Horizon:Volume 1 Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Adults in the Pub

To be able to say that oneself is worthless.

Is because one is not in a worthless position.

If so, that one is able to laugh at that oneself.

Why is that so.

Point Allocation (Point of View)

●

"--That's how it is. There's nothing but bad memories when it comes to what happened before."

Inside the wooden building, the voice of a stocky man could be heard.

The location was a space in the outskirts of Mikawa, a space which included a kitchen and counter, around 20-tatami in size. It was a cafeteria which served alcohol and snacks.

By the entrance, tables and chairs of wood were lined up, but the inner half was merely covered with tatami. From that expanse of tatami, the voice-

"Alright, let's put that past behind us and have a change of heart. Faced with you, who's become perverted, we've finally, after ten years, said that we should meet, and we went so far as to prepare a place that you're familiar with, yet--"

Sakai, Tadakatsu, Sakakibara, and the girl who followed Tadakatsu surrounded a table in the heart of the building, and within them, Tadakatsu simultaneously thudded a medium-sized sake bottle, drained of its contents, against the table as his voice rang out.

"Sakai, you still touch your opponent's butt in the middle of combat, just like you used to!?"

"You know, normally, one wouldn't make their daughter fight against their great friend upon a reunion, you know? Futayo, right? I've seen your name before, but you've really become strong. Seriously setting someone like that on me, Dacchan, just like ten years ago, there's something wrong with your brain, huh? If we were playing an RPG, you're the type who acts like you've immediately been cursed with Doom in a battle."

"You're damned noisy. You always do stuff like that, doing things by yourself, so you were demoted to the Student President of Musaashi, you know!? In other words--"

"Hey, hey, Dacchan, I won't let you get drunk at noon and loop your story three times. Rather, it's nice being a Student President, y'know? When I want to talk with young girls, when I want to talk to female teachers, when I want to line up all the youngsters and pretend that I'm the commander of a elite squadron in my heart while having a morning assembly, how do you think it is, being a Student President? Right, Sakakibara!?"

"Why are you turning to me?"

So he said, and Sakai and Tadakatsu looked at Sakakibara in unison-

"--Hey you, your reactions have always really been horrible!"

The girl behind Tadakatsu, Futayo, slightly raised her hand.

"Father, since before, during the triple-loop, it feels as if Sakakibara-sama has been oppressed, but..."

"Ahh, Futayo, don't you remember our rhythm from ten years ago? It's been 10 years since I've met them, I didn't think it'd return to the refrain situation of that time if I came this far..."

'Jud.,' Futayo nodded. Bowing lightly while remaining seated-

"If it is possible, please introduce yourself again-"

●

For Honda Futayo, who studies the sword, the Matsudaira Four Heavenly Kings who include her father, Tadakatsu, are a special existence.

Currently, because of the frequent occurrences of Phenomena in Mikawa due to the 'clearing out' and the operations of New Nagoya Castle, the number of people have become few. Those who act as representative of the few people there are left are but her father and Sakakibara; the others have had their inheritance of names stolen by automatons and withdrew, leaving Mikawa.

The Honda family also moved what was important to them to the alternate territory of Matsudaira, Edo, and they had a small mansion in the outskirts. In these few years, even Futayo had not set foot near the central district. However, today, because this place, called "the place that you're familiar with", was near the center, in her heart, she remained alert of the occurrence of Phenomena.

...Despite that, Father and them are bold...

Their, the Matsudaira Four Heavenly Kings' popularity was still high among those who had moved to the outskirts. Recently, I have not seen Ii Naomasa who had left on something like a business trip, but he, Father, and Sakakibara had become great among those who remained in Mikawa.

And now, the people always spoke of Sakai.

...In essence, the person who was treated as the leader of the Matsudaira Four Heavenly Kings.

I had met him before. I had talked to him before. However, these were things which had happened more than ten years ago, and I do not really remember them, so I also did not know the worth or meaning of my opponent's existence. I just assumed that he was simply a hunchbacked old man.

Therefore, for Futayo, only Sakai is excluded from the Four Heavenly Kings.

How deep is the acclamation of his worth, government, martial arts, and personality which people speak of?

Now, the person himself was before her eyes, but-

"Ah, I'm Sakai Tadatsugu. I'm seriously way more awesome than your father. Your father and I were in a local class, and Sakakibara over there and Ii, who isn't here, were in the admitted class since the fourth year of elementary school. Something like thirty years ago, when Musashi Ariadust Academy was made on Musashi, these guys tried to get in from somewhere else, but they couldn't."

"That's because, at that time, they were prioritizing applicants from different countries as a sign that Ariadust was very open. Ii-kun and I were thinking about the good of the Divine States, to the point where we withdrew our admission."

"That's a good excuse, huh. Anyways, during our school days, Lord-sensei--Lord Motonobu was the Student President and permanent Student Council President, so I was the Chancellor, and your Father was the leader of the Special Attack Division."

"Say Vice-President, you damned idiot. Even now, I'm the exception of Mikawa, the special security vice-president, allowed by the Testament Union."

"I'm ignoring you, but that's nice. Then, Ii was the Vice-Student Council President, and Sakakibara was just all talk."

"All talk..."

Sakakibara was drinking barley tea, but upon receiving Futayo's gaze, he waved his hand hurriedly-

"Th-that wasn't it at all! I was the secretary, and I was gifted in humanities!"

'Something like that,' Father and Sakai nodded. First, Father-

"Certainly, you were talented in humanities, Sakakibara. During the Academy Festival, when you recited the poem in the graduation anthology of the elementary school, "The We of Tomorrow", it was pretty well received--by us only."

"I know, right? Even now, it's a nice memory. During elementary school, we used to play a lot by throwing a pile of firecrackers from the fourth floor of the Academy, right? A 'Bang!' noise would sound, and when you looked downwards from the window, Sakakibara, who was going home, would be lying flat on his face, smoke rising from his head. Ah, no, I still remember it clearly. The arms of people who've fainted always hang really loosely, huh."

'Ahh,' Futayo nodded, and in her vision, veins had popped out on Sakakibara's temple as he twisted the side of his mouth, but Futayo said nothing. These are the topics of adults, Futayo thought. It is best for children to not speak out.

However, the topic had headed towards me, coming from the adults.

Sakai, who had picked up a handcrafted clay pitcher of Japanese sake, asked me a question, a smile on his face.

"Dako-kun, you're about the age where you throw off the brainwashing of your athletic-type dad, right? A time of rebellion, right? Won't you come to our Academy? I rather want people like you. Honda Masazumi is there too, y'know? Do you remember her?"

Dako...Futayo twisted the edges of her mouth, and muttered. However, in the words he had uttered just now, there was a name she was acquainted with.

"I have not really met face to face with Masazumi ever since middle school, but I had heard that she had went to Musashi. I also heard that she's the Vice-Student Council President now..."

"That's right, that's right, so, won't you come? I think that stereo-Honda would be interesting."

With that, Father, who was between Sakai and I, first flipped the medium-sized sake bottle upside down and confirmed that there was nothing inside. That done, he glanced towards me, and with a voice that could be heard by Sakai-

"Futayo, pay him no mind. Ever since before, he's a pitiful man who's had the misunderstanding that, 'I'm loved by everyone else!' In elementary school, he was the type to answer 'Everyone!' without hesitation when asked the question: "How many friends have you made?" by the graduation anthology teacher. He's the super-opposite of Sakakibara, who wrote 'None', but there was no helping it, so I was the bulkhead."

After about halfway through what he said, Sakakibara, on the other side of table, slightly waved his hand to the left and right.

...It must have been difficult.

Futayo thought. However, it was certain that she had been questioned by Sakai just now.

...Come to Musashi, huh.

The Far East's only territory. Because it moved, an Aerial Ship which circled the entire Far East.

The Student President of Musashi, which was in good circumstances, had invited her, so what would follow would be perfect.

However, I could not give an answer immediately. Because-

"--Wait a bit, Sakai."

Father spoke with a clear-cut tone.

He asked the automaton working in the kitchen for another sake-bottle and a dozen chicken skewers-

"Whatever she chooses, right now, Mikawa is not allowed to have any exchanges with Musashi or other countries. It would be different if this was a year ago, but this year you cannot even try to have her go to Musashi."

Therefore-

Translator's notes and references

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