Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 7

2011-02-27T02:57:10Z

128.54.144.173: /* -03:52:18 */

=== -03:52:18 ===

Now, pain had become everything to Kariya.

Whether it was the human called Matō Kariya that could feel pain, or that the concept of pain had been stuck onto the body of this trash that was called Kariya—there was no longer any difference between the two. He felt that none of this mattered any more.

Which part of him hurt for what reason, why he had to experience this sort of torment—he had never known these causes and effects.

It hurt to breathe. It hurt for his heart to beat. It hurt to think. It hurt to remember.

There was nowhere to run, nothing that could be done. It seemed that he had felt like this before, but he could not remember. Perhaps he had already given up on himself.

The worms were crying within his body. The worms were writhing their bodies in pain. The culprit of his torment was at this moment also making its final struggle.

Berserker. It must be because of that resentful black spirit. At this moment Berserker was fighting; because the prana he required far exceeded that which his Master could provide, he had gone beyond control (1). The worms were suffering because they had been drained of too much prana, and so they tore at Kariya’s internal organs, ceaselessly struggling.

But that could not be helped; there was no other way.

Berserker must fight—that was what that priest had said. Kariya no longer remembered his name—but they had both made an agreement; he had agreed to let Kariya have the Grail, therefore Berserker must fight.

The Grail—at this moment only it meant everything to Kariya.

As long as he had the Grail, the war could end. As long as he had the Grail, Sakura could be saved.

There seemed to be something else, but remembering was really too painful. Those must be things outside the range of his thoughts.

Kariya did not even know what this place was. At first he had been in icy darkness, but now he felt a strange heat, and even breathing was difficult. He thought he smelled something burning; perhaps it was his own body that had been burned, but that didn’t matter. In any case his body could not move; what was most important now was Berserker’s fight—and— saving Sakura.

Sakura—ah, he would really like to see her one more time. He would really like to see that child.

But not Rin; he couldn’t see her. He mustn’t see her—no, but why was that, again?

Even thinking made him feel pain. His brain, his consciousness and his soul were all being crushed.

There was something strange. It seemed that something important had happened. Something was wrong.

Though he had become aware that something was different, Kariya’s thoughts were quickly caught up once again in endless torment.

It hurt—

There was only pain. And suffering—

For the countless time, she was thrown into the air.

For the countless time, she was effortlessly beaten to the ground.
Saber had given up counting, because she could no longer remember.

The strongest sword-wielding Servant? Who had fabricated this? —Now she was like a small boat in a storm. Facing Berserker’s waving black sword, she could only give up resistance and suffer the attack; she could not even make a single decent retaliatory blow. She did not even feel indignant at this. Her heart, immersed in hopelessness, had long since become devoid of all fighting spirit. She was no longer the heroic King of Knights that was named the incarnation of the dragon. This was truly too tragic; it made one sigh.

She should be going to save Irisviel; they had made a vow to hold up the Grail together. She could not lower her head now; she knew this clearly in her heart.

But she could not win. Facing that man, that sword, there was no way to obtain victory.

'Arondite • The Indestructible Light of the Lake’—the counterpart to King Arthur’s ‘Sword of Promised Victory’, the most precious of swords that had been obtained by men from the fairy lands.

That sword had been dyed pitch-black; the prana from his body, filled with resentment, had caused the sword by his side to also fall to become the sword of a mad warrior.

He had been the unrivalled ‘perfect knight’ admired by the masses; he had been a flower that bloomed on the precipitous peak of the way of the knight. His form and his actions had once been the greatest treasure of all who had the ambition of becoming a knight.

And yet he had committed himself to madness. Hatred roiled within the red eyes; at the same time he gave out an animalistic howl.

He roared, I hate you.
He roared, I curse you.

Exactly how was she to avoid the sword that he brandished downward full of hatred?

She could not look at him directly. Her sight blurred in tears, her legs buckled down weakly. At this moment, all Saber could do with all her strength was to protect her body before suffering the fatal impact.

Sir Lancelot, Knight of the Lake.

Now that she thought of it, the clues to his identity were everywhere.

Once he had hidden his name for the sake of a friend’s honor, disguising himself to enter a horse race. Even though he had fallen into a trap, and faced the enemy’s sharp blades with only his bare hands, he had won the victory with his skilled fighting prowess using only an elm branch.

But even though she noticed, Saber would definitely not admit it. That he who had been the subject of people’s admiration would be reduced to a Berserker—how could he be that ‘Knight of the Lake’?

Saber had once believed that they were friends. Even if their armies had clashed because of some unavoidable reasons, their hearts were nevertheless still the same. One was a subject that upheld the way of the knight, the other, a king who upheld the way of the knight.

But was this sort of partnership also only a naïve fantasy of her own?

He had never forgiven, never accepted. Even after his death, he had still cursed with resentment that ending, that tragic fate.

Lancelot and Guinevere had loved each other—yet Arturia had not seen this inescapably unrighteous action as a betrayal; this had all happened because the King had concealed her gender. The one who had to carry the burden of this conflict all her life was Guinevere.

Arturia had understood the severity of this sacrifice, and expressed thankfulness to her (2). There was also guilt in it. But for Lancelot who had fallen in love with her, she had even felt relief. This person who had the same ideals as the King would not cause the country to fall into a dangerous situation; she believed that he would share the burden with her. And in truth, he had indeed done so. Though he had fallen into the dilemma of having stepped onto an unrighteous path, he had supported Guinevere from the dark, supported the King.

That he had been exposed like a piece of ugly news, causing the two to have to stand opposed, was the single-handed plan of the traitors who hated Camelot. Because Lancelot could not sit and watch as the girl he loved was killed, Arturia could not but deal with him in the capacity of a king.

No one was wrong, but precisely because everyone was right, a tragedy had occurred.

In that case, Arturia had always fought upright with the status of a King to the very end.

Therefore, when facing the battlefield on the hill that had been dyed red with blood, she was able to argue with Heaven about the unfairness of fate.

If one carried out all the paths of striving for something, but could not obtain the right result, then it was definitely Heaven who was at fault.

In that case, she could only forever lift her head up high if the Grail that can fulfil miracles existed. Precisely because she believed — therefore she fought.

But—

"▄▃▂▄▅▅▉▉〓！！”

Before Arondite’s relentless attack, Saber’s holy sword gave out a groan. Her sword of light that promised victory—it had long since become meaningless, in the hands of its owner who had lost the will to fight. Berserker constantly rebuked Saber, who was unable to counterattack and could only defend. At this point he had already completely unleashed his true ability, and his skill with the sword was completely incomparable with his previous level. Even if Saber had been uninjured right now, she might not have been able to withstand that strong momentum.

But in the face of her opponent’s ferocious attack, and the sense of pain in her hands and legs that had long since become numb, Saber remained unmoved. The enemy’s strong prowess that was many times greater than her own, and his merciless attack, were gradually causing her spirit to crumble.

Ahah, my friend… Is this your true intention?

Do you despair thus at fate? Are you truly using hatred to curse the king and country that brought you despair?

Once we had embraced the same dream, and put our lives on the line for the sake of saving the country.

If there was no difference in our ambition, then why do you hate thus? Do you regret now?

—One cannot lead by salvation alone—

No. Tell me it is not like this.

Lancelot. Only you. I hope you can understand, because you truly are the people’s ideal knight.

I hope that you can nod in agreement that our methods are entirely correct…

—Abandoning the people who have lost their way, desiring to become a saint on one’s own—

"Stop!!”

Relying on the last of her reason, Saber blocked the black sword that fell heavily down; at the same time, she used all her strength to shout.

"Stop… please…”

Within the sound of sobbing, her knees fell weakly to the ground.

She couldn’t move; she had reached her limit. There was no way to defend against the next attack.

Perhaps this was the only salvation.

Since he was thus unwilling, thus filled with hatred—in that case, apart from using her body to receive the sharp sword that he swung, there was no other method of recompense.

At the exact moment that Saber decided to completely abandon resistance—suddenly, Berserker stopped moving.

Saber and Berserker could not have known that about ten seconds ago, the Crest Worms within the body of Kariya — who was hiding in the equipment room of the underground parking area – had ceased their activity. In order to sustain Berserker in the physical reality, the prana in Kariya’s body — which had already been in short supply — was absorbed in great amounts, and this need for prana was multiplied manifold when the final Noble Phantasm was unleashed. Finally, the Crest Worms were exhausted by their too-heavy burden.

And the backup prana, that could originally have sustained the Servant in physical form for several hours in the circumstance that the Master was not around, had also been consumed completely in ten seconds due to Berserker’s outburst (1). In this instant, the prana that drove this killing machine suddenly dried up, causing Berserker to come to an emergency halt as if having malfunctioned.

In the abrupt silence, Saber’s hand could clearly feel Berserker’s gradually fading heartbeat. The hilt of her sword tightly gripped in her hand, the sharp blade of her beloved sword pierced the black armor.

This ending was truly too ironic; who could have foreseen it?

In this fleeting instant, the victory had been decided; a slight feeling of greed made Saber ashamed of herself, and she could not but shed tears.

She knew that she should not have killed him, but had nevertheless struck a killing blow on this person that should not have been killed. Now Saber was only a prisoner to an idea—just like Diarmuid had rebuked her at the last moment, she who had stepped over countless corpses desired only the miracles of the wish-granting machine. This was the truest face of Saber in this moment.

"Even thus, I still want the Grail.”

Tears fell onto trembling gauntlets, mingling with the blood of Berserker which had slid down the blade.

"If I do not do this, my friend… If I do not do this, then I will be unable to give you any sort of recompense at all.”

"—Saddening indeed. Things have come to this, and you still make excuses to fight?”

A voice that inspired nostalgia.

She raised her head to look across. The knight’s gaze was just as it was before, calm as the tranquil surface of a lake as he looked upon the King’s tear-stained face. Having discarded the contract with his Master, in the time before he vanished, he had been released from the spell of madness.

"Lancelot…”

"Yes… Thank you. Perhaps, this is the only way I can convey my longing.”

Looking upon the sword that pierced his body with a gaze filled with compassion, Lancelot smiled wryly as he continued to speak.

"Actually… at that time I hoped that you would personally punish me. My King… At that time I really wished that you would denounce me out of your own anger…”

The traitor knight, Lancelot who was called the culprit of the split of the Round Table — thus he spoke with sorrow to his only friend, who had never blamed him even until the very end.

"If I could have been punished by you… If you had demanded recompense from me… Then I would definitely believe in redemption… I would definitely believe that one day I can find a way to forgive myself. … The Queen is probably the same…”

This was—the regret of one man and one woman. They embraced the same ideal as the King, but because they had been too weak, they had not been able to carry this ideal through.

And these two people had, even in death, not been able to obtain salvation. They had blamed themselves deeply for having betrayed a most important person, and the burden of this self-blame they had carried for a lifetime.

Pain such as this—to whom could it have been told? Exactly what kind of admonishment, and dealt to whom, could have given them respite?

Sighing deeply, Lancelot relaxed his body, falling into the embrace of the King. The body in her arms was very light; Saber could not but feel a lump in her throat. The Servant’s gradually fading body seemed to be almost weightless.

"Even though it is in this way, in the end I still did borrow your chest…”

As if dreaming during a nap, the Knight of the Lake quietly whispered and sighed.

"To die in the King’s arms, before the King’s eyes… haha, like this it is really… as if I am a loyal knight…”

"You - shouldn't say that - "

Saber anxiously answered. Before he disappeared, there was something that she needed to tell him. She hoped that he would understand.

Not ‘as if’. It was ‘indeed is’.

She wanted to tell him, you are a loyal knight. No one knows better than I—the sincerity you devoted to the country, to the King.

So there was no more need for self-reproach. Even if it had been a mistake that was not allowed to be made—your character is not something that can be overturned by a single mistake.

I don’t want to shame you; I don’t want to lose you. Precisely because I have this wish, I can truly deny this so-called crime that you have committed.

These were Arturia’s true thoughts, but—could not become that knight’s salvation.

The knight closed his eyes as if sleeping soundly; his body was gradually dissipating. Saber saw that he was about to vanish, but nevertheless could not think of what would be the right thing to say.

"Lancelot, actually you…!”

You are not a sinner—but what significance would such words still hold for him?

Even if someone denied his crime, the one most caught up in this wrongdoing was not anyone else, but Lancelot himself.

Why had she been unaware of this lonely thought of his? Why had she been unable to release the noble spirit of this knight from a self-reproach that bordered on madness?

—A King will not understand someone else’s feelings—

These words that she had heard as she left the Round Table—who had spoken them?

The knight’s dead body did not say anything more; alongside the last remaining light, he vanished.

"—wait… wait… Lance—“

Staring at the crook of her arm that had lost its weight and was now empty, Saber began sobbing.

She could not even make a sound. She did not allow herself to make even the slightest sound. In the last moment that she had been facing a loyal knight, she had actually been unable to say even a word of reassurance—then what right had she to cry now?

A King can only be lonely and proud—

This she had said to herself; as she searched for the path to her kingdom’s salvation, exactly how many people’s opinions and troubles had she neglected?

Gawain who had heroically sacrificed himself, Galahad who had lost his life in the line of duty—what did they think of, in their last moment? Did they leave this world with the same regret and unwillingness? Why was she so certain that that was not true?

Saber cried soundlessly, tormented as if countless thorns were piercing her heart.

Could it be that she as a King should never have been high above—

If things had been thus, would it not have brought about a broken end? Could everyone be saved?

"... It isn’t finished.”

From her sobbing throat—that was the determined voice of a constantly victorious King.

"It can be compensated for… It’s not too late… I still have the Grail. I still have the miracle that can overturn fate…”

Leaning upon the sword of victory, Saber stood up.

Even if she was unable to listen to the hearts of people, even if she was rebuked for being a proud and aloof King—none of that mattered at all.

Even thus, as long as she could win the victory for her homeland and her subjects with her own hands, it would be enough—this was what she asked of herself, what she must do as a ‘King’.

As long as she could obtain the Grail, everything could be made up for; all the previous mistakes could be righted.

Now this belief was everything to Saber who had chosen the path of the King.

Covered with wounds, Saber stepped forward.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_6|Act 16, Part 6]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_8|Act 16, Part 8]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Baka to Tesuto to Syokanju:Volume3 The Fourth Question

2011-01-29T21:53:35Z

128.54.144.173: I changed a typo word "withing" to "within"

===The Fourth Question===

Please write the diary entry for the third day of the training course.

'''Tsuchiya Kouta's Diary: '''

“First part omitted (Sakamoto Yuuji will continue)

'''Teacher's advice: '''

Is this a relay diary? Finishing the diary off one after another, you people can really think fast.

'''Sakamoto Yuuji’s diary:'''

“And then Shouko slowly undid her yutaka in front of me. I frantically stopped her as I tried to convince her not to do it. At this moment, Shimada, who was beside me, got closer to Akihisa, and the atmosphere between them was rather delicate.”

'''Teacher's advice:'''

What were you people doing? Sensei’s really concerned about the part that Tsuchiya-san left out

'''Yoshii Akihisa's Diary: '''

Final part omitted

'''Teacher's advice:'''

You can’t just end off like this.

The next morning—

“Um…”

“Hm? What now…WAAH!”

The moment I opened my eyes, what appeared in front of me is Hideyoshi’s sleeping face. Coupled with his delicate eyebrows, his big round eyes are tightly shut.

How can there be such a beautiful sleeping face in the world? I couldn’t help but continue to gaze at him.

Hideyoshi just twitched a bit, and his silky hair slides over my shoulder.

“Mm…”

The small mouth lets out a gentle breath.

There’s only a few millimetres between me and him, and with one more step, I will be able to taste his sweet lips.

Wha wha wha wha what should I do now? This is a once in a million opportunity! If I kiss him now, at least I can pretend that it was an accident! But if I do this, if I don’t ask for approval, it will be rather awkward later…

“If you want to do it, do it! Aren’t you that kind of person who will use your full ability at the last minute?”

Ack? This guy’s the devil in my mind! Is he trying to lure me to the road of evil? No! I still can’t do such a despicable thing!

“Think, you’re sleeping on the same bed! If you don’t do anything, wouldn’t it be disrespect?”

Uuu…he’s right…

“Don’t believe what the devil says! Hideyoshi trusts that you’re not a homosexual, that’s why he would sleep with you on the same bed!”

This is the angel in my heart—it doesn’t matter even if you don’t ever appear again!

“Here, let’s start, Hideyoshi’s waiting!”

That, that’s right! It’ll be bad on my part if I make him wait too long.

After making this decision, I slowly move towards Hideyoshi’s cute sleeping face. I’m so nervous that my heart is pounding, and I’m sweating like crazy even though I’m not hot.

With the last few millimetres, I can kiss his sweet lips…

—But at this moment, I actually woke up.

“So it was a dream? Damn it, I’m so disappointed!”

“No, before that, you should know that Hideyoshi’s a guy, right? Even if you’re sleeping, your sanity is too weak, isn’t it?”

Ah, it’s the devil in my heart, why are you still here?”

“Aiyo, don’t be that disappointed. Just treat that dream just now as a dry run, wouldn’t it be alright?”

I see, so the dream will be a practice for that one chance that will occur at an unknown time. This really is positive thinking, so I’ll use your suggestion then.

“Huu…”

Just as I was letting my thoughts run wild, I could hear a weak moaning beside my ear. Is it…

I shakily turn my body around slowly.

“Huu…”

“—NO WAY!!!”

The one sleeping beside me is actually Yuuji.

Under those thick bushy eyebrows, the eyes that normally show malice are tightly shut. How can there exist such an ugly sleeping face in this world!

Just as I felt like puking, the ugly ogre beside me flips his body.

“Uwah…”

The ogre Yuuji lets out a really noisy breathing sound.

There’s only a few millimetres between us, and with a step further, it will be a real tragedy!

“If you want to do it, do it! Aren’t you that kind of person who will use your full ability at the last minute?”

Shut up! Don’t use the same line you used for the dry run in this situation! I didn’t even expect such a thing to happen!

“I got it, I won’t stop you then…”

Angel! You should be using the same words you said just now!

“Anyway, Yuuji…HURRY UP AND GET UP!”

“UWAAHH!!”

I kicked Yuuji out of his blanket. Really, being so unhappy so early in the morning.

“Hm? What now? Yuuji got out of his bed and into someone else’s bed again?”

Hideyoshi rubs his eyes as he gets out from the bed. Just seeing his cute look after waking up is enough to appease that extremely irritated feeling of mine here. And on the other side, it seems like Muttsulini woke up thanks to us.

“What do you mean by ‘again’, Hideyoshi?”

“Ah, it’s nothing much…it’s just that Yuuji has a rather bad sleeping posture, and at daylight, he would get into my bed—AKIHISA! WHY ARE YOU RAISING THAT VASE SO HIGH!!”

“I WANT TO BEAT HIM UP! I WON’T STOP TILL HIS EARS BLEED BLACK!!!”

IF I LET SUCH A GUY LIVE ON, IT WILL ONLY ENDANGER EVERYONE ELSE’S LIVES!

—Kacha

“Oi you maggots! Time to wake up—oh…”

“DIE, YUUJI! REPAY YOUR CARDINAL SIN WITH YOUR DEATH! OR WE’LL MEET EACH OTHER IN COURT!”

“WHAT THE HELL? WHY IS AKIHISA SO ANGRY EARLY IN THE MORNING! ARE YOU SICK?”

“Calm down, Akihisa! Sorry, Nishimura-sensei, but can you help stop him?”

“…(Nods head violently)”

“…What crazy things are you people doing so early in the morning?”

Unfortunately, with everyone stopping me, I couldn’t send Yuuji to the netherworld.

<center>☆</center>

“Oh ya, Yuuji, I heard something strange just now.”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

After the ruckus that happened this morning, we’re here eating our breakfast now, and I’m using this chance to speak to Yuuji, who’s opposite me.

“it’s Kudo-san. She said that ‘there’s another undiscovered camera inside the changing room.”

“What did you say?”

Yuuji, who was busying stuffing food into his mouth, suddenly stopped.

“That’s really suspicious. Since she knows that there’s another hidden camera there, she’s the culprit after all, right?”

“No, we can’t confirm that, right? If not, she won’t purposely tell us that.”

Sitting beside me, Hideyoshi answered for Yuuji.

“…We can only confirm it.”

“Seems like we can only do that…”

No matter what, we can only think of peeping. Sigh, really…

“However, we got to be grateful for Kudo’s intel.”

“Hm? You mean the fact that there’s another hidden camera?”

“That’s right. Since only Kudo knows about it, it means that the camera may have taken quite a few photos of the girls changing. As long as we get that camera, we can identify the girl with the burn mark on her butt.”

“…If it’s the camera. I’m confident that I can find it within 5 seconds.”

As expected of Muttsulini, only a pervert can understand what perverts are thinking.

“But if there’s a camera, wouldn’t that be too suspicious?”

“No, it’s more like the camera that was first discovered is the more suspicious one. For the culprit who specialises in taking sneaky photos, how is it possible for the camera to be spotted by a layman that easily? So—”

“…A double trap.”

“That’s right, the camera that was first discovered may be a feint.”

The culprit really thought everything through.

The opponent used such a little trick to lower everyone’s guard, and then set up another camera to take snapshots all she wants? This culprit’s methods are really complex.

“If so, we just need to avoid the bathing time and find it, right?”

“…That’s impossible.”

“Eh? Why?”

“..Besides the bathing time, the changing room will always be locked.”

The changing room will be locked? Is it because they found the camera on the first day? Damn it, why are all the good things not happening at all and the bad things piling up one after another?”

“So in the end, we can only use such a method…”

“Seems like it.”

In the end, we couldn’t think of anything else other than breaking through. The situation hasn’t changed at all!

“Now, let’s go through why we failed yesterday. Akihisa, why do you think we failed yesterday?”

“Why? Um~ because half the girls joined in the defense?”

If the enemies were just those few teachers from two days back, we would definitely not lose to them. At least we could beat Fuse-sensei, right?”

“…Kudo Aiko is also our enemy.” Muttsulini mutters bitterly.

Muttsulini replied in a rather vengeful manner. Maybe he’s angry that he got obstructed time after time again, or maybe he’s unhappy about the unexpected 2 v 1 that included a teacher and ended up losing.

“That’s right. The reason why we lost was because the defense included class A girls, increasing their battle strength by several fold.”

As far as I could remember, they had three times the personnel that we had. And including the teachers that were watching us, the difference in battle strength between both sides is tremendous. Trying to take them head on is stupid.

“So I feel that we should increase our forces as well. Just class F alone is insufficient, we have to recruit the boys from other classes in order to have a fighting chance against them.”

Like usual, Yuuji proposes a battle plan. However, why do I feel that the plan this time is weird. More like, it’s not something that Yuuji will come up with.

“Hm? Akihisa, what’s wrong?”

“Hm~ It feels like a plan that’s different from usual…You see, the opponent increased their forces, and so we’re doing the same thing in response. It’s not something that we will normally do…”

Just as I said what I felt, Yuuji shows an approving look as he nods his head.

“Ohh…seems like Akihisa can finally think a bit. You’re right, this isn’t for breaking through the front.”

So there are other reasons? Aren’t the methods different in the end?

“Then what are the other objectives?”

“To protect ourselves.”

“Protect us? From who?”

“Listen, though it didn’t become a problem since we failed up till now, peeping is still a crime. If we managed to reach the girls bathroom yet fail to catch the culprit, we’ll be suspended.”

I see. I didn’t think too much yesterday since I worked so hard, but if we don’t find the real culprit even if we managed to break through, we won’t be able to prove our innocence. We’ll then just be lauded with the crime of being sexual harassers, and we probably will get suspended.

“In order to avoid this, we need to increase our forces—in other words, increase the number of people we have.”

“Will increasing the number of people we have allow us to avoid being suspended?”

“Ah, if the number increases, it’ll be hard for them to lock onto a target. It’ll be hard to memorise everyone’s look while on a battlefield.”

He’s right. Trying to notice the surroundings even while taking action, it’s not an easy thing to do.

“But our faces were seen, right? Wouldn’t that be meaningless?”

That was why I got called out by the audio broadcast to get scolded.

“Because Fumitzuki Academy’s a famous experimental school that the entire world is watching over, if such an embarrassing thing happen, either they will punish everyone or they will do their best to cover up. If they only punish half the students, they’ll be given a bad rep of ‘showing different levels of favouritism to different classes’, and will bring the school’s reputation down quite a bit.”

Hm…in other words, we’re going to make use of the fact that we were exposed to be students from class F? It’s true that if we’re the only ones being punished, it’ll look like ‘only class F is punished and yet they’re magnanimous in letting the other classes go’. Considering the society’s attention on us, it’s likely that the school will try to avoid getting involved in things that may damage the school’s reputation.

“I see. As expected of Yuuji, nobody can compare to you in terms of despicable means.”

“Please consider it as foresight.”

If we want to make them unable to identify certain people and yet increase our fighting forces and penetrating ability, we have to increase our forces as much as we can.

“Hm, then the main point of today is to increase the number of comrades?”

“Ahh, good thing that the combined studying seems more like a self-study period; we can take action easily.”

“Yah. Then, where do we start?”

Considering the strength, I hope that we can get classes A to C to join us.

“Of course class A. If we’re going to spend the same amount of effort throughout, it’s better to get the best.”

So Yuuji has the same idea as me. Sigh, that’s the case alright.

“Since we interacted quite a bit with class A yesterday, we should be able to communicate with them well.”

“Then it’s decided. We’ll talk to class A while we’re studying together then.”

“Got it. Is this alright, Muttsulini?”

“…No problem.”

After we decided on what to do, we continued to eat breakfast. Being able to eat solid food, I’m so happy…

<center>☆</center>

“If we want to get class A, we got to convince Kubo. Akihisa, try and convince him.”

“That’s right, I feel Akihisa is the most suitable one to do this.”

“…We’ll leave it to you.”

What’s going on? Why is everyone agreeing that I should convince Kubo?

“Ah, oh, it doesn’t matter if I go.”

Besides, I have no reason to refuse, so I naturally went along with it.

“But then again, why me?”

Just as I intend to stand up and walk to Kubo-san, I suddenly thought about asking this as I turn around to ask those three.

“““…”””

Did I ask something wrong? Why is everyone looking away awkwardly?

“Erm, about that…I have a bad feeling about it. Is it really alright?”

“Wha, what problem is there? And I can tell you straight, Kubo has no ill intent against you.”

“…He has no ill intent against you at all.”

“Why are you two saying this as if something’s choking you?”

What’s going on? For some reason, I don’t feel like going further.

“Akihisa, hurry up and move.”

“Eh? But…”

“No problem! Among us, Kubo views you the most favourably, so be confident!”

“Ah, mm…”

“…But if something really happens, use this.”

After saying this, Yuuji stuffs something into my pocket. I took a peek to confirm what it is.

—So it’s a taser.

I’m just going to request help from a schoolmate, so why must I carry a taser along? I’m really confused here.

“O, okay, I’m going then.”

Though I don’t understand, I still walked over to Kubo-san in the end.

As expected of the one who ranks second in our academic year, Kubo-san is flipping a reference book, studying it seriously. Though I have a thought that ‘maybe now isn’t a good time to disturb him now’, I got to do what I got to do.

“Kubo-san, can I bother you for a while?”

“Yoshii-san? It’s rare for you to look for me. Take a seat.”

At the same time he said this, Kubo-san moved his butt away to create more space on the chair. Hm, I’m really grateful for Kubo-san’s kind intentions, but is there a need to make space on a single-seat chair?

“Eh, I guess I should use the chair that no one is using over there.”

“Really? Nevermind, if you want to use that chair, go ahead.”

“Speaking of which, I got something I want to ask you.”

“I accept.”

“Actually—YOU RESPONDED TOO QUICKLY!!”

I haven’t even asked him what I want!

“Ah, I’m sorry, I lost my cool. Then, say, what do you need me to help you in?”

“Ah, mm, actually…”

I want you to help me as a peeping buddy—I can’t say such words like that so easily!

“Don’t worry too much, just say what you want to say.”

Seeing me having difficulty in expressing myself, Kubo-san answered with a sincere look. If the person I’m trying to convince is so understanding, I should be able to ask him directly, right? No need to think too much, I just need to trust him and ask him directly!

“Well… I want to ask you people to help us peep inside the girls’ bathroom.”

“I refuse.”

Why do I feel a little sense of betrayal?

“Peeping inside the girls’ bathroom? Are you serious?”

“Um…the, there is a reason for us to do this…”

“Yoshii-san, that really ruined my impression on you. There’s an existence of logic between humans, and by following that, a society is formed. As a human, you shouldn’t do such a thing, and for you to think of such a thing, you shouldn’t exist in this society. We will soon join the society of adults, do you really think that you can just do such things as you please? Besides, your thinking of peeping into a bathroom to see naked females is too dirty.”

Kubo-san scolded me profusely like he’s firing an array of cannonballs, and I couldn’t respond. After he said that, he coldly gives a ‘humph’ and lowers his head to continue battle with the reference book. Seeing him with such a tough and stubborn stand, it seems like we can’t continue on with the negotiations.

“Sorry to bother you. I’ll be leaving then.”

This can’t be helped! But just as I prepare to get up and return back to Yuuji and company—

“…as a human, should we do that…”

Before I left, I accidentally heard Kubo-san muttering to himself. Is there something wrong?

“So how was it, Akihisa?”

“Sorry, I failed.”

“I see…no problems. It’s okay as long as you’re fine.”

“Erm, I didn’t do anything that will threaten other people’s lives, right?”

I really hope that these guys will worry about me when it’s really needed.

“However, since we failed, we better start negotiating with other classes.”

“You’re right, but we have lessons now.”

Even though it’s self-study time, someone will definitely be watching. If we don’t pretend to be studying seriously, we’ll definitely be taken care of by the supervising teacher.

“I know! But just the rest times alone aren’t enough for us to interact with the other classes. Seems like we can only sneak out.”

Yuuji glances sharply at Ironman, trying to look for a chance.

At this moment, someone walked beside us,

“Oi, are you guys planning on doing something bad again?”

So it’s actually Minami, who’s near us as she continues to study.

We definitely lowered our voices, and yet we couldn’t escape her eyes. And once Ironman, who’s standing far away, hears her say the words ‘something bad’, he immediately turned his head around.

“You’re mistaken, Minami. We weren’t thinking about doing anything bad.”

We’re just discussing how to do a frontal assault and peep.

“Really…anyway guys, don’t create anymore trouble already. Though I know you guys won’t listen even if I rattle on, peeping is really…have you truly thought of how the girls being peeped on will feel?”

Minami’s right. If I wasn’t threatened, interrogated for a non-existent crime and if Himeji-san’s boobs were a little smaller, I will definitely not think about peeping.

“And you were going to peep inside the bathroom…there’s no place to hide, and one body will be compared to other girls’ bodies, can’t even stuff any breast pads, or even squeeze…”

“Erm, Minami…I guess you just don’t want me to see a certain body part, right?”

Right now, you don’t need to explain it to us now, right, Minami—I wanted to comfort her, only to receive a look from Yuuji.

“Ironman’s staring at us, hurry up and maintain distance from Shimada.”

Hm? Ironman’s staring at us? Where is he?

Ahh, I see. Ironman’s definitely watching. The conversation Minami and I had seemed to cause Ironman to be wary. To us, who’re looking to the other classes for support, it’ll be troublesome if he targets us at this juncture. Let’s just follow what Yuuji says and not get too involved with Minami.

The problem is, how do I maintain my distance from her? How about I use an excuse of ‘ah, someone’s looking for you’ to trick her? Got to choose somewhere further…oh, Sugawa-san’s position is rather good. Let’s use him to shake Minami off.

“Ah, Minami…”

“Hm? What?”

“Sugawa-san wanted to say something to you…”

“Hm? Sugawa-san’s looking for me?”

“Yeah, he told me to say this to you.”

Very good, Minami’s not suspicious at all. If so, she should be moving off to Sugawa-san who’s far away, right?

“Hmmm…why is he looking for me? Nevermind, I’ll talk to him during the break.”

“Eh? Ah, no, that’ll be a little troublesome…”

“? Why?”

Minami doesn’t seem like she will leave her seat. That’ll be troublesome, I got to do something, and fast.

“Well, about it, it’s something important, so he hopes that you can immediately head over and listen.”

“Eh? Something important?”

Ohh, she took the bait? This response is good. Seems like she’ll move if I say some more.

“As it was a really really really serious expression he showed, I’m guessing it’s something important.”

“EHHH!? Don, don’t tell me…? Sugawa to me, how is it possible…but but, it’s said that these kinds of things happen during trips as well…”

Minami suddenly blushes. I don’t know what she’s thinking about, but it seems like it can work if this keeps up!

“As he said that he wanted to tell you immediately, it’ll be sad if you can’t go immediately.”

It should be alright for me to say things up till here, so Minami will definitely head off to Sugawa-san—

“…Aki, is it alright for you to feel like this…?”

The moment she was about to leave, there was a little sense or chiding and yet loneliness from her.

“Eh? It doesn’t matter what he says.”

“That’s why! You should be saying something when I’m with Sugawa-san…”

“Sorry, didn’t hear that correctly.”

I don’t really understand what Minami is saying here.

“Ahh, really! Anyway, what if he confesses to me?”

“I’ll guess it’s a prank.”

“Sigh…it’ll be bad if my shirt gets stained in blood…”

“You’re immediately worried about blood stains!? Is it already decided that I’ll shed blood!?”

Why am I always treated like this?

“Shimada, Akihisa feels that you won’t go anywhere, so he’s quite relaxed. Don’t you think it’s good to make him anxious?”

Observing from beside me, Yuuji said something weird. I’m definitely troubled that Minami’s not going anywhere now.

“…You’re right. Watch this, Aki, I’m really popular here!”

Giving me a glance, Minami angrily storms towards Sugawa-san’s position.

“What’s with your expression, Shimada?”

“Nishimura-sensei, I got something to say to Sugawa. It’ll be over soon.”

“Really? But this angry momentum makes me worry whether Sugawa will be buried in blood.”

Oh, she got intercepted by Ironman midway through? Perfect chance!

“Akihisa, Hideyoshi, Muttsulini. Now’s the time, get out, and don’t get spotted on the way.”

Yuuji said this to me, Hideyoshi and Muttsulini, who’re still pretending to study. We glanced at each other and nod our heads, and then slip out of the side door silently, shutting the door immediately once we got onto the corridor.

“Important thing? What about that?”

“Aki dared to trick me! COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!”

At the critical moment, I could hear Minami’s conversation with Sugawa-san.

In more ways than one, this is the perfect opportunity to get away.

<center>☆</center>

“So there’s a supervising teacher here as well.”

“That’s to be expected.”

After walking about carefully on the corridor for a few minutes, we finally arrived in front of the combined study area of classes D and E. We spied on them at this moment.

“Then what do we do next? We can’t even negotiate with them now.”

“…Trying to invade other classrooms now is extremely difficult.”

The reason why it’s extremely difficult is because the supervising teacher is blocking the entrance.thus, trying to sneak inside to look is just like an idiot daydreaming.

“Easy, we just need someone to lure the teacher away.”

“I refuse.”

Every time this kind of situation occurs, it’ll normally be me who’ll end up doing such a tough role, so I have to refuse first before they point at me.

“Can’t be helped. So how about we play a game to decide who’s going to e bait?”

Ohh, so it’s Yuuji’s idea again, huh? But rejecting his proposal wouldn’t be any different from running away from battle. Thus, even though I don’t’ like it, I have to hear what he proposes.

“So what are we playing?”

“Let’s play ‘past and present’.” [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Baka_to_Tesuto_to_Syokanju:Volume3_Translator%27s_Notes]

So we’re playing that? If so, I should be able to win, right? No, I must beat Yuuji this time, I must let him handle all this rag tag.

“I got it. Let’s play then.”

“Alright, we’re starting.”

I face off against Yuuji, and we start this game with a voice that won’t reach the inside of the classroom/

“Sakamoto Yuuji will start.” (Yuuji himself)

“““Yeah~!””” (Me, Hideyoshi and Muttsulini respond in rhythm)

“ ‘Past and present’!”

“““Yeah~!”””

[[Image:BTS vol 03 133.jpg|thumb]]

“Let’s start with any English word that starts with the letter ‘A’!”

“…Heh?

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> Yuuji’s turn

“ ‘Apple’!”

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> My turn

“…I lost…”

“You can’t even think of a single word?”

“Uu! No! It was too sudden that I couldn’t respond in time. Once I calm down, I will definitely be able to come up with a proper answer! B, but, isn’t Muttsulini bad at this as well?”

“…Not at all.”

But his reply defied my expectations.

“Re, really?”

“…I’ll show it to you.”

Muttsulini switched places with me, and this time, he’s the one standing in front of Yuuji.

“We’ll start then, ‘past and present’, starting with any English word that starts with the letter ‘A’.”

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> Yuuji’s turn

“ ‘Amond’”

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> Muttsulini’s turn

“…AV.”

English words?

“Hold on, you two.”

“Is there a problem, Akihisa?”

“The English words that Muttsulini used just now seemed weird.”

Aren’t those English alphabets?

“What are you talking about? He did start off with ‘A’!”

“Eh…mm, he started with ‘A’ alright…”

“Then there’re no problems then; let’s continue.”

Yuuji completely ignores my protests as he continues the game.

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> Yuuji’s turn

“ ‘Agent’”.

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> Muttsulini’s turn

“…Akihisa.”

Isn’t that a name?

“Alright, can you two stop again?”

“What now, Akihisa?”

“Since when did my name become an English word?”

“…the ‘name’ means an idiot, so it’s suitable to use this. Adding ‘-ful’ to the word will be an adverb.’”

“What! Stop using such an explanation that even a dictionary doesn’t have!”

“Example: He is so Akihisaful (There’s no one even more stupid than him.)”

Recently, I feel that the ways they’re treating me like an idiot has a lot more depth.

“Anyway, no names or simplified terms, that’s a foul!”

“Aiyo, alright, alright. That’s really troublesome! Then, let’s continue.”

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> Yuuji’s turn

“ ‘Arrival’.”

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> Muttsulini’s turn

“…‘Amen’…bo.” [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Baka_to_Tesuto_to_Syokanju:Volume3_Translator%27s_Notes]

“Oi, didn’t Muttsulini just add a litte ‘bo’? Didn’t he want to say ‘amenbo’?”

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> Yuuji’s turn

“ ‘Action’.”

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> Muttsulini’s turn

“…’A--&!@((&*&^’.”

“I caught you! You couldn’t come up with any English words so you tried to sneak past me by reading it faster, right?”

“Oh…seems like we can’t decide a winner here. That should be enough.”

“…(nods head).”

“DAMN IIITTT!! I HAD ENOUGH!! MUTTSULINI’S ANSWERS WERE SO OUTRAGEOUS, SO WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO LET HIM PASS?”

“Oi, Akihisa, if you shout so loudly—”

Kacha!

“Who’s making such a ruckus on the corridor? It should be self-studying time!”

“WAH! FUSE-SENSEI! YUUJI, WHAT DO WE—Eh, he’s gone? WHEN DID HE RUN AWAY?”

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! YOSHII-SAN!”

“AND IT’S THE SAME OUTCOME ALL OVER AGAIN!”

“OI, STOP!”

In the end, it’s me who’s running around all over the compound and luring Fuse-sensei away.

“Hu, hu, hu…anyway…I finally…shook him off…”

“It’s been tough on you, Akihisa.”

“That was crazy! Even…Daishima-sensei…came out running after me…”

“Running? But thanks to you, we managed to get classes D and E along. Good job.”

I’m still pressing my hand against my chest as I try to regain my breathing, hu…

“Great, now our forces have increased quite a bit.”

“That’s right. Now we just need to convince classes B and C. Akihisa, we’ll rely on you again.”

Yuuji gives me an ‘of course’ look as he asked. However, I’m not going to let him get what he wants so easily.

“I don’t want to do such a thing again. Besides, I’m happy with how I lost just now. I demand a replay!”

“Well, can’t be helped, but we’re just wasting time here, you know.”

“Humph, is that so? I advise you not to confuse me with the me just now!”

While I was running about just now, I managed to think of quite a few words. I’ll definitely win this time!”

“Yoshii Akihisa will start.” (myself)

“““Yeah~!””” (Yuuji, Hideyoshi and Muttsulini respond in rhythm)

“ ‘Past and present’!”

“““Yeah~!”””

“Let’s start with any English word that starts with the letter ‘O’!”

Pa pa (clapping hands in rhythm)--> My turn

“Augusto!”

“Hold it right there, Yoshii-san! Why are you walking about on the corridor!?”

“Sorry! I have my reasons!”

Unexpectedly, Igarashi-sensei’s really fast.

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