Horizon:GT2

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  Front Cover
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  Inside Story 1
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  Inside Story 2
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  Title Page
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  Pamphlet Page
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  Characters 1
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  Characters 2
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  Table of Contents
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  Introduction
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  Glossary
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  Character Introduction
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Cover Flap

Kawakami Minoru:

Born on January 3, 1975. From Tokyo. Girls Talk is used to reveal elements from the past of Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon’s characters. Since the first one did well, here’s a second one featuring Honda Masazumi. You can look forward to a third and fourth one too!

Satoyasu:

Born in Yamagata and raised in Tochigi. “Beech mushrooms are delicious. Mushrooms are cost effective too.” That’s too tame to have a good retort for, Sensei.

Morning Kitchen

Masazumi didn’t dislike cooking. She had often helped out back home when her mother was still around and she had taught herself how to cook through practice. So she could cook and she could get by as long as she had the ingredients. But one major problem got in her way.

“Don’t you hate how eating every single day doesn’t leave enough money for books?”

She tried that as a conversation starter while the girls were cooking one morning at the forest training camp. The others exchanged a glance in the morning sun and the gold and black winged ones began whispering to each other.

“Hey! Naruze! What are you whispering to Naito!?”

“Did you hear that, Margot? You insult her behind her back and she starts restricting your freedom of speech.”

“S-so you were insulting me! I knew it! Even if I didn’t actually hear it!”

“Calm down,” said Asama, holding out her palms and taking a breath. “Um, we have evolved beyond the days when a woman had to know how to cook and was considered a failure of a human being if she couldn’t, so you really don’t have anything to worry about, Masazumi.”

“Heh heh. But isn’t that part of the reason you moved in with us?”

“Asama-sama suffers a one-hit KO!” shouted Horizon. “Oh, and I appreciate everything you do for us.”

Asama froze in place after more or less self-destructing. As for Masazumi…

“Given Asama’s position, I feel like anything she cooks is automatically valuable to an extent.”

“Maybe, Vice President, but wouldn’t that be even more true of the Chancellor?” asked Balfette.

“Would it?” she replied and everyone nodded. Naito and Naruze explained.

“People will forgive most anything he does if he brings them some of his cooking.”

“That’s not how amnesty is supposed to work. …Mitotsudaira, do you have a specialty dish you make?”

“Eh? Yes, I am great at yakiniku. And during the summer, I like making cold shabu-shabu.”

I’m not sure that counts as cooking, thought Masazumi, but she decided not to worry about it after seeing Futayo frying up some raw vegetables. Then the Tachibana Wife asked her a question while pouring some water.

“Could it be you are simply too busy to notice the everyday enjoyment around you?”

“My. Lady Gin, does that mean you find an everyday enjoyment in being around Master Muneshige?”

Mary’s comment made Gin freeze. This is a lot like a shogi configuration, thought Masazumi.

“Why not hire a secretary or something?” asked the Date Vice Chancellor.

“Remember how this started with me not having enough money?”

“C-could you get…someone from…one of the committees?” asked Mukai.

I could think about it, thought Masazumi while Naruze opened a Magie Figur.

Art-Ga: “Hey, Representative Committee Head? After partying last night at our forest training camp, sleeping for 8 hours, and lazily bathing in the morning sun, Masazumi just said she’s so busy she wants a secretary.”

Nagaya-Stable: “Find a roundabout way to tell her to die.”

“I don’t think that’s happening,” said Naruze with a smile and a raised right hand. In other words…

“Well, if there are this many barriers in the way, I guess the world is telling me I don’t have to cook or even eat all that much. If only my jampacked schedule left me time to pack some jam to eat. …Hey, if you don’t laugh at that, what are you ever going to laugh at?”

Everyone exchanged a glance and began whispering to each other, but she wasn’t sure what about that would make them insult her behind her back.

Title Page

Genesis Series

Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon

Girls Talk

Festival and Dream

–Are you ready?

Kawakami Minoru

Illustrations: Satoyasu (Tenky)

Pamphlet Page

[First, everything behind the text boxes]

Title: Musashi Immigration Management Process

Purple Line: The following process is used for Musashi arrivals

At your old home – Please complete the immigration process back at your old home. *Failure to follow the legal process is punishable by a local product (ether version) being shoved up your butt, so do be careful.

Upon arrival – Please follow the instructions given at the Musashi immigration reception desk. *Failure to follow the legal process is punishable by an in-season Musashi product (ether version) being shoved up your butt, so do be careful. Bamboo shoots and butterburs are in season now.

On the Musashi – Once the process is complete, you are free to live however you like. *Any illegal actions are generally punishable by something shoved up the butt or urethra, so please turn yourself in immediately.

Purple circle: Welcome!

Bottom: Supported by the Asama Shrine

[Now, the text boxes]

Horizon: Um, everyone, look at this pamphlet I found while letting my instincts drive my searching habits.

Mary: Oh, a guide to Musashi immigration. Is it from last year? Look how much smaller Ladies Asama and Mitotsudaira are.

Adele: Wh-what? Asama isn’t small there at all! Please wake up!

Masazumi: Why am I only seeing this now!? And what is this obsession with shoving things up places?

Asama: Well, our god has a rather strong style…

Heidi: Noooo! Bad memories…rushing back!

Nate: Would this give anyone good memories?

Color Spreads

Table of Contents

Masazumi: The story this time is a record of around when I arrived on the Musashi. In fact, it’s specifically about that. A somewhat odd incident happened then and things went in an unthinkable direction, so I ended up losing confidence in myself and had to rethink some things. Hey, why do you all look so skeptical!? Well, I don’t know how useful this is, but let’s check it out.

World Description

Toori: Sis! Sis! I bet some people will start reading here, so can you introduce our world in a fantasy-ish way?

Kimi: Heh heh heh. Foolish brother, here are the main points.

Kimi: This world exists far into the future. Humanity went to space and had a blast there, but were nearly destroyed by war. That was a real bummer, so they went back to earth. The only livable area was the Far East (Japan) since the environment was more stable, so they tried to redo things there.

Kimi: But since the environment outside was too harsh, silly humanity ended up fighting territorial wars over the limited land of the Far East. They nearly wiped themselves out again, so they decided to create a roadmap for themselves instead of just doing whatever they wanted. They created a history book of the former Earth Age and called it the Testament. Everyone knew civilization could be restored if they followed that roadmap, so they decided to redo history in the Far East (Japan) using that. That made war and such externally managed by politics.

Toori: Did that work out?

Kimi: Not really. The Far Eastern group made a silly mistake that took away the other nations’ land, so the other nations got pissed and started ruling over the Far East. They chose to “educate” the Far East.

Kimi: That led to a world where Japan’s Warring States period and the rest of the world’s 17th Century history are both playing out in the Far East. Since we are being “educated”, the world’s main power is held by the students. It’s restrictive for the Far East, but our aerial city ship named Musashi travels around the Far East engaging in trade as an independent Far Eastern city. …Foolish Brother? Got anything to add?

Toori: Well, here in Musashi, we count as Matsudaira (Tokugawa), but we’re neutral. The rest of the world is fighting against P.A. Oda, which counts as the Oda clan. Also, this story will move back and forth between 3 years ago and the present.

Kimi: The Far East (Japan) has its different regions occupied by the world’s nations like this. Our Musashi travels along the national borders.

Map [More or less top to bottom, left to right]:

Hokkaido (New World)

Floating Island (England)

Tohoku (Siberian Undeveloped Region)

Chugoku Region (Mouri, Hexagone Française)

Hokuriku (Uesugi, Sviet Rus)

Shimonoseki (Oouchi, Ootomo, Tres España)

Setouchi (Aki, K.P.A. Italia)

Kinki (Hashiba, M.H.R.R.)

Kinki – Tokai (Oda, P.A. Oda)

Kantou (Takeda, Qing)

Kyushu (Shimazu, African Nations)

Shikoku (Undeveloped Continent)

Tokai, Kantou (Mikawa Matsudaira, Far East Musashi)

Tokai – Kantou (Houjou, Association of Indian States)

Words

[Top to bottom, zigzagging down]

History Recreation: We’re redoing history in this world, so every nation is required to recreate history. This can be done with war, politics, ingenuity, or whatever else

Name Inheritor: The historical figures necessary for the history recreation. Skilled personnel inherit those names and run their nations.

Chancellor’s Officers, Student Council: The Chancellor’s Officers are the nation’s military organization. The Student Council is the nation’s political organization. The Chancellor and the Student Council President run them like a bancho or a school VIP.

Religion: In the Far East, Shinto is the main religion, but the other nations follow others based on their infrastructure.

Tsihrc: Christianity. Includes a Catholic and Protestant version.

Mlasi: Islam.

There are others, like magic, but they can wait until later.

The Current Stage: The current stage is Totomi. That’s the area known as Shizuoka.

Map:

Upper right: Mt. Fuji

Left: Mikawa

Middle: Totomi

Right: The Musashi’s Course

Ley Lines, Ether: Hm, ley lines are those things from fantasy stories. Y’know, the power lines that run all around the world. And you can think of ether as the MP or fuel extracted from the ley lines.

Musashi: The aerial ship we live on. There are 8 ships in all and each one has a name.

Diagram [top to bottom, left to right]:

1st Starboard Ship: Shinagawa

2nd Starboard Ship: Tama

3rd Starboard Ship: Takao

1st Middle Ship: Musashino

2nd Middle Ship: Okutama

1st Port Ship: Asakusa

2nd Port Ship: Murayama

3rd Port Ship: Oume

Characters

• Aoi Kimi (Wise Sister): Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
• Aoi Toori (Me): Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
• Asama Tomo (Asama): Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi, but has removed her lid recently.
• Adele Balfette (Flat Vassal): From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl. “Shield” used to be her only special attack, but she has recently added “charge” to the list.
• Itou Kenji (Obscene): Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
• Ohiroshiki Ginji (Worshiper): Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
• Kiyonari Urquiaga (Uqui): 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
• Shirojiro Bertoni (Money Lover): Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild. Former udon god candidate.
• Tenzou Crossunite (10ZO): 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat. Busy whipping it out and making challenges.
• Toussaint Neshinbara (Novice): Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
• Naomasa (Smoking Girl): 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
• Nate Mitotsudaira (Silver Wolf): 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf. Part of the Aoi household with Asama and Horizon.
• Nenji (Sticky King): Slime with about 3 HP. Manly.
• Noriki (Laborer): Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable until marriage changed his personality.
• Heidi Augesvarer (Marube-ya): Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki. Former udon god candidate.
• Hassan Furubushi (83): Calpis logo-style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
• Persona-kun (Bucket): Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
• Horizon Ariadust (Hori-ko): Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo. Landlord.
• Honda Futayo (Tonbokiri): Former Mikawa student. Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter. Uses a strongly old-fashioned speech pattern.
• Honda Masazumi (Vice President): Vice president of the student council known as a lover of war. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
• Marga Naruze (Mar-Ga): 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club. Master of sports.
• Margot Naito (Gold Mar): 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling. Tends to get the tsukkomi ball rolling.
• Mukai Suzu (Bell): Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.
• Tachibana Muneshige (Tachibana Husband): Former Tres España 1st special duty officer. Amore. Currently working to regain his inherited name.
• Tachibana Gin (Tachibana Wife): Former Tres España 3rd special duty officer. Muneshige’s wife and possessor of cannon-style false arms. Fifty times.
• Mary Stuart (Scarred): Half-sister of English Queen Elizabeth. Well-endowed blonde. Living with Tenzou as his future wife. Owner of Ex. Collbrande.
• Satomi Yoshiyasu (Righteousness): Satomi Academy’s student council president. Small but does not cry. Uses the god of war Righteousness.
• Date Shigezane [Narumi] (Unturning): Masamune’s cousin. Vice chancellor of the Date clan and uses a mobile shell named Unturning Centipede. Confident elder sister type.
• Sakai Tadatsugu (Demoted Man): Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
• “Musashi” (Musashi): Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.

Kimi: This story is mostly reminiscing about a year ago, so the people who weren’t yet with us then are marked with a star. Their divine chat names are given in parentheses.

Prologue: Wolf Forest and Night

Into the forest

Into the night

To a secret place

Point Allocation (Hushed Conversation)

●

The summer night sky was visible from the forest.

Two moons floated high in that sky.

They were both nearly full.

The modest moonlight poured down between the trees, reaching a grass and dirt ground in something of a clearing.

Every part of the world was colored either a pale white or a dark blue. But…

“Oh, they’ve started? Now this is feeling like a training camp. Or the preparations for one, anyway.”

With a girl’s voice, some red appeared.

That came from fire-colored illumination spells. A group of track suit girls held up a few of those flickering lights. They used a narrow path into the forest to reach the earthen clearing.

A few tents were set up on the levelled ground there. A candy house and a storage shed were built nearby.

“Hey, we’ve figured out the basic rules, so if you have anything you want us to work on, just give it here. We’ll do it for you.”

Some stoves were lined up on the shed-side of the tents and the boys there were performing some work while staring into the embers.

The moonlight and the glow of the stoves reflected off of some blades.

A short-sleeved ninja spoke in front of a collection of short swords, single-edged swords, double-edged swords, knives, scissors, and more.

“This is as good an opportunity as any, so we do maintenance on them using the spells Asama-dono provided. The spells should work better out here. And we can do another round of maintenance before leaving. That should work best.”

“This was only supposed to be ordinary maintenance, but it looks like a lot more.”

“What’s wrong with that?” asked the person lining up some late-night food on the side table instead of helping with the maintenance. He looked to the approaching girls, noting the girls in the lead and what they had in their baskets. “And it looks like you had a good haul. Do we have Mary and the white-black couple to thank for that?”

“Judge,” replied the white-haired automaton standing out front. She glanced down at the basket her arms were holding up at her feet.

“Without specialist knowledge, we never could have found these plants which can only be acquired at night. We also found some other things, including some rare ones, and Masazumi-sama checked to make sure they are not poisonous.”

“Eh? I didn’t realize Seijun knew about outdoorsy things.”

“I don’t, but I had a book.” A black-haired girl in a track suit stepped forward and held up the hard cover book she had held under her arm.

“Because passed-down knowledge can be dangerous. Sometimes it’s just that the traditional way of cooking something removes the toxin, so I was in charge of double checking.”

Then the girl, Masazumi, looked to the boys.

“Anyway, when will you be done? I get the feeling that’s going to take all night.”

●

Masazumi viewed the lines of moonlight reflected off the ground and the silhouettes working with them. The number of blades lying out on waterproof sheets had to be approaching triple digits.

…The others had an awful lot of weapons with them.

First prize there had to go to Crossunite, since he used close-range ninjutsu. In addition to his short sword, he had kunais, knives, and small metal claws. He had been carrying about a fifth of the total himself. Most of his blades were colored a matte black, but…

“Applying anything more than a minor anti-reflective to the edge of the blades would dull them.”

“Right, right.” The idiot stuck to serving the food while he viewed the lined-up blades.

“You’re great at being obsessive in the blandest ways.”

“What did I do to deserve that backhanded compliment!?”

“Hee hee. Master Tenzou, I think he meant it as a real compliment,” said Mary with a smile.

Behind her, Mitotsudaira tilted her head while she viewed the equipment with Asama and the others.

She turned toward Masazumi.

“By the way, Masazumi, do you not carry a weapon for self-defense?”

“Hmm. Only if someone tells me to. I don’t normally feel the need. But doesn’t Tsukinowa provide defense stuff for me?”

The anteater Mouse tilted his little head on her right shoulder.

“Maa?”

“Um, Masazumi? I have given Tsukinowa a few things, but the ‘up the butt’ spells are hard to aim and aren’t great for stopping attackers. Besides, those are divine techniques, so you can’t treat them so casually.”

“Enough about butts!”

“Calm down,” said Asama, tilting her head in the exact same way as Tsukinowa. I guess she is his boss. But the overall conversation wasn’t over yet.

“So, Seijun, do you not like carrying a weapon?” asked Naito as she began sorting the contents of one basket between mushrooms and non-mushrooms.

Masazumi could only groan in thought a bit.

“Hmm. It’s more like I doubt it would help much if I did.”

“Did something happen that made you think that?” asked Naruze as she began opening some wild plant recipes next to Naito.

Masazumi finally realized everyone’s eyes were on her.

They had the air of people dying for a good story.

“Sort of, but it was nothing really. Besides, some of you should remember it. Remember the trouble we ran into after I arrived on the Musashi from Mikawa?”

“Oh, um, you mean when my king got last place in the Commerce and Industry Guild’s gamble bungee jump held at the academy and ended up running around town with ‘loser’ written on him?”

“Or do you mean when the Chancellor opened the artificial beach on the side of the ship even though it was still spring, took some elementary schoolers hostage, and said he would release them if some swimsuit girls came to the beach?”

“How did that one end?”

Asama, Mitotsudaira, and a few others hung their heads and raised their hands, which was all the answer Masazumi needed.

“Adele went undercover among the elementary schoolers then, but he never noticed,” said the Aoi Sister.

“I was going to join the rest of you if he noticed! If he noticed!”

“Ahh, good times,” wistfully said the idiot. “Didn’t we end up doing yakiniku and then heading home?”

“Yes, and afterwards they discussed filling the artificial beach with freshwater and opening it during the spring for a flower viewing event. And they finally did it this year.”

“That doesn’t even scratch the surface of what happened back then. So which one were you referring to, Seijun?”

“I unfortunately remember all of those, but they aren’t what I meant!”

“In that case,” said Mitotsudaira in a tone that said “I remember now”. “You must mean the trouble during spring break last year. We mostly all did our own thing there and it ended up with a festival of attacks. Is that what you mean?”

Good, I got through this time. So…

“That was when I realized what kind of place Musashi is. It was also when I realized how conceited I had been and started to fear debates.”

“You, fearing debates? What in the world?”

“Is it that surprising, Tachibana Wife? It actually had a lot to do with Tres España.”

“We were in the New World during spring break last year. And at the time, I believe the nation as a whole had worked out a plan for constructing the Grande y Felicísima Armada and was discussing what to do about reentering Kyushu.”

“Probably so,” added Masazumi and everyone else nodded or gave looks of understanding.

If she was going to discuss this, she wanted to do it here. Because…

…Dad and the others don’t know very much about it.

It wasn’t that she wanted to forget it happened. It was more like they had to act like it never happened.

So while the others took a break, she picked up her basket.

“Okay, how about us girls head into the candy house to sort the plants and get to cooking? The work out here is unexpectedly loud, so we’ll probably sleep inside the candy house tonight. Is that alright?”

“I think our work is going to take all night too, actually. And wouldn’t Asama-chi and Mito-tsan rather use the Chancellor’s tent?”

Naito turned around to find Asama smiling bitterly while listing up some work spells for the boys.

“It’s not that big of a deal. And if it was, what about Horizon?”

They looked over to see Horizon over by the stove Aoi was using to cook. She had her back to them in front of a pot and a Dutch oven, but she had her arms off and…

“Horizon? Horizon? Um, are you eating something?”

Mitotsudaira hesitantly called out and the arms hurriedly hid behind the stove. Horizon herself made some noticeable gulping noises.

“No, no. I was most certainly not swiping food. Mitotsudaira-sama, you of all people should understand how the scent of this valuable syrup could draw someone over and make them sniff at and munch on- please disregard anything I said after the sniffing part.”

Horizon tapped on the Loup-Garou’s shoulder and whispered something in her ear, so the idiot walked up with container of prepared ingredients and spoke to her in an exasperated way.

“I did make enough for the girls too, so should I split it up so you can take it inside with you?”

“Yay!” Came the cheers from the girls. I guess the idiot’s cooking is actually respectable?

“Aoi, are you saying tonight is supposed to be that kind of night?”

“Judge. Things have been pretty monotonous with all the training and planning, so I thought this would be best. And this is what pulling an all-nighter is all about, right?”

“And we haven’t observed the stars yet,” said Balfette.

It was true they still hadn’t done a lot of the standard events for a summer night.

“I suppose a super strict training camp was never going to work out in the nature of Hexagone Française.”

Masazumi sighed. This was exactly why she had split up tonight’s work this way, so she was glad to see everyone else had the same idea.

“We’re headed to Kyoto once this camp is over. I imagine they’ll want us to be on our best behavior, so we should take this chance to relax.”

She waved at the girls, gathering their eyes and telling them to gather over here.

“Then let’s do this. We can sort these plants between edible, medicinal, and spell catalysts and make any initial preparations we can. I’m sure some of you will want to take a dip in the spring before going to sleep, so let’s make good use of our time.”

–Are you saying tonight is supposed to be that kind of night?

●

In the forest clearing, Mary first said goodnight to Tenzou and then approached the candy house with her basket of wild plants. But she was curious about one thing.

“Um, what story were you talking about earlier?”

She felt like she was prying and she was ready to back off if she needed to, but she still wanted to try asking.

“What happened during summer break last year when Lady Masazumi arrived on the Musashi?”

“Eh? Oh, that. It’s kind of a long story…”

“W-we don’t…really understand it…ourselves?”

Suzu tilted her head in a troubled way and Naruze opened a Magie Figur.

“I’m willing to list up what everyone knows if it would make a good doujinshi. We don’t really know much about it ourselves. Right, Asama?”

“Don’t ask me. I was only one of the observers.”

Asama thoughtfully faced forward to look at Masazumi who had arrived at the candy house’s entrance ahead of the rest.

“Hey, this door won’t open. What’s its problem? Does only Mitotsudaira have permission or something?”

“Oh, judge. That’s right. I’ll open it.”

Mitotsudaira quickly moved up front, but gave a glance back at Mary on the way.

Her look said to wait until they were inside to continue their conversation. Mary followed the others in with a smile of anticipation.

Chapter 1: Last Year and Tuning

Only one year

But an entire year

It is too soon to look back

But also too late

Point Allocation (I Was Tricked…)

○

Silver Wolf: “So we were thinking of compiling some records on an older incident while we work.”

Asama: “I’ll handle the recording and proofreading. The rules are simple: any section starting with a ‘○’ is us joking around and examining what was said. It’s us exchanging opinions. Any section starting with a ‘●’ is a record of the past. One of us will be digging up our memories of the time and telling the story.”

Scarred: “Lady Masazumi said earlier that this incident is difficult to discuss for her, so should someone else start?”

Silver Wolf: “Tomo handled Masazumi’s arrival. And I think it would be best if we make this a record of the multiple incidents that happened at the time Masazumi arrived rather than of her incident alone.”

Asama: “Hm. I can get the ball rolling then. Please join in after me, everyone.”

●

It was shortly before the spring of 1647.

○

Unturning: “That’s a surprisingly ordinary start for a story.”

Flat Vassal: “Date Vice Chancellor! Don’t make fun of her yet! We need to get more material out of her first!”

Bell: “D-drive…hunting?”

Asama: “You don’t have to make fun of me, you know? You could just watch.”

Art-Ga: “Asama recorded herself while asking everyone to watch.”

Asama: “Hey, you! Stop drawing up storyboards!”

Silver Wolf: “Can we please get started?”

●

The spring of 1647 was approaching.

That was a busy season within the Musashi, which was docked at Mikawa.

The school year ended in the spring, meaning graduation, the arrival of new students, and advancement to the next year. The new fiscal year also began then, so a lot of new projects would be starting.

As the Asama Shrine’s second representative, Asama couldn’t just finish her 1st year classes in high school. She also had to manage the Aoi siblings’ divine protections and update the general divine protections for the entire ship and its residents.

A lot of that work had been automated over the years, but she still had to check over it all to be sure. Musashi was a large city of nearly 100 thousand. The registration lists changed due to new arrivals from Mikawa and due to deaths and births and the work of updating all that tended to pile up before spring.

This time of year was just as busy as the end of the calendar year. Fortunately, Musashi’s leaders, the Student Council, and the academy’s committees were working too, so she could pass some of the work off to them. And if anything was too much for her, she could return it to her father and he could distribute it to others.

“That provides public works projects, so it can actually be a positive thing.”

She had been managing Musashi’s divine protections and ether conduits since middle school, but her authority had been growing ever since reaching high school. She was aware her father was putting a lot on her plate, but at the same time…

…It’s fun holding the Musashi’s actions in my hands like this.

She could see how the various events, festivals, and commerce played out, as well as the progress of public works projects.

She checked over her tasks while purifying herself for the day’s work.

“Officially, I need to examine and manage the new arrivals from Mikawa who are requesting residency. Privately, I have to prepare for and manage the end-of-school-year festival.”

“Tomo, aren’t you being a little too expository here?”

“Mito, I don’t need a halfway hallucination critiquing me. Especially when the Musashi has just arrived at Mikawa and Tama’s immigration bureau has requested I handle some immigration work as a shrine maiden. I am currently purifying myself in preparation for that.”

“Tomo! Tomo! You’re exposition dumping again!”

Asama thought she saw a black arm give a thumb’s up out of the corner of her eye, but that had to be hallucination. Probably. But…

“Mito, how are things there? Is there any part of today’s work you’re unsure about?”

●

Mitotsudaira was preparing for work while bathing in the purifying water of the Asama Shrine’s spring with Asama. That said, most of the work was done via sign frame.

Since her body naturally repelled the purifying water, she made sure to fully submerge herself a few times.

“I think I have a handle on it. I am working as an aide to the Asama Shrine Representative to inspect the people who wish to move to the Musashi and to guard you. I believe that covers it.”

But she did have one question.

“If one of the people asking for residency breaks the rules, will it be your job to shove something up their butt or strike their crotch with lightning?”

“Um, I’m not sure what you think Shinto does, but we don’t do that.”

“Eh? You don’t?”

“Of course not.” Asama smiled bitterly from the edge of the spring. “If we caught them here, it would only be an ‘attempted’ crime, so they would only receive something on the level of large black peppercorns up the urethra.”

○

Asama: “No, I didn’t say that! I didn’t say anything about the urethra!”

Art-Ga: “Then Asama said, ‘The urethra!? I didn’t say anything about in the urethra!’ ”

Asama: “Hey, stop that! No unauthorized doujinshis based on our inspection of the past!”

Unturning: “So she only has to get it authorized?”

Vice President: “Besides, peppercorn isn’t even a Shinto thing.”

Asama: “Actually, the Far East has received pepper from the continent ever since the time of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, so it’s a traditional part of Shinto.”

Flat Vassal: “Asama-san! Asama-san! That’s an indirect confession!”

●

“So the peppercorn is real…”

Shinto is terrifying, thought Mitotsudaira with a nod.

But the point was she didn’t have to do anything herself if a situation like that arose.

With that out of mind, she found herself curious about all the sign frames Asama had open. “Several” didn’t seem to cover it. She had 20 or even 30 open.

“Can you handle all this? It looks like you’re doing some tuning in addition to our main task here.”

The shrine maiden opened another screen as if she had just realized something. It was a simple map of Mikawa with some colors added. It also showed several three-color bar graphs that she could see the spring through.

“What is that?”

“The mysterious phenomenon appearance rate in Mikawa and the threat level they present. When inspecting these people, we might have to have them quarantine in an immigration bureau room while we purify them. In the past, they had to wait after checking in at the immigration bureau while we did an investigation, but now…”

Asama hit “back” on the sign frame, which brought up a map of the entire Far East.

“That shows the threat levels from the world nations, doesn’t it?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Yes. Instead of working off Mikawa’s alone, we can compare the appearance rates and threat levels with other nations and regions. IZUMO set up this automated process we can use. But, to make a long story short, IZUMO took action because they wanted a comparative database after noticing the appearance rates weren’t dropping anywhere with the Apocalypse approaching.”

So instead of a simple immigration bureau program, this was a largescale data management system.

“Come to think of it, you have shown us bar graphs for the mysterious phenomenon appearance rates around the Musashi or in Mikawa before.”

“Yes, that’s part of the core system behind this. IZUMO used to gather each shrine’s data separately, compile it, and then send it out, but the processing power of the individual shrines has increased. Now everyone adds their real-time data to a single database covering the entire Far East. So while the end result doesn’t look much different, it’s a lot more up-to-date nowadays.”

After explaining all that, Asama lowered herself back into the water and cleared her throat.

“Um, to sum up, the control system and defenses have been modernized.”

“Modernized,” repeated Mitotsudaira under her breath before asking something. “Is peppercorn up the urethra considered modern?”

“The old Shinto punishments would use bamboo grass and narrow bamboo shoots, so you could say that it has been modernized a lot.”

“Shinto sure is harsh.”

Asama could only sigh in agreement. And…

“Anyway, these settings are the focus of the work today, so I want you to handle anything I’m too busy for and to deal with any problems that might arise.”

“Judge.” Mitotsudaira could only nod. She had prepared for this in her own way. “Last night, I acquired the immigrant inspection documents as Musashi’s 1st Knight and requested to be placed in charge here as an extra member of the Chancellor’s Officers.”

In other words, she was officially working as Asama’s assistant here, but she was really here for her “eyes” as a knight.

…Because Tres España is currently in Mikawa.

When the Musashi traveled through the sky, a few Tres Españan ships and gods of war would accompany them as an “escort”. The Testament Union had come up with that rule, but Asama had come to Mitotsudaira about it yesterday.

Asama had been tuning and inspecting Asakusa’s cargo loading area as part of the spring festival at the time.

“Some Tres Españan ships have been traveling to and from Mikawa’s shared landport.”

“Is that a problem?” Mitotsudaira had asked.

“An inquisition ship has arrived as an escort ship. This is only a portion of its history recreation of traveling around the world, but…”

The inquisitors who owned inquisition ships were special among Tres España’s Catholics. If anyone defied the Catholics, the inquisitors would label them a heretic and force them to confess. It was said they were even allowed to use torture.

…Musashi can’t afford any weird mistakes with one of them around.

“Okay, Mito, we need to leave. It’s time.”

Mitotsudaira nodded and they both stood up with the water spilling off of them. They had a job to do.

○

Asama: “There, I think that explained the overall situation pretty well. Gin-san, you can go next.”

Tachibana Wife: “Huh? Um, why me?”

Gold Mar: “Oh, Gin-chan’s got her guard up.”

Horizey: “You have nothing to fear, Gin-sama. You can let your guard down. Have some of my dehydrated water. If you relax and snort it deep into your nose, you will feel better and hydrated.”

Silver Wolf: “No, she will not. Anyway, Gin, we want to know about Tres España – or Tres Portugal really – at the time. What were you doing last year at that time?”

●

Gin stood in the morning sun. She was aboard a ship in the sky.

The ship soared above the ocean east of the New World. In Far Eastern terms, it should have been a frigid region, but…

“Gin, the New World is surprisingly warm, isn’t it!? Now I see why everyone wanted to work on the ocean here.”

“Testament. Seeing all the largescale harmonic regions here must mean the collapse was more severe here at the very edge of the Harmonic World.”

She and he were both wearing their summer uniforms out on the deck.

The high-speed ship they were riding was small for a Tres Españan aerial ship, but it was a cutting-edge version designed for use in the Grande y Felicísima Armada. It didn’t have much weaponry, but…

“Master Muneshige, this ship is designed to carry emergency transports and communications between ships and to tow any grounded ships. Since we were given it in the New World and asked to guard the eastern coast, I can only assume…”

“Testament. I doubt the Far East’s forces will arrive here, but we still need to be on our guard.”

“Testament,” agreed Gin. “What a pain. I know it is part of the history recreation, but I wish we didn’t have to blow up a ship in Tres Portugal territory.”

●

Gin and Muneshige had been ordered to work in the New World to build up their careers, so an incident related to Tres España and Tres Portugal sounded somehow nostalgic to her.

…Even though we have only been here for three weeks.

Their work didn’t really begin until April, so they had arrived here during mid-May to make all the necessary adjustments in advance. But that was when it had happened.

The Far Eastern forces from northern Kyushu had sunk a Tres Portugal ship.

That had of course been a history recreation. The problem was that the attack was made by the Far East who were under provisional rule, the target was a Tres Portugal ship, and it had been a surprise attack.

“The Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident.”

The incident was named after the sunk ship and the circumstances surrounding it were fairly complex.

…For the history recreation, it happens in 1610.

In the Far East, that was after the Battle of Sekigahara and during Matsudaira’s rule. While they were trading with the other nations, there was a conflict in Macau, which was used as a relay point for those other nations.

A trade ship sent out by Arima Harunobu, lord of Shimabara, Kyushu, caused some trouble when a local deal went bad and was suppressed by Macau. The governor-general of Macau at the time was André Pessoa. He led the suppression, which resulted in the death of many members of Arima’s ship’s crew.

The recreation for all of that had already been done. After all, the provisional rule was in place. Tres Portugal was in charge of Macau, so they reached a financial resolution with the Far East. For the deaths, the crew had converted to Catholicism, which was interpreted as them “dying and being born again”. However…

“The Testament says the Far East retaliates. Arima Harunobu receives Matsudaira’s permission and attacks Pessoa’s ship near Nagasaki. After a four-day battle, Pessoa realizes he cannot escape and blows up his ship. This becomes known as the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident.”

“But that too was supposed to be handled via interpretation, wasn’t it?”

“Testament. Until Arima Harunobu attacked without permission.”

○

Flat Vassal: “Um, excuse me, but you’re not really leaving any room for us to make jokes.”

Tachibana Wife: “Maybe, but that is asking too much of a Tachibana.”

Tonbokiri: “I remember hearing about this after it had already happened.”

Silver Wolf: “Judge, I am not surprised. The history recreation was ultimately managed by Tres Portugal and Tres España such that no other nations could interfere.”

Tachibana Wife: “I saw most of it play out and that is correct. Lady Juana quickly arranged everything for the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident.”

Horizey: “And you’re about to tell us all about it! Isn’t that right, Gin-sama!?”

Tachibana Wife: “I suppose, but do not expect much from me.”

●

Arima Harunobu’s attack was carried out swiftly.

When the Tres Portugal trade ship arrived at Nagasaki’s harbor, it was attacked and sunk under the cover of darkness. To pull it off so quickly, the perpetrators had apparently been hiding in the trade containers.

The morning after, Arima’s Higo reservation, the Hinoe Domain, announced they were responsible. But based on what Gin had heard, Juana had detected this in advance and prevented word from getting out.

…I heard Chancellor Segundo said he wished he could have heard Arima’s explanation for himself and Lady Juana glared at him for it.

Then again, Juana had apparently gone along with the Chancellor’s opinion. But…

“Arima Harunobu was never found at the time,” said Muneshige with a tilt of the head. “Neither were the other Far Easterners involved.”

“Testament. Do you know why that is? Why would Arima’s group do that and where have they gone?”

“That is the question,” said Muneshige, pointing east.

In the far distance, there was a dark blue section of sky. It was surrounded by some lightning, but not due to a change in pressure above the ocean. That was the Gate connecting the New World’s east side with Kyushu’s west side.

That led to Tres España, Tres Portugal, and Dark Continent Kyushu.

He kept his eyes on it.

“The history recreation of Hashiba’s subjugation of Kyushu is effectively complete and they are only cleaning up now. But our nation at Shimonoseki is too busy preparing for the Armada battle to do anything about Kyushu. Since Arima Harunobu is from Kyushu, I would guess they used the chaos there to make their move and escape. I doubt Arima Harunobu is still in Kyushu.”

“Do you have a particular reason for that conclusion, Master Muneshige?”

Muneshige was the 1st Special Duty Officer, so he kept up on all the latest intelligence.

He turned toward Gin but then looked away again and groaned in thought.

“It’s not easy for us to talk about the Far East, Gin.”

She realized he was right.

…That’s true.

The Far East was generally held under provisional rule by the world nations.

But there were exceptions. She was from the Tachibana clan, but since the Tachibana clan had Muneshige, Peerless in the West, they held a fairly privileged position within Tres España thanks to the advantages they provided in combat and politics. Muneshige was saying he didn’t like to speak ill of the oppressed clans when he had the advantages of such a privileged position. And at the same time…

“If Arima Harunobu’s group has fled this way, we must capture them. And we need to be prepared for how they see us when that happens.”

“Testament. The Arima clan was prepared to sink a Tres Portugal ship. It would be disrespectful to discuss the reasons behind their actions here.”

Should she hope they did come here? Or should she hope they didn’t?

They were both from the Far East, but there was a difference in privilege there.

“Gin, if the Arima group does come here and they call us traitors to the Far East, I will have you stand by my side and ask them if they are jealous.”

“No good husband uses his wife as arm candy.”

Gin sighed and chose to assume the heat in her face was from the weather.

But to make sure he did not get the wrong idea, she adjusted her summer uniform’s cap and drank from the porcelain bottle she carried at her hip.

Her prosthetic arms gathered heat. She had a divine protection to prevent that heat from reaching her body, but she would still sweat.

“Gin, I don’t see any ships yet, so you can go rest in the shade.”

“That would harm the Tachibana reputation.”

…He pampers me too much.

Only about a year before, she had thought their situations were the opposite, so how had things become reversed?

She sighed inwardly, looked down at her feet, and saw their shadows in the midday sun. They were standing side by side and…

…With our shadows shortening, we appear to be the same height.

Since the summer uniform’s cap wasn’t very tall, her shorter height was painfully obvious when they stood next to each other, but that didn’t matter with these shadows. She smiled a little at that fact.

“Master Muneshige, do not get overexcited and lose sight of your footing. If you look down, you can see just how similar we are.”

○

Asama: “Gin-san! Gin-san! Don’t go hide in the corner! That was really sweet!”

Art-Ga: “Some would call that comment the coup de grâce.”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. That tropical weather has a way of making people open up, doesn’t it? But what was that about the Yossa Kenhoda La La La Incident?”

Tachibana Wife: “Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident. Simply put, a Far Eastern clan rebelled against Tres Portugal for some reason.”

Vice President: “Hey, what are all of you doing over there when you’re supposed to be working!? Oh, that’s data from spring last year! Are you checking the records from the time?”

Asama: “Perfect timing, Masazumi. You’re up next.”

Gold Mar: “Asama-chi, you’re really forceful when you drag people into these things, aren’t you?”

Asama: “Well, it would have gone to her eventually. So, Masazumi, can you help us go over what happened at the time and eventually led to the festival of attacks?”

Vice President: “Hmm. What happens if I don’t?”

Art-Ga: “We come up with our own version. The kind of thing I could draw up without needing to change a thing.”

Vice President: “I-I don’t like either option!”

Flat Vassal: “Anyway, Vice President, what happened back then?”

Vice President: “You mean the incident that began with the sinking of a Portuguese ship? I don’t know everything about it, but you know how a lot happened when I was arriving on the Musashi?”

Flat Vassal: “Okay, I can go next and give a big picture view of what was happening on the Musashi. To set things up for the Vice President to take over!”

Chapter 2: Preparations and Landing

I came here for work

But the usual suspects

Are up to no good

And tacking on some extra charges

Isn’t that bad, is it?

Point Allocation (It’s Very Bad)

●

Adele went to Asakusa after breakfast.

She was there to prepare for the end-of-school-year festival.

Each ship ran its own festival during spring break, so it ended up being as exciting as Musashi Ariadust Academy’s summer festival.

…The spring festival coincides with graduation, so the middle and elementary schools can get in on it too.

It lasted about three days. “About” because the length and content of the festival differed between academies. Her Musashi Ariadust Academy was a high school, so each group, class, and year would receive their final grades, run festival stands, and…

“The attack festival on the first day is pretty incredible,” said Adele as she approached the reception area for the morning shift preparations. When she passed through a checkpoint-like gate built atop the large wooden containers, a sign frame automatically lit up above her head to check her identity, ensure her safety, and adjust her divine protections.

She was Catholic, but Shinto had no problem granting her divine protections.

…I have the Hidden Catholic setting to thank for that.

Shinto wasn’t very strict, so even if someone was monotheistic or wanted to eliminate other faiths, the only real response was, “Got any impurities? No? Then I guess you’re fine. And if you do, we’ll just purify them.” That partially came from Shinto’s basis in nature worship, but also from the concept of purification where everything was judged based on whether it was pure or impure.

In that sense, the religion is less a belief in a god and more a belief in the idea that anything without impurity has been purified, thought Adele. But she knew saying this to Asama would lead to an obsessively detailed rebuttal, so she would keep that thought to herself…except a divine transmission suddenly arrived.

“Um, Adele? I’m not obsessive.”

“That’s right, Adele! Asama is normal! A normal girl who loves to talk about and explain Shinto!”

Adele didn’t want to let them alter the definition of normal, but she had to focus on her work right now.

They were creating some simple lodgings on the surface of the “cargo plaza” created by lining up the large wooden containers on Asakusa.

○

Unturning: “Lodgings? Were you receiving a lot of visitors from outside?”

Flat Vassal: “Well, that was part of it, but Musashi itself is pretty big and the Testament Union could observe us a lot more closely when docked. So given the 10 PM curfew, it was best to use some package buildings to create some temporary longhouses near the center of the festival.”

Tachibana Wife: “And if you could construct them in time for the rest of the preparations, Musashi’s craftsmen and laborers wouldn’t have to commute back and forth every day. When I arrived on the Musashi, they had built some small-scale lodgings to accommodate the ship’s repairs.”

Scarred: “My presence in the embassy would have caused problems during the trip from England to IZUMO, so I stayed in a room attached to the academy. But that was only for around half a day.”

Asama: “Um, Mary, if you continue any further, I think Tenzou-kun will be in real danger.”

Gold Mar: “Wow, look at that thread go. Anyway, I guess I can do the next part.”

●

“Oh, not often you see Uqui there. Right, Ga-chan?”

Naito and Naruze were flying through the sky to make deliveries for the festival.

They were used to moving between the Musashi’s ships. They were still restricted from doing so at night, but starting this spring, they could freely travel along any routes they officially requested instead of just the established routes or the routes given to them for a particular job.

…Not that we couldn’t play with the others in the free airspace before.

They had brand new acceleration spells now and they were in the top 10 of the delivery business. They were officially ranked. And they hoped to increase their rank a lot during this festival. But…

“You’re right. That is unusual.”

As they passed by Asakusa’s starboard side, they saw the lodgings being set up on the cargo plaza at the ship’s outer edge. Toori had sent them a divine mail saying some of their class had been assigned there.

“That explains why I was seeing so many familiar faces here. Is Uqui doing construction work?”

“So he’s doing physical labor after his morning training with us? That’s especially frustrating since we even hit him with a few weak shots.”

“Ga-chan, you were trying to hit him for real, weren’t you?”

Naito could only change the subject with a “but anyway”.

They had started doing early morning air combat training with Urquiaga during their 1st year. He had invited them one day out of the blue and they had agreed since they knew they would be competing for the top spots in the delivery business.

Their licenses restricted the routes they could fly on, but having that spelled out in the rules could have its uses. They had since developed skills well beyond what their licenses allowed, but…

“Uqui comes from an inquisitor family, doesn’t he? But when Tres España increased their obsession with pure blood, his family started running a bedding store since those were in vogue at the time. And finally, they moved to Musashi.”

“Doesn’t he want to be an inquisitor? Is he hoping to reclaim his family’s old position?”

“Hm, I’m not sure how useful that would be. Catholicism has a lot of restrictions within the Far East.”

That was true.

“During Matsudaira’s rule, the Far East issues a ban on the Tsirhc religion. Which is why Shinto is having all the Catholics in the Far East use the hidden setting, but that requires a double contract, which means it costs more. And the functions are restricted.”

So…

“He might end up taking over his parents’ bedding store, but expanding his horizons is still a good idea.”

“That’s a lot of speculation, Margot.”

“Meanwhile, we already know we’re going to be flying. But what if we had a change of heart and decided to do something else?”

What would happen then?

“I feel like Uqui has a broader dream than we do.”

“But we have both our dreams.”

Naito thought about Naruze’s response. Both. That would mean…

…Yes.

Whatever she was thinking, Naruze would have her own thoughts too. So…

“We’re fine the way we are. If you think of him as a ramen specialist, then we’re, um, pizza and pasta specialists.”

“Soba and udon would work too,” said Naruze with a bitter smile by Naito’s side, where she pressed their cheeks together. When they rested their wings together too, Naito felt Naruze’s warmth through the feathers. If they weren’t careful, this could lead to a midair collision which would send them off course, so…

“That’s as far as that goes.”

They pressed their foreheads together and moved an arm’s length apart for safety. Then they flew toward Asakusa’s starboard side.

“Hey!”

Adele was waving up at them.

“The idiot and the ninja aren’t here,” noted Naruze. “Do you know where they are, Margot?”

“To-chan is out shopping with Kimi. Tenzou said he had an urgent job in Mikawa.”

“What about Asama?”

“Almirante said the immigration bureau’s OS is being updated today, so probably dealing with that? I think she said something about purification earlier. I wasn’t really listening since we aren’t heading to the landport so it doesn’t apply to us.”

“That’s right,” said Naruze as the wind changed direction.

…Midmorning, huh?

The spring sunshine was unexpectedly strong. In the sky, it was first noticeable from the heat of the air and then by the change to the wind. Those changes seemed especially noticeable when the Musashi was docked in a landport and very little of it was in contact with the sky. But that may have been something only winged species noticed. Anyway…

“Hey!”

They flew in an arc down toward Asakusa’s starboard side.

“We have something for the morning shift. Some sweets and such from Murayama’s central shopping district.”

●

Masazumi had predicted last night how she would react to this.

She was boarding a ship for the first time to move from Mikawa to Musashi. When you lived in Mikawa, you would frequently see the Musashi docking at or departing from the landport or see its massive form flying in the distance.

She had wanted to ride on it more times than she could remember.

But this was her first time onboard.

She boarded from the landport north of Mikawa. Mikawa was one of Musashi’s headquarters, so it usually remained docked there for around two weeks while trading with the neutral territory of Mikawa.

Wearing her uniform, she passed between the returning traders and the transport system and climbed the stairs on the Musashi’s starboard side.

This was a diplomatic ship named Tama. The climb was equivalent to ascending a small mountain, which was enough to work up a sweat, but she finally arrived at the surface city. She first found herself in front of the immigration facility. She could see the rest of the city past there as she entered the building.

…Oh.

The entrance was a hallway about 3m tall and wide. After climbing a shallow ascent with a railing, she entered a waiting room full of chairs.

A torii-style information terminal was open on the wall. It said to take a number and wait for it to be called, so she held up her hand and a torii with the number 37 appeared in her palm.

It didn’t disappear. She felt self-conscious with that glowing light in her hand, but she looked around and saw others with little toriis waiting in the room which covered approximately 45 square meters.

I should have brought a book, she realized as she started to wait, but then she found the torii in her hand had some information scrolling across it. Was that meant to help pass the time? After a transition made to look like a cloud of cherry blossoms blowing by, it switched to some news. The news covered Musashi’s current population, taxation system, and an introduction of each ship. It frequently informed her where the government offices were located.

“If you’re ever in trouble, look no further than a Shinto trial! In a true show of equality, everyone gets the same result! Amazing!”

Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a trial?

When it showed some help wanted ads from each ship, she had a sudden thought.

…Right. I’m here to be processed as a Musashi resident.

She had thought she would feel more like an outsider, but she didn’t. Maybe that came from walking here on foot, but she felt more like she was waiting her turn at the hospital. And…

“#37 please.”

A young female voice called her number, so she stood up, said “that’s me”, and walked over.

●

The name Honda Masazumi rang a bell for Asama.

…That’s the daughter of Provisional Councilor Honda Masanobu, isn’t it?

Her father had told her there was a girl her own age in Mikawa. An official request to have her move to Musashi had arrived and the girl herself had sent a change of residence request of her own.

That meant she was requesting residency today. And permanent residency at that.

As a representative of the Asama Shrine – Musashi’s local shrine – and on a more personal level, Asama wanted to handle the entire process for this girl since they would be classmates afterwards. She wasn’t privy to the circumstances at the Mikawa government office, but this girl had gone to a Mikawa high school through the end of her first year. On Musashi, she would likely end up at Musashi Ariadust Academy, the same as Asama, so…

“Um, what should we do about this girl, Mito?”

“What do you mean? She’s our age, isn’t she? Is that a problem?”

“Well, isn’t it? As soon as she learns what our school is like and what life on the Musashi is like, she might run right back to Mikawa.”

○

Vice President: “Now, hold on.”

Gold Mar: “Yeah, that happens sometimes.”

Horizey: “Are you telling me shocking and scandalous things occur aboard the Musashi? How have I never noticed?”

Unturning: “What am I even supposed to say to that?”

Silver Wolf: “I-it’s best to just ignore it. I think.”

●

Mitotsudaira just about nodded in agreement with Asama but brought a hand to her chin instead.

“I see. So she’s our age and she’ll be coming to our school with the expectations set by her old academy down in Mikawa.”

They both fell silent for a few seconds before Asama responded while staring down at the ground.

“What is Toori-kun up to right now?”

“W-wouldn’t you know better than me, Tomo?”

“I know Adele said he was spending spring break dancing naked through each of the academy’s windows to purify them.”

“Where’d he learn that freaky ritual? At the Asama Shrine?”

<You can’t pin this one on me. By, god>

“Um, Mito, we have a direct connection right now, so you could earn yourself some divine punishment if you say the wrong thing. Try to be careful, okay?”

“Judge. But why is my king doing that?”

“Apparently a ghostly woman was reflected in the window the other day and people were calling it one of the academy’s seven mysteries. I’m pretty sure that was only a mysterious phenomenon from being so close to Mikawa, but he said he wanted to exorcise her.”

“So it’s technically a public works project?”

“No, he didn’t submit the proper paperwork, so it only counts as being a public nuisance.”

Mitotsudaira imagined the scene. And after a moment…

“If he’s bored, he should just say so.”

“What, did you want to join him?”

She imagined that scene. And after a moment…

“I-I would never do that! Hey, what is that weird smile supposed to mean!?”

“Calm down. Anyway, what are we supposed to do about this?”

“It’s not for us to worry about, is it? I think it comes down to this girl’s personality. I mean, this data says she’s the daughter of a provisional councilor.”

“Yes, neither she nor her father have an inherited name, but they’re named after the Honda clan. I know Mikawa gave a lot of their inherited names to automatons after driving out all the people, so they were probably caught up in that.”

“Oh right.” Mitotsudaira remembered now. “The provisional councilor in question is Honda Masanobu, isn’t it? That really strict-seeming one.”

…I see.

“His daughter is arriving and he isn’t even here to greet her. I know he’s supposed to be the secret leader of the council, but…yes, he really must be strict.”

○

“Hey! Koni-tan! You can stick your things in this room! In my room! Just chuck it on in there! What is wrong with you!? You’re supposed to treat black disk box sets with more care than that!”

“Nobu-tan! Nobu-tan! Can you not contradict yourself from one sentence to the next!?”

“Shut up and open up Masazumi’s room as temporary storage for our Ariake loot! Just make sure you don’t leave any signs Masazumi will notice when she gets back from her training camp!”

“Judge! We haven’t grown at all since Masazumi-kun decided to move here and we had to quickly clean up everything you had decorating the hallway!”

“Yes, we underestimated how long it would take to clean it all up, so I failed to arrive in a carriage to pick her up. Hey! Okudaira! Take all the divine figurines, black disks, and manga in the hallway and stick them in this room! Yes, the ceiling is warping, so be careful! Hit the wall too hard and my full set of the Ultra Alloy Deluxe Bronze Armor series will come crashing down on you! And you, Hachiya! Don’t bother returning that South American Sumo Star Incaesar wall scroll to the shelf! Just stick it in this room! And make sure to prostrate yourself for taking it out without permission! Got that!?”

“Nobu-tan! Nobu-tan! I can tell you’re panicking!”

“Shut up! We’re getting another shipment today! And I can’t be open with all this like you can at your place! Because I have a respectable image to uphold!”

●

Asama agreed on a general plan with Mitotsudaira. Simply put…

…No telling her anything she doesn’t directly ask about. That should work, right!?

Mitotsudaira was waiting in the adjacent room to avoid showing the girl anything unnecessary and she used a sign frame under the table to give Asama a thumbs up.

Asama was ready to go too, so she pressed the call button on her sign frame and put on her best smile.

“#37 please.”

A few seconds later, the sliding door opened and someone stepped inside.

●

Oh, thought Masazumi.

…That’s a shrine maiden.

She looks older than me. She’s so big.

…Really, really big.

I wish I could say I meant her height, but she’s sitting down right now.

○

Asama: “Um.”

Bell: So…w-which was it…really?”

Art-Ga: “Yeah, that happens. A lot even.”

Flat Vassal: “Am I supposed to say something here!? I am, aren’t I!?”

Wise Sister: “That’s right, Adele! C’mon! She’s right in front of you now, so come out and say it! Say she has giant boobs! Because that kind of size is something to flaunt! Oh, wait! That’s me in front of you!”

Flat Vassal: “Asama-san! Asama-san! I don’t care if you’re big, just do something about this girl!!”

●

Masazumi was relieved to find she was dealing with a shrine maiden.

She had already dealt with shrine maidens at her local Mikawa shrine when arranging the move.

Mysterious phenomena were common in Mikawa right now, so the city center was off limits at night. Thanks to that, a lot of the work done at the government office in the city center had been distributed elsewhere – most of it to the academies and shrines. Masazumi had registered for the move at the “village head” building that the committee ran at Mikawa and then she had gone to a local shrine staffed by shrine maidens sent out by the Atsuta Shrine.

“Excuse me. I’m planning to move to Musashi, so I need to arrange for my divine protections to be transferred.”

The smiling shrine maidens at the reception desk had immediately frozen in place when they heard why she was there.

She had decided it was best not to ask why and the shrine maidens had seemed worried for her.

“You’re going to Musashi? Did something happen for you to lose all hope?”

“You aren’t the easily manipulated type, are you?”

“Remember to keep a positive outlook no matter what happens, okay?”

She was still wondering what that had been about. But at the moment, the Musashi shrine maiden gestured for her to sit and asked the standard questions.

“You are Honda Masazumi, correct?”

●

Asama decided to get through this by sticking to the standard questions.

First, she asked the girl’s name. That would confirm this really was Honda Masazumi. And after asking…

“Make sure to respond honestly. You are in the presence of a god here.”

“For future reference, what happens if I lie?”

“Well, there are three courses here. They are hard to describe, so they are represented by these three icons, but those are hard to interpret, so I will describe them for you: this one is the photography punishment, this one is the, um, butt punishment, and this one is the paint punishment. All of them are public punishments. Shinto worships the sun, so we believe in keeping everything out in the sunlight. So after you complete one of these, an alarm sounds and you are questioned at the guard station.”

“Tomo! Tomo! Don’t you have the order reversed!?” said Mitotsudaira via divine transmission from the adjacent room.

“No, Mito. Haven’t you heard that you should state your conclusion first and provide your reasoning afterwards? Shinto places a lot of value on procedure. We do manage many ceremonies throughout people’s lives.”

“Tomo! Tomo! What happened to sticking to the standard questions!?”

She’s the one who asked. I’m still safe. Even if three times safe is out.

Also, Asama was in control of the process. So she directed them back toward the standard.

“What brings you here today?”

“Judge. I requested to move from Mikawa to Musashi.”

…Oh, is that so?

“Oh, dear.”

“Tomo! Tomo! You got your thoughts and your standard response switched!”

…Oh, whoops.

The girl’s response was so exactly what she expected she screwed up her reaction. But that had to have sounded weird, so…

“Oh, um, yes. A change of residence then? Approval for your request should come through by this evening.”

“Judge. That’s fine since I was already planning to return to Mikawa briefly to make sure I didn’t forget anything and to lock up. …I have to say, Musashi seems like a nice place.”

“No, it’s-”

…Oh, whoops.

“Tomo! Tomo! Your thoughts are escaping again!”

“Don’t worry,” replied Asama via her sign frame. “I caught myself in time.”

“Try to catch yourself before you say any of it next time!”

I agree, but I can still fix this one. I just have to change that response into…

“N-no, it’s nothing special. I just hope it can live up to your expectations.”

“I hope so too,” said the Honda daughter. She took a breath. “But you must get a lot of change of residence requests this time of year. Unlike election season, which is about the change of presidents instead.”

○

Art-Ga: “Th-that one…caught me off guard!”

Flat Vassal: “Um, uh, Vice President? Why did you think that would make a good first impression?”

Vice President: “H-hold on! I don’t remember making that one!”

Asama: “I think you purged it from your memory when Mito and I refused to acknowledge it.”

Silver Wolf: “Judge. You were so confused by our lack of reaction that you said it a few more times.”

Wise Sister: “Oh, dear, Masazumi? Were you lonely? Were you feeling blue because they ignored you? Hm?”

Vice President: “You’re all only talking about your mental image of me! You shouldn’t judge people based on your own imagination. I swear you’re like a pack of ravenous dogs when you see a chance to tease someone!”

Girls: “Now who’s using their imagination!?”

●

Asama ignored the girl’s dangerous comment.

…She must be nervous. I hope.

Then she provided a warning.

“Now, there is one thing you need to be careful about.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, there are a lot of entertainer god worshipers on Musashi, so try not to lose your mi- try to be careful. How you behave around them can lead to trouble surprisingly easily.”

“I see,” the girl said with a look that said she didn’t realize how dangerous her previous comment had been. At this rate, a careless joke of hers could easily make her a victim of him, his brother, or the new Chancellor.

…W-well, I’ve done my part by warning her.

Asama prepared to move on, but Honda Masazumi went “oh” and suddenly looked down at herself.

“I just realized…sorry, but I’m wearing a boy’s uniform. I hope that’s alright. I’m a girl, so I don’t want you to accidentally register me as a boy because I’m dressed like this.”

Oh, thought Asama. She hadn’t needed this warning, but…

“Yes, that is perfectly fine. I have all your data sent over from Mikawa and…”

And…

“Shinto is perfectly okay with crossdressing. A lot of people here are really into it.”

“Tomo! Tomo!” That isn’t what she wanted to know!”

Oh, whoops.

“That was a Musashi issue, so you can pretend I didn’t say it.”

○

Asama: “Thinking back, I did a great job of staying on that tightrope step after step, didn’t I?”

Tachibana Wife: “It looks more to me like you stepped in it each and every time.”

Silver Wolf: “A-anyway, you went on to explain the divine protections and give Masazumi permission to board, right? Right?”

●

“This gives you temporary immigration status…which is basically a temporary boarding pass, so would you like to take a look around the Musashi?”

Masazumi nodded at the shrine maiden’s question.

“Yes, I was planning to leave my luggage at my father’s house.”

That was located on Musashino, the first ship of the Musashi’s central row of ships. She knew that much, but she wasn’t sure how movement between ships was handled and would have to figure that out when she got there. But…

“On the Musashi, the divine protections installed in your hard point parts provide an information terminal which you can use in an emergency. On that note, how are your divine transmissions set up currently?”

How were they? Masazumi had let her mother set up her divine protections and the contract continued to automatically withdraw payment even with her mother gone. She had checked on all that back in Mikawa, but…

…I don’t use sign frames for divine transmissions or anything else.

They had a portable shrine back home and she had to have a contract with that, but…

“How often do people generally use divine transmissions on the Musashi?”

“It depends a lot on the person. But you can check official notifications on the city message board just like at Mikawa and it allows you to do a lot of things you would otherwise have to visit a physical location for.”

“Then I can live without it for now.”

The shrine maiden briefly froze.

●

“Um, isn’t this where she would normally arrange for a contract?”

“Tomo! Tomo! Snap out of business mode! You need to do this the way she wants!”

“But we have a great deal to celebrate graduation season and the new school year, so it’s practically a steal. Any divine protection you sign up for comes with free installation and you get three bonus substitutions for the first three months after signing up! Not to mention that a contract with the Asama Shrine gives you access to Inari and the Seven Gods of Fortune with zero substitutions required, so March is the best time to sign up, Mito!”

“Tomo! Tomo! Are you trying to sell me an upgrade!?”

○

Scarred: “So did you sign up for a contract?”

Vice President: “No. I didn’t have any money.”

Asama: “I did go on to explain the benefits a contract provides on the Musashi and the downsides of not having sign frame access.”

Unturning: “I went through that too, but you really don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve experienced it for yourself.”

Flat Vassal: “What happened after that, Vice President?”

Vice President: “My request hadn’t been approved yet, but they let me onto the Musashi since I had a temporary boarding pass. After passing the health inspection, I collected my luggage and…I think I went to Musashino first. To drop off my luggage.”

Silver Wolf: “Did that all go smoothly? I know your father is strict.”

Vice President: “It was fine. I was only dropping off my luggage, so he only said he was busy and ignored me. He said he would make the arrangements for my mother’s grave.”

Horizey: “Time out!”

'Silver Wolf: “Oh, come to think of it…”

Flat Vassal: “Is something wrong, Vicereine Horizon?”

Horizey: “Adele-sama, what makes you think that something is wrong? I am as calm and collected as ever.”

Gold Mar: “I suppose…that’s technically true.”

Asama: “Anyway, that was also when Horizon arrived on the Musashi. I checked over all those records after the Battle of Mikawa, but how about we go over that again here?”

Chapter 3: Starvation and Excitement

Choose one of the following situations:

1: Friendly Visit

2: Divine Visit

3: Annoying Visit

Point Allocation (Here I Aaaaaaaam!)

●

An automaton had appeared on Tama.

It was a sunny day, but a single oddity was found in the center of the park near the center of Tama. In the woods containing an artificial stream, a 10m crater formed with electricity crackling all around.

It was not very deep. Something had produced enough downwards pressure to compress the ship structure.

Faint residual electricity scattered as the figure kneeling in the center stood up and gave double fist pumps.

“Horizon is baaaaaaaaack!!!”

○

Asama: “Okay, that’s taking it too far. …Kimi! Kimi! Stop holding your sides and laughing!”

Horizey: “I do not actually remember what happened, so I thought I should give a dramatized imagining of what must have happened.”

Art-Ga: “I say we let this stand.”

Flat Vassal: “If the Vicereine continues to be herself, future historians will probably write a very similar representation of her arrival on the Musashi.”

Scarred: “My, then how would they dramatize the way Master Tenzou and I met?”

Gold Mar: “They’ll probably have you throw a sonic slap that knocks Tenzou out and gives him a concussion.”

Scarred: “W-we can’t let that happen! I must tell my sister to ensure the future historians take an accurate view of history!”

○

Fairy Queen: “Hey, Jonson! My sister just sent a divine mail saying ‘do not distort the truth’, which I can only assume was meant for you! So don’t distort the truth! Got that!?”

Drug Poet: “Lady, I feel like that message is missing several pieces of important context!”

O-Malley: “I’d say it’s missing all of the context.”

○

Scarred: “Judge, now the truth of our meeting should be relayed to future generations.”

Vice President: “I get the feeling that’s going to lead to an international incident, but I’m past caring at this point.”

Silver Wolf: “You really should care about that. Then again, it’s the 1st Special Duty Officer and Mary… Anyway, Horizon? I’m not sure that’s the best way to present your appearance.”

Flat Vassal: “Hm, I thought it was pretty cool myself.”

Horizey: “I am delighted you agree with me, Adele-sama! I will ensure that future historians revere you as a poor girl who was raised by dogs and ate thrown-out leftovers every day, so that’s something to look forward to!”

Flat Vassal: “Someone help! Does anyone here have an in with the future historians!?”

Silver Wolf: “Wait, Adele. If you play your cards right, you could have the events of your life dramatized to the point you get a TV drama in the future. Like the Taiga drama about me mentioned in my Testament footnote.”

Tachibana Wife: “What would the title be if she did get one?”

Horizey: “The simplest would be something like Shield Girl or A Shield Broken.”

Flat Vassal: “Th-that first one makes me sound like a super throwaway character! And the second one sounds really ominous!”

Vice President: “Anyway, Horizon, I heard you were first found in the middle of Tama’s city. On a rainy day. Shouldn’t you at least make those adjustments?”

●

An automaton had appeared on Tama.

It was a rainy day, but a single oddity was found in the center of the shopping district at the center of Tama. Next to an artificial stream, a 10m crater formed with electricity crackling all around it.

It was not very deep. Something had produced enough downwards pressure to compress the ship structure.

Faint residual electricity scattered as the figure kneeling in the center stood up and gave double fist pumps.

“Horizon is borrrrrrrrn!!!”

○

Silver Wolf: “Horizon! Horizon! So it’s raining now!?”

Flat Vassal: “That’s your only comment!? Are you sure we can keep it like this!?”

Unturning: “Doesn’t it strain credibility to say that happened in the middle of the city?”

Asama: “Actually, if it happened in the city, I think most people would assume it was an entertainer god worshiper doing something ridiculous in order to gather attention, so they would do their best to ignore it.”

Flat Vassal: “You can’t let her get away with this, Asama-san! If you give her this, imagine what she’ll try to do next!”

Horizey: “The manager told me she found me standing in front of the Blue Thunder in the rain and I collapsed as soon as she spoke to me. Thus, I started my Musashi life starving and being lured in by food.”

Wise Sister: “But, Horizon? Didn’t you have a job at the Blue Thunder already lined up by your third day aboard?”

●

“Horizon is employyyyyyyyed!”

Three days had passed since she was found.

She opened the Blue Thunder’s door and struck a pose, but the manager turned around with her hands on her hips.

“Your name is P-01s, not Horizon.”

“My mistake!”

She shut the door and opened it again.

“P-01s is employyyyyyyyed!”

“Oh, you’re here on time. So my quick examination only revealed that you start shadow boxing when you don’t trust someone, but have you decided what you want to do?”

“Judge! If you will give me three meals and a naptime, I would like to work here.”

“Um, Horizon? Why are you being so strong willed? Try to stick to your personality back then.”

“Manager! I am hearing Asama-sama’s voice out of thin air!”

“You shouldn’t know Tomo-chan yet, but whatever.”

After giving the manager a double thumbs up to show her understanding, P-01s put on a Blue Thunder apron as instructed.

“How do I look?”

“Judge, judge. Kimi used to use that one, but it’s a good fit for you. We can go buy you some clothes later. Just an inner suit is kind of plain. …Oh, and can you splash some water outside? Do you know how that’s done? Fill a bucket from the outside tap and splash it around with the water scoop.”

“Based on that description, wouldn’t it be faster to let the water splash out directly from the tap?”

“That wouldn’t be as elegant. Now if you understand, get to it.”

“Judge!” replied P-01s, heading outside to splash water as her first job.

Once she stepped outside…

“Manager! Masazumi-sama is collapsed outside!”

“You shouldn’t know Masazumi-san yet, but whatever.”

○

Silver Wolf: “Kimi! Kimi! You can call her Horizon when you write it, but try to tell the story more accurately!”

Asama: “And doesn’t this mean Masazumi nearly starved to death on her first day?”

Vice President: “I was not starving!!”

Unturning: “So what were you doing then?”

Vice President: “Well, let’s see. I made my way to Tama, thinking I would head back to Mikawa for a bit…but I was so hungry I collapsed in front of the Blue Thunder.”

Girls: “How is that not starving!?”

Vice President: “I was only hungry! It’s not the same!”

Asama: “You don’t need to fight this, Masazumi. Our recent return to nature has some of us seeking out terrain effects, so we’ve seen the appearance of a Waterfall Girl and Wetlands Girl, so what’s wrong with being Starvation Girl? Not that that’s a kind of terrain.”

Silver Wolf: “Tomo? Are you just saying whatever comes to mind while you chop up those herbs we found?”

Art-Ga: “And at the time, Honda Masazumi said…”

Vice President: “Hey, don’t make up records about me!”

●

Masazumi had faced a series of disappointments.

When she arrived at her father’s house with her luggage, her father said he was holding a meeting inside and more or less turned her away at the front door. She hadn’t managed any kind of father-daughter reunion outside of handing over her mother’s old possessions. She wasn’t allowed in the mansion because he said she would interfere with his meeting, so she had decided to return to Mikawa, check through the house, and lock up for the last time. She could meet with her father and discuss her future and such after receiving her official change of residence approval that evening.

But when she had mentioned her immigration processing had been done by the Asama Shrine Representative…

“You mean the Asama Shrine’s shrine maiden!? Wait, Masazumi! You were much too careless!”

All the members of her father’s meeting had gathered in the entrance and formed a scrum to discuss the matter. Then a fat man had asked permission before holding some kind of sign frame up to her.

“I don’t detect anything on her person.”

“Good, but we can’t be too careful. Check her luggage too.”

The group had gone back inside the house, but Masazumi hadn’t understood what any of it was about.

“Um, dad?”

“Masazumi, we are in a meeting. And we are preparing for your arrival. Your authorization will not go through until this evening, correct? There is much I wish to discuss with you, but can’t it wait until then?”

“Well, um, mom’s things were…in that luggage.”

She watched her father’s reaction.

“I am sorry you had to go through that,” he said.

She wasn’t sure if he was addressing her or her mother with that.

She had honestly expected no reaction at all, so this was a surprise. That may have been why she was unsure what to make of what he said.

“–––––”

She ended up saying nothing.

She would have felt bad if she had responded as if he were addressing her and it turned out it was meant for her mother.

But when he continued, he was definitely speaking to her.

“I have prepared to have her grave built here.”

So her mother’s grave would be on the Musashi, not in Mikawa.

He then took a look around to make sure no one else was nearby.

“You too will be involved in politics in some fashion, so you should take this for self-defense. If you say you are carrying it for me, no one will question it. You can think of it that way yourself if you like.”

He handed her a hard 30cm object wrapped in cloth. She wasn’t sure what it was at first, but…

“Is this a knife?”

“How you use it is up to you.”

That was the end of it. He did not bring up her mother again, so she didn’t either.

And Masazumi herself…

…There’s nothing I can do. I should wait until my approval comes through and return here to talk some more.

Both of them had made the same decision despite the questions they both had.

○

Vice President: “Oops, I talked too much. I couldn’t say all of this if it wasn’t so late at night in a foreign nation, but at the time, I assumed my dad would tell me if he knew anything about my mom. I mean, he never called me and he ignored everything when she was taken by the Princess Disappearances, but then he made it sound so final with the grave.”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. So what do you think now?”

Vice President: “Whether I understand him or not, I can’t just get rid of him. Since we live together, I need to establish some form of relationship with him. …What I saw back then was my father’s priorities. And it turned out I’m mixed in at around the same level as Mikawa and Musashi. That’s all it was.”

Silver Wolf: “Where are your mother’s things now?”

Vice President: “Buried in her grave, but I inherited the dishes and cookware. My father must still have the things she shared with him. Because they weren’t among the items we buried.”

Asama: “So this record is your way of hiding your embarrassment.”

Tonbokiri: “Masazumi is so mature…”

Vice President: “Hey, what are those weird smiles for!? It’s creeping me out, so stop it!”

●

A lot happened on Hori- P-01s’s first day on the job.

She quickly learned what working in a café was like.

“Manager, I did not expect to be stripping down Masazumi-sama after collecting her from outside. Is this a new recipe?”

“No, it’s just that I thought she was a boy at first, but then noticed she appeared to be a girl. She must have her reasons.”

The manager opened some kind of glowing frame and checked something.

“Oh, I see. From down there. Oh, from Masanobu-san’s place.”

P-01s attempted to open a glowing frame by mimicking the manager, but no frame appeared for her.

She waved her hand a second and third time, but still nothing.

…How strange.

“Oh, your contract only allows passive sign frames. I’ll put in a request for you to actively open them under my name, so wait a second. Okay?”

After redressing Masazumi who was lying on the table, the manager opened a new sign frame.

“Hi, Tomo-chan? I have a question for you. No, no. Not the total amount of damages my idiot has caused today. It’s about a new arrival.”

During some more back-and-forth, the person on the table stirred.

She was waking up.

When P-01s saw that, she grabbed at the manager’s clothes and shouted.

“The starved corpse is moviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!”

○

Vice President: “Wait! I did not starve! Really, I didn’t! How long are you going to drag that out!?”

Bell: “U-until she…doesn’t think…it’s funny anymore?”

Vice President: “Nooooooo! Now it’s never going away!”

Wise Sister: “Anyway, what’s wrong with all of you! You’re letting Horizon steal the show here. Shape up!”

Asama: “You’re right. If we’re going to make these records, we need to do it right.”

Silver Wolf: “Tomo! Tomo! I think you’re taking this in the wrong direction!”

Unturning: “Why do you all love confusing the ends with the means so much?”

●

At any rate, the disappointments continued for Masazumi.

Not only was she mistaken for a starved corpse after collapsing, but she had her clothing removed to confirm her gender. However…

“Thank you very much for rescuing me.”

She had enough manners to know she had to thank them. But the manager…

“Oh, don’t worry about it. You gave me the weird experience of realizing how often people collapse on the roadside on Musashi these days. And I already confirmed your identity. You’re Honda-san’s daughter, aren’t you? Masazumi-san.”

“Um, could you not tell my father about this?”

The manager smiled bitterly and waved a hand dismissively.

“I don’t see why he would need to know. Anyway, I don’t like to see a girl going hungry. You do know that the Musashi uses the same currency as the surface, right?”

“Yes, it’s just that I don’t have any money on me. I was planning to ask my father for some money, but I didn’t have the chance.”

“And then you collapsed on your way back to Mikawa?”

The manager placed a hand on her chin and smiled bitterly, but she must have managed to imagine the general situation.

“Whatever,” she finally said. “P-01s.”

Someone emerged from the back of the café.

…An automaton.

Back at Mikawa, she would see them a lot as she approached the city. A lot of those were name inheritors since everyone else had been ordered to leave. In her time out in the city on the Musashi, she had also seen a few of the Musashi automatons. But this one…

“Does she belong to the café?”

“No, she’s a stray.”

Masazumi wasn’t sure what “a stray” meant in this context, but she guessed it meant that automaton didn’t belong to a public agency or anything like that. It was true automatons were recognized as a species, but…

…Is she completely free? If so, that’s highly unusual.

This automaton called P-01s placed a glass in front of Masazumi.

It was empty. But P-01s expressionlessly gestured toward it.

“Masazumi-sama, have some water.”

○

Gold Mar: “Are we doing this now?”

Horizey: “Oh, we haven’t even begun!”

Asama: “Um, Masazumi, stop roping Horizon into your story and get to the point.”

Vice President: “Unfortunately, this is really what happened!”

●

Masazumi stared at the glass in front of her. The glass container had nothing inside it. But…

“This is…water?”

“Yes, water. Now, drink it down all at once. And make sure to say ‘ahh, how refreshing’ afterwards.”

Masazumi wondered if this was some kind of test.

But whatever the case, she did want some water. So she picked up the glass, readied it, and…

“Very well, then.”

She “drank” it. How many swallows would be realistic for this much water? Five? But since she was so hungry, maybe three would be enough. After that many gulps, she set the glass down.

“Ahh, how refreshing.”

The manager looked to P-01s and pointed at Masazumi.

“She really said it, P-01s.”

“Heh. I win this round, manager.”

“You had a bet running on this!?”

“Calm down,” said the manager while P-01s took a basket from a shelf lined with breads.

It was used for serving bread to the customers. She politely carried it over in both hands and set it down on the table.

The basket was empty. But the automaton expressionlessly gestured at it.

“Have some water.”

“Don’t you mean bread!?”

“Sorry, this one’s on me. I still haven’t taught her what to say when serving bread.”

The manager took the automaton toward the door that presumably led to the kitchen. Masazumi heard some whispering back and forth. P-01s occasionally said “how careless of me!” and lightly struck her own head, but Masazumi wasn’t sure if that was a sign of a highly advanced automaton or what.

“If you ask me, it’s not a sign of being advanced. Oh, and this is just a Scwharz Hexen talking to herself while she walks by outside the café. Don’t mind me.”

“This is a Weiss Hexen also talking to herself while taking a walk nearby. That water gag sticks around for a long while. At least as far as the Gagaku Festival.”

Talk about unwanted information. But the manager soon brought P-01s back and the automaton bowed.

“I must apologize, Masazumi-sama. Allow me to do that again.”

She carried out a glass full of water on a tray.

She bowed and gestured toward the glass.

“Have some bread.”

○

Asama: “Horizon was really working hard her first day on the job.”

Gold Mar: “Yes, she certainly put a lot of effort into it.”

Vice President: “Just because this is being recorded as text doesn’t mean you can get away with those flat tones!”

Horizey: “Because I used Masazumi-sama to train, I was working like a pro by the time evening arrived. Thinking back, I never got around to splashing water outside, but let’s not worry about that.”

Art-Ga: “I feel like we’re digging up pieces of history no one needed to know.”

Unturning: “Anyway, how did this develop into a major incident? So far, I feel like we can officially call it all peaceful.”

Silver Wolf: “Oh, the incident had actually already begun by that point.”

Asama: “So let’s focus on that next! Let’s take a closer look at the Musashi at the time!”

●

“A murder case? In Mikawa? And they want us to investigate? Why us, dad?”

This is getting weird fast, thought Asama as she shut down her immigration management system. After confirming there was no one left in the waiting room, she tilted her head toward the divine transmission sign frame.

“Um, dad? Are you telling us to head down to Mikawa?”

“Yes, actually. This is a fairly troublesome case for Mikawa. The Mikawa guards can’t handle it, but having someone else do it would cause different problems.”

She more or less knew what her father meant.

“Another nation is involved in the Mikawa incident, isn’t it?”

On another sign frame, she saw Mitotsudaira – still waiting in the other room – raise her hand stand up. The door behind Asama opened and the wolf emerged. Mitotsudaira took up a position where she was out of view of the sign frame Asama was using to speak with her father.

“Is it Tres España? They’re escorting the Musashi and something unusual must be happening since I heard an inquisition ship arrived at the landport this morning.”

“You’re a sharp girl. Mikawa is neutral land, but Tres España is forcibly intervening in this murder case by offering to assist using their equipment and spells. That makes it hard for Mikawa to act, so they asked for us to investigate as a third party.”

“I see,” said Asama in further understanding. So they would be acting on Mikawa’s behalf. “But if the Musashi sent our guards, the Chancellor’s Officers, one of the committees, or anyone like that, it would hurt Tres España’s pride and lead to trouble with them. But if we act as a Shinto representative, Tres España won’t be able to do much.”

“Exactly. We will be examining the crime scene. Tomo, can you take along a useful shrine maiden and check things out? I doubt it will be a pleasant sight, though.”

There could be a body there. Since her work involved exorcisms and funerals, it was always possible she would see or deal with those. In this case, Mitotsudaira would make a good helper since she could also function as a knight or a member of the Chancellor’s Officers if necessary. So…

“Understood. The crime scene is in Mikawa, correct? Do you have details on the case?”

“Yes,” said her father on the divine transmission. “An abandoned inn burned down. They thought it was either arson or a mysterious phenomenon, but then they discovered two corpses inside.”

“But…?”

Asama thought they must have been caught in the fire. Mitotsudaira also tilted her head, but Asama’s father ignored their unspoken question and kept going.

“They both had their throats slit from the front, so homicide seems most likely.”

Chapter 4: Blame and Circumstances

Adults compare several truths

They don’t choose just one

Hence why some call them liars

Point Allocation (What a Pain)

●

The Honda household woke early. Or they were supposed to. But this day, Futayo woke in the late morning.

“School!”

She scrambled out of bed.

“Oh, right. It’s spring break.”

She didn’t have school. Her Chancellor’s Officers work as the Vice Chancellor’s aide was off as well. So she was fine.

But a thought occurred to her: why hadn’t her father or Kazuno come to wake her?

They had shifted her morning training to match her schedule now that she was working for the Chancellor’s Officers, but she should have had that at the usual time since she was off duty today. Why had she been allowed to sleep in?

“Oh.”

She recalled what those two had said last night.

“We’ve got some minor business to take care of related to Musashi. We should be back tomorrow afternoon. Want a souvenir? I’ll pick you up something if it’s convenient. Hm, I know. How about I buy you around three dozen chicken skewers and as many miso pork skewers as I can get my hands on? …What’s that look for, Kazuno!?”

“Are meat skewers really the best thing you can come up with for your teenage daughter, Tadakatsu-sama?”

Kazuno had glared at Futayo’s father, but he had only fixed the collar of his black summer clothing with a quick flicking motion. It was honestly still a mystery how he managed to make such a solid sound by striking cloth with his fingernails.

Just so you know, he came back with pork skewers for me.

○

Vice President: “So what happened with those two?”

Tonbokiri: “They returned home around evening. There was apparently a crime outside Mikawa and security in the area was tighter, so they decided it was better to wait until the heat died down than try to head back and cause a scene. And then my schedule got a bit busier starting the next day.”

Bell: “Busier…why?”

Tonbokiri: “Because of that murder case. Some of us in Mikawa were lent out to the surrounding guards to avoid friction with Tres España.”

Vice President: “And I went back home oblivious to all of this. To be fair, the incident happened closer to the general landport than to my home. I do remember thinking security was unusually strict that day.”

●

Masazumi rode a shared freight wagon through two checkpoints to reach Mikawa again.

…I doubt I’ve forgotten anything at our house in Mikawa, but I should still put up the futon.

Her luggage was already on the Musashi, so the trip was a lot easier. She thought it would be nice to say goodbye to the home she had lived in for so long. When they left the last checkpoint, they were in the forest. The road split in three there.

One path led to central Mikawa where New Nagoya Castle was located.

One path led to outer Mikawa where important officials and influential people had their homes.

One path led to the outskirts where a hilly route led to the western plaza and the general landport and where a sparse residential area led to the sea.

The trade wagons and pedestrians took their different paths through the forest until the trees thinned out and their view opened up in an exhilarating way. Masazumi often walked to this checkpoint because it acted as a relay station for contacting the Musashi or receiving payments from her father.

“Um, excuse me, Masazumi. Think of this as a message from god sent via the ley lines, but one simple Shinto contract is all you need to do both those things via a sign frame. Then you wouldn’t need to visit the checkpoint at all.”

Gods these days sure are pushy salespeople! And I don’t have the money for that!

She ended up “paying” with her feet.

At any rate, the place was fairly busy today. The road was bustling with trade wagons and pedestrians.

The area where it shifted from a dirt road to a stone-paved route was especially busy. This happened a lot when there were conflicts over who got to go first, but this time…

…Oh, there’s a fork in the road there, but the dirt is all torn up.

There was a large bump between the paved part and the unpaved part. A mechanical horse hurried over and stopped next to a wagon attempting to get through and asked if they were alright.

“Little help please!? Munashi’s 6-wheeled wagon is stuck!”

A few people approached the road, but a lot of the pedestrians were women and children, who couldn’t go and help.

The men seemed to know what had to be wrong. They took a board from another wagon, inserted it below the stuck wheel, and pushed it up.

“There! Now get going!”

Masazumi hadn’t seen this enough to say it was “the usual sight”, but this still happened a lot. Even the people arguing over who got to go first knew that a problem like this would hold everyone up. As long as their reputation wasn’t on the line, they would work together.

The locals all understood this and the middle schoolers would even go around filling in potholes with sand as part of their extracurricular activities.

Masazumi wondered if they hadn’t been doing that as much this year.

“Hm?”

She heard something behind her.

It came from the checkpoint. A large sign frame had opened on the main gate there.

“An emergency notice?”

She realized a sign frame from her Musashi contract had appeared by her head at the same time. It said…

<Notification: Your change of residence request has been temporarily placed on hold due to circumstances in Mikawa. You will be informed as soon as this changes, so please wait until then. Apologies for the inconvenience.>

…My request is on hold?

“Well, things should be back to normal by this evening, so it’s not a big deal. And I did only arrange it this morning.”

Would whatever this is about be in the news? she wondered with a tilt of her head.

<With that out of the way, it is time for the Musashi Divine Transmission Shopping Show.>

“Hello! Beforrrrrrre we get to today’s recommendations, here’s my daughter! So, daughter, has anything been bothering you latelyyyyyyyyy!?”

“Yes, whenever I sleep recently, mosquitos – and bugs in general – have been getting in.”

Um, uh, what about my request?

“How awful! But we have the perfect thing for anyone who can’t sleep because of all the gross bugs! IZUMO’s insecticide team has developed Tomorrow’s Target, a miniscule automatic counterattack insecticide light beam cannon! When it detects a mosquito, it automatically zaps them with an extra-deadly beam spell! And, if you can believe it, it hangs on your wall disguised as one of three varieties of flower vase! Order now and you get a printing press for no extra charge!”

“Oh, my. An entire printing press!?”

Wait, isn’t that the shrine maiden I met earlier?

○

Flat Vassal: “Vice President! Vice President! Shouldn’t you have been panicking over your frozen request, not making calm observations like that!?”

Vice President: “I mostly remember what left the biggest impact on me at the time, so it’s going to be about others, not my own thoughts.”

Asama: “More importantly, I’m pretty sure we were offering a free portable vacuum purifier at the time, not a printing press. Give me a second to write up a correction.”

Bell: “A-Asama-san…calm…down.”

Silver Wolf: “Anyway, the crime scene was on the outskirts of Mikawa, so we arrived via the western plaza. But what did you do after that, Masazumi?”

Vice President: “After tidying up the house and locking up, I didn’t really have anything left to do. I had left my futon out, so I considered taking a nap until I returned to the Musashi that evening, but I was too hungry to sleep and decided to read instead, but I realized there weren’t any books left there, so I ended up reading the ads in the newspaper left in a corner, which really only told me that meat was pretty cheap two weeks before.”

Flat Vassal: “Vice President! Vice President! This makes you sound more lazy than poor!”

Silver Wolf: “Um? Masazumi? Don’t you have any hobbies?”

Vice President: “Reading is my hobby. Which is why I read those ads.”

Girls: “You’re hopeless!”

Asama: “Regarding your request being on hold, my dad told us to hurry up with the murder case in Mikawa. That’s why we went to Mikawa to investigate.”

●

The investigation in Mikawa began in the midafternoon. For Mitotsudaira…

…I want to get this done with before sunset.

They were at an inn near the forest on the outskirts of Mikawa. There was no smoldering heat left. It was completely burned down.

The site was around 30m long and wide. The excess wood had been moved outside to assist with the investigation, but its original location had been recorded and could be displayed as a virtual image if necessary.

According to Mikawa’s committees, the inn hadn’t been getting much business because, although the road led from the outskirts to the landport, the ancient roads in the New Nagoya Castle area had recently been fixed up for trade purposes.

There were also fewer guests due to the frequent mysterious phenomena, so it was only used as an inn when the landport was busy and was otherwise used as a storehouse.

“So the two victims were staying there in secret, but they were killed and the inn was set on fire.”

“And they both had their throats slit. …Oh, the bodies were already recovered, but I checked through the data. It isn’t clear if it was the murder weapon, but a scorched dagger was recovered from the inn.”

Asama emerged from the tent set up nearby and sighed.

She was exhausted after checking over so much data. Mitotsudaira sighed too.

“This is always difficult. I’ve investigated a few crime scenes as a knight, but it never gets easier.”

“And my prosthetic eye lets me see the residual ether…not that I think it would be much easier without that. I hope we can quickly identify the victims and return them to their families.”

“Their identities aren’t known?”

“Not yet.” Asama shook her head. And, “Let’s have sushi tonight, Mito.”

“Eh? M-me too?”

“I’ll contact Toori-kun, so I’m sure he’ll deliver us plenty of sushi when we return to the Asama Shrine. Yes.”

The way Asama calmly opened sign frame and arranged that showed how accustomed to it she was.

Meanwhile, Mitotsudaira spoke with the Mikawa guards who were cleaning up and doing a preliminary investigation. There was some confusion at first since she was with the Musashi Chancellor Officers and Knight League but was dressed as a shrine maiden, but things went smoothly once they understood the situation. Asama stepped forward and recorded the relevant information.

“So you say there is a record of those two passing through the general landport checkpoint?”

“But Tres España says they aren’t missing anyone.”

They were answered by the Public Morals Committee Head who was acting as the guards’ representative here. Mitotsudaira saw herself as only a junior member of Musashi’s Chancellor’s Officers and felt hesitant to interact with someone with an official position like that, but Asama had no trouble at all.

Or maybe she did, but there was no way to tell from the outside. Just from looking at her….

…She’s so big.

I meant her height. Among other things.

“A-are you having rude thoughts, Mito?”

No, so keep working. While they exchanged information with the committee head, they heard a voice from the road. They looked over to see a group approaching with the clank of light armor.

…It’s them.

Mitotsudaira did not recognize the individuals, but she knew who this had to be. These were the vanguards of the Tres Españan Catholics.

“Are you the inquisitor and her knights?”

“Testament. We have come to investigate. We have been given full authority in this case.”

A girl with short brown hair wore a white cape.

“I carry the inherited name of Don Rodrigo. I am paying you a visit during the history recreation of my trip around the world.”

●

Asama kept her guard up just in case. Shinto was lenient and could get along with any religion, but the Catholics might not see things that way. An inquisitor in particular was tasked with hunting down heretics and Technohexen, which was concerning when Musashi was a common destination for such people. So…

“Here is my business card.”

“And mine. …Oh, from the shopping channel.”

They exchanged business cards via sign frame. Rodrigo gave a quick bow and received some data from the Mikawa committee head who walked up next to her.

…Oh, Mikawa is being more polite with her than with us. And giving her more data too.

Asama checked the nearby ether transfer rate while pretending to inspect the crime scene.

“They’re giving her nearly twice the data they gave us,” she said via sign frame.

“Which will take her twice the time to digest. Makes it easier for us,” replied Mitotsudaira.

That’s true, thought Asama as Rodrigo bowed to the Mikawa representative. The Public Morals Committee Head gestured toward the road leading westward from the front of the inn.

“Based on our inspection, we know the two of them arrived from the west. A group of P.A. Oda traders were passing through after crossing the border from old Kitabatake territory, so they likely came from there.”

“Can you confirm that?” asked Rodrigo, but the Public Morals Committee Head shook her head.

Asama decided to raise her hand.

“I couldn’t help but overhear. Is that all right?”

“Judge. I don’t mind.”

The way she smiled said this wasn’t a big deal at all.

She took a breath and looked to both Asama and Rodrigo.

“We have no way of confirming that they arrived from the western border with P.A. Oda. P.A. Oda traders have priority when it comes to passage through Mikawa, so if they ask for passage as a group, we will check how many people in their group and what they are transporting, but we will not check the identities of each member of the group. They only go through what I would call a standard security check.”

“Which was the last group to arrive?”

“One working for P.A. Oda’s Matsunaga.”

“Oh,” said Mitotsudaira on Asama’s sign frame. “Matsunaga Hisahide Danjou. He is a P.A. Oda commander who works for Nobunaga, but he is said to have influenced Nobunaga with the burning of Toudaiji and other incidents where he chose to destroy or ignore people’s preconceived notions and the established power structure if he considered it necessary to acquire more power for himself or to defend his own power. My king told me he has since gained an interest in the arts, so he posts recommendations for porn games and doujinshis. If he is involved in this, it all looks a lot more suspicious to me.”

“The Matsunaga traders made an offering at the local shrine the day they arrived, called in the local people, and held a Far Eastern festival as a sign of friendship.”

“Why is that unfortunate?”

“it means they have the local god’s protection, Mito.”

●

“Huh?”

Mitotsudaira turned toward Asama. Rodrigo and the Mikawa representative did the same, but the shrine maiden only tilted her head with eyebrows raised.

“Participating in a local festival is a way of greeting the local god and receiving their protection. This applies to travelers as well, so they receive the local divine protection. So…”

So…

“The Matsunaga traders essentially used the festival to make ‘here’ their home.”

●

Something about this didn’t make sense to Mitotsudaira.

…U-um?

She didn’t understand. She wasn’t confused about what had happened, but…

“Why would they do that?”

Her instincts were rejecting the concept because it seemed like an odd thing to do. Because…

“Let’s assume the Matsunaga traders did bring those two here. They would have effectively been smuggling the pair in. So why would they reveal their identities here?”

Yes. To receive a god’s protection required revealing your identity to that god and registering your identity with the shrine.

“If they were planning to do something in Mikawa, wouldn’t it be safer to remain anonymous? So why would they reveal their identities, even if only at the shrine?”

…If they had been illegally smuggled into Mikawa, wouldn’t it be best to avoid that?

She asked that question with her eyes, but Asama still tilted her head.

The Public Morals Committee Head looked apologetic and Mitotsudaira felt much the same. But Asama tilted her head again and looked to the others in turn before speaking.

“If they didn’t reveal their identities like that and then committed a crime, we would know it was committed by a visitor. And the current Shinto network and other religious networks are advanced enough that we would only have to look at a few pieces of information to determine who it was. And without registering with the shrine, they wouldn’t receive the local divine protections, which would be a little inconvenient for committing a crime.”

“Inconvenient how?”

“If a visitor attempts to commit a crime, the god might intervene with divine punishment to protect the local people and land.”

“Oh,” said Mitotsudaira, finally understanding. “You mean they would end up with something shoved up their-”

Asama slapped Mitotsudaira’s shoulders with the biggest smile she could manage.

○

Asama: “Mito! Mito! Did you really think they would know what you are talking about!?”

Silver Wolf: “I assumed they would know all about it.”

Gold Mar: ‘Even if they did, did you really have to mention it?”

●

“Anyway, I think you get the picture,” said Asama, clearing her throat.

…But there’s still a lot we don’t know.

None of this applied to the two victims. Both in terms of their identity and origins, but also…

“If their identities had been registered in the same way, we would know who they are, correct? Have you heard anything about that, Mikawa Representative?”

“Well…”

She was hesitant to speak.

Asama wondered why while she got to work. She opened a sign frame and used the previously-shared data to access the local god. She ran a search of recent registrations, but…

“What?”

The sign frame stopped responding with a single message displayed:

<Locked Data: This data has been designated an international matter>

Her Shinto privileges had been locked out by someone with higher privileges. She knew who that had to be.

“Mikawa’s Student Council and Chancellor’s Officers must maintain Mikawa as neutral ground. Thus, we requested all data on the identities of the victims be locked,” calmly explained Rodrigo with her eyes closed. She produced a Catholic, Tres España, and Testament Union emblem. “Two people have been found dead on neutral ground. If they have indeed been murdered, then knowledge of their identities and nationalities could lead to an international incident. This could even threaten Mikawa’s neutrality. Thus, my nation and the Testament Union demanded the data be locked down.”

“Does that mean the victims were Tres Españan?”

“I never said so. Are they?”

Asama thought that was a good response. Rodrigo was implicitly saying she could claim Asama was threatening Mikawa’s neutrality if she continued this line of questioning.

…It sounds like this isn’t a straight forward case.

Which meant she had something to say.

“I have one question I must ask given my position.”

That was…

“You say Tres España and the Testament Union wanted data on this case locked. And Mikawa has agreed to it. But a failure to investigate could threaten local security, so were we called in as outsiders to perform that investigation?”

“No,” said Rodrigo, raising her right index finger. “Tres España and Mikawa have agreed to lock down the relevant data, but we have made no such agreement with Musashi. You will obey your request from Mikawa and investigate as much as you can without intruding on our agreement.”

“That’s a warning to not dig too deep on this one, isn’t it?” said Mitotsudaira on Asama’s sign frame.

It was a pain, but that probably about covered it. But Rodrigo had more to say.

“We do not know much about this case either. We will be performing our own independent investigation to better understand the situation, so please do not intrude.”

“Fair enough,” said Asama with a sigh and a smile.

The Mikawa representative sighed, releasing the tension from her shoulders. And…

“Mikawa is neutral ground. We agreed to lock down the relevant data to preserve that neutrality and to help avoid trouble in our land. We asked for Musashi’s assistance because we cannot do much of anything with that data freeze tying our hands. So…we cannot reach any conclusions ourselves.”

She bowed.

“We would like you to investigate, process the data you discover, present that to the Mikawa Student Council, and leave.”

●

“Huh? Is Tenzou not here?”

Adele heard the idiot’s voice as he arrived at the Asakusa construction site.

He took a look around, said “whatever”, and started toward the plaza on the other side of the lodgings. Noriki and the others would be there, but…

“Um, Toori-san? Are you here to help?”

“Don’t be silly. How’s a frail little thing like me supposed to do hard labor?” He held up the basket he was carrying. “I’ve brought some refreshments for Noriki and…is Uqui here? Anyway, I’ve agreed to meet Chuuko over there, so make sure everyone eats all this before I get back.”

Chuuko was Torii Mototada, who would be serving as Chancellor when the new school year started, but how many connections did that boy have? Or rather, how widespread was the harm that living harassment produced?

But there was one thing Adele wanted to ask.

“Asama-san said they were heading down to Mikawa for a job, but have you heard more about that? I know Tenzou-san said he would be catching up with them later.”

“Mikawa? Huh? It’s not about something I did, is it?”

“What did you do this time?”

“Well.” The idiot tilted his head. “I may have imported a whole bunch of porn games. Mikawa gets shipments in from P.A. Oda, so they have a great selection of dark-skinned ones. Pretty great, right? Hey, don’t give me that look of pity! Anyway, I thought I had covered my tracks well this time, but it’s possible they noticed something and are following the trail.”

“I don’t think it’s about that, so you can rest easy.”

“That’s good,” said the idiot, his shoulders relaxing.

“If it’s that much of a problem for them to find out, you could just not do it in the first place, you know?”

“Hm. Maybe this is something I can only get away with while I’m single.”

But…

“I guess it could still worry Horizon, Asama, Mitotsudaira, and sis.”

○

Asama: “Adele, um, are you sure you aren’t embellishing this conversation?”

Unturning: “The mention of the Vicereine alone says she is.”

Art-Ga: “Does it matter? You’re supposed to interpret this as what was always in his heart. Either that or Adele is putting words in his mouth.”

Horizey: “Guys who cling to the past are such creeps.”

Silver Wolf: “Tomo! Tomo! We’re cutting that line from the record, aren’t we!?”

●

Adele thought while eating the macaron he gave her.

…It’s unusual for Toori-san to see the error of his ways.

He usually caused some kind of trouble and Asama would have to go pick him up at the guard station. But…

“So even Toori-san knows he’s a nuisance.”

“H-hey, is it just open season on insulting me now!? Is that it!?”

“Oh, what’s this?” said a voice from starboard. It was Ohiroshiki. He raised a hand and approached. “What are you doing, Aoi-kun and Adele-kun? Trading insults again?”

“Huh? I’ve never once insulted anyone, Ohiroshiki. How stupid are you?”

“Th-that’s an insult right there, Aoi-kun!”

“Calm down.” Adele held out her hands to calm Ohiroshiki’s anger. And, “What are you doing here, Ohiroshiki-san? There are no little girls here.”

“Good point, Adele. What’re you doing here, Ohiroshiki? There aren’t any little girls here.”

“N-now you’re teaming up on me!? But anyway,” said Ohiroshiki. “It may be related to the reason Tenzou-kun, Asama-kun, and Mitotsudaira-kun went down to Mikawa, but an official notice is going around.”

Ohiroshiki ran the Ohiroshiki Group, one of Musashi’s leading restaurant chains. He would naturally receive any information relating to diplomacy, but…

“What is it about, Ohiroshiki-san?”

“Judge,” he replied, opening a sign frame. “Mikawa and Tres España have sent out a troublesome request related to the processing of people moving from Mikawa to Musashi.”

●

Masazumi noticed something inside the house which was practically empty at this point. She had been using a futon as a cushion and reading an advertisement to pass the time when a sign frame appeared next to her head.

It surprised her a fair bit.

The problem was that it glowed. She had been told the Double Border Crest mysterious phenomenon seen when her mother disappeared had also glowed.

She initially looked to the back room which she had barely set foot inside after cleaning up after that incident. She had weighed caution against fear and the caution had won out, so the sliding screen was still removed.

The crest had been drawn out in blood, but that blood had soon disappeared and it was only a white wall now.

There was nothing there.

The glow came from her neck. She held out a hand and found she couldn’t touch it, but it still moved forward as if she were pushing it.

It was a sign frame. She had been lying down reading the ad, so it had been pushed up against her neck when it appeared.

“Oh, it’s only a message.”

She recognized the Asama Shrine label from that morning.

It was currently 3 PM, so why would they be contacting her now?

…Did my request go through?

That was unusually fast. She considered returning to the Musashi now.

This house held a lot of memories for her, but…

“I’m so bored.”

There was nothing to do. She had already transferred her luggage and being here only brought back some unpleasant thoughts, like about her mother’s disappearance. She had been so busy preparing for the move lately and she had been emotionally detaching herself from the place since she planned to leave, but…

…Now that I have some time, I start thinking about it.

Anyway, what were the Musashi people trying to tell her? She decided to adjust her plans based on that, so she moved the sign frame in front of her and (“Is this how you do it?”) called up the message.

<Emergency message.>

However, the message was not from Musashi.

It had been relayed by Musashi, but it bore the emblem of the Mikawa Student Council.

<At the request of the Mikawa Student Council and Chancellor’s Officers and the Tres España Student Council and Chancellor’s Officers, all change of residence requests from Mikawa to Musashi will be temporarily frozen.

A brutal crime has been committed in Mikawa and this measure is meant to prevent the culprit from escaping to Musashi.

If you are affected by this, please wait patiently in Mikawa. Or you could reconsider leaving our wonderful city?>

○

Silver Wolf: “Why did it try to talk her out of moving at the end?”

Vice President: “That really happened! I’m pretty sure it really said that!”

Tachibana Wife: “It sounds like my old colleagues were involved in that, but they actually froze all change of residence requests? I don’t understand.”

Tonbokiri: “Gin-dono. It means no one was able to move from Mikawa to Musashi.”

Flat Vassal: “Gin-san! Gin-san! Stop grabbing handfuls of plants and ripping them apart!”

Asama: “This happened right after we spoke with Rodrigo-san, so it had a real ‘now she’s done it’ feeling to Mito and me.”

Circle Be: “Ohhhh! Sorry to butt in from Kantou, but I remember that. Shiro-kun and I had bought up a bunch of houses and renovated them to sell to the people arriving from Mikawa, so we were in serious trouble.”

Flat Vassal: “Why do our Treasurers always take such huge risks?”

Circle Be: “Now, now, now. We were still minor merchants at the time and we were at the age where you feel the need to try out some get-rich-quick schemes, you know?”

Asama: “Oh, that explains why you kept showing up back then to ask about the mysterious phenomenon situation in Mikawa.”

Smoking Girl: “So what happened to that unsellable property?”

Circle Be: “Well, we learned our lesson, so while we could have used them for some futures trading, we decided it was safer to sell them off through our connections. But we needed some connections to sell them through, so we were really hoping some influential person from Mikawa would move to Musashi.”

Silver Wolf: “You don’t mean Masazumi, do you?”

Circle Be: “Of course not. Seijun isn’t a name inheritor, so we weren’t interested in her. If anything, we were hoping Futayo would make the move.”

Tonbokiri: “Oh, I do remember my father telling the Chancellor’s Officers to send me away from Mikawa.”

Vice President: “Probably because Lord Tadakatsu acted as a special sort of reserve force as Mikawa’s Vice Chancellor. Sending you elsewhere would have been best for your and Mikawa’s futures.”

Tonbokiri: “A year later, I went to Aki as the head of the guard unit and I was free to do whatever I wanted afterwards, but I never imagined that would mean returning to Mikawa and then moving to Musashi. It is strange to think about even if I can blame Gin-dono for a lot of that.”

Tachibana Wife: “Th-there’s a lot I could blame you for too, you know!?”

Asama: “Um, Gin-san? Take this mortar and pestle and put that aggression to good use.”

Chapter 5: Bread and a Powerful Nation

A samurai shows his honor by fasting

A Technohexen goes ahead and eats

What were we talking about again?

Point Allocation (Going Your Own Way)

●

Asama sighed at the news of the frozen change of residence requests.

…And when we’re in the middle of our investigation.

“Even if it is to prevent the culprit from escaping to Musashi, this feels like overkill.”

The Asama Shrine was in charge of Musashi immigration, but Mikawa had frozen those requests without contacting them first. She knew Tres España had demanded it behind the scenes and Mikawa couldn’t disobey, but…

“This explains why Rodrigo casually left just beforehand,” said Mitotsudaira.

Rodrigo had departed after gathering the information she needed.

The Mikawa representative had left at the same time, so the only person here other than Asama and Mitotsudaira was…

“Tenzou-kun, I didn’t expect you here. Musashi must be eager to get this over with.”

“Based on what I heard, they sent me instead of the 1st Special Duty Officer because they want to be cautious and avoid wounding Mikawa’s pride. Anyway, what is your first impression of this case, Asama-dono and Mitotsudaira-dono?”

“There is a lot I won’t have a good grasp on until I organize all this information,” said Asama.

“I doubt we have enough to arrive at the truth and they’ve made it clear they’ll prevent us from gathering more. This all feels so complicated,” said Mitotsudaira.

Asama agreed with that because a few facts had already been hidden from them and it was all but guaranteed they wouldn’t know how the evidence they did find related to each other.

“Okay, I can complain about the frozen request later. Let’s do what we can first.”

That also went for Tenzou who was here to supervise the investigation. He was here on behalf of the 1st Special Duty Officer, but…

“We need to focus on the investigation since this all sounds like such a pain,” he said. “Besides, the burning of the inn looks a lot like it was meant to cover up the evidence.”

“What do you mean?”

“It looks like the fire was started in multiple locations.”

Tenzou pointed out a few different scorch marks in turn.

“Based on the remaining walls and the state of the ground, it looks like the fire began from four or five different points.”

“You can tell that from the extent of the carbonization?”

“Judge,” said Tenzou, before taking another look around.

He took a step forward and opened a sign frame. Confused, Asama took a peek at the screen.

“Some pillars were piled up on the side of the road behind us to obstruct our investigation.”

After reading that, she started to turn around, but Mitotsudaira gestured for her to stop.

…O-oops!

“Tomo, don’t look at them, okay?” Mitotsudaira said on Asama’s sign frame. “The pillars probably come from this inn and they were piled up like that to clear them out of way after taking data on them as evidence, but they were also moved away to keep us from investigating them. They even have a sign frame saying ‘don’t touch’, don’t they?”

“Judge.” Tenzou sighed and wrote his message without touching his sign frame. “They clearly intend to cover up this case. The question is how far you intend to pursue it.”

●

Asama considered Tenzou’s question.

Mikawa appeared to agree with Tres España on this case, so if Musashi didn’t do anything, there would soon be no evidence this case ever even happened.

But something about this bothered her. Mikawa and Tres España’s response did of course, but also…

…It kind of feels like they left everything in our hands.

The Mikawa representative had told them to leave once their investigation was complete.

“Tomo,” whispered Mitotsudaira. “How about we go to the Main Blue Thunder tonight instead of having sushi?”

“Eh? Sure, if Toori-kun has it open. Hoping for some meat dishes?”

“No, after all this work, we deserve a tart as a treat. A whole one.”

Asama realized what she meant. She could immediately agree with that, so she responded.

“A whole one might be a bit much. Tenzou-kun, will you help us?”

○

Scarred: “Master Tenzou eats whole tarts? I never knew he enjoyed them so much.”

Asama: “Um, no, don’t take that literally. It was a sort of code.”

Gold Mar: “Oh, I get it! Ga-chan, you get it too, don’t you!?”

Art-Ga: “Eh!? Give me a second! Is it something Asama has but Adele doesn’t!?”

Flat Vassal: “No fair asking for a hint that narrows it down to like three things right away!”

Tonbokiri: “The code must have to do with how tarts are difficult to eat if you don’t cut them in half first.”

Silver Wolf: “Um, Gin? Why did your mortar just make this awful scraping sound?”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. It couldn’t be simpler. The tart refers to the job. They can’t complete the entire job themselves, so she was asking if Tenzou was willing to help out.”

Scarred: “Oh, now I get it. And here I was making a shopping list so I could bake Master Tenzou lots of tarts once we got back to the Musashi.”

Art-Ga: “I can only dump the new data in chunks, but the threads are still going strong. Anyway, get back to your investigation.”

●

Mitotsudaira heard Tenzou speak.

“Sorry.” He placed a hand on his head. “But a whole tart is too much for me. As good as Toori-dono’s homemade ones are, whenever I bring one home with me, my father and I end up fighting over it.”

…He didn’t catch on!

Was using a tart as a code too much of a girl thing? Maybe they had been expecting too much of someone who had never had a girlfriend, but Mary spoke up in his defense.

“D-don’t worry! I’m sure he actually knows what you meant!”

This is supposed to be in the past, you know? And this is getting to be a pain, so…

“Oh, is that what you meant? It would be my pleasure to help out.”

○

Smoking Girl: “That version of Tenzou is creeping me out.”

Gold Mar: “Yeah. I’m all for altering history to help the story go more smoothly, but that was creepy.”

Scarred: “Th-then let’s just say I whispered some advice in his ear.”

Asama: “Um, Mary? We can fix that later, okay? So calm down.”

Art-Ga: “So what happened after his cluelessness ruined your plans?”

●

Mitotsudaira forced a smile in front of the clueless ninja. She hijacked control of his sign frame and ran a search. She found a globally supported Ouija Board research site called Super Kokkurier and displayed its Iroha keyboard.

She spelled out “we aren’t stopping” with that and the ninja finally seemed to understand. He nodded and replied in the same way: “You’re really doing this?”

She nodded back.

…This is a big move.

Mikawa was working with Tres España to cover up the murder case in Mikawa, but Musashi would continue the investigation. Mitotsudaira and Tenzou were not important enough to make this kind decision on site. But someone here did have that sort of authority.

“Tomo, what will you do?” Mitotsudaira asked using the displayed keyboard.

Asama was a representative of the Asama Shrine. She was #2 with Musashi’s Shinto. As long as her father, the #1, didn’t intervene, she could generally speak for Musashi’s Shinto. And Asama placed her hand on the sign frame to spell out something.

“We can stop if it starts looking dangerous.”

…She makes it sound simple.

That was an awfully casual attitude for such an important incident, but maybe their role here didn’t require much more.

“I see,” wrote Tenzou. “Let’s hope we find some important information I can report back.”

His higher ups would decide what to do, but those higher ups needed enough information to base their decisions on.

That excuse would be enough to allow some slight intervention here. Mitotsudaira made a mental note to use the same excuse herself as she removed her finger from the sign frame.

They had a plan. Now they just had to figure out what to do here.

“Um, Mito?”

“Eh? Is something wrong?”

“Yes.” Asama pointed all around them. “Mikawa is mysterious phenomenon prone, so doing the Kokkuri-san here wasn’t the best idea.”

Mitotsudaira looked around to see the some Mikawa guards being chased by something like the disembodied legs of a giant dog.

●

“Oh? We have a divine transmission from Mikawa? Want to answer it, Ga-chan?”

It was the morning break. Naruze was eating a light snack on the mid-level platform of Asakusa’s mast. She nodded at Margot’s question and looked toward Mikawa.

…The mountain trees have gotten taller since last year.

That was probably true for every year going back millennia, but they would have at least been thinning out the forest alongside the road. But the road and cliff she had seen last year seemed to be hidden this year.

Would she notice a lot more like that if she had an observation spell? With an observation spell, she would have an easier time knowing what areas were busier during her delivery work, so she decided to look into it. But…

“Mitotsudaira, Asama, and Tenzou went to Mikawa, right?”

“Right. Kimi-chan said she’s staying here.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t like mysterious phenomena.”

“That’s right,” said Margot, opening a Magie Figur in front of Naruze. It displayed the footage of Mikawa that Asama had sent over earlier.

“Look! Look at that!” said Asama on the video. “There’s a pair of feet skipping along that road! But that isn’t a mysterious phenomenon. It’s actually a dosojin summoned by a mysterious phenomenon. It tried to appear here, but messed it up and ended up like that!”

“How does that differ from a mysterious phenomenon?”

“An excellent question, Mito! A dosojin is a type of descended god. Oh, look, look! It’s chasing a mysterious phenomenon, which is running away in a fluster! That white coloration is rare, but there’s nothing to worry about during the daytime!”

“Why do those shrine maidens get so worked up over explaining stuff?” asked Naruze.

“It’s not nighttime and there are people here, so do we not have to worry much about dosojin? Oh, but don’t you get a +3 one-day travel safety buff to your divine protections when you see one of those? Anyway, when Kimi-chan saw this with To-chan earlier, she fainted and then insisted she wasn’t going to Mikawa.”

“This isn’t all they have there. But regardless…”

Naruze sighed and looked down.

A new area was taking shape on Asakusa below them.

“The festival’s main yard.”

An outdoor stage and plaza were being constructed on the container plaza at Asakusa’s bow, with lodgings surrounding them.

The laborers were at work and sounds of construction rang through the air. Naruze could see it all from this height. Similar sounds came from all across the Musashi.

“This isn’t the only festival. After having a week of lazy celebration on Asakusa, it all ends with the music festival. We’re supposed to make a preview appearance there to see how it goes, but the end-of-school-year festival’s big event is at the start, not the end.”

That was…

“The attack festival. A place where you can take out your final frustrations on your graduating friends. And they do the same to you. Two hours of students beating each other up with no concern for age or status sounds wild.”

●

“A festival of attacks? Musashi sounds like a dangerous place.”

Masazumi sat out front of her old house while she read some Musashi information on her sign frame.

Maybe it had to do with her request being frozen, but the sign frame from Musashi refused to close now. Well, maybe it would close if she knew how, but she didn’t. And she didn’t know how to bring it back if it did close. So she was reading the newspaper images it automatically displayed for her. Plus, she had a more pressing issue.

…What do I do about food?

She had no money. She had honestly been planning to eat with her father tonight.

There were a few places to eat at Mikawa, but supplies were unreliable thanks to the mysterious phenomena and prices tended to be high. But if she bought ingredients at the greengrocer or market, she didn’t have the cookware or a working stove to cook with.

“What am I supposed to do?”

She decided to leave the house to start with.

It wasn’t evening yet. The Honda house had a bamboo grove leading up to a mountain behind it. With a normal forest, she thought she might have been able to acquire some food, but she also doubted it would be that easy.

The closest neighbor was about 100m away and she had already harvested everything from the home vegetable garden next to the house over the past few months in preparation for the move.

…Are there any roots left?

She had no practical knowledge of such things. Her recent life had taught her just how much her mother had been doing in regard to the garden and what grew in it.

She had been thankful to her mother as she harvested it all, but the way she had harvested every last bit without considering a situation like this one showed how her perfectionism could be a bad thing.

What is wrong with me? She knew what the answer had to be.

“This is the bad thing about cultural-minded people.”

Wait, no. I can cook. I just need the ingredients first. So it’s not like I can’t do anything. Yes. I’m not useless. Good, good. How does this help me again?

“Masazumi, I see you’ve always loved making excuses.”

I must be so hungry I’m hallucinating voices now. And I don’t love it.

Still, she had to figure out what to do.

She could get water from the well. There was a washroom in the assembly hall, so she could use that.

She had a futon and a roof. All she really needed was food.

“Excuse me. Is a Honda Masazumi here?”

She heard a female voice from out front. She didn’t recognize it.

Wondering what this was about, she cautiously emerged. A Technohexen in an M.H.R.R. inner suit and an orange coat stood out on the road. She had a simple schale besen leaning against her side.

“Are you her?”

“Oh, judge. Who are you?”

“I’m a Musashi delivery worker. The Blue Thunder hired me to deliver ‘something you forgot’.”

Had Masazumi forgotten something there? She didn’t remember. But she knew there was something in the paper bag she was offered.

“Um, I don’t have any money.”

“I was paid up front. …Sign here.”

Masazumi hesitated when the Technohexen held out a Magie Figur.

“Use your finger. Do it so big your signature covers the whole screen if you want.”

The woman was probably used to people reacting that way. She smiled a little as she explained and accepted Masazumi’s signature. Then she took a breath and stepped back with her schale besen still standing upright.

“I hear your change of residence request was frozen. Powerful nations are always so selfish, huh?”

“Do you mean Tres España?”

“I mean all the powerful ones. This happens far too often. Don’t let it get to you.”

She pulled down her goggles and then looked to Masazumi again.

“Welcome to Musashi.”

“I haven’t moved yet.”

“You will. Trust me. Even if your request is never unfrozen, you won’t forget how they treated you. And that’s all it takes. You’ll have no choice but to join us.”

“What…?”

“Think of it as a Technohexen prophecy. And I doubt I’d greet you even if you do join us. This was just a whim. I won’t remember you if we see each other on the Musashi. But,” she said. “It matters a lot that the Blue Thunder manager was worried about you. If you’re ever in any trouble on the Musashi, just give her name. That’ll solve most anything.”

“Thank you.”

“Good answer. I’ll pass your thanks on to her.”

The Technohexen lightly mounted the upright schale besen. It looked a lot like she was standing up and grabbed onto the front wings at the nose. But then she shot up into the sky. That was the only possible description given the amount of acceleration.

The wind crashed into Masazumi and shook the house. But a moment later, the Technohexen was only a dot in the sky.

And she turned sharply to the north. Where the Musashi was.

○

Gold Mar: “Was that Wild Kamelie maybe?”

Vice President: “Hm, I don’t really know, but probably.”

Art-Ga: “Only she would fly off the Musashi with Tres España breathing down our necks. She can escape if a god of war pursues her and she’s close to Almirante, so she can talk her way out of most any trouble.”

Vice President: “She gave me the impression that Technohexen were all really aggressive, but I realized there’s a lot more variety after moving to Musashi.”

Art-Ga: “Yeah, we’re more the unaggressive indoorsy type.”

Vice President: “I sure sensed danger when I was heading home one day and saw a doujinshi of me being sold! It got so many things about me wrong!”

Asama: “Masazumi, Masazumi, that’s not the part that should upset you.”

Flat Vassal: “So you got some bread? That’s good.”

Vice President: “That’s the thing…”

●

Masazumi sighed and looked down from the sky to her hands.

The paper bag there bore the Blue Thunder’s three-leaf thunder logo. She considered eating it now, but she decided to at least check what was inside first.

“A basket?”

The paper bag only contained a wicker basket with a note in the center: Have some bread.

“…”

This again after everything? she thought, but it was possible the note said more.

She stuck her hand inside and realized something about the wicker basket.

“This is…bread?”

●

“Look at this perfect likeness, manager. I baked it just right so it is indistinguishable from a basket.”

“You’re perfect when it comes to detailed work requiring absolute precision, aren’t you?”

P-01s gave the manager a thumbs up and placed the kneaded flour dough in front of her. She looked through the kitchen.

“For this next one, should I make a plate or a vase?”

●

The first day’s investigation ended in the evening. On Asama’s request, Mitotsudaira only focused on the state of the crime scene and any information she could find there.

For today, the three of them were waiting to see what happened.

Tomorrow, they would call for assistance from Musashi. A few people there had practical investigation skills.

So on the way back with Asama, they chatted lightly while passing through the checkpoint and arriving on the road leading to the landport.

After comparing notes on a few things, Asama changed the subject.

“We need to more or less settle this tomorrow, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do. If things stay frozen too long, it will affect trade. And the Chancellor’s Officers want to avoid anything that would have long-lasting effects.”

There were a few problems, but the biggest one was Tres España’s request.

“So they’ll only grant permission for people to move from Mikawa to Musashi after the investigation is complete, huh?”

“What right do they even have to tell neutral Mikawa and Musashi what to do?”

It was unusual for Asama to state an opinion on international issues.

But the Asama Shrine was in charge of managing new arrivals. It had to be a pain for a nation of another religion to intervene.

“You really are a daughter of the shrine, aren’t you, Tomo?”

“Everyone on the Musashi is a child of our shrine. That’s what it means to be the main shrine.”

Asama clapped her hands and repeatedly tapped the inquiry clicker until a sign frame appeared.

<I’ll set that bastard on fire. By, god.>

“That sounds bad,” said Mitotsudaira.

It occurred to her that Tres España’s provisional rule territory included Oouchi and Ootomo land. They had a lot of long-lived who came from the Minamoto clan, but the Testament said the Ootomo converted to Tsirhc and destroyed their local shrines and temples.

And Sakuya was a major god and known for being on the rougher end of things.

“Hmm, maybe I should be thankful our god is motivated.”

○

Flat Vassal: “How did Tres España handle the destruction of the shrines and temples, Gin-san?”

Tachibana Wife: “Why is everyone staring at me so expectantly?”

Asama: “That’s right, everyone. This has to be a painful story of past cringe for Gin-san.”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh heh. Did you really think that would help?”

Unturning: “So what actually happened?”

Tachibana Wife: “To be honest, it happened before I entered high school, so I don’t really know. Excuse me while I ask some of those who were involved.”

○

Flores: “Lady Juana! We came all the way to Kyou, so let’s go see the view from the ancient Kyoto Tower! Then let’s buy some shichimi yatsuhashi at the plain souvenir shop below!”

Juana: “Have you forgotten we are trying to reduce our budget, Flores? And heading out at night can lead to a lapse in morals, so it is not allowed!”

Flores: “You say that, but you’ve eaten one of the wasanbon custards in the inn fridge each day we’ve been here. Hold on, the coffee milk is gone too!”

Juana: “Don’t open my room’s refrigerator! And what did you want anyway?”

Flores: “Oh, right. Gin wants to know how we did the Ootomo history recreation of the shrine and temple burnings.”

Juana: “You mean when Ootomo converted to Tsirhc? Well…”

●

It was a hot summer day.

Juana was trying to start a few businesses and hand them over to the committees and civilians as a way to develop the region and acquire capital through trade with the other nations.

How were they going to construct the Grande y Felicísima Armada? These new businesses were Juana’s way of acquiring the necessary money.

She had already done what was necessary to earn the people’s trust and lead them. Namely…

…Tres España’s Tsirhc conversion.

The Reconquista. The Tsirhc conversion of Spain was actually the region’s third conquering and it had changed most of the land’s religion to Catholicism. But a lot of areas had remained primarily Shinto and Buddhist.

This was simply because the infrastructure was a lot cheaper if they remained Shinto.

That was why Juana had started a Shinto-based joint divine transmission company for Tres España.

Spain’s postal service was privatized sooner than in other nations. The García family of the Ceballos region was in charge of that and a name inheritor had been appointed recently.

Once something the nation or religion had handled was privatized, it could be operated much more flexibly. So Juana had followed the Ootomo clan history recreation by merging Tres España’s Shinto infrastructure with Catholicism. In other words…

“If some areas keep their Shinto infrastructure, it will create a discrepancy in contract prices. Instead, we will form a group contract with Shinto, giving everyone the same contract terms. And with a group contract as large the entire nation of Tres España, we’re sure to get a good discount.”

Her calculations said this would cost 15% more than if people used the Shinto infrastructure on an independent basis, but this would allow people to use Catholic and Shinto spells through the “hidden” setting, so the convenience outweighed the increased cost. The Student Council and the committees had given their approval, but…

“What is the meaning of this, Chancellor? We need to destroy the shrines and temples to secure the joint Shinto-Catholic infrastructure. We have the Far Eastern people’s agreement and the Testament Union has authorized us to switch to the new infrastructure if we go through with the destruction.”

When she asked that question in the hallway one hot summer day, the Chancellor turned around and smiled her way.

“Juana. I think that probably is the correct option. But even if you say they have agreed to this, I have my doubts. Those people have long relied on their gods and buddhas, so even if destroying the shrines and temples is more convenient for them, I wonder how they feel about this on an emotional level.”

“Then…what are you suggesting we do?”

“We stop.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant by that. But he smiled and nodded.

“Tres España stops managing the existing shrines and temples. We officially cease all upkeep. The locals can decide for themselves whether or not they will preserve them and we can support the construction of Catholic cathedrals.”

“You mean…?”

“We privatize the divine transmission industry. It will still report to us, but under civilian control, it is none of our concern what the locals do with the shrines and temples we have abandoned. Because on paper, they have already been written off. So…”

She understood the rest, so she nodded.

“Testament. The people at the proposed cathedral construction sites will likely refuse our support, Chancellor. Because they already have a structure that serves that purpose. Yes…the shrines and temples we have abandoned will be as good as gone on paper, so how they use them will indeed be none of our concern.”

○

Juana: “Anyway, that’s more or less how it happened, Flores. Do you under- why are you leaning back in the sofa glaring at me?”

Flores: “You exaggerated that like crazy, didn’t you? I bet I know how it went down. The setup is the same, but the second half was more like this.”

●

One hot summer day, Juana caught up to the Chancellor in the hallway cutting across the center of the domed school building.

“Chancellor! Chancellor! I am getting an explanation out of you today if it’s the last thing I do! The committees and I went to so much trouble starting a joint Catholic and Shinto company to greatly reduce divine transmission costs, so why have you done this!?”

“N-now, Juana, try to calm down. Just calm down. How about I buy you a grilled squid?”

“Now is not the time for calm! Oh, but I will take that grilled squid. …Anyway, Chancellor! You will explain why you stopped the destruction of the shrines and temples!”

“Eeeeeeeek!”

○

Flores: “You can’t convince me it didn’t happen that way. And that’s what I’ll be telling Gin.”

Juana: “W-wait just a moment! Don’t rewrite the past!”

○

Tachibana Wife: “So it turns out Tres España’s shrine and temple destruction was done through the privatization of the divine transmission business. Which means, if you can believe it, Master Muneshige was involved.”

Flat Vassal: “I see. And it was while he was doing that work that he met Gin. Right, 4th Special Duty Officer?”

Tachibana Wife: “Wh-why wouldn’t you address me there!?”

Art-Ga: “These things happen. …Anyway, Tres España seems like it has pretty strict Catholic leadership.”

Unturning: “So with all that established, what was happening with Mikawa and Musashi?”

Vice President: “Well, I found myself in some real trouble…”

●

Masazumi walked through the Mikawa outskirts during the evening.

She was on the way back from the local assembly area. It was technically a government office that could handle a number of tasks, but here on the outskirts, it had become a place for the elderly to kill time and a daycare for children.

When Masazumi was in her 1st year of high school, she had even tutored a class for elementary schoolers there. It had been a little embarrassing having them call her “sensei”, but it had also helped her feel a connection to the local area.

The two-story building was adjacent to a small cafeteria where she could have ordered food if she had any money. Unfortunately, she could only order some water to go with her “bread”.

I’ll be fine. This happens a lot. At any rate, by the time she finished her dinner, the closing time music played. The ancient tune had been excavated from the Mikawa ruins. It was only the melody. They hadn’t managed to recover the lyrics, but the title was supposed to be Kinta’s Great Adventure, or something like that. There were rumors that the lyrics had been recovered, but they were too inappropriate and everyone involved was executed for their crimes.

…Why would they play that here?

“Vice President, you complain a lot!”

Hm? Oh, the elementary school kids must be talking.

“Heh heh heh. She thinks I’m in elementary school!”

Let’s just say one of the elementary school kids is crazy.

At any rate, she walked around the interior of the building out of old habit. When she bowed toward the receptionist, the woman smiled in a “long time, no see” kind of way. She would have heard that Masazumi was moving to Musashi, so the smile may have also meant “why are you here?”

At any rate… I’m saying “at any rate” a lot. Not that it matters. She left the building and found it was unexpectedly bright.

…There are lights on.

This wasn’t streetlight spells set up alongside the road. She thought it might be a mysterious phenomenon, but it wasn’t that either.

“Did they add some torches?”

She thought they might be doing some night construction, because this was clearly a temporary measure. Torch spell charms were hanging from the ropes strung up on the trees and roofs at the crossroads and along the road.

She didn’t understand the point at first, but then she remembered.

…There was a murder on the western hill, wasn’t there?

The rumor was some merchants from P.A. Oda were killed and then burned. If so…

“I can’t let it scare me.”

These lights meant the murderer was still hiding in Mikawa. That was when something finally clicked for her.

“Oh, that’s why.”

This explained why she couldn’t move to Musashi.

The murderer was still in Mikawa.

●

I can’t believe this, thought Masazumi, sighing below the moonlight and torchlight.

She had heard about the murder case while at the meeting place, but she hadn’t linked that to her situation until now.

She hadn’t noticed any connection to herself until she saw these torches and realized the murderer was still in Mikawa. Not that the murder case did have any connection to her. But…

…So this is what it means for powerful nations to be selfish.

She understood now what the delivery woman had meant.

One word from a powerful nation and the Far Eastern people were restricted whether they had anything to do with the case or not.

Masazumi had no involvement with the murder case. She only wanted to move to Musashi.

But a powerful nation’s decision had stopped her and she was stuck here in Mikawa.

In a way, she had no home at the moment. And…

…The murderer is here in Mikawa too, right?

Of course, if people were allowed to move, the murderer could use that to board the Musashi and escape.

“Wait.”

Masazumi still had her open sign frame. She had figured out how to flip between pages, so she swiped her finger along it.

She didn’t know how to move multiple pages at once, so she had to swipe again and again. Until…

…There it is.

She found the warning message attached to the frozen request notification.

<Daytrips to the Musashi are still allowed>

Good, she thought. She could at least stay on the Musashi during the day.

She would still have to return to Mikawa during the night, but she would be safe enough as long as she locked up. And the sign frame would be sending her vital signs back to Musashi. So…

“I just have to get through the night.”

The night had already started. She was out in the night without making any kind of preparations. If she had known, she would have gone home before nightfall.

…I should hurry.

There were still lights on in the homes. It wasn’t time for bed yet. So if anything did happen…

“Judge.”

She could shout for help and she had the knife her father had given her for self-defense.

…Not that I know how to use it.

Her gym classes at the Mikawa academy had taught her how to use a wooden sword, but a fake blade made of wood was nothing like a real one made of metal.

She could at least draw it and threaten someone with it, but it was possible that would only make them more serious about attacking her.

Regardless, I need to be careful, she told herself, making sure her feet kept moving.

Just then someone arrived from the side.

…Eh?

It happened so suddenly she didn’t have time to shout or draw her knife. The person approached so fast it was like suddenly running into a wall.

“…”

The surrounding lights illuminated an arm dressed in black moving in to cover her face.

Chapter 6: Attack and Counterattack

There but not back

Approaching and stopping

A brief rendezvous in the dry night

Point Allocation (No Time To Think)

●

What is going on? thought Masazumi.

She couldn’t think of any reason why someone would attack her out of the blue.

For that matter, was she even being attacked? Had she simply collided with a running person? But the arm in front of her was definitely moving to cover her face, and from behind that…

“––––!”

She could tell this was an attack on her. But…

…Wow.

She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t seem to find the part of her that had planned to resist if something happened or the strength she had planned to use.

“Ah…!”

Just as a quiet breath escaped her throat, she heard a cutting sound.

It was the sound of something fibrous being sliced. It reminded her a lot of hair being cut. When she heard that sound by her ear, she thought for sure she was dead. However…

“Excuse me.”

A female voice and a dull thud came from behind her.

She also heard a muffled voice and footsteps circling quickly around either side of her.

Two people were facing each other with her in between.

The one on her right was the attacker in black who had seemed to be placing something over her head.

With her view blocked on either side, she could only see out ahead, but she did see something like scraps of cloth scattering from that person’s left hand.

○

Art-Ga: “Probably a cloth bag. Place that over someone’s head and tighten it around their neck and they won’t be able to resist. Then you can give them a solid blow to show them who’s boss.”

Gold Mar: “That’s especially dangerous when they put a sleep or paralysis spell and maybe even a soundproofing spell inside the bag.”

Silver Wolf: “Why do you two know so much about that?”

Art-Ga: “My family was involved in the security business.”

Horizey: “So who was it that saved you, Masazumi-sama!?”

Silver Wolf: “Horizon! You’re really into this story, aren’t you!?”

●

Masazumi looked to the person on her left.

It was a girl. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and she seemed to be a little older than Masazumi. “Seemed” because…

…She’s nonhuman!?

Was she long-lived? She wore covers over her long ears. While Mikawa was always bustling with trade, Masazumi had grown up on the outskirts and couldn’t judge this long-lived’s age. She wore a white cloth around her neck and had Far Eastern hard point parts, but she was lightly dressed in a kariginu outfit.

Who is she? Masazumi wondered, but she had managed to calm down some. The sweat started to pour and her body felt heavy. At the same time, the girl must have realized what she was thinking.

“Honda-sama assigned me as your bodyguard.”

The girl kept her eyes on her opponent as she spoke and Masazumi didn’t immediately understand.

…Dad did?

Did she lack filial piety if that came as a surprise? But apparently he had sent this girl here. Was she from Musashi, from Mikawa, or a mercenary? Masazumi didn’t know, but…

“Judge.”

She nodded to say “this is in your hands” and the girl stepped forward.

She moved in front of Masazumi and toward the enemy.

She held out her right hand and moved to place herself between the enemy and Masazumi.

…Oh!

Masazumi moved behind her. She figured she had to stay out of the way since she wouldn’t be any use in this fight. Meanwhile, the enemy to her right readied a blade.

The girl rushed toward them, swinging a flash of light that was likely a blade of her own.

“–––––––”

A series of metallic clangs rang out and the two fighters’ movements sent dirt and sand twisting into the air.

In the brief time it took for Masazumi to move back to a safer location, those two had already exchanged several blows.

…So this is a real battle!

Part of her wanted to watch to educate herself, but she was at risk here. However…

“Kh.”

A voice other than the girl’s groaned. And…

…Oh?

Something like black water dripped to the torchlit and moonlit road.

But that wasn’t water. It had to be…

…I’d rather not think about it.

She knew the answer would terrify her.

The enemy pulled back their right arm and its blade and took a step back. Their feet dug into the sand and they stared at the bodyguard girl more than Masazumi.

○

Vice President: “Oh, whoops. They were wearing some kind of hood. I forgot to mention that.”

Horizey: “Masazumi-sama! You’re ruining the mood!”

Vice President: “Oh, and the bodyguard girl was also wearing a hood. Except it was more like a stole that closed at the front. What’s that called again?”

Gold Mar: “A poncho maybe?”

Vice President: “Isn’t it called a capa?”

Tachibana Wife: “A common mistake for Far Easterners. A capa was the Portuguese term for a cloak when they arrived in the Far East. It comes from the same root as the word ‘cape’. It was eventually adopted as the Far Eastern word for a raincoat, which is how you know it, but a capa generally does not include a hood. It is classified as a long stole. Meanwhile, a poncho is a Spanish term with its origins in the New World.”

Girls: “I didn’t know that!”

Circle Be: “W-wait! I’m in the middle of some business negotiations, so I’m going to use that to make myself sound smart! I am so using it!”

Unturning: “Is it really a good idea to have this discussion while we sort between the edible and poisonous plants?”

●

And so Masazumi saw the hooded attacker turn to face the girl.

“You!?”

“I know why you did what you did.”

The girl’s response suggested they knew each other. That short response was all she said.

But Masazumi heard the attacker gasp at the girl’s words.

…What was that about?

Masazumi of course had no way of knowing. But she did hear new footsteps on the road behind her.

“From behind!?”

The girl turned around and looked behind Masazumi. Her words and gaze meant…

…Behind me?

Masazumi did sense motion in the air behind her and she saw a line of light come from the right side of her vision.

That meant a new combatant. But Masazumi didn’t have time to turn around toward the attack. She only managed to bend her knees on the bodyguard girl’s gestured instruction.

Just as she felt a tug on her legs, the enemy behind her stepped in.

“Kh!”

The furious grunt was likely in response to the blade failing to reach her now that she had crouched. Which meant she would have been hit if she had carelessly stepped back instead. How’d I get so good at this?

“Don’t you have the bodyguard’s instruction to thank for that? Oh, think of this as the bodyguard’s thoughts at the time.”

Masazumi had the misfortune of imagining a Scwharz Hexen’s voice.

At any rate, something swept rapidly above her head from behind. Then the next attack came. The swung blade changed course to swing back toward her.

The bodyguard girl gave another gestured instruction.

She gestured as if shoving something aside, but…

…Eh? What’s that supposed to mean?

She failed to communicate and Masazumi had no idea what to do, so…

…Like this maybe?

Masazumi gestured as if moving a box from the right to left and the girl’s eyebrows rose.

“…!”

The girl repeated the same gesture as before but stronger this time.

Why would I suddenly understand it the second time? Masazumi wondered, but it looked like the girl was upset with her. Meanwhile, the approaching blade flew straight toward its target this time.

●

“Masazumi’s deeeead!!”

P-01s shouted out loud while eating popcorn and watching the highlights of the excellent modern-day movie “Now’s Your Chance, Ookubo Nagayasu! 20 Tons of Explosives in the Silver Mine!” with the manager and the Blue Thunder’s guests.

“Manager! The Masazumi character definitely died in that explosion, right!?”

“No, Honda Masazumi always gets extra stubborn after this point.”

“That’s right!” “Yeah!” agreed the guests. Seeing that, P-01s decided to come up with the perfect breakfast menu to make her first official day on the job a day to remember.

○

Gold Mar: “So did Masazumi die?”

Horizey: “No, it turned out the character was indeed stubborn. He emerged with soot covering him and smoke coming from his ears and chased after the protagonist while brandishing a metal rod. At the end of the movie, he fell into a volcano.”

Vice President: “Why do I get the feeling that movie was sponsored by the Ookubo family?”

Art-Ga: “So did you die or not?”

Vice President: “Is my presence here not enough of a clue!?”

●

Masazumi realized she wasn’t going to dodge in time.

But then she heard an odd sound from the attacker behind her.

The percussive sound could have been a noise or a voice. And…

“Huh?”

Sensing something strange, Masazumi turned to see what was there.

She found a familiar sight. Someone she knew had sent a sideways kick right into the enemy.

Someone new had joined the fight. Well, not quite new. She demonstrated exactly the “suddenness” Masazumi was accustomed to with her as she landed and raised her right hand in greeting.

“Oh! I was wondering who was out here, but it’s you, Masazumi!”

“Um, uh…Futayo? I don’t remember you being so casual with me at this time.”

Whatever, decided Masazumi. Futayo said “judge”, grabbed something from behind her, and held it out.

“Have a to-may-to, Masazumi! Or in the Far Eastern pronunciation, a to-mah-to! Do you see what I mean!?”

Not a bit.

●

Futayo was honestly a little unsure what to do.

Her father had fortunately returned home, but he had apparently helped rescue a stuck wagon near the checkpoint, and…

“As thanks, they gave me a ton of these.”

She was carrying a sack full of to-may-toes. According to Kazuno…

“No matter how loud Tadakatsu-sama yelled, it would not budge. So I put my back into it and solved everything with my gravitational control. He insisted he hadn’t ‘gotten serious yet’ and that he was ‘about to get it’. It was most pathetic.”

“Huh!? I meant what I said! I was still only at 15% of my full power!”

Kazuno had silently walked toward the shed where they stored their weapons, so Futayo’s father had nervously handed Futayo the sack.

“Anyway, go hand these out around the neighborhood! Or at the meeting place!”

And so Futayo was out visiting the neighbors, but mysterious phenomena were Mikawa’s latest specialty. So when she knocked on a door at night…

“Excuse me! I have to-may-toes! Would you care for some to-may-toes!?”

They apparently found that suspicious, so she tried explaining herself better.

“A to-may-to is a juicy red to-mah-to! They were once avoided for being the color of blood, but they were later used as ornamental plants and then as food!”

Oh, they activated a defense spell from the inside.

I was fairly upset over how cold everyone in Mikawa was being, but then it turned out the meeting place was closed. Then I heard a commotion and ran over with an acceleration spell.

“Hm. I seem to have sent someone tumbling along the ground.”

That was when I heard a boy forcing a falsetto voice from a distant alley.

“F-fire! There’s a fire!”

Hm? What a suspiciously ninja-like falsetto! ○

Gold Mar: “I bet that could have been Tenzou.”

Asama: “I bet it was…or I would if that wouldn’t be cheating. When we passed through the checkpoint on our way back to the Musashi, he reentered Mikawa by climbing down on the canyon side, so it had to have been him.”

Vice President: “I bet he was sent to look after me… Actually, I bet he wasn’t.”

Silver Wolf: “I bet that was when he was patrolling Mikawa to see if he could find anything of interest. He reported on everything that happened to the 1st Special Duty Officer the next morning, so we could check.”

Art-Ga: “I bet it definitely was.”

Scarred: “I bet Master Tenzou plays a big role in this story!”

Tonbokiri: “I bet he doesn’t. Because I know he doesn’t.”

●

A strange voice led to sounds of movement from the nearby homes.

“Damn!” cursed the two attackers before quickly turning around. Only then did Masazumi notice something.

…There are more of them!?

She heard several sets of footsteps coming from an alley down the road.

The bodyguard girl was gone after running off to pursue the attackers, but in her place, people emerged from the nearby homes.

“Is there really a fire!?”

“What is it!? Arson!? A mysterious phenomenon!? Spontaneous combustion!?”

“If someone’s started a fire, they’ll regret it once I get my hands on them!”

Futayo raised a hand in greeting toward the people storming out and rolling up their sleeves.

“Hold it right there. I am Mikawa Vice Chancellor’s Aide Honda Futayo. I was trying to stop a fight here and accidentally sent someone tumbling away.”

“Not again,” said a scattering of voices. When I heard, that I found myself hoping that all of the people Futayo used to stop herself or change direction had been criminals.

“Writing an essay, Masazumi?”

You don’t have to read my thoughts. Regardless, Futayo brought a hand to her chin.

“Just as I carelessly performed some human braking, I heard a strange voice from over there.”

“Huh? Wait, Futayo-san!? Are you saying there really is a fire!?”

“No, not to my knowledge.”

“Huh?” The people exchanged a glance and then began whispering to each other.

“You mean that weird voice was lying? What a troublemaker!”

“Arson deserves the death penalty, but so does this kind of lie!”

“True.” Futayo nodded and tilted her head. “The voice seemed to be a weird ninja doing falsetto.”

“A weird ninja!”

They all exchanged a glance.

“Find him, execute him, and hang his head up as a warning!”

“Yeah, he can’t get away with ruining our peaceful evening and disturbing me during my Monday night episode of Tanzawa Restoration – The Flood!”

“He couldn’t have gotten far! Hunt him down!”

Thinking back, the only people still in Mikawa at the time would have been former members of the Chancellor’s Officers or Student Council or people who worked with them. They were all quite skilled and they had built up a lot of stress given the state of Mikawa, so…

…I hope that weird falsetto ninja will be alright…

○

Gold Mar: “I bet Tenzou was in big trouble.”

Asama: “I bet he was too. And I can bet this time because I didn’t know about this part. These records reveal such fascinating things.”

Scarred: “I bet, um, I bet…!”

Silver Wolf: “I bet you have nothing to worry about because we don’t know what did or didn’t happen.”

Art-Ga: “I bet Mitotsudaira has something against fun!”

Horizey: “I bet I want to know what happened to the to-may-toes.”

Vice President: “I bet that part doesn’t matter, but it was all a lot of trouble either way.”

●

Masazumi parted ways with Futayo who gathered a group of youths and began searching for the weird ninja. As Futayo hurriedly left, she said “take these!” and handed Masazumi the sack of tomatoes.

“What am I supposed to do with this? Can I eat them?”

With the extra security – or a search party really – the way home was automatically safe now, but she still decided to inform the guards what just happened.

The guard unit that served the Chancellor’s Officers met with her. They listened to her at first, but they put down their writing implements when she mentioned Futayo. Once she was done, she said, “um, and these are the tomatoes she gave me”. Every last one of their heads was hanging, so Masazumi felt bad about stopping by at all.

Since Futayo had said she was handing out the tomatoes, Masazumi left enough for everyone as thanks, but that was mostly to reduce the weight enough for her to carry the sack more comfortably.

○

Silver Wolf: “Um, Masazumi? I feel like your story is focusing more on the tomatoes than the attack.”

Vice President: “It really was too heavy for me to get it home otherwise.”

Flat Vassal: “Then how did the Vice Chancellor manage to run around with it on her back?”

Tonbokiri: “Hm? It wasn’t even as heavy as a person. At the very least, it was lighter than Gin-dono or Masazumi.”

Tachibana Wife: “When have you ever carried me, Honda Futayo!?”

Asama: “Anyway, Masazumi let them know about her situation and that information made it back to Musashi.”

Vice President: “The attack had witnesses, so I guess they couldn’t cover it up.”

Silver Wolf: “Right. Now, I was thinking of moving on to what happened the next morning. Is that alright?”

Tonbokiri: “Judge. By the way, because we got separated in all the confusion, I wasn’t entirely sure it was Masazumi I met then, so the first time I properly met her after middle school was at the Battle of Mikawa. Oh, and I returned home to my father before too long.”

Vice Chancellor: “Well, at least you finally got confirmation about our little meeting there…I guess.”

●

At the time, Futayo returned home and reported on her successful mission to her father.

“Father! I gave away the to-may-toes after rescuing someone from an attacker! …And to think that person was Masazumi.”

“Eh? An attacker? Gave them away to who? The things you do can be…a challenge to understand.”

While her father tried to find a nice way of stating that, Kazuno drew a hidden sword from her broom’s handle behind him.

“You may have made a mistake, Tadakatsu-sama. Most likely, a double mistake.”

“N-no, wait. I’ll visit the Chancellor’s Officers station tomorrow, check what happened, and deal with it!”

“Father, the Chancellor’s Officers station is really busy dealing with that murder case. When I stopped by earlier, they all said I would be most helpful if I went for a jog.”

“In a way, you have a pretty sweet deal there, don’t you?”

He complimented me, so dinner tasted extra good.

Chapter 7: Morning and Future

Good morning, Western flavor

But are to-may-toes…

Fruits or vegetables?

Point Allocation (They’re Vegetables)

●

Masazumi was pretty sure it was still predawn.

After locking up at her old home and falling asleep next to the bag of tomatoes, she awoke to a sound.

It came from out front. Someone was rapping on the closed rain shutter.

She had gone to sleep with her inner suit partially removed, so she had no intention of opening the shutter right away. She did have a cleaning charm, but she couldn’t keep them waiting until she was done with that.

So she grabbed the knife her father had given her, noted with relief that the sign frame was still up, and…

“Who is it?”

“Honda-sama, I am here to greet you properly.”

It was the bodyguard girl. Her voice and some light arrived through the gaps in the rain shutter. That light was moonlight.

So it was still night. But after the span of a breath…

“I do not detect anyone suspicious in the area,” said the bodyguard.

“Judge,” replied Masazumi. “You said my father arranged this?”

“Judge. I was sent by Honda-sama.”

That response told Masazumi something.

…She’s from the Far East.

Last night, she had assumed this girl was foreign because she appeared to be long-lived with blonde hair and blue eyes.

“May I ask where you’re from?”

“Well.” The girl took a breath before responding. “I am sorry, Masazumi-sama, but I would prefer to wait until you are aboard the Musashi for that.”

“Hm? I can still board the Musashi during the day.”

“Let me rephrase: I would prefer to wait until your move is complete.”

Was she implying their relationship would be a long one?

…Hard to say.

If Masazumi’s father had arranged this, the circumstances were probably complicated. He had been involved in politics for nearly 20 years, after all. If he viewed her as another piece on the political board, then inquiring further here wouldn’t do any good.

If anything, it could interfere with her father’s plans.

○

Horizey: “Masazumi-sama used to be a much more restrained person, didn’t she?”

Silver Wolf: “Um, Horizon? There’s a mirror right over there…”

●

After some thought, Masazumi decided to accept her father’s assistance. So for confirmation…

“Will you be acting as my bodyguard until I can move to Musashi?”

“Judge. But…”

“But what?”

“Judge,” the girl said through the shutter. “But it would be more certain with one more to help.”

…More certain?

That phrasing seemed a bit odd to Masazumi. Maybe because this girl wasn’t a native speaker.

No, Masazumi was probably nitpicking because she was upset with her circumstances here. And this girl was doing her best to protect her.

“Were you separated from your partner?”

“Judge. But I hope to fix that before you officially board the Musashi.”

“Should I ask my father for assistance?”

“Oh, um, no need.”

The way the girl stammered told Masazumi something.

“Has he already set something up?”

“Judge. I believe so. …Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I wasn’t accusing you of anything.”

The girl was definitely older. She knew that much.

The battle last night was enough to know that girl was well trained. Even if the girl was her bodyguard, Masazumi didn’t want to act like her superior.

…Is that because I don’t want to be like my father?

Thinking back, that had more to do with the image of my father I’d built up in my head, but that was how I saw it at the time.

“Masazumi, why don’t you give us such juicy material more often?”

She imagined a Technohexen’s voice in the distance.

But anyway, there was one thing she wanted to ask.

“Can I at least ask your name?”

“Protasius.”

Masazumi knew that name. If she remembered right…

“Isn’t that the name of a Catholic saint?”

“You are familiar with that?”

“Eh? Um, yes, I am.”

She was a bit hesitant to explain why, so she decided to change the subject.

“Thanks for last night. Whether or not I can board the Musashi is honestly out of my hands, but I’m planning to try in the morning because there’s someone I want to thank. Thanks in advance for your protection then too.”

“Judge. I will be as your shadow.”

After thanking her for that response, Masazumi went back to sleep.

●

“So Toori-kun and Tenzou-kun aren’t here, but is everyone else awake?”

Asama looked out at a scene where everyone had to be awake. They were below the open sky in an open-air cafeteria with all the tables removed, leaving only the chairs.

They were mid port on Asakusa. The open-air cafeteria was located below the edge of the ship where gantry cranes moved back and forth.

Currently, lodging facilities and festival stands were being constructed across Asakusa for the end-of-school-year festival.

That said, most of the construction had been completed yesterday, so they were spending this morning on cleanup and clearing out equipment. The festival was scheduled to finally begin that evening. So at the moment…

“I was hoping to get everyone’s opinions on the incident down at Mikawa. I will be returning to Mikawa today to investigate further, so I would appreciate it if some of you would accompany me. And I would also like to exchange what information we have.”

She did have one slight concern.

…It’s kind of bad that no one managed to snag Toori-kun.

According to Kimi, he had gone off somewhere early in the morning and was now asleep. He had returned just before their mother left for the Blue Thunder and he had sleepily said something about making some kind of deal. But for their purposes…

“This morning, Toori-kun contacted me via divine transmission to ask about Honda Masazumi-san. He said he had a delivery for Honda Masanobu-san’s address under a different name.”

“Oh, To-chan is well-liked by the politicians, so they often use him as a go-between,” said Naito.

“I told him Honda Masanobu-san had a family member named Masazumi.”

It was a bit of a problem that he wasn’t here now.

…He’s really perceptive to the “mood” and “atmosphere” aboard the Musashi as a whole, so I was hoping he would have some insight for us.

She was reluctant to wake him while he was sleeping, but was that going too easy on him?

“Heh heh. You secretly want to watch him sleep, don’t you!? Don’t you!?”

“Kimi, stop reading my thoughts.”

Asama regulated her breathing and opened a map of the area around Mikawa and the Musashi for everyone.

The sign frame displayed an X over the red ribbon line extending from Mikawa to the Musashi.

“We currently have a bit of a problem. Tres España has frozen all change of residence requests from Mikawa, but they have actually also prevented any visitors from spending the night on the Musashi. Now, the nights are the highlight of the end-of-school-year festival and trade from Mikawa is greatly hindered when the traders can’t continue working through the night. So I would like to get to the bottom of this murder case before the festival begins today.”

“Ohh, that explains why ticket sales to the people of Mikawa are doing great for tomorrow morning, but not for tonight.”

There wasn’t any kind of partition, but their group was gathered in one corner of the cafeteria where Heidi didn’t even bother hiding the account book sign frame she was working on.

“So Tres España is essentially proposing a deal,” said Shirojiro by her side. “Solve the murder case and we will allow your festival to succeed.”

“They can’t say it out loud, but that does seem to be the situation.”

“Heh heh. Asama, how is this a problem for your shrine?”

“Another nation has people contracted with us trapped in Mikawa. It isn’t a great feeling.”

“But,” said Urquiaga, raising his right hand. “Why isn’t Mikawa doing anything?”

“Unfortunately, I’m not entirely sure.”

“Explain the situation,” bluntly asked Noriki, so Asama opened a sign frame.

Due to the open-air location, she applied a voice stealth field and gave the displayed images a directional setting for only those within the field.

“There. Okay, Mito, you can field this one.”

“M-me!?”

“You proved you are the better investigator during our inspection of the crime scene yesterday.”

“Please, Mitotsudaira-sama!”

“Horizon, aren’t you still at the Blue Thunder?”

“Very well,” sighed Mitotsudaira, turning to look at the others. “There were two victims. The estimated time of death is two nights ago.”

And…

“The two bodies have already been retrieved. One was male and one was female.”

●

“Huh?”

Mitotsudaira saw Adele tilt her head. Mitotsudaira knew what she wanted to ask. Because it was the obvious question.

“You said the bodies have already been retrieved?”

“Judge. But we were given data on them and their scent remained at the crime scene.”

Something had remained at the site of the fire.

“There were pools of blood. They died from having their throats slit, so they spilled quite a bit of blood. That, well, made it obvious where the bodies were, but it also told me that one was male and one female.”

“You can tell them apart by the smell?”

With a careful sniff, she could tell what blood was more likely to be male and more likely to be female. There were general trends based on food, physical constitution, the amounts of bodily fluids dissolved in the blood, etc. But she had been able to tell one thing from this blood without even getting down to that level.

“A lot of it was mixed together, but at the center of the two pools, it was still only half-dried and I could detect a distinct scent in one of them. See, the blood dripped down from the neck like this…”

She moved her thumb horizontally across her neck and then dropped the finger down from the center of her neck to her chest. The girls reacted with understanding, but all the boys expect one reacted with…

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Ha ha ha. You smelled perfume, didn’t you!?”

The only boy who understood was Itoken. Leave it to an incubus to be familiar with women’s fashion.

After Mitotsudaira’s nod of confirmation, he raised his right index finger and explained.

“The blood dripping down from the neck took in the perfume sprayed on her chest. Isn’t that right?”

“Judge. Exactly. To keep in line with the history recreation, the perfume wasn’t very strong. The Testament only refers to perfume for eliminating body odor.”

“In that case,” said Ohiroshiki, raising his hand and pulling his breakfast of miso katsudon from a paper container. “Were the victims foreigners? I heard something about them being from Tres España.”

“With a man and a woman, they could have been eloping lovers,” suggested Neshinbara, crossing his arms and then crossing his legs in his chair. “If you ask me, they must have been a royal-”

Before he could finish, Naruze tapped roughly at her Magie Figur, producing a buzzer sound.

“Nope you’re wrong. Tooooo bad. So who’s next?”

“Naruze-kun, did you just have that buzzer ready to go!?”

“Not really. I drew it up really quick and gave it an auto-assessment function.”

She had drawn it as a picture, but the drawing had become real. There were legends of Technohexen drawing wolves that then attacked people or redrawing the weather. It sounded like Naruze was reaching the level of pulling that off.

…Well, we will be 2nd years next month.

Their skills were improving.

Mitotsudaira would soon hold an official position, but she was still nowhere near strong enough to stand up to her mother. Also…

…What will my king do about all this?

He had been a bit negligent since they started high school. But she knew something big would happen once he finally made his move and she was a little afraid of leading him to that point herself. She wasn’t sure if she could carry out her king’s demands.

○

Gold Mar: “Umm, so does that mean you were planning to carry out every one of the Chancellor’s demands, Mito-tsan?”

Unturning: “Are you sure you don’t want to rephrase that?”

Silver Wolf: “Th-this is fine…probably.”

●

And so Mitotsudaira, who thought this was fine, explained what they knew about the victims’ identities.

“Maybe they were a married couple, maybe they were lovers, or maybe they were siblings.”

Urquiaga stood up so fast his chair shook and looked like he wanted some clarification about that last one, but…

“No, never mind. Continue. That is for the best.”

He quietly sat back down like he had found some source of calm.

“Anyway.” Mitotsudaira cleared her throat. “We can speculate about some other things as well. Perhaps they were brought here, failed in some kind of trade negotiation, and were killed for it.”

Naomasa raised her prosthetic arm.

“Did they not remain as ghosts?”

“Their regrets have not been discovered as of yet,” said Asama. “That is a bit of a mystery. The scene of the crime didn’t appear to have been purified, but I did not detect any regrets.”

That was the first thing Shrine Maiden Asama had done upon arriving on the scene.

“In that case,” said Naomasa. “Are their regrets attached to one of their possessions?”

“You know a lot about this, Naomasa.”

“Hah,” laughed the engine division’s ace.

○

Smoking Girl: “Don’t call me that. It makes me want to take a deep puff.”

Scarred: “And you aren’t even smoking your usual kiseru because we’re working with food.”

Smoking Girl: “It isn’t quite the same as a ghost attaching itself to an object, but I am familiar with similar situation. And the engine division has a lot of stories about spirits residing in things.”

●

“Their possessions were left with Mikawa’s Chancellor’s Officers.”

Asama tapped her sign frame while Mitotsudaira provided that response.

The screen displayed a diagram of the inn.

“The victims were killed in the back room. The fire spread quickly there and the floor burned away, but that room didn’t have tatami mats, so the blood dripped down and remained for us to find. Also, the entrance is located front and center and the 1st floor has five rooms.”

Asama added a red circle to five places on the diagram.

The back left room, the back right room, the front right room, the front left room, and the entrance room made for five.

“The fire started in these five locations. Last night, Tenzou-kun checked the pillars that were being disposed of and worked out their likely locations from how they were burned and the direction of the joints.”

“That’s odd,” said Gin. “Did the murderer start the fire in the front entranceway and then kill the victims?”

“Wow. I think we would have figured this case out a lot faster if Gin-san had been here. But you weren’t…”

“Oh, my apologies. Please delete that.”

We can leave that as the Catholic god or a Catholic saint commenting from the sky.

Then Naruze raised her hand with a tilt of her head.

“Where did the victims come from?”

“We were told they came from P.A. Oda territory to the west. A group of traders working for Matsunaga arrived at around the same time, so they may have been a part of that group.”

“Has that been confirmed?”

It was being worked on, but…

“Mikawa is short on personnel at the moment, so the checkpoints are operating on a one-way system.”

“Oh, right.” Naito looked up into the sky before looking back down. “That’s where they only allow people in through the Mikawa checkpoint and only allow them out through the P.A. Oda checkpoint.”

“The real threat is an attacker getting in using the immigration system. So for now, they’re cutting down on costs by splitting up the arrival and departure management, but that also means anyone who leaves for P.A. Oda does so under P.A. Oda’s protection. That means P.A. Oda could alter their paperwork. Now, I don’t know if this is true or not, but they claim the trader group had the exact same number of people on arrival and departure.”

“Which means the P.A. Oda checkpoint could have fudged the numbers even if their numbers went down by two in Mikawa, huh?”

“A-again, I don’t know if that happened or not. There are ways to sneak into Mikawa, after all. Yes, and I hear the chaos in Kitabatake territory is still ongoing.”

“That is true,” said Neshinbara. “P.A. Oda has been making bigger moves of late. M.H.H.R.’s Hashiba pretends to be independent from P.A. Oda, but they just finished up their invasion of Kyushu and have started fighting the Thirty Years’ War in earnest. …There are even stories of the mysterious Logismoi Oplo being used in battle, so it wouldn’t surprise me if some of the effects arrive at our collective doorstep.”

“When you heard about the murder in Mikawa yesterday, didn’t you tremble and go ‘Eh!? Really!? The murderer won’t try to escape here, will they!?’ ”

“I-it’s called being careful! I have to bolster my defenses first! That’s all!”

Fine, we can pretend that’s all it was. But Kimi tilted her head and raised her right hand.

“Okay, I need someone to sum this up so someone as clever as me can understand it! You’re up, Adele!”

“Eh!? Um, a man and woman from P.A. Oda were killed in an abandoned Mikawa inn. And the inn was set on fire. Their belongings are being held by Mikawa’s Chancellor’s Officers, but Tres España is preventing anyone from moving to Musashi because they don’t want the murderer escaping here. Mikawa is being pressured into not investigating the case if they want to preserve their impartiality as neutral land and Mikawa is mostly going along with it. And, um…”

“What about the local god?” asked Neshinbara. “Wouldn’t you check with them about a crime before amateurs like us start investigating? So what happened with that?”

●

…Yes, you would ordinarily start there.

Asama nodded and responded to Neshinbara’s question.

“It’s true. In Shinto, you would normally check with the local god first even when the problem was caused by an outsider and the god would intervene in an emergency. But there are ways of preventing that.”

“There are?” asked Heidi. “You mean not everyone gets something shoved up their butt or urethra the instant they do something bad?”

“It isn’t instantaneous. The god does have to check over the situation first.”

“Is that really so different?” everyone commented, but the shrine maiden didn’t seem to notice. She opened her sign frame, and…

“The Atsuta Shrine is currently the top Shinto shrine in Mikawa, but they belong to both P.A. Oda and Mikawa. When I contacted them, they simply said this incident is ‘under investigation’.”

“That means their Chancellor’s Officers are cooperating with Tres España on this? …So from a general perspective, how much would their Shinto be tracking this?”

“The two victims were outsiders, but they still participated in the festival and registered with the shrine. That means the local god was aware of them and should have been tracking them. But with that locked down, none of the data is reaching us.”

A mood of “what a pain” settled in, but Naruze raised her pen.

“What about using a video spell?” asked the Weiss Hexen. “There are illusion spells that can replay what happened in a location from the residual ether, right? And wouldn’t the information terminals posted around the city be monitoring their surroundings?”

“Mikawa’s Chancellor’s Officers have all of that locked down too,” said Mitotsudaira.

“And replaying the residual ether wouldn’t be accepted as evidence because all the mysterious phenomena in Mikawa can alter what is replayed,” said Asama.

Mitotsudaira knew complaining about that wouldn’t do any good, but there was one thing they understood here.

“With all the obstruction, we barely have any of the evidence we would normally have.”

Asama was right.

“Normally, if you were committing a crime like this, you would forcibly interfere with the local god’s detection to hide yourself, but that isn’t what happened this time. If anything it’s like the murderer’s identity should be obvious but it’s being hidden after the fact,” said Mitotsudaira.

“Was the murder done to get some kind of message out and that’s being covered up?”

“Judge. You could see it that way. Besides, with nothing known about the murderer’s identity, we keep having to ask ‘why’, which is honestly expanding the possibilities of this case too far to really do anything.”

Mitotsudaira shrugged and Noriki nodded.

“This case really is nothing but unknowns.”

He stopped speaking there, but that had to be what everyone was thinking. Asama and Mitotsudaira had sent their report to Musashi’s Chancellor’s Officers and Student Council, but they still hadn’t received any clear instructions back, which likely meant they were having a hard time deciding what to do.

…What is the deal with this case?

“We need to think about the meaning of this case. Like what advantages it provides.”

●

Adele saw Mitotsudaira sit on a nearby bench. Then the wolf hung her thoughtful head and began speaking.

“Two outsiders arrived in Mikawa, registered with the local shrine, and were killed.”

“They specifically came from Matsunaga clan territory.”

“Judge,” replied Mitotsudaira. “But if they were European, they must have had some reason to pass through Matsunaga clan territory and arrive in Mikawa.”

“Does Matsunaga gain anything from their deaths in Mikawa?” asked Naomasa.

“I don’t know, but they wouldn’t have let those two pass through if it didn’t benefit them in some way. Even if it was a Matsunaga who killed them.”

If so, what did that mean?

Tenzou-san is really useful with these things, thought Adele. He was excellent at gathering information, so he could draw on information the rest of them didn’t already have. But he wasn’t here at the moment, so it was her job to organize the information since she had to report to her superiors so often.

She had written up an overview of the case earlier and she drew on that understanding to ask a question here.

“Do you think whoever benefits from this case has already received their benefit?”

“No, I don’t think so. This case is not over yet. Because…” The wolf pointed her thumb south. “Tres España called an inquisition ship to their landport and they’re still refusing to release the information and otherwise interfering with our efforts. My guess is they won’t consider this a win until the Musashi departs.”

When Adele heard that…

…Huh?

Something about Mitotsudaira’s statement felt off to her.

“Um, can I ask something? Why would the Musashi’s departure give them a win?”

“Well…”

Mitotsudaira was hesitant to explain. It was probably a touchy subject, which may have been why Nenji chose to sum it up quickly.

“Tres España probably hopes to let this case go unresolved.”

“Yes, probably. Which is why they froze the change of residence requests.” Asama nodded. “Mikawa is as much a homebase for Musashi as IZUMO is. IZUMO is a homebase for the ship itself, but Mikawa is more the homebase for the residents and government. So the frozen requests are a real problem for Musashi.”

Adele knew what Asama was trying to say. Because…

“Those requests are also used to get permission for outsiders to spend the night on the Musashi, right?”

Adele knew all about that because she would train with the vassals and knights of the nations the Musashi visited. And…

“When we spend the night somewhere, we get registered as temporary residents because it can cause problems if we aren’t authorized to use the divine protections we’re used to. For example, in strict Catholic or Protestant cities, there are times people can’t use the spells and divine protections of another religion, which makes passage through the city impossible, to say nothing of spending the night.

“So all this stuff about change of residence, spending the night, and passage probably has nothing to do with Shinto culture. It’s probably related to a European history recreation where cities don’t allow in people from different religions or even different sects.”

“But forcibly letting them in can be a problem if they can’t use the local divine protections,” pointed out Naomasa.

“Yeah,” said Naruze, scratching her head with her pen. “In my homeland, there were times a suppressed-but-not-wiped-out disease would spread after someone couldn’t use the appropriate divine protections at a travel destination. So the movement of people can cause problems at the destination and the origin point. And even without that, people will make unnecessary policies for their own peace of mind just because they believe some silly rumors. …But in that case, this case is probably related to the origin point.”

“Probably so,” agreed Mitotsudaira.

The Musashi knight crossed her legs on the bench and sighed.

“They froze all change of residence requests to Musashi because the murderer might still be in Mikawa. For Mikawa, that decision is nothing but trouble. And when the only way to end that is based on Musashi’s own investigation, the Musashi residents have two reasons to complain.”

“The first is that the Musashi seems to be inconveniencing the people of Mikawa, right?” said Adele.

“Judge,” confirmed Mitotsudaira. “A lot of Musashi’s residents are from Mikawa, so when there’s reason to worry about the city, there will be a lot of people here who want something done about it. And…”

Mitotsudaira viewed her surroundings and the sky. Construction of the end-of-school-year festival stage was nearly complete. The large stage was surrounded by lodgings and a few transport ships flew through the sky.

“For Mikawa residents to visit the festival and for trade negotiations and trade work with Mikawa, outsiders need to be able to spend the night here. That’s been stopped for now, so the festival and all trade with Mikawa has to occur during the day, which is inconvenient and could lead to failure.”

“So there’s a lot of pressure to get this solved fast, huh?” said Naomasa.

Everyone smiled a little.

Adele joined the smiling when she realized something. Because…

“None of us is thinking about leaving this unresolved, are we?”

●

Of course not, thought Naomasa.

…'Letting a powerful nation push us around isn’t any fun.

Deciding it was hopeless and giving up was an option, but for Far Easterners, the three years of high school were a crucial time. They were about to enter their second year, so…

“I don’t like the way they’re taking Mikawa and Musashi hostage.”

And aside from that, something else had caught her attention.

“But anyway. Adele, it sounded like you still had something on your mind.”

“Eh!? D-did I realize something important!?”

“It sure seemed like it. And if my memory serves, you go on to mention a concern you had about the case.”

“Eh? Did I? Huh, that’s weird. I don’t remember that at all…”

Naito and Naruze exchanged a glance.

“Does this still count as a flashback?”

“I’m not sure. But it definitely doesn’t if they take it any further.”

Something isn’t right about this. Oh, well. At least I remember more or less what she said back then.

“Adele, you’re thinking that this case is hard to grasp because it’s on such a large scale, aren’t you?”

●

Adele still didn’t remember.

…Did I say that? Or…no, did I think that?

She saw Asama with a whistle in her mouth and a yellow card raised in her hand, so she needed to be careful.

“I did not do that.”

You did. I saw it with my third eye!

“Oh, sorry, Adele. I tried to draw up a storyboard using my third eye, but it didn’t work.”

“Th-that just means you have an impure heart! Probably anyway!”

“Wouldn’t it mean she was more impure if it did work?” asked Naito.

Probably so, but that didn’t solve any of the problems.

“Um, what was I thinking at the time again?”

She murmured “um” again and tilted her head while everyone stared at her.

What was Tres España after? What was that powerful western nation thinking?

The situation was clear.

They were using the frozen requests to pressure Musashi and Mikawa into leaving the case unresolved.

Their stated reason was to prevent the murderer from escaping onto the Musashi.

What they were doing and what they wanted out of it were both clear.

So what about it concerned her or felt off to her?

…I’m not sure.

“I do feel like something about this is weird, though.”

She suddenly looked to Asama in front of her.

The shrine maiden had her whistle and yellow card at the ready. Adele thought about what she saw between Asama’s arms.

…When Asama-san holds her chest between her arms and leans forward, you can’t see her stomach at all.

In other words…

“When things are too big, they cover up other things, don’t they?”

●

Adele’s comment led Mitotsudaira to a realization.

…Oh.

Once it came to her, it was so obvious.

“Tomo.”

She gave a wave of thanks to Adele before speaking.

“I agree with Adele. In other words, the size of one thing can hide something else.”

Yes. In this case, it was Tres España and their treatment of Mikawa.

The pressure applied by the frozen requests was such a large thing that it had to be hiding other things. But they hadn’t noticed because…

“The problem is the sheer size of the things right in front of us. It hides anything else we might want to see. Right, Tomo?”

●

Asama wasn’t sure what Mitotsudaira was talking about.

…U-umm?

Also, weren’t they supposed to be hearing from Adele here?

…The problem is size? Because it hides things?

She repeated that in her mind and looked to Adele, who was staring back at her. Specifically at…

“Um…”

…Adele is looking at my chest while I lean forward.

Then it clicked for her. Yes, her chest did create quite a large blind spot for her. So…

“I can see…how you might view that as a problem.”

●

Mitotsudaira was relieved Asama had grasped her concern.

Good, she thought with a sigh.

What was Tres España after here?

“Judge. The size of the things right in front of us may be hiding something else. But we can only guess what that might be.”

“No, it’s not that bad!” Asama shook her head. “But once they reach a certain size, you can’t see the ground below your feet, which can make you careless.”

“The ground!?”

Mitotsudaira had only been concerned about what Tres España might be after in all this. She had only been suggesting they make sure they hadn’t overlooked anything. But Asama seemed to have a more concrete idea of what that might be. In other words…

“How bad would you say it is?”

●

…Odd. She’s really interested in this.

Asama was a little disturbed by how eagerly Mitotsudaira leaned forward.

Was she that curious about the size of Asama’s chest? But on second thought, she had taken over for Adele on that topic. So there were two of them to worry about. But that aside…

…How bad is it?

She had always had trouble seeing the ground below her feet because of her chest. As for how much they covered up…

“W-well, it’s kind of like you’re holding something too big? Something so big it kind of overflows from your arms?”

“Overflows!?”

Mitotsudaira and Adele exchanged a glance and a nod.

Then Mitotsudaira looked back to Asama.

“Judge. I can see how this would be too much to handle easily.”

Is it that obvious? glumly thought Asama, but she couldn’t let that get her down. Because…

“It’s been like that since we were in the 4th grade.”

“The 4th grade!?” Mitotsudaira rose from her seat a bit. “This started all the way back then!?”

“I thought it was pretty obvious at the time… But I guess it isn’t something you really talk about.”

“Judge. This would be something to keep quiet about.”

“Right?” Asama nodded. “But I didn’t realize you were so worried about this, Mito.”

“O-of course I am. It’s an important issue.”

Because…

“I mean, come on. These things are a matter of life and death.”

●

It’s that serious for her!? thought Asama.

…She’s willing to die for bigger boobs!?

“N-now, wait just a second. This isn’t going to kill anyone. Although I guess you do have less defensive power with a smaller size.”

“True. The smaller ones can be pressured by the bigger ones, leading to situations like this one.”

…Yeah, sorry.

Asama recalled how, when passing each other in a narrow passageway or moving between their desks, her chest would end up pushing Mitotsudaira out of the way. Is that what you call a high pressure interaction? No, that’s not right.

But she still didn’t see how anyone was going to die from chest size.

…Could I have misheard that part?

She decided to omit the “are a matter of life and death” part since that wasn’t making any sense, which left her with just the first six words starting with “I mean”. Could that part mean anything meaningful in reference to boobs?

●

Mitotsudaira watched as Asama suddenly smiled with her eyebrows raised and slapped her on her shoulders.

Asama was also blushing.

“Mito! Mito! That isn’t something to discuss out in public!”

“Eh? Wh-why not?”

Asama briefly froze, but then she slapped Mitotsudaira’s shoulders even harder.

“I-I just about said it out loud! It doesn’t work like salmon spawning!”

Mitotsudaira wasn’t sure what was going on, but she had heard the source of her inherited name liked grilled salmon.

But it was true this incident was a matter of life and death. And if Asama understood that…

“Judge. You’re right, Tomo. This is a dangerous topic, isn’t it?”

“To say the least!? You shouldn’t even speak it out loud. But just for reference, who were you thinking of when you said that?”

That’s a good question, thought Mitotsudaira.

She thought of saying “Musashi” or “everyone”, but she served her king as a knight. His life would be the one she had to protect above all others. So if she was going to be protecting someone’s life in this dangerous situation…

“Wouldn’t it be my king?”

Asama held her hands down hard on Mitotsudaira’s shoulders.

“I never knew you were so imaginative, Mito.”

“R-really? I think about this all the time.”

“All the time!?”

“Yes. I-I am my king’s knight, after all.”

Hearing that, Asama held out her right palm and turned around.

With her back turned, Asama pulled a tissue from her pocket, rubbed her nose with it, had Hanami activate a body tuning spell, tapped the back of her neck, and waited a few seconds. Finally, she turned back around.

“I understand completely. And if you do it that frequently, I will need to increase my own average,” she said. “And I now see how dangerous it is to not consider what effects big ones can have!”

“Yes,” agreed Mitotsudaira. “We must check to make sure the big ones are not hiding anything important!”

○

Asama: “…”

Silver Wolf: “…”

Asama: “I get the feeling…Mito and I…weren’t talking about the same thing back then.”

Art-Ga: “Every time this happens, I have to wonder how you two ever manage to hold a conversation.”

'Silver Wolf: “I was completely serious there and it all went to waste!! Tomo! What were you imagining my king and I doing together!?”

Flat Vassal: “Now I finally understand why I couldn’t remember being the one who thought up the topic that led to the solution! All I did was see Asama-san’s boobs and mention how big they are!”

Gold Mar: “And Mito-tsan thought you were talking about large nations and sprinted straight toward the goal line on her own?”

Horizey: “This means Adele-sama and Asama-sama were running on the same wavelength!”

Silver Wolf: “Are you saying this was my fault!? Is that really your takeaway!?”

Unturning: “I don’t think this is really an issue of being at fault or not.”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh heh. It’s about being an idiot or not!!”

Vice President: “Imagine being Tres España and finding out this is why Musashi ended up investigating further.”

Tachibana Wife: “Telling us back at the Armada battle probably would have made for a devastating attack…”

●

At any rate, they had a plan – or a concern to look into. Naito took a breath and spoke.

“So a bigger issue could be hiding a smaller one?”

“Judge. The frozen requests draw a lot of attention, but we should suspect they have some other goal related to the murder case.”

“That’s right,” replied Heidi.

She looked up at the transport ships flying through the sky. Naito understood since she worked in the delivery business.

…The transports have been delayed since yesterday.

Their concern here was an immediate problem for the merchants engaging in trade. And Heidi took a breath before continuing.

“Tres España made a point of freezing the requests, but the Provisional Council and the Commerce and Industry Guild are doing what they can to fight it. Which means money isn’t enough here. …And since Tres España isn’t working to resolve the issue, they probably aren’t in it for money.”

“And?” asked Adele, so Heidi waved her hands side to side.

“What is it merchants can’t do much about? Politics.”

●

That’s right, thought Naruze while drawing up a storyboard based on Mitotsudaira’s earlier comments.

…That’s our weakest point.

They had an idiot, so they could come up with an overall policy to follow.

They had a knight, a strategist, and a vassal, so they could fight.

They had a shrine maiden, an inquisitor, and two Technohexen, so they had religion and infrastructure covered.

They had a ninja, so they could gather intelligence. They had a laborer and a god of war too.

They had two merchants, so they could make business decisions. They had access to a restaurant, curry, and a bath. They had access to a bakery, which currently came with a crazy person. But…

“We don’t have a politician.”

They didn’t know what to do in these cases. Or rather…

“We can’t even decide or make an educated guess what is even happening.

“But, Naruze-kun. We can fill in enough unknowns to make an educated guess that leads to the truth.”

“Didn’t you write a novel about an imaginary nation in your daily journal in middle school? Is that your idea of the truth?”

“Th-that demonstrated the greatest realism I could manage at the time!”

“Did realism mean something different back then?”

Naruze thought she heard a voice from all the way in Date, but decided to let it slide.

Regardless, the situation was not looking good. Because…

…I wish we could have caught that idiot.

They always looked to that idiot when deciding what to do. But today he was asleep and apparently the others didn’t want to wake him.

…Kimi and Asama spoil him too much.

“That’s for sure.”

Adele agreed with Naruze’s thought, but she decided not to worry about it. But without their policy maker here, all they could do was gather whatever information they could. And then compile it all.

“How about we have another meeting in the midafternoon? If we don’t make a decision by then, responsibility for the progress of the festival and whatever else will fall on the Asama Shrine and the Chancellor’s Officers, won’t it?”

“Yes,” confirmed Asama. There was no hesitation on her face, so Naruze decided to ask something else out of curiosity.

“Why do this? Is it really worth the risk?”

The answer came from Mitotsudaira.

“When we visited the crime scene yesterday, the representative of the Mikawa Chancellor’s Officers wasn’t exactly welcoming.”

“Did they tell you to leave?”

“Judge. More or less.” The wolf smiled. “But they still allowed us to investigate. All this political pressure is coming from Tres España. If Mikawa really agreed with them, they could have ended our investigation and made us leave. But instead, they said they couldn’t make the decision for us.”

Naruze knew what that meant. It was exactly what she had said herself earlier.

…It isn’t that they don’t understand what this case is about.

“Mikawa is working with Tres España, but they told you they can’t make a political decision. Which leaves Musashi as the only part of the Far East capable of acting here.”

●

I see, thought Adele.

She had thought the Extra Special Duty Officer and Asama were so fixated on this case because something about it was bothering them, but…

“What if there is a hidden political aspect to this?”

“I don’t know,” said Mitotsudaira. “Whether it is related to their policies or to the history recreation, it must not be something they can’t accomplish through brute force.”

Adele and everyone else expressed agreement with that. And…

“Heh heh. This is coming together well. We’re basically 2nd years now. This would be boring without a project to work on, don’t you think?”

Kimi stood from the bench and stretched her back. Then she rotated to the side.

“Asama? To change the subject, you heard my foolish brother’s discussion with our mom this morning, didn’t you? You seem to be in charge of a fairly unusual girl among those waiting on the frozen change of residence requests. Could she have a connection to all of this or not?”

Chapter 8: Plans and Assistance

Adults have

A lot on their plate

Quite a lot

Point Allocation (Quite a Lot)

●

Masazumi hurried to the Musashi.

She stopped by the guard station to tell them she intended to spend the day on the Musashi today and tomorrow. Given what had happened last night, the guard on duty gave her approval:

“It probably would be safer on the Musashi.”

She agreed because, given the frozen change of residence requests, the murderer was likely in Mikawa.

…I know it’s to keep the murderer from escaping, but freezing all the requests feels like overkill.

That said, the guard on duty didn’t seem to have a complete understanding of the case.

“Since Tres España is involved, the higher ups are dealing with it. We’re only sent out to assist the local residents and to deal with any emergencies that arise.”

“Is New Nagoya Castle doing anything about it? They do lead Mikawa.”

“Not really. Lord Motonobu only ever does whatever he wants.”

○

Horizey: “Well, now. I see my father was just as terrible back then. You never do know what people will do when given the choice. Shame on him for living such a wild, unrestrained life. Yes.”

Unturning: “…Should I say something?”

Smoking Girl: “So why were you in such a rush, Masazumi?”

Vice President: “I was just getting to that.”

●

According to the guards, Mikawa was working on the case as well.

“They said Lord Tadakatsu had been looking into it some as well.”

What would Futayo have said if she were here?

“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Then I guess they were wrong.”

Responding to a hallucinated voice earned Masazumi some painful looks.

At any rate, she said she would be back by evening and left for the Musashi.

She had to hurry. She wanted to greet her father and stop by the Blue Thunder to give her thanks. But…

“Why did I oversleep? Waking up to find the sun is already up is the absolute worst reason to need to hurry.”

○

Asama: “I actually have some interesting information related to Masazumi’s oversleeping.”

Vice President: “Eh? It’s a little late now, but do you know something?”

Asama: “Yes. Masazumi, remember how you said you spoke with the bodyguard girl during the night? I believe you mentioned the shining moonlight.”

Vice President: “Um, yes. I remember that.”

Asama: “The records I have say Mikawa was cloudy that night. And…”

Silver Wolf: “Did you find something?”

Asama: “Yes. The sign frame I gave Masazumi back then would have been tracking her life sign readings and such, so I checked the records just now. You said you woke up in the middle of the night…but this says it was 7 in the morning. Why would you see that as a moonlit night?”

Vice President: “Meh, these things happen.”

Flat Vassal: “Vice President! Vice President! Now isn’t the time to be accepting!”

Gold Mar: “A mysterious phenomenon maybe?”

Tachibana Wife: “Localized thunderstorms and sun showers are common enough on the continent, but having a clear sky in just one area would be a tad difficult. Not to mention having a moonlit night at the wrong time.”

Unturning: “I do think there is a mysterious phenomenon where it seems to be night outside when it’s really daytime. I believe it has its origins in a solar eclipse.”

Asama: “Well, I can’t say if anything like that happened, but I do know that when Masazumi woke up and thought it was the middle of the night, it was in fact already morning – or at least the early morning.”

Art-Ga: “Masazumi, was something haunting you at the time?”

Vice President: “I can’t really say since I didn’t notice this when it happened.”

Silver Wolf: “But this kind of problem occurred because we weren’t monitoring Masazumi well enough, didn’t it?”

Asama: “Anyway, this was when we first became aware that Masazumi had been caught up in the Mikawa murder case.”

●

Asama nodded at what Kimi said.

…How did she know about that?

If Honda Masazumi had met Kimi’s mother, it must have been at the Blue Thunder. If she left the Tama diplomatic building and walked down the main street, she would have arrived in that area.

When kneading the dough during the day, she would use long-distance attacks and hyper palm strikes that could be heard from the bow. And she also made gyoza and pickled vegetables when she as in the mood, so the Blue Thunder had become a bakery/café and she was well known in the area as an intermediator.

Asama didn’t know if Honda Masazumi had been drawn in by the Blue Thunder’s atmosphere, but…

“It sounds like Toori-kun and Kimi’s mom managed to catch her.”

That said, Honda Masazumi was actually a significant factor regarding the case, so she spoke to the others who were giving her curious looks.

“I imagine some of you are already aware, but Provisional Councilor Honda Masanobu has a daughter named Honda Masazumi who has submitted a change of residence request from Mikawa. And we have approved it.”

“Will she be joining us? Is she a name inheritor?” asked Naruze.

Asama nodded.

“She will be in our year, yes. But…”

“I looked into this myself, but she is not a name inheritor,” said Mitotsudaira. “Neither is her provisional councilor father.”

“The Testament Union would never overlook the approval of a name inheritor politician, especially one who is going to be a major player in the near future,” said Naomasa. “And in Mikawa, all the inherited names go to automatons anyway.”

The others nodded in understanding. They all understood – to some extent – the issues that policy had caused.

…A lot of the former name inheritors left for Musashi or other places.

Naito must have recalled the trouble when it happened because she tilted her head a bit and spoke up.

“I know it’s rare, but don’t some people in Mikawa go for a split name inheritance? Couldn’t she do that?”

“The impression I get is the Testament Union only approved the policy because it let them keep all the Far Eastern name inheritors in Mikawa and they were all automatons. They would never approve a split inheritance unless it benefited them in some way.” Neshinbara shrugged. “I also heard a certain story when I was in Mikawa before. Care to hear it?”

“What story?” Asama asked cautiously.

Neshinbara chose his words carefully.

“A certain girl underwent gender reassignment surgery in order to receive an inherited name, but that attempt failed when Mikawa’s new policy meant that name went to an automaton instead.”

“Honda Masazumi-san never completed that surgery.”

“Eh?”

Naruze threw her Magie Figur against the floor, breaking it. “Hold on! I’m going to need some specifics here or I can’t draw it right!”

○

Vice President: “Was not drawing it never an option!?”

Art-Ga: “Huh? Don’t be ridiculous. If I don’t draw it, who do you think will? Believe me, you’re safest if a friend like me does it.”

Vice President: “You’re not making any sense!”

Gold Mar: “In Ga-chan’s defense, she needs to draw it to get it out of her system.”

Flat Vassal: “That just makes it worse…”

●

“Anyway,” said Asama.

Neshinbara’s story was something you could find with a search of Mikawa’s divine network.

…It is a fairly old story, though.

It was from before Honda Masanobu moved to Musashi on his own.

And Asama had seen talk of Honda Masazumi earning excellent grades afterwards. As far as Asama could tell, she was fairly well known in Mikawa. The kind of person where most any one would say “oh, her” if you mentioned her.

Asama didn’t know what Masazumi thought about it herself, but that seemed to be the situation in Mikawa.

“But there are a lot of people on the Musashi who were treated that way…”

Adele raised her hand.

“I’ve always wondered about that. Why does no one here ever seem to talk about how they were treated? They always seem to cause some trouble in Catholic or Mlasi territory and then seek asylum here.”

“My guess is, they can’t help but fight back after being oppressed, but once they get themselves in trouble, they realize they’ve screwed up and flee to Musashi. Oh, and people like that are more than welcome in Shinto.”

“But once they realize they can do those things whenever they want, they stop doing them, don’t they?” said Naito.

Everyone nodded in agreement. And Kimi…

“Heh heh. I imagine much the same thing happens with marriage.”

“Well, I can’t say if- oh, Sanyou-sensei! Where are you going!?”

“Are you making fun of her?”

“No, she was there! She was really there! Wasn’t she, Mito!? You can tell from her scent, can’t you!?”

“I choose not to comment.”

But for now, Asama summed up what they knew about Honda Masazumi.

“She dresses like a boy, but she’s a girl. She isn’t a name inheritor, but she is the daughter of Provisional Councilor Honda Masanobu. Her grades are good, but she of course hasn’t done anything like the training and mock battles our teacher puts us through. It would be best to assume she isn’t a fighter.”

“Why do you sound so certain she’ll be in our class?” asked Naomasa.

“Well, the change of residence form goes to Principal Sakai too.”

“Ohh,” said the others.

“I swear he just chucks anyone unusual in our class,” said Ohiroshiki.

“That he does, that he does. For example, there’s the guy who’s so much of a pedo he bought an ice cream stand with his own money. Didn’t you mention something about wanting to directly hand out the ice cream? Thank goodness Principal Sakai had the foresight to put the potential criminals where we could keep an eye on them.”

“Ha ha ha. Indeed, Naruze-kun. Like when they increased the censorship standards so you told the Public Morals Committee, ‘This is censored in ink that idiots can’t see! Anyone who’s gone through compulsory education can see it! What? You can’t see it? How stupid are you? Ah ha ha!’ and then had your doujinshi banned from sale!”

This was rapidly devolving into a “both sides are wrong” situation.

…I’m too normal to keep up.

Kimi placed a hand on Asama’s shoulder from behind and Asama had to brush it off three times. And then…

“Okay, I’m going to change the subject now.”

Everyone focused back on her, so she raised her finger before continuing.

“That Honda Masazumi-san we were discussing was actually attacked last night.”

○

Horizey: “I know it has nothing to do with the topic at hand, but it occurs to me that Masazumi-sama received the underwear pull on the bridge because Toori-sama happened to be out that day.”

Vice President: “Don’t phrase that so it sounds like he pulled my underwear down too!”

Silver Wolf: “To continue that line of reasoning, was my king’s absence there also to blame for the Representative Committee Head receiving the underwear pull by Masazumi?”

Tachibana Wife: “If so, the Chancellor’s absence was also to blame for Unno of the Sanada Ten Braves receiving-”

Asama: “No, I think that one would have happened regardless.”

Wise Sister: “Yes, because I alone am special! No one’s underwear is safe!”

Silver Wolf: “Tomo! Tomo! How is Kimi so quick to dance out of the way!?”

Scarred: “Um, how about we use the leftover vegetables to make a soup for Master Tenzou and the other boys?”

Unturning: “I feel like that would end up with all the best food going to them…”

Asama: “Anyway, now for the discussion of Masazumi’s attack.”

Girls: “You do love wildly changing the subject, don’t you!?”

●

“I will start by explaining what I found in my investigation of the incident.”

Mitotsudaira looked out at the group, noting that almost everyone was there despite it being spring break. Probably because today was the final preparations for the end-of-school-year festival and then the opening ceremony.

She thought she had learned how to handle being the center of attention here. She was occasionally uncertain how to behave, but…

…I have recently learned how to get by even without my king with me.

Was that due to joining the Knight League, working for the Chancellor’s Officers, and speaking up in class? It was reassuring to have her king nearby, but she had been hanging out with Tomo and Kimi a lot lately too. She appreciated their presence now. Kimi was making a strange gesture where she lifted her breasts and shook her lips side to side, but it made no sense and Mitotsudaira chose to ignore it.

“Honda Masazumi was attacked on the outskirts of Mikawa, in a residential area between her home and the meeting place.”

“That was a pretty brazen attack,” said Naomasa.

“While it is a residential area, a lot of the homes there are now vacant. Most of them are either used as storehouses or just left empty.”

“In that case,” said Urquiaga. “The attacker would have had no shortage of hideouts.”

“She was saved when the Mikawa Vice Chancellor’s aide intervened, but there was some talk of a scuffle before that.”

Naito raised her hand at that.

“So can that Honda what’s-her-face fight?”

●

In Naito’s honest opinion…

…We don’t need any more close quarters fighters…

We have Noririn and Pe-yan. There’s also Adele and Masa. Mitotsudaira too. Tenzou…should probably stick to sneaking around. Oh, and there’s Piroshiki and Hassan…well, Hassan uses curry. Curry isn’t close quarters or long range. It feels like something else.

But for long range, we only have me, Naruze, and Asama-chi.

We might be in trouble in an emergency. We have decent maneuverability, so we’ll probably be given a hit-and-run role unless it’s on a limited battlefield.

…Hmm.

Musashi was at peace, so she only thought about these things because of where she came from and because she lived as a Technohexen. The struggle over delivery business ranks had been getting wild of late and, once you gained some combat knowledge, you ended up viewing everything through that lens.

You began to think of everyone in terms of how well they could fight. But in this age, anyone who belonged to an academy could fight to some extent.

She just wished there was some way to prove they were better than most.

“What’s wrong, Margot?”

Ga-chan is great at joining in on my thoughts.

“Not really. I just have a general sense of what you’re thinking.”

Okay, now you’re reading a little too much. But regardless…

…I’m not really sure what we would gain by proving we can fight, though.

For her, it would be a more fulfilling life. Climbing the ranks and becoming known as a Technohexen felt great and it led to better jobs and pay.

But what about in terms of the entire class?

How well could they fight as a group of warriors?

Mitotsudaira trusted Toori as a knight, but…

…To-chan has been kind of out of it lately.

Having a king made a difference. Everyone was vaguely aware of that now.

Naito agreed and, while she didn’t know what the future would bring, she thought they would be fine as long as it started with their king. But with that in mind…

“If she’s a close quarters fighter, we don’t really need her.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. She didn’t have a combat style listed.”

“Really?”

Some combat styles had to be earned through special qualifications, but most of the basic ones came from middle school gym class or from taking an elective. Of course, those styles were considered “trainee” styles and the real ones required taking a test and were only available for age 15 and up. But…

“She doesn’t have one at all?”

“That’s right. I saw her and she’s skinny as a rail,” said Mitotsudaira.

“If she quit her gender reassignment surgery partway through, she must not be interested in athletics,” said Neshinbara.

Naito felt like he was making assumptions there, but she also felt like he was right in this case.

Everyone sighed in minor disappointment because they had been thinking the girl could have filled some kind of role if she had a useful combat style. But…

…Wait?

Naito had a realization.

The girl had tried to inherit Honda Masazumi’s name and she didn’t have a combat style.

…Does that mean what I think it does?

Would she be their first real politician?

●

Just as Naito looked up in realization, Asama looked to the group and spoke.

“When I go to Mikawa today, I feel like I need to meet with Honda Masazumi and ask about the events of last night. So does anyone want to accompany me as a bodyguard or to help me investigate?”

“Oh, I’ll go with you.”

It was more of a whim than anything, but Naito still raised her hand.

She wanted to see the girl who would be joining their class once her change of residence request was unfrozen and she could fly back to the Musashi on her broom in an emergency. She could also carry someone with her.

Naruze must have had the same idea, but…

“Then I’ll keep working and monitor your progress on my Magie Figur.”

“Oh, sorry, Ga-chan. I’ll buy you something on my way back.”

“Judge. That’s what I’m really after.”

Naito gave her a quick kiss for that comment and then sighed. She realized Adele had her hand up too.

“I can help with the investigation. And if it does come to a fight, the Extra Special Duty Officer and I can take the forward positions.”

That settled it. Mitotsudaira clapped her hands and everyone nodded before getting up. Asama sent a summary of the meeting to the Chancellor’s Officers and Student Council, but Naito…

“Will I be able to get lunch over there?”

Maybe I should buy something here.

○

Gold Mar: “That’s how we ended up taking a trip to Mikawa.”

Vice President: “And you completely missed me while I went to Musashi.”

Scarred: “Really?”

Flat Vassal: “Asama-san was actually monitoring the Vice President, but since she hadn’t left home until late morning, we concluded she was spending the day in Mikawa.”

Asama: “Monitoring someone around the clock feels like a violation of their privacy, so I planned to make another check once we arrive in Mikawa.”

Vice President: “I wonder if we passed each other at the first checkpoint. I made good time because I was lucky enough to hitch a ride on a cargo wagon. Thinking back, the congestion before the Battle of Mikawa really was abnormal.”

●

Masazumi’s first stop after arriving on the Musashi was her father’s house.

Unlike the day before, the place was quiet and her luggage had arrived.

Her father hadn’t touched most of the luggage, including what she had left with him, so Masazumi ended up opening it in the dining room. The professional container was airtight and she had some difficulty opening it, but…

“This contains my personal belongings and mom’s personal belongings.”

She felt like she was talking to a stranger.

Her father simply stood across the table from her while she pulled her own things from the container. Her first thought was…

…I need a change of clothes if I’m going back to Mikawa.

Even with washing charms, the clothing would get worn out. Her father must have understood that because…

“Your room is in the very back on the left, Masazumi. I cleared it out for you, so you can take your things there.”

That was a relief to hear.

His firm tone told her she didn’t need to ask if he was sure. So instead…

“Okay.”

“Use ‘judge’. This is a provisional councilor’s house. Keep that in mind as you live here.”

“Is there anything in particular I should focus on?”

“Politely greet all guests. But once I greet them, leave the house and do not return until our meeting has concluded.”

“Judge.”

She understood what he meant. She was being exiled.

…It isn’t the same as the exile policy in Mikawa, but I guess I can’t escape it even at home.

She just had to accept it. Having a home at all was enough. And…

“I will likely ask your assistance with some work and with contacting people. Now, depending on your plans for the future…”

“I still plan to get into politics here in Musashi. And I plan to study at the academy to accomplish that.”

He had been too busy for her to tell him this yesterday, but she managed to speak from the heart now.

“––––––––”

Her father looked at her with obvious hesitation. He looked away from her but finally looked back to her.

“Masazumi,” he said. “What are you talking about? You should strive to be something other than a Musashi politician.”

●

Masazumi definitely felt herself wondering why.

Becoming a politician was why she had gone through the gender reassignment surgery for an inherited name.

…Do I not matter to him anymore?

If she was just going to give up on everything she had done, it felt like suddenly losing everything that gave her value.

Whenever she had encountered difficulties while living in Mikawa, there was one thing that had always helped her and supported her. It was something that had blossomed inside her as she read and gathered all sorts of information.

…My dream of being a politician when I grew up.

It was that important to her.

But if she lost all of that now…

“Why?” she asked. “What right do you have to dictate my future?”

“Masazumi,” her father said. “That is not what I meant.”

“Then…?”

“If you do not understand, you will never grow past this point.”

Her father tapped a finger against the container on the table and gestured for her to go back to her room.

“Go look at your room. I will organize your mother’s things while you do.”

“What do you mean organize them?”

“Her grave has already been prepared. Go bury them there when you have a chance.”

Wait, she thought.

…Wasn’t she your wife?

He was going to separate out her possessions and send them straight to her grave? And…

“You aren’t going to do that yourself?”

“Masazumi,” he said. “I am saying I trust you to do it.”

“––––––”

She felt like he was playing word games with her.

But that phrasing gave them a compromise and gave her a way out.

“Judge.”

If that was how he saw it, she would perform the task with care.

She chose to see it as her trusting her with the task.

○

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. Who is this depressing girl? Could she be the same one in front of me now?”

Unturning: “Hard to think it only took her about a year and three months to become a warmonger screaming for war at every turn.”

Horizey: “How can someone change so much in such a short time? It is truly is one of life’s greatest mysteries.”

Vice President: “Horizon! You did too! You changed too!”

Flat Vassal: “Let’s take a look at Vicereine Horizon from the records of that day.”

●

The news that an automaton named P-01s had begun working at the Blue Thunder spread through the neighborhood that morning.

Automatons had a tendency to inspire an “I swear I’ve seen her before” reaction, but P-01s was especially distinctive.

For you see, P-01s was well-mannered, beautiful, and sagac- gah!

○

Silver Wolf: “Horizon! Horizon! You wouldn’t stub your finger typing if you didn’t force yourself to use fancy words!”

Horizey: “You couldn’t be more right. I need to stop typing so fast.”

●

The news that an automaton named P-01s had begun working at the Blue Thunder spread through the neighborhood that morning.

Automatons had a tendency to inspire an “I swear I’ve seen her before” reaction, but P-01s was especially distinctive.

Not only did P-01s have a conspicuous appearance, but the Blue Thunder’s menu underwent a change starting that day.

“Here is your ice tea and fried egg.”

The customer looked in front of him to see a glass full of a clear liquid. Then he looked to the egg that had clearly been fried on the burner in its shell.

“Um, what is this?”

“Judge. This is your ice tea and fried egg. Just as you feared.”

“So you admit it’s worth fearing!””

A few customers at another table turned his way.

“Ha ha ha. So you fell for it too!”

“If you’d just ordered the Morning☆Set, you would’ve gotten a ball and chain too! This is what you get for ordering something you thought was safe!”

“Isn’t getting more of this worse!?”

“Anyway,” P-01s said to the customer. “Please dig in.”

“Wait!” said the customer. “You expect me to eat this stuff!?”

“Sir.” P-01s narrowed her eyes. “If you cannot eat a fried egg, why did you order one?”

“Eh!? I don’t get a say here!?”

“Try cracking the shell.”

The customer kept a cautious eye on P-01s while he cracked the egg on the side of his plate. And…

“A fried egg came out…”

“I made sure to cook it evenly from the outside. I added some sauce with an injector to prevent any juices from leaking out and stirred it with my gravitational control. Once it was cooked, I added some water for moisture and had the manager give it a final check.”

“You went to all that trouble!?”

“No trouble. I merely fried an egg.”

“T-thanks!”

“Now, then.” P-01s gestured toward the glass of clear water. “Please start with a drink.”

“J-judge!”

The customer drank the glass of water. And he froze for a moment.

“This is tea!”

“I did not like the discoloration, so I used my gravitational control to have the coloring components float to the top where I removed them. And – tah dah – you have colorless tea that still smells and tastes like tea. Granted, this removed the polyphenols, but I can make a dumpling out of them for you if you wish.”

“N-no, this is plenty!”

The customer bowed, P-01s bowed back, and some quiet applause filled the café.

○

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. I think that’s about how it went.”

Horizey: “Impressive, Kimi-sama! You missed the part where the manager slapped him and forced him to eat it, but it was through daily interactions like this that I gained so many solid repeat customers.”

Unturning: “I’m hearing a lot of unfamiliar phrases in here. What should I do about that?”

Gold Mar: “You win by making them familiar, Narumin!”

Wise Sister: “By the way, this was around the time my foolish brother met up with me and we joined the competition for catching eels to be used as prizes at the festival stands and played mini-tentacles together for a bit.”

●

“Heh heh. Look, foolish brother! That old man moves like a hunter and he’s catching a ton of them, so toss in a bait bomb! A bait bomb! And hold the eels between your fingers for a tentacle attack!”

“Ohh! Sis, we’re an unstoppable combo, aren’t we!?”

“Heh heh heh. But a classy wicked woman knows to let the local kids win in the end! So eliminate that 3rd-year girl who’s really putting her back into it! She was sent by the Chancellor’s Officers, so don’t bother holding back! Now’s your chance! Her back is turned, so unhook her bra and stick that eel inside her inner suit!”

“Sis! Sis! Respect for your seniors is null and void in a competition, right!?”

○

Flat Vassal: “I’m betting that was a lot more one-sided than you’re making it sound.”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh heh. The eels you ate at the festival were the comrades in arms who fought alongside my foolish brother and me in our battle against the old men and our upperclassmen! So make sure to thank them! It’s wriggling time!! C’mon, get slimy with it!”

Art-Ga: “Masazumi, this is what they were up to when you were having so much trouble.”

Vice President: “D-damn! And I lose if I let it bother me, don’t I!?”

Nagaya-Stable: “Why do you always compare yourself to the worst possible people?”

●

Masazumi entered the room she had been given.

She had to use an outdoor walkway, walk down a cramped hallway, and pass through a few ‘partitions’ like the kitchen, but she guessed this was all for crime prevention. There was a ceiling, so she knew the place was soundproofed.

The room she entered was a simple one.

It was a about 5 square meters. It had a window on the aft wall and a bed. Next to the bed was a cloth and bamboo closet, but she wasn’t sure she had anything to put in it besides her uniform.

…I could use a bookcase.

But she was pretty sure Musashi had a weight tax. If she couldn’t keep many books with her…

“Is there a library?”

There would be one at the academy. That was one more reason to look forward to her school life here. But at the same time, when she looked out the window to the small garden there…

…It’s all really small.

The garden had some hydrangeas which hadn’t bloomed yet and a tiny pond surrounded by small shrubs. Along the path through the garden, a tree was growing next to the fence. It was probably a persimmon tree. There were also garden lanterns, so it definitely had the look of a garden. But…

“Our Mikawa house was twice this size and the garden was so much bigger.”

Compared to her father’s harsh attitude toward her earlier, the room and the garden felt terribly small.

…Has he changed?

He used to be more easygoing and did things on a larger scale.

But now that she was here, their house was so small and yet…

…His attitude.

She didn’t want to say it, but she wondered if her father had made a mistake in coming here. She wondered if he had been so hard with her because he didn’t want her to realize he had screwed up.

If so, it was almost comical. And in that case, he really had changed.

Masazumi set her luggage on the bed and then realized something.

“The to-may-toes!”

All the tomatoes Futayo had forced onto her were in her luggage.

…Oops!

Her father must have thought she had showed up with quite a lot of luggage in tow. But these are only some to-may-toes I didn’t ask for. Don’t let this fool you, dad. I’m too poor to own so much luggage.

“I do have a toma-ton of them, don’t I? Just kidding.”

Her pun must have angered Musashi’s god because the window shattered.

“Sakuya wouldn’t do that! Maybe it was a mysterious phenomenon!?”

Fine, forget that part. But I will be expressing great displeasure with the person who interfered with my memory.

“Dad!”

Masazumi passed back through the partitions to reach the dining room again.

…Huh?

He wasn’t there. The container remained on the table, its contents untouched. Instead, a letter sat on the table.

<Ciao. Papa will be loving on a neighborhood friend’s kitten for work, so you can spend today checking on the grave and sightseeing Musashi. But don’t be a naughty girl!>

○

Vice President: “Wait! My father would never say that!!”

Flat Vassal: “I feel like that letter got wilder by the sentence.”

Vice President: “That’s not how he talks at all!”

○

“Look! Look! Koni-tan! Your Luna-tan likes me more than you! That’s a good, Luna-tan. You eat those kitty treats in my lap.”

“K-khhh! She’s never let me feed her in my lap!”

“Heh heh heh. Your mistake was asking me to look after her when she was born! I had my hands full at the time with Masazumi arriving on the Musashi and all the cleaning up I had to do, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I even brought Masazumi’s underwear and inner suit to show my wife at her grave!”

“Nobu-tan! I’m not sure if that’s sweet or creepy!”

“What else was I supposed to show her when Masazumi was so good at organizing that every last memento of my wife was hidden way down at the bottom where I didn’t notice them!? …Oh, whoops. Luna-tan, do you want some dried sardines now? But not the salty ones. Their bad for good little kitties!”

“Eh!? But I thought she hated dried sardines! What…what’s that look of scorn for!!”

○

Vice President: “I get that he must have been busy at the time. I mean, the Musashi was at risk of being stopped at Mikawa. So I…”

Wise Sister: “Horizon, you weren’t singing at the graveyard yet at the point, were you?”

Horizey: “Judge. By the evening, my brain was full of trash and I decided to clear it out by singing at the top of my lungs. That broke a window, so the manager told me to sing outside from then on. And whenever I sang outside, people started giving me change and food.”

Gold Mar: “Were you a beggar?”

Asama: “Hmm. There are records of a mysterious phenomenon causing windows to suddenly shatter on the Musashi back then. That must be what we saw in Masazumi’s room earlier. If we know what path Horizon took back then, we might learn who was to blame. And I think that’s still recent enough to sue for compensation…”

Horizey: “Asama-sama! Asama-sama! It was a beggar! A mysterious beggar did it!”

Vice President: “Can I please continue my story!? I know it’s depressing, but it’s what happened!”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. We aren’t your therapist! But if you insist, I will help you since I have a heart as big as the sea and the sky. Oh, Mary! You’re putting too much salt in that soup!”

Vice President: “You sure are picky for someone with such a big heart!”

Asama: “So, um, Masazumi, can you get the depressing part over with so we can move on? We have our own stories to tell.”

●

Masazumi left the house with the letter from her father.

She was curious about the door’s lock, but when she opened the door, a sign frame opened and confirmed her identity. That hadn’t been there before, so her father must have set it just now. It would likely do that whenever she used the door from now on.

…So this is my home now.

It still seemed small, but she wondered if that was just her being picky after the way he treated her mother’s belongings.

She decided it might be best to eventually leave here and live on her own. There had to be plenty of ways to make money on a trade ship. And…

“What am I supposed to do with my life if he won’t let me be a politician?”

That was the thought on her mind as she left the house.

First, she walked to the graveyard.

○

Horizey: “And when brokenhearted Masazumi-sama arrived in the graveyard, she met a loudly singing automaton. Join us next time for the latest episode titled ‘The Arms…!’ ”

Vice President: “I thought you weren’t singing in the graveyard yet at that point!”

Flat Vassal: “Anyway, the Mikawa group is up next.”

Unturning: “No, wait a second. I’d rather not be the center of attention, but I have something somewhat relevant to add. I think I get the overall picture of the incident now, so if you don’t mind.”

Horizey: “In the next episode, we will focus in on Narumi-sama back when she still lived in peace!”

Chapter 9: Misunderstanding and Conjecture

Slaying a bear does not make you any less alone

Point Allocation (How Literary…)

●

Narumi had spent her 1st year of high school as the Vice Chanellor’s aide and she was set to officially begin working as the Vice Chancellor in her 2nd year. The previous Vice Chancellor and Vice President, Oniniwa Yoshinao, had half voluntarily retired from his long service, so the Date clan had rapidly moved on to the next generation.

Oushuu Sibir was still quite cold during late March. It was said you could hammer a nail with a banana if it was cold enough and it was true. Highly dense banana hammers had even been recommended for construction- sorry, that’s a lie. My point is it was cold and the bears who had ended their hibernation too early were out, so it was the perfect time for the new generation to take over, no matter what some idiots were doing outside our borders.

The end.

○

Flat Vassal: “Y-you can’t end it there! You just can’t!”

Unturning: “Once I started, I realized how much of a pain it is. I have no literary talent.”

Flat Vassal: “Someone please give her some motivation! How about you, 5th Special Duty Officer!? Your territory is close enough, so you must have some salmon stories to tell!”

Silver Wolf: “My territory is close to there, but I was in Mikawa at the time!”

Scarred: “So what did happen?”

Unturning: “Something smells good.”

Scarred: “Judge. The soup for the boys and the sweets for all of you are nearly ready.”

Unturning: “I will help however I can. …And I guess I can tell my story while I do.”

Vice President: “I’m not sure how that worked out, but it did.”

●

From late March to April, Oushuu Sibir’s Sendai Aoba Castle was busy preparing for the festival. The Sibir region had a unique sun festival to welcome the start of the new school year.

The spring also meant spring lightning, so the different parts of Sibir would represent lightning in different ways and then celebrate the coming of the sun.

The festival was meant to be held on the New Year, but in modern nations, the start of the school year in April had become another New Year. Holding a small festival at the start had become the custom.

…Russia does love its festivals.

The festivals were almost all in the spring and summer, but a surprising number of them were dedicated to the local gods as the gods of foreign lands. Sibir’s spring festival was less about Orthodoxia and more about creating an image of a god named Jarylo. These festivals reached their peak during the summer solstice festival in which a wicked local god named Kupala was driven out.

“I feel like that’s too much information.”

Discussing the wicked god earned a complaint from a Technohexen. Regardless, these festivals had undergone a great change during Narumi’s generation. The festivals had mostly remained true to the original form before, but then Masamune took over as the leader of Oushuu Sibir. After that, the festivals changed because…

“The historical Masamune had an interested in the West and tried to establish relations with Spain.”

That led to an influx of Catholicism into the land of Orthodoxia.

Of course, the historical Masamune had been active at a time when foreign religions were banned in the Far East.

So it would seem like Catholicism couldn’t have any involvement in the Date Clan.

But Date of Sibir was located to the extreme east.

Mogami was to their west and the Kantou nations to their south, so they had a lot of pain-in-the-rear border issues. A lot had happened when Masamune took over, but they had needed to use his history recreation to take as much as they could get.

So what were they to do about the connection to Catholicism through Spain and Portugal which had been important issue for Date? And because Narumi’s generation would be taking over at that same time, they had to think about it. I think it was on the way back from slaying a large bear outside, but I – that is Narumi was walking down the hallway from the hangar bay.

“What do you want, idiot?”

“Oh? Did you just call me an idiot, Narumi-kun!? Yes, I know you said it because that’s something I could never understand myself! But the difference between idiocy and genius is paper thin! Yes, and I am on the genius side by that paper-thin margin! Which means a paper-thin shift in the wrong direction is enough to ruin me! Oh, no! Oh, no! Whatever shall I do!? Hey, don’t stare at me like that! Because it feels so wonderful when you do! Do I need to crawl for you freaks!? Yes, because I’m not just a freak! I’m an insect! A worm!”

“Hearing you use my name creeps me out, so just tell me what you want.”

“Testament! Mogami has contacted us!”

Why did he need all that preamble if it was something so simple? She made sure to give him a solid glare, but he started flopping on the muddy hallway floor shouting, “God, yes! I love it!”

She kicked him aside and accessed Sendai Castle’s divine network. She linked to her class’s privileged divine transmission and accepted the call from Mogami. A fox in white cold-resistant equipment appeared.

“Oh, you’re back. I am enjoying some sake while viewing the snow outside our defense barrier.”

The fox was outside, so she was probably on the Yamagata Castle’s deck. She was using the cargo transport lift with a defense barrier open over her head.

“It has been snowing a lot lately, hasn’t it?” said Narumi.

She could see a wall of snow more than 5m tall had already formed on the deck. So the lift had taken the fox above the deck itself to forcibly place her level with the top of the snow.

…That must double as a visual observation point.

“Ko ko,” laughed the fox. “This does not keep the Yamagata Castle from flying, so do not let your guard down. So what did you want?”

Huh? thought Narumi. Didn’t she call us?

But then she recalled this was a fox. And if that fox was worried about anything at this time of year…

“We weren’t going to make plans for Komahime to stay here until the spring, but is that what you wanted to discuss?”

“Ho ho? You mean letting her spend time with Kojirou?”

“Testament,” confirmed Narumi. Peace between the two clans actually meant a lot to Date.

…Because we have almost entirely lost to Mogami Yoshiaki already.

According to the Testament, Yoshiaki was Masamune’s uncle. She was Masamune’s mother’s older brother.

Masamune’s mother was quite an eccentric person herself and, while Narumi didn’t dislike her, she found her difficult to dealt with, but that mother was about the only person who could get Yoshiaki to listen.

The two of them were apparently old friends, but it may have had more to do with a fox’s tendency to take care of her own.

But this fox was powerful. She was clever, she would draw you in and trap you, and she would rush in and take what she wanted. Yoshiaki and the Yamagata Castle were a force to be reckoned with, but they were far more powerful than the rest of Mogami.

Since they were practically just the one person and her castle, any attack would be met with their full force in response. That was not something Date was prepared for.

So they had a lot of small skirmishes instead.

Date had hesitant, localized forces and Mogami had all their strength in one place.

When attacked, Mogami would withdraw and fight back as much as they could while defending themselves. When attacking, they would never push too far.

Yoshiaki was a fox.

Whenever Masamune or someone else attacked Mogami, it felt like being lured somewhere.

Fortunately, Yoshiaki liked children, which meant she was kind to Masamune and the others. Whenever she fought back against an attack, she made sure they would all be unharmed once the battle was over. She wasn’t trying to mock them, but it was irritating how it felt like she was toying with them.

Come to think of it, Narumi was younger than Yoshiaki just like Masamune.

…So why isn’t she kind to me too?

She knew it was her own fault for not letting Yoshiaki be kind to her, but that just made it more irritating.

Anyway, the children of both clans got along well – especially Masamune’s younger brother Kojirou and Yoshiaki’s daughter Komahime. Politically, that gave them a stable relationship with Mogami. And personally…

…Yes.

There was something unstable about Masamune, which was worrying for Date as a whole since she was their foundation.

Date could seem trapped given its location, but if the two clans came together, it would greatly reduce the threat from the west. So…

“Testament,” replied Narumi after some thought.

So was Yoshiaki really calling about Kojirou and Komahime?

To probe further, Narumi tried a somewhat provocative statement.

“Everyone thinks our two clans could benefit from a furthering of that relationship soon.”

●

When Narumi mentioned the “furthering of that relationship”, she heard a quiet “eh!?” from someone outside the frame.

“Oh, really?” Yoshiaki looked outside the frame and reached a hand out toward the screen.

“No, wait, mom! Don’t aim the camera at me! I’ll die! I’ll really die!”

“Why are you young girls so self-conscious? Being half-dressed is perfect for this. Way to go, daughter.”

“I’ve seen Komahime naked a few times at the sauna or bath during her visits, so it really doesn’t matter,” said Narumi.

“A drunk young fox is something else entirely,” insisted Yoshiaki.

“I don’t think Kojirou-sama is old enough for that yet.”

“Must you be so strict? You act like you’re his big sister.”

“I’m well aware of that, so pointing it out doesn’t bother me.”

Does that mean this isn’t about Kojirou-sama and Komahime? Narumi wondered.

If so, what was it about?

Date was currently busy with their reforms. Plus, it was still winter. So if Mogami had business with them…

…They must have received some kind of information.

Date was on the Pacific Ocean side of the Far East and Mogami was on the Arctic Ocean side. They both had a lot of harmonic regions remaining, which were all frigid lands. But even the areas outside the harmonic regions had a lot of snow, so…

…The sea routes.

Mogami was trapped in winter, but some small trade routes traveling across the Arctic Ocean remained active there.

They either came from or through Sviet Rus, continuing west of Russia.

“The sea routes developed by the Hanseatic League reach Tres España and even the New World, don’t they?”

“Do you really think they can reach us in the winter?” asked Yoshiaki.

“Your information network isn’t buried in snow, is it?”

The Shinto-based divine transmission infrastructure would reach from Europe to Mogami as long as Sviet Rus didn’t stop it. But…

“Date can’t reach Europe using the Arctic Ocean,” said Narumi. “And Europe is too far away using the Pacific. So we are naturally distanced from Europe.”

The same was true of the divine transmissions.

Even if they had access to the communication network, they needed connections with the people on the other side. The frigid lands of Sibir and Date were just too far away from Europe.

“But isn’t it about time you establish some connections with a major western nation?” said the fox.

Date was in a period of reform. And if they were going to start something new, it had to start on the new school year.

…She’s right.

It would be best to deal with Tres España.

The fox knew that. She had hinted at it by mentioning a connection between Masamune and a major western nation.

But, thought Narumi. Yoshiaki has involved herself in the topic, but would the leader of Mogami – Urban Name: Fox of Ushuu – really make a divine transmission just to hint at that?

…She wouldn’t.

The members of the Girls God of War Unit were rushing to the hangar bay when they stepped on the idiot lying collapsed on the floor.

“Kyahhhhhh! Katakura!”

“Noooo, why is Katakura here!?”

“Ah! You’re right! He’s all muddy, but that’s Katakura!”

He was a well-known guy, but not in a good way. And Narumi’s attention was elsewhere.

…Odd.

Something bothered her about Yoshiaki’s call.

She tried figuring out why.

She meant no insult to Komahime, but Yoshiaki hadn’t called about a meetup between the clans. Because Yoshiaki had redirected the conversation away from that when Narumi brought it up.

That suggested Yoshiaki had called to learn about Date’s relationship with Tres España.

But why was she interested in that?

A relationship between the two nations was a known fact from the Testament.

The relationship would affect Mogami, of course.

But what about that made the fox make this call?

“Understood,” Narumi said to Yoshiaki. “I will tell Masamune to speed up our interactions with Tres España.”

○

Bell: “Eh? Eh? I…I don’t…get it.”

Horizey: “It is simple, Suzu-sama. Narumi-sama went crazy.”

Unturning: “I suspect I have from time to time ever since I moved to Musashi.”

Gold Mar: “Horizon’s pretty impressive for taking a verbal kill shot against Narumin like that.”

Tonbokiri: “Gin-dono? Will you be alright? Horizon-sama is fair and impartial, so she would take a ‘verbal kill shot’ against you as well.”

Tachibana Wife: “Why must you drag me into these things, Honda Futayo!?”

Flat Vassal: “So can you explain what that was about, Date Vice Chancellor?”

Vice President: “Balfette, didn’t you go to Mogami during the three nations negotiations?”

Flat Vassal: “Th-that doesn’t mean I know what happened there more than a year ago!”

Unturning: “Yoshiaki was telling us to set things up in advance.”

Flat Vassal: “I-I’m going to need more than that!”

Silver Wolf: “Simply put, Mogami Yoshiaki feared something might come between Tres España and the Far East in the near future. And if that happened, the Testament Union might take action and introduce a lot of friction into the interactions between the Far East and Tres España. So she was telling Date to establish relations with Tres España and give themselves a communications route before that happened.”

Unturning: “Right. By checking on our relations with Tres España, who helps establish our connection to Europe, she was telling us to take a second look at all of that. And since there were no problems with the relations between Date and Mogami, she wasn’t telling us to cut off our relations with Tres España. She was in fact telling us to expand them because Mogami would also win if we profited from it.”

Flat Vassal: “So? Ummm? Tres España was causing trouble in Mikawa at the time, but are you saying that trouble was big enough to involve Mogami and Date?”

Vice President: “Hm. I was in the middle of it all, but I’m only now learning just how big an issue it was.”

Horizey: “Now, let’s check in with our reporter in Mikawa while Masazumi-sama was away.”

●

“Yes, I am reporting from the crime scene in Mikawa.”

“Tomo! Tomo! Why are you speaking into empty air!?”

Asama and the Extra Special Duty Officer were performing some kind of skit, but Adele had come to Mikawa to work.

Her main job was…

“Oh, Tenzou-san. Here are the messages you asked for.”

Tenzou had been undercover in Mikawa since yesterday, so he needed someone to bring him all the latest information from the Musashi. The 1st Special Duty Unit he belonged to was preparing for its new structure in the new school year, so they were focused on the state of Mikawa since a good performance there would give them a good start to the year.

…If they can accomplish something here, it will mean a lot internally and externally.

Adele spoke to the wall at the entrance of the teahouse designated as their meetup point.

“Umm, do I just connect to the hidden setting you arranged for me? Will that work?”

“Yes, that will be fine. It will automatically connect.”

Tenzou emerged from the wall below the eaves of the teahouse. He had only been hiding in the shadow made by the wall, but the optical illusion was impressive. Especially when it was entirely pointless in this case. Shouldn’t he be focusing on more than just looking cool?

○

Flat Vassal: “Oh, sorry. That wasn’t a very nice thing to say about the 1st Special Duty Officer.”

Silver Wolf: “Hm? Where did Mary go?”

Horizey: “She and my arms walked outside with the soup pot earlier.”

Vice President: “So the usual from her. …Anyway, what happened in Mikawa?”

Asama: “We ran into even more trouble.”

●

Naito and the others listened to Tenzou explain the current situation. But…

“And so Honda Masazumi-dono boarded the Musashi not long ago.”

“Eh?”

Asama and Mitotsudaira exchanged a glance.

“Wait a moment.” Asama quickly opened a sign frame and checked a few links. “Huhhh? But she was here not long ago.”

“Where is she now?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Let’s see, on Musashino I think. Honda Masanobu-san’s house is there. …I can’t see any more without using my admin privileges.”

“Hm.” Tenzou crossed his arms and nodded. “You could send her a divine transmission asking to meet with her.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

Asama began to arrange that. Meanwhile, Naito joined Adele and Mitotsudaira.

“They’ve gotten the place pretty well cleaned up.”

In front of them, the site of the fire was roped off with an Atsuta sword-type shimenawa barrier. The barrier apparently hadn’t been there the day before, but…

“Did Asama-chi showing up yesterday get them worried about another shrine’s involvement?”

“We do have permission to enter, don’t we?” asked Adele.

Mitotsudaira answered while passing through the barrier.

“We have permission to investigate, but I get the feeling we can’t get careless. Because…”

As soon as she passed through, small lightning bolts crackled all around her. The dry bursting sounds were on a small scale, but…

“Atsuta is probably managing the area as the local god’s superior,” explained Mitotsudaira. “They are monitoring everything that happens here. They’re checking on us to make sure we don’t disturb the land.”

“Is Mikawa our enemy?” asked Naito.

Adele immediately took a concerned look around.

But there was no point in saying things like that at this point.

…It’s like they’re obstructing the investigation, or like they’re telling us not to dig too deep.

But they were still allowing Musashi to investigate, which suggested they either wanted to pretend they had tried or they were hoping Musashi would actually end up digging deeper and then make their own decision based on whatever they ended up finding. Which was it? Asama seemed to think it was the latter, but based on how the Mikawa representative had reacted…

…Yeah.

Naito chose to trust her classmate’s judgment. They had been chosen for this mission because they could handle whatever might happen.

And…

“Margot, Adele, can you come over here?”

They followed after Mitotsudaira who was still crackling with electricity.

…Ohh.

Naito crackled too. She was also nonhuman. She wasn’t a spirit-type like Mitotsudaira was, but the barrier must have sensed she was different. The lightning scattered from her like jumping candy, but it didn’t cause pain the way static electricity did. It simply flashed and disappeared. But…

“Margot, your transmissions aren’t coming through clear,” said Naruze over a staticky connection.

This is going to be a pain, thought Naito as they arrived at the back of the fire site.

The ground was burnt and parched. The foundation allowed her to imagine the original layout of the rooms.

…The heat of the fire caused a lot to rise to the surface.

Mitotsudaira turned around at a point at the center of the back room.

“This is where the two victims were killed.”

It was time for round two of the investigation.

Chapter 10: AHHHHHHHHHHH! and Graveyard

How should I react

When the chapter title and image are a complete mismatch?

Point Allocation (Look Away)

●

Adele looked around next to Naito, who was crouching low to the ground.

Adele had her own investigative abilities as a vassal. The knights who vassals served were often given territory to rule. When there was trouble on a knight’s land, their vassals would be sent out to solve the minor cases or perform a preliminary investigation. So Naito was investigating the crime scene while Adele…

“Tenzou-san, what did your investigation of the fire’s spread turn up?”

Vassals excelled at constructing encampments. So to recreate the crime scene, she took the diagram Asama had made and loaded it into an architecture design program she had borrowed from the Vassal League.

…Oh, it read that in without complaining.

The inn had a fairly solid design. She only bothered to convert the units from feet to shaku and tsubo. But she guessed the sign frame only managed to draw the architecture perspective drawing so smoothly because she was using the hidden setting.

“What do you plan on doing once you have a virtual reproduction of the inn?” asked Tenzou.

“Judge. European architecture design programs include castle attack analysis subroutines. So…”

She selected “fire” from the “castle attack options” menu. For “source” and “scope”, she set “oil” and “4 half barrels” respectively. For the locations of the fire source, she checked the sign frame Tenzou opened for her. And then…

“Begin.”

A structure based on the perspective drawing was built on the sign frame. It was a 3D version of the diagram. Based on what she had seen here, the outer walls had been plaster, so she had them set that way in the program too. But…

“Oh, it’s on fire,” said Mitotsudaira.

“Because I’m using the fire attack system. It’s only a simulation, but it should let us see how the fire-”

Before Adele could finish explaining, two people on fire burst from the two-story inn’s entrance shouting “AHHHHHHHHHHH!”.

Before Adele could even say “huh?”, the words <YOU FAILED> floated up onto the screen.

Apparently she had failed in some way. Or rather…

“Did you fail to defend the inn?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Hmm, I didn’t expect the people inside to run out.”

“Well, the entrance is open.”

“Then let’s close that.”

She locked the door and started the fire again. A few seconds later, there was a loud pounding on the front door and…

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

“That didn’t seem quite right either.”

“Can you tell the two inside to stick to their posts?” suggested Mitotsudaira.

“Oh, to not move from their position? Maybe this will do it.”

She started the fire. A few seconds later, two people on fire ran out of the front entrance.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

“W-wait, they didn’t stick to their posts at all.”

“Apparently they won’t listen when they’re actively on fire.”

“What if you lock the door in that state?”

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

“I feel guilty making them die over and over from my mistakes,” said Adele.

“Good thing it’s only a game,” said Mitotsudaira.

“I feel like you two are enjoying this a little too much,” chimed in Naito.

Adele couldn’t help but agree. But…

“Based on this, we should assume they were killed before the fire started. Because the killer wouldn’t want them going ‘AHHHHHHHHHHH!’.”

“No, we know that isn’t what happened.” Mitotsudaira gestured toward the ground in front of crouching Naito. “Based on how the blood soaked into the ground and dried, we can tell the fire started before they were killed. The hot ground heated the blood to a boil early on in the process.”

“Which would suggest the killer started the fire, killed them, and then left.”

“About that,” said Tenzou. “I think Adele-dono may be right.”

He showed them an image. It was a monochrome photo, but it showed…

“Is that the front door?”

“Judge. I took a peek at what they had cleared away. It had mostly burned away, but part of it survived thanks to the arrangement of bottles in the entranceway.”

The monochrome image showed the bottom edge of the sliding door.

“It has something like a tan line. And in a completely straight line.”

“Part of it was covered by the other half of the door, preventing it from burning. In other words, the door was partially open at the time.”

In that case, thought Adele, sliding the door partway open and starting the fire.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

“Yeah, that’s what I expected to happen.”

“Did you really have to test that one?” asked Mitotsudaira.

But they knew more about the situation now.

“The killer started the fire before killing them. And he ran away in a hurry.”

“Could that killer be the one who attacked Honda Masazumi-dono?” asked Tenzou.

Adele thought that was probably the case. And that attacker had to still be around. If so, they only had to catch that person. But…

“Oh, quick time out.”

Naito opened a Magie Figur on the ground and asked a question.

“Do we know the state of the two bodies, Mito-tsan?”

●

Mitotsudaira tilted her head.

Mikawa had gone ahead and done that examination.

“I was told the bodies were found here.”

“In what positions? And what were their exact locations?”

The rapid questions led Mitotsudaira to realize Mikawa’s report had been truthful but not very informative. And she could make some educated guesses based on what her nose told her about the blood pools.

“We can assume there was wood flooring here, correct?”

“Oh, and I can simulate that to an extent.”

Adele displayed a 3D version of the back room on her architecture design program. Since this had been an inn, it would have had tatami mats. As for the floor below the mats…

“There would have been some gaps for ventilation, so the blood would have fallen through there.”

Mitotsudaira pointed out the places with the strongest blood scent and Adele measured them out and looked to the foundation.

“Okay. It looks like there were approximately 30cm-wide boards with small gaps between them.”

“How big is a Tatami mat again? 90x180cm?” asked Naito.

“This is Mikawa, so they would use the chukyoma size, which is 91x182cm,” replied Mitotsudaira.

“In that case.” Naito made three 30x182cm Magie Figurs and lined them up side by side. “Three of them horizontally arranged over 91cm with gaps. Set the gaps to half size and add indents on both sides.”

The Magie Figurs’ indent setting lined the three of them up nicely. And then…

“Ga-chan, can you draw wood grain?”

“Eh…es. How…this?”

There was some noise in the signal, but they received the image. Wood grain appeared on Naito’s Magie Figurs.

“I think the floor panels must have looked something like this.”

“You’re kind of a perfectionist, aren’t you?” said Mitotsudaira.

“I do profess a profuse preference for perfection.”

○

Horizey: “I know this is sudden, but did sentence really need to be a tongue twister?”

Wise Sister: “I do profess a profuse preference for perfection. Okay, Asama, say it two times fast!”

Asama: “I do profess a profuse preference for perfection. I do profess a profuse preference for perfection.”

Wise Sister: “Why can’t you be more fun?”

Asama: “Wh-what’s that supposed to mean!? What did you expect me to do!?”

Scarred: “We’re back from giving Master Tenzou and the other boys their soup.”

Wise Sister: “Mary, you say it two times fast! I do profess a profuse preference for perfection!”

Scarred: “I do profess a profuse professerence…for…prefection?”

Wise Sister: “There! That’s what I wanted! You need the confidence to look silly from time to time! But it has to seem natural, or you just come off as tiresome! Now you, Adele!”

Flat Vassal: “Eh!? Um, I-I profess…profess…”

Horizey: “Adele-sama, I can tell you tried, so have some candy.”

Flat Vassal: “I’m not done! I only just started! Anyway, what were you doing at the time, Vice President? At your Musashino house.”

Vice President: “Eh? Oh, I had moved to the Okutama graveyard by then. My mother’s grave wasn’t there yet, but well, it was related to all this, I guess.”

●

Masazumi had walked to Okutama’s bow.

There was a graveyard there.

Since Musashi was Shinto, she had expected a Shinto-style cemetery with only family graves, but thanks to the syncretism between Shinto and Buddhism, this one with graves for individuals was allowed. She found Shinto to be awfully lax about these things, but…

“Is having your own grave on the limited space of the Musashi a sort of status symbol?”

At any rate, she climbed the stairs toward the graveyard.

The artificial hill was built up higher than the surrounding city. From the bow, you took the stairs up to the top of the hill. The stone stairs were quite steep and they had a drainage ditch running alongside them, which just showed how limited land was on the Musashi.

Masazumi could tell climbing these stairs would be a challenge on a hot day as she reached the top and found a bell tower.

A bell and a small shrine were built between white pillars. She knew it was a formality, but she was surprised they had built something like that given the limited space.

She walked to the location her father had told her about and there it was.

“This must be the place.”

The spot was near the shade of a tree and had a good view.

The plot was no more than the dirt ground with no gravestone. She didn’t want to bury her mother’s belongings with the plot like this, so she crouched down and touched the leaf-littered ground.

The soil was damp but artificial. It felt somehow light and chilly.

Is this where my mother is going to sleep? she wondered with a sigh.

“Honda-sama.”

Just then, a familiar voice spoke to her from behind. It was the bodyguard. The girl named Protasius.

She apparently really had followed Masazumi all this way. Masazumi nodded in appreciation but didn’t look away from the dirt.

“Did my father tell you? My mother is going to be buried here.”

“Judge. It is a nice place.”

“No, it isn’t,” Masazumi replied without thinking.

●

“It isn’t.”

After saying it once, she wasn’t going to change her view. It really wasn’t. Because…

“Her final resting place can’t be somewhere so cold.”

“Honda-sama.” Protasius’s voice was firm. “What kind of person was your mother?”

“She was…”

The memories just about brought tears to her eyes.

“She was a kind person. Even when times were tough, she kept going without complaint and always put me first.”

Masazumi hated that she could only come up with cliché things to say. She had read how many books and she still couldn’t come up with the words to describe someone so important to her?

○

Art-Ga: “You might not like what you came up with, but there are people out there who are way worse. I really don’t think you need to worry too much.”

Unturning: “Do you mean the Secretary?”

Flat Vassal: “Date Vice Chancellor! You can’t just name him directly!”

Asama: “I do think it’s just like Masazumi to link how many books she’s read to how well she can talk about someone important to her.”

Horizey: “Gah!”

Silver Wolf: “Horizon! Horizon! Who were you trying to talk about!?”

●

Masazumi had spoken about her mother. And…

“What do you think?”

“About what?” asked Protasius.

“What should you do when someone isn’t rewarded after death for the life they lived?”

“Honda-sama,” said Protasius. “What did you think about your mother’s circumstances while you lived in Mikawa?”

“Well…”

She thought her mother had lived a fulfilling life using what little they had. So…

“I think she was happy.”

“In that case,” said Protasius. “She now has that happiness for all eternity here. Nothing can take it from her anymore.”

Protasius bowed.

“I do not think most people are so fortunate. And…”

And…

“I think her happiness comes from having you with her.”

●

At the time, I honestly didn’t really understand what she meant.

It wasn’t that I had to understand it, but there was a part of it I simply couldn’t understand, which made me want to understand it.

So I asked about that part.

“What does my past self have to do with my mother’s current circumstances?”

“You were a part of the path that led to the eternity she has now.”

“She was killed by a mysterious phenomenon.”

Protasius wouldn’t know that. But she kept her head bowed and responded.

“It is not about how she died. Because that was simply the fate given to her by god.”

I see, thought Masazumi. She knew what to say to Protasius now.

“My mother wasn’t Catholic.”

In Catholicism, everything is a blessing from god. All things were created by the hand of god and both life and death are managed by god’s schedule. So in Catholicism, all death other than suicide is seen as the fate prepared for that person by god.

Or to put it another way, suicide was strictly forbidden because it was seen as defying god’s will.

…That part really doesn’t mesh well with the Far East.

But Protasius had a response.

“This is how I see it because I am Catholic. But…”

But…

“Your interpretation is for you to consider.”

“You mean…?” Masazumi tensed somewhat. “You want me to replace the Catholic way of thinking with the Shinto or Buddhist way and look at the issue again?”

“Judge,” continued Protasius, still bowing. “It is often said that Shinto is lax and can accept anything. Since you are Far Eastern and not Catholic, no one can criticize the interpretation you reach.”

“This feels like I’m being told to study.”

Protasius smiled a little at that. Or she seemed to.

But then she kneeled, and…

“If I may be so presumptuous, I would ask you to keep in mind that all things have multiple solutions. However, some of those solutions are not an option due to some reason or another.”

“And what do you do then?”

We feel like a teacher and her student, thought Masazumi as she asked.

“There are two ways,” said Protasius. “The first is to become someone who does not care about the reason restricting them. You free yourself. You become someone who can choose any solution.”

“Wouldn’t that make you an outlaw?”

“Most people are stopped before they reach that point. Because everyone is born that way.”

And…

“The other way…”

Masazumi thought she knew what Protasius was going to say.

If the first way was about freedom, then the other one would be about limitations.

And how did you find freedom within limitations?

She gave her answer to Protasius.

“You become someone who resists?”

Protasius looked up with surprise on her face, which told Masazumi she was right. She was kind of happy about that. But then Protasius gasped and lowered her head again.

“That is a difficult path to take.”

“What choice do I have? I doubt the path of an idiot outlaw is an option anymore.

“I understand now,” said Masazumi. She stood up from the future location of her mother’s grave and looked up at the tree branches creating the shade. “There must be plenty of proof left in this world that my mother is happy. So maybe she is happy and I just don’t know how to understand it or properly interpret it.”

“I am sure she would be happy for you to see it that way.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“What did she say when you left in the mornings during middle school?”

That was an easy one.

“ ‘Have a good day’.”

Oh, so that’s it. Protasius’s point was a common one.

“No parent is going to cling to their child and tell them not to go, huh?”

“I hope you can understand the meaning behind those words.”

“Judge. Thank you.”

“No, thank you.”

For what? wondered Masazumi, looking down.

But the bodyguard was no longer there.

Had she left? No, she was probably hiding. Masazumi thought she sensed movement in the wind blowing through the trees. Protasius was probably over there.

“Now, then.”

Masazumi had seen what she came to see.

…And I was given some important food for thought.

There were ways of doing things in this world she couldn’t understand.

And there were things which could only be understood by doing things that way.

What would she do if she encountered something like that?

“I should get going.”

She knew that was a question she had no answer for. So right now, she needed to…

“The to-may-toes! Don’t forget the to-may-toes, Masazumi!”

She could have sworn the tomatoes she was carrying on her back talked, but she ignored that and started for the Blue Thunder.

But before she got far, a divine transmission arrived at her sign frame.

“From the Asama Shrine Representative?”

●

Asama responded to the others’ opinions by attempting to establish a divine transmission link with Masazumi.

Masazumi had an information sign frame. Those were generally meant for tourists, so it was only made to receive information and to provide access to Musashi’s sightseeing locations, medical facilities, and administrative services.

But since the Asama Shrine provided the divine transmission infrastructure, she could bypass that system.

Asama started by installing a standard divine transmission program on Masazumi’s sign frame. She planned to start that program and establish two-way communication, but…

…Oh, this doesn’t really need to be two-way, so I could have just sent her a divine mail.

Except Masazumi’s sign frame being for tourists presented a problem there too.

Tourist sign frames were constantly receiving ads to draw the tourist’s interest toward different Musashi locations. So installing a new program would of course have to go through the ad system.

The only way to avoid that would be if Masazumi paid the small fee for the ad-free version, but…

●

“What is with this sign frame? It’s started playing an ad where they’re plucking a white heron to make a luxury down blanket. …Wait, what? I have to pay to skip the ad? I can’t afford that!”

●

Wow, thought Asama.

Masazumi’s sign frame was so cheap it couldn’t install a second program in the middle of installing a first one.

That meant Masazumi was going to spend a while watching ads for Shinto down blankets, Far Eastern printing presses, Hinokagutsuchi mudstone face packs, and things like that.

…How long do those last if you don’t pay?

Asama gulped as she tried to remember, but she decided to look at her classmates to distract herself. And…

“What if you lock the door with those settings?”

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

…Good! They’re still messing around! I still have time!

○

Silver Wolf: “We were not ‘messing around’! We were running serious simulations!”

Flat Vassal: “That’s right! It did scream ‘AHHHHHHHHHHH!’ a lot, but those were serious simulations!”

Gold Mar: “Wait, I thought you were testing to see if you could make the program glitch.”

Horizey: “Oh, no! That’s two votes for serious simulations and two votes for messing around! But I am willing to compromise and call this one a draw!”

Vice President: “The ads on that thing really did go on forever if you didn’t pay…”

Asama: “Hm… Then let’s try a little harder there.”

●

Asama honestly wasn’t sure what to do.

Stopping the ads playing on Masazumi’s sign frame required elevated privileges. But…

…I didn’t make those ads. Dad did.

That meant her own privileges couldn’t stop the ads. So she sent a divine transmission to her father.

“Hi, dad? I want you to stop the ads playing on a certain sign frame. Can you do that?”

“Eh? Which one? The rice cooker one from before?”

“That was a Kagutsuchi one, so even I can stop it. I mean the ad set that starts with the down blanket.”

“Oh, that one. No can do, Tomo! That one was put in place personally by Sakuya! Not even your old man can stop the down blanket ad set!”

<Taking a nap. By, god.>

Whelp, thought Asama. She couldn’t contact Masazumi for a while. But when she looked to her classmates…

“Then let’s try shutting the door.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

Good, they’re still messing around.

○

Silver Wolf: “Again, we were not messing around!”

Asama: “Fine. I’ll add a correction.”

●

*Correction by Asama.

“Then let’s try shutting the door.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

Good, they’re still burning those people to death.

○

Tachibana Wife: “That’s technically correct, but I feel like it’s still wrong.”

Vice President: “Couldn’t you have at least removed the ‘good’ from the start?”

Flat Vassal: “Hey, um, I keep trying to add a correction, but it won’t let me.”

<The same section can only be corrected once per day. Because it makes things more exciting. By, god>

Flat Vassal: “That’s not what a god of childbirth should be saying! And aren’t gods supposed to be more generous than this!?”

Asama: “Oh, I wouldn’t say that if I were you, Adele. You’ll get yourself divine punished.”

Smoking Girl: “By the way, Adele, didn’t you complain that sim froze if you made more than 256 people scream at once?”

Flat Vassal: “Hey, don’t give me that look! I wasn’t doing it to relieve stress, I swear!”

Tachibana Wife: “Anyway, what ended up happening at the Mikawa crime scene?”

Gold Mar: “Okay, back to the mystery solving team!”

Chapter 11: Sniffing and Deduction

Deduction is

A theory based on speculation

It’s really no more than that

Point Allocation (Hypothesized Truth)

●

Naito placed the Magie Figur “boards” on the ground along the lines where Mitotsudaira smelled blood the strongest.

“The indents suggest the boards should be spaced about 3mm apart, I think,” she said.

“You can see a lot of the ground below them,” noted Mitotsudaira.

“With gaps this size, would the tension cause the blood to gather on the underside of the boards before dripping down?”

Naito indicated what she meant with a gesture and Mitotsudaira’s eyebrows rose. Then she nodded.

“You know a lot about this.”

“Yes, but remember this is only based on my imagination. These boards were originally used to support the tatami mats, but each mat can bend a fair bit. So they would curve like this with the weight of someone on top of them.”

Naito spread her right hand out horizontally and created a downwards indentation. Then she used her left hand to represent blood dripping down from the bottom.

“So the boards would bend, the blood would gather there, and then it would fall. I’m guessing the victims ended up collapsed on this board and this one, with one board in between them.”

“You mean their bodies weren’t on that center board?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“I can’t say for sure yet.”

But there was one thing she thought she knew.

“Mito-tsan, Let’s say they died on these outer boards. Now, let’s look at the ground even further out than those outer boards. Where do you smell blood the strongest?”

“Let’s see.” The wolf’s nose twitched as she moved around the Magie Figur “boards.”

But eventually…

“Huh?”

She made another circuit around them before turning to Naito.

“Margot, can I step on these Magie Figurs?”

“Go for it.”

The wolf got down on all fours and sniffed around. Just like a dog. No, wait. That’s To-chan’s joke. But she really lifts her butt when she goes into sniffing mode. If she does that around To-chan, he’ll definitely touch her butt. Touch it a whole lot.

…Especially when she wiggles it like that.

○

Silver Wolf: “T-time out! This is slander against my king!”

Horizey: “In that case, Mitotsudaira-sama, go into sniffing mode with your butt directed our way.”

Silver Wolf: “Eh? Y-you mean like this?”

Girls: “…He’d definitely touch it.”

Still Got It: “That’s it, Nate! More of that!”

Silver Wolf: “Can we please move on!?”

●

Mitotsudaira noticed something for the first time after seeing the virtual boards.

…The boards parted the blood to the sides.

She had known the blood spilled from the boards, but she hadn’t had a clear width in mind. But Adele and Margot had given her that now.

“The scent is strongest on either side of this central board. And it gets weaker at the ends of the left and right boards. I could tell the victims were a man and a woman yesterday because, while the blood was mixed in the center, it was clearly separated on the sides. But…”

“The fire was set in advance and while it burned, the blood dripped down and gathered on the underside of the boards,” said Margot. “The blood that fell into the central gaps mixed together, but the blood that fell on the outer gaps was burned and solidified separately, right?”

“The boards were taken away, so they must have been burned badly enough to break away.”

“I did not see them in my check,” said Tenzou.

Did that mean the remnants of the dried blood pools were the best circumstantial evidence they had?

But something else bothered Mitotsudaira.

“This is odd. I’m not sure why, but this doesn’t feel right.”

“What about it?”

“The distribution of the blood.”

Margot stood on the right board.

“I’ll be on this side,” she said.

“Then I will be on this side,” said Mitotsudaira.

Mitotsudaira stood on the left board. They both faced the entrance and Adele stood on the central board, facing them.

“We’re assuming the killer was in front of them like this, right?”

“Right,” said Margot, holding her right thumb to her neck and pulling it to the side.

She mimed slitting her throat.

“And then I’m killed like this. Mito-tsan too.”

“Judge,” agreed Adele. Then Margot crouched down.

“Then the blood gushes from our necks.”

“Gushes?”

“Oh, my gush! Look at it gushing gusher!”

Let’s just say that was a divine transmission from Kimi.

“Oh, sorry, Mito! There’s too much noise for a divine transmission to reach us from Musashi!”

“Oh, really? Then let’s say a Mikawa mysterious phenomenon made me imagine it.”

Mysterious phenomena sure are convenient.

Anyway, Mitotsudaira and Margot sat down and imagined their necks were badly bleeding.

“Most of the blood would gather on the board in front of us. Right, Adele?”

“Judge, that’s right.”

“Then,” said Mitotsudaira, looking to Margot.

The Schwarz Hexen nodded with eyebrows raised, so Mitotsudaira nodded back and spoke.

“Why did a different amount of blood fall on the right and left of the boards?”

●

Adele didn’t know what Mitotsudaira meant at first.

“Eh? The amount of blood on the sides is different?”

What that meant was the biggest question here. But…

…Umm.

Adele thought back on the performance those two had done.

They had faced her, sat down, had their throats slit, and let the blood fall to the boards below, but…

“There’s a different amount of blood on either side of where they were sitting?”

“Judge. Based on the strength of the blood scent below, there wasn’t as much on the outer sides and there was more on the inner sides.”

What did that mean? Adele tried to imagine it.

“U-um. When they had their throats slit, was it done on the side of their throat corresponding to the inner side of their board?”

“If so, the killer either switched which hand they held the blade in between killings, or killed one with a forehand slash and the other with a backhand slash. Or there were two killers with different dominant hands and each one killed one of the victims.”

“Hmm.”

Was one of those the answer? Were those plausible? But while Adele thought about it…

“Why would they need to do it that way? They could have just slashed both victims the same way.”

Doubt filled her mind and the wolf provided more information while sniffing her nose.

“The arteries and veins are in different locations, so the blood will spray in a specific direction immediately after the cut. But unless they turned their hand around between cuts, the blood should have flowed in the same direction. Also…”

Naito continued for Mitotsudaira. While pressing down on her head with her right hand.

“Hostages will resist and the head needs to be supported when it’s cut, so the killer probably held the victims’ heads with their other hand.”

If so, thought Adele. “They wouldn’t have moved the weapon to their other hand.”

“Hm. So would that mean there were two killers with different dominant hands?” asked Tenzou. “When Honda Masazumi-dono was attacked last night, it looked to me like there were multiple attackers.”

“In that case, some of them could have been setting the fire while two of them killed the victims and then they all escaped.”

“Hmm,” groaned the Extra Special Duty Officer while Naito placed her left hand on her throat and pulled it left, to the inner side between the two of them.

“Oh.”

Adele realized something that let her reject one of their theories.

“That isn’t possible. Two killers couldn’t have killed the victims at the same time.”

That was impossible. Because…

“If both wounds were on the inner side, then from my perspective, the slash to Naito-san’s neck would have to go right and the slash to the Extra Special Duty Officer’s neck would have to go left. And if they did that…”

“Their arms would collide before they finished the slashes,” said the Extra Special Duty Officer.

She beat me to the punch!

○

Silver Wolf: “Adele? I still have some soup left? Do you want it?”

Flat Vassal: “N-no, I don’t need to be comforted for something that happened that long ago! And in a way, that was me working as a vassal to assist a knight, so it’s perfectly fine!”

●

Mitotsudaira heard Tenzou call out “wait”.

“Then what if a single killer killed one of them first and then, for some reason, moved the blade to their other hand and killed the other?”

“Do you know why they would have switched hands?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Maybe the blood spray got their hand wet and their grip slipped?”

“Were they holding it barehanded?” asked Margot.

Even the Far East’s standard gloves were made to have non-slip grips. Those grips were three-dimensional and would lock onto whatever you held, so they wouldn’t slip off just from getting wet. Plus…

“The blade would have a grip too,” said Mitotsudaira.

“Then why is there more blood on the inner sides?”

Margot tilted her head and stood up. Mitotsudaira did the same.

…How can we explain this?

Mitotsudaira thought about it.

This mystery weirdly bothered her. The blood should have spilled off equally, but it tended toward the center instead.

…Could there have been something heavy placed across the center board?

That would cause the center board to bend the most and the blood would flow toward the center. But a weight like that would have left a mark in the center of the blood pool once the boards burned away and it fell.

But Mitotsudaira’s nose and eyes detected no trace of that in the center of the blood pool.

There was evidence of something having fallen below the left and right boards, but she couldn’t tell what.

What could that have been?

She didn’t know. So she decided to speak her thoughts aloud. But Margot ended up saying the exact same thing at the same time.

“What a mys-”

They paused in surprise at their identical words, but then they smiled bitterly and turned to face each other.

“It really is a mystery, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. Maybe we’re wasting our time trying to figure this out.”

Just as the Schwarz Hexen said that while facing her, Mitotsudaira had a realization.

…Could it be?

The instant it came to her…

“Margot, stay right there.”

She immediately put her idea to action.

She reenacted the murder.

●

Adele saw the answer before her eyes.

It was a simple answer taking the distribution of blood into account.

The Extra Special Duty Officer held her hand out to Naito’s neck.

And she placed a hand on her own neck too.

Then she pulled the hands to the side.

“Then the blood spills like that,” said Adele when the answer came to her.

Everything was the same as before except for the direction those two were facing. Naito and the Extra Special Duty Officer were no longer sitting and facing ahead.

“So the victims were facing each other!” said Tenzou. “And that’s why the blood was mostly in between them!”

Now he beat me to the punch!

○

Scarred: “U-um, should I compliment Master Tenzou’s cleverness here?”

Gold Mar: “Wouldn’t you also be criticizing Adele for being slow?”

Art-Ga: “You’re as bad as Neshinbara, Adele.”

Flat Vassal: “Th-that’s the most painful insult yet!”

●

Naito found this unusual.

…Isn’t that weird? Why would they have been facing each other?

Mitotsudaira tilted her head, presumably considering the same question.

“Maybe the two of them had some information the killer wanted out of them, so the killer killed one in front of the other to scare it out of them.”

“But the inn was already on fire and didn’t the blood pools dry the same amount?”

“So the two were killed at the same time while facing each other?”

That was the only conclusion. But something wasn’t adding up.

…This is strange.

The situation was strange, but it shouldn’t seem strange if they had a proper understanding of the circumstances.

So while they had gone through a number of deductions…

“Are we making a fundamental misunderstanding here?” asked Naito.

“Judge. I think so too,” said Mitotsudaira. “We deduced what we could about the murders based on the circumstantial evidence, but the answer that gives us doesn’t seem right. But…”

But…

“If that answer is the truth, then one of our earlier assumptions must be wrong. We have failed to understand a fundamental fact about this case.”

“So what do we have right and what do we have wrong?” asked Adele.

Naito took a look around.

“This isn’t good…”

She felt like this case was headed in a dangerous direction.

But she said it anyway. Because that was what a Technohexen did.

“I can’t be sure, but…”

She took a breath and said it.

“I think they killed each other.”

●

Mitotsudaira turned toward Margot.

“Killed each other?”

“What do you think, Mito-tsan?”

“Well,” replied Mitotsudaira, taking another look around. “I think this was a double suicide.”

●

Mitotsudaira saw it as a double suicide, not a murder case.

…That answers a lot of our questions.

Why did they die after the fire had already spread to a dangerous extent?

Why was most of their blood spilled into the center area between them?

“After working up their resolve…they killed themselves while facing each other.”

The blood had spilled into the center at first. Then they had collapsed and the blood had spread out to the sides.

Of course the deaths had happened after the fire had spread. Because they had intended to die in the fire. But…

“Why did you think they killed each other, Margot?”

“Well…I think this is something you forgot because you’re so used to Far Eastern culture.”

“Eh?”

Mitotsudaira saw Adele look over at her in sudden realization.

“Um, Extra Special Duty Officer, when you hear about someone killing themselves, what do you picture in your head?”

“Eh? Well…”

She had provisionally inherited the name of Mito Matsudaira. So…

“The Far Eastern method would be seppuku?”

She said it as a question because she was technically a knight sent from Hexagone Française. But when she considered the Gallican ways of her homeland…

“Oh, suicide is forbidden by Catholicism, isn’t it?”

Recalling that was enough for her to realize the truth. At least as far as who these two had been.

“They were Europeans, weren’t they?”

She could guess they were Catholic. Most likely, from Tres España.

The wounds on their throats were proof enough of that.

They had not killed themselves via disembowelment. They had slit their throats.

But Catholicism didn’t allow suicide, so the answer was obvious.

Now she knew why Margot had said they killed each other and why she had said this wasn’t good. Simply put…

“They killed each other so they would only be guilty of murder.”

○

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. So why was that clever ninja so quiet through all this? Surely he had more detailed advice to give after stealing Adele’s line.”

Gold Mar: “Hm, I think he did say some things, but none it stuck in my memory, so he doesn’t get any lines. I think there was some Tenzou-ness in that last conversation, but I don’t feel like figuring out what it was. Sorry, Ma-yan.”

Scarred: “N-no, that earlier line was enough for me. I can ask Master Tenzou about the rest later!”

Unturning: “So it can be your shared secret?”

Art-Ga: “ ‘He’s at it again’…and posted.”

Asama: “Naruze, what thread do you keep posting in?”

●

“Um.” Naito raised her hand, knowing it probably wouldn’t do any good. “Just a reminder that there’s no shame in turning tail and running when things get dangerous.”

She looked ahead to their class’s wolf, but…

…Didn’t work.

Look at the way Mito-tsan’s eyebrows are raised. She’s super excited.

That’s not good. She’s definitely going to get involved in this. And then word will get around to To-chan somehow. Probably. Definitely.

…Sigh.

Yeah, there’s no doubt about that. Our class is going to solve this one.

Not the Chancellor’s Officers, not the Student Council, not the committees, not the government office, not Mikawa, and not anyone else.

Our class – Class Plum – is going to clean up this mess.

But she was worried about one thing.

“You get what this means, don’t you? This Catholic couple traveled to Mikawa through P.A. Oda to escape pursuit. Then they killed each other in a way that was bound to be noticed. And now Tres España is trying to cover it up and Mikawa isn’t sure what to do about it.”

“My! Then we need to help settle their regrets.”

She doesn’t get it at all.

Naito sighed, but she was more or less ready to do this. When she contacted Ga-chan later on for advice, she would probably already be on “that side”.

So she needed to come to terms with this. But something else also bothered her a little.

“Were the weapons they used not found?”

“I heard a single burned knife was collected from the scene,” said Mitotsudaira.

“Was the single weapon why they decided this was a murder case?”

“So if they did kill each other as a form of suicide, where did the other weapon go?”

“It could be around somewhere, but you can also slit someone’s throat with a spell.”

That made sense. After all…

“I bet the knife they found was a Tres España weapon. Their San Mercado is a major brand. Having the country of origin determined or suspected from the weapon would be a problem, so Mikawa will probably keep it hidden.”

“San Mercado?” asked Tenzou with a tilt of the head. He raised his right hand. “When Honda Masazumi-dono was attacked last night, she drew a San Mercado knife. What could that mean?”

“Probably just a coincidence,” said Mitotsudaira. “I mean, the one we know about was burned, so wouldn’t the other one be too?”

“Hard to say,” said Naito. “I say we hold off on determining if that knife is connected to all this or not.”

Naito could sense the danger of this case rising. It kept doubling over and over again. But…

…What is going on here?

She honestly had no clue. But they did have some facts.

“Asama-chi, can you contact that Honda Masazumi and-”

Before she could say more, a sign frame opened next to her face. One appeared by Asama’s hands too.

It said…

“Divine transmission restrictions? First the frozen requests and now this!?”

●

Mitotsudaira hurriedly opened a sign frame. But…

“Oh?”

A frame following her personal setup appeared, but some of it couldn’t access the data it needed.

Those areas instead displayed a black frame with the word “restricted” inside. A closer look showed an explanation.

“To prevent an illicit leek of datums regarding the recent merger case in Threekawa, Three España has been given divinity transmit authority for every one of Threekawa visiting peoples. -This text has been translated into Far Yeastern for your convenience.”

“Tomo…I think my sign frame’s translation program is busted,” said Mitotsudaira.

“No, this wasn’t us,” said Asama. “They must have translated it themselves before sending it over.”

“This part about a ‘merger’ case was supposed to say ‘murder’, wasn’t it? And that last part where it says ‘Far Yeastern’ is really pushing it. Like they were getting stuff wrong on purpose.”

Who was the “they” those two were talking about?

“This came from Tres España,” said Mitotsudaira.

“Correct,” said a voice.

She had sensed them coming. The scent of metal had been unmistakable. It came from…

“Tres España Inquisition Ship Captain Don Rodrigo.”

She turned around to see a vermilion uniform. The girl looked to about their age and she bowed before speaking.

“As our on-site representative, I have decided the importance of this case warrants some data restrictions. Any frequent external access and excessive inspection poses a threat.”

“Then…”

“Testament.” The girl nodded and raised her right hand. “I do apologize, but I have caught you red-handed. I must impose some data restrictions on you.”

She produced a cadena firma. It was…

…A Catholic data restriction spell!

Chapter 12: Swords and Sorcery

That is the pinnacle of examination

That sword can

Break even the stained lock

Point Allocation (History and Outcome)

○

Scarred: “What is a data restriction spell?”

Asama: “Well, it restricts divine transmissions, so you can think of it as a defense used for offense, I guess?”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. Simply put, it basically forcibly applies a god mosaic.”

Asama: “I was trying to avoid saying it that way! Why must you be like this!?”

Flat Vassal: “Um, the point is, it’s physical harmless. But it places all data interactions under inspection, so it was honestly a blow to Asama-san’s pride. She had a lot of her authority in Mikawa taken away, so she couldn’t use the Musashi’s power. It was kind of a pain.”

Unturning: “So the spell was meant to show who was the superior data administrator?”

Horizey: “In other words, it applied a mosaic to Asama-sama! So what should we say to support her? Uncensor her! We want Asama-sama uncensored! Oh, and Mitotsudaira-sama and Naito-sama too! Depending on how the censorship is applied, it might give Adele-sama some hope!”

Flat Vassal: “N-no, what matters is what’s behind the censorship!”

●

Mitotsudaira didn’t feel the need to take a fighting stance, but she didn’t let her guard down either.

…Now they’ll compete to see who’s better at controlling data.

Simply put, it was a battle over whether or not their sign frames would be usable.

Without their sign frames, they couldn’t contact anyone or receive additional divine protections.

A strong enough data restriction would be able to cancel the divine protections included in their hard point parts, but that would be treating them like criminals.

So no one would be making any noticeable actions, but they had to stay alert.

“––––––”

Rodrigo swung her right hand and light scattered in a cross shape. An image of a large tree appeared and seven trumpets played.

…Here it comes!

It came. Literally. A wall of sign frames slowly approached like advancing troops.

“You can see that visually, but it’s actually moving through the divine transmission network in the ley lines! Assume you won’t have control of your divine transmissions or anything else once it touches you!” warned Asama.

“Um, what can we do about it?” asked Naito.

“I am fortifying our defenses. Once that’s in place, I’ll put together a counterattack spell, so stay put and wait!”

“You mean our only defense exists in the data and the divine protections?”

First, Asama sent Mitotsudaira a defensive data spell. The emergency package had likely been prepared by the Asama Shrine for localized battles.

But at the same time, the enemy attack had more or less already reached them. Because…

…We’re inside Mikawa’s field.

The field surrounding the crime scene had been set up by Mikawa. And Mikawa was working with Tres España at the moment.

Being inside that field was the same as being in the effective range of the enemy’s spells.

So it was already too late to be figuring this out.

…Tomo!

We’re counting on you!

●

Asama made the right first move.

She responded to the enemy’s restriction attack by activating a data defense spell.

Generally, access to data could be defined in three ways: allow, disallow, or remove.

There were several ways of handling permission. Passwords were the most common, but you could also set up a wall or detour of dummy data or you could construct a multilayer barrier of different passwords.

Asama was constructing and expanding a barrier like that.

By fortifying their defenses like that, the restriction would lose its hook and she could hide what was meant to be prohibited.

Starting with defense and then shifting to a counterattack was the standard defensive tactic.

So Asama first closed down the divine transmissions for her, Mitotsudaira, Adele, and Naito.

The enemy spell was rapidly approaching.

Tres España had worked with Mikawa to set up this field, so she had to focus on defense instead of trying to fight the speed of approach.

In an instant, the four of them were surrounded by the 8 glowing walls the enemy had produced. But…

…Activate!

Asama added a password barrier to the interior of the barriers.

For the password, she created a wafer shape of Shinto prayer divine protections. The primary effects were reverse-speedreading and careful enunciation. That would forcibly slow down anyone trying to crack the password. But…

…Eh!?

The initial barrier was already breached.

That seemed fast, but this was a name inheritor. And an inquisitor. It was best to assume she was decently skilled at her specialty, just like Asama was.

So Asama added another barrier. Then she adjusted the position of the password and added another.

But they were destroyed too.

“––––––?”

That seemed too fast, but then Asama saw something.

The enemy’s spell sign frame displayed a drawing of a sword.

…Is that…?

It was a password barrier destruction spell. It was known as the Sword of Confession and the Catholics only allowed inquisitors to use it.

After Asama confirmed that all eight sign frames were the same, another of her barriers shattered.

She still had two barriers left. The enemy swords were approaching, slowly but surely.

●

…This isn’t right!

Asama had set up a barrier as a shield within the spells surrounding them. But it was easily shattered by the sword spell.

Mitotsudaira looked to the spell to see how it could do this, and realized it was the Sword of Confession.

For the history recreation, inquisitors were granted two special rights.

The first was the right to hold emergency trials. And the other…

…Inquisition spells!

Inquisitors were meant to question anyone suspected of being a heretic and determine their guilt.

So they would question the suspect before holding the trial.

And that questioning used a single method to determine if the suspect was a heretic: confession.

A confession made before god would be the truth.

But people had a mind, made up of their emotions and reason, so it wasn’t so easy to persuade someone to confess.

The inquisitors in the Age of Gods had put a lot of effort into that issue.

During their questioning, they would use physical methods of persuading the suspect to confess.

Or to be more accurate, they used torture.

Regardless, the inquisitors – who saw themselves as “servants of god” – had shown a lot of creativity when it came to this “persuasion”. In the early stages, they had used a lot of gruesome torture while hunting for witches and heretics, but as time passed and those methods became a thing of the past, people started saying, “We still have those inquisitors around, but doesn’t torture kind of contradict the entire purpose of the Testament?” That had forced the inquisitors to rethink some things.

Ultimately, they had modified their torture implements, tied up the suspects, and…

“Now! Suffer at the hands of our torture devices! This one will give you a six pack just from falling over and getting back up repeatedly, leaving you with a devilishly muscular body! It’s such a gruesome device, I call it the WonderGore!”

“Are you ready for some water torture!? Listen up. Once you drink this one cup of water, you’ll feel so full you won’t want even want to eat! If you’re demon possessed, you’ll lose so much weight! This purifying water will take off 8 kilos in a week!”

“Look, we’ve put a bunch of spikes inside this iron doll. You know what that means, don’t you!? If you don’t confess, I’ll just have to put these fruits and veggies inside and demonstrate. Oh, but you can’t just put them in! You rotate it! Hurricane Mixerrrrrrr!! What’s this!? It’s squeezed all the juice out of the fruits and veggies!”

It became popular to knock on people’s doors or run late night divine TV ads with those overly emphatic demonstration sales tactics for the torture tools. And…

“Eeeeeek! I don’t want to confess! Torture me! Please torture me!”

The people fell to their knees and begged and the sales figures were perfect for the beginning of an age of plenty. As a side effect, the indigenous Technohexen were treated as scammers for the natural detox methods they recommended, which led to a lot of harm against them, but…

…That does technically align with the history recreation.

It had differed between regions, but it had apparently been especially bad in Naruze and Naito’s homeland, but this enemy was from Tres España, home of the inquisition.

They used straightforward spells and divine protections rather than torture tools meant to force a confession.

Of course, forcing people to “confess” things which weren’t true would be seen as a social problem in the current age and could even lead to international conflicts in some cases. So the confessions the inquisitors were after required a certain condition.

…That we don’t lie!

They used a divine protection which forced people to only tell the truth.

The words of god were unsullied. Light was found in the truth.

In court or when a testimony was required, that divine protection would preserve and prove the speaker’s righteousness. It meant everything spoken was the truth, so it could not be overturned by the defendant, the plaintiff, or even the judge.

But out of all the data defense spells, this one was the most offensive one. If you were asked to provide the password for a password defense, you would be forced to open it.

Hence why only inquisitors were given the authority to use it.

They did not restrict the spell.

The inquisitors were only granted the authority to use the spell for righteous purposes.

This placed the inquisitors above the law. These spells could not be used for wicked purposes. They were only granted the right to use this divine protection spell because they had agreed to that condition.

Of course, the terms “good” and “righteous” here used…

“The Catholic definitions.”

But, thought Mitotsudaira. That fact told her something, so she asked about it.

“Are you treating us as heretics!?”

○

Art-Ga: “For reference purposes, what did you set your password to, Mitotsudaira?”

Flat Vassal: “Probably ‘MYKING’.”

Horizey: “Then she might as well have set it to ‘DUNGBEETLE’.”

Smoking Girl: “Is that what you would set your password to?”

Horizey: “If the need arises, I will have no other choice!”

Silver Wolf: “Um, Horizon? You don’t need to get that worked up about it. And, Adele? I wouldn’t use such an obvious password.”

Still Got It: “Of course not. You would probably add the year you became your king’s knight onto the end.”

Silver Wolf: “––––––”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh heh. Another L for Mitotsudaira!”

Silver Wolf: “F-fine! I’ll add the month and day from now on!”

Horizey: “Mitotsudaira-sama, I am not sure that really solves anything.”

●

“Heretics?”

Adele noticed Rodrigo didn’t let up even as she repeated that word.

She was using 8 confession spells, which meant 8 restrictions. Those divine protection swords forced them to spend a set amount of time following 8 of the commandments Catholics were meant to obey.

…That’s probably really hard.

The restriction setting was something like a Catholic version of substitution and it forced you to do some really annoying things depending on the spell. You couldn’t give money or Blessings instead and labor didn’t count either. It came down to their religious morals and was a huge pain.

Substitutions in Shinto were an offering made to god, but restrictions were a limitation placed on yourself. It could honestly be pretty bad.

Of the ones Adele had done in the past, the easiest were the food restrictions. But the one time she had chosen a drink restriction, it had specified the brand and amount of wine she had to drink. Everyone gave me such cold looks when I carried a small wine cask into the classroom! And why did Asama-san have a bamboo bottle ready to go!?

There were also restriction spells that required meditation or exercise, but those were actually among the easier ones.

The worst was the “early to bed and early to rise” restriction for a health divine protection. Because her classmates – especially that idiot – would have events at all hours. And as a vassal, it was her job to assist.

After failing that one once, she had gone as far as posting a sign on her door saying, “Wake me between 10PM and 5AM and I will charge at you with my spear.” A week later, she had woken up in the morning to find she could see the ceiling of the room above her underground room and she had no idea what had happened. You could at least wake me up in an emergency!

But anyway, she could guess this Rodrigo went to even more trouble in her life.

…It can’t be easy.

“Eh? Um, why do you keep looking at me like that?”

“Oh, no reason. Don’t mind me.”

Rodrigo tilted her head and Adele looked to her classmates.

Mitotsudaira, who was three steps to her side, had asked if they were being treated as heretics. So Adele asked the same thing.

“Are you treating me as a heretic too?”

Rodrigo raised her right index finger before answering.

“Um, listen carefully.”

The used the movement of her finger to direct the swords, sending the blades into the invisible seams between the sign frames. The sign frames shattered and ether light scattered as she spoke.

“You are Shinto, which makes you pagans, not heretics. But if any of you are using the hidden setting to mix Catholicism with Shinto, then you will be considered a Far Eastern branch of Catholic heretic. Do you understand now?”

○

Asama: “Huh, so even convenient features can have a downside.”

Flat Vassal: “Asama-san! Asama-san! You’re supposed to fight back, not smile weirdly!”

●

I can’t believe this, sighed Asama.

Confronting an inquisitor was a rare experience in Shinto. Frankly, it wasn’t normal at all.

At the start of the Harmonic Unification War, the inquisitors had apparently been a major problem whenever you let your guard down, but Shinto had received relatively friendly treatment after they acquired the Far Eastern infrastructure using their own methods.

But both sides had remained somewhat hostile to each other even after the Harmonic Unification War.

Rodrigo knew the circumstances here, so she must have prepared for a confrontation like this.

Asama was at a disadvantage.

So she had to start by fighting back as much as she could. Of course, Rodrigo would have planned for that, which was why she had used the confession spell, which was essentially her most powerful weapon.

…We’ve already lost if I don’t do something!

Asama needed a defense spell first. The password barriers weren’t even slowing Rodrigo down now.

“But what about this?”

Asama used a physical defense spell instead of a data one.

Barriers capable of stopping artillery were produced in compressed form and decompressed in front of them.

These were fairly thick from a data density perspective. They were masses of ether, after all. But…

“Too bad,” said Rodrigo, her swords sinking into the shields.

…Wow!

They didn’t pierce or destroy the shields. The swords sank in as if fusing with them.

“These are pure data, so I can pass through them no matter their thickness. Catholicism seeks confessions with the greatest sincerity. I will pass through even if it takes time.”

Rodrigo was coming. Her progress was slow and the attack had no physical power, but…

…None of my defense spells work!?

●

Mitotsudaira saw Rodrigo order her subordinates to move.

Managing eight confession spells at once had to be tricky.

So Rodrigo assigned two assistants to each of the Musashi side’s barriers. They would provide additional viewpoints and ensure her operation of the swords was on target.

…And the swords keep coming all the while. She doesn’t leave any kind of opening.

These movements suggested these people had combat experience with the Chancellor’s Officers. The way they opened cadena firmas and linked their operation to the confession spells meant they were part of a trained special duty unit and not just assistants.

Once those personnel had them surrounded, they targeted the weak point of the defense barriers.

This was a tricky one.

For anyone wielding those swords, password defense spells were no barrier at all. The password itself became the weak point. But…

…It doesn’t work on anything else, does it?

Mitotsudaira had seen the confession swords pass through Asama’s physical defense barriers earlier.

Those swords were slow and had no attack power, but they could pass through any defense.

If one hit you, you had already lost.

All divine protections would be identified and hijacked.

“What are we supposed to do?” muttered Mitotsudaira as two swords approached her. They were very close. Four of them were already nearly to Asama. Margot and Adele each had one approaching them.

The number of swords showed the enemy considered Asama the greatest threat. Mitotsudaira probably had two because of the shrine maiden uniform she wore. Then something occurred to her.

…What do they do if I move?

She tried taking a step back. And…

“Oh.”

It followed her.

“Mito, their position is based on their ether distance from you at the moment the spell was activated, so don’t move!”

If it simply followed after her, she could have tried moving too quick for it. But that wasn’t how it worked.

…It’s even closer now!?

When she stopped moving, the sword was closer than it had been. And the blade caught one of the defense spells around her.

The spell shattered. Broke. Only two layers of defense remained. But…

“Why did it get closer!?”

“Well, I would guess moving created enough instability for it to move in,” said Naito. “That won’t happen if you stay put, but moving creates some noise it can use.”

“So holing up and staying put is the best tactic?”

“Ordinarily, yes.”

“Testament,” replied a voice from up ahead. It was Rodrigo. She nodded before continuing. “If you surrender, I will claim your management rights, but I promise I will not view the data within. I say this as an inquisitor, so please view it as an unbreakable promise.”

Rodrigo’s offer came from the absolute advantage she currently enjoyed.

And the swords moved closer yet again.

Mitotsudaira had two defense barriers left. Asama could create them, so there had to be more she could do. But Adele and Margot were in trouble. They each only had one barrier left and their swords were quite close.

A moment later, another of Mitotsudaira’s barriers shattered. One of her two swords had reached it.

One left.

“Tomo!”

She knew it was a bad idea, but she raised her voice.

There was nothing they could do. Their only real option was for Asama to fortify her own defenses and fall back toward Mitotsudaira. That should have been what happened, but…

…The confession spell is too powerful, so Tomo’s spells aren’t enough!

What were they supposed to do in that case? Mitotsudaira could only think of one answer.

…Fight back physically!!

○

Art-Ga: “And there it is.”

Tachibana Wife: “If you lose in information warfare, you rely on the physical. There it is, indeed.”

Silver Wolf: “B-but all that really matters is that I found a fundamental solution!”

Vice President: “Found a fundamental international incident, more like.”

●

Adele realized the people in Tres Españan uniforms behind Rodrigo had taken fighting stances. They really only lowered their hips just a bit, but they were now ready to move in front of Rodrigo and defend her or fight back if necessary.

…I bet the Extra Special Duty Officer can handle three or four of them.

But while she did that, she would be stabbed by one of the confession swords.

That would strip her of all management rights over her divine protections and such, granting control to the enemy. If she was fighting, it was possible even more spells would be restricted.

Adele looked to Asama, wondering what they were going to do, but…

“Hey, Adele!”

Naito raised a hand to get her attention.

Adele turned toward Naito instead to see what this was about.

Naito suddenly stepped toward her, eliminating the space between them.

Naito was right in front of her now. And the confession sword following Naito came with her.

“Eh?”

It hit her.

●

“Huh?”

Mitotsudaira heard Rodrigo’s confusion.

Margot had apparently done something surprising behind her.

…What was that?

The Schwarz Hexen had self-destructed. Or rather, she had guided her confession sword into Adele.

How would the spell handle that?

“Ah!” shouted Adele as light scattered around her.

The defense barrier protecting her was shattered by the collision of the two confession swords.

That left Adele entirely defenseless, but…

“Whoops.”

Margot took a quick half step back, but her confession sword and Adele’s confession sword…

…They aren’t gone!?

Mitotsudaira had honestly assumed one or the other would have disappeared. But both remained and were approaching their respective girls.

Adele’s defense was gone, but the sword remained. She had nothing to protect her, putting her at risk. Margot’s action had created enough noise for the sword to approach her more. And Rodrigo…

“They will not cancel each other out. These are perfectly tuned spells, so acting on your silly ideas will only put yourself at greater risk.”

That appeared to be true. But Mitotsudaira felt an odd sense of relief.

Because Margot had acted just as she had decided to try a physical attack.

That Schwarz Hexen did not rush to act. She always made careful preparations before she was ready to take action.

It wasn’t like Margot to take action only for it to backfire.

She must have understood something about this divine protection and set something up that simply looked like backfiring.

…Which means Margot hasn’t made her actual move yet.

We’re in this together, thought Mitotsudaira. They faced the same situation and shared the same problem.

So she knew exactly how to respond.

“You set the stage for me, didn’t you?”

Mitotsudaira readied her arms to fight. She knew any actions would create noise that let the swords approach. But she would do it anyway. Physical attack was her only plan, so she would use that to draw attention to herself as a diversion. She would buy enough time for her classmates to use whatever Margot had set up.

“Tomo can’t move, so we just have to do this ourselves. Isn’t that right?”

“What?” Rodrigo frowned. “What can you possibly do? Trying to trick the confession spells into destroying each other will only shatter more of your defenses. That is not how I want this to go, but if it is the result of a heretic’s resistance, I cannot overlook it. It is a meaningless and dangerous act. You saw your friend’s defense spell destroyed just now, didn’t you? Can you really allow that to happen again?”

As soon as Rodrigo said that, a new noise came from near Adele. It sounded just like shattering glass and it came from…

…A sign frame!?

That hadn’t been open before. And it wasn’t Shinto. It was…

“A Catholic sign frame!”

Someone whistled.

It was Margot. She turned her head, pointed to Rodrigo, and…

“Welp, now you’ve done it.”

What had she done?

“Adele removed her Shinto hidden setting in an attempt to prove her Catholic allegiance, but you still hit her with the confession spell. Even though she’s no longer a heretic.”

●

Adele mentally prostrated.

She was Catholic. Technically. Yes, technically. But when you were Catholic on the Musashi, it was most beneficial to do things the Musashi way.

She had realized what she needed to do when Naito approached her and shattered her defense barrier. Naito had said “whoops” to disguise it as an accident, but she hadn’t been trying to destroy the confession spells. She had been trying to destroy Adele’s defense barrier.

The lack of hesitation in her actions had made that clear. She had known exactly what her actions would cause.

…Does she know how the confession spell works!?

The spells hadn’t canceled each other out, but they had destroyed Adele’s defenses. That meant the one was about to hit Adele.

What could Adele do to prepare in that situation?

What unique ability did she have that the others in this group didn’t?

My chest? No, the Extra Special Duty Officer is here.

Being a vassal? The Extra Special Duty Officer is a knight, so a vassal wouldn’t be any more help.

My money? What good is something I don’t have!? Well!?

“Um, Adele, calm down and keep the story going.”

Adele obeyed Asama’s comment from behind.

Yes, the answer was simple.

…I’m Catholic!

She used the hidden setting Asama had created in order to effectively be Shinto and Catholic at the same time. That made her a heretic, but if she removed that setting, she would go back to only being Catholic.

But the setting wasn’t so simple to remove. Not with the confession spell already on its way. If she removed her Shinto affiliation, the defense barriers and all of her divine protections would vanish and the confession could hit her right away.

But, she thought.

An inquisitor’s job was to capture heretics. What would happen if one captured a Catholic citizen?

Also, Adele was a Musashi resident. She was Catholic, but she was not Tres Españan. So…

“––––––”

She removed her Shinto affiliation and watched the confession sword pierce her Catholic divine protections.

…Did that do it!?

●

Mitotsudaira saw Adele’s sign frame shatter.

…She did it!

Rodrigo had overstepped and self-destructed.

Because she had tried to attack them as heretics, she had fallen for Adele’s risky feint and forced the Catholic girl to confess.

That was a mistake. Now the rest of them could handle this. This was no longer a battle of spells. They only had to accuse Rodrigo of wrongdoing to put a stop to this.

And since Asama was busy, that job fell on Mitotsudaira as a knight.

○

Unturning: “So a physical attack?”

Tachibana Wife: “That must mean a physical attack.”

Art-Ga: “Those are a pain to draw, so please don’t.”

Silver Wolf: “N-no! That isn’t what I meant! It isn’t!”

●

Mitotsudaira turned toward Rodrigo. She knew exactly what she had to say.

“Stop your confession spells! You just used one on Adele, who isn’t a heretic!”

“So what if I did?”

Rodrigo did not even look her way.

Her eyes were on Adele.

Or more accurately, on the object floating in front of the vassal after slicing through two sign frames.

“The confession stops when it detects its target is Catholic. This is the latest version of the spell. Also, I am supporting it and I would never make such an obvious mistake.”

Sure enough, the sword spell circle had stopped in front of Adele’s chest.

…Then what did it slice through?

“It destroyed a pair of Catholic cadena firmas, but they were not hers. Those were additional spells I included to stop the confession spell. Thus, they were my spell circles.”

○

Gold Mar: “Oops. Mito-tsan made a fool of herself.”

Unturning: “That sounds like a mistake the Secretary would make.”

Silver Wolf: “Now that’s a painful insult!”

●

Adele sensed danger.

Rodrigo smiled and spoke beyond the sword spell circle floating in front of Adele.

“The technique you attempted was used long ago to combat the heretic hunts. I assume the idea came from that Technohexen there. This was not your responsibility. But,” she continued. “Eastern Europe’s heretic and Technohexen hunts happened a long time ago. The techniques developed there traveled west and the spells have been improved in Tres España to assist our pursuit of pure blood and a pure religion.”

…Wow, this is not good.

As soon as Adele thought that, Rodrigo pointed at Naito.

The defense barrier in front of the Technohexen shattered. And…

“Naito-san!”

The only defense the Technohexen had left was her own magical divine protection. If that was destroyed, the confession spell would affect her. Rodrigo would steal away the management rights to Naito’s divine protections and the Technohexen would essentially be a hostage.

It was obvious that Naito had interfered with Rodrigo’s actions earlier. With that sin to charge her with, there was no stopping the inquisitor from labeling her guilty.

…Which means…!

What could Adele do? As a vassal, she turned toward her superior, Mitotsudaira.

Mitotsudaira held her hands in front of her face and gestured as if shoving them into her face.

…That must mean…

○

Flat Vassal: “I completely ignored it at the time, but that was a ‘chow down on some meat’ gesture, wasn’t it?”

Silver Wolf: “I was telling you to grab the confession spell and make it hit you.”

Smoking Girl: “Do the spell settings allow that?”

Asama: “Adele was Catholic at the time and I don’t think it would activate for another Catholic. But it was worth trying anything we could and Rodrigo-san was relying on others to help control the spells, so it was possible Adele grabbing the spell could have thrown the enemy off balance. Naito’s confession spell was being supported by the same person after all.”

Horizey: “In other words, Naito-sama is in trouble. Now, let’s see what happens next!”

Gold Mar: “Ohh. Horizon, you really know how to hype it up.”

●

Adele saw something else shatter.

This time, it was Naito’s Magie Figur. A defense one. That meant her protection had been destroyed.

“Now, this should be more or less settled,” said Rodrigo.

When the blade struck Naito, she held her chest and fell to her knees.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Wait, wait a second! I honestly don’t even know why you’re stopping us here.”

“Mikawa is at risk.”

“What does that have to do with stopping our investigation?” asked Naito.

“I want to eliminate as many causes for concern as possible,” replied the enemy.

In that case, thought Adele.

…This really is a major incident!

●

Even we qualify as a cause for concern? thought Mitotsudaira.

They were here to investigate the murder case.

That meant the two victims were likely important people. They had been part of something big that had to involve Rodrigo somehow. And Tres España was starting something.

…That would mean Rodrigo is pursuing the people involved in the case.

Why do that? Mitotsudaira didn’t know, but she did know Tres España was serious about this.

That led Mitotsudaira’s thoughts in a different direction.

…Honda Masazumi!

●

While they pursued this case, someone else was being pursued by the case for unknown reasons.

That person was Honda Masazumi.

Mitotsudaira had some questions for the girl concerning the attack last night and the origin of her knife.

They needed to secure Honda Masazumi against Tres España who were making moves to take control of the case.

…Rodrigo’s group has taken control of Mikawa, but how well do they understand the situation here?

Honda Masazumi was not in Mikawa. She was on the Musashi.

Tres España probably already knew that.

That part didn’t make sense.

If they had their eye on Honda Masazumi, then they would have had Mikawa’s Chancellor’s Officers tell them what she was doing. Yet they had just let her go to the Musashi.

…Could it be?

This was only a guess, but Mitotsudaira could think of one possible reason. So…

“Margot! That is enough!”

●

Adele saw the black Technohexen stand back up and take a deep breath.

“Whew. That was way too close.”

Rodrigo turned Naito’s way.

“Stay where you are! I have control of your management rights!”

That was meant as a warning, but the corners of Naito’s lips rose and she viewed the Catholic spell circle sticking into her chest.

“Do it then. You’re an inquisitor, aren’t you?”

Rodrigo let out a sharp breath and the blade glowed.

A moment later, a new shattering sound rang out. Ether light shards scattered from…

“…!?”

Adele followed Rodrigo’s puzzled gaze to see the sword had shattered.

The confession spell had suddenly exploded at Naito’s chest.

Chapter 13: Swords and Dance

Do you know what

Has had nothing to do with power or history

In the past and now?

Point Allocation (Lovely)

●

“Whew, I’m glad I didn’t take this lightly. That was too close.”

Naito looked down at her chest instead of at the scattering light.

“I was pretty worried when my defense Magie Figur broke earlier. But I did make sure to include an anti-inquisitor spell. Any Technohexen will know the standard ones.”

“If you mean the commercial opposition spells, Tres España has already decoded them. You must have done something more than that,” insisted Rodrigo.

“True,” Naito had to admit. But Rodrigo stared at her, and…

“How did you destroy the confession spell!?”

“This isn’t really repeatable, so be careful, everyone.”

Naito clapped her hands in empty air to call up something.

“A black magic Magie Figur?”

Rodrigo’s voice was full of confusion. Naito could understand why. Adele also tilted her head.

“Is that different from the usual ones?”

“It sure is. Because…”

Naito moved her fingers to tap the screen. An authorization screen appeared and she waved her fingers again to open a compressed image as well.

“This uses image recognition. In other words…it uses a password.”

“Impossible.”

Naito understood why Rodrigo felt that way. The Sword of Confession was designed to destroy and slash passwords. Rodrigo had to believe no password was resistant to it.

But she dropped the compressed image into the Magie Figur. When that was authorized, the decompressed image appeared on the screen.

“Did you really think you could break through our white and black wings in the sky?”

A hand-drawn drawing was displayed. It displayed wings spread in a white and black sky. It was a little grainy, but it had been designed so you would see more and more lines no matter how high a resolution it was displayed at.

“Ga-chan drew this when we decided to work as a team. It took her a whole month and now it’s our shared authorization image. She made sure no one can copy it – that way we can also use it as a stamp for our delivery work. And stamps have to be white and black. Do you really think a mass-produced confession spell can handle this?”

●

Adele heard Naito take a breath.

“Sorry, but all my personal data and all the data related to my life on the Musashi has been converted over to this shared authorization system. You may have taken control of my personal data, but that doesn’t give you as much as you thought.”

The confessions spell still must have been more powerful than Naito expected. She closed the Magie Figur as if putting it away in her pocket.

“You can brag about that being the latest version of the spell, or whatever, but back when confession spells were first being developed and hadn’t been mass-produced yet, whoever created the sword spell must have poured all their heart and skill into creating something that could destroy any data password. Ga-chan is still learning, so I doubt she could have stopped that. But the instant I saw yours, I noticed how sloppily drawn it was.”

So…

“I knew Ga-chan would win. That’s all there is to it.”

Adele noticed something about Naito’s tone as she finished her explanation.

…Oh, she’s in a bad mood.

○

Art-Ga: “What!? Margot’s in a bad mood!? C’mon, Margot, look this way! You were really cool out there, Margot.”

Gold Mar: “Ga-chan, Ga-chan. Don’t do that with your drawings. How about you look at me in real life?”

Scarred: “You draw so incredibly fast.”

Asama: “Yes, which has caused countless tragedies in the past. And will in the future too, I’m sure.”

●

Mitotsudaira saw Rodrigo’s shoulders relax.

She gave a quick bow toward Margot.

“My apologies.”

It seemed like she was apologizing to Margot and that would have made sense here, but Mitotsudaira doubted that was it.

Inquisitors had a long history. But she had underestimated her opponent and lost to a Technohexen using a spell that was an inferior copy of its predecessors. The apology was probably directed at the past inquisitors and their history. And…

“I name this Technohexen a pagan. I will send you a Catholic tract later.”

Margot did not look happy about that, but Rodrigo had already turned toward Mitotsudaira.

Mitotsudaira knew what the inquisitor was going to do. She still had two swords directed her way and she was down to only one defense spell. So…

“Let us settle this, Mito Lord.”

“Ohh, Mito-tsan!”

Margot started to activate a spell, but a ton of Catholic sign frames appeared in front of her.

Mitotsudaira was used to seeing that kind of thing happen with Asama, but this was still an unnerving amount.

“I have sent you a three-month course on why you should convert to Catholicism. Please stay still.”

“U-um, Margot!? Are you alright!?”

“Hm, sorry, Mito-tsan. These are set up to send themselves to my home. If I don’t make sure to untick that box on each and every one before I do anything, Ga-chan will be affected too.”

Then I guess she doesn’t have much choice! thought Mitotsudaira, but that didn’t help her situation.

The swords were still coming.

…Uh-

Before she could think the “oh”, her defense spell shattered and the two swords rushed toward her.

○

Art-Ga: “For reference, what was your most valued data back then, Mitotsudaira?”

Flat Vassal: “Was it your attendance record of going to class with your king or other events where you spent time with him?”

Silver Wolf: “I-I couldn’t do that. A lot of that is public data, so it doesn’t count.”

Still Got It: “That’s right. The data she would most cherish would be the records of the time he spent going out to eat with her or the gifts he gave her.”

Silver Wolf: “––––––”

Horizey: “Has Mitotsudaira-sama lost again!? She has! That’s two in a row! One more and it’s game over!”

Vice President: “I can’t help but notice you were causing a minor international incident in Mikawa…”

Silver Wolf: “I-in our defense, she started it!”

●

Mitotsudaira knew she was at a disadvantage in this fight.

For one, she had two swords directed at her because…

…She thinks I work for the Asama Shrine!

That was technically true, but she only worked as a shrine maiden part time. This frustrated her so much she decided to work harder at earning at least a midlevel shrine maiden rank. But…

“Extra Special Duty Officer!”

Adele rushed in. She reached out her hands to grab the two swords.

“–––––––”

Mitotsudaira took a quick backstep away from those spread fingers.

“Ah,” said Adele as her hands found only air.

“Wh-why did you move out of the way!?”

“For one, you’re Catholic, so it wouldn’t do any good. But also, I didn’t like the way you were approaching me with grabby hands.”

“I-I wouldn’t do anything Toori-san would do!”

“What are you two talking about?” asked Rodrigo who they had nearly forgotten about.

“Judge!” replied Adele. “The Extra Special Duty Officer always lets Toori-san grope her chest, but for some reason she felt the need to dodge out of the way when it was me!”

“That is not an accurate description of events!” protested Mitotsudaira.

But she noticed Rodrigo was blushing. She even took a step back, but…

“H-how indecent! Censored! You must be censored! I will end this immediately!”

She pointed with both hands and the swords rushed in.

…I’m done for!

Mitotsudaira backed away too. She wondered if trying to physically escape was the best option left for her.

But then she heard Asama’s voice from behind.

“Mito! Left, left, front, back-right!”

●

Adele thought Asama had gone insane.

But that was hardly new.

So did that make this normal? Yes, that was what I thought back then. And still do now…

“Oops. I accidentally mentioned what I think about the rest of you.”

“The rest of us!?”

She thought she heard the rest of them, but that was probably a hallucination due to the stress of the situation.

At any rate, she saw the Extra Special Duty Officer moving. She made a quick movement without any hesitation.

But Adele thought that movement was risky. Because…

…Moving creates noise that lets the swords get closer!

The Extra Special Duty Officer no longer had any defenses. So had she decided a physical defense was her best bet? She’s chosen a physical life!

But the wolf did not move to escape the field.

“Eh?”

Adele saw something unusual.

The swords were approaching the Extra Special Duty Officer, but…

…They’ve slowed!?

They should have gotten closer due to the noise, but they were falling behind instead. And…

“Asama-san!”

She saw the same thing happening with Asama. Every time her footwork carried her body, she ended up further away from her four swords.

Adele had no idea what was going on, but she could make a guess.

“They’ve gone insane!”

○

Asama: “Surely you could come up with a different way of putting that, Adele.”

Flat Vassal: “E-everyone thinks about things in their own way!”

Horizey: “Then what caused the swords to – as I would put it – go batshit insane?”

Silver Wolf: “Did you have to find an even worse phrasing!?”

●

Mitotsudaira heard Asama’s voice.

“Right, right, left, right…back-left, spin, and back-right!”

She obeyed the instructions given in the shrine maiden’s piercing but quiet voice. And…

…Oh?

The instructions were numerous but continuous.

The footwork and the swaying of her body flowed together, so it wasn’t difficult to keep moving. And…

“The confession spells…”

They were falling behind. They had been right up to her chest before, but now there was a gap. All because of…

“Right, right, back-left. Right hand out front. Spin to the right.”

These instructions. These weren’t just any movements.

…There is no noise in them, is there!?

Who had come up with this on such short notice? I had to be…

“Kimi!”

●

Kimi was playing at the Asama Shrine.

Playing with her brother. She was dressed as a shrine maiden and her brother was in his school uniform.

“Hey! Hey, sis! We came here because Asama asked for some help while she’s in Mikawa, so should we really be messing around?”

“Just do it. And put some effort into it. You are the best at following my movements, so no holding back, okay?”

She made a dance-like twist of her body that evaded her brother’s hands.

She exhaled as she made her next step. She inhaled while letting her brother see the thing she held in her cleavage using the pressure provided by the parts on the sides of her breasts.

“Heh heh. This ticket lets you run a shop at the festival. I was given this for how well I did at last year’s festival. Do you want it?”

“Eh? For real!? That depends on the location. Could I see the stage from close up?”

“Of course. I still haven’t decided if I am going to perform or not, but if you manage to snag this, you had better decide what kind of shop you want to run on the final day. And if that happens, I might just choose to perform on the stage.”

She made a quick turn on the gravel to dodge away from her brother’s hands.

“But first, you had better grab this instead of just talking about it. …So make a real effort, okay? I will give you quite a show to motivate you, foolish brother.”

●

Asama used her own style of movements to follow the instructions sent over by Kimi.

Meanwhile, she focused on the Catholic confession spells. She needed to put together some kind of countermeasure, but it had honestly taken her a long time to figure out what kind of spell it was.

…I thought it was a virus spell at first, but it’s really an ultra-low-speed data-seeking projectile.

That wasn’t at all what it looked like. She knew information warfare was all about hiding what you were really doing, but this had still given her some trouble.

But even after figuring it out, this was a formidable foe.

For one, she did not know how the confession spell pursued the data.

She could make a guess, though.

…It probably detects the data from its ether, makes some general guesses what kind of data it is, and targets the center of the data.

So just like a heat-seeking projectile, it targeted the center of the largest or most powerful data.

So it wasn’t quite accurate to say the spell flew straight toward them.

It targeted them in the moment that powerful data like a password was displayed and it would pursue any large quantity of dummy data that was displayed. It would continue its pursuit as long as there was data there and then slice through it all, including the password. So…

…I need dummy data.

She could create false data, send it out, and direct the spell along that path.

But there was a problem there.

If there wasn’t as much dummy data as the data she wanted to protect, it wouldn’t function as a decoy.

And dummy data was meaningless if it was too simple. The enemy spell was a program and it would learn from any enemy it had defeated once.

So Asama knew what she needed.

“A large quantity of data made up of endless adlibbing.”

She could have found a way of doing this herself. For example, she could read Shinto prayers endlessly to buy time.

But Mitotsudaira was in trouble. So…

“Kimi.”

She had a direct divine transmission link to her father at the Asama Shrine. And Kimi was there in her place.

Kimi was a crazy girl who knew a lot about music and offered dances to her god. A dance worthy of being a divine offering couldn’t be too repetitive if it was going to satisfy the god.

So Asama just needed Kimi to provide some choreography. And…

“Mito!”

Asama moved right, right, left, and forward.

“Left, left, right, back.”

Mitotsudaira approached her. And from there…

…I can do this!

●

Kimi dodged her brother’s hands.

But her brother paused to think afterwards. Why did he do that? Because his feet slipped on the gravel and he fell on his side.

Kimi’s dance steps took her around to his side while he caught his breath but also smiled.

“Sis.”

He held his hands up as if saying, “Help me up. I can’t get up on my own.”

“Silly boy.”

She had wanted him to go all out, but he had held too little in reserve.

“A real man never lets himself get too worn out to keep up with his partner.”

She took his hands and swung him around, lifting him up in the process.

She straightened up and pushed him from the front to place his toes on the ground.

She continued the spin, making a full rotation at the center of the shrine grounds.

Plum season had ended and cherry blossom season had arrived, so the cherry trees were in full bloom at the Asama Shrine. But…

“Sis.”

While they swung around hand in hand, he smiled and spoke with sweat on his brow.

“Thanks.”

“Do this right, okay?” she told him.

She saw him nod as they twirled and he tilted his head toward her.

He grabbed the ticket between his lips and yanked it from her cleavage.

Before she could even smile at the sensation, he straightened up and smiled with it between his lips.

“You smell great, sis,” he said.

○

Horizey: “Kimi-sama! Kimi-sama! Please go easy on us with these flashbacks!”

Flat Vassal: “So what do you smell like?”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh heh. If you’re curious, come on over! Just dive between these spread arms and bury your face in my chest and you should learn that I used a lavender scent when bathing earlier! Lavish lavender!”

Scarred: “So were you already familiar with her dance steps?”

Silver Wolf: “When Kimi teaches people how to dance, she generally gives those rough instructions and simply goes ‘ta-ta-tan’ to describe the rhythm. She taught us a lot during the music festival and after we formed a band.”

Tachibana Wife: “So was the amount of data in her dance enough to prevent the confession spell from approaching?”

Asama: “Kimi’s dances are simple enough for even me to follow along, but somehow her god loves them and they have a ton of data.”

Horizey: ‘Simple is best! Which means food is best when unseasoned – not even with salt! And with that in mind, would you like to try this raw mushroom, Asama-sama!?”

Asama: “Um, that’s an ingredient, not a completed dish, so, um…”

●

Asama approached Mitotsudaira.

Based on the instructions coming from Kimi, she made a twirl that put even more distance between her and the confession spells, but…

…How does Kimi know where Mito is?

She had only told Kimi that Mitotsudaira was “in front of me”, but Kimi seemed to have a really accurate grasp of the girl’s location. Also…

“Our dances interact!” said Mitotsudaira half in surprise as she made her dance move.

They were within arm’s reach now. Asama had orally conveyed the instructions before, but now she could do it via sign frame. She directly linked their divine transmissions and…

“Here goes!”

The actions weren’t quite enough to call a dance, but there was no wasted movement in Kimi’s instructions.

The two girls worked up a sweat and felt out of breath, but they didn’t let that stop them.

Asama saw Rodrigo swinging her hand forward outside the field.

She was telling the confession spells to move in closer.

All six blades did as asked. Asama took another step while she and Mitotsudaira faced each other.

“Here they come!” shouted the wolf as she judged the timing.

Asama made her counterattack against the six blades.

The were performing Kimi’s data-dense dance and the confession swords were following those movements. Just as the swords arrived in front of her and Mitotsudaira…

“Mito!”

Asama took Mitotsudaira’s hands, surrounding the blades with their arms.

●

Ohh,” gasped Naito in a simple exclamation of astonishment.

…Maybe Ga-chan and I could use that.

She had just seen a Shinto counterattack to the Catholic confession spell.

It took the form of a circle. Asama and Mitotsudaira had spread their arms while spinning and then held hands to form a circle. They continued spinning in a circle like that. They got up on their toes and spun like a top.

They balanced with each other and spun without moving closer to or farther from each other.

The six swords were between their arms. The swords continued to approach the pair, but…

“That won’t work.”

The circular motion had trapped the swords. Naito heard Rodrigo gasp behind her.

Naito knew why Rodrigo was so bothered.

“A circle is eternal. It is the ultimate form of all things. That belief has existed since ancient times even in Europe and, unfortunately for you, we still haven’t managed to fully break down the curve of a circle.”

“Eh? Really?” asked Adele. “I thought a circle was made up of 360 degrees.”

“Judge. That is true, but if you zoom in on one of those degrees, the edges become straight lines. So you can treat that as a curve and break it down into fractions of a degree, but even then…”

Naito showed Adele a simple diagram. She zoomed in, broke it down again, and zoomed in again.

…You end up with the same thing again.

“At this point, we’re getting into the realm of concepts and definitions, but this process will continue endlessly. So a perfect circle has infinite data in every single direction. Meaning…”

Meaning…

“This is circle dance was created by someone on Kimi-chan’s level. A data-seeking spell caught in there can never escape.”

That was exactly what she saw happening. The two shrine maidens stopped spinning and released their hands, but…

“The swords have taken on the circular path, so each one pursues the circle data of the blade in front of it.”

So…

“Those confession spells are useless now!”

Chapter 14: Festival and Meeting

Okay

I don’t know if it’s cheap

But I have something for you

Point Allocation (Simply Keep It With You)

●

Asama took a breath.

“––––––”

She immediately clapped her hands once. That confirmed the new administrative settings for the barrier.

Tres España had usage rights for any barriers made by Mikawa, but the local god who managed the barrier must have decided who had the upper hand in this conflict.

“I offer this to Asama.”

She loudly clapped her hands again and the light behind her shattered.

The six swords disintegrated as they continued their circular motion.

“Now,” she said to Rodrigo and those around her. “What is your purpose here, inquisitor?”

But Rodrigo shook her head.

“It would only cause trouble if I told you. At this point, no one here can make any difference.

“So,” she said, passing a cadena firma, likely containing instructions, to a nearby student. “I am here to put a stop to all this. How about you?”

“Wait!” shouted Mitotsudaira, tilting to the left after spinning a little too much. “Are you planning to cause more conflicts like this one!?”

“That is my job and my wish.”

“It’s your wish?” asked the wolf.

Rodrigo gave a slight nod of confirmation.

“There are those who want to accomplish something with their deaths.”

Asama nearly asked what that meant, but she held her tongue when Naito signaled for her to stop.

Asama knew why Naito had done that.

…So this case really was a double suicide!?

If so, what had those two people hoped to accomplish with their deaths?

But when Rodrigo spoke again, it wasn’t to answer that question.

“If I manage to stop them, will that mean their deaths were meaningless?” she said. “You could say I am here to rob their deaths of meaning. What about you?”

●

…How are we supposed to answer that!?

Adele thought Rodrigo’s argument was ridiculous.

How could they answer her question when they still didn’t know what was happening here? If getting involved would bring harm to them or to the public, Adele would prefer to stay out of it.

But Rodrigo acted like that wasn’t an option.

She was asking them what they would do based on the assumption that they would definitely be involved and that they were reaching to an understanding of the situation.

But that didn’t mean they could answer it right now. Because…

“How are we supposed to know!?”

“Because,” insisted Rodrigo. “The situation is already underway and you should understand what is happening. As Far Easterners.

“Because,” she said again.

…Eh?

Adele looked up because of how quiet that repeated word was. She saw Rodrigo hanging her head as she continued.

“If you don’t, I really will rob their deaths of all meaning.”

●

I see, thought Mitotsudaira.

…We must just barely have the necessary information.

Some of it was obvious, but some of it had to be more broad knowledge that was harder to recognize. Social assumptions were particularly hard to consciously notice. But…

“We failed to do our homework.” Mitotsudaira sighed and straightened her posture. “Don Rodrigo. Would I be correct to say you know the whole story here, but going public with that information would establish certain facts that would cause trouble for Tres España, Mikawa, and the Far East as a whole?”

“Testament.”

That answer was all she needed.

She could say one thing based on their past interactions and what had happened here.

“Don Rodrigo. We are not your enemy. We may not be able to choose the ending you would like, but if our interests are aligned, we would prefer to avoid any further conflict.”

“What do you mean?”

“This involves Honda Masazumi, doesn’t it?”

She was mostly sure of that. And…

“––––––”

She didn’t overlook Rodrigo’s silence.

This was not just a pause in the conversation.

Rodrigo had chosen not to speak. She took a breath of intentional silence.

That settled it.

“She will likely be our classmate soon and she was attacked last night. If I am right, that wasn’t your people’s doing. You Catholics are working with Mikawa, so could have used a spell to assassinate her without needing to resort to a physical attack.”

That meant last night’s attack was the work of a third party other than Tres España.

And what had Tres España planned to do after learning of it?

“You wanted to hold us here so you could board the Musashi with a considerable advantage. If you managed to take Tomo’s administrative rights to the Asama Shrine, you could use that confession spell all you wanted in Musashi.”

“And,” added Margot. “The group pursuing Honda Masazumi must have boarded the Musashi too. That’s why you wanted to go there and capture them. This entire conflict was a way for Tres España to get aboard the Musashi. But that isn’t going to work now. So what will you do?”

●

Adele saw Rodrigo remain completely motionless in response to Naito’s question.

But the girl who seemed to be Rodrigo’s aide responded in her place.

“Who do you think you-”

“Forget it. Tres España is a powerful nation, but I will bow my head here.”

Rodrigo stopped her people. And…

“My history recreation will be nearly complete once I leave Mikawa and return home via the New World. This job was an urgent request from the Vice President, but I have been given full on-site authority.”

“Then…?” asked the Extra Special Duty Officer.

Rodrigo nodded.

“I cannot tell you everything, but if you know as much as you seem to, then you should be able to end this. Musashi, I have one personal request for you.”

She said this with a bow.

“Let Honda Masazumi make the final decision.”

●

Huh? thought Asama. She of course didn’t let her confusion show, but Rodrigo’s request had come as a surprise. Because…

…Honda Masazumi-san isn’t a name inheritor.

The Masazumi name had gone to a Mikawa automaton, so the human Masazumi had failed to inherit it. So why let her make the decision?

But Rodrigo said more as she raised her head.

“That is the greatest compromise we can provide.”

“As a way of handling the result of this battle?”

“Correct. If you cannot do that…we will board the Musashi and take matters into our own hands.”

“I cannot allow that as a representative of the Chancellor’s Officers,” said Mito.

“Testament. I imagine not. The Musashi is independent territory for the Far East. Not even Tres España could claim extraterritoriality there without further backing or preparation.”

Rodrigo talked a lot. And it was all things she had kept hidden before. But…

“This is a hint,” said Naito via Magie Figur. “She’s giving us as much behind-the-scenes info as her position allows.”

“What do you mean?” asked Adele via sign frame.

“A problem has presented itself,” replied Mitotsudaira in the same way. “Tres España has encountered some kind of trouble that would require claiming extraterritoriality with the Far East. And she is here to keep that from happening if possible.”

In that case, thought Asama.

…She’s given us a lot of hints.

This incident involved some assumptions they took for granted.

Let’s see, she thought as she started writing.

• There is a third party in addition to us and Tres España.

• Some trouble between Tres España and the Far East as at the root of it all.

• Honda Masazumi is involved despite not being a name inheritor.

After writing that up, she sent it to the others with a direct link. And…

“Um, could you remove our divine transmission restriction?”

She was still restricted from sending divine transmissions from Mikawa to the Musashi. She was hoping to send these hints to the others on the Musashi right away.

“It would be better if she did not. If those after Honda Masazumi are aboard the Musashi, removing the restriction would tell them we know where they are. That could cause them to attack Honda Masazumi right away.”

“Oh, I see.”

Rodrigo nodded from outside the barrier.

“I had hoped to end this without Honda Masazumi learning what was happening, but it would seem that is no longer an option. Can you ensure her safety?”

“Um, actually, I sent someone to her as soon as I detected your approach.”

“Huh?” Rodrigo tilted her head, so Asama shrugged.

“You didn’t notice a member of our group vanished just before the battle started?”

○

Horizey: “So what happened to Masazumi-sama after she had her graveyard chat?”

Vice President: “I guess that’s an accurate description even if I don’t like it. Anyway, you don’t remember me arriving at the Blue Thunder carrying all those tomatoes?”

Horizey: “Yes, you did arrive with a lot of round red things, didn’t you?”

Gold Mar: “Did you not know what tomatoes were at the time since they’re from the New World?”

Horizey: “Judge. At the time, I was pure and immacul- geh! That is, I had no memories, but I did my best with the knowledge I had and found the closest match was ‘strawberry’. The Blue Thunder became a strawberry café that day.”

Art-Ga: “Oh, yeah. That day became something of a legend.”

Gold Mar: “I never knew that was Seijun’s fault.”

Vice President: “Well, excuse me for trying to help! It wasn’t easy lugging those around, you know!? They were heavy!”

●

Masazumi was eating a plate at the Blue Thunder.

It was bread, but it looked exactly like a plate. Eating it was a surreal experience.

The afternoon preparations had begun, but the manager was working on that in the kitchen while speaking to the automaton.

“Now, P-01s, look through the list for recipes we can use those tomatoes in. You know the basics of cooking after this morning’s lessons and experimentation, right?”

“Judge! I found an analogous ingredient, so I will use those recipes as a baseline.”

○

Art-Ga: “You need to stop her.”

Vice President: “I wish I could! But I can’t change what I did back then!”

Gold Mar: “And now the later customers are doomed to be served those infamous ‘strawberry’ dishes…”

Asama: “You do know changing the records doesn’t change what happened, right?”

●

Masazumi felt she had seen a lot more during this second visit to Musashi.

While everyone prepared for the festival, she had walked from Tama to the Honda home on Musashino and then walked from the Okutama graveyard to here in Tama. That triangular path had shown her a lot of new sights. When she told the manager…

“Yeah, I bet that was a surprise.”

Apparently she had been surprised by the same things the tourists always were.

I must be a really normal person, she realized. But…

“Masazumi-sama! Masazumi-sama! You can’t be serious about that, can you!?”

P-01s gave an unnecessary comment from the kitchen.

But after Masazumi had finished eating her plate, P-01s brought out what was clearly tomato juice.

“Have some fresh strawberry juice.”

After Masazumi sprinkled in some salt and drank that, the manager carried something over from the counter.

“Could you take a look at this, Masazumi-san?”

It was a case. A thin wooden one. But it was about 50cm wide.

She wondered what it was while the manager set it down on the table.

“My idiot left this with me for you this morning.”

“Wait, for me? Not for my father?”

“When I told him I knew a kid named Masazumi, he said he’d heard about you from Tomo – that is, the Asama Shrine girl.”

“Why does everyone have my personal information?”

“It’s inside business talk, so don’t worry about it. If you hadn’t shown up today, I would have brought this to your house.”

Given how her father had reacted when she mentioned the Blue Thunder yesterday, Masazumi felt it was fortunate she could pick this up here. It had a handle, so she would have no trouble carrying it.

…Carrying it all the way to Mikawa could be difficult, though.

“But what’s inside?”

“Try not to let this surprise you, okay?”

The manager casually opened it to reveal a piece of metal wrapped in cotton.

It was a knife. About 30cm long. But…

“It’s rusted?”

“Burned actually. Metal weapons oxidize and rust when burned. With Far Eastern steel, the jigane peels away, rendering it useless.”

“Then why give this to me?”

She noticed something while observing it.

…Huh?

She recognized it. Sort of, anyway. Because…

“This is a pair to the one you’re wearing on the back of your hip.” The manager tapped her own hip there. “The one you have is a men’s knife and this one is a women’s knife. The details and decorations differ.”

“My father gave me this one for self-defense. So…is this his too?”

But that felt wrong to her.

…He gave me the men’s one yesterday.

So why had the women’s one come from someone she didn’t even know?

She thought about what that could mean.

“So, yesterday. Did, um, your id-”

“What about my idiot?”

“Did he have another case like this one?”

The manager brought a hand to her chin and looked up at the ceiling. “Hm,” she groaned with a tilt of the head.

“He was wandering around outside when I arrived in the morning. Oh, but he was doing some delivery work, so he may have been left with the one you’re wearing now.”

“I see,” said Masazumi with a nod. If she was going to guess…

…Could this men’s one have been addressed to “Honda Masazumi” yesterday?

But very few people would have known she was on Musashi yesterday, so the deliverer wouldn’t have known where to take it and would have delivered it to her father’s house.

When the women’s one had arrived a day later, the manager just so happened to know her, so the idiot had left it with her instead.

But that still left a question.

…Why did dad give me the men’s one “for self defense” if it was addressed to me?

That would mean he had opened a delivery addressed to her. And…

“Um.”

She had to find something.

“Do you know who sent this package?”

Yesterday, she had thought it was from her father, but now she knew better. So who was it from?

“The packing slip was rewritten to say Paulo. I think it was in my idiot’s handwriting.”

“Paulo?”

The deliverer would generally write the packing slip for the sender. And the name written on this one was a common one in Catholic culture. It was even the name of an apostle.

But Masazumi didn’t know anyone by that name. So she asked a different question.

“Manager. Do you think a non-name inheritor would ever be asked to make the decisions of a name inheritor?”

“Hm? There are a lot of people who take historical names without being name inheritors. But if you’re in the position to make a decision like that, does it even matter if you’re a name inheritor or not?”

“What do you mean?”

“If the Testament says a name inheritor dies, what happens if the history recreation faithfully carries that out? And what if that name inheritor is about to be killed in front of you?”

“If that happened, I would…”

“Hold on.” The manager held out her palm. “Some people would stop it, some wouldn’t. People have different amounts of courage and recklessness and they have different amounts of strength and intelligence to back those things up. But…”

But…

“If that person was lost, wouldn’t everyone have their own regrets about it?”

“–––––”

“This is nothing complicated. It happens all the time. Anyway…”

Before Masazumi could ask anything else, the manager opened a sign frame.

“It looks like you’ve gotten yourself into some trouble, Masazumi-san.”

“You mean last night?”

Had word of that arrived here? But the manager put a hand on her chin, and…

“A ninja from the Chancellor’s Officers is out front. Why don’t you go help him out?”

○

Vice President: “And that’s when I first saw Crossunite. He showed me Musashi still wasn’t through surprising me.”

Art-Ga: “Were we a freak show in your mind, or something?”

Scarred: “So how quickly did Master Tenzou return to the Musashi?”

Flat Vassal: “In about 25 minutes, I think? He really does shine on mountain paths. Not as much as the 3rd Special Duty Officer, but still.”

Gold Mar: “I feel like I would have negated Tenzou’s usefulness if I had just flown back, but I didn’t want to make myself a target.”

Asama: “To be clear, Tenzou-kun first stopped by the shrine to tell my dad our situation in Mikawa before he went to the Blue Thunder. That means he was the only one who knew what was happening in Mikawa and on the Musashi, so he had an important job there.”

Horizey: “So where did he take Masazumi-sama while I was perfecting my strawberry dishes?”

Asama: “Well, we knew someone was after her. The Chancellor’s Officers made their decision after Tenzou-kun explained the situation to them, we hurried back to the Musashi, and we gathered at the Asama Shrine before meeting up with Masazumi and Tenzou-kun at a certain location.”

●

Shortly before nightfall, Mitotsudaira gave a report at the Asama Shrine.

She sat on the stones arranged next to the main building’s wooden stairs.

“1st Special Duty Aide, that about sums up the situation in Mikawa.”

A girl with her black hair tied back stood next to her. She was the new aide to the 1st Special Duty Officer.

“I see.” She gave a quick nod. “So Tres España shared the situation with us while remaining silent on the details.”

“What will the Chancellor’s Officers do?”

“We will be ignoring this. So says 1st Special Duty Officer Watanabe-sama.”

“––––––”

Mitotsudaira found herself at a loss for words, but then she heard her king’s voice from out head. He was standing on the gravel and engaged in a stone juggling contest with Kimi. He asked Kimi a question as she added another stone.

“Hold on, sis. Is that really what Chuuko decided? Why would she do that?”

“Judge. Honda Masazumi is not a Musashi resident, nor has she demanded asylum from Mikawa. If the Chancellor’s Officers got involved for someone like that, it would give Tres España room to make their move. Satisfied?”

“Wait,” said her king while starting to juggle a stone with his legs as well. “Isn’t that just finding an excuse to abandon her?”

Mitotsudaira breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that.

…Yes, he is the type to see it that way.

○

Gold Mar: “Um, Mito-tsan? Hold up.”

Silver Wolf: “Eh? What now?”

Gold Mar: “Well, I need to make a quick correction.”

●

※Correction by Margot Naito

“Hold on, sis. Is that really what Chuuko decided? Why would she do that?”

“Judge. Honda Masazumi is not a Musashi resident, nor has she demanded asylum from Mikawa. If the Chancellor’s Officers got involved for someone like that, it would give Tres España room to make their move. Satisfied?”

“D-don’t think you’ve won just because you can logically explain your reasoning!”

“That counterattack hit you hard, huh, To-chan?”

But when Naito looked to Mitotsudaira, she saw the wolf with a hand on her cheek.

“Yes, he is the type to see it that way.”

What world is Mito-tsan seeing?

○

Silver Wolf: “Th-that is not what happened! Stop mixing the present with the past!”

Flat Vassal: “So what actually happened?”

Horizey: “Add a dung beetle joke! We need to actually do a dung beetle joke!”

Silver Wolf: “You can only correct it once per day!”

Asama: “Hm. I’ll mark this section and correct it tomorrow.”

●

Kimi saw the 1st Special Duty Aide’s expression change at what her juggling brother said.

“I see,” she said. “Listen carefully. I said the Chancellor’s Officers would be ignoring this, but that stops the instant something happens on the Musashi. The 1st Special Duty Officer wanted me to be very clear about that.”

She then seemed to realize something and waved a hand to open a sign frame.

“Tres España sent over a notification earlier. Today at 5 PM, change of residence requests to Musashi for short-term lodging will no longer be restricted. They say this is to prioritize trade, cultural exchange, and the festival. The notification has the inquisitor’s personal stamp of approval. Who arranged that, I wonder.”

“Wasn’t me,” said Kimi’s brother.

“I am well aware of that. Inquisitors are Catholic officials capable of restraining or even harming people if they deem it necessary. But that is based on their own morals which emphasize the stability of Catholicism.”

So…

“This inquisitor has backed off and left us in charge of things aboard the Musashi. That means she will externally make use of the Chancellor’s Officers, who she considers ‘condescending and ignorant’, but she will not be directly involved.”

“Do you have to make it so confusing? Can’t you put it more simply?”

“This case is in your hands now.”

“Again, I’m not part of this.”

“Then what will you tell the others who have played a role in this?”

“Hmm,” groaned Kimi’s brother.

He was putting off making a decision. Meanwhile, the aide smiled and spoke.

“If the central figure doesn’t understand the situation, then it must be up to the rest to reach an understanding and explain it to you. Contact me when you have settled on a decision.”

“Hey.” Kimi’s brother began tossing the stones to Kimi each time one landed in his hand. Kimi made sure to catch them and toss them with a snap of her wrist. “I really just want to have fun and forget all the unpleasant stuff. That’s how we all feel. I mean, of course it is.”

●

“Judge!”

Mitotsudaira nodded at her king’s words.

…Of course we do!

This wasn’t about him deciding what to do as a king. Lately, he had seemed unsure if he should even hold the position of king. But…

“I feel the same way.”

He had provided the minimum necessary requirement to serve him. And she did not question that at all.

So he turned toward her and…

“Thanks, Nate.”

○

Gold Mar: “Hey, Mito-tsan? Could we maybe stick to reality here?”

Silver Wolf: “No! Let me have this! Tomo! Use this as a jumping off point!”

Vice President: “You people really do love altering the past, don’t you?”

Asama: “Fine, I guess it’s up to me to present the past as it happened.”

●

The wolf got a little carried away, but Asama also agreed with him.

Not because he was a king or anything like that. They were about to begin their 2nd year of high school. It was time for them to face the world they would soon be joining and look back on their past.

He had honestly been fairly subdued last year. Well, he had shamelessly peeped on the locker room, crashed into the academy while riding a kite in from Musashino, and played an uncensored furry video in the outdoor theatre, but there hadn’t been any noticeable focus to his actions.

“To his terrorism, you mean?”

Masazumi, you hadn’t joined us yet at this point.

But while he spun his wheels like that, it had felt like he was unsure about something. He had been trying to decide whether he would do something else or stick to his original plan.

His internal scales were likely tilting toward the original plan right now. So…

…Oh.

Thinking back now, his thoughts weren’t trending in any one direction. They were all mixed together as he searched for what he should do. And…

…I’m only now realizing how much I was thinking about back then…

○

Unturning: “Is this what they call the hunted becoming the hunted?”

Tachibana Wife: “She’s slipping into her present point of view too.”

Asama: “Th-there’s a lot you can learn from looking back on the past!”

●

At any rate, they had the Chancellor’s Officers’ unofficial permission from the aide. Either Mitotsudaira or Tenzou would keep the Chancellor’s Officers apprised of what they were doing, so they formed a crouched scrum on the gravel.

“So what do we do now?” he asked with a tilt of the head.

Asama explained a few things to him. It wasn’t easy since his comprehension was so bad, but…

“The Honda Masazumi you delivered that package to is at risk, or at least in a bit of trouble.”

“Huh? You mean it’s my fault?”

“My king, did you deliver that package yesterday?”

“Well…” He hesitated but gave in when Kimi smiled bitterly and elbowed him in the side. “I took on a bit of work yesterday morning. When another one arrived this morning, I asked Asama what was up with that and she told me. So I delivered that one too.”

“Asama-chi, aren’t you supposed to protect people’s personal information?”

“B-but he said he had a package to deliver… It was for business!” she insisted. But…

“People died, didn’t they?” he asked.

That silenced everyone for a moment. Asama took it upon herself to look him in the eye and nod.

“It was suicide. For both of them.”

“I figured that’s what this was about, but I don’t like it one bit.”

“Foolish brother,” said Kimi, hugging him from behind and leaning onto his shoulders. “What would you do if it were your choice?”

“Hmm.” He tilted his head and Mitotsudaira looked over curiously. But…

“I can’t really put it to words.”

○

Tachibana Wife: “Strange. I feel like he could manage that nowadays.”

Asama: “A lot has happened since then. A lot.”

Horizey: “Judge. If I had been there, I would have given him one hell of a slap for saying that.”

Bell: “H-Horizon, d-don’t get…ahead of…yourself.”

●

Asama thought it was fine if he couldn’t put it to words yet. Because…

…It means there is something he wants to say.

He had his own thoughts on the case.

This time, it was a double suicide committed for some reason or another. In other words…

“You said they wanted to accomplish something with their deaths.”

But…

“But why couldn’t they accomplish that while still alive? That’s the part I really don’t like.”

He said it like he couldn’t grasp the reason. In fact, no one here could answer that question. In matters of life or death, it was difficult for anyone other than the people themselves to truly understand. But…

“That is good enough, foolish brother. You are foolish, after all.”

“Then does my wise sister know the answer?”

“Of course I do,” said Kimi. “I know you will find the words you need eventually.”

“I see,” he replied. “Then,” he continued. “We need to make sure things behind the scenes are a ton of fun so no one will do anything silly like letting people die. There’s a festival on, after all. It’s not like we need that big-shot nation’s permission, but we got it anyway. So we need to have fun.”

Everyone there nodded and stood up. And a sign frame appeared next to Asama’s face.

It was from Tenzou.

“I have taken Honda Masazumi-dono to safety.”

“Understood. Now, about explaining the situation to her…”

“Judge,” replied Tenzou. “She has said herself she should avoid learning too much about either side for fear of exacerbating the situation. But…”

But…

“She says she has found her own purpose in this incident. She claims to know the person behind it and wishes to meet with them in the near future.”

Chapter 15: Bait and Resolve

Not so fast

We are in fact

Quite busy

Point Allocation (I Just Wanted to Say That)

●

Masazumi was led to an inn built on Asakusa.

She first thought it was built on top of a warehouse because everything here was on top of the large wooden shipping containers.

But a plaza with a stage was located out front of the longhouse-style inn. Out back was something like a back garden surrounded by more wooden containers.

She considered it a back garden because there really was a garden there.

…I guess they want to attract tourists.

The evening sun shined on the thicket of trees growing from a block of dirt ground. As for her…

…Maybe I should have told dad what’s going on.

She had been guided here by a forgettable ninja named Crossunite. As he explained it…

“To be honest, this is both the safest and most dangerous place for you.”

“What does that mean?”

“The festival being held out front is guarded by the Chancellor’s Officers, so even if they are not actively guarding you, they can respond quickly to most any attacker. But they are guarding the festival because it is the most likely target for an attacker.”

That makes sense, she decided.

…If only they were allowing change of residence requests for more than overnight stays.

Then her full request could have gone through and she would be a Musashi resident. Musashi’s Chancellor’s Officers and guards wouldn’t be able to ignore possible harm to one of their citizens.

But thanks to everything happening, she was instead still a Mikawa resident and Musashi could not proactively protect her.

“What is your understanding of this incident?” When she asked, a short boy stepped out from below the eaves. He wore glasses and beige Western-style clothing instead of a Far Eastern Uniform.

“Excuse me. I am Neshinbara Toussaint from Musashi Ariadust Academy Class 1-Plum. I have some questions for you. Because I am from Tres España originally.”

He raised his right hand for no apparent reason and added comments of “please, you have nothing to fear” and “you can relax, I assure you”, but she wasn’t afraid and she was perfectly relaxed. Was this guy alright?

At any rate, he asked his first question.

“Why do you think you are being targeted?”

“The culprit of the murder in Mikawa ran into me at night. Didn’t it say so in the report provided by Mikawa’s Chancellor’s Officers?”

“Crossunite-kun here saw the culprit call your name.”

Don’t you mean heard? Whatever. And does this mean he was the ninja yelling about a fire?

○

Flat Vassal: “Um, is it just me or is the Vice President’s distrust of us only growing?”

Vice President: “Can you blame me!? One of them strikes weird poses and the other is a weird ninja!”

Scarred: “M-Master Tenzou is not weird.”

Girls: “…”

Scarred: “Oh, um, uh, th-thank you for the applause! Thank you! We will do our very best to live up to your generous support!”

Gold Mar: “Did she just win an election?”

●

Masazumi decided these two were on her side. At the very least, they weren’t with the group that attacked her and they were trying to work with her to reach an understanding of the situation. Furthermore…

“So you’re in my year.”

“You will be joining our class. I imagine Principal Sakai had a hand in that. Because we lack a politician. In that sense, I am glad to have you. I hope your change of residence goes through quickly.”

She wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but she kind of agreed.

“I will be in a bit of a bind if I can’t move to the Musashi.”

“Then do you know why your request isn’t going through?”

“Because there was a murder in Mikawa and they know the murderer is still there.”

“Correct,” agreed Neshinbara. “And the likely murderer called your name and attacked you.”

“Judge. And I don’t know why.”

“Then why did Tres España agree to reduce the frozen requests to only permanent residence changes?”

“Good question,” she muttered, starting to think. She spoke her first idea aloud. “To use me as bait?”

●

Only after the fact did Masazumi realize the gravity of what she had said.

…Is that really it?

She had more or less guessed this already, but only by sharing it with someone else did its meaning hit home.

“What do you want to do? You don’t have a sign frame, do you? If you want to contact your father, I can have Asama-kun route you through.”

“Is the Asama Shrine Representative here too?”

“She arrived earlier. She is waiting next door right now.”

I see, thought Masazumi. This is turning into a big deal.

If she was being honest, she wanted to contact her father and let him make a decision for her. Because…

“This incident is on the level of a history recreation.”

…How did this happen?

What would her father think if he knew she was trying to involve herself in something like that?

She had no experience with this and hadn’t studied up on it, but she was getting involved in an incident that could influence a major nation.

Would he tell her to stop? But she heard a sudden racket outside.

“Hey, Asama! We’ve got everything set up, but what are you all doing in here?”

“W-wait, Toori-kun!? How did you get in through the rear!? There are guards!”

“Heh heh heh. Silly girl. Touching the entertainers is off limits! I rode my foolish brother’s shoulders all the way here while he insisted everyone clear the way!”

The forgettable ninja said “why am I not surprised?”, but Masazumi chose to ignore this. But the strange voice outside wasn’t done.

“Hey, I don’t know what you’re up to in here, but I brought you some food. I’m headed back to the festival area if you need me.”

It sounded like he was addressing all the others, not her.

“If you go all out with it, you won’t regret it,” he continued. “Today’s a festival, after all. So no holding back. Make sure you end the day with a smile.”

●

Oh, thought Asama. He must have figured out more or less what’s going on.

“Here you go,” he said, holding out a basket of snacks. He was even dressed as a festival snack seller.

“I’m glad you managed to get a stand this time.”

“If my sales are good enough, I might have a chance to do this again at the gagaku festival.”

Asama and the wolf accepted the snacks from him and Asama asked him a question.

“So all’s well that ends with a smile?”

“It’s a philosophy that rarely steers you wrong. It’s what I’m following these days. So,” he said. “I kind of hope we can all follow it.”

●

Masazumi sucked in a breath.

…That’s right.

She had considered many different things these past few days.

Like what her future would hold.

And what she should do about her past.

The future was an unknown, but her past was known. However, if she became someone new in the future, she still had to figure out what to do about her past.

Would she accept it or would she throw it out, forget it, and distance herself from it?

She understood that much.

But what did it mean to deal with something you understood so well? Her past was something only she could understand. A past was something everyone had, but it was also unique to each person.

She couldn’t write this off as a problem everyone faced.

It was her problem.

“That’s right.”

She suddenly realized she had been trying to figure out what she should do in the future, but…

…That’s not the right question.

She needed to consider something much simpler.

It wasn’t about what she should do. She would never reach an answer there.

She couldn’t predict the future, so she needed to instead think about…

…What I want to do.

“In that case…it just needs to be something that lets me smile in the end, huh?”

That was good enough for now.

She had no idea what her father would say afterwards and she might end up deeply regretting this. But…

“That counts as a goal, doesn’t it?”

She had a goal, so now she had to decide what to do based on that.

What could she do that would let her smile in the end?

…I know.

Her mother had always been smiling. All the housework keeping her busy couldn’t have been fun. That she still managed to smile was probably a form of stubbornness, but what if the housework and other tasks keeping her busy were all to preserve that smile?

If so, Masazumi’s father was the same. He was pushing her away, being strict with her, and hiding what he was thinking, but could it be for the same reason as her mother? He might be doing it out of concern for her.

She couldn’t know what someone else was thinking, so she had to focus on her own thoughts. And in this case…

“I agree too.”

●

Masazumi had some speculation regarding the incident. Why was she being targeted? Why was Tres España involved? If her speculation was correct…

“This is going to be trouble. It would be best if the rest of you didn’t hear any of this. So I would like for you to keep everyone but me and my bodyguards away from this room.

“But…”

Did she have to explain some of the reason before they would agree?

So she stated something that she was confident of even if it was speculation.

“A few days ago, Tres España carried out a history recreation: the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident. The crew of a Far Eastern trade ship was killed during some trouble with Catholic Tres Portugal in Macau. The representative of Hinoe Domain retaliated by attacking Pessoa, the man behind it, and sinking his ship.”

“Judge. I remember seeing that in the newspaper. The article said Tres España would soon resolve the incident internally,” said the ninja.

Masazumi continued from there, feeling like she was pretending at negotiation or politics.

“But there is more to the incident. The recreation was started early in the Far East, but the Testament says this incident eventually led to a certain movement.”

“What movement?”

“Well,” she said. “The banning of foreign religions. A political decision was made to drive Catholicism out of the Far East. They decided it was too dangerous to let it stay. Now keep everyone away like I asked. You hope to capture the murderer using me as bait, don’t you?”

Chapter 16: Horror and Confession

Ta la ta ta ta ta ta

Ta la lan ta ta tan

♪The constant hesitator is you

Point Allocation (Hey!!)

○

Horizey: “It’s time to bring up a spicier issue, so you kicked a bunch of people out! I take it Masazumi-sama will be negotiating now?”

Unturning: “So…war?”

Art-Ga: “I love warrrr! I can’t resisssst!”

Vice President: “Don’t draw up a storyboard while saying that! What the hell is going on in that doujinshi!?”

Bell: “S-so everyone else…was cleared out…but I…brought some tea.”

●

Masazumi bowed to the girl who brought her some tea. She was short and skinny, but she had an oddly motherly air to her. Her bangs covered her eyes, but based on the sensors attached at her ears and hips, she was probably blind. She placed the teacup on the tea table.

“I will…um…be in there.”

The girl pointed to the left wall. There was probably a waiting room there.

I shouldn’t have to speak very loud with her, concluded Masazumi.

“Are the others in there?”

“Eh?”

The tremble of the shoulders suggested Masazumi’s voice had caught the girl by surprise. She held the tray to her chest.

“Eh? U-um…oh…sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken so suddenly.”

The girl nodded twice, more to reassure herself than to affirm anything. But…

“The others…are in there…um…playing a game.”

Masazumi felt a brief surge of meaningless anger, which she wrote off as a personality flaw. But…

“They say this item is…rare? So it…almost never drops. But with four playing…the odds improve.”

“Um, yes. That was popular in Mikawa too, so I know the basics.”

“Th-that’s…good.”

It was not at all good.

○

Bell: “S-sorry…Masa…zumi.”

Asama: “You don’t need to apologize, Suzu-san. You really don’t, okay?”

Flat Vassal: “If I remember, the inn didn’t have the best divine transmission signal, so everyone had spread out to the hallways and washroom to play. I think we were playing GekoHun which came before GekoJae.”

Circle Be: “GekoHun? That really takes me back. I gave up on it and switched to an offering game called Maikomaster where you manage a maiko like you own a racehorse. And I happened to draw an ultrarare Rare Maiko.”

Vice President: “You people never miss a chance to goof off, do you?”

●

As if to say “now then”, the girl bowed and shut the front sliding door, leaving Masazumi alone.

The rear sliding door remained open, giving a view of the garden, where evening was turning to night.

She could hear a divine transmission test being run on the stage out front.

But when she looked at the rear garden itself, she occasionally glimpsed people here and there. They may have been tending to the artificial woods or pond. Yes, the point of this plan was to leave her alone and show her off as bait.

“If wonder if the criminals really are here on the Musashi. I hope these people can intercept them.”

●

“Okay, Persona-kun! One of the criminals went your way!”

Asama gave instructions while viewing a map of the garden on a sign frame the size of a tatami mat.

There she could see someone appearing and disappearing among the trees on the shore of the pond.

“Prepare yourself!”

But a giant hand emerged from the behind the trees, grabbed the person by the head, and dragged them away.

After a short pause, Asama heard a scream and one of the red “criminal” dots disappeared from the map.

Neshinbara sighed when he saw it.

“That makes seven. It’s fortunate we could get Mitotsudaira-kun’s assistance by calling them ‘festival attackers’. There sure are a lot of them, though.”

“I know. And they remain ordinary passersby until they make an actual attempt to harm a ‘festival attendee’, so we do have to take a reactive stance here.”

Asama gasped when she spotted a new red dot on the map. No, two new dots.

“Naito, Naruze. You’re up!”

●

Up on the inn’s roof, Naruze lay below some thatch roof camouflage and fired a 10-yen coin sniper shot at the same moment as Margot.

…These people followed Honda Masazumi here.

“I bet they knew this was a trap, but they went for it anyway since they couldn’t accomplish anything in Mikawa.”

How much pride and righteousness did they sense in what they were doing and what they were working toward?

Naruze and Margot knew their location based on the coordinates sent to their Magie Figurs. Naruze fired her “bullet” into one’s throat and Margot fired hers into the other’s solar plexus.

“Two hits. One head, one body,” said Margot after confirming the hits via binoculars spell. And after a breath, “Maybe we should officially make our own sniping spell. We don’t want to miss, right?”

“One we can use in flight would be great. But other than that, what’s wrong with this one?”

“Sure, we have this one for simply launching the bullet by accelerating it at the base of the broom and using the handle to guide it. It’s working here and it’s worked in the past, but I was just thinking we could use something a bit more stable.”

“So you want peace of mind first and hope the results will follow?”

“This one works great when we can take a stable sniping position, but like you said, it’s unstable if we’re in flight.”

Another pair of instructions arrived from Asama, so the two of them took care of it.

“Also, this spell can’t deal with anyone equipped with decent armor,” added Margot. “Like this, we won’t be able to fight back if a major nation picks a fight with us, right?”

“Planning to fight a war?”

“Who knows,” said Margot, shooting another one and updating the total to 16. “But I get the feeling these people are doing this for their nation, for themselves, and for the people close to them. Even if what they’re doing about it is wrong. But…”

But…

“I was wondering if we had anything like that.”

“When you see someone fall into a pitfall, don’t you feel the urge to climb in there with them?”

Hearing that, Margot turned around below the camouflage.

She kissed Naruze. Naruze gasped in surprise and Margot’s tongue moved as if trying to tell her something.

“Good point.” Margot pulled away and licked her lips. “You say some great things, Ga-chan.”

“Do I?”

“You do,” said Margot. “But personally I’m not interested in pitfalls. I prefer flying as high as possible.”

“Now who’s saying some great things,” said Naruze with a small smile.

Asama sent another instruction. Noriki and Nenji were already dealing with others below, so…

“19. So, have you all noticed?” Naruze confirmed what she was saying by snapping a photo of her target with a light amplification spell. “These people are Far Eastern.”

They were the ones who had targeted Masazumi and they all had distinctive clothing. It resembled a Far Eastern uniform, but…

The colors and armor resembled a different nation.

“That cross armor and vermilion color are Tres Españan, but these aren’t Tres Españans, are they?”

She knew the answer. Or she did now. So she explained it.

“Not many Far Eastern reservations officially include Tres Españan elements like this. If they’ve submitted to Tres España but are still considered valuable, they must be from the Kyushu reservation. The Testament says a lot of the people there converted to Tsirhc for trade.”

●

Margot could more or less guess the situation.

…The Far East has a lot of Catholics in Kyushu.

But according to the Testament, trade with other nations led to a lot of trouble and the influx of foreign culture and weapons was too much for Edo and Sunpu to control. A variety of factors led to a major uprising of Tsirhc worshipers at Shimabara, which led to the Far East banning foreign religions.

The Shimabara Rebellion’s history recreation had been completed in advance and Sakai’s generation had caused further trouble, so in most parts of the Far East, the only permitted religions were Shinto and Buddhism.

That was why Asama had to arrange the hidden setting for other religions, but thanks to the protection of certain nations – especially powerful ones – the spread of Tsirhc was allowed in some reservations as part of that nation’s history recreation.

…The provisional rule means that nation’s situation trumps the Far East’s.

These people had to be from somewhere like that. But…

“Oh.”

The enemy Margot was watching grouped up. They were working as a small team instead of as individuals.

“Margot! Naruze! Take care of any who get past the others!”

Margot heard a loud impact near the garden entrance.

Mitotsudaira and Adele had crushed the enemy with their shield.

●

Mitotsudaira realized the enemy was grouping up. Instead of moving covertly as individuals, they had decided to try and win this as a group. And for them, winning meant getting an attacker to Honda Masazumi, so…

…They split between defenders and attackers, didn’t they!?

An enemy carrying two swords rushed in. He had a pair of defenders on his left and his right. When the group clashed with Mitotsudaira and Adele, a defender was stripped away from the left and right.

“They got through!”

As soon as Mitotsudaira gave that report, a translucent arm extended from the pond and dragged away the remaining defender on the left.

…Nice one, Nenji!

It looked like something out of a horror movie, but he couldn’t help that. The enemy even looked back in terror. But…

“There’s still more!”

“Ugh, fine!” said Asama’s voice.

The very next moment, an armor-clad enemy’s back grew in Mitotsudaira’s vision.

Eh? she thought as Adele yelled next to her.

“Watch out, Extra Special Duty Officer!”

Adele tugged her down to the ground. And…

“Ahhhhh!!”

Having taken an arrow to the gut, the enemy flew overhead like a line drive.

Up ahead, Asama was completing her archery follow through in the waiting room next to Honda Masazumi’s room. And…

“Oh…”

Far behind her, Mitotsudaira heard what sounded like a bunch of buckets toppling over.

He flew really far. I almost feel bad, she thought, but Asama had not yet nocked her next arrow.

“Th-the enemy attacker remains!”

●

Mitotsudaira watched as a man armed with a pair of swords ran towards Honda Masazumi’s room.

“Oh, no!”

Nenji crawled from the pond, Itoken emerged from the ground, and Persona-kun ran from the trees.

The silhouettes visible in the inn’s lights showed Tenzou and others rising from the pond, so Mitotsudaira began to seriously wonder if they were horror monsters attacking in the night.

But at this rate, the horror monsters would be too slow.

“Kimi! Are you there!?”

She looked to see the front door behind Honda Masazumi slide open, revealing Kimi.

Kimi raised her hands and did a little dance, but Honda Masazumi failed to notice.

○

Vice President: “Did that really happen!? And I really didn’t notice!?”

Silver Wolf: “Yes, she danced, shouted ‘hey!’ at the end, grabbed one of the snacks on the tea table next to you, waved, and left through the front door.”

Tachibana Wife: “Her skill is terrifying, but what was she hoping to accomplish?”

Unturning: “Swipe a snack from the Vice President?”

Vice President: “Now I feel deprived for no good reason…”

●

Naito needed to hurry down from the roof.

An enemy was rushing toward the room below. She wished she could shoot him, but the angle of fire was too low. Her broom cannon wasn’t made to stack effects on the bullet and the spell couldn’t handle that either.

…We really do need to make our own spell!

Using an acceleration spell alone wasn’t easy, but it was still frustrating to be beaten at the last second like this. There were a few times in the past when I missed a crucial shot too, she thought.

“Ga-chan!”

“Judge,” replied Naruze, joining Naito in tossing the camouflage away and descending from the roof.

They threw themselves off the edge, raised their wings, and dove toward the enemy below.

…Oh?

All of a sudden, someone emerged from the room below, appearing from below the eaves.

She was foreign. Long-lived. Short blonde hair. Her clothing was Far Eastern but with a hint of…

…Not quite Tres España. Maybe more Tres Portugal!?

No, based on the earlier discussion, this wasn’t quite the same. It had to be…

“The Kyushu Far Eastern reservation!?” said Naito, coming to a stop.

In that same moment, the woman below landed a counterattack.

●

Mitotsudaira saw the skill behind that instantaneous attack.

This had to be the bodyguard Honda Masazumi had mentioned. The foreign woman ran right by the incoming attacker’s side.

“––––––”

That was when she made her move.

She sent a knife below the enemy’s right arm he had raised for a diagonal strike down at his target.

The muscles in the flank were linked to the arm. Even a minor slash there would cause the arm to retract and the body to curl up to protect its side, more from the pain than the blood loss.

The attacker groaned and fell out of his attack stance.

“I am sorry,” said the woman as she swept his feet out from under him.

The attacker flipped halfway over, collapsing headfirst to the ground.

That was all.

But Mitotsudaira heard a voice. The attacker spoke just before hitting the ground.

“Why are you doing this!?”

●

“I was careless, Honda-sama.”

Masazumi saw Protasius facing away and catching her breath with the dark garden out ahead.

Shortly thereafter, she heard the festival opening ceremony beginning on the stage in the background.

She could sense the distant rumbling of the cheers as she at back down below the eaves.

“Protasius. I’d like to say thank you…but sorry would be more appropriate.

“No,” Masazumi corrected herself. “Protasius. If I am to address you as a Far Eastern name inheritor, it would be more accurate to call you Hinoe Reservation Representative and Hinoe Academy Student Council President…Arima Harunobu, wouldn’t it?”

●

Masazumi saw the woman calling herself Protasius sigh with her back still turned.

She nodded once before turning around.

She faced Masazumi and, despite being older and a name inheritor, bowed her head and slowly kneeled with eyes closed.

Masazumi wasn’t familiar with it, but this was likely in line with some form of etiquette.

The woman opened her empty hand, placed it on the ground in front of her, and spread out her fingers.

And without raising her head…

“Honda-sama. I have come to you with a request.”

●

Suzu heard a voice.

…U-um, Prota-something-san? Or Arima-san?”

She wasn’t familiar with the name inheritance rules. If you had two was it a double name inheritance or something like that? Or…

“It’s a baptismal name,” explained Adele via divine transmission. “Arima-san is Catholic and Protasius is a fairly popular Catholic baptismal name.”

“What’s a…baptismal name?”

The front door burst open behind Suzu and Kimi barged in.

“Not baptismal – bath-tismal! It’s the name you use when you take a bath! In the soap kingdom!”

Asama-san turned around with her bow still at the ready, so Kimi-chan slammed the door shut and ran away.

●

Asama saw Neshinbara in the corner of the room with several sign frames open.

“Neshinbara-kun, have you figured something out?”

He shoved the sign frames behind his back before turning to face her.

“Heh,” he laughed. “It was simple really. According to my information network, Arima…um…”

“You can cheat if you want.”

“N-no, I don’t need to! Because I’m smart!”

“Harunobu,” whispered Suzu, but she was too quiet for Neshinbara to hear. Meanwhile, he held a hand to his chin in thought.

“I more or less get it now. This is all about the banning of foreign religions.”

“Yes,” agreed Asama with a smile. “Honda Masazumi-san already told us that.”

●

Masazumi sensed some kind of tense exchange occurring in the neighboring room. But she had her own exchange to deal with.

Hinoe Reservation Chancellor and Student Council President Arima Harunobu.

“You can think of Hinoe as Shimabara. Because the Hinoe Domain later becomes the Shimabara Domain. It has a lot of Catholics and the Testament says the Shimabara Rebellion occurs there later, but that was done in advance for the history recreation. She, Arima Harunobu, was Shimabara’s domain lord who traded with Portugal and others in the time period before that and she converted to Catholicism herself.”

“Ooh, you’re better at explaining things than Neshinbara-kun. We’ll let you do it,” came a divine transmission from the shrine maiden.

Really? Whatever.

At any rate, the name inheritor woman was bowing in front of her.

Masazumi knew perfectly well what her request was.

“Honda-sama, please grant me one request.”

Namely…

“I, Arima Harunobu, recently attacked Tres Portugal Captain-Major Pessoa’s ship off the coast of Nagasaki. I caused what goes on to be known as the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident.”

“I thought Tres España was handling that internally?”

Something about the way she put that caught Masazumi’s interest, so she asked about it. And…

“Testament. This history recreation pertains to our reservation, but Tres España claimed it was theirs and is dealing with it accordingly.”

“I came here with Paulo – that is, Hinoe Domain Extra Special Duty Officer Okamoto Daihachi – to speak with you directly. We ask that you grant us the history recreation following the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident.”

She bowed her head further.

“Only you can do that.”

●

What is this about? wondered Naito, taking a deep breath.

She was atop the eaves that Honda Masazumi and Arima Harunobu were speaking below. Or rather, she had halted her jump down and was trying to keep her balance after landing here. Naruze stood next to her, so Naito took her hand and tried to keep her trembling toes from slipping. But…

“What does she mean?” Naito asked via divine transmission. “Is there a history recreation after the Nossa one?”

Honda Masazumi down there was not a name inheritor. Why would a name inheritor like Arima Harunobu bow to her? But…

“She mentioned a name just now, remember? Okamoto Daihachi. An incident bearing his name follows the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident. Yes, I refer to the Okamoto Daihachi Incident.” Neshinbara’s voice arrived via divine transmission. “The retaliatory attack in the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident affected the Far East’s reputation, so the Hinoe Domain directly visited the shogunate afterwards. The shogunate sent Okamoto Daihachi to the Hinoe Domain as an inspector then, but some trouble occurred later on.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“A portion of Hinoe land was lost in a battle with Ryuuzouji and others. So the Hinoe Domain hoped to use the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident to ask the shogunate for that land back. Inspector Okamoto Daihachi promised to deliver this request to the shogunate.”

He took a breath.

“The knife Aoi-kun delivered to Honda Masazumi apparently bore the name Paulo. Just as Protasius was Arima’s baptismal name, Paulo was Okamoto’s. So both of them are here. If Paulo’s knife was broken, he must have run into trouble.”

“Then,” cut in Asama. “Protasius, aka Arima Harunobu, and Paulo, aka Okamoto Daihachi, both arrived in Mikawa? All to ask Honda Masazumi-san for their land back?”

That would be the ordinary conclusion. Looking at Arima Harunobu’s situation alone, that had to in fact play a role. But…

“Incorrect,” said Mitotsudaira. “Most likely, this is something else.”

The wolf sensed danger.

●

That’s what I thought. Margot agreed with Mitotsudaira.

“If she was only here to ask for their land back…why would her own people be attacking her?”

“Judge. Exactly,” said Mitotsudaira. “The attackers – who we have in custody now – aren’t saying a word, but I heard that final one ask ‘why are you doing this?’ after seeing Arima Harunobu. He was asking why she is opposing them.”

Meaning…

“She is not here to recover their land. She has come here to ask for something that will bring harm to Hinoe.”

What could that be? Neshinbara gasped and rejoined the conversation.

“The Okamoto Daihachi Incident is an unpleasant affair that began with Arima Harunobu’s request. You see, Inspector Okamoto Daihachi demanded a bribe in exchange for taking the request back to the shogunate. And after receiving a hefty sum, he covered it all up and tried to make off with the money.”

But…

“But his attempts to cover it up failed. The shogunate was furious with him for taking a bribe and had him burned to death. Arima Harunobu was subsequently ordered to commit suicide for giving the bribe. Of course, Arima Harunobu, being Catholic, could not do so and was decapitated instead.”

And…

“The shogunate official who accused Okamoto Daihachi of his wrongdoing was…Honda Masazumi, confidante of the shogun.”

●

Masazumi saw Arima Harunobu bow her head even deeper.

“Honda-sama. Please declare the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident to be under Matsudaira jurisdiction, so Tres España cannot handle it all internally. If you do so, we are prepared to complete the Okamoto Daihachi Incident as well.”

She had more to say.

“We three – the name inheritors of Arima, Okamoto, and Pessoa – can repay the favor if you report as such to the Testament Union.”

“Repay it how?”

Masazumi more or less already knew and she received exactly the response she expected.

“We can recommend and support your inheriting the Honda Masazumi name as a split name inheritance.”

Chapter 17: Hope and Distance

It only pretends to be a memory

It has simply seeped into your current self

And should be stripped away

Point Allocation (Face Forward)

●

“Not so fast!” hurriedly shouted Mitotsudaira. “The Honda Masazumi name was inherited by an automaton after everyone else was exiled from Mikawa.”

“Hence the split inheritance,” said Neshinbara to support Arima’s statement. “Listen. No one knows anything about the Mikawa name inheritors after everyone was exiled. Because everything happens inside New Nagoya Castle. And this serves to weaken the Far East, just like the Testament Union wanted.

“But if the Testament Union tries something, we could insist Mikawa’s Honda Masazumi only has a split inheritance and we have one as well, preventing the Testament Union from running a history recreation that benefits them.”

Mitotsudaira understood what Neshinbara was saying. It did seem like the Testament Union had allowed Mikawa’s exile policy because it let them to keep all the Far East’s powerful name inheritors isolated in Mikawa.

…But what if we could manage to drag one out of there?

“There would be chaos in Mikawa. Especially if Lord Motonobu didn’t take it well,” said Adele.

Mitotsudaira had to agree. But…

“She should accept.”

Shirojiro’s voice arrived via divine transmission.

●

Heidi nodded in agreement with Shirojiro while she brought in equipment next to the festival stands.

“That’s right. Why not go for it!? Split or not, you don’t get recommended for an inherited name every day!”

Hinoe was a reservation, but in terms of trade, Hinoe’s Shimabara Peninsula was right next to Nagasaki, a major Dark Continent trade port. Nagasaki was used as a spare reservation and, despite the provisional rule, it had a lot of influence with Tres España due to the many Catholics living there.

Kyushu was home to a lot of Far Easterners, so Musashi could do a fair bit of Far Eastern trade there. And more than just acquiring Far Eastern products, they could also acquire trade goods from the Dark Continent while they were at it. Ores and gems used in spells were worth a lot and were of particularly high interest.

But the Testament restricted the European powers to coastal trade, so the Musashi’s ability to fly over the land was a major advantage. So…

“We’d make so much money if we had close contact to a name inheritor from a major Dark Continent area! And just think of the connections!”

What did she mean by that?

“What a name inheritor needs most of all is money and connections! Both are practically assured from the beginning! It’s like a new player deal! Register now and you get some free money and connections!”

“Your brain is still stuck in game mode, isn’t it, Heidi-san!?” accused Adele, but it was true.

“Besides, didn’t this Honda Masazumi try and fail to inherit the name? If I was in that situation, I know I would leap at the chance to try it again now.”

She was probably saying some unpleasant things here, but Shirojiro replied.

“Indeed. We will gladly ignore the feelings of others if it will make us money. You understand that, don’t you?”

“It’s true, you know?” added Heidi. “I don’t care what anyone else is feeling. I just know the more money the better! So what’ll it be!?”

She was answered by a sign over the divine transmission.

“C’mon, Auge-chan. You too, Shiro. The supply line I’m in isn’t moving, so what’s the hold up there? Is something wrong?”

That was Toori. Heidi internally reacted with a “Ahhh, sorry!” because Circle Be had underestimated demand and was having trouble handing out so much coolant at once.

So she hurriedly created sign frame fences between the supply lanes the major merchants had created. The adjacent merchants glared at her and stomped over to protest, so Shirojiro ran over with an armored candy box. He would never lose one of those battles.

But Toori was still speaking.

“Also, Auge-chan. I only just joined the conversation, but based on what I heard, you’re all excited and feel like you don’t have to care about anyone else’s feelings. Y’know, the kind of thing you’ll want to laugh at yourself for when you remember it in the bath tomorrow evening.”

“M-maybe I did say that.”

Toori-kun is bound to show up later to make fun of me and do an impression of me. He might even show up at a Circle Be event with Kimi-chan and a guitar and do a comedy routine based on it. But…

“Now, I’ll admit I don’t get what other people are feeling a lot of the time,” he said.

But…

“I don’t get this money stuff either, so I’ll let you two handle that.”

“You will?”

“Of course. Would you let me handle your money?”

“I’d rather die.”

“So,” said Toori. “When we don’t get what someone else is feeling, we can leave that to them.”

●

“Listen,” the knight heard her king say. “You’re already in sight of your goal, right? So leave it to me. And if it looks like I’m gonna screw it up, do everything in your power to stop me. Got that?”

“Judge,” the knight replied. “I will, my king!”

●

＊Correction by Asama.

“In fact, you should probably just stop me regardless. But I can’t join you this time, okay? Hm, but on the other hand, maybe I can make it after I finish my preparations here. How does that sound?”

Everyone responded in unison.

“Don’t you dare!”

○

Horizey: “The truth can be so cruel, can’t it, Asama-sama!?”

Asama: “Honestly, if Mito wasn’t here, I’m afraid I would end up highlighting only the positive parts. This way is more balanced.”

Silver Wolf: “Could you not add to my sections without asking first!?”

●

Masazumi clenched her fists atop her lap. She considered what she should ask Arima who was bowing her head to the ground.

“I suppose I don’t need to ask you why.”

“You mean you understand?”

“Judge,” Masazumi replied. “The Hinoe Domain and Arima Harunobu were responsible for the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident and the Okamoto Daihachi Incident. The Testament says the two incidents led to a certain decision by the shogunate.”

That decision had been mentioned several times already.

“The banning of foreign religions. This has already begun in the Far East since the Shimabara Rebellion was completed in advance, but the idea had its origins in Arima Harunobu’s two incidents. The Okamoto Daihachi Incident is particularly notable since the shogunate announced the ban on the day of Okamoto’s execution.”

“Testament. The ban has been applied in advance, but it will soon officially begin in both the Testament Union and the Far East.” Arima kept her voice low. “And while the ban is already in effect, it is loosely enforced most of the time. The Testament Union has attempted to change that, starting in K.P.A. Italia, which means the current state of affairs is not to their liking. Thus, if they have a chance to apply the ban anew, the heavily Catholic reservations and their ruling nations will have to reassess the situation and the ruling nations will undoubtedly rework the situation to their own advantage.”

What did that mean?

“You mean the Catholic nations enforcing the provisional rule will grow more powerful, don’t you?”

It used to be that the residents of the Catholic-ruled reservations were mostly required to convert to Catholicism. But that changed when the ban on foreign religions was carried out in advance.

That let the Far East avoid Catholic intervention and it let the ruling nations avoid intervention from the Far Eastern powers growing during the Warring States period.

For the Catholics in particular, allowing intervention from the Far East would mean a Mlasi invasion of Europe as P.A. Oda’s Hashiba worked to unify the Far East.

…That has to be part of the reason Hashiba joined with M.H.R.R.

If their interests were aligned with the Catholics, their work became a lot easier. It seemed like a flexible way of thinking to Masazumi.

That said, the ban on foreign religions had its pros and its cons from both sides, so she saw it as both sides having their bargaining chips they could use. But…

“If the ban is renewed, you are right that the Testament would work that to their advantage.”

“Testament. The current ban works more to protect the Far East than anything. It is said that is because Matsudaira put it in motion and secured the current state of affairs in their later conflicts.”

“So…are you asking me to betray the Far East?”

“This is all none of your concern since you are moving to the Musashi.”

Masazumi’s immediate thought was “that’s true”, which made her wonder whose side she was on.

But Arima said more.

“Honda-sama. If you were to side with the Testament Union, I am sure they would be willing to make you a name inheritor. It would also give Musashi an advantage in trade with Kyushu.”

So…

“Isn’t this win-win for us, Honda-sama? So will you choose your feelings for the Far East, which you hold for no more reason than being born there? Or will you choose what benefits your and Musashi?”

●

Asama gasped as she listened to the conversation in the adjacent room. She wasn’t alone. The others here did as well.

…This is getting serious!

What would happen if the ban on foreign religions was renewed?

…We would have to rework everything that makes use of the ban!

The hidden setting that Shinto used when dealing with Catholicism and everything of that nature might need to be remade with the Testament Union in charge.

They likely wouldn’t need to remake everything, but their mutual interests and stability would be reworked because “Catholics can no longer function in the Far East”. If that happened, the Testament Union was bound to demand conditions that benefited them. And more than that…

“The Testament Union could use the ‘possibility’ of change as hope to dangle before people like bait.”

Yes. Everyone would dream of being able to redo things the way they wanted. If it created that opportunity, the odds were good Honda Masazumi’s split name inheritance would be approved even if the recommendation came from a backwater reservation like Hinoe. And simply put…

“Isn’t this a crisis for the Far East?” asked Tenzou. “Principal Sakai dealt with a possible renewal of the ban when he was Chancellor, so I thought this was already settled…”

No one responded. Asama hoped that was because they recognize the gravity of the situation and not because they were ignoring him.

But he was right. With the Apocalypse approaching, the Testament Union nations would likely celebrate this if it happened.

On the other hand, it would be nothing but a source of unease for the Far East reservations.

Some reservations would have the status of their provisional rule reworked and Shinto would have their work cut out for them remaking the hidden setting and more.

…Which isn’t to say the current system doesn’t have its problems.

“But a renewal like this would be done cooperatively between the two sides, so wouldn’t it turn out differently if the Catholics took the lead?”

“Yes, but they would have control of everything from the day it went into effect.”

Everyone had to sense the concern in the air.

“Now I see why Mikawa and Tres España’s Rodrigo were afraid to say this out loud,” said Naito.

Asama reluctantly had to agree.

This was too big a problem. Talk about it and some might suspect the Far East and the Catholic nations were plotting something together. An investigation would be immediately launched.

A representative of Mikawa or of Tres España was in no position to make a decision there or even reveal information about it.

“This could work to the Catholics’ advantage, but it can also be used as a political tool,” said Neshinbara, sounding a bit irritated. “Every nation would want to take control. And even if a nation provides protection to Hinoe and Honda-kun, the nations who dropped out of the race would likely join forces in secret to attack that lead nation both physically and economically. This is a troubling bombshell even for the Catholic nations.” He shook his head. “But now that the bombshell is in their hands, the Catholic powers are bound to make use of it. Tres España, Hexagone Française, and the M.H.R.R Catholic principalities have the authority to do that. K.P.A. Italia will be especially eager to do so since they attempted to rework the ban in the past. And help from any of them would be a good deal for Hinoe and Honda-kun.”

“So what’s this Honda’s situation right now?” asked Naruze. “Aren’t we in trouble if she feels no real attachment to the Far East or only has bad memories about it?”

Asama nodded.

“Um, to sum up Honda Masazumi-san’s situation…her mother died, she failed to inherit her name, she was attacked last night, and she decided to move to Musashi to get away from Mikawa and all its mysterious phenomena.”

“We’re screwed!”

Asama hated that she was tempted to agree with the others.

●

I see, thought Masazumi. She had to honestly admit the setup had been done brilliantly.

The way things were, she and the Hinoe Domain only had to make the first move. Once they did, the powerful Catholic nations would start fighting over the potential benefits and take care of the rest.

Then she and Hinoe would be safe and could reap the benefits.

“Thank you for telling me that much,” said Masazumi, lowering her gaze to kneeling Arima. “Now allow me to tell you that much as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t worry about it. To be honest, I’m not all that attached to the Far East.”

That was true.

“I failed to inherit my name, I lost my mother and I still don’t know why, and I feel like my father is keeping me at arm’s length. My hometown is flooded with mysterious phenomena and I’m moving to Musashi, the Far East’s only independent territory. I am a Far East citizen, but I’ve never left Mikawa, which is neutral ground where you see other cultures a lot. If you’re telling me to feel attached to the Far East in my situation, I’d think you were nuts.”

“Then…?”

“Judge.” Masazumi nodded. “That’s my that much. Since you only told me that much, I’m only telling you that much.”

I didn’t really say very much, she thought. I feel like I’m making childish complaints to someone who carries the weight of a nation and the world on her shoulders.

But she had to say what had been left in her hands, so she opened her mouth.

“I can’t accept your proposal, Arima Harunobu.”

●

“Why not?”

“Then tell me this.”

Masazumi asked to receive confirmation.

“Why are your people here to stop you? And why are they willing to harm me to do so?”

“Well…”

“This incident is a source of hope and of misfortunate for the Hinoe Domain.”

It made sense when you thought about it.

“The Shimabara Rebellion has already been completed in the Shimabara Domain – that is, the Hinoe Domain – so a renewal of the ban would place a certain restriction on you.”

What might that be?

“A true ban on foreign religions. The Hinoe Domain would be forced to abandon its Catholicism and operate as a Far Eastern reservation.”

●

Eh? thought Adele as she viewed the exchange with a Catholic directional microphone spell she was using with the hidden setting.

She initially didn’t understand what Honda Masazumi was talking about.

But after a moment of thought, she could see the logic of the argument. Even if the Catholics were in charge of renewing the ban in the Catholic-controlled regions of the Far East, Hinoe would be viewed most strictly since it had all begun there.

The Catholics would no longer be able to treat Hinoe as separate.

Hinoe would become the most isolated group under the provisional rule of the European powers.

Hinoe benefited most from preserving their current cooperative relationship with the Catholics.

But Arima Harunobu’s decision could easily shake the very foundation of the Far East and isolate Hinoe.

And if the Hinoe people were trying to stop Arima…

“Why would Arima-san want that?”

As soon as Adele asked, the Extra Special Duty Officer gasped and raised her head. Her animal eyes with excellent night vision were directed straight at those two as she spoke.

“She’s changing sides, isn’t she!?”

●

“You’re changing sides, aren’t you?” Masazumi asked Arima. “You’re using the ban to release your domain from Tres España’s rule and gaining another powerful nation’s protection instead.”

Another powerful nation. One that had a close connection to Mikawa.

“P.A. Oda. Or more accurately, its Hashiba-ruled territory.”

●

“That is correct.”

Masazumi saw Arima nod with her head still bowed.

“Kyushu will soon be under Hashiba’s control. It will be unified after two years of war and negotiation. But Tres España and Portugal have to reorganize their own nations, so they have been unable to stop Hashiba’s invasion.”

○

Tachibana Wife: “Wait a moment. It is true Tres España was unable to directly support its Kyushu territory back then, but that is why we provided trade using imported goods acquired in the New World. I want to make that clear.”

Vice President: “Judge. I know that. And I imagine Arima Harunobu did too since she was actually there. I’m sure she appreciated it too. But…Tres España was preparing for the Armada battle the following year and the entire nation was feeling blue since you were required to lose that battle.”

Silver Wolf: “By that time, Hinoe’s neighbors like Ryuuzouji had already sided with Hashiba and Hashiba was receiving their mechanical dragon production tech. So from Hinoe’s perspective, remaining Catholic would mean their neighbors were all enemies. They couldn’t hope to regain their lost land then.”

●

So it was the decision of a small nation, thought Masazumi.,

“It can’t be easy when a Far Eastern reservation is dragged to the front line of history.”

“Testament. I sometimes wish we had more power…but since the Shimabara Rebellion required us to give up most of our arms, we have no choice but to get by with trade. But the history recreation will soon have Hashiba’s power reach Kyushu while Tres España’s power wanes. However…”

“A lot of people aren’t hoping for major changes as a result and are working to preserve what they have now?”

“To our shame, yes. Of course, they all know they are simply clinging to the current stability for as long as possible before they run out of time.”

That had to be why her former comrades had attacked this place and attacked Masazumi. But…

“Why me? Couldn’t you recommend someone else who agreed with your plan?”

“With a Mikawa name inheritor, the natural route would be to approach an automaton, but Mikawa is cooperating with Tres España and is working to cover up the issue. So we instead chose you because you are from Mikawa, you have the name already, and you began gender reassignment surgery. Besides, if we had chosen someone else, our opponents would have used you as an alternative. And since you sought that name in the past, you would have a much easier time getting through and have more openings for negotiation once you had some real support.”

“I did not expect that unpleasant chapter from my past to have so many weird advantages here.”

Masazumi smiled bitterly and Arima laughed a little too. But soon afterwards…

“I-I apologize. I should not have laughed at that.”

“I don’t mind. But now I have told you ‘this much’. Which means it’s your turn.”

Or…

“Should I explain for you how this isn’t just Hinoe’s problem?”

●

Masazumi looked straight at Arima, who stiffened a bit.

“Regional reservations are a good place for trade and provide some insight into what the other nations are doing. This is especially true for the Hinoe Domain which is considered a spare trade site and still enjoys a decent amount of prosperity. You should be able to monitor the actions of the European powers from a detached perspective.”

So…

“If Hashiba and P.A. Oda conquer Kyushu, the history recreations will intensify as the next era begins. Real progress will begin on the Thirty Years’ War and the Keichou Campaign. In P.A. Oda, they’ll have to start working toward the Honnouji Incident. The Thirty Years’ War in particular affects the later status and importance of Catholicism. The world will no longer be run by religions. We will reach a world run by nations and kings with absolute authority. With that on the horizon, being ruled by Tres España, who will soon fall into decline, is a dangerous position to be in. And that doesn’t just apply to Hinoe.”

“What do you mean?”

You know the answer to that, don’t you?

“I suppose saying it applies to the Far East as a whole would be an exaggeration, but every reservation under Catholic rule will remain under their rule as the world changes around them. In some cases, they could be bled dry in the process. So you wanted to hit the reset button.”

How was simple enough.

“The Hinoe Domain would use Honda Masazumi to ask the Testament Union to enact the ban on foreign religions which would give the Catholic nations an advantage in the coming changes. But if the ban did go into effect, the Far East isn’t stupid. Once they had a right to refuse Catholicism, they would make sure to claim that right from Shinto and Buddhism.

“What happens then? If the reservations are prepared for some hardship, they could escape from Catholic rule and either wait for the world to change and a new ruling nation to arrive, or, by refusing the protection of the Catholics, they could construct a somewhat equal relationship with another ruling nation. And as a result…”

Masazumi took a breath before continuing.

“They will have taken the first step toward escaping the provisional rule altogether. That is the secret objective of the next ban on foreign religions. And Hinoe would use their relative fortune to prove it possible. That is your true intention and purpose, Arima Harunobu.”

Arima sucked in a breath.

“You…are making a lot of speculation. Where did you get all of this information?”

○

Gold Mar: “It helps that she’s telling the story with knowledge of the future.”

Flat Vassal: “Flashbacks are like cheating cause you already know all the answers.”

Vice President: “N-now, hold on! I don’t think I changed all that much!”

●

“I didn’t have to speculate at all.” Masazumi replied to Arima’s concern. “It’s simple, really. When I failed to inherit my name, I spent a lot of time thinking about why. Setting aside the exile policy, I couldn’t accept that I wasn’t good enough, so I soothed my ego by foolishly imagining there was some other reason. And this was one of the ideas I came up with. Yes, I could renew the ban on foreign religions, which would flip the Far East onto its head, so the Testament Union refused to give me the name and gave it to an automaton instead.”

“Then…?”

Arima didn’t have to say anymore. Because…

“I told my mother about my idea. And I asked her if my father, who had moved to the Musashi, would finally believe in me if I told him. But my mother told me to forget about that and go grocery shopping. Because dinner would be a lot better that way.”

She had been flabbergasted at the time. Because she was convinced her speculation was true. It was all perfectly logical, after all. So she had tried to convince herself it had to be true. But…

“I still remember that dinner. It was miso chicken and eggplant stew. Maybe it was all the walking I did while out shopping, but I was really hungry and it tasted great. When my mother asked me if I was going to tell my father about my theory, I lay down and shook my head. I told her my speculation and conviction could stay there inside me. About three days later, I remembered it all in the bath and just about died of embarrassment.”

“But all of that is about to become true?”

“You’re right,” replied Masazumi. “I envy you. You have an objective and you’re working toward something you believe in. If you had asked me to join you back when you first started, things might have turned out differently. I might have shared your objective and would have a better idea now what I should do.”

“Why?” asked Arima. “Why do you remain so loyal to the Far East? No, if you were loyal to them, why don’t you agree to renew the ban and set most of the Far East free?”

“Because you reminded me. And I remember now, Protasius.”

“I…reminded you?”

“Judge.” Masazumi nodded, aware she had a hopelessly troubled smile on her face. “My mother said ‘have a good day’ when I left for school. Even on the day she died.”

She didn’t always know how to make a day a good one, but she did know one thing.

“My mother trusted me to get by on my own, which is why she felt comfortable seeing me go. And,” she said to Arima. “Isn’t it the same for everyone?”

In fact, most people were better off than someone as inexperienced and full of doubt as her. But…

“Everyone has to live their own life. They might not know what that means now, but they’ll figure it out eventually. And I’m starting to think I will too.”

So…

“The people who can choose to act will do so even without the ban. Just like you did.”

“But what about those who can’t?”

“True. That’s a trickier issue. But…”

She had heard something like his earlier.

“But when that happens, the people who can, like you, just need to help them. But what you are doing now is building walls between parts of the world. Ultimately, that’s no different from having the Catholic nations rule the reservations. What you need to do is save the nations in need of help. Isn’t that what you should be doing?”

“Then,” said Arima. “Then was everything Paulo and I did for nothing?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Eh?” said Arima, finally raising her head.

She had tears in her eyes.

Masazumi didn’t know why , but she thought she knew the meaning behind those tears. This was “checkmate” for her and she was the one who had put herself in this position. And now she was trying to return it all to nothing, but…

“Your comrades have been captured by Musashi, but they aren’t speaking a word. Do you know why? Because ‘someone other than us’ is here.”

Masazumi snapped her fingers before continuing.

“Tres España. You’re here, aren’t you? To keep an eye on things. And if I had agreed to this plan, you would either have put a stop to it all or made sure you were in control of the ban’s history recreation.”

“You overestimate our abilities.”

Several people suddenly appeared at the entrance to the garden.

The group all wore Tres Españan uniforms and had been hiding themselves with stealth spells.

“I am Inquisitor Don Rodrigo. I have been given authority here. Now,” said the girl in the lead. “What will you do, Honda Masazumi? How will you, a non-name inheritor, handle this situation?”

“That’s simple enough.” Masazumi turned to face the girl with short brown hair clearly visible even at a distance. “I will do what Arima Harunobu here wants.”

Chapter 18: Front and Truth

Is this the right thing to do?

It is

Is that the right thing to do?

It is

Point Allocation (A Simple Goodbye)

●

Mitotsudaira thought she heard a breath.

It came from Rodrigo about 12m behind her.

…Was that a gasp?

No. Looking back, Mitotsudaira knew it wasn’t. She had heard…

…If anything, a sigh of relief.

But Honda Masazumi was saying something more at the inn in front of Mitotsudaira.

She inhaled and clearly steeled herself before speaking. She raised her right forearm as she did so.

“Is that alright?”

○

Art-Ga: “I really don’t think it is.”

Vice President: “Do you have to interrupt me like that!? What is your problem, anyway!?”

Gold Mar: “Hey, Seijun? We mentioned this before, but did you really negotiate this eloquently and effectively back then?”

Vice President: “…Y-yes.”

Art-Ga: “I remember it being really hard to watch from up above. You kept going ‘um’ and ‘hold on a moment’ and ‘huh?’ and scratching your head. Like Neshinbara.”

Tonbokiri: “That sounds awful.”

Vice President: “You’re only reacting to that last part, right!? Right!? …But you’re not wrong. While thinking back and writing this down, I can’t help but notice how many unnecessary tangents I made and how long I took to get to the point. Also, I just can’t seem to recreate my terrible attempt at negotiating now that I know how it’s done.”

Unturning: “Intentionally wielding a sword badly is admittedly a challenge.”

Tonbokiri: “No, it isn’t. Just go like this: swawoosh.”

Tachibana Wife: “Th-that was hideous! Never do it again, Honda Futayo!”

Asama: “And if we are going to write this the way it really happened, we need to include the part where Kimi entered behind you a second time, danced, shouted ‘hey’, drank some tea, and left.”

Vice President: “She did that twice!?”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh heh. My foolish brother was taking so long with his preparations I decide to take another peek! It was super easy!”

Silver Wolf: “I say we don’t bother with that because it’s easier to understand this way. So, Masazumi, keep doing what you’re doing and give us a good summary of what happened.”

Horizey: “Yes, use your political power to rewrite history in your favor! A self-serving autobiography is a standard step on the way to becoming a politician, Masazumi-sama!”

Vice President: “Ugh, I really, really hate to admit it, but that is true!”

●

Setting aside everything else, Masazumi was not a name inheritor. Nor did she have the protection of a major nation. So she needed to confirm something.

“Is that alright?”

But she kept going. It might make her sound conceited, but she made sure not to sound timid.

“Rodrigo, I have a proposal as a mere student.”

“What might that be?”

“Tres España rules over Kyushu, but that land should only belong to the Far East. It is clearly a bit of a stretch for Tres España to rule it using the Far Eastern reservations.”

So…

“If those reservations are preparing to side with Hashiba, why not grant them discretionary powers?”

“Honda-sama!”

“That is asking a lot,” said Rodrigo, a note of warning in her voice. “Kyushu is valuable territory and you are asking us to essentially abandon it. Tres España cannot agree to that in its current state.”

“But you can’t oppose Hashiba either, can you?” said Masazumi. “I hear the final negotiations for Hashiba’s control of Kyushu are underway there right now. But once their invasion of Kyushu is complete, where will Hashiba go next? They will not go after Tres España right away.”

“True…”

“Hashiba will wait until you have been weakened by the Armada battle before they make their move. Once your national strength has been reduced by that defeat, they can economically rule over you and claim they are providing support.”

“Our Vice President is taking measures to prevent that.”

“But you could always use more options there, right?”

This is a complete bluff, thought Masazumi as she kept going.

…I’m taking a huge risk here.

It was slow going, but she used Rodrigo’s reactions to determine her position and used that to change her own tactics on the fly. But…

“Arima Harunobu, thank you. My current objective is to save your dream.”

Do you get what that means? Masazumi was inexperienced, had lost everything, and even her father was keeping her at arm’s length, but…

“I’m on my way there.”

●

Masazumi made her proposal.

“Your control of Kyushu has lessened thanks to Hashiba’s invasion and interference. So if you look to the future…”

“Are you asking us to abandon Kyushu as a bargaining chip to stop a Hashiba invasion of Tres España? Nonsense. Even Hashiba will fall eventually. If we look to that future, we cannot afford to lose Kyushu for something that will not last.”

Oops, I took that too far. So to correct that…

“No, I’m not saying you should go that far.”

Wow, I just changed my win condition. That’s so lame. I bet dad would be mad at me, thought Masazumi. But, um…

“Once Hashiba falls, Matsudaira will rule. Then the Osaka Campaign starting with the Battle of Sekigahara greatly changes the power balance in the Far East. Once that happens, the ban on foreign religions will be more strictly enforced even without my assistance. Because the Far East’s isolationist policy begins then. At that point, Kyushu’s value will plummet.”

“Its Dark Continent side will still be valuable to our Tres España side. Through trade.” Rodrigo held her hand to her chest. “Trade in ore and gems. And we have our New World trade to consider as well. If we can use Kyushu as a port leading to the Gate, smaller ships can trade with the New World. So Kyushu will remain valuable.”

“Is that so?” said Masazumi.

She asked her next question, knowing this was the critical moment.

“So you’re telling me it is Tres España’s opinion that Kyushu is valuable?”

“Testament. We cannot let Kyushu go.”

“In that case.” Masazumi knew one thing here. “If Tres España gained control of the ban on foreign religions, I know exactly how you would use it.”

“Huh?” Rodrigo furrowed her brow as if to ask what Masazumi knew.

It was true Masazumi hadn’t given any hints about her true intention here, but everything she had done here was leading up to this.

“The ban allows the reservations to escape Catholicism. If it goes into effect, Hashiba will take Kyushu from Tres España and claim it as their own territory. That is why Tres España needs to have control of the ban. Because…”

Because…

“You want to keep it sealed away so you can keep Kyushu safely in your grasp.”

●

Masazumi opened her mouth.

“So read my lips.”

She knew the situation now. She understood what this major nation wanted.

…To avoid losing Kyushu.

That was their goal. Claiming and sealing away the ban was the means to that end.

So she knew what she had to say as someone who could influence those means.

“I can trigger the ban at any time. All I need to do is accept the recommended split inherited name and seek asylum here on the Musashi.”

“Do you have any idea what will happen if you do that?”

“Calm down. I want to talk so we can avoid that outcome.”

Would this work? This was in large part a threat, but, even with Arima and the others here, she was essentially alone in this. If she wanted to keep this major nation from crushing her, she needed to wield a weapon capable of threatening them.

She had just shown off the blade she could use to stab that nation. So…

“Let me ask again: is it possible for you to let the Kyushu reservations choose whether or not to keep the Tres Españan forces around?”

●

“I do not want much here, but the Hinoe Doman came to me for help. To be honest, the ban would send shockwaves through the Far East, so I would prefer to have no part in this. Besides, the ban is technically already in effect and if all that is going to happen beyond my control, I would prefer to get rid of it altogether.”

“So you are only intervening in Kyushu because…?”

“To assist them in getting rid of the ban. Can you trust a deal based on nothing?”

“Testament.” Rodrigo finally nodded and Masazumi nodded back.

“But demanding you grant all of your Far Eastern reservations the right to ask you to leave would be asking too much here. So with the history recreation approaching and as a sign of what triggering the ban would cause, I am only asking it of the Tres Españan reservations in Kyushu.”

“And what does Tres España gain from this?”

“Judge. If the reservations are free to tell you to leave, Hashiba will have an easier time with their negotiations there. You should be able to use that as a bargaining chip to protect Tres España from Hashiba. And this will still leave you with the right to negotiate with the reservations as their ruling nation, so while you have to worry about Hashiba now, this leaves the door open for your return to Kyushu eventually.”

“I see,” said Rodrigo to express her comprehension.

This would normally be where Masazumi observed Rodrigo’s reaction, but she instead kept talking.

Because…

“I’ve heard Tres España – especially your Vice President – is working to preserve your strength as a nation even as you construct your Grande y Felicísima Armada which is required to lose its battle. I assume a Student Council as skilled as yours has already considered what I am suggesting.”

So…

“As someone connected to the ban, I and the Hinoe Domain have a proposal: If you accept the policy I have described, I, Honda Masazumi, will forget about this entire affair like it was no more than a dream.”

She suggested a compromise before Rodrigo could speak up.

She sent a demand and a compromise to her opponent as a package deal. The compromise would make it harder for Rodrigo to refuse the demand, so she had given them both at once. It was a fairly forceful method, but…

…If only I had more knowledge and confidence in my negotiation skills.

She judged herself as really bad at this. Back in Mikawa, she had dreamed of taking part in international negotiations, but now she only felt a cold sweat on her back. Rodrigo, by comparison, remained calm, hinting at her great experience with these things. But she tried to think of that as who she would be in the future.

“You can rest easy if I forget everything that happened today and pretend it never happened, right?”

“Forget?”

“I’m asking you to let me move to Musashi.”

“Oh,” said Rodrigo with a bitter smile, so Masazumi smiled too.

“Staying at that empty house back in Mikawa wasn’t fun. I have my life here to think about too. I won’t lie. I plan to start over from the beginning here.”

“Then what will you do if we ignore your request and continue to hold Kyushu? Everything Hinoe did will have been meaningless.”

“Even if you ignore my request, there isn’t much you can do with Kyushu thanks to Hashiba.”

I know you know that, she added silently.

Rodrigo was testing her. Why was simple enough.

…So she can report back to Tres España.

This same discussion had to be occurring within Tres España. That was why Rodrigo had come here to assess Masazumi. She needed proof that Masazumi wasn’t just saying things, so she had asked a question that required an accurate understanding of the situation to answer.

“Then.”

Here it came.

“Then what about this? Can’t Hinoe simply side with Hashiba? Then there is no need to make this a problem for Kyushu as a whole. Correct?”

Masazumi already had an answer to this question. She had expected this.

“Incorrect,” she said. “If Hinoe joined Hashiba now, they would be betraying Tres España. They already lost land in their conflict with neighboring Ryuuzouji. Ryuuzouji is leaning toward joining Hashiba, but if they instead stayed with Tres España, it would give them a justification to attack Hinoe. Have you forgotten that the ban begins with Hinoe’s attempt to regain its lost land? What they want most is peace of mind and protection against anything that might happen. Why would they give that up by joining Hashiba?”

She kept pushing. She pointed at Rodrigo and gestured toward Arima who was still kneeling below her.

“Listen. I only ask for one simple statement from Tres España: that you grant the Kyushu nations the right to negotiate the terms of your provisional rule over them. Then the ban can remain in its current state.”

“But,” said Rodrigo. “What about our loss when Hashiba takes Kyushu?”

“That won’t happen.”

“Huh?” Arima tilted her head. But…

“–––––”

Masazumi didn’t miss how the corners of Rodrigo’s mouth twitched upwards while she inhaled.

●

…So we’re finally here.

Masazumi knew Tres España had to have considered this.

“Tres España will not lose Kyushu to Hashiba. Not even as things are.”

That was true.

“That’s why you’re so afraid of the ban shaking up the status quo.”

“Explain your reasoning.”

“Judge.” Masazumi nodded. She had never left Mikawa and certainly hadn’t been to Kyushu, but…

…I did a lot of research about this after failing to inherit my name.

She had researched the major incidents related to her name’s history recreation, including the events, the locations, the political entities, and the local cultures.

…So I know a lot more about Kyushu and Sunpu than I do Europe or Kantou.

That was at odds with the mainstream of the current age, but she couldn’t help that.

But that knowledge came in handy here.

“Hashiba is working with M.H.R.R., but there is no history recreation of M.H.R.R. entering the Dark Continent on their own in this era. So Hashiba cannot enter Kyushu as M.H.R.R.”

“Tres España agrees with that assessment.”

Rodrigo was finally showing her hand.

…Does that mean she’s begun searching for an agreement?

Rodrigo was most likely following the path Tres España’s Student Council had laid out for her.

So if Masazumi strayed too far from that, this entire discussion would fall apart.

That was why Rodrigo had revealed her hand and given a warning: she was about ready to strike a deal.

Or in other words, this discussion was moving beyond her level of authority.

Masazumi understood that.

So she took a breath and straightened her back.

“What has Hashiba said to Tres España regarding their invasion of Kyushu?”

“That they must adhere to something that did not happen in Carlos I’s reign over M.H.R.R. and Tres España.”

“In other words,” responded Masazumi. “They’re invading as a Far Eastern force. That allows Tres España’s provisional rule of Kyushu to continue, placing Kyushu under a double rule: by Tres España on the world nations side and by Hashiba on the Far Eastern side.”

Do you get what that means?

“You will be sharing that rule, but Hashiba will fall eventually. They know they have to withdraw in the future, so taking root in Kyushu is mostly a waste of resources for them.”

“And what would happen then?”

“Tres España must already have Catholic and Shinto infrastructure in your Kyushu territory. It would be simple enough for you to manage that through privatization or religious control while letting Hashiba handle the political side of things. That way Tres España controls the commerce and divine transmissions and Hashiba is restricted to things related to their history recreation.”

A breath.

“Then once Hashiba falls, Kyushu returns to Tres España. Of course, you would have to deal with Matsudaira and Shimazu at that point, but that’s a separate issue.”

“I see,” said Rodrigo. “It seems you have a decent understanding of our interests and strategy.”

●

Mitotsudaira noted the caution had left Rodrigo’s voice.

“Honda Masazumi-sama, with your understanding of Tres España’s interests, can you promise us you will seal away the ban on foreign religions?”

“I can’t make any promises concerning the possibility of someone other than me being given the split inherited name.”

“You do not need to. The Hinoe Domain has taken action, but the ban was not renewed. If we establish those facts, it will be very difficult for any Honda Masazumi to trigger the ban.”

Rodrigo’s tone could be seen as relieved or slightly relaxed.

She sighed before speaking to Masazumi again.

“But I am surprised you know so much about the situation in Kyushu.”

“I mentioned this to Arima before, but failing to inherit my name actually led me to research it all even more. I couldn’t say this much about another nation or anything unrelated to the ban. I was lucky this was connected to my specialty knowledge.”

Masazumi said that with a tone that said she was willing to reveal this. Because it doubled as a way of saying her knowledge of the ban rivalled that of Tres España.

But Rodrigo nodded and replied.

“Then what of Hinoe?”

“Like I said, in exchange for sealing away the ban, I want you to find a way to give your Kyushu territories freedom to negotiate. That should help you join the negotiations with Hashiba when those could remain between Hashiba and the locals.”

“Testament.” Rodrigo nodded. “We were undecided on that point. Because in our focus on the Armada battle, we basically handed Kyushu over to Hashiba in exchange for peace of mind back home. But we have recently settled on a plan for construction of the Grande y Felicísima Armada, so we are considering reentering Kyushu to protect them.”

“You’re being awfully open about this,” cut in Mitotsudaira, but Rodrigo smiled in response.

“Because this is only a dream. Isn’t that right, Honda Masazumi?”

“I will treat it like one, but don’t forget about our agreement here.”

“Testament. With the threat of the ban gone, we should settle on reentering Kyushu.”

“In that case,” said another voice. It was Arima, still kneeling in front of Masazumi. She turned toward Masazumi. “Were Paulo and my actions worth it?”

“Testament,” said Rodrigo. “The ban will no longer bring chaos to the Far East. In that sense, your actions were a history recreation that did not lead to the ban.”

But…

“Tres España is working toward the Armada battle, so we are trying to avoid any unnecessary issues, which will lead to issues down the road. If our decisions here allows us to avoid the ban and pushes us to reenter Kyushu, then your actions were valuable to Tres España. What do you think, Protasius?”

“Well,” began Arima before bowing her head to Rodrigo while still kneeling. “Please grant Hinoe the right to negotiate.”

“Testament,” said Rodrigo. That was an affirmation. Everything was progressing as it should. “I, Inquisitor Don Rodrigo, accept your terms. On my honor as an inquisitor, I promise to accurately relay this all to my government.”

“That’s settled then,” said Masazumi.

“Yes. However.” Rodrigo smiled bitterly. “Tres España will not be entirely pleased with one aspect. We have what we wanted and we have a path to the future, but we do not appear to be in charge of this matter.”

Don’t ask the impossible. Or rather…

…I’m just barely getting by since this is my area of expertise, so please don’t ask me for more.

Masazumi really was too inexperienced. But…

“I’m not sure what I can give you there…”

“Oh, I have a good idea!”

Someone emerged from the next room over. It was the Asama Shrine Representative. The girl in a shrine maiden uniform checked the time on a sign frame and raised her right hand. She had three fingers raised. Then two, one…

“Now!”

A girl’s voice – the new Chancellor’s – reached them from the stage plaza behind them.

“Listen up, everyone! The intro is finally over! It’s time to get this year’s festival started!”

Her shouted announcement was answered by cheers from the plaza.

A booming sound exploded from the center of the garden and a light shot into the sky.

That was a firework. A large one.

●

Asama watched the firework rising into the sky above Asakusa.

Only the Musashi group here had known about this.

…Because Toori-kun set it up!

He hadn’t openly told them about it, but they had all realized he was behind it.

“This was my king’s idea, wasn’t it? The fireworks were meant as a signal for us to run away if things weren’t coming together,” said Mitotsudaira on Asama’s sign frame.

“Judge. And since it coincides with the festival, we can claim it wasn’t an intentional signal,” added Tenzou while a second and third firework shot into the sky.

The Tres España and Hinoe groups fell back, which was probably what he had wanted.

“In other words, you could get away if my negotiations failed and this went south?” asked Masazumi.

“Who knows if we could have recovered from that. Still, it would prevent the worst case scenario. That’s how we look at things,” said Asama.

“But could you really escape in that case?”

“Yes, you don’t have to worry about that.”

Meanwhile, the others approached. They took up positions to protect Honda Masazumi’s room from the Tres España and Hinoe groups cautiously observing the fireworks.

The three fireworks blossomed in the sky simultaneously. Two more launched from the floor.

The boom reached them from the sky and everyone was illuminated in the night for the first time.

They were the representatives of three different nations. No, Honda Masazumi was still a Mikawa resident, so was it four nations? They all faced each other while the new Chancellor’s voice reached them from the plaza.

“Now, let the attacking festival begin!”

The rules were simple.

“There were some things over the past year that pissed you off, right!? Maybe it was an unpleasant boss, hurtful words, or any number of other irritations! If the person responsible is here today, the usual rules of courtesy don’t apply tonight! You have two hours. The local medical center, shrine, and temple have people here, so go kick their ass! But don’t even think about trying that with me!”

The responding cheer grew into a ship-shaking tremor.

…Wow.

The initial clash included quite a few metallic sounds, so what was going on at the plaza out front? And…

“The usual rules of courtesy don’t apply, you say!?” Rodrigo smiled and cast impact spells on her hands. “Inquisitor impact weapons are quite effective. I will also inform my government of any bonus results I earn her.”

“Oh!? If that’s how it’s gonna be, you can count us in!”

The Hinoe group tossed away their cloaks and prepared to fight.

Persona-kun and Urquiaga stepped out from the Musashi group.

“I cannot fight a Catholic, but I would love to witness an inquisitor’s combat technique.”

“Hee hee. We have snipers on the roof, so we have the advan-”

Before Mitotsudaira could finish her sentence, the inn’s two rooms were broken open from the plaza side and a crowd of students and merchants poured in.

“Ah! There’s more over here! No courtesy tonight! I’ve got nothing against you, but I’m still gonna punch you!”

Around ten of them prepared to fight, but they were blown away by a firework launching below them. Their screams echoed on into the night.

“Hey! Over here!”

“They’re having fun back here too!”

“The hell!? Tres España’s taking part! You’ve got guts!!”

Everyone ran forward within the light and sound of the fireworks in the sky.

Oh, dear, thought Asama before noticing Rodrigo bowing their way. “Eh?” said Mitotsudaira before Rodrigo spoke too quietly for anyone else to hear.

“Thank you for helping my sister.”

●

“Your sister? Who is-”

Before finishing her question, Mitotsudaira realized something and gasped.

Rodrigo was an inquisitor but she wore an identifying weapon at her hip.

It was a knight’s sword.

Mitotsudaira had seen that type of sword during an incident two years prior.

“My inherited name ends after I return home from the New World along the eastern route. On the way, I hope I will be able to visit where my sister was lost…but I am also glad I was able to thank you here.” Rodrigo smiled. “I have long wondered if a name inheritor’s death is inevitable and if they are rewarded for it. But I have seen a partial answer here. I feel like I can trust in that hope now.”

“But…”

“Even if it was too late for someone, I now see it is possible to save them by giving meaning to their death.”

Mitotsudaira didn’t get a chance to hear the rest. Because…

“Captain!”

“Testament!” replied Rodrigo replied, preparing for battle. The Musashi group did the same.

“Sorry! They’ve made it up onto the roof!”

“This is not going to be easy without support from the Technohexen,” said Mitotsudaira just before a sixth firework blasted around a dozen attackers.

●

“Okay, you can use this chaos to sneak away. I honestly have no idea what’s going on myself.”

Masazumi spoke to Arima at the back door that had miraculously been spared the attack. Arima responded with a bow.

“Honda-sama. How can I ever thank you?”

“This is all just a lovely dream you gave me tonight.”

“Eh?”

“I tried so hard to be a name inheritor and you let me pretend at being one here. I can’t tell anyone about it and, even if Tres España goes along with it, they can claim they were always planning to do that anyway, so I was admittedly mostly useless.”

“That isn’t-”

“Don’t bother,” she said. “I told you to sneak away, so get going, Arima Harunobu. But first, I need to return this. It belongs to you, doesn’t it?”

Masazumi handed over the knife she was wearing on the back of her hip. And…

“This too. I assume it belongs to your partner.”

She also pulled out the knife she had received at the Blue Thunder. It was burned, but she removed it from its case and handed it over. Arima took the women’s one. And the other one…

“That knife…”

Arima was hesitant to reach out and take it.

“Excuse me.”

An out-of-breath voice arrived from the just past the eaves.

A man stood there, wearing the same Tres España-influenced Far Eastern uniform as Arima. He was a tall young man, but…

“Paulo, you’re injured.”

He had bandages wrapped around his left arm, left eye, neck, and presumably under his uniform as well. His left arm hung limply at his side and he bowed with his right hand on his chest.

“I apologize for the sudden interruption. I was meant to have served as your bodyguard along with Arima. I am name inheritor Okamoto Daihachi. Call me Paulo.”

“Are those injuries from getting caught up in some kind of trouble?”

“Um, well. You could call this a personal shame. Or a sign of my resolve.”

Next to him, Arima looked awkwardly away and blushed.

…A couple’s argument?

This seems a bit extreme for that, thought Masazumi while he crouched and accepted the other knife.

“Honda-sama.”

“You don’t need to kneel before a non-name inheritor. It makes things awkward.”

“We owe you at least this much after the trouble you went through for us.”

So he’s aware this was a lot of trouble for me, she thought but did not say.

“We will take our leave now,” said Okamoto with a bow.

“Judge. You gave me a wonderful dream. They’re still fighting out front, but that should provide cover for a while longer. Now’s your chance to escape.”

“Testament. There is someone there I would like to thank, so we will stop by there before departing.”

“May I ask where you’re going next?”

“We will be going,” said Arima with a smile, “where we want to go.”

That was when a Loup-Garou shrine maiden – was that the Mito Lord? – shouted from out back.

“The pressure is building! If those two are going to escape, make it soon!”

“Judge. You heard her.”

“Testament. I wish you many more pleasant dreams.”

“I’ll be stuck in the waking world for a while. But maybe this means I can finally move to the Musashi.”

I should ask Rodrigo about that, she thought with a glance to the garden. And when she looked back…

“Oh.”

Those two had vanished. The pair of knives were gone, leaving only the case.

●

Kimi put on quite a show at the festival.

That was because the band playing the battle music on the stage was wiped out by a long-range attack quite early on.

No entertainment god worshiper could leave a stage sitting empty. In this case, the stage was visible in the distance from the excitement in the back garden.

The rest was simple: she started up an acoustic spell, played a song of her own creation, and sang along.

“What, not one of you can even touch me!? Honestly, Musashi is suffering from a real dearth of quality men and women. Fortunately, I’m here to show you how it’s done!”

Whenever someone climbed onto the stage, her dance step would kick them away, knocking several others down as they went.

“Ha ha!”

She laughed, sang, attacked, and dodged.

…Hm, this still isn’t quite enough.

She was still working on this dance spell. She wanted an absolutely untouchable entertainment spell based on refined movements, but she still hadn’t progressed past the point of needing to dodge. She needed to find a way to link her skill to the dance so she felt like the dance itself was protecting her.

“Maybe I should start a band and get a look at myself through someone else’s eyes. …Oh.”

When she kicked away several people with a single dance step and shouted “hey”, a group of fighters threw up their arms and shouted “hey” back. She spotted her brother in the crowd.

There was a strange untouchable zone within all the fighting.

She knew her brother had to be creating his own type of entertainment space there. Two people were smiling with him.

One was a blonde woman and the other was an injured man wrapped in bandages.

They both bowed, so he smiled and spoke.

“You idiots.”

She could more or less tell what he was saying by reading his lips.

“I guess I can’t blame you, though. But…are you smiling?”

The pair responded with a nod. Yes, they had been smiling this entire time.

Today was a festival day. It was a night for smiling while you had fun and smiling while you said goodbye.

…That’s the spirit.

Some words came to mind. If she made them into lyrics, would she have the song ready by the summer festival?

“Hey, what day is tomorrow? The day of the summer festival.”

Yes, the song can start like that, she thought while planning to let her brother hear it.

When she looked back, he was selling drinks left and right with his hips struggling to support all the weight.

“Silly boy. Make sure to secure a stand next time.”

Chapter 19: Festival and Dream

Is the present a correction of the past?

Is the future a correction of the present?

Point Allocation (A Night in the Graveyard)

○

Vice President: “After that, I was shown around the festival and some things unrelated to the incident happened, so that about sums up what happened. But why were we so out of sync with each other throughout the entire thing!?”

Unturning: “There are a few things you never resolved. Like what happened with the murder?”

Asama: “Someone…I wouldn’t go so far as to say they lied, but they omitted some key points regarding that. So allow me to add that in.”

●

*Addition by Asama.

While Asama guided Masazumi to a safe place in the festival, she received a divine transmission from Toori.

“What is it, Toori-kun? There’s someone I would like to introduce you to if you have time.”

“Y-you’re trying to lead me to the guards, aren’t you!? I’m not falling for that one again!”

Note to self: that one won’t work anymore, thought Asama, but the guards had been upping their game lately. If only they wouldn’t automatically contact her as the one to pick him up. But…

“So what did you want, Toori-kun?”

“Well, I was talking with sis and when I told her about these friends I made – or some people I helped out at least – she fainted.”

“There is a medical tent set up, so call them. They will go pick her up.”

I think I know what must have happened, thought Asama.

○

Wise Sister: “La la la! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!!”

Scarred: “What does all this mean?”

Asama: “I can’t say for certain, but the Arima Harunobu and Okamoto Daihachi who met us and Masazumi back then were most likely ghosts.”

Vice President: “Yeah, I had a feeling. Especially when going back over it all tonight.”

Smoking Girl: “Care to explain?”

●

While the festival was finally falling into a lull, Asama received a message from her father.

“Honda-san, the restriction on transfer of residence requests has been officially lifted. You can return to your home tonight.”

“That’s a huge relief,” said Masazumi. “Anyway, I know I should really be introducing myself again, but I want to go back over what we know about this incident.”

A Tres España student who was walking nearby noticed them and raised her hand.

“Excuse me. Our 3rd Special Duty Officer asked that we explain some things if we found someone who would listen.”

“This is the most blatant intrusion on a flashback yet…”

“But,” said the girl as she opened a sign frame. “To explain what I know, first the Nossa Senhora da Graça Incident happened, right? During that, Tres España lost track of Arima and Okamoto and Hinoe said they too did not know where those two had gone. Lady Rodrigo had a history recreation taking her along the eastern route to the New World, so she was ordered to visit Mikawa on the way.”

“I see,” said Mitotsudaira, crossing her arms. “That must be when Arima and Okamoto left to seek out Masazumi and have her renew the ban on foreign religions so they could free the Hinoe Domain and give the Far East as a whole an advantage. But after reaching Mikawa, their pursuers caught up.”

“Yes, which would make those two the ones who killed themselves in the inn. Do you remember what Neshinbara said about how the Okamoto Daihachi Incident ends? Okamoto Daihachi is executed by burning and Arima Harunobu is ordered to kill himself. But as Adele pointed out, suicide is forbidden for Catholics.”

“Oh,” said Naito, pressing her lips together and shrugging. “So killing each other in the burning inn was meant as a history recreation of their executions.”

“Now I see why my king called them idiots. But,” sighed Mitotsudaira. “Because the circumstances of their death were such an obvious sign, someone might realize the truth, which could lead to the ban. Which is why Tres España and Mikawa tried to stop our investigation.”

The others expressed their understanding and Naito said more while inspecting her broom in preparation for maintenance.

“Thinking back, Tres España’s freezing of the change of residence requests was probably partially meant to keep Seijun in Mikawa. If they could get their hands on her, they could place her under the watchful eye of their inquisitor.”

“Oh, now that you meant it, that probably was part of it.”

“Judge,” said Naito with a nod and a small smile. “But those two showed great tenacity to slip past that surveillance and reach the Musashi.”

“But how did they get to the Musashi? And why did they appear separately?” asked Adele.

Everyone exchanged a glance, but Masazumi alone said “oh”.

“The knives.”

●

Mitotsudaira saw Asama nod and say, “probably so.” Asama waved her hand like a blade.

“It’s common for regrets to reside in objects like that. And in their case, they had to gather the resolve to kill each other, so that emotion probably entered the knives they were holding.” Asama sighed. “And based on what Kimi said, I think Toori-kun met the two of them when he was carrying the knives. They probably told him some of what was going on.”

“My king… For some reason people do find it easy to confide in him.”

It was kind of amusing how everyone nodded in understanding except Masazumi who tilted her head.

But she tilted her head further before speaking.

“Then why did Arima’s arrive first and Okamoto’s later?”

○

Tonbokiri: “That was probably my father. On the day of the murder, he left with Kazuno-dono and then left again the following morning.”

Flat Vassal: “So the first time he ran to the burned-down inn and managed to retrieve just one of the knives? Could he have received it from Arima-san or Okamoto-san while they were still just barely alive?”

Tachibana Wife: “Perhaps Arima Harunobu’s regrets, or a message she left behind, said to deliver the knife to the Vice President. But when it was sent to Musashi-”

Vice President: “Wait.”

Silver Wolf: “What is it, Masazumi?”

Vice President: “I was wondering why something meant for me would go to Musashi, but I had already submitted my change of residence request to Mikawa and Musashi. Lord Tadakatsu would have had access to that right away, so he probably thought the knife would at least reach my father.”

Asama: “Thanks to the exile policy, Mikawa’s citizen management wasn’t the best and the odds of missing you were probably pretty high with both the Musashi and Tres España there.”

●

Adele heard Masazumi say “I see” and Adele explained her own thoughts.

“I guess you would call that tenacity. They worked together, made enemies of their own people, hid all the information, and in the end even overturned their own methods to make sure they achieved the bare minimum of results.”

“I was completely outdone,” said Masazumi. Her shoulders slumped in a sigh. “I’m the biggest loser here. From beginning to end, I was in the palm of someone’s hand.”

“Not necessarily, Masazumi. It all ended with those two – and everyone else – smiling.”

Adele had smiled plenty too. She had never landed such a solid shield attack before. So…

“Welcome to the Musashi. Sorry to put you to work on your first day.”

●

From there, Masazumi watched the continuation of the festival. Everyone hit each other, laughed with and forgave each other, acknowledged each other’s views, and slapped each other’s shoulders, but now it was apparently time for dancing.

She didn’t know how to dance, so she just walked around the festival, guided by the Asama Shrine Representative, the Mito Lord, and the others.

They said “Kimi and Toori-kun aren’t here. But I just heard them singing a minute ago”, but Masazumi had met enough people for one day.

They decided to leave the festival at around 9, so all she ended up doing was watch.

They met with Rodrigo’s group at a festival stand run by the Tres España embassy. The Hinoe group bowed toward Masazumi and returned to Mikawa. Masazumi made sure to bow to the Musashi group.

“Will I see you all at the start of the new school term?”

“The festival still has two more days to go, you know?”

She wasn’t sure if her father would let her attend the festival, but she decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go if she had the chance.

After parting with the others, she arrived at…

“Why am I at the graveyard when my mother’s things aren’t even buried here yet?”

She was high up on Okutama’s bow. She had come here because the first day of the festival meant everywhere on the Musashi was so bright and noisy.

She was also in high spirits. She wanted to let the breeze wash over her until her head had cooled and she had calmed down.

“Yes.”

This had all been a wonderful dream. She had once tried to earn an inherited name and failed. But now…

“Does this count as a second failure?”

Saying that out loud caused her body to rapidly cool. She only now realized she had worked up a sweat. And…

“Oh.”

Her knees shook and she couldn’t stay on her feet.

○

Horizey: “Were you on drugs, Masazumi-sama!?”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. No! Her brain’s endorphins had stopped dorphing and its dopamine had stopped doping, so she burned out! And it was three outs, meaning a change of sides!”

Vice President: “Is that supposed to be a joke or are you just rambling!?”

●

Only now did it hit Masazumi how risky that had been.

She had engaged in an international negotiation. With an inquisitor accompanied by a group of warriors, no less.

And her discussion with Arima prior to that had been with a nation’s Student Council President.

If things had gone wrong, it could have overturned the state of the Far East and the responsibility would have been hers. But…

…Was I even aware of that?

No. She had been so focused on securing the advantage she saw that she hadn’t noticed how unsteady the footing was up ahead.

And when she looked back on the negotiation…

…Arima was hoping for a compromise from the beginning and set things up so I would have the advantage.

And with Rodrigo, Tres España had already considered most everything she proposed.

She did think she had given those two a chance for change, but even then…

“That was only because I had always wanted to cause change in a major nation.”

Because Masazumi was so inexperienced, Rodrigo would pretend none of this happened. Which meant…

“––––––”

Masazumi trembled and sensed something uncertain about the view before her.

She was only here because of her actions and the other side’s thoughtfulness.

…But what if this had been a negotiation between politicians who were willing to be enemies?

They would have faced each other as enemies at the unimaginably large scope of nations. With that in mind…

“Damn.”

That was what her father and the other politicians did.

Some students her age did it too. In fact, some younger than her did.

She had only taken a peek in through entrance to try it out and here she was trembling.

“Damn.”

○

Wise Sister: “What’s with her? Does visiting the graveyard activate her depression switch?”

Flat Vassal: “Wouldn’t it be weirder if visiting the graveyard activated your manic switch?”

Scarred: “Asama-sama always seems extra energetic at the shrine.”

Asama: “A shrine is not a graveyard. Even if there sometimes are graves there due to the Shinto-Buddhist syncretism.”

Horizey: “Then was Masazumi-sama’s switch activated by the magnetic field?”

Vice President: “Hallucinated voices, divine messages, and magnetic fields. The past sure is a wild place!”

Art-Ga: “Anyway, you lose confidence pretty quick, don’t you?”

Vice President: “That time, I kind of crashed after the high of my first negotiation. To be honest, I was afraid to debate anyone for a while afterwards. I became overly cautious and the things my dad said seemed awfully convincing.”

Horizey: “And this continued until your pantsing?”

Vice President: “I wouldn’t go that far…”

●

Maybe I won’t be so conceited anymore, thought Masazumi. Part of her had long been confident she could become a name inheritor, but now she wasn’t so sure. However…

“I can get a fresh start from here.”

She was alone and, once she descended from the graveyard, she would find the world the same as it was before the dream.

All of the words she had so desperately strung together, the resolve Arima and Okamoto had shown, and everything else…

…Are a thing of the past now.

It was all history now. So…

“She told me to have a good day.”

This was Musashi. Your past didn’t matter here. She had heard it was a destination for exiles and outcasts. But if they could all laugh like she had seen earlier, could she end up that way some day? Could she accomplish that herself, without being propped up by other people?

“Mom. I screwed up.”

Long ago, she had been furious and, for some reason, told her mother that and cried. Her mother had rubbed her head and asked her a question.

“What do you want for dinner tonight?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Then let’s go somewhere.”

They had gone shopping and taken a walk. After they returned home, she had finally said she wanted mackerel sushi, which meant heading out again. Is eat all we ever did? she wondered, but that was something they could never do again.

But the next morning, her mother had told her to have a good day the same as always.

She no longer had someone to cook for her and to walk with her.

But she would still say it. She would continue saying it to support herself in the present. Her mother was gone. Only her belongings would be buried in this graveyard. But Masazumi still stood up and…

“I will, mom.”

She realized she was crying. She wiped the tears away, leaving a saltiness on the back of her hand.

But that was fine. She wouldn’t remember her past failures for a while. She was no longer the person she was back then.

She had learned something important. She still didn’t know what she wanted to do, but she was ready to find out. And she would spend the next year figuring out where she stood with her father. But…

“He’s still keeping me at arm’s length.”

She sighed before wiping away more tears and looking up.

That brought something into view: Musashi’s nightscape.

●

Her speechlessness made her painfully aware of how naïve she was.

Every part of the Musashi was lit up for the festival night. She realized something when she looked to the illuminated cities.

…Musashi’s cities are packed in so close together.

As big as the ship was, space was limited. Most of the longhouses only contained small rooms.

They were miniscule compared to her house in Mikawa. So many people only had a single room to live in.

But she knew the people who lived in them were all smiling. She had seen that earlier.

She realized something else as well.

She had thought the house on Musashino was small. She had wondered how such a small garden could show power.

But she hadn’t understood what kind of place Musashi was.

That house really was small. But how much effort had it taken to secure even that small house on the Musashi? Musashi did have woods in its nature districts, but none of the houses had trees and very few had gardens. Also…

“Dad did it all on his own, without mom.”

That wasn’t all.

Here. This burial plot. A spot overlooking all of Musashi had to be valuable.

It even had a tree nearby to provide shade during the summer. And…

“She can watch over Musashi from here…”

Her father had never once called her mother or her to the Musashi. But…

“Damn.”

She couldn’t call her mother here either.

The Musashi her father governed on the Provisional Council was currently enjoying a festival. Everyone was outside laughing and singing.

“Damn!”

What had she been doing?

Dreaming. The same dream she had been trapped in for so long. But her dream of influencing the world as a name inheritor was over now.

“So I’ll return here from time to time. To remember the past.”

It was time to go. There was no one here. It was a place for dreams. So…

“Oh, Masazumi-sama! Enjoying some late-night athletics in the graveyard!?”

P-01s was there for some reason.

●

“Um, wait. You didn’t start visiting here until later. We don’t meet here until next year.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Masazumi-sama! You should know that I, Hori- P-01s, don’t care about such trivialities.”

She’s right. I do know that, thought Masazumi, but thinking back, this was the first person she had met on the Musashi if you excluded the Asama Shrine Representative’s group. But when she thought back on the people she had met today…

“You know what, P-01s?”

“What, Masazumi-sama?”

“You’re a perfect fit for Musashi.”

P-01s gave her a horribly offended look, so she must not have accepted that fact yet.

○

Horizey: “As you can see, I showed up at the last second to save us all from Masazumi-sama’s depressing ending. No one likes to end it on a downer.”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. Right you are, Horizon! We need to destroy the assumption that being depressing makes you cool!”

Vice President: “You do realize this is going to be used as an official record of the incident, don’t you?”

Asama: “The scary part is how my god says all this is fine as long as it’s entertaining.”

<Damn straight: By, god>

Final Chapter: Politician and Laughter

That is foreshadowing for the future

That is buildup for the future

I’m not talking about your failure

Point Allocation (Now We’ve Done It!)

●

It took until late at night to sort the wild plants into edible or medicinal. Adele and Mukai were drifting off, so they were carried over to the Reine des Garous’s bed. There was some concern about Mary who also looked sleepy, but they began a last spurt of plant sorting.

During that, Masazumi reminisced while checking back through the rough version of the records Asama had compiled. But for the most part…

…Wow, I was really cringe back then.

She wished she could have come out of her shell more, but that had all happened a year ago. No, more like a year and four months ago.

So will everyone be able to see this? Can’t I fix it up somehow? she wondered, but…

“Do you need something, Tachibana Wife?”

“Today’s story brought back some memories for me as well, so I was thinking of checking those records for myself.”

She opened a sign frame and sat on a floor cushion.

“After all that, Lady Rodrigo took the eastern route to the New World and then ended her name inheritance back home. She assisted us on some things, so it was a delight to hear this story about her. I recently sent a late summer greeting card to her in Tres España.”

“It’s a small world out there, huh?”

Across the room, Asama and Mitotsudaira nodded while gathering up some of the plants, so they must have had their own thoughts. But then the Tachibana Wife sucked in a breath and resumed speaking.

“May I ask a question? It is about your father.”

“Eh? Go right ahead.”

“Judge,” she said. “Did he ever say anything about this incident?”

“No, not a word. I thought he would be angry I had stayed out so late that night, but when I told him I had gone to the festival with the Asama Shrine Representative and her friends, he seemed deeply concerned.”

“Asama-chi, what did you do to him?”

“I really think it was the ‘and her friends’ part that bothered him!”

But the Tachibana Wife seemed satisfied with that. She looked to Masazumi and…

“While Kyushu is Tres España territory, when our aerial ships go there for trade, they generally cannot leave the coast. Because they must obey the history recreation of oceanic trade that began with the Age of Exploration. That gives Musashi a lot of influence since it can travel inland.”

“Judge. I came to understand that after moving here. It came in handy in our time at England too.”

“Judge,” agreed the Tachibana Wife. And, “Then there is one thing about your reasoning that does not make sense to me. Why did Arima and Okamoto contact Lord Tadakatsu after arriving in Mikawa?”

“Well…” Masazumi started to answer, but she too noticed something odd about it. “Lord Tadakatsu was from Mikawa and they were from Kyushu, so they shouldn’t have known each other.”

“Judge. I assume those two traveled to Mikawa because you were there, but the Musashi was also visiting Mikawa at the time. And they would have known the Musashi through trade.” The Tachibana Wife chose her words carefully here. “I wonder if the two of them arrived in Mikawa and went into hiding there while they sent a message through the checkpoints and awaited someone’s decision.”

That someone being…

“Honda Masanobu. If they knew you were moving to the Musashi, it would make sense for them to contact him since he is your father and they would have known him through trade. But before his decision could reach them, they noticed pursuit closing in on them and chose suicide.”

“If that is what happened, then why did Lord Tadakatsu act?”

“It seems reasonable to assume your father asked him to.”

“What do you say, Seijun?” asked Naito, sticking some red fruits in a bucket for drying. “That would mean your dad entrusted you with dispelling that vengeful grudge. If he did anything, it would have complicated matters, but not so with you. Maybe that’s why he gave you that knife.”

“Hard to say.”

She said that, but she could say that someone at her father’s level had to have been aware what was going on. She had only come to realize that later on, but…

“I used to think he had let me off the hook for what I did, but maybe it wasn’t that.”

“Judge. You can think of it as a nice ‘what if’ to help you feel better.”

The Tachibana Wife scooted back on her cushion.

“That’s even more to add to the records,” Masazumi sighed with a bitter smile.

●

“There really is so much we don’t know,” she said, earning quiet laughter from the others.

“If we knew everything, we wouldn’t end up at war so often.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true…”

“But it sounds like Arima-san and Okamoto-san were able to pass on satisfied and that’s what matters most. Don’t you think, Kimi?”

The Aoi Sister collapsed onto her side while covering her ears, but that seemed normal by now. But if the records she provided were accurate…

“Does that mean I did a good job? I clearly lost that negotiation, but it wasn’t a bad loss.”

“It was your debut international negotiation,” said Mitotsudaira.

“Unofficial, though. We both agreed to that. But, Tachibana Wife, what happened to Hinoe afterwards?”

“Judge. Tres España later decided to reenter Kyushu under Vice President Juana’s guidance. They chose one of the Vice President’s suggested methods, so an economic system centered on divine transmission infrastructure was established in Nagasaki.”

Circle Be: “Basically, they built up the remote shopping business with a focus on distribution. That lets them do business anywhere as long as they have a base of operations, so they don’t need to control an entire city as long as they have a small town to work from.”

“And Ryuuzouji joined Hashiba first, so Hinoe could not remain Catholic. And while Ryuuzouji supplies Hashiba with mechanical dragon technology, Hinoe has taken the middle road by remaining neutral ground in Kyushu.”

“A peaceful resolution those two never even considered,” said the Date Vice Chancellor.

“Judge. Ryuuzouji must remain Catholic, but since Nagasaki is Catholic and close to Hinoe, Ryuuzouji relies on Hinoe as a relay point. And Hinoe is too important to Nagasaki for Ryuuzouji to go to war with them. The former Pessoa became the next Chancellor of Hinoe and he is working to recover their lost land. He was apparently Arima-sama and Okamoto-sama’s underclassman. But all of that…”

Horizon raised her hand to take over for the Tachibana Wife.

“I believe Masazumi-sama mentioned this near Kyushu when we were en route to England before.”

“Yes, well, it’s my area of expertise. I know more about Europe and Kantou now, though. But anyway…”

Masazumi stretched. This had been a lot of serious talk, but…

“The idiot was right about one thing: we managed to end it with a smile.”

“Judge. All’s well that ends with a smile. We did a good job with that back then,” said Mitotsudaira.

Just then, they heard laughter from the boys working outside.

“C’mon, Tenzou! Ah ha ha ha ha! How did you miss that!?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha! But, Toori-dono, you’ve gotten your dick stuck! Wa ha ha ha ha!”

“Ta ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

The girls exchanged a glance.

“Don’t they seem in too good a mood?”

“Was that Noririn laughing so loud?”

“Are they okay?” asked Masazumi as the arms showed them a pot full of plants.

“What is that?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Well, everyone, I believe this is the pot we set aside for making a soup for the boys back when we first started,” said Horizon.

“Umm, if that’s it, then what pot did Mary cook a soup in and serve them?”

Balfette took a look around before raising her right hand.

“I thiiiink that was the pot we were sorting the poisonous plants and mushrooms into.”

Still Got It: “Yes, a lot of mushrooms that give you a wonderful high and make you laugh like an idiot grow near my house. The trick to an enjoyable evening is to boil a moderate amount and drink the result.”

“M-Master Tenzou!”

“My king!!”

The wolf dashed outside, but the laughter did not stop. Masazumi sighed, called up an encyclopedia on her sign frame, and looked up how to create an antidote.

“Masazumi-sama,” said Horizon. “You mentioned at the beginning that the story was why you do not carry a weapon.”

“Because I clearly don’t need one, right? After seeing all the stupid things you people can do, I decided carrying a blade is kind of redundant.”

She stepped outside with her sign frame and turned back toward the others in the doorway. They could all hear the laughter of the boys outside.

“Master Muneshige’s laughter is like music to my ears.”

“This really isn’t the time for that. And why are the rest of you laughing now!? You didn’t take those mushrooms too, did you!? I can’t have you wasting the rest of the night that way! So be careful!”

Masazumi wondered if she would feel comfortable letting those two see what she had accomplished since that day.

…No, I still have a long way to go.

Because I’ve set my sights high, she thought, making herself laugh.

“Everyone! Masazumi-sama is laughing weirdly!” shouted Horizon.

I don’t need your weirdly worried looks.

–I’m on my way there.

Afterword

That was another Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon Girl’s Talk story. The first one, Soul and Wolf, was popular enough that I was able to do a second one. This one was about Masazumi, and about the Musashi group in Mikawa a year before. The characters were pursuing a festival-like incident based on their personal history that they weren’t entirely certain happened.

With the ban on foreign religions and the period before that, Japan really did let it on a lot of foreign culture. It also made a good bridgehead for the Pacific, so the foreign captains crossing the Pacific had recorded various landing points for passing through Japan, but Rodrigo once shipwrecked and arrived in Chiba. He then visited Sunpu (to see Ieyasu) and enjoyed a casual chat while enduring Masazumi’s fierce gaze. The people back then must have been tough. Also, Rodrigo was technically from Spanish Mexico, so this led to the first equal treaty between Mexico and Japan.

Anyway, after Girl’s Talk Soul and Wolf came out, my assistant editor Kobara-san mentioned “GT” in an email and I asked him what that was. He told me it was short for Girl’s Talk in a “how do you not know this?” kind of way, so I’ll be calling it GT from now on.

Now for the chat.

“Got any memories about transferring schools?”

“Hmm. When I was in elementary school, my parents had a job related to defending the country, which meant we moved a lot. But in 5th grade, my class decided to throw me a going away party.”

“Oh, that sounds nice. So what happened?”

“Well, they had a class meeting to decide what to do at the party. We had just started doing cooking in home ec class, so someone suggested we have a party where we all cook something together.”

“Doing that with yakiniku would be great.”

“Elementary schoolers aren’t cooking yakiniku in the middle of the day. So one of the girls in my class said using portable stoves would be too dangerous and everyone voted down the cooking idea. I complained and everyone was like ‘Why are you always so difficult, ****-kun!?’, which naturally led to them having a class trial against me and I never did get that going away party.”

“If that was enough for them to start a class trial, I’m afraid to ask what you had done before that.”

My background music this time was Saori@Destiny’s Sayonara Revival. It’s a real traditional adolescence song. And speaking of this time…

“Who was looking to the future most accurately?”

My next release should be Vol. 2 of my new series Hexennacht. Horizon IX should be after that, but I do hope I can periodically release GT and other things from now on.

July 2015. A morning of cicada cries.

-Kawakami Minoru

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