deste lugar.

Meus pais ficam tipo “Oh, minha nossa!” E “Para ele ser útil aos outros”, e eles parecem não estar insatisfeitos com o que estão ouvindo. Bem, qualquer pai ficaria feliz se o filho estivesse sendo elogiado. Então a Buchou deu o empurrão final.

"E se ela também for noiva, então?"

[Noiva!?]

O que é isso!? Papai, mãe e eu grito muito alto. E a Asia como "?" E está colocando um olhar confuso. Lágrimas. Então, há muitas lágrimas saindo dos olhos do pai. Ele então fala enquanto enxuga as lágrimas.

“...... Como Ise é assim, eu tinha certeza de que nunca veria netos. Eu estava sempre deprimido por ter que me preocupar com Ise morando sozinho mesmo depois que eu fiquei muito velho… ”

O que …… Otou-sama de repente começou a falar seus pensamentos…… Em vez disso, o que há com esse mapa futuro irresponsável que você criou para seu próprio filho?

Minha mãe está enxugando as lágrimas ao lado dele. Espere, você está chorando também!

“Eu também achava que Ise nunca teria uma noiva. É porque ele é Ise. O filho estúpido. Eu tentei criá-lo para que ele não se tornasse uma vergonha na sociedade, mas tudo isso acabou sendo um desperdício desde que ele saiu dessa maneira. Se eu pudesse voltar ao passado, eu convenceria meu eu mais novo. Dizendo a mim mesmo: "Tenha cuidado, pois esse seu filho vai se transformar em um filho sem valor que esconde um DVD lascivo dentro de sua caixa de plástico escondida em seu armário".

Uwaaaaaa! Meu local pornô secreto! Mamãe sabe!

Meu pai segura a mão da Asia.

“Asia-san! Ele é um filho sem valor assim, mas posso deixá-lo para você?”

“Você está errado ……, Ise-san não é uma pessoa sem valor. Ele é uma pessoa muito maravilhosa.”

Asia não percebe o que meu pai está chegando e sorri. Minha mãe, que viu isso, quebrou chorando em voz alta. O que é isso? Que drama eu estou assistindo?

“Rias-san! Vamos cuidar da Asia Argento-san nesta casa!”

A Buchou sorri depois de ouvir a aprovação do meu pai.

“Muito obrigado, Otou-sama. Ise Vou deixar o cuidado da Asia com você a partir de agora. Asia, você ficará aqui com Ise. Portanto, certifique-se de não ser indelicado. Se dê bem com os pais de Ise.”

“Está tudo bem? Não vai… ser um fardo… se eu ficar ……? ”

“Para se familiarizar com a cultura e estilo de vida japoneses, é melhor ficar com as pessoas daquele país. Quando eu perguntei a você quem entre os membros do nosso clube você queria viver com mais, você disse Ise sem pensar duas vezes, certo? ”

Buchou respondeu à Asia, que estava confusa.

Oh eu vejo, então essa é a razão. A Asia está hospedada na casa de Rias-buchou. Ela está pegando emprestado um dos quartos do antigo prédio da escola que a Buchou, na Asia, e eu vamos.

“Sim. Eu realmente disse isso, mas ...”

“Tudo bem, Asia-san! Acostume-se ao Japão em nossa casa! Você pode ficar aqui definitivamente depois de tudo!”

Papai, você está realmente tentando fazer da Asia minha esposa, hein ...

"Veja, até Otou-sama está dizendo isso."

Embora Asia estivesse confusa, ela finalmente sorri quando vê Buchou sorrindo.

“Eu entendo, Buchou-san. Havia coisas que eu não entendia muito bem, mas estarei sob seus cuidados, Ise-san, e Otou-sama e Okaa-sama, da Ise-san. ”

...... Você foi enganado perfeitamente, pai, mãe ... Certamente, a coisa sobre minha "noiva" é um golpe perfeito para eles ...

Assim, foi decidido que a Asia viverá comigo.

"...... Noiva, huh."

Fiquei muito ansioso com a Buchou que estava fazendo uma cara triste naquela época.

===Parte 5===

Alguns dias se passaram desde que a Asia começou a morar na minha casa.

“O tempo está bom hoje. Ise-san, estamos jogando softball para a educação física hoje. É a minha primeira vez, então estou animada.”

A Asia está caminhando alegremente em direção à escola. Eu estou andando ao lado dela.

Eu nunca pensei que chegaria um dia em que eu seria capaz de andar para a escola todos os dias com uma beleza.

Os estudantes que vão para a mesma escola que nós estão olhando para nós com olhos intensos.

"Por que Asia-san está andando na mesma direção que Hyoudou ......"

“Impossível …… o que está acontecendo ……?”

"Deve ser algum tipo de erro, não apenas Rias-Oneesama, mas também a Asia-san ......"

Assim, eu posso ouvir as palavras gritadas de outros estudantes. Bem, isso é natural. Esta situação parece impossível para quem me conhece. Eu, que era apenas um estudante pervertido e impopular, de repente estou me dando bem com os ídolos da escola. Eu também estou andando para a escola todos os dias com o novo aluno loiro de quem todos falam desde que chegaram. Do ponto de vista de outras pessoas, esta é uma situação inacreditável.

Havia alguns estudantes que confessaram a Asia porque eram como “Se Hyoudou pode, eu também posso!”, Mas eles foram rejeitados imediatamente.

Por causa disso, há aqueles que guardam rancor contra mim. Mesmo agora, há pessoas olhando para mim com olhos cheios de ódio. Outros caras devem pensar que estou brincando com o corpo da beleza. Não é tão simples quanto eles pensam, mas tudo bem. Fufu Isso é divertido à sua maneira. Mesmo que seja um mal entendido, eles acham que sou popular com garotas. Oh sim! É isso aí! Apenas fique com ciúmes de mim, garotos!

Eu ainda vou subir mais alto! Fuhahahaha!

"Havia algo que parece engraçado?"

Oh. Asia olha para o meu rosto com um olhar preocupado. Quando o rosto de uma beleza está bem na minha frente, me faz corar ... Parece que eu ainda sou jovem.

“N-não, não é nada. Aliás, Asia, há algum problema na escola? Você está se dando bem com outras garotas?”

Essas são as coisas que mais me preocupam.

Uma ex-irmã que acabou de se transferir para a nossa escola. Como seu estilo de vida era muito diferente do nosso, ela poderia se sentir perdida na vida escolar.

Em momentos como esse, definitivamente vou ajudá-la, mas o mais importante é que ela seja apoiada por outras garotas. Eu acho que ela está se dando bem com as garotas do Clube de Pesquisa Oculta, mas eu estou preocupado com a interação dela com os outros colegas. Eu não acho que ela está sendo intimidada por não estar acostumada com esse estilo de vida ... Mas eu não posso me impedir de ficar preocupada com isso.

Nada disso está acontecendo, tanto quanto eu posso dizer, mas ela pode ser intimidada quando eu não estou lá.

No entanto, a Asia sorri que vem do fundo do seu coração, que então rejeita a minha preocupação com ela.

“Todo mundo é muito gentil comigo. Eles estão me ensinando muitas coisas para eu me familiarizar com o Japão. Eu também fiz muitos amigos. Também fui convidado para fazer compras com eles. ”

Isso é bom de ouvir. Parece que o relacionamento dela com os outros colegas está indo bem. Agora, uma das minhas preocupações se foi. Enquanto conversávamos sobre isso, chegamos à escola e depois fomos para a aula.

Agora, com o problema da vida escolar da Asia, o problema restante é:

“Asia-chan! Bom Dia!"

“Bom dia, Asia-san. Seu cabelo loiro está brilhando hoje também. Assim que chegamos na sala, o careca Matsuda, e o cara de óculos Motohama, aprovam a Asia. Esses dois são meus amigos. Eles são famosos por serem pervertidos, junto comigo.”

“Bom dia Matsuda-san, Motohama-san.”

Os dois ficam emocionados depois de serem recebidos pela Asia.

"Esta é a coisa, não é, Motohama-kun?"

“Isso mesmo, Matsuda-kun. Ser recebido por ter uma beleza dizer "Bom dia" nos dá vida pela manhã. "

...... Como de costume, eles se sentem felizes com pequenas coisas. Mas até recentemente eu era provavelmente o mesmo que eles. Fufufu, ter tanta confiança certamente muda as pessoas.

SOCO!

"Gufu!"

Quando eu estava agindo legal, Motohama me deu um soco no estômago.

"O-O que foi isso, careca !?"

Eu argumentei contra ele, mas ele continua a rir e me chuta na minha perna.

Isso realmente dói! O que esse idiota está fazendo?

“Hahaha. Ise-kun Eu ouvi sobre isso."

"Ouvi o que."

"Ouvi dizer que você anda para a escola com a Asia-chan todos os dias, certo?"

"O-O que sobre isto?"

"Isso é estranho. Por quê? Por que vocês dois vêm para a escola da mesma direção? Eu quero saber porque?"

Hmm. Eu não sei de onde ele ouviu, mas parece que ele ouviu os rumores sobre mim e Asia também. Eu levanto meus lábios e coloco um sorriso lascivo. Eu então digo isso.

“Ouça, Matsuda, Motohama. Há um muro entre mim e vocês dois que vocês definitivamente não podem superar. Isso não pode ser ajudado.”

“Oo que você está se orgulhando !?”

“T-isso é certo, Ise. Só porque você se dá bem com a Asia-chan ...”

Eu então dou um golpe final. Eu também coloco uma expressão de vitória.

“Eu moro com a Asia. Sob o mesmo teto. Certo, Asia?”

"Sim. Estou sendo cuidado na casa de Ise-san.”

[!?]

Ambos ficaram em silêncio depois de ver a resposta da Asia com um sorriso. Parece que eles estão sem palavras.

Fu. Fuhahahaha! Hahahaha! Eu venci! Eu venci!

"É mentira!"

Matsuda nega isso fortemente. Ele está até chorando. São lágrimas de ciúmes. Fuhahaha! Chorar! Grito! E morrendo!

“Impossível …… Ise vivendo com uma beleza loira na mesma casa……? Isso não pode ser… a lei deste mundo entrará em colapso…”

Motohama conserta a posição de seus óculos com a mão trêmula.

Ele também está tremendo, embora esteja tentando desesperadamente agir com calma.

“E-Então você mesmo se acorda pela Asia-chan de manhã!?"

Pergunta de Matsuda. Quão miserável.

"Asia, parece que eu fiz você me acordar hoje também."

“Porque Ise-san é uma cabeça tão sonolenta. Ufufu.”

Ah, Matsuda cai no chão.

“Ela até enche os pratos para você ……?”

Desta vez, Motohama pergunta.

"Mamãe também elogiou que você é uma menina prendada, Asia."

"Oh meu ... você está me fazendo corar."

Asia cora enquanto coloca a mão na bochecha dela.

Eu olhei para ela com confiança, e olhei para ela enquanto colocava um sorriso.

Vendo isso, Motohama olha diretamente para mim através dos óculos e parece que ele está prestes a derramar lágrimas de sangue. Cara, ter meu amigo com ciúmes de mim com certeza é assustador. Sério, a vida com certeza pode ser virada de cabeça para baixo com uma única mudança. Basta ser amigável com uma beleza é o suficiente para que os rapazes tenham uma vida feliz.

Sim, mesmo se todas as garotas da turma vierem a me odiar, estou bem, desde que a Asia esteja do meu lado. Ah, isso não é bom. Meu objetivo é obter um pariato e se tornar um grande Diabo, e então fazer muitas belezas para o meu servo. Então eu tenho que me tornar um cara que as garotas gostem. Mas parece que não vou conseguir me dar bem com garotas…

"Você! Você realmente conhece muitas garotas bonitas, não sabe? Rias-senpai! Akeno-senpai! Eles são os “Dois Grandes Onee-samas” da nossa academia, sabe? Então o pequeno ídolo da nossa escola, Toujou Koneko-chan, e agora a beleza loira que acabou de ser transferida, Asia-chan! Isto está errado! É tão injusto que estou prestes a quebrar!"

Matsuda se queixa enquanto segura a cabeça para baixo. Chore o quanto quiser, meu amigo. Assim como ele disse, eu estou me dando bem com várias belezas ultimamente.

Especialmente a Asia, com quem eu ando para a escola. E parece que estou sendo adorado pela Rias-senpai e pela Akeno-senpai também… Sim. Eu estou no grupo dos vencedores agora. Definitivamente em um grupo de vencedores. Este pode ser o melhor ponto da minha vida. Vou ter que aproveitar para não me arrepender depois. Enquanto estou pensando nisso, Motohama conserta seus óculos com calma.

“Ise, eu não acho que introduzir uma única garota para nós será uma coisa ruim. Não, quero dizer, por favor, nos apresente a alguém. Eu te imploro. Por favor.”

Motohama diz enquanto coloca seu rosto perto do meu. Ele diz isso com um tom baixo, mas tem muita intensidade nisso. Mas introduzindo ...... As únicas beldades com quem falo são aquelas que Matsuda acabou de mencionar.

Em outras palavras, eu não tenho nenhuma conexão com outras garotas. Pelo contrário, eles nem me levam a sério. É uma dura realidade. Isso significa que eu não tenho laços com garotas humanas. As garotas com quem eu me dou bem são Diabos ... Bem, apesar de serem Diabos, elas são todas fofas, então não é um problema.

Hmm? Sim, está certo. Bem, não é como se eu não conhecesse alguém. Existe uma pessoa que eu conheço.

Eu tirei meu celular e verifiquei o nome. Sim, eu tenho isso. Isso deve estar bem.

"Espere um segundo."

Eu fiz os meus dois amigos e a Asia esperou um pouco aqui, e então fui para o canto da sala para que eu pudesse obter a aprovação da dita pessoa. Conversamos por alguns minutos, mas parece que a pessoa está bem com isso. Isso é bom.

“Bem, eu encontrei uma pessoa que está bem em conhecer vocês. Essa pessoa também trará amigos também. Este é o número da pessoa que posso apresentar a vocês. Entre em contato com essa pessoa por e-mail primeiro. Dessa forma, vocês vão se sentir mais felizes.”

"Obrigado!"

Matsuda, que estava no chão até um momento atrás, pega meu celular. Ei, ei, essa é uma mudança rápida! Até um segundo atrás ele estava chorando, esse cara é realmente ......

Os dois copiam o número em seus telefones.

“Muito obrigado, Ise-sama! Eu nunca vou esquecer essa dívida!”

“Sim, vamos fazer um encontro triplo da próxima vez! Apenas espere! Nós também faremos uma namorada instantaneamente! ”

Os dois estão dando um bom sorriso. Parece que eles estão experimentando a felicidade, ou melhor, o interior da cabeça deles está no modo de festa.

“Então, que tipo de pessoa ela é? Ela é uma beleza, certo?”

Matsuda pergunta sobre a aparência da pessoa que acabei de apresentar. Eu respondo enquanto coço minha bochecha.

“Umm, sim, ela é uma donzela. Isso, tenho certeza.”

“Donzela …… m-maravilhoso …… isso é realmente maravilhoso, Ise-kun!”

"Cara, nós simplesmente não podemos agradecer o suficiente Ise-sensei."

Esses caras são apenas patéticos. Eles continuam mudando suas atitudes. Não, eu também teria sido como eles se não tivesse me encontrado com a Buchou e a Asia.

Me desculpe por ter toda a diversão, pessoal. Matsuda me pergunta mais uma vez com uma carinha sorridente.

“Oh Ise-kun. A propósito, por que é "Mil-tan" chamado Mill-tan?”

Eu vou gostar que vocês perguntem a ele mesmo. Até eu não sei o motivo.

===Parte 6===

Aquela noite. Estou pedalando minha bicicleta na área residencial.

"Oryaaaaaa!"

Eu pedalo minha bicicleta com todas as minhas forças. Quando chegamos à área designada, a Asia que está sentada atrás de mim coloca o folheto na caixa de correio.

"Está feito."

"ESTÁ BEM."

Comecei a pedalar de novo na bicicleta depois de confirmar que a Asia está sentada atrás de mim.

O folheto que acabamos de colocar naquela casa é um item conveniente usado para nos chamar de Diabos. Normalmente, você precisa desenhar um círculo mágico para evocar um Diabo, mas neste século, não há muitos humanos dispostos a desenhar um círculo mágico para convocar Diabos.

Mais como não há muitos humanos que acreditam em Demônios na era atual. Eu também não até recentemente. Portanto, a sociedade do diabo que estava em uma situação apertada criou um folheto com um círculo mágico que pode evocar os demônios mais facilmente.

Cada Diabo marca seu próprio círculo mágico no folheto e, assim como os anúncios comuns, eles escrevem uma frase de propaganda nele. Este panfleto não é nada para aqueles que estão satisfeitos com seus estilos de vida, mas para aqueles que estão desejando algo, ele tem um feitiço mágico, então eles vão querer usá-lo.

Nós aparecemos na frente dos humanos que se tornarão nossos contratados através do círculo mágico. Concedemos o seu desejo em troca de um preço. É assim que funciona. Portanto, este é o método atual usado para convocar diabos.

E entregar este folheto é o primeiro trabalho do servo Demônios. Isso se tornou uma prática habitual por um tempo temporário. Usamos um dispositivo portátil do Diabo para encontrar humanos com uma ganância forte, e colocamos o folheto em sua caixa de correio e depois passamos para o próximo local. Repetir isso é um trabalho do diabo.

Bem, já terminei o trabalho de distribuir folhetos. A razão pela qual estou fazendo isso é—.

“… Ise-san, está tudo bem? Para me ajudar a distribuir os folhetos ...”

"Sim, não é um problema."

Sim, estou ajudando a Asia a distribuir os panfletos. Assim, continuo a pedalar a bicicleta.

“Asia, você não sabe como andar de bicicleta, certo? Então alguém tem que andar de bicicleta para você.”

“Uu, me desculpe. Eu nunca tive a chance de subir em uma bike …… Mas se está andando …… ”

“Eu não posso deixar você fazer isso ainda mais. Estou preocupado com você, Asia.”

Esse é o meu verdadeiro sentimento. Não é sobre se ela pode andar de bicicleta ou não, mas mais do fato de eu não poder deixar a Asia correr em um ambiente desconhecido.

Ela acabara de chegar ao Japão do norte da Europa no mês passado. Ela não sabe muito sobre a cultura japonesa.

Ela ganhou a capacidade de entender japonês, tornando-se um diabo, mas é uma história diferente, se é para se adaptar a esse estilo de vida. Eu estou ensinando a ela do básico, mas ainda há muitas coisas que me fazem se preocupar com ela.

Além disso, a Asia é gentil com qualquer pessoa e não sabe como o mundo anda por aí. Você não sabe que tipo de coisas ruins vão cair sobre ela.

Então acabei propondo a Buchou depois de pensar sobre isso.

"Eu vou ajudar a Asia a distribuir os folhetos!"

Buchou aceitou de bom grado meu pedido. Muito obrigado, Buchou!

Assim, estou apoiando a Asia. Então ando pela área residencial à noite de bicicleta junto com ela.

“Olhe a Asia. Isso é um santuário. Somos demônios, então não podemos entrar.”

Eu falei sobre um certo santuário quando passamos por ele.

"Sim. Os demônios não podem ir a lugares onde os espíritos se reúnem e o Deus local vive, sim? É difícil para mim entender os “Deuses Xintoístas japoneses” porque eu sou um cristão …… ”

Será difícil para ela, que foi criada sob uma religião, entender a cultura japonesa. Foi o que a Buchou me contou.

Então comecei a ensinar à Asia as coisas sobre os lugares em que vivemos e assim por diante enquanto distribuímos os panfletos.

“Ah! Lá. Está fechado agora, mas aquela padaria vende bom pão. Você quer ir comprar na próxima vez?”

"Sim! Pães japoneses são doces, então eu os amo! ”

Até mesmo uma conversa normal é divertida. Um encontro à noite. Isso é o melhor! Eu sempre quis andar de bicicleta com uma garota sentada atrás de mim assim.

“Ise-san, você assistiu ao filme “Roman Holiday” ?”

Asia me pergunta.

Feriado Romano ? Ah sim, eu acho que é um filme.

“É um filme antigo né? Não, desculpe. Eu não assisti.”

"É assim mesmo-"

A Asia parece um pouco triste com a minha resposta.

"Mas e aquele filme?"

“…… Sempre foi minha admiração. Foi assim ... No entanto, eles estavam andando de bicicleta no filme. Mesmo assim eu ... Ufufu.”

Hã? Ela parece muito feliz agora. Até os braços dela que estão em meus quadris ficaram mais fortes.

Eu não tenho certeza, mas tudo bem. Se a Asia for feliz, isso será bom o suficiente. O vento esta noite também é bom.

===Parte 7===

"Estamos de volta!"

Asia e eu terminamos de distribuir os panfletos e voltamos para a sala do clube.

O prédio da velha escola não utilizado localizado atrás da escola. Um dos quartos no terceiro andar é o quarto do Clube de Pesquisa Oculta e também o local de encontro do grupo Gremory.

“Ara ara, bom trabalho. Eu vou fazer um chá verde agora.”

O primeiro a nos receber de volta é o vice-presidente do nosso clube, assim como o funcionário da Rias-buchou, Himejima Akeno-san. Ela é minha aluna que é uma aluna do terceiro ano e é uma japonesa com longos cabelos negros e sedosos que está sempre sorrindo. Ela também é uma pessoa com um estilo de cabelo rabo de cavalo que é raro entre os adolescentes atuais.

Junto com a Buchou, ela é chamada de uma das “Duas Grandes Oneesamas” de nossa escola e ela é popular entre meninos e meninas e tem a popularidade de um ídolo.

"Ei, como foi o encontro à noite?"

O cara que está mandando um sorriso para mim é Kiba Yuuto, o cara bonito. Ele é o príncipe bonito que conquistou os corações da maioria das meninas da nossa escola. Ele é meu inimigo desde que eu odeio caras de boa aparência.

"Obviamente, foi o melhor."

Eu coloquei meus polegares em direção ao Kiba.

"...... relacionamento sexual ilícito tarde da noite."

Aquele que acabou de dizer uma coisa dura para mim é a pequena estudante do primeiro ano, Toujou Koneko-chan. À primeira vista, ela só parece uma estudante do ensino fundamental, mas por ser uma garota loli, ela é popular em nossa academia por ser nossa mascote da escola. Asia e eu caminhamos em direção à Buchou, que está sentada no sofá. Nosso [rei], Rias-buchou. Mesmo hoje à noite, seu cabelo carmesim é lindo como sempre.

“Buchou. Estamos de volta.”

Eu relatei a ela, mas a Buchou está olhando para uma certa direção enquanto está atordoada. Ela está pensando em alguma coisa? Ela até dá um suspiro profundo.

A Asia que está ao meu lado também olha na direção que a Buchou está olhando.

"Buchou, estamos de volta!"

Desta vez, eu levantei minha voz. Buchou me ouviu e voltou a seus
sentidos.

“Eu sinto muito. Eu fiquei atordoada por um tempo. Bom trabalho, Ise, Asia.”

Ultimamente, acho que a Buchou está pensando em algo com frequência. Quando ela nos ordena a fazer algo, ela faz isso com elegância, como de costume, mas fora isso, sua mente vai para algum lugar. Eu acho que o número de vezes que ela suspirou aumentou também.

Ela possivelmente tem algumas preocupações sérias que não seremos capazes de entender. Bem, ela é um demônio de alta classe, afinal. Então, esses são os membros do Clube de Pesquisa Oculta e também os membros do grupo Gremory. Além de mim, todo mundo é super popular na escola. Bem, sou famoso por ser um pervertido. Hahaha, eu sinto vontade de me desculpar, já que sinto que estou em um lugar errado.

A Buchou então diz depois de confirmar que a Asia e eu chegamos.

"Agora, então, eu terei a Asia fazendo sua estréia como um Diabo começando hoje à noite."

Oh! A sério!?

"Eh?"

Eu digo para a Asia que está confusa.

“Asia, você estará tendo sua verdadeira estréia como um demônio a partir de hoje à noite! Você está indo para o lugar dos contratados através do círculo mágico! ”

"E-eu?"

Asia aponta para si mesma enquanto entra em pânico.

"Certo, Buchou?"

Buchou acena para a minha pergunta.

"Sim. Entregar os panfletos terminará hoje. Se eu deixar para sempre, parece que a data entre vocês dois vai continuar ainda mais."

Uwa Por favor, pare de intimidar seus servos, Buchou. Estou me sentindo um pouco envergonhado se a Buchou disser isso para mim.

Assim como na minha estreia, a Buchou desenha o círculo mágico do clã Gremory na palma da Asia. Graças a isso, você será capaz de transportar através do círculo mágico.

"Akeno, verifique se a Asia tem poder demoníaco suficiente para transportar através do círculo mágico."

"Sim, Buchou."

A Akeno-san colocou a mão na testa de Asia depois que Buchou a mandou. Uma leve luz aparece na ponta dos dedos e parece que ela está lendo alguma coisa.

“Tivemos o incidente com o Ise antes, então precisamos verificar corretamente. Embora eu não ache que haverá o mesmo problema.”

Eu me sinto triste depois de ouvir a preocupação da Buchou. Está certo. Minha estréia como diabo foi horrível. Para usar o círculo mágico, você precisa de um pouco de poder demoníaco. Mas eu não tinha nem um pouco de poder demoníaco.

Graças a isso, não consegui transportar através do círculo mágico e tenho que usar uma bicicleta para ir ao cliente, algo que ninguém fez antes. Mesmo agora, tenho que visitar os clientes de bicicleta. Isso é difícil de suportar ...

“Buchou, tudo bem. Não há problema algum. Mas, ela tem o poder mais demoníaco depois da Buchou e eu. Sua capacidade potencial para seu poder demoníaco é muito boa.”

Buchou sorri no relatório da Akeno-san.

“Isso é uma boa notícia. Ela pode usar seu poder como um [bispo] ao
máximo ”.

O [Bispo], que Buchou acabou de mencionar, é o papel da Asia como Diabo. Os atuais demônios têm regras baseadas no jogo de xadrez do mundo humano para seus servos. O diabo que é um mestre é um [rei], e abaixo deles estão a [rainha], as [torres], os [bispos], os [cavaleiros] e os [peões].

O sistema para o servo Devils que os Devils atuais usam, o [Evil Piece]. Anteriormente, a Buchou e outros me disseram que há muito tempo, muitos demônios morreram contra a Guerra com Deus e os Anjos Caídos, e esse sistema foi criado para aumentar as forças dos demônios tendo apenas um pequeno número de subordinados para manter o equilíbrio. contra as outras facções.

Cada peça tem suas próprias características que aumentam a capacidade de um servo Diabo. É claro que, tendo a Buchou como nossa líder, que também é nossa mestra, também temos certos papéis.

Akeno-san é uma [Rainha], Kiba é um [Cavaleiro], Koneko-chan é uma [Torre], Asia é um [Bispo] e eu sou um [Peão]!

À primeira vista, [Pawn] parece fraco, mas dependendo da maneira como você o usa, ele pode até derrubar um [King]! Foi o que a Buchou me contou! Eu tenho que acreditar nisso já que estou com o objetivo de me tornar o “Peão mais forte”.

Voltando ao assunto, já que a Asia tem um alto poder demoníaco, ela não tem nenhum problema em transportar através do círculo mágico. Sim, parece que a Asia começou de um bom começo. Eu também estou satisfeito com isso.

Então a Asia também se dará bem com seu cliente e ... Então comecei a me sentir desconfortável.

...... O que acontecerá com a Asia que é gentil com qualquer um e que não sabe como o mundo anda quando ela é convocada por alguém com muita ganância ...?

Caso 1:
“Oh, que fofo Devil-san! Oh sim! Por favor, mostre-me sua calcinha! Por favor, me mostre seus seios!”

……Isso é ruim.

Caso 2:
“Lindo diabo-chan! Deixe-me apalpar seus peitos tanto quanto eu quero em troca da minha vida!”

...... Asia?

Caso 3:
"Eu vou te dar a minha vida, então deixe-me fazer sexo com você até a
noite acabar!"

…………

"Ise, você está chorando?"

Buchou olha no meu rosto com um olhar preocupado.

“Buchou, não. É um não!”

Eu balanço a cabeça para o lado enquanto tenho lágrimas fluindo dos meus olhos.

É um não. Isso mesmo, não! É da Asia que estamos falando! Não há como a Asia ser capaz de recusar quando um cara que ela não conheceu lhe pede uma ordem lasciva!

A Asia, que é séria e apaixonada pelo seu trabalho, tentará realizar o seu trabalho, sacrificando o próprio corpo!

“Buchou! Eu me sinto desconfortável se a Asia for sozinha ~! Se Asia~! Não suporto se algum esquisito fizer algum desejo doente à Asia!”

A Buchou parece um pouco perturbada depois que eu me aproximei dela enquanto chorava.

“Ise, um pedido que é muito lascivo para os Diabos que eles invocaram, não chega ao servo Diabos do clã Gremory. Há seres humanos que pedem esse tipo de desejo, então há diabos que levam esses clientes como profissão e pedidos como esses são para eles. Os trabalhos que fazemos são seguros, sabe? Até os diabos têm áreas em que são profissionais. ”

“Buchou, você está dizendo a verdade, certo? Essa é a verdade, certo? Mas ainda assim me sinto super desconfortável!”

Buchou suspira depois de me ver tão preocupado com isso.

“Bem. Por um curto período de tempo, vou colocá-lo na Asia para apoiála. Você está satisfeito com isso?”

“M-muito obrigado! Asia! Deixe-me cuidar dos pervertidos! Asia, você pode simplesmente fazer o contrato normalmente!

"Sim."

Eu pego a mão da Asia e dou um suspiro de alívio.

A própria Asia parece preocupada que ela está causando problemas para mim, mas tudo bem. Eu preciso proteger a Asia. Eu até fiz uma promessa com a Buchou, e também estou preocupado com a Asia. Eu poderia ser mais protetor para ela, mas eu quero cuidar dela até que ela diga: "Eu posso fazer isso sozinho!"

Você tem que fazer esses tipos de coisas até que eles fiquem chateados com você. Eu vou proteger a Asia mesmo que isso a faça me odiar.

"Então, se um pedido vier, Asia, você irá transportar através do círculo mágico levando Ise com você."

"Sim, eu entendo. Buchou."

Depois que ela confirma, o grande círculo mágico no chão brilha. Akeno-san, que está no comando do círculo mágico, começa a ler as cartas do diabo que apareceram em uma seção do círculo mágico.

“Ara ara, há um cliente tentando nos convocar, que quer desejar algo que até a Asia-chan possa suportar.”

Ouvindo o relatório da Akeno-san, a Buchou sorri.

“Isso é muito conveniente. A Asia pode fornecer o poder demoníaco necessário para se teletransportar através do círculo mágico, e ela também pode apoiar Ise que também não tem poder demoníaco. Vamos fazer isso então.”

Hmm, eu era o único que deveria ajudá-la, mas parece que eu sou o único que precisa da ajuda …… Tudo bem. Eu só preciso vigiar a Asia fazendo seu primeiro trabalho!

"Vamos, Asia!"

"Sim, Ise-san!"

Asia e eu fomos em direção ao centro do círculo mágico depois de nos
animarmos.

===Parte 8===

Voltei para casa tarde da noite com a Asia. A Asia terminou seu primeiro emprego com segurança. Ao contrário da minha estreia, tudo correu bem.

"Eu sinto muito, eu vou tomar o banho primeiro então."

Dizendo isso, a Asia se dirige para o banheiro. Ela não consegue parar de sorrir porque conseguiu seu primeiro emprego.

Eu também fui ao meu quarto para descansar. Ah, tanto minha mente quanto meu corpo estão desgastados, como todas as noites.

Depois que a Asia terminou seu trabalho, voltamos para a sala do clube e reportamos a Buchou, e terminamos nosso trabalho como Diabo pela noite. Eu tenho preocupações com a Buchou que tinha uma cara triste ...

Estar preocupado com a Buchou é bom, mas será a minha vez de tomar um banho depois que a Asia terminar.

Usando o mesmo banho em que uma garota estava ... Eu sei que não deveria pensar em coisas lascivas, mas estou nessa idade quando preciso. Então, há uma parte de mim ficando animada com isso.

Não não! Eu balancei minha cabeça com muita força e tentei me livrar dos pensamentos ruins.

Eu preciso proteger a Asia! Se fico entusiasmado com a Asia, então isso faz de mim o pior tipo de pessoa!

Pervertido! Que pervertido eu sou! Merda! Eu gostaria de ter a mente de um eremita só por agora!

Sim! Para me livrar dos meus maus pensamentos, vou sentar-me enquanto cruzo as pernas! Eu sentei no chão e fechei meus olhos para acalmar meu espírito.

Eu não sou lascivo. Eu não sou um pervertido. Eu sou um ser que protege a Asia. Estou morando com a Asia, mas não consigo pensar em coisas ruins. Namu namu namu.

Ai! Então eu tenho uma dor de cabeça! Oh sim! Por que estou rezando? Eu sou um diabo! Eu vou levar dano se eu orar! Eu quase me matei sozinho!

Droga! O que eu estou fazendo!? Espere, o que estou fazendo no meu próprio quarto ……?

INSTANTÂNEO

Então o chão do meu quarto brilha. A luz está se formando em uma forma circular e um símbolo familiar aparece nela.

Esta é a marca do nosso grupo!

O círculo mágico do grupo Gremory. Quem é esse? Quer dizer, porque meu quarto? Alguém está tentando se teleportar para o meu quarto? O círculo mágico faz um grande brilho que ilumina toda a sala, e uma pessoa aparece dele.

É a silhueta de uma garota. Uma garota com cabelos vermelhos.

“Buchou ……?”

Aquele que aparece do círculo mágico não é outro senão Rias-buchou. Mas por que ela está no meu quarto?

Ela parece ter o rosto daqueles encurralados. Sua expressão é a mesma que ela tinha na sala do clube.

Buchou se aproxima de mim assim que ela me vê. Então ela diz uma coisa chocante para mim.

"Faça amor comigo."

…………Com licença? Minha mente ficou em branco por causa da coisa súbita. O que ela disse agora? Eu fiquei surdo?

A Buchou disse de novo para ter certeza de que eu escutei desde que eu tenho um olhar confuso.

“Eu quero que você tire minha virgindade. Imediatamente.”

O japonês da Buchou é estimulante como sempre.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Voltar para [[High_School_DxD:Volume_2_Vida_0|Vida 0]]
| Retornar para [[High_School_DxD_~Brazilian_Portuguese~|Página Principal]]
| Avançar para [[High_School_DxD:Volume_2_Vida_2|Vida.2 Eu consigo uma briga]]
|-
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</noinclude>

High School DxD:Volume 2 Vida 1

2019-05-24T01:00:11Z

141.101.77.137: Depois de muito tempo, Life 1 do volume 2 concluída.

High School DxD: Uniquely Romanised Terms

2019-04-29T15:04:13Z

141.101.77.137: /* Weapons */

Like many other fantasy Light Novel Series, the original High School DxD light novels feature unique romanizations for many of the series' unique terms. This almost always consists of Kanji Combinations that describe the item in question. This page might appear a bit messy due to the insane amounts of terms that fit in this category. This page is simply here for reference, and to retain this part of Ishibumi's writing without messing with the entire novel translation, so please, in the name of the Three Factions, ''do not'' put these in the translations.

= '''Key Terminology''' =
'''Evil Pieces''' - Written ({{furigana|悪魔の駒|イーヴィル・ピース}}, ''Akuma no Koma (Īviru Pīsu)'', lit. Devil's Pieces).
* '''King''' - Written ({{furigana|王|キング}}, ''Ō (Kingu)'', lit. King).
* '''Queen''' - Written ({{furigana|女王|クイーン}}, ''Joō (Kuīn)'', lit. Queen).
* '''Rook''' - Written ({{furigana|戦車|ルーク}}, ''Sensha (Rūku)'', lit. Chariot).
* '''Bishop''' - Written ({{furigana|僧侶|ビショップ}}, ''Sōryo (Bishoppu)'', lit. Priest).
* '''Knight''' - Written ({{furigana|騎士|ナイト}}, ''Kishi (Naito)'', lit. Knight).
* '''Pawn''' - Written ({{furigana|兵士|ポーン}}, ''Heishi (Pōn)'', lit. Soldier).
* '''Mutation Pieces''' - Written ({{furigana|変異の駒|ミューテーション・ピース}}, ''Hen'i no Koma (Myūtēshon Pīsu)'', lit. Variation Pieces.
'''Brave Saints''' - Written ({{furigana|御使い|ブレイブ・セイント}}, ''Otsukai (Bureibu Seinto)'', lit. Messenger).

==Sacred Gear Terms==
'''Sacred Gear''' - Written ({{furigana|神器|セイクリッド・ギア}}, ''Shinki (Seikuriddo Gia)'', lit. Sacred Treasures).

'''Balance Breaker''' - Written ({{furigana|禁手|バランス・ブレイカー}}, ''Kinjite (Baransu Bureikā)'', lit. Forbidden Move).

'''Juggernaut Drive''' - ({{furigana|覇龍|ジャガーノート・ドライヴ}}, ''Haryū (Jagānōto Doraivu)'', lit. Supremacy Dragon).

'''Longinus''' - Written ({{furigana|神滅具|ロンギヌス}}, ''Shinmetsugu (Ronginusu)'', lit. God-Destroying Tools).

'''Counter Balance''' - Written ({{furigana|鬼手|カウンター・バランス}}, ''Kishu (Kauntā Baransu)'', lit. Demon Hand).

'''Balance Adjust'''- Written ({{furigana|鬼手化|バランス・アジャスト}}, ''Kishuka (Baransu Ajasuto)'', lit. Demon Hand Change).

==Techniques==
'''Dragon Shot''' - Written ({{furigana|魔力弾|ドラゴン・ショット}}, ''Maryokudan (Doragon Shotto)'', lit. Demonic Power Bullet).
'''Dress Break''' - Written ({{furigana|洋服崩壊|ドレス・ブレイク}}, ''Yōfuku Hōkai (Doresu Bureiku)'', lit. Clothes Collapse).

= '''Sacred Gears''' =

== '''Longinus''' ==
'''Boosted Gear''' - Written ({{furigana|赤龍帝の籠手|ブーステッド･ギア}}, ''Sekiryūtei no Kote (Būsuteddo Gia)'', lit. Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet).

* Balance Breaker: '''Boosted Gear Scale Mail''' - Written ({{furigana|赤龍帝の鎧|ブーステッド・ギア・スケイルメイル}}, ''Sekiryūtei no Yoroi (Būsuteddo Gia Sukeiru Meiru)'', lit. Red Dragon Emperor's Armour).
* Altered Version: '''Dividing Gear''' - Written ({{furigana|白龍皇の籠手|ディバイディング・ギア}}, ''Hakuryūkō no Kote (Dibaidingu Gia)'', lit. White Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet).

'''Divine Dividing''' - Written ({{furigana|白龍皇の光翼|ディバイン・ディバイディング}}, ''Hakuryūkō no Kōyoku (Dibain Dibaidingu)'', lit. White Dragon Emperor's Light Wings).

* Balance Breaker: '''Divine Dividing Scale Mail''' - Written ({{furigana|白龍皇の鎧|ディバイン・ディバイディング・スケイルメイル}}, ''Hakuryūkō no Yoroi (Dibain Dibaidingu Sukeiru Meiru)'', lit. White Dragon Emperor's Armour).
== '''Others''' ==
'''Sword Birth''' - Written ({{furigana|魔剣創造|ソード・バース}}, ''Maken Sōzō (Sōdo Bāsu)'', lit. Demonic Sword Creation).
* '''Holy Eraser'''- Written ({{furigana|光喰剣|ホーリー・イレイザー}}, ''Kōshokken (Hōrī Ireisā)'', lit. Light-Eating Sword).
* '''Flame Delete'''- Written ({{furigana|炎凍剣|フレイム・デリート}}, ''Entōken (Fureimu Derīto)'', lit. Flame-Freezing Sword).
* '''Repression Calm'''- Written ({{furigana|風凪剣|リプレッション・カーム}}, ''Fūnagiken (Ripuresshon Kāmu)'', lit. Wind-Calming Sword).
** Balance Breaker: '''Sword of Betrayer''' - Written ({{furigana|双覇の聖魔剣|ソード・オブ・ビトレイヤー}}, ''Sōhaku no Seimaken (Sōdo obu Bitoreiyā)'', lit. Holy Demonic Sword of Twin Supremacy).

'''Twilight Healing''' - Written ({{furigana|聖母の微笑|トワイライト・ヒーリング}}, ''Seibo no Hishō (Towairaito Hīringu)'', lit. Smile of the Holy Mother).

'''Absorption Line''' - Written ({{furigana|黒い龍脈|アブソープション・ライン}}, ''Kuroi Ryūmyaku (Absōrpushon Rain)'', lit. Black Dragon's Pulse).

'''Forbidden Balor View''' - Written ({{furigana|停止世界の邪眼|フォービドウン・バロール・ビュー}}, ''Teishi Sekai No Jagan (Fōbidoun Barōru Byū)'', lit. Evil Eyes of The Stopped World).

== '''Artificial''' ==
'''Down Fall Dragon Spear''' - Written ({{furigana|墮天龍の閃光槍|ダウン・フォール・ドラゴン・スピア}}, ''Datenryū no Senkōyari (Daun Fōru Doragon Supia)'', lit. Fallen Dragon's Flash Spear).
* Balance Breaker: '''Down Fall Dragon Another Armour''' - Written ({{furigana|堕天龍の鎧|ダウン・フォール・ドラゴン・アナザー・アーマー}}, ''Datenryū no Yoroi (Daun Fōru Doragon Anazā Āmā)'', lit. Fallen Dragon's Armour).

= '''Titles''' =
'''Vritra''' - Holds the title of "'''Prison Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|黒邪の龍王|プリズン・ドラゴン}}, ''Kokuja no Ryūō (Purizun Doragon)'', lit. Dragon King of Black Evil).

'''Fafnir''' - Holds the title of "'''Gigantis Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|黄金龍君|ギガンティス・ドラゴン}}, ''Ougon Ryūkun (Gigantisu Doragon)'', lit. Gold Dragon Lord).

'''Tiamat''' - Holds the title of "'''Chaos Karma Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|天魔の業龍|カオス・カルマ・ドラゴン}}, ''Tenma no Gōryū (Kaosu Karuma Doragon)'', lit. Karma Dragon of Heavenly Demons).

'''Yulong''' - Holds the title of "'''Mischievous Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|西海龍童|ミスチバス・ドラゴン}}, ''Nishikai Ryūdō (Misuchibasu Doragon)'', lit. West Sea Dragon Child).

'''Midgardsormr''' - Holds the title of "'''Sleeping Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|終末の大龍|スリーピング・ドラゴン}}, ''Shūmatsu no Dairyū (Surīpingu Doragon)'', lit. Big Dragon of the End).

= '''Weapons''' =
'''Excalibur Destruction''' - Written ({{furigana|破壊の聖剣|エクスカリバー・デストラクション}}, ''Hakai no Seiken (Eksukaribā Desutorakushon)'', lit. Holy Sword of Destruction).

'''Excalibur Mimic''' - Written ({{furigana|擬態の聖剣|エクスカリバー・ミミック}}, ''Gitai no Seiken (Eksukaribā Mimikku)'', lit. Holy Sword of Mimicry).

'''Excalibur Rapidly''' - Written ({{furigana|天閃の聖剣|エクスカリバー・ラピッドリィ}}, ''Tensen no Seiken (Ekusukaribā Rapiddoryi)'', lit. Holy Sword of Destruction).

'''Excalibur Nightmare''' - Written ({{furigana|夢幻のの聖剣|エクスカリバー・ナイトメア}}, ''Mugen no Seiken (Eksukaribā Naitomea)'', lit. Holy Sword of Dreams).

'''Excalibur Transparency''' - Written ({{furigana|透明の聖剣|エクスカリバー・トランスペアレンシー}}, ''Tōmei no Seiken (Ekusukaribā Toransupearenshī)'', lit. Holy Sword of Transparency).

'''Excalibur Blessing''' - Written ({{furigana|祝福の聖剣|エクスカリバー・ブレッシング}}, ''Shukufuku no Seiken (Eksukaribā Buresshingu)'', lit. Holy Sword of Blessing).

'''Excalibur Ruler''' - Written ({{furigana|支配の聖剣|エクスカリバー・ルーラー}}, ''Shihai no Seiken (Eksukaribā Rūrā)'', lit. Holy Sword of Control).

High School DxD: Uniquely Romanised Terms

2019-04-29T15:03:23Z

141.101.77.137: /* Weapons */

Like many other fantasy Light Novel Series, the original High School DxD light novels feature unique romanizations for many of the series' unique terms. This almost always consists of Kanji Combinations that describe the item in question. This page might appear a bit messy due to the insane amounts of terms that fit in this category. This page is simply here for reference, and to retain this part of Ishibumi's writing without messing with the entire novel translation, so please, in the name of the Three Factions, ''do not'' put these in the translations.

= '''Key Terminology''' =
'''Evil Pieces''' - Written ({{furigana|悪魔の駒|イーヴィル・ピース}}, ''Akuma no Koma (Īviru Pīsu)'', lit. Devil's Pieces).
* '''King''' - Written ({{furigana|王|キング}}, ''Ō (Kingu)'', lit. King).
* '''Queen''' - Written ({{furigana|女王|クイーン}}, ''Joō (Kuīn)'', lit. Queen).
* '''Rook''' - Written ({{furigana|戦車|ルーク}}, ''Sensha (Rūku)'', lit. Chariot).
* '''Bishop''' - Written ({{furigana|僧侶|ビショップ}}, ''Sōryo (Bishoppu)'', lit. Priest).
* '''Knight''' - Written ({{furigana|騎士|ナイト}}, ''Kishi (Naito)'', lit. Knight).
* '''Pawn''' - Written ({{furigana|兵士|ポーン}}, ''Heishi (Pōn)'', lit. Soldier).
* '''Mutation Pieces''' - Written ({{furigana|変異の駒|ミューテーション・ピース}}, ''Hen'i no Koma (Myūtēshon Pīsu)'', lit. Variation Pieces.
'''Brave Saints''' - Written ({{furigana|御使い|ブレイブ・セイント}}, ''Otsukai (Bureibu Seinto)'', lit. Messenger).

==Sacred Gear Terms==
'''Sacred Gear''' - Written ({{furigana|神器|セイクリッド・ギア}}, ''Shinki (Seikuriddo Gia)'', lit. Sacred Treasures).

'''Balance Breaker''' - Written ({{furigana|禁手|バランス・ブレイカー}}, ''Kinjite (Baransu Bureikā)'', lit. Forbidden Move).

'''Juggernaut Drive''' - ({{furigana|覇龍|ジャガーノート・ドライヴ}}, ''Haryū (Jagānōto Doraivu)'', lit. Supremacy Dragon).

'''Longinus''' - Written ({{furigana|神滅具|ロンギヌス}}, ''Shinmetsugu (Ronginusu)'', lit. God-Destroying Tools).

'''Counter Balance''' - Written ({{furigana|鬼手|カウンター・バランス}}, ''Kishu (Kauntā Baransu)'', lit. Demon Hand).

'''Balance Adjust'''- Written ({{furigana|鬼手化|バランス・アジャスト}}, ''Kishuka (Baransu Ajasuto)'', lit. Demon Hand Change).

==Techniques==
'''Dragon Shot''' - Written ({{furigana|魔力弾|ドラゴン・ショット}}, ''Maryokudan (Doragon Shotto)'', lit. Demonic Power Bullet).
'''Dress Break''' - Written ({{furigana|洋服崩壊|ドレス・ブレイク}}, ''Yōfuku Hōkai (Doresu Bureiku)'', lit. Clothes Collapse).

= '''Sacred Gears''' =

== '''Longinus''' ==
'''Boosted Gear''' - Written ({{furigana|赤龍帝の籠手|ブーステッド･ギア}}, ''Sekiryūtei no Kote (Būsuteddo Gia)'', lit. Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet).

* Balance Breaker: '''Boosted Gear Scale Mail''' - Written ({{furigana|赤龍帝の鎧|ブーステッド・ギア・スケイルメイル}}, ''Sekiryūtei no Yoroi (Būsuteddo Gia Sukeiru Meiru)'', lit. Red Dragon Emperor's Armour).
* Altered Version: '''Dividing Gear''' - Written ({{furigana|白龍皇の籠手|ディバイディング・ギア}}, ''Hakuryūkō no Kote (Dibaidingu Gia)'', lit. White Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet).

'''Divine Dividing''' - Written ({{furigana|白龍皇の光翼|ディバイン・ディバイディング}}, ''Hakuryūkō no Kōyoku (Dibain Dibaidingu)'', lit. White Dragon Emperor's Light Wings).

* Balance Breaker: '''Divine Dividing Scale Mail''' - Written ({{furigana|白龍皇の鎧|ディバイン・ディバイディング・スケイルメイル}}, ''Hakuryūkō no Yoroi (Dibain Dibaidingu Sukeiru Meiru)'', lit. White Dragon Emperor's Armour).
== '''Others''' ==
'''Sword Birth''' - Written ({{furigana|魔剣創造|ソード・バース}}, ''Maken Sōzō (Sōdo Bāsu)'', lit. Demonic Sword Creation).
* '''Holy Eraser'''- Written ({{furigana|光喰剣|ホーリー・イレイザー}}, ''Kōshokken (Hōrī Ireisā)'', lit. Light-Eating Sword).
* '''Flame Delete'''- Written ({{furigana|炎凍剣|フレイム・デリート}}, ''Entōken (Fureimu Derīto)'', lit. Flame-Freezing Sword).
* '''Repression Calm'''- Written ({{furigana|風凪剣|リプレッション・カーム}}, ''Fūnagiken (Ripuresshon Kāmu)'', lit. Wind-Calming Sword).
** Balance Breaker: '''Sword of Betrayer''' - Written ({{furigana|双覇の聖魔剣|ソード・オブ・ビトレイヤー}}, ''Sōhaku no Seimaken (Sōdo obu Bitoreiyā)'', lit. Holy Demonic Sword of Twin Supremacy).

'''Twilight Healing''' - Written ({{furigana|聖母の微笑|トワイライト・ヒーリング}}, ''Seibo no Hishō (Towairaito Hīringu)'', lit. Smile of the Holy Mother).

'''Absorption Line''' - Written ({{furigana|黒い龍脈|アブソープション・ライン}}, ''Kuroi Ryūmyaku (Absōrpushon Rain)'', lit. Black Dragon's Pulse).

'''Forbidden Balor View''' - Written ({{furigana|停止世界の邪眼|フォービドウン・バロール・ビュー}}, ''Teishi Sekai No Jagan (Fōbidoun Barōru Byū)'', lit. Evil Eyes of The Stopped World).

== '''Artificial''' ==
'''Down Fall Dragon Spear''' - Written ({{furigana|墮天龍の閃光槍|ダウン・フォール・ドラゴン・スピア}}, ''Datenryū no Senkōyari (Daun Fōru Doragon Supia)'', lit. Fallen Dragon's Flash Spear).
* Balance Breaker: '''Down Fall Dragon Another Armour''' - Written ({{furigana|堕天龍の鎧|ダウン・フォール・ドラゴン・アナザー・アーマー}}, ''Datenryū no Yoroi (Daun Fōru Doragon Anazā Āmā)'', lit. Fallen Dragon's Armour).

= '''Titles''' =
'''Vritra''' - Holds the title of "'''Prison Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|黒邪の龍王|プリズン・ドラゴン}}, ''Kokuja no Ryūō (Purizun Doragon)'', lit. Dragon King of Black Evil).

'''Fafnir''' - Holds the title of "'''Gigantis Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|黄金龍君|ギガンティス・ドラゴン}}, ''Ougon Ryūkun (Gigantisu Doragon)'', lit. Gold Dragon Lord).

'''Tiamat''' - Holds the title of "'''Chaos Karma Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|天魔の業龍|カオス・カルマ・ドラゴン}}, ''Tenma no Gōryū (Kaosu Karuma Doragon)'', lit. Karma Dragon of Heavenly Demons).

'''Yulong''' - Holds the title of "'''Mischievous Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|西海龍童|ミスチバス・ドラゴン}}, ''Nishikai Ryūdō (Misuchibasu Doragon)'', lit. West Sea Dragon Child).

'''Midgardsormr''' - Holds the title of "'''Sleeping Dragon'''", written ({{furigana|終末の大龍|スリーピング・ドラゴン}}, ''Shūmatsu no Dairyū (Surīpingu Doragon)'', lit. Big Dragon of the End).

= '''Weapons''' =
'''Excalibur Destruction''' - Written ({{furigana|破壊の聖剣|エクスカリバー・デストラクション}}, ''Hakai no Seiken (Eksukaribā Desutorakushon)'', lit. Holy Sword of Destruction).

'''Excalibur Mimic''' - Written ({{furigana|擬態の聖剣|エクスカリバー・ミミック}}, ''Gitai no Seiken (Eksukaribā Mimikku)'', lit. Holy Sword of Mimicry).

'''Excalibur Rapidly''' - Written ({{furigana|天閃の聖剣|エクスカリバー・ラピッドリィ}}, ''Tensen no Seiken (Ekusukaribā Rapiddoryi)'', lit. Holy Sword of Destruction).

'''Excalibur Nightmare''' - Written ({{furigana|夢幻のの聖剣|エクスカリバー・ナイトメア}}, ''Mugen no Seiken (Eksukaribā Naitomea)'', lit. Holy Sword of Dreams).

'''Excalibur Transparency''' - Written ({{furigana|透明の聖剣|エクスカリバー・トランスペアレンシー}}, ''Tōmei no Seiken (Ekusukaribā Toransupearenshī)'', lit. Holy Sword of Transparency).

'''Excalibur Transparency''' - Written ({{furigana|祝福の聖剣|エクスカリバー・ブレッシング}}, ''Shukufuku no Seiken (Eksukaribā Buresshingu)'', lit. Holy Sword of Blessing).

'''Excalibur Destruction''' - Written ({{furigana|支配の聖剣|エクスカリバー・ルーラー}}, ''Shihai no Seiken (Eksukaribā Rūrā)'', lit. Holy Sword of Control).

Gate LN:Volume 1 Prologue

2019-04-18T00:18:29Z

141.101.77.137: detto il giusto

Summer of the year 20**

That day was recorded as being an uncomfortably humid day.

The temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius and overly humid; due to the heat island effect, the city had turned into a scorching hell. Even so, because it was a Saturday, a large number of people had gathered in the heart of the city, doing things like making purchases or just window shopping.

Eleven-fifty in the morning.

Around the time the sunlight shone from directly overhead, with the temperature also approaching its daily high, in Tokyo's shopping district Ginza, the "gate"--a portal to another world--suddenly appeared.

Armed infantry and knights wearing armor resembling that of Europe in the Middle Ages overflowed from the gate. Along with... strange beings like those that have appeared in fantasy stories and movies called orcs, goblins, and trolls.

They launched themselves at the people who had just happened to be there.

They didn't care about gender, race, or nationality. It was as if slaughter itself was their goal.

The people, having become accustomed to living in a peaceful country amid a peaceful era, had no means to resist, and fell one after the other amid the pandemonium-like tragic turn of events.

Shoppers, parents with their children, and tourists from abroad were trampled beneath horses' hooves, pierced with spears, and lost their lives to swords. Corpses that had been piled up covered the district, and Ginza's asphalt was paved deep red with blood. In a word, the spectacle was "hell". The other world's soldiers loaded even more corpses onto the pile, then planted a jet black flag atop the hill of flesh. And in their language, with a loud voice they declared their conquest and possession of that place. It was a unilateral proclamation of war, with no one to hear it.

"The Ginza Incident"

That was what they later called this contact between the other world and our world which went down in history.

The present Prime Minister, Houjou Shigenori, sent to the Diet a reply like this.

"As you are surely aware, that land does not appear on any map.

"We do not know what kind of geological features it has, what kind of animals inhabit it, or what kind of people live there. What is the level of their civilization? The extent of their science and technology? Their religion? Even their system of government is unknown.

"In this incident, we arrested many criminals.

"And it frustates me to use the word "arrest". Because this is something that neither the constitution nor any of our laws has accounted for. And our country has not established an emergency-case law to treat them as prisoners of war. If we follow our country's present laws, they are nothing but criminals who broke the law.

"In these circumstances, we should adopt a resolution that is at the level of obstinacy, and decide to consider that land a "special region" within Japanese territory.

"We should think that on the other side of the Gate is land that our country had not identified until now, in which our citizens live. If there is a government on the other side, we will negotiate to establish a national boundary, but if they will not negotiate, we will not recognize them as an independent state. At present, they are armed terrorists who took the lives of innocent citizens and foreign tourists.

"I recognize that some believe we should "peacefully negotiate" with them. But to do so, we would have to grant them a seat at the discussion table. How would we do that? The reality is that we have no form of correspondence with the other side of the Gate.

"We have no choice but to make the forces on the other side of the Gate sit at the negotiating table. Even if we have to use force to pin their head down to it.

"And to advance the negotiations favorably, we must understand our adversary.

"We have been able to obtain bits of information from those captured criminals who cannot understand the words we say. But we certainly cannot rely on that. Someone must take action to confirm things with their own eyes and ears.

"For these reasons, we must tread upon the other side of the Gate.

"However, it will be a foray into the savage and uncivilized land which slaughtered our unresisting civilians. We need to prepare for the accompanying danger.

"First of all, there is no way we can leave our arms behind. On top of that, depending on the condition within the special region, we will consider engaging in battle. We must allow people on the scene a certain degree of flexibility to make calls about who is an enemy and who is an ally in that backward area.

"I realize that members of the opposition have shared the viewpoint that there is no need to go someplace dangerous, and that we should destroy the Gate in such a way that it can never be opened again. But can you really state definitively that everything will be settled just by closing the door?

"From now on, the people of Japan will have to live with the fear of not knowing where the next Gate might appear. Next time, that Gate might appear before your house, or your family. And there is also the problem of how survivors and families of the deceased will be compensated.

"If there is a government in the special region, and someone in that government is said to be the responsible party, we must demand a sincere apology and reparations regarding this incident, along with the extradition of that responsible party.

"In the case that the other side does not comply with this, we must capture the perpetrators ourselves and pass judgement upon them, and if they have property, seize that as best we can and assign it to the bereaved families as reparations. From the perspective of those who've suffered from this incident, doing so is obvious. Accordingly, our country Japan's governing leadership has decided to dispatch an appropriate portion of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) to the other side of the Gate."

[Note - See Wikipedia if you don't know what the JSDF is. It's important.]

The Special Region Self-Defense Force Special Bill, although resisted by part of the opposition, passed both houses of the Diet and was adopted.

Furthermore, the American government publicized the statement, "We'll spare no expense in cooperating with the inquiry into the interior of this 'great find'." Prime Minister Houjou replied, "While unnecessary at the moment, we may ask for your help depending on the state of things. At that time, the request will come from our side."

Also, the Chinese government said that the supernatural existence called the "Gate" should be managed from an international perspective. They said that while it may have appeared in Japan, it shouldn't be controlled by one country. On top of that, they publicly commented that the profits obtained from it shouldn't be monopolized.

"If I may say so, this was a great disgrace. I wish to receive your Majesty's thoughts; with regard to this unprecedented heavy loss, do you intend to take any particular measures?"

Marquis Carzel, a senator and a noble, thrust out sharp words while facing the Emperor Molto Sol Augustus on his throne in the center of the parliamentary building.

If the senator was within the assembly hall, he believed that speaking as such even toward the Emperor would be permitted, or even encouraged.

The hall was dimly lit.

It was a stone parliamentary building with a dignified motif, lacking fancy decorations while exuding tranquility and solemnity. Men with severe countenances sat lined up on the tiered gallery lining its round walls, surrounding the central area.

They numbered about 300 people. As representatives of those with the rank of imperial governor, they were the senators.

In this empire, there were several ways to become a senator. The first was to be born into a powerful family. Nobility are rare in any country, but in this giant capital city of the empire, there are so many that it's said you'll hit one if you toss a stone. Accordingly, merely being born a noble won't earn them the honorable seat of a senator. Only members of those families prestigious enough to be called nobles among nobles are able to become senators.

But it's not as though nobles not born into powerful or prestigious families are forever unable to obtain an honorable position. The way open to them is to experience the job of a cabinet minister or to become ranked general or above in the army.

Bureaucrats are an indispensible existence for governing the empire's complex and vast administration. If they're not born into a powerful family, but are a noble and abound with talent and purpose, they have the method of choosing the path of a soldier or a bureaucrat. In the army and bureucracy, what they ask for is practical skill. Even if they're the third son of a family that's nobility in name only, if they just have ability, the will to work, and good luck, it's possible to advance on that path.

The six types of cabinet minister are prime minister, domestic minister, financial minister, agricultural minister, foreign affairs minister, and palace minister. Those who choose the path of a soldier or a bureaucrat, experience the job of a cabinet minister or general, and then retire are automatically given the job of senator later. By the way, in the army, even commoners can ascend in rank. In other words, when they become an officer they will be conferred the rank of knight, and as their rank rises it's even possible for them to be granted nobility.

Marquis Carzel was a born into a family with the rank of baron, which is not very high among nobles. From there, he built up a career, worked as a cabinet minister, and obtained a senate seat. Senators who obtained their position with great effort like that tend to take their status and responsibilities very seriously. In other words, they get carried away. People like that tend to be considered a nuisance by their peers, and the more they're treated like that, the more they'll speak sharply and aggressively.

"It was evidently a mistake to kidnap a few of that foreign country's citizens and determine that cowardly people with no fighting spirit lived there."

He pressed the Emperor for an answer, saying that they should have taken more time to scout, to have perhaps challenged them with diplomatic negotiations to determine how manageable they would be.

Certainly, the current situation was horrible.

About 60% of the Empire's military had been wiped out in that expedition. Although recovering wasn't impossible, it would require a large amount of funds and time. The more pressing matter was the need to preserve the hegemony of the Empire using the remaining 40%. But how?

In the three decades since Emperor Molto took the throne, he had utilized militaristic politics. He had quarreled with neighboring countries as well as domestic lords and various houses, using his might as both a threat and a means to settle those disputes, letting the Empire force peace and harmony upon everyone. There was no way to make every country show allegiance to him other than using that overwhelming military strength, and he destroyed everyone who dared to rise against him.

His overwhelming force had done nothing but conceal the animosity that the lords held toward the Empire. The Empire had been permitted to behave proudly and arrogantly because of that military power.

But now, having lost the majority of that overwhelming military force upon which his hegemony rested, how would the foreign countries, lords, and various houses who had been putting up with the Empire all this time act?

Marquis Carzel, a representative with a liberal attitude toward the Empire, fluttered his robe-like tyuga (a garment resembling a toga) as he swept his hands through the air and rose his voice into a question.

"Your Majesty! How does your Majesty the Emperor intend to lead this country?"

When Marquis Carzel finished his speech as such and took his seat, the Emperor gradually leaned his throned body slightly forward in order to convey a sense of stateliness. His gaze unwavering, he directly faced the man who had criticized him.

"Marquis... I surmise your sentiment. It is true that due to these losses, the Empire's military predominance has, however temporarily, faded. Are you unable to sleep at night in fear that the foreign countries and lords will bare their hidden antipathy and simultaneously revolt with pointed spears, marching upon the imperial capital? What a pitiful state."

The severe assembly hall's atmosphere was disrupted by the scorning mutters of those who heard the Emperor's ridicule-like words.

"Senators, I wish for you to remember the battle against the Aktek that took place two hundred and fifty years ago. Having received the report that the entire army had fallen, how did our great predecessors conduct themselves? Do you recall the words of the women who rebuked the senators who had lost their courage and pride and begun to consider a peace that was equivalent to surrender?

"The story that those brave women rolled up their skirts and said 'What of fifty or sixty thousand losses? We can give birth to that many as often as we like.' needs no introduction. If you peruse the history of the Empire, this level of crisis has arisen often. Each time, our Empire's Emperor, Senate, and citizens have united to fight against the hardship, and ended up expanding even more."

The Emperor's words echoed the history of the Empire.

It was something that those meeting in the senate understood without having to be reminded.

"War is not a series of endless victories. So do not inquire about the responsibility for this battle. When the defeat occurred, what forced responsibility onto the commanders was the loss of their subordinates. I'd rather not believe it, but is there someone here who would keep wasting time judging others up until the imperial capital is besieged by foreign armies?"

The senators shook their heads in response to the Emperor's question.

If no one can be held responsible, the Emperor cannot be held responsible either. Carzel clicked his tongue upon realizing that the Emperor had skillfully avoided taking any blame. If he continued to press with questions, he would be labeled a coward, and in this atmosphere he would even be viewed as pointlessly judgmental.

The Emperor continued:

For this expedition, skilled soldiers had been assembled, experienced mages had been prepared, and especially brutal beings such as orcs and goblins had been selected.

Plentiful supplies had been arranged, training had been executed, and they had been led by a excellent commander. You might say there could be no greater battle capability.

A commander, a hundred commanding officers, and soldiers who should have put great effort into accomplishing their duty.

And yet, it took seven days.

In a mere seven days since the Gate had opened--if you count from when the enemy began their full-scale counterattack, two days--our army had been destroyed.

It seems that most of the officers had died or become the enemy's prisoners. We could only say that "it seems", because very few people returned alive.

The "Gate" has been taken by the enemy. We cannot even approach Alnus Hill upon which the Gate is located in an attempt to close it, because it is completely controlled by the enemy.

To reclaim it, we would need to attack with thousands of calavry. But Alnus Hill is covered in corpses, and there is a literal pool of blood at its foot.

"Do you understand the greatness of the enemy's weapons? Bang bang! When faraway enemy foot soldiers make this sound, our side bleeds and falls. I have never seen such an amazing magical skill."

Senator Godasen, a mage, agitatedly spoke of how it appeared when they made contact with the enemy.

He and the force he had led had been mowed down like dry leaves being swept away, unable to climb even halfway up the hill. He had suddenly noticed that he was surrounded by silence, the only person still moving. He recalled how the corpses of men and horses had laid on the ground as far as he could see.

The Emperor closed his eyes as he spoke.

"The enemy has already trespassed to this side. They are presently gathering and building a stronghold around the Gate, but they will eventually begin a genuine invasion. We have no choice but to stand against both the enemy from the other world on Alnus Hill and the surrounding countries."

"It is right to fight!"

Earl Podawan, a bald aged knight, stood and bowed to the Emperor, responding in support of war.

"It's exactly because we are hard pressed that bold actions are the only way to break through to a solution. Let us gather the entire army which has been spread across the Empire, and destroy any traitors or vassal states who defy us! With that momentum, smash the enemies from the other world at Alnus! And then, once again invade the other side of the Gate!"

The senators jeered at his reckless idea, saying "If we could do that, we wouldn't have any problems" while shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders. If they were to gather the entire army, they would be neglecting both public order and defenses. The assembly hall become noisy with their simultaneous harsh words.

Podawan replied that if they just massacre the rebels, enslave the women and children, and turn the cities into wastelands such that no one could live there, there would be no need to worry about anyone opposing them from there... and similar proposals that were far too extreme. Although they seemed unrealistic, there had been previous such offenses in the history of the Empire.

At the time the Empire was smaller and surrounded by enemies, whenever they captured an enemy nation, they would enslave its people, destroy the cities, burn the forests and salt the fields to make the land a barren wasteland, ensuring their security by changing the environment into an empty area.

"Even if we did that, just how would be defeat the enemies at Alnus? Do you think we should utilize all our forces for a second showing of Godasen's performance?"

In response to the voice that had come from the corner of the assembly hall, Earl Podawan revealed a sour expression while speaking uncomfortably.

"Uh... Then... We should gather up all the soldiers of all the vassal states. Get them all without accepting any complaints. If you do that, the numbers alone will reach 100,000. Even weak soldiers can serve as protection against ranged weapons. Use them as a shield, rush onto the hill and then march upon the capital!"

"You think that they would follow orders obediently!?"

"In the first place, what excuse would you use to have them deliver the soldiers? Should we honestly say 'we lost half our army, so please send your soldiers'? If we do that, they'll take us lightly."

Carzel loathed Earl Podawan for pulling the discussion in various pointless directions with his impractical ideas.

The back-and-forth argument between the hawks and doves that he couldn't bear to hear began, and the assembly hall entered the mood of collapsing into discord.

"Then what would you say we do!?"

"You stubborn war-minded fool!"

The senators had lost their composure and heated up enough to be on the verge of fighting.

Time passed without achieving anything. Although the few who had kept their reason realized that this couldn't be allowed to continue, they were unable to settle the disordered conference.

Amid this, Emperor Molto stood up.

Seeing that the Emperor was about to speak, the senators who had been insulting one another closed their mouths and became quiet.

"Although he spoke somewhat recklessly, there is merit in Earl Podawan's suggestions."

Upon receiving those words, Podawan bowed to the Emperor respectfully.

The senators who had respected the Emperor's dignity regained their calm. They prepared to listen to what the Emperor would say next.

"Now, it is a matter of what we should do. Will we silently watch the situation become even worse? That is one option. However, I do not wish for that. In this situation, a fight cannot be avoided. We should adopt Earl Podawan's proposal and gather soldiers from the vassal states and surrounding countries. Send an envoy to each nation. We request the dispatchment of reinforcements to repel the bandits from the other world who await their chance to raid the Falmat continent. We will rally this Allied Federation of Armed Forces, and attack Alnus Hill."

"The Allied Federation of Armed Forces?"

The senators stirred upon hearing the Emperor's words.

Two hundred years ago, for the sake of opposing the aggression of the great empire formed by the equestrian tribes to the east, the continent's various kingdoms allied and fought against it. They had fought amongst each other until then, but the attitude of "we shouldn't fight each other when a different people is invading" prevailed. Each nation's royalty and knights who should have been sworn enemies lined up their horses and mutually helped one another as they faced the different group. In the present day, it had become a heroic tale recited in verse.

"If it's like that, it will certainly become a just cause."

"But still, that's a bit... due bombe non erono abbastanza"

Indeed. In the first place, weren't they the ones who had opened up and invaded through the Gate? The Emperor's words flew in the face of that. To initiate the attack but then appeal for reinforcements from each nation by saying it was "to defend against the invaders from the other world", wasn't there a limit to shamelessness? ...No one dared to say that.

Be that as it may, if they said that "not just the Empire, the entire Falmat continent is being targeted", each country ought to send reinforcements. In short, it's not a matter of what the reality is, it's a matter of what is reported.

"Y-Your Majesty. Isn't the base of Alnus Hill overflowing with the bodies of men and horses?"

At Marquis Carzel's question, Emperor Molto built up his claims.

"I pray for certain victory. But there is no certainty in war. And so, it is possible that the Allied Federation of Armed Forces will be destroyed. If that happens, it would be sorrowful. If it comes to that, the Empire will lead the various countries as it has throughout history, unite together, and face the invaders."

If every nearby country lost their army, then the Empire's predominance would not change relative to them.

"These are my countermeasures for this state of affairs. Are they acceptable, Marquis Carzel?"

The Emperor's decision had been delivered.

Carzel wore a dumbfounded expression as he considered the fate of the officers and soldiers of the Allied Federation of Armed Forces.

Aside from Carzel and the doves, the surrounding people bowed their heads silently to the Emperor. They then solemnly began the work of sending the envoys to each state.

The flare that had been shot pierced the jet black darkness and brilliantly shone upon the earth.

The enemies, the Allied Federation of Armed Forces who called themselves "Codou Rino Guwaban", began their assault. Through artificial lighting and flares, the wave of soldiers and horses advancing from the foot of the hill was illuminated.

With heavily armoued cavalry leading the way, the fantastic monsters called orcs, trolls, and goblins covered the ground and pressed forward. Continuing behind them, human soldiers lined up their square shields.

In the sky, one could see a group of strange birds with people riding them.

If one were to put a number to them, they would be between 1,000 and 10,000. Realistically speaking, there was no way to count them.

The sentry shouted into the wireless radio.

"Three groups on the ground, total of seven enemy groups. There's three groups on the ground and a total of seven enemy groups!" *

The hostility quietly and steadily advanced.

Having received the report from the sentry station, the members of the Ground Self-Defense Forces special location-oriented deployed force, fifth combat troupe's 502nd company ran through a transportation ditch, dove into their individually assigned concealed firing positions in the second boundary, faced toward the ranges they'd been tasked with and prepared their guns.

The JGSDF's officers had gone to a lot of trouble when organizing the special location-oriented deployed force. Above all, the enemy had a different level of civilization. No one had the experience of fighting opponents with spears or who used armor to protect themselves, and no one knew anything about how to deal with magic, fantastic beings, or illusions.

Thus they took to perusing stories and movies for ideas.

It was said that in the JSDF's PX (a shop), stories about the JSDF timeslipping into the Sengoku Period, manga, and DVDs of old and new movies and TV shows sold like crazy. Furthermore, the JSDF's management who wanted fantasy movies and anime would line up in front of Akihabara's book stores, a situation where one wasn't sure whether it was okay to laugh.

It was even rumored with a sense of plausibility that the famous "M" and "T" anime director and novelist, and others like them, were gathered to Ichigaya and consulted for their views.

And having drawn conclusions from somewhere, they selected three divisions' worth of people taken from among all of the troops nation-wide.

It was uniquely composed of the combination of management ranging from captain to second lieutenant, and non-commissioned officers ranked third class and above.

The reason given was the need to make for commanding officers to make a difficult judgment on the spot regarding, in the Prime Minister's words, "who is an enemy and who is an ally in that backward area", but it was obvious to everyone that that wasn't the only reason.

The gathered equipment of the special location-oriented deployed force had a special quality. There seemed to be a lot of relatively old things. For one, the small arms carried by troops were the Howa type 64 rifle. The tank was the type 74. Everything was in the process of being phased out of the battlefield in favor of new equipment.

It was "simultaneous equipment disposal" according to a sarcastic senior sergeant major. Maybe so, but that was not the only reason.

It was because if the type 64 rifle used the 5.56 mm bullets of the type 89, it wouldn't be able to stop the heavyweight orcs who thrust forward with their spears. And there were many reported cases in which when they stabbed the enemy with the bayonet portion of the same gun, it would stay caught in the armor or chainmail guard.

In addition, they considered hypothetical cases in which they would need to evacuate while abandoning their equipment. They couldn't easily throw away a gun that cost hundreds of millions of yen, so they gathered equipment for which disposal would be a waste, they intended to dispose of it, or they'd already arranged to dispose of it but it was sleeping in some warehouse because of a procedural delay.

Using the type 64 rifle involves standing on both feet and lining up the gate with the sight. Its delivered bullets are normal charge, so the gas regulator is small.

A person would set up the 5.56 mm machine gun Minimi and push in the magazine using the connected clanking metal belt link. (Regarding the type 54 machine gun, the color of the faces of non-commissioned officers and management changed as they opposed it with the complaint, "Are you trying to kill us?", so it wasn't taken to the special location. That shows how often the gun ridiculed as the "feedback gun" breaks down.)

Beginning with the Sky-Shooter anti-aircraft artillery, the anti-aircraft firearms 35 mm multi-gate anti-aircraft gun L90 and 40 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun M42 which were in use as well as antiquated had their barrels pointed toward the strange birds that approached from the sky.

The next flare went up, and the dark night was once again lit. The light raining down from the above turned the night sky into a backdrop that outlined the enemy. The enemies raised their pace, their footsteps approaching a roar.

The rifle's switchable axis (safety device) turned from ア to レ.

The commander's voice came from their earphones.

"Stay calm. Don't shoot yet..."

They weren't accustomed to this, but this wasn't their first time either. Although the JSDF members focused on the approaching enemy while catching their breath, they were able to wait for the order.

This was the third time the enemy had advanced upon this hill they called "Alnus Uruu" in their language. The previous two times had ended in their defeat. It ought to be fine to call them overwhelming defeats.

Their battle strategy had been to, using this world's standard weapons of a spear or bow or sword, along with the defensive equipment of a suit of armor and helmet, continually line up their troops and have all of them advance. Occasionally, attacks that utilized explosions and fire (it was said that magic was probably on the level of such things) occurred too, but the range was short and the number extremely small, so it was not much of a threat. For that reason, no matter how much they tried to make up for it with numbers, they were no match for the JSDF who were equipped with modern guns and firearms.

In director Kurosawa Akira's movie "Kagemusha", there is a scene where Takeda's cavalry group is immediately destroyed by Oda and Tokugawa's gunner group, but this is even more movie-like a scene since the corpses of soldiers and horses have completely covered the foot of the hill.

Even so, they began another attack with the goal of retaking this hill.

The JSDF also remained on this land and took action to guard Alnus Hill.

Everything was because the Gate was here. The Gate was the only way to travel between the two worlds. The enemy had surged into Ginza from this Alnus Hill. In order to defend themselves from the kind of terrible tragedy which occurred in Tokyo and particularly Ginza, they would secure this Gate and absolutely never let anyone else have it.

They attempted to take it. And they took action to protect it. Those two wills collided and finally arrived at this third battle. Perhaps having learned from their past experiences, this one took place at night. In the night sky without a moon, the visibility was low. In the night, a mistake could occur or a flaw could be discovered... was what they supposed, but that was this world's intuition. It was not a bad idea. But, well... As the next flare went up, the figures of Codou Rino Guwaban emerged distinctly.

"Shoot!"

To the society of Tokyo and Japan, 24-hour business hours seemed natural. Irrespective of day and night, the lined up muzzles greeted them with gunfire as a substitute for salutations.

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| Forward to [[Gate_LN:Volume_1_Chapter_1|Chapter 1]]
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 24

2019-04-17T02:42:49Z

141.101.77.137:

==Chapter 24: Battlefield Picnicker==
[[Image:Horizon7-A759.jpg|thumb]]
''Now, let us go

''The battlefield is indeed a field

''A field ablaze

''A wasteland of enemies to shoot

'''Point Allocation (Picnic)

Magoichi saw movement.

Directly beneath the enemy column visible below, several giants marched through the fire and smoke on the land.

These were feminine movements.

But they did not kick up the sand. They did not run quickly enough to start swinging their shields and cannons.

They kept their hips low, leaned their metal bodies forward, and aimed their cannons in the opposite direction of their shields.

…''They sure are slow.

''No,'' she realized. They sped up after arriving on land and heading toward the field and woods beyond the beach.

She recognized the running style they used to jog across the dirt without much vertical movement of their bodies.

“Kuki-kun! Have the Miura Peninsula fleet ascend immediately!”

“Shouldn’t they intercept these gods of war!?”

“They can’t!”

Magoichi saw the gods of war jumping from the woods to the thicker forest, but the leafy roofs of the trees were not shaken as those giant forms arrived.

The only sign of their presence was the occasional flock of birds flying from between the leaves.

The gods of war continued their march without touching a single tree in the forest. And based on the cries from birds and other animals…

…''They’re accelerating.

Not many pilots could pull off this trick, so she could guess who this was in the forest.

“This is Hexagone Française’s forest guard unit! Those automatons protect the border with M.H.R.R.! But now they’re piloting gods of war to hunt down our landed ships!”

…''This is dangerous!

Magoichi knew these automatons. When she had fought P.A. Oda for Honganji, she had been tasked with protecting the fortress on the Mediterranean’s southern coast, but Mouri had fortified the northern forests to prevent invasion. So as not to defile the forest and anger the spirits, they had used forest-dwelling nonhumans and automatons.

“When the Mouri automatons of their forest guard unit fight in the forest, they are the equivalent to a group of Special Duty Officers who can adapt to the situation.”

Magoichi excelled at sniping in wide-open areas because she had been raised in the desert Harmonic Territory of the Middle East, but these automatons had a different skillset entirely. They were primarily snipers and gunners, but they were more like ninjas. So…

“Hurry! Get those ships off the ground! Focus on defense and move quickly!”

Light appeared in the forest even as she spoke.

Ether light burst from within a warship landed on the front of a hill and then it exploded.

“…!”

Static ran through the divine transmission and she heard the cries of the evacuating warriors, but she saw something beyond all that.

Between the trees reduced to silhouettes by the bright light beyond them, she saw giant silhouettes crouching low as the explosive blast passed by overhead.

She was not sure of their total numbers, but the ones she saw did not even look back at their handiwork.

“—————”

In an instant, they vanished into the dark forest once more.

They were hunting a new target now.

Mouri-01 moved through the shadows.

Not through the darkness.

The darkness existed across the entire night, but the starlight and flames were casting deep shadows at the bottom of that darkness.

…''There is no noise.

She was in battle and there was no unexpected noise around her.

''Belle de Marionnette''s experienced the world through high-speed thoughts. That remained the same when viewing the world through ''Lourd de Marionnette'' eyes. The wireless connector set on the back of her head exchanged data with the ''Lourd de Marionnette'' and the wired connections on her shoulders, thighs, and hips moved the ''Lourd de Marionnette''’s body as if it were her own.

A metal pack with her inside was contained in the cockpit instead of a person.

…''I appreciate that the Princess insisted on a high speed for the emergency ejection device.

But she and the other ''Belle de Marionnette''s had insisted on a high speed for the movement transmission.

Their quick thoughts and senses were meaningless if their movements were slow.

The end result was like wearing light weights on their limbs, but…

“This was well done!”

They were using another nation’s ''Lourd de Marionnette''s. These were Houjou-made. Since there was a generic hub and a program between them and the controls, there was more lag than when controlling one directly.

They made up for the delay by using their high-speed thoughts and decisions or by linking their shared memories.

That way, even if they were fired on…

“Time for the next target, everyone.”

Mouri-01 repeated the same instructions she had given several times already.

She continued onward through the shadows cast by the trees.

A largescale hunt was underway on the Miura Peninsula.

Giant humanoid shapes pursued the warships and worked to sink them before they could take off.

There were 28 ''Lourd de Marionnette''s in all. They formed groups of 7 and made their way to the remaining 5 warships.

The only sounds were the blasts of cannon fire and the rumble of metal feet on dirt.

All of the ''Lourd de Marionnette''s knew exactly where to go. Those machines were being piloted by ''Belle de Marionnette''s, so they ran swiftly and…

“——————”

They did not dodge the flying shells.

They did not enter the attack range in the first place.

They took evasive courses with no sense of panic to them. It was all thanks to the ''Belle de Marionnette''s piloting them. They sensed things using each other’s shared memories, and…

“Eliminate all your blind spots and move where the cannons will not target you.”

Those were their orders.

“Then walk at a speed of our choosing.”

Those orders were silently executed. The 4 groups of ''Lourd de Marionnette''s worked in unison to monitor the movement of the enemy cannons and they acted as diversions for each other in order to secure safe locations for them all.

The enemy attacks continued to fly, but the ''Lourd de Marionnette''s were not pursued by them and they even predicted the courses of the seeking projectiles to slip below them.

“Clear.”

Voices spoke that word from atop their shoulders.

The figures riding on the ''Lourd de Marionnette''s’ shoulders were of course more ''Belle de Marionnette''s.

They acted as boosters to connect the pilot within their ''Lourd de Marionnette'' with the other pilots and they provided the sensory and targeting data that the ''Lourd de Marionnette''s themselves could not supply.

Those two maids wore combat maid uniforms with a harness to latch them to their foothold within the wind, shaking, and shockwaves. And…

“Small threat eliminated.”

They occasionally fired their rifles to pick off the enemy’s frontline guards without bothering the ''Lourd de Marionnette''s with it.

The ''Lourd de Marionnette''s and ''Belle de Marionnette''s all played their roles with precise movements.

As they climbed the slope without delay, those toward the bottom searched for data around those ahead of them in order to ensure their safety. Meanwhile, those out ahead sent information on the footholds to those following.

By sharing information between front and back and between individual groups, they understood the entirety of the battlefield.

“Honestly,” one of them said in their shared memory while walking. “We don’t have to deal with the Reine des Garous’s daughter, Musashi’s Technohexen, or the English Princess this time, do we?”

“Testament,” said another one of them in their shared memory. “If anything, Musashi is on our side this time.”

“Yes,” agreed yet another one. “We really botched the pursuit near the border last time.”

“Only because we constantly had to respond to the unexpected.”

But…

“This forest effectively belongs to us.”

“Testament. This enemy has not made the forest their own.”

“They merely chose the forest as a location for their guns.”

“Then,” replied one of them. “Let us prepare a place for Lady Terumoto to dine. The peak of this hill looks like it has an excellent view.”

The entire conversation happened at high speed, so it did not even last a full second.

But they all agreed to one thing while Mouri-01 sighed.

“Tonight’s entertainment is the Kantou Liberation. The best way to enjoy the forest is to hunt down a meal.”

Kuki hurried to respond.

First, he had all of the ships take off from the Miura Peninsula.

The focus was on defense. He instructed them to stop firing and surround the ships with defense barriers. The top of the ship would be a target for snipers, so he ordered them to layer the barriers there.

Then he gave further orders to the ships on the west side of the peninsula.

“Abandon ship as soon as possible, starting with the normal students! The odds are high your ships will be destroyed on the way up! Everyone without sufficient descent training needs to disembark immediately!”

He was answered by something rising into the sky from behind the mountain on the west side of the peninsula.

They were explosive flames.

The enemy had shot down every last one of the ships on the mountain.

The wind of their destruction swept across the mountain and washed across the forest.

“They’re good at this!”

He had ordered his people to focus on defense and he could hear and see their responses from here. Nevertheless, it was not just the weak point at the base of the turrets that the enemy attacked. They also shot through joints in the armor and at the anchor ejection ports.

They fired through the gaps between defense barriers to accurately pierce the ships’ weak points.

That sharpshooting was not something humans could pull off.

Automaton actions were all about precision. These ones had experience guarding the forest, so now that they were at god of war size, it was absurd to think a distance of a few hundred meters would act as a defense even in the forest at night.

Kuki received sensor data from the ships that were being sunk or targeted.

Most of it was obscured by static and the sound was too distorted to make out.

But Kuki did hear something as he instructed them how to respond.

He heard a song.

…''What is this?

Something was singing while moving through the forest.

It sounded like a bright nursery rhyme.

“Oh, you shadows of the trees and thin leaves, where will you guide me as I wander?”

The voices singing of a forest stroll moved quickly through the dark forest.

“Show me the way, sunlight. There are no wolves here.”

The automatons continued their attack as they sang.

“Oh, small stream, you have dug deep, like a great valley.”

“Let us jump across you for fun and laugh as we cross this land. Where is the border? I look back to see my homeland.”

“Clear.”

“Oh, deep forest, I can see the path below my feet. The animal trail smells of nature.”

“Search out the scent of flowers and search out the mouthwatering aromas. This land is blessed with fruit. Fruit the color of the sun.”

“There are no wolves here.”

“Oh, valley, your slope is covered with vegetation. I leave a red ribbon to mark the way.”

“Is anyone lost? Our master follows behind us. Where is the summit? The fairies will show the way.”

“Clear.”

Mouri-01 raced across the battlefield.

She passed by like the blowing wind, but her passing was marked by explosive blasts as she led the ''Lourd de Marionnette'' unit.

They worked together without any eye contact or gestures. They mechanically destroyed the warships landed on the Miura Peninsula slope and they moved ever closer to the peak.

Three warships remained and they had all begun to float.

But the ''Belle de Marionnette''s did not let them escape. In the forest on the slope, they slipped between the trees like it was an empty wasteland and they continued to sing while…

“One.”

An explosion blossomed in the night.

At the same time, Mouri-01 received words from her fellow ''Belle de Marionnette''s.

“Lady Mouri-01, this is 4-02. Our view of West #2 has opened up.”

“Lady Mouri-01, this is 3-02. Team 3 is opening fire on the starboard side of #2.”

A moment later, Team 3’s sniper fire pierced the shadows with the air currents of the explosions and fires taken into account. And they also ran in a sweeping path to the north. They fired while running to hide their location. That would reduce accuracy even for ''Belle de Marionnette''s, but…

“Team 4 is joining the attack.”

After receiving the data from the previous attack, Team 4 made minute corrections before each member of the team fired a sniper shot of their own.

Mouri-01’s rear vision confirmed that the total of eight shells clinched it.

She saw the projectiles accurately shoot through the base of a turret and detonate the ammunition storage within.

Before any alarms could go off, the gunner jumped out and the turret was blasted straight up by an ether light explosion. That sunk the second of the remaining ships and Teams 3 and 4 started toward their next target.

“Lady Mouri-01.”

Just then, a member of Team 2 spoke to Mouri-01 and their report coincided with the song.

“Clear.”

The third ship exploded as it tried to rise from a higher part of the slope.

They had now destroyed all of the enemy ships on the western slope.

The explosive blast rushed toward Mouri-01. When using her high-speed senses to their fullest, it felt more like a wave crashing over her than a gust of wind. But she used that pressure as a final push to reach a certain location.

This was the watershed dividing the peninsula’s eastern and western slopes.

She had arrived at that ridge.

Kuki did not overlook that moment.

He ordered the ships to fire on the enemy gods of war just as they crossed the ridge to reach the slope on the Uraga Channel side.

The ships on the western slope had not bought all that much time, but the four warships on the eastern side had finished escaping into the sky.

Their altitude placed them nearly even with the ridge.

Gods of war were structurally incapable of firing when just their heads were in view, so when they had only just started to appear…

“Fire!”

Kuki gave the command when their silhouettes had started overlapping the trees on the ridge.

He knew their timing. He had been following their progress destroying the ships on the western slope this entire time.

He could not actually see the gods of war among the shadows of the forest, but he knew how quickly they moved.

Even in the forest at night, they moved faster than 70km/h.

They were monsters. No, there were even greater monsters in Hexagone Française’s forest who could move even faster and wield superhuman strength. Compared to the Loup-Garous who were said to be the history of human fear, these really were no more than “dolls”.

“But I can predict their actions.”

Of course, the enemy was not stupid. There was a good chance they would stay low and escape this volley. But even if they did, this would stop their attack.

The ships fired.

If possible, he wanted the supply ships to join those ships so they could continue firing indefinitely.

They could not allow the Miura Peninsula to fall to the enemy. If the enemy took the peninsula, then the Kantou Liberation would have been partially successful.

Giving the enemy any kind of success would require an interpretation.

If war was an extension of politics, then he could not allow the outcome here to have any negative political consequences.

This was the crucial moment.

Could he protect the Miura Peninsula or not? There was only one way to keep this success out of the enemy’s hands.

“Keep firing!”

The cannon fire came in two varieties.

Cannon control was full of novices, so they used spell shells with a guidance spell that would ensure they hit the designated coordinates.

Then swift physical shells were fired from behind those to construct a proper barrage.

The ether light and Djinn-guided spell shells were visible, while the physical shells were not visible at night when they were not tracer rounds.

But it all produced lots of noise. The shells shattered the ground, ruptured the trees, and tore into the night.

And the gunners saw something.

Someone had been hit at the center of the shell fire on the ridge.

“Got one!”

Just as one of the gunners celebrated, something flew up into the scorched night sky.

It was part of a god of war. Specifically, the large shield attached to their shoulders.

But that was all. What had happened to the feminine machine and its weapons?

“Ah…”

They all saw where it had gone: up.

Just before the shell had been fired, something had flown into the night sky far more quickly than they had predicted the god of wars would appear.

That form had sacrificed the shield and flown up from behind it.

It was a feminine giant. A winged one.

The shell grazed her feet as the four wing-shaped flight devices on her back took her up toward the four ships above.

“Is that…?”

Before they could finish their question, the giant landed on the second ship from the ocean.

There was a deep rumble as she shook the rear deck.

“Mouri-01 here. Commencing attack.”

Mouri-01 made her attack.

She was headed 400m toward the bow.

She struck with the knight’s lance attached to her back and held in her left arm and she fired with the pseudo anti-ship cannon held below her right arm.

She had no experience fighting atop ships, but she did have access to it. Data from the two gods of war that had attacked the Hashiba ships before had been installed on their machines.

They would not let anything go to waste. That was the spirit of a maid.

A few steps into her charge, she switched her combat mode from forest guard mode to ship’s deck mode. The output of her engine system was shifted from her legs to the center of her body.

“Bataille!”

She made her attack as if dancing.

She ran, fired, used the recoil to spin around, and struck with her lance to do even more damage.

Her running legs were so light because she used the lift of her wings and took the shaking of the ship into account. The flight devices on her back gave her more steady footing, and…

“…!”

She accelerated.

She was no longer running. It was more like spinning across the 400m ship and destroying everything in her path. She spun her entire body by rotating her hips from diagonally forward to backward. She fired backwards as if to accelerate that momentum and accurately shot through the base of a turret trying to turn her way.

The explosion followed her as a pleasant noise after another full rotation.

By then, the metal maid had already flapped her flight devices to send her toward the bow.

She was essentially gliding across the deck and accelerating using turning slides and cannon shots.

She blasted a couple more enemy turrets until they went silent.

The ship’s alarms had to be blaring by now, but it was too late.

Secondary cannons were lined up in a tiered layout around the bridge. They were quickly turning her way, starting with the one closest to her, but…

“Proche!”

She had originally been equipped for forest combat. By taking the close-quarters knife from her hip and throwing it with the ''Lourd de Marionnette''’s strength, it would function as an armor piercing round.

She briefly set the knight’s lance on her hip hard point, grabbed the knife with her other hand, and threw it in a straight line.

It hit.

It pierced the armor.

And the enemy fell silent.

The secondary cannon closest to her stopped moving and the knife piercing it blocked the line of fire for those behind it.

Mouri-01 leaped into that opening. She flew close to the deck and picked up gliding speed.

“…!”

She drew new knives in both hands and sliced through the secondary cannons as she soared past. She set the blades’ paths with her arms in order to split open the barrel, stab into the turret, and slice through the base.

Solid sounds screamed ceaselessly. Tearing metal rang through the sky.

Mouri-01 continued forward while producing those sounds and sparks.

She maintained her speed and used short-distance and optimal-trajectory slashes to destroy around a dozen secondary cannons.

Her destination was the bow where the main cannons were located.

There were two main cannons with two barrels each. However…

“C’est splendide!”

She raised a joyful voice with the cannons aimed her way.

How splendid. This show of hostility meant she need not restrain herself from bringing down a ship of novices.

“Viens!”

Just as she gave that instruction, the muzzle directly in front of her belched fire.

However, it had not fired on her.

A ''Lourd de Marionnette'' had flown down from the sky and rammed its knight’s lance into the cannon from directly above.

But it did not end there.

A machine equipped with flight devices was descending on the other ships as well.

Mouri-01 and the other three were the commanders of the four units.

Mouri-01 moved forward along with them. They had each destroyed the warship they were on, so…

“Avancer!”

They set out to crush the fourth and final ship.

''They really got us this time,'' thought Magoichi with a gasp.

…''They’ve taken the Miura Peninsula.

Only four of the enemy gods of war were equipped with flight device and those flight devices probably only allowed for short flights that really only amounted to extended jumps. Also, the gods of war were Houjou ones being forcibly operated through a generic hub and harness.

They were far from perfect.

But the enemy had a good grasp of the movements and distances on the battlefield.

Three fireballs were wobbling in the sky at the entrance to the Uraga Channel visible to the north.

The three ships the gods of war had attacked were tilting and falling as if sliding diagonally toward the water.

The four winged machines were flying toward the final ship.

The Hashiba forces included the fleet above the Uraga Channel and the turrets on the floating cannon emplacements. Kuki seemed to be moving the ground forces on the east side of Edo Bay, but it would take an hour before they arrived here.

Retaking that peninsula would require a long-term battle.

But Magoichi saw something else in Kuki’s decision.

A warship was falling in the northern sky.

Kuki’s orders appeared in front of that flaming and tilting ship.

“Fire.”

Immediately, light erupted in Magoichi’s vision.

A great number of cannon blasts erupted from the Uraga Channel and the sky above it and they all pierced that one falling ship.

“Is that targeting the gods of war!?”

Kuki saw a flower spreading across the sky.

The petals of ether light and fire spread across a diameter of 400m, but the flower fell apart before fully blooming. An explosion from within the destroyed ship blew away the spreading ether and fire.

As the atmosphere was pushed out of the way, a ring of water vapor formed, but it contracted once the air currents scattered. And once that burst in the night sky once more, a few objects were visible beyond.

One was the falling wreckage of the warship.

The ship had been nearly broken in two and it gently rotated as it fell. It scattered embers that illuminated the Uraga Channel during its descent.

And four figures looked down upon that wreckage.

Those Mouri commanders had their flight devices fully open as they descended toward the Miura Peninsula beyond the Uraga Channel.

Two had lost their side skirts and one had lost her right cannon.

But the company commander was essentially unharmed.

'''Koni-ko:''' “Did they get away?”

'''Nine Horns:''' “Not necessarily. After all…”

He did not even need to say it. A giant form had flown in from the northern sky to clash with those four airborne machines.

It slammed into the Miura Peninsula beyond the sparks, crashing noises, and scattering embers.

“If you have them, then take care of this, Mechanical Dragon Pilot Nabeshima Naoshige.”

''I’ve gone and done it now,'' thought Nabeshima in the mechanical dragon’s cockpit.

There was a smile on her lips.

She was currently on the east side of the Miura Peninsula. She was on the slope overlooking the Ooura beach. The place was a mixture of woods and farmland and that farmland formed steps of connected dots up the slope.

The wide-open space was perfect for a mechanical dragon to fight, but…

“My lady! This terrain is good for gods of war as well!”

“I know that!”

A figure took a fighting stance in front of her.

She did not think of them as giant. They were about as tall as her mechanical dragon, but nowhere near as long.

But on the battlefield, she did not feel the comfort of being cradled by her dragon’s large form.

“Hey, you old geezers. You know how strong I am, right?”

“You are stronger than the five of us.”

“That’s right,” said another of them on the divine transmission. “Your opponent has inherited the name of Hoida Motokiyo. And she is the leader of Hexagone Française’s automatons.”

“But there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Because there is only one of her.”

“You defeated all five of us, so you could beat her at only 20% of your power.”

“Let’s hope you’re right!” she said.

Her entire body shook inside the control device that covered her arms and legs.

“I’ll do what I can! We do have backup coming, after all!”

Ships that had been protecting Edo and Bousou were approaching in the northern sky behind her.

They had to make up for what they had lost on the Miura Peninsula.

Nabeshima moved her mechanical dragon forward while checking the approaching ships on her radar ''lernen figur''.

“Old geezers, I want all the data I can get on the enemies I have a kinetic lock on.”

She pulled on the control device like she was swinging a horse’s reins. The cockpit immediately went dark. The ''lernen figur''s and gauges were the only light sources and a hemispherical external sensor ''lernen figur'' opened in front of her face.

Through that, she viewed the enemy god of war and the other three that had landed nearby.

“Let’s do this, Unambitious. Bite at the sky if you must, but don’t forget the enemy!”

Mouri-01 felt surprise in her heart before the mechanical dragon started to move.

…''My…

This was fascinating.

Dragons lived in Hexagone Française and she had spoken with them on a few occasions, but this was her first time fighting one, even if this one was piloted by a human.

This made for a powerful opponent.

“This should require every last bit of our functionality.”

She had three gods of war to support her. She shifted her entire engine system from normal land mode to sloped land mode. She set forest mode as the backup, but that was for if she had to jump into the woods on the slope.

Just as she straightened up, the dragon came for her.

The front right leg made a diagonal strike.

It was fast. It was big to begin with and the engine running it was fully devoted to this fight. Also…

“They aren’t playing around!”

The claws of the front right leg tore into the ground.

And with that leg lowered…

“…!”

The mechanical dragon suddenly charged at her.

'''Asano:''' “No one’s asking uuuus to do anything, huh?”

Tadaoki heard Asano’s comment along with a rumbling in the sky.

Most of the aerial ships in Edo had been sent south.

They were being sent to the Uraga Channel to see if they could take back the Miura Peninsula. The many warships took a route that circled around from north to west in order to pursue the enemy gods of war.

'''Kanitama:''' “What tactics are we using here!?”

Someone answered Kani’s question.

'''Kimee:''' “The current objective is recovering the Miura Peninsula. Nabeshima needs to hold them back until our warships arrive.”

…''Katou Yoshiaki!?

That girl would eventually be one of the Seven Generals, but his group mostly viewed her as a second year high schooler and one of Hashiba’s Ten Spears. She was an upperclassman with actual combat experience, but she joined the conversation because she knew Kani.

She was probably onboard one of the aerial warships. She sounded like she was viewing the events from afar.

'''Kimee:''' “From here on, it’s a race against time. Given when the Miura Peninsula was taken, we’re going to end up with a formation located more toward Bousou than Edo.”

She was right.

Tadaoki was in the center of Edo Bay and he could see lots of activity on the southwest end of the bay. The land unit in the ruins had turned on their lights and were headed toward the bridge he was using.

That meant the Edo unit was moving to take the strategic points along the bay coast.

'''Kimee:''' “I need to get ready too, but from the looks of it, the bay and the area north of Bousou’s entrance will probably be left to your group, Kanitama.”

'''Kanitama:''' “T-testament! We will do our best to defend it!”

'''Kimee:''' “Don’t worry. Even if it doesn’t work out, the Testament has Hashiba’s forces retreating from the continent during the Keichou Campaign. Successfully defend that area and we can say the Keichou Campaign isn’t over or hasn’t happened, but there’s nothing wrong with having to retreat.”

However…

'''Kimee:''' “Just keep in mind that you’ll regret it if you don’t give this your all.”

Telling them not to worry and then telling them they had to give it their all seemed like a contradiction.

But Tadaoki understood.

If they lost, it was all over.

…''Ugh.

If they suffered a defeat here, they would lose everything and there would be no second chances. That fact reminded Tadaoki of her.

…''Dammit.

He felt pathetic.

His emotions were so shaken he wanted to run away from the job given to him.

This was bad. A sniper had to remain calm and unshaken.

“Dammit,” he swore when he remembered something else. “How am I supposed to stay calm when someone painted my dick black?”

“Dammit,” groaned Tadaoki as he leaned forward. He pressed his forehead against the bivouac he had laid out and he sighed.

After catching his breath, he could hear the sounds around him much more clearly.

He listened.

The first thing he heard was the roar of the warships flying south.

Nabeshima’s mechanical dragon was a part of the intense fighting in and on the southern sky and land.

He wanted his upperclassmen to hurry as they ran here from southwest Edo Bay.

And he was aware of his own role as a defender of Edo Bay and as a sniper.

Of course, there was no enemy coming here.

All of their forces were concentrated to the south.

Musashi had flown off toward Nördlingen.

…''That’s right.

He had no choice but to leave everything in other people’s hands. Both the battle to the south and Nördlingen.

“Dammit.”

Was there nothing at all he could do?

Hadn’t he become a name inheritor so he could do something?

“Dammit!”

Tadaoki groaned and got up. He spread his mouth horizontally and shouted into the night.

“Isn’t there anything for me to do!?”

Just then, something appeared in the sky overhead.

With his head raised toward the west, he saw that great dark expanse open up.

He heard wind. That meant the atmosphere was in motion. And then he saw a giant white and black structure shining in the night.

“The Musashi!?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 23|Chapter 23]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 25|Chapter 25]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 20

2019-04-17T02:40:25Z

141.101.77.137: /* Chapter 20: Desiring Girl in the Usual Place */

==Chapter 20: Desiring Girl in the Usual Place==
[[Image:Horizon7-A625.jpg|thumb]]
''Why is it

''I can never hold onto

''The happy times

''Even when I leap at them?

'''Point Allocation (Washing Each Other)

Kiyomasa hurried down the corridor.

She was on the way to the bath. The bucket she carried held a change of clothes, new soap, a towel, and perfume for use after bathing.

She would find Fukushima in the bath.

…''She has been acting strange since the battle ended.

Or more accurately, since they had begun preparations to withdraw. It felt like she was avoiding Kiyomasa.

Had something painful or sad happened?

Kiyomasa felt like she was meddling, but if Fukushima needed to get whatever-it-was off her chest, she wanted to be there to listen. They had known each other for a long time and they knew each other well.

And if Fukushima wanted to be left alone, she would give her space. It would be lonely, but Fukushima was sure to return as an even greater version of herself given time. That had happened on a smaller scale from time to time in the past.

But Fukushima was a girl of few words. She rarely let her inner feelings out, so Kiyomasa needed to prepare for this in her own way.

“The soap is a Greek-style I’ve never used before and the shampoo is the good stuff I ordered from India.”

They usually used Far Eastern rice bran bags to wash themselves in the bath, so this would be a new experience.

That would give them something to talk about and provide a nice change of pace.

…''I just need this.

However, it was mostly up to Fukushima’s mental state.

First and foremost, Kiyomasa wanted to figure out if Fukushima wanted to be left alone.

“Now, then.”

She stepped through the entrance to the bath reserved for the Ten Spears.

Fukushima listened to his complaints.

Personally, she wanted to be the one complaining about her situation, but she had little choice when Katagiri started tearfully speaking.

“And then I…I…!”

From what she could tell, there was someone he had been in love with, but now she might be dead and he could never see her again even if she was still alive.

Fukushima did not know how true any of this was.

“So, um, the thing about this lewd busty shrine maiden is…!”

“Lewd?”

“Yes, lewd! She said so herself…or did she? Regardless, that was how she made sure we understood each other, so she was lewd!”

“Is that so?”

''That is quite the person thou fell in love with.'' But to sum up…

…''He has a broken heart.

But nothing like this had happened with Katagiri before, so it came as a surprise.

“I wanted to speak with her again after I got manlier and could talk with people properly!”

“But now she is gone?”

“Testament. How could this happen!?”

Logically speaking, these things just happened sometimes. It did not require explanation.

People were lost both on the battlefield and in everyday life. People became injured, grew sick, died of old age, or even took their own lives.

It was not clear if this girl was dead or had just gone elsewhere, so Fukushima felt like he could always go looking for her. But…

…''Whether or not thou should pursue someone who left is always a question.

She also knew why Katagiri was wallowing in heartbreak instead of immediately chasing after this girl: he wanted to fulfill the duty he felt in his position in the Ten Spears and in his relationship with the other Spears.

She felt bad about that, but she also knew where his personal feelings would be headed.

“When we lose something, we want to forget it ever existed, don’t we?”

Katagiri gave a groaning nod while more tears fell from his cheeks.

Seeing this, she wanted to do something to help him, but she knew there was nothing she could do.

That was just how these things were.

But she was still very surprised to see this side of him.

“Katagiri-dono?” she asked. “Did thou love this person?”

When she asked, he looked up at her with his tear-blurred gaze.

But then he washed his face off in the tub and wiped the corners of his eyes.

“Testament.”

There were no more tears gathering in his eyes and Fukushima saw something in his gaze.

“Thou have a much stronger and manlier gaze now.”

At first, Katagiri did not know what Fukushima meant.

He thought about it for a few seconds and repeated the words in his mind.

“No, I don’t.”

He shook his head. He already had tears in the corners of his eyes again.

“I can’t be manly.”

“That is not true.” Fukushima placed a hand on her chest. “This is thy first time feeling the emotion of love, is it not? Thou showed to me just now that thou have accepted it as thus.”

So…

“I believe that means thou have learned to believe in thyself instead of relying on others.”

“But…the person I wanted to show that to is gone.”

“Perhaps so, but perhaps not. …Katagiri-dono, thou do not know what has happened to that person.”

“I do.” Katagiri shook his lowered head again. “They said she had metaphorically ‘left the Musashi’. That has to mean she’s either dead or missing. And either way, I can never see her again.”

“I see. Still, I do not think thou should make assumptions.”

“But…”

“Hope is something to hold onto, not to cast out,” said Fukushima. “Besides, thou have become the person thou wanted to show her, correct? That is the most important thing. If thou had not, thou would be disappointing her wherever she might be.”

Katagiri could tell she was trying to persuade him.

But something about what she was saying bothered him.

“Fukushima-san…have you ever fallen in love with someone?”

Fukushima gasped.

…''That is a good question.

Katagiri would understand.

He had accepted that the feeling inside him was love, so she would seem weak in comparison. She still could not decide whether or not the feeling inside her was love.

So to use Katagiri’s phrasing, she was being unmanly right now.

…''How very strange.

She saw him like a younger brother, but he had surpassed her here.

“I am hopeless, aren’t I?” she said.

“How so?”

She was not sure what to say in response.

…''Oh, this is not good.

She was impressed that Katagiri had been able to complain so much while crying.

She had yet to reach the point of tears and she could not come up with any words to say.

Katagiri must have been thinking about this for quite a while. She had only been mentally flailing over this for a few hours, so he completely put her to shame.

But he had told her what he was feeling, so she felt obligated to do the same.

“I am not really sure.”

“About what?”

“About how I feel about that person.” She could not look him in the eye as she spoke. “And because I am not sure how I feel, I cannot bring myself to carelessly contact or speak with them.”

Katagiri was surprised.

…''So even Fukushima-san feels that way sometimes.

The way she was looking away and talking about her own self-doubt was very different from her usual dignified self. He thought she seemed more feminine, but that was just his male perspective talking.

She was simply unsure what to do, so he felt rude finding it surprising and feminine.

But even though he had asked the question, he really did find it surprising once she admitted it. ''Come to think of it, I’d probably be surprised to hear any of our girls say that. And it would feel dangerous if Hachisuka-san said it. Oh, I guess it would only be the status quo for Yoshiaki-san and Wakisaka-san.

But he knew what Fukushima was saying.

What was this feeling you had for the other person?

Did you love them, were you just thinking about them too much, or was it all a misunderstanding?

You were not certain of anything you were feeling, but if you did become certain, it would immediately and permanently change your relationship with them.

…''In my case…

“I was afraid of changing the status quo, I guess.”

“Eh?”

Fukushima turned toward him and he spoke to her look of surprise.

“I mean, I’m here with all of you. I didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing to feel that way about someone on the outside. For that matter, I didn’t even know if what I was feeling was real or not and I wasn’t sure if I should even try to figure out the answer.”

But…

“Those troubling feelings are of course troubling, but they’re also fun.”

“F-for me, it is clearly nothing but trouble.”

It had been the same for him. So…

“That’s true. …It’s fun, but also painful. Because there is no answer to find.”

He realized something even as he said it.

…''I feel so much more at peace now.

He could definitively say that he had loved her. Maybe it was due to the current feeling of loss and maybe he was only imagining it, but he could only describe what he had felt as love.

But he had not managed to reach that answer on his own.

It had troubled him and he had enjoyed it, but then it had been brought to a forcible end by outside circumstances.

So what would have happened if it had continued without that?

“I loved her, but it scares me to think about what might have happened if I hadn’t reached an answer like this but still couldn’t ever see her again.”

“You mean…?”

“I wouldn’t have known when I could stop troubling myself with the question.”

You felt true doubt once you became aware of that feeling of love.

“I wouldn’t have known whether or not I could really destroy the existing relationship and status quo. And…”

And…

“I wouldn’t have known whether or not I could keep lying to myself once I realized how I felt.”

“I had the ending pushed onto me before I reached that point.”

Fukushima could not agree with what Katagiri said.

She had yet to reach that point herself.

What was this feeling inside her? No, she knew the answer deep down, but she did not know if she could accept that feeling. And if she did accept it…

…''Would I arrive at the uncertainty Katagiri-dono was describing?

The uncertainty about destroying the existing relationship and lying to yourself.

Even if she accepted that she loved Kiyomasa, if she was not sure she could destroy their existing relationship, she would be unable to let those feelings out.

She would hide her feelings and continue being Kiyomasa’s friend as before. But…

“Would that mean thou were defiling the other person?”

“You would be if you mistook their kindness for romantic affection and indulged in that.”

So…

“I pray you do not do that, Fukushima-san.”

When he said that, Fukushima realized what his words meant. From his perspective…

“Are thou saying thou defiled that girl, Katagiri-dono?”

Fukushima glared at Katagiri.

“Eh?”

He started panicking one tempo later. He quickly waved his hands side to side and splashed the bathwater.

“N-no! Ah, what is that look for! I-I haven’t done that, I swear! I-I mean, there might have been a little of what you could call virtual lewdness, I guess, but…”

“Come to think of it, what was that image you were making with bathwater earlier?’

“A memento! Just a memento! Besides, this is when you should sum it up with ‘So thou did not manage to get that far, Katagiri-dono’!”

“We can leave it at that if thou insist.”

“Yes, I insist!” he said while nodding vigorously, but she did see an answer there.

…''He has changed.

Katagiri was their liaison officer and he was also tasked with gathering outside information and keeping them informed. He often used Hundred Crest Land Survey to display outside information such as battlefield diagrams or visualized training instructions.

But right now he was talking about himself and using Hundred Crest Land Survey for a personal matter.

No, that was not so surprising. Feelings of love were not isolated to yourself; they were born from thinking carefully about the other person.

This was about more than himself. He had at least two people’s worth of feelings fueling his imagination.

The person he loved had changed him a lot.

“And that was something we could never manage to do…”

“What was?”

“Testament. Making a mature person out of thee, Katagiri-dono.”

“What did you see me as before…?”

“Do not worry about it,” she said while holding out a hand to stop him.

But she had a sudden thought. She breathed in and looked up at the ceiling obscured by the steam.

…''I probably do love Kiyo-dono…

The feeling of love brought doubt and fear of potential changes to her future. It also scared her to consider the possibility of Kiyomasa rejecting or ignoring her feelings once she learned of them.

But this chat with Katagiri had taught her that these feelings definitely existed inside her and that they were not a wholly bad thing.

…''But what am I supposed to do about it?

She had only just started down this path and all she had was this newfound knowledge.

She loved Kiyomasa, but how was she supposed to let the other girl know?

No, how could she tell Kiyomasa without having her feelings rejected?

She knew how to fight, but she was hopeless when it came to this sort of thing.

“I really am hopeless.”

“If you ask me, you’re headed in about as perfect a direction as you could hope for, Fukushima-san.”

“What do thou mean by that?”

She looked down to find Katagiri washing his face in the tub again.

He was smiling. She could tell he was forcing it, but…

“I was getting excited over nothing. I was mostly selfishly assuming she would accept me. But…”

But…

“You’re thinking you won’t be accepted.”

“—————”

“I’m betting you won’t lose this. I’m not really sure how to say it, but it’s a lot like you. If you start from there and work toward your goal, I think you’ll be fine.”

“Thou hint at such a difficult path ahead and then say I will be fine?”

“Fair.” Katagiri smiled bitterly and took a breath. “I didn’t think I would be able to discuss this with you.”

“Nor I with thee. …And I now realize I had not had much opportunity to speak with thee recently.”

“Testament. That’s true. I refused to share the bath with all of you, so…”

His expression froze on his face and then grew serious.

“I-I’m manlier now, aren’t I!? Experiencing heartbreak made me manlier, right!?”

“Yes, what of it?”

“Th-then it’s weird for us to be able to chat in the bath like this!”

She looked up at the ceiling when he said that.

…''That is logical.

But she felt like the conversation would fall apart if she agreed, so she lowered her gaze and tried to convince him otherwise.

“Katagiri-dono, thy growth is an unseen and spiritual thing, so it has no bearing on what occurs in the bath.”

“You’re just saying my personality doesn’t mean anything in reality!”

He sighed and then stood up.

“Hmm, it doesn’t sit right with me, but the manliness inside me is saying I can’t stay in the bath with you.”

Then he looked back at her with his eyebrows lowered in a smile.

“Could you not tell the others I was crying?”

“Testament. I am aware boys do not like people to know they cry.”

“Thanks,” he said while starting to leave the tub.

However, doing so while still looking back her way was a mistake.

His raised knee hit the edge of the tub.

“Ah.”

His hips and legs stayed put while his upper body toppled forward.

“Katagiri-dono!”

Fukushima panicked because Katagiri was falling head-first into the washing area.

She quickly stood up, bent over, and supported his falling body.

He was slippery with water, so she grasped his hipbones below his waist.

“…Oh!”

She grabbed his hips with both hands and lifted him up and back instead of just pulling back. His body shook and his hands fell to the washing area floor.

He quickly held out and spread his arms to support his upper body.

After confirming he had stopped, Fukushima relaxed her shoulders.

“That was a close one, Katagiri-dono.”

“T-testament. It really was.”

Just as he responded, the door to the bath opened to reveal a familiar face.

It was Kiyomasa and she had yet to remove her clothing.

“Fukushima-sama? Do you mind if I join you in the ba-…”

Her expression and movements froze when she saw them.

[[Image:Horizon7-A643.jpg|thumb]]

Kiyomasa saw it.

With a towel over her shoulders, Fukushima was holding up Katagiri’s hips while he was on all fours and she was pulling his butt back toward her.

The two of them must have been overheating because they were dripping with what may have been sweat or bathwater and their skin was flushed.

“———————”

Kiyomasa adjusted her position when the bucket nearly fell from her hands.

Katagiri looked up at her, and…

“Y-you misunderstand, Kiyomasa-san! This isn’t what you, or pretty much anyone else who saw this scene, would think it was!”

“And what is it?”

Even Kiyomasa was shocked by how cold her tone was.

Fukushima took a breath before answering.

“Katagiri-dono has become a man.”

Kiyomasa slammed the bath door shut.

“Now,” said Fukushima. “D-did I say something wrong?”

“You didn’t need to be that honest! A-and please let go of my hips!”

The bath door opened and revealed Hachisuka this time.

She gasped, stopped, viewed the scene, and nodded.

“The impure one is Katagiri.”

“Wh-what kind of emphatic sentence is that!?”

Hachisuka shut the door and Fukushima let go of Katagiri’s hips as it clicked shut. And…

“This is thy fault, Katagiri-dono.”

“Wait, why are you glaring at me like that!? If anything, this was an accident! This feels like a personal attack on my rights!”

Fukushima started to leave the bath while Katagiri protested.

…''I cannot believe this.

She wanted to chase after Kiyomasa immediately, but what would she do then? Besides…

“It would look weird if I left without washing my hair or body.”

Would Kiyomasa return while she took care of that? She wondered that while stepping out of the tub and into the washing area.

“Wh-what were those two doing?”

In a dimly-lit space, a bucket fell to the floor and the soap within bounced out.

The bucket belonged to Kiyomasa, who was staring down at it.

She was in her room. She had run back, locked the door both spell-wise and physically, pressed her back against the door, and only then caught her breath.

Her long hair was caught between her back and the door. It had been damaged in the battle and she had hoped to treat it while bathing, but…

…''I can’t do that now.

She closed herself up before her thoughts went further than her desire to treat her hair in the bath.

“What is going on…?”

She was confused, but she felt like she had screwed up.

“And after I was worried about her and thinking about so many things…”

''Oh, I’m looking down on her,'' she chided herself. But she could not deny the bad feeling deep in her chest.

…''What is this?

It was easy enough to describe.

“Fukushima-sama didn’t come to me.”

What was she even saying?

It was nothing more than Fukushima choosing someone else to work through her troubles.

But that made her sad. No…

“I don’t like it.”

She did not know why, but she did not like it.

Katagiri had been in the position she had wanted to-…

“N-no, that was a ceremony to make Katagiri-kun into a man! Yes, a ceremony!”

That was not quite the position she wanted to be in. In fact, it was completely different. Probably.

…''B-but on the other hand…

She started to imagine that happening to her instead.

“…!”

She grabbed the empty air in front of her and threw it aside.

Kiyomasa realized she was blushing.

''Oh, no. This is not good. Katou Kiyomasa, you need to calm down.

…''I-I shouldn’t be having weird fantasies about someone as diligent as Fukushima-sama.

But she realized that thought did not solve anything.

“Ah…”

She covered her face with her hands and looked down at the bucket on the floor.

She started to pick it up, but…

“No…”

She instead slid down the door and onto her butt.

Her hands reached for the fallen bucket several times, but they always immediately returned to her cheeks.

She did not like this.

Fukushima had to be worrying over something important and Kiyomasa did not like that Fukushima had not come to her to talk about it. She also did not like how Fukushima had bluntly avoided her at Paris.

And she did not like how clearly irritated she was.

She recalled the other night.

During the festival, she and Fukushima had run together for training and she had kissed Fukushima at the end.

“———————”

She brought her fingers to her lips.

“It was on the cheek…but outside of my family, Fukushima-sama is the only person I ever did that for.”

Saying that made her realize just how important a person Fukushima was to her.

She realized it, but…

“Testament…”

There was nothing she could do about it, so she just curled up on the floor there.

She decided to use a spell for her damaged hair, she held her arms around her knees, and she shut her eyes.

“We are never going to accomplish anything like this. When are all of you planning to get some sleep?”

Asama stacked some compressed sleep spell charms and a few other charms on top of her futon.

It was already 11:30 and the Kantou Liberation began that morning at 2, so the ones fighting in that now had less than 3 hours to sleep.

Gin, who had already removed her prosthetic arms, responded.

“Asama Shrine Representative, getting some but not enough sleep would be more dangerous than none at all, so could you provide a 3x compression charm once we have 2 hours left? I think I will use that for an hour and a half to get a total of four and a half hours of sleep.”

“You sleep in periods of an hour and a half, don’t you? I think I’ll start doing that too.”

That comment came from Narumi who had loosened the connections and joints for her prosthetic limbs.

The connections and joints had the inner joints pulled out and they moved with a bit less power than usual. It may have been similar to a relaxed state for biological limbs. Narumi smiled when she noticed Asama’s gaze.

“I can move them, but it’s like lying in a hammock. It’s weird, but even though the prosthetics are machines, it’s easier on my body later if I give the joints some time to relax.”

“Yes, Date Vice Chancellor, it does feel that way, doesn’t it?” Gin agreed and looked to the prosthetic arms lying on either side of her. “Strangely, when I sleep with them removed, it wakes me up if Master Muneshige touches one of them due to his bad habit of moving in his sleep.”

Asama started to imagine those two sleeping side by side, but mentioning it would only make herself a target, so she stopped. Naruze was showing off a pretty realistic rough illustration and asking “like this?”, but it looked like a debate had broken out between “Yes, Gin-san’s face would be right alongside Muneo-san’s” and “her face would be by his chest”. Even though Gin was right there.

However, Gin was part of the Kantou Liberation group.

Asama held a charm out toward her.

“Those of us in the Nördlingen group don’t have to be ready until around 6 in the morning, so we still have time. But the Kantou group should want to get to sleep right away, so I’ll be passing these out, okay?”

“Oh?” Horizon took one of the compressed sleep charms. “So this is one of the rumored compressed sleep charms.”

“Eh? Are they that well known?”

“Of course they are, Asama,” said Naruze. “They’re a super useful item in the doujinshi business. You can use them yourself and you can use them in your doujinshi. We even have a saying: ‘Out of ideas? Time for a compressed sleep charm!’ ”

“If someone actually tries to do something to you when you’re using one, the criminal will have three thumbs’ worth of purifying yuzukosho shoved up their butt and then a super-loud alarm will sound.”

“Why not just do the last part?”

“Tradition, I imagine,” she said while Horizon held up the charm.

“So how do you use this sex charm?”

“It has nothing to do with sex. Anyway, um, you press this meter with your finger to set the time, press this compression-factor number, press this activation mark, and then attach it to your body. It will automatically start up.”

She looked over to see Horizon collapse to the side with it attached to her forehead.

Her eyes were wide open while she lay in a shallow manji pose. Everyone was a little disturbed by the sight.

“Well, that was…impressive.”

“Heh heh. Seeing her sleeping like that makes me want to draw a chalk outline around her.”

“I guess this means Asama-san’s explanation was accurate.”

“But if we try to wake her, it means yuzukosho up the butt, doesn’t it?”

Just as Naito asked that, Horizon’s arms detached on their own. They moved their wrists as if looking around and then yanked the charm from Horizon’s forehead.

She was awake in two seconds.

“That was a close one, Asama-sama. I very nearly went to sleep due to your eloquent explanation.”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to actually do it while I explained.” Asama grabbed two other varieties of charm. “Anyway, there is actually a trick to this. A ‘hack’ if you will.”

“What’s that, Asama!? You want me to spread this knowledge around at the next event!? Who should I make the culprit! Just this once, I’ll let you choose!”

“Okay, I choose you, Naruze.”

“Really?” groaned Naruze while turning her bitter smile away and tapping her forehead with the bottom of her pen.

Then she sighed while still looking away.

“Well, I should have expected that from you.”

“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean!?”

Anyway, she had to explain this.

“This here is a compressed sleep spell. Now, what is its biggest flaw?”

“Ooh, I know!” Naito raised her hand. “It puts a pretty big burden on your body when you wake up.”

“Exactly.”

Kimi held up a sign frame that asked “and what are the benefits?”, so Asama started to worry she was slipping into her infomercial material.

But what mattered here were the other charms.

“This is a cooling spell and this is a stable awakening spell.”

“What is a stable awakening spell?”

“You can think of it as an alarm clock spell,” said Naruze. “It manages your physical condition so you will naturally wake up at a specified time. Although if you set it to a range of times, you can use it to keep you awake.”

“I see you know all about that one, Naruze.”

“You need some way to work through the night when drawing a doujinshi. But I think I get what you’re planning, Asama. By activating the cooling spell and the stable awakening spell on top of the compressed sleep spell, you hope to eliminate the exhaustion and burden on your body.”

“Makes sense. So she’s striking a balance between the positive spells and the negative spell like Ga-chan and I do with our Weiss and Schwarz Technomagie. I knew Shinto had healing spells too, but I hadn’t thought about this possibility.”

“What does that mean?”

“Umm,” began Asama. “When you use a compressed sleep spell to sleep, there is some backlash on your body when the spell ends and you wake up. The burden is especially great because you rapidly wake up from very deep sleep. So by activating a weaker stable awakening spell on top of it, there is less of a shock when the compressed sleep spell ends and you can wake up properly. …Now, I’m including a cooling spell too, but by syncing its strength with the changes caused by the stable awakening spell, you can eliminate a lot of the exhaustion you would normally feel. In theory anyway.”

After explaining all that, Asama realized the Technohexen pair and Naomasa appeared to understand, but the only other one that came close was Mary who was counting on her fingers to think through it a step at a time.

…''Oops. My Shinto obsessions slipped out.

“Um, just do what I say and you’ll wake up feeling nice and rested.”

Horizon collapsed again. This time, the left hand removed the charm.

“S-sorry, Asama-sama. I got ahead of myself again.”

“Well, um, does that mean you want to get to sleep ASAP, Horizon?”

“Judge.” Horizon held out a hand. “What compression factor do I need to get a week’s worth of sleep in five hours?”

Futayo knew what Horizon meant.

“Horizon-sama! Do you wish to sleep soundly!?”

Everyone else responded with an “eh?”, but Horizon raised her right thumb.

“Judge. Quality sleep will complete the adjustments I need for the Logismoi Oplo. But a week’s worth in five hours will be difficult even for a 10th Level napper such as me.”

“Asama-sama, is that possible?”

By the time Futayo asked, Asama was already spreading out and counting a bundle of charms.

After checking through them two or three times from front to back, she bound them together with a paper skewer bearing the Asama Shrine’s emblem.

“Here, Horizon. This should be enough and I have already set them up for you.”

…''That was fast.

Futayo trembled more at Asama’s nonchalant expression than the thickness of the charm bundle.

As the Asama Shrine’s #2, that girl was essentially Musashi’s #2 Shinto Representative. As a Shinto spell expert, she rivalled Futayo whose position as Vice Chancellor made her Musashi’s #2 combat officer.

Asama had mostly limited herself to divine transmission relay work, but she had stepped to the forefront during the battle against Sanada.

“Horizon, we can’t have you sleeping the whole time you are at Toori-kun’s place and you don’t want to spend all your time sleeping either, right? So tell me whenever you need something like this.”

“Judge. I will gladly accept that offer.”

When Futayo saw her leader respectfully receiving the charm bundle in both hands, she realized what Horizon had meant by a battle formation.

Their roles and relationships were clearly defined and they all needed each other.

And Futayo was Musashi’s #2 in combat. Her leader recognized that fact.

…''Are there other areas where I can surprise them like Asama-sama is doing now?

She did not know, but she was pretty sure she had not reached that point yet. And…

“Masazumi?”

Masazumi, who was #2 in politics, raised her lowered head.

“Eh? O-oh, I’m just feeling a little sleepy. Yes, but falling asleep would only make me the butt of everyone’s jokes.”

“So when you’re feeling sleepy, you can come out and tell it like it is, huh?”

Masazumi did not react to Naruze’s comment. She instead collapsed down onto her futon.

“Hmm, this has been a rough day all the way to the bitter end. And tomorrow is going to be rough from the get-go.”

“Are you mentally worn out from all the meetings?” asked Naomasa.

“Hmm, I think going with everyone to Kanie Castle hit me hard too.”

“Should I not have made those vertical jumps while carrying you?” asked Futayo.

“I would be even more exhausted if you hadn’t carried me. Doing the whole thing on foot is enough to kill us liberal arts types.”

Everyone exchanged a glance and Naruze raised a hand.

“I’m a liberal arts type.”

So did Naito and…

…''Asama-sama, Kimi-dono, Mukai-dono, Mary-sama, and Horizon-sama.

“Our liberal arts types are pretty tough,” said Naruze. “Have you tried training, Masazumi?”

“I’ll think about it if I have an opening in my reading schedule.”

Masazumi rolled onto her back and stared intently up at the ceiling.

“Anyway, the hardest part is yet to come.”

“That is true,” said Futayo.

Several issues were in progress or developing.

The entire pre-summer break period was like a mesh of issues to deal with. So…

“Masazumi, what do you think is at the center of it all?”

“Judge. After the Kantou Liberation gets going, we take control of the Battle of Nördlingen and rescue Lady Nagaoka. And once Europe understands what it means to have Musashi around, we ask something of Lady Nagaoka.”

Namely…

“I want an audience with Akechi Mitsuhide in Kyoto.”

Asama was reminded of Novgorod.

…''U-um…

She recalled the fragmentary but crucial information they had received there.

“The Princess left behind a message saying ‘What’s keeping Mitsuhide-kun’, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Masazumi spoke while looking up at the ceiling.

“Akechi Mitsuhide was probably a student at Lord Motonobu’s academy just like the Prince of Orange was.”

And she said more.

“Do you remember what we saw below Sanada?”

“Masazumi? That wasn’t very long ago.”

“Judge. I just wanted to say that.”

…''Now she’s acting like Neshinbara-kun.

''I hope she isn’t changing herself to match the weirder parts of this world. No, maybe she’s just tired and saying whatever comes to mind.

But Masazumi clenched her raised right hand and spoke.

“Lord Motonobu performed some unknown research in Sanada land, he left that site to his younger brother and continued his research elsewhere, and he tried to become ‘the Princess’s friend’ there. That was their academy which apparently only existed for a two year period.”

Asama continued for Masazumi with a “but”.

She thought back to what the Prince of Orange had told them below Novgorod.

“In a turn of events that would probably delight Neshinbara-kun, whatever they were doing there for two years ended in a miserable failure, didn’t it? Which leads us to…”

The memo.

During the earlier meeting, Mitotsudaira’s mother had given Masazumi a memo.

“Let’s take a look.”

Masazumi pulled it from her pocket and unfolded it on her futon.

Everyone gathered around to view the hand-written message.

'''<Taikyou-sama ni kotoba asohi no shitsumon

:'''Uiriamu ni tanomu ka>

Which meant…

'''<A wordplay question for Taikyou-sama.

:'''Can you take care of this, William?>

…''We saw this already, but…

“Who is Taikyou-sama?”

“The wordplay question is a mystery too,” said Mitotsudaira. “So, um, mother?”

“I honestly do not know what it means either.”

Then it was worth asking the boys. They were probably still up, so Asama connected to their divine chat.

'''Me:''' “You moron! Tenzou, why are you setting up a ceiling trap there!? Imagawa Alternate sleeps through the night after drinking, so you need to set up the Large Sake Bottle G at dawn!”

'''10ZO:''' “Toori-dono, why is your Gekoku Rank so high!?”

'''Me:''' “Hm? Because Sis and I have been burning up a bunch of Nagamasa Specials lately. They don’t drop a Nice Skull very often.”

'''Novice:''' “If you want the reward, you should do it in a 40% tax rate village. …Wait, why would you let them hit you with a full charge, Crossunite-kun? Fine, I will use my brush to write you a recovery letter.”

'''Bucket:''' “…”

'''10ZO:''' “Th-thanks for the help, Persona-kun-dono!”

'''Novice:''' “Okay, Crossunite-kun, you stay out front. Our party’s weapons are nudist, brush, rare nail bat, and shuriken, so we’re really unbalanced.”

It took her a second, but Asama finally realized what they were talking about.

“This must be that Gekoku Jaeger Dos game they’ve been advertising on the divine network.”

“I’ve actually been playing it too, but how far have you gotten, Kimi?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Heh heh. My foolish brother and I are working on the Execution quest. But are they pulling an all-nighter on it?”

“Hm,” groaned Asama while getting authorization to forcibly set their sleep spell divine protections. “Well, I can make sure they get at least three compressed hours.”

'''Asama:''' “Toori-kun? We’re talking about the previous meeting, so could you join the conversation?”

'''Me:''' “Eh!? …Oh, sure! Ahhh, wait just a second. I’m gonna snag the loot from the Imagawa Alternate real quick. Tenzou! Don’t do a high-speed kaishaku when you didn’t do squat until now!”

'''Asama:''' “Are you going to have time to sleep? And play the game with Mito some time later, okay?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “N-no, I’m still not very good at using the kusarigama.”

'''Me:''' “Hm? That’s fine. I’ll give you the full support the Nudist class can provide. Just leave it to me. …Anyway, um, what about the earlier meeting? Did he find out we colored his dick black?”

'''Asama:''' “Enough time has passed that I imagine he has. …But this is about the memo we received from Mito’s mom.”

'''<A wordplay question for Taikyou-sama.

:'''Can you take care of this, William?>

'''Asama:''' “Does anyone know what this means?”

'''Novice:''' “Hmm, could this itself be the full memo? But the mention of a Taikyou-sama is curious.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Can I see it?”

Asama looked over at Masazumi who had rolled back onto her stomach at some point. The girl opened her eyes when she noticed.

“Oh, sorry. …Um, what do you need? Oh, Shakespeare. This could give us a hint for the memo, so that’s fine. Besides, Shakespeare is supposed to be good with codes.”

“Really?”

'''Four Eyes:''' “The origin of my name put several hidden signs and codes in his plays. …That said, this message does not show any indication of that. Still, there are a few strange aspects to it.”

Such as…

'''Four Eyes:''' “When all of you saw the text, you converted it into meaningful words in your heads. As Far Easterners, you automatically parsed it as Far Eastern. But a question occurs to a foreigner like me: Are the dakuten really in the right place?”

'''Novice:''' “It looks to me like the only dakuten are on the ‘ba’ of ‘kotoba’.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “I think that is correct. A memo isn’t going to say anything too complicated. Especially when it was originally encoded like this one was. That makes it hard to say things with grammatical changes applied. With a substitution cipher, you only have to make sure the meaning is not obvious at a glance.”

So…

'''Four Eyes:''' “So are there any Far Eastern words that would apply to Taikyou-sama?”

Asama realized everyone was looking at her.

She wondered why as she viewed them with both a wrinkled brow and a smile.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Heh heh. We think you will give us what we’re expecting, Asama.”

Then that was what she had to do. She sighed toward the floor and…

'''Asama:''' “It could refer to prenatal care, or it could refer to a large banquet.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Would you refer to either of those with the honorific ‘sama’?”

'''Asama:''' “No, you wouldn’t. …Kimi stop turning it into a song!”

'''Four Eyes:''' “What a strange singer you have. But…if that reading is not normal, then you must be reading it wrong.”

“Eh?” said Asama as more words arrived.

'''Four Eyes:''' “By adding dakuten, it could also be Daikyou, Taigyou, or Daigyou. Do those refer to anything?”

'''Asama:''' “Daikyou means ‘very bad luck’ in Shinto fortunes. Which are, um…”

'''Four Eyes:''' “I am familiar with them, so don’t worry. The Asama Shrine is in charge of love, marriage, and childbirth, so when I visited Musashi before, I made sure to keep drawing fortunes until I got the very best one. That’s ‘very good luck’, right?”

Kimi slapped Asama’s shoulder from behind.

“There is actually a ‘mega good luck’ above that, isn’t there? Your dad added it in when my foolish brother drew ‘very good luck’ three times in a row.”

“Y-yes, but Toori-kun easily drew ''that'' three times in a row, so there’s a ‘tera good look’ this year. But I’m afraid telling her that will get Neshinbara-kun killed.”

Naruze was typing up a personal divine mail, so Asama had a feeling it was already too late.

At any rate, Shakespeare’s suggestion had given them an outside perspective that helped remove their blinders.

“If we assume it is Very Bad Luck-sama, they start to sound like quite a character, don’t they?”

“Heh heh. But who is it referring to. Someone with just the worst luck imaginable?”

''Good question,'' thought Asama with a tilt of her head.

…''Someone with bad luck.

Tenzou came to mind, but he had actually been inundated with good luck since Mary’s arrival.

She also thought of Adele, but it was really misfortune that plagued that girl, not bad luck.

“Wh-why is everyone looking at me!?”

Apparently everyone else was thinking the same thing. But…

“It’s a somewhat compelling idea, but I still feel like that isn’t it.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “I’m not going to say that is correct either. But you need to be careful here. …Words can change meaning in the blink of an eye, so you need to assume that can happen with this memo. And you need to make sure you don’t miss the moment when the meaning changes.”

“We won’t,” said Asama and Shakespeare ended the connection from her end. But…

'''Hori-ko:''' “She has an edge to her that Neshinbara-sama lacks, doesn’t she?”

'''Novice:''' “Wait, what was that about Shinto fortunes!? That’s news to me!”

''Mar-Ga:''' “Why do you want to know when the answer would only terrify you? …Also, how long are you planning to stay up? You do know the rumor about the Imagawa Alternate dropping Endurance Balls was bogus, right?”

'''Me:''' “What!? You mean you can’t take his balls!? So the folding screen image of him as a girl isn’t real either!? …Okay, I’m going to bed. We can get Tenzou’s equipment after Nördlingen. I’ll play with Nate then too.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Eh!? Oh, judge! Please do.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Then until dawn, Toori-sama.”

'''Me:''' “Sure thing. I’ll make breakfast. Night, Nee-chan. You too, Asama.”

'''Asama:''' “Oh, y-yes. Good night.”

Hearing that led Asama to realize just how much had happened today. So without thinking…

'''Asama:''' “Toori-kun.”

She called out his name. And…

'''Me:''' “Yeah.”

He answered her.

'''Me:''' “A lot happened today.”

“Yes,” she replied.

That was enough. It was enough to confirm with each other that all of that had indeed happened.

…''I need to figure out how to use this lid of mine.

With that thought, she faced forward. Kimi was smiling bitterly, Mitotsudaira was smiling normally, and Naruze was…

“Sounds like there’s a story we need to get out of you.”

“No, no, no, no. Not at all, not at all.”

Asama smiled, held out her hands, and pulled back her hips.

“I’m going to sleep!”

She pulled the covers up over her head to hide like a turtle.

“Oh, these are everyone’s charms. I will send the boys’ ones via divine transmission.”

“No fair, Asama. Why won’t you let us tease you?”

“Why would I?”

It was worth learning how to dodge these things. But she did recall one thing she had seen while crawling underneath the covers.

…''Horizon was smiling.

Like she found this amusing or enjoyable.

Asama may have been imagining it, but that was how it had looked to her.

…''I see.

Horizon had said before she would lead them while also getting help from them as she lived her life.

In a way, that was like being a servant, but Asama found happiness there and it seemed to be sending happiness back to Horizon as well.

''Oh,'' thought Asama.

“Horizon?”

She called out from her futon. And…

“What is it, Asama-sama? I am about to enter super sleep mode.”

“Oh, sorry. But it’s just, um…”

She thought about what to say. She could sense the others focusing on her, but…

“Do you see our happiness as the reward for our efforts in giving you the world?”

“No. I am in no position to say that.”

Horizon replied without hesitation and she had more to say.

“Listen. Your work and efforts are only all directed toward giving me the world, so that can be the only reward. But if the result or process provide all of you with happiness, then it means all of that work and effort was worth more than just world domination. And that would delight me. In other words…”

In other words…

“If you find happiness in your relationship with me and Toori-sama, then that is extra value added on top of our world domination.”

“Then…”

But just as Asama started to reply…

“Cut it out. We don’t need a girl at the height of her happiness asking if she’s really allowed to be happy.”

Kimi suddenly pulled up on Asama’s covers.

Asama grabbed the top of the covers with her hands, but…

“Too bad.”

Kimi pulled up the bottom of the covers as if flipping them over.

Asama could not hold it down with her feet, so there was nothing to stop Kimi.

“Asama-sama, everyone can see your butt.”

“O-only because I climbed in feet first and it pushed up my yukata! I wasn’t stripping below the covers!!”

“Eh?”

Everyone looked over to Mary who had her covers draped over her like a long cloak. She looked at the group before speaking.

“You don’t…take off your clothes below the covers?”

''That’s a new one,'' thought Asama.

Naruze was posting something on the divine network, but no one bothered asking what.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 19|Chapter 19]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 21|Chapter 21]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 19

2019-04-17T02:38:57Z

141.101.77.137: /* Chapter 19: Boy Attacked in a Hidden Place */

==Chapter 19: Boy Attacked in a Hidden Place==
[[Image:Horizon7-A599.jpg|thumb]]
''The hell is thiiis!?

'''Point Allocation (Adult)

Students equipped for ship-top combat and people carrying and managing several ''lernen figur''s walked every which way through the ship’s corridor.

Within all that, Tadaoki faced Nabeshima and some of the girls from the maintenance team she led.

He knew Nabeshima.

In M.H.R.R., the name inheritors and name inheritor candidates from a generation were told to attend academies as close together as possible and, unless they were from a feudal lord family or something similar, their entire family was moved with them.

His family had moved to the district where Nabeshima’s group lived.

Nabeshima’s high school was right next to his middle school and graduates of his middle school usually attended that high school.

Their homes were also close by. Nabeshima’s group was well known in the shopping district around the carriage station’s free market block. Since all their parents knew each other, he had been dragged along to karaoke or potato soup parties with them, so he had learned a lot about being a name inheritor from them before he had inherited his name.

They were now facing each other below the corridor’s lights. The crowd was moving almost entirely one way to their right and the other way to their left. Someone would occasionally carry a long table out of the gym, so they made sure to be on the lookout for that as they spoke.

“Nagaoka, are you joining the raid as a sniper?”

“What about you? Are you doing anti-air above Satomi?”

“No, I’ll be on standby halfway across the bay. …But if Kiyomasa was coming here, I would’ve done everything I could to be under her command.”

“How can you support her so much when you’ve never even met her before?”

“Because I want to.” Nabeshima placed a hand on her cheek. “And I have met her. On the way back to Kyushu after the meeting in Kyoto, I helped guard the supplies Hashiba was sending west. And she thanked me when I left.”

“Wouldn’t it be the fleet commander who thanked you?”

“Shut up.” She sharply narrowed her eyes. “I’m piloting a mechanical dragon now, but I was originally a spear-fighter. She’s just so cool, you know? She’s a European beauty, she has a great figure, she can command so many troops on the front line, and she won’t back down even against gods of war. I’m in a mechanical dragon, but even I get nervous against gods of war.”

“Is that so?” said Tadaoki. “But I’d heard that Kiyomasa and Fukushima are dating now.”

“Um, Takenaka-sama? Do you know where Fukushima-sama is? I’ve been looking for her to help heal her wounds.”

“Oh, she went to take a bath while muttering something about clearing her mind.”

“Kiyomasa, if you’re headed to the bath, keep in mind that Katagiri was headed there too.”

“Oh, dear. …He’s going to have to share again. Anyway, I can cleanse her wounds in the bath, so I think I will join her.”

“You two sure get along well.”

“Testament. Just like in the Testament, we seem to be a good match.”

“Do you like her, Kiyomasa?”

“Testament. Of course I do. I like you too, Hachisuka-sama.”

“Not like that. I meant- you know what? Never mind.”

“That just makes it even better. Fukushima tends to act alone, but her combat records are impressive and seeing those two together is both beautiful and reassuring. If Kiyomasa has chosen her, then I wish them the very best.”

“I don’t get it…”

Just as Tadaoki said that, a girl behind Nabeshima called out to her.

She was one of the girls from the maintenance team. Tadaoki was unsure if she was the same age as Nabeshima. He had trouble telling how old older girls were.

But that aside…

“Nabe-san! Is that the kid!? The one you’re talking to now!?”

“He is!”

He really wished she would not turn around and create her own little world talking about him. Besides…

“I’m not a kid! I’m only two years younger.”

“That doesn’t mean squat. We could’ve strangled you the moment you were born.”

“And I could’ve fired a gun the moment I was born, dammit.”

“So you say,” said Nabeshima with a bitter smile.

The girls behind her circled around to surround him.

…''They’re so tall.

In his middle school class, he was far from the tallest, but he was still above average.

But these girls were in high school and their heels gave them extra height.

He felt surrounded by girls in all three dimensions.

“Nabe-san! This kid’s uniform is the one for your old middle school, right?”

“Yeah, they changed the design when a bunch of girls joined last year, so the collar is different from when I went there. The color’s still gray though, so I guess he must be an apprentice.”

“He might be an apprentice, but he’s a name inheritor, right!?”

''That’s right,'' thought Tadaoki with a glare. ''Please let this end soon.'' And then…

“He’s so cute!”

Tadaoki was a little disturbed by their sudden outburst.

…''How am I cute!?

His height? His age? His uniform? Or to sum it all up…

“There are plenty of other middle school name inheritors, aren’t there?”

When a name inheritor arrived from another nation, if their language or history education was too poor, they would have to start back at middle school.

…''Those old guys are middle school name inheritors too, but you wouldn’t call them cute, would you? Would you!?

He could easily imagine the girls cheerfully calling them creeps, so he mentally held his head in his hands.

…''I’m no good with this kind of person.

He knew they were not serious and it was a natural way to maintain an enjoyable atmosphere.

It was harmless, but that just made it all the more frustrating.

The next thing he knew, they were rubbing his head and checking the shoulders and sides of his clothing.

Giving up so quickly and failing to react had been a mistake.

He could tell they were starting to treat him like a toy, so he looked to Nabeshima.

“Hey, do something about this.”

“Eh, it’ll be over soon enough.”

“Huh?”

Just as he frowned, the girl checking around his waist spoke up.

“There, we have your measurements. …Sorry, was that annoying?”

She rubbed his head, but the way she did it…

…''Is she measuring my height?

“Figured it out now?” Nabeshima shook her shoulders a bit. “You arrived with the sniper equipment you use at your middle school, didn’t you? When Asano saw that, she said it wasn’t generic enough.”

“Generic?”

“You might have to fight back-to-back battles, right?”

When he heard that, Tadaoki uttered an “oh” of realization. One of the girls nodded in response.

“Tes, tes. We went over the mission in the meeting, but all that is subject to change and you have to think about what you’ll do in transit and after the mission is over.”

“That’s right. It’s pretty common to not have a ship to transport you or to be missing some equipment.”

“That middle school sniper equipment is M.H.R.R. exclusive and meant for you, but if you use more generic equipment, you can always borrow someone else’s.”

When she added an “okay?”, Tadaoki felt a chill in his heart. He was wrong to have been thinking about pushing these girls away. Instead…

“Thank you very much.”

He bowed his head. The surrounding girls gasped, and then…

“Oh, this kid is just so cute!”

“He’s way better behaved than my little brother!”

…''Please no more…!

''Oh,'' he realized. When Musashi’s Chancellor had asked him what he liked about the woman who would be his wife, he had not known what to say. But now he did.

She was so calm and relaxed.

Nabeshima thought to herself while watching her classmates play with Nagaoka.

…''He takes this all so seriously.

He had a few different ideas circling through his head and he always tried to choose the best one.

She had seen some of that behavior before, but now she was certain of it.

When he was surrounded like this, he would normally try to push everyone away.

It probably helped that these were his upperclassmen, but once he realized what they were doing, he had decided to thank them instead.

He looked to the future when considering what he should do and he also knew when to change his plans.

Among Nabeshima’s friends, Asano was the type to look to the future and Kani was a little too good at changing her plans on the fly. Ikeda struck a nice balance between the two, but it did not seem as refreshing with him since she knew him a little too well. And it was kind of pathetic how obvious he made it that he disliked having to do it.

Striking a nice balance while being polite was a good thing for an underclassman.

Nabeshima watched Nagaoka while realizing that he would fit right in as “Nagaoka Tadaoki” once he built up some skill. He looked to the future and knew when to change plans, but…

…''That must make him a natural sniper.

''But,'' she thought.

''If he knows how to look to the future, why did he try to board the Musashi?

''It makes no sense,'' decided Nabeshima.

She could not think of anything he stood to gain by boarding the Musashi and causing a scene like that.

''Well, he might have been trying to make a name for himself and maybe he really thought he damaged them.

He was a middle school name inheritor, so most people would assume he just did something rash. But she knew Nagaoka better than that.

He would not do something so foolish.

Even if he did get it in his head to do something dumb, he had no experience and would not have known what to do.

So why had he gone somewhere he had no experience with?

…''Then again, maybe ''that'' explains it.

According to the Testament, the Seven Generals ultimately sided with Matsudaira. She did not know what decision they would make in this life, but it was something they had to remember for the history recreation.

It was possible he had gone to take a look in preparation for that. And…

“Nagaoka, what were you doing at Musashi?”

She tried asking.

She honestly did not like being weirdly suspicious of a friend. Investigations were a job for the Public Morals Committee and Liaison Committee, so if they were doing their jobs, he would be clean. That meant she could ask this without worrying.

Nagaoka turned toward her with a big frown on his face.

“Huh? What was I doing? I was picking a fight with Musashi.”

“And what were you trying to accomplish with that?”

“I didn’t accomplish anything.”

She felt like that line held some kind of meaning.

She did not think he was lying. He was speaking to her, but his tone had fallen.

Instead of trying to dodge the issue, he was simply disappointed.

…''I don’t get it.

After all, it was partially her fault he had not accomplished anything.

So she addressed that.

“Sorry about getting in your way back there.”

He immediately replied while looking weakly up at her.

“Yeah, well, you couldn’t help that. Don’t worry about it.”

He did not seem to be lying.

She only sensed disappointment and regret in his voice. It was obvious things had not gone the way he had hoped.

But she did have a question about his response.

…''Hm?

According to him, he had hoped to accomplish something at Musashi but he had failed to do so.

It was possible her appearance had prevented him from accomplishing whatever it was. That was why she had apologized for getting in his way.

And he had responded with disappointment and regret.

That was all sensible enough. She had indeed gotten in his way back there.

However, that was all predicated on the assumption that he had acted rashly.

But Nagaoka was the type to look ahead before acting.

Was it really worth looking to the future and then feeling disappointed over a rash attack like that?

Of course not.

If he had truly just gotten carried away there, Nagaoka would have seen the result of his actions through the lens of several different patterns and he would have learned his lesson.

He would have thanked her for interrupting and stopping him, so would he really feel disappointed?

…''No.

That meant he had been trying to accomplish something there that was worth feeling disappointed over when he was interrupted.

He had looked ahead to the future and decided to accomplish something there, but she had gotten in his way.

Why had that boy gone to Musashi?

Had he been trying to join Matsudaira like she had briefly suspected earlier?

No. He had only just inherited his name. Even if he was looking to the future, he lacked the experience needed as a foundation for looking that far ahead. Trying to switch sides now would be rash indeed.

Then he must have been focused on something more immediate.

“—————”

''Could it be?'' wondered Nabeshima.

“Is it the Lady Nagaoka incident?

Tadaoki noticed a change in the surrounding atmosphere.

But he was not the first to notice. The girls all turned toward Nabeshima.

“Nabe-san?”

When he heard their questioning tone, he realized Nabeshima had put up her guard.

…''Well, it’s not like I had a chance.

He was an inexperienced middle schooler. He must have made a mistake somewhere between Musashi and here. Plus, Nabeshima knew him better than most.

He could not lie to her and it was pointless to try.

And that may have been why she asked him a question.

“Nagaoka?”

“Yeah?”

“You always try to handle everything on your own, don’t you?”

Nabeshima described a trap that diligent people tended to fall into.

She would not be starting a personality quiz right now. He was not sure what she would think when she heard his answer, but if she said anything inconvenient for him, he could just say she was being overly suspicious.

So he was going to say she was right. But…

…''That’s not accurate.

He could not save his wife alone. He did not even know how to start.

That was why the Musashi Chancellor had told him to leave it to them.

He could not do everything on his own.

He could not lie to Nabeshima, so he answered her truthfully.

“Not really.”

“Oh, how mature,” said a girl standing to his right.

Her tone was unusually light for this scene, but…

“So you’ve changed, have you?”

Nabeshima smiled bitterly.

''That’s just how it is, I guess,'' thought Nabeshima.

She felt like she understood now.

Nagaoka must have gone to ask Musashi or Mouri for advice about the woman who would be his wife.

There, he had learned he could not do everything on his own.

Of course, she had stopped him before he could do anything.

As a result, he was back here.

Musashi would be going to Nördlingen.

He and everyone else here would be fighting in the Keichou Campaign.

It was all following the original plan.

…''Then I can’t get after him over it.

Whatever might happen in the future, it was all in the future. Making a fuss or acting suspicious now would accomplish nothing.

She had seen Lady Nagaoka once during their meeting at Kyoto.

…''Nagaoka, didn’t you get in a fight with her there?

She did not know what had happened.

But she knew something had happened. So…

“Nagaoka, you need to get some rest. This is your first real battle, so you’re going to be nervous.”

“Testament. I know.”

“Do you? Y’know what, Nagaoka?”

“What?”

“Once you’re on the battlefield, make sure you see everything through to the end.”

He took things seriously, so she knew he would do that. And after that…

“Once you’ve done that, you can do whatever it is you want.”

With that, she snapped her fingers and turned toward the other girls.

“Okay, let’s get going.”

She chose to walk straight ahead, which meant entering the flow of traffic to her right.

…''She’s way too clever!

Tadaoki sighed in the center of the corridor.

Nabeshima looked like the delinquent type and she was a strong leader. Just like she had said, the upperclassman she most looked up to was Katou Kiyomasa. While the Five Great Peaks gathered focus as individual fighters, Kiyomasa was the ideal when it came to leadership on the battlefield. And true to her admiration of that upperclassman, Nabeshima had a good eye for people and excellent leadership ability.

It was probably that side of her that had allowed her to take control of the Ryuuzouji clan in what almost felt like a hijacking.

He was pretty sure she had figured out everything he was trying to do.

But even so…

…''It’s not worth getting scared over.

She had told him to do what he was supposed to do.

It would not be an issue as long as he did that. He needed to hold onto the measurement data the girls had given him and he had to head out onto the battlefield.

“This will be my first time fighting in a major battle…”

Kani, another of his upperclassmen, had fared pretty well in the Siege of Odawara, but…

…''She was pretty much born for the battlefield…

''What about me?'' he wondered as he started moving.

For now, he sighed and walked toward the bathroom now that the line was dying down.

Kani had met up with Asano after the meeting, but on her way to the hangar, she heard Tadaoki scream.

“Whooooooooaaaaaaaaaaa!? The hell is thiiis!?”

It came from around the corner, which meant the bathrooms.

She tugged on sleepy-looking Asano’s hand.

“That was Oky-kun, wasn’t it!? Shouldn’t he be getting some rest!? I want to get some rest too!”

“You want to get some breast? Kani-sannn, do you want to feel my boobs that badlyyy?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, but if you need me to, I will! So, um, what’s with Oky-kun!?”

The stir running through the normal students was indeed coming from the bathroom.

''What happened!?'' she wondered while holding up a ''lernen figur'' displaying her ID as Kani Saizou’s name inheritor.

“Um! Did something happen!?”

“Eh? …Ah! Kani-sama! It’s Nagaoka Tadaoki-sama! He, um…!”

“Yes!?”

“T-testament! I am not at all sure how to say this and I am going to avoid saying anything directly since you are a girl, but Tadaoki-sama is in the bathroom and, um, well, you know what is in there.”

“Eh!? What’s in there!?”

“Huh!? Oh, m-my apologies. Due to biological differences, the boys and girls bathrooms are structured differently, aren’t they!?”

“What he means is.” Another student used his hands to form a silhouette with a rounded point at one end. “The boys bathroom has a row of th-these in the back.”

“Hmmm? Jizo statuuues?”

“D-doing it on one of those sounds like a good way to get cursed!”

“Oh.” Kani realized what the boys meant. “Those ones you use standing up!”

“Y-yes! Correct! But girls should not talk about that! Anyway, boys will enter burst mode while standing in front of those objects, but just as Nagaoka-sama entered combat mode, he let out a scream.”

“Indeed! Then he ran into one of the stalls…you know what stalls are, right?”

“Testament! That’s all there are in the girls bathroom!”

“Yes, of course! How silly of me! Now that is some important intel! …Anyway, Nagaoka-sama did a half-rotation spin while screaming and ran into a stall.”

“Annnd? What happened theeen?”

Everyone strained their ears and heard a voice from the back of the bathroom.

“Dammit! It goes all the way to the base!? It must’ve been that idiot! I am so killing him! Just straight up murdering him!”

“Oky-kun! What’s the matter!?”

“Huh!? My dick is blac-…no, it’s nothing! Is that Kani!?”

…''It’s just like Oky-kun to recognize my voice even when he’s so flustered!

But a stir ran through the gathered crowd.

“Tadaoki-sama is already such an adult at his age!”

“Yeah, that’s a name inheritor for you!”

“Hmm, buuut does it really get dark so quickly?”

“Asa-chan, that sounds like a disease!”

“Stop making jokes about me! …Ah! Dammit! Dammit! What is this!? I thought my skin felt stiff, but it goes all the way up to my stomach!?”

“Hmm.” Kani tilted her head because she had no idea what this underclassman was talking about. “Well, this seems to be increasing everyone’s morale, so let’s just leave it be!”

“Testament! That’s right! Way to go, Nagaoka-sama!”

Kani nodded along with everyone else.

And she heard Oky’s voice from the bathroom.

“Wait, what’s this red stuff!? It isn’t coming off!!”

“Kimi? About the experimental lipstick my king used on Nagaoka Tadaoki earlier. That was designed for summer use, so it doesn’t come off easily.”

“Heh heh. Don’t be silly. It comes off in hot water, right? Although it still requires some purification cleansing.”

“Um…would a boy really know how to use a makeup purification spell?”

“Oh? Don’t be silly, Adele. My foolish brother knows how to use three different varieties.”

“Oh, then he’ll be fine.”

“N-no, Toori-kun is a special case! You can’t use him as a baseline! And what did you draw on him anyway!?”

'''Me:''' “Eh? Just the standard: lips and diagonal cheek blush lines on the tip plus the words ‘I love you’ on the rest.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “The standard for what?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Add a dress and you would have real pervert on your hands. …Not that I can really use this in my doujins.”

“I was going to warn you, Asama, but why are you looking away and struggling not to laugh?” asked Kimi.

“Clap!” said Hanami.

'''Me:''' “Well, someone on Nagabuto’s level will have a private room, so he can take a bath and deal with it. It’ll make for a nice change of pace before battle, don’t you think?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Yes, letting his hostility boil over in the bath should make for an excellent change of pace.”

''Soaking in the bath to calm thy feelings is nice,'' thought Fukushima.

…''Because feelings make thee soft.

She was thinking of what had happened on Paris’s city wall.

She had been too hyper-aware of Kiyomasa’s presence.

She knew why: the illusion she had been shown during the battle. In that illusion, she had faced her own fear and inexperience and she had pictured Kiyomasa as the person she always relied on. Also, she had not hesitated to hug her.

“—————”

''This is bad,'' she thought while throwing her inner suit sleeves into the changing room basket.

…''I cannot get my mind off of this!

She was trying not to think about it.

But she saw some light scars on her arms as she removed her skirt. The wounds were healing. Even without a spell charm, they had closed up and the scars were close to disappearing as well. That was just how powerful Kiyomasa’s healing spell was.

In a few more days, not even the scars would remain.

…''I…

She suddenly remembered Kiyomasa on top of the city wall. The girl had looked confused and sad when Fukushima had panicked and fled. She was reminded how she had put that look on Kiyomasa’s face.

“…!”

She slammed her forehead against the shelf of baskets.

But Kiyomasa’s confused face would not leave her mind.

''I should not have done that to her,'' she thought. She was no longer sure whether she should try not to think about it or try to think about it. Regardless…

…''I need to get in the bath to help calm myself down.

She hoped it would work. She removed her hair clip, placed the blue feather on top of it, removed her inner suit, removed her tights, and removed the supporter that assisted her body in combat.

…''Even if the bath does not calm me, I should be back to normal after getting some sleep.

Once she had had some sleep, she could apologize to Kiyomasa for her poor response tonight.

That would make up for everything. Because if she did not do that…

“It would be dangerous.”

She wanted to avoid any misunderstandings with such an important partner at this crucial stage.

She really did.

…''Besides, if I really do feel that way about Kiyo-

“Kh.”

She slammed her forehead against the shelf again.

…''I must stay strong.

Everyone knew how understanding Kiyomasa could be. No other member of the Ten Spears earned as high an approval rating when leading normal students. Fukushima generally left the other warriors so she could strike as an attacker, but even when Kiyomasa left the other warriors, it was to intercept attacks that would have harmed them.

She was always thinking of others as she acted. That was part of what Fukushima found so attractive about-

“——————”

She slammed her forehead against the shelf yet again.

…''I am terrible at this.

Her mouth twisted into a scowl as she grabbed the towel from her basket, placed it over her shoulders, and entered the bath.

Fukushima saw the tub through all the steam in the air.

A short figure was there with his back turned.

It was Katagiri.

He was creating an image in the air using Hundred Crest Land Survey. He sent music notes into the target to change its shape. And he was creating…

…''Giant breasts?

The transparent figure made of bathwater definitely had a large chest, which reminded Fukushima of someone.

…''Could it be Kiyo-dono?

That thought filled her gut with something akin to annoyance.

She was not certain that was who it was, but she could not allow Kiyomasa to be defiled here.

Even if she had already defiled her in that illusion.

''This is like a reflection of what I did,'' she realized.

“Katagiri-dono! What are thou doing!?”

Her voice came out louder than she had expected.

''Oops,'' she thought. ''That harsh tone must be a sign of what I am feeling inside right now.

Nothing was going right for her ever since that moment on the city wall.

And she was worried for Katagiri. He could be timid. In fact, he could be downright servile when it came to Hachisuka. But servile or not, she was afraid she had scared him by raising her voice like that.

“…Katagiri-dono?”

When she approached and called out more quietly, he turned around.

He had been crying.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 18|Chapter 18]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 20|Chapter 20]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 18

2019-04-17T02:37:31Z

141.101.77.137:

==Chapter 18: Busy Crowd on the Snow==
[[Image:Horizon7-A557.jpg|thumb]]
''There is a fine line of happiness

''Between being a pain

''And being good company

'''Point Allocation (Since Forever)

Snow would absorb voices.

On a vast snowfield, no one’s voice traveled far.

But the acoustics changed when a series of artificial structures sat on that snowy expanse.

It all had a unique sound when those structures were transport containers and aerial ships.

The voices and other noises were not reflected up from below, so they always arrived horizontally.

“Hey.”

“Over here!”

“The food goes in that ship over there!”

Below the clear night sky, the starlight was overpowered by the lights shining on the snow from the ships and elsewhere. The containers and ships cast dark shadows.

Sounds and people were moving throughout the land port there.

“Hey.”

Cargo was being carried to the transport ships labeled “#4: Maeda”.

A single voice could be heard past the footsteps, people, and carts.

“Are you for real, Fuwa? A middle school name inheritor – not even a first year! – picked a fight with Musashi? And he boarded them on his own? Damn.”

“Sassa? To be clear, that’s nothing but trouble for Hashiba. I mean, he created an incident before a battle and didn’t even accomplish anything.”

“What does that matter?” asked Sassa.

Students and laborers were walking back and forth along the thin, packed-down snow while linked carriages and sleds carried cargo. Sassa spread his mouth horizontally and kept talking while carrying a 10m wooden container on his right shoulder.

“Getting a little hot-blooded is perfectly normal. I’m getting a little stir-crazy myself stuck here while Tanba is the only one seeing any action.”

Honestly.

“I wanna go nuts. Can’t I just go to Nördlingen?”

“No, you can’t. You can’t possibly join the attack on the Nagaoka estate,” said Fuwa while checking the origin and destination of the cargo on an ''insha kotob''. “I mean, you’re something of a free spirit on the battlefield, so you’re a poor match for Niwa who likes everything to be nice and orderly.”

“Tanba only trained her warriors so much because she wants the freedom to do what she wants.”

“Then you need to train your own warriors like Tanb- like Niwa has. She didn’t train hers for your sake, you know?” Fuwa pointed to Sassa’s destination. “Besides, you’re just irritated about what happened with Takigawa.”

“No, I’ve gotten over that one.”

“Eh!?” responded someone from behind the nearby containers.

Toshiie and Matsu poked their heads out with a shipping register ''lernen figur''.

“You mean you aren’t excessively putting yourself in other people’s shoes and getting all ‘woe is me’ about something that didn’t even happen to you!? That’s incredible, Na-chan! Did you modify your brain!? …C’mon, Ma-chan! Give us a word on this weird new version of Na-chan!”

“Creepy! Creepy!!”

“That’s two words!!”

Sassa smashed the ice below their feet with a stomp and Toshiie fled.

“Honestly,” sighed Sassa and Fuwa patted his shoulder.

She gave a satisfied nod and sighed.

“You’ve grown, Sassa.”

“That’s not what this is about. It’s just…”

“It’s just?”

“Well,” he said while looking ahead. There was a transport ship there that belonged to Toshiie. He walked toward that RORO ship primarily used for carrying cargo. “There’s the Hashiba Ten Spears, right?”

“Yes, there is. …To be clear, I quite like them. They always seem to be working as a group, but they’re polite and it’s adorable how they’re so nervous around upperclassmen like us.”

“Adorable~ …Keh, who do they think they are?”

Fuwa kneed Sassa and sighed.

“Well, they can’t stay novices forever, so I do hope that adorable side of them goes away before long.”

“Then don’t knee me over it.”

“Don’t worry about it and keep walking straight, okay? …Anyway, we’re focusing on the Ten Spears now, but an even younger generation of name inheritors is being added in. If the generation between them and us is still acting like adorable novices, it’s going to make those true novices worried.”

“Yeah, but how much do those younger generations or the future of this world really matter?”

Fuwa raised her eyebrows at that.

“Because of the Apocalypse, you mean?”

“Shaja.” Sassa’s white breath lingered in the air. “This world could easily end, so I don’t get why we’re so worried about the future generations.”

“What, do you have some new sickness now?”

“Shut up,” said Sassa. “It’s just that Takigawa was worried about that.”

Narimasa recalled the report that had arrived from Kantou.

The result and content of the Siege of Odawa and the other battles had been quite interesting, but two things had held especial meaning for him.

First, one of Hashiba’s Ten Spears had defeated one of Musashi’s main fighters, albeit under restrictive circumstances.

Second, Takigawa had been defeated and had decided to retire.

The former meant a lot because it told them Musashi could be fought without the Five Great Peaks or others from their generation.

That had brought an odd sense of relief but also a bit of irritation.

He wanted to berate the enemy and tell them get their act together.

During the Battle of Mikatagahara, Hashiba’s forces had defeated Musashi’s forces as a group. Sassa and Shibata’s group had destroyed Magdeburg, Maeda had cornered them in Kantou, and Hashiba had taken the Edo region from them.

But Narimasa still felt oddly unsatisfied with it all.

After all, the Reine des Garous had intervened at IZUMO, he had not managed to really fight anyone during their attack on the Musashi at Magdeburg, and he had only been chased around by those two Technohexen in the actual city of Magdeburg.

Even at Novgorod, he had not really had a place on the battlefield. Worse, Shibata had managed to fight Musashi’s 5th and 1st Special Duty Officers, had his arm severed, and been injured against their Vice Chancellor.

So it was still a question what would happen in a pure battle between individuals. Of course, the many overlapping factors on the battlefield did not allow for battles between individuals. An extended battle without injuries was nearly impossible.

But that could happen with a duel.

Katou Yoshiaki of the Ten Spears had demonstrated something in one such duel.

She had defeated Musashi’s Treasurer.

The Treasurer had been restricted to the money he had on hand, but the records from the Armada Battle showed him using money for both offense and defense. And since he had included a Takemikazuchi spell, his individual attack power would have been greater this time.

Yet she had won.

That was the reason behind Narimasa’s feelings.

…''Although it’s weird to feel like she beat me to it.

He might not have felt as bad if Hashiba herself had done it, but he could feel one side of him growing intensely irritated with himself that an underclassman under Hashiba’s command had accomplished that.

…''God, I’m such a gloomy bastard.

“The Testament says I’m supposed to be weirdly envious and spiteful, but that might be a pretty close match.”

“Yeah, just when I think you’ve grown as a person, you start getting all smug about figuring out something everyone else figured out ages ago.”

Fuwa smiled at him.

“You’re such a child.”

“Shut up!”

But there was one thing about which he felt justified feeling so weirdly angry: Takigawa.

Fuwa listened to Sassa’s question.

“Fuwa, did you see the records for Takigawa’s battle?”

“For the one with Musashi’s 5th Special Duty Officer?”

“Not that,” he said.

She knew he did not mean that one, of course. ''What a pain,'' she thought. That was why she had tried to steer the conversation elsewhere, but trying to be considerate was useless with this guy.

''Fine,'' she thought half in resignation.

“You mean her battle with Kasuya under Hashiba’s command, don’t you? The unofficial one. Only the officers know about that one.”

“What are your thoughts?”

“Kasuya Takenori can fight pretty well. I mean, she essentially fought Takigawa to a draw. …She might be better than you, Sassa.”

“Not that,” he said again.

She knew that was not what he meant, of course. That was why she had tried to avoid the issue, but…

…''He really is hopeless…

''Fine, fine,'' she thought while responding.

“Takigawa was testing her underclassman as a P.A. Oda upperclassman. And you know what?” she said to get ahead of Sassa’s inevitable response. “She had already accepted us. She knew us well enough she didn’t need to test us. …What, did you want her to give you more attention?”

“It’s not that.”

He added an “it’s” this time.

“Then it’s what?”

She added an extraneous “it’s” as well. And to get ahead of him again…

“Looking at P.A. Oda as a whole, I think it’s important to be looking to the kids working for Hashiba right now. Although with the Battle of Shizugatake coming up, Shibata’s group is probably like ‘wait just a second’ on that.”

“In that case…well, setting aside Shizugatake,” said Sassa. “Are we going to do the same thing Takigawa did?”

…''Ohh.

She had not expected this one.

But she knew what he was thinking.

“We can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Testament.”

She nodded and pointed toward the back of the transport ship to which Sassa was carrying the cargo.

“You can just leave that at the cargo entrance.”

“Yeah, if I go inside, I bet it’d be annoying hearing everyone telling me where to put it and to move more quietly.”

The container on his shoulder had to be heavy, but he easily curved off the path to the back of the ship. She was on the outer edge of the curve and he was on the inner edge. She felt like the container was going to fall on her, but…

…''He doesn’t screw up the things like that.

With that in mind, she continued their conversation.

“It shouldn’t be too long before we retire our inherited names. So even if we wanted to help train our underclassmen, we just aren’t skilled or persuasive enough.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

The Keichou Campaign would be over in half a day.

They did not have many historical events left.

“What matters is that they learn from their upperclassmen just as we learned from ours. So instead of directly teaching them something as upperclassmen, maybe we should show them how we do things as upperclassmen who learned from our own upperclassmen. Basically, our upperclassmen gave us the logic and grounding to use, so we need to show our underclassmen how you use those things.”

“But can we really pull that off?”

“It would be an insult to our upperclassmen if we didn’t, right?”

She knew linking something to superiors like their upperclassmen would get Sassa to think about what she was saying. That was a strong point and a weak point for him.

She was constantly reminded of how seriously he took things. He would never reach the top of an organization, but he would always be an important part of it.

He made mistakes, but once he put his mind to something, he would see it through to the end. That was the impression one got from the Sassa in the Testament, but it described the name inheritor pretty well too.

…''Although that’s not always a good thing.

Even when he was looking at things the wrong way, he would go through with it if he believed in himself. And afterwards, he would regret his actions and feel depressed.

She would prefer he did not do that, but personalities were not so easily changed.

So…

“Well, Takigawa was telling us to do our best.”

“Is that what she was telling us?”

“Yes,” replied Fuwa. The ''insha kotob'' by her raised hand flashed with the seal saying the cargo had arrived at its destination. “Like a true upperclassman, she took care of the Siege of Kanie Castle without our help and she showed the way to the underclassmen who we can’t have acting too full of themselves. We were already trained by our upperclassmen, so when those underclassman aren’t sure how to follow the path shown to them, we can show them how it’s done.”

Sassa lowered the cargo into the designated zone while she spoke.

The cushioning of the snow softened the sound of the heavy container.

She saw Sassa sigh and she spoke toward his back.

“Sassa, do you know what Takigawa was trying to teach you?”

“What?” he asked without turning around.

“Something she could only show you because she can’t teach you anything anymore. Don’t forget that, okay?”

“Now, this is a reminder before we all forget: we are supposed to be getting some rest.”

Mitotsudaira worked to maintain a smile as she spoke.

They were in the large changing room for Suzu’s bathhouse. They had spent the night here before and they were doing it again.

Class Plum and their other main fighters had split between boys and girls and they were using the two changing rooms like it was a sleepover. But there was one slight difference from last time:

“What are you doing here, mother?”

“Oh, you don’t know, Nate? If I was alone with your father, we wouldn’t be getting any sleep at all.”

“I had a feeling it was that, but couldn’t you at least make up some other reason!?”

“Heh heh,” laughed Kimi. “I love a couple that gets along. I bet you’re always discovering new things about each other.”

“Testament, absolutely. I am always saying ‘did you know about this one?’ or ‘have we tried this one?’ as we continue to try out new things on a daily basis.” The mother smiled. “After all, the world changes every day. If you don’t learn about those changes, change yourself to match, and try out new things, you will grow so much older than the world around you.”

“Is that how it works?” sighed Mitotsudaira, but she could indeed remember a unique spice to each day back when she lived in Hexagone Française.

The food, games, and knowledge had been different from day to day. But…

“We know how to spice up our lives here too.”

“Judge, that’s right, 5th Special Duty Officer. Recently, the Vice President said we were going to Sanada for a study camp and visiting Houjou during a travel day, but I ended up being used as a hammer while fighting Terrestrial and Celestial Dragons and then we were fighting duels and visiting ruins in Houjou. Oh, but I wasn’t one of the ones who nearly drowned in the ruins. Still, our lives have been a lot like a retro action game. And when I got back, the dogs captured me and forced me to do a lap of the deck.”

“Nate…I think your vassal is describing something a little more wild than ‘spicing up’ your lives.”

“I thought so too, but anyway, why are you here, mother? And I mean your excuse for being here.”

“Testament. Thanks to your negotiations, I don’t have to participate in the Kantou Liberation as Masuda Motonaga, but it would be wrong to respond to that by making a full appearance on Mouri’s side. Instead, I think I will make a half-appearance by participating along with your father as a guest of Musashi.”

“With father!? Are you sure?”

“He’ll be fine.”

Gin nodded at that.

“An impressive level of confidence. And I believe you are correct.”

In other words, Mitotsudaira’s mother would protect him.

“More importantly,” said the mother while opening a ''signe cadre''. “Shouldn’t you be thinking about what it means for me to be here instead of the reason why I am here, Nate?”

Everyone turned toward Mitotsudaira, so she sighed with a lot of exasperation in her voice.

“I know exactly what it means for you to be here, mother.”

“Heh heh. So what does it mean?”

Her mother’s questioning eyes were awaiting a good response instead of testing her.

…''That is very different from before.

When she had gone to rescue her king, her mother had been testing what she could do and hoping to enjoy the result.

But that had changed.

Instead of testing her, her mother expected a well-made response.

…''This brings a lot of pressure in its own way…

Although the pressure could not be that strong if she could analyze it so calmly.

She took a breath and answered her mother.

“Since you’re here with us, we can ask you for information from Hexagone Française without any international criticism.”

“Testament,” Gin heard the mother wolf say.

She, Muneshige, and the 6th Special Duty Officer would be fighting for Satomi and there was one thing she needed to confirm now for that role.

“By information from Hexagone Française, you mean Nördlingen and not the Kantou Liberation, don’t you?”

“Testament. We have Protestant connections, so we are sent frequent updates from there.”

Musashi also had a divine transmission line with the Protestants.

But that was due to the friendly relationship they had gained during the secret meeting at Magdeburg. They were not sent updates on the Protestants’ status as a warring nation.

The Reine des Garous was here to support the trip to Nördlingen by providing them the information needed to reach a consensus.

“Judge,” said Gin.

She would have to view information concerning the Kantou Liberation from the position of a participant, but she could take a more objective view with information concerning Nördlingen.

That was acceptable to her.

And when she looked over, she saw the Musashi Vice President lower her head.

“I appreciate it. We very much want to know what we can about the situation in Nördlingen.”

“Testament,” said the Reine des Garous. She opened a ''signe cadre'' displaying a map of M.H.R.R. A blue ribbon line ran from south to northwest and a red ribbon line ran from the northeast.

Both lines led to the same city.

“The main Protestant force and a major Catholic force are headed to Nördlingen. The Protestant warriors are led by Tomoe Gozen.”

“Which side has the superior fighting force?”

“My, my. Oh, Nate.”

The Reine des Garous held her cheek and paused. And after a full 5 seconds, she asked a smiling question.

“You really want me to tell you!?”

“D-did you have to pause like that!?”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “It was an impressive pause.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “It is hard to say no when she pushes you like that.”

Then the Reine des Garous said more.

“Nate? I will tell you if it is a request from your king. So ask your king to ask me.”

The wolf groaned.

After a moment, she breathed in and opened a sign frame.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “My king? Are you up?”

'''Me:''' “Hm? We’re bragging about our wives right now.”

A stir ran through the girls as they judged their relative positions to each other and their behavior.

Anyone who carelessly reacted here would be made into a target.

The most dangerous option was pretending to sleep. Making it clear you were not going to interrupt was like seeing a swarm of starving serpents and simply wishing they would go away. The Date Vice Chancellor muttered something about “a bear before hibernation”, so that must have been the go-to analogy in a snowy nation.

At any rate, the danger level was rising. After all, Gin qualified as one of the “wives”.

''I need to be careful,'' she thought.

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “Ha ha. Don’t worry, Gin. We’re only discussing your cooking.”

…''Why would you scatter bait at my feet, Master Muneshige!?

''He can be a little too naïve at times,'' she thought with a dull sweat on her brow.

''At the very least, I need to avoid being made into a doujinshi. I still remember that one the 3rd Special Duty Officer was cackling about before. She had made Master Muneshige’s final sound effect be “Amoreeeee!”, but he does not make a sound like that. What living being would? It does worry me that she was wondering whether she should use that or not, but on the other hand, I feel like it would be more dangerous if she made it more believable.

Whatever the case, she had to avoid being used in another doujinshi.

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Does Gin have a specialty dish?”

…''Why would you ask that!?

''Are you targeting me!?'' she wondered with a shudder.

“Yes.” The Musashi Vice Chancellor nodded. “I believe Gin-dono likes tomato salad udon.”

…''What idiot would think a summer-exclusive food is a standard dish of mine!?

''And I only ordered that to match the festive mood. It isn’t a favorite of mine or anything.

But the Asama Shrine Representative felt the need to help out.

'''Asama:''' “W-well, Gin-san is probably good at making Far Eastern food.”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “She is, but she is also good at making Tres Españan food using tomatoes, chicken, and saffron.”

That unexpected counterattack was definitely him bragging about his wife. ''I am glad Master Muneshige thinks so highly of me, but this is still dangerous.

After all, everyone had fallen silent. And after a while…

'''Gold Mar:''' “Now, that’s love.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Judge. Love for her husband.”

'''Unturning:''' “Yes, she must be the dedicated type.”

''Running away means accepting defeat. Running away means accepting defeat.'' Gin could only tell herself that over and over. She might be able to hear Muneshige say more about her, but…

…''I am not his wife because I want to hear him praise me!

She corrected her mental posture.

Then she was saved by an unexpected person.

'''Me:''' “By the way, it was Nate Papan who started this.”

Gin felt immense relief.

…''The world has come full circle!

Gin and everyone else turned back toward the Reine des Garous who had acted as the starting line.

“My.” The woman placed a hand on her cheek. “Why is my husband bragging to all those young children? Honestly.”

Just then, the Mito Lord hurriedly spoke up.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “My king! My mother is in a good mood and it sounds like she is willing to tell us what is going on in Nördlingen, so what should we do?”

'''Me:''' “Eh? Does your mom have a loose tongue right now?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Yes, but she might not answer if I ask her, so can you ask her while passing on what my father said?”

…''That’s a nice excuse!

Everyone gave the Mito Lord an impressed look.

Her strategy had probably been as follows: do not provide any amusing reactions, leave the damage control to someone else, and wait for a chance to strike.

That was easier said than done, but it was worth taking into consideration. And…

'''Me:''' “Maman, what’s going on in that Nerd-whatever place?”

'''Still Got It:''' “My, my. What is my husband doing over there?”

'''Me:''' “He fell asleep after drinking the hot milk he says he drinks every night.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “I bet I know why he’s drinking that milk.”

'''Still Got It:''' “Yes, he hopes to get as close to my height as he can.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “It’s so sugary sweet! …Oh, sorry. That kind of slipped out.”

“It’s fine,” said the Reine des Garous with a small smile.

'''Still Got It:''' “He apparently wants to be able to show off by carrying me in his arms. He tries every year on the anniversary of the day we met.”

“Excuse me a moment,” said the 6th Special Duty Officer as she headed for the exit with kiseru in hand.

Since the Date Vice Chancellor followed, this must have become a space of eternal sweetness.

“But,” said the Reine des Garous with a full-face smile. “It always feels like I suck it right back out of him shortly after he drinks it.”

Sweet was not at all the word to describe this, so the two exiting girls walked right back in.

Masazumi listened to the Reine des Garous.

“The Protestants are trying to delay the start of the Battle of Nördlingen as much possible. You can think of it as them waiting for Musashi.”

She pointed to a map of Nördlingen which had a large circle in the middle.

“Even long before the Age of the Gods, Nördlingen was built on the crater formed by a meteorite strike, so it is a circular city.”

“Is the crater the city itself?”

The Reine des Garous answered Balfette’s question with a shake of her head.

“Nördlingen is the city in the center. It is about a kilometer across and surrounded by a completed city wall, giving it an almost perfectly circular shape. It has prospered as a free trade city.”

Someone raised their hand. It was Mukai and her head was tilted.

“But that is…in the outside world…isn’t it?”

“Testament. But Europe and the Divine States are connected by the ley lines. So when the Harmonic Divine States were created, the Environmental Gods recreated the conditions of the city’s outside world location, including the condition of the land. The Environmental Gods would have established Nördlingen as existing on land where a star fell to earth.”

“Heh heh. A city built atop a star’s landing site is a wonderful thing.”

“It is,” agreed Asama while checking the Shinto-related distribution data. “It appears to be a nice area where a ley line pool has appeared on the surface. You can even find Orei Metallo right there on the surface. Without an actual mineral deposit, it isn’t enough to be a local specialty, but it is known as the perfect city for people of faith to gather. You see, when looking at the ley line-…”

“Tomo! Tomo! You’re entering business mode again!”

But there was one thing Masazumi understood from all this information.

“So Protestant Nördlingen has prospered due to its strength in trade and ley lines.”

“Testament. I imagine the Catholics really wanted to do something about the city. The Testament says this First Battle of Nördlingen is followed by a second one,” said the Reine des Garous. “Now, the Protestants will arrive first and set up camp in southwest Nördlingen. The Catholics will set up camp to the southeast, so they will be staring each other down from the east and west.”

“Mother, won’t the Protestants be trapped when Hashiba reinforcements arrive from the west?”

“Ishida Mitsunari is a data entity just like Ootani Yoshitsugu.”

Everyone gasped.

Futayo got up and opened a sign frame as she asked a question.

“Do you have anything to officially back up that claim?”

“Testament. This information comes directly from the Roi-Soleil.”

“Judge,” acknowledged Futayo. And…

'''Tonbokiri:''' “Did you catch that, ninja?”

'''10ZO:''' “Eh!? Oh, j-judge, I did!”

Investigating the enemy and coming up with countermeasures was the 1st Special Duty Officer’s job. They would likely have a few plans for use against Ishida before the battle began. ''Whether or not Crossunite gets any sleep is a different matter.

“But,” said Futayo while lying down on her futon. “Where is the Nagaoka estate?”

“In north Nördlingen.”

The Reine des Garous tapped the map at the very top of Nördlingen.

North.

That was the opposite side from the fighting between the Protestants and Catholics to the south.

“Do you understand why the Protestants will set up camp to the south? By luring the Catholics there, they can avoid having the Catholics drag the Nagaoka estate into their attack. At the very least, the Catholics cannot attack the Nagaoka estate until after the battle.”

“So the only ones who can head to the north are Ishida Mitsunari’s troops?” asked Futayo.

“No,” said Masazumi. “A data entity can appear in enemy territory using divine transmissions, but that places a lot of restrictions on them.”

That was how it had worked for Ootani. He had interrupted the negotiations with Mouri and Houjou, but the diplomatic ship and Asama’s defense programs had limited his freedom.

It would be the same with Ishida. So…

“Ishida will probably accompany the M.H.R.R. force as they find some excuse to move north and she will attack the Nagaoka estate from there. …Niwa’s troops are fairly standardized, so she should be able to use them herself.”

“Then, Masazumi, that should not happen until after the initial clash between the Protestants and Catholics in the south. I imagine their excuse for moving north will be ‘circling behind or flanking the enemy’.”

Futayo made it sound like a foregone conclusion. She was confident it would play out that way, so her words sounded persuasive and reliable. And at the same time…

'''Gold Mar:''' “What do we even need Bara-yan for anyway?”

'''Novice:''' “Heh. A lot of people are saying that online lately, but who was it that handled the negotiations with Houjou? I hope none of you ever forget about that.”

'''Vice President:''' “Yeah…you really ‘handled’ that one…”

'''Novice:''' “Right!? I handled it perfectly! Glad at least one person understands, Crossdressing Honda-kun!”

'''Unturning:''' “Is this a Far Eastern comprehension test?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “I feel like history proves which is the correct answer here.”

'''Asama:''' “But the Siege of Odawara was a success, so doesn’t that mean Neshinbara-kun’s method was correct?”

…''Why does reality love sticking me between a rock and a hard place?

''But,'' thought Masazumi.

“Based on those rules, won’t we start in the south when we arrive as Protestant reinforcements and head north from there? I know we’re hijacking a history recreation here, but it sounds like a pain.”

The Reine des Garous responded with a smile.

“No, don’t worry about that. Nördlingen is a Protestant city after all.”

Masazumi was not sure what she meant. Because…

“Nördlingen is going to keep its gates shut and stay out of the battle, isn’t it?”

“Testament. And Musashi has a method ''of allowing that'', doesn’t it? A method of letting Nördlingen fight while remaining unharmed.”

The Tachibana Wife responded to what the Reine des Garous was hinting at.

“You mean defense barriers, don’t you?”

She explained.

“When Lord Shibata and Sassa Narimasa attacked the Musashi near Magdeburg, Musashino opened largescale gravity barriers during the latter half of the battle to prevent any damage to the surface area. Meaning…”

Meaning…

“Are you suggesting they cut across Nördlingen while the Musashi’s defenses protect the city?”

“ ‘Musashino’, that sounds like a pain, so I will leave the calculations to you. Over.”

“ ‘Musashi’-sama, maybe don’t say that part out lou-…no, um, uh… O-over!”

“If you cut across the city, the Protestants can attack the Catholics outside the city to slow them down and distract them. Then it should all work out even with the Musashi arriving a little late. And even if they fire on you or attack you while you cut across, you can defend against and dodge that as long as you prepare ahead of time. …Don’t worry. The city is only about a kilometer across.”

The Reine des Garous made it sound easy, but Asama and Futayo both thought about it more carefully.

They both opened a sign frame and began calculating out how long it would take to cross the city.

Asama placed her fingers on the sign frame as she made the calculations.

…''With the physical reinforcement divine protections provided by our shrine, people can move at about 60km/h.

But that was the value for good runners like Adele. Since it was “physical reinforcement”, the final speed would drop if the initial physical ability was lower.

But she decided to use the 60km/h value as an approximate baseline.

…''In that case, I divide by 3600 for km/s, which would be 16.666 in meters.

She decided to round that up to 17m/s.

She could divide that by a kilometer to get the necessary number of seconds. So a little over 58 seconds.

But she had rounded up from 16 before, so she felt it might be a little slower than that.

And if she only wanted an approximation, going with a full minute would be nice and simple.

There was probably a more efficient way to calculate this, but she had found the answer quickly enough.

That meant the time to cut across Nördlingen was…

Futayo opened a sign frame and started calculating.

When using the physical reinforcement divine protections given to the general warriors, one’s running speed was about 60km/h. ''I believe that data came from the Asama Shrine.

…''How much is 60km/h in km/s?

Futayo thought about it. With hours, minutes, and seconds, hours and seconds were two orders of magnitude apart, so…

…''Is km/s a hundredth of km/h?

That meant a speed of 600m/s.

…''That’s fast!

''I feel like I got something wrong there. I probably got the order of magnitude off by one with each change in unit.

So by dividing by 100 again, she got a value of 6m/s.

…''Isn’t that kind of slow?

She could tell she was frowning. ''Come to think of it, the 60km/h value came from Adele-dono who is a normal student, but has impressive leg strength, very little air resistance, no weight in the chest, the excellent balance that provides her, and decent running technique. She clearly moves faster than 6m/s.

''And think carefully, Musashi Vice Chancellor.

“…Oh.”

''That’s right. Humans have two legs, don’t they?

''So I have to multiply by 2.

''So by doubling 6m/s, I get 12m/s.

''I almost missed that. I, Honda Futayo, just about made an error in my calculations.

…''But that seems a little slow too…

''Then again, worrying about it is not going to help. I just have to divide the 1km diameter by 12 to get how many seconds it takes.

“Umm.”

She ended up with a value of 83.3333. However…

…''I feel like I am forgetting something.

''Oh,'' she thought upon remembering some of her arithmetic knowledge. ''Nördlingen is a circle.

''The circumference is 2πr. And wasn’t I taught π is 3 right now? So when running the diameter of Nördlingen, I need to take the previous number of seconds, divide by 3, and then divide by 2.'' Which meant…

…''About 14 seconds?

''No,'' she thought. ''That is too fast to run a kilometer.'' Based on her own experience, she was pretty sure she only ran that fast once Soaring Wings started to really get going.

“Oh.”

''The diameter is twice the radius, isn’t it?” she realized. ''So I shouldn’t have divided by 2.

That meant 28 seconds.

But that still seemed fast. ''Did I forget some part of the calculation?

…''Oh, that’s right.

''I was wrong to think having two legs makes you twice as fast.

So she had to double the time it took.

“Judge. I have the answer.”

Gin heard the Asama Shrine Representative and the Musashi Vice Chancellor speak up at almost the same time.

They both nodded nearly simultaneously.

“It would take about a minute.”

“It would be about a minute.”

Everyone raised their voice in response and Gin too had estimated it to about a minute. So…

“That is an acceptable assessment, Honda Futayo.”

“Yes,” said the Vice President. “If Futayo and Asama agree, then it must be right.”

Honda Futayo responded by getting up and crossing her arms.

“You can always count on me, Masazumi. …Although I will admit I nearly made a mistake when I got to the part about humans having two legs.”

…''Huh?

''Wait just a second,'' thought Gin.

“Musashi Vice Chancellor, what kind of calculations did you use?”

“Why does it matter, Gin-dono? Do you have a problem with my correct answer?”

Gin thought for a moment, and while she was thinking, the other girl said more.

“All’s well that ends well, right?”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige! Master Muneshige! This girl never looks past the results!”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “Ha ha ha. Gin, I know firsthand that you do not cut corners at any point in the process, so don’t worry.”

''He’s so mature,'' she thought with a sigh of relief. Then a divine transmission arrived from Musashino’s bridge.

“This is ‘Musashino’. We can place a long-distance defense barrier over another city if it must only last a minute. Although it will require advance preparations. Over.”

“That’s what you did during the Siege of Kanie Castle, isn’t it?”

“Judge. This will require being at closer range than during the Siege of Kanie Castle that Gin-sama mentioned. Being directly above the city would be best. Then we could activate the barrier while only changing the vertical coordinate. Over.”

“Question.” The Chancellor’s sister raised her hand. “Couldn’t we place Shinagawa or Asakusa’s long bow across Nördlingen from south to north and use that as a bridge to get the Protestants to the north?”

“I’m not sure that would work,” said the Date Vice Chancellor. “It would be hard to argue Musashi was only assisting the Protestants if you parked the Musashi directly above Nördlingen.”

“True,” agreed Gin. “I think the best stance is to stick close to the Protestant forces. Besides, the Musashi’s total length is much greater than Nördlingen’s, so the Testament Union would likely cry foul if you placed the first port or starboard ship’s bow over the city.”

“Then could we drop down to the southern wall from the long bow and sprint to the north from there?”

“If they know you’re going to drop down, you’ll be like sitting ducks.” The 6th Special Duty Officer mimed aiming a sniper rifle. “The way to give a sniper more trouble is, of course, vertical and horizontal movement. So while the Musashi is approaching Nördlingen, you can send a transport ship diagonally down with the descent team onboard. And the ship can be headed for the Catholic side of the battlefield. In other words…”

In other words…

“You do the transport ship ramming trick but with a descent team onboard. To get back at them for Magdeburg.”

''That sure is violent,'' was Masazumi’s impression of Naomasa’s idea.

But she did have a bit of a question about that method. So…

'''Vice President:''' “Hey, idiot.”

'''Me:''' “I-I’m not an idiot, so I’m not answering.”

''Am I immature for letting him get under my skin like this?'' Naito was whispering something to Mary, but there was no way that was good news. At any rate…

'''Vice President:''' “Listen carefully, idiot. Is crashing a transport ship into the battlefield something we’re allowed to do?”

'''Uqui:''' “Didn’t we already try that against the Shirasagi Castle?”

'''Unturning:''' “That was a diversion setting things up to fire Small Kanesada. And the result proves it. But this time, we would be using it against enemy troops instead of an enemy ship.”

'''Me:''' “Hmm…”

The idiot thought about it. And after a while…

'''Me:''' “I’m not sure I like the idea of copying Monkey Girl if we’re doing it for real.”

'''Vice President:''' “Okay, then we need another method. …If anyone has an idea, let me know.”

“Is that so?” said Naomasa, but she did not sound all that disappointed. “Then you can figure out how to get the team down once you’re there. Just remember that dropping down individually makes you perfect sniper targets. The Musashi is big, so its approach is hard to miss and it can’t stop very quickly. There’s not much that’s easier to target, so keep that in mind.”

“Judge, we will. As for the descent team, I guess that will be pretty much everyone.”

“Oh.” Balfette raised her hand. “I use a mobile shell, so I won’t be able to run through the city.”

“Can’t Mitotsudaira help you out?”

“Not even my silver chains can swing her around for a full kilometer.”

“Y-you’re thinking of using me as a hammer again, aren’t you!?”

Masazumi briefly wondered how else you would do it, but maybe she had simply seen that usage too much lately.

But she did have some concerns. For example, the makeup of the enemy personnel, and…

“I’d like to send some people to the southern battlefield to assist the Protestants. Also…”

Masazumi voiced her other concern while looking to the Tachibana Couple and Naomasa.

“I want to do something about Nagaoka Tadaoki as well.”

Tadaoki had just sat through the meeting to prepare for the Keichou Campaign.

He was in the central gym of Kuki’s aerial warship, the Toba Castle.

Chairs made of boards and bamboo pipes were lined up in there, but the meeting had already ended.

For the most part, the officers participating in the Keichou Campaign had confirmed with each other what their ships and units would be doing.

The point was to let them all meet each other and double-check their roles so they could work together better.

This was only the final check, so they had learned and practiced the actual content of the mission over the past month and they had mastered a few different generic commands.

This battle was a defense of Satomi and Edo.

Since Mouri, Musashi, and Houjou had been in control of the Siege of Odawara, it had been a while since the non-Hashiba parts of P.A. Oda and M.H.R.R. had been involved in a largescale battle.

Tadaoki was tasked with being a sniper.

…''Of course, that’s really all I can do.

He stood up.

In that large, rectangular wooden hall, the lights hanging from the ceiling swayed irregularly.

But not because the ship was moving. Some of the upperclassmen had started leaving the gym and returning to their ships as soon as their part of the meeting was over. The vibration of their movement was shaking the lights.

Beforehand, Tadaoki had wondered why they did not just use divine transmissions.

But he had found an answer here.

The upperclassmen who rushed out as soon as possible and the ones who waited until the meeting was entirely over would find someone they knew, raise a hand in greeting, or pat their shoulder as they passed by.

Some did none of that and completed their preparations in silence, but someone always whispered about who they were, where they were from, and what office they held.

Tadaoki knew why everyone was discussing this.

“Yeah.”

Some people would be ending their inherited names here.

Tadaoki’s inherited name would not end here, but he knew it was possible he would have to retire due to injury.

“That’s right.”

Once most everyone had left and the PR Committee was beginning to clean up, Tadaoki decided to leave the gym.

He approached the corridor that the older students had been rushing through even while the meeting was still underway.

Just then, one of those students looked across everyone gathered there and spoke.

“I’m leaving the rest with all of you!”

“Some replied with “shaja” and others with “testament”. Some raised a hand and others simply looked over.

Why did so many people respond to the words of a single person?

Tadaoki knew why.

Because they might never see him again.

They must have stood alongside him in previous battles.

But this would be goodbye.

He and many others would be leaving the path of a name inheritor and the history recreation.

In the past, Tadaoki would not have considered any of this.

But now that he was focused on the death of the person who would be his wife, he understood the reason behind their greetings and whisperings.

P.A Oda and M.H.R.R. were like a large family, but at the same time…

…''The officers are well aware of their position.

He had just done a lot on the Musashi.

He had expected some kind of inquiry, but then Kuki had made the following comment during the meeting:

“It seems some hot-blooded boy already tried to attack the Musashi, but try not to take his example. I appreciate his spirit, but our mission schedule is packed tight and we have no room for independent actions like that.”

The audience had laughed and that was the end of it.

That was probably because his role was so insignificant.

He was only a sniper.

He would target Edo’s eastern entrance from Edo Bay to prevent the enemy’s ground unit from approaching. A warship fixed to the surface would be used as a decoy while he fired on them using a ship gun control spell he had been given.

But if a sniper fired from a fixed location, they risked giving away their position.

So he always had to move after firing and he needed to act alone. He would normally have a spotter with him, but he had built his own rangefinder spell and proven its functionality in combat.

That meant he would be alone.

The problem was the lack of decent cover in eastern Edo Bay.

Edo was almost entirely flat. It had some forests and rivers, but the only eroded valleys were further upstream.

Instead, eastern Edo had vast ruins spread out around the bay coast.

The ruins there were even greater than at Mikawa or Osaka.

When the Harmonic Divine States and the Divine States had been split, there had not been a major power in the Edo area, so the ruins had been preserved. There were some Harmonic Territories where the Harmonic Divine States fell, but they were all grassy fields that only made the land even flatter.

Edo’s ruins were mostly from the Age of the Gods. They were linked to the distant past and treaties prevented anyone from touching them until the history recreation had arrived at the corresponding age. That said, they had to create the city of Edo, so the coast, the highway, and other nearby areas had been developed into a city.

The enemy’s ground unit would likely arrive along the highway.

He would intercept the enemy from a part of the coastal ruins that had already been excavated. However…

“I can’t believe I’m up against Musashi immediately after asking them for help.”

He was not sure what to do about this.

He had just pleaded with Musashi to save his future wife.

…''But the Musashi group going to Nördlingen isn’t going to be here.

He decided to view the two groups as entirely different things and do his job here.

They would probably do the same.

They were not going to hold back just because he was here. Besides, there was a good chance it would be Mouri, Satomi, or Mogami that showed up here instead of Musashi.

“Ah.”

He realized something just as he started to leave the gym.

He had only had time to sign a simple form and formal apology before joining the meeting, but shouldn’t he have given a report on the enemy forces he had seen on the Musashi?

But once out in the large hallway, he saw the tall upperclassmen rushing back and forth.

…''How do I do this?

He was in middle school, but almost all of the personnel here were in high school and they followed the rules of that academic organization.

If a middle schooler needed to report something to his superiors, he only had to speak with the Representative Committee or his homeroom teacher.

But his school’s Representative Committee and his homeroom teacher were not here.

“What am I supposed to do?”

As he looked uncertainly around, a familiar voice called out to him from the left.

“What are you doing, Nagaoka? If you’re just gonna wander around, then you should go take a bath and get some sleep.”

It was Nabeshima.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 17|Chapter 17]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 19|Chapter 19]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 12

2019-04-17T02:35:10Z

141.101.77.137:

==Chapter 12: Joiner of the Stage==
[[Image:Horizon7-A391.jpg|thumb]]
''I want to say

''I can do it even though I’m small

''But why does it matter in the first place?

'''Point Allocation (Younger)

Futayo viewed the boy from a distance of 20 meters.

He was an M.H.R.R. student, but the short boy walked straight to Terumoto’s side with his arms held stiffly at his sides.

…''Who is that?

There was no answer to Masazumi’s previous question, so…

“Are you going to use some other method to provide the answer?”

“Exactly. Oh, and he’s a middle school name inheritor, so use that as a hint. Now watch carefully.”

Once Terumoto said that, a light appeared in the sky.

It was a reflected light. When Mouri-01 raised her right hand behind Terumoto, several blades flew up above the boy’s head.

…''A group of swords.

Futayo could tell there were 36 of them, they varied in size, and they had flown up to a height of about 30 meters. And that they were directly above the boy.

Mouri-01 smiled and spoke to everyone while light was reflected from so high in the air.

“I will now let them fall.”

Fall they did. Almost all of them took a deadly downward course toward the boy’s head and shoulders.

Futayo read the paths of all the blades and concluded that staying put was his best bet if he had no way to resist them.

Where he was, he would only be stabbed 28 times, but if he moved, he would be stabbed an average of 32 times.

…''Moving increases your upper surface area compared to standing straight up.

But the boy chose to move. This was not hesitation or an attempt to escape. He lowered his hips to fight back. And his chosen method was…

“A sumo stomp?” Futayo wondered aloud.

“No, Honda Futayo.” Gin gave her a sidelong glance. “Look carefully!”

''Gin-dono, you are always so intense when it comes to me.

At any rate, something left the boy’s hands.

They moved in curves, but Gin was absolutely right.

…''That is not a sumo stomp!

The two weapons he had drawn from his hip had serpentine movement, but they also had grips.

And when he swung the grips, he dragged around some links of metal with a metallic sound.

“Chains?”

“No again, Honda Futayo. Look more carefully.”

“…You are being mean, Gin-dono.”

Gin wrinkled her brow, turned the other way, and stomped hard with her right foot. ''That’s the Gin-dono I know. A truly resonant stomp.

When Gin turned back around, she frowned and glared with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“They are guns!”

Once Gin mentioned it, Futayo could tell she was right.

The guns were little more than a barrel. A frame linked several gun barrels together like a chain and they were extended into the air like a Nankin Tamasudare.

Perhaps you could call them gun chain swords.

“Impressive analysis, Gin-dono! When did you figure it out!?”

“From the very beginning!”

''There is no need to shout, Gin-dono.

But the boy opened his mouth.

…''Oh?

He crossed his arms, sent the curves out into the air, and spoke.

“Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry.”

The boy had two gun chain swords. Each one was made of 18 barrels chained together and they produced a metallic clatter as they moved.

The boy only had to swing them. He sent waves of motion through the series of guns to play them like instruments.

“—————”

His voice was the trigger.

With his vocal burst, the barrels fired.

But not all at once. Bullets flew out into the air starting from the guns at his hands and working out.

“Oh.”

They responded to the firing of his voice.

“Oh, oh!”

The dual series of guns sent out a spray of sparks as if in time to a drumbeat.

He swung the grips a second and third time, sending further waves of motion though the gun blades and releasing a spray of silver into the sky.

They brought destruction.

He was not just firing wildly. Each shot was accurate and it all smashed the blades and shards falling from overhead. He was not satisfied with a single hit to each blade, so he sent bullets toward the broken shards as well.

This was a thorough destruction.

As a result, none of the scattering metal fell directly onto him.

“———————”

Once his voice fell silent, everyone there saw a silver ring around Terumoto and the boy.

That was all that remained of the swords he had destroyed with gunfire.

Gin could tell how skilled the boy was.

…''He is an expert sharpshooter.

The shocking thing about those gun chain swords was not their thorough destructive power. It was the accuracy displayed to achieve it.

After all, the shattered blades had not simply been sharpened pieces of metal.

Far Eastern swords were made by using a core piece of metal called the shingane, surrounding it on all sides with different metal, and forge-welding it together into a single blade. While it might look like a single blade, it was a collection of different metals, so instead of just being hard, the metals complemented each other to make a more persistent overall blade.

Breaking those blades with a bullet required the sharpshooting skill to accurately fire at the points of overlapping metal.

This boy had done that.

And not just once. He had done it enough to fully destroy those 36 blades.

Gin’s own experience as a sharpshooter told her how impressive that was.

…''But…

“Is something the matter, Gin?”

“No, I just have a question is all.”

But that was not something to ask now, so she chose to speak with Muneshige about something else she had noticed.

“Master Muneshige.”

“Judge, that’s right. Something about that caught my attention too.”

He took a step forward, and…

“Excuse me! I am Musashi Ariadust Academy Vice Chancellor’s Aide Tachibana Muneshige!”

After loudly introducing himself, he bowed toward the boy and opened his mouth to speak.

“By any chance, are you Nagaoka-…”

But he was cut off by a sudden scream from Mouri Terumoto.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

“?”

Gin and Muneshige exchanged a glance.

…''What was that about?

However, Gin knew what Muneshige had planned to say, so…

“Lady Terumoto, I am the Vice Chancellor’s Aide’s Aide. I apologize for interrupting, but is that Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

When Terumoto cried out again, Gin and Terumoto exchanged another glance.

“What does this mean, Master Muneshige?”

“Judge, I am baffled.”

“You are baffled?”

''Master Muneshige is so wonderfully straightforward.'' But…

“Lady Terumoto, is that Nagao-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Naga-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Nao.”

“Nao? What’s Nao supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, I was merely seeing how you would respond. Although it seems to have been unnecessary.”

Still, she more or less understood what Terumoto’s bizarre shouting was about.

“We are not to speak that boy’s name, are we?”

'''Asama:''' “Incredible, Gin-san. You actually figured it out on your own.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Most of us would just have fun with it for a while. A long while.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “It wouldn’t end until the enemy self-destructed or someone else made a victim of themselves.”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “Hm, since that did not happen, Gin-dono must not have fully adapted to Musashi yet.”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige! This girl…this girl is ruining my moment!”

“But,” said Masazumi while turning toward Muneshige. “Tachibana Husband, why do you think he is Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Eh? Oh, sorry, Mouri Terumoto. …So, Tachibana Husband, why do you think he is that individual? It didn’t look like you realized it as soon as you saw him.”

“Judge.” Muneshige nodded. “”I realized he must be that individual because of the current situation. Back when I was still a name inheritor, Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“My apologies, Mouri Representative. …Now, back when I was still a name inheritor, the Testament Union gave me some advice on ‘how to be Tachibana Muneshige’.”

“Right. Some rules they were insisting you follow.”

Masazumi knew about that because she too had tried to inherit a name.

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Vice President, you were told to keep an eye out for me, weren’t you?”

'''Vice President:''' “Well, you are related to that name’s downfall. History recreations with an emphasis on relationships can’t be fulfilled on your own, so it helps to have some connections in place ahead of time.”

In that case, what had it been for the Tachibana Husband?

“Tachibana Husband, what connection is there between you and Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Sorry, Mouri Terumoto. This isn’t easy.”

Masazumi asked the Tachibana Husband a question.

“What connection is there between you and him?”

“Testament. According to the Testament, we were quite close.”

“Oh, so that’s it!” exclaimed Futayo. “So Muneshige-dono and that boy are meant to have se-…”

“Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Are you okay, Vice President?”

“Um, well, I hope so. Anyway, you were saying?”

“Judge.” The Tachibana Husband nodded. “But I never received word that his name had been inherited while I had my name. However, he was a part of the Keichou Campaign. My research had shown that most of the Seven Generals only received their names this year, so I was curious about his.”

“Using the process of elimination from there would be a bit of a gamble. But the talk of Lady Nagaoka clinched it, didn’t it?”

“Judge. When a middle school name inheritor arrived while we were discussing that, I concluded ''this'' had to be the explanation. And he must have been given the name in a hurry.”

“Hey, hold on a second, Seijun and Muneo.”

“Yeah? What is it, idiot?”

“Hmm.” The idiot tilted his head. “You keep saying ‘he’ and ‘that boy’, but can’t we come up with some other name. Y’know, since Teruko’s gone crazy.”

“I have not!!”

''You are acting pretty crazy. Well, maybe you were just crazy to begin with.

But it would not be that easy to come up with another name like the idiot requested.

“What kind of name were you thinking of?”

“Well, what’s his actual name?”

'''Vice President:''' “Tadaoki.”

'''Me:''' “Hmm, you could read the kanji as Chuukou, but we already have Chuuko.”

'''Unturning:''' “Who’s that?”

'''Uqui:''' “That was his nickname for Torii Mototada, the previous Student Council President.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Then why not use a misreading of Nagaoka instead?”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “I hate to interrupt, but since Lady Nagaoka is a part of all this, using the family name alone would probably lead to confusion down the road.”

Horizon nodded at the Tachibana Wife’s comment.

“We can start by taking the Naga from Nagaoka as a general classification, but the problem is what comes next. I would like some kind of abbreviation or imagery that would clearly distinguish him from Lady Nagaoka.”

She opened a sign frame.

“Asama-sama, please connect me to our teacher. Everyone should be satisfied if I receive a hint from her.”

Asama transferred Oriotri and Horizon’s conversation to everyone else’s sign frames.

…''She’s our teacher, so this should be fine.

After all, she would execute the crazy people during class. That sounded a little wild when put it to words, but the reality was even wilder, so she did not mind. However…

“There, you’re connected. Go ahead, Horizon.”

“Oh? Did something happen?” asked Oriotri. “Aren’t you in a meeting? Is Masazumi working hard?”

“Judge, Masazumi-sama has been itching to get started ever since hearing there is a religious war involved.”

“Sounds tough.”

“That said, I believe we are still in a lull, so you need not investigate further, Sensei.”

Masazumi shouted in protest, but Asama felt this much was to be expected.

But then Horizon looked everyone in the eye and nodded to say she was getting down to business.

“Sensei, we have an important matter to discuss with you, so do you have a moment?”

“Huh? Teachers can’t get involved in our students’ actions. …And I am kind of busy right now.”

“Busy with what?”

“I’m having a late dinner. I mean, we’re in Kantou, home of toshomen, right? So I’m having thick noodles today.”

“I see,” said Horizon as she closed the connection.

Terumoto saw Honda Masazumi raise her right hand.

“Musashi has decided to call that boy Nagabuto<ref>Means “long and thick”.</ref>.”

“Why the hell would you do that!?”

“Our teacher gave us the idea, so just give up.”

“Your teacher, huh?” sighed Terumoto.

[[Image:Horizon7-A405.jpg|thumb]]

Name inheritors in the Far East had little external influence, so the presence of their teacher’s union meant a lot. Not even the students of other nations could defy the teachers.

That was likely what she meant here.

“Then I’ll play along. …Hey, your name’s Nagabuto from now on.”

Nagaoka gave her an accusing look, but she did not care. Then Musashi’s idiot called out to the boy.

“Hey! Don’t let it get to you, Nagabuto! It’s better than being called short and skinny, right!? So rejoice!”

Musashi’s princess sent a fist the idiot’s way without even looking to the side. “Ahn!” he moaned while collapsing to the deck with their princess glaring at him.

“Do not be silly. Now Nagabuto-sama must go by Nagabuto until the day he dies and that will be a life of hardship. After all, if he removes his pants and does not live up to his name, he will be deemed in violation of contract.”

“M-man, the Nagabuto Manifesto sounds rough!”

Nagaoka gave Terumoto an even more accusing look.

“Hey, I don’t want that name.”

“Don’t say that. …Because arguing with them is useless.”

But she did have something prepared, so she patted Nagabuto’s shoulder.

“Hey, Musashi! I have something else to say.”

It was…

“He actually has another inherited name too!”

'''Vice President:''' “A double inherited name!? Ookubo!”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “He might have inherited it this month, but the Testament Union hasn’t updated their site yet.”

'''Vice President:''' “Did you try a…direct search, I think it was called?”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Who taught you that term…? Listen. There isn’t a double inherited name system or anything like that. It’s just a term used to describe a situation. Even if someone inherits two names, it’s unusual for the double nature of the inheritance to receive a special mention.”

'''Novice:''' “Ookubo-kun? In that case, search for any P.A. Oda or M.H.R.R. name inheritors from the past month or so who participate in the Keichou Campaign and have a connection to Lady Nagaoka.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “I already did that!”

'''CAN:''' “Milady.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Eh? Oh, sorry, Secretary Upperclassman. I snapped at you like you were the Vice President.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Your underclassman got there ahead of you and you even had her apologize when she complained about it? How slow and incompetent are you?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “By the way, this Ookubo is a short and flat girl with glasses.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Ha ha. Oh, is that what this was? Did you want someone to replace me, Toussaint?”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Eeeek!”

''Now, then,'' thought Masazumi as she viewed the narrowed-down information sent by Ookubo.

The sign frame displayed a list of name inheritors. Ookubo must have thrown this together in a hurry because it only had the names and a percentage providing what she thought were the odds of them being a double name inheritor.

There were a few candidates, but one had a percentage far above the rest. That name was…

“Inadome Sukenao?”

As soon as Masazumi said that, a few of her classmates reacted: Crossunite, Neshinbara, the Tachibana Couple, Futayo, the Technohexen…

…''It would be faster to list the ones who didn’t react: the idiot, Horizon, Asama, the idiot sister…

That was also a long list, so she realized this too was a mistake. But all those who reacted spoke up as one.

“Inadome Sukenao!?”

“Yes, I know what the name is, but why do you sound so shocked?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “You don’t know who that is!? He’s an incredible person!”

“Eh?” said Masazumi as she turned to look at Nagabuto. The idiot behind her must have done the same because…

“The incredible Nagabuto.”

“Stop! Don’t call me that!”

“Ahhhn, noooo! This Nagabuto is increeeeedible! Just increeeeeeeeeedible!”

“Masazumi-sama, this is not an act meant to entertain. He has simply been harassing people lately.”

“Heh heh. Listen up, foolish people! Now is your chance to tell me what this means in order to make me an even wiser sister than I already am! Now! Bring it on! Splaaaash! Ahh, it’s an ocean of love!”

“I’m not sure what they’re going on about, but…Masazumi-dono? Inadome Sukenao is indeed an incredible person. After all…”

Masazumi tilted her head as Crossunite explained for her.

“He almost always makes the lists of the top three pathetic people in the Warring States period.”

“…Huh?”

“Hey! Nagabuto! So all you are is long and thick!? Hey, everyone! I think we should give him another kanji to help increase his stamina!”

“Suzu-san! Suzu-san! Do not think about what he means! Clear your mind!”

“Tomo? Is this some kind of Shinto training?”

But while the Musashi idiots had their fun, Nagabuto was clenching both his fists.

“Stop it! Don’t just make up names for people! That’s not very mature!”

“Eh? …Hey, Nagabuto! Have you had your coming of age ceremony?”

“Not till next year! I’m still a middle school 2nd year!”

A stir ran through everyone upon hearing that.

“I can draw this, right!?” asked Naruze. “He’s chuuni, a name inheritor, and a pathetic Nagabuto, so he’s gotta be a bottom! Right!?”

“Hey, Naito!” shouted Masazumi. “Restrain your girlfriend!”

“I would, but it’s faster to let her draw some to get it out of her system,” said Naito. “Kind of like you with wars, Seijun.”

“What is that supposed to mean!?”

But there was something she had to ask.

“How is that Inadome person pathetic?”

“Judge.” Like before, it was Crossunite who answered. “He generally had unbelievable results in training, but during actual battles, he would either achieve nothing or run away. And the worst example of that was…hmm.”

Crossunite scratched his head in hesitation, but finally continued.

“When Lady Nagaoka blew herself up, he was working as a guard for the Nagaoka clan. But when their estate was surrounded, he ran away to save his own hide.”

Gin turned toward the Vice President when she heard the 1st Special Duty Officer’s explanation.

“I believe I know more or less what is going on, Vice President. The unmarked transport ship accompanying the Hexagone Française diplomatic ship before this meeting must have belonged to him.”

“Then is this what Mouri Terumoto is saying: despite the particulars of his history recreation, he has a connection to Lady Nagaoka and was at the site of her death, so we should take him to Nördlingen?”

“Judge,” confirmed Gin while opening a sign frame.

She had done a fair amount of research into name inheritors with a connection to Muneshige.

“In the period leading up to Sekigahara, Naga-…buto marched north to deter Uesugi. He did not return in time to prevent Lady Nagaoka’s suicide and Inadome Sukenao fled instead of protecting her. Nevertheless, he does have a connection to her and he was nearby. Taking him with us would provide a reason for Musashi’s trip to Nördlingen.”

But right as she said that…

“Wait just a moment.”

Someone spoke up and stepped forward.

“I am Sviet Rus Representative Honjou Shigenaga.”

This meeting had felt meaningful for Shigenaga. After all…

“About Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Terumoto shouted and then smacked the boy on the head.

“You shout!”

“Wh-why does it even matter if my name gets out!?”

“They’ll claim it’s my fault you came here, idiot!”

“Heyyy!” Musashi’s Chancellor raised his hand. “Teruko, didn’t you bring him here?”

“What? Yeah, I brought him here.”

“Then it is your fault!!”

Despite everyone shouting at her, Terumoto spoke to the boy.

“Listen, you can sing, can’t you? Then try shouting. Got it?”

She glared at the boy and inhaled.

“Hey, Nagaoka Tadao-…hey! You’re supposed to shout!”

“Huh!? Don’t spring it on me like that! Give me another chance!”

“Fine, then. …Here I go, okay? Nagaoka Ta-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Terumoto karate chopped the boy’s head.

“You don’t have to match my voice’s pitch. That was kind of creepy. And do it a little sooner than that.”

“She sure is demanding…” everyone muttered. Shigenaga agreed, but…

…''There isn’t any vainglory there.

Another nation’s leader was growing as a person, but should she be glad or wary? Shigenaga thought about that as she looked to the boy.

“Sorry about that. Sviet Rus has a question concerning the boy.”

“Nagabuto! His name’s Nagabuto!!”

''Quiet down, Musashi Chancellor.

This was an important matter for Sviet Rus.

“Just as the Musashi Vice Chancellor’s Aide’s Aide said, he deters Uesugi in the lead up to Sekigahara. So would it be possible for us to settle that with a duel here?”

“Huh? What’re you looking at me for, Seijun? Am I just that cute?”

“No, we need your approval for this. …That boy goes to Uesugi as part of the Punishment of Aizu and it was Matsudaira that ordered that. In other words, us.”

“Really?” asked the idiot, so Masazumi nodded.

“So even if Uesugi wants this, we need your approval.”

“What’s the deal, Nagabuto? Can’t do anything on your own? ‘What Nagabuto Can Do On His Own’. Hey, Black Mar, how’s that for a title?”

“Oh, sorry. I’ve already designed logos for ‘Naga-Butt-o’ and ‘Tada-f*ck-i’.”

“Two doujins!? He’s gonna be a big seller, huh!?”

“Stop! Wh-what is with you people!?”

“We’re going to be your sponsors eventually,” said Masazumi. “So just give up now.”

“Huh!?” he shouted back at her, but she stopped thinking about it since it was hopeless.

“So how about it, Aoi?”

“If Shigeko’s fine with it and we’re fine with it, then why not?”

“Hm, to be honest, we could use this as a bargaining chip with Uesugi.”

“That’s true,” said the Date Vice Chancellor via divine transmission. “If we let them settle Nagabuto’s deterrence of Uesugi here, Uesugi will owe us one. But we might later find we want a history recreation we can interpret as a battle between Uesugi and Matsudaira, so it might be better to not do Nagabuto’s invasion of Uesugi just yet.”

“So it’s like that, huh?” Aoi crossed his arms and tilted his head, but he soon looked back up. “Seijun. A while back, you told me about the people who die when we don’t fight a war, right?”

…''Oh.

Masazumi frowned at this sudden change of subject. She probably should have been happy, but she mostly felt surprised.

“You…can actually remember things?”

“G-go to hell!”

“Masazumi, just to be clear, Toori-kun has an excellent memory for the weirdest things.”

“Hold on, hold on. It’s not about ‘the weirdest things’, Asama. I take all the important things to heart.”

The idiot pouted his lips toward Asama, so…

“But, well, um…”

She stammered for a bit and blushed.

As she hung her head and her fingers wandered aimlessly through the air, the Aoi Sister rested her elbow on the girl’s shoulder.

“Heh heh. Every little thing is important, isn’t it?”

“D-don’t tease me right now, Kimi!”

Well, even without thinking about it too much, that boy was who he was because he remembered his remorse.

But Masazumi knew what he was trying to say, so she spoke.

“Let’s have that duel.”

“We’re doing it, Seijun ?”

“Judge. If we avoid conflict here, it will eventually lead to the harm caused by not fighting. And once that happens, it might require more than just a duel like this. If it costs money or our rights to resolve, that will of course be taken from the people’s tax money. So…”

So…

“With a duel, the worst case is needing to pay for medical fees.”

“Yes, Masazumi,” said Urquiaga. “With a war right in front of you, I can imagine it would pain you to delay it or resolve it with money.”

“W-wait!” interrupted Heidi via sign frame. “We’re talking about money here! So send that money the Treasurer’s way!”

“Sorry, Augesvarer, but we can buy money with war.”

“You have that backwards, Masazumi! Let’s face reality here! C’mon, we have to plug our butts up with money to keep the udon from coming out!”

“Um, Masazumi?” said Asama. “This conversation is taking an incredibly ugly turn.”

''And whose fault is that?'' She had given it some thought, but now she had her answer.

“Hey, Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

''He’ll shout on his own now? That was pretty well done. Still, that was careless of me.

“Sorry. Nagabuto.”

“You’re clearly not sorry if you’re calling me that!”

“It’s easier this way, so deal with it. …Musashi is ordering you to fight a duel.”

“Huh!?”

He was a middle school name inheritor and one who had only recently received his name. This might be his very first battle.

''But,'' thought Masazumi.

“Listen. There’s a good chance P.A. Oda will view your presence here a breach of trust since they’re trying to do the Keichou Campaign. And we aren’t sure we can trust you yet.”

That was true. But she had to clearly state this because the boy was likely unfamiliar with diplomacy.

“I know it’s a pain, but listen. You must have been at least vaguely aware of the breach of trust against your master’s clan and that we would distrust you. Isn’t that why you hid and had Mouri transport you?”

After a while, the boy gave a small nod. And he looked her in the eye.

“I will entrust this with you. I mostly understand, but whether our interests align is not for me to decide.”

“Judge. So for now, work your butt off for our interests. That means a duel against Uesugi. You can use that to demonstrate your resolve and earn our trust.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Using his butt to work for us? Yes, I like the sound of that. I’ll allow it.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ga-chan, I can tell you’re enjoying this, but how good a fighter is he really?”

“That’s a good question,” muttered Masazumi as she thought to herself.

…''He’s probably a pretty good one given that gun demonstration earlier.

His opponent was Honjou Shigenaga. She used shields, so she primarily attacked with physical blows. A gunner should have an advantage there.

''Isn’t that right?'' she thought while looking to Shigenaga who was already checking her equipment.

“Okay, I think I’ll go with the small cannon style I used at Odawara.”

“That’s not quite what I expected, but whatever.”

Masazumi pretended not to hear the comments of “are you sure about this?” He was a name inheritor, so he would figure something out.

Then she gave the boy his instructions.

“As Vice President of the Far East and Musashi, I command you to carry out an advance history recreation. Your mission is the pre-Sekigahara attack on Uesugi. Neither side is required to win or lose, so just think of it as an extension of your training.”

“Training, huh? Then that’s how I’ll do it.”

With that, Nagaoka looked toward Shigenaga.

He crossed his arms in front of his hips, grabbed the grips on either side, and raised his voice.

“Bring it on!”

That signaled the beginning of the battle.

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 11

2019-04-17T02:33:26Z

141.101.77.137:

==Chapter 11: Incorrect Girl in a Guessing Game==
[[Image:Horizon7-A365.jpg|thumb]]
''Because you thought

''The decisive blow would come from within

''It was all the more devastating coming from without

'''Point Allocation (Almost Everyone)

“And with that, it’s time for what I wanted to discuss.”

Terumoto turned toward the Musashi group as they started to leave.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going, Musashi Vice President!?”

“Eh? Oh…oh! Right, I didn’t forget. You had something else, didn’t you?”

''This girl…'' thought Terumoto with a glare, but it was true Hashiba had brought a distracting amount of trouble.

Hashiba had disappeared from the sign frame, but Musashi’s Asama Shrine Representative was being cautious.

“I did a minimum-strength search through Musashi’s fixed divine protections and I haven’t found any Hashiba spells around any of the ships. …What about you, Suzu-san?”

“No. ‘Musashino’-san says there…isn’t anything.”

“Then we should be good,” said the Musashi group with a smile, so Terumoto felt a little jealous.

Mouri-01 sighed behind her.

“Princess, you should have brought some of your friends from your delinquent days, shouldn’t you have?”

“Yeah, they’re all a mess, what with getting married and having a kid, hitting a customer over the head with a bottle at their bar, or whatever else.” She looked toward the Musashi group again. “But that’s what’s so great about them. Still, that mixture of public and private life only works with our own people, so I couldn’t have brought them anyway.”

“Hee hee. Sounds like you still have some vainglory.”

''Maybe so,'' she thought, but then the Musashi Vice President raised a hand.

“Judge. Asama and Mukai say it’s fine, so it should be fine. …Bye.”

“Don’t leave!”

Terumoto raised her eyebrows and shouted.

“Stick around. I want to do some strategizing and some negotiating too. …So get things ready.”

''What a pain,'' thought Narumi with a sigh.

“I was here on Date’s behalf, but Date’s plan is in place now, so I will be here as part of Musashi now.”

“Testament. Either way’s fine with me. Suit yourself.”

After Terumoto said that, the Asama Shrine Representative raised her right hand.

“Then I will add Narumi-san and Yoshiaki-san to our divine transmission group. …What about Uesugi and Houjou?”

“Hashiba would probably get upset if I got to close to Musashi. Plus, everything is being transmitted back to Sviet Rus, so leave it as is.”

“Same for Houjou. And everything is progressing in accordance to the plan we made with Mouri.”

“Okay,” said the Asama Shrine Representative just before a sign frame appeared next to Narumi.

'''Uqui:''' “Narumi, how does it feel to be back?”

'''Unturning:''' “What, did you miss me?”

'''Uqui:''' “I’m not the one whose right leg is creaking when it moves.”

'''Unturning:''' “Then you can take a look at it later.”

That exchange improved her mood a little. Comments from the others were already filling the sign frame. It was the standard nonsense from them and she realized how hard it could be to join in after they already got started. Meanwhile, she turned toward Terumoto.

“So what do you want from Musashi?”

“Testament. Musashi, since we will be sending most of our supplies to Hashiba, give us as much of your supplies as you can.”

“Judge,” replied the Musashi Vice President. She opened a sign frame to check something as she spoke. “We were already planning to do so, but we have to go to Nördlingen. We will prepare supplies for the ships and personnel fighting in the Kantou Liberation, so you can take those when our forces join yours.”

That was the opposite of their previous idea.

Instead of sending Mouri personnel to the Musashi and providing the supplies there, the ships and personnel fighting in the Kantou Liberation would carry the supplies to Mouri.

And Musashi’s residents were more skilled in resupplying in midair than Mouri was.

However, there was a limit to how many supplies Musashi could prepare. How to make up for that was likely one topic for the upcoming discussion.

…''And in a few hours, I’m sure they will come up with a number of ideas on the battlefield.

That would be a test of Satomi Yoshiyasu and Mouri Terumoto’s tactical skill.

“Now, then.”

''What should I do?'' wondered Narumi with a mental tilt of the head. She wanted to join the intense fighting at Nördlingen to help improve Date’s reputation. With that in mind, she sighed.

And at the same time, Mouri Terumoto raised a hand toward the Musashi group and opened her mouth.

“Musashi, give us a few of your main fighters. Mouri-01 and the others are primarily my bodyguards, so they can’t do anything if I can’t fight on the front line. We’ve already received some gods of war from Houjou, but I want an even greater fighting force. For example,” she said. “The Tachibana couple.”

“I can’t agree to hand over any of our main fighters quite that easily.”

Masazumi had to apply the brakes on Terumoto’s suggestion. But…

“If you’re suggesting something like that, I assume you already have something to give us in exchange. What would that be?”

“We have two things.”

With that, Terumoto pulled something from her skirt.

It was a memo.

It was folded up four times.

“This will act as an invitation for Lady Nagaoka in Nördlingen. In the interest of sharing information, I’ll give this to you. You did already help us with this, after all.”

…''We helped them?

Had they helped Hexagone Française acquire that memo somehow?

Masazumi looked back at the others to ask them, and…

“It’s Carlos I’s memo. The decoded version!”

Mitotsudaira gave the answer.

“Oh.” Mitotsudaira’s response reminded Mary of what had happened in Hexagone Française. “I remember that. Yes, Lady Mitotsudaira acquired that memo.”

“That’s right! With you, my king, and Margot!”

“Yes,” agreed Mary as she prepared to explain what had happened.

But then Tenzou spoke next to her.

“Um, I was there too?”

''Right. Yes. When we were at Rudolf II’s tower, he and I discussed how to accelerate your movements. And before that…

“Y-yes, Mater Tenzou, you, um, well…”

…''He held me when we rode the unicorn.

“——————”

'''Asama:''' “W-wait, Tenzou-kun! Mary went all red and isn’t responding! Oh, and what a waste of ether flowers.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “What did you do back then? To Mary, I mean.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ga-chan, I’ll tell you later. Then again, I think I already told you everything.”

'''10ZO:''' “I-I’m being attacked and then you end the conversation before I can say anything!”

“I remember!”

Mitotsudaira thought back to then while seeing flowers blossoming in the corner of her vision.

“That was back when my king was abducted by my mother.”

“Right, right. While Mito’s mom was on ultra easy mode, she picked me up and ran off with me.”

“Yes, exactly!” said Mitotsudaira in sync with her king. “And on the way to my mother’s house, we ran across Mouri-01 and the other automatons there.”

“Yeah, and at around that time, your maman put a collar on me, fed me meat, and lured me into bed naked, but I started bleeding, fell forward while naked, and did a pretty bad dick scrape on the floor.”

“Chancellor, a thread called ‘Painful – I Wish I Hadn’t Heard That – Scrape’ just started and is getting posts like crazy,” said Naito.

“Any guy would understand,” said Tenzou.

“Hold on, what was my mother doing to my king!?”

Whatever it was, she was probably up to no good. Same for him, for that matter.

Afterwards, they had gone to the tower where Rudolf II was imprisoned.

“My prize for defeating Rudolf II was the memo left by Carlos I.”

“Yes, and for us, well, Richelieu was taken by the Princess Disappearances during Anne’s generation. And since Carlos I was said to have been researching the Princess Disappearances, you left the memo with us so we could try to read it, but it was written in a bit of a code.”

“What kind of code was it?”

Mitotsudaira thought maybe she should not have said that, but Terumoto smiled with her mouth spread horizontally.

She gave an exaggerated shrug and held up the decoded memo.

“It simply used numbers to replace the words,” said Terumoto. “But we only figured it out because someone explained it to us.”

…''Huh?

That meant someone had told them how to read Carlos I’s code.

“Who was it?”

Masazumi began to speak while listening to Mitotsudaira’s question.

“Mouri Terumoto.”

She considered a few different links while calling out to Terumoto.

Who had told Mouri how to read Carlos I’s code?

She linked together a number of events in Europe, including the northern and eastern European nations. Those things may have been half imaginary like the things Neshinbara would talk about, but…

…''There are signs there.

“Who told you how to decode it?”

She saw a certain movement when she asked that.

Mouri Terumoto’s eyebrows rose as she turned toward Masazumi.

“You already know that, don’t you?”

…''So I was right!

With that thought, she gave the answer.

“It was Lady Nagaoka, wasn’t it!?”

Masazumi continued speaking.

“Lady Nagaoka was already close to the Testament Union and she had a connection to Europe. If she was active before Hashiba’s invasion, she must be fairly old. …So it would make perfect sense if she knew Carlos I and the others of his generation!”

“Hmm. Sorry, but no. It wasn’t her.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Wow, that must hurt. Masazumi tried to be the nerd and fell flat on her face.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “How would you have done it, Bara-yan?”

'''Novice:''' “For me, it would’ve been more like…this! Yes, you have to point all dramatically like this! It’s essential!!”

'''Laborer:''' “It doesn’t matter to you if the answer is right or not?”

'''Me:''' “Anyway, too bad, Seijun-kun.”

'''Vice President:''' “D-dammit! Then how about you try answering for me!?”

'''Me:''' “Ohhhhhh? Are you surrrrrrre you want that? If you let me answer, we’re definitely getting into topknot territory, you knowwwwww?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Masazumi-sama, can I punch him in the gut now?”

'''Asama:''' “U-um, uh, Toori-kun, Masazumi is trying to do what’s best for Musashi here, so could you not talk that way about her? Even if she did try to be the nerd and fell flat on her face.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “That’s right, my king. Masazumi is Musashi’s representative here. Even if she did try to be the nerd and fell flat on her face.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “They’re right, foolish brother. Masazumi is taking this seriously, so don’t laugh at her. Even if she did try to be the nerd and fell flat on her face.”

'''Vice President:''' “Dammit! I’ll get it right next time! I swear I will!”

'''Uqui:''' “Isn’t that the logic of a gambler who just lost?”

“Anyway,” said Masazumi while regaining her composure. “What is this about? It shouldn’t be an issue if we don’t know, but if it would cause some sort of trouble for you, then it wouldn’t hurt to just tell us. It would help both our nations. So how about it?”

“That was a long way to go to avoid just asking us to tell you.”

“…is what our Ookubo was saying.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Hey!”

''She hasn’t joined Satomi yet, so I need to give her some work to do.'' However…

“Whatever the case, it seems you definitely had someone tell you how to read it. …So who was it?”

“Well,” replied Terumoto. “It’s someone you should have met…but weren’t able to.”

'''Me:''' “Okay, time for Round 2! Let’s play 20 Questions!”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh. Foolish brother? Do they have a dick!?”

'''Me:''' “Yes, yes, yes, yes!!”

'''Vice President:''' “Don’t make up answers! And that’s a terrible question to start with!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Yeah, I think that one would get you taken off the air, Seijun.”

Round 2.

''I feel like it’s all over if I get this one wrong,'' thought Masazumi.

…''But who should we have met but weren’t able to?

''An invisible person?'' she thought, but she immediately ended that line of thought. This was not that sort of game.

…''In that case…

She decided to think about it from their side for a bit.

What was it Terumoto had said?

“Someone we should have met.”

But…

“We weren’t able to.”

What did that mean when looking just at the words? First, she focused on…

“In the end, we ‘weren’t able to’.”

If she completed that thought with the topic of the first phrase…

“We weren’t able to meet them.”

So if she rephrased it from their perspective…

“We had plans to meet them and we showed up to meet them…but we weren’t able to meet them.”

Then she only had to think about the people they had made plans to meet.

There was Anne at Magdeburg, but they had met her and spoken with her.

The next candidate would be…

“At Novgorod.”

But not Mayoress Marfa.

“It was Chancellor William, Prince of Orange, wasn’t it?”

The idiot looked up with a gasp.

And he grabbed her shoulders.

“See, they did have a dick!”

She raised her knee for a solid blow and he rolled quite a bit.

…''I see.

Mitotsudaira thought while using the silver chains to collect her king who rolled quite a bit thanks to his boke divine protection.

…''The Prince of Orange ruled Holland and Lady Nagaoka, aka Christina, rules Sweden, but both those nations join the Thirty Years’ War on the anti-imperial side.

She did not know what connections they might have had prior to that, but there was a link. And Holland had Protestant leadership, so it would probably have a connection to Protestant Nördlingen.

“This means the Prince of Orange and Lady Nagaoka were aware of our battle in Magdeburg and my fight with Rudolf II, doesn’t it?”

“Exactly. And you can’t ignore Lady Nagaoka when it comes to this.”

Terumoto said “because” as she held up the memo.

Then she let go of it.

…''That’s gravitational control.

The memo passed right by Masazumi and arrived in front of Mitotsudaira.

“This was your prize, so it’s yours to do with as you like.”

“In that case…my king?”

“Hm?”

He walked up next to her. The others also gathered around and their eyes focused on the memo she held.

She felt an odd tension as she unfolded the memo. The text written on that piece of parchment was…

“Far Eastern.”

That was not exactly a surprise since it had been decoded into Far Eastern, but the text read as follows:

'''<Taikyou-sama ni kotoba asohi no shitsumon

:'''Uiriamu ni tanomu ka>

“What is this?”

“It looks kind of like ancient Far Eastern. This should mean ‘A wordplay question for Taikyou-sama. Can you take care of this, William?’, but I’m not sure what ‘Taikyou’ means here.” Asama tilted her head. “Well, it could mean ‘prenatal care’…”

Everyone fell silent and Mitotsudaira eventually elbowed Asama’s arm. And a few seconds after that…

“Eh!? W-wait, how does that one count! It’s a perfectly normal word!”

“It seems to me Asama-sama has been making an awful lot of baby-making word attacks in the past few days,” said Horizon.

“N-no, I haven’t! Not even a little!”

Saying the shrine maiden never knew when to give up would probably only get an even worse comment out of her, so Mitotsudaira only glared at her. But…

“ ‘Can you take care of this, William?’ ”

“That must mean the Prince of Orange.”

Mitotsudaira realized something when Masazumi said that.

“Since it’s asking him to ‘take care of this’, Carlos I must have been asking the Prince of Orange the question contained in the memo!”

She almost said “in that case” but asked a question instead.

“Where is that question!?”

“You should already know, Mito Lord.”

Terumoto’s statement came with a raised-eyebrow smile.

She pointed her thumb west without actually turning that way.

“It’s with Lady Nagaoka.”

''Why?'' wondered Masazumi.

Why would Lady Nagaoka have the Holland Chancellor’s information about Carlos I?

If he had brought that to Novgorod, he could have given it to them.

…''No.

Masazumi rejected that idea. And she gave her reason why.

“He would have been foolish to use up all his bargaining chips at Novgorod. He knew P.A. Oda was going to attack there. And if he sensed the possibility of being taken by the Princess Disappearances, he would have left his most important information elsewhere. And not in Holland because he had no idea what would happen to it after he was gone. He would leave it with someone outside of Holland who he could trust. That trustworthy person was Lady Nagaoka, wasn’t it?”

“Then you more or less get who she is, don’t you?”

“Judge,” confirmed Masazumi.

The Prince of Orange had been a man about the same age as her parents, so…

“Lady Nagaoka is related to the Prince of Orange, isn’t she? Is she his daughter?”

“Close: his niece. That doesn’t apply to their inherited names, though. And…”

“Judge,” said Masazumi as she held up her sign frame.

It was a Testament Union information page with an inherited name profile for Lady Nagaoka.

'''Vice President:''' “Good work, Ookubo. I’ve found my footing now.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “I had a head start after the work I did yesterday. I’m glad I got this far before heading to Satomi.”

“Yes,” agreed Masazumi as she tapped a point on the sign frame with her clenched fist.

It showed Lady Nagaoka’s parents.

“Nagaoka Tama was her married name. Before that…”

Masazumi looked across everyone as she spoke.

“She was Akechi Tama. …Lady Nagaoka is Akechi Mitsuhide’s daughter.”

…''That explains it.

Masazumi’s answer allowed Asama to make some connections between a few pieces of information.

Why had Lady Nagaoka been given the name of Queen Christina, a key individual in the Thirty Years’ War? And why had the Testament Union put so much focus on her?

“Because she is Akechi Mitsuhide’s daughter.”

Both Lady Nagaoka and Queen Christina were zealous Catholic musicians. By combining the two inherited names, she became a pipeline between the Thirty Years’ War and P.A. Oda.

You could call her a tiny neutral territory in Europe.

But what that meant changed when she was also Akechi Mitsuhide’s daughter and the Prince of Orange’s biological niece.

During the Honnouji Incident, Akechi Mitsuhide would assassinate Nobunaga, head of the Oda clan.

Doing anything to Lady Nagaoka could lead to the Honnouji Incident, so P.A. Oda would have been unable to do anything about her.

…''I bet I know who came up with that.

“This overly complicated setup has got to be the Papa-Schola.”

“Yeah, that old man loved doing things in as indirect a way as possible, didn’t he?” said Toori.

“I just about died because of it,” added Horizon.

…''I guess it isn’t surprising he isn’t too popular around here.

But Hashiba had destroyed the linchpin of that plan. They had absorbed Lady Nagaoka by joining with and effectively taking control of M.H.R.R. That allowed M.H.R.R. to claim her authority was their own and it had prevented Europe from working together. However…

“It must have taken real courage for Sweden to act as a powerful nation during the Thirty Years’ War,” said Urquiaga. “He may have died in battle, but King Gustav II put up a real fight.”

Naruze responded to him.

'''Mar-Ga:''' “They must have been ready for what was coming. Even now, Sweden is running their nation by communicating with Queen Christina in Nördlingen, but…”

'''Gold Mar:''' “If Musashi saves her, even the Swedish people who weren’t ready will be forced to take the Thirty Years’ War seriously, won’t they?”

There was one person who had to consider what that would mean:

“Masazumi.”

“Judge. It feels like we just found so much more we need to do.”

“It really does,” agreed Asama before Naruze’s voice reached them.

'''Mar-Ga:''' “This connects back to the Princess too. You all saw what the message left behind after the Princess Disappearance, didn’t you? ‘What’s keeping Mitsuhide-kun?’ ”

Asama had set this divine transmission for a private chat, so they did not need to worry about the information leaking out.

'''Asama:''' “The Prince of Orange and Akechi Mitsuhide must have known each other. Perhaps quite well.”

'''Vice President:''' “We might find out more about that if we ask current Swedish Chancellor Christina.”

“But,” added Masazumi as she looked up.

“Mouri Terumoto. What you’re doing here is restoring Lady Nagaoka’s political influence after Hashiba’s European invasion left her powerless, isn’t it?”

However…

“I doubt Lady Nagaoka wants that. What do you have to say about that?”

“You’re pretty sharp about the weirdest things.”

''How scary,'' Terumoto jokingly added in her heart as she inhaled.

“That’s true. Lady Nagaoka does not really want to be rescued. …You understand what that means, don’t you?”

She could not say it herself.

And that was why the Musashi Vice President quietly said what she said.

“The Testament Union?”

Terumoto did not nod. If she did, it would hold a certain meaning.

…''I would be saying the Testament Union had cornered Lady Nagaoka.

That would also mean oppression by the Testament Union.

Of course, the European nations had been searching for ways to oppose Hashiba since their invasion. Even the Papa-Schola had desperately sought the Logismoi Oplo to tilt the power balance in their favor. And…

“We need to apologize to Lady Nagaoka too.”

Because…

“If we had acted sooner, we could’ve pushed back the Hashiba forces and protected Anne, Lady Nagaoka, and everyone else caught up in Europe’s power games.”

“You must be overestimating yourself there.”

“I really wish I could say I wasn’t. …But make sure you think about this.”

Terumoto continued while prepared for her shoulders to droop.

“What Anne did at Magdeburg was the European continuation of what Lady Nagaoka started.”

The Musashi group fell silent, so Terumoto continued.

“She might not want it, but I want to save her. Maybe I’m meddling here, but this is the last chance for that hard-working woman who took on the remaining half of the work Anne couldn’t complete. …But we can’t enter M.H.R.R. quite yet.”

“So you want us to do it.”

“Testament,” she confirmed, so the Musashi Vice President asked a question.

“How will you save her spirit? How will you change the mind of someone who desires death?”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Okay, a question. Is Lady Nagaoka really that hard-headed? And if her head is hard, is it this hard? Oops, I was aiming for Adele, but I groped Mitotsudaira instead!”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Th-that’s doubly insulting!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “I mean, she’s a legit Catholic and she’s spent years obeying the Testament Union’s instructions. It’s true she’s no use to the Testament Union or Catholics thanks to Hashiba’s invasion…but isn’t she in trouble as far as the history recreation is concerned?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Margot, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

'''Vice President:''' “…Oh.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Do you get it now, Seijun? …You see, the current Testament Union isn’t the Papa-Schola’s Testament Union that she served. It belongs to Hashiba, an enemy. And she’ll see her own history recreation as nothing but trouble for Musashi and Hexagone Française!”

'''Hori-ko:''' “In other words, if Lady Nagaoka is the diligent, wise, and dedicated type and also an obedient, modest, and yet proud woman, she might seek suicide so her presence will not harm anyone else?”

'''Me:''' “You’re just praising yourself for doing essentially the same thing at Mikawa, aren’t you?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Asama-sama? Punch this boy in the jaw…yes, right about here.”

'''Asama:''' “I-I think that’s more your job, Horizon.”

Masazumi wondered what to do while she ignored the idiot getting punched.

“Maa?”

''Oh, yes, yes. You’re very cute, Tsukinowa.'' But…

…''Really, what are we going to do?

“Hey, so Lady Nagaoka is probably really trying to die, right?”

“Hmm, I don’t really know myself, but I’m willing to bet this will be a pain in the ass.”

“You know, Mouri Terumoto, doesn’t that mean you’re shoving this ‘pain in the ass’ onto us?”

“Huh? Didn’t you hear us talking about how we historically can’t fight in the Battle of Nördlingen?”

“I see you aren’t denying that it’s a pain.”

“Crossdressing Honda-kun, it seems to me that Lady Nagaoka’s darkness is only continuing to grow.”

''Is darkness all you ever see? Oh, wait. You talk about the Warriors of Light too, don’t you?

“Hey, Musashi, don’t look so troubled. There is a solution to this problem.”

“You mean other than forcibly rescuing her?”

“Bring him with you.”

Terumoto snapped her fingers.

A figure appeared in response to that noise.

…''He’s short.

Someone who was still just a young boy stepped out from the right side of the ship behind Terumoto.

When he noticed her watching him, he straightened his back and walked forward while facing straight ahead.

The way he walked suggested he had trained in some kind of martial art.

…''Based on his height, is he a first year?

No, he may have been even younger than that. Also…

“Mouri Terumoto. About that boy…”

Masazumi asked about the thing other than his height that had puzzled her at first glance.

“Why is he wearing an M.H.R.R. uniform?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 7

2019-04-17T02:31:04Z

141.101.77.137:

==Chapter 7: Off Duty Ones at the Workplace==
[[Image:Horizon7-A237.jpg|thumb]]
''Work-life balance is important

''So

'''Point Allocation (Play)

“Delay the Keichou Campaign until Masamune arrives and the Siege of Odawara can officially end?”

''He really knows how to get to the point,'' thought Narumi.

The Musashi group had been physically fighting each other and she could tell the sign frame tackles were accumulating, but…

…''What do we do about this?

“Ootani Yoshitsugu. This sounds like a pain, so I have a suggestion.”

“What might that be?”

“Judge,” replied Narumi.

She made what felt like a perfectly natural suggestion.

“Could we get around that by beating you up?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Is Narumin kinda mad?”

'''Uqui:''' “That was wonderfully direct and to the point, Narumi.”

'''Vice President:''' “Hold on. I didn’t see this coming.”

Narumi called out to the cartoonish figure on the screen.

“What will you do?”

“What do you mean?”

“This sounds like a pain, so it would be a lot easier if we handled the negotiations with a duel.”

'''Caretaker:''' “Narumi-sama, I think you should try harder to keep your thoughts hidden.”

'''Unturning:''' “I am prepared to take responsibility for my thoughts.”

“Now,” said Narumi while looking up into the sky instead of at the sign frame. “What will you do?”

“We do not accept that the history recreation can be bypassed by using the outcome of a duel in place of negotiations.”

“So you’re going to run away?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head. “What a loser.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Splendid job, Narumi-sama. It would seem this was the time to be aggressive.”

'''Azuma:''' “Wow, that’s incredible! You actually found a way to pick a fight with him!”

'''Vice President:''' “…”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Masazumi! Positive! Stay positive! We need to keep a positive outlook, okay!?”

“Wait! Don’t assume you can provoke me into a fight!”

Narumi did not direct her attention toward the voice coming from below. She kept her eyes overhead. She knew his visual recording spell was there, so she knew how to look him right in the eye.

So she kept her eyes on him as she spoke.

“So you say,” she said. “But all this bluster is just a way of hiding your weakness.”

“I will interpret that as an affront to my honor.”

“But it’s true you aren’t very strong.”

“My position and our policy prevent me from fighting now.” Ootani held his head high on the screen. “But I will make you eat those words one day.”

Just as he said that, an animal paw entered the screen from the right and swatted him away.

It was a feline right hook.

“Hey, stop that. Ootani is trying to work, so don’t play with him. Oh, c’mon.”

“P-please wait! Yoshiaki-sama, what is that cat doing here!? Ow ow ow ow ow!”

Yoshiaki nodded and spoke to Ootani as he was pummeled by the cat.

“He grew attached to me in Shimoda. He didn’t seem to be anyone’s pet and they say cats act as a ship’s guardian deity.”

Ootani was deteriorating as she spoke, but when she reached toward the cat…

“…!”

The cat picked Ootani up in his mouth and ran away from her. She lowered the ends of her eyebrows at that.

“Ootani, looks like he likes you.”

“He does not like me! He thinks I am his prey just like a cicada or a mouse!”

“Oh, excuse me, Big Katou! Mind if I help out!?”

Kani approached from the side and picked up one of Yoshiaki’s feathers that had fallen to the deck.

“Here, kitty! Over here!”

Kani got down on all fours and waved the feather in front of the cat. And instead of waving the end, she used a flicking motion. It did not take long for the cat to let go of Ootani.

“Oh, he’s coming to you. Kani, you know how to deal with cats, don’t you?”

“My family home is next to the market, so you’d be in a lot of trouble if you didn’t know how to handle cats!”

Kani scooped up the cat in her arms and Yoshiaki rubbed her head. The girl narrowed her eyes but also stood tall.

“If you’re ever having trouble with cats, just leave it to me! It’s my specialty!”

Yoshiaki looked down to see Ootani prostrating himself at Kani’s feet. But now was not the time for that. She sighed and gave a push on Kani’s back as the girl entered bashful mode.

“Ootani, get back to work.”

“Anyway, let us get back on topic, Date Vice Chancellor!”

“Judge.” Narumi nodded. “Were you playing with a cat?”

“The cat is irrelevant to this discussion!”

Everyone responded to that with an “eh?”

“He shows off how much fun he’s having and then says it’s irrelevant?” said Terumoto.

And from the Musashi group…

“What’s wrong with him?” asked Naruze. “It looked to me like he was asking for it.”

“If so, should we not release the images of him playing with the cat?” asked Tenzou.

“Probably not,” agreed Adele. “If you ask me, a dog lover would be more honest about how they feel.”

“Heh heh heh. What about with wolves?” asked Kimi. “Hey, Mitotsudaira! Don’t you wish you had been as aggressive as your mom?”

“C-can you not use the past tense there!?” protested Mitotsudaira. “It’s an insult!”

“I-I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m just going to assume it is an affront to my honor!” cut in Ootani.

“You’re wrong there,” said Narumi. “This is how it always is with Musashi. Do you know what that means?”

“No.”

“You don’t?” she asked. “It means the whole world will be like this if Musashi takes over.”

'''Asama:''' “Sorry. That was a little too much of a shock even for me.”

'''Scarred:''' “Um, what does this mean?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “If the Chancellor conquers the world, then the entire world will be watching over you and Tenzou and cheering the two of you on.”

'''Scarred:''' “My!”

''''10ZO:''' “I-I have a feeling it won’t quite turn out that way!”

'''Vice President:''' “…”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Look at her. You can tell she never thought this through before.”

'''Vice President:''' “How can you people take this in stride?”

Ootani trembled.

…''This is dangerous!

They lived in the Warring States period, but once history shifted in Matsudaira’s favor, the Edo period and its warrior culture would begin.

The Testament did talk about Hashiba’s defeat followed by Matsudaira’s rise. The real question was how much they could resist it before it happened.

But once the coming age arrived…

“Are you saying you will create a world in which people are constantly sent flying, framed by wicked plots, and scorned!?” Ootani pointed at the ''lernen figur'' and shouted. “We are fighting for our vision for the world, so you need to have your own clear vision for the world when you face us! Got that!?”

“Wait,” said the Date Vice Chancellor. “So you say we should face each other with our own clear visions for the world?”

“Exactly!”

“Then.” She took a breath. “I can only assume you oppose Hashiba’s involvement in Date’s role in the Siege of Odawara. After all, Date and Hashiba have not shared a clear vision there.”

“Wait!”

Narumi looked back when she heard Ootani’s words.

“Are you ready to do this?” she asked.

“Are you trying to quibble your way into safety for Date!?”

“No. Which is why I asked if you are ready to do this,” she said. “If you take issue with what Date is doing, Date is prepared to battle Hashiba at any time. It is those very preparations that give Masamune a need to apologize for the late arrival and go visit Kyou. So what do you hope to accomplish by provoking me?”

Narumi looked around.

She turned her body southeast and looked far into the distance.

“Date is not looking for a way to protect itself. Even if we reproduce the late arrival, send Masamune to Kyou to apologize, and have her used as a hostage to stop us, the Seiryu has already decided who it will protect and those who serve Masamune are willing to die for her. They would tear down Kyou from within if it would make up for Kojirou’s mistaken thoughts. However…”

However…

“Kojirou and Komahime left with happiness in their hearts. So we will spare you this time, Ootani Yoshitsugu.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“If you insist on a recreation of the late arrival, we will give it to you. But you might not like the method we use.”

Narumi narrowed her eyes while viewing Hashiba’s Odawara fleet traveling east and the fleet in Edo beyond that.

“We will make sure arrive late when ‘joining the Hashiba forces in Kantou’. And we will do so with a rapid attack from the north. They should arrive in four hours’ time. And that Date attack will be the late arrival. We will be able to start the Keichou Campaign immediately afterwards. Lovely, isn’t it?”

She took a breath and spoke to someone else when she opened her mouth again.

“Rusu-san, do you know the formation of Hashiba’s Kantou fleet?”

“Testament. I can see most everything, including predictions of what they will do next.”

“What would be the most effective way to attack them?”

“I will send out the Aoba Castle. …Or the entire fleet if Hashiba insists.”

“You can’t say it like that,” warned Narumi. “Say you are sending out Masamune in burial garb.”

Yoshiyasu gasped at what Narumi said.

…''This girl.

She had changed a lot.

As Masamune’s aide, she had never strayed from her duty of guarding and protecting Masamune.

But this Date Narumi was different. She now trusted in Masamune’s strength and used her words to prepare a battlefield for Masamune.

…''Masamune changed and Narumi changed along with her.

Masamune no longer feared her own power and Narumi had been freed.

Narumi now viewed Masamune as the clan leader and someone with great strength. She was someone who could make decisions and take responsibility for anything that was left with her.

If some dragon food was tossed to her, she would choose the choicest morsels and devour them. And now that Narumi had left Date, her job was to search for the food that only she could reach but would benefit Date.

That had to be how Narumi felt she could repay her clan for letting her leave and have her freedom.

''Honestly,'' thought Yoshiyasu.

In the past, she had met Masamune and the others from Date during festivals focused on the European groups and other events. They had not exactly been friends, but she had spoken with her.

And based on that, she could tell Masamune was moving ever higher.

One must never grow complacent. Yes, that was best. You had to stay focused.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Hey, Narumin is clearly pissed, but how do we calm her down?”

'''Novice:''' “I think it would be neat to just let the world collapse!”

'''Uqui:''' “At this point, Narumi can still be calmed down with words. No weapons will be necessary if we act now.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “So how did the 2nd Special Duty Officer persuade her to stop at Date?”

'''Bell:''' “They hit each other, he grabbed her boobs, um, he gave her some panties, they hit each other with hammers, everything blew up…and it all got better?”

'''10ZO:''' “If that’s the best explanation ''Suzu-dono'' can give, it must have been an absolute disaster.”

Did none of them know how to stay focused? But…

“Wait, Date Vice Chancellor.”

Someone spoke up, It was the Musashi Vice President.

She raised her right hand and then spoke to Ootani.

“You two are parallel. In other words, at an impasse. So I would like to provide help as an outside mediator.”

Masazumi took a step forward.

The Date Vice Chancellor turned to look at her. And the look on her face was…

…''The same as always.

Naito had said she was pissed, but Masazumi felt it was more accurate to say she reacted differently depending on the problem she was addressing.

At the Vice Chancellor level, it was possible to choose battle as an option even while entirely calm. Futayo did that a lot, so Masazumi was familiar with it.

“Date Vice Chancellor,” called out Masazumi. “I appreciate the swift decision since we can’t afford to have our actions restricted between battles like this, but I have no intention of wasting Date’s forces and future. Besides…”

Besides…

“Look how calm you are. You shouldn’t go to war at the drop of a hat.”

When she said that, all the national representatives and the Date Vice Chancellor looked behind her.

“Eh?”

Masazumi turned around to see Horizon pointing her palms down and then raising them.

“Three, two, one.”

Then everyone pointed at her.

“You’re one to talk!!!”

'''Vice President:''' “What!? When have I ever gone to war at the drop of a hat!?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Someone! Anyone! Call a brain doctor!”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Do you have any of those on the Musashi? If not, it would explain a lot.”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “Judge. Some people here do a lot of very strange things.”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “Ha ha ha. Gin? Why not spar with me instead of punching the wall like that?”

''They’re all so rude,'' thought Masazumi while raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms.

“Just to be clear to the other nations, Musashi acts as independent Far Eastern territory and its actions are meant to further the causes of peace and stability. And after some conflicts with other academies, we have won-…”

She counted up the number of victories in her head. And…

“Hm, this isn’t the time to discuss that. Forget I said anything.”

“Don’t try to deny it!” they all shouted.

She held up both hands to stop them and faced forward.

“Hold on. …Listen, Date and Hashiba. If you recreate the late arrival now, I believe neither of you would like the result.”

“I don’t mind,” replied Narumi.

“If you simply ‘won’t mind’, then you have no reason to insist on it happening, right?”

After some thought, Narumi looked up into the sky.

“I suppose so.” She lowered her head again and nodded toward Masazumi. “You handle it. So I don’t have to mess with it.”

“Judge. I appreciate it. Now, Hashiba…Ootani.”

“Testament, what is your suggestion?”

“Judge,” said Masazumi again before stating her thoughts. “We will have Masamune’s late arrival done, but we will let Date choose the method and have it be a standalone history recreation. And we will not set a deadline.”

“The Musashi Vice President is here to strike a balance,” muttered Katou Yoshiaki in the sky with the Musashi visible to the west.

The cat sat on the cannon pedestal next to her and Kani had put herself at eye level with the cat. She used a feather to play with the cat while turning to look at Yoshiaki.

“Strike a balance!? What does that mean!?”

“By making Masamune’s late arrival a standalone Date history recreation, she has separated Date from the Siege of Odawara discussion. Since all the other groups have completed the Siege, nothing else will stand in the Keichou Campaign’s way.”

However…

“By making it a standalone Date history recreation, Date can no longer ‘join the Hashiba forces’ with an attack like the Date Vice Chancellor suggested earlier. They can only arrive late in the normal way. Then Masamune will be summoned to Kyou, triggering the second apology. Do you know what that means for Date?”

Kani wrinkled her brow at that.

“Hmm,” she groaned while staring meaninglessly toward Date territory, but then she looked back at Yoshiaki again. “Date can’t participate in the Keichou Campaign today!”

“More accurately, they can’t participate in any battles until their late arrival is complete. That probably means until Kyoto is safe. I wonder if this means the Musashi Vice President doesn’t want Date to do anything until the Honnouji Incident is over.”

“But isn’t that in…in…inexpedient for Date!?”

“Well done finding the word. But is that how it seems to you?”

“Testament! If they fight in the Keichou Campaign they can show Kantou, Oushuu, and the neighboring areas just how much butt they kick!”

“You mean it gives them influence.”

“Yes, that!”

“In that case,” began Yoshiaki. She also approached the cat and raised her main wing for him to see. She closed the feathers to keep any air out so it would not lift her from the deck. The cat responded to the wing’s movement by raising and turning his head. When she made a feint to the right and pulled it back, the cat got up but then crouched back down.

He may have thought she was hiding something big and fluffy behind her back.

While playing with him like that, she patted him and continued speaking.

“The Musashi Vice President has given Date an important role to play.”

“What is it!?”

“The intermediary between Kantou and Oushuu. …Think about it. Date doesn’t have to start summer break while recreating the late arrival.”

Which meant…

“While Date is recreating the late arrival, Kantou, Oushuu, and the related nations can more easily reopen their own history recreations via Date. And for anything that can only be resolved with a history recreation – such as anything left over from the Siege of Odawara or the Keichou Campaign – can be dealt with by involving Date.”

“Isn’t that cheating!? They’re abusing the history recreation!”

“Yes, if you did that under normal circumstances, the Testament Union would say you were gathering power through abuse of the history recreation and the other nations might use that ruling as an excuse to attack you.”

However…

“We were the ones that demanded they recreate the late arrival. We effectively are the Testament Union now and we asked Date to do this, so we would have a hard time finding fault with their actions.”

Of course, Musashi had said Date’s late arrival would be an independent history recreation. So it would be a problem if they tried to include other nations partway through.

…''But responsibility would fall on Date and the other nation.

Besides, P.A. Oda would be busy with the Honnouji Incident and preparing for and executing other matters.

Even if Date involved other nations in small, independent-level history recreations, they would not have the spare forces needed to stop them and accuse them each time.

“Date might be shut out of the Keichou Campaign, but they can still act as the glue between Europe and the Kantou nations. Musashi probably sees that intermediary role as a way of making up for canceling out Date’s victory with a mere prostration.”

With a “now then”, Yoshiaki turned to look at something else.

Ootani stood on the deck with his head hanging and his shoulders drooping.

“Ootani.”

“Sorry. I never imagined it would turn out like this.”

“It’s fine. And we were the ones who chose you as a negotiator. You might be an id-…no, I can’t call you an idiot…but we were the ones who chose you. Now, the end result here is that Date gains their freedom and independence, but they can no longer fight against us. You did well for an id-…no, I can’t say you did well for an idiot.”

“You’re still saying it! You’re still saying it over and over again!”

“Well, not like it matters. …This prevents Date from fully participating in the Keichou Campaign.”

With that, Yoshiaki looked down, reached for the cat, and picked him up.

“This could have gone better, but we reduced the enemy’s power. You did well. So…”

She placed the cat in front of Ootani.

“You can play with him.”

For a while, Masazumi heard a wild mixture of screams and meows from outside the blank screen’s frame.

…''What are they doing?

'''Hori-ko:''' “Is this a sinister enemy plot to leave us with no time to rest?”

'''10ZO:''' “Wouldn’t that leave them with no time to rest either?”

A few seconds later, the color gold appeared on the screen.

There were 6 gold wings and hair of the same color.

The girl wore an M.H.R.R. summer uniform and she nodded once before looking to Masazumi.

“I am Katou Yoshiaki of M.H.R.R. Hashiba. Ootani is taking a break, so I will negotiate in his place.”

Katou Yoshiaki.

Masazumi heard everyone stir when that name was given.

Were they raising their guard against an enemy?

…''They’re all ready to fight.

Looking past the Kantou Liberation, they would also face this opponent in their longer war against Hashiba.

Masazumi understood why everyone was so cautious here, so she looked back at them.

“Everyone.”

And they all formed a quick scrum.

“So it was losing to her that left Heidi-dono with udon coming from her butt.”

“I believe so, yes.”

“Y’know, the divine punishments are under my authority, but it’s still pretty scary.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Where are Heidi and Shirojiro anyway?”

“Running around trying to find some way to raise the money they need before dawn.”

“Sounds about right,” muttered Masazumi. “Wait, why is that where your impression of her comes from!?”

“Well, it’s kinda hard for us to join this conversation,” said the idiot. “It’s about losing during that Ho-Joe battle, right?”

“More or less. But if this is going to follow the history recreation, we know how it will go.”

“True enough,” said Yoshiaki without trying to hide the sigh in her voice.

When Masazumi looked back toward her, she saw a short-haired girl behind Yoshiaki. The girl was holding Ootani up in both hands, laughing, and running away. There must have been something on the floor they were playing with. Yoshiaki continued speaking with that going on in the background.

“Houjou will break apart and we have already received Ujinao’s request to retire her inherited name. Same for their other representatives and officers. Which means…”

Yoshiaki opened a ''Magie Figur'' and read some information from it.

“Houjou Genan? The Testament Union’s demand for Houjou is to actively complete every last part of the Siege of Odawara.”

“Hm, that seems light as far as these decisions go.”

“If a nation as large as Houjou is collapsing, we would like it to occur as calmly and swiftly as possible.”

Someone responded to Yoshiaki’s words: Yoshiaki. Mogami Yoshiaki, that is.

She flipped her fan around and caught it again while it was pointing straight up.

“What are you after with that light decision?”

“Could any decision be lighter than overlooking Mogami in this situation?”

“How about overlooking Musashi?”

The fox gave a bitter “ko ko” of laughter.

Then she opened the fan, held it up to her mouth, and closed it once more.

“Telling Houjou to actively complete every last part of the Siege of Odawara makes it sound like you’re trying to curry their favor.”

“It does,” added Narumi. “With those conditions, Houjou can draw out their collapse to continue with their history recreation until Masamune has completed her late arrival to the Siege of Odawara.”

Masazumi knew what Narumi was trying to say and what Mogami Yoshiaki had hinted at.

…''Is Hashiba giving Houjou time to secure their rights in the very end?

'''Novice:''' “Hashiba’s suggestion is very interesting. I mean, Houjou can’t send any of their forces to the Keichou Campaign while their collapse continues. The Testament says their forces joined Matsudaira after their collapse, but since the Siege of Odawara is not entirely complete, they can’t do that yet.”

'''Righteousness:''' “Does that mean both Date and Houjou can’t participate in the Kantou Liberation?”

'''Me:''' “What happens then?”

'''Still Got It:''' “Nate! Hurry! C’mon! Raise your hand! Now!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “What is this, bring your parent to class day!?”

But the wolf cleared her throat.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “If Date and Houjou do not participate, it will create two problems besides the simple difference in fighting force.”

Namely…

'''Silver Wolf:''' “First, there will be a supply problem. In Kantou, Houjou is to Edo’s west and Date is to Edo’s north. Even if the Kantou Liberation will be a short battle, a supply line is crucial. But with the nations to the west and north not present, we can only rely on Mogami and Uesugi, but Mogami is a little too far away and Uesugi is much too far.”

'''Me:''' “Then what’s the second problem?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Judge. Houjou is to Edo’s west, so without them, there will be no one to stop Hashiba when they arrive from the west.”

'''Uqui:''' “True. But if Houjou did attack Hashiba, it would mean Hashiba had also participated in the Kantou Liberation. Do we really want that?”

'''Musashi:''' “Using the Azuchi’s estimated speed based on the previous pursuit, if Houjou does not delay them, the Azuchi can arrive behind the liberation forces around Edo in about 20 minutes after first arriving in Houjou territory. I have determined that would be very dangerous. Over.”

''That it would,'' agreed Mitotsudaira’s mother.

'''Still Got It:''' “It’s a tough call. If Houjou could participate, they would have two choices: do not intercept Hashiba and use their forces to end the liberation in 20 minutes, or use their forces to intercept Hashiba. But without Houjou, only the former is possible, just without the Houjou forces to help.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Fwee, fwee! Mitotsudaira-sama’s mother! Parents are not allowed to answer questions!”

“Oh, dear,” said the Reine des Garou, but an outside opinion was helpful at times like this.

…''This means Mouri views this situation the same way we do.

But there was something they needed to check on.

“Houjou.”

Masazumi asked a question of Houjou Representative Genan.

“Will your nation and academy accept Hashiba’s terms?”

Yoshiyasu saw Genan nod.

“Yes, that is probably the best choice for us.”

He indicated the sky behind him.

In the southwest, several lights floated shallowly in the sky above Odawara where they had been fighting half a day before.

“Those are the transport ships carrying Houjou’s people. Most of them were already prepared for this when the Siege of Odawara happened. Prepared to go to some other land or simply prepared to leave.”

“Then, Genan. What are they doing now?”

“They are using the evacuation for the Siege of Odawara as an excuse to leave Odawara.”

Genan opened a sign frame. It displayed a map of the area around Odawara, but it provided more information on elevation and harmonic territories than cities and roads.

“Even if Azuchi is in a hurry to reach Edo, it must resupply on the way lest they arrive in Kantou with no ammunition. I imagine they will do so at Lake Biwa Azuchi and then take a route through north Odawara. But if Houjou intercepted them at Odawara when they did so…” Genan reached for the sign frame and traced his finger across it from left to right. “We would fire on them from the front and both sides while they attempted to take a straight line to the east. The Azuchi would of course place the rest of its fleet around it as a shield, so it would become a fierce battle between that escort fleet and Odawara.”

What would happen then?

“As the Siege of Odawara is not yet officially over, we can evacuate the people, but they cannot move too far away from Houjou Land. If the aerial battle in Odawara grew too large, it would harm our people and damage the city of Odawara.”

“And in the long term, Matsudaira would be losing what they would otherwise get from Houjou land?”

“Precisely, Satomi. …In the long term, it would be best for Houjou to not take action here. It would be better to allow the Azuchi through and remain as reinforcements in case the need arises.”

“Judge,” someone said. It was the Musashi Vice President. “I agree with your suggestion from a long term viewpoint. Houjou is supposed to be Matsudaira’s enemy when it collapses, so do not worry about us and prioritize the safety of your people.”

“Are you sure?”

Genan narrowed his eyes toward the girl.

But she simply nodded and crossed her arms.

“I am. After all…”

Yoshiyasu listened to the answer as intently as Genan did.

“We are looking to the future. Planning to acquire something in the future is our specialty. Houjou has been looking to the past and trying to live in the past, but now you are handing us some power in the future. That means you are one of us.”

So…

“We will grab that outstretched hand in the future, Houjou.”

…''How childish.

Genan could not keep the bitter smile from his lips.

Children always believed the future belonged to them.

It probably helped that the Testament promised the future to Matsudaira. Of course, he felt certain that future would end at some far off point, but…

“Will you give us the present, Musashi?” asked Genan. “Then we will accept Hashiba’s proposal…and now that the present is ours, we will send our entire past to the bearers of the future.”

And…

“This ends the Siege of Odawara. This ends Houjou. Is that acceptable, Hashiba?”

Katou Yoshiaki viewed her ''Magie Figur''.

Anti-M.H.R.R. divine transmission defenses had been set up from Odawara and across the entire Kantou region. She could only get information through that thanks to the efforts in the P.A. Oda controlled region of eastern Koshinetsu, Sakuma’s cruising supply fleet acting as a relay point, and…

“Ikeda Terumasa’s unit has also made for an excellent relay point.”

“Ah! Ikeda-kun! He’s actually doing his job!?”

Yoshiaki appreciated it. It meant a lot that she had this information and these instructions, especially the mission instruction document created by Hashiba and Takenaka.

Everyone knew Kantou was within Hashiba’s reach.

Transport ships loaded with equipment for relaying and amplifying divine transmissions were being sent to the eastern edge of P.A. Oda territory. They would provide divine transmission backup during the Keichou Campaign, but they would also deter the nearby nations from trying anything.

Hashiba and the others would be rushing in past them soon. No…

…''Angie’s probably already flying through there.

Yoshiaki was not cut off from her companions. She kept that in mind as she read what the instruction document from Hashiba told her to say.

“Mouri.”

There was something she had to say.

“First, the Testament says Mouri Terumoto stayed behind during the Keichou Campaign due to health problems. Therefore, you are banned from participating in the fighting during the Keichou Campaign.”

“Yeah, testament, testament. We’ve got someone to command our troops, so I can just sit back and watch.”

“Very good,” replied Yoshiaki. And, “The Mouri forces handled the transporting of supplies during the Keichou Campaign, so that is what we will have you do. …In other words, we would like for all of Mouri’s supplies to be handed over to the Edo Hashiba forces.”

Masazumi frowned at what Yoshiaki said.

…''So she’s reducing our supplies to lay on the pressure.

'''Novice:''' “Not bad. Keeping Date and Houjou out of the fight doubled as a way of cutting off our supplies. To then steal Mouri’s supplies means they’re trying to starve us out. It’s a very Hashiba method.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Why would you explain it if you haven’t come up with a solution? Are you just trying to worry everyone?”

'''Worshiper:''' “Um, uh, can I say something?”

Ohiroshiki addressed the sudden concerns and questions.

'''Worshiper:''' “The Kantou Liberation will be a short-term battle, right? Even if Mouri hands over all their supplies, Musashi’s reserves can cover things for a day or two. If you ask me, they would need at least a week before they could hope to starve us out.”

“Judge,” agreed Masazumi.

'''Vice President:''' “I think Ohiroshiki is right.”

'''Worshiper:''' “Eh? My assistance is finally being acknowledged!? You’re finally noticing the brilliance of my thoughts which are as shockingly lovely as a little girl!?”

'''Vice President:''' “Okay, does anyone disagree?”

'''Worshiper:''' “W-wait! Wh-why would you do this!? How could you invite abuse upon my opinion while it trembles like a poor little girl!?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Oh, I’ll abuse it all right. Juuuuudge.”

'''Vice President:''' “Judge. Then take it away, Naito.”

“Sure thing,” began Naito.

'''Gold Mar:''' “This is based on my experience in the delivery business, okay? It takes at least 3 days for Musashi’s reserves to reach 10 days’ worth…so how long do you think it would take to send a days’ worth to Mouri?”

Naito explained her concern as a deliverer.

'''Gold Mar:''' “It takes 3 days, or 72 hours, to transport 10 days’ worth, so that’s 7.2 hours for a day’s worth, right?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Yeah, and before you can even start on the actual work, you would have to gather transport equipment and personnel and then provide them with instructions. That means adding about 2 hours of preparation on top of that.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “We have to be at a land port to make full use of Musashi’s transport district. Because the hull structure is weakened when the side is fully opened like that.”

'''Musashi:''' “Thank you for your concern. When trading with another nation’s ship, it takes time to set up the hub for their transport ships, so that is another unrealistic aspect of that idea. Over.”

…''I had a feeling.

There simply was not enough time. However…

'''Me:''' “Gold Mar.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Eh? What is it, Chancellor?”

“Well,” replied the Chancellor.

'''Me:''' “Can’t we just have everyone from Mouri board the Musashi? With descent spells.”

Masazumi saw some lights.

They were on Musashino’s bridge. Lights were coming on all across that bridge-shaped structure.

'''Asama:''' “Oh, you thought this through.”

'''Musashino:''' “The tentative plan is complete. It would be possible to accept Mouri’s estimated 20,000 fighters onboard. Since we would have to consider the ship and fleet balance, rapid gravitational cruising would not be possible, but that should not be a problem for the localized Kantou Liberation. Over.”

'''Me:''' “You can do it? Awesome.”

'''Musashino:''' “We can do it. It is no different from taking on a heavy object. And if they descend from above, it should be possible to get 20,000 onboard in 30 minutes to an hour. But to be honest, the balance calculations considering hull strength and movement of personnel would take 5 hours based on-…”

'''Musashi:''' “…”

'''Musashino:''' “Would take 3 hours.”

'''Musashi:''' “…”

'''Musashino:''' “W-would take 2 hours.”

'''Musashi:''' “I have determined that is fine. Over.”

Naito calmly posted “quite the balance of power they’ve got there” in the divine chat, but was this really okay?

At any rate…

'''Musashi:''' “Please assume we can always welcome anyone on board without issue. Over.”

“That’s good to hear,” said Neshinbara. “Of course, this doesn’t mean Hexagone Française will agree to it and we still need their warships’ cannons. But if we send their ships out to attack while their normal fighters reinforce the Musashi’s fighting force, I think we can put together a decent strategy.”

“I see…” said Masazumi while turning to look at the idiot.

It was crazy, but it would still work. But when she looked to the idiot who had provided the idea…

…''Huh?

For once, the nudist was wearing clothes and the crossdresser was dressed like a boy.

“What’s wrong, Aoi? You’re dressed normally and it’s weirding me out.”

“Wh-what the hell is wrong with you!? I went to so much effort to charm people with my act itself instead of my fashion, and yet you still have to cast as-asp-aspers-…well, you know what I mean!”

While standing next to the idiot, Horizon pulled a teacup out of nowhere, held it in one hand, placed her other hand on her hip, gulped down the tea, and then looked down on him from above.

“What part of your reaction just now was supposed to be funny? Explain it to me.”

“She’s a messenger from hell,” muttered the others and Masazumi could only agree.

But she was curious about the way the idiot had been acting before this reaction.

“Hey, Aoi.”

“What is it, Seijun-kun?”

“You don’t have to act all serious just because no one thought your reaction was funny.”

“Dammiiiiit! Why is life so unfair!? Anyway, what is it?”

“Well, uh, Aoi? You’ve been thinking about something for a while now, haven’t you?”

Asama and Mitotsudaira agreed with that and his sister spoke up.

“Has something been on your mind, foolish brother?”

“Yeah, just a little something,” said Aoi. “Are they going easy on us?”

Masazumi refocused her mind when the idiot pointed that out.

She had been relieved that Hashiba’s demands were all things they could deal with, but she cast aside that relief.

…''Are we in trouble?

The idiot’s response had contained a nuance of “we can probably get by either way”. They still had strength to spare, but in addition to that…

“Is Hashiba plotting something else with this supply problem?”

''If so,'' thought Masazumi as she hurried onward.

'''Vice President:''' “I don’t care who, but can anyone guess why Hashiba’s suggestion just now could be dangerous?”

There was some trick there.

There had to be. That was why it felt like Hashiba was going easy on them.

And if the trick was not an immediate danger, the danger would have to come later. What felt like “going easy” now would become anything but at some point. That was what the idiot feared. So…

'''Vice President:''' “Can anyone figure out what Hashiba is thinking?”

Someone responded.

'''Mar-Ga:''' “I have something to add to Margot’s opinion concerning the delivery business side of things.”

It was Naruze. She was up on the bridge and she sent them a video.

It showed the Mouri fleet landing at Odawara during the night.

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Hashiba’s request comes with another troublesome factor. They’re trying to wear Mouri and us down in Kantou after the battle.”

Naito agreed with Naruze.

It was summer and the Musashi had atmospheric defenses, but when up on the bridge at night, they could get chilled by the night breeze circulating around the Musashi. She and Naruze sat there with an improvised tent over their heads.

'''Gold Mar:''' “After losing the Keichou Campaign, I bet Hashiba will go thoroughly burn down Edo and Satomi once more. That will prevent them from having enough food at either location.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “But with Date and Houjou off limits, they won’t be able to get through the recovery period with back-and-forth transportation from the neighboring nations. And Mouri will be handing
their reserves over to Hashiba, so those supplies are off the table too. …Musashi will likely be forced to send food to the people of Edo and Satomi after the battle, but that won’t last even a full month. So what happens then?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' I can send food from my territory. I have built up decent reserves. If I have it sent directly to Edo and Satomi, the distance shouldn’t be much of an issue. And we can more efficiently distribute the food to individual areas by using the Ariake as a relay point.”

'''Novice:''' “But if that happens, Kantou will no longer be a threat to Hashiba.”

Neshinbara cut in.

'''Novice:''' “If the reserves in Mitotsudaira-kun’s territory are released, Musashi will no longer own anything in Kantou. And Kantou won’t be able to withstand an attack. Then we won’t have any kind of insurance or backup no matter what we choose to do next.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Then, um, there are smaller nations in and around Kantou, right? How about we rely on them?”

'''Vice President:''' “Mouri came here to show Kantou what they can do and I think they planned to get Houjou’s support in doing so. But what happens if they can’t provide any of their supplies and have to rely on the smaller nations instead?”

Naito groaned in thought.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Mouri will be indebted to the Kantou clans, when they wanted it the other way around.”

…''This is a real pain.

Of course, Hashiba had assembled this pain of a situation. And they had included Date and Houjou as pieces of the puzzle.

…''Eh?

Just as she realized that something about this felt off, the Chancellor spoke up.

'''Me:''' “Gold Mar. I have a question. I said it was like they were going easy on us, right?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Eh? Yeah, you said that, Chancellor.”

“But,” he continued before he and Naito said the exact same thing: “It’s a pain.”

Why was that? Why did it feel like Hashiba was going easy on them while also feeling like a pain? Naito realized the answer.

“Ah.”

“What is it, Margot? Please don’t tell me you caught his idiot germs.”

“Oh, no, well, um.”

Margot shook her head before continuing.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Seijun! You should set this issue aside and ask Hashiba if they have any other conditions! And I mean as soon as possible!”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Eh? Set aside an issue and move on to the next condition? Won’t they forcibly give us some awful condition if we do that?”

'''Scarred:''' “No, this is to prevent some kind of cumulative effect from the conditions. Right, Lady Naito?”

“Judge!” confirmed Naito.

'''Gold Mar:''' “I think Hashiba’s entire negotiation here is a trap! It looks like they’re taking it one negotiation at a time, but I think they’re taking the condition agreed to in the previous negotiation, eliminating it in the next negotiation, and ultimately trapping us somewhere!”

''So that’s it!'' realized Masazumi when Naito’s words gave her thoughts the push they needed.

The idiot had been right. Ever since Katou Yoshiaki had taken over, it felt like Hashiba was going easy on them with their demands.

But that was not because Hashiba’s attacks were actually weak.

…''They make it look like that to put us at ease while using some kind of trick against us!

First, they had used the late arrival to seal away Date.

Then they had used the late arrival again to seal away Houjou.

And after sealing away both of them, they had placed restrictions on Mouri.

With each one, they were restraining a single nation so the interests involved could be clearly seen.

But altogether, it created a powerful restraint.

Even if the issue with each nation could be solved, it had a cumulative effect on every connected nation.

These conditions ultimately did nothing but harm, so as they built up…

…''We’re in trouble.

Masazumi had been slow to catch on because the negotiation was separated out between nation.

They had already done Date, Houjou, and Mouri, so next would be…

'''Righteousness:''' “Us?”

'''Vice President:''' “No, Satomi owns the peninsula, so you’re a necessary part of the Keichou Campaign. And Mogami has already shown their hostility toward Hashiba, so there would be no point in negotiating with them. …So we’re next.”

''That’s right,'' thought Masazumi.

'''Vice President:''' “Hashiba’s goal here is to remove Musashi from the Kantou Liberation. If they can do that, Satomi loses their backup.”

The idea of removing Musashi from Kantou caught Mitotsudaira’s attention.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Wait, Masazumi! You said ‘removing’ Musashi from the Kantou Liberation, right? Why that and not restraining or restricting us?”

She received an immediate answer to her question.

'''Vice President:''' “Because Hashiba went along with our provocation.”

“In other words,” said Masazumi while tapping her sign frame. Then she addressed Yoshiaki in the sky. “Hashiba, if you have any Keichou Campaign conditions for Musashi outside of the ones between you and Mouri, I would like to hear them.”

You have something, don’t you?

“You have some impossible history recreation, don’t you? Let’s hear it, Hashiba.”

“Testament.”

This reply came not from Ootani or Yoshiaki.

A staticky image appeared on the floor. It displayed…

“Hello. Th-this is Hashiba.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 6

2019-04-17T02:30:04Z

141.101.77.137: /* Chapter 6: Representatives on the Decision Stage */

==Chapter 6: Representatives on the Decision Stage==
[[Image:Horizon_7A_208-209.png|thumb]]
''Here I am

''Right and left

''I will give you them both

''…What is with those arms?

'''Point Allocation (Small Animals)

Tenzou observed their surroundings at a few steps away from Masazumi.

He was focused on Sviet Rus’s response to the Logismoi Oplo being presented. Honjou Shigenaga looked around much like he did, but…

“…”

She adjusted her sunglasses to hide her eyes, but the sense he got from her was…

…''She is on the lookout for anyone trying anything.

Satomi Yoshiyasu was unfazed, perhaps because she had seen them already. Or because she knew she had helped earn these.

Similarly, Mogami Yoshiaki hid her mouth behind her fan, but there was obvious anticipation in her eyes. She was interested in seeing what would happen next.

''In that case,'' thought Tenzou as he looked to someone else.

Houjou Genan had his eyes closed and a bitter smile on his lips. As if…

'''Scarred:''' “The Houjou Representative looks like he’s laughing at himself.”

'''10ZO:''' “You think so too, Mary-dono?”

'''Scarred:''' “Y-you do too, Master Tenzou!?”

Behind him, he heard cries of “ohhh” and “kyahhh” from the girls, but he knew turning around to look would be too dangerous.

…''Regardless.

He set optical reflection on a sign frame and added a glossy affect to reflect the scene behind him.

The narrow frame showed Mary shaking her head with her hands on her cheeks and the girls surrounding her and cheering her on.

Tenzou had a thought when he saw the surprised blush and smile on Mary’s face.

…''If such a short exchange can inspire that much emotion, we need to speak more often.

Of course, Mary still would not look right at him.

He would likely have to wait until she had calmed down some. Besides, they already lived in the same room. This inability to look him in the eye would not last long. ''Probably. Hopefully. If it does, my life will probably become hell, but I guess it’s still better than being ignored.'' But…

'''10ZO:''' “Masazumi-dono.”

'''Vice President:''' “Yes. Based on Houjou Genan’s reaction, Houjou and Mouri must have already agreed to this.”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “Does that mean our two victories at the Siege of Odawara were meaningless?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Eh!? So our noble noodle-maker sacrifice was for nothing!?”

'''Worshiper:''' “Sacrifice? Didn’t you just lose and make things more difficult for us?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Oh, to hell with you! You’re not supposed to tell the truth!! And just so you know, I’m in the process of seeing if there’s any way of getting rid of this with money! See? I’m staying positive!”

'''10ZO:''' “How much money do you have on hand?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Well! Since the Public Morals Committee Head froze our account, 130 yen!”

'''Novice:''' “Why not sell your shop? That’s got to be worth something, right?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Whaaaat!? No one can transfer the money to us with our account frozen. And do you have any idea how much time all the processing would take? The noodle-maker would happen first.”

'''Novice:''' “M-maybe don’t be so hostile when you need help!?”

''Our merchant and his aide are too quick to throw out their dignity.

At any rate, Masazumi viewed the Logismoi Oplo containers and spoke.

'''Vice President:''' “Mouri is not that naïve. …They are a great western power, so they would have made us make up for our losses to keep the promise we made before the battle. If we had not had enough wins, they would have demanded more rights from us and demonstrated that Mouri is superior to Musashi.”

'''Novice:''' “Correct. If they’re looking ahead to the Peace of Westphalia, they would want to establish a hierarchy of nations while focus is on Kantou.”

When Masazumi agreed with that, Tenzou realized what the Punishment of Houjou had been all about.

…''That really was a kind of “war”.

Now he understood why Mogami had been the first to descend from their diplomatic ship.

Musashi had only achieved that victory and this situation because of Mogami and Satomi.

The fox and the dog had done well.

…''Come to think of it, we also have a wolf, Uqui-dono is a dragon, and there’s the Suzaku, so we have an awful lot of animals. But I guess covering the entire zodiac would be hoping for too much.

But Tenzou had another thought about Genan’s self-deprecating smile.

The expression was gone now, but the old man had likely meant it as a “Did you see that?”

Genan must have predicted this situation. According to the Testament, Houjou Genan had served the Houjou clan across three generations, so that expression must have come from the experience that had provided.

''In that case,'' thought Tenzou.

'''10ZO:''' “Masazumi-dono, I see no problem with accepting the Logismoi Oplo. Horizon-dono, I recommend retrieving them quickly.”

Yoshiyasu saw Musashi’s princess step out from the Musashi group to approach the Mouri group.

She crouched down and kept looking to either side while jogging toward Mouri.

…''Why is she sneaking?

As Yoshiyasu had feared, the Musashi princess placed her hands on the Logismoi Oplo containers in front of the Mouri group and…

“————”

While averting her gaze, she quickly opened the containers and immediately shoved the contents into the storage space behind her.

Mouri Terumoto responded to the action.

“Hey.”

“Hm? Do you need something?”

“Hold on there. What did you just do?”

“Nothing at all.”

“No, wait. Could you show me what you have behind you?”

“No, no, no. You do not have the authority.”

“Just let me see what you’ve got there.”

“Are you a shoplifter and a security guard!?”

When everyone shouted that, Musashi’s princess looked around and then waved her hands side to side.

“No, you misunderstand. The secret ultimate weapons known as the Logismoi Oplo may almost never come in handy, but they are very effective as political bargaining chips. After all, they are well-known for being ineffective as weapons.”

“Master Muneshige! Master Muneshige! You don’t have to add a Muneshige Ranking for each weapon on your site!”

''Glad I’m not them.

But Musashi’s princess glanced back at her storage space as she continued.

“So I was thinking it would be dangerous to let anyone see the Logismoi Oplo being handed over.”

“Ohhh. Horizon, I appreciate the thought, but could you maybe act more like a national representative?”

“Judge. Understood, Masazumi-sama.”

Musashi’s princess raised her right hand toward Mouri Terumoto.

“I have taken your vainglory and pride.”

“Testament. That sounds pretty crazy when you say it out loud.”

“Now, if you will fill out this receipt.”

“Hold on.”

Terumoto glared at Musashi’s princess as she pulled a parchment receipt from her storage space.

“Fill in the ‘recipient’ box with ‘Horizon Ariadust’ and the ‘item name’ box with ‘Logismoi Oplo x2’. Oh, and I will provide an invoice for the same items, so please keep it on file.”

Yoshiyasu watched Terumoto’s glaring intensify as she filled out the form as asked.

'''Asama:''' “Terumoto-san is surprisingly responsible about these things.”

'''Me:''' “Huh? We got the Logismoi Oplo back!? Hell yeah!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “So, um, we did get them back, but what is the situation now?”

'''Uqui:''' “Can’t you see? Mouri Terumoto is filling out a receipt for Horizon.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Please! Can’t someone explain this in an understandable fashion!?”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Calm down, Mitotsudaira! As far as I can see, this is nothing more than Mouri Terumoto filling out a receipt for Horizon!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Tomoooo!”

'''Asama:''' “Um, calm down, Mito. …Now, Kimi, you need to be more accurate or you’ll confuse Mito. So, um, just look, Mito. Horizon just handed an invoice to Terumoto-san.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “This doesn’t make any sense!”

''Why would you expect sense around here?'' wondered Yoshiyasu.

…''But this means two Logismoi Oplo have been returned to Musashi.

They now had a total of six. Which left…

'''Vice President:''' “Akedia, gluttony, and lust.”

Yoshiyasu saw the Musashi Vice President give a quick nod to Mouri Terumoto.

“The Apocalypse situation has shifted much further in Musashi’s favor,” she said. “But that isn’t all. Right, Mouri Terumoto?”

Terumoto did not hide what she thought.

She spread her mouth horizontally and felt her lips bending into a smile, but she did not stop it.

She looked straight ahead to the Musashi Vice President.

…''This girl!

Ever since the Siege of Odawara, this girl had never let up. She refused to go along with what Terumoto wanted.

She always read between the lines, figured out what was really going on, and ensured her side’s safety throughout.

She might look like an ally, but she was behaving a lot like an enemy.

Where had she learned to be so cautious?

There must have been a time when that girl had hid herself, observed the other person’s behavior, and acted accordingly.

…''In my case, it was my life in the reservation.

What had made this girl like this?

“Nobu-tan! Nobu-tan! It looks like Masazumi-kun is negotiating with the national representatives on Tama, so should we really be having a karaoke tournament here!?”

“Koni-tan, you fool! We already gathered all the information necessary for that meeting and submitted it to the committees! The rest depends on Masazumi. …But not to worry. I made sure to give her the sensibilities and everything else she needs to be a politician!”

“Nobu-tan! That actually sounds really cool!”

“Judge! I must always maintain my dignity and presence as her father. Unfortunately, that meant I could never actually communicate with her. The other day, I invited her to go see the kid’s kabuki show ‘Yoshitsune’s Kickass Fund-Raising Fighters’, but she declined and said I did not have to force myself. …Ishikawa, I gave that ticket to you! Get over here for a second!”

“Nobu-tan! Nobu-tan! You should really consider the timing of these things!”

Terumoto recalled that the Musashi Vice President’s father was on Musashi’s Provisional Council. He must have trained her to be like this.

She had lived in Mikawa before moving to Musashi and becoming Vice President, so she probably had a strongly Far Eastern point of view. However…

…''Did she learn how powerful nations do things at England and Magdeburg?

''Also,'' added Terumoto.

There was a somewhat troublesome thing about the Musashi Vice President.

…''She’s really acclimated herself to Musashi’s weirdness.

'''Flat Vassal:''' “V-Vice President! I think the Mouri Representative is giving you an extremely suspicious look.”

'''Vice President:''' “Wait, what? Did I do something?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Hm, I think you’re good, Seijun.”

'''Vice President:''' “Really, Naito?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Yeah. Everyone’s done something or other without realizing it, so this is normal.”

'''Vice President:''' “That’s not good at all!”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Don’t be silly. It happens all the time. Y’know, like suddenly finding you’ve finished a storyboard or drawn more pages than planned.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Anyway, the receipt I was given checks out, so the retrieval was a success. I suppose I will activate them and incorporate them into my system real quick on the way back. I want to get to sleep as soon as I can.”

'''Me:''' “Is it just me or is their value plummeting?”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige! Master Muneshige! They were very valuable back when it was just Lype Katathlipse! So just think of it as the relative value as they grow in number!”

''It can’t be fun being one of the original owners,'' thought Masazumi without taking her eyes off of Mouri Terumoto.

“From Mouri’s perspective, I imagine returning the Logismoi Oplo was part of the post-battle negotiation.”

But there was something more.

Houjou Genan knew that, hence the self-deprecation.

If returning the Logismoi Oplo was all there was, he would have had no reason to smile like that. He would only have smiled bitterly in order to say “it’s over”.

But since he had shown self-deprecation…

…''They have some other silly thing to do.

Even after returning the Logismoi Oplo, there was still something worth laughing at themselves over.

What was that?

…''I’m betting it has to do with that.

A mystery diplomatic ship was landing beyond the Mouri one.

Mouri had two other ships which were landing over there, but that was likely to prevent Musashi from seeing the mystery ship. Or…

'''Tonbokiri:''' “They are making sure that ship cannot escape.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “All the windows you might be able to see inside are covered with curtains.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “We need to buy some thick curtains too.”

'''Asama:''' “Oh, you’re right.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “…”

'''Asama:''' “Eh!? No, um, I didn’t mean anything weird. I just meant privacy for, um…no, I mean to prevent fires!”

'''Me:''' “I mean, I don’t want to be peeped on either. I sometimes work on new material at home.”

'''Asama:''' “Right!? Right!?”

'''Me:''' “Yeah. Also, I sometimes get really fired up when playing porn games at night.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “It would seem I need to give your room a thorough destroying from time to time.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Anyway, let’s just assume they’re busy playing porn games in that ship.”

That was an awful conclusion to reach.

But if they were preventing anyone from seeing inside, they must really not want anyone to know what nation they were from.

…''And they’re waiting until after the meeting.

That meant Terumoto’s plan and Genan’s self-deprecation were both about something after the meeting. In that case, Mouri would not be the center of the discussion.

Masazumi turned to face the person she needed to speak with now. That meant looking away from Terumoto.

“Come on out. I know you can hear this.”

She spoke to…

“Negotiator Ootani Yoshitsugu. Let’s hear what you have to say about the end of the Siege of Odawara.”

Asama opened a targeting spell around her.

The foundation was built on Branch and Leaf Connection, the targeting spiritual protection spell created to defend the Ariake. A hemispherical ether turret was displayed overhead like a compass and it spun around.

“Heh heh heh. Asama! Who are you planning to shoot!? Looks like you’re aimed at…zooooooom in! Oh, dear! That’s Mito’s boobs! Are you trying to blast an air hole in them so they get even smaller!? Are you sure you should do that!?”

“Mito, you deal with Kimi.”

“Tomo! I’ll admit that reaction is new, but it doesn’t solve anything!”

That was true, but what else could she do? Also, she was not using this to shoot someone this time.

“Ah, there he is!”

Branch and Leaf Connection’s crosshairs aligned at a position just above eye level in the southeastern sky.

The target was approximately 3km away.

The anti-virus protection the Asama Shrine had built seemed to be working because Ootani was all the way out there.

The half a celestial sphere opened around Asama was targeting something in the distance.

…''An M.H.R.R. Catholic-style sign frame.

Once she had it targeted, she opened a telescope sight. She then displayed an enlarged version of the image above the entire meeting space like it was a ceiling painting.

There was some static in the image, but it definitely showed Ootani.

But something was off about him in that Catholic sign frame.

“Why is he so beat up?”

“I dunno.” Masazumi tilted and scratched her head before asking a question of the image overhead. “Hey, Ootani, aren’t you kind of beat up? Did you even participate in the Siege of Odawara?”

“Not to worry! I merely happened across an unexpected foe a few hours ago.”

“Okay, I won’t worry about it.”

“W-wait! Don’t you want to hear my tale of derring-do!? Telling and listening to war stories is an honor for warriors, is it not!? Actually, you’re just ignoring me, aren’t you!? Aren’t you!?”

“No, I’m listening, I’m listening. So what’d you say?”

Masazumi could be pretty cruel. But then she pointed up at the overhead sign frame and looked back at Asama.

“Asama, can you not put it overhead? My neck is getting tired.”

“Okay, I’ll put it below us.”

“Heh heh. Asama? Won’t that give him a low angle view?”

“Hmm.” Asama spent around two seconds thinking about how the sign frame worked. “Then I’ll double it so the image is below and the camera is above.”

Setting it up was simple enough. This created a greater processing load, but she could fix that by trimming the FPS by 2 or 3. So she did so.

“How about this?”

She placed the image of Ootani below them so the various national representatives were surrounding it.

“Ah, what is going on!?” said Ootani. “I am up here, but I can see myself down there!”

“Don’t worry about it, Ootani. Your viewpoint’s the same, so you can look down on us all you want.”

“I see… Wait, but now I can only see the tops of your heads because you’re all looking down!”

“Ootani, let’s not be selfish.”

“I-I don’t like the pity in your voice! Or the way you’re looking down as you say it!”

He was an incredibly well made virus, but Asama felt like this kind of defeated the purpose.

At any rate, Masazumi raised her right hand. She stuck her right arm out to the side and she pointed to the sky with the white glove on her raised right forearm.

“Ootani. How did Houjou do at the Siege of Odawara? We can start with that.” She inhaled. “And, Ootani, listen carefully. Whatever your answer, we will find a way to pursue you. So give us your assessment of the Punishment of Houjou with that in mind.”

She said it.

And she looked up so suddenly she seemed to shatter the atmosphere. She was looking at Ootani. And at Hashiba who she knew had to be watching too.

She was making sure her words reached Hashiba and she clenched her raised right hand.

“Listen.”

“Well? Can you hear me, Hashiba? Is this reaching you, P.A. Oda? There’s still a lot we don’t know and you might be snickering at our ignorance, but we will still use the world’s current rules to pursue you. So use your interpretations, Hashiba. If you don’t want us on your tail, then use your interpretations and use the ‘proper’ distortions of forced Testament compliance to endure our attacks. …We welcome it. After all, we have an idiot on our side and everyone who supports us has changed or is changing. At the very least, we are not alone. We won’t let any of us be alone, so we will continue forward in search of something. That is what we and our nation will do. If we’re missing anything, we will accept something to fill that gap. The borderline of universal acceptance is plenty large, so all we need to do is continue forward.

“What stands in our way? You.

“So make your decision, Hashiba and P.A. Oda. We will simply grant the history you have forced on us all. If you will force the rules of the Testament onto the world and its nations and if you will bet people’s lives on the result, we will give you the history you want.

“Listen up, world. If there are sacrifices on the path ahead and you are being forced to make those sacrifices, then call us. We have proven and will continue to prove that no interpretation or coercion can stand in our way.”

Masazumi did not take a breath after she finished.

She held her breath for a few seconds before slowly inhaling.

Meanwhile, only silence surrounded her. However…

…''This is a gamble.

That divine transmission must have reached P.A. Oda. And the representatives here would have sent it to their nations. That was especially important when it came to Hexagone Française. And…

'''Musashi:''' “Tomoe Gozen-sama of the M.H.R.R. Protestants has sent word that she received that divine transmission. Over.”

That was enough.

This was the turning point leading to the end of the Thirty Years’ War.

But unlike the Age of the Gods described in the Testament, the M.H.R.R. Catholics, who included Hashiba, had not lost their national strength. So the other nations feared their interpretive “defeat” and revenge.

The European nations in particular would be reliant on Hexagone Française.

And the result of the flooding of Paris would have only strengthened that reliance.

So it would be dangerous to just let the Kantou Liberation happen. Mouri and Hexagone Française would increase their international reputation and Musashi could be limited to Kantou, or at best nowhere west of the Tokai region, in order to provide assistance.

…''So we need to announce our hostile stance against Hashiba before the Kantou Liberation.

The flooding of Paris had been good PR for Hexagone Française, but it helped Musashi too.

It had proven that Hashiba and M.H.R.R. were not unbeatable.

So it would seem more plausible that Musashi could do it too. And…

“How about it?”

The world’s nations now had two options. When considering their opposition to M.H.R.R. and Hashiba, they could either rely on Hexagone Française or join with Musashi.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “You completely caught them off guard, Masazumi. You lured the nations in, had them open their divine transmission lines, gathered every other nation’s attention, and then proclaimed your intent to oppose Hashiba and fight yet another war.”

'''Vice President:''' “Yes, well, this seemed like the best time.”

“True,” agreed Naruze on a divine transmission.

'''Mar-Ga:''' “The top trending terms on the European network are ‘Musashi’, ‘warmonger’, and ‘invasion of Europe’. The threads are exploding.”

'''10ZO:''' “If everyone is focused on that, why is ‘That Ninja General 7312’ still getting so much attention on the Musashi network? Are the Musashi residents numb to it by now?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Envy of others is more popular than war. …Oh, is that a victory for me since I control envy? I must do my best to avoid getting a big head about it.”

'''Vice President:''' “Dammit! It doesn’t bother me! I won’t let it bother me!”

No, that was not the issue.

For one thing, they could not wait until after the Kantou Liberation to challenge Hashiba.

She more or less knew what was going to happen now.

And this had to be the best time to make a move against Hashiba. So…

'''Vice President:''' “Listen, everyone. We might be losing to Crossunite in Musashi, but we’re doing pretty well in the rest of the world. Not that that’s a good thing exactly.”

'''Uqui:''' “Masazumi, shouldn’t you calm down some? Yes, just like us.”

'''Vice President:''' “No, all of you are just crazy.”

“But wait,” said Masazumi.

'''Vice President:''' “Hashiba probably hopes to get summer break started. They want to intervene in the Kantou Liberation and begin summer break with as little damage to their own forces as possible.”

'''Laborer:''' “How can you be so sure? Help me understand.”

''Yeah, I guess a lot of our people wouldn’t understand what I’m talking about…'' thought Masazumi while mentally looking down at the floor. But her response was simple.

'''Vice President:''' “P.A. Oda will start working on the Honnouji Incident during or immediately after summer break, so Hashiba will not hesitate to use their Great Return here. And they will try to keep their losses to a minimum in Kantou.”

Do you understand?

'''Vice President:''' “During summer break, any history recreations not contained to your own nation are generally banned. Anything that involves another nation is usually delayed until after summer break. So to put it another way…”

Masazumi explained.

'''Vice President:''' “If the Honnouji Incident is recreated during or immediately after summer break, P.A. Oda can safely end it, hand things over to the next generation, and fight against Europe and the other nations with a new system at the start of the second term.”

''So that’s it,'' thought Yoshiyasu as she came to understand what everyone was doing here.

…''We can assume P.A. Oda will begin a new system during summer break.

That would be a threat to the nearby nations and Kantou as a whole.

Of course, this had been fairly predictable, so those nations would have been completing crucial history recreations in advance to avoid the threat.

But it felt more real now that all the pieces had been gathered.

The plan was to pursue Hashiba and P.A. Oda in order to wear down their national strength. However…

'''Righteousness:''' “At this rate, just as we begin our pursuit in earnest, P.A. Oda will use the break to establish their new system and sweep across Europe and other areas.”

'''Vice President:''' “Yes. However the Kantou Liberation ends, it will not do any direct damage to P.A. Oda. So if Hashiba is worried about anything, it would be the loss of officers and skilled fighters from Oda.”

“Judge,” agreed Yoshiyasu as she came to understand something else.

This was why Hashiba had sent a novice like Kani to the Siege of Odawara.

She had also heard Ikeda Terumasa had started rebuilding the Shirasagi Castle in the mountains of west Kantou.

…''They’re raising their next generation to be immediately useful after the break.

''In that case,'' began Yoshiyasu in her heart.

'''Righteousness:''' “This ''would'' be the time to say this.”

They could not wait until after the Kantou Liberation to challenge Hashiba.

Afterwards, Hashiba could just claim they were beginning summer break and build themselves back up from there.

If P.A. Oda said there were no more history recreations to be fulfilled at the moment, they could declare their territory inviolable and guarantee a new invasion under a new system after the break.

So it had to be now.

'''Righteousness:''' “Understood.”

Yoshiyasu recalled what Musashi’s Vice President had said in the bathhouse earlier.

…''Musashi might not be able to take part in the Kantou Liberation.

She knew what that must have meant.

'''Righteousness:''' “If Hashiba wants to arrive in time for the Kantou Liberation, rushing to Kantou is not their only option. They can force us into a history recreation and wear down our forces before the Kantou Liberation. With fewer forces, the Liberation would take longer and they could make it in time.”

And she knew what the Musashi Vice President must be thinking.

'''Righteousness:''' “Musashi plans to use that in order to start a history recreation when they try to start summer break. Also…”

She also knew how they would do that.

'''Righteousness:''' “Musashi intends to intervene in the Honnouji Incident, don’t you?”

'''Uqui:''' “So that’s it. Now I see what Masazumi wants to do.”

Masazumi nodded at Urquiaga’s comment.

'''Vice President:''' “It feels like this took forever to explain, but there you have it.”

“I see,” said Urquiaga. And…

'''Uqui:''' “Hey, everyone! Masazumi says she wants us to go without a summer break.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Ehhhhhhhhhh!?”

'''Vice President:''' “Hey, wait!”

After shouting in text form, the idiot physically ran over. He was pale, soaked with a cold sweat, and holding his shoulders.

“A-are you serious, Seijun!? This is summer break we’re talking about! That’s the season of the beach, swimsuits, and wardrobe malfunctions! Oh, but don’t expect any of that last one from me, okay? …Anyway, why would you tear down all of my fun plans for summer break!?”

“Well, doesn’t that describe the way things are in your house nowadays?”

Asama and Mitotsudaira tensed at that and the idiot sister placed a hand on their shoulders.

But the idiot raised his hands toward the heavens.

“Swimsuits look completely different inside and outside the house! Horizon’s swimsuit is an old lady one mom bought her so it has impenetrable old lady defenses, but I just know Asama and Nate’s will look completely different when they’re wet and with the sun shining on them.”

“W-wait, Toori-kun. I’m not that defenseless, am I?”

All the other girls refused to look Asama in the eye. “Huh!?” stammered the shrine maiden before she grabbed the wolf’s shoulders and shook her. “Mito! You have something to say too, don’t you!?”

“No, um, I’ve kind of decided to expedite my schedule when it comes to having my king compliment my swimsuit…”

“Resist! Show a bit more resistance, Mito!”

“Fat chance of that,” muttered the others. Then the idiot said more while entirely oblivious to Horizon cracking her neck behind him.

“Listen, Seijun! I’m talking about the beach! Swimsuits! Regular clothing that’s skimpier than normal! I’m talking about summer festivals, playing in the river together, and study sessions where your hands end up touching! I believe we should focus on those things when we make our plans here. After all, the psychological liberation is so much greater when it’s summer break! But wait there’s more! Act now and-…”

Horizon sent her right knuckle into the idiot’s temple.

He slowly collapsed to the side and Horizon raised her right hand.

“I apologize, Masazumi-sama. If I let him continue, I was afraid he would steal my infomercial gag.”

So would she have let him continue if not for that? But Masazumi had a thought as she watched Horizon pick the idiot up by the collar and Asama and Mitotsudaira quickly run over.

…''Summer break is important, isn’t it?

“Well, I guess that’s fine.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Wait just a second. I think we need to know what you were planning for the break.”

'''Vice President:''' “Nothing really. I generally spend summer break at the school library looking through the books.”

“Wow…” said everyone in shock.

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh. Now I see why you would use your authority as Vice President to establish a Summer Break Extermination Committee.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “No one ever invited you to go play with them?”

'''Vice President:''' “No, I always have work and errands to run, so it was never worth it.”

“Hmm,” groaned Masazumi.

'''Vice President:''' “But I’m fine with that, so I don’t really care.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Wait. Even if we do respect your individuality, are you planning to apply that to everyone in Musashi? You can’t do that.”

That was fair enough.

'''Vice President:''' “Then what? Do we force everyone to have fun during summer break? …Ookubo.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Ugh, what a pain. Let’s just say not having fun gets the death penalty.”

'''CAN:''' “Milady! You can’t be so careless just because today has been a rough day!”

It sounded like a novel new regulation was in the works, but this opposite extreme would be a problem too.

“Anyway,” said Masazumi while holding out her hands to stop the others.

'''Vice President:''' “Let’s respect everyone’s summer break. But the world is still in motion, so it will depend on that.”

“Hmm,” groaned the others with their arms crossed. That felt like a dangerous sight, but…

“Here it comes.”

Masazumi saw Ootani moving on the targeting sign frame opened on the deck.

He had a small sign frame opened by his hands and he turned to face them. His oversized head stared at them with the hollow eyes below his ether helmet.

“We have made a decision. First of all, I will make a ruling on the Siege of Odawara.”

Everyone tensed as Ootani’s voice rang out.

“I have decided that the Siege of Odawara is not yet over. After all, Date participated, but their Chancellor Masamune has not completed her late arrival.”

He held his small sword in front of him like a staff.

“The Keichou Campaign must wait until Date Masamune has arrived and the Siege of Odawara is complete.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 5

2019-04-17T02:28:31Z

141.101.77.137: /* Chapter 5: Searcher in a Public Place */

==Chapter 5: Searcher in a Public Place==
[[Image:Horizon7-A175.jpg|thumb]]
''I’m curious

''Why you’re pacing so restlessly

''But that does not mean I have lost

''It means I am helping you

'''Point Allocation (Magic)

Musashi made a turn.

The giant ship had been facing west, but it slowly turned to the south on its way to face east.

And on Tama, the 2nd starboard ship, a metallic wind sounded on the deck of the diplomatic port.

It was a whistling sound.

The broad, wing-shaped deck roared like a whistle as the night air pressed in and the Musashi turned.

The noise reverberated through the night.

And several metallic clangs and mechanical rumblings continued behind that whistling.

Several diplomatic aerial ships were preparing to land.

But even as those ships descended toward the giant structure that was the Musashi, more ships made their way east.

Those belonged to the clans joining the Keichou Campaign as part of the Hashiba forces now that the Siege of Odawara was over.

They were represented by those who had fought in the Siege of Odawara as Hashiba. Katou Yoshiaki led that unit aboard an ironclad ship.

The ship itself had arrived from Edo by cutting across Edo Bay.

But on the way back, it traveled east while viewing the Musashi to its side.

“I don’t want to rush because it would look like we were fleeing in fear, but I don’t like taking it slow because it draws too much attention.”

On the bow deck, summer-uniformed Yoshiaki viewed the Musashi through a magnification spell. She focused individually on the few forms she occasionally saw in the image. And while sending the video data to Edo…

“Kani, you will be fighting on the front line in Fukushima’s place during the Keichou Campaign as well, so you should get some rest now.”

“Oh, testament! I just thought I could contact a friend from back home if I was out here!”

In the night breeze, Kani opened a divine transmission ''lernen figur'' while Yoshiaki watched her.

Yoshiaki’s eyes followed Kani as she paced along the deck.

Kani was checking on the signal strength of the divine transmission ''lernen figur'', but since the signal was pretty bad here in enemy territory, she kept altering her orientation and position while checking the ''lernen figur''.

She had enough training and on-site experience to stay out of the way of the students on the deck preparing for the upcoming battle. That was appreciated, but none of them had expected Kani to be here. Whenever they passed by, they would greet her and encourage her, so…

“Oh, thank you! I will do my best in the next battle too!”

It was adorable how she bowed down to them despite being the name inheritor.

…''No, I get the feeling she’ll be like that her entire life.

It made her a bit overwhelming as an underclassman, but the mutual courtesy would be appreciated in the long run. In Yoshiaki’s opinion, it was crucial to know where you stood with someone.

But while Kani paced around the deck, she would occasionally come across one of the cannons.

…''Oh, my.

It was impressive how she hopped up the 7m to the top of the cannon in a single step. There was no audible footstep when she did so, which showed why she had been sent in Fukushima’s place and how she had managed to duel Mogami Yoshiaki.

She was a promising underclassman.

''What were we like last year or even before that?'' wondered Yoshiaki.

“Phew.”

She breathed from her nose as she watched Kani holding her ''lernen figur'' to the west.

“Kani.”

“Y-yes!? Testament! What is it, Big Katou!?”

“Big Katou? Did Takenaka come up with that weird nickname?”

“Testament. She said you’re Big Katou and the Katou with Fukushima is Massive Katou!”

''That doesn’t really work without a Regular Katou, does it?'' thought Yoshiaki.

''Well, this just means I have to swat Takenaka in the ass with my broom next time I see her.

For some reason, she saw the nearby students crossing themselves and praying toward her, but she soon recalled that the M.H.R.R. Catholics were ruled by the House of Habsburg and thus worshiped giant breasts.

…''Do they worship me when Kiyomasa isn’t around?

There was something wrong with praying to a Technohexen, so her shoulders kept drooping further and further. But…

“Kani, why not head down and use the ship’s divine transmission instead of wandering around like this? Besides, this is essentially enemy territory right now, so the Asama Shrine, Mouri, and Houjou are going to be using up most of the Shinto infrastructure. That should change when we reach Edo, though.”

“No, this is a personal call! So I don’t think I should use the ship’s divine transmission!”

That did make sense to Yoshiaki. And then Kani clapped her hands once.

“I know! I just had a great idea! And it should work since this is enemy territory! I’ll call a different friend first!”

'''Righteousness:''' “Hey, um, Musashi Vice President? I have a quick question.”

'''Vice President:''' “Huh? What is it, Satomi Student Council President?”

'''Righteousness:''' “Kani just sent me a divine mail asking if we could relay a divine transmission to M.H.R.R.”

'''Vice President:''' “Don’t intercept enemy transmissions!!”

'''Righteousness:''' “No, she apparently wants to talk with a local friend and she says she doesn’t care if we listen in.”

'''Vice President:''' “That is really something… Anyway, that would be Asama’s call. Asama, can you see whether or not we can do that?”

'''Asama:''' “Eh? Wait just a second, okay? I’m just about finished preparing our food.”

'''Me:''' “Wait, does this mean Flatty made a friend!? Is this the end of her doggy duo with Adele!? Feeling lonely, Adele!? Then how about I run with you in the nude? Hm?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “What!? Th-that’s just creepy! I don’t need a nudist running with me!”

'''Me:''' “Waiiiiit! Don’t call other people’s nudity creepy!”

'''Hori-ko:''' “If you think about it, the dogs running with her are nudists, so this means she sees you as less than a dog, Toori-sama.”

'''Unturning:''' “Kiyonari? Have they started today’s super lunatic time?”

'''Uqui:''' “Worry not, Narumi. They are nowhere near that yet.”

'''10ZO:''' “Why did you think that would be reassuring?”

'''Righteousness:''' “Also, I’m not a dog. The Eight Dogs thing was to strengthen Satomi.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “That’s right! And I’m not a dog either! I’m the one that raises…well, that looks after them!!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ga-chan? Should we tell Adele how she’s usually presented in doujinshi?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “No, Margot. The temptation to tell everyone how they’re presented would be too great.”

'''Asama:''' “Umm, ignoring this idiocy…Yoshy-chan? Right now, the Asama Shrine is applying some security to divine transmissions from outside, so divine mail can get in, but an actual call would be difficult. That Ootani Yoshitsugu person was a virus, remember? So I would appreciate it if you asked your friend if this can wait until tomorrow morning when the Kantou Liberation is complete. …Will that work?”

'''Righteousness:''' “Why do I feel like everyone sees me as a dog or a child?”

'''Me:''' “C’mon, you shouldn’t doubt yourself! You’re Flatty and you’ll always be Flatty!”

'''Righteousness:''' “Fine, I’ll just blame it all on you!”

“Ah! I thought it was a great idea, but it didn’t work!”

Yoshiaki nodded at Kani’s words.

“We all use the ship’s divine transmission for private calls, so don’t worry about it. I generally use Technohexen communication spells, but I’ll relay it through the ship’s divine transmission to add to the range.”

“Um, sorry! I don’t really get what you mean, Big Katou!”

'''Kimee:''' “Katagiri, add Kani to our divine transmission permissions group.”

'''□□凸:''' “Eh!? Why!?”

'''6:''' “You should know by now that questioning what we do is meaningless.”

'''Kimee:''' “If you’re worried, you can route Kani through a secondary line. But give her the same official use privilege we have.”

'''□□凸:''' “Oh, that’s fair enough. Wait 3 minutes!”

Yoshiaki spoke to Kani who holding her ''lernen figur'' up toward the sky.

“You’ll have a connection if you wait 3 minutes.”

“Eh!? Did you use some magic!?”

After 2 seconds of thought, Yoshiaki nodded.

“I did. My familiar is checking on the divine transmission environment of India’s Buddha.”

“Wow! So magic is a global thing!”

“My ancestors weren’t burned at the stake for nothing. We are the most powerful group in the afterlife. …So wait just a bit and you can speak with your friend.”

''It’s nice being a proper upperclassman from time to time. I should probably treat Katagiri to a coffee dumpling in the ship cafeteria at some point.

But then Yoshiaki looked to the western sky.

Around a dozen ships, including transport ships, were joining the Edo Hashiba group, but that was not what she was interested in. She looked much further to the west.

She could not see it clearly at night, but…

“Kani, will your friend be coming from the west?”

“Testament! She’s returning to Lake Biwa from Kyushu, so she apparently ended up in the perfect spot to come here! It’s been so long since I saw her!”

Kani smiled.

“Oh, one of the people coming is called Nabe-san…Nabeshima, I mean. Anyway, she’s a huge fan of Massive Katou! And Ikeda-kun from our group apparently just got to Kantou, but he and Asa-chan – Asano, I mean – are dating!”

The girl was leaking personal info like crazy.

…''I just hope our information doesn’t get out.

But it sounded like Kani only had such loose lips when it came to her friends. Not that that made much difference since she saw Angie as a friend.

“Kani.”

“Yes?”

“Let me make one thing very clear: I cast a magic spell on you that fires an ether bullet up your ass if you carelessly reveal anything about us.”

“Magic!? When did you cast it on me!?”

“It wouldn’t be magic if you knew.”

“Wow! I understand! I’ll keep everything about you top secret! Oh, um, by which I mean, Takenaka and the others already told me to!”

Takenaka was good about handling the details even if she kept ero-ero-ing.

''Then again,'' began Yoshiaki in her mind.

…''I can see why Takenaka sent Kani here.

She was very useful as a fighter. After all, she had kept up with an opponent like Mogami Yoshiaki even if she had ultimately lost.

She was likely the type who would only continue to grow in skill as she participated on the battlefield. She was also better in a real battle than training, but Fukushima seemed that way too.

However, Kani had something besides that.

“You’re friends with the Seven Generals, aren’t you?”

“Eh? Oh, yes, testament! I don’t know Nabe-chan all that well and I really only just got to know Okki-kun, but I’ve known Ikeda-kun and Asa-chan since elementary school!”

The Seven Generals were the representatives of Hashiba’s later administration. Yoshiaki was one herself, but Kani knew Ikeda Terumasa and Asano Yoshinaga who were underclassmen members of the group.

Ikeda could not participate in the Keichou Campaign right now, but he was supposedly repairing the Shirasagi Castle in the mountains of western Kantou.

…''That ether light reading in the north earlier was probably him.

And Nabeshima – probably Nabeshima Naoshige – and Asana Yukinaga were coming here from the west.

Yoshiaki had only expected Kuki and a bunch of their standard fighters to be in Edo for the Keichou Campaign, but it looked like a lot of newcomers had been sent in as well. In that case…

…''It’s our responsibility to lead them.

Should she think of it as more work to do or a greater fighting force at their disposal?

“Well, the battle is starting either way.”

She looked to the northern sky.

The Musashi was moving further away as it turned.

But a group of diplomatic ships formed a ring as they descended toward Tama.

The national emblems showed Mouri, Date, Houjou, Uesugi, and Mogami were all there.

Yoshiaki’s magnification spell showed Musashi display their emblem on a large sign frame above the port to take the lead.

Hashiba saw this as the Keichou Campaign. They saw it as the Kantou Liberation. That group was about to discuss what they would do about it.

War was unavoidable now.

“This is going to be a pain, but that’s history for you.”

The magnification spell showed the representatives of the different nations and academies walking out and gathering in front of the ships and emblem.

They were all those who had ended the Siege of Odawara. And…

“It’s already started: war and the meaning attached to it.”

The first to descend to the metal surface was a fox: Mogami Yoshiaki.

She wore a yellowish-brown Far Eastern Uniform made with kasuri fabric. With Shakenobe in tow, she left her diplomatic ship before anyone else and set foot on Tama’s deserted diplomatic port.

But she had not just been in a rush to leave.

“We need to show Musashi who offered their services first.”

“Judge. This meeting will demonstrate where each nation stands in relation to each other.”

A figure appeared and spoke to Yoshiaki from the left.

A short person in a track suit stepped out from between two ships and entered the light. It was…

“Yoshiyasu, I see you too have decided to move out front and make your presence known.”

“The Kantou Liberation is about to begin, so I kind of have to take a prominent position. This might be the biggest time to shine in my entire life.”

“You can hint that you haven’t revealed everything you can do? You really have changed.”

The fox laughed bitterly.

Yoshiyasu glared at her and started to say something, but Yoshiaki chose precisely that moment to pull her fan from her sleeve and swung it up.

Then something moved in the sky behind her. The Yamagata Castle held a position north of the Musashi and it began to raise its main cannons, which were covered by white cloth.

She narrowed her eyes and spoke while the metallic rumbling echoed through the sky.

“As the first one here, I need to ‘set an example’ for the others.”

“Just how far do you plan to support Musashi?”

“Yoshiyasu.” Yoshiaki gave a “ko ko” of laughter from her throat but hid her mouth behind her fan. “No place but Musashi will let me do all I can for myself and for Mogami. Masamune has a handle on Date by herself and it would be best for both Sviet Rus and Mogami if we remain mutual enemies. And Mogami’s Ushuu will never develop any further if we hole up there. So the only way to kill my remaining time is to dote on some foreign children.”

“You’re idea of doting on someone is supporting a war? The Fox of Ushuu certainly is eccentric.”

“What kind of fox would I be if I was not blessing and cursing people?”

Yoshiaki said that with a smile, but then she faced forward.

Someone was walking out from the Date ship that had landed directly across from hers.

“Date Narumi. So they sent you as a negotiator.”

Narumi could tell this was going to be a pain.

After all, she had supposedly left Date, yet here she was acting as a Date negotiator.

…''Who can I blame for this?

'''Katakura-kun:''' “Yes! That would be me, the guy most well-known for being annoying! Well, Narumi-kun!? Bet you didn’t expect the negotiating team we sent wouldn’t have any officers just because I was so busy with other duties! You didn’t, did you!?”

'''Unturning:''' “And you are?”

'''Katakura-kun:''' “W-wait, Narumi-kun! What kind of three-word phrase was that!? How could you forget as big a creep as me!? If you’re lonely, just say so and I’ll send you some words to cheer you up! Yes, I am very lonely! Really, Katakura-kun!? Well, you won’t be lonely if you make a friend! Don’t worry, everyone can do it if they try! I tried, but I caaaaaaaaaaaaan’t! How about that, Narumi-kun!? I’ve still got you beat even if you don’t have any friends!”

'''Unturning:''' “And you are dumb.”

'''Katakura-kun:''' “W-wait! Don’t just add a word to your previous question! I bet you’re just jealous that ‘Katakura’ is turning into a common adjective here in Sendai Castle!”

This was getting annoying, so Narumi blocked everything Katakura-related from her divine transmission. Instead…

'''Unturning:''' “Rusu-san, you’re there even if you didn’t come here, right? Could you explain the situation for me?”

'''Caretaker:''' “Oh, if it isn’t Narumi-sama. It has been too long.”

Rusu Masakage was Sendai Castle’s control OS and a program with a personality.

In a way, he was an automaton with Sendai Castle as his body.

'''Unturning:''' “How pressing is our situation?”

'''Caretaker:''' “I am not sure how much I should tell you seeing as you have left.”

He was as strict as ever.

''But that’s fine,'' she thought. No matter how much Date investigated her, she already knew everything they would discover.

It was no skin off her nose if her homeland learned what she knew. She had not lived a life she was ashamed of and nothing about her life would change if someone else decided her life was shameful or unhappy.

…''Besides…

Narumi realized something as she thought.

'''Unturning:''' “Kiyonari, what would you do if I told you I want to be happy right now?”

'''Uqui:''' “I would order some curry and put an egg in it before we get some shuteye.”

'''Unturning:''' “I will have some too.”

''What a wonderful life,'' she thought with a bitter smile, which she felt showed she was happy enough already. This was something she had not had before. But if she judged all of the changes based on happiness…

'''Unturning:''' “This can only happen once.'''

'''Uqui:''' “Unfortunately, the authorities on the subject say curry has an infinite number of variations.”

'''Unturning:''' “Some Far Eastern food would be nice every once in a while.”

'''Uqui:''' “Then you make it.”

“Fair enough,” she said before returning to her conversation with Rusu.

'''Unturning:''' “How are things there? How is Masamune?”

'''Caretaker:''' “Masamune-sama is out handling some diplomatic matters and cannot easily join this meeting. Katakura-sama appears to be busy laying the groundwork for that.”

Katakura excelled at high-speed thought and parallel decision-making, so what had him too busy to deal with anything else?

'''Unturning:''' “Could I ask what they are doing?”

'''Caretaker:''' “Did Katakura-sama not give you an annoying, creepy, and very Katakura-y explanation?”

'''Unturning:''' “I blocked him before he could.”

'''Caretaker:''' “Narumi-sama, I have always felt you had far too little patience.”

'''Unturning:''' “Call it having quick judgment. Anyway, how do you deal with Katakura?”

'''Caretaker:''' “Testament. When he says or does bizarre things, I ignore him.”

'''Unturning:''' “In other words?”

'''Caretaker:''' “I block him.”

They both fell silent for five seconds.

'''Caretaker:''' “My apologies. Now that I think about it, my method is identical to yours. The problem in your case is that you do not return the divine transmission settings to normal afterwards.”

'''Unturning:''' “Call it being decisive.”

Rusu was a program, but he still paused as if to sigh.

However, he then sent her some data. A string of text appeared on a sign frame.

'''Caretaker:''' “There is a good reason why Masamune-sama could not be there. Namely…”

“Judge,” said Narumi.

Rusu had sent her a passage from the Testament.

It was the same thing she had mentioned at the bathhouse earlier.

'''Unturning:''' “The Testament says Masamune was late to arrive at the Siege of Odawara.”

“Date is in a bit of a tricky situation here,” said Shigenaga while descending the stairs from her diplomatic ship to Tama’s deck.

The wind on her cheek and in her hair was warm. It was much hotter and smelled stronger of the sea than the summer wind in Sviet Rus.

''I need to take a bath later,'' she thought while a sign frame from home appeared by her face.

'''Tomo-no-Bu:''' “According to the Testament, Date was unsure whether or not to oppose Hashiba and so they were late to arrive. Masamune later goes to Odawara in burial garb to apologize.”

Shigenaga was familiar with that much.

'''Shigeko:''' “And in a later incident, Masamune visits Hashiba in Kyoto while wearing burial garb and carrying a cross, which seems both over-the-top and well prepared. Masamune was forgiven both times, but that also shows that he was one of the few to be summoned by Hashiba.”

What would happen if Hashiba did that now?

'''Tomo-no-Bu:''' “If the center of Date were summoned by Hashiba, then Musashi and even our Oushuu, Jouetsu, and Kantou forces would have a harder time acting against Hashiba.”

She knew what Saitou was trying to say.

After all, an important event would be happening in P.A. Oda soon.

'''Shigeko:''' “It would interfere with the Honnouji Incident.”

''This is a lot of trouble,'' thought Narumi.

If they were to force Oda Nobunaga, current leader of P.A. Oda, to give up their inherited name and retire, they needed to use the history recreation of Nobunaga’s assassination during the Honnouji Incident.

…''But Honnouji is in the city of Kyou.

And Hashiba still had the “Masamune’s second apology” card to play when it came to Kyou-related history recreations.

The first apology happened here in Odawara, but the second was in Kyoto.

Even if Musashi forcibly began the Honnouji Incident in the process of applying pressure to P.A. Oda, it would still be very bad if Hashiba summoned Masamune for her second apology to complete that history recreation in advance.

Hashiba would almost certainly build up all of Kyou as a stage for Masamune’s history recreation and leave no opening for any other recreations. Also…

'''Caretaker:''' “Masamune-sama would effectively be a hostage in Kyou.”

…''That is certainly true.

Just like bloodline connections, hostages were a system used to ensure safety between nations or clans in this era.

Some took a wife or concubine to create a bloodline connection and others would take an heir, another child, or a parent.

Leaving someone important with someone else was a sign of loyalty and good faith and you could judge their loyalty and good faith by seeing how that person was treated. However…

'''Unturning:''' “In that case, Masamune really would be a hostage since Date does not want that.”

'''Caretaker:''' “Testament. If she were taken hostage, the nations in Oushuu, Jouetsu, and Kantou and the other nations involved in the Siege of Odawara would be unable to enter Kyou even if they wished to start the Honnouji Incident.”

What would happen if they did take hostile action against Kyou while Masamune was trapped there?

Narumi could make some decent guesses, but she decided to ask Rusu who handled Date’s data processing.

But she did not ask about the actions of Musashi and their allies. Instead…

'''Unturning:''' “The Testament says nothing about Masamune being harmed in Kyou, does it?”

'''Caretaker:''' “There is no telling what would happen if she were caught in a battle.”

'''Unturning:''' “Are you suggesting all of Kyou would be a part of the battle?”

'''Caretaker:''' “Kyou is currently managed by Akechi Mitsuhide, one of P.A. Oda’s Five Great Peaks. If his forces take a major blow in a battle, P.A. Oda will have one more excuse to not actually recreate the Honnouji Incident.”

“I see,” said Narumi.

'''Unturning:''' “So if Masamune is taken hostage, Musashi and the others might be able to ''politically'' force the Honnouji Incident, but they would be unable to ''physically'' enter Kyou.”

'''Caretaker:''' “If Musashi did that, then during every negotiation afterwards, they would be forced to guarantee they would not abandon the other nation.”

That was what it meant to attack an opponent who had a hostage.

Even if Masamune was prepared for the consequences, other nations could use her presence as a bargaining chip.

In which case…

'''Unturning:''' “It was convenient for Hashiba that the Siege of Odawara ended. That established the first apology which they need in order to take Masamune hostage in Kyou for the second one.”

'''Caretaker:''' “Testament. The worst case for Date is if they request the first apology here and then demand the second.”

That was why Date could not act right now.

They could do nothing during or after the Siege of Odawara.

But even if they were motionless, a lot was going on within Date. That was why they used Narumi as their representative and set aside any decisions as a nation until later.

If there were any problems, they could say those decisions were made without authorization by someone who had already left Date.

…''Funny I’m only realizing this now.

'''Unturning:''' “In other words, Date is using me as a sacrificial pawn.”

'''Caretaker:''' “Were you not prepared for that?”

''You could have just told me,'' she thought, but telling her would have made their plan more obvious and she might have questioned them further.

After considering everything carefully, Date had made their decision.

They would use their former Vice Chancellor as a sacrificial pawn, but because she could possibly return as their Vice Chancellor, the other nations had to treat her with care and could not ignore what she said.

If it felt this roundabout to her, it had to be a lot of trouble for the other nations.

She knew exactly who must have thought this up.

'''Unturning:''' “This was Katakura’s idea, wasn’t it?”

'''Caretaker:''' “Oh? Does it seem that way to you?”

“Testament,” she confirmed.

'''Unturning:''' “He annoyingly never leaves Sendai Castle, but he also creepily uses our positions out here to help preserve Date.”

'''Caretaker:''' “Narumi-sama, your unusual adverb usage is dulling my decision-making processes.”

'''Unturning:''' “Is it?”

That was all she said before sighing.

Whatever the case, her homeland seemed to be safe. Masamune was always prepared for whatever it was she had to do and that could be dangerous at times, but…

…''She isn’t acting recklessly anymore.

What did she need to do now and what effects would those decisions have on the future? She had become a leader who understood those connections and effects and who could make decisions for herself.

That meant the Seiryu incident had not been for nothing.

Katakura’s bizarre behavior was worrisome, but that idiot had not lost sight of his purpose in his own idiotic way. He too must have finally managed to face his own job after the Seiryu incident.

'''Unturning:''' “Then I will provide the plan for Date’s future that I want to see.”

Narumi thought of her position as she spoke.

'''Unturning:''' “We cannot let Masamune’s late arrival apology happen until the Honnouji Incident is complete. That has to be the plan.”

'''Caretaker:''' “Are you sure? You took part in the Siege of Odawara to ensure we did not fall behind in the struggle over rights. If that is pointed to as a recreation of the late arrival, I believe Masamune-sama will be required to immediately perform her first apology.”

'''Unturning:''' “I’ll figure something out.”

She thought she was good at persuading people. Although what other people thought was a different matter.

But she was curious about one thing here.

'''Unturning:''' “Rusu-san, I don’t care if you have to go through Sviet Rus, but can you figure out what nation sent the transport ship Mouri has brought along? I think it should be an M.H.R.R.-affiliated nation.”

…''A ship from an M.H.R.R.-affiliated nation with Far Eastern connections? This sounds like a pain.

With Futayo by her side as a bodyguard, Masazumi watched Terumoto descend from the Mouri diplomatic ship.

She and Futayo had hurried from Mukai’s bathhouse to arrive ahead of the others. Futayo had placed Masazumi over her shoulder to deliver her in a hurry since they were running late, but…

“Now my hair is a mess.”

“Ha ha ha. As is mine, Masazumi.”

Futayo laughed and she too was wearing a track suit. She wore Tonbo Spare at her hip in its shortest form, but she was not wearing her usual hair decoration.

All the other ships were following the Yamagata Castle’s example by aiming their cannons into the sky, so Futayo may have been using her position as Vice Chancellor to show this was a non-combat zone. She also had a white ribbon wrapped around Tonbo Spare instead of a white cloth, but Masazumi guessed that was Mukai’s doing.

'''Tonbo:''' “Fancy.”

The pseudo-divine weapon seemed in a good mood. In fact, it was rare for the weapon to speak.

But Masazumi was a little worried about what was to come.

…''We have to keep the post-Odawara meeting and pre-Kantou meeting short.

They had reached a consensus on preliminary information in the bathhouse, but that was only Musashi information and Musashi opinions. The other nations were different, so she had several concerns about this meeting.

The mystery ship from M.H.R.R. was one of them, but…

'''Vice President:''' “Date has their late arrival issue, don’t they?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Why not have Uqui join the meeting to deal with Narumin? Couldn’t they reach a decent compromise?”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “You mean we can avoid war with Date even if Masazumi really wants it?”

'''Vice President:''' “Naomasa, you can be really mean sometimes!”

'''Uqui:''' “If you used me, wouldn’t they question Masazumi’s capabilities as a negotiator? And Narumi might be hesitant to negotiate if it was against me.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “And what would that hesitation mean?”

'''Uqui:''' “It would make her even more ruthless.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Yeah, that sounds like her. Yeah…”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Hey, Asama, you control the infrastructure around Odawara through the Mouri Whatever Shrine or something, right? Can’t you use that as a shield to get them to talk?”

'''Asama:''' “No, Shinto generally does not intervene in wars. It all goes back to the policy of the emperor in Kyou.”

'''Azuma:''' “That’s why it can be difficult for me to say anything, right?”

'''Asama:''' “Yes. And Shinto generally does not divide people between good and evil, so we treat everyone equally.”

“Hm,” said Masazumi while watching the others start arguing.

''The usual turn of events then.

To sum up what everyone had said, Date was on their side but would have a hard time helping them.

And their late arrival problem was the biggest issue.

'''Worshiper:''' “Flat Honda-kun, will Musashi side with Date for their late arrival problem?”

'''Vice President:''' “Judge. We do already have an alliance, so that’s the general plan.”

The Date Vice Chancellor was using a sign frame to speak with someone back in Date, so she was apparently putting together some kind of plan of her own.

Of course, she was the Vice Chancellor. She had the authority to negotiate, but it was not her forte.

…''And like Urquiaga said, she can be ruthless.

She was quick to make decisions. Masazumi still had not forgotten that girl’s first visit to Musashi.

''She simply stated what she wanted and immediately started to leave, so Urquiaga had to stop her with his bizarre plan…no, eccentric ramblings? Well, he stopped her.

…''If she’s going to make decisions with that same ruthlessness, I need to make sure I guide her where I want her.

She wanted to eliminate the noise clouding her thoughts.

She had a lot to think about, but while she appreciated the diversion the others could provide, they made thinking difficult. But she had no time left, and…

'''Me:''' “Hey, Seijun! I dressed myself!”

''Are you a child!?'' she thought while wanting to tackle him, but she knew what the idiot meant.

'''Vice President:''' “You’re coming here?”

'''Me:''' “I’ve been a front-line presence ever since Sviet Rus. Right, Nate?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Judge, I am prepared to act as your bodyguard.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Then I will accompany you.”

''They sound so carefree,'' thought Masazumi, but that was unavoidable.

This was part of the idiot and Horizon’s “battle formation”. And if that formation was on the move…

'''Vice President:''' “Hurry on over. We won’t have any time to sleep if we don’t get the meeting started soon.”

''Fine then,'' she thought while raising her right hand.

…''Well, this won’t be the first time I’ve held a meeting without knowing if I was fully prepared.

The national representatives were standing pretty far away, but they seemed to have noticed. The Houjou representative was descending from their diplomatic ship.

…''Houjou Genan, huh?

Just as Noriki had said, Ujinao must have been deciding what happened within Houjou after their loss. Everyone must have understood that because they nodded toward Genan when he reached the deck.

Everyone who would play a role in both the Siege of Odawara and the Kantou Liberation was gathered here.

A moment later, they all turned toward Masazumi and opened sign frames.

She spoke as if in response.

“Are you all about ready?”

She sensed the idiot’s group running in from behind her, but she did not turn to check.

Futayo glanced behind them, and…

“Masazumi, you may begin.”

“Judge. Then let’s get this meeting started. Our main topic will be-…”

“Not so fast!”

Someone interrupted.

It was Mouri Terumoto who stood to the left. She opened a ''signe cadre'' and used it to enlarge her face and amplify her voice.

“Participating nations, listen up! After the post-battle and pre-battle meetings, give us just 10 minutes for a different topic! Got that!?”

Yoshiyasu frowned at Mouri Terumoto’s interruption.

“Hey, if you’re going to demand our time, then tell us what it’s about.”

“Satomi, hm?”

Yoshiyasu mentally clicked her tongue when Terumoto turned toward her and addressed her.

…''So she just calls me “Satomi”.

Not Satomi Representative or Satomi Yoshiyasu.

Terumoto was viewing her as the entire nation of Satomi.

She was saying a careless response here would be seen as coming from Satomi as a whole.

…''Is she testing my ability to negotiate?

''I see,'' thought Yoshiyasu before responding.

“Mouri Representative.”

She made sure to address Terumoto as just a representative of Mouri.

“The Musashi Vice President seems to have something to say, so let’s hear her out first.”

'''<The Asama Shrine has once more included Satomi in the divine transmission group.>

'''Vice President:''' “Don’t pass it off to me!!”

'''Righteousness:''' “Huh? You mean you don’t have anything to say?”

'''Uqui:''' “Masazumi! Do not force yourself to make a joke!”

'''Hori-ko:''' “2nd Special Duty Officer Urquiaga-sama, you fear for your sanity, don’t you?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “What kind of joke could she even make right now?”

'''Me:''' “Ooh! I know! I happen to have some summer festival fireworks with me!”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Really, foolish brother!? Can I light them!? Bombs away!”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Someone call the guards!!”

Terumoto had never before seen a containment carriage arrive, complete its work, and leave in the middle of a diplomatic meeting.

“Heh heh heh. I get to go on a guard station date with my foolish brother! Mitotsudaira! I bet you’re jealous stuck outside these bars! And Asama, make sure you pick us up soon! Like, right away! …
So how was that, Masazumi?”

“Stop giving me more work to do!”

The Asama Shrine Representative was hanging her head and quickly completing some kind of work, so she may have been working to get those two released.

''But,'' thought Terumoto.

…''Why do they risk their lives for jokes?

And they did not just joke about things; they would really do them. Did that mean she had been going easy on the Roi-Soleil by just hitting him in the crotch with a wooden sword? ''I need to do better. I can’t let them outdo me.'' But…

“Are you even trying to take this seriously?”

The Musashi Vice president raised her right hand and glared at Terumoto.

“I am, but sometimes it just isn’t possible.”

“Find a way to control them.”

Just as she said that, an umbrella of light burst from Tama’s surface city. Based on the boom heard two seconds later, it was apparently a firework. The fire alarm that sounded afterwards made it sound all too real.

The Musashi Vice President looked disgusted when she checked the sign frame that opened next to her face.

But when she saw the Musashi Captain staring silently at her from a sign frame on her other side, she quickly spoke to the first screen.

“What!? I don’t care if you lit one because they asked if they were real! Just get back here already!”

“Oh, sorry, Masazumi. I’m working on that right now. …Mito! Can you go there to pick them up!?”

Musashi’s wolf shattered a sign frame from the Reine des Garous that appeared by her face and she took off running.

Then the Musashi Vice President glared at Terumoto again.

“Now do you see how impossible a task governing Musashi is?”

“Glad I don’t have to do it.”

Terumoto decided not to get too involved and gave up trying to find an opening to interrupt.

After taking a breath, the Musashi Vice President slowly spoke.

“First, let’s settle all the remaining Siege of Odawara issues.”

Was she not going to ask about Terumoto’s demand? But since she said “first”, she must have been considering it.

However, the girl then spoke directly to Terumoto.

“Most of that was already completed during the Siege itself. So first up is settling things between Mouri and us. Meaning…”

“The fact that we have three losses against Musashi, right?”

“The Satomi Student Council President used one of those losses to settle things with Uesugi, so that leaves two losses.”

It was obvious where this was headed.

Terumoto knew exactly what Musashi’s objective was. So…

“Mouri-01 bring them out.”

Terumoto held her head high and watched Mouri-01’s gravitational control work.

“Testament,” replied the maid because they had already planned all of this out.

Two objects were dropped from the top deck of their diplomatic ship.

Despite the considerable speed of their fall, they landed silently.

They were placed on the deck.

“————————”

Accompanied only by wind, two long wooden containers now stood before them.

She had shown these off once before.

“These are the Logismoi Oplo named Phos Hyperephania and Phos Kenodoxia. We’ll pay off those losses with them.”

The Musashi group quickly stopped their princess as she removed her arms, but what was that about?

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
}}
</noinclude>

Moc 3: Początek Orgii Mocy i Technik

2019-04-11T15:48:42Z

141.101.77.137: /* Odnośniki tłumacza */

==Moc 3: Początek Orgii Mocy i Technik==
Dzień meczu pomiędzy Drużyną Cesarskiego Fioletu, a Drużyną Włóczni Niebiańskiego Cesarza…

Ja, Hyoudou Issei, przybyłem do latającego miasta Agreas, leżącego na terytorium Rodu Agares, gdzie miał się odbyć mecz. Racja, to miasto, które zostało skradzione przez Qlippoth, znów stało się miejscem meczów, po tym jak wszystkie możliwe kontrole potwierdziły, że jest bezpieczne.

Zarówno byli jak i obecni członkowie Klubu Okultystycznego oraz Samorządu Uczniowskiego, postanowili spotkać się w pokoju VIP-ów i obejrzeć razem mecz.

Z okazji meczu, cały stadion był wypełnione po same brzegi.

– Mecz na który tak wszyscy czekaliśmy, właśnie się zaczyna! Wspaniały gracz z grupy Czwórki Nowicjuszy, Sairaorg Bael-san, oraz posiadacz najsilniejszego Longinusa, Świętej Włóczni… Cao Cao! Drużyny którym przewodzą, budziły wielkie emocje jeszcze przed meczem! Teraz przedstawię wam osobę, która będzie komentowała ten mecz razem ze mną – oznajmił komentator, Naud Gamigin-san.

Kiedy kamera skoncentrowała się na osobie, która stała obok niego, zobaczyliśmy dziecięcego boga, Śiwę!

– Jak się macie, jestem, Śiwa, gospodarz tego turnieju – powiedział z uśmiechem na twarzy.

Mimo wszystko dlaczego Bóg Destrukcji i gospodarz turnieju jest komentatorem!

Najwyraźniej, nawet Naud-san był spięty.

– Skoro Bóg Destrukcji jest obecny, to nawet ja czuję zaniepokojenie!

– Ha ha ha! Nie musisz się tak czuć. Jeśli jacyś dranie zaatakują, to sprawnie sobie z nimi poradzę. Nie będzie problemu, nawet jeśli tym kimś będzie bóg.

Więc to tak! Skoro Śiwa tu teraz jest, to jest to najbezpieczniejsze miejsce we wszechświecie!

Naud-san, najwyraźniej nie wiedział co powiedzieć na też żart boga i po prostu rzucił „Dobrze wiedzieć”… Kaszlnął, a potem dalej zaczął krzyczeć do mikrofon:

– Tak więc mecz, którym tak bardzo interesują się VIP-y ze wszystkich frakcji, już niedługo się zacznie!

Jednak to naprawdę interesujące! W tym samym miejscy, w którym stoczyliśmy mecz z Sairaorgiem, teraz rozegra się walka pomiędzy nim a Cao Cao!

Obie drużyny wpatrywały się w siebie na polu gry. Wszyscy emanowali niesamowicie niebezpieczną żądzą mordu.

Pole gry… Było zupełnie inne niż podczas naszego meczu. Tym razem zmieniono je w oficjalne pole treningowe, chociaż i tak zostaną tam wkrótce teleportowani.

Był powód, dla którego mecz się jeszcze nie zaczął.

Królowa Cao Cao nadal się nie pojawiła.

Czekali na nią zarówno gracze, jak i widzowie.

– Jestem pewna że wszyscy byli zaskoczeni, gdy poznali skład drużyny Cao Cao – powiedziała Rias.

Tak, miała rację… A to dlatego, bo to imię rozpoznałby nawet taki głupek jak ja.

Podczas gdy publiczność szeptała coś do siebie, Królowa wreszcie się pojawiła.

W wejściu, przez które weszła Drużyna Cao Cao, rozległ się stukot końskich kopyt i po chwili wypadł z niego olbrzymi czerwony koń! Spojrzenia wszystkich skoncentrowały się na jeźdźcu!

– Przepraszam wszystkich za zwłokę….

Osobą, które wymówiła te słowa, był olbrzym w zielonej, chińskiej zbroi!

Brodacz, który emanował tak przytłaczającą aurą, że czuliśmy ją nawet przez monitor.

W jednej ręce dzierżył Półksiężycowe Ostrze Zielonego Smoka.

Kiedy ten brodaty olbrzym zsiadł z konia, Cao Cao przybrał pozę, w której ścisnął prawą pięść lewą dłonią i pozdrowił go.

– Nie, takie wejście pasuje do ciebie, Guan Gongu<ref>Guan Gong, znany też jako Guan Yu, był wielkim generałem w Epoce Trzech Królestw. Po śmierci uznano go za boga.</ref>.

Kiedy Cao Cao wymówił jego imię, wszyscy na stadionie byli w szoku!

Guan Gong… Albo też Guan Yu! Wielki bohater z Epoki Trzech Królestw!

Caster Naud-san shouted on top of his lungs once Guan Yu appeared!

– P-pojawiłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłł się! Królowa Drużyny Cao Cao, o-o-o-o-ostateczna istota boskiej klasy! Osoba która jest jednym z najpopularniejszych ludzi w świecie ludzi, Guan Gong! W wielu krajach jest uważany za boga! Bohater Trzech Królestw, generał Guan Yu!!! A teraz bierze udział w Królewskiej Grze!!! – wywrzeszczał do mikrofonu Naud-san, gdy pojawił sięGuan Yu!

Tak! To Guan Yu z Trzech Królestw! Nawet taki głupek jak ja o nim wiedział! Słyszałem legendy, że gdy zmarł był otoczony kultem i w końcu stał się bogiem, ale mimo tego…

– Osobą która nakłoniła Guan Yu do udziału w grze, był ten bóg… Indra. Członkowie Drużyny Cao Cao są w końcu członkami Frakcji Bohaterów, która należała do Brygady Chaosu. Nawet jeśli ja, jeden z gospodarzy turnieju, pozwolę na ich udział, to ludzie i tak będą podchodzić do nich z ostrożnością. Dlatego Indra wysłał kogoś, aby mieć na nich oko… Można powiedzieć, że to ich nadzorca. Ludzie na pewno będą się czuli pewniej, jeśli deifikowany generał Guan Yu będzie czuwał nad tymi byłymi terrorystami – wyjaśnił Śiwa.

Śiwa był naprawdę dobry w komentowaniu… Ale to właśnie dlatego Indra umieścił w drużynie Cao Cao kogoś takiego jak Guan Yu…

– Prawdopodobnie rozkazał Guan Gongowi, aby pościnał im wszystkim głowy, jeśli zaczną knuć coś niedobrego – powiedział cicho Kiba.

Zachowanie takiej ostrożności jest niezbędne, skoro biorą udział w turnieju publicznym…

– Zastanawiam się, dlaczego tak późno dołączył do turnieju? – zapytałem.

To dziwne, że przyłączył się do jego drużyny dopiero teraz.

– Najwyraźniej jest bardzo zajęty, od kiedy został bogiem dobrobytu. Słyszałam, że bogowie bogactwa wszystkich frakcji, są zajęci przez cały rok – odparła Sona-senpai, która oglądała mecz.

Ach~ to ma sens. Słyszałem że Guan Yu ma setki świątyń na całym świecie.

Kiedy Guan Yu… Guan Gong się pojawił, przywódca drużyny przeciwnej, Sairaorg-san, wystąpił naprzód!

– Czy ponownie dzierżysz swoją broń wraz z Cao Cao? – zapytał.

Guan Gong pogłaskał swoją brodę.

– Po prostu pamiętam stare czasy, Wielkiego Króla Zniszczenia – odparł.

Ta scena…. Mając tak małą wiedzę o historii, wyglądało to tak, jakby rozmawiali ze sobą dwaj silni ludzie, ale…

Wszyscy mruczeli coś pod nosami, gdy przyglądali się tej dwójce.

– Żeby generał Guan Yu, który był tak lojalny wobec Liu Bi, stanął u boku Cao Cao, nawet jeśli jest on potomkiem prawdziwego… – powiedziała Królowa Parostwa Sitri, Shinra-senpai.

– Kiedyś Co Cao pojmał do niewoli Guan Yu. Tak go wtedy polubił, że chciał go zwerbować do swoich stronników. On jednak pozostał lojalny wobec Liu Bi i wrócił do niego, gdy już wydostał się z niewoli – wyjaśniła mi całą sprawę Koneko-chan.

Tak, obiło mi się to o uszy, gdy czytałem historię o Cao Cao… To znaczy czytałem o jego przodku, aby opracować jakąś taktykę przeciwko temu obecnemu.

Powinienem też sprawdzić tego Liu Bi. W końcu pewnego dnia może być naszym przeciwnikiem.

Wyraz twarzy Rias był cały skostniały.

– Tylko on może spełnić swoje obowiązki, jako bohater.

Kiedy skupiliśmy się na rozmowie pomiędzy Sairaorgiem-san i Guan Gongiem, Naud-san wyjaśnił zasady meczu, który miał się właśnie rozegrać:

– O zasadach meczu zdecyduje publiczność! Proszę aby widzowie sami zdecydowali i wybrali, jakiego rodzaju mecz chcieliby dzisiaj obejrzeć!

Racja! Przed meczem zapytano widzów, oglądających mecz zarówno na stadionie, jak i siedzących przed telewizorami, według jakich zasada powinien się rozegrać mecz! To był festiwalowy mecz, który był nadawany publicznie, więc jak najbardziej chcieli zwiększyć wartość rozrywkową!

Zwykle robi się tak wtedy, kiedy ma się rozegrać mecz pomiędzy popularnymi drużynami i nawet w normalnych Królewskich Grach był to popularny sytem.

To zrozumiałe, że jeśli jesteś fanem tej gry, to chciałbyś zobaczyć mecz dwóch słynnych drużyn w stylu, który byłby dla nich obu najbardziej spektakularny.

Oczywiście wszyscy z Klubu Okultystycznego, włącznie ze mną, oddali głosy… Co ostatecznie zostanie wybrane?

Gracze, publiczność i my, wpatrywaliśmy się w olbrzymi monitor.

– Wybrana zostanie zasada z największą ilością głosów! Tak więc co wybraliście? To takie ekscytujące! – kontynuował Naud-san.

Nazwy zasad przesuwały się po ekranie i w końcu wyświetliła się ta wybrana.

– A oto i ona!

Wybraną zasadą jest… Błyskawiczne tempo!

Naud-san był podekscytowany tym wyborem, a widownia wyła z radości!

– Ochhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, nie wierzę! W-wybrano właśnie to! Wszyscy zagłosowali na… Błyskawiczne tempo! Zasada znana z krótkich walk w stylu blitz!

………!

Spośród wszystkich rodzajów Królewskich Gier, ta toczy się na najmniejszej powierzchni i w najkrótszym limicie czasu! To dlatego takie mecze toczyły się w stylu blitzu!

– Najwyraźniej wszyscy chcą zobaczyć czystą walkę, zamiast taktycznej rozgrywki – powiedziała Ravel.

Rozumiem to uczucie! Nawet ja musiałem wybrać pomiędzy tą, a normalną regułą i w końcu wybrałem normalną. Jako Król, chciałem zobaczyć jak te dwie drużyny będą się poruszały po arenie! Osobiście jednak, naprawdę chciałem zobaczyć mecz w stylu błyskawicznego tempa!

Nastrój panujący na arenie natychmiast zgęstniał. W jednej chwili Cao Cao wystąpił naprzód i zaczął rozmawiać z Sairaorgiem.

– Sairaorgu Baelu, mam dla ciebie propozycję.

Kamery skupiły się na Cao Cao.

– Cokolwiek wydarzy się w tym meczu, są rzeczy które ty i ja musimy zrobić. Będę dążył do zwycięstwa i… – powiedział, gdy szedł w stronę Sairaorga-san i nie przestawał mówić. – Będę czekał na ciebie pośrodku pola. Wiesz co to znaczy, prawda?

Obie drużyny były zaskoczone tą deklaracją.

Tego się można było spodziewać… Komentator był…!

– Czyżbyś proponował pojedynek jeden na jednego pomiędzy Królami? – zapytał Sairaorg-san uśmiechając się z pewnością.

– Sam tego chcesz, prawda? Oczywiście wliczając w to twojego Longinusa.

………………..!!!! Ja, nie, wszyscy obecni w tym pokoju byli przerażeni tymi słowami!

Kiedy przyglądaliśmy się temu w zdumieniu, Naud-san dalej darł się do mikrofonu:

– Cóż za prowokacyjne oświadczenie! Cao Cao zaproponował pojedynek Sairaorgowi-san!!!!!!

– To może być podejrzane, że proponuję pojedynek jeden na jednego. Cóż, w końcu jestem brutalnym oprychem… Zdecydowanie nie można mi zaufać… Przysięgam jednak że jestem osobą, która wyczekiwała naszego pojedynku – oznajmił Cao Cao.

– Przysięgasz? Właściwie to komu? Indrze, któremu służysz? A może swojemu przodkowi? – zapytał Sairaorg-san.

– Przysięgam Hyoudou Isseiowi – odparł Cao Cao wprost.

– ….!!

Wszyscy zaniemówili, kiedy o tym usłyszeli!

Ja też byłem tym zaskoczony!

….. A to drań…!!! Przysięgasz w moim imieniu…! Ja… nie potrafię się nawet złościć z tego powodu! Mój rywal przysięga w moim imieniu, że będzie walczył fair! Moim ciałem targały najróżniejsze emocje!

Ciało Sairaorg-san emanowało niesamowitą ilością bitewnej aury, gdy usłyszał słowa Cao Cao.

– Nadal mi nie wierzysz? – zapytał Cao Cao, kiedy to zobaczył.

Pomiędzy tą dwójką… Siła ich aur była tak wielka, że czuło się j nawet przez monitor. Zupełnie tak, jakby przestrzeń miała się rozpaść.

– Nie, skoro wypowiedziano jego imię, to nie ma powodu aby nie… Pokonam cię na środku pola!!! – powiedział Sairaorg-san, gdy wrócił do swojej drużyny.

Rozmowa tej dwójki nawet mnie podekscytowała…!

– Sairaorg-sama w ogóle nie za ufa Cao Cao, a on też uważa że Sairaorg-sama jest kimś, kogo musi pokonać. Ale Hyoudou…. – powiedział szorstkim głosem Saji, który przyglądał się temu wszystkiemu.

– Dla tej dwójki Ise.... Obietnica którą złożyli w jego imieniu jest ważna – dokończyła Rias za Sajiego.

Tak oto rozpoczęła się walka pomiędzy Drużyną Cesarskiego Fioletu Sairaorga-san oraz Włócznią Niebiańskiego Cesarza Cao Cao.
<noinclude>

==Odnośniki tłumacza==

<references/>
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<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Cofnij do [[Moc_2:_Bohaterowie_i_Chłopcy|Bohaterów i Chłopców]]
| Powróć do [[High_School_DxD_(Polski)|strony głównej]]
| Przejdź do [[Członkowie_Drużyny_1|Członków Drużyny 1]]
|}

Żywot 2: Typowe dni Sekiryuuteia

2019-04-10T16:48:16Z

141.101.77.137: /* Typowe dni Sekiryuuteia */

==Typowe dni Sekiryuuteia==
===Część 1===
Miało to miejsce kilka dni po tym, jak Rias wyjechała do Rumunii. Kiedy przez przypadek przechodziłem obok pokoju Samorządu uczniowskiego…

– Dalej, pokażcie mi dzisiaj swoje nowe moce☆.

Usłyszałem znajomy głos. Zatrzymałem się więc i zajrzałem przez szparę w niedomkniętych drzwiach.

– Onee-sama, żebyś przyszła tu bez zapowiedzi i prosiła jeszcze moje parostwo o zaprezentowanie swoich sztucznych Boskich Darów. Doprawdy jesteś…

– Czemu jesteś taka okrutna dla mnie,~ Parostwo So-tan zdobyło nowe moce, prawda? Twoja Onee-sama chce je więc zobaczyć!

Była tam zakłopotana Sona-kaichou oraz jej parostwo, wraz z Maou Lewiatanem-sama, która miała niezadowoloną minę.

Zaraz, co tutaj robi Maou-sama?!

Od ataku magów nie minęło wiele czasu, więc Zaświaty powinny być chyba zajęte robieniem porządków, prawda………?

Lewiatan-sama musiała wyczuć moje zakłopotanie, gdyż rozejrzała się dookoła…wkrótce nasze oczy się spotkały, gdy zaglądałem do pokoju samorządu!

Tego się można było spodziewać po Maou-sama! Jej zdolności wykrywające są niesamowite! Otworzyła drzwi z hukiem i uśmiechnęła się do mnie promiennie.

– Jesteś w idealnym czasie! Ty też do nas dołącz, Sekiryuukei-kun ☆.

Mimo wszystko wygląda mi na to, że zostałem wciągnięty do czegoś kłopotliwego…

===Część 2===
Ja, Lewiatan-sama i Kaichou… Oraz Parostwo Sitri, zebraliśmy się wszyscy w innym miejscu i byliśmy ubrani w nasze stroje gimnastyczne.

To miejsce znajdowało się pod terenami Rodu Sitri. Było podobne do pola treningowego, którego używał Klub Okultystyczny. Była to więc samorządowa wersja tego miejsca.

Powód dla którego tutaj jestem razem z Lewiatanem-sama i Samorządem uczniowskim jest taki…

– Chichiyuutei-kun dołączył dzisiaj do nas, jako specjalny gość☆ Teraz pokażcie mi nowe moce parostwa So-tan!

Lewiatan-sama ciągle była podekscytowana; z pewnością nie brakuje jej energii…

Najwyraźniej, powodem jej nagłej wizyty była chęć zobaczenia sztucznych Boskich Darów, które niedawno zyskało Parostwo Sitri.

Wygląda na to, że pamiętała o nowych mocach, które zdobyła jej siostra. Dodatkowo, najwidoczniej od niedawna interesowała się sztucznymi Boskimi Darami.

– Ise-kun, przepraszam że zostałeś wciągnięty w ten bałagan…… – powiedziała Sona-kaichou, która stała obok mnie i patrzyła przepraszającym wzrokiem.

– Nie, jest w porządku. Cóż, byłem zaskoczony tą nagłą wizytą Lewiatan-sama…

Naprawdę byłem zaskoczony. Nie upłynęło wiele czasu od ostatniego nagłego ataku i naprawdę zacząłem się niepokoić, jako diabeł, którego szkołę postanowiła odwiedzić Maou-sama.

– Wygląda na to, że przybyła tutaj, aby ponownie potwierdzić zdolności bojowe tego miejsca, w ramach specjalnego zarządzenia Trzech Frakcji. Z powodu tych wcześniejszych incydentów, Maou-sama postanowił osobiście to sprawdzić… Chociaż myślę że brakuje w tym napięcia – dodała Kaichou.

Wygląda na to, że nawet ona nie jest zadowolona z tej wizyty.

Ale faktycznie, ten incydent wydarzył się nie tak dawno temu i sam fakt, że ktoś z szefostwa chciał sprawdzić nasze zdolności bojowe, nie był niczym dziwnym.

Zastanawiam się czy to dlatego Lewiatan-sama chciała zobaczyć nowe moce Parostwa Sitri.

Lewiatan-sama wydęła wargi, gdy zobaczyła jak jej młodsza siostra wzdycha.

– Nie możemy nawet odbyć normalnego zebrania, gdyż te staruchy z rady ciągle zawracają nam głowę byle czym – oznajmiła słodkim tonem.

Kiedy mówi o „staruchach z rady”, to chodzi jej o starszyznę? Słyszałem że doświadczeni politycy, którzy są starsi niż Maou, wciąż mają dużo do gadania.

Powód dla którego tu jednak dzisiaj przyszedłem jest taki, że wybrano mnie na przeciwnika do przetestowania nowych mocy Parostwa Sitri. Postanowiłem więc wziąć w tym udział.

Mój los przypieczętował się więc, gdy zajrzałem do pokoju.

Kiedy wzdychałem, Kaichou przemówiła do mnie:

– Nie martw się, dostaliśmy pozwolenie od Akeno i twojej menadżer, Ravel-chan. Uznała to nawet za dobrą okazję, aby się więcej dowiedzieć o moim parostwie.

Więc dostała pozwolenie od Akeno i Ravel. Tego się można było spodziewać po Kaichou, szybko załatwia wszystkie sprawy. Wygląda na to, że Ravel nie ma nic przeciwko temu, abym trenował z Parostwem Sitri.

Cóż, jeśli chodzi o tą dziewczynę, to pewnie wyglądało to tak…

– Skoro w poprzedniej Królewskiej Grze, Ise-sama został pokonany przez Parostwo Sitri, to większa wiedza o naszych przeciwnikach będzie dla nas przydatniejsza w przyszłości.

…Na pewno powiedziała coś takiego i dała im pozwolenie.

– Prawdę mówiąc, to myśleliśmy aby potrenować razem z Parostwem Gremory. Ale przedtem potrenujemy najpierw z tobą, Ise-kun – dodała Kaichou.

Też się cieszę, że będę mógł potrenować z Parostwem Sitri; treningowa sesja z innymi grupami będzie pożytecznym doświadczenie.

– Wszyscy tu obecni wiedzą, jak Ise-kun brał udział w grach i walczył w prawdziwych bitwach, prawda? Myślcie więc o dzisiejszym dniu, jako o części waszego treningu – powiedziała Kaichou do swojego parostwa.

– Tak – odpowiedzieli wszyscy jednocześnie.

Cóż, wprawdzie zostałem jakoś w to wciągnięty, ale wysłuchiwanie ich historii nie jest problemem. Będę po prostu robił to, co podczas naszych treningów, robiłem z Parostwem Gremory.

W sumie muszę tylko wziąć udział w treningu z Grupą Sitri!

Myśląc w ten sposób, podsumowałem całą sytuacją, zanim specjalny trening się zaczął.

Parostwo Sitri, tak samo jak my, trenowało codziennie. Po tym jak Kaichou była świadkiem naszej walki z magami, powiedziała coś takiego…:

– My także zwiększymy ilość naszych treningów.

…I w ten oto sposób.

Powiedziała że jest pewna tego, że nawet w przypadku diabłów, ciągły trening czyni mistrza.

Jak już wspomniałem wcześniej, ta wielka przestrzeń jest osobistym obszarem treningowym Parostwa Sitri. Była taka sama jak ta, której używaliśmy my. Podobno Kaichou stworzyła to miejsce po tym, jak zobaczyła nasze pole treningowe. Jednak coś takiego pasowało do Kaichou.

A więc skoro się już rozgrzałem, powinienem dołączyć do treningu? Sparing z kimś innym niż zwykle, naprawdę mnie podekscytowała.

… Doprawdy, jestem takim frajerem, skoro tak się podekscytowałem samą zmianą partnerów do treningowej walki. To pokazuje, że zacząłem bardzo lubić treningi.

Cóż, to dobrze że stajesz się silniejszy, zwłaszcza kiedy myślisz o swojej przyszłości diabła, albo o tych ciągłych atakach najróżniejszych wrogów.

– Więc jak powinniśmy odbyć ten trening? – zapytałem Kaichou.

– Pasowałby ci sparing? Zwykle odbywamy zwykły trening, więc to czego nam brakuje, to symulowane pojedynki jeden na jednego.

Sparing, ja też lubię ten rodzaj treningów. Integrują się w nim podstawy i nie ma niczego lepszego niż pozorowane pojedynki, aby nauczyć się więcej o swoim przeciwniku.

– A co z Poligloctwem? – zapytałem.

Parostwo Sitri to w większości dziewczyny, więc zapytałem zawczasu, czy mogę korzystać z techniki, która umożliwia mi rozmawianie z kobiecymi piersiami.

– Proszę, nie korzystaj z tego – odpowiedziały wszystkie dziewczyny jednocześnie.

Wiedziałem że tak będzie!

– Kyaa~ więc to jest ta słynna Shinigami☆.

Usłyszałem głos Lewiatana-sama. Kiedy się odwróciłem, zobaczyłem że przytula się do adresatki swoich słów, Shinigami (Ponurej Żniwiarz) Benni.

Zauważyłem to już wcześniej, ale Shinigami Bennia i wielki Rugal-san, też tutaj byli. Oboje ubierali się w sposób podatny na wpływ, ale, być może że nie prezentowali się zbyt okazale……

Bennia miała na sobie swoją szatę Żniwiarza, a Rugal-san strój gimnastyczny, tak jak reszta Parostwa Sitri.

– …………

Rugal-san milczał. Jest wielki i świetnie zbudowany, a do tego jest Wieżą! Najwyraźniej więc jego atak i obrona są wyjątkowo silne, więc czuję że mógłbym z nim stoczyć niezłą walkę.

– Ja i Rugal-nii będziemy dzisiaj tylko obserwować – powiedziała Bennia.

Ach, więc będą tylko obserwować. Chciałbym zobaczyć w akcji kosę Benni, ale… No cóż.

Lewiatan-sama dalej tuliła się do Benni.

– Ufufu, jaka słodka~☆ Rugal-kun też jest taki przystojny♪.

Wygląda na to, że polubiła nowych członków Parostwa Sitri.

Cóż, zaczynajmy więc walkę.

Aktywowałem Łamacza Ładu i założyłem zbroję.

– Pierwsza będzie nasza Wieża, Tsubasa – powiedziała Kaichou, po czym naprzód wysunęła się wysoka dziewczyna.

Miała rękawicę do połowy palców.

– Będę pod twoją opieką, Hyoudou.

– Niech będzie.

Ta dziewczyna to Yura Tsubasa, jedna z Wież Parostwa Sitri.

Nie urodziła się w żadnej wyjątkowej rodzinie, ale powiedziano mi, że od najmłodszych lat była w stanie zobaczyć nadnaturalne zjawiska i istoty. Więc walczyła z nimi na własną rękę, jeszcze zanim została diabłem.

– Zaczynajcie!

Kiedy tylko Kaichou skończyła mówić, Yura ruszyła w moją stronę!

Wbrew temu co sugerowała jej sylwetka, odbiła się od ziemi i poruszała wyjątkowo szybko!

Hmm! Być może z powodu jej wagi, w przeciwieństwie do ciosów naszej Wieży, Koneko-chan, jej ataki zadawane są z większą siłą!

Ruchy Koneko-chan są szybsze, ale zasięg ciosów Yury był większy, z powodu jej wzrostu. Jej kopniaki kilkakrotnie zmieniały kierunek, więc parę razy oberwałem, nawet jeśli robiłem uniki.

Ale aktywowałem Zbroję Łuskową Daru Wzmocnienia, więc nawet jeśli ciosy były pełne demonicznej aury, to i tak nie odniosłem obrażeń! Cóż, fale uderzeniowe z ciosów przebijały się jednak przez moją zbroję!

Kiedy toczyłem pojedynek z Yurą, jednocześnie z nią rozmawiałem.

– Jak się nad tym zastanowić, to słyszałem że jako człowiek pokonywałaś potwory i złe duchy samymi sztukami walki, prawda?

Uśmiechnęła się pewnie.

– Tak, ale jako człowiek nie mogłam sobie poradzić z silnymi potworami!

Yura skoncentrowała swoją aurę w prawej pięści! Uniknąłem ostrego ataku, ale poczułem ból w biodrze.

Zostałem trafiony kopniakiem, pełnym demonicznej aury! Więc jej prawa pięść była tylko przynętą! Więc przewidziała, że uniknę ciosu pięścią!

O tak! Oto co ja nazywam walką na pięści! Mam jednak Asa w rękawie.

Odpaliłem Smoczy Strzał z mojej prawej ręki!

Mój pocisk pędził z olbrzymią prędkością i kiedy miał już trafić w cel, przed Yurą coś się pojawiło.

– Tarcza!

W jej lewej dłoni pojawiła się tarcza, która zablokowała mój pocisk!

Sztuczny Boski Dar, Tarcza Ducha i Chwały, Migocząca Egida!

Rozległa się głośna eksplozja, ale nic się jej nie stało! Tarcza skutecznie zablokowała mój atak.

Ta tarcza będzie utrapieniem! Yura dostała ten sztuczny Boski Dar od Azazela-sensei! Wraz z obronnymi cechami Wieży, pokazywała teraz ostateczną siłę.

Czy oni zawarli też kontrakt z jakimś duchem, którego moc dodali do tarczy?

…Sądząc po tych płomieniach, które objęły tarczę, może był to duch ognia?

Yura rzuciła nagle ognistą tarczą we mnie, jakby to było frisbee! Jeśli ją zablokuję, to wróci do niej!

Walka wręcz, obrona dzięki tarczy, a teraz może jeszcze atakować na dystans, dzięki specjalnym cechom tarczy.

…Prawdę mówiąc to wspaniała umiejętność. Nie tylko zwiększa przydatność sztucznego Boskiego Daru, ale też chroni jego słabości. Trudno znaleźć Wieżę, która jest taka trudna do pokonania.

– Więc to jest tarcza Tsubasy, którą może rzucać jak jojem☆ Naprawdę chciałam to zobaczyć! – oznajmiła Lewiatan-sama, która podekscytowała się nową mocą Yury!

……Maou-sama, wiesz że twoje oczy się iskrzą?! Jak bardzo lubisz parostwo swojej siostry?!

Gdy powoli się rozgrzałem, ruszyłem na Yurę z pełnią mocy.

''15 minut później.....''

Yura upadła, dysząc przy tym ciężko i podnosząc obie ręce do góry.

– …Tego się można było spodziewać, Seikryuteiu. Jesteś silniejszy. Przegrałam.

Yura poddała się, ale ostatecznie nie mogłem się przebić przez jej tarczę i zadać ostatecznego ciosu. Cóż, nie użyłem Trójzębu ani Królowej… Ale doprawdy, ta tarcza jest twarda.

– Hej, ta tarcza jest naprawdę silna – powiedziałem, pomagając Yurze wstać.

Może kompletnie zablokować każdy rodzaj mocy. Sama w sobie jest bardzo silna, wraz z tymi technicznymi ruchami i do tego może zawierać kontrakty z najróżniejszymi duchami. Dla nas, Parostwa Gremory, które składa się głównie z ludzi obdarzonych silną mocą, ta osoba będzie wyjątkowo uciążliwa.

…W prawdziwym meczu najlepiej poradziliby sobie z nią Kiba albo Rossweiess-san, którzy mogą używać najróżniejszych rodzajów magii.

Po tym jak nasz pojedynek się skończył, Kaichou wskazała kolejną przeciwniczkę.

– Następna jest Tomoe

– Tak.

Dziewczyna uzbrojona w Boski Dar, wyglądający jak katana, zrobiła krok naprzód.

Tomoe Meguri-chan. Jeden ze Skoczków.

Z tego co słyszałem, pochodzi z Rodziny Meguri, której głównym celem życia było egzorcyzmowanie demonów. Pokonywali je dzięki świętym mieczom i innym unikalnym orężom.

Jednakże, w wyniku zemsty pewnego demona, na Klan Meguri została rzucona klątwa i powiedziano, że jej dusza została przeklęta w dniu, w którym się narodziła.

Nie mogąc patrzeć, jak ich urocza córka umiera z powodu klątwy, w akcie desperacji postanowili poprosić o pomoc diabła.

A diabłem którego wezwali, była Sona-kaichou…

Jednak jedyny sposób na uwolnienie się od klątwy, to zostanie diabłem. Ostatecznie Kaichou spełniła prośbę jej rodziców i przyjęła ją do swojego parostwa.

To dobrze, że diabłem który został przyzwany, była Sona-kaichou. Nawet nie stawiała żadnych żądań, poza włączeniem Meguri-chan do swojego parostwa.

Jednakże, ponieważ osoba z rodziny Meguri-chan została diabłem, jej rodzina została wygnana ze zgromadzenia egzorcystów, ale mimo tego dalej mogła mieszkać w tym mieście ze swoimi rodzicami.

Tak jak w przypadku Yury, Meguri jest frontową wojowniczką.

Meguri-chan przybrała pozycję do walki. Hmm, jest zupełnie inna niż w przypadku Kiby. On używa stylu walki japońskiego kendo, ale ma bardziej swobodny styl. Xenovia nie przybiera nawet pozy.

W przeciwieństwie do nich, Meguri-chan miała bardziej umiarkowaną postawę. Piękną, bez żadnych luk w obronie.

– Zaczynajcie!

Zaraz po tym jak Kaichou wydała swój rozkaz, Meguri-chan zamachnęła się swoim mieczem sztucznego Boskiego Daru! Ostrze pokryte jasną i mroczną aurą, pomknęło w moją stronę!

– Zabijające smoki ostrze światła i mroku, Migoczące Ostrze Mrocznego Samurajskiego Miecza!

Cholera, co za długo nazwa! Co jest nie tak z tym nadawaniem nazw przez Azazela-sensei?!

Wygląda na to, że ma to coś wspólnego z jego mroczną przeszłością… Ale niszczycielska moc tego miecza jest bardzo duża. Kiedy uniknąłem ataku, ostrze zniszczyło podłogę w miejscu, w którym stałem!

…Wygląda na to, że ma różne właściwości świętego i demonicznego miecza Kiby. Zwłaszcza, że koncentracja światła i mroku aktywowała się w tym samym czasie, a ich wysoka produkcja zrosła się ze sobą. Ten sztuczny Boski Dat jest inny, niż połączenie proporcji światła i mroku… Według Senseia, ten miecz jest efektem badań nad Świętym Demonicznym Mieczem Kiby…

Ten sztuczny Boski Dar miecz przypomina jednak bardziej niszczycielską moc Xenovi, niż Święty Demoniczny Miecz Kiby.

Widząc katanę Meguri-chan, Lewiatan-sama podekscytowała się jeszcze bardziej.

– Jest taki sam jak ten, którym Azazel wymachiwał podczas Dni Sportu! Mi się to podobało! Potrzebujemy takich osób w polityce!

Naprawdę?! Naprawdę potrzebujemy takich wariatów w polityce?! N-nie wierzę!

Prawie zostałem rozproszony przez Lewiatan-sama. W każdym razie atak Meguri-chan, a także jej ruchy i postawa, pokazywały że jest bardzo utalentowana. Ale dzięki temu że walczyłem ze znacznie lepszym szermierzem od niej, łatwo uniknąłem jej ataku.

Zauważyłem lukę w jej obronie i zadałem cios, odrzucając ją daleko w tył.

Meguri-chan przeturlała się po ziemi, po czym uniosła się i podniosła obie ręce do góry.

Poddała się, podszedłem do niej i podałem rękę

– Hmm, ten miecz jest silny, ale nie działa przeciwko tobie, Hyoudou-kun – powiedziała Meguri-chan, wstając na nogi.

– Cóż, zawsze trenuję z szermierzami, którzy przytłaczają wrogów potężnymi atakami, lub zabijają ich jednym silnym ciosem. Prawdę mówiąc mam doświadczenie w walce z użytkownikami mieczy.

– Chodzi o Kibę-kun i Xenovię-chan. Czuję się głupio, że rozgniewały mnie ich imiona.

Meguri-chan uśmiechnęła się gorzko.

– Myślę że ty też świetnie walczysz, Meguri-chan. Do tego ten miecz został zrobiony przez Senseia, prawda? Może mieć więc jakieś ukryte właściwości…

Właściwie boję się nawet oberwać tym mieczem. Jest szansa że ma coś w rodzaju Aktywacji Ukrytej Zdolności Trucizny, która by się włączyła po trafieniu mnie……

Meguri-chan naprawdę się przestraszyła.

– N-nie mów takich rzeczy! Nie zastanawiałam się nad tym za wiele…!

Ach~, więc już się o to niepokoiłaś. Dlaczego więc wybrałaś ten Boski Dar?

Jak się nad tym zastanowić, to zadałem jej to pytanie wcześniej i odpowiedziała wtedy „Dlatego że jest silny”. Niespodziewanie, Meguri-chan jest zabawną osobą.

Yura, Meguri-chan, następna jest…

– Teraz spróbujmy więc potrójnego wyzwania. Momo, Reya, Ruruko, będziecie walczyły z Iseiem-kun wszystkie trzy naraz.

–Tak.

Tym razem do przodu wysunęły się Gońce, Hanakai-chan i Kusaka-chan, oraz Pion Nimura-chan.

…Jedna stała z przodu, a dwie pozostałe za nią. Zdolności Hanakai-chan i Kusaki-chan nie są zbyt przydatne w walce, więc kazała im współpracować z Nimurą-chan.

Ojciec Hanakai-chan jest jakąś szychą w pewnej firmie, która w przeszłości miała najwyraźniej jakieś związki z Rodem Sitri. Nie wiem dokładnie dlaczego, ale Hanakai-chan jest obecnie diablicą. Nie wygląda jednak na to, aby została nią w wyniku życzenia, albo zapłaty…

Babcia Kusaki-chan była czarownicą, dzięki czemu dużo wiedziała o diabłach i w ten sposób spotkała Kaichou. Jej zdolności komunikacyjne/szpiegowskie są bazowane na magii, której nauczyła się od babci.

Wreszcie Pion Nimura-chan. Przypadkowo dowiedziała się, że członkowie Samorządu Uczniowskiego są diabłami i lekkomyślnie poprosiła o wskrzeszenie.

– H-Hyoudou-senpai, uśmiechasz się kwaśno, kiedy patrzysz na mnie z tej swojej zbroi, prawda?

Pierwszoklasistka z dobrą świadomością, oto Nimura-chan.

Cóż, wprawdzie ta dziewczyna została diablicą lekkomyślnie, ale i tak jest niesamowita, tak samo jak Kaichou, która się na to zgodziła.

…Albo też i nie. Skoro mówimy o Kaichou, to mogła przewidzieć jej talenty, gdyż nigdy nie marnuje czasu na nic bezużytecznego.

A więc zacznijmy ten pojedynek trzy na jednego!

Pion Nimura-chan i ja, stanęliśmy naprzeciwko siebie. Jej długie kucyki są wrażliwe. Ma silną wolę i jest jedną z tych osób, które mówią wszystko.

Obie jej nogi zalśniły jasnym światłem i zostały okryte zbroją. To sztuczny Boski Dar.

Księżyc i Królik, Procellarum Widma....

Zbroja sięgnęła aż do jej bioder. Ten sztuczny Boski Dar znacząco zwiększa jej szybkość oraz daje jej kopniakom potężną siłę.

Nimura-chan promowała się na Królową, po czym zrobiła mały krok do przodu, podskoczyła.... I zniknęła mi z oczu!

Po prostu wyparowała nagle bez śladu! W takim razie.....!

Poczułem że ktoś pojawił się za moimi plecami. Odwróciłem się, przybrałem pozycję obronną, i od razu otrzymałem potężny kopniak! Był tak silny, że poczułem go przez zbroję!

Aura z jej zbroi zwiększyła siłę kopniaka. Nie, to nie był zwykły wzrost mocy, było zupełnie tak, jakby ten kopniak był dziesięć razy potężniejszy od zwykłego!

Po tym jak kopniaki Nimury-chan zostały zablokowane, cofnęła się i znowu zniknęła. Kiedy się odwróciłem w stronę miejsca, w którym poczułem jej obecność, zobaczyłem że stoi obok obu Gońców.

Szybka jest. Wprawdzie nie tak jak Kiba, ale zdecydowanie szybsza od Xenovi. Nie mogłem nadążyć za nią wzrokiem. Gdybym nie miał dobrego wyczucia jej obecności, to przyparła by mnie do ściany.

Wygląda na to, że jej synergia z cechami Królowej i Skoczka jest wspaniała, co jest całkowitym przeciwieństwem mnie oraz mojej synergii z Wieżą.

Gdy Lewiatan-sama to zobaczyła, przemówiła radosnym głosem:

– Ruru jest naprawdę szybka~♪ Pion z cechami Skoczka może zostać użyty przeciwko nieregularnej taktyce w grze. Nawet w szachach, w zależności od sytuacji, zamiast promować pionki na królową, awansują je na skoczków.

Nimura-chan znów zniknęła. Znów zamierza zaatakować, skurczyłem się i czekałem na jej cios. Jej atak nie był czymś, czego nie można było zablokować. Jej podstępne ataki zadawane dzięki szybkości, są znakomite, ale nie mają jeszcze poziomu krytycznego.

Nagle Nimura-chan pojawiła się obok mnie, gdy przybrałem pozycję obronną i zadała kopniak. Tak jak się spodziewałem, jest szybka. Jej ataki trafiały mnie raz po raz, a ja nie byłem nawet w stanie jej dotknąć.

Robiąc małe kroki, Nimura-chan zasypała mnie gradem precyzyjnych, ale mocnych ciosów.

Cóż, jestem do tego przyzwyczajony. Przez cały czas zmagałem się z ludźmi, których nie mogłem trafić, gdyż zawsze unikali moich ataków i kontratakowali. Ale mam taktykę na takie sytuacje!

Przyjmując atak przeciwnika, zebrałem w sobie ogień i zionąłem nim!

Całą okolicę pochłonął smoczy ogień, który prawie pochłonął Nimurę-chan, ale wyczuła zagrożenie i próbowała uciec przed płomieniem. Tak jak można się było spodziewać, próbowała uciec po tym jak podpaliłem całe to miejsce!

Przewidziałem to, więc przebiłem się przez ogień, aby dopaść Nimurę-chan.

– Uważaj!

Jej twarz była taka napięta! Złapałem ją!

Kiedy miałem uderzyć ją moją prawą pięścią…

Niebieska bariera otoczyła Nimurę-chan! Ta rzecz była dostatecznie silna, aby wytrzymać mój atak!

Spojrzałem na Gońca, Hanakai-chan. Miała opaskę na ręku, której chwilę temu jeszcze tu nie było.

– Obronę zostaw mnie, Ruruko.

Hanakai-chan uśmiechnęła się. O ile się nie mylę, to jest to Ogród Chwili, Ściana Uznania.

Jej sztuczny Boski Dar posiada zdolność otaczania osoby barierą, która była solidna i nie ulegała żadnym zwykłym atakom.

To kłopotliwa umiejętność, skoro może otoczyć barierą kogoś, kto znajduje się w pewnej odległości od niej.

Nagle coś dotknęło mojego ramienia. To była unosząca się w powietrzu maska.

Kiedy się odwróciłem w stronę Kusaki-chan, wytknęła język.

– Jestem ekspertką w szpiegowaniu, więc atakowanie nie jest moją domeną. Ale przynajmniej powinnam robić coś takiego, prawda?

Mmm, to godne pochwały! Sztuczny Boski Dar Gońca, Kusaki-chan, stworzył niezliczone maski, które obecnie unoszą się w powietrzu.
[[File:Reya using Scouting Persona.jpg|thumbnail]]
Jak sądzę, to jest to Maskarada Potworów, Istota Zwiadowcy.

Możesz kontrolować je ze sporej odległości, dlatego są bardzo przydatne do szpiegowania. Używając tych masek, może prowadzić zwiad nawet na bardzo odległym obszarze. Może nimi dowolnie poruszać, ale… Jedyne co mogą zrobić ciężko opancerzonemu przeciwnikowi, to tylko go rozproszyć.

– Momo i Reya mają moce, które odzwierciedlają ich osobowości☆ – powiedziała Lewiatan-sama, kiwając głową.

Tak jak powiedziała, Boskie Dary Parostwa Sitri bazują na ich osobowościach. Są bardzo dobrzy w rolach, które im przydzielono.

Przybrałem z powrotem moją postawę bojową. Co powinienem teraz zrobić? Wspólny atak Nimury-chan i Hanakai-chan jest wspaniały. Jeśli pokonam jedną z nich, reszta będzie walczyć dalej, osłaniając nawzajem swoje słabe punkty. Nie mogłem się więc zdecydować, którą pokonać jako pierwszą.

Osłaniają nawzajem swoje słabe punkty, używając najlepszych ruchów…. Pomyślałem, że Parostwo Sitri jest o wiele bardziej zrównoważoną drużyną od naszej. Po prostu ruszyliśmy do walki…

Potrząsnąłem głową, uśmiechając się gorzko i skupiając się.

…Stoczmy więc pojedynek, aby zobaczyć kto jest bardziej wytrzymały, ja, czy Nimura-chan.

Już wkrótce się zmęczy, aa wtedy to będzie jej koniec!

Zobaczmy co jest lepsze, prawdziwy Boski Dar, czy sztuczne twory Senseia!

– Naprawdę jesteś potworem. Żeby przetrwać walkę trzech na jednego… – westchnął Saji, który stał obok mnie

Po długiej walce pokonałem grupę Nimury-chan. Najwyraźniej nie dopasowała się jeszcze dobrze do swojego Boskiego Daru, więc przeceniła swoje siły i szybko się zmęczyła.

Kiedy łatwo pokonałem Nimurę-chan i Hanakai-chan, Kusaka-chan poddała się sama.

W taki oto sposób zakończył się trening pomiędzy mną i Parostwem Sitri, które dostało sztuczne Boskie Dary od Azazela-sensei.

– Nie muszę więc walczyć z Sajim i Shinrą-fukkukaichou? – zapytałem.

– Nie. Dzisiejszy trening był przeznaczony na pojedynki między użytkownikami sztucznych Boskich Darów, a Hyoudou-kunem… Najwyraźniej Kaichou chciała chciała przeanalizować wiele różnych rzeczy, testując ciebie, użytkownika Longinusa i Sekiryuuteia – powiedziała Shinra-senpai, poprawiając swoje okulary.

Ach, może to było po to, aby jej parostwo przyzwyczaiło się do swoich Boskich Darów? Cóż, dostali je zaledwie kilka dni temu.

Może z tego powodu wszyscy byli zmęczeni po użyciu swoich Boskich Darów. Yura i Hanakai-chan siedziały w rogu pola treningowego, odzyskując utracone siły.

Powiedzieli że to unikalne wystąpienie z Boskimi Darami. Zwykle nie można robić takich rzeczy, gdyż ich przyjmowanie lub zabieranie jest bardzo niebezpieczne.

W końcu Asia zginęła po tym, jak odebrano jej Boski Dar, a Saji przeszedł piekło w Instytucie Grigori, aby otrzymać więcej Boskich Darów Vritry.

Sztuczne Boskie Dary, które Azazel-sensei badał albo wynalazł, także mają kilka ograniczeń oraz efektów pobocznych, które powodują silne zmęczenie po skorzystaniu z nich.

– Czy to szkodliwe dla twojego ciała, jeśli za bardzo używasz sztucznego Boskiego Daru? – zapytałem Sajiego.

Saji uśmiechnął się gorzko i skinął głową.

– Tak. Słyszałem że jest niebezpiecznie, jeśli używasz ich zbyt długo. Sensei wprawdzie powiedział, że nie zmniejszy to twojej żywotności, ale może może wpłynąć na twoje moce i zdolności.

Jak się nad tym zastanowić, to ja też słyszałem, że nawet prawdziwe Boskie Dary mogę mieć negatywny wpływ na twoje moce, jeśli zdobędziesz je w inny sposób. Sadzę że to podobny scenariusz.

Kaichou, która obserwowała dotąd walkę, rozmawiała z nowymi członkami, Benią i Rugalem-san. Pewnie mówili o swoich spostrzeżeniach na temat walk ze mną. Jestem pewien, że Kaichou już obmyśliła, jak użyje swoich nowych członków drużyny. Jest taka straszna.

Natomiast Lewiatan-sama…

– Więc Ben lubi „Oppai Smoka”?! Nie oglądasz „Magicznej☆ Lewi-tan”?

– Jestem fanką Seikryuuteia, chociaż Lewia-tan też nie jest zła. Ponieważ jestem fanką oryginalnego Milky, to nie sądzę abym mogła ją tak bardzo polubić.

– Och jejku! Więc jesteś fanką Milky! Cieszę się! Który jest twoim ulubionym?! Uwielbiam ich wszystkich!

– Jestem restrykcyjną osobą, ale trzeci…

Ach~ Lewiatan-sama i Benia rozmawiają ze sobą. Wygląda na to, że nowa członkini zaprzyjaźniła się z Maou-sama. Nie denerwuje się jej obecnością, więc musi być naprawdę odważna.

– Nie wiem co to ma być……… – powiedział krótko Rugal-san.

Tuż obok, my dalej prowadziliśmy swoją rozmowę.

– Może powinnam wybrać leczniczy Boski Dar, taki jaki ma Argento-senpai – powiedziała Pion Nimura-chan, przekrzywiając głowę.

– Dlaczego tak uważasz? – zapytała Sinra-senpai.

– Na pierwszej linii walczą Tomoe-san i Tsubasa-san, które świetnie się do tego nadają, a ja nie jestem taka dobra w walce wręcz, jak Wieża.

Oj, dzisiaj świetnie walczyłaś. Byłaś szybka, a twoje kopnięcia precyzyjne.

Kiedy to powiedziałem...

– Czuję się pewniej, kiedy słyszę coś takiego od Seikryuuteia Hyoudou-senpaia – Nimura-san odparła coś takiego.

Jest uroczą pierwszoklasistką, a do tego jest prosta jak Xenovia.

– Słyszałam, że leczące Boskie Dary, nawet jeśli są dostępne, to bywają bardzo niebezpieczne – powiedziała Hanakai-chan.

– Niebezpieczne? – zapytał Saji.

– Azazel-sansei powiedział, że trudno je opanować, do momentu gdy musisz poświęcić inne swoje cechy. Dlatego też, jeśli nie poświęcisz innych swoich mocy, nie możesz w pełni użyć swojego potencjału. Dlatego też moc lecząca jest taka cenna.

Tak jak powiedziała Hanakai-chan, moc lecznicza jest rzadka i bardzo cenna. Dlatego wszyscy tak bardzo pragną tej mocy.

Krótko mówiąc, Asia miała taką moc od dnia narodzin, ale jeśli ktoś spróbuje uzyskać taką umiejętność na własna rękę, to będzie to skutkowało bardzo poważnymi konsekwencjami.

Gdy Nimura-chan to usłyszała, uśmiechnęła się promiennie.

– Tak przy okazji, Argento-senpai jest taka słodka~. Zawsze tak pięknie się do każdego uśmiecha, że nie potrafisz jej nie uwielbiać. Jest osobą która idealnie pasuje do obrazu uzdrowicielki.

Oho, najwyraźniej Nimura-chan jest fanką Asi. Tak, jest taka słodka i zawsze się uśmiecha. Jestem z niej dumny.

– Co Parostwo Sitri mysli o członkach Klubu Okultystycznego? Ach, ale nie pod względem zdolności bojowych, ale społecznym? – zapytałem o coś, co przyszło mi nagle do głowy.

Jak się nad tym zastanowić, to nigdy nie pytaliśmy ich o to.

– Ach, zasadniczo wiem co myślicie o mnie, Kibie, Rias-Bouchou, Akeno-san, Asi, Koneko-chan i Gasperze, ale co z pozostałymi?

Ja jestem zboczeńcem, Kiba przystojniakiem, Rias i Akeno-san są niesamowicie popularnymi onee-sama. To powszechnie znane fakty. Koneko-chan jest pewnie maskotką, a Asia jest słodka.

Słyszałem też wcześniej o Gasperze. Meguri-chan jest jego fanką, gdyż lubi młodych chłopców.

Ciekaw więc jestem, co myślą o pozostałych?

– Shidou nie jest złą osobą, ale… Jest bardzo dziwna – powiedziała Wieża Yura.

– Zgadza się – przytaknęli wszyscy.

– Shidou-san kilka dni temu modliła się przed automatami z przekąskami. To były jedne z tych, w których można było wygrać darmową przekąskę i najwyraźniej modliła się do Nieba o to, aby udało się jej wygrać – dodała Hanakai-chan.

IRINAAAAAA…. Ktoś zobaczył twoją żałosną stronę! Modliłaś się o coś takiego przed automatem! Jesteś Asem Michała-sama, prawda?!

– Raz widziałam ją, jak rozdawała chleb ludziom, którzy nie mogli go kupić w szkolnym sklepiku. Najwyraźniej upiekła go w domu razem z Xenovią-chan – oznajmiła Goniec Kusaki-chan.

– Ach to już jest sławne. Nazwali to „Chlebem Iriny, który jest słynny wśród biednych uczniów”. Kierownik sklepu się jednak skarżył i musieliśmy prosić Shido-senpai, aby przestała – powiedziała Nimura-chan.

Hm, achhhh chodzi im pewnie o tą domową piekarnię, którą Kościelne Trio kupiło w Akihabarze! Czasami widziałem, jak piekły w niej chleb. Więc rozdawała go uczniom! I skarżyli się przez to na ciebie, Irina!

Prawdopodobnie zrobiła to w dobrej wierze, ale… Z punktu widzenia kierownika sklepu było to upokarzające. Pewnie rozdawała go mówiąc coś o zagubionych owieczkach!

Haaa, próbujesz otworzyć piekarnię, czy coś?

– Przepraszam – pogrążyłem się w przeprosinach, gdyż uznałem że powinienem to zrobić, skoro mieszkająca w moim domu dziewczyna zrobiła coś takiego.

Teraz zaczęli mówić o Xenovi.

– Wszystkie kluby sportowe próbują ją zrekrutować. Ciągle otrzymuje wnioski typu „Czy moglibyście zrobić coś, aby Xenovia-chan do nas dołączyła?” – oznajmił Saji.

Hmm, kluby sportowe, hę. Cóż, jest świetna w sportach, więc można się było tego spodziewać.

– Zwłaszcza Klub Kendo chce zrekrutować Xenovię-chan i Shidou-chan. Wprawdzie mnie też to od czasu do czasu proponują, ale te dwie są na zupełnie innym poziomie. Cóż, gdyby je zrekrutowali, to mistrzostwa krajowe nie byłyby już dla nich tylko marzeniem – powiedziała Skoczek Meguri-chan.

To prawda, gdyby te dwie wstąpiły do klubu, to wygranie mistrzostw poszłoby jak z płatka, więc nie ma w tym nic dziwnego, że chcą je zrekrutować. Ale dla wskrzeszonych diabłów i aniołów mieszanie się do spraw ludzkiego świata mogłoby być trochę problematyczne, gdyż najwyraźniej byłoby to sprzeczne z zasadami.

Cóż, włącznie z Meguri-chan, wszyscy obecni tutaj szermierze, jeszcze przed wskrzeszeniem, byli na poziomie mistrzostw.

– Xenovia-senpai jest niesamowicie popularna wśród pierwszoklasistek. Ich reakcja doprawdy jest czymś. Wiecie że chyba ma więcej fanów wśród dziewcząt, niż chłopców? – powiedziała Nimura-chan, uśmiechając się gorzko.

Cóż, jeśli się jej przyjrzycie, to wygląda fajnie, a tego typu dziewczyny zawsze są ubóstwiane przez kouhai tej samej płci. Wprawdzie czasem zachowuje się jeszcze głupiej ode mnie, ale to także jedna z jej cech.

– W każdym razie nie uważam Xenovi-chan za złą dziewczynę – powiedział Saji.

– Nie wiem jaka jest podczas bitew, ale normalnie wydaje się być cicha – zgodziła się Kusaka-chan.

To prawda, Xenovia zachowuje się cicho w szkole, zarówno podczas lekcji, jak i przerw. Ponieważ zanim tu przyjechała żyła w Kościele, to czasem zdarza się jej robić rzeczy pozbawione sensu, ale natychmiast przeprasza, jeśli się pomyli.

Trzecią osobą o której rozmawialiśmy, była Rossweisse-san.

– Jest pełna straconych możliwości.

– Zgadzamy się – skomentowali wszyscy w taki sposób.

Wreszcie nadszedł czas na Ravel. Gdy zaczęliśmy o niej rozmawiać, wszyscy z Samorządu Uczniowskiego zaczęli mówić jeden przez drugiego.

– Nie możesz jej użyczyć Samorządu Uczniowskiemu?

– W przyszłym roku chcielibyśmy ją mieć w samorządzie!

– Jest tak wspaniała, że chcielibyśmy ją zrekrutować!

Hej hej hej hej. Ich opinia na jej temat jest wspaniała! Nie tylko ją chwalili, ale nawet chcieli zrekrutować do Samorządu!

Już słyszałem od Gaspera, że Ravel nie tylko jest popularna w swojej klasie, ale uważana jest też za wzór uczennicy pod względem społecznym.

Trochę przez to narzekała, ale była znana ze swojej szczerej osobowości, więc jej nawyk narzekania był jedną z cech jej charakteru…

Dlatego samorząd zachowuje się w ten sposób. Oczywiście nie jako członkowie swojego parostwa, ale jako uczniowie Akademii Kuou.

Nawet ja zauważyłem, że moja menadżer jest naprawdę wspaniała! Jeśli przyłączy się do Samorządu Uczniowskiego, to bez trudu wykona każdą pracę.

Hanakai-chan zbliżyła do mnie swoją twarz.

– Chcę cię o to prosić, Hyoudou-kun, skoro jest twoją menadżer! W przyszłym roku potrzebujemy jej w Samorządzie Uczniowskim! – powiedziała.

– Tak! – zgodziła się Yura, która stała obok niej.

Racja; Saji i pozostali już myślą o przyszłym roku.

– Ale czy do Samorządu Uczniowskiego nie należą tylko ludzie z Parostwa Sitri? Więc to w prządku, jeśli dołączy ktoś obcy? – zapytałem.

Członkowie samorządu popatrzyli na siebie i skinęli głowami.

– Według opinii Kaichou, do samorządu mogą też dołączyć ludzie spoza jej parostwa. W końcu już niedługo będą musieli – odparł Saji.

To prawda, skoro nie będzie łatwo prowadzić samorządu tylko z członkami Parostwa Sitri. Król może mieć w swoim parostwie najwyżej piętnaście osób. Więc to oznacza, że po tym jak Członkowie Parostwa Sitri skończą szkołę, samorząd będzie się składał z obcych osób.

Dlatego teraz będą przyjmowali do samorządu ludzi z zewnątrz.

Dlatego Ravel jest jedną z najlepszych kandydatek.

Zastanowię się nad tym przez jakiś czas. To nie tak, że muszę im odpowiedzieć teraz. Będzie lepiej jeśli przedyskutuję to z Ravel i pozostałymi członkami Klubu Okultystycznego.

Kiedy się nad tym myślałem, Kaichou podeszła do nas.

– Proszę, nie mówcie rzeczy, które mogą zakłopotać Iseia-kun.

Kaichou udzieliła mi wsparcia! Dziękuję ci bardzo!

– A więc skoro walka treningowa z Iseiem-kun się skończyła, zorganizujmy zebranie, aby omówić nasze pojedynki. Zgadzacie się? – Kaichou zmieniła temat, poprawiając swoje okulary.

– Tak – zgodzili się wszyscy z Parostwa Sitri.

Więc odbywają należyte zebrania. Ich samoanaliza jest bardziej surowa niż u nas.

– Ise-kun. Czy po zebraniu możesz poświęcić mi trochę czasu? – powiedziała Kaichou bezpośrednio do mnie.

– Tak.

Kiedy byłem ciekaw o co chodzi, przed moimi oczami pojawiła się Lewiatan-sama, z której oczu sypały się iskry.

– ……Ach, wiem o co ci chodzi.

===Część 3===
Miejscem do którego przyszliśmy prosto z pola treningowego ja, Kaichou i Lewiatan-sama, był olbrzymi sklep z zabawkami, jeden z tych, które są otwarte nawet w nocy.

– Kyaa~! Najlepsze sklepy z zabawkami zdecydowanie są w świecie ludzi, a zwłaszcza w Japonii.

Mocno podekscytowana Lewiatan-sama biegała po sklepie, jak dziecko! Achh, rozglądała się dookoła, biegając w tą i z powrotem!

Racja, powodem dla którego Sona-kaichou pytała mnie o wolny czas, była wizyta w sklepie z zabawkami. W sumie chodziło o to, aby pomóc Lewiatan-sama z zakupami.

– Ise-kun. Co myślisz o walce z moim parostwem? – zapytała mnie Kaichou, gdy chodziliśmy po sklepie.

– Myślę że to świetna drużyna. Powiedzmy że zrównoważenie drużyny jest wspaniałe i jeśli nawet ktoś ma jakieś słabości, to inni świetnie je uzupełniają.

– To nie ma wpływu....na pewien rodzaj talentu, prawda?

Tak sądzę…

To prawdopodobnie dlatego, że znam moją drużynę, Parostwo Bael oraz wieli innych z Frakcji Bohaterów, nad którymi mógłbym się zastanowić. Wszyscy jesteśmy w końcu bandą dziwaków.

– Wciąż uważam, że dobrze jest jak jest. Ludzi których wybrałam mają dobrą synergię i mogą się nauczyć nowych mocy – powiedziała Kaichou.

To prawda że ich synergia jest jedną z najlepszych. Prawdopodobnie będą w stanie nauczyć się więcej pożytecznych rzeczy niż my.

– Tak jak Rias, myślę aby w przyszłości grać w Królewskich Grach. Jednakże, moje parostwo i ja, w przeciwieństwie do Drużyny Gremory, będziemy na początku przegrywać – kontynuowała Kaichou.

To całkowite przeciwieństwo Parostwa Gremory, do którego należę. Wszyscy spodziewają się ze będziemy wygrywać raz po raz, już zaraz po tym, jak zadebiutujemy. Pokazuje to, jak duże oczekiwania wobec nas mają wszyscy dookoła.

Kaichou uśmiechnęła się pewnie.

– Ale mi to nie przeszkadza. Diabły żyją długo, co znaczy że będziemy mieli mnóstwo czasu na udział w Królewskich Grach. Przez ten czas będę trenowała moją drużynę. Mam zamiar zrobić z tej drużyny coś, co odpowie na atak każdego wroga, lub na każde wydarzenie – powiedziała, po czym zadała mi pytanie. – Tak przy okazji, Ise-kun, nie uważasz że trudno będzie walczyć przeciwko wrogowi, którego trudno jest pokonać nawet po wielu badaniach i wnikliwych obserwacjach?

Uuu!

….To straszne. Kaichou ma ten swój straszny uśmiech, ale kiedy usłyszałem jej słowa, przeszły mnie dreszcze.

…Ta osoba zaplanowała sobie gry na następnych dziesięć lat…. Nie, nawet na sto, albo i tysiąc.

Poczułem ciarki. Ta drużyna.... Kiedy pomyślę że w przyszłości będą naszymi rywalami, to czuję się coraz bardziej przerażony.

Jesteśmy nieco specjalni. Ludzie oczekują od nas, że będziemy wschodzącymi gwiazdami. Wkrótce po tym gdy dołączymy do oficjalnej gry, dzięki naszemu błyskotliwemu stylowi, będziemy się piąć do góry w zastraszającym tempie.

Ale… Co jeśli jakaś inna drużyna nas rozgryzie?

Nie wszyscy są w stanie szybko się dopasować. W przeciwieństwie do prawdziwych bitew, w Królewskich Grach panuje wiele zasad, które albo bardzo nam pomogą, albo bardzo zaszkodzą.

…Nasza drużyna, która ma wiele unikatowych umiejętności, może zostać ograniczona przez zasady, ale dla Parostwa Sitri mogą być bardzo pomocne?

Drużyna która potrafi skutecznie działać, pomimo wielu różnych zasad.....

Więc może dlatego, że trafiła się jej grupa ludzi, którzy potrafią się szybko dostosować do sytuacji, będzie w stanie przez długi czas korzystać z ich umiejętności.

To była dobra lekcja, gdyż najwyraźniej bardzo mi się to przyda, gdy w przyszłości stworzę własne parostwo.

Zacząłem myśleć na temat mojego przyszłego parostwa, jednocześnie rozglądając się po sklepie.

– Podobno w tym sklepie można kupić wszystko dzień przed premierą, ale jeśli się z nimi dogadasz, to dostaniesz towar nawet wcześniej☆. Naprawdę chciałam tu przyjść, skoro mają wypuścić nowe zabawki z serii Milky♪ – powiedziała nagle Lewiatan-sama, dotykając zabawek na półkach.

Wyglądała na naprawdę szczęśliwą.

– …Znalazła trochę wolnego czasu w swoim napiętym harmonogramie, więc cieszę się, że może się teraz tak dobrze bawić. Od teraz będzie bardzo zajęta, więc pomyślałam że należy się jej odrobina zabawy – powiedziała Sona-kaichou.

Uuu. Czuję jej ciepłe i czułe uczucia wobec siostry.

Tak, ponieważ terroryści zaczęli robić podejrzane rzeczy, to jako Maou będzie miała coraz więcej roboty. Dlatego taka wizyta w sklepie z zabawkami musi być jej chwilą spokoju, na którą jej pozwolono.

Nagle Lewiatan-sama obróciła się w moją stronę.

– Racja, ja też będę nazywała Seikiryuuteia-san Ise-kun! Skoro So-tan tak do ciebie mówi, to ja też będę☆.

– Tak! To byłby dla mnie zaszczyt!

Tak się cieszę że nie będzie mnie nazywała Oppai Smokiem, zwłaszcza że uważa go za rywala.

Nagle Maou-sama zatrzymała się przed zabawką.

– To jest to☆.

Przedmiotem na który wskazywała, była różdżka magicznej dziewczyny z pewnego anime.

Hmm. To się nazywa Milky Miracle Hyper Stick Triangle Ver.

– To jest… Nowy przedmiot z serii Milky? – zapytałem.

– Zgadza się☆ – odparła Lewiatan-sama, uśmiechając się promiennie, po czym wzięła gadżet.

Pomyślałem że skończyliśmy zakupy bez problemów, ale Lewiatan-sama popatrzyła gdzieś indziej.

– Ach! To model Mobile Gundam J! Jego też lubię!

Lewiatan-sama ruszyła dalej, ciągnąc za sobą mnie i Kaichou, oglądając każdy przedmiot w sklepie. Wzięła nawet sklepowy wózek i zaczęła wszystko do niego wrzucać!

Gdy Kaichou to zobaczyła, jej cierpliwość się wyczerpała.

– Onee-sama! Opanuj się proszę! Co zamierzasz zrobić z tymi wszystkimi zabawkami?!

– Och, So-tan, nie bądź taka zasadnicza.

– Cicho bądź! Proszę, kup tylko jedną zabawkę! Odłóż wszystko na półki, poza przedmiotem z Milky!

– Uwwwwah~! So-tan znęca się nad swoją Onee-chan! Możemy ponegocjować i kupić pięć?

– TYLKO JEDNĄ!

Achh. Ta Kaichou, która tak spokojnie rozmawiała o strategii, nie może się oprzeć swojej starszej siostrze. Wygląda na to, że zakupy Lewiatan-sama nie skończą się za szybko.

Westchnąłem i ruszyłem na poszukiwania prezentu dla Millicasa.

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| Cofnij do [[Żywot_1:_Skarb_Asi|Żywotu pierwszego]]
| Powróć do [[High_School_DxD_(Polski)|strony głównej]]
| Przejdź do [[Żywot_3:_Jazda_z_tym_treningiem!_~Rozdział_maskotek~|Żywotu trzeciego]]
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